[A statue of a person lounging on a rock on the Brandeis University campus is shown, the sun setting in the background.]
Narrator: Consistent with our approach to be one Brandeis
[Dark blue letters are animated into the center of the screen with a burst of light, reading: One Brandeis.]
Narrator: And in compliance with state and local requirements, our community will be returning to campus and will be expected to stand together
[Dark blue letters read: Stand together.]
Narrator: And agree to Deistancing.
[Dark blue letters read: DEIStancing. The DEIS are capitalized.]
Narrator: To Deistance at Brandeis is to safeguard the health, safety, and wellbeing of all of our people by fully embracing the use of masks, regular hand-washing, and maintaining physical distance during the COVID- pandemic.
But what happens if a community member isn't Deistancing?
[Blue letters on a white background read: You have options.]
Narrator: There are several ways to address this issue that you can choose from based on your comfort level.
[Blue text reads: Leave the space.
A person with a black face covering sits at a round table and flips through a book. An unmasked person stands beside the table, focused on texting. The masked person looks over at the other a few times before shaking their head and moving a few inches away. Then, they close the book, stand, and leave.]
Narrator: If someone enters a common area without a mask, the least confrontational way to preserve your safety and wellbeing is to simply leave.
[Blue text on a white background reads: Maintain your boundaries.
Narrator: If someone gets within six feet of you, you have a right to maintain your boundaries.
[A person wearing a blue mask stands at a counter holding a stack of papers. A person in a black mask enters and stands closely behind them. The person in the blue mask turns and speaks.]
Person With Blue Mask: You're a little too close. Can you back up six feet, please? Six feet? Thank you.
[The person in the black mask puts up their hands and steps back to a safer distance.]
Person with Black Mask: Oh, yeah, sorry. Sorry, I over went the line a little.
[Blue text on a white background reads: Give a reminder.]
Narrator: Sometimes people need a reminder about Deistancing.
[A person with a blue mask stands before a printer. An unmasked person stands six feet behind them. The masked person turns and notices the other person and speaks.]
Person With Blue Mask: Hi, just a friendly reminder, you're supposed to wear your mask and keep back six feet. If you do not have a mask, just, you can get one from the library desk.
Person Without Mask: Shoot, you know, I have one but I forgot to put it back on. I'll go back to my bag and put it on. Thank you.
Person With Blue Mask: Thank you.
[The person without the mask walks away.
Blue text on a white background reads: When someone refuses to DEIStance.]
Narrator: There may be times when people are uncooperative and refuse to comply.
[Blue text reads: www.brandeis.edu/reportit.]
Narrator: We want you to know that there are ways to report non-compliant behavior. You can either report it online or let a staff or faculty member nearby know.
[Two masked people sit at two round tables six feet apart reading. The person on the left wears shorts, and the other has black hair. An unmasked person walks between the tables.]
Person With Shorts: Excuse me. You're a little too close. Can you please move back?
[The person without a mask shrugs.]
Person Without Mask: No way.
Person With Black Hair: You're also supposed to be wearing a mask.
Person Without Mask: Whatever. I'm not gonna put one on.
[A person with a white shirt stands behind the main circulation desk at the Goldfarb Library. A person with a dark shirt walks up to the desk.]
Person With White Shirt: Hi.
Person with Black Hair: Hi. I had this other student. I asked them to wear the mask. They completely refused and asked me to mind my own business. What should I do in that case?
Person With White Shirt: Thanks for letting me know. We take our health and safety of our community really seriously. So you can either report it online anonymously, or I can speak to our manager here and they will go speak to them.
Person With Dark Shirt: Yeah, can you please let the manager know?
Person With White Shirt: Yes, absolutely.
Person With Dark Shirt: Thank you.
[Blue text on a white background reads: Only in an actively harmful or dangerous situation.]
Narrator: Unfortunately, it is possible that some individuals could respond to mask and distancing requirements with aggressive or violent behavior. This could include intentionally spitting or coughing on someone or acts of physical violence. In such a situation, please call Public Safety.
[Blue text reads: Public Safety Emergency Number: 781.736.3333.]
Narrator: That number is 781-736-3333. Consider saving this number in your contacts.
[A slideshow of images plays.
Narrator: As a university campus, we recognize that mask usage is a nuanced and complicated issue, especially in the way it affects communities of color at Brandeis. In particular, Black, Asian, and Latinx faculty, staff, and students have expressed concern about being over-policed and that mask usage may make this more difficult. As a community, we can do our part. Public Safety is legally required to respond to every call that comes in. That means that excessive policing occurs when our campus community members call Public Safety in situations that do not warrant a response from a police officer.
[Animated onto a white background in blue letters reads:
1. Leave the space.
2. Maintain your boundaries.
3. Give a reminder
4. Report the behavior
www.brandeis.edu/reportit.]
Narrator: This is why we encourage you to know all of your options. Leaving the space, stating your boundaries, giving a reminder, and reporting.
[On a dark blue background in white text reads: Brandeis.
In white text on a black background reads: A heartfelt thank you to all of the students and staff who contributed to this project.]