Gray won't run again
"I think that it is important every year to continue to have fresh leadership. I think that I have done my service to the community and that it is time for someone else to be in charge," Gray said in an interview with the Justice.
Although he will not have an official role in the Union, Gray told senators at the meeting that "while my service as the Union president will soon be over, I will still be here as a mentor and as a support to assist the Union and our student body in any way that I can."
Gray won the Union elections last April with 693 votes, defeating Justin Kang '09. Gray was the former director of Union affairs before he was elected as Union president.
Gray told senators at the meeting that he remembered campaigning to transform the Union's relationship with students and administrators while advocating improvements to campus life.
Gray explained to the Justice that the culture of the Union has changed so "that it is more about working for students and less about a pretend government club." He continued that the Union's relationship with the administrators "is one of mutual respect, . and it hasn't always been like that in the past."
In an interview with the Justice, Gray listed the creation of the Office of Student Rights and Advocacy, the pursuit to integrate of the Student Bill of Rights into The Rights and Responsibilities Hanbook and the fundraisers held for a Springfield church and Hurricane Katrina victims as some of the Union's main accomplishments.
"Fighting for student involvement and defending student rights were at the core of the things that we accomplished," Gray told the Justice.
Commenting on the ongoing improvements the Union should make, Gray told the Justice that he believes that there should be a continued effort to engage students in the academic and financial changes that are taking place.
He cited the town hall meetings held to allow students to voice their opinions on campus issues as examples of how the Union had worked toward its goal to encourage student participation.
"Right now, every single person who goes to Brandeis has the ability to impact big changes at this University, and we need to get as many people engaged in that process as we can," he said.
He emphasized that "there is a lot of stuff that needs to be continued," such as the efforts of the Office of Student Rights and Advocacy, the Committee on Ethics Endowment and Responsibility and the Dining Committee that is reviewing the University meal plans. He also said that "if people don't continue [the relationship established with the administrators] it's going to roll on back."
Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Jean Eddy wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that she, along with Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer and Assistant Vice President for Students and Enrollment Frank Urso, routinely met with Gray, of whom she is "a huge fan." "He is not shy about representing student interests and has convinced me on more than one occasion to look at things in a different way," she wrote.
Union Director of Communications Jamie Ansorge '09 said that Gray has put in "tremendous time and energy" over his tenure as Union president. "I kind of feel like he's done his part and that [Gray] should also have a college experience," Ansorge said.
Union Director of Executive Affairs Jess Blumberg '09 said that she respected Gray's decision and that he has done "an incredible amount of work over the last two years to bring the Union to where it is now." She emphasized that the Union must continue to "make sure that the University stands by its commitment to the Student Bill of Rights." Blumberg believes that OSRA has been "a huge thing that was born under [Gray]" and should be supported in its efforts to protect student rights."
Nipun Marwaha '12, the Massell Quad senator, thinks that the Union should "mainly continue to pressure administration and higher-ups about getting students involved in all the [academic and financial] issues that are going on."
Reflecting on his term as Union president Gray said, "I've loved it this year; it is a lot, but I've enjoyed it.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Justice.