The Justice

Media Credit: David Sheppard-Brick University president Jehuda Reinharz, left, speaks to members of the Innermost Parts blog after the special faculty meeting yesterday. From left: Lev Hirschhorn `11, Liza Behrendt '11, Sahar Massachi '11 and Alex Melman '11.

A lot went through my mind as I sat behind the closed, guarded doors of the Olin-Sang Auditorium today as the faculty met to discuss this University's future.

Closed doors. Barred journalists. Student demonstrators. Study abroad, housing policy, scholarship money, missed summer opportunities. More students, less faculty. My entire academic career.

Why I came to Brandeis.

All in the name of ... what, exactly?

It's not every day you get to sit in the midst of a brewing protest. The atmosphere outside the lecture hall this afternoon was passionate and purposeful. At the sight of the crowd of students, spearheaded by writers for campus blog Innermost Parts, an inexplicable, almost electric vibe shook my system. Those students stood for something important, and they were going to make something happen. Supreetha Gubbala '12, a demonstrator who skipped class to participate in the assembly, exemplified the students' passion when she said, "Students know best, and [the administration and faculty] should have asked us first. The fact that they're not letting us in is a violation of our rights."

I can't help but admire those students for heading straight to the scene, adamantly insisting that they have a say in their own academic careers and inviting faculty members to a post-meeting gathering to openly discuss what transpired behind the closed doors of the auditorium. They have genuine motivation to salvage the academic values that brought them to Brandeis.

It certainly does seem that the administration is not on the same page as the students. Budget cuts tend to throw matters out of proportion, but is our administration really prioritizing Brandeis' unique educational qualities -- which students certainly considered when they chose to enroll here -- when it makes major modifications to study abroad policies and propose long-term changes to the curriculum that would completely revamp the nature of this University? Several hours after sitting outside this dramatized faculty meeting, I remain confused as to where our administration truly stands in terms of the value of our education.

Continued...

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