Student Union Vice President Aaron Finkel ’20 swore in the new members of the Senate. One of the Senators for the Class of 2022, Alex Chang, announced his resignation. In light of this, there will be another round of special elections held. The positions that need to be filled include Senator of the Class of 2022, Senator of the Class of 2021, International Student Senator, and Myra Kraft Transitional Year Program Senator.
The Senate also unanimously voted for the enactment of a Student Union Code of Conduct. It was created by Vice President Aaron Finkel ’20, as well as members of the Executive board and the Senate, to prevent issues that arose in the previous semester to happen in the future. The Code of Conduct includes repercussions for violations, including suspension for up to two meetings. It will apply to all members of the Union.
Senator Jake Rong ’21 proposed an amendment to change the voting procedure in the Senate. There were issues with members changing their vote after the first round, which was inefficient and took up more time than necessary. The new amendment states that Senators can only cast a vote once, without the possibility of changing it, which would prevent Senators from being influenced by someone else’s vote. The Senate will vote on this change at the next meeting.
The Senate also passed a name change request from Project Plus One (PP1) at Brandeis to “Partners in Health Engage Brandeis.” The original purpose of the club was to aid with a sustainable development project with Bairo Pite Clinic, a grassroots community health organization that provides medical services for poverty-stricken families in East Timor. However after the non-governmental organization they partnered with disbanded, the club decided that they still want to continue doing the work they do, but under a different name.
The Health and Safety Committee is continuing its work on having condoms in bathrooms in residence halls on campus. At the moment they are not sure whether to put them in North and Massel Quads or in East Quad. The committee will also be addressing the issues of BranVan Safety and working with BCC to make sure it provides services that students actually need.
The Services and Outreach Committee reported that it is working on organizing the Midnight Buffet and Meet the Union. The Social Justice and Diversity Committee is working on a Black History Month showcase.
The Club Support is continuing its work on getting every club an advisor and the creation of a new club guide. The Rules Committee is working to introducing one amendment to the Bylaws per week, as part of a larger project of improving and clarifying the Union Bylaws.
