Spring Break
Students unite in a silent demonstration
by Matthew Brock
News | 4/15/08
Posted online at 5:37 AM EST on 4/15/08
/ Last updated at 1:30 PM EST on 4/15/08
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"Stand if you feel like your voice hasn't been heard on this campus," shouted Ryan McElhaney '10 as he and Adriani Leon '08 led students in a demonstration on the Great Lawn last Thursday in opposition to what they and others said is a lack of transparency and unfair proceedings in several University cases in the past few years.
The protest was followed by a meeting in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium at 11 p.m.
Leon said that she was inspired to hold a demonstration because of the events surrounding the suspension of Mamoon Darwish (TYP) from campus by the Office of Student Life. Darwish's supporters claim that he was not given fair treatment because he is Palestinian.
McElhaney organized a meeting last Monday to discuss grievances, said Leon. The event drew 30 students, including eight graduate students, she said. At the meeting, Leon said she noticed a pattern in the administration's behavior concerning Darwish's expulsion, the censorship of Prof. Donald Hindley (POL) after making allegedly racially insensitive remarks in class last semester, the removal of a Palestinian art exhibition from the Brandeis library in spring 2006, the semesterlong suspension of Gravity Magazine last spring and the controversy concerning President Jimmy Carter's speech in January 2007.
According to McElhaney, the day's events were planned as a demonstration of student solidarity in the face of the administration's oppression.
Preparation for the demonstration began at 5 p.m., when students passed around information sheets and form letters addressed to the administration in support of Darwish.
Yvett Diaz '11, who was helping to pass out the letters, said that the goal of this demonstration is not to embarrass Brandeis during its open house, which happened to be the best day to hold the event, because two wrongs don't make a right.
While some demonstrators were passing around information, others were making signs to hold during the demonstration. Lisa Hananiya '11, one of the students painting the signs, said that her goal for this demonstration was to increase transparency in the administration's proceedings. The administration likes to handle these matters "under the carpet," she said, in reference to the fact that the Darwish and Hindley cases were not publicized by the administration.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 6
Daniel Baron
posted 4/15/08 @ 11:58 AM EST
1) I thought that the Palestinian Art Exhibit had been removed form the LIBRARY, i.e., NOT from the Rose Art Museum... THE JUSTICE needs to get its facts straight, as such a claim untruthfully affects the reputation of the Rose Art Museum, which does our community a disservice and is incredibly unfair to said institution. (Continued…)
Daniel Baron
posted 4/15/08 @ 4:21 PM EST
Thank you.
THE JUSTICE has acted responsibly, and I am very happy that they have so quickly, at least online, posted the correction--however, it shouldn't say "at bottom," since the article is two pages long. (Continued…)
Frida Smith
posted 4/16/08 @ 12:39 AM EST
The posts above are very informative, and I am glad that there is someone out there who pushes this newspaper to find trust unto its innermost parts. I am proud to be one of the 32 people who voted for him in the past election. (Continued…)
D B
posted 4/18/08 @ 1:43 AM EST
i think it was even 38.
maybe i'll be the next nader (except less hated!)
thanks
Also, let's realize that many of us have felt as though the Student Union isn't listening. (Continued…)
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