The Student Union held a town hall on Feb. 2 to answer student questions and give updates on various projects they are in the process of working toward. Student Union President Peyton Gillespie ’25 opened the event by welcoming the attendees and explaining the structure of the Union.

Gillespie gave an overview of the five branches of the Union: Executive Board, Senate, Judiciary, Allocations Board, and Treasury. He said that each branch operates in coordination with the others and that the Union has “checks and balances” to prevent any one branch from overpowering the others. He then introduced the various branch heads, who gave more detailed explanations of each branch.

Student Union Vice President Lia Bergen ’25, who is in charge of the Senate, gave an overview of the Senate’s powers and responsibilities. Bergen explained that the Senators serve on a variety of committees that oversee aspects of campus life, including facilities, dining, health and wellness, and sustainability. All of these committees are open to the public and meet regularly with administrators to alert them to student concerns.

Chief Justice Noah Risley ’24 said that their branch, the Judiciary branch, arbitrates and mediates cases on behalf of students and the Student Union.

Allocations Board Chair Lexi Lazar ’24 said that her branch decides how to distribute University money to the clubs on campus. Lazar said that the money comes from the student activities fund, which is funded by the student activities fee, one percent of every student’s tuition.

Co-head treasurer Emily Adelson ’23 described her branch as the other end of club finance from Allocations Board. The Treasury, Adelson said, mainly deals with reimbursements and other club purchases.

Chief of Staff Tyler Carruth ’23 added that the Community Enhancement and Engagement Fund, or CEEF, is a fund with $250,000. Students can submit ideas relating to improving campus life, which Carruth and others on the CEEF board look over and allocate funding to Carruth described the CEEF fund as “criminally underutilized” by the student body. All students can apply with their ideas.

In addition to the town hall, the Union released the election results from their latest round of elections.

Secretary

Carol Kornworcel ’26 won the position of secretary. Kornworcel, who was serving as director of media and outreach for the Union, said in her candidate bio that she wants to promote “transparent and direct communications” with the student body.

East Quad Senator

Sherry Tao ’25, currently a midyear senator, secured the position of East Quad senator unopposed. Tao said in her bio that she wants to continue her work on initiatives such as bringing water bottle fillers to East Quad.

Midyear Senator

Matthew Norris ’26 secured the seat of midyear senator. Norris said that he wants to “help all midyears feel like they can easily acclimate into Brandeis society.”

Class of 2026 Senator

Tyler Johnson ’26 secured the seat of class of 2026 senator. Johnson said in his bio that he wants “to serve as a bridge between students and the student government so that I can make the most positive impact.”

Allocations Board (3-Semester Seat)

Myla Indigaro ’26 won the three-semester Allocations Board seat. Inidgaro said that she hopes to provide clubs with enough funding so that they can “not only function but flourish.”

Allocations Board (Racial Minority Representative)

Sara Motoyama ’24 secured the seat of Racial Minority Representative to Allocations Board unopposed. In her candidate bio, Motoyama said that she will work on making A-Board “an accessible resource” for students.

Allocations Board (1 Year Term)

Cindy Chi ’25 won a one-year seat on the Allocations Board. Chi said in her bio that she wants to help clubs get funding for their events, “no matter how niche or broad.”

Rashail Wasim ’25 won a one-year seat on the Allocations Board. Wasim said in his bio that he will work to make the marathon process more transparent. This would include making the total amount of money A-Board has to distribute public before the marathon so that students can “maintain realistic expectations.”