In addition to the exorbitant tuition, room and board costs for attending Brandeis, students are billed for three services: the union activities fee, equal to one percent of University tuition; the student government administrative fee; and the Brandeis Sustainability Fund fee, equal to $7.50 per undergraduate student per semester.

The third charge contributes to a fund that more than two-thirds of voting students approved in spring 2010. The money amassed totals more than $50,000 a year and is intended to pay for ideas that students have proposed in a formal application process to make our campus "greener." And while the fund has incredible promise, as noted by this board in previous editorials, the money can be spent and managed better.

Over the past two years, especially recently, the fund and its projects have lost momentum. We encourage students to take a more active interest in the BSF and to submit proposals. We also hope that the money is spent responsibly and on proposals that can succeed. If this is impossible, the funds should perhaps be directed elsewhere.

One of the major weaknesses of the fund is one of the first and most expensive proposals accepted: the installation of "smart meters" to track energy usage in Massell Quad, the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Campus Center and the Village Residence Hall. The technology, along with a large touch screen in the SCC, cost students $26,000. While the idea to foster a sense of competition in order to become more energy conscious is intriguing, the fact is that students are, for the most part, totally unaware of the existence of the smart meters-even though they paid for them. The team that is responsible for the Brandeis Sustainability Fund held one mini energy saving competition in fall 2011 and a somewhat larger one in spring 2012, however, both fell short in cultivating a culture of sustainability on campus.

To date this semester, there has been no promotion or activity surrounding the smart meters. The multi-thousand dollar screen still sits in the SCC, with students walking by it obliviously.
To the credit of the BSF, there have been some successes: the purchase of additional DeisBikes in order to foster increased bike usage on campus, and the purchase of drying racks to decrease the energy used by dryers are two excellent examples.

This is student money being dealt with-and a large amount of it. If the BSF is to remain relevant, it must work harder to advertise and promote itself to the student body. While we have conducted no official poll, it's fair to assume that most students are unaware that the fund even exists-despite the fact that they contribute to it.

The deadline for proposing new project ideas has recently been extended to Nov. 15. The BSF depends on strong proposals and leadership; we hope that both will arrive soon.
*