A petition calling on national leaders to "act appropriately and swiftly" to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons presented to the student body passed, according to a communitywide e-mail from Student Union Secretary Aaron Braver '07 Friday. The referendum, which was sponsored by the Brandeis Israel Public Affairs Council, passed by a slim margin, receiving 230 votes in favor, 200 votes against and 21 abstentions.

"We are very pleased with the result," said Dmitry Vilner '08, BIPAC's campus advocacy director.

Members of BIPAC are a currently attending an annual policy conference in Washington D.C., hosted by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobby group with which BIPAC is affiliated.

The group attended lectures and workshops on lobbying over the weekend and plans to meet with Senators and Congressmen from their home states Tuesday to present the petition, Vilner said.

BIPAC collected signatures from over 600 student last month, which qualified the petition for a campuswide vote, Vilner told the Justice last month.

According to the Union Constitution, a simple majority is required for a petition to become the official opinion of the Union, which includes all undergraduate and Transitional Year Program students.

But this clause has proven somewhat controversial, Braver said.

"Some people expressed to me that [only a majority being required] isn't fair," Braver said, adding that a constitutional amendment is required to change that rule.

Vilner said though they would've liked a higher turnout, the club isn't discouraged.

"What happened happened, and now it is the official opinion of the student body and we stand behind that," he said.