We just toured this week and the overall vibe I got was of a school where the kids are happy, engaged in academics and extracurricular activities and committed to social justice and community service.
I didn’t realize that “Brandeis is supposed to be the hub of jewish intellectualism in higher education.” Back when I drove from Cambridge every month to attend meetings at Brandeis related to my research interest, and back when my sister-in-law and her husband were Ph.D. students at Brandeis, I thought that Brandeis University was a hub of intellectualism in higher education.
Now that my daughter has been offered consideration as a member of a Leader-Scholar Community and accepted at the University, I have to wonder how my half-Chinese, non-Jewish kid would fit in on a campus that includes elements that prioritize, say, support for Israel and a particularly “jewish intellectualism.”
Wise words from @soze and @mamamoose.
I’d also point out that the negative and disgruntled comments in this thread are from people who are not actually at Brandeis.
And the remark that “Brandeis is supposed to be the hub of Jewish intellectualism in higher education” is not how the university describes itself, but rather was cited by @soze as an example of misinformation. It was posted by someone whose “parents best friend attended Brandeis”, who did not apply or appear to have visited, and whose comments about the Ayaan Hirsi Ali episode were also factually inaccurate.
Please don’t make any assumptions about how your kid would fit in at Brandeis from this thread. It’s unfortunate that more current students do not post on this forum (I suspect that they have migrated to Facebook). If you can’t visit the campus, get in touch with some current students to further explore your concerns. You can send private messages to those who have posted here or on other threads, check out the Facebook crowd, or ask the admissions office to put you in touch with current students from your area (or in the case of @bpatient, ask to talk to others in the Leader-Scholar Community).
@IRIS103 – What “comments about the Ayaan Hirsi Ali episode” were factually inaccurate?
Well, I figured that my prior note wouldn’t get a response, as I’m pretty sure that there was nothing posted here that was factually inaccurate.
For anyone who’s interested, here’s an op-ed penned by Ayaan Ali in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal. This is the work of the woman whom Brandeis decided to embarrass by offering her an honorary degree, having her accept, and then withdrawing that offer because some students and faculty disagreed with some of her views (or what they claimed were some of her views). Wouldn’t want to “offend” anyone at a university with “Truth Unto Its Innermost Parts”. The irony of course is that Ali is a true hero of women’s rights.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-reformation-for-islam-1426859626?mod=WSJ_hp_RightTopStories
The factually incorrect statement (by @couplemoreweeks) was that the university “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”. This comment was purported to demonstrate that the university suppresses free speech.
First, it was not an invitation to Ayaan Hirsi Ali to speak that was withdrawn but an honorary degree that she was to have received. Second, it was not her criticism of practices such as genital mutilation that was the problem. Indeed it was precisely for her work on the rights of women and girls around the world that Hirsi Ali was to have been honored.
Objections were raised to Hirsi Ali’s honorary degree because she has extended her criticism of Islam far beyond the violence and abusive practices perpetrated in its name, calling for the defeat not just of radical Islam, but “Islam, period”. When the withdrawal of the degree invitation was announced, President Lawrence explicitly stated that she would be welcome to discuss her views on campus at another time (whether she would be willing to do so after the degree episode is another matter).
Brandeis is only one of several institutions to be in the news in 2014 because of protests over commencement speakers//honorees. (Others include Rutgers, Smith, Haverford and Michigan State, as well as the Harvard Graduate School of Education.) For a discussion of the First Amendment issues raised by such protests as well as a more detailed (and thoughtful) analysis of the Ayaan Hirsi Ali episode, see the following essay
http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/fixgov/posts/2014/05/26-protesting-commencement-speakers-lempert
What these protests reveal about college life is a different issue. Prospective students and their parents who have concerns about freedom of expression at Brandeis should learn about the experiences and the comfort level of students on the campus from people who are actually there.
@IRIS103 – I essentially agree with everything you wrote.
It was an honorary degree, not an invitation to speak, that was withdrawn.
And although one could make a good argument that the school’s administration’s rescinding the offer for the honorary degree is a reflection of the tolerance of opposing views at Brandeis, nothing substitutes for hearing from current students.
Brandeis has great academics and a lot of smart kids and faculty. My degree from Brandeis launched me into a wonderful and successful career. And I’m sure if one genuflects to the dominant school(s) of thought it’s a great place to go to school. Based on a lot of homework (when my son was admitted last year) I do feel that it’s a place where a kid whose political views are more middle of the road (or heaven forbid a bit right of center) would feel less comfortable. But everyone needs to do their own homework and come up with their own conclusions.
Brandeis is founded on values of mutual understanding and consideration. As a reminder, it was founded in reaction to racism and antisemitisism in the Ivy Schools during the first half of the last century. Their mission hasn’t changed - it is a place where EVERYONE should feel safe and welcome to be who they are and believe what they believe, as long as they practice mutual respect and consideration. See their core values here : http://www.brandeis.edu/studentaffairs/deansoffice/corevalues.html
I don’t know if my daughter will chose Brandeis or not, but I find it really sad that some Brandeis alum have forgotten this lesson in their polarized black-and-white view of the world. I wish all of the class of 2019 (and those to follow) all the best and hope that they keep these ideals in their hearts, as this is what will make a better world for us all.
Finally, for a more balanced article on Dr. Lawernce’s resignation: http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/01/30/brandeis-president-frederick-lawrence-step-down/eSnM9asCXYU7iKZqDFr67O/story.html