As part of our commitment to the Brandeis University community to continue improving the reliability of Brandeis University’s fire alarm systems, we have scheduled our 2026 annual fire alarm testing.

Testing is taking place now through August 15. Since we test every building on campus, please visit the Facilities Services website for reference to your building's schedule. Signage will be placed at the entry doors to the buildings during the test to notify those entering the buildings.

If you have any questions regarding the testing, or if the scheduled date will severely impede your operations, please contact the Department of Facilities Services at 781-736-8500 or via email at facilities@brandeis.edu.

A 2% merit increase pool was approved by the President for eligible staff. During this challenging financial environment, it is important that we acknowledge our most important asset, our people. This is not an Across-the Board Increase. It is expected that managers will differentiate increases based on performance. New rates of pay will be reflected in the 7/10 weekly pay and the 7/15 semi-monthly pay.

Eligibility: All regular staff (excludes temporary staff, faculty, union staff*) hired on or before January 1 and are actively employed on July 1, 2025 if they did not receive an increase April 1 or later. Eligibility Excludes employees currently on Performance Improvement Plans. Employees whose pay is funded from non-University sources will receive increases as funding permits based on the above guidelines.**

*Union Staff receive increases per the terms of their Collective Bargaining Agreements. More information will be shared once available for the new Academic Research Union.

** Employees whose pay is funded 100% by grants and/or gifts who are not in the new Union will also have their increases processed in Workday paid on the above schedule if funding permits.

Faculty will follow the process outlined by the Provost’s Office and Deans. Faculty may reach out to their respective Dean with any questions.

If you have any questions, please contact Human Resources at humanresources@brandeis.edu.

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.

On July 4, 2025, the President of the United States signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) which enacted major changes to the U.S. tax code, as well as to federal programs that receive mandatory funding, such as federal student loans. We realize many undergraduate and graduate students may have concerns about how these changes might affect their ability to pay for college after July 1, 2026. The FAQ page answers many of these questions, and will be updated as more information becomes available.

The Office of Student Financial Services invites students to 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!

We also invite students to sign up for iGrad a free, online financial literacy resource to help manage money and/or student loans. iGrad membership includes money management, simple budgeting tools, student loan and debt management and tracking and building credit scores All students and alumni have free access to these tools, so the account can be used after graduation.

The financial aid renewal application deadline for the 2026-2027 academic year was March 2, 2026. Students who would like to apply for need-based scholarship funds must submit the 2026-2027 CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and copies of 2024 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 are being sent to students and parents this week. 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.

Renewal aid packages will be available in late June.

• Intro to 3D Printing with Prusa Mini, 10 - 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, May 26
• Optimizing Your Moodle Course, 3 - 3:50 p.m., Thursday, May 28
• Excel with Excel: Overview, Tips and Tricks. Part I, noon - 1 p.m., Tuesday, June 16
• Getting Started with Qualtrics, 12:10 - 1 p.m., Wednesday, June 17
• Excel with Excel: Overview, Tips and Tricks. Part II, noon - 1 p.m., Thursday, June 18

Brandeis is rich with religious diversity. Holidays celebrated during the rest of May include:

• Shavuot (May 21 sundown - May 23 sundown) takes place 50 days after Passover. It marks the end of the grain harvest and the anniversary of the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Shavuot is also one of the Shalosh Regalim, the three pilgrimage festivals which include Shavuot, Sukkot, and Passover. Jews celebrate Shavuot by staying up late into the night learning Torah and eating (sweet) dairy foods.

• Pentecost (May 24) takes place 50 days after Easter. It celebrates the outpouring of God's Holy Spirit on the community after Jesus ascended into heaven. The story from the Acts of the Apostles describes this gift of the Spirit as a moment that unites all peoples. While the early followers of Jesus were from different places around the Mediterranean, spoke different languages and had different cultures, the Spirit made them one people. It is, in a sense, the "birthday" of the church.

• Arafah (Expected May 26) The Day of Arafah falls on the 9th day of the Islamic month of Dhul Hijjah. It is the day on which Hajj pilgrims stand at Mount Arafah in Mecca, worshiping throughout the day. It is one of the central integrals of the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca required of all Muslims with the ability to do so once in a lifetime. Those who are not on the Hajj pilgrimage are strongly recommended to fast on the Day of Arafah, as the Prophet Muhammad said that doing so forgives sins for two years, one prior and one forthcoming.

• Eid al-Adha (expected May 27) is also called the Feast of Sacrifice. It honors the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son to God, who then commanded the sacrifice of a ram instead. It also commemorates the culmination of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

For more information on these and other holidays, visit the Center for Spiritual Life's Guide to Religious Observances. Did we miss a spiritual observance that is important to you? Please reach out to slife@brandeis.edu.

EV Charging Stations – Due to the parking spaces being removed from service in the Theater Lot (T-Lot) effective May 18 the current EV stations located in this lot will no longer be available for use. Charging stations are available in the Tower Lot, Athletics Lot and Admissions Lot.

Shuttle Service – Shuttle Services ended on May 12 and will begin for the Summer Sessions in a limited capacity starting June 1. June and July Shuttle Services schedules can be found on the Transportation webpage.

Shuttle Tracking – Transportation Services is launching for Fall 2026 a new more robust and reliable shuttle tracking service called Moovs. Watch social media and announcements for when the application will be available for download!

Commuter Rail Summer Promotions:

• Free Summer Fridays – Commuter Rail service will be free every Friday from June through August. This includes Juneteenth and July 3.
• Monthly Passholders Can Bring a Friend for $1 on Weekends
• Monthly Passes Valid in All Zones on Weekends

Effective July 1, mail services will be serviced by a new provider Ricoh. This improvement will provide a new modern mail services operation to serve the university community. Some of the current mail services employees have chosen to join Ricoh and will remain on campus to ensure that the transition is smooth. Paul Morrison will continue to manage the mail services operation.

Changes Ahead:

• Elimination of antiquated student mailboxes and keys
• Kiosk to pre-gather mail while you are in line
• New option to have your packages shifted to a package locker location on lower campus

Watch social media and email for updates on services!

It has been two years since Brandeis migrated from LATTE to the newer Moodle upgrade, and the ITS and Library teams want to hear from you. As we plan for the 2026/27 academic year, help us ensure the platform continues to meet your teaching and administrative needs. Please take a moment to complete the Moodle Feedback Survey, which will remain open until June 5, 2026. You may also join us for an informal drop in to share and/or listen to observations on June 10, 2026 from noon to 1:30 p.m. (Link: Join the Moodle Listening Session).

Brandeis is rolling out new tap-enabled ID cards to enhance campus security. The cards support both tab and swipe access to buildings and use encrypted smart-chip technology. This initiative is led by Public Safety, the Campus Card Office, and ITS. Distribution dates for the cards will be released at a later date. Brandeis will provide lanyards for ID cards, with the Public Safety’s request that you please display your new ID at all times.

Did you know ITS has a newsletter? You can sign up for the Brandeis Technology Newsletter and follow @DeisTechNews on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X/Twitter and LinkedIn to stay up to date with ITS Tech Talks, technology news and helpful tips and tricks to making your use of technology more helpful and productive!

Have an idea for a ITS Tech Talk for this fall? Drop us a note in our Tech Talk Survey.

Get ready to move! edHealth, the higher education and secondary school healthcare collaborative in partnership with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, is launching the 9th Annual Walking Challenge. Compete against other edHealth schools for fun and prizes. Weekly e-gift card raffle for participants who average at least 5,000 steps per day or 35,000 per week a Grand Prize $100 Amazon e-gift card to top stepper at each school at the end of the challenge.

Sign up for the challenge through the IncentFit app from May 27 through June 6. Challenge begins June 1 and ends July 5.

For eligibility, registration and awards information please visit Human Resources edHealth Walking Challenge website.

We are pleased to announce a reduction in the annual participant recordkeeping fees for the Brandeis University Retirement Plans (Plan #56066 and Plan #84557). Effective April 1, 2026, these fees have been lowered to provide better value for your retirement savings.

New Fee Structure:

• Annual Fee: 5.0 basis points (0.05%) of total Plan assets.
• Calculation: Based on average quarterly assets.
• Payment: Billed and payable quarterly at one-quarter (1/4) of the annual rate.

No action is required on your part to benefit from this reduction. This change is automatically applied to both the Faculty/Exempt and Non-Exempt plans to help maximize your long-term investment growth.

To help you plan for your future, Retirement Planners from Fidelity Investments are on campus regularly to provide one-on-one guidance appointments. Consultations may be conducted in person virtually or over the phone. To schedule your one-on-one confidential consultation, please visit Fidelity's website or call 800-642-7131.

Join a live webinar with Fidelity May through June

Topics include:

• Money Management
• Saving & Investing
• Retirement Planning & Transitioning
• Protection

Join us for Benefits Virtual Office Hours every Monday from 2 to 3 p.m. via Zoom.

Log in at any time during the hour to connect with a member of the Benefits team and ask general questions about your coverage, retirement plans, or other offerings. Zoom Link

As the fiscal year is coming to a close, the Division of Business and Finance would like to remind budget managers and others with financial transaction responsibilities to review your departments’ financial reports. Please refer to the year-end-memo for a list of deadlines and milestones. The last day to submit any accounting entries for fiscal year 2026 is Thursday, July 16, 2026.

For questions, please contact a member of our team.