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MODEST PROPOSALS: New committees are all talk
by Matt Lawrence
Columnists | 11/18/08
Posted online at 2:40 AM EST on 11/18/08
Our current Student Union was elected with promises of reform. Unable to escape the Barack Obama-led zeitgeist, they made "change" the mantra for its campaign. So far, its most visible efforts at change have been the formation of committees. Even when these committees have goals that reflect the wishes of the students, they are insufficient. These committees are presented as if they resolve all student grievances. They emphasize the extent to which they Make Student Voices Heard without demonstrating any meaningful change to student life.
The Office of Student Conduct Advisers was recently renamed the Office of Student Rights and Advocacy. This is a very telling name change. The Union indicated its priorities by the subtle shift in name. Advising students on conduct sounds awfully old-fashioned. The Union would rather advocate for us.
When discussing the student Bill of Rights, the Union members keep mentioning how they want to emphasize the "rights" portion of the Rights and Responsibilities document. Everything is about rights and advocacy; the Union has to rename its offices to remind us of this, to advertise how much it cares.
The more the Union acts in this way, the less students will care about what it does. "Rights" is a vague concept that is hard to argue against, which makes it an effective cause for the Union to take up. However, the cause is largely meaningless.
For example, it is no secret that Brandeis is quite lenient toward drug and alcohol use. Students have to violate policies pretty flagrantly to face any serious consequences, and I doubt anyone could really call such action a violation of rights. It is useful that the Union is creating a clearer avenue for student representation in judicial hearings, which seems to be the most important product of its work. However, this is hardly a bold step forward for the cause of rights, as Union members often try to present it.
Last week's Justice reported the intended formation of an investment committee. Union President Jason Gray '10 pointed out to the Justice that the Union "always had the authority to make recommendations to the executive and investment committees of the Board of Trustees about levels of investment or initiating shareholder resolution." The idea behind the proposed committee, Gray explains, is "not changing the process but formalizing it; we're actively utilizing the channel of communication that's available, so students can be involved in a high level."
The Office of Student Conduct Advisers was recently renamed the Office of Student Rights and Advocacy. This is a very telling name change. The Union indicated its priorities by the subtle shift in name. Advising students on conduct sounds awfully old-fashioned. The Union would rather advocate for us.
When discussing the student Bill of Rights, the Union members keep mentioning how they want to emphasize the "rights" portion of the Rights and Responsibilities document. Everything is about rights and advocacy; the Union has to rename its offices to remind us of this, to advertise how much it cares.
The more the Union acts in this way, the less students will care about what it does. "Rights" is a vague concept that is hard to argue against, which makes it an effective cause for the Union to take up. However, the cause is largely meaningless.
For example, it is no secret that Brandeis is quite lenient toward drug and alcohol use. Students have to violate policies pretty flagrantly to face any serious consequences, and I doubt anyone could really call such action a violation of rights. It is useful that the Union is creating a clearer avenue for student representation in judicial hearings, which seems to be the most important product of its work. However, this is hardly a bold step forward for the cause of rights, as Union members often try to present it.
Last week's Justice reported the intended formation of an investment committee. Union President Jason Gray '10 pointed out to the Justice that the Union "always had the authority to make recommendations to the executive and investment committees of the Board of Trustees about levels of investment or initiating shareholder resolution." The idea behind the proposed committee, Gray explains, is "not changing the process but formalizing it; we're actively utilizing the channel of communication that's available, so students can be involved in a high level."
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