UPDATED: 2/8/2021, 11:30 AM

The 2021 winter Student Union elections filled five senate seats, five Allocations Board seats and one representative position. Of the eleven seats filled, all were unopposed.

The Senate 

Scarlett (Tong) Ren ’24, running unopposed, won the midyear class senator position. Ren explained it is important for her to act “as a bridge between the American and international community” in this position, in an interview with The Brandeis Hoot. 

Ren said to The Hoot that she feels ready for this position because she had been heavily involved in student government in high school and also served as the student body president. When asked about her motives for becoming involved in student government she responded, “it felt like a responsibility instead of a hobby.”

Anacita Shou ’24 won the off-campus senator position running unopposed. Shou said to The Hoot that she has experience in this role because she served as a Student Union member in high school.

“I really want to figure out how to support each other academically and emotionally online,” Shou told The Hoot, and “build up connections for on-campus students and international students.”

Dariel Jimenez ’23 won the position of Charles River Senator and ran unopposed. The Hoot reached out to Jimenez for an interview and got no immediate response. 

Selah Bickel ’24 won the position of Foster Mods/Community Senator running unopposed. 

In an interview with the Hoot, Bickel said that the goals of her term are to “address all immediate concerns of my fellow students, but also create a more sustainable, just campus.” Bickel is confident that her passion and empathy will serve her effectively in this role, she said in the interview.

Griffin Stotland ’23 won the Community Senator position receiving 83 percent of the total vote, with 124 votes. Stotland ran unopposed. The remaining were split between “other,” “no confidence” and abstention.

Stotland said he “threw his hat in the ring to be senator for Grad because in the first semester [it] was kind of neglected,” saying that laundry machines didn’t work. He touted his experience in high school student government as qualifying him for the position. Despite his stated intention to represent the Charles River Apartments, he ended up running and winning as a community senator, a position for which no one else was running.

Allocations Board

Lexi Lazar ’24 and Reese Farquhar ’22 each won a two-semester seat on the Allocations Board, with 106 votes and 99 votes respectively. With two open slots and two candidates running, Lazar and Farquhar were effectively running unopposed. The remaining 10 percent of votes were split between votes for “other,” “no confidence” and abstention.

Lazar said that she’d be a good candidate because of her “diverse interests and passion for [the Brandeis] community.” She added that the coronavirus pandemic made it difficult for people to get out and meet people, “especially freshmen like [her],” and suggesting casual sports and outdoor activities as a response.

Farquhar said that “the end of the pandemic is near” and that “now more than ever is the time to turn our aspirations into reality.” He suggested that the Allocations Board could and should use funds to eliminate financial barriers for students.

Muhammad Mulyono ’22 won the one-semester Racial Minority Seat; Mulyono ran unopposed. 

Mulyono said he wants to be a part of the Allocations Board because he wants “to help emerging clubs to really develop and really maximize their potential in creating positive change in the community,” he said in the “Meet the Candidates” Zoom event hosted by the Student Union. Mulyono had previous experience trying to work with the Allocations Board when attempting to start a club and he wants to establish a different type of relationship with students than what he experienced, he said at the event. 

Maxfield Chang ’22 won the two-semester Racial Minority representative position on the Allocations Board after running unopposed. 

“I think it’s really important to have representation at levels like this,” said Chang in the “Meet the Candidates” event. Chang said he believes he has good experience and knowledge regarding the process of how to make clubs which he can use in his position. 

Benjamin Steinberg ’22 won the one-semester Allocations Board Representative position; he ran unopposed. 

“I know that after the pandemic there are going to be a lot of people wanting to become a community again and they will want to express themselves as best as they positively can,” Steinberg said at the event. Through his position, Steinburg wants to positively affect the student body and give students the best experience, he said at the event. 

Representative Position

Priya Patel ’22 won the Junior Representative to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee; Patel ran unopposed. 

“I would ensure students are given the opportunity to exercise influence on the curriculum,” Patel said at the event. Patel wants to present the collective concerns of the community and advise the committee of changes which would be beneficial to undergraduates, she said at the event.  

UPDATE: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that nine of the eleven seats that students could run for were unopposed. All of the seats were unopposed.