End mandatory meal plans or end Sodexo

It is Saturday. I am running dangerously low on dining points and eating an average of one real meal per day. I still have five more swipes on my 12-a-week plan, but there is no way I will finish them all before Sunday. Even if I could, I would never want to. I would not […]

First Nations educator challenges Columbus’ legacy on Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Arawak indigenous peoples representative Claudia A. Fox Tree disputed popular notions of Christopher Columbus’ societal contributions at an Intercultural Center (ICC) teach-in presentation on Monday, Oct. 8. The Arawak are a group of indigenous peoples native to South America and the Caribbean. In her presentation, Fox Tree listed ways Columbus and other European colonists uprooted […]

Exploring the YA genre at Boston Teen Author Festival

The seventh annual Boston Teen Author Festival last Saturday brought both veteran and up-and-coming young adult authors together for panel reflections, signings and personal connections. Held in the Cambridge Public Library and neighboring Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, the festival featured 32 authors throughout four panel session times. Each 45-minute panel slot included four authors […]

Biased USWNT player does not deserve further consideration

In 2017, a National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) player, Jaelene Hinkle, declined a friendlies invitation from the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT). Hinkle simply cited “personal reasons,” but that was not the end of the story. The friendly matches were during Pride Month, a time when U.S. soccer players typically don specialty jerseys with […]

Reserve mental health terminology for professionals and patients

Even though most people recognize mental health as a serious issue, some do not always acknowledge that in their everyday language. Part of treating mentally ill people with respect is using psychology terms judiciously and reasonably. If these terms—like bipolar or schizophrenic—are used out of context, an individual might come off as uninformed or inconsiderate. […]

Latest installment of ‘Mission: Impossible’ is easily predictable, but never dull

“Mission: Impossible—Fallout” released in the United States on July 27 to critical acclaim, but its biggest twist was also its least surprising. “Mission: Impossible” follows Ethan Hunt, the leader of a fictional intelligence agency called the Impossible Mission Force (IMF). A tireless, 56-year-old Tom Cruise leads in the role of Hunt, who this time is […]

Pray for the wicked, fresh and fun until not

One man band, Panic! at the Disco, released an enthusiastic sixth studio album, “Pray for the Wicked,” in June, but despite the high energy and fresh sound, it failed to match previous productions in catchiness and originality. Since it was founded by four high school friends in 2004, Panic! has survived the exit of five […]

Video Action Replay damages, not enhances

The 2018 FIFA World Cup ushered in a new era of soccer—for refereeing at least. FIFA, the international governing body of soccer, lauded themselves for their implementation of the latest soccer technology: Video Assistant Referee, or VAR. VAR made its international debut in the Confederations Cup in the summer of 2017, but 2018 was the […]

Culture X showcases diverse student talent

The Brandeis community celebrated diversity and the end of the semester with the stunning performances at Culture X, an annual show co-sponsored by the Intercultural Center and the Gender and Sexuality Center. Host Kwesi Jones ’21 hyped up the crowd with an infectious enthusiasm that came to define the event. He and the Culture X […]

Brandeis VSA’s sophomore show satisfies and stuns

Sophomore club Brandeis Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) hosted their second annual culture show, “Brandeis By Night,” on Friday, April 13 with comedic, culinary and artistic delights. Not prone to leaving their audience unentertained, VSA presented a selection of Vietnamese music videos as guests made their way to seats in a beautifully decorated Levin Ballroom. Intricate […]

Brandeis celebrates Bernstein’s legacy with his daughter during Festival Week

In honor of Leonard Bernstein’s birthday and the Festival of the Creative Arts, Slosberg Musical Hall hosted Bernstein’s daughter and a trio of musicians for a sequence of stories, clips and songs on Thursday night. The show opened to a full house, with a duo of complementing pianos and couches off to the side. After […]

Students and special guest stars shine for APAHM

The Brandeis Asian-American Students Association (BAASA) hosted a super star lineup Saturday in an early celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM). Featuring standup comedian J.R. De Guzman and YouTuber Motoki Maxted, the show opened to a boisterous, fired up crowd in Brandeis’ Levin Ballroom. BAASA’s executive board brought a comedic twist to start […]

“Love, Simon:” like a straight romantic comedy, but better

“I’m just like you.” That’s what Simon Spier, played by Nick Robinson, emphasizes in the opening lines of the March 2018 film, “Love Simon.” Simon personally narrates his family life to the audience before retreating behind the fourth wall. As Simon tells us, his dad Jack, played by Josh Duhamel, was the star quarterback in […]

Brandeis Triskelion brings Pride Month to an energetic start with ‘The Gay Gatsby’

Brandeis’ LGBTQ+ social group Triskelion (Trisk) started off Pride Month with its annual Prom. The 1920s themed “The Gay Gatsby” event reclaimed Prom for queer students who may not have been able to comfortably attend it in high school. Starting at 10 p.m. on Saturday, March 3 at Chum’s Coffeehouse, Trisk advertised the event as […]

BBSO hosts powerful ‘Shades of Blackness’ performance

The Brandeis Black Student Organization (BBSO) held a “Shades of Blackness” celebration on Saturday, Feb. 10 in Levin Ballroom to honor Black History Month. Hosted by resident comedians, Cyril Ojilere ’21 and Curtis Beatty ’21, Shades of Blackness opened to an enthusiastic and inspired crowd. Shaquan McDowell ‘18 was first to the stage, where he […]

Jews of color discuss identity at Chum’s

Brandeis Hillel presented their second coffeehouse in a series of race talks on Thursday, Feb. 1 at Chum’s with coordinators Anna Stern ’18, Aviva Davis ’21, Shari Boiskin ’21 and Yael Jaffe ’18. Featuring five acts and six performers, the content of the showing was both enlightening and empowering. Audience members sat comfortably on Chum’s […]

‘Mania’ forgets precedents, misses expectations

“Mania,” American rock band Fall Out Boy’s seventh studio album, was released on Jan. 19. It is a ten song track list complete with their typical long, humorous, almost nonsensical titles such as “Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea” and “HOLD ME TIGHT OR DON’T.” “Mania” is certifiably Fall Out Boy, with edgy, punk lyrics. At […]

Camila offers consistency, but maybe too much

Former Fifth Harmony group member Camila Cabello’s debut solo, self-titled album released on Jan. 12 with 10 different tracks ranging from delicate, melancholy tracks like “Consequences” and “All These Years” to the slow anthem and lead single, “Havana.” Cabello shows great promise in vocals and lyrics, but the final result leaves a lot to be […]

Standout performances make for a powerful MLK memorial

Brandeis’ 13th annual Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, titled “The Love That h8 Can’t Stop,” opened its doors in the Shapiro Campus Center Theater Monday night to an enthusiastic audience. Hosted by Dean of Students Jamele Adams, the memorial featured a variety of music, poetry and dance acts. Together with the audience, the performers […]