Navigating Health and Safety
As a component of Brandeis' Health, Wellness, and Life Skills Core curriculum requirement, all new undergraduate students must complete Navigating Health and Safety in their first semester.
Navigating Health and Safety is an important step in understanding our values and learning skills to live our mission in daily life as a positive member of the Brandeis social scene. It provides important information about mental health, alcohol, cannabis, sexual health, consent and sexual misconduct, and bystander intervention. It is designed to support students in informed decision-making. Students will build confidence and resilience by learning how to establish productive mind and body habits, set personal boundaries, deal with difficult situations, use campus resources and support their peers.
Details
Expand All
Failure to complete the Navigating Health and Safety requirement may result in a student account hold, preventing a student from registering for classes and adding/dropping courses.
Part One
HWL 1-PRE: What Would Brandeis Do? Supporting Community Health and Safety
- This is a pre-arrival mandatory training: All new undergraduate students must complete the "What Would Brandeis Do? Supporting Community Health and Safety" (WWBD) online training before arriving on campus for their first semester.
- WWBD is a prerequisite for HWL 1 Navigating Health and Safety; it must be completed to pass HWL 1.
- Students will be automatically enrolled in HWL 1-PRE by the registrar and notified via email when the training launches in August (Fall admits) or December (Spring admits).
- This training will take approximately 60-90 minutes to complete.
Part Two
HWL 1: Navigating Health and Safety
- Navigating Health and Safety is a six-week, non-credit course that all incoming Brandeis students must complete within their first semester.
- Students must register for this class on Workday prior to the start of the fall semester.
- It is graded on a pass/fail basis. Students who do not pass HWL 1 will need to retake the class.
HWL 1-PRE What Would Brandeis Do?
Dec. 11, 2024
HWL 1-PRE What Would Brandeis Do? becomes available for spring admits on Moodle, our learning management system (LMS).
Jan. 9, 2024
Deadline for spring admits to complete HWL 1-PRE What Would Brandeis Do? on Moodle.
HWL 1 Navigating Health and Safety
December-January, 2025
New students must use Workday to register for a section of HWL 1 Navigating Health and Safety in either Module 1 or Module 2 of their first semester.
Need help logging in?
Students will receive instructions in an email announcement, which contains a link to and instructions for the training in Moodle.
Go to Moodle and login using your Brandeis UNET ID and password. This training will be listed under "My Courses" and take approximately 60-90 minutes to complete. Your progress will be saved so you do not need to complete it in one sitting.
For technical assistance, the Brandeis University Technology Help Desk is open:
- 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday
- 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday
- 1-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
You can call 781-736-HELP (4357) or email for help.
Your Role in Your Student's Health & Safety
While we are committed to supporting student success, we also understand that families are the first line of defense against alcohol and drug misuse and abuse. We hope to enlist your support in our efforts to combat alcohol and drug abuse, as well as sexual and relationship violence. We ask that you discuss your expectations and Brandeis community standards with your student, with regard to not only their own health, safety, and quality of life, but that of their fellow students as well.
To support you in supporting your student, we have included an online resource for parents and families. This resource provides basic information to share with your student, as well as discussion questions and tips for starting the conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Expand All
New students will be automatically enrolled in HWL 1-PRE over the summer, and the course will become available Aug. 1, 2022
New students must register for a section of HWL 1 Navigating Health and Safety in Workday. They can choose to take this during Module 1 or Module 2 of their first semester.
What Would Brandeis Do? takes approximately 1-2 hours to complete and can be taken in segments. Students will have access to the program 24 hours a day and can complete the course at their own pace before scheduled deadlines.
What Would Brandeis Do? has quizzes that the students must pass to progress through the course. A score of 100% or higher is required to progress through each module. If students do not pass, they will be required to retake the quiz until they achieve a passing score and finish the final survey. They have unlimited attempts to pass the quizzes.
What Would Brandeis Do? is considered a prerequisite to HWL-1 Navigating Health and Safety; if a student fails to complete What Would Brandeis Do? they will not be able to pass HWL-1 and will be forced to retake the class until they pass.
Failure to complete What Would Brandeis Do? and HWL-1 Navigating Health and Safety may result in a student account hold, preventing the student from registering for classes and adding/dropping courses.
Yes. Transfer students are still required to take What Would Brandeis Do? at Brandeis even if they've taken a similar course at their previous institution. Brandeis' program has information and resources specific to Brandeis that are important for transfer students to learn.
All first-year Brandeis students need to complete the course. Students who do not drink may still be impacted by alcohol use in the college environment. What Would Brandeis Do? provides students with important information regarding coping with potential drinking behavior of their peers and intervening to help someone in the event of an alcohol-related medical emergency.
We ask that you consider all the possibilities for accessing a computer. The course is also accessible via mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. A friend or family member may be willing to let you use their computer, tablet, or phone for this purpose. Also, many local libraries have computers available with internet access.
If it is not possible to access a computer with the necessary technical capabilities, students will be granted an extension so that they can complete the training when they arrive on campus. Students should contact HAWP for an extension.
Any students who have safety concerns about completing this training at home are encouraged to request an extension so that they can complete the training when they arrive on campus. Students should contact HAWP for an extension.
Though this generally has not been an issue for international students, any with concerns are encouraged to request an extension so that they can complete the training when they arrive in the U.S./on campus. Students should contact HAWP for an extension.
Alcohol and Other Drug Use
As you well know, alcohol and other drug use is a significant issue for students in both high school and college, and a presence throughout our lives. While drinking alcohol and using cannabis under 21 years of age is illegal in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, we realize that many students will choose to drink or use cannabis before they turn 21. Because high-risk drinking and drug use affects academic, interpersonal, social, and residential life in significant ways, we continue to direct extensive effort toward preventing high-risk drinking and substance abuse at Brandeis.
Interpersonal Violence
Brandeis is committed to the prevention of all forms of interpersonal violence, and What Would Brandeis Do? is designed to address the critical issues of consent, healthy relationships and bystander intervention. These are issues that affect college students in the United States and throughout the world, and Brandeis is no exception. Brandeis is invested in the development of a caring community that demonstrates respect and compassion for its members.