The student body will vote Thursday, April 26 on a constitutional amendment that, if passed, would increase the student activities fee by $7.50 per student each semester to form a Brandeis Sustainability Fund, according to an April 12 e-mail Student Union Secretary Diana Aronin '11 sent to the Brandeis community. Hannah Saltman '12, Matthew Schmidt '11 and Matt Gabrenya '13, three representatives from Students for Environmental Action, brought the proposal with the 10 mandatory signatures from senators to the April 11 Senate meeting. According to the amendment proposal, a copy of which Aronin sent in her e-mail, the Brandeis Sustainability Fund would provide "financial support for Brandeis undergraduate students willing to undertake projects and/or activities to improve Brandeis's environmental sustainability." The proposal further explains that the funds would be administered by the Brandeis Sustainability Fund Board, which would become a secured organization if the amendment is approved.

Saltman, the president of SEA, wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that several members of SEA began campaigning to implement this fund for the fall of 2009 after learning that several colleges and universities enacted similar "student sustainability fees" to help fund environmental initiatives.

"This fee is the next step in this University's commitment to sustainability and a step that brings sustainability to the doorsteps of students; allowing us to actively engage this money to shape the sustainable future of this University," Saltman wrote.

Saltman provided examples of hypothetical projects the board would fund, such as improving the bike-sharing program, installing more efficient lighting in University buildings and increasing the amount of recycling and composting on campus.

Additionally, there will be two elected representatives to the Brandeis Sustainability Fund Board, and the representatives will serve yearlong terms. The proposal explains, "In order to maintain a year to year leadership cycle, one representative shall be chosen during the Fall Elections and one representative shall be chosen during the Spring Elections."

According to Saltman's e-mail, the board would consist of the Union treasurer, the treasurer's representative, two elected representatives, a representative from the Office of Facilities Services, the dean of Arts and Sciences or his or her representative and one faculty member from the Environmental Studies Department. Saltman explained that since it is too late to hold elections this semester, only one student would be elected to the board for this upcoming fall semester, and he or she would serve with the Student Union treasurer and the treasurer's representative until the spring semester, when the elected representative would resume the yearly position.

Saltman wrote that students on the board can submit their own proposals but cannot vote on whether they will receive funding or not. She also stressed that while SEA brought forth this proposed amendment, "the Brandeis Sustainability Fund and its governing board are completely separate entities from SEA."

Student Union President Andy Hogan '11 said in an interview with the Justice that he found the idea of a sustainability fund an "interesting proposal," but was unable to discern the likelihood of its passage. However, Hogan also said that while very few students voted on the amendments proposed by the Constitutional Review Committee, he hoped that more students would vote now that only one amendment was up for discussion.

"Most senators we spoke with were very supportive of the Fund and thought it was a great initiative to further Brandeis's sustainability," Saltman wrote, adding that SEA had met "extensively" with Hogan and Union Treasurer Daniel Acheampong '11 to further work out the details of the fund, and is holding a Brandeis Sustainability Fund Informational Meeting this Thursday at 5 p.m. in the Village TV Lounge.

Saltman also wrote that SEA had also met with Vice President of Students and Enrollment Jean Eddy, Vice President for Campus Operations Mark Collins, Vice President of Capital Projects Dan Feldman, Energy Manager Bill Bushey, Sustainability Coordinator Janna Cohen-Rosenthal '08 and Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe, all of whom supported the proposal.



-Anya Bergman contributed

reporting.