We need to talk about campus parking

Jen Crystal, Editor in Chief

Jane Flautt, Managing Editor

Cameron Cushing and Sofia Gonzalez, Senior Editors

Smiley Huynh, Isabel Roseth, Lauryn Williams, Deputy Editors

Juliana Giacone, Samantha Goldman, Megan Liao, Natalie Kahn, Jack Yuanwei Cheng, and Ariella Weiss, Associate Editors

Leah Breakstone, Dalya Koller, News Editors

Cayenn Landau, Features Editor

Tibria Brown, Forum Editor

Aiden Guthro, Sports Editor

Mina Rowland, Arts Editor

Owen Chan, Ceci Xilei Chen, Photography Editors

Julia Hardy, Jenna Lewis, Madison Sirois, Copy Editors

Anna Martin, Layout Editor

Maddy Dulong, Ads Editor

Zachary Goldstein, Eden Osiason, Online Editors

As students, we all see the amount of money that comes into the school, but the question that arises is: Where does all the money go? As per the data available, Brandeis brings in a substantial amount of money through donations and tuition.

In 2019, the money brought in from tuition alone was $285 million. While we know that at least $1.14 million goes directly to University President Ron Liebowitz, what is being done with the leftover $284 million? As students, we feel it is necessary to understand where this money goes and how much of it actually goes towards improving the lives of the students who are paying to attend this institution.

It is essential that the administration prioritizes allocating funds towards the betterment of students’ lives. One area that requires immediate attention is student housing. While first-year students are required to live on campus and all students are guaranteed housing for their first four consecutive semesters, it is reasonable to expect that their dorms should be the most well-kept, as they are guaranteed full occupancy. However, as we have all seen, this is not always the case. The housing situation at Brandeis is notoriously subpar, with students being forced to live in cramped, uncomfortable, and sometimes unsafe living arrangements in all residence halls, including first-year and sophomore housing. This is unacceptable and unfair to the students who are paying a significant amount of money to attend this institution and expecting decent, reasonable housing in return.

Furthermore, with Brandeis continuing to admit bigger classes each year, there is a concern about where all these students will live. The last thing any student wants is to be forced into a crowded, uncomfortable, or less than ideal living arrangement. As an institution that prides itself on creating an inclusive and supportive community, it is crucial that the University takes a proactive approach towards improving student housing and allocating funds towards building more dormitories.

Since the most recent admitted classes are the largest ever at Brandeis, the school should be making significantly more from tuition, so why is it that several major groups on campus seem to have budget issues as of recently? Clubs and organizations are getting approved for less money than in previous years; seemingly no funding is going towards clearly needed resources on campus, such as more mental and physical health services; and student living spaces are physically falling apart. Meanwhile, the administration will be building a brand new engineering building on campus.

There is also a larger funding issue with the administration prioritizing specific academic and administrative buildings over dorms. Some of the least accessible buildings on campus are dorms, yet the administration seems more interested in constructing a new engineering building than improving the living conditions for its students.

Expanding Brandeis’ STEM offerings is no more important than the well-being and quality of life of the students who attend this institution. It is unacceptable for students to live in subpar conditions while the administration spends millions of dollars on new academic buildings. The focus on building new STEM buildings may be a way for Brandeis to improve its academic standing, but it should not come at the expense of the students who are paying to attend this institution.

It is imperative for the Brandeis administration to be transparent about where the tuition and donation money goes. We demand that Brandeis publicly releases a spending breakdown for the current and future school years. Students deserve to know that their money is being used to improve their college experience. It is essential to prioritize student housing as it is an integral part of student life on campus.

The administration must take immediate steps to address the current housing situation and ensure that students are not forced into uncomfortable and unfair living arrangements that have negative effects on both mental and physical health, of which we don’t even have sufficient resources to deal with the repercussions. As members of the Brandeis community, we must hold our administration accountable and demand that our tuition money be used effectively to better our lives on campus.

—Editor’s note: Editor Cameron Cushing ’23 is employed by the Department of Community Living as a community advisor. He did not contribute to or edit the parts of this article pertaining to DCL.

As we enter the spring, the number of public events held on campus — from Admitted Students Day to Commencement — are about to pick up, and as such this board wishes to address a problem that is ever-present but soon to be exacerbated: driving and parking on campus.

Admittedly, our campus can be a bit confusing for drivers visiting it for the first time: streets that suddenly become oneways, sparse signage, and an abundance of buildings named “Shapiro” certainly don’t help. Recently though, members of the board have witnessed driving behaviors worse than previous years: Speeding on campus feels to be at an all-time high, as does inattention. We call on drivers to slow down, look around for pedestrians crossing the street, and be more patient with fellow vehicles.

Parking, of course, has long been a part of the problem. With too few and far-flung lots designated for student use — and some parking passes costing an obscene $250 per academic year — students and visitors alike resort to leaving their vehicles wherever a space can be found.

All this, while massive lots reserved for staff and faculty never seem to reach capacity. And while University police seem to have no issue allowing drivers to drive recklessly, parking enforcement is overenthusiastic at best, with fines quickly adding up to excessive amounts.

Instead of spending time and resources enforcing parking rules, the board calls on the University to re-examine campus security measures. In light of recent tragedies at Michigan State University and elsewhere, how easily a swarm of press accessed students on campus following November’s bus tragedy, and the number of random vehicles traversing interior campus as of late, the board questions whether our wide-open philosophy is appropriate.

While there are numerous walking entrances to campus, the vast majority of vehicles enter from South St. While we do not advocate for increasing police presence on campus, the board wonders if perhaps a gate or other checkpoint system would increase student safety after business hours. It is worth bearing in mind that our student body with its many identities — Jewish, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and more — are frequently targets of hate.

At the same time, we recognize that many marginalized groups are often subjected to increased scrutiny and over-enforcement regarding security measures of this nature, and we feel that any security measures implemented to increase students’ safety should be designed with this in mind and with limited police involvement.

We realize that finding appropriate security measures is always a balance, but this board finds current measures to be bandaids for larger infrastructure issues. We call on the administration to re-evaluate priorities regarding parking enforcement and general campus security, carefully considering student input throughout.

If you are interested in submitting advice for the upcoming column, follow our Instagram: @thejusticenewspaper.

Q: A:

As students enter the last phases of their midterms and prepare for spring break, what are some tips you’d suggest students use to cool down from the first half of the semester and prepare themselves for finals period?

“Studying for midterms can lead to academic fatigue even before thoughts of finals emerge. Whatever your plans for break, set aside some time to recharge by meaningfully connecting with the people in your life. Visit a museum with your roommate, share a meal with family, or go for a hike with a friend from home. As you head toward the demands of final exams, remember that you are part of a community that you can both call on for support and give back to as you are able.”

— Kate Colahan, Assistant Director | Academic Advising

“Put down the books and get outside! Take a break from studying and surround yourself in nature. Research shows that spending time outdoors can lower stress and boost cognition!”

— Megan Burns, Department Coordinator

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Gender and Sexuality Center