Beginning on or about June 24, construction will begin on the new Residence Hall located on the current South Campus Residential Lot (X Lot). As part of this project, the X Lot will permanently close, and approximately 100 parking spaces in the Theater (T) Lot will also be taken offline.

To accommodate these changes:

• All employees, students, and campus visitors should allow extra time when commuting to campus over the next 24 months, as parking availability will shift and traffic patterns may be affected.
• X Lot permit holders will be reassigned to J Lot, located off Angleside Road near the Charles River Apartments.
• For faculty, staff, and commuters, overflow from the T Lot will be redirected to other existing lots across campus, such as the North & Tower lots, which remain heavily underutilized.
• Admissions parking will remain available exclusively for prospective students and their families and will be strictly enforced.
• To maintain safety and accessibility, unauthorized parking in fire lanes, roadways, or unmarked areas will be actively addressed by Public Safety.

The Housing Phase 1 project team, in coordination with Public Safety, is finalizing additional logistics and will provide updates through InBrief in the coming weeks.

If you have questions regarding these changes, please contact the Brandeis Parking Office at 781.736.4250 or visit the project website.

Decide on DEIS is a 48-hour fundraising challenge to raise 250+ gifts to support scholarships and fellowships. Once we reach 250 donors, $25,000 will be unlocked. Please join other faculty and staff in supporting Brandeis students today! You can support the campaign and help share the message.

The Brandeis AI Task Force and ITS will host a workshop about Generative AI Platforms, featuring Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini. During the workshop, faculty and staff will learn about accessing Copilot and Gemini, the features of each platform, and what distinguishes the platforms from each other and other well-known AI software. Workshop leaders will provide examples and suggestions on how to incorporate Gemini and Copilot in your everyday activities at Brandeis. A portion of the workshop will include a Q&A session and, if attending in person, users will receive assistance in accessing and using Copilot and Gemini.

• Register for Zoom Session 1: Thursday, May 8, 1 p.m.
• Register for Zoom Session 2: Thursday, May 15, 1 p.m.

The workshops will be hybrid, with limited in person seating available on a first-come, first serve basis in the Feldberg Atrium via Google Form sign up. Individuals signing up for in-person sessions will receive confirmation of their seat the Monday prior to the workshop date.

Federal and/or institutional financial aid may be available to undergraduate students attending Summer School. For more information on eligibility and applications requirements, please visit the Summer Session Financial Aid webpage.

The financial aid renewal application deadline for the 2025-2026 academic year was March 1, 2025. Students who would like to apply for need-based scholarship funds must submit the 2025-2026 CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, the 2025-2026 Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and copies of 2023 student and parent Federal Income Tax Returns. Students who wish to apply only for federal sources of financial aid need only complete the FAFSA (taxes will be requested upon receipt of this application only if necessary).

An e-mail detailing the renewal process was sent to students and parents back in January. If you would like to meet with your financial aid counselor to discuss the renewal financial aid process, you may book a 30-minute appointment online.

Sign up for one of our 30-minute, one-on-one financial literacy sessions! We hope that you will take advantage of this great opportunity to ask questions about budgeting, managing debt, understanding your paycheck, W-2’s etc. Please click here to book an appointment today!

The Brandeis Emergency Fund was created to assist currently active, high-need, undergraduate and graduate students experiencing some kind of unexpected financial emergency when other resources are not available. The Fund focuses its limited resources on students with high demonstrated financial need (students with an EFC of approximately $20,000 or below, as determined by a financial aid application) who are experiencing unexpected financial emergencies for which no other funds are available (students are expected to apply for, and utilize, all other sources of funding before receiving emergency funds, including, if applicable, federal loan funds). For updated information about eligibility criteria, examples of what can and cannot be considered, and the process by which to apply for emergency funds, please visit the Brandeis Emergency Fund website.

Scaled blackout begins May 2, 2025 and all departmental or student events will be reviewed for availability of support before confirmation. Only Commencement related activities (Celebratory Receptions, Student Engagement Events, Shabbat Dinner, and the Commencement Ceremonies) will be permitted between May 8 and May 19. Please contact University Events at ueo@brandeis.edu with any questions or visit brandeis.edu/university-events.

Information regarding ceremonies, schedules, and answers to frequently asked questions will be continually updated on the Commencement page. University Events is grateful for your support in this enormous celebratory production! Please direct any questions you have to commencement@brandeis.edu. Graduate registration began on March 14 with a deadline of April 23. Graduates were sent a unique link to register, provide guidance on name pronunciation, and receive electronic tickets to send to their guests. Graduates who did not receive their link to register may contact commencement@brandeies.edu to request the link to be re-sent.

Take a moment to take care of yourself! Come to the Levin-Ross Rooms (Hassenfeld) on Tuesday May 6 from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. for Mental Health Awareness Month. There will be an onsite vaccine clinic, Spotlight on Well-Being: Mental Health Awareness table, a chance to connect with the Benefits team, and Massage Chairs sign up (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.).

Based on a recent usage review, the Brandeis University Information Technology Advisory Committee has approved disabling select Microsoft 365 applications and changing the permissions of other applications. This will not affect how you use MS applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

On May 20, 2025, Brandeis will change the permissions of Microsoft Teams for all faculty, staff and students. Brandeis community members will continue to be able to access Teams as a guest. If you are invited to a Teams meeting hosted by another entity, you will be able to join. Brandeis community members will not be able to create Teams meetings nor host a Teams meeting from the Brandeis Microsoft 365 platform. As a reminder, Zoom Meeting is our supported teleconferencing platform and you can integrate Zoom Meeting with your Google calendar. For more information about the changes to Teams, please access our project page or email the Technology Help Desk (help@brandeis.edu).

As a reminder, ITS is replacing the desktop Cisco phone system with Zoom Phone. Zoom Phone is an addition to our existing Zoom Workplace license and can be added to any device with internet access by using your Brandeis login credentials. Zoom Phone will take the place of desk phones for all faculty and staff with a current Brandeis extension. A schedule for the transition to Zoom Phone, as well as a schedule of drop in informational sessions, will be published in the May 15 InBrief. We invite you to review our Zoom Phone informational page for a list of commonly asked questions and information about how Zoom Phone will be incorporated at Brandeis.

As of May 8, 2025, Brandeis will deactivate any remaining Confluence Knowledge Base sites. Content owners have been notified and have removed their material accordingly. If you have any questions regarding this, please reach out to the Technology Help Desk at help@brandeis.edu.

This is a reminder that the REAL ID Act enforcement deadline is approaching. Beginning May 7, 2025, travelers flying within the United States will be required to present a REAL ID–compliant driver’s license or another acceptable form of identification (e.g., Government issued passport) to pass through TSA security at airports.

What This Means for Travelers:

• Non-compliant IDs will no longer be accepted for domestic flights after this date.
• Travelers with existing travel bookings after May 7 should verify now that their identification meets REAL ID standards.
• A compliant ID typically has a star symbol in the top right corner—please check with your state’s DMV for specifics.

For more information, please visit the official DHS REAL ID website:

• What is a REAL ID?
• Frequently Asked Questions
• How do I get one?

Please reach out to Procurement & Business Services for any questions related to Brandeis University Business Travel.

A friendly reminder for staff and managers, the TAP annual performance review process for staff launched for employees hired on or before January 1, 2025. The capability to enter annual performance reviews into Workday and all annual reviews must be completed on or before Friday, May 2, 2025. Training sessions for managers and staff and resources are posted including recordings of the training workshops on the TAP website. Contact HR for any questions.