The Justice, January 12, 2016

Page 1

ARTS Page 19

FORUM Trump faces criticism in UK 11

COURSE PREVIEW

SPORTS Track opens with individual wins 16 The Independent Student Newspaper

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of

B r a n d e is U n i v e r sit y S i n c e 1 9 4 9

Justice

Volume LXVIII, Number 13

www.thejustice.org

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

BRANDEIS BEGINNINGS

Faculty

Adjunct and parttime faculty win vote for union ■ In an overwhelming

majority, adjunct and parttime faculty elected to form a bargaining unit for a union. By Max Moran JUSTICE Editor

Adjunct and part-time contract faculty joined the Faculty Forward division of the Service Employees International Union Local 509 on Dec. 18, creating the first-ever collective bargaining unit on campus for non-tenure track faculty. The members of the new bargaining unit voted through mailed-in ballots that were tallied that morning. They will now begin to formally organize a list of demands for future contract negotiations with the University, in which they will be represented by SEIU Local 509. In total, 81.2 percent of the ad-

MAX MORAN/the Justice

Interim University President Lisa Lynch addressed the class of 2019 midyear students on Friday during last week's convocation ceremony, which was titled Brandeis Beginnings.

Administration

Ronald Liebowitz to become ninth president ■ After serving as

Middlebury's president for 11 years, Liebowitz will be coming to Brandeis. By Max Moran JUSTICE Editor

Ronald D. Liebowitz, the former president of Middlebury College, will serve as the University’s ninth president starting July 1, 2016, according to a Dec. 17 email to the University community from Chair of the Board of Trustees Perry Traquina ’78. The Board of Trustees voted Liebowitz into the position on Dec. 18. His appointment concludes an eightmonth-long search process that began in April after the eighth University president, Frederick Lawrence, announced his resignation in January. Interim University President Lisa Lynch will return to her role as Provost once Liebowitz takes office. Liebowitz wrote in a statement accompanying Traquina’s email that he was “deeply honored” to have the chance to lead Brandeis and that “the university’s founding, based on the premise of offering an education to those who had been excluded from

the finest universities, is inspiring. Its commitment to social justice, as espoused by its namesake, represents a precious compass for an institution of higher education in the 21st century. And its Jewish heritage and roots reflect a learning environment committed not only to critical thinking but to self-criticism as well.”

Time at Middlebury Liebowitz served as Middlebury’s president for 11 years, from 2004 to 2015. He stepped down on June 30. Throughout his presidency, Liebowitz worked to increase the college’s sustainability and commitment to green energy. Under Liebowitz’s tenure, the college committed in 2007 to becoming carbon-neutral by 2016, and in 2009, the college opened a biomass-gasification plant valued at $12 million. He was named one of Time magazine’s Top 10 College Presidents that year, in large part due to his environmental work on campus. On Aug. 28, 2013, he responded to a growing movement toward divesting Middlebury’s endowment from the top 200 fossil fuel companies by holding two community meetings and modeling the endowment’s projection without fossil fuel investments, but

junct and contract faculty who will be represented by the union participated in the vote, SEIU spokesman Jason Stephany said in a phone interview with the Justice. The prounion votes won by a margin of four to one, with 120 votes in favor of joining Faculty Forward and 28 opposed. The union will represent all part-time contract and adjunct faculty, but not full-time, nontenure-track faculty. According to Stephany, however, some fulltime, non-tenure-track faculty are now beginning discussions about unionizing as well. These conversations are in the early stages, so it is unknown whether the full-time faculty would be represented by SEIU Local 509 as well. Approximately 200 faculty members will be a part of the bargaining unit for adjuncts and part-time

See UNION, 7 ☛

aCADEMICS

University committee to form new program after BAATF activism

the college ultimately did not divest. “Given its fiduciary responsibilities,” he wrote, “the board [of trustees at Middlebury] cannot look past the lack of proven alternative investment models, the difficulty and material cost of withdrawing from a complex portfolio of investments, and the uncertainties and risks that divestment would create.” He did announce the college’s commitment to building stronger environmental, social and governance principles to apply to the portfolio and maintain on campus, and said that significantly more of the endowment would be directed toward companies that followed those guidelines. In August 2015, Middlebury successfully completed a $500 million fundraising initiative that was initiated under Liebowitz in 2007. The campaign ended with a final total of $535 million in gifts. This was the largest fundraising campaign in the school’s 215-year history, according to the Middlebury website. According to data compiled by the Chronicle of Higher Education, Liebowitz was paid $440,283 in 2013 at Middlebury, which had an endowment of $970 million in July of that year, according to its statement on di-

■ In response to student

demands, Brandeis began the process of creating an Asian American Pacific Islander Studies minor. By abby patkin JUSTICE editor

The University administration established a Faculty-Student Committee on Asian American Pacific Islander Studies, according to a Dec. 22 email Interim University President Lisa Lynch sent to the community. The decision was made in response to a student protest and several meetings with the student leaders of the Brandeis Asian American Task force. On Dec. 1, BAATF sent an email to administrators requesting that the University establish an Asian American studies program by Fall 2016. Students from BAATF then rallied outside the Bernstein-Marcus Ad-

See NEW PRES, 7 ☛

ministration Center on Dec. 8 to share personal narratives and address administrators. BAATF President Hin Hon (Jamie) Wong ’17 was quoted in a Dec. 8 Justice article as saying, “We [BAATF] believe all departments can viably have cross-curricular courses with Asian American Studies. We must first achieve an agreement with the administration to create the program and department before beginning the hard work of creating and molding it.” Wong declined to comment for this article. On Dec. 22, BAATF reposted Lynch’s email on its medium.com page, also writing, “Thank you to all of of [sic] the students, faculty, staff, and alumni who have stood with us and supported us. Our voices were heard. This is change — ‪#‎AsianAme ricanStudiesNow.”‬ In her email, Lynch noted that the committee, which was formed shortly after the end of the fall semester, was

See MINOR, 7 ☛

New student app

In the huddle

No drones

 A group of Brandeis students launched a website focused on academic and social organization.

 The women's basketball team could not stop New York University in a 57-46 road loss.

 The University announced a ban on the use of drones and hoverboards on campus.

FEATURES 8 For tips or info email editor@thejustice.org

Waltham, Mass.

Let your voice be heard! Submit letters to the editor online at www.thejustice.org

INDEX

SPORTS 16 ARTS SPORTS

17 13

EDITORIAL FEATURES

10 9

OPINION POLICE LOG

10 2

News 3 COPYRIGHT 2015 FREE AT BRANDEIS.


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