Former Student Union President Daniel Acheampong '11 announced details about Brandeis' new financial aid policy, arrangements for a student representative on the Governance Committee of the Board of Trustees next fall and plans for the Social Life Committee in the semiannual State of the Union Address last Thursday in Rapaporte Treasure Hall.Acheampong spoke about students' involvement in the University's administrative decision-making process. He noted the Student Union Student Advisory Committee, which was formed last fall and presented information to the Administrative Structure Advisory Committee to evaluate the duties of the Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment and the Provost after Jean Eddy and Marty Krauss, respectively, announced their resignations from those positions. According to a Dec. 7 Justice article, the Administrative Structure Advisory Committee recommendations, which included clarifications of these job descriptions, were accepted by then-University President Jehuda Reinharz in December.

Additionally, student representatives will participate in the search committees for these two positions, said Acheampong.

He announced that, next fall, the Senior Representative to the Board of Trustees will have a seat on the Governance Committee, which screens potential nominees for the Board. Adam Hughes '12 will hold the position next fall.

"The student body is the backbone and the foundation of this University, and students should be equal partners in generating ideas, providing feedback and in making decisions," Acheampong said.

Concerning the University's new financial aid policy, Acheampong announced that Brandeis will continue to "admit students on a need-blind basis until all available financial aid funds are exhausted," after which it will admit students on a need-sensitive basis as necessary.

The University adopted this admissions policy in September 2010 based on the recommendation of Undergraduate Admissions and the Financial Aid Committee. Previously, all prospective students were admitted without regard to their financial situation. Under the new policy, once the funds allotted to need-blind admittance have been used, the financial need of remaining applicants may be taken into consideration, according to a Sept. 7 article in the Justice. Students of the Class of 2015 are therefore the first to be affected by this change.

All students in the Class of 2015 were accepted on a need-blind basis, Acheampong said. While a positive development, "this financial aid system is far from ideal, and we must be prepared and ready to make changes when we are financially capable," he continued.

Acheampong also said that the Student Union's Social Life Committee will present recommendations to the administration about improving social life on campus. The committee, he explained, is comprised of student leaders and staff members and was formed to generate ideas and consolidate resources to improve parties and events on campus.

Addressing clubs' accomplishments over the year, Acheampong acknowledged fundraising and volunteer efforts, including Colleges Against Cancer's Relay for Life, which raised over $66,000 for cancer research; the Waltham Group, which logged approximately 28,000 hours of service from roughly 600 volunteers; and the International Women's Day dinner hosted by Positive Foundations and the Girl Effect, which raised over $400 for a women's and children's refugee camp and hospital in Somalia.

He also cited athletic successes such as the men's basketball team's Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III New England title and the Men's Volleyball Club's third-place ranking in the Division I Regionals.

Acheampong then recognized the Student Union's accomplishments, touching upon the new Provisions on Demand Market in the Village, the reopening of the Linsey Pool in early 2012, the altered pass/fail system and the expanded Take Your Professor to Lunch Program.

Acheampong also addressed challenges that the University faced this year, including the Westboro Baptist Church's protest in December and the death of Kat Sommers '14 in February.

"Our walk through this semester was not exactly on paved streets," he said, but the University's responses illustrate that the school is based in "the fundamental belief and truth that 'I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper,'" he continued.

Student Union President Herbie Rosen '12 then spoke about his plans for next year, stating that he intends to continue "strengthening the connection between the Union and the campus." He hopes to implement a Department of Community Living liaison for students living off-campus, to work toward renovations of residence halls, to instate more student representatives on administrative committees, and to have students more involved in decisions about dining services, Rosen said.

Rosen encouraged students to vote in the second round of Student Union elections today. Forty-four percent of students voted in the first round of elections held on April 14, he said, and Rosen hopes that at least 75 percent of the student body will vote in this election.

Jonathan Lopez '11 said in an interview with the Justice that he felt the event "was a great overview of the successes and all the accomplishments that the Student Union has made to better ... student life on campus and to advocate for our voice."

Former Student Union President Andy Hogan '11 said in an interview with the Justice that he believed the event went "beautifully."

"I'm very proud of what Daniel has done and the promise that Herbie shows," he said.