With a record turnout of over 1,600 students, Jenny Feinberg '07 slid past opponent Alana Hamlett '05 to win the Union presidential election Thursday by a vote of 806 to 713.Tae Youn Jacob Kim '06 won the race for vice president against Alison Schwartzbaum, by a vote of 801 to 680.

Feinberg, currently the Class of 2007 Senator, said the high voter turnout was likely due to the controversial BTV amendment which appeared on the ballot, aiming to double the club's annual funding while reducing portions of the student activities fee guaranteed to the Justice, Student Events, WBRS, the Archon, BEMCo and the Waltham Group.

Kim has served as the director of diversity affairs and as an ICC chair. As vice president, this will be Kim's first post working within the Senate. He said he looks forward to improving how weekly senate meetings run, saying that too many students feel intimidated when sharing their views and concerns.

"The vice president of the Union mediates senate meetings, and one of the attributes that I really like about myself is my ability to moderate and run things," Kim said.

As a rising junior, Feinberg said she will be able to devote more time toward becoming a more effective leader.

"A lot of seniors have one foot out the door," Feinberg said. "As a junior, you are at the peak of your leadership and can devote all of your energy to Brandeis."

Aaron Gaynor '07, a presidential candidate who lost in the primary round, expressed disappointment about student motivation in voting.

"Sadly, this record high was not because of interest in student government elections, but because of referenda presented to the community," Gaynor said. "While we're happy about the turnout, in the future I hope it is due to interest in student government, not just because of controversial issues presented to the community."

Hamlett said that though she is disappointed about losing the presidential race, she believes positive results came from the election and that Feinberg is "committed to voicing the student opinion."

Schwartzbaum said while she had looked forward to serving the Union in a different capacity, she feels optimistic about the overall results.

"I'm really confident in [Kim] and I think he's going to do a great job," Schwartzbaum said.

In the election's closest race, Albert Cahn '07 defeated Mark Samburg '07 by seven votes for the position of Representative to the Board of Trustees; the final tally was 617 to 610.

"I feel that as representative to the board, I'll be able to advocate for more sweeping changes and have more influence on decisions that affect the University on a stronger level and for a longer time frame," Cahn said. "The significance of the decisions that representatives make cannot be overstated."

Samburg said that he was "substantially disappointed" in the results of his own race, but looks forward to serving the Union in other capacities.