The Zoom experience
It’s crazy to think that a little over a year ago, we all had no idea what Zoom was or how big of a role it would eventually play in our lives. Now, we are all intimately familiar with Zoom and understand how it works, including breakout rooms, polling and even Zoom etiquette. However, despite […]
One year and one pandemic later
We have officially marked the one year anniversary of the university’s announcement that Brandeis was transitioning to remote learning and closing the campus, which was revealed on March 11, 2020. Within a few short weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way of life for virtually every individual in the world. When we published our first-ever […]
Students shouldn’t have to worry about dining amidst pandemic
Just as Brandeis was in the midst of choosing a new dining provider for the upcoming academic year, the pandemic struck and, like everything else, dining got put on the backburner. We have come to expect a reasonable amount of dysfunction in our daily lives as a result of COVID-19, but we are more than […]
University enforcement polemic
The rules that Brandeis has put in place in response to COVID-19 are very effective, in theory. These rules are superficially very stringent and there are frequent modifications to these rules to stay up-to-date on new information. Some of these rules include wearing a mask while on campus, limiting the capacity of public spaces and […]
Do your due diligence
This semester, the numbers of unique COVID-19 cases per day at both Brandeis and in the United States are higher than they were last semester. Counterintuitively, we are also experiencing a high level of COVID-19 fatigue, leading many individuals to not care as much about spreading the virus. Picture this: a friend that you haven’t […]
Looking forward
Thankfully, the long trudge through 2020 is almost over, and the promise of a new year, however symbolic, cannot help but inspire hope and fear for the coming winter of our discontent. Brandeis has faced some drastic changes—transitioning to a mostly online learning environment, implementing new software and attempting to hold a campus community together […]
Stay connected this break
Over the last few weeks, the number of cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States has spiked significantly. As students leave campus for the semester, we, the editorial board of The Brandeis Hoot, urge students to continue to monitor their health, both physically and mentally. As scientists continue to learn more about the […]
Now the real work begins
In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last two weeks (and honestly who could blame you), there was a presidential election. Leading up to the election, it was nearly impossible to drive down the street, browse through social media or even walk on campus without constant reminders to vote. We even wrote […]
Safe and scary this Halloween
Under any other circumstances, Halloween 2020 would be legendary. Not only is this an election year (which naturally increases the intensity of all things horrific), but Oct. 31 falls on a Saturday this year. Can you imagine the parties? Plus, there is a full moon on Halloween night, which would only add to the frightening […]
The difficulties of a virtual reality
Since March, nearly every student across the country has been forced to contend with “Zoom University.” Although the concept of online schooling is far from new, 2020 marks the first time in history that the computer screen has completely eclipsed the classroom as the primary medium for higher education. Given the instability of epidemic control […]
Honor our community
Our campus has a history; our grounds have a past. Even though its history is rich and beautiful and moving, how many of us can say that we know it? It is far too easy for us to deny or ignore things which are no longer relevant to us, even though it means everything to […]
Stressed? Get help
From the pandemic to the election, people everywhere have a good reason to be stressed out in 2020. At Brandeis, students can feel stressed even at the best of times and taking midterms in the middle of a pandemic can feel comically terrible. With everything going on in the world, some people choose to prioritize […]
Do your part to stop climate change
Climate change presents a critical threat not only to our generation’s future, but our lives in the present day. We all have a responsibility to stop it, but unfortunately not everyone may agree. You’ve heard the rhetoric before. You catch a friend of yours throwing away a perfectly recyclable chunk of plastic. Upon politely reprimanding […]
Vote.
Vote. As redundant as it may sound with everyone and their grandmothers tweeting at their fellow Americans to vote in the upcoming election, this year, voting remains an important and necessary duty. We are not just talking about the presidential election. Voting goes beyond deciding the next commander-in-chief of our country; it allows each of […]
We want to hear from our Union
Over the past two weeks, Brandeis students have voted in two delayed spring elections—elections that were shifted to the fall because of the coronavirus pandemic—to elect new members of the 2020-2021 Brandeis Student Union. As the new members of the Student Union are inaugurated, we, the editorial board of The Brandeis Hoot, want to express […]
Not to ‘be-labor’ the point, but our faculty and staff deserve appreciation
Labor Day is usually thought of as the last hurrah of summer—but we should not forget the original purpose of this national holiday: a day to celebrate workers. Now more than ever before, Brandeis’ staff and faculty deserve our gratitude. Brandeis staff—including facilities workers, maintenance, dining hall workers and university cleaning staff—all deserve our gratitude. […]
Be social while social distancing
Whether you’re attending Brandeis in the lovely little town of Waltham or zooming in from a time zone 12 hours away, you can explore Brandeis student life through Brandeis’ over 200 student-run clubs and organizations. From volunteering, performing, sports, politics and (of course) student journalism, there is an opportunity for everyone to find their passion […]
Better safe than sorry
Frankly, universities should not have reopened. In the past weeks, several large universities have seen a recent spike in cases of the coronavirus—over 500 total at the University of Alabama, 200 new cases at Auburn University (also in Alabama) and University of Southern California has over 100 students in quarantine after being exposed, according to […]
Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter. We, the editorial board of The Brandeis Hoot, stand with the Black Lives Matter movement in condemning racism and advocating for systemic change—including defunding the police. At Brandeis and nationally, young people have been fighting for racial justice in a country that has and continues to systematically oppress the rights of Black […]
On the university’s COVID-19 response
We, the editorial board of The Brandeis Hoot, feel the weight of the impact of the university’s decision to transition to online learning. This change to our lives and our college careers will no doubt affect our memory of Brandeis and our time here, especially for the Class of 2020 as they approach graduation. The […]
