Student Union President Herbie Rosen '12 delivered his first State of the Union address Thursday night in the Atrium of the Mandel Center for the Humanities, applauding the Union's fall semester activities and outlining its plans and projects for next semester, which ranged from the initiation of a "color wars" tradition on campus to a campaign to renovate East Quad and Usen Castle. About 50 to 100 students and administrators attended the address.

In the midst of the constitutional review and ongoing concerns about finance and money allocations, Rosen pledged to improve communication between the Union and the student body, making sure the Union is "more transparent, efficient, and better representatives for the students" he said.

Rosen began by acknowledging "structural problems within the Union" and the Union's plans to go ahead with a constitutional review two years ahead of schedule.

Problems included the flaw in the abstain option of the election system, which was resolved after review of this fall's elections, and a confusing allocation process, which has been addressed through the Club Leader's Conference and may see revisions later in the year.

Rosen also lauded an especially active Senate that filled all of its positions this year after considerable effort and some retooling of the election process.

Among the activities mentioned were the efforts of the Ad Hoc Dining Committee and Senator for the Class of 2014 Ricky Rosen to improve campus dining, the success of the Turkey Shuttles and the Rumba dance, the formation of the Club Support committee and the execution of the PULSE survey and Riverside shuttle trials.

While Rosen said that the Riverside shuttles did not attract enough people to justify regular operation, he suggested that there would be another set of trials next semester during weekdays with the ultimate goal of having a Riverside stop on the Waltham Crystal Shuttle next year.

"While the numbers were low … we still believe that Riverside [shuttles] should be an option," said Rosen.

In response to feedback from the PULSE survey series, Rosen said that representatives from the Union had worked with Dean of Arts and Sciences Susan Birren to coordinate the opening of rooms in Olin-Sang and Hassenfeld Conference Center for additional study space during finals.

"This semester has been one of progress, and I believe it sets us up well for the second half of the year," said Rosen.

Rosen went on to list plans for the spring semester, including a "Snowball Mixer" for midyears, the proposal of a midyear senator position, potential renovations to East Quad and Usen Castle and the establishment of a "color wars" tradition in the spring, involving color-coordinated teams and a variety of challenges.

Rosen said that he would propose the midyear senator position soon.

If approved, the student body would have a chance to vote on it next semester.

Any potential renovations will be looked into by a newly approved Campus Operations Work Group, which will survey students on housing and submit recommendations to the administration and Board of Trustees.

Rosen hinted that there was also a Harry Potter-themed fundraising event in the works, to take place in the Castle and benefit relief efforts for Somalia and Turkey, but did not mention details.

As part of the night's program, a short question-and-answer session with Union representatives and an audience brainstorming session for the recently announced strategic planning process followed Rosen's address.

Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel and Provost Steve Goldstein '78 moderated the brainstorming session, during which students responded to a list of prompts that asked for "bold ideas" and views of Brandeis from their perspective.

Many students raised concerns about housing and keeping the student body small, while others suggested the eventual establishment of a law school and reorganization of the campus layout.

Flagel encouraged students to "think big" and added that there would be other options to submit ideas or comments to the Strategic Planning Steering Committee. Students can send suggestions to the committee via email.