The 2010 Student Union elections concluded last Thursday as students elected two class senators for the classes of 2011, 2012 and 2013, the racial minority senator, and two senators-at-large. Students additionally elected five positions on the Union Judiciary and filled two Finance Board seats that remained empty after the first round of elections. The newly elected senators for the Class of 2011 are Michael Newborn and Abraham Berin. Abby Kulawitz and Liya Kahan were elected senators for the Class of 2012, and Jessica Christian and David Fisch were elected senators for the Class of 2013.

Candidates elected to the Student Judiciary were Matthew Kriegsman '11, Judah Marans '11, Rasheedat Azeez '13, Jessica Granville '12 and Alex Norris '11.

J.V. Souffrant '13, who was on the ballot for associate justice of the Student Judiciary, withdrew from that election after being appointed by Student Union President Daniel Acheampong '11 as director of community advocacy.

According to the Union website, the director of community advocacy is responsible for "working towards increasing club collaboration, supporting social justice initiatives, and increasing awareness of diversity on campus."

The elected senators-at-large are Abdul Aziz Sohail '13 and incumbent Beneva Davies '13.

"So many candidates were passionate about campaigning and making sure the community was aware of the elections," said Acheampong in an interview with the Justice. "[The election] was really exciting," he said.

Davies stated in an interview with the Justice that she was "looking forward to helping all of the new senators get on the same page."

Sohail echoed Davies' statement. "I'm going to work on getting acquainted with the Senate," he said in an interview with the Justice.

Sohail plans on advocating for the Student Activist Resource Center, which offers information about the broad range of activist opportunities both on and off campus to the Brandeis community, as his first goal.

The two winners of the special elections were Julia Blanter '13, elected to fill the remaining F-Board position, and Gabby Castellanos '13, elected to fill the F-Board position of racial minority representative.

Leslyn Hayes '13 was elected to the position of racial minority senator.

A Facebook group was recently created that disagrees with the racial minority senator position because nonminority students cannot currently vote in the election for racial minority senator, and it is a position focused on racial minorities instead of all campus minorities.

"The position might once have been needed but not now," group creator Ross Benar '13 said in an interview with the Justice, "It just seems like an extra layer of bureaucracy."

Hayes, the newly elected senator for racial minority students, said in an interview with the Justice. "I think it's something to look at [the racial minority senator position]; I can represent [the creators of the group] too."

Acheampong declined to comment on the subject.

Kriegsman, elected yesterday by the Student Judiciary as chief justice, said in an in interview with the Justice that he wants the Student Judiciary to focus more on mediation instead of public trials.

"I want to change the reputation and dynamic of what it actually means to be a part of the Student Judiciary," he said, by moving away from publicized trials.

Former Student Union President Andy Hogan '11 wrote that although there were no problems with the runoff voting system, some students experienced voting trouble because of issues with their graduating year and the registrar.

"Our lists [that decide which students are eligible to vote for certain elections] are built by the registrar so if people have issues with their class status they may have issues with voting."

Hogan also wrote that the vote for the Junior representative to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committe was accidentally left off the ballot, and was included with the April 26 vote regarding the constitutional amendment for a sustainability fund.