The licensing fees, which currently range from around $300 to as high as $1,000, apply to any film shown in University facilities other than private dorm rooms. The renewed enforcement of the policy has already resulted in at least one student group, the Disney Movie Appreciation Club (DMAC), suspending its activities indefinitely.

At least one student on campus finds the administration’s decision antagonizing.

“I don’t see anything positive coming out of this decision,” said sophomore Kyle Kamerbeek, DMAC president. “Even if we did show Disney movies at Ursa’s, what are the odds that Bob Iger [CEO of Disney] walks in and tells me to stop? Even if somehow, somebody reports me showing the movie, I can argue that I was watching it with a few friends and others walked in, which is pretty much true for most DMACs.”

DMAC was recently barred from screening a Disney film at Ursa’s. As a non-Student Union  group, DMAC was not notified of the enforcement until the group attempted to screen a film.

Kamerbeek protested the fact that the administration failed to inform him of the policy ahead of time.

“I respect the school’s decision, but I find it ridiculous that they did not notify me, the student body or even the workers at Ursa’s, who know that I show a movie every Monday,” he said. “The complete lack of notification is what gets me. I had been doing DMAC for the previous two weeks, and then out of nowhere they tell me I can’t.”

Representatives from campus and student groups met over the summer to reword the administration’s policy on film screenings and consider enforcement options. Attendants at these meetings included senior Chase Sackett, speaker of the SU Senate; senior Anna Studstill, chair of the student group Filmboard; and Mary Zabriskie from Campus Life.

“Ultimately, I’m happy with the change,” Studstill said. ”It’s easier for us to do it, because we had warning, and we budgeted for the copyright. But ultimately, it’s a good change. We’re protecting ourselves so that nobody gets in trouble.”

“Yes, it can get a little expensive but that’s what we’re trying to show movies for—for a greater population,” she added.

Supporters of the enforcement efforts said they are merely clarifying a policy that was already in place and alerting student groups to the consequences of their actions.

“It’s not a new policy. It is the same policy that has always been in place,” said Leslie Heusted, assistant director of programming and marketing for the Danforth University Center. “Copyright is a law. What we did was re-examine the wording and the consequences around what happens if people don’t follow the law, and we wanted to make that more present in people’s considerations.”

Heusted noted that the policy update is mainly centered around raising awareness about the University’s adherence to copyright code.

“We didn’t really change the policy,” Heusted said. “We were just more mindful of the fact that we needed to make sure that people are aware of the copyright law. It’s always been the law. We just wanted to make sure that our student organizations and our departments are aware of that.”

The policy, available at http://getinvolved.wustl.edu, notes  that “federal law is clear that any copyrighted film (VHS, DVD, etc) in any university facilities, other than a private residence hall room, cannot be shown unless a license to show the film is obtained or special permission from the owner of the copyright is received.”

While enforcement of the policy is hardest for non-SU-recognized groups like DMAC, it is also affecting Category II groups, which can receive a maximum of $500 from SU every semester—the equivalent of two films or less.
“We thought about budgeting in for a movie, but is it really worth only having one event?” said senior Christy Nigh, president of the Christian student group One Voice. “I think they gave themselves a bit of a headache, especially in not announcing it last year, especially for the Category I groups whose budgets have already been finalized.”

Nigh called for a more specific redefinition of what constitutes a film-watching event.

“Is it okay for a group of people to get into a common room and watch it and not have it be an event? I don’t know,” she said.

While students like Kamerbeek and Nigh understand the reason behind the copyright policy, they still stress that the policy’s enforcement is more damaging to smaller student groups on campus.

“It probably will affect a lot of people. I understand why the University is changing its policy to conform with the laws,” Nigh said. “It’s just a little bit frustrating, because our group is very small and watching a movie with our group is very similar to watching with a group of friends.”

In light of the violence and unexpected displays of rebellion, many Western news sources turned to experts with an understanding of both Iran and the United States. Washington University scholar Fatemeh Keshavarz was one of those experts.

Keshavarz, a professor of Persian and comparative literature who chairs the Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages and Literature, granted interviews and commentaries to news sources, including CNN, NPR, Fox News, Democracy Now and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

But Keshavarz has been speaking publicly about Iranian culture for years—as an author, blogger and commentator who focuses on combating misperceptions about Iran and highlighting its diverse voices.

Keshavarz said her roots in Iranian and American culture make her an effective cross-cultural communicator.

“Being a student of Persian and American poetry gives me deep love, and roots, in both cultures,” Keshavarz wrote in an e-mail to Student Life. “As a poet and literature specialist, I do have a vital role in the cross-cultural communication between Iranians and Americans. I show each culture the multiplicity of the voices of the other, the depth that must not be overlooked.”

Keshavarz said she sees her work as a public figure as a natural extension of her work as an educator.

“I don’t do [media appearances] as an activity on the side,” she wrote. “I deeply believe it to be an extension of my role as an academic/educator. It is in the nature of the global culture, unfolding before us, to remove borders and to put us on each other’s doorsteps.”

“On one level this is tremendously exciting because it gives us unimaginable opportunities for exploration and for getting to know one another,” she added.

Keshavarz has written articles for publications like the Post-Dispatch and Counterpunch since long before the election, and has for years maintained a blog, Windows on Iran, that provides a multitude of voices, news and perspectives—“windows”—from Iranian sources.

“I decided instead of being frustrated with misrepresentations and the unfounded news about Iran, I should do something to counter them,” Keshavarz wrote. “I received massive thank-you messages every week, and the list grew so large that I soon realized it should be converted into a blog.”

Keshavarz believes her work is a necessary corrective to what she sees as the U.S. media’s one-sided representation of the Iranian people.

“For a long time, the average American has had little access to news, and analysis, reflecting the complexity of the Iranian society. Until the recent post-election events in Iran, most of what we saw on TV and read in the papers portrayed Iran as a one-dimensional rather lifeless country that was interested only in religion.”

Keshavarz thinks that the election coverage, which portrayed the generally young Iranian protestors as sympathetic, is helping to change that view.

“When an image gels in the popular imagination, it is really hard to undo it except by a major shake-up. The good news is that this shake-up has now happened. Suddenly, the multitude of young, old, rich and poor Iranians did not seem like strangers any more. After all, they were asking for the same things we value here: freedom, democracy and change. Reading dozens of books could not have been as educational.”

Keshavarz is not the only voice on campus interested in broadening the discussion about Iran. Mitra Haeri, president of the student Iranian Culture Society, is one of many students who has been involved in opening the communication.

“In such a complicated area [the Middle East] with such a rich culture, the history of the region is absolutely critical to understanding the issues and possibly working towards a solution,” Haeri said. “The undergraduate population of Iranians and Iranian-Americans is very small in this community, but I feel like in the past few years we have made relatively large strides. Our events and film screenings are attended by non-Iranians for the most part, and I can’t help but feel like this does nothing but strengthen our presence on campus.”

Susan Marine, former director of Harvard’s Office of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response and current director of its Women’s Center, addresses Washington University students, faculty and staff on Thursday afternoon in Ursa’s Fireside. (Sam Guzik | Student Life)

Around 30 Washington University students and faculty attended a question-and-answer session Thursday evening with Susan Marine, the former sexual assault prevention and education coordinator at Harvard University.

Marine, the former and founding director of Harvard’s Office of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response and the current and founding director of the Harvard College Women’s Center, spent Thursday consulting with the University’s Advisory Committee on Sexual Violence and Prevention (ACSVP). The ACSVP has been preparing to hire a director for a similar position and is currently deciding the goals, procedures and resources of the University’s own sexual assault prevention and response program.

The committee hopes to select a director by July 1, according to Jami Ake, co-chair of ACSVP and assistant dean in the College of Arts & Sciences.

Many at the University see the position as essential in coordinating among student groups, faculty and legal resources to ensure that victims of sexual assault receive the support and counsel they require, as well as in promoting a healthier and more understanding atmosphere on campus.

Some view Harvard’s office as a model program. In its first year, reported incidents of sexual assault skyrocketed from 4 to more than 200.

In its commitment to involve students in every step of the selection process of the University’s director, the ACSVP wanted to ensure that the session was open to the public. Ake and fellow ACSVP Co-chair Jill Stratton, assistant dean of students, stressed the need for transparency and student involvement.

“I get the sense lately that students have felt excluded from some of the decision-making that’s been happening,” Ake said. “I want the opposite to be true for this, and I don’t know a better way to do this than to say, ‘Here’s the best information that we’ve got going; ask [Marine] what we can’t think to ask her.’”

Marine addressed what the University as an institution can do to promote knowledge of and combat sexual violence, and emphasized the long-term benefit of studying how to help victims.

“Most people will know a person who is a survivor of violence. They may not know a person at Wash. U., but eventually they will. I think the institution can send messages of, ‘This is life knowledge that will be useful for you at a later time, even if you don’t think it is now,’” she said.

Marine said that while Washington University and Harvard are comparable—both are highly selective liberal arts universities with similar student bodies, similar institutional climes—the University, in her view, has a slightly more conducive environment for the kind of institutional change she would like to see happen.

“I actually see more people interested here in making sure that this gets up and runs successfully,” she said. “I certainly had a core group of supporters at Harvard, but I’ve never seen that many people at a talk [like there are today]. If that many people show up to hear the consultant talk I think, ‘Oh my gosh, how many people will show up to see the person you might hire?’”

Marine noted the enthusiasm she had seen among students at the meetings and then at the question-and-answer session.

“They could have said, ‘No, busy. It’s the day before the last day of class.’ These are just people who care. I think that’s a huge plus,” Marine said.

Marine said that one of the biggest problems in establishing a healthier environment is apathy or hostility among segments of the population—what she calls “virulent disinterest.”

“There’s always going to be a large subset of people who think this doesn’t apply to them, or they know a little bit about it and they’ve already made up their mind about it,” Marine said. “One of the biggest things this person can do is be willing to be an educator and work with that resistance, and that’s a very hard thing to do.”

As for how the hired director can combat such disinterest, Marine had specific advice.

“I think by being methodical about how she or he builds relationships here, in other words, figuring out where the strongest packets of resistance are, and developing relationships with people who can help you get into that realm, [the director can combat resistance],” she said. “It’s up to the person to be diligent and committed to building relationships.”

Marine recommended a pragmatic and innovative approach to combating sexual violence.

“The person should be creative. We don’t actually know everything we need to know to solve this problem yet. This person needs to remain open to learning new information and taking in new evidence that comes forward about how to address it,” Marine said. “The person has to be really interested in building relationships with people who are not invested yet. The third thing that’s essential is that the person is interested in taking some risks, maybe willing to go out on a limb and take some creative approaches and work with faculty.”

According to Marine, one thing that University students can do is think about the ways in which their own social environments do or do not condone sexual violence.

“Last time I checked, administrators and faculty are not the ones who set up parties. I think helping students to think about, ‘What are the ways in which my party may or may not be a safe environment for other people?’” she said. “Students can make a huge difference by paying attention to their environments and making changes that would make sexual violence less likely.”

Grad’s book, “Massoud: An Intimate Portrait of the Legendary Afghan Leader,” crafts a multifaceted depiction of Massoud through stories drawn from interviews with Afghans and others around the world who knew him personally. Grad, who conducted more than 500 interviews over four years, said she chose this method because it helps her get at the complexity of Massoud’s character and story.

“I decided to choose storytelling, to collect stories from the Afghans and from people around the world who knew Massoud. I felt like the story of Massoud is so profound that only through stories could I get at it. I would be able to get into Massoud’s soul in a more real way,” she said. “I found out in the process that Massoud had produced a profound impact in many others.”

Grad, born in Argentina and a graduate of Webster University, did not learn of Massoud until after his assassination. Her interest in Massoud originates from the first time she ever saw his likeness in the French music video “Ponfilly.”

“I saw this man’s eyes and I knew that I had to do something about this man,” Grad said.

While Massoud, a middle-class ethnic Tajik who abandoned his studies in engineering and architecture to lead successful military campaigns against the Soviets and the Taliban, is not very well known in the United States, Grad stressed that his story is universal.

“The qualities of Massoud and the Afghans are something that humanity can benefit from. This man was incredibly open-minded and incredibly interested in the West and in everything. This is a man that, in 23 years of war, never lost tranquility. This is a man that read poetry to his people. There are so many things about him and his behavior and his life that I feel can benefit humanity,” she said.

A highly educated man who enjoyed poetry and also had close ties with people in the West, Massoud’s personal charisma and tolerant politics attracted a popular following in Afghanistan, where the government now lists him as a national hero.

Grad’s portrait of Massoud is of a renaissance man who embodies many of the dualities shaping the world today—he was a patriot and nationalist who maintained warm ties with the West; a man steeped in Islamic mysticism and literature who advocated women’s rights; and a skilled military commander who spent his last night alive discussing poetry with Massoud Khalili, the son of Afghanistan’s foremost poet.

Despite his popularity, or its being perceived as a threat, Massoud was assassinated by suicide bombers on Sept. 9, 2001, two days before the 9/11 terror attacks. Just before his death, he was in France warning Western governments about the threat posed by al-Qaeda.

“Massoud and the Afghans were fighting intolerance long before us. They fought for preserving their traditions. [The Soviets] were invading their country. This war was going on much before the 11th of September,” Grad said.

While the focus of her book is Massoud, Grad also said she wants to help educate the West about Afghanistan.

“I really emphasize the idea of listening [to the Afghans]. I listened for four years. One thing that called my attention was the great subtlety and poetry of their story. I interviewed a commander who fought for years with Massoud. He never had a childhood or adolescence; he had to fight for his country from very early on,” she said. “My impression, coming from South America, was that I did not see this man destroyed. On the contrary: His inner self was intact. He suffered a lot. There is something that is in these people that is like a rock—they’re very strong. This person was not destroyed internally.”

“I think this book is not just for Westerners,” she added. “It’s also for people in the East. Massoud represents something in this search for answers—what Islam really is, how to pursue peace in the world.”

While she is trying to spread Massoud’s message as far as she can, Grad particularly hopes to reach students, for whom his message, she feels, is especially relevant.

“I really want to reach people at Wash. U., students particularly. This perspective of Massoud is really relevant for the youth,” Grad said. “I’m really looking forward to the [students’] questions. I’m hoping that they understand that I had an experience with [the Afghans]. I’m talking as a Western woman who had an experience with them, and talked to them and listened to them. Their message and their struggle and their story [are] something that inspired me and that I hope will inspire others.”

Grad, who sees Massoud as a symbolic figure of humanity, believes he will be remembered for centuries to come.

“He’s not a man for one day, or for one decade. He transcends religion, he transcends politics. It’s a universal story. It reaches people of all traditions.”

Grad will be speaking tomorrow at 4 p.m. in the Danforth University Center.