News and Events
2025-26
February 2 - 6, 2026
Mark your calendar for ENACT’s Immigration Justice Week at Brandeis February 2-6! Open to the Brandeis community. Professors are encouraged to bring their classes. Highlights include:
- Know Your Rights Workshop
Monday, February 2nd, 5:45-7 p.m. – Mandel G03 - Stories from the Front: Immigrant Justice and Advocacy Strategies
Featuring Doug Smith from The Right to Immigration Institute (TRII) & Jonathan Paz from Fuerza
Tuesday, February 3rd, 3:55-5:15 p.m. – Shiffman 219 - Screening of “The Vigil” and Q&A
Featuring filmmaker Jenny Alexander and Heller School Professor Alexandra Piñeros-Shields
Friday, February 6th, 12:45-2:05 p.m. – Mandel G03
January 27, 2026
Join a network-wide virtual panel conversation as part of an open ENACT class session on Tuesday, January 27th from 10:00 am - 11:00 AM Eastern. This will be a discussion of topics related to elections, redistricting, and state impacts of recent federal actions, featuring special guests from around the country.
December 10, 2025
Join a special conversation hosted by the Scholars Strategy Network (SSN) featuring a few of the authors of “ENACTing Change: A Handbook for Teaching Advocacy and Civic Engagement” — Maine SSN chapter leader Robert W. Glover, Kathleen Cole, Richard J. Meagher, and Melissa Stimell will provide real-world examples of how to bring civic engagement into the classroom.
This virtual event will be held on December 10 at 1 p.m. ET and is open to all university-based researchers.
Dr. Eno's students attending a session of the Florida Senate in March 2017
November 21, 2025
“ENACT connects classroom learning to active civic participation and prepares students to make an impact, beyond campus, on local and state policy and governance,” says ENACT Faculty Fellow Dr. Victor Eno, Associate Professor of Political Science at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University. “Teaching the ENACT module has strengthened research and civic engagement skills among my students. It has also helped me develop a deeper connection with students and mentor them toward meeting their career goals."
November 18 and 20 from 2:20-3:40 p.m.
Location: Mandel Forum
On November 18 and 20, the Brandeis ENACT course “Legislation for Change: Research, Policy, and Social Determinants of Health” (LGLS121a) hosted a Mock Policy Forum. Throughout the semester, students researched policy areas in an effort to come up with new and/or revised legislative ideas to address pressing issues related to social determinants of health. In this tabling style event, students had a chance to chat with peers and other members of the Brandeis community about their proposed policies and engage in civil discourse about their ideas.
November 13, 2025
On Nov. 13, COMPACT held its annual Community Engagement Pathways Panel, where faculty and staff highlighted ways students can collaborate with one another and with community partners to help build a more just, equitable, and sustainable world.
Among the panelists were ENACT’s own Prof. Charlotte Powley and Assistant Director David Weinstein, who spoke about ENACT’s mission and the many opportunities it offers for students to engage in civic transformation on a national scale.
November 12, 2025
ENACT Faculty Fellows from across the US gathered for a working session on November 12th focused on the development and teaching of ENACT courses in different institutions, departments, and political contexts. Faculty Fellows Neal Allen (Wichita State University, Kansas), Zachary Baumann (Nebraska Wesleyan University), Victor Eno (Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University), Shawnika Johnson (Pitzer College, California), Rich Meagher (Randolph-Macon College, Virginia), ENACT Assistant Director of Research Charlotte Powley (Brandeis University), Lily Rowen (Laramie County Community College, Wyoming), Emily Stacey (Rose State College, Oklahoma), and Zachary Wood (Seattle University, Washington State), were joined by ENACT Director Melissa Stimell and Assistant Director David Weinstein. Fellows shared best practices and advice for their ENACT colleagues teaching ENACT courses this semester and those planning for their next ENACT course offerings. ENACT convenes workshops like this throughout the academic year.
October 21, 2025
On Tuesday, October 21, 2025, ENACT welcomed Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell. Campbell gave a speech entitled "The Role of the Attorney General and the Courts in Protecting Our Democracy in This Historic Moment."
Read: Andrea Joy Campbell has been selected as the 2025 Justice Brandeis Practitioner-In-Residence.
October 14, 2025
Nebraska Wesleyan University (NWU) students in Faculty Fellow Zachary Baumann’s ENACT course “Lobbying and Policy Advocacy” (POLSC 2110) are engaging with a distinctive political system: Nebraska is the only state with a unicameral legislature, not a bicameral structure (typically a house of representatives and a senate), and it has the only nonpartisan legislature in the nation. Yet like ENACT students in the other 49 states, students can select issues they are passionate about and work with local policymakers and activists to drive change in the state.
“Since NWU is in Lincoln, the state capital, we have access to a diverse range of interest organizations, advocacy groups, policymakers, and individuals, making the ENACT model a perfect fit for this class,” said Prof. Baumann, Chair of the NWU Department of Political Science and Coordinator of the school’s Capitol Hill Internship Program. “This course is excellent because it draws students from multiple majors, allowing them to deepen their understanding of this unique system's operation and how to use it effectively.”
Read more about ENACT in NebraskaOctober 9, 2025
On October 9th, Massachusetts State Representative Thomas Stanley visited Legislation for Change, taught by ENACT Assistant Director of Research Charlotte Powley. The course examines state level policy making and reform through exploration of the five domains of the social determinants of health.
Representative Stanley discussed his journey to the state house and his current legislative priorities.
“It’s important to share my experience with students and it’s good for me to hear their perspectives,” he said after the conversation. “It’s always reinvigorating to meet with young people who are smart and have energy and want to go out and tackle problems in the world. We need that to make positive change.”
Students were also given an opportunity to share their areas of interest and their ideas for future legislation. “I feel very motivated from hearing Rep. Stanley speak,” said one attendee. “ At times, it feels as if our politicians are out of touch or ignoring what's going on. It was refreshing to hear Rep. Stanley's perspective on the current state of our country.
October 8, 2025
ENACT and the Women and Gender Studies (WGS) Department at Brandeis have partnered together to help combat period poverty on campus. According to a survey administered by the inaugural cohort of ENACT Research and Advocacy Fellows, Brandeis students voiced concerns and frustrations about a lack of access to menstrual products on campus. While menstrual product dispensers are present in the first year dorms, the dispensers were often found empty, as restocking was exclusively reliant on student volunteers.
Together, ENACT and WGS established a paid position for students to restock menstrual products in the first year dorms on campus. Two students have since been hired to ensure that all first year students have access to menstrual products when they need them!
"I really enjoy restocking the dispensers around North because no one, let alone first years, should have to worry about whether they can afford these products,” said Georgie Balogun ‘27, (pictured) one of the restockers of the menstrual product dispensers in the first year dorms. “Restocking as a Community Advisor is an effective way of ensuring that everyone has access to products when they need them most, which is something I am really passionate about. I always love when residents notice what we are doing and express their gratitude for it, as it makes it all the more worth it".
September 15-19, 2025
In collaboration with the Women’s Studies Research Center and student groups on campus, ENACT hosted Gender Justice and Reproductive Health (GJRH) Week September 15-19, 2025.
The GJRH week began with a keynote address by Dr. Yvonne Gomez-Carrion MD, entitled “Everyone Deserves Dignity: Menstrual Equity and Inclusive Care.” Dr. Gomez-Carrion previously served as an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and worked as an Ob/Gyn at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). She continues to teach at BIDMC as an Honorary Ob/Gyn Attending. Dr. Carrion-Gomez currently serves as the Medical Director of the Gyn Gender Health Clinic at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut. A renowned OB/GYN, educator, and advocate, Dr. Gomez-Carrion brings a powerful voice to the conversation on reproductive justice, health equity, and the future of care.
The second event of the week was a panel discussion from the Bad Old Days Posse, a group of trailblazers who share their stories of seeking reproductive healthcare prior to the passage of Roe v. Wade. Following the event, one student shared: “This was very insightful and I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to hear their stories.”
The final event of the GJRH Week was a hands-on advocacy training with Nicole Lockhart-Rios from Mass NOW. Nicole is a Community Organizer from Mass NOW and she shared concrete tools for strategizing, organizing, and advocating for policy change as a community. Participants were guided through how to search for bills and laws, how to identify and contact their legislators, and how to read legislation. Stay tuned for the Spring 2026 Gender Justice and Reproductive Health Week Events.
September 15, 2025
VoteDeis members registered Brandeis students to vote, reminded people about deadlines for upcoming state and local elections – and gave out stickers and snacks! – in celebration of National Voter Registration Day on September 15th. VoteDeis students at the Blue Booths kicked off a national press conference hosted by NonProfit Vote, speaking with Non Profit Votes Executive Director Brian Miller, joined on Zoom by people at colleges, K-12 schools, and non profit organizations across the country – and were featured in a news story about the event broadcast by an ABC affiliate in South Carolina!
Look for VoteDeis students in upper Usdan every Tuesday from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. for voter registration and absentee ballot support.
Read more and see the videoSeptember 12, 2025
Every semester ENACT Student Delegates visit ENACT courses around the United States, usually by Zoom, to introduce themselves, share info about ENACT resources and other network opportunities, share some advice, and answer questions.This semester the Delegates have visited Faculty Fellow Zachary Baumann’s ENACT course at Nebraska Wesleyan University, ENACT Assistant Director of Research Charlotte Powley’s ENACT course at Brandeis in person (pictured) and have several additional visits in the works.
September 3, 2025
The non-partisan VoteDeis Campus Coalition of students, staff and faculty supports voter registration and participation as well as civic engagement, in the Brandeis community. VoteDeis has hosted local elected officials, organized voter registration drives, and more. VoteDeis is planning a year of events and outreach. Join us at the fall kickoff meeting, open to all! Wednesday September 3rd from 6 - 7 PM, Shapiro Campus Center Room 315. There will be snacks!
Follow @VoteDeis on Instagram and email VoteDeis@brandeis.edu to connect! Or visit the VoteDeis website for up to date news and events.
September 2, 2025
Prof. Lily Rowen, an ENACT Faculty Fellow, reflects on her experience teaching an ENACT course at Laramie County Community College in Wyoming, and how impactful the hands-on component of the ENACT model has been for her and her students.
June 25, 2025
ENACT is excited to welcome two new student software developers to its team for the 2025-26 academic year. The new developers, Godson Ademola-Thomas '27 and Fran Zhang '26, will be maintaining, updating an dimproving ENACT's resource sharing platform.