Comments on: Phone-a-Thon Students Threatened With Censorship http://innermostparts.org/2009/01/28/phone-a-thon-students-threatened-with-censorship/ A blog about Brandeis University, progressive politics, and the spirit of Justice Louis Dembitz Brandeis on the campus today. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:30:04 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Daniel Ortner http://innermostparts.org/2009/01/28/phone-a-thon-students-threatened-with-censorship/comment-page-1/#comment-2053 Daniel Ortner Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:31:09 +0000 http://innermostparts.org/?p=1486#comment-2053 I am a Phonathon worker and was absolutely furious when I heard about this. I am abroad so I am off the list serve and did not get the offending e-mail, but this policy would be absolutely absurd. I write opinion pieces for both campus papers and never considered or condoned to give up doing so for my campus job. I never would have applied to work at phonathon if that were a prerequisite. I am a Phonathon worker and was absolutely furious when I heard about this. I am abroad so I am off the list serve and did not get the offending e-mail, but this policy would be absolutely absurd. I write opinion pieces for both campus papers and never considered or condoned to give up doing so for my campus job. I never would have applied to work at phonathon if that were a prerequisite.

]]> By: Ariel http://innermostparts.org/2009/01/28/phone-a-thon-students-threatened-with-censorship/comment-page-1/#comment-2048 Ariel Thu, 29 Jan 2009 03:57:26 +0000 http://innermostparts.org/?p=1486#comment-2048 The Hoot just published an update to the story online: http://thehoot.net/articles/4733 The Hoot just published an update to the story online:

http://thehoot.net/articles/4733

]]> By: Arthur http://innermostparts.org/2009/01/28/phone-a-thon-students-threatened-with-censorship/comment-page-1/#comment-2046 Arthur Thu, 29 Jan 2009 02:51:19 +0000 http://innermostparts.org/?p=1486#comment-2046 ...That's a fucking CIVIL RIGHTS violation …That’s a fucking CIVIL RIGHTS violation

]]> By: Emily http://innermostparts.org/2009/01/28/phone-a-thon-students-threatened-with-censorship/comment-page-1/#comment-2043 Emily Thu, 29 Jan 2009 02:30:22 +0000 http://innermostparts.org/?p=1486#comment-2043 It must be understood that this is a terrible time for the development office, especially those in charge of alumni giving, so I feel that while it may not have been right to send such a missive, it is an understandable spur-of-the-moment reaction. Alumni are using the closing of the Rose as just another excuse for why they cannot give to support our cause on even a small participatory level. The student backlash makes them feel more justified, although they are really hurting the students who would have received any gifts as financial aid. Matt certainly gets carried away at times but that does not mean that the development office is a bad, Big Brother organization. Sara Novello, another annual giving officer, assured me that our rights as student employees are not in danger and the emergency meeting held today show a great willingness to acknowledge any wrongdoing on their part. It must be understood that this is a terrible time for the development office, especially those in charge of alumni giving, so I feel that while it may not have been right to send such a missive, it is an understandable spur-of-the-moment reaction. Alumni are using the closing of the Rose as just another excuse for why they cannot give to support our cause on even a small participatory level. The student backlash makes them feel more justified, although they are really hurting the students who would have received any gifts as financial aid. Matt certainly gets carried away at times but that does not mean that the development office is a bad, Big Brother organization. Sara Novello, another annual giving officer, assured me that our rights as student employees are not in danger and the emergency meeting held today show a great willingness to acknowledge any wrongdoing on their part.

]]> By: Susan http://innermostparts.org/2009/01/28/phone-a-thon-students-threatened-with-censorship/comment-page-1/#comment-2038 Susan Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:46:21 +0000 http://innermostparts.org/?p=1486#comment-2038 I work at the Phonathon and we just an emergency meeting about Matt Magida's e-mail and the Hoot article. Matt is not a rogue department member; he is our boss who most of us work with weekly, and what he said was wrong, illegal, inappropriate and also not checked by the rest of the department. There was a senior development officer at the meeting, Mark Abelman, who clarified that we are allowed to post and talk about whatever we want wherever we want to, as long as it's not when we're working on the phone with alumni. When we're at our job, we have the follow a script and stay non-partisan, which is totally reasonable and understandable. They basically said that the e-mail was incorrect and there was "miscommunication." AKA Matt sent out the e-mail without checking with anyone, including our Students Rights. So basically, they revoked the e-mail, and they won't fire us if we sign an online petition. Ridiculous that they thought they could ever do that in the first place. I work at the Phonathon and we just an emergency meeting about Matt Magida’s e-mail and the Hoot article. Matt is not a rogue department member; he is our boss who most of us work with weekly, and what he said was wrong, illegal, inappropriate and also not checked by the rest of the department.

There was a senior development officer at the meeting, Mark Abelman, who clarified that we are allowed to post and talk about whatever we want wherever we want to, as long as it’s not when we’re working on the phone with alumni. When we’re at our job, we have the follow a script and stay non-partisan, which is totally reasonable and understandable. They basically said that the e-mail was incorrect and there was “miscommunication.” AKA Matt sent out the e-mail without checking with anyone, including our Students Rights.

So basically, they revoked the e-mail, and they won’t fire us if we sign an online petition. Ridiculous that they thought they could ever do that in the first place.

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