Emma Fiesinger ’23 launched this Sunday’s senate meeting with updates surrounding the Allocations Board (A-Board), which is responsible for the distribution of university funds to clubs on campus. Fiesinger said that the Allocations Board is currently running with only five elected members while there are supposed to be 10.
This means that the A-Board would be unable to pass a vote on issues since they are under the minimum number of members, according to Fiesinger. She also said that the time commitment (during non-Marathon periods) is roughly two hours total, one hour being for meetings and the other for office hours.
Vice President Courtney Thrun ’22, talked about plans to host “Pumpkin-fest” on Oct. 17, which would take place towards the end of Family Weekend from 10 a.m. to noon.
Scarlett Renn ’24 is still planning the event and more details are yet to be released. Thrun also mentioned plans to implement a Jury Duty bus that would transport students to Gosman for sports events.
There was a confirmation of committee chairs where the senators made a final decision by calling a vote to confirm everyone: Yael Trager ’24 was elected for the Chair of Social Justice and Diversity; Meli Jackson ’25 for the Chair of Facilities, Housing and Transportation; Skye Liu ’23 for the Chair of Health and Safety; Peyton Gillespie ’25 for the Chair of Sustainability; Joseph Coles ’22 for the Chair of Rules; Charlotte Li ’24 for the Chair of Club Support; Ashna Kelkar ’24 as the Chair of Dining and Shannon Smally ’22 as the Chair of Services and Outreach.
Clay Napurano ’24 was confirmed as the Director of Health and Wellness, a position that involves working with the Brandeis Counseling Center (BCC) and leading mental health initiatives on campus. This was Napurano’s second time campaigning for the role this election, explaining why he would be an appropriate fit for the position.
Napurano spoke about his involvement with Sodexo and attended dining committee meetings in the past through his role as a Brandeis Sustainability Ambassador. Napurano noted that he has and continues to communicate with Amy Scobie-Carroll, Director of the BCC, as well as Sucheta Thekkedam, the Assistant Director of the BCC. Some of Napurano’s plans include hosting mental health walks, mask cleanup events and engaging in active dialogue surrounding mental health.
Napurano’s presentation prompted a few questions from some of the senators. Kelkar inquired about his lack of experience and whether it affects his ability to communicate with the BCC, to which Napurano responded that he is not new to being an advocate for mental health and is good at communicating with departments like the BCC or the Department of Community Living (DCL).
Audrey Sequeria ’24 questioned his involvement with the BCC to which Napurano commented that he “takes mental health very seriously” and that a lot of the advocacy work has been carried out “behind the scenes.” Napurano ended up getting the majority vote, allowing him to win the position.
