Vol. 8, No. 8
www.thebrandeishoot.com
Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper • Waltham, Mass.
March 18, 2011
Students no longer studying abroad in Japan By Destiny D. Aquino Editor
Six undergraduate students will see their semester abroad programs disrupted due to the earthquake, tsunami and spreading levels of radiation from nuclear plants in Japan this week. Three students already abroad in Kyoto, Japan through the Kyoto Consortium for Japanese
Studies, a Columbia University-administered program, are returning to the United States due to safety concerns. The program has chosen to suspend the spring semester. “Everyone at Brandeis understands that this is a very tragic situation in northern Japan and we will work with our students to make the transition back to the U.S. as smooth as possible,” Assistant Dean of Academic Service and Director
of Study Abroad J. Scott Van Der Meid wrote in an e-mail. “After much debate and despite the fact that our students are quite safe at the moment, KCJS felt they could not guarantee safety moving forward and reluctantly decided to suspend the program,” Van Der Meid said in a BrandeisNOW press release. Three students who were supposed to depart
League advocates dining changes By Josh Kelly Staff
For two weeks, students had seen mysterious advertisements. Whether it was the poster featuring the maniacal baby Stewie from “Family Guy” or the poster with teenage pop star Justin Bieber or merely the Facebook group, all of these advertisements had the same general theme: take control of your destiny on March 14. Yet except for the organizers, students were clueless. All students were told was to check their mailboxes on March 14. Also if enough people joined the Facebook group, a clue would be released as to what the topic of March 14 would be. March 14 came and upon checking their mailboxes students found slips of paper provided by the Justice League, a relatively new student organization devoted to social change and empowering student voices. The slips of paper were ballots for each student to fill out with different ideas of how to improve the food service as Brandeis. Once the Justice League receives more replies, it will deliver the ballots to university President Fred Lawrence. “We’re going to have a degree from Brandeis for the rest of our lives and we should have a say in what Brandeis is, what our values are, where we’re
Editor
photo by ingrid schulte/the hoot
going to go, what we prioritize,” Massachi said in an interview with The Hoot. “So the food campaign flows really naturally out of that … I want to show students that yes you do have
Editor
The university will host multiple academic forums and cultural events during the week of President Fred Lawrence’s inauguration on March 31. A student art exhibition, a musical performance by the Brandeis string quartet, a graduate student symposium and a Rose Art exhibit are other events that will take place during the inauguration week. On April 2, the university is hosting an inaugural ball in Gosman with music from the White Heat Swing Orchestra. In an effort to celebrate the community’s diversity, attendees are asked to wear attire from their native cultures. Prior to the official ceremony in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Cen-
the power and by organizing you can make a difference and food is a great first place because it’s so obviously a See JUSTICE LEAGUE, page 2
When the university announced last fall that it was altering policy to allow for the possible consideration of financial status as a factor for gaining admission, the Brandeis community found itself weighing the decision of a Brandeis office few could name on a murky topic. At this month’s faculty meeting, President Fred Lawrence suggested that the policy may not have even been needed, saying it was possible that every domestic student this year was considered without financial need as a factor. Keenyn McFarlane is vice president of the Division of Students and Enrollment, a job he sees as one not concerned simply with financial concerns but of “leveraging all assets,” he said, “and our greatest asset is our students.” McFarlane said that his office may largely consist of admissions oversight, including setting enrollment targets for the number of students in each successive class, “enrollment isn’t just admissions—it’s the student from prospective to alumni.” The students and enrollment divi-
sion also oversees student life, including campus amenities for current students. “If you’re unhappy, we want to know why,” he said. McFarlane asks all students who enter his office where they live on campus and where they have ever lived; how they like club life; and what can be done about the food on campus. And all of the on-campus matters in turn feed back into implications for admissions. For better or worse, admissions attracts and recruits based on how the Brandeis experience is, McFarlane said. “The best thing we can do [in admissions recruitment] is be honest brokers,” he said. “We’re not just about getting ‘x’ number of students, but x number of the right—and contributing—students.” McFarlane said that it was not university admissions’ job to recruit the 800 or so students with simply the highest GPAs or standardized test scores. “We want x number of students at a mixed range: and that composition is composed not just of diversity,” he See ADMISSIONS, page 15
James Carroll addresses religion
ter, faculty and alumni Judith Shapiro ’63 and Michael Sandel ’75 will participate in discussions about the global role of a liberal arts university. Shapiro, who served as the chair of the anthropology at the University of Chicago and spent 14 years as president of Barnard College, will moderate discussions on March 28 about university finances and science and creativity in a liberal arts education. Sandel, a professor of government at Harvard who teaches the undergraduate course “Justice,” will moderate discussions about diversity, immigration and social justice on March 29. “The overarching theme of this week, as stated by Fred, is that Brandeis is a global liberal arts university,” Provost and Senior Vice President for Academ- A PANEL ON RELIGION See INAUGURATION, page 15
See JAPAN, page 15
McFarlane explains univ priorities in admissions By Nathan Koskella
Academic forums, cultural events planned for inauguration week By Jon Ostrowsky
for Tokyo, Japan next week due to their programs beginning April 1 will not be going, Van Der Meid said. Kyoto students should arrive home within the week and the program is evaluating options for remote study and research so that students do not lose credit for their disrupted semester.
James Carroll discuss his new book in a panel on religion and violence.
photo by firstname lastname/the hoot