Giving Tuesday donations nearly double, President debunks rumors

The university raised $865,000 from 2,559 gifts this Tuesday, a 60.2 percent increase in gifts and 97.4 percent increase in donation amount from last year’s $438,000 from 1,597 gifts, President Ron Liebowitz told The Brandeis Hoot in an interview. “They [the Giving Tuesday committee] engaged and involved the alumni board leadership,” Liebowitz told The Hoot. […]

BLC wants dining workers to be retained in new contract

Over 20 students led by members of the Brandeis Labor Coalition (BLC) walked to President Ron Liebowitz’s office on Nov. 22 to ask that Brandeis guarantee the retention of current dining workers as the university considers new potential dining providers. Brandeis is seeking proposals for a new dining provider since the university and its current […]

Death, love and pies in ‘Pushing Daisies’

It turns out that one of the best television series ever made was cancelled ten years ago. “Pushing Daisies,” in a two season run, delved into a genre somewhere between fairytale, murder mystery and magical realism. It’s a world where the sky is always robins-egg blue, city morgues are striped like candy-canes, the dead are […]

Brandeis stages ‘Little Women’… and it’s a big deal!

Set in the midst of The Civil War, hard times have hit many families in America, and the March family is no stranger to their share of difficulties. Yet, the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy—find hope and happiness within their sisterhood. This story of coming of age, sisterly love and women’s empowerment has […]

‘Fleabag’s’ perfection proves Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s genius

Where to start with the smart, snappy and sorrowful show that is Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s 2016 to 2019 creation “Fleabag?” Originally a one-woman play conceived, written and performed by Waller-Bridge, “Fleabag’s” story translates seamlessly into genre-defining and boundary-pushing television. The show’s trajectory follows a young London-based woman dubbed Fleabag (played by Waller-Bridge herself) as she deals […]

Emma’s Best Books of 2019

2019 was a great year for literature, particularly young adult literature. Series began, capturing the hearts of readers and leaving them on memorable cliffhangers. Series ended, wrapping up significant plotlines with a nice little bow. Stand-alone stories proved that sometimes the best work can be done in just one novel. Not every book of 2019 […]

‘On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous’ is a haunting auto-fictional debut

Ocean Vuong’s debut 2019 novel, “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous,” has been widely agreed to be one of the best books of the year. The book is written in the form of a letter from a son (known to most as “Little Dog”) to his mother, an American-raised child to his Vietnamese war refugee parent. […]

Koslofsky’s Corner: a quick thanks to all

Congrats, everybody: We made it! It’s the last issue of The Hoot for 2019, and, to be quite honest, I’m so proud of the arts section, and the paper as a whole. I’ll be uncharacteristically brief: Thank you so much to every single person who contributed to arts this semester. Whether you got roped into […]

‘Marriage Story’ review: one for the adults

Why does Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) love Charlie? He’s steady. He’s a great dad to their 8-year-old son Henry. He’s a good cook, and the caring head of the avant-garde theater company that employs both of them—he the director; she his lead actress. Why does Charlie (Adam Driver) love Nicole? She gives thoughtful, perfect presents. She’s […]

In search of a sustainable future

In today’s world, talk about climate change is everywhere. It is an issue that is increasing in its global importance, and is slowly becoming the center of world politics. Although the three R’s (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) are known by everyone, how many people can tell you what what sustainability is? How many truly understand […]

Beware of the strep

As infants and children develop, their immune systems are not fully mature and often are not strong enough to fight off many infections. As a result, these children are often vulnerable to many painful and debilitating viral and bacterial infections. One of these infections is known as strep throat, a bacterial infection of the throat […]

Fencing hosts invitational, celebrates seniors

This past weekend, in between Thanksgiving celebrations and the start of finals season, the Brandeis fencing team hosted their annual invitational to close out their 2019 season. The meet included competitors from Cornell University, St. John’s University, Yale University, Harvard University and the University of the Incarnate Word. On the men’s side, the team went […]