Hello again folks. If you’re reading this around the time it comes out, you’re probably feeling the same sort of fatigue that many of us are here at The Hoot. We’ve officially entered the harder part of the semester, where (apart from the upcoming Yom Kippur/Indigenous Peoples’ Day long weekend), we’ll be having full five-day weeks of classes. My god, that’s difficult. Especially for us Brandeis students, whose fall semesters feel like they’re filled with more short weeks than full weeks. Our lives are so hard!

But, jokes aside, the harder part of the semester is here. Many of us have more work crushing down on us than we have in past weeks, many of us feel the weight of our jobs and/or clubs crushing down upon us and Waltham is starting to slip into the same classic, bitter New England winter that it does every year. It seems like life at Brandeis has gotten a bit more gray, at least to us here at The Hoot. The joyful optimism for the year that we all had is slowly fading as we all begin to settle into our midterm grindset. And, just as that’s happening, there’s turnover at the very top of Brandeis’ leadership. 

This is a stressful time for all of us, regardless of whether you were a fan of President Liebowitz or not. There’s questions about the interim president, Arthur Levine, and his stances on several issues that are key to the student body. Notably, the university is facing significant financial headwinds that simply must be addressed swiftly and efficiently. There’s also, as all students no doubt know, a real lack of student housing. A new residence hall was promised during President Liebowitz’s time at Brandeis, but Liebowitz also ran out of a protest about on-campus housing. And, of course, there’s the issue of the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict and its related student actions on campus. Free speech features at the forefront of this issue, and we at The Hoot know that many students on both sides of the conflict will be watching Interim President Levine’s actions on this issue closely.

We’re hoping not only for a smooth leadership transition, but also a smooth term for Interim President Levine. If you’re reading this, Mr. Levine, feel free to say “hello.” And to the rest of the Brandeis community, please take care of yourselves however you can as the New England winter sets in.