Letter to the editor regarding the Campus Sustainability Fund

By Rani Balakrishna

In the September 17th article titled “Brandeis University quietly eliminates the Office of Sustainability,” a professor was quoted as saying “It was the student government’s decision two years ago to pull [Mary Fischer] out of [administering the Campus Sustainability Fund] … But I don’t think that fund got spent last year. And if I were a student, I’d be really pissed that I’m paying the student fee that’s supposed to go to campus sustainability, and it’s not being used in that way.” The Justice could not independently corroborate the professor’s claims at the time of publishing.

As the President of the Undergraduate Student Union, I take deep pride in the accomplishments of the student government here at Brandeis. After talking to the quoted professor, they understood that the Campus Sustainability Fund (CSF) did fund six different projects last spring (and we have the receipts for all of them!), but it points to a larger issue that I find all too often on campus. When students, faculty, and staff wonder what the Student Union does, the assumption is that we do – nothing.

In my four years at Brandeis, it frustrates me that the 75 years of hard work that the Student Union has done is rendered meaningless by these careless assumptions. Our four branches work tirelessly to meet with administrators, represent the student voice, fund clubs, help start new clubs, complete projects around campus, and so much more. I could go on and on about our accomplishments but I will end my thoughts with some big recent ones below – and I sincerely hope that the next time someone wonders what the Student Union does that the answer is not “oh, nothing.”

We have collaborated with Athletics, done events over Family Weekend and Homecoming, met with President Liebowitz, Andrea Dine, Dean Shoulson, and other leaders in high administration, as well as offices such as the Office of DEI, the Intercultural Center, and the Center for Spiritual Life. The Community Enhancement and Engagement Fund (CEEF) has funded the Gosman general weight room renovations, signage by the Intercultural Center, the ramp by the Brandeis Counseling Center, the CSF has funded a concert, Turkey Shuttles to transport students during Thanksgiving break, and so much more. The Club Resource Room is managed by the Student Union and our Allocations Board allocates just over $2 million dollars to 200+ clubs over the course of the school year. Our Treasury helps all of those clubs then spend that money!

We provide feedback to Brandeis Hospitality on dining, do crisis management, vote on club status, and pass resolutions to amplify the student voice.

And finally, another fun fact - free laundry was a Student Union initiative on campus many years ago! Please do not discredit us and our work, and do not hesitate to reach out for clarification on anything - we are here to represent students and that does not work unless people bring things to us.