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Brandeis announces new mental health partnership with Jed Foundation

Brandeis announces five new microcredentials for spring semester

Faculty discusses University rankings in the U.S. News and World Report, retention rates and confirmed microcredentials

Winter senior send-off

 Farewells are always challenging, but as the end of the fall semester approaches, it’s time to say goodbye to those who are graduating early. Graduating and receiving an undergraduate degree is a remarkable accomplishment that takes endless hours of hard work, dedication and focus. With this in mind, The Justice Editorial Board congratulates all who are graduating in December, and wants to take this opportunity to honor Justice Arts and Culture Editor Maeve Coakley ’25 who will be graduating in the coming weeks.  

Broadway Playwright, Larissa Fasthorse receives Brandeis' Creative Art Award

Her authorship of “The Thanksgiving Play,” alongside a myriad of feats of great theatrical grandeur, such as an adaptation of Peter Pan on Broadway, makes Larissa Fasthorse more than worthy of our praise and recognition through the Brandeis Creative Arts Award. The Award has been previously granted to notable figures including Leonard Bernstein, Charles Chaplin and Stephen J. Sondheim, with our newest recipient showing her might on equal footing. Fasthorse’s ceremony was held in the afternoon of November 21, 2025 and soon thereafter, she would attend the opening night for the Brandeis Theater Arts Department’s production of “The Thanksgiving Play.”

Thoughts on Trump’s Aesthetic Policies

As we enter into the final months of the first year in Donald Trump’s second presidency, America has witnessed many renovations of historical monuments and the generation of new architectural plans for Washington D.C.. With the Aug. 28, 2025 Executive Order “Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again,” the second Trump Administration has stated, 

In defense of the modern novel

There has been a recent discussion in The Brandeis Hoot about the downfall of the novel due to capitalism. To me, this seems like a surface-level argument. The novel chosen as the pinnacle of “pre-capitalist” peak literature in this debate is George Eliot’s 1871 novel “Middlemarch,” a novel that astute readers might point out was written and released at the end of the Victorian period, a time during which capitalism had already sunk its fangs deep into the anglophone world, as demonstrated by Mark Twain referring to the period in American history as the Gilded Age. So, is “Middlemarch” truly unaffected by capitalism? Probably not, but that is neither here nor there. 

Calling for clear AI policy on campus

We have reached a point in our world where Artificial Intelligence is everywhere, bringing with it ethical and logistical challenges. In educational spaces, this new technology often means reckoning with multiple conflicting truths: On one hand, AI is a useful tool with increasing relevance in everyday life. On the other hand, it can be used as a false replacement for exercises in learning and critical thinking. As these considerations persist, the Brandeis community continues to grapple with its usage in our classrooms. 

Third faculty meeting sheds light on Brandeis University’s financial future

The third faculty meeting of the year convened in Rapaporte Treasure Hall on Nov. 7 with presentations from the Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration, Stewart Uretsky, and the Vice President of Development, Stephen Rodriguez on the University’s budget and Institutional Advancement, respectively. The faculty also heard four handbook amendments. Senate Chair, Prof. Jeffrey Lenowitz (POL) outlined these objectives at the start of the meeting. 

Making Israel’s legal space: discussions about international law

On Thursday, Nov. 6, the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies held the event, “We Have Invented a New International Legal Concept of ‘Administered Territories’: Making Israel’s Legal Space, 1948-50.” The event was available for members of the Brandeis community in person, while an online webinar was available to the public. Speaking at the event was Prof. Rephael Stern ’11, a professor at Boston University School of Law, and a Brandeis graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in History. Stern has also received a Master’s Degree in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University, a Doctorate of Law from Harvard Law School, and a Ph.D. from Harvard University. His research focuses on international law as well as Jewish and Middle Eastern studies. 

The Beautiful Sound of Daniel Caesar's "Son of Spergy"

Released on Oct. 24, Daniel Caesar’s fourth studio album, “Son of Spergy,” has reintegrated the grassroots nature of R&B back into the community. The album was highly anticipated after Caesar teased its upcoming release with a string of free pop-up shows. Across 12 tracks, Caesar experiments with new genres including folk and gospel and explores the struggle with his father and religion through intricate storytelling. “Son of Spergy” is Caesar’s most unique album yet.

Tips and tricks for humanities course registration: senior edition

With course registration on the horizon, I wanted to give a few tips, tricks and recommendations I’ve collected during my time at Brandeis. For more specific advice, you should meet with your academic advisor and consult your department head to make sure you stay on track to complete your major. 

The Ladies: Tell Me More

Since August 2025, artist Danielle Joy Mckinney has been the Rose Art Museum’s artist in residence. Her exhibit “Tell Me More” will be touring until January 2026, and the Rose is Mckinney’s first ever solo museum exhibit, featuring 13 of her pieces with two being exclusive to just the Rose Art Museum. 

Teaching Second Chances

In a small classroom on a Thursday evening, a group of students gathers around a table to discuss James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues.” Among them are probation officers, district court judges and people rebuilding their lives after incarceration. They are part of a class called “Changing Lives Through Literature” taught by Prof. Sherman (ENG). It’s one of several programs under the Brandeis Educational Justice Initiative (BEJI), where faculty and graduate students bring higher education beyond campus walls and into correctional and reentry spaces across the Boston area. 

President Levine addresses how students will be affected by The Brandeis Plan in coming months

 On Wednesday, Oct. 29, University President Arthur Levine ’70 spoke to a crowd of undergraduates about the Brandeis Plan to Reinvent the Liberal Arts. He touched on the plan’s three major facets: reorganizing the graduate and undergraduate schools, remaking the core curriculum and creating a Center for Careers and Applied Liberal Arts. The event took place in Rapaporte Treasure Hall and featured small presentations from Levine, as well as members of the faculty and administration involved with the project.  

SENATE LOG

The Student Senate began their weekly meeting with a budget issue, asserting that $2200 of the annual budget has been used so far.

Watercolors of Winslow: new Glance into the Waters of the Past

Opening this past Sunday at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, “Of Light and Air: Winslow Homer in Watercolor” is the largest exhibition of this gentle American giant’s unique watercolor compositions in almost half a century.  Due to conservation concerns, these works must be rarely viewed, preserving sensitive pigments and details that would otherwise be lost to time. This is a true once in a lifetime experience, one I highly encourage all readers to take.

What really is a microcredential?

As Brandeis works towards what the administration is calling The Brandeis Plan to Reinvent the Liberal Arts, students have largely been left in the dark regarding the restructuring of their academic requirements, particularly surrounding “microcredentials.” On the website for The Plan, microcredentials are referred to as part of a “second transcript.” The website states, “The second transcript highlights independently assessed microcredentials earned through coursework, internships, research and co-curricular activities; high-impact experiences like study abroad; capstone projects and community engagement; and verifies how each skill was demonstrated and assessed.” 

Portals into the Past: Brandeis Alumni Art Gallery opens

This Friday, Oct. 25, “Portals” opened its doors to the public in a grand reception worthy of much praise. “Portals” is the Brandeis Alumni Art Gallery’s most recent exhibition, highlighting a continuum of artists across 50 years of Brandeis history. Tama Hochbaum ’75, Bekka Teerlink ’00 and most recently Ally Sukay ’24 post-baccalaureate ’25, presented a large corpus of their works. The exhibition is currently open to the public at the Faculty Club. Instead of describing each artist individually, it may be better to consider these artists as they are in relation to the University. Whether these talented alumni left Brandeis recently or years ago, we — the Brandeis community — can understand their works better through the lens of their experience at Brandeis. Without a doubt, the artist that has captured the most recent Brandeis experience is Ally Sukay, who finished her post-baccalaureate program in 2025. 

University holds second faculty meeting of the academic year

Brandeis faculty gathered in the Rapaporte Treasure Hall on Oct. 10 for the second faculty meeting of the 2025-26 academic year. The meeting consisted of a presentation on the new Moodle Learning Management System policy, an update on the University’s marketing plans, an introduction to the new Center for Careers in Applied Liberal Arts and a discussion on a proposed handbook amendment to change the language describing the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice committee.