ARTS Page 18
FORUM Condemn divisive debates 11 SPORTS Baseball loses week’s only game 16
‘into the woods’ yvette sei/the Justice
The Independent Student Newspaper
the
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 LXX, Number 20
www.thejustice.org
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Brandeis walkout
Student union
Students differ in Union debate ■ Students running for
positions on the Student Union executive board debated their policy plans Monday night. By JEN GELLER Justice editor
YVETTE SEI/the Justice
Remembrance: Students gathered at Chapels Pond to remember the victims of the Parkland high school shooting on Wednesday.
Student leaders organize Brandeis ‘Never Again’ events ■ Students planned and
hosted a range of events for the community in response to the Parkland shooting. By Liat shapiro Justice staff writer
At noon on Wednesday — exactly one month after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida — hundreds of students assembled around Chapels Pond, choosing to stand in solidarity with victims and silently call for reforms to gun control policies. Though the event was initially scheduled to coincide with walkouts occurring across the nation at 10 a.m., organizers of the Brandeis Student Walkout for Solidarity with Parkland decided to delay the event until noon after heavy snowfall caused a delayed opening of campus, in an effort to include all who intended to participate. Outside of the walkout, some chose to take a stand by joining or supporting the newly-formed group Brandeis Never Again. This group of student leaders has tasked itself
with reaching out to students interested in or already planning events in response to the Parkland shooting. The group first formed when Renee Korgood ’20 and Sagie Tvizer ’19 began contacting students they knew personally and reaching out to various club leaders in an attempt to mobilize an on-campus effort that spanned the walkout and other initiatives. As part of this campaign, Korgood and Tvizer reached out to Amanda Kahn ’20 and Josh Moll ’19, two students with deeply personal ties to the gun control reform movement. “I am from Newtown, [Connecticut] and it’s been five years since the shooting has happened, and not much has changed on a national scale,” Kahn said in an interview with the Justice, referencing the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. She continued, “This time, it feels like we’ll actually change something, and that hasn’t happened in a long time.” Moll is involved for similar reasons. In an email to the Justice, Moll said that his brother, Jake, is a survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting. Moll declared that “knowing he [Jake] could have
been one of the students to not walk out inspired me more than anything to join the Never Again movement.” Another Brandeis Never Again organizer, Julianna Scionti ’20, spoke with the Justice, saying, “My brother’s school went into lockdown two weeks ago because a student was threatening to open fire. The school was able to manage it, but the only reason they were able to do so was because he’s in Connecticut, ... where people benefited from laws that were passed after Sandy Hook.” Scionti emphasized the importance of open communication in how her brother’s school managed the situation. “Students were comfortable going to the administration,” she said. Providing resources and support for students wanting to make a change is the ultimate goal of Brandeis Never Again. Beyond the Brandeis Student Walkout, members of the Brandeis Never Again leadership have organized other events, a setup made possible by the group’s unorthodox leadership system. While speaking to the Justice, both Kahn and Scionti stressed the
See activism, 7 ☛
In the hours just before the polls opened last night, candidates for the open Student Union Executive Board positions debated one another. In the debate, which was moderated by representatives from The Brandeis Hoot and the Justice, candidates addressed constituents, upholding their respective platforms and vying for students’ votes. Presidential candidate Hannah Brown ’19 — this year’s Union vice president — drew upon her three years of experience in the Union as she discussed her wish to be more proactive and to seek out diverse student opinions to inform future policy. “It is important that I made an
effort to be involved in the student body … because it’s very easy to get blindsided and trapped in our own worlds, trapped in our own little Brandeis, sometimes, but I’ve made an effort to join other clubs. I’ve participated in all sorts of clubs, and I’m making an effort to go to all sorts of events as well,” Brown told the audience. As president, she promised she would focus on accessibility, sustainability and affordability — specifically by easing the burden of excessive fines and re-evaluating need-based aid. “Let’s get to work,” she urged constituents. While Brown is running unopposed, the race for the vice presidency is the most contested in this round of elections, with Vidit Dhawan ’19, Aaron Finkel ’20 and Benedikt Reynolds ’19 facing off. In addressing the audience, Dhawan spoke about his goals of improving inclusion, collaboration with administrators and transpar-
See election, 7 ☛
community
Brandeis Hillel states its political neutrality ■ Brandeis Hillel declined
to speak against its parent organization's endorsement of Kenneth Marcus. By ABBY PATKIN Justice Editor
Citing a wish to remain apolitical, Brandeis Hillel has decided not to release a statement against Hillel International’s endorsement of Kenneth Marcus, President Donald Trump’s nominee for assistant secretary for Civil Rights in the Department of Education. Brandeis Hillel Executive Director Rabbi Seth Winberg told the Justice that the campus organization is looking into alternative ways to support students and maintain an inclusive community. In early February, students circulated a petition calling on Brandeis
Hillel to speak out against its parent organization’s endorsement of Marcus. The nominee has been a vocal opponent of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, which seeks to cut off international support for Israel. However, Marcus has also voiced criticism of Obama-era Title IX guidelines intended to protect survivors of sexual assault. The core organizers behind the petition met with Winberg on March 9, at which time he informed them that Brandeis Hillel would not be releasing a statement on Marcus. In a letter circulated on social media last week in response to that meeting, the petitioners wrote that they “continue to affirm that until Brandeis Hillel explicitly and publicly speaks out against Hillel International’s endorsement of Kenneth Marcus, Hillel cannot claim to be an ally for students who have expe-
See Neutral, 7 ☛
Run for Gold
Swing a Song
Union Candidates
Emily Bryson ’19 won the NCAA championship title.
The men’s tennis team fell to No. 3 Middlebury.
Student Union candidates discussed their platforms with the Justice.
Photo Courtesy of Emily Bryson
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FEATURES 9
INDEX
SPORTS 15
yuran shi/the Justice
ARTS SPORTS
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EDITORIAL FEATURES
10 OPINION 8 POLICE LOG
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