ARTS Page 18
FORUM Free speech is a two-way street 11
UTC PREVIEW
SPORTS Women win in conference play 16 The Independent Student Newspaper
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Justice
Volume LXVII, Number 16
www.thejustice.org
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
ADDRESSING INEQUALITY
Faculty
Cunningham to leave for WashU ■ Professor leaves Brandeis
after 16 years to pioneer new sociology department at Washington University. By Marissa ditkowsky JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
Prof. David Cunningham (SOC), who chairs the Sociology department, will leave the University after 16 years at the end of this academic year. He will begin a tenured professorship at Washington University in St. Louis in the fall. Cunningham described his professorship at Washington University as a “unique opportunity”—he will be helping to build the university’s new sociology department. The department was phased out in 1989, according to a March 25, 2014 Washington University release announcing the re-establishment of the department. The department was allegedly phased out due to financial reasons, but according to a March 25, 2014 St. Louis Public Radio broadcast, tension existed between the Sociology faculty and the administration. According to the broad-
cast, some members of the faculty failed to earn tenure, and by the time the university decided to shut down the department, only four Sociology professors remained, Cunningham and only one had tenure. Cunningham was hired at Brandeis as an assistant professor on the tenure track in 1999. He has spent the last three years as the Sociology department chair, and his research focuses primarily on social movements. He has taught sociology introductory courses, research methods courses and Justice Brandeis Semester programs. He has worked closely with the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life and the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. Cunningham also chairs the Social Justice and Social Policy program. “I really like to find ways to try to connect the subject matter in Sociology to things that really mat-
See SOC, 7 ☛
Faculty
Leak sparks debate on academic freedom
ABIGAIL ROTHSTEIN/the Justice
MAKING CONNECTIONS: Dr. Roy DeBerry ’70 links civil rights past to current inequality in the United States in his keynote address.
Alumnus speaks about race at MLK memorial ■ Dr. Roy DeBerry '70
delivered the keynote address at the 10th annual MLK Memorial. By abby patkin Justice editorial assistant
■ Professors express
concern over freedom of speech on campus in the aftermath of Listserv leak. By marissa ditkowsky JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
Following the leak of faculty emails from the restricted “Concerned” Listserv this past summer and University President Frederick Lawrence’s response to the comments in a July 28, 2014 statement, some faculty members have expressed concerns regarding freedom of speech on campus. “Concerned” is a restricted email list that was created in 2003 as a forum for interested professors to
express their concerns surrounding the Iraq War and has since evolved to bring attention to other issues. Many of the “Concerned” leaks involved comments that expressed discontent with Israel and policies pertaining to Gaza. In his initial Breitbart News Network article leaking the emails, Daniel Mael ’15 included Hindley’s comments from a 2007 email to the Listserv with the subject line “Plant a Tree, Bury a Palestinian.” “Zionist olive trees grow wondrously on Palestinian corpses,” the email read. “In that way, we combine great trees with our own holocaustic ethnic cleansing.” Other comments leaked in the Breitbart article were faculty reactions before the University decided
See CONCERNS, 9 ☛
Members of the Brandeis community gathered Monday night in the Shapiro Campus Center Theater for the University’s 10th annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, which included various performances and featured a keynote address from Dr. Roy DeBerry ’70. Dean of Students Jamele Adams began the memorial by reading out the names of all the African American people killed in acts of racism and brutality in the United States over the last year. Adams then read two original poems, including one he called the “New Negro Nursery Rhyme for Black Boys.” Prof. Chad Williams (AAAS) also spoke briefly, touching on both the
prevalence of racism in America and the recent historical drama Selma (2014), which he will be discussing in a panel later this week. “Brandeis, we have a lot of work to do … and part of that work is reclaiming the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.,” Williams told the audience. “Selma is now and Selma is here at Brandeis.” During his keynote address, DeBerry—founder and Executive Director of the Hill Country Project, an oral history project that also focuses on education and economic support—spoke about his involvement in the Civil Rights movement. DeBerry also shared some stories on his experience as a Brandeis student, a time during which he said there were roughly eight students of color at the University. Additionally, DeBerry addressed the issue of racism in America, noting that Jim Crow continues to exist in the United States. “[Jim Crow laws] can be seen in boardrooms, in courtrooms, … in the U.S. capitol and in those blue [police] uniforms,” he said. “There’s also an education sys-
tem that’s leaving so many poor children unprepared for the world and unprepared for the future, but is custom-made to get them to the penitentiary.” DeBerry added that today’s society spends too much time seeing only the obvious—race, gender, religion—and failing to register a person’s character. “We don’t see each other. If we learn to see each other, to see that our cops are people like Officer Ramos and Officer Liu, to see that our community is filled with people just like them, too,” he said. “If we learn to see each other, then when we see each other, we’ll heal.” Invoking the event’s namesake, DeBerry spoke about King’s nonviolent philosophy, explaining to the audience how they might fight racism in modern times. “Dr. King and other freedom fighters fifty years ago knew that elected officials and government do not make … change; people do,” he said. “In a democratic republic, the people are the ultimate source of power. The vote is still a major
See MLK, 7 ☛
Access to scholarship
Reaching high
Gathering for peace
An intergenerational project aims to make the classics accessible to everyone.
The men’s basketball team missed on a buzzer beater that would have given them a conference victory.
Students held vigils last week for victims of terror attacks in France and Nigeria.
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 16
EDITORIAL FEATURES
10 8
OPINION POLICE LOG
10 2
News 3 COPYRIGHT 2015 FREE AT BRANDEIS.