VOL 8, NO. 2
J A N U A R Y 2 8 , 2 0 11
B R A N D E I S U N I V E R S I T Y ' S C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R
WA LT H A M , M A
Lawrence appoints first Brandeis chief of staff BY NATHAN KOSKELLA Editor
PHOTO COURTESY Peter Lobo of The News Tribute (Waltham)
ACCIDENT: BEMCo transports a student to the hospital following the Dec. 8 hit and run that occured on Brandeis’ Loop Road.
Inconsistencies in Dec. hit and run
Courts have no record of police citation BY JON OSTROWSKY Editor
Despite a citation issued by the Waltham Police for the criminal charges against a Brandeis student following a hit and run last
month, the Waltham District Court has no record of the individual’s name in its system, an official in the clerk’s office said. Waltham Police charged a Brandeis student on Dec. 8, 2010 with leaving the scene of an accident with injuries, negligent driving, failure to slow for pedestrians and speeding. These
charges followed a car accident on Loop Road on Dec. 3 that sent two female students to local hospitals—Newton-Wellesley Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The two students are no longer being treated at the hospitals. See HIT AND RUN, p. 4
Boston lawyer and Brandeis alum David Bunis ’83 has been named chief of staff to President Fred Lawrence, who met Bunis while both men were working on the AntiDefamation League’s (ADL) Civil Rights Committee. There has never before been a chief of staff at Brandeis for any past president at Brandeis. Bunis will “manage and coordinate the activities of my office,” Lawrence said in a statement for The Hoot. Bunis, who met his wife while both were students here, will return to campus and begin work Feb. 1. “I am thrilled to be returning to Brandeis,” Bunis wrote in a statement upon accepting the position. “Although years have passed and much has changed at Brandeis since my graduation, my pulse still quickens as I turn off South Street onto
Haitian poet: writing can heal pain BY DEBBY BRODSKY Staff
In observance of Haitian remembrance and dedication month, the student-founded Brandeis Haiti Initiative hosted Professor Patrick Sylvain from Brown University this week to lead a discussion of Haitian art and literature on campus. Professor Jane Hale of the Romance Studies department introduced Sylvain while expressing her determination that Haitian culture should have a bigger presence on campus. Sylvain began by describing the trust he holds in young people. “I don’t trust adults,” he said, “my trust is in the young folks, because they don’t have destructive agendas. I absolutely believe in the youth, because they can really change and empower the world with their energy.” Sylvain then explained his inspiration behind poems from the book, “Open Gate,” and how he struggled to learn to write about the love of others, and later about his own process of finding love.
As the discussion progressed, Sylvain continued his poetry reading on a more difficult topic, about the January, 2010 earthquake in Haiti. “There is no anchor for anger and no anchor for despair,” he read. “Life mocks us with sadistic laughter. I need a stronger port to anchor their souls.” The final poem Sylvain shared, expressed his frustrations with how long it took the Haitian president, 19 days, to respond to the catastrophe in Haiti. Titled “Stanzas to a Silent Executive,” Sylvain wrote, “The angels must be exhausted from seesawing the axis of life and death.” Following the poetry reading, Sylvain held a discussion with the audience, and talked about how he processed the trauma of the earthquake in Haiti, and then learned to write about his feelings. “Ones who have been traumatized must go through the trauma to process it, only then can they free themselves,” Sylvain explained. “First you must live and witness the pain, then you must be driven
PHOTO BY Internet Source
DAVID BUNIS
campus. The university has always been a very special place for me, and our large circle of friends is full of Brandeis alums. I am excited about working with trustees, faculty, students, alumni and staff who are the heart and soul of this great institution.” The chief of staff ’s job will be primarily to harmonize the many other administrative officers, who all report to the president, and the president’s inner See BUNIS, p. 4
Lawrence to teach criminal justice class BY JON OSTROWSKY Editor
University President Fred Lawrence will teach a seminar in the fall called “Punishment and Crime” that will focus on issues related to hate crime and self-defense, Senior Vice President for Communications and External Affairs Andrew Gully wrote in an e-mail. “If you don’t let me teach, it’s like shutting off my oxygen,” Lawrence said during a reception Wednesday evening in the Hiatt Career Center. Despite his hectic schedule as university president, Lawrence said that he told his senior staff that he will find time to teach students. Before coming to Brandeis, Lawrence taught law at both Boston University Law School and George Washington University Law School, where he PHOTO BY Anthony Losquadro/The Hoot
SLAM: Patrick Sylvain leads a discussion of Haitian art and literature Thursday evening. See HAITI, p.3
See LAW CLASS, p. 3