After reviewing the Student Union Constitution's election policies, Student Union Secretary Herbie Rosen '12 decided last Tuesday to allow Missy Skolnik '12 to take the position of Village Senator even though she may not be able to serve for the entirety of her term.According to Article IX, section 1 of the Student Union Constitution, a student must be a registered Brandeis student for "the entire period in which s/he will hold office" in order to run for election.

Skolnik was ineligible to run as an official candidate because she may study abroad next semester. Instead, she ran a write-in campaign and defeated Jake Weiner '13, who officially ran unopposed, by five votes, 23-18.

Rosen explained that he wanted to make absolutely sure that Skolnik could officially hold the position since, based on the constitution, she could not officially run for the position. He said that he decided to ask the Student Judiciary for an unofficial recommendation.

Chief Justice of the Student Judiciary Matt Kriegsman '11 explained in an interview with the Justice that Rosen asked the SJ to see if there was a clear-cut answer as to whether Skolnik could take the position but that it would be Rosen's final decision either way.

The SJ was unable to find a clear-cut answer to the situation based on the information it was given and therefore left it up to Rosen's discretion, according to Kriegsman. However, had an official case been filed, Kriegsman said, the SJ would have been able to reach an official decision.

Rosen explained that since the constitution did not provide a clear answer and because Skolnik's constituents voted for her even though there was a possibility she might not serve her full term, he decided that she could take the position of Senator for the Village.

"The important thing to know is there wasn't a problem, there wasn't an argument, nobody did anything wrong," Rosen said. "I just wanted to make sure I was doing my job right, because I'm supposed to follow the constitution. Rosen also said that elections to fill the senatorial positions for Ridgewood Quad and the Mods, which were left vacant after the elections, as well as junior represenative to the Board of Trustees, Oct. 12.

A Student Union Press Release stated that Executive-Board Director of Community J.V Souffrant '13, Director of Special Events Linda Li '13, and Junior representatives to the Board of Trustees Suppreetha Gabbala '12 are resigning.

In an interview with the Justice, Skolnik said, "I wouldn't have asked people to write me in or wouldn't have even told people it was an option if I thought it was unconstitutional in the first place."

"I understood it was in [Rosen's] best interests to look at the exact language of the constitution. . I think that [Rosen's] decision was completely on par with the constitution and the desire of the student body," Skolnik said.

Though Kriegsman explained that Weiner has the right to file a case with the SJ about this decision, Weiner said he does not plan to do so. "[Skolnik] did beat me by five votes, which isn't a ton, but the constitution is a little vague. I don't want to have to drag anyone through the mud [by filing a case]," Weiner explained.

Several Union officials are now interested in examining whether the constitution needs to be amended in order to avoid similar confusion in the future.

Rosen, who is interested in exploring whether the constitution needs an amendment, said that the Student Union can make amendments to the constitution at any time as long as it follows the proper procedure for doing so as outlined in article XII of the constitution.

If there are aspects of the constitution that the student body as a whole believes should be addressed, "of course we have to take a look at it," Student Union President Daniel Acheampong '11 said.

"The most important thing is to make sure that students are involved in the process. This constitution reflects the ideas of students and what students want. The constitution is what we function under. We have to respect it," Acheampong explained.

Skolnik agrees that a change may be necessary. "If we are going to allow write-in candidates to be an exception, then that should be specified in the constitution. . But as the constitution stands right now, there's nothing saying that a write-in campaign isn't legitimate and isn't a legitimate way to take the seat no matter how long you'll be on campus," she said.

Skolnik also mentioned that because of the way the constitution is currently written, the Student Union might be excluding some students inadvertently.

Rosen explained that it's possible that the constitution no longer adequately reflects the recent University housing policy changes, especially with regard to the Senator for the Village position, because the policy changes have affected who lives in the Village. Now, sophomores live in Village A for the full academic year, and students planning to study abroad in the spring live in Village B and C, with midyears replacing the study abroad students in the spring semester, according to the Department of Community Living's website.

Rosen said that he hopes to consider these changes when addressing potential amendments to the constitution.

"If students are not being represented because of their academic planning, traveling abroad and such, or midyear students, we have to find a way to immediately address it," Acheampong said.