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Brandeis University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1949 | Waltham, MA

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Pilot project supplying campus with free period products expanded

(03/19/25 12:48pm)

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. 




Waltham Traffic Commission approves Moody Street outdoor dining

(03/18/25 10:00am)

During their Feb. 20 meeting, Waltham’s Traffic Commission voted to approve Ward 8 Councilor Cathyann Harris and Ward 9 Councilor Robert Logan’s 2025 Moody Street Outside Dining Plan. Approval of this dining plan allows restaurants on Moody Street to apply to occupy the parking spaces in front of and adjacent to their frontages, as well as use of the sidewalk, for outdoor dining purposes. 


Faculty vote to reorganize university, new town halls announced

(03/18/25 10:00am)

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.”



Waltham Police Department pioneers progressive mental health practices in law enforcement

(03/18/25 10:00am)

The Waltham Police Department is at the forefront of innovative mental health-centered law enforcement practices, setting a precedent for community policing in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. With the integration of certified mental health specialists — officially titled Jail Diversion Clinicians — into its ranks, the department has taken significant strides in the implementation of de-escalation and crisis intervention techniques.


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

(03/18/25 10:00am)

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.


The use and misuse of history: Prof. Ivan Kurilla on politics

(03/18/25 10:00am)

On Monday, March 10, The Center for German and European Studies hosted Wellesley College Professor Ivan Kurilla to discuss “The Use and Misuse of History in Russia and Everywhere Else.” After departing from European University At St. Petersburg, Kurilla is serving as an International Scholar in Residence at Wellesley College for the Spring 2025 semester. While he was still in Russia, he had been outspoken against Moscow’s full-scale invasion of  Ukraine in 2022. According to Bowdoin College, where he was the Visiting Tallman Scholar in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies, just before his departure, university authorities in St. Petersburg informed him that they would not approve his academic leave. Kurilla decided to leave and was fired from European University for absenteeism.


Dean Baquet on the media's role in shaping polarization

(03/11/25 10:00am)

On Tuesday, March 4, the Brandeis Journalism Department invited former New York Times Executive Editor and Pulitzer Prize recipient Dean Baquet to serve as keynote speaker for the 2025 Elaine Wong Distinguished Lecture Program. Baquet formerly served as the executive editor for the Los Angeles Times and made history as the first African American Executive Editor of the New York Times. He spoke about the interplay between the media and polarization in a discussion moderated by Associate Professor of the Practice of Journalism Ann Silvio (JOUR) and adjunct lecturer Adriana Lacy (JOUR), as well as Professor Paul Anskat (SOC). 


Faculty debates University reorganization plan

(03/11/25 10:00am)

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.  


A scientist who got his start at Brandeis is changing the world of medicine

(03/11/25 10:00am)

The transformative power of a Brandeis education extends into the world of enzymology, as demonstrated by Dr. Mo Seyedsayamdost ’01, whose groundbreaking research is uncovering potentially lifesaving antibiotics. Before earning his PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Seyedsayamdost embarked on his journey of scientific discovery at Brandeis University, where he immersed himself in research under the mentorship of Prof. Liz Hedstrom (BIO/CHEM).





Library Union rallies, negotiations continue

(03/11/25 10:00am)

“Wrap it up” was the prevailing chant among Brandeis University library union staff, students and other university employees during a March 5 rally. Around 30 attendees gathered outside the Bernstein-Marcus Administration Center to express their continued support for the library union, which has now been in contract negotiations for eight months. The union is seeking safeguards to protect its employees’ future as it claims the University seeks to contract out work “without any restrictions.” Additionally, they are seeking a contract that prioritizes  salary adjustments that account for inflation and the rising cost of living in the Greater Boston Area. The March 5 rally aimed to add pressure onto the administration. The previous contract, originally expiring in June 2024, has been extended multiple times while the union’s bargaining unit and the University work toward an agreement on fair terms. While the union acknowledges some progress since its Jan. 23 rally — particularly in discussions around its demand for structured pay increases over time — it remains concerned about the university’s approach to outsourcing union work. 


President Levine responds to concerns

(03/04/25 11:00am)

On Tuesday, Feb. 25, Interim President Arthur Levine '70 held a town hall to discuss his plans for the University. With approximately 40 students present, the town hall began with the Brandeis Jewish Bund handing a copy of their list of demands to Levine — originally shared during a Feb. 5 vigil — and shaking his hand. The President pocketed the paper without reading it and began the meeting. A request was made that no recordings be taken of the event to honor students' privacy. 




Partners for Peace: Building Bridges in the West Bank

(03/04/25 11:00am)

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is often portrayed in stark, binary terms. Yet, within this landscape of division, individuals like Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger and Khaled Abu Awwad offer a testament to the power of human connection and the potential for transformative change, both individually and systematically. Their work, through the organization they co-founded, Roots—Judur—Shorashim, seeks to bring together West Bank Palestinians and Israeli settlers, sparking a quiet revolution of connection and offering a glimmer of optimism in a remarkably bleak landscape. The two activists came to Brandeis on Feb. 26 to share their individual journeys and the creation of Roots.