#BrandeisStrong
The Justice reached out to various Brandeis organizations, clubs, and departments for words of support and advice in light of Saturday's tragedy.
Amazon Web Services CEO Adam Selipsky on effective leadership and lifelong learning
When Adam Selipsky first took over as chief executive of the Seattle-based Tableau Software, some employees were hesitant to embrace him. For starters, he was succeeding a charismatic cofounder who was deeply popular throughout the company. And then there was the culture question — Selipsky arrived in 2016 after spending 11 years at Amazon, which had a notoriously rigorous environment that some at Tableau feared would infiltrate their more upbeat way of life.
Making sense of the Massachusetts midterms
On Tuesday, Nov. 8, voters across the country went to the polls to vote in the 2022 midterm elections. Many candidates made history, like Florida’s Maxwell Frost, who will become the first member of “Generation Z” to serve in Congress. Candidates here in Massachusetts made history as well.
Former State Treasurer and DNC Chair Steve Grossman on a long career in politics, business, and listening
The year was 1997, and the Democratic National Committee was facing $15 million dollars of debt — and questions about their ability to compete in the upcoming midterms. Instead of giving a big speech outlining his ideas for solutions, new DNC chair Steve Grossman began holding brainstorming sessions with his team. “Tell me your opinion as to what we should be doing," he asked them at these meetings, "What can we improve? What can I do on a daily and weekly basis to improve morale and turn this around?”
Greek life at Brandeis: Unaffiliated or unregulated?
If pop culture and social media are to be believed, Greek life “makes” the social scene at big universities. “Bama Rush” videos on Tiktok show the ceremonial rituals and levels of prestige associated with rushing and securing a spot at one of the University of Alabama’s top sororities. Women spend hours planning their outfits and prepping their hair, and weeks putting together their sorority resumes to impress sorority sisters who did the same thing in previous years. Fraternities, on the other hand, are typically portrayed as the “promise of parties, living college life to the fullest … and alcohol-soaked adventures.” Also trending on Tiktok are videos about “Frat Guy Stereotypes,” which entail users mimicking frat boys by insulting women, chugging beers, and calling every person in their presence “bro.”
With LARP camp documentary, alum capture creativity on camera
When Sam Ho ’20 started college, he barely knew what LARPing was. Now, he’s directing a documentary about it. Ho began conceptualizing his now feature-length film, “Hero Camp!”, while he was still a student at Brandeis. By July 2022, Ho was living in Providence, Rhode Island, editing over 120 hours of footage with his Brandeis classmate, Colin Hodgson ’20.
Countering Columbus and colonization: Indigenous Peoples’ Day at Brandeis
When Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492, he discovered the Americas and gave European settlers access to the bountiful lands overseas — or so the old, whitewashed tale goes. But Indigenous leaders like Jean-Luc Pierite are working to change this narrative.
Autumn in New England
On Oct. 9, the Brandeis Photography Club took a trip to Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire to take pictures of the fall foliage.
Finding togetherness in dissonance: New group aims to create community for neurodivergent students
“When you’re younger, you don’t really notice you’re that different,” Hannan Canavan ’25, student leader of Deisvergent, said. “The adults did, because they could see you from the outside, but your peers, they really didn’t. Then, as you get older, there starts to become this barrier, this invisible wall. Others begin to progress and understand things that you don’t. That’s a very isolating experience.”
See you in the pit
The pandemic brought the Boston area’s active live music scene to a grinding halt. Over the past year, local venues gradually reopened as artists went back on the road. Brandeis students have been making the most of the return of concerts in (and around) Boston.
‘We failed as a nation and were betrayed’: Former Afghan diplomat, alum speaks out a year after Afghanistan’s fall
The United States launched its “War on Terror” in 2001, when a U.S.-led military coalition invaded Afghanistan in response to the 9/11 attacks carried out by the global terrorist group al-Qaeda, who were being sheltered in Afghanistan.
Waltham skaters 'ollie' into advocacy for a better skatepark
At around 3 p.m. on a sunny Saturday afternoon, the Waltham Skatepark at Jack Koutoujian Playground is the place to be. Some skaters hang out next to the half pipe. Others stand atop the ramp on the opposite side of the park with their boards hanging over the edge. They watch their fellow skaters attempt tricks, hyping them up and offering tips as they wait to “drop in” for a turn.
Waltham Farmers’ Market: Global flavors, local community
On a sunny Saturday morning in downtown Waltham, excited customers are lined up at the edge of a parking lot filled with stands displaying colorful produce, crumbly pastries, and exotic plants. At 9:30 a.m. sharp, a bell is rung. The Waltham Farmers’ Market is officially open for the day.
Historic Waltham cinema shuts down
Embassy Cinema opened in 1928. On Monday, Aug. 5, the almost century-old Waltham staple, once advertised as “Waltham’s Wonder Theatre,” closed its doors for good.
At home on the campaign trail
Like many New Yorkers, Rachel Landis ’23 could be found at her local voting booth on August 23, this year’s primary election day in the state. But Landis wasn’t there to cast her ballot. She had voted early because she knew she’d be busy on Election Day.
On B Connect, students and alumni Rise Together
Earlier this semester, B Connect celebrated the one-year anniversary of its launch with a party on campus, providing merch and cupcakes for the students and alumni who joined to celebrate a year of B Connect. This event was both a celebration and a way to increase student and alumni awareness of the new online network in the hopes of encouraging more members of the Brandeis community to get involved.
‘We created something beautiful’: Two years of the Black Action Plan
In the summer of 2020, as Black Lives Matter protests against systemic racism and police brutality erupted across the globe in response to the murder of George Floyd and other high profile police killings of Black people in the United States, Sonali Anderson ’22 began thinking about ways to make change happen on an institutional level at Brandeis.
’Cause you’re there for me too: a conversation with ‘Friends’ co-creator Marta Kauffman
When Marta Kauffman ’78 H’20 enrolled as a student at Brandeis, there was no way for her to know where her four years at the University would take her. Since her time at Brandeis, she has amassed Emmy nominations and critical acclaim, but before she was the co-creator of the hit television series “Friends” and “Grace and Frankie,” among others, she was a student, figuring out who she was and what she wanted to do with her life.
Are the Kiwibots out for blood?
On April 26, Leah Timpson ’22 was walking past Upper Usdan when she felt a sharp, jabbing pain on her heel. A Kiwibot — one of a fleet of at least 15 food delivery robots brought to Brandeis by Sodexo — had driven into her foot from behind her. “I was wearing flats, so when it hit my foot it pulled my shoe down,” Timpson told the Justice on April 30. “I kept walking, and I got to the SCC and looked at my foot and it was bleeding a little bit. My foot was red, and I have a bruise now.”
Artists of our time
“Aside from art being just an expression of your ideas and expression of who you are and what you think the world is about, I think it’s just also a connection tool,” Jonathan Joasil ’22 said when asked how he defines art during our April 7th Zoom interview. Jonathan is a Black painter and visual artist whose work has been featured in the senior exhibition at the Dreitzer Art Gallery in Spingold Theater.
Tragic accident shakes Brandeis community
Brandeis community gathers in aftermath of Saturday’s bus accident
Resources available in the wake of Saturday’s tragedy
A message from the Justice editorial board
#BrandeisStrong