The Student Union hosted its annual State of the Union address on April 24, in which Union leaders spoke to the student body about the organization’s accomplishments during the past academic year and looked to the future of the Union.

Outgoing Student Union President Jacob Edelman ’18 made the introductory remarks, highlighting two essential tasks of the Union: handling “a giant sum of money,” which it gives to student groups so they can “have fun, … create … and… explore with it,” and aiding undergraduates’ advocacy work when students “aren’t up there advocating for themselves.”

Edelman then introduced Executive Senator Aaron Finkel ’20 to speak about the Senate’s accomplishments. Finkel began by calling the past year “the year of good news,” and stated that there have been “wonderful things going on in our Senate.” He then proceeded to discuss the accomplishments of the Senate committees, which he said worked “really diligently to address a variety of issues and plan specific projects and initiatives.” 

Starting with his own Services and Outreach Committee, co-chaired by Union Communications Director Callahan Cox ’18 during the spring semester, Finkel stated that its accomplishments included two Midnight Buffets and the new “Take Your Professor Out to Lunch” initiative. 

Moving to the Bylaws Committee, chaired by Class of 2018 Senator Abhishek Kulkarni, Finkel commended its extensive review and standardization of the Union bylaws. 

Next, Finkel highlighted the accomplishments of the Club Support Committee, chaired by Class of 2020 Senator Tal Richtman and incoming Racial Minority Senator Geraldine Bogard ’20. This year, the Club Support Committee created “probationary status,” held two highly attended workshops and is currently drafting a proposal for a club advisor network. 

Finkel stated that the Social Justice and Diversity Committee, led by Rosenthal Quad Senator Elizabeth Dabanka ’20, brought a “powerful” guest speaker to campus to speak about Islamophobia. 

Drawing attention to the Health and Safety Committee chaired by East Quad Senator Samantha Barrett ’20, Finkel announced that the committee is working on lifting an on-campus ban on pepper spray and tackling the issue of smoking. 

Finkel then spoke about the Campus Operations Working Group, stating that chair Shaquan McDowell ’18 led the committee in a successful trial run of providing free menstrual products in bathrooms. The committee, Finkel continued, is in the midst of discussions with administrators to make the initiative permanent.

Concerning the Sustainability Committee, chaired by Vice President-elect Benedikt Reynolds ’19, Finkel underlined its “numerous green initiatives,” including Meatless Mondays and the Green Ambassadors orientation program. The committee, Finkel added, also assisted in allocating $180,000 for on-campus green initiatives.

Last, Finkel discussed the accomplishments of the Dining Committee, chaired by Class of 2020 Senator Jonathan Chen. The committee planned “numerous events in the dining halls,” held regular meetings with Sodexo and addressed meal plan requirements and affordability. 

Finkel concluded by thanking the senators for a year of “good news and unprecedented progress,” and then emphasized the importance of trust amid disagreement to the future success of the Union. Overall, Finkel declared, “The state of our Union is strong.”

Allocations Board Chair Aseem Kumar ’20 then took the stage, imploring Union members to appreciate the long hours of work put in by A-Board members, especially during the marathon process. During this semester, Kumar said, policy work has revolved around transparency, consistency, efficiency and accountability, which has resulted in A-Board policies becoming more consistent and less biased. Kumar concluded by congratulating A-Board members and announcing that A-Board will be sending out a budget outlining club costs.

Office of Student Rights and Advocacy Director Zosia Busé ’20 spoke next, evaluating the first year of the office’s revival. Busé stated that she was honored to create a vision for the new organization, but emphasized that her work could not have been done without the help of her team of advocates. This semester, she created a more comprehensive structure for the office by adding positions for assistant directors and deputies. She also established a relationship with the Ombuds Office and trained with the Office of Rights and Responsibilities. 

Cox spoke briefly, focusing on her efforts to make the Union more visible and respected. Cox stated that through regular social media posts and forums, she successfully reached out to the student body and Union members about their projects to increase awareness and enthusiasm. She concluded by telling students that “we are here to advocate for [you], and it’s important for us to remember that we are trying to make Brandeis better.”

Speaking on behalf of the Judiciary, Justice Avraham Tsikhanovski ’21 declared that one of its accomplishments was helping the Jewish Feminist Association of Brandeis become a club and investigating its troubles in the process of attaining that status. 

Edelman read remarks by Union Diversity and Inclusion Officer Amber Abernathy ’18. In her remarks, Abernathy stated that she had worked with A-Board and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to give a presentation responding to the demands of Ford Hall 2015 on how funding could be more equitably distributed to racial minority-focused clubs, along with facilitating discussions about intersectionality in the Senate.

Edelman thanked Union leaders and stepped aside for incoming Union President Hannah Brown ’19 to present the Senate Awards. Newly elected Student Union leaders and senators were then sworn in, vowing to strive to make Brandeis better and advocate for the voiceless.

After the new officers were inducted, Edelman addressed the Union and evaluated his presidency. Edelman highlighted the Union’s introduction of a Union Diversity and Inclusion officer, the revival of OSRA and the assessment of A-Board funding for racial minority-focused clubs. The Union also met with members of the Board of Trustees and administration concerning financial aid and provided more support to the Brandeis Counseling Center, Edelman stated. While much progress has been made this year, Edelman said, there is much more to be made, affirming that he is confident in the abilities of next year’s leadership to make Brandeis better. Edelman concluded by thanking the student body for giving him the opportunity to serve, before stepping aside for Brown, saying, “The Union is yours.” 

Professing that it had been a difficult year, Brown stated that “many of us had our beliefs challenged at one point, many of us had to make difficult decisions and many of us saw or heard discouraging things,” but believes that these difficulties can test character and teach lessons. For her term, Brown wishes to use the lessons learned from these challenges to grow as a community. 

Concluding her speech and the State of the Union, Brown stated that she wants community members to “continue facing challenges, … continue achieving and take a moment to celebrate our successes… as the Brandeis community.” 

Brown added, “If anything makes Brandeis special, it’s our community. …It’s just full of people that really want to do good things for the world, and I think that makes for a strong Brandeis community and for a really strong Student Union.”