Students plan to run in upcoming Student Union elections
Tomorrow, students will finalize their plans to campaign for positions on the Student Union Executive Board in the elections that will take place on April 14.The available positions on the Student Union E-Board are president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, Finance Board members, junior representative to the Board of Trustees, junior representative to the Alumni Association and junior representative to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee.
According to Union Secretary Herbie Rosen '12, at press time approximately 15 students had unofficially informed him that they plan to campaign for positions on the Union E-Board.
All prospective candidates were contacted for comment but some did not respond by press time.
By press time, Rosen, Union Treasurer Akash Vadalia '12 and President of the College Democrats Amber Kornreich '12 had expressed interest in running for Student Union president.
In an interview with the Justice, Rosen said, "there's a lot of great things that the Student Union can do," and suggested that the format of the Student Union and communication among Union members and between Union members and students as areas that can be improved.
Kornreich said in an interview with the Justice that she would "listen to the concerns of students, advocate plurality of opinions . and bring [her] passion for activism to the Student Union."
Senator at Large Beneva Davies '13, who plans to run for the junior representative to the Board of Trustees, said in an interview with the Justice, "Some schools have a football team to bring them together; we have social justice."
In addition to wanting to embrace student activism, she expressed a desire to work with the Board of Trustees to "make influential decisions" concerning housing and dining.
Joshua Kaye '13, the current treasurer of SPECTRUM and member of the Future Alumni of Brandeis, said in an interview with the Justice that he plans to run for the junior representative to the Alumni Association in order to make students more aware of the Future Alumni of Brandeis and to work more closely with first-years and sophomores.
Todd Kirkland '13, an employee at the Library and Technology Services Help Desk, said in an interview with the Justice that he plans to run for secretary.
"I feel like Herbie has done a great job with the communication aspect, and I really want to enhance that further. ... with my technological background ... to make it more systematized and create better delivery for students."
Gloria Park '13, who is still in the process of deciding for which position to run, currently works for the Office of Communications.
In an interview with the Justice, she said that she wanted to look into expanding transportation opportunities for students, increasing study areas and expanding the role of communication between students and the Student Union.
"I just feel like I have to keep listening [to students] ... and listening to what they have to say," she said.
In an interview with the Justice, Jacob Agi '12 said that he plans to run for a spot on F-Board.
Agi, who has served as both treasurer and president of the Brandeis Orthodox Organization, said that he has had to work with F-Board about eight times so far to acquire money and understands how the process works.
He said, "Even though I may not totally understand what the Anime Club does, . I still value what they do as very important and I'd want to give them funding."
Agi also added that he would stress to clubs that they request only necessary amounts in order to better distribute F-Board funds.
Two-year member of F-Board Gabriel Weingrod-Nemzow '12 is running for reelection.
In an interview with the Justice, he said that his campaign for re-election would be based on the fact that he knows how the current F-Board system works.
This knowledge would be important because "the F-Board is in the middle of changing things on the administrative level."
This includes "reduc[ing] costs to students and streamlin[ing] all of the processes from getting a room to custodial fees to actually running an event that is effective and getting students to come."
In an interview with the Justice, Executive Senator Abraham Berin '11 said that he, Shirel Guez '12 and Ryan Fanning '11 would serve as election commissioners.
The position is normally assumed by the Union Secretary.
However, Rosen cannot fulfill that office because he is running for a position.
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