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(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)
As Brandeis goes through numerous changes over the years — whether in its infrastructure, its administration or its student body — certain truths about the character of the University remain the same. One of those truths is that its academics comprise a diverse collection of talented and dedicated instructors who teach classes that change our lives indelibly.
(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.
(05/21/25 4:00am)
Exchange for Change is a nonprofit organization based in Miami, Florida that works to educate and empower individuals impacted by incarceration by offering courses and advocacy support to students who are incarcerated. Exchange for Change was founded in 2014 and has worked to support students ever since. The organization is “committed to fostering spaces for creative and intellectual exploration,” and they believe that everyone, no matter their background, deserves a quality education. Exchange for Change strives to create “a world where open dialogue and mutual respect pave the way for vibrant, secure communities.”
(05/19/25 10:00am)
Sack Matt Rushton!
(05/19/25 10:00am)
Meritocracy does not exist — privilege does. Sorry, but one’s understanding of someone else’s hard work and merit guiding their life’s outcome is not always true. While hard work certainly matters, it is rarely the case that someone’s hard work alone will determine their life’s outcomes. Luck and arbitrary circumstances matter just as much or even more. This is especially true for people dealing with homelessness. Those experiencing housing instability have higher instances of adverse childhood experiences than the general population, according to a publication in the Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology journal. Additionally, a study from the American Medical Association has revealed that people sleeping outside in Massachusetts die at three times the rate of people sleeping in shelters and around ten times the rate of the general population. The response to homelessness is not blaming the homeless for their “self-inflicted” problems, rather, it is getting the homeless off the streets and putting them in shelters for long enough to help them find permanent housing solutions.
(05/19/25 10:00am)
After the mass layoffs that have continued to increase under the Trump administration, the reality of poverty is closer than ever before for many Americans. The past few years have seen an increase in the number of people experiencing housing insecurity with almost 40% of the United States population in 2023. While the term “homelessness” has negative connotations and stereotypes attached, the truth is there are so many ways in which one can lose their housing — from having a major health concern to losing a job or leaving a situation of domestic violence. In particular, the Netflix series “Maid” has interrogated the complexity of poverty in a particularly poignant way.
(05/19/25 10:00am)
What do denim jeans and the iPhone have in common? The answer is: more than you think. Textiles and computers are both incredibly ubiquitous technologies. In fact, textiles are one of the oldest forms of technology that we use daily. The clothes we dress in every day represent hundreds of thousands of years of textile development — from the time humans first began to dress themselves in animal skins to the industrialization of garment creation during the 19th century. Meanwhile, computers are one of the newest technological advancements of the modern day. From smartphones to smart-refrigerators, computers have become fully integrated into our daily lives. While they may seem separate, the connection between these ancient and modern technologies is strong.
(04/29/25 10:00am)
Throughout the week of May 14, the University will be installing seven soundproof booths on campus, located between the Goldfarb Library and the Shapiro Campus Center. These soundproof booths will allow students to take private calls, interviews and meetings on a first-come, first-served basis, offering a convenient alternative to reserving rooms in advance.
(04/29/25 10:00am)
On April 17 Stewart Uretsky, executive vice president for finance and administration, Carol Fierke, executive vice president and provost and Andrea Dine, vice president of student affairs sent an email reminding students of the Campus Use of Space Policy. The message explicitly aligned itself with Interim President Levine’s remarks on April 7 which stated disapproval of the Brandeis Jewish Bund’s April 4 demonstration. The email reinforces that all demonstrations, protests and rallies, affiliated or not with the University, must be registered with the Dean of Students Office including a meeting “with the Dean of Students Office [DOSO] and Public Safety prior to the event taking place.” Additionally, “Brandeis Community Members are not permitted to invite third parties” and disciplinary actions can be taken against those that do. Another reminder highlights that if a University official requests a Brandeis community member’s identification at a demonstration, protest, or rally the member must provide it. Lastly, no full-face coverings, besides those for medical or religious purposes, may be worn under the assumption that they are meant to conceal one’s identity. However if being worn for medical or religious purposes members are required to provide identification. The email concluded by expressing that each update and reminder of the Campus Use of Space Policy will be enforced alongside other applicable policies and disciplinary actions.
(04/29/25 10:00am)
Medical Emergency
(04/29/25 10:00am)
The Boston Marathon is a cultural event which draws hundreds of thousands from across the world into the city and surrounding areas to cheer on runners in a grueling 26.2 mile course. On April 21, the 129th celebration took place with more than 31,000 participants entering the race including Brandeis Track and Field coach Michael Schmidt. This being his third marathon of the year, Schmidt ran at an impressive 5:53 minutes a mile pace, placing within the top 350 finishers. His final time of 2:33:53 was 29 minutes behind overall winner John Korir of Kenya who finished after 2:04:45 hours of running.
(04/29/25 10:00am)
On April 24, 2025 at 2:30pm, The Rose Art Museum invited students to perform their poetry in conversation with Hugh Hayden’s exhibition, “Home Work.” I arrived ten minutes early, setting aside my belongings. Student poets dressed in flurries of flowery patterns and spring colors were scattered in the Museum, reciting their poems and practicing silently to themselves as I wandered through the exhibition. I made my way to the entrance to await the formal start of the tour. I found a stack of booklets titled “After Hugh Hayden” that was a chapbook collection of all the student poems
(04/29/25 10:00am)
To kick off this year’s annual Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts, Brandeis’s Students for Environmental Action club put up an exhibition in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium on Wednesday, April 23. The exhibition, titled “Signs for Change,” was thematically focused on climate justice and featured both artwork made from recycled materials and an interactive display that shared educational environmental facts. One part of the exhibit featured over a dozen pieces of cardboard painted with images and words promoting climate action. The pieces were artfully placed to make a pile while maximizing the number of signs that were visible. Other pieces were taped on the windows above the central pile. This colorful and eye-catching display was accompanied by a quick response code with a link to a petition supporting Mass 350’s Climate Change Superfund Act.
(04/29/25 10:00am)
In this time of crackdowns and fear, we are responsible for keeping each other safe. Safety does not mean protection from ideas we do not like, but rather, freedom from persecution for these ideas. The freedom to explore and express our ideas is foundational to our mission: “By being a nonsectarian university that welcomes students, teachers and staff of every nationality, religion and orientation, Brandeis renews the American heritage of cultural diversity, equal access to opportunity and freedom of expression.”
(04/29/25 10:00am)
As a prospective student, I was told Brandeis would be a place to explore my Jewish identity. Quickly, I learned I was a lesser member of the community than the legitimate Jewish students — the ones who grew up going to Jewish day schools and went to Israel during their gap years. I was an aberration, a Jew who felt no connection to Israel and wasn’t particularly interested in making one.
(04/29/25 10:00am)
To the Editor:
(04/29/25 10:00am)
The West End neighborhood of Boston can be categorized today by Massachusetts General Hospital, TD Garden and its towering highrises. The streets are busy and the buildings are shiny and new. A now popular neighborhood for young professionals, the West End was once the home of Boston elites, immigrants with diverse backgrounds and the catalyst of abolition in the Commonwealth.
