Sections

This marks the fourth week of the Senate’s postponement in passing the proposed budget, forcing the Senate to fight inefficiency with inefficiency. the Senate has refused to pass the budget because the treasury failed to allocate specific amounts of funds to various committees, as well as proposing the allocation of $2500 to the Union E-board to plan a party. the Union has been reduced to functioning on a week-to-week budget, which covers only operational costs.

The Senate is pushing for a delineated budget to avoid the hassle of dealing with funding requests from committees later in the semester. However, the only way for the Senate to oppose the current budget proposal is by simply vetoing the proposal without adjusting the proposal to meet their approval. Instead, the Treasurer must go back to the drawing board each time the proposal is denied and try to appease them.

Despite this delay in approving the proposed budget, the Senate should be applauded for exercising the little power it has left and doing its best to ensure future efficiency in the Union, at least as far as committee funds are concerned.

This contrasts with the actions of the E-board, which refuses to relinquish its demands for $2500 in party planning funds. Considering the Union’s past failed venture into party planning in the form of Purple Rain, the E-board should cut its losses and realize that its strengths do not lie in improving Brandeis’ social life. While social life is an important component of students’ interest, it is not the one that the Union is expected to prioritize above all others. Rather, the Union, including the E-board, should be looking after the student body’s interests in club funding, residence life, academics, rapport with the administration, etc. By insisting on these party planning funds, the E-board is stalling Union work and wasting time that could be better spent pursuing students’ interests in areas their constituents actually expect them to be involved in. It is time for the E-board to end their preoccupation with party planning and get back to work.