Not many individuals beyond the staff of The Brandeis Hoot really know its history, starting with its conception in 2004. We thought we would give the entire Brandeis community an in-depth look into our founding story and history. The current editorial board of The Hoot reached out to Hoot alumni from as far back as 14 years ago, along with countless generations of members who helped form The Hoot’s identity, in order to create this timeline.

Beginnings and Rapid Expansion (2005-2008)

Dec. 5, 2004 – The Brandeis Hoot officially chartered by the Student Union

• Founders: Igor Pedan ’05, M.A. ’06, Daniel Silverman ‘05 and Leslie Pazan ‘05

Jan. 2005 – Dec. 2005, EIC: Igor Pedan ’05

• Jan. 14, 2005 First Editorial published
• Former Provost received over $300k in severance
• A ‘Farewell’ to Stephen Heyman
• VERBATIM: Union Senate Emails
• With IPTV may come numerous concerns (Hoot prevented major network outages on campus by discovering IPTV would break existing phones. Follow up: New phones to kick off IPTV trial)
• Editorial: Open government is fundamental in discussions affecting students
• Mid-2005 – Moved from Igor’s dorm to Romper Room
• Late 2005 – Moved from Romper Room to Brandeis Media Coalition (BMC)

Dec. 2005 – Jan. 2007, EIC: Heather Zajdel ’07

• Recent history in the distribution of the SAF (unique to The Hoot)
• Union designing new policy to track club events and leadership
• Non-exclusivity clause expands to include political ideals
• Terrorist threat on Heller School of Social Policy
• Flaw in voting system brings election results into question (unique to The Hoot)

Jan. 2007 – May 2007, EICs: Andy Meyers ’08, Lauren Stein ’08

• Eileen McNamara to teach full-time
• “She [McNamara] also praised the twin newspapers on the Brandeis campus: ‘The Hoot is the best thing that ever happened to The Justice on the Brandeis campus, and I say that with great respect to the editors of the Justice down the years. Good journalism thrives on competition. We need more of it. We have less of it. We need to mount something like a revolution to reverse the trend of corporate consolidation of the media. Information is not only power; it is empowering and that is as important on a college campus as it is in Washington.’”
• Jimmy Carter v Alan Dershowitz controversy
• Carter and Dershowitz Speak to Audiences

Sept. 2007- May 2008, EICs: Andy Meyers ’08, Pat Garofalo ’08

• Reinharz OKs guns for campus police
• Professor Hindley racism controversy
• “Construction exacerbates access issues for disabled”
• Free speech at Brandeis series (unique to The Hoot)
  • http://www.thebrandeishoot.com/articles/2393
  • http://www.thebrandeishoot.com/articles/2483
  • http://www.thebrandeishoot.com/articles/2563
  • http://www.thebrandeishoot.com/articles/2655

Sept. 2008 – Dec. 2008 EICs: Sri Kuehnlenz ’09, Kathleen Fischman ’09

The Era of Scrutiny (2005-2008)

Jan. 2009 – Oct. 2009, EIC: Alison Channon ’10

• Brandeis financial crisis
  • “Endowment drops another 5 percent”
  • http://www.thebrandeishoot.com/articles/6875
  • “Univ. suspends contribution to retirement funds”
• Madoff scandal risks major donor’s money
• Attempted closure of the Rose Art Museum
  • Board of Trustees votes to close Rose Art Museum
  • Univ. faces legal issues selling Rose Art
  • Rose benefactors sue university
  • Rose reopens with permanent collection
• President Jehuda Reinharz resigns
  • Reinharz announces intention to resign
  • The Reinharz Years: The triumphs and troubles of a president and his university

Oct. 2009 – Dec. 2010, EIC: Ariel Wittenberg ’11

• Search for new Brandeis president/new President Frederick M. Lawrence chosen.
• “Financial disclosure” series on Brandeis finances (unique series to The Hoot)
  • Anatomy of an endowment
  • University contracts with board members’ companies
  • Amid budget crisis, Univ. spent big on administrators
• Impeachment of Student Union Secretary
• Two students assaulted in separate South Street incidents, October victim never reported attack to police

Jan. 2011- Dec. 2011, EIC: Alex Schneider ’12

• Switched printers to Graphic Developments, gives the paper an updated look and feel
• Constant 20-page papers
• “Shades of Grey” series on race at Brandeis, covering its history, admissions, faculty and student life (unique to The Hoot)
  • A Host for All: Brandeis’ unique racial history
  • The gatekeepers: admitting racial diversity
  • The architects: pedagogy and race at Brandeis
  • The mosaic: the reality of race in social life
• Brandeis rewrites sexual assault policy
  • Univ. student conduct procedures to change
  • New federal guidance on univ. sexual assault: Brandeis follows Biden lead on Title IX
• Alum murdered in Waltham triple homicide
  • Alum was victim of Waltham triple homicide
  • Editor’s Desk
• The Hoot receives “New England College Newspaper of the Year, First Runner-Up”
  • May 3, 2012

Jan. 2012 – May 2013, EIC: Jon Ostrowsky ’13

• University reviews sexual assault policy
• Sexual assaults on campus
  • Brandeis police investigating alleged sexual assault
  • Alleged rape case at Brandeis casts doubts on assault policy effectiveness
  • Brandeis Greek life urges members not to discuss alleged sexual assault

May 2013 – May 2014, EIC: Emily Stott ’14

• “Todashev, questioned in Waltham murders, shot by FBI”
• “Students’ outcry prompts Brandeis to reconsider award”

May 2014 – May 2015, EIC: Dana Trismen ’15

• “Rape crisis center to be implemented in near future”
• “Suspension of Al-Quds partnership still a source of controversy”
• “Students hold sit-in, promote reinstatement of Al-Quds partnership”
• The Hoot receives “New England College Newspaper of the Year, Honorable Mention”
  • May 1, 2014

Activism and Further Investigation (2015 – Present)

Jan. 2015- Dec. 2015, EIC: Andrew Elmers ’16

• Over this year, we created a new website (brandeishoot.com)
• Ford Hall 2015
• Demand for Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Studies program

May 2015- May 2016, EIC: Theresa Gaffney ’16

• Hoot editorial supporting Ford Hall students
• April 2016: The Hoot opted to respect survivors at Take Back the Night (TBTN) by promising to not record testimonies or take photos without explicit permission. The Justice had made an editorial statement that they would be doing those things, which we acknowledged they had a right to, but students made it clear that wasn’t what they wanted. Further proof we’re a paper of the community.
• April 2016: Professor Powers rejects univ. exploitation (on her being demoted and quitting; the diminishment of the American Studies program and unfair treatment of adjuncts)
• May 2016: end of year survey about the way students think of campus publications

Jan. 2016 – May 2017, EIC: Julie Landy ’17

• March 3, 2017: Anonymous op about free speech and violence
• Julie Landy’s response

May 2016 – May 2017, EIC: Mia Edelstein ’17

• Hoot-SPAN Facebook livestream of Student Union meetings and election debates
• Conversations with Sheryl Sousa, V.P. for Student Affairs and Justice editors about Rights and Responsibilities as it pertains to student journalists
• Petition circulates to make Brandeis a sanctuary campus

May 2017 – May 2018, EICs: Hannah Schuster ’18, Emily Sorkin Smith ’18

• “Buyer Beware” – Series
• Meehan Firing
• “And Then There were None”
• Swim Coach Leaves after HR Investigation

May 2018 – May 2019, EIC’s: Sarah Terrazano ’19, Abigail Gardener ’19

• Sodexo Mislabeling
• Cyanide found in Brandeis Mods Residence Hall
• Title IX Reports
• Senate proposal to de-charter The Hoot