Fund information session is unsuccessful
No students attended last Thursday's information session about the constitutional amendment regarding the implementation of a Sustainability Fund that will add $15.00 annually to the current Student Activities Fee.According to the amendment proposal, the Brandeis Sustainability Fund "provides financial support for Brandeis undergraduate students willing to undertake projects to improve Brandeis's environmental sustainability."
If approved, the amendment would also result in a Sustainability Fund Board, a secured organization that would allocate funding for student projects. Three representatives from Students for Environmental Action brought the proposal with the 10 mandatory signatures from senators to the April 11 Student Union Senate meeting, and the student body will vote on the amendment on April 26.
In an interview with the Justice, Matthew Schmidt '11, a former SEA president, attributed the lack of turnout to the fact that SEA did not sufficiently publicize the meeting.
He explained that there would be another information session on April 22 and that members of SEA would be tabling in the Usdan Student Center and dormstorming to explain the nuances of the amendment and garner student turnout.
"When we get going, I expect we will have a big turnout at the vote, and I am fairly confident we will be successful," he said.
Hannah Saltman '12, the current president of SEA, added that "next week would be a campuswide push."
Schmidt said that he was not particularly concerned or offended about the lack of turnout-SEA had simply wanted to provide a forum for students to voice their opinions.
Schmidt also said he did not expect a large amount of controversy over the amendment and raised concerns that students might not understand the amendment in its entirety.
"Misinformation is the greatest cause of anger," he said, explaining that while students might have fundamental problems with the concept of a sustainability fund, a lot of the people potentially upset can simply harbor preconceived notions.
Senator for the Class of 2012 Abby Kulawitz, who provided one of the necessary 10 senatorial signatures that allowed the amendment to be voted on, wrote in an e-mail to the Justice said that the students' approval of the amendment would result from their ability to understand it.
"We need to understand that the money is open to any undergraduate students who want to promote sustainability. Further, we need to understand that the fee is separate from SEA. If students understand the fund, I am hopeful that it will pass."
Kulawitz also wrote that she supported the amendment because she believes a sustainability fund is an efficient method of increasing environmental activism.
"The amendment allows students to execute projects towards energy efficiency, waste management-all-in-all, towards a more sustainable Brandeis," she wrote.
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