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Fall 2003 State of the Union Address

Delivered by Student Union President Joshua R. Brandfon on 1 December, 2003.

At some point in all of our Brandeis careers, we make a decision that dramatically impacts the rest of our lives. For me, that decision came two years ago when I chose to get involved in the Brandeis University Undergraduate Student Union Government. I wasn’t a student politics person in high school, and to be quite honest, could never have imagined that I would be standing before you all this evening. But to the students, administrators, staff, faculty, and guests, I say welcome…it is my pleasure to share with you the current state of our Student Union

As we gather tonight, our community is still trying to cope with the tragic losses of students Reggie Poyau, Mary Jagoda, and Elie Schwartz. Each of them made their own significant contributions to our community, and our prayers continue to go out to their families and friends.

And as we gather tonight, our community is still regaining trust in one another after hateful words were printed in the Justice and on flyers around campus. I am very encouraged by what I am starting to see from students and administrators, and by the efforts being put into addressing issues of coexistence on our campus.

From students, we have seen the organization of workshops, discussions and campaigns. From the faculty, we have heard a pledge by the Provost and various professors to re-examine the academy’s role in diversity on campus. And from the student life division of the administration, we have seen a solid commitment of both financial and human resources. There is no doubt that this has been the most difficult of semesters for all of us, but my friends, this coordination and cooperation is precisely what it will take to tackle the perceived hatred that pervades our campus.

The Student Union has been in constant contact with the Intercultural Center, the Brandeis Black Students Organization, the Brandeis Muslim Students Association, and the Justice. While these groups may be the ones most directly affected by the recent turmoil, they are by no means the only.

Community Integrations Coordinator Yanina Seltzer’s “Creating Awareness: One Thought at a Time” campaign was specifically designed to reach those students not as directly “interested,” per se, in issues of diversity. She is also working to provide diversity training for a combination of students and staff, and is exploring creating awareness through the arts as well.

Jacob Kim, Chair of the Intercultural Center’s Programming Board, has put together a working group of student leaders to respond, and more importantly, proactively advocate regarding these challenges we face.

We have seen co-sponsored activities by BBSO and the Brandeis Orthodox Organization, the BMSA and Hillel, and the ICC and the Student Union’s Diversity Committee.

Provost Marty Krauss, in a presentation to the Faculty and then to the Student Union Senate, expressed her desire to see the academy “own” the issue of diversity by increasing their internal capacity to address important issues. I am fully committed to supporting the University in efforts to implement Provost Krauss’ four main ideas.

First, to give faculty members the resources to help them discuss tough issues inside and outside of their classrooms with students. Second, to re-examine the curriculum of all of the departments, to ensure that course offerings are diverse in their subject matter. Third, to hold a faculty led symposium sometime in the spring, involving both students and professors. And fourth, to diversify the faculty itself by looking at the ways faculty search committees handle their responsibilities.

I heard from someone once that the only thing that every student has in common is the fact that we all take classes. The Provost’s ideas would be a tremendous step for Brandeis, reaching students in the place where they are most open to learning: the classroom.

This Fall, we had the privilege of adding Dr. Qamar-ul Huda to our Near Eastern and Judaic Studies faculty. In addition to his role as a professor of Islamic Studies, Professor Huda has been serving as an advisor and mentor to the Brandeis Muslim Students Association, holding office hours and leading prayer. And on the heels of his hiring, the BMSA moved out of the basement of Gordon Hall and into a new space on the ground floor of the Usdan Student Center.

Coexistence and diversity extend well beyond the timeframe between when we begin Orientation and when we graduate. Every student’s Brandeis experience begins with the admissions process, and programs such as the Brandeis University Multicultural Program (BUMP) serve to highlight Brandeis’ commitment to multicultural learning and living on campus. Admissions is also conducting an evaluation of the Martin Luther King Jr. scholarships to determine ways to make them a more effective tool in the effort to recruit more students of color. And finally, they are examining their regional travel plans to include schools with high percentages of students of color as well as after-school non profits that seek to identify talented students. This will serve to complement Brandeis’ strong current commitment to bringing in international students from all around the world to further diversity ideas, opinion, and experiences. It is their hope that by building connections with these institutions, they will be able to introuce Brandeis as a viable, affordable choice for talented minority students.

And on the other end of our Brandeis experience is the Alumni Association. The Minority Alumni Network, chaired by Joseph Perkins, a member of the Class of 1966, works to promote unity and networking among minority alumni through educational, career development, community and social events. Their purpose is to provide a link and a support mechanism to the greater Brandeis community of students, faculty, staff, and other alumni clubs and organizations. They have hosted speakers such as Margo Jefferson, a cultural critic for the New York Times, and have held events such as “Alumni Night at Spingold Theater.” Alumni are integral to our efforts, as they ultimately complete the chain that is our Brandeis experience.

What has become more than clear to me, however, is that it is nearly impossible to prevent individuals from acting on their own prejudices. No number of speakers or committees or forums will completely stop the ignorant few. Increasingly more important nowadays, are the resources that are in place to help students confront prejudice and respond to the incidents such as what we have seen. With this, we can’t guarantee that it won’t happen again, but we can ensure that we’ll be able to have a more unified response. To the students, faculty, administrators, staff, and alumni providing these resources, I say thanks. Your efforts are invaluable and greatly appreciated.

While these are the most visible situations we have responded to, there are other very important things to which we dedicate much of our time.

When the most recent version of our Student Union Constitution was ratified five years ago, it included in its implementation clause a call for a complete and thorough review of the Student Union financial systems and policies. Throughout my term as Union Treasurer and continuing this semester, we have faced a very significant challenge; how to rectify our own financial inefficiencies in order to regain the confidence of students and the University administration.

With the help of countless union officers and club leaders both past and present, Assistant Vice President for Students and Enrollment Brian Walton, and Ron Goldstein, an attorney and alumnus of the Brandeis Class of 1989, we set out to enact some crucial changes through a detailed and comprehensive amendment to our Union Constitution.

This past month, 76.8% of voting members of our Union supported our efforts, laying the groundwork for a more professional treasury and ensuring that we maintain our “student run, uniquely Brandeis, Union structure.”

The amendment itself expands the responsibilities of the Finance Board, creates training workshops for club leaders, sets a policy for how to handle unspent and unallocated funds, and establishes a structure for the funding of an administrative assistant position. Additionally, the amendment formalizes new and existing financial reporting requirements to ensure consistency and compliance with University policies and state and federal laws.

Our next major constitutional review project will address much of the uncertainty and vagueness that surrounds our election, petition, and referendum balloting procedures. The Union Judiciary, time and time again, has called on us to clarify these things, and my administration is now prepared to meet that challenge head on. Issues such as what constitutes membership in the Union, who is eligible to vote, and how the Union Secretary conducts the elections themselves will be debated within our government and in a series of town hall meetings and online polls next semester. The process will eventually conclude with a proposed elections and voting amendment to our constitution.

Last month’s set of ballots also included a petition to determine how over $122,000 of accumulated unspent and unallocated funds would be used. 58% of voting members chose to support the establishment of a game room and recreation center in the Usdan Student Center. While limited funds were able to create what we now have in the space, we are excited at the prospect of having it done professionally. Student Union Secretary Daniel Silverman has been diligently working to gauge student opinion on what the space needs, and will continue to head up the project. He and Assistant Dean of Student Life Alwina Bennett have been holding information sharing sessions with groups of students for the past few weeks to generate more student feedback and really make this space one that benefits students.

The Brandeis campus is overloaded with places to study and do school work, but is severely lacking places where students can simply take their minds off of work and have fun. It is my hope that the University administration recognizes this need for recreational opportunities on campus, and takes it upon itself to complete the second of the two proposals, a rock climbing center in Gosman. The vision for this space that was shared by the Mountain Club and Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer depicts an incredible rock gym that would lend itself to team building activities for orientation leaders and community advisors, to a new and exciting physical education class, and to club activities that would be fun and challenging.

The campus itself has seen many physical changes during the past semester, the most significant of which is the addition of the Village Residence Quad. We, as a Union, have been working diligently to ensure that the spaces in the building meet the needs of students and are used efficiently and productively.

First, we have been working with Senior Vice President Jean Eddy and the Office of Executive Vice President Peter French to develop a specialized meal plan for residents of the Village. With kitchens on every floor, students have the ability to prepare a number of meals per week right inside their dorm, and yet, the meal plans they are compelled to sign up for discourage them from doing so. The common dining areas and kitchens are ideal spaces for residents to develop a sense of community, and we need to ensure that they have the flexibility to use them.

And second, The Student Union’s Executive Office has proposed the addition of a gym to one of the currently vacant spaces on the ground floor of the Village. With treadmills, stair masters, bikes, and cross-trainers, it would serve the residents of the Village, Ziv, Ridgewood, and perhaps even Charles River. We are working cooperatively with a very willing Residence Life staff, Athletics department, and Office of Capital Projects to see our idea become a reality.

A number of changes have also taken place in the Shapiro Campus Center to make it more inviting. New this semester, the Shapiro Café remains open until two am on most nights of the week, and vending machines have been installed in the building. A dozen additional computers have been added to the Shapiro Library and the multi-purpose room has been acoustically treated. Starting this week, the café will be stocking rolls of quarters, and will be able to provide students with change for laundry.

What I am perhaps most proud of in this building is a project that we as a Union undertook this past summer. On October 27th, we celebrated the grand opening of our Club Resources Center. The Center, funded by the Union Allocations Board, provides all the tools a club leader needs to plan, create, and publicize events, including club forms and "how to" guides, computers with office software, print publishing, and web publishing programs, a copier and high speed duplicator, scanners, printers, a video editing workstation, and more.

Daniel Silverman, Student Union Secretary, further enhanced our services by creating a brand new website, which we launched in August. It has information on all our branches, links to agendas and project reports, past UJ opinions, online how-to’s, and so much more. Announcements are now more organized than ever, with club leaders having the ability to submit them directly through our website for inclusion in bi-weekly all campus emails. It has allowed us to be more organized and more efficient.

Also in an effort to support club leaders, Associate Director of Student Activities Stephanie Grimes and her staff have brought back “one-stop” event planning meetings. These meetings are designed for individuals planning events to come and speak to representatives from Student Activities, Conference and Events Services, Public Safety, and the Student Union all in one place. They have proven to be very successful, and we look forward to continuing them next semester.

This past summer, members of our Union Government worked with Eliza Jacobs, the editor of the Course Evaluation Guide, to produce an online, searchable, and sort able product. Students can now search by professor, class name, or department, and can easily view the top and bottom 40 classes, as determined by student opinion. The internet and some computer savvy minds have allowed us to make this important service more available to our students. (EDITORS NOTE: CEG’s can be accessed from on campus at http://union/ceg/index.php. If you are off campus, you need to go through the library’s authentication system.)

Technology has and will continue to play an important role in our lives as students. We are reaching a time when the number of volumes in our libraries will not be as important as the ease with which we can access their contents from our dorm rooms. More and more professors are supplementing their class lectures with WebCT materials, and new buildings on campus are equipped with the most advanced audio/visual systems available.

An increasing number of students are turning to laptops with wireless capabilities, and the time is now for Brandeis to invest in improving our wireless internet network. Our peer institutions are simply leaving us behind in this respect, providing access in their classrooms and cafeterias, laboratories and lecture halls. The technology is out there, so let us bring it to our University.

Our technological infrastructure underwent a significant overhaul this semester with the change to the Cisco phone system. While the phones themselves and the services they provide are “cool” and “modern” and “cutting edge,” they have, numerous times, failed to provide students with some of the most basic services – those of convenience, accessibility, and most importantly, physical security. Residents of the Village, Ziv, and Ridgewood have been without phone service for days at a time, leaving many students without the ability to contact Public Safety in the event of an emergency. “Students have cell phones” cannot be the answer to this problem.

I’m happy to report that Vice President French and ITS have recognized this problem and are addressing it in two different ways. First, in order to help ensure that phones don’t shut down during the school year in the first place, they will be conducting all software upgrades during our academic breaks. And second, they are beginning the process of installing analog phones in all of the halls around campus, to ensure that there is a reliable means of communication in the event of an emergency.

Furthermore, Cisco phones, at this point in their development, make it impossible to have cordless phones in the dorms. Many students, especially those not living in singles, depended on cordless technology for privacy, as they would oftentimes go out into a hallway or to a common room to speak to their parents or friends. It is my sincere hope that as soon as Cisco makes available cordless IP phones, Brandeis makes them available to its students.

We are about to begin participating in an exciting new opportunity, the Boston Intercollegiate Government delegation. BIG, as it is called, represents tens of thousands of college students in the Greater Boston area, encouraging civic responsibility on campus, in the community, and in the city at large. In addition to serving as a advocate on political issues impacting, concerning, and pertaining to the interests and livelihoods of college students, BIG functions as a resource for student governments so they may better serve and support their students. We are anxious to become involved, and are excited about the opportunities BIG will provide to Brandeis.

The Student Union budget for the spring semester contains in it, for the first time, a line item for Student Union outreach. Our press releases, bulletin board, and advocacy committee dorm raps are great for publicizing what we do, but we need more. It is our goal, that when a student is asked “what has your Student Union done for you?” the answer will never be “I don’t know.”

I said during my campaign that I would not judge my success or failure as President by my own accomplishments or image, but instead, would judge it based on the accomplishments and effectiveness of our Union as a whole. Together, we have enacted more change than in any year in recent Brandeis history.

Our Union is comprised of four branches, each serving a specific purpose. Our Executive Office carries out the day to day operations of the Student Union, while the Senate has the power to pass legislation. The Finance Board is responsible for distributing Union Activities Fee money to all 200-plus clubs and organizations, and the Union Judiciary serves a vital role in interpreting our constitution and acting as an arbiter in disputes within clubs and the Union. In addition, we have elected representatives to the Alumni Association, the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, and the Board of Trustees. I have also appointed nearly three dozen representatives to various University Committees ranging from dining services to public safety.

I am fortunate this year to be working with an incredibly experienced group of Executive Officers. I’ve watched us develop as a team, and have seen how we are able to effectively bounce ideas off of one another. With a full semester behind us, we now recognize each others strengths and weaknesses, and I am sure that there are only good things to come.

In the past semester, much has been accomplished. Being an Executive Officer gives one the privilege of working on a wide range of projects, and we have seen everything from academic issues to university services projects to internal Student Union issues come across our weekly meeting agendas. We value our working relationships with senior administrators and the staffs of nearly every office on campus.

Unlike the Senate, our meetings are not public, and much of what we do on a daily basis goes unrecognized. My officers have put in many sleepless nights in an attempt to make Brandeis a better place for all its students, and I would like to take the opportunity now to recognize them individually.

Ken Gantz, Student Union Vice President and President of the Senate, has been an instrumental leader in our government. An active member of the Senior class and all of its activities, Ken has expanded the role of the Vice President to include so much more than just what happens in the meeting rooms on Sunday nights. The bus stop that was constructed outside of the Charles River apartments over the summer was a result of his advocacy, and Ken helped me to build the club storage space that is now available in the sub basement of the Usdan Student Center. Unfortunately, there is one thing that Ken lacks. As we discovered in the Celebrity Basketball game a few weekends ago, he has no jump shot.

Andrei Khots, Student Union Treasurer, has expanded the functionality and usefulness of the QuickBooks accounting software that was introduced to the Union last year. It now tracks not only the finances of the Union Government, but those of all our clubs and organizations. Thanks to Andrei, updated club balances are easily accessible through the Student Union website, and leaders of SAF groups understand how to work with their money in a way that is even more fiscally responsible than before. He will continue to work closely with Brian Walton and Loretta Shagoury, our new financial assistant.

Daniel Silverman, Student Union Secretary, designed and developed our outstanding new website, dramatically changing the way that we serve our constituents. These efforts not only serve students today, but create a system for long-term Union archives and information management. Danny was also instrumental in the opening of the Club Resources Center and is currently heading up the group in charge of getting student feedback on the Usdan Recreation Center. Additionally, he runs all Union elections, which is a job in itself, and manages the daily operations of our office.

Adam Herman, Executive Assistant for Union Affairs, has been my go-to-guy on a number of issues. He organizes the University Services Working Group, a committee of Union Government members that meet with Associate Vice President for University Services Mark Collins, and he has been an advocate for a number of clubs. Although much of what Adam does is behind the scenes, his input and knowledge of Union history is an incredible asset. Adam has provided support to all of us in the Executive Office in one way or another.

Alyssa Krop, Club Resources Coordinator, has acted as a liaison between the Student Union and club leaders all over campus. She was instrumental in the planning of the Club Resources Center, and helped organize the grand opening celebration. Alyssa has also helped manage the distribution of club storage space and played a significant role in the club renewal process.

Nicole Karlebach, Director of Public Affairs and Communications, has begun holding weekly press gaggles with the Justice and has increased our participation on-air at WBRS. This year, with the addition of a union-news email list, we are able to provide our news organizations with information on events and achievements. Nicole is also responsible for publishing our newsletter, the Student Union Shake, and was involved in the planning of the Club Resources Center opening.

Yanina Seltzer, Community Integrations Coordinator, has provided the strength and direction that we have needed during the past months. When the call went out last Spring for a Student Union Community Integrations Coordinator, we were looking for someone that would be committed, open-minded, enthusiastic, and in tune with the needs of our community. Yanina has been just that. In addition to her countless hours of behind the scenes work, she is responsible for the Creating Awareness campaign, and has been an active member of the Civility Group, the Superboard, and the Student Union Diversity Committee.

Erica Lemansky, Executive Senator and Senator for the Class of 2005, has redefined the role of Executive Senator, becoming a leader in the Senate, and in a way, a mother away from home for all of us. In between organizing the agendas for weekly senate meetings, Erica worked closely with Mike McKenna from Student Activities to plan the Student Union retreat that took place earlier this semester and the Dish for a Wish event, which raised over $600 for the make-a-wish foundation. She is currently working on a “take your professor to lunch” idea and is pushing mid career merit based scholarship programs.

To all of the Executive Officers of the Student Union, I give my sincerest thanks. Brandeis appreciates your efforts, and I look forward to continuing our work in the coming months.

This year’s senate has been forced to mature at an incredible pace. Coming into the year, there were only two and a half years of combined senate experience between all of the senators. In a body that must have detailed knowledge of institutional history, it was a catch up game right from the beginning.

This semester, the senate as a body has chartered and recognized over 18 clubs, and has allocated money to support Hillel, Students Talking About Relationships, Korean Students Association, Activist Resource Center, the Middle East Forum at Brandeis, the Brandeis Organization on Mental Health Awareness, Spur of the Moment, Company B, and the South Asian Students Association.

The Senate also passed three resolutions this semester: one in support of Clean Energy research, a second condemning the hateful words printed in the Justice, and a third supporting Brandeis’ participation in the Boston Intercollegiate Government Society.

It is important to remember that the primary purpose of the senate is NOT to charter clubs and allocate money. It is to represent and reflect through legislation views of the members of the Union. Yet, I fear that inexperience has led to a misdirected semester, and I challenge the Senate to take a more proactive role in improving student life on campus. In the past, the Senate has been a powerful voice for student rights and for change. My Executive Officers, who have been a part of this government for many years, are always willing to work with the Senate to examine the history of the union and embrace the traditions of our past.

Justice Louis Brandeis once said that government “teaches the whole people by its example.” As we as a Union move forward, we have as much an obligation to treat each other and our offices with respect as we do to provide services to the student body.

One of the Senate’s largest untapped resources is its committee system. Their five committees - Social Justice, Advocacy, Services, Project Brandeis University Spirit, and Diversity - must be used to their fullest potential. While some of them have indeed been very active, others have been practically non-existent.

Above all, do not forget your constituents that elected you, whether they belong to a particular class or live in a particular quad. It is their agendas that you should be pushing, as they are the ones to whom you are ultimately responsible.

As individuals, many Senators have done great things for Brandeis and its students. I would like to take the opportunity to recognize them now.

Becky Fromer, Senator at Large, is the Chair of the Senate Advocacy Committee, and has been working on a number of projects, including a proposal for housing lottery room blocking around campus. She’s responsible for the vending machines in the Shapiro Campus Center, and is always interested in working towards improving our dining options and beautifying our campus.

Jonathan Cohen, Senator at Large, is the chair of the Senate Social Justice Committee, and has worked with Residence Life towards improving the compensation packages for Community Advisors.

Gabe Reif, Senator for the Class of 2004, provided an important link between Orientation 2003 and the Student Union. Gabe also helped in the planning of this semester’s Modfest.

Mitchel Balsam, Senator for the Class of 2005, is always very vocal in his opinions, and his willingness to share his thoughts helps others to solidify their arguments.

Robyn Kaplan, Senator for the Class of 2006, helped plan and put on the exciting Deis-a-Thon event that took place just a few weeks ago.

Edgar Ndjatou, Senator for the Class of 2006, was also instrumental in the planning of the Deis-a-Thon, and is one of the Student Union’s representatives at Faculty Meetings.

Chris Allison, Senator for the Class of 2007, is planning with his co-senator a stress relieving dance for this Friday night, in order to help students take their minds off of finals.

Mark Samburg, Senator for the Class of 2007, is also planning this Friday’s dance, and was the main force behind the Union Judiciary case that clarified the role of abstentions in our referendum voting.

Kassian Polin, Senator for Racial Minority Students, is the chair of the Senate Diversity Committee, and has worked closely with Dean Mays during the entire semester. His committee recently held a meet and greet event in the ICC, in order to make themselves more visible to the community.

Aaron Gaynor, Senator for North Quad, is the chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, and proposed amendments to the bylaws that more clearly define the purposes and goals of senate committees as a whole. Aaron has also put together the North Qaud Council, a group consisting of students, community advisors, the North Quad Director, and himself.

Annie Rosenberg, Senator for Massell Quad, has helped us show that Brandeis spirit as the Chair of the Project Brandeis University Spirit Committee. She too holds regular meetings in her quad, making herself very available to Massell residents.

Joanna Roberts, Senator for East Quad, also helped with Deis-a-Thon, and has been working hard for all of the residents in her quad.

Ezra Stark, Senator for Rosenthal Quad, is the newest member of our team, but has already begun contributing as a vocal member of the Senate and as an advocate for Rosenthal residents.

Andrew Katz, Senator for Castle Residents, put on a Halloween event for his residents and has advocated for his laundry machines to regain their Whocash compatibilities. Andrew was also one of the many senators who helped with the Deis-a-Thon.

Meghan Carter, Senator for Ridgewood Quad, planned the Second Annual Dessert Bake Off event that proved to be a tremendous success, and even managed to pass along some kitchen safety tips to her residents. She also has provided her residents with holiday lights to brighten up the quad.

Bella Zaslavsky, Senator for Ziv Quad, is the Chair of the Senate Services Committee and helped organize the Turkey Shuttles to Logan Airport and New York. Bella also helped with the Bake Off, and is behind much of what we will see tomorrow night at the midnight buffet.

David Radell, Former Senator for the Charles River Apartments, held an event called “Fire it Up!” in his quad, where residents came and enjoyed barbequed food and music.

Josh Benzwie, Senator for the Mods, has advocated for multi line phones to be installed in the common rooms of all Mods, and he and his suitemates are in the process of testing them. Josh also helped to plan the highly successful Modfest.

And Bryan Lober, Senator for Off Campus Students, has worked hard to ensure that off campus students are integrated members of the Brandeis community by looking into the policy that prohibits his constituents from having keys to the dorms.

I encourage you all to speak to your representatives, and to see how they have been working for you, by reading their weekly senate project reports, available on our Student Union website, http://Union.Brandeis.edu. If you are really interested in the senate, I encourage you to run for one of the many vacant positions elections will be held for in January.

While the name of the Allocations Board will soon be changing, they will still be responsible for one of the most difficult tasks in the Union: allocating Union Activities Fee money to all of our clubs. In any given semester, the Finance Board, as they will be called, receives nearly four times as much in requests as they have to allocate.

It is the job of Finance Board Chair Mark Schlangel, Member Aron Wolgel, Member Omer Rosenhand, Member Vanessa Anik, Appointed Member Sophy Yem, Allocations Board Member for Racial Minority Students Jennifer Kim and Treasurer Andrei Khots to meet with club leaders and determine the most appropriate uses for our funds.

The Finance Board has been working hard to put power back into the hands of club leaders. Current policies force the Finance Board to micromanage the funds of clubs, and leads to unnecessary work for club leaders and themselves. I support them in their efforts to simplify the allocations process, and to make things more understandable and flexible.

Our fourth and final branch, the Union Judiciary, helped this semester in clarifying referendum voting procedures in their opinion in the financial amendment case. Chief Justice Jon Landesman, and Justices Daniel Mauer, Rachel Present, Susan Abrams, and Avner Fink are seeking to become more of a friendly arbiter in the future - a shift that is becoming increasingly important. Partially our own fault, the Union Judiciary is becoming inaccessible to the average student as it is bogged down with legalese. The intent of the UJ was not to create a place where only debaters would feel comfortable. It was to create a body to which every student could bring concerns.

Committee Representatives also play a key role in connecting students with important institutions on campus.

Ebone Bishop and Alissa Piasetsky, Representatives to the Board of Trustees, have carried themselves with an incredible level of professionalism. I have heard compliments on their October presentation to the Board from senior administrators and from faculty. They represent students to the board in issues concerning academic affairs, physical facilities, and student life, among others.

Emily Meltzer and Matt Closter, Representatives to the Alumni Association, have been working on a constitutional amendment that will restructure the role of the Alumni Association reps. Their work will be placed on the ballot during the Winter elections cycle scheduled to take place when we return from winter break. As I mentioned before, the Alumni Association completes our Brandeis experience, and our representatives ensure that past generations of Brandeisians and hearing the voices of current one.

Brett Friedman, Alan Tannenwald, and Rebecca Hanus, Representatives to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, are our strongest link to the academy and the issues which affect our lives in the classroom. This semester, they have been involved in discussions on the pass/fail option, residency requirements, study abroad programs, and various academic programs on campus.

All together, there are about 75 of us working for students on a daily basis. Our constitution charges us all with helping student activities achieve their maximum effectiveness, providing for meaningful address of student concerns and perspectives through the principle of democratic representation, exercising our indisputable right to be represented meaningfully in the affairs of the University, fostering observance of the shared goals and ideals of the University community, developing a sense of responsibility for our own conduct and for the welfare of this University and protecting the individual and collective rights of students.

We will continue, as time goes on, to improve our ability to meet these objectives.

We are Brandeisians during a time of great change, both physical and institutional. As our physical campus continues to expand around us and as our capacities for teaching grow, our University will thrive as a leading center of higher education.

I am proud to be a member of this community, and look forward to what it will bring in the future.

I thank you all for joining me here this evening.

Good night.