Around 20 students, staff and faculty members gathered at the Student Union's first Town Hall Forum on campus life on Feb. 16 in the Shapiro Center Atrium to discuss the quality of social life at Brandeis.According to student director of academic affairs Alan Tannenwald '05, the forum's moderator, the event was designed to allow students an opportunity to voice their opinions on issues connected to campus life.

"We thought it best to serve the community if we hear what everybody wants," Union Vice President Erica Lemansky '05 said.

The discussion focused largely on the widely-reported sentiment of social life as lackluster. Students attribute this perception to an overly packed calendar and a fragmented student body.

"We have so many events going on, no person has time to go to all of them," Josh Simmons '06 said, ascribing poor attendance to students overwhelmed by the multitude of activities.

Senator for the Class of 2007 Jennifer Feinberg attributed social problems to students' individual commitments, saying that "a lot of people's social life starts at their clubs." Feinberg said since many students go to club-sponsored events, more co-sponsorship might encourage "more people to do different things."

Other suggestions for improving the quality of student life ranged from increased publicity of events to more large-scale events, like Louis Louis and Bronstein Week, which are known to attract many participants.

The meeting also discussed alcohol in regard to social life.

"People do want to drink and I think we haven't embraced that fully," Senator for the Class of 2006 Donnie Phillips said.

Other students said alcohol appeals to a small segment of the student body, to which it is readily available.

"Our problem is not that there are no places to drink," Josh Brandfon '05 said. "Our problem is that there are no places for underage people to drink.