It’s time to repeal the Second Amendment
Last week, a school shooting in Bend, Oregon resulted in the death of three children and a teacher. Just a decade ago, a school shooting like this would have been a months-long news story that put gun control at the forefront of the political debate. To this day, we all remember hearing about Sandy Hook […]
Prediction markets represent everything that’s wrong with society
Since the Supreme Court struck down a federal ban on sports betting in 2018, gambling has rapidly grown into a multi-billion dollar industry. Turn on your TV, and you will likely see commercials for at least one online betting site. Watch any sporting event, and you’ll likely see a couple of gambling ads during every […]
Brandeis announces new Robert Kraft Center
Last month, Brandeis announced plans for a new building on campus: the Robert K. Kraft Family Center for Jewish Life and Leadership. The new building, expected to be completed in the spring of 2028, will be the new home of Brandeis Hillel, currently located in the Usdan Student Center. It will also feature a beit […]
Brandeis rises in U.S. News Rankings, reversing decline
In the 2027 edition of U.S. News and World Report National College Rankings, Brandeis is ranked number 59. Brandeis is ranked number 36 among private universities, and number 46 among best value schools. This represents a reversal of a steady decline in Brandeis’ ranking since 2023, when U.S. News and World Report changed its methodology […]
Brandeis begins presidential search
On June 9, Board of Trustees Chair Lisa Kranc ’75 sent an email to the Brandeis community to announce the start of the search for Brandeis’ next president. The process will consist of a Presidential Search Committee and a Presidential Search Advisory Council. The Presidential Search Committee is chaired by trustee Cynthia Shapira and vice […]
Why everyone should shut up about Hasan Piker
If you’ve paid attention to the midterm congressional campaigns this election cycle, you’ve probably heard a lot of talk about Hasan Piker: Republicans highlighting his most controversial statements, moderate Democrats criticizing him, progressives hoping to draw support from his base, journalists asking candidates about him, and pundits debating what role he’ll have on the outcome […]
Why are meal points even a thing?
Presumably, most people at Brandeis have had a meal plan at some point during their time here. Whatever meal plan you ended up choosing, it inevitably included some amount of “points.” Even the cheapest plan has at least $60 worth of points, and any plan for someone who lives on campus includes at least $175 […]
UTC’s performance of ‘Clue: On Stage’ truly excelled
On Friday, March 13, Saturday, March 14, and Sunday, March 15, the Undergraduate Theater Collective brought their performance of “Clue: On Stage” to the SCC Theater, and it was a truly impressive performance. “Clue: On Stage” is a comedic adaptation of the 1985 film “Clue” and is based on the board game by Hasbro. Six […]
News Made Small 4/17
Springfest: Springfest will take place on April 26 this year, with the recent announcement of headliner Zara Larsson. Larsson is the 25th biggest artist on Spotify and recently performed at the Grammys. The opener is an artist called Notebook P, a rapper with 7,371 monthly listeners on Spotify. The Department of Student Engagement (DSE), in […]
Attacking Iran was a mistake
On Feb. 28, the U.S. and Israel launched a massive air campaign against the state of Iran. The next day, President Trump announced that one of the airstrikes had killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had ruled Iran for the past 47 years. Nobody should be sad that Khamenei is gone; the man was […]
Brandeis Considering Demolition of East Quad Following Completion of New Residence Hall
Following the completion of the new residence hall, which is currently under construction on the lower campus, Brandeis is considering plans to demolish East Quad. This plan was first revealed to The Hoot during our exclusive interview with Arthur Levine in early October as something that was a possibility. East Quad has approximately 400 beds, […]
A.I. video generators are terrible for society
Last week, President Donald Trump released an A.I.-generated video of himself playing hockey for Team USA and punching members of the Canadian team. Three weeks ago, he shared an A.I.-generated video depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes. These videos are not unique; the president has shared at least […]
The Equal Time Rule is outdated and should be repealed
On Monday, Feb. 16, late-night television host Stephen Colbert planned to interview Texas senate candidate James Talarico. However, he was told by his network’s lawyers that he was not allowed. The reason was because of a ruling that requires radio stations and broadcast television channels to give equal airtime to all candidates in an election. […]
Am I the only one that liked the ending of Stranger Things?
If it wasn’t obvious by the title, this article contains spoilers for “Stranger Things.” Despite the fact that there are only five seasons, I’ve been watching “Stranger Things” since I was 11 years old. After nine long years, we finally got to see the ending to one of the most popular TV shows in Netflix […]
How is Bill Belichick not a Hall of Famer?
I don’t expect that a lot of Hoot readers are huge sports fans. After all, this school doesn’t even have a football team. Those of you who do pay attention to the National Football League (NFL) are probably focused on Super Bowl LX (Go Pats!). So many of you may have missed the biggest sports […]
Enough is enough. It’s time to abolish ICE
On Jan. 7, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Good in Minneapolis as she attempted to drive away. Statements from ICE and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claim that Good was attempting to hit Ross with her car. Multiple videos show the events in Minneapolis, from several different angles, […]
Chuck Schumer needs to step down as Senate Minority Leader
If you read my articles in the last issue of The Hoot (here and here), you’ll know that I’m not a particularly big fan of Chuck Schumer. Schumer has been the leader of the Senate Democrats since Harry Reid’s retirement in 2017, serving either as majority or minority leader depending upon which party controlled the […]
Reflections on the 2025 elections
On Tuesday, Nov. 4, multiple major elections were held in several different states across the country. In Virginia, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger defeated Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears to become the state’s first female governor. Rep. Mikie Sherrill defeated businessman Jack Ciattarelli to become the next governor of New Jersey. In a race many people were […]
The Primary from Hell: Responding to the 2026 Maine Senate Primary
Since I imagine most of you don’t follow politics as closely as I do, you may not have heard about the primary campaign currently taking place in Maine. Sen. Susan Collins, a so-called moderate who always votes for the Trump agenda–despite publicly expressing concern–was the deciding vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. […]
The Hoot interviews President Arthur Levine
On Friday, Oct. 3, The Hoot had an interview with Brandeis University President Arthur Levine, who recently started in the role full-time after serving as interim president from November 2024 until September of this year. The Hoot was able to ask Levine about topics including his recent reorganization of the schools, federal pressure from the […]