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Paige Bueckers: A Special Talent

Senator Booker breaks record, speaks for 25 hours straight to protest Trump administration’s agenda

On the evening of May 31, Senator Cory Booker (D) of New Jersey began a 25-hour marathon speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate. He stated, “I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able. I rise tonight because I believe sincerely that our country is in crisis.” He held the floor in protest of the Trump administration’s actions and Elon Musk’s interference in various critical government functions, such as social safety nets, via the Department of Government Efficiency.

Senate charters two clubs and debates resolution on transgender athletes

The Brandeis Student Union meeting was called to order on April 6, at 7:05 p.m. by Vice President Ría Escamilla-Gil ’27

Exploring Mizrahi feminism: identity, solidarity and political challenges

On April 3, Prof. Yuval Evri (NEJS) hosted guest speakers Shirly Bahar, a political resistance educator at Columbia University and Yali Hashash, a queer feminist activist, to discuss Mizrahi identity, feminism and the political challenges of our time. This discussion was the third session of the Sephardi Modernities Seminar Series 2025​: “Partners, Outsiders, and Others: Sephardi Jews and the Global Left.”

Brandeis Jewish Bund holds protest to go “All out for Palestine”

 On Friday, April 4 at 4:00 p.m., the Brandeis Jewish Bund gathered on the Great Lawn for a demonstration and marched along Loop Road in support of Palestine. The gathering aimed to condemn the University’s “complicity in the ongoing genocide of Palestinians,” the Trump administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests/disappearances and the forces of U.S. imperialism, as explained in an April 2 post on the Bund’s Instagram page. Over the course of the demonstration, around 100 individuals gathered outside the University’s entrance, and onlookers ranged from administrative staff and faculty to eventual counter-protesters. 

March Madness 2025: one shining moment

Local non-profit changes lives of high school students

Waltham City Councilor suggests adopting new traffic technology system

The City of Waltham, like many others, is facing growing traffic congestion and safety issues, according to Waltham Ward Seven Councilor Paul S. Katz. During a March 24 Waltham City Council meeting, Katz proposed a resolution aimed at improving traffic safety through technology. The proposal suggests implementing a system designed to deter illegal parking behaviors.

Will Archon Yearbook be reinstated this year after its 2023 disbandment?

The Brandeis Archon Yearbook club is working to be reinstated to once again  release yearbooks. The club will be taking a new approach to ensure the troubles that caused Student Union to relinquish their status as a secured club in 2023 do not arise again. Student Union President Rani Balakrishna ’25 started the initiative and has since passed the project on to an eight person executive board. 

Zeitouna, all-women’s Jewish-Palestinian peace group, speaks to Brandeis students at J Street U event

Mandel G03 is lit up by the projector screen as students pile in. It’s 7:30 p.m. Participants greet each other as they haphazardly cut chocolate babka from Bakey, and the president of J Street U, Ayla Wrubel ’25, does a sound check on Zoom. Once everyone has adjusted in their seats, quiet descends on the room. The two women on the screen, Leonore, an Israeli Jew, and Randa, a Palestinian, smile graciously. They are the founding members of Zeitouna, an all women’s peace group in Ann Arbor, Michigan that meets bimonthly to engage in dialogue on the Israel-Hamas conflict. The group is where Leonore and Randa have fostered a friendship that has lasted over 20 years, since they met in the summer of 2002. After some technological kinks are smoothed out, the students watch a Columbia Broadcasting System clip from April 2024 of a Zeitouna meeting with six Palestinian and six Jewish members, one of whom is a Holocaust survivor. The women eat together before sitting with reporter Lisa Lang, to whom they express how the group has supported them but also challenged them. 

The Lydian String Quartet fights to remain as fundraiser begins

The Brandeis Division of the Creative Arts is stepping up and launching a fundraising campaign in an attempt to save the beloved Lydian String Quartet. Founded in 1980, the Lydian has been a staple of the Brandeis arts community for the past 45 years. In addition to performing all over the world, the musicians serve as Brandeis professors, imparting their knowledge onto the next generation of creatives at the University.

Student Union elections are here

The Brandeis Student Union has announced the start of its next election cycle. The Student Union is managed by students and advocates for a safe, equitable and engaging environment. Getting involved, meaning running for a position or casting a vote, is one way that students have meaningfully shaped Brandeis student life and ensured students' voices are heard. In a March 17 email to the Brandeis student body, Student Union Secretary Rachel Gao ’25 announced that there are 28 seats up for grabs during this spring cycle.

Pilot project supplying campus with free period products expanded

In a Feb. 4 email, Period Activists at ‘Deis student club announced the “huge news” that the Pilot Program — an initiative started by PAD and Student Union — is expanding this semester. The Pilot Program originally launched in spring 2023 with the aim to provide free menstrual products in the first-year residence halls, including East Quad, North Quad and Massell Quad. There were a total of 52 dispensers installed in those dorms, each supplied with both pads and tampons. 

Police Log 3/7-3/15

Medical Emergency 

Student Union hears from A-board and discusses future club chartering

The Brandeis University Student Union Senate reconvened on March 16 at 7:05 p.m. for its weekly meeting.

Faculty vote to reorganize university, new town halls announced

On March 17, Interim President Arthur Levine ’70 sent an email to the Brandeis community to announce that the faculty has voted to implement reorganization plans for the University. The plans were presented to the student body at Levine’s Feb. 25 town hall and were debated by the faculty during their Mar. 7 meeting. The email stated the goal of these reforms are to “[create] new exciting and innovative academic programs for the rapidly changing environment of the global, digital, knowledgeable economy we live in.”

City of Waltham introduce resolution for a web-based reporting system

During the March 10 Waltham City Council meeting, council members, including Ward 9 Councilor Robert G. Logan, Ward 8 Councilor Cathyann Harris, Councilor-at-Large Carlos A. Vidal, Ward 3 Councilor William Hanley, Ward 7 Councilor Paul S. Katz, Ward 1 Councilor Anthony LaFauci, Ward 6 Councilor Sean Durkee, Councilor-at-Large Colleen Bradley-MacArthur and Ward 2 Councilor Caren Dunn introduced a resolution urging the city of Waltham to adopt a web-based reporting system. This system, which would be accessible via a mobile app, would allow residents to report non-emergency neighborhood issues such as potholes, rat sightings and streetlight outages.

Brandeis University tennis team weekend recap

The Brandeis University tennis teams had a busy weekend on the court, showcasing their grit and determination. The men’s team picked up a decisive win against Nichols College, while the women’s team was narrowly defeated by their ranked rivals, Babson College. 

Faculty debates University reorganization plan

On March 7, faculty members held a meeting in the Rapaporte Treasure Hall to further discuss the University reorganization plan that the Senior Associate for Faculty Affairs, Prof. Joel Christensen ’01 (CLAS), introduced during the faculty’s Feb. 28 special meeting. The meeting agenda included memorial minutes for Prof. Arthur Holmberg (THA) and researcher Robert Dunigan as well as an address from Interim President Arthur Levine ’70.  

Showering the babies in song

On Friday March 7, Rather Be Giraffes held their Baby Shower, welcoming three new students to their all gender a capella group. The night began with a mesmerizing cover of “Winner” by Conan Gray, lead by Nicole Benton ’26. While the song itself evokes a somber and deeply emotional mood, the atmosphere of the night was anything but. Following Benton’s solo, Kaila Silber ’25, dazzled the audience with a soulful rendition of Olivia Dean’s “Dive.” In the same romantic sultry tone, the last of the love songs came with Adele’s “All I Ask” featuring Sydney Duncan ’25. With a shift in tempo and a spotlight on the next generation of talent, the night concluded with a lively Beach Boys medley, featuring the 'baby giraffes' — Sarah Jafary ’28, Sara Hyde-Touissant ’28 and Mia Warshaviak ’27.