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E-mail offends Class of 2008 senator
by Anya Bergman
News | 11/13/07
Posted online at 9:17 PM EST on 11/12/07
/ Last updated at 7:36 PM EST on 11/12/07
After Class of 2008 Senator Asher Tanenbaum expressed that his committee found potential dualities of purpose between two clubs, Transitional Year Program Senator Kamarin Lee responded with an e-mail to selected Union officials that offended Tanenbaum.
In an e-mail sent Nov. 1 by Tanenbaum, who is on the Ways and Means Committee, regarding clubs coming up for charter or recognition, he wrote that "for the African Club, we found some potential dualities of purpose with the Brandeis Black Student Organization."
Lee then wrote in an e-mail to various Union members, not including Tanenbaum, that Asher's email was "both offensive and inappropriate," and that "Asher's idea of the African Club is full of ignorance by believing racial stereotypes and sounds like something that would come from a White, Jewish Middle-Class Conservative."
Tanenbaum said this line offended him and that Lee's e-mail was out of line in response to what he originally wrote. Lee issued a public apology at the Senate meeting last Sunday night.
One criterion for a club to be qualify for charter is that it "must not duplicate the purpose or goals of a currently chartered organization," according to Article 8, Section 2 of the Union Constitution.
Tanenbaum's e-mail stated that BBSO's and the African Club's purposes from the club center page on the Brandeis Web site were redundant.
"There are many similar elements in both [clubs], particularly in cultural awareness and activities," Tanenbaum wrote.
Tanenbaum said in an interview last Monday night that both clubs talk about things like culture and politics that affect Africans around the world. "Aside from the name of the club, the purposes overlap to a great extent," he said.
Tanenbaum said last Monday that he and other senators didn't know of Lee's e-mail until the Nov. 4 Senate meeting, when the message was brought up by Class of 2009 Senator Yuki Hasegawa, one of the recipients of the e-mail. Hasegawa said at the meeting that he thought it was inappropriate to send this e-mail over the Senate listserv, not realizing that the e-mail wasn't actually sent to the list.
In an e-mail sent Nov. 1 by Tanenbaum, who is on the Ways and Means Committee, regarding clubs coming up for charter or recognition, he wrote that "for the African Club, we found some potential dualities of purpose with the Brandeis Black Student Organization."
Lee then wrote in an e-mail to various Union members, not including Tanenbaum, that Asher's email was "both offensive and inappropriate," and that "Asher's idea of the African Club is full of ignorance by believing racial stereotypes and sounds like something that would come from a White, Jewish Middle-Class Conservative."
Tanenbaum said this line offended him and that Lee's e-mail was out of line in response to what he originally wrote. Lee issued a public apology at the Senate meeting last Sunday night.
One criterion for a club to be qualify for charter is that it "must not duplicate the purpose or goals of a currently chartered organization," according to Article 8, Section 2 of the Union Constitution.
Tanenbaum's e-mail stated that BBSO's and the African Club's purposes from the club center page on the Brandeis Web site were redundant.
"There are many similar elements in both [clubs], particularly in cultural awareness and activities," Tanenbaum wrote.
Tanenbaum said in an interview last Monday night that both clubs talk about things like culture and politics that affect Africans around the world. "Aside from the name of the club, the purposes overlap to a great extent," he said.
Tanenbaum said last Monday that he and other senators didn't know of Lee's e-mail until the Nov. 4 Senate meeting, when the message was brought up by Class of 2009 Senator Yuki Hasegawa, one of the recipients of the e-mail. Hasegawa said at the meeting that he thought it was inappropriate to send this e-mail over the Senate listserv, not realizing that the e-mail wasn't actually sent to the list.
Viewing Comments 1 - 9 of 10
unknown
posted 11/14/07 @ 12:23 AM EST
Of course the African club is differnt from Brandeis Black Student Organization. Africans have their own culture and blacks in general have many differnt cultures based on where he or she comes from. (Continued…)
Spike, '01
posted 11/14/07 @ 1:27 PM EST
"Lee wrote that the African Club cannot be incorporated into BBSO because African American culture is very different from African, or black, culture."
So only blacks live in Africa now? I have to think the 7 million White Africans would have a very big problem with that statement. (Continued…)
Concerned Brandeisian
posted 11/14/07 @ 11:29 PM EST
Kamarin Lee's comment was, without a doubt, disgusting bigotry that should not be quickly forgotten with a quick apology. Not only does Lee impugn Tanenbaum for his religious and socio-economic standing, but he unfairly labels an entire group. (Continued…)
Alan Royals
posted 11/15/07 @ 11:21 AM EST
First of all, the quote attributed to Lee I believe was either misquoted or a statement of what the Senator of '08 was arguing. What Asher might have seen, taken from the purpose of BBSO:
"In addition to coordinating creative and relevant programs and educating the campus about the rich diversity of international Africana cultures, its goal is to contribute to the academic and political issues that impact people of African descent around the world. (Continued…)
Joseph Lingerfeldt
posted 11/15/07 @ 5:28 PM EST
Here are the two e-mails that sparked this controversy:
On Nov 1, 2007, at 10:53 PM, Asher Tanenbaum wrote:
During the Ways and Means meeting tonight we went over the clubs that are
coming to us this Sunday and for the African Club, we found some potential
dualities of purpose with the Brandeis Black Student Organization. (Continued…)
James Sanders
posted 11/15/07 @ 6:23 PM EST
It seems clear that based on past precedent set on this campus the senate needs to pass a resolution against this type of racism, Kamarin Lee needs to resign his position on the senate, Lee needs to get sensitivity training and find some way to make ammends to the many people his words hurt. (Continued…)
Joshua Brandfon
posted 1/04/08 @ 5:20 AM EST
Sure! And I'm for one who would say that we all go as a mob in Senate with pitchforks and torches and a noose and hang the guy, and burn him to death for a simple honest mistake!
Lee did apologize, and Tanenbaum accepted. (Continued…)
James Sanders
posted 1/12/08 @ 2:15 PM EST
Josh,
Chill...it was sarcasm...I don't really think we should do any of what I said in the last post, but rather was saterizing the reaction to similar incidents in the past when the shoe was on the other foot and the people that are on the defensive now were put on the offensive. (Continued…)
Count Chocula
posted 1/16/08 @ 1:45 AM EST
What can I say? Tattenbaum is a complete BLOKE. How can you tell someone that their beliefs are completely unnecessary? How can you tell the TYP Senator and others that they cannot feel the way they do? How dare you! You should definitely seek a reality check, because what has been going on isn't the real world, but just some conservative outlook inside of this bubble we are all in. (Continued…)
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