In an effort to give students the maximum time possible to plan and implement their campus improvement projects, the Community Emergency and Enhancement Fund board has set the application period for funding requests from April 18 to Sept. 15, the longest application period to date.

CEEF provides emergency funding to solve problems arising with student life on campus, but it also sets aside about $100,000 each year for student-led initiatives that are aimed to improve the Brandeis experience, according to Tal Richtman ’20. Richtman, Class of 2020 Senator and Student Union Senate representative on the CEEF board, spoke about the CEEF application process in an interview with the Justice.

In the last two years, the CEEF board focused on increasing student awareness and involvement with the fund and created the application process, Richtman explained in the same interview. The application period has been gradually extended last year from the length of winter break to closer to a month, but according to Richtman, the board felt students still did not have enough time to create comprehensive proposals.  

The hope is that students will use summer break to work with relevant staff and faculty at Brandeis to develop strong proposals. Students will also have more time than in previous years to implement their projects, as the CEEF board plans to approve their projects in first semester, giving students the end of the first and all of the second semesters to work.

The structure of the CEEF board will also change with the Student Union elections in the fall, according to Richtman. There will be two new positions up for election in the fall for students who will exclusively serve as CEEF board members. This will replace the current system, in which CEEF board members also fulfill other Union roles. Richtman explained that these members will have more time to devote to CEEF projects. Additionally, the Senate, Allocations Board and Executive Board of the Union will each have a representative on the board.

“CEEF is such an amazing resource for students to stop complaining, but actually do what they want to see,” Richtman said, regarding improving the Brandeis community. Past projects include the Chum’s renovation and new sound equipment for performances at the Stein.

Students can learn more about CEEF at http://union.brandeis.edu/ceef/.


 —Jocelyn Gould