In an on-going series, The Brandeis Hoot will interview two Student Union members each week.
Massell Quad Senator Aaron Finkel ’20 wants to improve Massell by enacting a quad beautification program, which would include planting flowers, putting sculptures and art in the quad and cleaning the pond.
Improvements to be made in Massell would include increasing the pressure of the pond fountain to create more water flow and to install more eco-friendly water fountains in the residential halls, said Finkel.
Finkel wants Massell to look more presentable and to overall “improve the Brandeis brand.” “First impressions are important and prospective students visiting campus should see it look as nice as possible.”
Each member of the Union also serves on at least two committees. In addition to being the Massell Quad Senator, Finkel serves on the Services and Outreach Committee, which deals with student services such as campus transportation, and Cow-G (Campus Operations Working Group), which works with facilities. One of Finkel’s main goals as a senator is to make the BranVan system more efficient and reliable for students to use.
“I am an advocate for what students want,” Finkel said about his role within the Student Union. Finkel says he is focused on accountability and wants to make the Union as responsible, reliable and innovative as it can be.
Finkel says Massell residents, and students in general, have shared their ideas with him during his office hours, which he holds three days per week.
In response to low voter turnout in the recent Student Union election, Finkel says it’s our duty as students to vote. “We all come into Brandeis with these ideas of how to make this school better and how to improve our daily lives and experiences here and voting is the best way to do that,” Finkel said to The Brandeis Hoot.
“I am just as fresh as the other freshmen and I do not know what this year will bring, but I will listen to you and I will voice your concerns in front of the rest of the Union and the administration,” said Finkel.
Although his time on the Union has been short, Finkel says it has been fantastic and that the members of the Union are all very dedicated. “My end goal is to leave Brandeis knowing we made the university a better place,” states Finkel. “It’s already an amazing institution and it has so much more potential we can work with.”
Also see: East Quad Senator Elijah Sinclair ’19, Class of 2019 Senator Hannah Brown and Village Quad Senator Charlotte Lang
