Spring 2007

These grants have been awarded to student- and/or faculty/staff-initiated projects that address issues of identity, pluralism and unity.

Grant Recipient Project Title and Description

Hana Akslerod
Trang Nguyen

There and Back Again: A journey into the Health of a Community
The project is made up of two phases: the FIMRC trip to Costa Rica, followed by a night of sharing our experience with the Brandeis community. This showcase will be worked out in more detail nearer to spring, but so far plans to include: student presentations about the experience, essays written by trip participants reflecting on the experience, a photography exhibit, an introduction to the history/politics of the region, Teatro Revolucion performance, and ethnic food.

Julian Taub
Albert Tantular

Brandeis Buddhist Community Events
A group devoted to promote Buddhism awareness on campus. Several events will be planned. One of them will be "Change Your Mind Day," including different speakers presenting different aspects of Buddhism, a meditation session, and refreshments.

Joyce Kong
Michael Yim

Koreas Unite!
A culture show showcasing musical and dance performances, taekwondo demonstrations, and cultural pieces including a short film encapsulating the Korean American experience of KSA members at Brandeis. The show is to be followed by free food and an afterparty.

Helen Lee
Ian Teng

Lunar New Year Event
A night for community members to achieve a sense of awareness and understanding of Chinese culture featuring performances, games, and vendors from off campus.

Jefferson Arak
Daniel Duffy

Those With Voice
Two leading filmmakers in the world of indigenous media come to present films from Southern Mexico as well as discuss their experiences. For two days at Brandeis they talk about their lives on the front lines of major initiatives for indigenous control over the ways in which American Indians are represented in film.

Joseph Farbeann
Baya Harrison

Homies in Harmony: Music, Food, and More With Jewish and Muslim Students
A program designed to foster friendships between Jewish and Muslim students on campus. Ethnice/religious musical performances form the center of the program. Vegetarian, Kosher ethnic foods will be served as a snack.

Shaina Gilbert

TYP Day
The phenomenal Transitional Year Program Scholars, current and alum, will collectively educate and share the the contributions and history of TYP with the Brandeis community. The day will note TYP's legacy to Brandeis University through video and powerpoint presentations, food, music, photo galleries, performances, and more.

Lauren Abramowitz
Rachel Kleinbaum

Worker Appreciation Project
The goal of this project is to increase awareness of the individuals that work alongside students and faculty as to show the community's appreciation for the janitorial and facilities staff and their roles on campus. We will achieve our goal through implementing the "Appreciation Station," where students will make cards, and by starting the coffee initiative (serving coffee to the morning/night shifts once a month).
Kamolike Roy
Nithya Setty		 Holi
Our proposed project is Holi. The Hindu festival commemorates the coming of spring and the season of love. It is celebrated by many around the world. Traditionally, people throw colored powder and water at one another as a means of expressing the joy that is evoked by the season. The story of Holi originates with Lord Krishna, the famous blue god of the Hindu faith..

Anna Lober ESL Book Project
ESL Learning Initiative is a way of recognizing Brandeis employees who wish to learn English  and allowing them to understand that they are not ignored by the Brandeis community.  Since the beginning of this fairly new club, each member of the club has guaranteed that the employees are appreciated for their generosity and diligence.

The central goal behind ESL is to enhance Brandeis employees' knowledge of English such that they may be more comfortable communicating with, and understanding, Brandeis constituents, employers, and other individuals outside of the Brandeis community.
Sharon Kim
Gina Ahn		 APAHM: Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
It has been a long-time tradition at Brandeis to commemorate the contributions and achievements of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States since 2004.  In recent years, we have extended what was originally a one-week long celebration to a month filled with a variety of events and activities that educate and entertain the Asian Pacific American community, as well as the greater Brandeis community, about the histories, traditions, and cultures of our ancestors.  The events also address current issues relevant to the Asian American community.  
Nicholas Brown
William Chalmus		 Greed, An Original Rap Musical
Written and directed by senior William Chalmus, Greed examies greed as a dichotomy between selfless and selfish greed, while examining issues of race, urban culture, coexistence and social justice.
Allyson Goldsmith
Eowyn Greeno		 Hunger Banquet
The Hunger Banquet will be a hands-on interactive demonstration of socio-economic diversity through the serving of food. It will also be a discussion of practical ways for people to help end extreme poverty through the Millennium Development Goals while at Brandeis.
Mathew Schutzer
Aaron Finegold		 Queer Jewish Social
A night of food, games, movies, and discussion to get to know members of the Brandeis Queer and Jewish communities, and a chance to talk to each other about issues that affect us all.
Remz Pokorny
Farbod Hagigi		 Fast-breaking dinner and Rivdan celebration
Baha’is fast for 19 days from sunrise to sunset. This dinner is to celebrate the Baha’i fasting period and to have others come and share in that experience.
Farbod Hagigi Can Religion and Science Work Together to Solve the World's Most Challenging Issues?
This event will focus on increasing the dialogue among the religious and scientific communities regarding their respective roles in moving humanity towards an ever-advancing civilization.  We would like to extend invitations to religious representatives and leaders on campus as well as to faculty and staff from all different disciplines to attend an event where there will be a large panel discussion focused around specific questions related to religion and science working together to solve the world’s problems.  This panel would be engaged in an open question and answer period from those in the audience.