BEMCo alum dies in hurricane rescue
Hurricane Irene struck the Brandeis family with tragedy this weekend, claiming the life of Michael Kenwood ’94, a university alumnus who lived the values of heroism and selflessness to their fullest degree. Kenwood, a former director of the Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps (BEMCo) who dedicated his life to saving others as a volunteer emergency medical […]
Lawrence outlines vision of ‘selective excellence’
When President Fred Lawrence took the office of president Jan. 1, his top priorities were already out of his hands: He had to hire half an administration to run from scratch.
Lawrence leadership style offers new vision, direction for Brandeis
As university President Fred Lawrence welcomed his first incoming class at Brandeis this week, he talked confidently about a university that has rediscovered itself following an international controversy over The Rose Art Museum. The Rose settlement reflects just one example of how Lawrence’s leadership style is vastly different from his predecessor, Jehuda Reinharz. When Lawrence, […]
Flagel named SVP for students and enrollment
Brandeis named Andrew Flagel the new senior vice president for students and enrollment last month, as the board of trustees voted to approve President Fred Lawrence’s selection for the top admissions and student life position. He will join a team of new senior administrators appointed over the summer, including Provost Steve Goldstein and Dean of […]
Lawrence meets with university presidents in Israel
President Lawrence led a 12-day-long trip to Israel this past June in order to foster global communications and knowledge of Brandeis abroad. On June 23, Lawrence attended and spoke at the Israeli Presidential forum, a world-renowned conference that 3,500 people attend annually. President Lawrence and Vice President of Global Affairs Dan Terris, part of a […]
A visit to the real Yoknapatawpha County
Our culture is obsessed with the origins and beginnings of our icons—think George Washington and the cherry tree, this summer’s “X-Men: First Class” and, of course, “Muppet Babies.” We have an insatiable desire to know what shaped them into the legendary figures we know today and it’s a desire that’s unlikely to be quenched anytime […]
‘Fun Home’ author Bechdel shares story with first-years
Although first-years and orientation leaders may have been anticipating the first day of classes Wednesday night, they had one more learning experience to go through together. At 8 p.m. they filed into Spingold Theater, where Alison Bechdel spoke to them about her graphic novel: “Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic,” the first-year mandated reading for the […]
‘Guard’ puts dark Irish twist on buddy-cop comedy
Contemporary filmmakers have long had an affection for the buddy-cop comedy, though most—think “Rush Hour” to “Turner and Hooch”—are middling at best. The genre gets a new twist in director John Michael McDonagh’s “The Guard,” which adds a little off-color Irish charm to an otherwise tired genre. Irish policeman Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleason) is the […]
‘Ocarina of Time 3D’ a gold standard in Zelda series
Every summer I spend four days in June closely following the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the biggest annual video game trade show in the United States. When I learned that the critically acclaimed “Legend of Zelda” series was turning 25 years old this year, I decided it might be worth picking up the latest release, an […]
Globetrotting: one couch at a time
Sometime in the middle of July I came to a realization: I don’t really know anyone at home anymore. It was my first summer home from college and, after meeting up with friends and revisiting the different parts of New York that I had missed, I found myself home with nothing to do and no […]
A warm welcome to students and bugs
A new semester is upon us and the campus is abuzz with new students, new flowers, new pavement and new bugs. Hopefully everyone had an enjoyable and healthy summer and is gearing up for the school year. I am excited to be your go-to health gal again this year and look forward to providing you […]
READY FOR ’DEIS? The Hoot takes a look at orientation through the eyes of Core
As the new Brandeis students anxiously checked into their new living spaces, they undoubtedly had many thoughts and concerns. New-student orientation can indeed be a stressful time for any new college student. As they hurried to establish friends, it is possible that some also noticed how much work went into making sure that orientation went […]
OLs learn to get down, among other skills
</i>”][/caption] In the American university system the first days of college are considered especially confusing. At Brandeis, the dedicated students who assist the first-years are members of an elite squad, known as the Orientation Leaders. These are their stories. As a first-year I loved orientation: stumbling from one seemingly spontaneous event to the other, not […]
You Know We’re Right: Worried about making new friends this year?
Dear Leah and Morgan, I’m starting my sophomore year this year, and I’m a little worried about something, and wanted to know if you could help. Last year, I had a really close group of friends on my hall, but I was really focused on my schoolwork and didn’t branch out very much. This year, […]
Ellie Ann, Brandeis senior, releases new single and music video
When her mother started making her take piano lessons “too many years ago to count,” Ellie Hutchinson ’12 hated going and later practicing. It wasn’t until high school that playing piano joined singing and theater as something she enjoyed. Now, going by the name Ellie Ann (her full name is Elizabeth Ann Hutchinson), she uses […]
Looking for art in United States soccer
Speaking of British middleweight Herol Graham, trainer Eddie Shaw once quipped, “He has turned defensive boxing into a poetic art. Trouble is, nobody ever knocked anybody out with a poem.” Surely, Muhammad Ali would disagree; the champ made a habit of composing poetry to mock his opponents (“This kid’s got a left, this kid’s got […]
The 600 home run club: now with eight members
On Aug. 15 Jim Thome joined the 600 home run club. In consecutive at bats Thome hit home runs 599 and 600 against Rick Porcello and Daniel Schlereth of the Detroit Tigers during an American League Central match up at Comerica Park in Detroit. Thome became just the eighth player in Major League history to […]
MLB playoff predictions: a month of foresight
It’s been an eventful baseball season so far. Three no-hitters, 3,000 hits for Derek Jeter, 600 homers for Jim Thome and there’s still a lot of baseball left to be played! As we enter the month of September, we embark on the stretch run. Many of the divisions look to be locked up, but there […]
Lockout brief: the end of one and the start of another
When summer started, one of the four major sports leagues was two months into a lockout. Now, at the start of the academic year, one lockout has ended while a new one enters its third month. As the NFL season that almost didn’t happen starts it’s interesting to look at the effects of the lockout […]
Hurricane Irene shuffles orientation schedule as ’Deis dries
Just in time to welcome the Brandeis class of 2015, Hurricane Irene crashed down on the first day of first-year orientation, forcing faculty and staff to make quick safety decisions and rearrange the orientation schedule. As Governor Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts last weekend, Brandeis canceled the first day of move-in […]
