President Liebowitz attended the Senate meeting this week to answer questions from the senate about the independent investigation into Brandeis’ climate, Title IX policy and his presidential address.

Liebowitz discussed the second report from the independent investigators, who were asked to investigate the culture of the athletics department and Brandeis as a whole after the Brandeis Men’s Basketball coach was fired after allegations of racist and discriminatory treatment of players. The report is expected to be sent out to the Brandeis community soon after Thanksgiving break. 

The possibility of changes to Title IX policies were also discussed with the Senators. Liebowitz also announced that he will start having office hours again. 

Student Union Vice-President, Benedikt Reynolds ’19 announced that he will be stepping down in the Spring Semester. The Senate also agreed to sign a letter to the Board of Trustees in support of divestment from fossil fuels. 

Student Union President, Hannah Brown ’18, also attended the meeting. She discussed the changes to be made on the issue of making the campus for accessible. She reminded the Senate that elections for seats on the Allocation Board, as well as the positions of Treasurer and Vice-President will be held on Dec. 10. Brown also stated that she will give a State of the Union address on Dec. 11. 

The Senate voted on removing Aseem Kumar ’20 from the Executive Board, due to having too many absences from meetings. The Senate also approved of the motion of having the Executive Senator sit on the Executive Board and attend their meetings as a representative of the Senate. A possible change to the Student Union Constitution and Bylaws regarding the Allocations board and presidential Veto was also discussed. A proposed change discussed was if the President imposes a Veto, the Senate would then vote on whether they believe the Veto should be used. 

 The Services and Outreach Committee continues to work on the Midnight Buffet, and reported that almost all preparations are complete. They also informed the Senate that there will be a bus to Brandeis after winter break, that will go from the airport. Tickets for the bus will not be sold, and it work on a first-come-first-serve basis. 

 The Health and Safety Committee reported that they secured funds for the Condom Initiative, and condoms should be put in bathrooms on campus after Thanksgiving break. The Club Support Committee is continuing to work on new club ideas. The Dining Committee took a trip to Russo’s, one of the suppliers of food to Brandeis, to see how they make the food. 

The Sustainability Committee reported that they are currently working on four initiatives: changing Hillel and cutlery to be completely compostable, changing to LED lighting in Slosberg Hall to save energy, and expanding the communal food pantry on campus.