As an alumnus (and someone who’d donated annually to the university before the debacles of the last year) I received an email yesterday from President Lawrence announcing that he has resigned, effective at the end of this academic year.
As I’ve posted several times on this forum I’m absolutely sick over the direction that the university has recently taken. I’m guessing that the Board will look for a transgender pansexual Islamist as a replacement. Well, actually probably not, as that would compromise fundraising. They’ll probably go for another guy who’s a front for the politically-correct parody that the school has become.
@sjillian15
Obviously the posts are negative. Is the OP supposed to be positive about the wrong direction Brandeis is heading in. It’s okay you’ll fit in well at Brandeis, they’re a sucker for political correctness…
Actually my parents best friend attended Brandeis and he has the same exact concerns. The only reason I’m picking on Brandeis is because I am jewish and Brandeis is supposed to be the hub of jewish intellectualism in higher education. However, it has turned into a college that will not stand up for Israel and completely shys away from critical issues in fear of upsetting anyone. So no, I am glad that I did not apply there because I do not want to go to a University that suppresses free speech (like when it cancelled the invitation for hirsi ali to give a speech because of the critical comments she has made about certain Practices rampant in the Islamic world such as genital mutilation). I’m sorry but your ad hominem attacks are the lowest form of argument, and if you actually disagree with what I’m saying then please express that.
EDIT: way to edit your post for reference it said somethjng like
“So glad you or the poster are not attending Brandeis”
@sjillian15 – Don’t worry, you’ll be fine as long as you parrot all the standard progressive rhetoric. Get out of line, and you’ll be called out for your white privilege. It will be even worse if you’re a guy. Brandeis is all for diversity, as long as it’s not diversity of thought.
As an alumnus I donated to the school for decades. Both my kids as toddlers wore tee shirts that read “Brandeis University, Class of 20??”. My son was admitted last year with a $15K/yr merit scholarship. We were about to re-visit the school in April when the whole dust-up with Ayaan Ali kicked up.
You see, several years before that Brandeis awarded an honorary degree to Tony Kushner. One of Kushner’s choice quotes (among many): “The biggest supporters of Israel are the most repulsive members of the Jewish community.” Jewish students, faculty, alumni (yours truly included), and donors objected. President Reinharz explained that the University bestows honorary degrees based on accomplishments, and not because of political opinions. Kushner got his honorary degree. Fast forward to last year, when Muslim students and progressive faculty were offended by Brandeis’ offering an honorary degree to Ayaan Ali, a true hero who’s risked her life to bring to light the abuses of women under Islam. President Lawrence went running with his tail tucked between his legs, and withdrew the Ali’s honorary degree. Can’t offend the Muslim students. Jewish students, sure, but not Muslim students.
We informed Brandeis that we’d be cancelling our visit, and that my son didn’t feel that, given his middle-of-the-road politics, he’d be comfortable there. I told the alumni/development people to not bother soliciting me any further. As stated above, the school is a parody of itself.
It is too bad that your son chose not to attend Brandeis as he and I share middle-of-the-road politics. I hope he was not swayed by your feelings and is able to form his own opinions at Emory. I look forward to meeting my new classmates and encourage those admitted to chat with us on the FB group.
I don’t have a dog in this fight but I have a bunch of friends whose kids go to Brandeis or recently graduated from Brandeis and they are super smart, high achieving kids, some of whom have spent significant time in Israel on gap years and come from very strongly pro Israel homes and some of whom are from relatively assimilated Jewish homes. They are great kids and have been thrilled with their education at Brandeis. It is not the caricature that some disgruntled posters make it out to be.
Thank you for posting, @uesmomof2. Best of luck to those who applied RD (and hang in there to those deferred), I wish you the very best and hope to meet you in August. Go Brandeis Class of 2019!!!
@sjillian15 – If there’s anything that my son is good at doing it’s disagreeing with my opinions.
Truly, I wish you the best of luck there. Brandeis provided me lifelong friends and a springboard to a wonderful career.
@uesmomof2 – Never said that there aren’t a lot of great kids at Brandeis, and/or that one can’t get a great education there. But I doubt that anyone would dispute that it’s on one end of the political correctness spectrum, and a place where incorrect speech is poorly tolerated. Many people have no problem with that, but some do.
Also, I think that ‘disgruntled’ is a bit pejorative. ‘Disappointed’ or ‘saddened’ is more accurate.
I’m a happy member of the Brandeis Class of 2016, and think if you consider “political correctness” a negative, “white privilege” a punishment, and the thought of a “transgender pansexual Islamist” a joke, then I’m not sure I trust your definition of parody.
Concerned prospective students who may have happened upon this topic: you will be welcome here, don’t worry.
Thank you for the post, @vdrumm! And again, best of luck to those who applied RD (and hang in there to those deferred), I wish you the very best and hope to meet you in August. Go Brandeis Class of 2019!!!
I think “disgruntled” is a lot less pejorative than the offensive use of “transgender pansexual Islamist” as an apparent insult. Do you feel that transgender people do not belong on the faculty? Again, I have to take issue with your characterization of Brandeis as a “politically correct parody.” I know several great kids there who are fairly middle of the road politically. I think you have taken one or two heavily publicized incidents out of context and ignored the reality for the vast majority of kids at Brandeis who are getting a superb education.
Reading President Lawrence’s letter I’m reminded of Hamlet. The lady doth protest too much. You don’t have to write a letter like this in a national publication unless you have a problem.
Dare to argue the wrong position and you’ll be accused of “triggers”. Louis Brandeis would be embarrassed.
Not true. Please read up on the history of Brandeis’ founding and the motivations therein. You are clearly misinformed.
Brandeis is under no particular obligation as an institution to “stand up for Israel” anymore than it has to “stand up” for Belgium, Japan, Sweden or any other country that is not the USA.
So as a father from the UK whose daughter is thinking about Brandeis, how should I view this? Our family is not Jewish and while I have views on Israel, these have not been forced on my daughter. I want her to go to a college that that is open and respects a variety of views on complicated subjects like the middle east. Is that Brandeis?
@uknewnenglanddad I wouldn’t give too much weight to what is said on here. The people who are happy at Brandeis aren’t likely to post how happy they are, it’s mostly the disgruntled people that post. Try to visit the campus if your daughter gets in and talk to a variety of students who are there. You are not going to get a balanced answer to your question here.