Volume 12 Number 1
www.thebrandeishoot.com
Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper • Waltham, Mass.
Online controversy provokes intense debate
Rev. Walter Cuenin departs Brandeis on short notice By Dana Trismen Editor
Rev. Walter Cuenin, the longtime Brandeis University Catholic chaplain and coordinator of the Multifaith Chaplaincy, has left Brandeis with little fanfare due to medical reasons. “The Archdiocese has informed us that Fr. Walter Cuenin’s appointment at Brandeis has ended for health reasons. Out of respect for his privacy we have been asked to not comment further,” wrote Dean of Students Jamele Adams in a recent email to all Brandeis students. Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel responded similarly in an email to The Brandeis Hoot: “The university respects Walter’s privacy, so we will not comment further beyond hoping he is able to return to health.” Father Cuenin was a popular figure on campus, well-known and beloved by students regardless of their faith. He received
his bachelor’s degree from Saint John’s Seminary in 1967 before studying at the Gregorian University in Rome, where he earned a degree in sacred theology in 1969. From there, he was ordained as a priest in 1970. He has worked in many parishes of the Archdiocese of Boston and has taught theology. “He is a smart and genuine person and one who demonstrates excellent leadership. In his masses, he always made sure to acknowledge and welcome any students, family or staff attending who were of other religions. I think he made a lot of close and irreplaceable connections with the Brandeis community,” said Matthew Chamberlain ’15, in an interview with The Brandeis Hoot. Chamberlain stated that Cuenin inspired him to attend mass every Sunday. Cuenin had recently gained the support of other students on campus by displaying a large gay pride flag in honor of LGBT History Month. He also lay a
January 16, 2015
By Victoria Aronson Editor
photo from internet source
pink cloth over the altar to show support during Breast Cancer Month. In an article by The Hoot from October 2014, Cuenin stated that there is “No point to come here and pray if you aren’t actually going to do something See CUENIN, page 2
In the wake of the controversy sparked by the tweets of student Khadijah Lynch ’16 published by Daniel Mael ’15 on Dec. 20 to conservative news website Truth Revolt over winter break, the safety of students and the nature of race relations on campus have surged to the forefront of campus discussions. Lynch, who was attacked for her allegedly insensitive tweets following the December murders of NYPD officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, was the target of multiple death threats and demands for expulsion. These comments stemmed from her fellow students, alumni and university parents, as well as external parties. Mael’s article, which has garnered over 87,000 likes on Facebook alone, published tweets from Lynch’s personal Twitter
account, which included statements such as, “I have no sympathy for the NYPD officers who were murdered today.” The tweets have since been deleted, and Lynch’s account has been made private. Neither Lynch nor Mael responded to requests for comment. Following the article’s publication, a public Facebook group titled “Expel Khadijah Lynch from Brandeis” was created with the intent of demanding Lynch’s expulsion from the university, although it has since been removed. The group, whose stated purpose was “to get this woman expelled from Brandeis and exposed for the racist that she is,” featured alumni and parents but was created by individuals not affiliated with Brandeis. In light of the overwhelming harassment and threats See TWEETS, page 10
Sheila McMahon returns to position with Prevention Services By Hannah Schuster Staff
Brandeis University’s Sexual Assault Services and Prevention Specialist Sheila McMahon returned to campus on Dec. 15, following a period spent on academic leave. McMahon departed in September in order to complete her dissertation with the Rutgers School of Social Work. McMahon’s dissertation focused on sense of community among college students. Working with other social work students, she analyzed the impact of an implicit curriculum—those elements which are not part of a class, but are part of a university’s culture and affect students. “The implicit curriculum is the independent variable but then those factors get mediated by students’ sense of community and the questions for the dissertation is whether or not those factors of implicit curriculum and sense of community make students feel more empowered,” McMahon explained in an interview with The Brandeis Hoot. She feels her research will translate to her work at Brandeis in terms of connecting the elements of the Brandeis implicit curriculum to the aspects of her office. She also plans to examine
Inside this issue:
Brandeis’ sense of community and its mediating factors in conjunction with student empowerment. During her time away from campus, McMahon believes that the university made very good progress in the area of sexual services and feels lucky to have great colleagues who were able to step in. She cites Rani Neutil, who works with several prevention services on campus and is available for confidential discussions, and Lisa Hardej of Academic Services, who held office hours in the Office of Prevention Services during McMahon’s absence. “[Hardej] has a lot of positive relationships with students, and is a good listener, so I felt her work with students dropping in who needed support was really important,” said McMahon. Kristen Huang, recently hired in September, worked with the Rape Crisis Center. McMahon also praises the students who have worked diligently on various projects, including Brandon Weintraub ’16 who has constructed the bystander training program, and the three students hired to organize the Rape Crisis Center, Victoria Jonas ’15, Sam Daniels ’16 and Ava Blustein ’15. See MCMAHON, page 8
News: Survey underway around Usen Castle Page 2 Arts, Etc.: “Into the Woods” disappoints Page 7 Opinion: Midyear students need more support Page 13 Sports: Women’s basketball continues strong start Page 4 Editorial: Campus allies can be promoted more Page 10
photo by marian siljeholm/the hoot
senior midyear exhibition
Senior Fine Arts students display their artwork on campus. Read more in our Arts, Etc. section on page 16.
Social media campaign rallies community By Jess Linde Editor
Brandeis students rallied around the university in an online campaign this winter break, using the hashtag “Brandeis Is Our House” to title positive stories about their experiences at the school. Kelsey Sagaloff ’15 started the campaign following social media reaction to an article written by Daniel Mael ’15, on Truth Revolt, a conservative news and commentary website. Mael’s article published multiple tweets by Khadijah Lynch ’16, in which Lynch expressed “no
sympathy” for NYPD officers murdered on Dec. 20. The article caused an uproar online, both in reaction to Lynch’s statements, and what some students saw as incitement to bullying by Mael, resulting in threats of violence to both parties. Brandeis met harsh criticism at the hands of off-campus outlets, such as the conservative publication The Daily Caller. Criticisms ranged from Lynch’s rhetoric to calling Brandeis a hotbed of “leftist indoctrination.” Thus, the #BrandeisIsOurHouse campaign was conceived. “A little before winter break, I met with [Senior Vice President
Union VP Resigns
Resting Period
News: Page 9
Ops: Page 12
Sofia Muhlmann informs community of decision to move on from Student Union in email
for Students and Enrollment] Andrew Flagel about social media, so social media campaigns were buzzing in my head,” Sagaloff told The Hoot in an email. “I decided that to combat the anger online, people could just post [their] good memories of Brandeis.” Sagaloff also reached out to her friends and Brandeis student leaders for advice on how to refine the idea. The specific hashtag came after seeing a Facebook status by Ariel Chasen ’16 that quoted a speech given by Dean of Students Jamele Adams See OUR HOUSE, page 8
Students need time between moving back to campus and start of classes for spring semester