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 […]
Brandeis rises in FIRE’s free speech rankings, but still earns an F
On Sept. 9, 2025, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) released its sixth annual college free speech rankings. The rankings are based on several factors, including the university’s written policies, any free-speech-related controversies that occurred on campus and survey data of college students. In the 2026 annual rankings, Brandeis placed 149th out of […]
Brandeis ranking continues to drop for third consecutive year
In the 2026 edition of the U.S. News and World Report Best National Colleges Ranking, Brandeis University was ranked as number 69. This ranking puts Brandeis in a four-way tie along with Tulane University of Louisiana, the University of Connecticut and the University of Pittsburgh. The ranking of 69th reflects a drop from 63rd in […]
Why Democrats shouldn’t be afraid of the upcoming government shutdown fight
If the Senate does not pass a funding bill by Oct. 1, the government will shut down. Because of the Senate’s archaic filibuster rules, any potential continuing resolution will require 60 votes to pass. This means that if every Republican votes for the bill, they will also need the votes of at least seven Democrats […]
Parking Office changes leave juniors without parking
In an email to the Brandeis community sent on Aug. 13, Assistant Vice President of Public Safety Matthew Rushton informed students that on-campus parking would only be available for seniors and students with disability accommodations. This represented a major change from last year, when parking was available to both juniors and seniors, as well as […]
Arthur Levine signs letter criticizing government overreach
In a letter released on April 22, more than 260 university presidents and other higher education leaders, including Brandeis Interim President Arthur Levine, promised to oppose the “undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses” by the administration of President Donald Trump. The letter was published by […]
Sweeping tariffs are a really bad idea
On Wednesday, April 2, President Donald Trump announced new “liberation day” tariffs. This was something that he had promised during his campaign; however, the magnitude of the tariffs and the careless way in which they were calculated and enacted was shocking. Trump enacted a 10% tariff on all imports, as well as higher “reciprocal” tariffs […]
Track and field teams kick off outdoor season
Since our last edition of The Hoot, the Brandeis Judges track and field teams have competed in four different meets. On March 29, the Judges attended both the Black & Gold Invitational at Bryant University and the Tufts Snowflake Classic at Tufts. On April 4, the Judges attended the Regis Spring Classic, and on April […]
ADL gives Brandeis an A on annual antisemitism report card
On March 3, the Anti-Defamation League released their second annual college antisemitism report cards for 2025. Brandeis University was given an A, one of only eight colleges to receive the top grade. Brandeis was one of only two colleges to receive an A last year. In their report, the ADL cited Brandeis’ partnership with […]
Three Judges compete in NCAA indoor track finals
On March 14 and 15, three athletes from the Brandeis Judges track and field team competed in the NCAA Division III indoor track finals. Garrett Rieden ’26 won his heat in the 800-meter relay with a time of 1:53.67 to advance to the finals. In the finals, Rieden finished in sixth place with a time […]
I tried the Brandeis sushi
In my time at Brandeis so far, I had tried almost every food that was offered on campus. One of the few things that I hadn’t tried was the sushi offered at the Kosher Table in Sherman Dining Hall. I was scared to try it. I’d never had sushi before. I know it contains raw […]
Why the Department of Education should not be eliminated
Recently, Donald Trump has been talking about eliminating the Department of Education (DOE). He has already taken the first step towards doing that, having announced that half of the department’s staff would be laid off as part of Elon Musk’s spending cuts. Like many of the cuts made by Elon’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), […]
Judges track and field attends UAA Championships and Last Chance Meet
On March 1 and 2, the men’s and women’s track and field teams attended the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships at the University of Chicago. On day one of the event, one Judge set a school record, while another earned All-UAA honors. Peterly Leroy ’28 broke the school record for the 400-meter dash in […]
Swim teams end season at UAA championships
On Feb. 12, the Judges swim and Dive teams attended the UAA (University Athletic Association) championships at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. The event opened with the men’s and women’s teams competing in the 800-yard freestyle relay events. The men’s relay team consisted of Benjamin Lee ’26, Sam Bundy ’26, Tal Spector ’25 and Luke […]
Track team breaks their own school record
On Feb. 14, the Judges traveled to BU to participate in the Valentine Invitational. TJ Carleo ’26 finished 71st overall with a time of 1:52.89, sixth among Division III (DIII) competitors at the meet and 26th among DIII times this season. Shaniece Nugent ’26 got fourth place in the triple jump and first among DIII […]
Why tests are better than projects
In one of my classes, the professor gave each member of the class a choice: we could do a project or take a test. I was one of only two people in the class who chose the test. If that class is representative of Brandeis as a whole, then 90% of you guys are probably […]
Fencing team earns two medals for foil performance
On Feb. 23, the Judges fencing teams participated in the New England Intercollegiate Fencing Championships. The women’s foil squad took home a silver medal, while the men’s foil squad earned bronze. The women’s foil squad consisted of Eva Bassik ‘28, Rhea Menon ‘26 and Ella Richards ‘27. They finished second to MIT. In the […]
Track and Field attends several meets
Since our last publication, the Track and Field teams have been busy, participating in four different meets. On Jan. 25, both the men’s and women’s teams traveled to the Wheaton College Lyon Invitational. On Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, the Judges attended both the Wheaton Invitational and the BU Terrier Invitational. On Feb. 7 and […]
Waltham mayor and other local leaders speak at VoteDeis panel
On Jan. 30, VoteDeis, the Student Union and The Abraham Feinberg Educational Network For Active Civic Transformation (ENACT) hosted an event called “It’s Not All About the President: Engaging in Local and State Government,” held in Rapaporte Treasure Hall. The event panelists were Waltham Mayor Jeannette McCarthy, State Representative Thomas Stanley and City Councilor and […]
Elon Musk does Nazi salute at inauguration rally
On Monday, I spent my day off watching the coverage of Donald Trump’s second inauguration. I cannot possibly explain why I chose to do this. His first inaugural address was about “American carnage” and his speeches have only gotten darker since then. In recent weeks, he’s become obsessed with expanding the territorial boundaries of the […]