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Brandeis University

Undergraduate School

Mailing Address
415 South St
Waltham, Massachusetts 02453
Phone
(781) 736-2000
Email address
admissions@brandeis.edu
School Information
"There is no other place like Brandeis. As a medium-sized private research university with global reach, we are dedicated to first-rate undergraduate education while making groundbreaking discoveries. Our 235-acre campus is located in the suburbs of Boston, a global hub for higher education and innovation. Our faculty are leaders in their fields, as passionate about teaching and mentorship as they are about pushing the boundaries of knowledge. Our students are motivated, compassionate, curious and open to exploring new and challenging experiences. At Brandeis, you will discover a community rooted in purpose, guided by our founding values, poised to lead in education and research in the 21st century." The university enrolls over 5,800 students, employs over 540 faculty, and offers 43 majors and 47 minors. (Source: https://www.brandeis.edu/about/index.html) (Source: https://www.brandeis.edu/about/facts/index.html) (Source: https://www.brandeis.edu/learning/index.html)
General Information
Brandeis University has changed its training/orientation for students. The university created a "whites-only" space for Caucasian students so they can learn how they "oppress non-whites". An economist filed a federal discrimination complaint, and an update is expected. No mandatory Critical Race Training sessions are yet required of students. However, see developments below:

Actions Taken

Admissions Policies
  • On June 29, 2023, Brandeis' President issued a statement in response to the Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action which reads in part as follows: "Brandeis was established 75 years ago to address antisemitism, racism, and gender discrimination in higher education...We at Brandeis are deeply disappointed by today’s Supreme Court decision, which reverses decades of court precedent recognizing the compelling interest colleges and universities have in creating diverse student enrollments...We will comply with this ruling, but the decision does not change our commitment to these ideals."
  • As part of its Anti-Racism Plan, the Brandeis International Business School states, "We will measure our success in this endeavor by keeping track of...[the] number of community members in each of our categories at the business school that come from historically underrepresented groups."
  • As part of its Anti-Racism Plan, the Heller School for Social Policy and Management states that it would develop "[m]ethods to recruit underrepresented minority and first generation students."
Anti-Racism, Bias, and Diversity Training
  • The anti-racism education page of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) lists several anti-racism, bias, and diversity trainings. Brandeis's "Introduction to Systemic Racism" is a brief, introductory workshop on the history and context of racism, particularly the "distinction between interpersonal racism and broader, systemic forms of racism." There are also several "Looking Inward" dialogues around race, of which the minority experience dialogues focused on discussion through the "lens of racialized disadvantage" and with the goal to "unpack the tensions of systemic and institutional oppression", while the white experience dialogue focused on discussion through the "lens of racialized advantage". ODEI also has a "Lexicon of DEI" workshop that introduces participants to the "ever-changing terms associated with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion that informs the work of ODEI."
  • From January 10-11, 2022, The Heller School for Social Policy and Management had a 7-Day Anti-Racism Challenge, a workshop with content centered around anti-racism, decolonization, and inclusion.
  • In January 2021, the Heller School embarked on Dr. Eddie Moore’s 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge. Students signed up for a proseminar course called “Racial Equity: Intersections of Race, Power, Privilege, Supremacy and Oppression," which centered around Dr. Moore’s work while integrating lectures from Heller faculty. The challenge's purpose is to "engage in deep reflection and practical thinking on how to integrate racial equity into one’s life and career".
  • As part of its Anti-Racism Plan, the Brandeis International Business School states, "We will measure our success in this endeavor by keeping track of...[the] number of staff and faculty that have participated in diversity training provided by the University’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion."
Curriculum Changes and Requirements
  • As part of its Anti-Racism Plan, the Heller School for Social Policy and Management outlines how it would integrate diversity and anti-racist coursework into its curriculum which includes: "Content that represents a diverse set of perspectives and experiences" and "Asset-based readings that address institutional and systemic discrimination in place of, or in addition to, deficit-based readings that blame marginalized groups for the inequality they experience."
  • As part of the 2024-25 Provisional University Bulletin for the School of Arts and Sciences, the "global engagement requirement emphasizes the profound connections between local and global forms of understanding and social justice..." and includes a "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Studies in the U.S." component.
Faculty/Staff Requirements
  • As part of the anti-racism plan, the Division of Humanities says that faculty and staff "must all take anti-racist training in pedagogy provided by the School of Arts and Sciences", so that its teaching, speaking and actions would be done "inclusively and with anti-racist intention".
  • Departments at Brandeis mandate that all faculty applicants write a “contribution to diversity” statement. The rubric for evaluating these statements penalizes any prospective faculty member who believes that “it’s better not to have outreach or affinity groups aimed at underrepresented individuals because it keeps them separate from everyone else, or will make them feel less valued.”
  • As part of its Anti-Racism Plan Framework, the School of Arts and Sciences Office of Undergraduate Admissions states that it would "[r]equire anti-bias training and cultural competency training for all new professional and students staff as well as regularly scheduled, required training and exploration on both topics."
Political Actions and Support for Anti-Racism
  • The University’s Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and anti-racist educator Kate Slater wrote a post on Instagram following the one year anniversary of the death of George Floyd where she states that she hates “whiteness” and that “all white people are racist.”
Program and Research Funding
  • The Mandel Center for the Humanities hosts the "Race B4 Race Social Media Fellows" program which aims to "create opportunities for public engagement with premodern critical race studies, bringing broader attention to more complete and accurate narratives about the past and its modern uses."
Resources
  • Brandeis University created a "whites-only" space for Caucasian students so they can learn how they "oppress non-whites". An economist filed a federal discrimination complaint.
  • On January 10, 2022, the university’s Heller School hosted a 7-Day Anti-Racism Challenge workshop.
  • The Pre-Health Advising Office partnered with the Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students (MAPS) to host a monthly podcast discussion group called "Antiracism in Medicine" for the 2021-22 academic year.
  • The Faculty of Color Collective provides resources and opportunities for professional development and community building to tenure-track and long-term contract faculty of color at Brandeis' School of Arts and Sciences, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, and International Business School.
  • The Heller School for Social Policy and Management houses the Segal Citizen Leadership Program in Racial Justice & Antiracism Learning Community. In 2021, Segal Fellows participate in a three-session fall anti-racism workshop series, additional workshops, discussions, and affinity/caucus spaces. This program is continuing into 2023.
  • The English Department is hosting a speaker series called "Challenging Anti-Blackness in Literary Studies", with four events from February to April. The goal of the series is to "understand how race and anti-Blackness have structured the field of literary studies" and how the department curriculum could be reshaped "to attend more directly to these histories."
  • The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offers recruitment and hiring strategies/resources on such topics as "Mitigating Implicit Bias in Search and Selection," "Writing an Effective Diversity Statement," and "Integrating DEI Processes and Practices."
  • As part of its Anti-Racism Plan, the Brandeis International Business School states that it would "[s]upport the education of our students about the history of racism in the United States and give them the tools to manage issues of racism and identity in our community and in the U.S. workplace."
Symbolic Actions
  • Brandeis' Division of Institutional Advancement has an "Anti-Racism Plan Framework" that is broken down into three pillars: 1) mandates all IA staff to bear responsibility for ensuring that the division is anti-racist, 2) uphold DEI principles in planning and executing external programs, 3) ensure racial diversity within the IA staff.
  • The Black Action Plan (BAP) is a "bold student initiative" led by Sonali Anderson and DeBorah Ault that voices student input and directs what "necessary change" Brandeis might undertake to better meet the needs of students, faculty, and staff. BAP focuses on articulating and incorporating student concerns about the social environment on campus for Black and African American students. Many of the unit-based Anti-Racism Plans used some of BAP as reference.
  • In June 2021, Brandeis University's Prevention, Advocacy & Resource Center (PARC) released an “Oppressive Language List,” as well as recommendations for more neutral language, in response to "anti-blackness" and in efforts to create a more inclusive campus. Commonly used words and phrases such as “rule of thumb,” “policeman,” “spirit animal,” “picnic,” “lame,” and “ladies and gentleman,” have been deemed oppressive by students and faculty within PARC.
Last updated May 15th, 2024
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