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T h e I n d e p e n d e n t S t u d e n t N e w s p a p e r o f B r a n d e is U n i v e r sit y S i n c e 1 9 4 9 Volume LXXVIII, Number 15
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
LEGAL DISCUSSION
Waltham, Mass.
CAMPUS SAFETY
Brandeis community reflects on antisemitism and campus support As incidents of antisemitism are on the rise globally, Brandeis community members reflected on campus climate, safety and community support.
By ALLIE LADJEVA
JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
REUBEN GARTENBACH/The Justice.
FACULTY: Prof. Hill speaks to attendees after the event concluded.
Prof. Anita Hill and former district judge engage in conversation about democracy The conversation with Judge Mark Wolf covered how the judiciary system has restricted presidents in the past, the current threat to U.S. law and how citizens can defend democracy. By MARYAM FAZLY AND PAUL LEE JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
On Wednesday, March 18, Prof. Anita Hill (WGS, LGLS, AAAS) hosted a fireside chat in Schwartz Hall with former district judge of Massachusetts, Mark L. Wolf titled, “The Existential Threat to the U.S. Rule of Law and Democracy and How to Counter It.” Professor Hill and Judge Wolf discussed how the politics of President Donald Trump's administration are jeopardizing the American government's core foundations such as rule of law and free and fair elections. Wolf began his legal position in 1985 and retired in 2025 in order to speak out against the Trump administration. Prof. Daniel Kryder (POL) commenced the event by elaborating on the importance of these conversations in the current era, introducing Hill and Wolf. The conversation started with a question about the difference in the current Department of Justice under the Trump administration compared to the justice department over the past decades. Wolf described them as “diametrically different” and explained that when President Gerald Ford chose Edward H. Levi as attorney general, he explicitly said that the attorney general should always place the interests of the American citizens over the interests of the president. In stark contrast, Wolf believes Trump pushes his attorney general to prosecute his perceived enemies. Wolf pointed to individuals such as James Comey, former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Letitia James, attorney general of New York, officials who have both been targeted by the administration. He contrasted this with the case of Tom Homan, who has been deemed Trump’s “border czar” and was being investigated for potential bribery in 2024. However, unlike the strain that Comey and James faced, Homan’s charges were eventually dropped. Wolf remarked, “The Department of Justice is not committed to equal justice under law,” thus questioning presidential power over the judicial system. Hill asked Wolf how he managed his career at a
time of heightened political tension. Wolf explained, “Everything I try to do is with others. A lot of people are asking, ‘What can I do,’ [but] I think a better framing of the question is ‘What can we do?’” He emphasized that citizens should be highly concerned over the upcoming elections since he believes that Trump will eventually impose martial law and as a result will have an excuse to get rid of elections altogether. To combat this, he implored attendees to exercise their right to vote. Wolf’s interest in civic engagement is derived not only from his position as a concerned citizen, but also as someone who helped found Integrity Initiatives International, an NGO which advocates for laws that hold corrupt leaders accountable for their actions. Wolf explained how years of traveling to different countries ruled by corrupt leaders has led him to believe that there’s a need for a higher court in order to handle world leaders who have no domestic laws to answer to. He used Turkey as an example of a case where there are no laws in place to check a leader’s power demonstrating that this can cause abuses of power such as the unfair arrests of journalists after the attempted coup in 2016. His organization has advocated for an International Anti-Corruption Court to handle such cases. He added that he never expected that this court would have to take a case in the United States as they typically prosecute our corrupt officials. He then said that “in certain circumstances," Trump could be prosecuted by this court. This drove home the message that the Trump administration has been operating with a far different playbook than previous administrations, and Wolf perceived this change as a sign that the country is heading down a dangerous path. After Wolf’s conversation with Professor Hill, there was a short question and answer session with the audience. In response to a question about election integrity, Wolf asserted that Massachusetts has less to worry about as it had very predictable election results each year. Other states are at a greater risk of losing their voting rights. Wolf mentioned the importance of protests in light of the recent demonstrations in Minnesota and how, even though they were risking their lives, the protests have led to Immigration and Customs Enforcement “declaring victory” and leaving the city. He added that it was important to protest, but citizens should be mindful of where they do so. He jokingly said that protesting on “the Weston town green … it’s just not likely to have a maximum impact.” Another question mentioned an inquiry into Wolf’s alleged workplace misconduct and asked if
On March 12, an unidentified suspect drove a vehicle into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, causing the building to catch fire and sparking fear within the Jewish community. Just over a week later, on March 23, ambulances of a Jewish volunteer rescue organization were set on fire in front of a synagogue in London. A recent report from the American Jewish Committee showed that in 2025, “two-thirds of American Jews surveyed report that Jews in the U.S. are less secure than a year ago.” As incidents of antisemitism are on the rise globally, students, staff and faculty members reflect on how antisemitism has been addressed in academic spaces along with how Brandeis supports the Jewish community.
According to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, antisemitism can be defined as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.” In 1948, Brandeis was founded as a nonsectarian university by the American Jewish community and has been committed to social justice as well as diversity in higher education. Brandeis Hillel, the University’s largest Jewish organization, is working to provide students with safe and inclusive spaces amidst a time of heightened tension. To inform this article, members of Hillel shared their perspective on the recent incidents of antisemitism around the world. In a March 20 written statement to The Justice, Hillel Student Board President Ollie Small '28 said that “recent incidents of antisemitism around the world have been disheartening for the Jewish community.” They added that Hillel is working hard to provide students with accessible resources. Despite students' fears, Small said that increasing antisemitism has brought the Jewish community closer together. Hillel Student Board Vice President, Coco Trentalancia '27, also shared her perspective on the issue. In a March 19 written statement to The Justice, Trentalancia explained that recent incidents of antisemitism have been challenging for the
See ANTISEMITISM, 5
Cameron Samuels '25 speaks about public advocacy in higher education
Samuels discussed how their work
with Students Engaged in Advancing Texas has helped students develop advocacy experience. By NAWAL IRFANI
JUSTICE DEPUTY EDITOR
On March 19 in the Rapaporte Treasure Hall, Cameron Samuels ’25 gave a talk titled “A Seat at the Table: Storytelling, Policy and Law in a Precarious Higher Education Landscape,” sponsored by Brandeis’ Creativity, the Arts and Social Transformation department. The talk centered on the litany of conservative education policy that has impacted Samuels’ home state of Texas and their organization — Students Engaged in Advancing Texas — which is a student-led movement that has advocated for free speech in schools by opposing book bans and the removal of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives along with policies that target immigrant students. Samuels described SEAT’s mission statement: “Everyone deserves a seat at the table.” SEAT works to promote student voices as “primary stakeholder[s] in education” and to “center youth visibility in policymaking.” They stressed the importance of youth engagement in democracy, especially during a “precarious time for higher education.” With this statement, Samuels displayed a photo that encapsulated the precarity they were referring to: a sign on campus at the University of Texas-Austin that reads “What starts here changes the world. It starts with you and what you do each day. Thank you for making it your Texas. Thank you for making it our Texas.” Next to the sign, a row of state troopers blocks the rest of the street from view. The photo was taken in April 2024 during a national wave of protests on college campuses calling for divestment from organizations affiliated with Israel. The troopers were called
onto the university’s campus by state officials who “wanted to crack down on … these peaceful demonstrations within their rights.” UT-Austin was sued by two university alumni and two students at the time for allegedly violating their First Amendment rights. In discussing the state response to the protests Samuels asked, “What does that mean for the future of our higher education?” Samuels dubbed the litany of recent decisions that have impacted Texas’s education policy, “death by a thousand cuts,” drawing inspiration from the documentary “A Thousand Cuts,” produced by Ramona S. Diaz. The documentary follows Maria Ressa, a journalist who was critical of Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte after his election in 2016. She is a “huge inspiration” for Samuels at a time when the “authoritarian regime in the Philippines [has become] this blueprint for the United States.” Ressa also authored “How to Stand Up to a Dictator” in 2022. Samuels elaborated on the impact of Texas legislature’s adoption of Senate Bill 17 in 2023, which outlawed DEI at higher education institutions. The bill resulted in the firing of diversity officers, closure of LGBTQ+ and women’s centers as well as on-campus spaces for Black, Indigenous and people of color, the loss of grants and scholarships — many of which required a diversity statement for the application — and changes to syllabi. Samuels noted the swift and powerful response from Texas students, including student protests and advocacy from organizations like Texas Students for DEI. Many students used social media “not just [to] draw public attention, but to actually emphasize that everyone [had] a shared interest in protecting [them]… This does affect everyone.” They highlighted the work of a student newspaper at UT-Dallas, “The Mercury,” whose editor-inchief Gregorio Olivares Gutierrez was removed after being accused of “malpractice” by the director of student media at the university Lydia Lum. The Mercury’s staff went on strike and claimed that Gutierrez was removed as a result of the paper’s coverage of a “pro-Palestinian encampment” on campus and the publication of editorials which criticized student arrests. The Mercury
See U.S. LAW, 5
"The Aliens"
Vocal performance
A detailed account of FreePlay Theater's "The Aliens."
A photographic look into Brandeis' Acappellooza.
By LUKE BENANAV
By JULIAHNA FALCIGLIA-MATTES
JULIAHNA FALCIGLIA-MATTES/The Justice.
FEATURES 6 For tips or info email editor@thejustice.org
See SEAT, 5
AAUP urges Brandeis to cut ties to ICE NEWS 3 By ELLIE HARRIS AND GRACE DOH Contract grading is political By ARIEL KNUDSEN
JACOB ANDERSON/The Justice.
ARTS AND CULTURE 14
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Brandeis track stars By BEN KHAYAT
COPYRIGHT 2026 FREE AT BRANDEIS.
FORUM 9 SPORTS 12