Brandeis University's Community Newspaper — Waltham, Mass.
Last week, my column mentioned several times that I try to be accommodating whenever possible. Part of that includes taking the initiative in being helpful—if I see a way in which I can help someone, there’s a good chance that I’ll offer my assistance. In no way am I trying to say that I’m perfect, […]
During an interview with Steve Inskeep of NPR, writer Ta-Nehisi Coates commentated that, “country is sort of like family.” That statement rings true. No matter what your reaction is to American culture, it has an impact on your values and personality, even if it escapes your notice. I have never been a patriotic person. An […]
Coming from a bustling, Minnesota farming town, I didn’t have many options as far as a summer job. My only choices included working on a friend’s farm, manning a gas station counter or working for the city. I chose the most difficult of the three options: I spent 40 hours a week doing odd jobs […]
As an orientation leader two years ago, I walked my six new students, with a bit of trepidation, to that year’s version of orientation’s program on diversity. A year before as a first-year myself, I had sat down in Hassenfeld and witnessed a presentation of racial and anti-gay slurs aimed to provoke our introspection. My […]
Last month I applied for an absentee ballot to be sent to my Brandeis mailbox so that I could vote in my state’s election. Sure, I could have registered as a Massachusetts voter, but I wanted to vote under the same address that I did four years ago. My desire to vote for my home […]
The past couple of months have been filled with discussion about birth control, abortion and the right of individuals to decide the best course of action for themselves regarding their sexuality. There has been a new discovery about birth control for men. Published earlier this month in the science journal Cell, researchers have inadvertently found […]
While in Israel in April, I spent a few days in Jerusalem with camp friends. We did all of the touristy stuff I’d done before, as well as going to a few places a tour guide never would have taken me. Our day started at Machaneh Yehuda, an outdoor market. After some sweetened, dried pineapple […]
The Grand Old Party’s allowed itself to be replaced. Although never all that grand, until now it at least managed to be quite old. Old men with old ideas keeping a tight grip on the party from the old, trustworthy headquarters—such was the old Republican brand. The new brand has been made by new faces, […]
I don’t speak Kinyarwandan, and the Congolese family I tutored speak very little English, yet I feel as if I am a part of their family. You don’t have to speak someone’s language to know and respect them. This summer, I taught English to a Congolese refugee family. They came to the United States just […]
The New York Times recently called out Brooklyn, N.Y., district attorney Charles Hynes for his lack of severity in dealing with child sexual abuse within the extremely insular ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. Hynes, who is a non-Jewish D.A. in a heavily Jewish borough, relies heavily on Jewish support during election-time and he has been accused of […]
