Since my transition into the Student Union presidency this spring, the Union team and I have spent dozens of hours per week on the question of what can be done to make Brandeis University — and the Student Union — better serve the student community. 

The team we have assembled refuses to settle for talk without action. This year, our efforts are being directed toward hitting meaningful goals in many directions, such as increasing student engagement, diversity of Union programs, sustainability, campus events and many more. These goals are meant to reap lasting benefits for Brandeis students now and in the future.

Transitioning into the new year has seen some quick successes, such as new partnerships with student groups, staff and administrators that the Union has formed across the University, yielding many quiet yet tangible results. We have also seen an impressive amount of productivity by members on our Senate committees who are determined to make a difference and equipped with the resources they need to follow through. Still, the new year has left us aware of the recurring stumbling blocks we know we must address. Despite the hiccups, we are meeting problems as they arise and proactively addressing the very real underlying issues which exist.

Last week, a Justice editorial highlighted improvements which needed to be made to the Union website to increase usability and access. The Union’s communications team agreed with many of the points that were raised, so we took action. The Union’s website has long been a work in progress, and getting the site up to speed each year can prove a challenge. This is not due to lack of motivation by the site manager but rather because of an old technical quirk which prevented the manager from adding information to individual member profiles. The continual addition and subtraction of members over the course of the year can complicate the matter of keeping it entirely up to date. We confronted this challenge last week, switching to a system that allows the site manager full and uninhibited capacity to edit member profiles listed on the site. 

In the same area of website improvements, we also plan to add two virtual contact forms: The first will allow anyone to send a question to the Union and receive a response, and the second will allow anyone to submit feedback and ideas on what we can improve upon, with the option to request a follow-up conversation with a Union member. We are continuing to maintain the public “Petitions” page on the website for anyone who wishes to submit a public request. Finally, fall 2017 office hours for nearly all members are now live on the website.

Waiting for students to reach out directly, however, is not enough, and we are planning ways to better our outreach efforts. Engaging with the community does not happen in our office on the third floor of the Shapiro Campus Center; it needs to happen everywhere, every day.

The Union plans to hold a “Meet the Union” event in mid-October, packed with information about how students can talk with members from each part of the Union beyond the office, opportunities to submit feedback, fun giveaways, helpful information and a fundraiser to benefit hurricane relief efforts.

This semester, I will nominate a committee to review and propose revisions to the Student Union Constitution and Bylaws. This is a process that takes place every four years; this is one of them. Over the course of the review process, I will advocate heavily for constitutional changes that will cement openness and equity as integral parts of the Union’s functions. We will be accountable not only through individual initiatives that come and go year-to-year but also in our own book of rules. 

I will also begin holding open office hours across campus in the coming weeks, much like I did during my campaign for Union president. Traditionally, Union members spend their office hours in the Union office. While ensuring a member presence in the office during each weekday is important for many reasons, putting ourselves out and around campus — in an easily identifiable way — is critical. Not everyone knows a Union member off the top of their head or thinks to take the time to visit our office. One of the most important duties I carry out on a daily basis is to bring the student voice to members of the Brandeis staff and administration. Communicating in person — with students and non-students alike — is the best way to carry an idea. And our ideas and words have the power to spur the change we hope to make real.

Brandeis students deserve a Student Union that’s personal. Responsiveness, outreach and transparency are qualities that deserve to be an expectation of representatives and should always be a standard. While not perfect, our Union has power to make change and strives to be representative of who we are. Our efforts to bring about change are continuous. We are starting to see progress on the larger issues we hope to accomplish this year, and I can’t wait to share a long series of updates in a forthcoming email to all students.

On a personal note, I ask that if there is any feedback about the Union, about Brandeis or about my performance, please get in touch. Reach out. Speak up. We can only do as much as we know needs to be done. Talk to any member, and feel free to reach out directly. I’d love to speak with you. 

The Student Union is not just meant to be a group of elected and appointed undergraduates — it is all Brandeis undergraduate students, united. It is together that we work for change. It is together that we improve ourselves. It is together that we are at our best.