Brandeis hosts vigil for survivors of sexual assault

Faculty, staff and students gathered for a vigil in support of victims of sexual assault in the Shapiro Campus Center (SCC) atrium on Thursday night. The vigil featured statements and poems from Dean of Students Jamele Adams, Provost Lisa Lynch and Director of Sexual Assault Services and Prevention Sarah Berg, among others. Attendees could pick […]

Brandeis hires new men’s basketball coach

Brandeis hired a new men’s basketball coach, Interim Athletic Director Jeff Ward announced Monday. Coach Jean Bain is the 11th coach in Brandeis men’s basketball history. Before coming to Brandeis, he was the associate head coach for Columbia University’s men’s basketball team since 2017. Prior to working at Columbia, Bain was the associate head coach […]

‘Express Yo Self’ space painted over after obscene content

After staff complaints about drawings and writings that created a hostile work environment, the “Express Yo Self” space on the first floor of Goldfarb Library outside of the elevators has been painted over, University Librarian Matthew Sheehy told The Hoot in an interview. The images were drawings of two nude figures depicted in different scenes […]

Dr. Beverly Tatum receives Gittler Prize

Brandeis University awarded Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, an author and academic on racial identity, The Joseph B. and Tony Gittler Prize Wednesday, Oct. 3. The award comes with a $25,000 cash prize and a medal. After President Ron Liebowitz awarded Tatum the Gittler Prize medal, she gave a talk on how to close the empathy […]

Author discusses World War II Japanese War Crimes

American authorities widely undermined the prosecution of biological warfare war crimes in the Tokyo Trials, according to a book talk given by MIT professor Jeanne Guillemin on Sept. 25. The talk focused on how U.S. army intelligence refused to aid prosecutors and sometimes intentionally went against their wishes, derailing the prosecution of Japanese scientists who […]

Anita Hill speaks on Kavanaugh, vigil held for her in Boston

A vigil was held in Boston in solidarity with Brandeis professor Anita Hill (HS, WMGS) and Christine Blasey Ford, a professor and research psychologist who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, on Tuesday, Sept. 25. The following day, Hill spoke out again about her 1991 testimony and Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings at the […]

Hiatt Career Center reaches 53 live videos

Hiatt Career Center is in its second year of its Facebook Live show, #HiattLive, where students give advice primarily about the career search through live-streamed videos. Hiatt has made over 50 episodes. In total, Hiatt has over 20,000 video views and their most popular video, a carpool karaoke spin-off where students sing songs about the […]

Graduate Student Union votes unanimously for contract

With a unanimous vote of 35 to zero, the Graduate Student Union ratified its first ever labor contract with Brandeis University on Sept. 18. The agreement, if ratified by the university administration, will then go to the Graduate Union again. The bargaining committee, which worked with the administration to create the contract, will then sign […]

Anita Hill speaks out about the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings

Brandeis Professor Anita Hill (HS) spoke out in a New York Times opinion piece, on Public Broadcasting System (PBS) Newshour and to the Washington Post, among others, about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings. In the opinion piece, Hill calls for several measures to encourage a fair confirmation hearing that addresses the allegations against […]

Agreement between Graduate Student Union and administration to be put to vote

The Brandeis University Graduate Union has reached a tentative agreement with the university administration on a union contract, which, if ratified at the vote on Sept. 18, will go into effect on July 1 of 2019. The contract provides higher wages, protections for academic freedoms, creates new opportunities for professional development and gives union members […]

Brandeis ranked in Forbes and US News and World Report Rankings

Brandeis University has been ranked as No. 97 in Forbes’ “America’s Top Colleges” List for 2018. In the National University Rankings for U.S. News and World Report, it was ranked No. 35, tied with Georgia Institute of Technology. On the Forbes list, it was ranked 75th in private colleges, 52nd in research universities, 49th in […]

Brandeis searches for a new head basketball coach

A search committee headed by the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Executive Director of the Hiatt Career Center Andrea Dean is in the process of hiring a new head men’s basketball coach to replace Coach Brian Meehan, who was fired last year based on allegations of discriminatory and abusive behavior. The committee expects […]

Student Union fall elections garner impressive voter turnout

UPDATED 9/14 3:30 PM The Student Union held their fall elections yesterday, giving students 24 hours—from 12 a.m. on Wednesday to 12 a.m. on Thursday—to vote. The ballots were sent out by email for students to vote electronically, but students could also vote (earning a treat as an incentive) at new voting booths in the […]

Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion releases update on initiatives

The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has released a report detailing initiatives to increase professional development, faculty awareness and learning about diversity, and diversity within Brandeis faculty and student populations. The report describes multiple ongoing and completed projects for the academic year of 2018 under a variety of offices, including the president’s office and admissions. The […]

Brandeis to compensate faculty and staff for suspended retirement benefits

Brandeis has allocated $1 million to compensate faculty and staff whose retirement contributions were not matched by the university between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010. Employees who were on the payroll between those dates, fiscal year 10, and who remain on the Brandeis payroll as of June 30, 2018, will receive $1,000 and […]

President Liebowitz releases summary report of independent investigation

An independent investigation into the Brandeis athletics department found that there was insufficient supervision of Basketball Coach Brian Meehan and a failure of the interdisciplinary process to address his discrimination and abuse of the basketball team players, according to a 25-page summary report President Liebowitz released Wednesday, Sept. 4. The independent investigation and subsequent report […]

Swiss Post Solutions becomes new mailroom partner

Swiss Post Solutions (SPS) has replaced Xerox as the Brandeis mailroom operating partner after complaints from students, faculty and staff of lost packages and slow delivery. Swiss Post Solutions began their contract with Brandeis on June 1, and since then the mailroom has received new package tracking software and a new store manager. The change […]

John Oliver interviews Prof. Anita Hill

Anita Hill (HS/WGSS) appeared on “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”  on July 29 to discuss sexual harassment in the workplace. Oliver interviewed Hill, discussing her 1991 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee—which created a national conversation on workplace sexual harassment—and its relevance to the current “#metoo” movement. Hill is a professor of social policy, […]

Swim coach leaves Brandeis after HR investigation

After a human resources department investigation into his conduct, Coach Mike Kotch is no longer the Brandeis University Swimming and Diving Team (BUSDT) coach. Brandeis University has declined to comment on whether Kotch was fired or if he resigned. Kotch was placed on administrative leave on May 2 pending the outcome of a human resources […]

Hrabowski to speak at commencement

Freeman A. Hrabowski III, the president of University of Maryland, Baltimore Country, will address graduates and guests at Brandeis’ 67th commencement May 13, President Ron Liebowitz announced Monday. There will be five honorary degree recipients this year, including Hrabowski, Israeli singer Chava Alberstein, Mary Sue Coleman, the president of the Association of American Universities and […]