Joshua Brandfon '05 was elected Union Treasurer Wednesday, in an election held to replace former Union Treasurer Sophy Yem '04, who resigned from the position. Brandfon won a mandate in the first round of the election with just 51 percent of the 592 valid votes cast.Brandfon said he was excited about the chance to take over the position immediately. "When I heard that Sophy resigned, I started talking to a few people and realized I could make a difference," he said.

As a previous member of the Union Judiciary board, which discusses conflicts between clubs and interprets various procedures for the Student Government, Brandfon said he was prepared for the responsibility of reorganizing something crucial for the Union Senate -- finances. Brandfon has work experience with a banking firm and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

"One of the biggest things with money is responsibility and accountability, but there really wasn't any (in the Union Senate)," Brandfon said, further explaining that this is a $500,000 a year or more business and must keep its books accurate. This issue has forced the administration to take an increased role in the financial operations of the Union Senate.

Brandfon attended the recent Secured Allocations Funding (SAF) meeting and met with administrators and alumni to help organize student government finances.

When the Union Constitution was implemented five years ago, a clause stated that the University must undergo a financial review of all clubs and organizations every three years. This review indicated the Union Senate was losing track of its expenditures, something Brandfon said he will try to fix.

"I am looking forward to hopefully implementing change and working with club leaders and administrators," Brandon said. "There is no reason why student government should not know how much money they have in their account."

In his campaign statement, Brandon wrote, "one of the most important tasks that lies ahead of the Union Senate is using the information gathered from the ongoing financial review and audit to overhaul the accounting systems that are in place.