EDITORIAL: Take survey seriously
Union values student voices
It has been some time since the Student Union took a comprehensive survey of student opinion on this campus. While the Union is correct in assuming that students do not want their inboxes overloaded with lengthy surveys and questionnaires, this board believes that regular assessments of student attitudes are necessary for the Union to function well.
In this vein, we offer our praise to Student Union President Herbie Rosen '12 and the rest of the Student Union for the creation of the Student Union Pulse.
The Pulse, a five-part survey issued over the course of this week, is a clever way to make students focus on one aspect of campus life at a time. Each day, Monday through Friday, students have the opportunity to voice their opinions on dining, housing, student life, the Student Union and miscellaneous things that concern them. We anticipate that this will be an effective way to gather student voices. We urge students to complete this survey so that the Union and its committees have a better idea of what to focus on for the betterment of the student experience.
We especially encourage students to pay attention to Thursday's survey on the Student Union. Given the complications the Union and the rest of the student body experienced with the voting system and the chartering of more clubs than the Student Activities Fee can afford, it is essential that students dedicate time to this section of the survey to maximize their ability to do whatever they want with their Brandeis experience.
On this note, we also want students to think about supporting the cause for a constitutional review next semester, as Mr. Rosen discussed in an interview with the Justice. Traditionally, the constitutional review is held every four years, as mandated by the Union Constitution.
The last constitutional review took place in spring 2010. While another constitutional review may seem premature, we believe that it would certainly be productive, especially given the new relevance of a potential Club Support Board and the errors with instant runoff voting and miscounts in the Student Judiciary election.
Performing a constitutional review at this stage would also increase awareness among the student body of the constitution.
It would highlight the proposals made by last year's Constitutional Review Committee, such as the Club Support Board, that should be reconsidered in light of the events that transpired this year. From the results of the survey, we implore the Student Union to consider the students' opinions when conducting this constitutional review.
As seen with the upcoming trials of a Riverside shuttle and extended weekend hours at the Provisions on Demand Market, the Student Union listens to students and takes their proposals seriously. Students have the opportunity to witness a major turning point in student governance on this campus, but only if they make their voices heard.
We urge students to recognize the importance of this week's survey series and voice their opinions to our Student Union.
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