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It was 4:00 in the morning when Katalin Karikó H’23 received the call that she and Drew Weissman ’81 GSAS MA ’81 P ’15 H ’23 had been awarded the Nobel Prize for their seminal messenger RNA research, which ultimately led to the expedited development of COVID-19 vaccines and the prevention of millions of deaths worldwide.
The recent attack
On Sunday, Sept. 17, about 50 Brandeis students and faculty took to the streets of New York City to demand an end to the expansion of fossil fuels. The March to End Fossil Fuels, organized by a broad base of NYC grassroots organizations, was the largest climate action since the start of the pandemic; event organizers estimate that 75,000 people were in attendance. The intent of the protest was to place pressure on President Joe Biden ahead of Climate Week NYC and the United Nations 2023 Sustainable Development Goals Summit, which took place in New York City on Sept. 17-24 and Sept. 18-19, respectively. The event organizers called for Biden to ban the usage of fossil fuels and protect communities’ rights to a clean and healthy environment by “stopping oil and gas projects, phasing down drilling, and declaring a climate emergency.”
On Sept. 18, the U.S. News and World Report released its annual college ranking which revealed drastic shifts on the previous rankings due to a change in the metrics used to determine the rankings of colleges. As a result, Brandeis University dropped 16 spots on the list from 44 to 60.
Speaking to a crowd of a few dozen supporters at a bar in downtown Waltham on Sept. 28, Ward 9 City Councilor Jonathan Paz argued his case for Waltham mayor, marking the beginning of his general election campaign.
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump — the same candidates who secured the Democratic Party and Republican Party nominations in 2020, are polling higher than the rest for the 2024 presidency. Including Biden and Trump, there are currently 17 candidates vying for the presidency — 13 Republicans, three democrats, and one third-party candidate.
In the most recent round of elections on Sept. 14, students voted on candidates running for positions on the Senate, Allocations Board, and Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. Student Union Secretary Carol Kornworcel ’26 announced the results the morning of Sept. 18.
MEDICAL EMERGENCY
On Sept. 10 and Sept. 11, the Justice held interviews with Vice President Erica Hwang ’25 and President Noah Risley ’24, respectively, to outline the Student Union’s goals for this year.
On Tuesday, Sept. 12, Waltham held its preliminary elections to narrow the number of candidates running in the Nov. 7 general election. Waltham Mayor Jeanette A. McCarthy, a 19-year-incumbent seeking a record sixth-term, is being challenged by first-term Ward 9 City Councilor Jonathan Paz. They will both be advancing to the general election. Duane David Champagne Sr. appeared on the ballot, but he withdrew from the race in August after the deadline to be removed from the ballot. Both candidates are Democrats. If elected, Paz would be the first Latino person to be elected as mayor of Waltham.
After years of organizing efforts to garner support, assess interest, and increase union card signing, on Sept. 11, Brandeis University Research Assistants announced they have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board for a formal union election, according to a press release from the the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 509.
The parents of Vanessa Mark, the Brandeis student who tragically died in a bus crash last November, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Joseph’s Transportation of Medford and Jean Michael Fenelon, the bus driver, in Suffolk Superior Court on Aug. 18.