Fire alarms become a nuisance, not a warning

On Sunday morning, I was trying to get a good sleep. Daylight Savings Time had started, meaning one less hour of rest and I remember having a dream about conducting a band. Soon my swings of the baton were matched to a screeching sound. All of a sudden I realized that the fire alarm had gone off! Full of anxiety, I rushed out of bed, grabbed some clothes and ran out the door. In my frenzied escape, I checked the time and it read nearly 5 A.M. As I stood outside Cable hall with my shadily-clad, sleepy-eyed dorm-mates, I realized that there was no fire. After the fact, I discovered that someone had been trying to cook popcorn and the smoke from their attempt set off the alarm. Once again the system that is intended to save our lives has just caused unimaginable frustration, and as the Brandeis Police allowed us return to our rooms I am sure all of us lost a little faith in our fire detection system.

Letter to the editor: Clarification of a theatrical review

I would like to take this opportunity to clarify both the expected content and purpose of a theatrical review. A reviews purpose in the professional world of theater and journalism is to inform the public as to whether or not a particular show is worth seeing. A review of a theatrical production speaks to the designers work, the performance of the actors, the direction of the show (including the directors artistic vision when evident), and occasionally comments on the script. Because the shows that campus publications review are published post-mortem, it surely puts the reviewer in an uncertain position when writing their article.

Letter to the editor: RSA/SDS to remain uninvolved with Finkelstein

To Whom It May Concern:

We, the members of the Radical Student Alliance (RSA)/Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), wish to clarify our purported involvement with bringing Norman Finkelstein to campus. This point of misinformation has been circulating by word of mouth, and through campus media, when, in fact, RSA/SDS has not in any way committed to such a project. Though it is true that the Finkelstein event was proposed to RSA/SDS, there was no agreement reached among group members to invest group effort and resources in such an undertaking. It appears that the discussion surrounding Finkelstein was mistaken for group consensus to organize his visiting the campus, and thus, confusion ensued.

Editorial: Sponsorship Silliness

The upcoming elections have brought a flurry of club endorsements over this past week. The Hoot would like to recognize the individual achievements of the individuals running for office, but it does not feel the endorsement of a single candidate is appropriate.

Alcohol and youth

My 21st birthday is tomorrow, so it seems appropriate to address the absurdity of the alcohol regulations that I have opposed since I was 16. This seemingly random birthday became a rite of passage of sorts in this country in 1984, when Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, a piece of legislation that strong-armed states by threatening their highway funding unless they made 21 the legal age for drinking alcohol. The bill was lobbied though the effective efforts of MADD under the noble prestense of ending drunk driving, but it now stands as the highest drinking age in the industrial world (and the highest in the entire globe, excluding a handful of Muslim countries). This apparent deterrent has, over time, become ingrained in the American mindset, and there is only a minute chance of it ever being lowered or modified without bringing on the full wrath of one of the most powerful and well-organized lobbies in the country.

Club renewal process creates concern over decharting

Concern regarding the dechartering of clubs emerged over the past week due to confusion surrounding the club renewal process. Clubs that were on the agenda to be dechartered or derecognized due to a lack of club renewal forms include the Brandeis Democrats, Click Drive, Rabbis in Training (RabbIT), the Otaku Anime Club, Nashim, and the Mens Lacrosse Team, according to an e-mail sent by the Student Union.

Timeline of Finkelstein Event

Despite the debate from the RSA claiming that Conway joined the RSA with the sole intent of inviting the controversial speaker, Finkelstein was actually first introduced in an e-mail sent on Jan 18. by Professor Leslie Zebrowitz (PSYC) to the RSA, days after Professor Alan Dershowitz had been invited to rebut former President Jimmy Carter.

Despite Ridgewood demolition, housing lottery reaches 1787

Last weekends housing lottery ended at an unprecedented 1787, according to members of Residence Life, eliciting surprise from many students. According to Associate Director of Residence Life Jeremy Leiferman, this is the highest number the lottery has gone up to in the last four years, if not more.

Student Union to implement new voting software for elections

The Student Union and Library and Technology Services (LTS) have upgraded the online voting system in time for the spring elections. The Union decided to replace the six-year-old system in March of last year after technological errors allowed graduated seniors to vote in the Spring 2006 election, as well as disrupted the races for Campus Treasurer and Senator for the Class of 2010 during the Fall 2006 elections.

Radical Student Alliance/SDS disavows member, Finkelstein visit

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), formerly known as the Radical Student Alliance (RSA), as well as the Arab Culture Club (ACC), announced that they had dropped their sponsorship of a possible upcoming event with DePaul University Professor Norman Finkelstein, controversial critic of Professor Alan Dershowitz and author of The Holocaust Industry. This comes after an announcement on March 2, when the Finance Board stated that it gave funds to sponsor the event.