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“Resident Evil 9: Requiem,” recontextualizing a golden formula

The “Resident Evil” series has been on an absolute roll since the release of “RE 7: Biohazard” in 2017, which essentially revived the series from its five-year drought after the sixth game’s release in 2012. Since then, we’ve received remakes of RE 2 , 3 and  4 and a new mainline game with “RE: Village,” which again revolutionized what the series could be. While good games make a happy fanbase, they also raised expectations for the ninth game to an all-time high, which left “Resident Evil’s” producer, Capcom, with a huge predicament: How do they make a new game that appeals to new fans and old? Even though that seems like an impossible challenge, somehow they managed to do both.

The Newbies: A Capella Showcase

On Sunday, March 8, at 5:00 p.m., two of Brandeis’ very own acapella groups had their newbie debut performances. Starving Artists and Rather Be Giraffes collaborated their debut performances, hosting this tradition in Cholmondeley’s in Usen Castle. The performance started with debut preformances Starving Artists and RBG presidents, Gianni Storti ’26 and Nicole Benton ’26, introducing their respective groups. RBG proceeded to clear the stage, and Starving Artists started with their three-song set. Their first song was “Breakeven,” originally performed by The Script, soloed by Storti and arranged by Ella Cookman ’26 and Hazel Drew ’28. Their second song was “Wildflower” by Billie Eilish, soloed and arranged by Drew. Here, the performance took a turn. Both of these songs displayed Starving Artists’ vocal strength and talents, but here is where the audience got a glimpse of the community within the group, watching the initiation of their newbie, Paris Weaver ’27. 

Voting results from the Feb. 13 faculty meeting

On Feb. 13, Brandeis faculty debated three motions during their monthly meeting. The first motion concerned the establishment of a finance major. The movement was headed by Prof. Debarshi Nandy (BUS, ECON) who outlined the increase in demand for finance programs. He has worked to curate “finance, technology and society” courses and believed that a finance major had potential to attract new students. There was no debate concerning this motion during the meeting, and it was passed after a vote. The second motion, introduced by Vice Provost of Undergraduate Affairs Jeffrey Shoulson, involved a plethora of minor changes to the Brandeis Core requirements. Most of these changes involved nomenclature. The “Foundational Literacies” component would be renamed to “Core Competencies,” while the current “Digital Literacy” component would be renamed to “Technologies.” The “Global Engagement” requirement would be renamed to “Global Engagement and Justice.” Lastly, the “Schools of Thought” would be renamed to “Areas of Inquiry.” On a more substantial level, the motion aimed to add “Teamwork and Collaboration” as a new core competency with a one-class requirement. Additionally, all double-counting restrictions within the core curriculum would be lifted except for those pertaining to first-year seminars along with the level 10 and level 20 foreign language courses. Students are still permitted to count 30-level languages for two requirements. There was substantial debate concerning this motion. Some faculty members brought up concerns that these changes were rushed, while others encouraged its passage as a first step towards making more substantial changes to the Brandeis Core. The motion was ultimately passed. The third motion was the most controversial. It had previously been a part of the second motion’s revisions to the Brandeis Core, but was separated in order to improve the chances of the other Core changes passing the second motion. Shoulson once again introduced the motion. “Resolved, that the World Languages and Cultures requirement be amended to specify a proficiency level equivalent to one year of college-level study. Students will typically achieve this by successfully completing a second-semester course (normally numbered in the 20s) or demonstrating equivalent proficiency and knowledge acquired prior to Brandeis.” Many faculty members had strong opinions about this motion. Several professors advocated against its passage. These arguments included that novice-level proficiency is not meaningful in the context of becoming a global citizen, that level 30 language classes are a valuable form of student enrichment and community development and that this proposed change could cause faculty retention issues. Professors who advocated in favor of this motion argued that students should be able to choose how they spend their time. Many pointed out that Brandeis students are naturally inclined to become broadly-educated citizens no matter their area of study, and that the three-semester language requirement can cause difficulties for students who take on substantial coursework, such as pre-med students. There was an apparent subject-area divide amongst faculty who advocated for and against this motion. Nearly all who spoke in favor of the motion were STEM faculty, while most who spoke against it represented the arts, humanities or social sciences. Ultimately, the third motion was not approved and the three-level language requirement will remain unchanged.

Senate Log

On Sunday, March 8, the Union Senate convened in Shapiro Campus Center 313 for their weekly meeting. The agenda included the presentation of a Senate Money Resolution, review of Union Senate expectations, Committee reports and an open forum for representatives to voice their concerns. The meeting was called to order by Student Union Vice President Daniel Shin ’27, while attendance was taken by Sarah Jafary ’28, an executive senator. Shin acknowledged that the group had no club charters or recognitions to review, so the group promptly moved to communications issues. The Union Senate took a moment to individually review both the Executive Board and finance reports, and no concerns were raised. Luke Farberman ’27, chair of the Club Support Committee, asked if Shin could provide any information about a planned “Move-Out Market,” for the end of the semester. Shin clarified that this was a sustainability initiative and did not have much information to share. 

Police Log

Content Warning: Mention of suicide.

Hot Take

Thanks for sending in this week’s hot take, Esther. I think women getting into sports is pretty topical since the release of Heated Rivalry brought in a lot of new female hockey fans, and they have received criticism for this. To all those who think that you are not allowed to be a hockey fan because of Heated Rivalry, I say this: Who cares? Can’t everyone just enjoy sports? Can’t everyone just get along? The best part of watching sports is the community around it. Everyone can watch and have their own opinions and their favorite teams — so what if someone likes a team because there’s a hot player on it? They still enjoy the games just as much as everyone else, and I’ll bet they know just as much as the average fan. Of course I agree with Esther because all sports fans are valid for their reason of being a fan. We shouldn’t judge based on why you’re a fan, but what you’re a fan of. I don’t care that you like the Oklahoma City Thunder because you think Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is hot, I care that you like the Thunder because I hate them. If you’re a sports fan, you’re a sports fan — and that’s that. If you’re a man and you disagree with what I’ve said, let me ask you this: Why do you watch LeBron play? 

Atlanta Hawks’ strip club-themed promotional night receives pushback from players

Sophomore Softball Stars

Opinion: Keep College Basketball Wild

A new lacrosse team won’t fix what’s broken at Brandeis

 Learning about the University’s budget problems is nothing new to Brandeis students. There’s likely not a single student on campus who hasn’t woken up to an email from the president — either former or current — detailing the latest deficit or university crisis, and then outlining the brilliant and novel plan they came up with that will save us. Sometimes, these plans are called reorganizations, restructurings or reimaginations. In reality, they are almost always layoffs, cuts or cancelations. There was Brandeis’ decision to lay off more than 60 faculty positions in the spring of 2024. Later that year, the University ended its support for the Lydian String Quartet. That came following the 2023 decision to eliminate specific graduate programs within the music department. Of course, for those of us who have been here a little longer, some may remember the cancelation of the Science 2A project: the purported five-story and nearly $150 million expansion of science lab and classroom space attached to the Shapiro Campus Center. Finally, for those of us who have been here the longest, there is the University’s infamous post recession attempt to sell off the Rose Art Museum's nearly $350 million collection.

Letter to the Editor — Graham Glovka

 Duplicity or Fairness: A response to The Hoot 

Letter to the Editor — Jon Hochschartner

Nationalize Amazon

Hectic housing: a guide to Brandeis living

 The Brandeis housing system is notoriously complex. As the housing selection date approaches, this editorial board would like to provide some suggestions to clarify the selection process. The current housing selection system works by assigning all rising sophomores, juniors and seniors a housing number. These can be found by accessing the MyHousing portal, where the number is displayed under the “Messages” tab, along with the selection period. Student athletes are assigned the lowest numbers (0-126), sophomores have the next lowest (127-1201) and juniors and seniors are given the remaining numbers. Time slots for housing selection will be assigned on March 13. 

Celebrating Black History Month at Brandeis: in conversation with a student leader

As Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall once said, “In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.” His words resonate every February, as the United States honors Black History Month, highlighting the culture, history and heritage of the Black community. The month not only celebrates Black people’s long-standing fight for justice and inclusion, but also recognizes the countless achievements of African Americans. Founded by Carter G. Woodson in 1926, Black History Month aims to center Black people’s past and successes as a permanent part of American history. 

Following February fire, Sherman's closure reshapes dining experience on campus

More than a month after Sherman Dining Hall’s Feb. 2 closure, students reported overcrowding, limited food options and accessibility challenges, as Usdan Kitchen serves as the main dining hall on campus. To better understand the impact of this situation, The Justice conducted a survey between Feb. 18 and Feb. 27 to reflect students’ experiences during this time.

Faculty discusses revisions to Brandeis Core and debates reducing foreign language requirement

At 2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13, the faculty senate convened in Rapaporte Treasure Hall for their monthly meeting. Senate Chair Prof. Jeffrey Lenowitz (POL) noted during his opening remarks that the meeting was unusually populated. His opening remarks included other orders of business, such as reminders for faculty to order commencement regalia and an announcement that teaching award nominations are currently underway. He then asked for corrections to the minutes of the Dec. 5, 2025 meeting, of which there were none. 

Senate Log 3/1

On Sunday, March 1, the Union Senate convened for their weekly meeting. Due to lower attendance, they first voted to adjust the quorum to 11 senators. The senators then discussed promoting two clubs — DeisHacks and Judeus & Judios — to probationary status and went over a few additional updates about upcoming elections for positions in the Union Senate and information regarding the ongoing construction in Sherman Dining Hall. 

Brandeis celebrates Women's History Month

 In a Feb. 2 email to students from Prof. Sabine von Mering (WGS, CGES), Harleen Singh (WGS, ENG) and LeManuel Bitsóí (HSSP), the University invited the community to join in celebrating Women’s History Month. Established by Congress in 1987, Women’s History Month recognizes women's societal impact and contributions. At Brandeis, this legacy is reflected in the growth of the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department. Brandeis also highlighted its feminist history through presenting influential scholars such as Angela Davis, Pauli Murray, Patricia Hill Collins and Anita Hill along with alumni including literary critic Elaine Showalter, sociologist and psychoanalyst Nancy Chodorow, physicist Evelyn Fox Keller, historian Joan Wallach Scott and Letty Cottin Pogrebin, the founding editor of Ms. Magazine. From March 3 to March 31, Brandeis will host lectures, panels, exhibitions and performances in celebration of these women, and the events will be hosted by different student organizations on campus. This includes events at the Rose Art Museum and the Women’s Studies Research Center. An ongoing exhibition titled “Who Will Draw Our History? Women’s Graphic Narratives of the Holocaust, 1944-1949” is currently being showcased at the Kniznick Gallery and will be displayed until April 30. The university additionally encourages engagement with their archival collections and database that documents the contributions and achievements of these women. The message concluded with a call for a campus-wide participation and a regard for honoring women’s history throughout the month of March. 

Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies reflects on 50 years of scholarship and financial independence

The University’s Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies department celebrates their 50th anniversary of establishment this year. In 1976, Brandeis began its Women’s Studies program with a single course offering – Women 10A: Women in American History. In 2014, the program evolved and became Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and in 2020 was promoted to official departmental status. Today, the department is one of the wealthiest at Brandeis and remains financially stable despite broader university funding concerns.

Hot Take