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Student baker raises money for Brandeis Mutual Aid Fund

Lydia Begag ’22 had already been baking for quite some time prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the campus shutdown in early March, Begag’s passion for baking reemerged because of the additional time she had to focus on activities outside of school. “I was trying new recipes and figuring out what I liked, what was fun to bake,” she said in a Nov. 13 interview with the Justice via Zoom. The thought of making a business out of her baking didn’t occur to her at the time. “It was completely leisurely. … I saw no sort of business endeavor in it at all,” she said.     

Daylight saving: Its history and how to cope with the transition to standard time

This year’s daylight saving time officially ended at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1. According to a CBS News article, approximately seven in 10 Americans “prefer not to switch back and forth to mark daylight saving time.” Although an inconvenience for many, daylight saving time was once an efficient way to save electricity. Understanding the history of daylight saving time might give you some perspective on its importance and help you adjust to standard time. 

Brandeis Wellness Programmers host “Eat, Sleep, Move Week”

Starting on Oct. 25, the Brandeis Wellness Programmers hosted a number of events as part of “Eat, Sleep, Move Week,” a program aimed at promoting self-care and wellness. The Wellness Programmers group consists of students and staff from a wide range of offices and clubs on campus, including Health and Wellness Promotion; the Brandeis Counseling Center; the Prevention, Advocacy & Resource Center and the Bridge to Wellness Peer Educators. “We embrace a broad definition of wellness that includes multiple dimensions (physical, emotional, social, spiritual, financial, intellectual, occupational, etc.),” Director of Health Promotion and Wellness Initiatives Leah Berkenwald ’07 wrote in an Oct. 30 email to the Justice. The Brandeis Wellness Programmers typically host multiple events throughout the semester, including Sleep Week, Wellness Week and Stressbusters. Per Berkenwald’s email, “The goals of these weeks are to create and organize programming that highlights wellness challenges of that particular semester or time of year.” For this year in particular, which has been filled with a number of challenges and stress-inducing changes, the Wellness Programmers decided to “return to basics and focus on the fundamentals of self care: eating, sleeping and moving your body,” added Berkenwald. 

You’ve got mail!

It’s a sunny Wednesday morning and you have two classes before 1 p.m. and a class at 2:30 p.m., enough time to squeeze in lunch with your friends. You foresee the microwavable mac and cheese from your freezer being your dinner for tonight, while you attend your Zoom lecture with your camera turned off. You got the “DO NOT REPLY You have received a Package” email this morning — you're expecting your Amazon package today — some clothes that you saw on a TikTok and your favorite chocolate that you can’t find at the Hoot Market. You figure, you can pick up your package in between class and lunchtime, stuff it in your backpack, and open it when you get back to your dorm. You head to the Usdan Student Center, stand in a short line, swipe your ID card and wait. You see the mailroom workers look at some computer, call out a number, disappear for two seconds, and come back with your package in hand. You say “thank you,” and just like that you go up the stairs and get on with the rest of your day. This is the level of interaction that many Brandeis students have with the mailroom. But what goes on behind the curtains of the Brandeis mailroom? What stories do the workers behind the plexiglass have to tell? 

Debunking voting myths for the upcoming presidential election

The upcoming Nov. 3 election is unprecedented in many ways. The coronavirus pandemic has already claimed the lives of over 220,000 Americans and cases continue to increase across the country as winter approaches. Additionally, the country is extremely polarized, with individuals taking opposing positions on a range of issues that are not typically politicized, including public health. States’ stances in regards to voting options for the upcoming election have been drastically different, with some expanding their mail-in voting services, others conducting the election entirely by mail and a small number maintaining the same voting guidelines as before. These changes have been overwhelming and confusing for many eligible voters, and the spread of misinformation doesn’t help either. Below is a list of myths associated with voting, along with information that disproves them and additional information for the state of Massachusetts. If you are not voting in Massachusetts, make sure to look at your state’s regulations and policies if you still have questions. 

Roosevelt Fellows continue to provide academic advice remotely

The Roosevelt Fellows are a group of juniors and seniors that “provide peer academic advising, reach a caseload of new Brandeisians directly, and give opportunities to all Brandeisians to meet via weekly office hours or by appointment,” per Adam Fleishaker ’21. Prior to the campus shutdown in early March, Roosevelt Fellows conducted all of their services and activities in person. Since their return to campus this semester, they have had to reinvent the way they engage with students as they transition to a fully virtual platform in order to comply with the University’s safety guidelines. 

What ‘Zoom University’ is like for international students

Wake up. Zoom class 8 a.m. Zoom class 1 p.m. Zoom class 4 p.m. Insert periodically eating throughout the day. Study. Sleep. Repeat. We are all feeling it: the slow drag of this semester, the lack of motivation for anything beginning or ending with the word “Zoom,” the desire to stay in sweatpants perpetually. College students around the world have undergone enormous transitions that have added to our already stressful feelings of figuring out what we want to do in the future and how our college education aligns with those goals. But how do certain students’ experiences differ from others'? 

The Waltham Public Library begins a project to collect residents’ experiences with COVID-19

A crucial part of the Waltham community, the Waltham Public Library has continued to host virtual events for the general public — including yoga for kids, family concerts and book club meetings — despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Founded in 1915, the library is a “fully-funded community hub, fostering a healthy democratic society by providing a wealth of current informational, educational and recreational resources free of charge to all members of the community,” per their website. Recently, the library has also embarked on a new project focused on sharing the effects that COVID-19 has had on residents of Waltham and the Greater Boston area through the collection of multimedia submissions. The project, which began earlier in the summer, is headed by Dana Hamlin, the library’s archivist. 

The Prevention, Advocacy & Resource Center goes remote in response to the pandemic

The Prevention, Advocacy & Resource Center is the office on campus dedicated to “providing education, empowerment and support related to sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating/domestic violence and stalking.” PARC consists of two professional staff members —  Director Sarah J. Berg and Assistant Director Vilma Uribe — a number of undergraduate Peer Advocates and Violence Prevention Educators and four lead student staff members. PARC offers a wide range of free, confidential services, including bystander training sessions, individual meetings/drop-ins, an online chat feature and a 24/7 hotline. Prior to the campus shutdown last semester, PARC — like other departments and clubs — conducted many of its activities and programs in-person. With new social distancing policies and limitations on gatherings enforced as part of the University’s fall 2020 plans, staff and volunteers at PARC have worked tirelessly to reinvent the ways in which they offer their services virtually, while ensuring the same level of privacy, confidentiality and support granted in previous years. 

The Brandeis Orientation team welcomes the Class of 2024

Every year, the new first-year class is introduced to the Brandeis community through a number of Orientation programs and activities. “Designed by students for students,” Orientation typically takes place over the few days before the first day of class and includes a number of traditional events like “This is Our House” and the “Light of Reason.” Given the coronavirus pandemic, planning and conducting Orientation for the Class of 2024 looked drastically different. The Justice spoke to Jenny Abdou, Director of New Student Orientation; Scott Berozi, Associate Director of Community Living and Orientation; and Skye Liu ’23, a 2020 Orientation Leader, to discuss the challenges and upsides of preparing for and hosting a virtual Orientation. The Justice also talked to Ethan Kerstine, a member of the Class of 2024, about his personal experience with the program.

Brandeis students help their communities in quarantine: ‘Beyond the Pandemic’

No longer able to discuss issues face to face because of the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals all over the world have turned to Facebook, Zoom, FaceTime and Instagram for social support and interaction. Sophie Phillips ’23 joined a Facebook group for college students affected by the pandemic soon after Brandeis announced its campus closure. Phillips realized that the group was not just about sharing funny memes; it also served as a platform for people to share their experiences, thoughts and opinions about the pandemic and other current issues. Inspired by the diversity and passion of the students in the group, Phillips began to wonder what it would be like if everyone could turn to “one place where they could share their ideas … and write about whatever was on their mind.” After discussing the idea with other members of the group, she co-designed and launched “Beyond the Pandemic,” a blog where college students across the country could submit pieces about what was going on in their lives now that they were back home. 

Menstrual Products for New Jersey: How a Brandeis student is helping her community during the pandemic.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, personal protective equipment has been a top priority for the American public, but there is also a growing need for other materials, such as menstrual products. In an effort to help her community during the pandemic, one former Brandeis student helped start an initiative to send menstrual products to areas in need, including the Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless, as stated in a recent post on Facebook.

Quarantine survival guide: Making your own face mask and hand sanitizer

Face masks: 

Brandeis donates much-needed supplies to fight coronavirus

At a time when social distancing is the new norm and many of us are staying inside, healthcare workers and emergency responders are working to keep their communities safe. According to a March 19 New York Times article, physicians are saying that there is a shortage of protective gear including masks, eye gear and gowns needed to keep them safe while treating the increasing number of patients in hospitals as a result of the coronavirus.

Debunking coronavirus myths

The coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has been the center of public attention since the first cases were reported in Wuhan, China this past December. According to Johns Hopkins Medical, “Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).” Most of the viruses in this family are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted from animals to humans. At first, it was believed that COVID-19 was transmitted to humans via contaminated seafood at a market in Wuhan, China. Recent studies have shown, however, that the first patient to have contracted the virus did not visit the presumed seafood market. 

International Women's Day: Brandeis celebrates by hosting an educational brunch

International Women’s Day began in the early 1900s as a labor holiday honoring working women’s movements in the United States and throughout Europe, per National Geographic. Originally implemented by the Socialist Party of America, it became an important day of pacifist protest during World War I, and in 1917, International Women’s Day rallies in Russia contributed to the start of the Russian Revolution, as stated by Penn Today. In the 1970s, the United Nations formally recognized March 8 as International Women’s Day, and it has since been used as a day to “celebrate how far women have come in society, in politics and in economics,” per the BBC.

This Is My Brave: Ali Gold

International Women's Day: Bagels and Coffee

International Women's Day: PARC Booth

This Is My Brave: Ally Beard