THE JUSTICE
SANCTUARY: Email affirms Univ. support for immigrants CONTINUED FROM 1 test last week, one undocumented student spoke about her DACA status and the uncertainty she felt after Trump’s election. “I find myself having privilege, because a lot of people in my community don’t have that [DACA status],” she told the crowd. “The process to apply for citizenship is a lot more complicated than a lot of people think. I’ve given everything I have to this country, and it’s really upsetting to know that so many people here don’t love me back.” The letter also called upon the University to provide mental health services designed to help individuals dealing with the trauma of familial separation and threat of deportation. Ultimately, though, the signees assert that sanctuary status is integral to serving the University’s social justice mission. “If we do nothing when Trump becomes President, then the stated commitments to diversity, justice, and inclusion that Brandeis has made will prove themselves an empty ruse. This is not a moment when we can afford silence,” the letter states. More than 107 other colleges and universities have seen movements and petitions for sanctuary campuses in recent months, according to Sanctuary Schools, a Facebook page that tracks sanctuary school movements across the nation. There are also over 200 sanctuary cities across the United States. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are subject to restrictions in places of worship, schools, hospitals and other sensitive locations, according to an Oct. 24, 2011 memorandum from thenDirector of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement John Morton. The memo outlines the ICE’s sensitive locations policies, which assert that immigration law enforcement actions at these locations should generally be avoided and may only take place when prior approval is obtained from an appropriate supervisory official. Alternatively, ICE officials may act without permission if there are exigent circumstances necessitating immediate action, according the the ICE website.
In an email to students, faculty and staff on Thursday night, Liebowitz wrote that the administration will not permit immigration enforcement on campus with respect to students, faculty or staff without a warrant or clear demonstration of exigent circumstances, per ICE policy. He added that University Public Safety officers will not act on behalf of federal agents in the enforcement of immigration law, nor will the University release student, faculty or staff immigration status information to the federal government unless mandated by court order or other valid legal instrument. “While no one knows what will happen in the future, and although we join many universities in studying what the term ‘sanctuary campus’ means, we wanted to reaffirm the practices Brandeis University already has in place,” Liebowitz wrote in the email, which was co-signed by Lynch and Flagel. At a town hall discussion for postelection unity on Tuesday evening, incoming Chief Diversity Officer Mark Brimhall-Vargas asked the audience to consider whether visibility or lack of visibility would work best in protecting undocumented students in discussing sanctuary campuses. “Like many colleges and universities across the country, Brandeis will continue to closely monitor the implications of any potential policy changes,” Liebowitz wrote in the email. “We are proud to be part of a university that continues to assert its founding and core values of justice and equity,” he concluded. On Sunday night, Flagel sent an email to the community with a list of student resources, including student support groups and counseling services. He also noted that the Department of Public Safety has added extra patrols, in part to help protect minorities in the wake of Trump’s election. The open letter had 988 signatures as of press time. The only contact information provided for the creators of the petition is an email address for sanctuarycampusbrandeis@gmail. com. A representative from the listed email address could not be reached for comment as of press time.
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NEWS
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TUESDAY, November 22, 2016
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BUILDING BRIDGES
NATALIA WIATER/the Justice
THOUGHTFUL DISCUSSION: The town hall ended with a discussion about the pros and cons of making Brandeis a sanctuary school.
TOWN HALL: Panel examines complexities in Trump voters CONTINUED FROM 1 Daniel Bergstresser (FIN) argued that the “relentless search for the truth,” a core principle of the University since its founding, “involves calling things by their true names.” “There is now a white nationalist in the White House,” agreed Williams. “That says something about the role and function of race and whiteness in this country. The unspoken power and privilege of whiteness. And the fact that there were many voters who were more content to align with their whiteness over other interests is telling.”
He added, “Fear cannot simply rest on the shoulders of the vulnerable.” Echoing Liebowitz’s earlier sentiments, one attendee argued against painting all who voted for Trump with the broad brush of racism. When people use the word too frequently to produce “moral horror,” he argued, they “destroy the horror of racism.” A student in the audience pushed back against this notion, saying that it is necessary to acknowledge the pervasiveness of racism if one intends to solve it as a problem. The hot-button question of sanctu-
ary campuses also came up. Someone in the audience recommended that Brandeis become a sanctuary for undocumented students who could face deportation under a Trump presidency. Incoming Chief Diversity Officer Mark BrimhallVargas responded that while other campuses have done that, the decision is risky. He asked the audience to consider whether undocumented students want their status to be highlighted as the University pushes itself into the spotlight. He also asked the audience to consider the legal intricacies of sanctuary campus status.
ACROSS THE TRACKS
WINICK: Local rabbis step in as co-interim Jewish chaplains CONTINUED FROM 1 In her email, Winick described the role the University plays in her life: “To borrow a phrase, I bleed blue and white,” she wrote. “Brandeis holds pride of place in my heart and always will. The Brandeis family is my family. The blessing of having shared crises and celebrations and accompanying countless students on journeys of self-discovery has given me tremendous joy and fulfillment.” “I can only hope that I have given back some measure of all that this experience has given me,” she added. “I cannot adequately express my gratitude to you for being a part of my own Brandeis journey.” Rabbi Liza Stern, who taught in the Brandeis Hornstein Jewish Pro-
fessional Leadership program, and Rabbi Charlie Schwartz, the senior Jewish educator for the Brandeis Precollege Programs, will serve as co-interim chaplains after Winick departs, according to Flagel’s email. They will provide counsel, education and support to the campus Jewish community alongside Rabbi David Pardo of the Orthodox Union Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus, Flagel added. As Flagel noted in his email, Winick’s departure comes as the University continues to search for a director of spiritual and religious life, a role he said will be instrumental in shaping the future of the chaplaincy. He added that the national search is already underway, with the search committee looking to have finalists on campus by January.
TALYA GUENZBURGER/the Justice
Women’s Studies Research Center scholar Frinde Maher spoke about her time as a community organizer in the 1960s Civil Rights movement in an event on Thursday.