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Brandeis University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1949 | Waltham, MA

Sara Dejene

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New executive board elected

by Sara Dejene | 04/29/2014

In the first round of Student Union elections, Student Union Secretary Sneha Walia '15 was elected as the next Union president. Walia, who won 62 percent of the vote, wrote in an email to the Justice that she is "unbelievably excited." Walia wrote that she plans to focus on increasing transparency about "major Union initiatives" and work with student groups on campus on diversity related initiatives. The other presidential candidates, Terrell Gilkey '15 and Class of 2015 Senator Anna Bessendorf, received 12 and 19 percent of the votes, respectively. In a close race, Sofia Muhlmann '16, was elected Student Union vice president, winning over Senator-at-Large Naomi DePina '16, with 42 percent of the votes going to Muhlmann and 40 percent to DePina. "[O]ne of the first things that I believe we as the Student Union need to think about is setting goals at the beginning of our terms, making reasonable deadlines to accomplish these goals, keeping all undergraduates in the know, and informing our constituency about how it is we are collectively working to represent and support our undergraduate community," wrote Muhlmann in an email to the Justice. Muhlmann also wrote that she is "looking forward" to tackling issues such as improving residence halls and meal plans, "increasing awareness" arround sexual assault and its advocacy as well as pushing for increased transparency regarding the University's administrative and financial affairs. Current Union Vice President Charlotte Franco '15 was elected secretary with 56 percent of the votes. Franco wrote in an email to the Justice that her top priorities will be "the club system as a whole," as well as the structure of the Union.

Walia sworn in at State of the Union

by Sara Dejene | 04/29/2014

Last night, Student Union President Ricky Rosen '14 recapped the University's and Union's major changes and accomplishments during his term as president during the biannual State of the Union address. Speaking to a crowd of students in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium, Rosen looked back on what he called the "most transformative" year for the University he has seen during his Brandeis career.

Elections to take place on Friday after debate

by Sara Dejene | 04/08/2014

This Friday, students will vote in the first round of the Student Union's spring elections. Open positions include president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and seats on the Finance Board, representatives to the Board of Trustees, the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and the Brandeis Sustainability Fund Board. President This year's Student Union presidential candidates are Student Union Secretary Sneha Walia '15, Class of 2015 Senator Anna Bessendorf and Terrell Gilkey '15. Walia said in an interview with the Justice that her platform is "student-focused." While it includes goals related to more specific issues such as dining and transportation, Walia said that she also wants to focus on "tangibly" achieving transparency between the Union and the student body, encouraging student participation in committees and supporting co-sponsorships of clubs and large campus events. In an email to the Justice, Gilkey wrote that he wants to "make sure that every student at Brandeis ... know[s] that someone cares enough about what matters to them to try to make sure that every one of their concerns with Brandeis has been addressed and hopefully resolved." In an interview with the Justice, Bessendorf said that she is "passionate about ... improving the day-to-day lives of students," including issues such as dorm renovations, meal plan prices, BranVan schedules and transparency on executive compensation. Vice President Senator-at-Large Naomi DePina '16 and Sofia Muhlmann '16 are running for the position of vice president. DePina said in an interview with the Justice that she wants to focus on clarifying the processes of club recognition and chartering, improving the quality of dining stations and showcasing diversity of the student body through clubs. In an interview with the Justice, Muhlmann, who has not had experience on the Student Union, described herself as a mediator and "intense problem solver." Muhlmann, a community advisor, said that she believes she can serve as a liaison between the Executive Board of the Union and the Senate. While Muhlmann's Facebook page outlines her specific goals, she said that she believes she would need to address the "broader" objectives of the position before focusing on more specific goals if she were elected. Secretary The candidates for secretary are Student Union Vice President Charlotte Franco '15 and Arlene Cordoves '17. In an email to the Justice, Franco wrote that she "wanted to be in a position where I could not only effect change on the University as a whole, but for the Union itself." Franco wrote that she wants to focus on providing additional materials in the Romper Room, a rental system for clubs to borrow equipment from the Union and a review of the club system and club recognition and chartering processes.

Constitutional review expands scope of Senate

by Sara Dejene | 03/18/2014

Correction appended. A committee comprised of Student Union members and one alumnus, which was formed to review the Student Union's Constitution, announced in an email to the Justice that it has come up with a sizable list of proposed changes, about half of which pertain to the Union's finances. The Constitutional Review Task Force was formed last fall after an amendment to create a constitutional review system, which calls for an independent review of the constitution every four years, was approved by 82 percent of the student body in a vote.

Assistant dean roles created and filled

by Sara Dejene | 03/11/2014

Dean of Students Jamele Adams announced in an email to the Department of Student Life that Director of Student Activities Stephanie Grimes and Director of the Intercultural Center Monique Pillow-Gnanaratnam will be promoted to the positions of assistant deans. According to Adams in the email, two assistant deans have become "part of our design in the Office of the

bVIEW stages second conference

by Sara Dejene | 01/28/2014

Students and scholars came together to tackle the conversation about issues facing Israel and its future at the second annual Brandeis Visions for Israel in an Evolving World Conference this past Sunday.

Lawrence to start talks with Al-Quds

by Sara Dejene | 01/14/2014

University President Frederick Lawrence is in talks with members of the administration at Al-Quds University to discuss re-establishing the partnership between the two schools, according to Senior Vice President for Communications Ellen de Graffenreid.

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