Univ. COVID-19 updates: virtual commencement, changes to capacity limits
President Ron Liebowitz announced the cancellation of the class of 2021’s in-person commencement ceremony in an email sent out to the student body on Feb. 23. The decision comes in response to the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic and the number of positive cases in the state of Massachusetts, according to the email. The decision […]
For the original Jojo rabbit
My family was not a “pet family” when I was growing up. And like most kids in an anti-pet household, I desperately wanted a dog. I wanted that instant best friend connection people had with their animals. Then, in second grade, after doing a report on bunnies, I convinced my dad to let me get […]
Univ. updates mask policy, gaiters no longer acceptable
The university has implemented a new mask policy to limit the spread of COVID-19 on campus with the start of spring 2021, according to an email sent by Senior Vice President for Communications, Marketing and External Relations Dan Kim on Feb. 11. The university plans to enforce the new policy in addition to previous guidelines […]
Univ. panelists discuss transition of power
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Senior Advisor for the Biden for President Campaign Greg Schultz spoke about governmental transitions in the post-election, pre-inauguration period in a webinar hosted by the university on Jan. 13. The panelists were asked their thoughts on the Capitol insurrection, which happened just days prior to the webinar. “I think […]
Eleven seats filled in Student Union winter elections, all unopposed
UPDATED: 2/8/2021, 11:30 AM The 2021 winter Student Union elections filled five senate seats, five Allocations Board seats and one representative position. Of the eleven seats filled, all were unopposed. The Senate Scarlett (Tong) Ren ’24, running unopposed, won the midyear class senator position. Ren explained it is important for her to act “as a […]
Prof. finds social media linked to decline in vaccination
Disinformation campaigns launched on social media platforms have been linked to a decline in vaccination, Professor Steven Wilson (POL) found in a study that looked at social media and vaccine hesitancy. Previous studies have shown that the most prominent vaccine content on social media is anti-vaccination messages, according to the study. There have also been […]
11 unprovoked attacks in Waltham, Public Safety issues warning
There have been 11 unprovoked attacks in Waltham over the past month, according to a CNN article. Director of Public Safety Edward Callahan advised students, faculty and staff remaining on campus and in the Waltham area to “exercise extra caution,” according to an email sent by Callahan on Monday. The attacks began on Nov. 10 […]
Univ. sets record in Giving Tuesday donations
The Brandeis community raised a record-breaking amount of donations this past Tuesday, according to the Giving Deisday page, raising over $1 million, with over 2121 donors on Tuesday alone. The university unlocked an extra $100 thousand after passing their goal of 1948 donors, in honor of the university’s founding in 1948. An extra $50,000 was […]
Brandeis alumna named provost
President Ron Liebowitz announced that Brandeis has hired Dr. Carol Fierke PhD ’84 as the new university provost and executive vice president, a role currently held by Provost and Maurice B. Hexter Professor of Social and Economic Policy Lisa Lynch, in an email sent on Nov. 30 to the Brandeis community. Fierke will fill the […]
Black Action Plan creators propose alternative to public safety
Members of the Black Action Plan, Sonali Anderson ’22 and DeBorah Ault ’22, proposed a new “Campus Safety Alliance” as an alternative to the current Brandeis police department in an effort to defund the campus police, the organizers discussed during an event on Nov. 12. The tentatively named Campus Safety Alliance would be a collected […]
Univ. releases draft plan ‘to address systemic racism’ on campus
UPDATED 11/20/20, 7:40 a.m. The university’s draft plan to address systemic racism focuses on examining policing at Brandeis, student financial burdens and faculty and staff hiring, salaries and promotions, according to a Nov. 10 email from President Ron Liebowitz. Liebowitz called for feedback to the draft, which intends to increase diversity, education and training on […]
Panel on Uyghurs in Xinjiang, China Zoombombed
A panel discussing the Uyghur people—a Muslim-Turkish ethnic population living mainly in the Xinjiang region of western China—was disrupted by Zoom users who wrote “FAKE NEWS” and “Bullshit” on a presenter’s slides and played China’s national anthem, according to students who attended. Attendees and presenters alike were displeased with the results of the panel, according […]
How to love home
The election undoubtedly has made a lot of people think about all sorts of things in different lights and viewpoints. I have found myself looking at my home in one of the worst lights I’ve ever seen it in, and trust me, I’ve seen it painted pretty poorly. It genuinely used to be a dump. […]
Brandeis Counseling Center working to deliver better care to students of color, increased transparency in finances
The Brandeis Counseling Center (BCC) is planning to work with student leaders of the Black Action Plan—which contains several demands made by students of color seeking equity on campus—to discuss how the BCC can better provide care to students of color and address criticism of the center in the plan, wrote Director of the BCC […]
Brandeis COVID-19 Testing Tracker
These graphs provide data collected from the Brandeis COVID-19 Dashboard. The first graph depicts the number of positive test results from the week indicated. Since the university has updated its dashboard to distinguish new coronavirus cases between students and faculty/staff, our Number of New Positive Cases graph now has two lines, one to represent new […]
Black Action Plan seeks accountability from administration
The Black Action Plan is a list of concerns, demands and reforms to structurally change departments of the university to be more equitable, diverse and inclusive, according to the plan’s text. It hopes to create an anti-racist Brandeis by diversifying the Brandeis Counseling Center (BCC) staff, increasing professional opportunities for students of color, reforming and […]
Brandeis Rabbi responds to criticism of student union president
Rabbi and Executive Director of Brandeis Hillel Seth Winberg responded to social media criticism of Brandeis’ Student Union president’s Instagram comments about a New York Senate Bill—a bill that would require school children in the state to be educated on the meaning of swastikas and nooses as symbols of hatred and intolerance—according to its text. […]
Univ. partners with Broad Institute for campus-wide coronavirus testing COVID testing partnership with Broad Institute University COVID testing plans for fall 2020
The university’s testing frequency for the coronavirus will be dependent on how often an individual is on campus per week, according to the university’s testing page. Members of the Brandeis community living on campus and individuals who come to campus three or more times a week are required to get tested twice a week, or […]
Univ. hears presentations from prospective dining providers
The university is currently in the process of selecting a new dining contractor, with the university’s current contract with Sodexo ending this June. As part of the process for responding to Brandeis’ Request for Proposals (RFP), each of the candidates were given the opportunity to pitch their dining services and take questions from the campus […]
Community partner appreciation breakfast connects students with community
The university partners with multiple organizations in Waltham and and in the greater Boston area for volunteer opportunities for students. A community partner breakfast, in the Shapiro Campus Center (SCC) Multipurpose Room on March 5, was held to show appreciation for the relationship between the organizations and the university students. The university also wanted to […]
