If you go to Brandeis, then you know senior Mark Hajjar. Maybe you are a freshman or a sophomore who remembers him from orientation as the guy who answered sex questions you were too afraid to ask. Maybe you are a either junior who works with him through WBRS or a senior who has taken a class with him. Any which way, Mark Hajjar’s energy, vivacious personality, and unique flair make him unforgettable and someone everyone wants to be around. For these reasons and more, Mark Hajjar is this week’s Campus Celeb.
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
Majors: HSSP and Psychology
Class: 2013
What clubs and organizations are you a part of?
I am the coordinator for Student Sexuality Information Service (SSIS) and I am chief announcer for WBRS.
What is your favorite part of being at Brandeis?
I think just the dedication of the students. At a place like Brandeis, because we have so many clubs and organizations, you tend not to do something unless you actually like to do it. Because if you didn’t want to there is so much other stuff to do. Its like, why would you do it? Why would you waste your time? So you get students who really love and are committed to the stuff they do, and that always leads to great things.
What would you say to someone who is afraid to go to SSIS?
It can seem a little bit intimidating, but we really try hard to meet all our students where they’re at. That means we ensure everyone’s confidentiality when they come. Our location is a little out of the way, if you would prefer to meet with one of us privately you are welcome to do so. If you just text our hotline we will set something up, make something work. At the end of the day it is a step that you have to take on your own but if there is anything we can do to make that happen we will do it.
What is the best class you have ever taken at Brandeis?
I have a couple that I really liked but for HSSP I took a Legal Studies class called American Healthcare with Professor Curie and that was really amazing. It was about how the American healthcare system, court cases and legal rulings helped to shape the legal system. It was a lot of in-depth analysis. It was a really cool class that challenged how you look at the healthcare system from a different perspective. It was very interesting.
What is your favorite song to dance to?
I Touch Myself by the Divinyls. That’s always a classic.
Are you single or taken?
I am taken. (See the picture of Mark and his cute boyfriend Andrew Payne’14).
If you could meet any person dead or alive who would it be?
Marie Antoinette.
Oh cool! Why?
She was a decadent bitch who knew how to party. I feel like it would be a blast and then I would just make a quick exit when I saw the peasants with torches and the guillotine in the front yard. That’s when you know it’s time to jump out the back.
Do you have any hidden talents?
(He laughs). None I can print in the school newspaper.
Do you have any pet peeves?
I just hate when people don’t get their stuff done, because then you are wasting my time and your time. If you are going to do it, do it, if you cannot then give it to someone who can.
What is your favorite food?
Normally chocolate, but after 2 am it’s pork fried rice and hot and sour soup.
Tell me something interesting that people would never know about you upon meeting you.
I’m gay. Like, really really, really, gay.