To the Editor:As the executive board of Student Events, Brandeis' student-run programming board, we would like to clarify both the mission of SE and the manner in which we allocate the Student Events Fee money in response to the Oct. 18 editorial, "How to spend $1 million."

Our mission is to enhance the overall Brandeis on-campus experience through programs that target many facets of the community. It is financially impossible to be responsible and involved with every fun event on campus, and it would be unnecessary to do so, as there are so many clubs on campus that host events. For this reason, the Student Union, with help from Residence Life and Quad Councils, is charged with planning such events as Modfest and Rosenball (a fact which was slightly misrepresented: "Modfest and Rosenball are primarily sponsored by the Union to improve campus social life, even though that is the charge of Student Events.").

The editorial also states that "there is little burden on secured groups to justify their expenditures and operating budgets." SE will honor any request to see a copy of the SE budget and SE also has an advisor, Sarah Bordeleau, from the Department of Student Activities. SE does not see these checks as "burdens," but rather necessary devices to make sure that students' money is spent correctly.

With that in mind, we have greatly increased the use of surveys (e.g. concert and theme week surveys) and will hold a SE Forum on Wednesday, Nov. 16, to help SE better understand the concerns and needs of students. In addition, the staff holds daily office hours in the SE office in the Shapiro Campus Center 241 to hear concerns or suggestions.

One of the key ways that SE serves these needs is through co-sponsorship. We do this not due to "pressure from the Union and the administration," but because we want to help the campus. In the last year, SE has contributed funding and/or other resources to Campus Camp Wellstone, Rosenball, Trisk's Halloween Dance, Sundeis, Starving Artist's Semester Show, Hillel's Purim Party and many more.

While we are very fortunate to receive the SE Fee, it is difficult to "dramatically expand these activities" under our current budget without compromising the goals SE has set forth, and being "allotted much less funding" would only further limit the number and quality of events on this campus including concerts and the film series.

-Helen Pekker '06, Director of Student Events, and the Student Events Assistant Director Board
For more information, visit go.brandeis.edu/studentevents.