Author: elly

This is the question I’ve been mulling over the last few days, ever since the news of Aaron Swartz’s arrest. The name may sound familiar to you, as he has many Brandeis connections- I know someone who’s interned for him and another person who’s related to him. However, since I don’t know him myself, I feel completely comfortable trying to pass judgment on what he did.

Swartz was indicted on July 14th on federal charges of: wire fraud, computer fraud, unlawfully obtaining information from a protected computer, recklessly damaging a protected computer, aiding and abetting, and criminal forfeiture, in order to download 4.8 million articles from JSTOR through MIT accounts. The indictment was sealed until the 19th, and now appears online on the New York Times blog.

The debate over Swartz’s arrest started almost immediately after the first reports surfaced on the 19th, in large part due to Swartz’s role as something of a prodigy/legend to techies. Demand Progress came out in strong support of Swartz, creating an online petition for people to pledge to stand by Aaron Swartz, which garnered 15,000 signatures the first day it was launched and 35,000 the second day. Soon after, major news sources were covering it, and opinions were being spouted all over Twitter, Facebook and Reddit.

So, why all the controversy?

Continue reading “Information: How Free Is It? A discussion about Aaron Swartz”

So, in the spirit of my series on games which encourage social justice, I decided to share another game I just discovered: it’s called You Shall Know the Truth.

Released way back in February, You Shall Know the Truth is the third game in the Wikileaks Stories series, the first two being Leaky World and Wikileakers. All three are political commentary inspired by the controversial site WikiLeaks. (For a basic summary of WikiLeaks’ history, check out its Wikipedia page).

You Shall Know the Truth is better than the previous two because it acutally shows you classified information that WikiLeaks has released, rather than simply simulating the experience of leaking data in the form of action/adventure games.

A combination point and click and hidden object game, you are a government agent and have a limited amount of time to look through a suspected “terrorist’s,” or WikiLeaker’s, apartment. Each piece of data you click on can either give you useful information or be entirely irrelevant. Also featured are clips of Obama and other politicians speaking.

I don’t want to spoil the game for you, but perhaps the most interesting part is the ending. Demonstrating that the game cares just as much about making a statement as it does about entertaining, if you click certain options at the end, your browser will not let you reload the game again, rendering you incapable of playing again and choosing different choices.

Bill Clinton recently gave a speech at the 7th annual Campus Progress National Conference in D.C., in which he touched upon issues of voter disenfranchisement and Jim Crow discrimination. Watch the clip here.

Clinton was speaking in reference to proposed legislation in New Hampshire which would bar out-of-state college students, among others, from registering to vote in the states in which they attend school, and would require registered voters to bring state-issued ID with them to the polls.

While wanting to make elections more fair and safe (i.e. ensuring that a state’s votes are truly the opinion of the registered voters of that state) is a good ambition, I’ve got to agree with Clinton on this one. No matter the intention behind these bills, the only substantial effects they will have is to keep racial minorities and youth away from the polls. How does that help democracy?

I recently wrote about the Scott sisters' speech at the 47th Annual Mississippi Civil Rights Martyr’s Memorial Service, Conference and Caravan, which I was fortunate enough to attend.

Glady and Jamie Scott, along with their mother, Evelyn Rasco, each spoke about their unfair conviction and perpetual struggle with the law since then. Jamie spoke the most passionately, expressing her belief that law enforcement is still racist, at least in Mississippi. "Slavery isn't over, it's called the law," she announced.

The racial politics of the criminal justice system definitely need to be addressed. Furthermore, Jamie touched upon how terrible our prisons are when she spoke about how miserable she had been. She and her sister "contemplated suicide every day" of the 16 years they served of their prison sentence, which was originally set as a life term, she said.

The National Center on Institutions and Alternative published a report on Prison Suicide: An Overview and Guide to Prevention, in 1995. One of their findings was that,

Suicide ranks third, behind natural causes and AIDS, as the leading cause of death in prison.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics published a Special Report, revised as of October 2010, in which they backed up these claims, reporting that

After adjusting for differences associated with the age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin, suicide was the only cause of death that occurred at a higher rate in local jails than in the U.S. general population.

Continue reading “Prisons: Figure Out a Better System”

The Jackson Free Press published an article covering Mississippi laws passed this year which have come into effect as of July 1st.

House Bill 196, first introduced by Representative Brandon Jones, and signed by the Governor in March, stands out in particular. This law enables judges to require defendants on trial for charges involving domestic violence/abuse wear electronic GPS tracking devices as a condition of their release on bond.

Their alleged victims would in turn be offered the use of electronic devices which would alert them if the defendant moves within a pre-determined distance of their home or other locations the judge has ordered them to refrain from entering.

Now, while this is potentially an invasion of privacy and encroachment on defendants’ freedom, I think the safety of the alleged victim outweighs these other concerns. The law includes convincing language about why it is necessary.

“In determining whether to order a defendant’s participation in a global positioning monitoring system under this section, the court shall consider the likelihood that the defendant’s participation will deter the defendant from seeking to kill, physically injure, stalk, or otherwise threaten the alleged victim before trial.

However, the part of the law that I do not agree with is the following: the defendant is required to pay for the tracking device and the electronic monitor, rather than the government. Continue reading “JBS Mississippi #3: New DV State Law Unconstitutional”

From Brandeis Hillel’s Support page.

Pay attention to the circled text (the rest is a screenshot and not altered)— send a student to work in Central America?

Really now, Hillel? I know Brandeis is overcrowded, and there is a scarcity of food on campus over spring break, but is this the best solution we can come up with? Can’t we at least give them a choice?

Sign this petition to fight deportation across America.

New York is poised to join the ranks of: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire and Washington D.C.

The New York State Senate just passed the gay marriage bill with a vote of 33-29, meaning gay marriage will soon be a reality for New Yorkers!

Now all that remains is for Gov. Cuomo, who came out in support of gay marriage while campaigning last fall, to sign the bill. 30 days after he signs, the bill will become law.

As Politico, one of the first news sources to report the results, stated: “The senate bill’s sponsor, openly gay Democrat Tom Duane, introduced the legislation with a tearful speech detailing his life from when he came out to his Catholic parents as a teen to his adult life fighting for gay rights and his partner.”

We here at InnermostParts commend this action. This is just one step on the road to equality and Civil Rights for all!

Read more of the Politico article here!

This past December I wrote a post about the Scott sisters’ imminent release from prison and the controversial terms that came with it.

Gladys and Jamie Scott, two sisters who have been serving life sentences in jail for 16 years now after their 1994 conviction on charges of armed robbery, are being released on “an indefinite suspension of sentence.”

However, the special condition placed on their release is calling attention from all sides of the political spectrum: Gladys will have to donate a kidney to Jamie, her older sister.

This past Saturday I got to see the Scott sisters and their mother speak live at the 47th Annual Mississippi Civil Rights Martyr’s Memorial Service, Conference and Caravan in Philadelphia, Mississippi. I taped live footage of Gladys speaking, which you can watch on Youtube here.

Although the Scott sisters are now out of jail, they are still fighting for their freedom. Continue reading “Scott Sisters Speak at Memorial Ceremony- footage attached”

Brandeis announced that Professor Susan J. Birren, will be the new Dean of Arts and Sciences today, taking over for Dean Adam Jaffe effective July 1st.

As the Brandeis Hoot reported, “Birren joined the Brandeis faculty as an assistant professor of neurobiology in 1994, having since been tenured and chair of the university’s Committee on Centers and Institutes, under the office of the provost. According to the search committee, all top candidates for dean were current faculty members, but Birren was chosen for her distinguished experience.”

The full text of the e-mail sent out to the Brandeis Community is included below.

Continue reading “Birren Announced New Dean of Arts and Sciences!”

In a victory for human rights advocates everywhere, the New York State Assembly passed the Marriage Equality Bill last night, for the fourth time.

My congressman, Jeffrey Dinowitz, expressed his support of the bill and quoted from it below.

In the bill the legislative intent is stated, in part, as follows:

“Marriage is a fundamental human right. Same-sex couples should have the same access as others to the protections, responsibilities, rights, obligations, and benefits of civil marriage. Stable family relationships help build a stronger society. For the welfare of the community and in fairness to all New Yorkers, this act formally recognizes otherwise-valid marriages without regard to whether the parties are of the same or different sex.

“It is the intent of the legislature that the marriages of same sex and different-sex couples be treated equally in all respects under the law.”

The next step in the bill’s journey will be to the State Senate. According to a New York Times article, as of now, 31 of the 62 State Senators have endorsed the bill, 29 of them Democrats and 2 Republicans, but Republican support is needed in order for it to pass.

Continue reading “NY To Legalize Gay Marriage?”

Our esteemed, still-newly Inaugurated President Fred Lawrence announced that he will be blogging this summer while touring Israel with fellow Brandeis academic and administrative leaders! Check out his blog here!

Just like Innermostparts, Fred’s is a WordPress blog. He writes informatively and conceisely concisely, but the blog is a bit plain in its aesthetics. Here’s some advice we’d like to offer, from someone who’s never designed a blog in her life.

Continue reading “Fred Updates Blog! Some Tips We’d Like to Offer.”

The Interfaith Youth Core published its annual report, with a section featuring the work of Brandeis Interfaith Group’s co-founder, Interfaith Youth Core fellow and intermittent blogger here, sophomore Erica Shaps.

This year, the newly-formed BIG, led by Erica Shaps, Grace Killian, Rawda Aljawhary and Adena Morgan, helped organize “Celebrate Brandeis” in response to the WBC, the “What If? Speak In”, the end of the year “Socks! A BIG Deal” sock drive, and other events on campus.

Follow the Brandeis Interfaith Group’s blog, and if you’re interested in IFYC, started in 2002, check out their website.

An extremely small sample size of the Brandeis community answered the following questions about the Brandeis Department of Public Safety.

Breakdown of results:
1. Has anything ever been stolen from you on the Brandeis campus?

62.5% no
37.5% yes

2. If yes, was the Brandeis University Department of Public Safety helpful in the process of reporting the theft and/or recovering the stolen property?

75% N/A
25% yes
0% No

Other:

-sort of. I goy my money back but they were treating the crook/thief/scammer better than myself

-I didn’t report it

3. If no, do you think the presence and organization of the Brandeis University Department of Public Safety on campus played a role in protecting your property from theft?

66.7% no
33.3% yes
0% other

4. If you could change one thing about the Brandeis University Department of Public Safety what would it be?

Friendlier staff

They ALWAYS leave a car idoling. I’ve discussed it with them and it is on purpose in case of emergencies. What a waste of fuel. They are SO rude. Every time I go in they ignore me for at least 2 minutes and then basically ask what I want.

The chief?

If they were nice

Nothing. They are genuinely a positive force on campus, but not all of their actions can be understood or appreciated by students.

Thanks for the user feedback. What questions would people like to see for the next poll aimed at finding out statistics about members of the Brandeis community? It can be anything from HOW CAN WE PROMOTE DEMOCRACY ON CAMPUS to WHAT DO YOU THINK OF POT SMOKERS ON CAMPUS?

The Metro ran an editorial by Jonathan Alpert entitled “Powerful Philanderers,” reproduced below in its entirety, comparing the news of Schwarzenegger’s illegitimate child with the news of Strass-Kahn’s alleged rape of a maid. I found it offensive and illogical. My reaction appears underneath.

The news of Arnold Schwarzenegger having a love child and of the alleged rape by Dominique Strauss-Kahn has me wondering: Is there a connection between people in positions of power and committing such acts?

People sometimes believe that celebrities, politicians and others in a position of power and influence aren’t susceptible to the same problems that plague the average Joe — when in fact, the famous are not immune from the ills of society. Given certain personality traits and circumstances, they might be even more likely to commit such acts.

Think about the traits that drive someone like the Governator and Dominique Strauss-Kahn to their positions. In the case of politicians, you often have people who are risk-takers, thrill-seekers and adrenaline junkies who thrive on the rush and excitement of being the center of attention. The larger-than-life ego, grand sense of entitlement and narcissism that run amok are fertile grounds for trouble. Throw into the mix the strain that being in the political spotlight can have on the marriage and you have trouble waiting to happen.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the powerful aphrodisiac that comes from being in a high political position or being a celebrity. Stardom is seductive, and people might gravitate towards such figures; they might feel that to be with someone wealthy and successful provides security. In the case of Monica and Bill — and perhaps Arnold’s housekeeper — there was probably a level of attraction based purely on the superstar status. Groupies abound and aren’t limited to just the music scene.

My response, which they chose not to print:

Comparing Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dominique Strauss-Kahn is dangerous territory to begin with (one had a consensual extramarital relationship with someone he had known for many years while the other is awaiting trial on charges of sexual assault for raping a stranger and holding her hostage for several hours).

On top of that, to suggest that these two cases were the result of “the powerful aphrodisiac that comes from being in a high political position” and to say that “Groupies abound” is what really made this article offensive to me.

As a student at Brandeis University who recently completed an internship with a domestic violence transitional living program, I cannot accept treating rape the same as having a consensual affair, and I think for you to suggest that these two news pieces are in any way similar because of their “sex” appeal demonstrates just how misunderstood sex crimes are in our society, and why they keep occurring.

The only way to stop this cycle of violence is to recognize the difference between the cheaters (Schwarzenegger), whose affairs should remain between the people who are married, and the rapists (Strauss-Kahn), whose crimes we must condemn publicly. But we must never blame the victim, as you seem to want to do.

Imagine a public figure sexually assaulting you in your own home, and then being charged with a crime when you try to lodge a complaint against that figure, because you taped the call.

That is the situation that Tiawanda Moore is facing at the moment, after having been the victim of sexual harassment at the hands of a police officer who came to investigate a domestic disturbance call in her house.

According to a Huffington Post article, Moore claims that after the officer took her into her bedroom to interview her privately, he groped her chest and gave her his home phone number. When she tried to report the incident to the Internal Affairs sector of the Chicago Police Department, officials were not helpful and, as her boyfriend says, “discouraged her from filing a report.” So, she did the smart thing, and taped her conversation with the officials. Unfortunately, that’s a crime in her state.

As the article discusses, Massachusetts and Illinois are the only 2 states in the U.S. which have with the strictest privacy laws, making it illegal for anyone to record a conversation with another party is the other party is not aware, a crime usually prosecuted when the party being covertly taped is a police officer.
Continue reading “Woman Faces Jail Time for Taping Her Conversation with Officials”

Whether you have an extensive history with the Brandeis University Department of Public Safety or have never heard of it before, please take this survey!

It will be open until Monday night at 11:59 p.m.

Here are a series of words I came across in my reading of Dark Journey by Neil R. McMillen and Local People by John Dittmer, the two books we were assigned to read for my JBS Mississippi program, which made me stop and think and look them up.

***Thanks to Alex for writing in with his definitions, here they are!

1. Bestiality
Having sex with animals, or cruel treatment of others (animal or human)

2. Malapropisms
Common yet incorrect usage of words or phrases

3. Gubernatorial
Relating to a governor

4. Ecumenical
Interfaith or multi-denominational

5. Paucity
A lack or scarcity

6. Beachhead
A beginning, first attempt/achievement

Would anyone enjoy taking a stab at defining them? *We are still open to new definitions if you would like to contribute to this ever-growing dictionary/book club.

In sad news, famed doctor, politician and civil rights activist Jack Kevorkian died this past Friday from medical complications related to kidney failure and thrombosis. His death leaves the future of the euthanasia movement in unorganized hands. Perhaps selfishly, his death saddens me because I had hoped to bring Kevorkian to speak at Brandeis at some point, as I blogged about in September. Interestingly enough, his life ended in a hospital, where he was unable to take his own life. Whether or not he would have chosen to do so, we will never know.

Kevorkian, a life-long advocate for a person’s right to terminate his life, was convicted of second-degree murder in 1999 and sentenced to 10-25 years in prison. In 2007 he was released early on parole due to good behavior, one of the conditions of his parole being that he not practice euthanasia or provide care for anyone who was disabled or over the age of 62. Furthermore, Kevorkian was forbidden from commenting on assisted suicide, a huge curtailment of freedom of speech.

Kevorkian chose to continue to advocate for people’s freedoms while following these restrictions, running to represent Michigan’s 9th Congressional district in 2008 on a campaign which emphasized people’s ability to take their 9th Amendment Constitutional rights into their own hands. He lost the election, but continued to speak at various universities and other centers of learning about what he believed in, in broad strokes.

A brilliant artist, musician, author and speaker, he will be missed.

For more information, read about Kevorkian’s life and death in the New York Times.

Rihanna’s new video, “Man Down,” tells the story of a woman who is raped and then shoots the perpetrator. If I hadn’t watched the video I don’t know that I would have picked up on the message of the seemingly upbeat and catchy tune.

Just another example of popular media being used to promote themes of social justice. What do you think she is trying to say about this contentious topic though? Is the woman Rihanna portrays justified in shooting her attacker? (She doesn’t shoot him right away but rather goes back to her house, takes her gun and then tracks him down, making what could be a clear-cut case of self-defense more complex.)

This reminds me of a Huffingtonpost article I read about Jerome Ersland, a shop-owner who shot and killed a man who was attempting to rob his store. Ersland was put on trial for first-degree murder, with the prosecution alleging that he used undue force, and “went beyond the limits of self-defense,” when he shot 16-year old Antwun Parker in the head, chased away Parker’s accomplice, and then went back and shot Parker 5 more times, killing him. Ersland was convicted and awaits sentencing, in a case that has received a lot of attention. To complicate matters more, Esrland was white and Parker black, bringing the question of race into the equation.

So is Rihanna’s character justified in her killing? Was Ersland in his? How do you differentiate between self-defense and retribution?

So, an extremely small sample size of the Brandeis community answered the following question: If you could change one thing about Brandeis, what would it be?

Breakdown of results:
57.1% said Housing
35.7% said Dining
14.3% said Student government
7.1% said Policy on Greek life
7.1% said Sustainability efforts
7.1% said Other: Make the campus bike- (and wheelchair-)friendly…
0% said Athletics

Thanks for the user feedback. What questions would people like to see for the next poll aimed at finding out statistics about members of the Brandeis community? It can be anything from HAS YOUR STUFF BEEN STOLEN WHILE ON CAMPUS? to WHAT PILLAR OF JUSTICE WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD TO BRANDEIS?

***This survey went up last Thursday and will close this Thursday, June 2nd, at 11:59 p.m. Take it before it’s too late. Consists of just ONE question!***

Want to take part in a survey on how to change/fix/reform Brandeis? It’s just one question!

Look no further: Click here to take survey

Brought to you as the first in a series of surveys which will gather information as to members of the Brandeis communities’ general feelings about things.

We are open to suggestions of more questions you would like to see answered, as well.

I bet lots of people are doing cool things this summer. I would love to hear about them- feel free to link to blogs or journals or sites in the comments section.

The Brandeis JBS: Mississippi program, led by sociology professor David Cunningham, started up on Memorial Day, May 30th, with 11 Brandeis students plus 2 TA’s flying and driving down to Jackson, Mississippi, where we will be staying for the next 8 weeks. We’re still working on a concise summary, but basically we’ll be taking sociology classes and compiling an oral history of the civil rights movement in Missippi Mississippi, in conjunction with the Winter Institute and Mississippi Truth Project.

Yesterday we met the Jackson State University students, staff and faculty we will be teaming up with from the Margaret Walker Center, and had our first real day. We talked about what the terms racial justice and civil rights meant to each of us. A common theme was the subjectivity of the term justice, as well as the struggle to define who it is that has the right to enforce these rights (God, humans, the courts, etc). Does civil rights mean the term only applies to citizens of a particular nation, or should the term be used synonymously with human rights, or natural rights? (as MLKJ wrote)

The term racial justice gave me pause. In my criminal law class this past semester we read Ultimate Punishment and discussed the death penalty. Statistics show that blacks are overwhelmingly more likely to receive the death penalty in capital crimes (when it is an option) in proportion to their white counterparts charged with similar crimes. This indicates that juries are not as colorblind as one would hope.

Many people have cried for a reform in the judicial system to change the way death penalty cases are dealt with, in order to make up for this apparent racism. However, as the author points out, the Court has always maintained a stance as being colorblind, and to require special conditions be implemented to even out these statistics would mean allowing race to enter into the criminal justice system, which would make it unequal. A catch-22.

Racial justice is tricky. Does it entail putting strategies like affirmative action into place, to make up for the centuries of abuse and discrimination minorities have suffered? Or does it means remaining colorblind and treating minorities the same as majorities? I’m in favor of the latter. I think the only way for justice to be served is if everyone is treated equally, even if that means not necessarily making up for wrongs that were done to them.

In the coming weeks we will be interviewing people who lived through the civil rights movement in the South, people on all ends of the spectrum politically, socially, economically and more. Hopefully they will offer new insight into this question. Expect to hear more from me and perhaps some of the other students on the trip in the days to come, and check out Jesse Begelfer’s, blog about her experience!

Oscar Wilde wrote in The Soul of Man Under Socialism,

“The worst slave owners were those who were kind to their slaves.”
“Charity degrades and demoralises.”

I was recently directed to this video after posting an item called “The Gap now accepting…donations?” sometime last week. In the video, which is beautifully animated by RSA, philosopher Slavoj Zizek analyzes the negative repercussions that result from businesses making consumers believe they are doing good by purchasing their goods. In his talk, Zizek quotes from The Soul of Man Under Socialism, which is why I bring it up here.

Zizek’s argument is that people often recognize a problem but then, instead of taking action to change the system which is causing it, they focus on the here and now, contributing a little to make it better at the moment. This fits well with the example of the Gap, as a commenter on the original post intelligently pointed out, since by announcing that they are accepting donations for the Salvation Army, the Gap is helping people assuage their guilt about buying new clothing while others have none, but not doing anything to ensure that people will have clothing in the future, once their campaign is over.

Zizek assumes that people who are donating clothing to the Gap will satisfy their need to help the poor, and so the Gap is diverting their altruistic urges and preventing systemic change from taking place. This is why he quotes Wilde in saying that “The worst slave owners were those who were kind to their slaves,” because by appeasing their anger or others’, the slave owners are prolonging the people’s enslavement, as opposed to a harsh slave owner, who might provoke resistance more readily.

I’ve heard this argument in reference to domestic violence too; spouses who beat their partners so badly they have to go to the hospital are more likely to be broken up with than those who beat their partners on a regular basis but leave smaller, less noticeable bruises whose frequency increases gradually over time. True, the victim in the first example seems more likely to get help and perhaps get out of the relationship, but is there really value in saying that the extreme, more abusive spouse is doing a better thing? By treating someone so badly that he has more incentive to escape you, are you really helping him?

I don’t think so. In my view, the Gap is taking a small step, perhaps not the most direct or most effective, but a step all the same, towards helping people who are too poor to afford clothing. Rather than believing that people who donate their clothes to the Gap will leave feeling self-satisfied since they’ve “done their duty,” making them more apathetic to the cause over all, I think that once people are educated a problem they are more apt to take future action. Someone who never knew about the Salvation Army now knows of a place they can donate clothing, and if they think about it enough, perhaps they will even take steps of their own to deal with the issue of growing poverty in the world.

I’m not sure if the Gap is aiming for widespread systemic change, but I do think that increased awareness is the right direction to go in. The reason people prefer to chip away at a problem rather than tackle it head on is that its easier -not necessarily better- but often more conceivable. Instead of scaring people off by suggesting they take huge action or none at all, I think the Gap has the optimal approach: offering people small opportunities to make a difference. The question is where they will go from there, once it’s in their hands.

Do you want to stop, or study, discrimination in the MA area?
Kudos to the Brandeis Community Service Department for passing this along.

Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination summer internship- DUE TOMORROW!!!

Employer: Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination
Position Title: Assistant to the Director of Testing, Mass. Commission Against Discrimination
Application Deadline: Tuesday, May 31

ABOUT THE EMPLOYER:
The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination is the state’s chief civil rights agency. The Commission works to eliminate discrimination on a variety of bases and areas, and strives to advance the civil rights of the people of the Commonwealth through law enforcement, outreach and training.

For more information visit: http://www.mass.gov/mcad/

ABOUT THE POSITION:
Duration: June 24 through August 26 (Flexible)
Full-time internship for the month of July and most of August
Hours: 9:00am to 5:00pm with some flexibility

Duties & Responsibilities:
The MCAD’s testing program conducts investigations into potential violations of discrimination law. These investigations involve documenting and comparing the experiences of special investigators known as testers. Testers seek employment and housing and utilize public accommodations, and then observe and document how they are treated. The MCAD testing program documents and attempts to remedy instances where testers receive unequal treatment due to race, color, national origin, gender, age, disability, or another protected characteristic.

The MCAD testing assistant position provides a significant and challenging opportunity for a student interested in gaining hands-on experience in the field of civil rights law and law enforcement investigation. The assistant’s main duties center on acting as the administrator for the MCAD’s testing project, and assisting in creating assignments for testers and reviewing their work. In addition, depending on the assistant’s interests and skills, the assistant may give presentations at tester orientation programs and training sessions. The assistant will also be given the opportunity to play a role assisting in the Commission’s other law enforcement work, such as complaint intake, mediation and investigations.

QUALIFICATIONS:
–Strong commitment to fighting discrimination
–Writing and research ability
–Computer skills including familiarity with Windows and Excel

COMPENSATION:
Unpaid

HOW TO APPLY:
In order to be considered for this position, please e-mail your resume to Eric Bove at eric.bove@state.ma.us. In addition, e-mail your resume to Cary Weir-Lytle, Associate Director of Employer Relations, Hiatt Career Center, Brandeis University, cwlytle@brandeis.edu. Enter Assistant to the Director of Testing, Mass. Commission Against Discrimination as the subject of your e-mail. The application deadline is 11:59pm on Tuesday, May 31.

Want to take part in a survey on how to change/fix/reform Brandeis? It’s just one question!

Look no further: Click here to take survey

Brought to you as the first in a series of surveys which will gather information as to members of the Brandeis communities’ general feelings about things.

We are open to suggestions of more questions you would like to see answered, as well.

Bought some clothing you want to return but don’t have a receipt? Well, you may not be able to get your money back, but the Gap will give you a discount of 30% off your purchase when you bring in clothing to donate.

As the Gap announced in a press release on May 16th,

“Gap and Goodwill® have announced a partnership encouraging consumers to clean out their closets for a cause. From May 19-29, Gap stores in the United States and Canada will accept clothing donations in support of the Donate Movement, an effort powered by Goodwill to educate the public on the positive impacts donations can have on both people and the planet.”

Jim Gibbons, the president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International expanded on the good work his organization does, saying

“Through the Donate Movement, Goodwill aims to increase conscious donations by raising consumer awareness of the power their donated goods can have in strengthening their communities […] When you donate to Goodwill, you enable a person to receive vital skills training, succeed at work and climb the career leader. These are people who want to work but need Goodwill’s help to find and keep good jobs.”

I’m very impressed with the Gap for taking on this project. Although only one week remain for you to participate in this promotion, I encourage you to go through your closet, or more likely the 5-7 bags you brought home with you from college which you haven’t unpacked yet, and pick out some clothing to donate, even if you aren’t making any purchases. By creating more dropoff points for people to donate clothing, the Gap is allowing more people to lend a hand and contributing to the sustainability of our society.

Today, Brandeis held its 60th commencement ceremony, graduating the undergraduate class of 2011 from the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. The Heller School for Social Policy and Management’s graduation took place in Spingold Theater and the International Business School in Levin Ballroom, earlier in the day. As part of the undergraduate ceremony, David Brooks, Thomas Buergenthal, Nancy Gertner, Yo-Yo Ma, Errol Morris and Jehuda Reinharz all received honorary degrees from the university. For full coverage, bios of the honorees and audio recordings of the ceremony, visit Brandeis’ Commencement page.

Brandeis has accumulated some notable graduates over the years, including Abbie Hoffman and Angela Davis, but especially those who we have awarded honorary degrees. Some names that stand out appear below.

Political Sphere: Herbert Lehman (after whom CUNY Lehman College was named), Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, David Ben-Gurion, Thurgood Marshall, Golda Meir, Edward M. Kennedy, Walter F. Mondale, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Madeleine K. Albright, Desmond Tutu, Coretta Scott King, Yitzhak Rabin, Susan Brandeis Gilbert (Justice Brandeis’ daughter), the Dalai Llama (listed as “Dalai Lama, His Holiness the 14th (Tenzin Gyatso)”), Nancy Pelosi, and Michael B. Oren.

Musical, Literary and Visual Artists: Leonard Bernstein, Marc Chagall, Marian Anderson, Elizabeth Bishop, Eudora Welty, Itzhak Perlman, Elie Weisel, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Steven Spielberg, John Updike, E.L. Doctorow, Barbra Joan Streisand, Wynton Marsalis, Whoopi Goldberg, Arthur Miller, Alfred A. Knopf (who started Knopf Publishing), Joyce Carol Oates, Ted Koppel, James Carroll, Ralph Lauren, Paul F. Simon.

Many of those who received honorary degrees have buildings named after them, including: Joseph M. Linsey, Samuel Slosberg (New England shoe manufacturer and president of Beth Israel Hospital), Samuel Lemberg (real estate executive and philanthropist), Jacob Hiatt (who served as a trustee at the Holy Cross; Boston University; the the former Leicester Junior College, now merged with Becker College; and as a life trustee of Clark University), Abram Leon Sachar, Philip W. Lown, David Schwartz, Lew R. Wasserman, Stanley H. Feldberg, Morton Mandel, Thelma H. Sachar, and Carl J. Shapiro.

In addition, only a handful of the honorary degree recipients earned degrees from attending Brandeis as students. They include: Michael L. Walzer ’56, Gustav Ranis ’52, Edward Witten ’71, Thomas L. Friedman ’75, Martin Peretz ’59, Oluwatope A. Mabogunje ’63, Robert Shapiro ’52, Stephen J. Solarz ’62, Michael J. Sandel ’75, Ha Jin, MA ’89, PhD ’93, Roderick MacKinnon ’78, Karen Uhlenbeck, PhD’68 and William Schneider ’66.

*All lists have been compiled in chronological order of when recipients received honorary degrees. Information taken from http://www.brandeis.edu/trustees/hdr.html

My question to all of you readers is: WHO WOULD YOU LIKE BRANDEIS TO AWARD WITH AN HONORARY DEGREE NEXT YEAR?

I would like to congratulate the class of 2011. Over the years we’ve had a change of writers here at Innermost Parts, many of whom graduated this morning, at Brandeis’ 60th Commencement. In honor of them, here is a brief retrospective of Innermost Parts.

This blog was launched on December 13th, 2007, the brain child of Sahar and Loki (alias Alex Melman), two first-years who were disillusioned with Brandeis’ efforts to live up to its motto. Sahar wrote the inaugural post, Why we fight, ended with a summary of why we need such a blog,

Louis Brandeis believed in Social Justice, real Democracy, freedom of Expression, and self-determination. So do we. Louis Brandeis was a Progressive. So are we. Is our University?

Following that up, Loki’s first post, We. are. INNERMOST PARTS!, called for more student involvement in the decision-making process and advocated for all students to take part in Innermost Parts, and get their voices out.

We conceived this space so as to be a champion of truth’s innermost parts. […] We will be a clarion call to action against an increasingly power-hungry administration under which this student body has been far too submissive.

Since those founding days, InnermostParts has striven to hold true to these goals. We’ve been involved in a few Student Union lawsuits, talked about in the Justice and the Hoot, and established ourselves as a voice on campus. We are also now one of the three news sources which receive election results moments before the student body! None of this could have happened without the extraordinary dedication and skill of our writers, most of whom are moving on to bigger and better things, starting now.

With that, here’s a thank you to all of the seniors who have accounts on our page, whether they are active contributors or have gone on to promote activism in other ways across our campus: Emily, Jon, Lev, Nathan, Liza, Loki and Sahar, guest posters Maia and Alex Norris, and more.

We hope you will still be involved and continue shaping Brandeis into the school we all know it has the potential to be.

*Linked with their names are all of the posts these luminaries have written.

If you read today’s earlier post on TED talks, you will see how the TED organization allows people to present new and exciting ideas at its annual conferences. In addition, it now enables users from all over the world to communicate with each other via TED Conversations. Anyone can sign in and start a conversation with an idea or question, and any other members can respond.

One conversation stood out to me in particular while I was perusing the site. Caroline Phillips, a TED translator, attendee and TEDx organizer from Biarritz, France asks the question “What can we do, as citizens to promote tolerance in our daily lives ?” By clicking here, you can read others’ answers, which include person anecdotes, methods commonly used in education and examples of everyday situations in which crises come up.

But, I’d like to open up the question to all of you. So, as many of the Brandeis community in one way or another, even if your activity is limited to reading this Brandeis Progressive Student Blog, how can we promote tolerance (if that should be a goal of ours to begin with?)

Perhaps if we get some concrete answers we can even look into implementing them.

Should the internet provide us with new information or cater to our interests?

TED is a nonprofit started in 1984 "as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design." Now it is comprised of two annual conferences, at which people present talks on a variety of topics. Most of those talks are then uploaded and completely accessible to the viewing public.

One of the highlights from its latest conference included Eli Pariser's talk on Internet filtering. Pariser, who helped found MoveOn.org and served as its executive director from 2004-2008, is only 30 years old, but already is a huge name in the online organizing industry. In his TED talk, entitled "Beware online "filter bubbles"," addressed the question of whether the internet exists simply to direct us towards issues which we should be paying attention to, or simply to information it thinks we want.

Pariser used a social science experiment to analyze the situation. He asked friends of his to google "Egypt" and took screenshots of the top results. While two of his friends were the same gender, ethnicity and lived in the same area, they received completely different results. Google and other search engines suggest sites based on 57 different sources of information, and a user's search history has a great deal to do with which sites pop up. So, while one friend received suggestions relating to vacationing and tourism, another received current events updates of the protests taking place in Egypt, which Pariser says were the "big news of the day."

This small example illustrates the kind of filtering which Pariser is afraid will hurt society in the long run. While most people regard the internet as an open source of information, since there is so much of it, it relies on algorithms to recommend sites for us and thereby decide which information is the most relevant to us. Pariser is of the mind that the piece missing from this equation is the morals and ethics– algorithms have no sense of civic responsibility, and so he fears that if sites continue to generate search results just based on "relevance," people will only become more attuned to their own ways of thinking, and perhaps less aware of things going on outside of their limited spheres of consciousness.

This argument reminds me of the dispute over whether biased stations such as MSNBC and FOX, which report on the news from a clearly defined political perspective, are detrimental to democracy. While it is true that if people only learn new information from one source they are getting a limited perspective, I think the very concept of democracy supports their right to get that perspective and only that perspetive.

There's a big difference between encouraging people to be open-minded and forcing them to listen to other points of view. I am in favor of the first choice, because I see the media as a product we choose to consume. Since search engine must make a choice of which sites to rank first and which last, they are inherently making a judgment of what you want to see. I think that judgment should be decided as it is now- based on your interests. After all, isn't the point of the site to make you happy, to keep you interested?

Although it would be great if search engines offered you more of a variety of sites- some geared towards social justice, some entertainment, some political- on their homepage, what people really go to the Internet for is to find out what they want to find out. Trying to tell them what they should be looking for is a matter I don't think the sites should be involved in. That's where lobbyist groups come into play.

MolleIndustria boasts a variety of games which are commentaries on the state of the world today.

These include:

Leaky World, a Wiki Leaks simulation
Oiligarchy, an analysis of how oil companies function
The Free Culture Game, about copyright law.
And my personal favorite, Orgasm Simulator, a commentary on sexual relationships in today’s society.

There’s an environmental social justice game called TransportationTown that I just discovered.

In the game, you must balance the city’s pollution, mobility and happiness in order to insure that there is a balance between economic growth and damage to the environment. It’s fun and simple. While you play, facts about Whatcom County’s multimodal transportation system and other statistics scroll by, so you can learn more if you want or just enjoy playing the game.

This is a cool social justice computer game. Expect more the in coming weeks since school’s…out…for…summer!

Ron Paul is the real-life Ron Swanson.
For those who don’t get the reference, you’re missing out. Ron Swanson is the director of the Parks and Recreation Department on the fictional NBC tv show Parks and Recreation. He is also a diehard liberatarian who doesn’t believe government is useful.

I’m watching Ron Paul’s 2012 candidacy announcement, which aired Friday, on Cspan right now and, while entertaining, I don’t agree with what most of Paul is saying. Much like Swanson, he advocates for a ‘put people in charge of themselves’ system of government. However, his system is too idealistic. He says that heroin should be legalized, as should most other drugs, because you’re telling people they can make their own choices but they WILL be held responsible. However, how do you justify this to the victims of their actions- either directly, as in the case of people who get run over by drunk drivers, or indirectly, as in when they cost their family, or the state, hundreds and thousands of dollars in incarceration, paying back debts, emotional toil, the list goes on?

I think the problem with libertarian forms of goverment is that they’re just too optimistic. If you really believe that if left alone, people will act their best, then how do you account for all of the tragedies in the world? There has to be some sort of system to manage, regulate, bring people to agreements. I’m not saying that power should be taken out of the hands of the people, but rather that the people should be EMpowered by allowing them to make rules which protect them from each other. I’m a Hobbesian, what can I say?

BRANDEIS’ FIRST EVER READATHON: an event to promote reading, taking breaks from finals and raising money for literacy programs!!!

What will we be reading?
From 6-8 we will have open reading; bring your own book, textbook, collection of poems, sketches, etc. and read it aloud for up to 10 minutes!

Based on popular vote, from 8-whenever we will read books from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series and the Harry Potter series.

One person at a time will read out loud so if you’d like to sign up in advance on the event wall. For each page you read you will receive a raffle ticket, and at the end of the night we will pick a winner, who will receive a $30 GIFT CARD TO THE BRANDEIS BOOKSTORE!

Want to help in ways other than donating $$$?
Anyone can bring BOOKS they no longer need and they will be donated to More Than Words and other literacy groups in Waltham.
———————————————————————————————————————
The Reasons for this Event:
1. It’s fun.

2. According to the U.S. Dept of Education, 9% of the population of Middlesex County (which contains Waltham) aged 16 and up lacks basic literacy prose skills. While the MA sample population was more literate than the nation on average, there is still a lot of room for improvement. Reading allows the transference of values, knowledge of cultures and more. Check out: http://nces.ed.gov/naal/estimates/StateEstimates.aspx for stats.

How We Want to Help:
1. We’re going to collect money for Famni Ki Li Ansamn, or Families Reading Together, a group which helped organize this event. Famni Ki Li Asamn is a literacy organization founded by Brandeis University students and teachers which provides beautiful children’s picture books about Haiti to Haitian families in the US and Haiti. Professor Jane Hale and her Experiential Learning students helped make this event possible. For more information, check out: http://www.brandeis.edu/haiti/famni-ki-li-ansamn/index.html

2. In addition, we can get the word out there about more literacy programs. The organization of this event was assisted by the English Language Learning Initiative, a group founded in the Spring of 2001 and which offers English tutoring for all interested Brandeis employees. For more information: http://my.brandeis.edu/clubs/esl

Spent!

This is a social justice online computer game. What a brilliant way to spread awareness of the struggle unemployed people must combat, and the aspects of our society that foster inequality. In this game you must live on a budget of $1,000 plus wages over the course of a month.

At the end it asks you to donate or get involved with the Urban Ministries of Durham, which helps people in need. Vague but solid. I think this is the future of social justice; getting people involved in creative and fun ways. Building empathy.

Brandeis Now headline, which links to a page on the xinhuanet.com

Online supporters of bin Laden appear angry: expert

The annual Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Arts is winding to a close.

After a weekend of hula hoops, clowns, dancing, singing and bubbles, things are almost done. What remains?

The Lydian String Quartet, playing at 8 p.m. in Slosberg Music Center. They will be playing Haydn’s Quartet in E flat major, Op. 33, No. 2; Mohammad Fairouz’s Lamentation and Satire; Vincent Persichetti’s Piano Quintet (with Geoffrey Burleson, piano). Artists are: Daniel Stepner, violin; Judith Eissenberg, violin; Mary Ruth Ray, viola; Joshua Gordon, cello.

In The Name Of, playing at 8 p.m. in the Mandel Center for Humanities, Room G10. In The Name Of is an original play by Renana Gal ’12, about her experiences as a conscientious objector in Israel. Produced by the Free Play Theatre Cooperative and featuring Noam Shuster ’11, Melissa Howard ’12, Dotan Horowitz ’12, Aidan Horowitz ’12, Emily Rubin-Falcone ’13 and Anthony Rios ’11. Ages 16 and older.

The World Premier of Sweet Escape at 8 p.m. in the Mandel Center for Humanities, G3 auditorium. Sweet Escape is a short film of a modern fairytale, told in 10 film genres, about a girl’s escape from her evil mother. Written and directed by Max Price ’11. Hanna Wellish ’12, director of photography; Celia Cataldo ’13, producer. Featuring Zoey Hart ’13, Levi Rion MFA ’11, Robin Rapoport and many Brandeis undergraduates. Ages 16 and older.

But, even after the Festival is over, why don’t we try to keep art around us? It seems pretty trivial to be reminded that “art is all around us” (the festival’s slogan) only once a year; why not display artwork around our campus all year round? Why not organize flashmobs, provide people with bubbles to blow, and encourage students to express themselves all the time? Perhaps there are ways we can do this, with the help of the Brandeis Administration, Student Union, and entire student body. What do you think.

President Barack Hussein Obama delivered a beautiful speech yesterday at a press conference held to address the matter of…his birth.

Numerous politicians have confirmed his citizenship, the validity of his birth certificate and the general constitutionality of his presidency, yet Donald Trump, Sarah Palin and others continued the cry started in his 2008 campaign, calling for a public showing of his birth certificate. What I do not understand is how these people think he could have been given the oath by Chief Justice John Roberts, been accepted as president by Congress and served for 3.5 years all without anyone ever checking his birth certificate.

However, despite the irrationality of these complaints (and they are irrational, not to say that means they are invalid), Obama took the high road and made a strategic move; he chose to respond to his critics rather than ignore them. Speaking to members of the press in a video which the White House uploaded on Youtube (aren’t THEY tech savvy!), Obama addressed the concerns about his country of origin and announced that the White House has uploaded his birth certificate online for all to see.

In fact, FoxNews reports that “Mr. Obama had to get Hawaii to waive a law that prevents the long form birth certificate from being photocopied or released to anyone, including himself.” This is one explanation for why Obama did not release his birth certificate to the general public earlier, although he did release his “certificate of live birth” during the 2008 campaign.

I respect Obama immensely for treating his critics with respect and showing that them he is willing to respond to their concerns, as half-baked as they might seem. However, Obama steered clear of validating them, instead asking Americans and the media why they are choosing to focus on such an inconsequential piece of trivia when monumental decisions are being made in Congress as to the budget and the future of our nation. Good for you, Obama!

Obama’s speech reminded me a lot of a classic scene from the American President, in which another charming, first-term president up for re-election chooses to respond to the vicious gossip being touted around about him.

On another note, according to a Gallup/USA Today Poll, only 43% of Americans were convinced that Republican Presidential hopeful Donald Trump was born in the United States. So where’s your birth certificate, Donald?

I just came from the 2010-2011 school year State of the Union in which Undergraduae Student Union President Daniel Acheampong talked about all of Brandeis’ achievements, stuggles and plans for the future, before introducing next year’s president-elect, current secretary, junior Herbie Rosen.

I have to start off by saying that Daniel Acheampong is an amazing speaker. You’ve seen him at Pres. Lawrence’s Innauguration, at the Student Union ’11 Presidential Debate and many more places, but here, at his final State of the Union, he really shone. It brought tears to my eyes, sadly.

Acheampong’s major themes were the democracy and representation which he has tried to cultivate at Brandeis and which he hopes to see more of in the future. As Daniel said, we are a “resilient” student body, and despite all the struggles we’ve faced this year, we’ve come out on top.

Some of the major achivements he highlighted include:

-A restructuring of the Provost’s office and redefining of which responsibilities fall under that position.
-The formation of the Social Life Committee, composed of students and faculty, which serves to improve student social life on campus. The Committee will be presenting its recommendation to the administration shortly.
-The creation of the Village P.O.D.
-The promise of a pool in the Gosman Sports Center by 2012
-The first ever Student Union monthly newsletter
-The renovation of the Student Union website and a new complaints section
-Reform of the pass/fail system thanks to the Undergraduate Reps to the UCC

Acheampong also talked about the amazing volunteering and fundraising done by a variety of student groups, with money going towards Haiti and Japan relief funds, women’s medical expenses and the American cancer society. The groundbreaking sports achievements, including the men’s basketball team winning the 2011 ECAC Division III New England championship. The production of an astounding amount of student shows (“the Lonesome West” and “Rent” in particular, both of which Rosen was involved with), and the numerous events put on by student clubs.

Among elements we could improve upon, Acheampong mentioned the status of our financial aid policy. Currently, we review applicants need-blind until money runs out, at which point we regard them in a need-sensitive way, Acheampong explained. For the incoming class of 2015, we were able to remain need-blind and supply all students with full financial packages, however leaving the policy the way it is remains a threat to future applicants. This is an important matter to look into, despite our financial strains, and the student forum held on it earlier this year is indeed a practice we should repeat in coming years, giving students a chance to ask questions and offer opinions to the administration.

Another announcement Acheapong made was that the Senior Representative to the Board of Trustees will now sit on the Nominating and Governance Committee, which screens potential Trustees. For more information on the Committee, look at the Brandeis University Bylaws.

Following Acheapong’s speech, which received a standing ovation, President-Elect Herbie Rosen took to the podium and reiterated his thanks to the Student Union and student body and elaborated on his platform and goals for the new year. Rosen’s ideas, including more student representation, continued efforts to improve housing and dining, and collaborating with student groups, sound good and foreshadow a promising year for Brandeis.

Also, sneak peek at the first picture of the past, the present and the future of Brandeis:

This post goes out to Unicornbooty.com, a gay blog which reports on current events relating to the LGBTQA rights movement.

Unfortunately, more often than not, the news they have to report is not favorable to the gay community. Or the straight community for that matter. Discrimination hurts everyone.

This past week Unicorn Booty wrote several thought-provoking blog posts and I’d like to rehash them for you here.

1. Is Sodomy Illegal In Your State?
Accompanying this post is a chart of the 14 states in the U.S. which “retain active laws banning the practice of anal sex between consenting, unrelated adults.” Although the Supreme Court struck down these laws in the case of Lawrence v. Texas in 2003, and so they are unenforceable for all intents and purposes within the respective states, the laws remain on the books, maintaining our country’s sad legacy of homophobia.

2. TN Senate Passes ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill
A panel in the Tennessee Senate passed a bill on April 21st making it illegal to “discuss any sexual behavior other than heterosexuality prior to the ninth grade.” This would ban teachers, guidance counselors and all other school officials from speaking the words “gay” or “homosexual,” no matter the context. This bill has not passed in Tennessee yet, but how can we teach tolerance if we can’t even speak about it?

3. Church Billboard: Being Gay is a Gift From God
A Central United Methodist Church in Toldeo, Ohio is now running the message “Being Gay is a Gift From God” on a billboard in downtown Toledo. The Toledo Blade reports that

the Rev. Bill Barnard, Central’s part-time pastor, said the billboard message will be linked to a four-week sermon series, and the overall campaign goal is “to make a leap beyond tolerance.”
“Members of the congregation have experienced places and times where being lesbian or gay was tolerated — kind of ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell, I know God forgives you,’” Barnard said. “We’re saying, ‘This is the way God created you. There’s nothing to forgive.’”

This same week the Douglass Boulevard Christian Church in Kentucky made an even bigger statement on behalf of their gay brethren, voting unanimously to stop granting marriage licenses to any couples- straight or gay- until they are available to members of all sexual orientations. “The church voted to continue performing religious marriage ceremonies to straight couples, but without the legal component that gay couples are legally prevented access to,” Unicorn Booty reported.

Now, here are two inspiring examples of churches standing up for the LGBTQA members of their communities. I felt I had to end this summary on a positive note, so think about what it means for the future if religion is able to embrace homosexuality in a way that even our government still resists doing! Can’t you imagine people uniting for the cause of inclusion rather than exclusion? I can.