HEAR: Heal. Empower. Advocate. Rise

Heal, empower, advocate, rise (HEAR), founded in 2021 by Lauren Rifas ’23 and Mckenna Walsh ’23, is a peer support group for sexual violence and relationship abuse. In an interview with The Brandeis Hoot, Walsh said that the main goal of the group was to “make students feel heard,” and provide a safe space for […]

Student Union leaders discuss spring 2022 semester

In preparation for the spring 2022 semester, Student Union President Krupa Sourirajan ’23 wrote to The Brandeis Hoot on the union’s plans as the student body faces the threat of the omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus. The Student Union will continue to work to support students regardless of whether the Spring semester is held […]

Men’s basketball wins four straight

Before winter break, the Brandeis men’s basketball team played four games in the month of December. On Dec. 3, the team played in the New England Big Four Challenge against Babson College.  In the first half, both teams were very even, as the score was 30-25. Guard Colin Sawyer (GRAD) led the team in scoring […]

‘Sex Lives of College Girls’ is way more than just that

In an age where it seems that most television shows are either about being in high school or being an adult, shows about college life are few and far between. As a college student, I want to watch a show that I can connect with. HBO Max’s “Sex Lives of College Girls” (SLOCG) feels like […]

Professor Christine Grienberger’s research on integration of synaptic inputs in mammalian brain

Professor Christine Grienberger (BIOL) is a new faculty member at Brandeis. She is specifically an Assistant Professor of Biology. She is a neuroscientist whose research mainly focuses on understanding how information is processed in the mammalian brain. She looks at individual neurons and how they integrate synaptic inputs. Her lab studies the entorhinal-hippocampal circuit, which […]

BookTok Worth it or Not: ‘We Hunt the Flame’

It’s a bit ironic that I’m the one writing this column considering I don’t have TikTok on my phone. I do, however, have Instagram reels, which is basically TikTok but three weeks behind. In this column, I will be reviewing books that are either really hyped up by TikTok or given really poor reviews. Warning: […]

Brandeis athletics bans spectators, games postponed

As of Jan. 7, no spectators will be allowed at games. The previous policy was a negative test from 72 hours prior, to attend a game at the Gosman Sports and Convocation center, according to the Brandeis Judges website.  The policy for attending the Gosman Sports and Convocation center for members of the Brandeis community […]

Fire alarm goes off in Ziv

Around 4 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021 firetrucks responded to the fire alarm in Ziv Quad, according to social media posts of students. The Brandeis Hoot reached out to Area Coordinator of Ziv, Village and Ridgewood Quads, Montana Epps, about what caused the fire. Epps responded writing, “Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to […]

Univ. updates requirements for students to return to campus

The university updated its COVID-19 policies for community members as they return to campus for the spring 2022 semester, according to an email sent on Dec. 20 by Carol A. Fierke, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Stew Uretsky, Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration and Raymond Lu-Ming Ou, Vice President of […]

Univ. begins preparations for 75th anniversary

The university announced that it has begun preparations for its 75th anniversary, according to an email sent to community members by Patsy Fisher, Vice President of Alumni Relations and Dan Kim Senior Vice President of Communications, Marketing and External Relations on Dec. 20. The university will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2023.  “Brandeis University will […]

Univ. alumnus named in Time’s ‘Heroes of the Year’

Drew Weissman ’81, MA ’81, P ’15—a Penn Medicine physician—has been named among the Time’s 2021 “Heroes of the Year.” Weissman was nominated for his contribution towards RNA vaccines specifically for the COVID-19 vaccine.  Weissman and his colleague Katalin Kariko—a Penn Medicine researcher—collaborated to invent the mRNA technique used in the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, […]

Oral health and manners

       When I was a child, I had the mouth of a Brit. My mouth was simply too small for all the teeth inside of it and on top of that I had a crossbite overbite. Which is a very nice way of saying that my teeth were all crammed in there and with nowhere […]

Univ. moves from R1 to R2 research tier in Carnegie Classification

The Carnegie Classification of Institutions in Higher Education released the 2021 classifications for research activity in universities and colleges across the U.S. As of Dec. 15, Brandeis dropped from being classified as an R1 institution to an R2 institution, according to the Carnegie Classification page.  The main difference between R1 and R2 research institutions lies […]

Brandeis fencing hosts first home meet

Brandeis men and women’s fencing had their first home meet on Dec. 5. They participated in three separate rounds, both teams facing six different schools.  In the first round, the men’s team faced Yale University. The team started with a win as freshman Tony Escueta ’25 won his first sabre bout 5-4. Senior Lucas Lin […]

Univ. receives $10 million donation from alumnus

A center that will “strengthen civic and community engagement” is coming to Brandeis after the university received a $10 million donation, according to an email from President Ron Liebowitz on Jan. 4. The main goal of the Samuels Center, according to the alumni article, will be to prepare students for engaging “ethically and responsibly” with […]

Stop comparing every Korean drama to ‘Squid Game’

Netflix has been producing original Korean dramas since roughly 2018, its first original series being the 2-season romantic drama “Love Alarm,” followed by other beloved shows like the zombie period drama “Kingdom,” the revenge coming-of-age “Itaewon Class” and the uplifting medical show “Hospital Playlist.” From these brief summaries alone, Netflix has proven itself to be […]

Brandeis swim and dive place seventh at Gompei Invitational

The Judges competed at the Gompei Invitational at Worcester Polytechnic Institute on Sunday, Dec. 5. They earned 3,400 points during the three-day competition. Two new school records were set in one event by the women. Chloe Gonzalez ’25 set Brandeis’ record with a time of 53.46  in the 100-yard freestyle, however, in the next heat, […]

Adjustments to the spring semester due to COVID-19

If you’re reading this article, chances are you’ve read Brandeis’ recent email detailing the changes to the COVID-19 policy and the upcoming remote return to classes. In case you haven’t, here’s a brief summary.   Brandeis will be holding classes remotely for the first two weeks of the spring semester. A return to in-person instruction […]

‘Don’t Look Up’ is a political satire for the ages

People are no longer fazed by threats of the world ending. We cannot afford that luxury. If the whole world came to a halt every time society was on the brink of destruction or mass death seemed imminent, nothing would get done. “Don’t Look Up,” a political satire released on Netflix in December, understands how […]