Student Union senators are lobbying the Constitutional Review Committee, which is considering changes to the Student Union Constitution, to consider the creation of a midyear senator position as the committee undertakes its review this year. The Senate passed a resolution Nov. 22 supporting the creation of such a position. The resolution was submitted by Village Quad Senator and midyear Leigh Nusbaum '11, Senator for the Class of 2012 Brendan Fradkin, Senate Representative to the CRC Ryan Fanning '11, Castle Quad Senator Mark Trilling '12, Senator for the Class of 2011 Michael Newborn and Foster Mods Senator Amy Mandel '10.

The first midyear class entered Brandeis in January 2004, a year before the last Constitutional review in 2005. The first midyear class, consisting of 76 students, was housed in various dormitories on campus. In subsequent years, midyears lived in renovated first-year dorms. This year, due to a lack of funds for renovation, the increase in the undergraduate class and the new study abroad policy, midyears are living in the Village. This January's entering midyear class is expected to have 87 students, according to information presented at a Sept. 3 faculty meeting.

Nusbaum said she had gotten the idea to submit a resolution from previous senators' efforts in the same area. Jon Freed '09 (GRAD), a midyear, spoke to the Senate Nov 15. about a constitutional amendment proposal creating a midyear senator position that he had drafted as senator for the Foster Mods at the end of last semester.

According to the Union Constitution, a constitutional amendment proposal must be signed by 10 Senators, presented to the Senate and submitted to the Union secretary. The amendment must then be voted on by the student body in a constitutional referendum within 15 academic days after the presentation.

Union Secretary Diana Aronin '11 wrote in an e-mail that a proposal had been submitted to her last semester but that "we have not put it to a student vote because we are still deciding whether we are just going to include it in the constitutional review process." She wrote that Freed was aware of this and that "we are still prepared to have a student vote if need be."

Nusbaum told the Justice, "Unfortunately I jumped on the cause a little late, as I'm going abroad next semester, so I figured the least I could do is pass a resolution."

"When they start talking about the makeup of the Student Union Senate, they will know that the Senate passed a resolution saying that we believe that a midyear senator should be included in the constitution," Nusbaum said.

Fanning said he would support the resolution as the Senate Representative to the Constitutional Review Committee. "I think it will be part of larger structural changes in how the Student Union is constructed, how different constituencies are represented and I think because of the resolution the Senate passed . I'll certainly work very hard to make sure that that becomes part of the new constitution," he said.

Noting that nobody attended the committee's town hall meeting held Nov. 21 for students to express their opinions, he said there would be another town hall meeting next semester, where students supporting this or other changes could speak to the CRC committee members.

Midyear Jordan Caruso '11, senator for off-campus students, said he supported the resolution. "One of the main issues concerning the midyear class is where to house them; last year [the administration] decided to house them in the Village, and maybe if there was a midyear senator there would be different input [on that issue]", he said.

"I feel like midyears deal with unique problems their quad or class senators may not necessarily deal with," Nusbaum said. "Although a midyear might succeed me as Village Quad Senator, the Village won't necessarily be midyear housing forever."

"I didn't feel integrated into the rest of my class until sophomore year, and maybe having a midyear senator speaking directly for the midyears . they will figure out how to close this gap," Nusbaum said.

Nusbaum said there was discussion at a Senate meeting about problems faced by the last year's midyear class when they did not receive keys to other buildings, aside from card access to their own dorm, and could not visit other students in their year until they had an opportunity to complain to the Massell Quad Senator.

"My year, neither the Massell nor the 2011 senators ever came to talk with the midyears or introduce themselves. . We had midyear mentors, we had other people to help us ease the transition to Brandeis, but in many ways still I felt like I was thrust headfirst into this problem," she said.

Freed said it was often the minor issues that were difficult. "Something as small as getting e-mails for the other class; when I was a sophomore, I would get freshman e-mails. . You don't feel good about yourself as a midyear if you're getting these reminders that you're different," he said.

Nusbaum said she started a Facebook group, which had 43 members as of Monday, to encourage support for the creation of the position and let students from the incoming midyear class of 2013 know bout the issue. "The midyears clearly love Brandeis enough that they are sacrificing their fall semester to go here; they deserve a voice."

Freed said he supported the committee looking into the issue but still thought a student vote on the issue would be important. Even if the proposal did not completely achieve the required two-thirds approval to pass, he said the committee might still be able to see "that a good portion of the student body did find it important."

Freed emphasized that "there is nobody [midyears] get to vote on . every decision that happens in the spring, when they get there, they have absolutely no say. . It's a bunch of people making decisions for a complete group without trying to understand what their view is on it."

Jane Horowitz '12, a midyear last semester, said she had been concerned about coming in the middle of the year but that she made friends once she arrived.

She said she liked the idea of a senator but was not sure how many issues there would be for such a senator to address.

She did, however, echo concerns about midyear housing in the Village.

"We felt that it was a bad decision; they are already socially isolated. ... They are going to completely isolated [there], and it's going to be hard for them to break out of that bubble." Rachel Herman '12 added that another concern midyears had was whether they would graduate on time.

Editor's note: Rachel Herman is a member of the Justice Copy staff.