Jack Granahan and Stephen Gaughan
February 6, 2026
On Monday, Feb. 2, a significant fire broke out in the Sherman-Hassenfeld building. At 3:23 p.m, an email was sent out via the Brandeis Alert system stating, “There is ongoing fire activity at Sherman-Hassenfeld. Please remain away from the area. Follow Public Safety detours as directed. If you need to leave campus, use the Cedarwood gate exit when departing from upper campus or the Tower Lot.” Photos and videos of the scene showed a massive cloud of white smoke enveloping Sherman-Hassenfeld and blowing into the adjacent Shapiro Campus Center. Several emergency vehicles, including fire engines from the Waltham Fire Department, police cars and an ambulance, could be seen parked outside of Sherman-Hassenfield. By around 3:40, the fire appeared to have been put out, but a large volume of smoke could be seen through an open door leading to the main hall of the Hassenfield Conference Center. At 5:20 p.m, a
On Friday, Jan. 30, a chemical leak occurred at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, forcing classes there to be rescheduled. According to an email sent out to Heller faculty on the 30th by Associate Registrar for Course and Classroom Scheduling Kristina Law, the leak occurred in Heller G50. Law stated, “The leak includes both water and propylene glycol, which can cause respiratory irritation as well as eye irritation/tearing and nausea.” According to the CDC’s website, propylene glycol is a water-absorbing liquid substance used in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. It is also used “to make artificial smoke and mists for fire safety training, theatrical performances, and rock concerts.” The CDC’s website also states that “frequent skin exposure to propylene glycol can sometimes irritate the skin.” Law continued by
DeisBikes is a club that has been attempting to gain the attention of the student body. From posts on Fizz to roaming the Club Involvement Fair with flyers, DeisBikes has made it clear that they want Brandeis students to pay
Higher education has long been one of Massachusetts’ greatest strengths, a cornerstone of its economy and a defining feature of its national reputation. But a series of sweeping changes under the so-called Big Beautiful Bill threatens to unravel that foundation,
Spotify Wrapped is one of the most anticipated pop culture events of the year. For those who don’t use music tracking software like Last.fm or stats.fm, early December is the time of year to discover personal listening habits. Officially starting
If you haven’t yet read Pride and Prejudice, you clearly aren’t hanging out with the same women as me. I am sure there are many women out there who don’t like Jane Austen; it’s just that I don’t know them. I have been “made” to read this book once for a girlfriend, once for my sister, and once again for my class at Brandeis. Aside from being a literary classic, with an almost perfect plot, intriguing characters and writing that has been knocking people’s socks off for 200 years, it may just be the perfect romance book. So, if you are interested in dazzling the lady or gentleman of your choice, open your notes app, because I know you don’t have a paper notebook. Pride and Prejudice follows Elizabeth, the
Welcome back to part two of my review of every “Smiling Friends” episode! This time, we’ll be reviewing the second season of this iconic Adult Swim show. “Gwimbly: Definitive Remastered Enhanced Extended Edition DX 4K (Anniversary Director’s Cut)”: It’s
Last semester, I finally purchased a retro game collection that has been sitting on my wishlist since 2019: Collection of Mana featuring Final Fantasy Adventures for the Game Boy, Secret of Mana, and for the first time outside of Japan,
Last time on Sunblighted: At an ever-burning bonfire, Lih questioned the legitimacy of the eccentric god Gefrol, his supposed all-knowing Patron Deity. A girl with the likeness of Canthi, the girl that killed the Shade, called out to Lih, causing
Background: During the final days of 2025, the Iranian currency, the rial, collapsed amid severe international sanctions, plunging the country’s economy into uncharted territory. Iranians responded by protesting en masse across all 31 provinces, with economic anxieties mixing with general discontent at the oppressive Islamic Republic regime that has governed the country since 1979. The government responded with equal determination, using mass violence to dispel the protests, leaving an estimated thousands dead in their wake. While US President Donald Trump promised support for the protesters and intimated US military action should the repression continue, there has yet to be any intervention at the time of writing, and the protests appear to have largely died out. Nonetheless, reports continue to spread that the White House is contemplating military action. This column
When Charlie Kirk was murdered on Sept. 10 of last year, I expected reactions ranging from grief and fury to righteous justice and jubilation. What I did not expect was that, 12 days later, sitting down for a religious service
Zohran Mamdani is a force of nature. Denying that simple fact is the first wrong move anyone can make when considering his historical win. He is the youngest mayor of New York in over a century. He’s the first Muslim
Thanks for your question! Yes, but the answer is more complicated than that. If we think about the whole menstrual cycle, the phase during which you’re least likely to get pregnant is the menstruation phase, when you’re bleeding. This is because the menstruation phase occurs separately from the ovulation phase, when your ovary releases an egg into the uterus and you’re most likely to get pregnant. If you’re menstruating, you also know you’re not ovulating. However, sometimes the ovulation period can begin very soon after the menstrual period. Because sperm can live in the female reproductive system for up to three days, it’s possible that if you begin ovulating soon after your period, any surviving sperm could fertilize the egg. Ultimately, having unprotected sex at any time can be risky,
Brandeis University has a substantial number of students on the pre-law track and, as such, has collected a number of pre-law-focused clubs across campus. With a variety of options for students in this area of study, The Hoot sat down
Brandeis is a school that prides itself on diversity. One major part of this is a wide variety of students from all around the country and the world; 68% of the university’s non-international population this year is made of out-of-state
While Brandeis doesn’t have many traditions, a conversation that seems to be at the forefront of the collective mind, the All Languages Dinner, is certainly an event that falls into this category. Starting in 2013, the event consists of a
I don’t expect that a lot of Hoot readers are huge sports fans. After all, this school doesn’t even have a football team. Those of you who do pay attention to the National Football League (NFL) are probably focused on Super Bowl LX (Go Pats!). So many of you may have missed the biggest sports news of the past few weeks: The greatest head coach in NFL history, Bill Belichick, was not selected to join the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2026! How is this possible? It shouldn’t be. Belichick has the most playoff wins and the second-most wins of all time. He has eight Super Bowl wins, six as the head coach of the New England Patriots and two as the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants.
Brandeis will be introducing a new varsity sport to the roster for the first time in more than forty years. Soon, Brandeis women will be able to compete on the new lacrosse team. The addition will be the 20th varsity
Brandeis doesn’t have a football team, gymnastics team or marching band. There are no massive Game Days where the entire student body gathers in a stadium to watch men jump on each other. Depending on your personal relationship with sports,
On Sept. 28, seven college quadball teams from the New England region came to Brandeis for Openers, an unofficial tournament hosted by the Massachusetts Quadball Conference (MQC). The purpose of Openers is to give new players real-game experience without the
