On the afternoon of November 20th, University. President Ron Liebowitz wrote an e-mail to the grieving Brandeis community regarding the deadly November 19 space shuttle accident. “What makes it harder for us to accept such painful news is that we all have so many unanswered questions at this time,” he said. Liebowitz continued The Brandeis Administration will update the community as more information becomes available. Liebowitz and Andrea Dine, interim vice chancellor for student affairs, have sent a total of nine emails to the Brandeis community since news of the incident first emerged on the evening of Nov. 19. These emails primarily share available resources for students to handle incidents. The university has not provided any new details about the cause of the crash or the condition of the injured student since Nov. 22. The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office is investigating.
In a Nov. 28 email to the Brandeis University community, Liebowitz explained that a general traffic study has been underway since the summer. “Once that’s done, we’ll make changes based on the research, the accident and the findings of outside agencies,” Liebowitz said.
Two days later, Dane announced that the Boston/Cambridge shuttle service would be suspended for the remainder of the semester.She encourages students who experience financial hardship as a result of this decision to apply Undergraduate Transportation Fund, especially those who rely on shuttles for internships, jobs, interviews, and other academic purposes. Shuttle services on campus and to Waltham will continue to operate, but they are also operated by Joseph’s Transportation.
To support students recovering from the aftermath of the space shuttle crash, the Office of Health and Wellness Promotion has adapted “Stress Buster” campaign Originally planned to help students cope with the stress associated with final exams, resources for mourners were also included. Stressbuster events will be available daily throughout the end of term for students seeking support and reassurance.In an email to the judge, Leah Berkenwald ’07, director of health promotion and wellness programs, wrote, “Wherever students are currently active, our goal is to provide programming and support give everyone. ”
While members of the Brandeis community were aware of a student who died in the incident on the night of November 19, it was not announced until the afternoon of November 20 that the student was undergraduate student Vanessa Mark. The Center for Spiritual Life held an event on November 21, where everyone came together to claim Vanessa and other students injured in the accident. During the event, the Center for Spiritual Life said more events will be held as students return to campus after the Thanksgiving break.
On December 2, Dine notified community members in an email that a memorial service will be held for Vanessa today (December 6) from 12-12:30 in the Sherman Function Room at the Hassenfeld Convention Center. “This service will be an opportunity to honor Vanessa and come together as a community to honor her memory and support each other,” Dean wrote.Community members who are unable to attend in person will be able to livestream the event as long as they register in advance.
Assistant Vice President for Office of the President and Communications Julie Jeter did not respond to the judge’s request for comment, and Dean of Students Monique Nanaratnam was unavailable for comment by press time. Lori Tesner, director of academic support and counseling, declined to comment.
