Read President Lawrence and Chairman Sherman's e-mail below regarding the recent death of former Brandeis President Evelyn E. Handler. We at Innermostparts send her family our regards and sympathies as well.

Dear Members of the Brandeis Community:

It is with great sadness, particularly during this holiday season, that we write to let you know that former Brandeis President Evelyn E. Handler died Friday night after being struck by a car in Bedford, N.H.

Evelyn Handler served as Brandeis president from 1983 to 1991. She was the first and only woman to lead the University. During her tenure as president, Brandeis was admitted to the Association of American Universities, a significant distinction for such a young institution.  Her other notable achievements included strengthening the University’s life sciences programs, initiating the Volen Center for Complex Systems, and the University’s membership in the University Athletic Association.

On behalf of the entire Brandeis community, we extend our deepest sympathies to the Handler family.

Sincerely,

Frederick M. Lawrence, President

Malcolm L. Sherman, Chairman of the Board

As Provost Steve Goldstein sent out in an e-mail earlier today, President Lawrence is soliciting input from the faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students in order to devise a 5-year plan to put Brandeis on the right track.

For faculty and staff, this will take the form of planning sessions group meetings.

Undergraduate students, on the other hand, will "convene a Student Advisory Committee to engage the student body through a series of town hall meetings, forums and online surveys," and the Graduate Student Association will likewise organize events for graduate students to contribute their input.

In addition, Goldstein announced the members of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee. It is comprised of: Gannit Ankori, Ben Gomes-Casseres, Karen Hansen, Tim Hickey, Anita Hill, Fernando Rosenberg, Susan Birren, Lisa M. Lynch, Bruce Magid, Michaele Whelan, Malcolm Watson, Herbie Rosen, Michael Singer, Jonathan Davis, Barbara Mandel, Bart Winokur, David Bunis, Andrew Flagel, Elaine Kuttner and Dan Feldman.

Soliciting input as to the future of our University is a good initiative, and would be even better if the news was accompanied by concrete plans for how this will play out, as it was for the faculty and staff, who were sent Doodle polls to fill out to organize their meeting. We will see how this process plays out, but until then, students can still follow up on the initiative by e-mailing Student Union President Herbie Rosen or others involved to suggest how it should be conducted.

The most promise opportunity was Goldstein's mention of a website that will go up in December to document all of the ideas these groups come up with. This is a good way for the whole Brandeis community to be involved in the decision-making process if they choose.

I'm also confused as to why graduate students' input will be gathered in a different way than undergraduates:

With Andrew Flagel, Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment, undergraduates will convene a Student Advisory Committee to engage the student body through a series of town hall meetings, forums and online surveys. Similarly, the Graduate Student Association will solicit input via a series of events and online opportunities. 

Is there a significance to this distinction? I'd like to know how graduate students feel about the text of the e-mail and their role in the process.

Read the full text of the e-mail below, and share your views on this news.

Dear Faculty, Students and Staff,

As you know, President Lawrence has initiated a strategic planning process for Brandeis University. As a community, we will envision our desired future in the decades ahead and create a 5-year plan to start us on that journey.  I write to share two important steps that mark the beginning of the process.

First, strategic planning discussions are being scheduled and we ask you to register:

Faculty

·      Please sign up for a planning session using the following link:

https://sys2.unet.brandeis.edu/bwebforms/view/Faculty_Sessions/

Staff

·      Please sign up for a planning session using the following link:

https://sys2.unet.brandeis.edu/bwebforms/view/Staff_Sessions/

You will receive confirmation of date and time shortly after registering.

Students

·      Students have selected a different process.  With Andrew Flagel, Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment, undergraduates will convene a Student Advisory Committee to engage the student body through a series of town hall meetings, forums and online surveys. Similarly, the Graduate Student Association will solicit input via a series of events and online opportunities. As these events are scheduled, you will hear more.

All ideas and feedback will be carefully documented, synthesized and posted on a strategic planning website to go live early in December. These materials will serve as the basis for development of the strategic plan.

Second, I am pleased to announce the membership of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee. The talented and diverse committee is comprised of faculty (one each from Heller, IBS and the four divisions in Arts and Sciences); the academic deans; undergraduate and graduate student leaders; trustees; and members of the senior administration (the attachment lists members by name).  I will chair the committee.

President Lawrence and I are deeply grateful to committee members for their willingness to assume this demanding service, and we thank the Faculty Senate Council for its guidance during the committee selection process. We also thank you, in advance, for your participation. We need your input to produce a vibrant and successful plan that will propel us into a future as bold and discerning as the act of our formation.

 

Sincerely,

Steve A.N. Goldstein ’78, M.A., M.D., Ph.D., F.A.A.P.

Provost and Professor of Biochemistry

Are you a fan of It's a Wonderful Life? Interested in how this classic Christmas movie is inspiring social justice movements nowadays?

Watch a great, 6-minute clip explaining what the day is all about, courtesy of Nation of Change.

This is a short post because it is serving as a forum for people to share their views on whether or not they are going to be moving their money out of big, corporate banks and into small locally-owned banks and credit unions.

The Brandeis Escort Safety Service sent out a press release for immediate release, announcing it will be implementing a trial shuttle on Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 29th, running from campus to Riverside Station shuttle. 

Although I am not familiar with what Riverside Station has to offer or why that specific location was chosen, I think it's great that the Escort Safety Service and Department of Public Safety are running trials and listening to student/user feedback.

This comes on the heels (the e-mail was sent an hour after) of the Student Union's announcement that the C-Store will be open extended hours, until 2 a.m., on November 5th, 12th and 19th, and that Dining Services will decide whether or not to extend hours permanently based on C-Store activity on those days.

So the question remains: what's making Brandeis so responsive to student feedback these days, and how can we use this to our advantage as members of the Brandeis community?

Read the full text of the press release below for details on the shuttle service.

The Brandeis University Escort Safety Service and the Department of Public Safety will be initiating a trial Campus to Riverside Station Shuttle. This two-day shuttle service trial is a result of collaboration with the Student Union.

The Department of Public Safety will be providing and covering the cost for a shuttle bus that seats 39 passengers. This shuttle service will run on two dates, Saturday November 12^th and Sunday November 20^th and will be in operation between the hours of 12:30pm and 8:30pm.

This two-day trial shuttle will allow us to review the demand for a possible, future Riverside Shuttle service. The Escort Safety Service will monitor passenger totals as well as other pertinent information. Additional information will follow relative to exact times and campus bus stop locations.

Please refer any questions or concerns to Shirel Guez (shir...@brandeis.edu).

I never realized it before, but today when I was reading about the meaning of Sukkot, I thought something sounded a bit familiar. So I read last year’s e-mail from the Chaplains, and then 2 years’ ago, and I discovered: they are exactly the same.

The only differences I spotted were in the font of the names at the bottom, and the removal of an underline used to help people pronounce Simhat Torah.

Did other people know this?!

Read more about it here, from our Live Blogging Occupy Wall St series of posts, to my own experience at Occupy Chicago.

Know of other members of the Brandeis community (sutdents, alumni, family) participating in other city chapters? Tell us about it here, in the comments section!

I think this is an especially good choice of topics since I have many, MANY complaints regarding mental health services at Brandeis, both from personal experience and from stories my friends have told me.

Read the description below and then take the survey!

Have you used the psychological counseling center or health center? What are your thoughts on the services provided? We want to hear from you!

Students are invited to take an anonymous survey on health and psychological health services provided at Brandeis, as part of a Hoot project to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the services. We need your help – please fill out the survey at http://my.brandeis.edu//survsimp/one?survey_id=6109

For more information, contact Alex Schneider at e...@thebrandeishoot.com

Read Shea’s e-mail below to find out more about what’s going on, why, and how to get involved:

Last weekend, 5 Brandeis students went down to NYC to join the Occupy Wall St. protestors. It was wonderful, awe-inspiring and empowering. This weekend, we want to bring even more students down: we will be joining an ever-growing movement, comprised of citizens from over 40 states, students from over 20 colleges, humans of all walks of life who have the courage to live the change they want to see in the world.

If you have any interest in coming along, or joining the new Boston occupation that will be starting this weekend, we will be holding TWO meetings to plan our trip and discuss anything related to the ongoing occupations: tonight, Monday the 26th, and tomorrow night, Tuesday the 27th. Both meetings will be held at 10PM in the Peace Room, located above lower Usdan, next to Levin Ballroom.

If you cant make either of these times, please email me (Shea Riester) at srie...@brandeis.edu or call me at 9176452444!

In the last week, the Occupy Wall St. protestors have been joined by Lupe Fiasco, Immortal Technique, Chris Hedges and Reverend Billy! To get a feel for the spirit of the occupation, here’s a report from last night in Liberty Square from occupywallst.org:

Drums blared for hours into the night when the Assembly wasn’t in session, until the time came for quiet. The drummers ended by reciting from the Principles of Solidarity we approved in Friday’s General Assembly, in the rain. Before the police lined along the Broadway side of the plaza, they cried together, “We are daring to imagine a new socio-political and economic alternative that offers greater possibility of equality.” And more. “Safety in numbers!” a sign by them says. “Join us.”

For more information:

occupywallst.org
occupytogether.org
adbusters.org

To: The Brandeis Community
This Wednesday night, September 28, Jews around the world will begin a very special period called “the Days of Awe.” This ten day span begins with Rosh HaShanah, the two-day start of the Jewish New Year, and ends with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (this year on Saturday, October 8).

Rosh HaShanah is a joyous holiday, marking both the New Year and the Birthday of the World, but it is also a time for reflection. Synagogues around the world will ring with the blast of the Shofar, the ram’s horn, calling communities together for celebration and contemplation.

During the 10 days from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur, Jews are enjoined to reflect upon the past year, seeking forgiveness from those they may have knowingly or unknowingly harmed or otherwise offended. The theme of all ten days is that repentance, prayer and charitable deeds are the keys to closing out the old year and starting the New Year off right.

On Yom Kippur, Jews come together for a final confession of their sins in order to begin the New Year with a proverbial clean slate. Tradition has it that one cannot come before God for these confessions before having first approached our family, friends, and neighbors with requests for forgiveness. Prayer and fasting are the hallmarks of this day and many refrain from other luxuries, like the wearing of leather shoes. The day is designed to focus attention only on those things which truly matter. Yom Kippur concludes with a final blast of the Shofar, a final cry as the gates of heaven are considered to close.

For a schedule of the many opportunities for prayer on campus in this High Holy Day season, please see Hillel’s website http://www.brandeishillel.org/high-holidays/. All members of the Brandeis family are welcome. Tickets are available for non-students at x63570. We wish you a Shanah Tovah U’metukah (a good and sweet year). May it be a year of joy and celebration, of growth and fulfillment, of health and wholeness, and may it be a year of peace.

The Interfaith Chaplaincy

Rev. Walter Cuenin, Catholic Chaplain, x63574
Dr. Imam Talal Eid, Muslim Chaplain, x65010
Alexander Levering Kern, Protestant Chaplain, 617-455-5323
Rabbi Elyse Winick, Jewish Chaplain, x63672