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(09/16/25 10:00am)
On Thursday, Sept. 11, History of Ideas faculty and students gathered in Rapaporte Treasure Hall for an annual panel featuring faculty and student speakers. This year’s discussion theme was centered around the idea that we live in a “garden of forking paths,” and speakers were prompted to discuss a chance encounter from their lives or fields of study that ended up having an enormous impact. The event was moderated by Professor David Katz (HIST), director of the History of Ideas program.
(09/16/25 10:00am)
MEDICAL EMERGENCY
(09/16/25 10:00am)
On Saturday, Sept. 6, five tornadoes hit Massachusetts in varying locations just west of Brandeis’ campus and Waltham. The closest tornado ended its destructive path about 15 miles away from the University. They were all level EF-1 tornadoes, with wind speeds ranging between 94 to 104 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service. The first two tornadoes hit down in Paxton. The first hit at 4:02 p.m. with estimated winds of 100 mph and a path of 0.17 miles long. The second one hit four minutes later, with estimated winds of 94 mph and a distance of 0.13 mph. The third tornado landed in Holden at 4:08 p.m. with winds of 104 mph and traveling at a rate of 0.15 mph. The fourth tornado hit Berlin at 4:25 p.m. with a wind speed of 104 mph and traveled an estimated 0.60 miles. The final tornado touched down in Stow at 4:30 p.m. with a wind speed of 104 mph and traveled 2.38 miles. It caused extensive damage to the trees in the surrounding area.
(09/16/25 10:00am)
Soon to appear above trash cans in the Shapiro Campus Center is “Oscar Sort,” which is a “smart recycling assistant” according to Intuitive Artificial Intelligence, the creator of the new technology. The “zero-touch zero-waste stations” will use camera sensors to determine which form of waste an item is and prompt users to drop their waste into the appropriate bin. Oscars are already in use across national airports, universities and sporting arenas including TD Garden in Boston. On campus, the technology will help reduce the amount of waste incorrectly sorted as trash which often finds its way into landfills or the ocean instead of recycling or compost plants where they can be properly processed.
(09/16/25 10:00am)
On Wednesday, Sept. 10, President Arthur Levine ’70 invited academic policymakers, press and alumni to Washington D.C’s National Press Club for a panel discussion about Brandeis’ plan to “reinvent the liberal arts.” The Board of Trustees Executive Vice President, Cynthia Shapira, welcomed panel attendees. Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey then provided opening remarks and expressed his desire to see the “Bay State” become the “Brain State” by delivering “accessible, responsible and effective” education to all. Markey concluded that the American Dream should be delivered through “higher education, not less education.”
(09/09/25 10:00am)
In an email sent on Sept. 2, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Carol Fierke announced the creation of the Office of Access and Excellence. The new office “will focus on recruitment, support, and retention of students, faculty, and staff.” Additional goals of the office refer to coordinating resources to “remove barriers and create pathways for success.” Collaborations between Student Affairs, Academic Affairs and Human Resources will ensure a tangible administrative process for students and staff. Notably, the Gender and Sexuality Center and the Intercultural Center, formerly part of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Education & Learning Initiatives (ODEI), have been moved to the new office. The still named ODEI website now takes viewers to information regarding the Office of Access and Excellence. The website provides resources to the Alumni of Color Network, the Brandeis Faculty and Staff Pride Alliance and the Staff-Faculty Accessibility Group. Also highlighted are information about all-gender restrooms and a “know your rights” section linking to the Brandeis Counseling Center and Hiatt Career Center. It remains unclear if the Office of Access and Excellence is a remodeling or renaming of the ODEI, and much of the language on the website still refers to “diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging [within] the Brandeis Community.” The new director of the office will be Lee Bitsóí, who previously served as Brandeis’ Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Associate Vice President for Diversity Affairs and Special Advisor to the President for Indigenous Affairs at Fort Lewis College. His address to the University in the aforementioned email with Fierke concluded, “Our commitment to our founding values remains unwavering as we implement this university-wide approach to strengthening a sense of belonging for all in our community.”
(09/09/25 10:00am)
Each academic year, Brandeis updates the Rights and Responsibilities Student Code of Conduct. This year, adjustments were made to the Hazing Policy (Section 2.11), the use of artificial intelligence (Section 4), and the Doxxing Policy (Section 10.4a).
(09/09/25 10:00am)
On July 25, a sickly coyote pup was found on Brandeis campus. It later tested positive for a potent rodenticide known as Second-Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides which has been used by Brandeis to minimize the rat population. SGARs are poisons that prevent blood clotting and lead to internal bleeding and ultimately death. These poisons take about a week to kill rats but live in their system for over four weeks and can be transferred to any animal that consumes the rodent. This poison “causes a very painful death for the wildlife,” said Brandeis Students for Environmental Action, a local and regional environmental activist group, president Justin Kiozumi ’27 in an interview with The Justice on Sept. 8. SGARs poisoning has resulted in deaths of several species of predators that are eating the rats, such as owls, coyotes and most commonly red-tailed hawks.
(09/09/25 10:00am)
This year Brandeis introduced new changes to public safety with the Brandeis Safe app. It works together with the Brandeis Emergency Notifications System to provide real-time updates regarding safety on campus. Introduced on April 30, 2025, the app modernizes safety through features exclusively available on campus. Some of the safety features include an emergency button, safety walks, friend walks, virtual walks with public safety and other campus resources. The app also offers a mobile blue light for individuals walking alone late at night. Additionally, Friend Walk is a resource that allows Brandeisians to send a friend their location with the click of a button. The receiving student is provided a link and map with the sender’s location. If an individual feels unsafe at any time, they can hit the panic button. The virtual walk with public safety allows a person to select a destination and begin their walk instantly alongside a trained member of public safety. This feature is available for up to two hours at a time.
(09/10/25 10:00am)
On Sept. 3, six Brandeis unions held a cross-union rally on the Great Lawn, starting at noon. The unions represented were the Brandeis Library Worker’s Union, Service Employee International Union Local 888, SEIU Local 509, SEIU 32BJ and the University’s newest union, Research and Academic Staff SEIU 888.
(09/09/25 10:27am)
Faculty and staff gathered in the Rapaporte Treasure Hall for the meeting as Chair of the Faculty Senate, Prof. Jeffrey Lenowitz (POL), opened the meeting by welcoming everyone and outlining the day’s agenda. He also noted that a special faculty meeting will be scheduled in the near future to address the implications of recent executive orders on the University which impact federal funding and international student enrollment. Lenowitz then turned the floor over to University President, Arthur Levine ’70.
(05/19/25 10:00am)
On May 18, 2025, the Brandeis community gathered in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center to celebrate the University’s 74th Graduate Commencement. This ceremony acknowledged the achievements of students from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis International Business School and Rabb School of Continuing Studies and named two honorary degree recipients, Shirley Ann Jackson and Jim Obergefell.
(05/19/25 10:00am)
On Sunday, May 18 the Brandeis undergraduate class of 2025 received their diplomas as now retired Brandeis professor Jonathan Sarna ’75 GSAS MA’75 provided the keynote commencement address. As students filled their seats in a great procession, alumni of the class of 1975 followed them into the auditorium marking their 50th graduation anniversary.
(05/19/25 10:00am)
Two emails sent to the Brandeis community members on May 15 reveal how the University’s leadership will continue to change in the coming months. After hundreds of nominations and deliberation with the faculty senate, Interim President Arthur Levine `70 and Carol Fierke, provost and executive vice president of academic affairs, chose the interim deans of several schools of study. Prof. Harleen Singh (GRALL/WGS) will lead the School of Arts, Humanities and Culture. Prof. Susan Birren (NEUR/BIOL) will lead the School of Science, Engineering and Technology. Prof. Linda Bui (ECON) will lead the School of Business and Economics. Prof. Sara Shostak (HSSP) will lead the School of Social Sciences and Social Policy.
(05/19/25 10:00am)
On May 1, Brandeis Hillel held Israel Fest among the Fellows Garden Blue Booths at noon to “celebrate Israeli resilience.” The outdoor festival featured an art installation and candles to light in honor of those impacted by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack and the subsequent Israel-Hamas War.
(05/19/25 10:00am)
Starting next fall, the University Writing Program — the first year writing program which includes composition seminars and University Writing Seminars — will be restructuring as “first-year seminars.” This change was primarily initiated by the Dean of Arts and Sciences office when they established a committee to do a “five-year review of the Brandeis Core Curriculum,” according to an email sent to The Justice from Lisa Rourke, the director of the University Writing Program, and Katrin Fischer, who is the director of First Year Writing. The committee laid out how they took feedback from faculty, staff, alumni and students, in addition to reviewing “Brandeis Core learning objectives [and] curricular and financial data, and faculty, students, alumni and staff feedback.” They concluded that one of the priorities was making the curriculum more flexible, in addition to introducing students to faculty from other disciplines outside the University Writing Program.
(05/19/25 10:00am)
Across the nation, high school students selected which universities they will attend this fall. With enrollment rates falling over the past few years, this year meant more than most for Brandeis. To compensate, the University is doing everything they can to make the institution more appealing to prospective students.
(04/29/25 10:00am)
Indivisible Waltham, a social justice group designed to uphold democracy, is dedicated to holding protests against the Trump Administration throughout the Waltham area. The community was formed as a part of the Indivisible movement, which is a network of thousands of local groups across all 50 states. The Indivisible movement sprouted a few months ago as a means to push back against perceived infringes on democracy by “big money in our government,” as stated on their website. The Waltham group coordinates its protests with 50510 gatherings. The 50510 movement was also formed to uphold a democratic society after Trump took office. Indivisible Waltham’s specific mission is “to fight in defense of American democracy, currently under attack by the executive branch of government."
(04/29/25 10:00am)
On April 24, the Student Union held its annual State of the Union event in the Mandel Atrium. After delivering opening remarks, the former Student Union President Rani Balakrishna ’25 reviewed the Student Union’s accomplishments over the academic year. Before swearing in President-Elect Ria Escamilla Gil ’27 and Vice President-Elect Daniel Shin ’27, Balakrishna reviewed events the Student Union hosted, projects it sponsored, meetings held with faculty members and funding results from the Community Emergency Enhancement Fund and the Campus Sustainability Fund.
(04/29/25 10:00am)
On Feb. 1, the Trump Administration imposed a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico and a 10% tariff on goods from China. Since then, President Donald Trump has continued to increase tariffs, having recently imposed a 145% tax on all Chinese imports. In retaliation to the administration's actions, China, the European Union and Canada have enacted their own tariffs: China began taxing American goods by 84% on April 10, Canada has matched the 25% tax on automobiles and the EU continues to develop plans on retaliation levies on $23 billion worth of U.S. goods.
