The Student Union is launching a new podcast, “Brandeis Buzz,” to better communicate Union initiatives, engage students and facilitate easy access to information from the Union. The podcast’s first episode, “Brandeis Buzz: Kate Kesselman,” has already been released and is available on SoundCloud, Facebook and the Union website.

Callahan Cox ’18, the Student Union Communications Director, produces and hosts the podcasts. She controls the Union’s social media accounts and hopes the podcast will ease communication between the Student Union and the students. Cox described the podcast as an easier way to become informed on union news, as reading the union’s emails and Facebook briefings can be tedious.

“I do want…to get word out on what we’re doing within the Union because I think a lot of times students are kind of blind about what’s happening in the union…I want us to be transparent and I want us to be visible,” Cox said.

She also hoped the podcast would shed light on the work of the Student Union. “I think it’s hard for us to…show the students how much work is going into these different things…you don’t really see what went behind the scenes…I hope they [the students] can kind of appreciate the Union more as well.”

Cox plans to initially focus the podcasts on the Union, but later hopes to move on to other students and clubs around campus as well as the administration. Cox was inspired by other colleges’ communication initiatives in creating this project. She also cited the value the podcast would have to prospective students considering Brandeis.

In the first episode, Cox interviews Kate Kesselman ’19, the executive director of outreach and a member of the allocations board. The podcast discusses Kesselman’s projects, including the Community Emergency Enhancement Fund (CEEF) and marathon, a club funding application period, and allocating a set number of free printing pages for students per semester.
In the podcast, Kesselman also focused on the advantages of the union for students. “The union is a great resource to get your voice heard,” Kesselman said. “When you see me, Callahan, Jacob, Hannah…just remember that it’s ok to approach us and we can help you.”

Cox plans to interview Zosia Busé ’20 for the next episode. Busé is the ’Deis Impactor Vice Chair and is the director of the office of Student Rights and Advocacy, a newly reformed office this year.

The next episode will feature an intro created by Cox and Basement Records, a student run, Brandeis based record label that often partners with students to produce music. Cox is also interested in having a co-host for the podcast.

Jacob Edelman ’18, the undergraduate Student Union president, also had high hopes for the podcast. “I think that people get most engaged with an organization or with a group if there is somebody recognizable or someone personable that they can hear directly from or see—or just engage with,” Edelman said. “Hopefully by getting some members of the union who have friends who people have heard of… will just really expand our reach beyond people who just read emails or…just look at Facebook.”

Edelman also mentioned past communication initiatives, such as the Student Union YouTube channel lead by Herbie Rosen ’12, a past Student Union president.

The podcast is expected to come out every Sunday at around 8 p.m., although, according to Cox, it may come out more often depending on the week’s level of content. The podcast will run anywhere from seven to 20 minutes in length.