The Senate convened on Sunday to recognize several new clubs and discuss amendments to the Union’s constitution and reports on issues raised by constituents this past week.

The first club up for recognition was Fencing Club, a club that previously existed but had been disbanded. Citing the lack of opportunity for non-varsity fencers to enjoy the sport and having already found a Brandeis alumnus to help coach, the club was recognized by the Senate after some discussion on the club’s long-term plan for obtaining funding. Next came Brandeis Veg Club, which promotes a vegetarian or vegan diet as a part of their mission to spread awareness of animal cruelty in factory farms, with financial backing from the Humane League. The Senate voted to recognize the club.

Brandeis Chak De! then stood before the Senate to request chartering. The club’s mission is to perform and encourage the Brandeis community to participate in Bollywood fusion dance. In spite of some concerns of the club’s inclusivity, the Senate unanimously voted to charter.

In executive officer reports, Student Union President-Elect Jacob Edelman ’18 spoke about increasing “Inter-branch cooperation” and expressed his excitement about his ability to return to the Student Union next year. Executive Senator Hannah Brown ’19 reported on behalf of Student Union Vice President Paul Sindberg ’18. Brown addressed last week’s confusion about the housing lottery and stated that the upcoming elections for the Senate and the Judiciary will take place on March 27.

Student Union President David Herbstritt ’17 then gave news regarding the technical difficulties affecting the ratification of a constitutional amendment to add a senator for international students. He stated that the amendment did indeed pass and will go into effect in spite of the problem.

In committee reports, the Club Support Committee reported on an upcoming public relations workshop and discussed improvements to the club recognition process, making the recognition and chartering process more difficult for clubs. Then, the Campus Operations Working Group chair, Massell Quad Senator Aaron Finkel ’20 announced that the committee is working with Student Sexuality Information Service to distribute menstrual products to students and is in the process of applying for a Senate Money Request to follow through on that.

The Dining Committee reported its commitment toward “meatless Monday” and mentioned a survey of students, asking for vegetarian and vegan recipes that students would want to see in the dining halls. The Sustainability Committee met with University President Ronald Liebowitz last Friday, and Senator At-Large Matt Smetana ’17 reported that Liebowitz re-committed to hiring more climate and environmental studies professors and expressed the financial constraints that the University currently faces. Brown then discussed potential improvements to the Student Union midnight buffet, including reducing food lines and providing ingredient and allergen lists.

Next came the Senate bylaw amendment clarifying the terms “late,” “absent” and “leaving early” with regard to Senate meetings. Debating semantics back and forth, many senators expressed concerns about attendance as an obligation and offered different perspectives on the time commitment required of senators. This led to the issue being tabled to allow for revision to the amendment.

An SMR to establish April break shuttles to Logan Airport and South Station was discussed and confirmed as having passed. Another SMR from the Sustainability Committee requesting funding for the State of Sustainability, a gathering of environmental organizations on campus occurring on April 4, was unanimously passed.

—Spencer Taft