The Student Union sent an email to students on Oct. 26, announcing the ballot had opened for the first round of special elections. Voting will close on Oct. 26 at 11:59 p.m., according to the email. 

The positions available are Allocations Board (one seat), Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (two seats), Community Emergency and Enhanced Funding (CEEF) Representative (one seat), Senator at Large (three seats), Class of 2023 Senator (two seats), Class of 2024 Senator (one seat) and East Quad Senator (one seat). 

Running for the Allocations Board seat is Aaron Klein ’26. According to Klein’s candidate bio, he hopes to “try and help everyone access all the opportunities that Brandeis has to offer.” Klein wrote that one of his goals is to get greater university backing of student groups and organizations on campus. 

There are two seats open for the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee; Mar Manolioudaki and Tasha Epstein are running for the seats. Manolioudaki wrote in her bio that she believes “students’ voice is essential for having efficient and adequate educational/curricular activities.” If elected to the position, Manolioudaki plans to advocate for students to make a better education experience. She also wants to expand study abroad options for students, according to her candidate bio. Epstein is also running for the position because she “wants to help make the voices of undergraduate students heard in developing and evaluating academic regulations and curricular activities,” according to her bio. Epstein has previous experience in advocacy and leadership which she believes makes her qualified for the position.

Running unopposed for the CEEF Representative position is Ariel Schultz ’25. Schultz wrote in his bio that he is from Brooklyn, N.Y. and in his free time he enjoys, “playing sports, acting in theater and hanging out with friends,” according to his candidate bio. 

There are five students running for the Senator at Large position, which has three seats available. In the running are Stephen Gaughan ’26, Lyla Chereau ’25, Chloe Doonan ’26, Toko Mikhelashvili ’26 and Adira Muskrat ’26. 

Gaughan noted that while he has not been involved in student government at Brandeis, at his high school he was a leader in many clubs which has given him the experience of coordinating meetings, drafting reforms and representing student populations. “As your senator, I’d gladly work and speak with anyone to enact the policies that matter to you,” Gaughan wrote in his candidate bio. 

Chereau wrote that her experience being on her high school student council qualifies her for the position as Senator at Large. In this role, she led an initiative to unite the multicultural community of her school. In the position, she would like to focus on initiatives like “promoting Mental Health, Sustainability, Multiculturalism, and Women in STEM throughout the Brandeis community, “ according to her candidate bio.

Doonan wrote in her candidate bio, “With your help, I will work my hardest to ensure there is representation for every student by voicing each and every one of your concerns.” If elected to the position, Doonan wrote that she wants to advocate for more mental health awareness and resources on campus and would like to help build community on campus, according to her bio. 

Mikhelashvili is running for the position because she wants to launch initiatives that would help social life on campus. For example, she would like to launch an app that students can use to track activities happening throughout the week. According to her bio, she would also like to increase outdoor study space, fix the inconsistencies in the BranVan shuttle times, work with dining on days with traditional food from different cultures and have a greater variety of food in the dining halls.

Muskrat wrote in her bio that she was in mock trial in high school and volunteered on Joshua Lafazan’s campaign—who ran for the House of Representatives—which has given her experience she can use if elected to this position. “Some changes I will implement during my term are advocating for air conditioning to be installed in all dorms on campus, improving the dining system and increasing the financial transparency as to how the budget is allotted. Additionally, I would like to facilitate more student networking opportunities with local officials,” Muskrat wrote. 

There are two seats open for the Class of 2023 senator position, with only one candidate running for the seat: Jessie Wu ’23. Wu explained she is running for the position because she wants “both domestic and international students’ voices to be heard and to advance policies which can benefit students, including dining halls[’] food improvement, class schedules, and so on,” according to her candidate bio. A goal of Wu’s if elected is to enhance the bond between current students and alumni.  

There is one seat open for the Class of 2024 Senator position and only one student is running for the position—Zev Carlyle ’24. This is Carlyle’s first time running for a position in student government which gives him a “fresh perspective,” according to his candidate bio. Carlyle’s initial policy goals include: transportation to outside events for students to enjoy in Boston, creating a compiled list of resources on campus for students to know what resources they have available to them, making a station with portable charging units for students to study outdoors with ease and establishing a bike sharing system.   

There is one seat open for East Quad Senator and three students running for the position: Maddie Bagdade ’25, Andrew Zeiler ’25 and Casey Shea Dinkin ’26. 

Bagdade wrote in her bio that through discussions with other students living in East she has identified some problems she would like to tackle in the quad. Her overall goal is to make East Quad, “more comfortable, more accessible, and generally, more amenable to our community needs.” One of the problems she has identified is finding a way to get access to more clean water to the building since there are two water fountains that service all of East. Bagdade would also like to find a way to make the steps and hill safe and update the bathrooms to include the environmentally friendly flush which is seen in many of the newer buildings on campus. 

Zeiler is also running for the position; he noted his experience doing political work in Massachusetts would be helpful in this position. Zeiler also has a list of problems he would like to see fixed in the quad if elected to the position, including inconsistent water temperatures in the showers and fixing the outdoor railing which was broken off by a car earlier this semester. “I will listen to and take everyone’s wants and needs into consideration with my every decision to allow for the best solutions for all of Brandeis. Together we can make Brandeis an even better place,” wrote Zeiler in his candidate bio. 

Shea Dinkin wrote that he is running for East Quad Senator because after a month on campus, he is “frustrated with how much better student life could be if we changed just a little bit.” If elected to the position, Shea Dinkin wrote he would use the platform in order to better the community and make it a better place for community members. Some criticisms Shea Dinkin noted were the dining hall and library hours on the weekend, lack of vegetables in the Stein and services for disabled students in clubs, not just for classes, according to his bio.