As Brandeis students return to campus for the new semester, many students learned of disappointing news: Gravity Magazine, the comedic lifeline of the university, is on hiatus. Yes, the one magazine that’s been a go-to source for everything from out-of-context professor quotes to a satirical spin on President Ronald Liebowitz’s emails, is set to take a break this semester.

On the evening of Sept. 4, members of Gravity Magazine received an email from its president, Amelia Minchin ’26, sharing “devastating news.” 

“GRAVITY WILL BE TAKING A HIATUS IN FALL 2024,” wrote Minchin. 

In her email, Minchin explained that she, the self-proclaimed “fearful President,” will be studying abroad in the United Kingdom while Logan Miller ’26, the “fearless Vice President,” will be abroad in the spring, but is currently juggling responsibilities with two other clubs, making it “not feasible” to produce a publication this fall.

Gravity was founded in 1990 by Noel Rappin ’93, Matthew Cohen ’93, and Jason Schneiter ’93. According to the club’s Campus Groups page, this student-run satirical magazine takes pride in defying the norms of traditional media that obsess over “quality” and “speling.” Yes, that’s how they spelled it. The club publishes a magazine at the end of each semester, and during the school year, as writers craft their jokes and make sure every punchline lands, Brandeis students turn to Gravity’s Instagram to find humor in shared frustrations, turning everyday annoyances into comic relief.

Discussions about the magazine’s status began toward the end of the 2024 spring semester when the leadership learned about their study abroad approvals. Minchin explained that several options were considered to keep the club active this semester, including holding meetings without publishing, running Zoom meetings from the UK, and finding replacements to take over. Ultimately, it was deemed too “time-consuming” and involved considerable effort, including securing funding and training a new leader.

“I left it open for members who might want to step up,” Minchin said in a Sept. 9 phone call with The Justice, “but it’s a lot of work,” which is why no existing club members could take on the responsibility.

Minchin described how the club typically holds weekly meetings where members write, workshop and submit their stories, as well as participate in group editing sessions. She added that the club tries to “keep it pretty open” by accepting content from students who can’t attend weekly meetings but are interested in comedy, writing, photoshop, drawing, and humor-related content. 

Minchin also pointed out the value satirical media has on college campuses as a means for students to express their feelings through a “creative exercise.”

For many students, college can quickly become a source of frustration and dissatisfaction. At Brandeis, issues such as student financial insecurity, dining frustrations, recent layoffs, racism and misconduct, and the administration’s handling of world events have all contributed to a growing sense of discontent. In response, students find ways to express their frustrations by organizing, protesting, unionizing, starting petitions, and meeting with the university administration. 

“Gravity really gives students freedom to express their thoughts, opinions, [and] grievances about what’s going on in their lives, what’s going on at the university,” Minchin said. “We’re pretty open about what we let people publish as long as something’s not blatantly offensive.”  

In her email with disappointing news, the president assured club members to not worry. 

“I can hear all of you weeping at this great loss,” Minchin wrote, but “Fear not as...

GRAVITY WILL RETURN IN SPRING 2025.”

In the meantime, members are encouraged to write articles, brainstorm ideas, and reflect on their passion for the magazine.