A dark blue screen with the white Brandeis seal in the top center. Below the seal, onscreen text reads: BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY The Mu Chapter of PHI BETA KAPPA Celebrating the Class of 2021.
The dark blue screen fades into a person sitting in front of a virtual background of the Mandel Center for the Humanities on the Brandeis Campus on a sunny day. It is a four story building with floor to ceiling glass windows and an overhanging ribbed, metal, roof. The upper lefthand corner reads: Brandeis.
Greenlee speaks:
Good morning. Welcome to the Phi Beta Kappa Induction Ceremony of the Brandeis Class of 2021. To the students and their loved ones, thank you for joining us. My name is Jill Greenlee, and I'm an Associate Professor in the Politics Department and also in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies. As a member of Phi Beta Kappa myself, I am honored to welcome this year's Brandeis cohort, some of the newest members of Phi Beta Kappa.
To the families, friends, and supporters of our inductees today, congratulations. You have supported your student in a way that has helped them achieve a very particular type of excellence. Membership into Phi Beta Kappa is the result of your student’s hard work, the breadth and depth of their coursework, and their overall excellence in the arts and sciences. They could have not done it without you.
To the students, wow, congratulations to you on your academic excellence and your deep commitment to learning. You have reached a standard that few people achieve and now you are joining an honor society that dates back nearly to our nation's founding. Phi Beta Kappa members include 17 American Presidents, 41 Supreme Court Justices, and 140 Nobel Laureates, and now, you.
One of our cherished members of the Brandeis community who led our chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for many years was Professor Andreas Teuber of the Philosophy Department. Sadly, we lost Professor Teuber this year. It is bittersweet now that we hear him share a history of Phi Beta Kappa in a video that he recorded last May.
Professor Greenlee shares their screen, and their video becomes small. Along with four other zoom screens, Greenlee’s video moves over to the upper right hand side of the screen. The main screen goes black before the words Phi Beta Kappa appear in the top center in white. Below that, a white, rectangular logo appears with the Greek letters in gold, three gold stars above the Phi, and a small golden hand pointing to the Beta. The logo disappears and is replaced with red text reading: A Short History of Phi Beta Kappa. A pre-recorded video of Professor Andreas Teuber appears in the corner of the screen, but it’s covered by Professor Greenlee’s video and the others on the side. All that’s visible is a decorated white wall. The red text disappears, and is replaced with the word WELCOME! In red, white, and blue. Below that, onscreen text reads: to our online PBK celebration.
A picture of Teuber from the neck up against a white wall appears on screen. This is quickly replaced with the word Congratulations! In red, white, and blue text, with alternating capitalization. After this, Teuber’s speech is captioned on screen in white text.
Teuber speaks:
Welcome. Welcome to our Online PBK celebration. I'm Andreas Teuber. Congratulations. This is quite an accomplishment you've achieved. Our official Handbook puts the purpose of the society well, if a bit blandly: "For over 200 and some 40 years, election to Phi Beta Kappa has been a recognition of capacities well employed in the acquiring of an education in the liberal arts and sciences." Grade point matters, and that's part of the reason why you're here. But GPA is not the whole story. The society looks for the sort of person who doesn't only take courses in their major or only learns JavaScript or everything there is to know about the Limulus eye of the horseshoe crab. But someone who takes a lively interest in learning as such, is curious about many many things in both the arts and the sciences and is able to keep a problem in mind and hold it there until it gives way to one's efforts to solve it.
A Phi Beta Kappan is the archetype of someone who has had a liberal education. But if you look closely at the history, there's a subtext. We are also of all things, a fraternity. And when women began to be admitted, a sorority too. Phi Bete (as we would be called in the frat context) was founded in December 1776 at William and Mary in Virginia only five months after the country was founded. In keeping with our heritage, we were founded in a bar or a tavern as bars were known then, in the Apollo Room of the Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg.
A black and white drawing of a large building, presumably the Raleigh Tavern, appears on screen. Then a graphic showing the Greek alphabet and its English phonetic translations appears onscreen.
Teuber continues:
PBK was the first frat in what came to be known as the Greek system. It used Greek letters to name itself, Phi Beta Kappa. The Greek letters stood for Philosophia Biou Kybernetes More Greek. In English, Love of Wisdom is the Guide of Life. A Phi Bete also had other qualities that came to be aligned with the Greek system. An oath of secrecy, a special handshake that I, for one, was never taught but for which you can find many many examples on the Internet as you will see.
Two photos appear, one after another. The first is a black and white drawing of a normal handshake. The second is a photo of two people shaking hands with pointer fingers extended across the wrist. These photos are followed by a picture of a person in graduation regalia and a medal shaking the hand of another person in graduation regalia. Two other people in similar dress are visible on screen. The background is a banner of the George Washington University logo. Then a black and white drawing of a badge showing the same logo with the Greek letters, stars, and hand as appeared at the beginning of the presentation comes on screen.
Teuber continues:
You could write a PhD dissertation on it and some of you maybe will. A badge which became the Phi Beta Kappa key. A motto, a seal, and a Code of Laws. So, too, rumor has it that the society had a secret gesture that members used to identify one another. A gesture that today's scholars believe was a sign of wiping beer from one's lips. In saying a word about the history, I was reminded of Animal House. Where paddling, if you recall, was the heart of the initiation ceremony into the Omegas.
A grainy screenshot from the movie Animal House, showing a large group of people standing, sitting, and kneeling in front of a two story white house with ivy climbing up the side, and two cars, one with the hood popped open, appears on screen.
Teuber continues:
I'm also reminded of an account I heard when I was an undergrad of another frat initiation where the members were branded with a hot poker. Well, we're not going to paddle or brand you today. Your initiation today should be much less painful. The key change that took place in the 19th century was that PBK became an honor society, to set itself apart from the other frats that were turning into "animal houses". The other key change was PBK became a meritocratic society. The first African American, Edward Alexander Bouchet, was elected in 1874, long before Brown versus Board of Education and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s. And Ellen Hamilton and Lida Mason were the first women admitted in 1875,
A sepia toned photograph of Bouchet comes on screen, followed by a picture of Linda Brown and an older woman sitting on the steps of the Supreme Court building. The older woman is holding a newspaper with the headline: HIGH COURT BANS SEGREGATION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
A split screen picture of paintings of two women appears on screen. In between them is a photograph of their two Phi Beta Kappa keys and some indistinct writing.
Teuber continues:
the University of Vermont, long before women won the right to vote when the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920.
A black and white picture of suffragettes protesting for votes for women comes on screen.
Teuber continues:
"Alpha" became the name of the first chapter in each state. By the time Brandeis was admitted in 1961, it became the 12th chapter in Massachusetts, hence the Greek letter Mu, or as your younger brothers and sisters will endlessly tease you, the Cow Chapter of Massachusetts. “Moooooo!”
An image of several cows in a field appears on screen.
Teuber continues:
On a more serious note, Abe Sachar, the University's first president, was particularly proud of the fact that Brandeis received authorization to form a chapter already in 1961. The shortest period from founding to a grant of a chapter by a university since the 18th century. Mu Chapter is a feather in Brandeis' cap. Nationally, only one percent of students get in. You are in select company. In his introduction, George mentioned that 17 Presidents have been admitted. While this is true, 11 are honorary. Only six presidents have been elected as undergrads as you are being elected today.
A series of six caricatures of the elected presidents appear on screen. In order, they are: John Quincy Adams, Chester Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, George H. W. Bush, and William Jefferson Clinton.
Teuber continues:
Six out of forty-five is, of course, far above the one percent average of students admitted nationwide. It's a tribute, I suppose, to the United States and to the presidency. Among the current Justices of the US Supreme Court, the number elected as undergraduates to PBK is even more impressive. Seven out of nine. Seventy-eight percent of the High Court.
A series of caricatures of the elected justices appear on screen. In order, they are: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagen, Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer, Chief Justice John Roberts, Samuel Alito, and Anthony Kennedy.
A screenshot of Sheldon Cooper in front of a full bookshelf, telescope, and curvy sculpture comes on screen.
Teuber continues:
Then there are the innumerable fictional Phi Betes. Just to name two, Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory has a framed PBK members certificate on the wall behind him, on his desk. The most fictional character of them all, Mickey Mouse taking delight in his very own Phi Beta Kappa key.
A drawing of Mickey Mouse in graduation regalia holding up a Phi Beta Kappa key appears on screen.
Teuber continues:
So you're in good company, real and not so real. But when you come down to it, we're still a fraternity/sorority devoted to having the next best idea. So in a sense, we haven't changed all that much since 1776. Once the coronavirus subsides and you bump into a fellow Phi Beta Kappan, do not forget to wipe your fingers across your lips to let them know you're a member. Do not resort to the secret handshake even if you think you know how it goes, Dr. Fauci advises against it. As he already said in early April at a White House briefing, I don't think we should ever shake hands again.
A photo of Dr. Fauci speaking at a briefing, with Donald Trump in the background comes on screen.
Teuber continues:
So take care of one another. And remember, the highest honor you can receive as an undergraduate in the United States is to be elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and if you forget, your parents will remind you. That's what they're for, parents. To quote another Phi Beta Kappan, albeit honorary, T. S. Eliot in “Little Gidding,” “The end is where we start from.” Congratulations and welcome. Welcome to Phi Beta Kappa.
Transition to Jill Greenlee.
Greenlee speaks:
It’s lovely to see Professor Teuber again and to hear him speak about Phi Beta Kappa. He put so much energy into the chapter over the years and we are all so grateful to him for that. It is now my pleasure to introduce seven magnificent Phi Beta Kappa Brandeis chapter members. You'll see that these Brandeisians have gone on to excel in a range of fields and professions. They recorded some congratulatory words to you. So let's hear what they have to say.
A pre-recorded video begins. It opens on a dark blue screen with the white Brandeis seal in the top center. Below the seal, onscreen text reads: BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY The Mu Chapter of PHI BETA KAPPA Celebrating the Class of 2021. The dark blue screen fades away, and a video of an exuberant and expressive person in matching pink sweater, scarf, and headband, sitting in front of a set of white bookcases takes up the screen.
Schottenstein speaks:
Hello, everyone, and congratulations New Phi Beta Kappa inductees. My name is Dr. Alley Schottenstein and I would like to share with you some thoughts. Although many years have passed since I attended Brandeis, my time here has never escaped me. It was a time that I discovered myself through the NEJS and WGS programs. I fell in love with knowledge and found myself always in the library. Times have not changed. I found a voice in the Holocaust Remembrance Committee for I was able to keep my grandfather, Zaide, and other Holocaust survivors' stories alive.
And even when I received my PhD or I began my first teaching position, the spirit of Brandeis has never left me. It is the voices of past alumni that inspire me to always seek social change. And if I could leave you with some words of advice, I would tell you this. Never let yesterday define you. Always let today inspire you, and remember that your future is endless. All of you are going to do amazing things. Never stop believing in yourselves.
Dr. Schottenstein’s video fades into a video of a person, visible from the chest up, sitting in front of a white wall.
Nurick speaks:
Hi everyone. My name is Dani Nurick, Brandeis Class of 2016, and I'm currently finishing my MA and MBA in the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program and Heller Social Impact MBA. I am really grateful for my time at Brandeis because Brandeis gave me a community of friends who are still like my family today and also challenged me to take courses that I wouldn't have thought I was interested in, that led me to find new career interests. I would never in a million years have imagined getting an MBA today if I had not challenged myself while I was an undergraduate at Brandeis. Good luck everyone, and congratulations on being part of Phi Beta Kappa.
Nurick’s video fades into a video of a person, visible from the chest up, sitting in front of a white wall and writing-covered whiteboard.
Agarwal speaks:
Hi, my name is Nikhil Agarwal. I graduated from Brandeis in 2008. I'm currently an Associate Professor of Economics at MIT. I found Brandeis to be an extremely nurturing environment. It combines an intimate liberal arts environment with the strength of a world-class research university. This makes Brandeis an ideal steppingstone for someone like me, coming from halfway around the world, interested in pursuing academics.
Agarwal’s video fades into a vertical video of a person standing in front of a pale blue wall.
Smith speaks:
My name is Sara Smith and I graduated from Brandeis in 2009, with a double-major in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and History. I'm currently the assistant Dean at the School for Jewish Education and Leadership at American Jewish University in Los Angeles where I live with my family. My time at Brandeis was so impactful for me because it gave me the opportunity to study with leading scholars in the field of Jewish Studies, which then led me to a career in Jewish Education. It was my mentors at Brandeis who suggested that I pursue my Masters in teaching at Brandeis, which I did, and I have since completed my doctorate in education in Jewish studies as well. More than 10 years later, the foundation of everything I do professionally was created at Brandeis, and my relationships with colleagues, mentors, and friends at Brandeis, continue to be strong and propel me forward in my career.
Smith’s video fades into a video of a person, visible from the chest up, sitting in front of a window, white wall, and table lamp.
Polex-Wolf speaks:
Hello everyone. Greetings from Copenhagen, Denmark. My name is Joseph Polex-Wolf and I graduated from Brandeis in 2011. I currently live in Denmark and work in research in the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk. I have a really good story for you today because I remember my Phi Beta Kappa induction quite vividly as we had a stirring lecture about the need for nuclear disarmament. Graduation events are usually about the same happy, uplifting messages, but this was something completely different. It was challenging to the point that some grandparent in the audience actually started shouting and heckling the speaker. Totally not what I expected at the time, but it's really stuck in my head ever since that it's a great gift to be made to feel uncomfortable sometimes and question why things are the way they are. My congratulations to you today, I am wishing you all to seek out and embrace those viscerally uncomfortable moments that change your perspective on the world around us. Happy graduation everyone.
Polex-Wolf’s video fades into a video of a person sitting in front of a blank, white, wall.
Gray speaks:
My name is Stephen Gray and I graduated from Brandeis in 2011. I'm currently a Consumer Research Manager at Facebook. I can't even begin to tell you how important my Brandeis education was for my path, most professionally and personally. On a professional level, the review of the classes I took in my psychology and neuroscience majors at Brandeis prepared me for the challenge of attaining a PhD at the University of Chicago, which in turn set me up for an amazing career so far at Facebook. At a personal level, I met the love of my life in office hours, in computer science class, and we now live in New York City with our beautiful daughter. To all of you, I can't congratulate you enough on your induction to Phi Beta Kappa. It's just the beginning of an incredible journey. To you, seniors, congratulations, and know that your Brandeis education will serve you well wherever the road may lead.
Gray’s video fades into a video of a person sitting in front of wood paneled, window filled doors.
Seitz speaks:
Hey, Brandeis. My name is Jessica Seitz, and I'm in the class of 2009. And I'm joining you from St. Louis, Missouri. First of all, congratulations. Your hard work and commitment to excellence has already paid off. Remember that as you prepare to make an impact now in the real world. I was asked to touch on how Brandeis has impacted and changed my life. As of last week, I'm now the Executive Director of a non-profit called Missouri KidsFirst. I served for four years before that as their Policy Director. Before that, I was an advocate at the federal level in Washington DC, before my husband, who's also a Brandeis alumnus, and I relocated to Missouri to be closer to our families and to dive right into the crazy world of state and local politics.
At my organization, our core values are captured in our mission statement, “empowering adults to protect children.” Our goal, however challenging, is to prevent child abuse. The issue lies at the intersection of complex, racial, economic, gender, and political issues. Sound familiar? Well, Brandeis' commitment to academic excellence woven with social justice prepared me with the tools to address these issues head-on. My experience at Brandeis gave me the confidence to work in DC and now Missouri on the issue of child abuse and to engage with a variety of stakeholders from the most conservative Republican lawmaker to the most progressive St. Louis social worker. Again, I congratulate you on your achievements. As you prepare to take the next steps, know that Brandeis has prepared you to step boldly into whatever field you choose and to make a real impact on the lives of others. Good luck.
Transition to Jill Greenlee.
Greenlee speaks:
It’s so great to hear from these past students who are excelling in so many different fields. I hope that in the coming years we can highlight your achievements to future Phi Beta Kappa inductees. I'm now delighted to introduce my colleague, Professor Jennifer Cleary of the Theatre Department, to recognize our newly elected Phi Beta Kappa members.
Professor Greenlee’s video swaps to a video of a person sitting in front of a virtual background of the Brandeis campus on a sunny day. Three different brick buildings are visible, and in the center there is a little garden with flowers, trees, bushes, and a bench.
Cleary speaks:
Hello everyone, and congratulations today. As a Phi Beta Kappa member myself, I am so honored to be here to read the names of this year's Phi Beta Kappa inductees. Here we go.
Cleary begins screen sharing and her video moves to the upper right hand corner of a dark blue screen with the white Brandeis seal in the top center. Below the seal, onscreen text reads: BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY The Mu Chapter of PHI BETA KAPPA Celebrating the Class of 2021. The Brandeis logo moves to the center left hand side of the screen. Onscreen text on the upper right corner reads: BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY | Class of 2021 PHI BETA KAPPA INDUCTEE. Text opposite the seal reads: BREYLEN AMMEN. As the induction continues, the text opposite the seal reads the name of the most recent inductee. Similarly, the top zoom screen in the dropdown set on the right switches to the person whose name is being read, many of whom wave. This process however, is slow, and not everyone turns their cameras on, so it’s hard to tell whether the zoom video and the name on screen match up.
Cleary continues:
Breylen Ammen. Samuel Benjamin Aronson, elected as a junior in 2020. Casey Jacqueline Bachman. Emma Belkin.
The Brandeis seal switches to a photo of Emma posing in a knit cap.
Cleary contnues:
Andrea Catharine Bolduc.
Emma’s picture switches back to the Brandeis seal.
Cleary continues:
Kaya Loihi Silvia Bothe. Sophie Brill Weitz. Alexandra Cao. Megan Catalano. Shufei Chen. Amber Ruth Crossman. Javin Cooke Dana. Siena DeBenedittis. Maya Sage DeChiara. Laurel Dobkin.
Laurel is joined in their video by two friends, clapping and cheering them on.
Cleary continues:
Marina Dreeben. Hannah Ehrlich.
Hannah is joined in their video by a smiling friend.
Cleary continues:
Olivia Ellson. Shicong Fang. Violet Fearon. Anthony Gar Hor Fong. Matt Foshay. Ariella
Gentin. Anushka Ghosh. Jocelyn Emma Gould, elected as a junior in 2020. Caroline Sydney Greaney. Ziyi Guo, elected as a junior in 2020. Virginia Henning. Isabel Hochman. Zixun Huang.
Zixun is joined in their video by an older person smiling in the background.
Cleary continues:
Sara Ji. Kwesi Jones. Aaron Cohen Kalpakian. Neeti Kulkarni. Aaron LaFauci. Roy Lee. Hongyu Li, elected as a junior in 2020. Jingman Li.
The Brandeis seal is replaced by a photo of Jingman in a blazer in front of a mottled blue studio background.
Cleary continues:
Zhaonan Li. Yinghan Lin.
Yinghan is joined in their video by a person smiling behind their shoulder.
Cleary continues:
Kailin Liu, elected as a junior in 2020. Yichen Liu. Yuning Liu. Lauren Juliet Malcolm. Emma Manoogian. Dan Mao. Margalit Gita Mitzner. Lily Morris.
The Brandeis seal is replaced by a smiling photo of Lily Morris.
Cleary continues:
Tamar Eliza Moss. Aaron Newitt. Kacy Jordan Ninteau. Siobhan O'Donnell.
A smiling photo of Siobhan replaces the Brandeis seal.
Cleary continues:
Claire Ogden. Amy Elizabeth Ollove. Jonghyuk Park. Kaitlin Polgar. Emily Pollack. Feipeng Qi. Yiqi Qiu. Shinji Rho, elected as a junior in 2020. Keren Ruditsky. Leah Sagan-Dworsky. Mary (Lissa) Sangree-Calabrese. Adina Sarah Kalish Scheinberg. Adeline Skovronek. Justin Sohn. Rachael Freed Sussman, elected as a junior in 2020. Yale Sussman. Sophie Bea Trachtenberg, elected as a junior in 2020. Elias Brandfonbrener Trout. Jane Ussery. Manqi Wang. Sophia Dwyer Warszawski. Jiaxin Jessica Wei. Adina Weinberger. Quinn Weiner.
The Brandeis seal is replaced with a picture of Quinn wearing a large, rainbow, scarf.
Cleary continues:
Max Daniel Weinstein. Mendel Weintraub. Rebecca Claire Weiss. Claire West. Ruth Wyckoff. Ryan Xie. Nicole Zamora Flores.
The Brandeis seal is replaced with a smiling picture of Nicole. They are joined in their video by a smiling and cheering friend.
Cleary continues:
Xiao Zhong. Hange Zhu.
Left hand on screen text switches to: PHI BETA KAPPA INDUCTEES FROM THE CLASS OF 2022
Cleary continues:
Now, we will read the Phi Beta Kappa inductees from the Class of 2022, our juniors.
Left hand on screen text returns to listing the names of inductees as they’re being read.
Cleary continues:
Juliette Carreiro. Erin Islay Magill. Danny Phan. Jenna Paige Sandler. Cassandra Schifman. Jiamin You. Ashley Jane Young. Last but not least, Grace Zhou.
Left hand on screen text becomes bolded and reads: CONGRATULATIONS & WELCOME TO PBK!!
Cleary continues:
Congratulations to all of you, and welcome to Phi Beta Kappa. We are so proud of you. Now, I will pass this back to you, my colleague, Professor Greenlee.
Transition to Jill Greenlee.
Greenlee speaks:
Congratulations everybody. It is just a joy to see your smiling faces and your dancing and your cats and your parents taking pictures of you in the background. Congratulations on becoming the newest members of Phi Beta Kappa. We are so proud of you. You are now a part of a network of over 500,000 scholars worldwide. I invite you to visit the Phi Beta Kappa website where you can learn more about the history of the organization and also the opportunities that it offers to pursue future learning and the service that is rooted in the arts and sciences. Before closing the ceremony, I'd like to thank a couple of people. Julie Seeger, who is the amazing Phi Beta Kappa administrator, has been the historical memory and the constant source of energy behind organizing this ceremony. Thank you, Julie.
Also, a huge thank you to the team at the Brandeis Media and Technology Services, Matthew Burton, Dan Jennings, and Chris Anderson for making this ceremony and many of the other ceremonies that you'll participate in the next few days possible during this graduation week or weeks. Then, of course, thank you to my colleague, Jennifer Cleary for beautifully reading your names. Thank you all for joining us today. Once again, congratulations on your huge achievements on becoming the newest members of Phi Beta Kappa, for your impressive academic achievements while you've been at Brandeis and for all the wonderful things that you'll do in the future. Please stay in touch. We are so excited to see all the great things that you do and what you accomplish in the next phase. Congratulations and goodbye everybody.
Transition to a blue slide. The Brandeis seal is in the top center. Text below it reads: BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY Congratulations To Everyone!! Celebrating the Class of 2021. The Upper left corner has a list of text reading: Thank you to our Alumni: Nikhil Agarwal, Stephen Gray, Dani Nurick, Joseph Polex-Wolf, Allison Schottenstein, Jessica Seitz, Sara Smith. The upper right corner has a similar list reading: Thank you to our Production Team: Matthew Burton, Daniel Jennings, Christopher Anderson. Zoom videos in the drop down disappear one by one until only professors Greenlee and Clearey are left.
The text spins away. The Brandeis seal is now on the center left. Text on the top of the screen reads: BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY | Class of 2021 PHI BETA KAPPA INDUCTION CEREMONY
Fade to black.