In today’s Student Union election, 13 candidates compete for seven open seats on the Student Union Executive Board. This is the first of two rounds of spring elections, with students competing to fill the positions of Union president, vice president, secretary and treasurer, as well as representatives to the Board of Trustees, the Brandeis Sustainability Fund and the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. The candidates spoke to the Justice about their prior experiences and the goals they would pursue if elected. 

Hannah Brown  ’19

The current vice president of the Student Union, Brown is running unopposed for the Student Union presidency. “I love being a part of Brandeis and serving our community,” Brown wrote in an email to the Justice. She has served on the Student Union since her first year at Brandeis. Having already participated in many different roles within the Union, Brown now wants to focus on solving issues on the Brandeis campus. “I want to make Brandeis more affordable, build a more connected Brandeis community, advocate for more diversity and inclusion, push for more accessibility, improve campus health and safety, and increase Student Union efficiency and outreach,” she declared in the same email.

Vidit Dhawan ’19

Currently the Class of 2019 Senator as well as undergraduate representative to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, Dhawan is running for vice president. “I hope to continue my work with the administration to address student needs in a more effective and efficient way” if elected, he wrote in an email to the Justice.

Specifically, Dhawan wants to help “address the needs of the minority students” within the Student Union “by working closely with the Senate Club Support Committee, Social Justice and Diversity Committee, and the Allocations Board,” he wrote.

Aaron Finkel ’20

Also running for vice president, Finkel has served as a Massell Quad senator, as well as chair of Services and Outreach and chair of the Campus Operations Working Group. Through his two years as a Union member, he has listened to community voices and “developed a comprehensive platform in response,” the Executive Senator explained in an email to the Justice. This platform includes pushing “for improvements to student life” and “the efficiency of the Union,” as well as advocating for “a more affordable Brandeis” and “community relations and partnerships with administrators.” He wants the entire Brandeis community to feel certain that Brandeis is worth the money, time and effort, he added in the same email.

Benedikt Reynolds ’19

Reynolds is the final candidate for vice president. He has gained experience in the the Student Union as the Class of 2019 senator and chair of the Sustainability Committee. Reynolds did not respond to a request for a comment from the Justice. According to his candidate bio, his goals include focusing on improving sustainability and on-campus jobs at Brandeis, as well as “bridging the gap between Student Life and [the] Administration.”

Qingtian Mei ’21

Running for secretary of the Student Union, Mei has served in the Union this academic year as Massell Quad senator and participated in the Senate Services and Outreach Committee and the Campus Operations Working Group. Mei told the Justice in an email that he would devote himself to making the work of Student Union “more transparent for the entire student body” if elected. He also hopes “to deliver the student’s voice” to the Union and to shorten the Union’s emails so they are “simpler for people to read,” he wrote. 

Rachel McAllister ’21

McAllister, currently Class of 2021 senator, is running for Student Union secretary. McAllister started the Union Snapchat and has worked on various community events, including Hoops for Help and the American Heart Month lollipop event. As secretary, McAllister will “continue social media outreach and communication to students, faculty, and alumni,” she said in an email to the Justice.

Jerry Miller ’19

Having begun his Union career as assistant treasurer and having served as deputy treasurer, Miller hopes to continue as treasurer for the Student Union. If elected, he hopes to revamp the training process for Union and club treasurers and to coordinate communication between A-Board, the Treasury and the administration to “ensure an efficient, stress-free process for club treasurers.”

Yaoyao Gao ’20

A member of A-Board for three semesters, Gao is now running for Treasurer. Gao’s experience over the last three semesters as a member of the A-Board has provided her with the chance to interact with club treasurers, according to her candidate biography released in a Union email. Gao has helped treasurers during the marathon drop-in sessions and when requesting funds, which sparked her interest in getting more involved with this assistance. 

As treasurer, she wants to “serve various club treasurers and assist them with club finance, p-card, and reimbursement processes,” she wrote in an email to the Justice. She added that she wants to make interactions between the A-Board and Treasury smoother. 

Zosia Busé ’20

After a year of being involved with the Union, Busé is campaigning to become the representative to the Board of Trustees. She works with the Brandeis National Committee and serves as director of the Office of Student Rights and Advocacy, which helps students attain personal and academic success. If elected, Busé plans to advocate for the student body in a “clear, productive manner,” according to her candidate bio. In an email to the Justice, she explained that she hopes to address concerns about accessibility, the experience of international students and financial aid, as well as the Brandeis Counseling Center and Greek life.

Tamara Botteri ’21

Botteri is campaigning to become the Brandeis Sustainability Fund representative. As a member of the Senate Sustainability committee, she has worked with professors and student clubs to promote “environmental literacy” on the Brandeis campus, according to an email with the Justice. As a student representative to the BSF, Botteri hopes to continue working to create innovative sustainability initiatives and improve the University community.

Jack (Junsheng) He ’20

He is a sophomore running for representative to the BSF. He pointed out that 2017 has been an active year for the fund, as it has funded 10 projects, according to his candidate biography. 

He explained that he wants BSF to provide consistent support for projects, writing in an email to the Justice, “I hope BSF would not only offer the backup for the new projects, but pay more attention to the existing ones. They need to be remembered, honored and financially supported as long as they could still sustain our campus.”

Carrie Sheng ’20

Sheng is running for a seat on the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. In addition to her three majors and two minors, Sheng participates in campus bodies such as the Campus Activity Board and the Vietnamese Student Association. Her diverse experiences have prepared her to represent undergraduate voices and make recommendations to the University, she said. In an interview with the Justice, Sheng said, “I struggled a lot … and I hope my experience will make it easier for other students, if they come approach me and ask how it works.”

Kavita Sundaram ’20

Sundaram is also running for the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee seat. She declined to comment to the Justice. According to Sundaram’s campaign bio, Sundaram seeks to foster a “Brandeis experience rooted both in collective education and individual growth,” and “to ensure that student voice is encouraged, highlighted, and heard.” 

Sundaram has past experience working for the Office of Prevention Services and now serves as an advocate for the Queer Resource Center. Sundaram is a member of the Brandeis Asian American Task Force and  Brandeis Students Against Sexual Violence. 

Election

Voting opened at midnight today and will run for 24 hours. Ballots have been sent to students via email, and the Student Union will also have voting stations in the Shapiro Campus Center and Usdan Student Center.