Based on feedback from club leaders, the Union Senate has proposed modifying the club-chartering bylaw passed in November. That bylaw raised the amount of signatures necessary to charter a club from 10 to 200.The amended bylaw, which will be voted on at Sunday's Senate meeting, lowers the signature requirement from 200 to 100. Ten signatories must be from potential members, while the other 90 are from students who support the club's chartering. This is in contrast to the November bylaw that required 20 signatures from potential members and 180 from supportive students.

Another change in the amended bylaw is a publicity and meeting requirement. Each club must hold at least two meetings or events per semester and publicize the plans on my.brandeis.edu. Also, within three academic weeks of being chartered, a new club must send a campus-wide e-mail detailing an open meeting to join the club.

The Senate Ways and Means Committee met several times following a January town hall meeting to discuss ways of amending the club chartering bylaw based on response from club leaders. At the town hall meeting, many club leaders said they believed the 200-signature requirement would be prohibitive.

"We thought that changing (the signature requirement) to 100 would not sacrifice any of our goals, but perhaps cut down the time of it, which was one of the biggest complaints from the student body," said Rosenthal Quad Senator Erica Lemansky '05, a co-author of the November bylaw.

The amended bylaw also contains a clause expediting the chartering process for clubs that have already been recognized. After a club has been recognized for 13 weeks, leaders would be able to resubmit its constitution and purpose with a list of 35 signatures; ten from prospective members and 25 from students supporting the clubs chartering. The amended bylaw, however, reads, "In considering such a club by this expedited process, the Senate must consider whether the recognized club has had an active presence on campus."

Sarah Karpman '06, co-founder of the Brandeis Greens, said she supports the clause making it easier for already-recognized clubs to become chartered organizations. "You've already proved yourself if you've been an active recognized club for 13 weeks," she said. "It's just like giving a break to people who've already done some work." She added that the requirement of holding two publicized meetings per semester is very reasonable.

Club Resources Coordinator Nate Westheimer '05 said he is also pleased the Senate is working to amend the bylaw passed in November. But he said he was not consulted about the proposed changes. "The meeting to discuss these changes was made open to the E-board (Union Executive Board), however, no one explicitly asked for my thoughts to guidance." He added that the focus of club system changes should be on the funding process run by the Allocations Board rather than the Senate chartering process.

According to Class of 2003 Senator Aziz Nekoukar, the Senate has chartered fewer clubs this semester under the November bylaw than it had in the past. "That's not the ultimate goal," he said. Lemansky said the Senate "realized some of the components of the bylaw may have been too stringent," necessitating the amended version.

Joel Fried '03, founder of the Brandeis Official Readers Guild brought concerns about the November bylaw to the January town hall meeting. He had criticized the Senate for not publicizing the November bylaw before it was voted upon. Now, however, he said he believes the Senate is working harder to communicate with club leaders before bylaws are changed. "I'm glad to see the all-campus forums continue and the Senate trying to have more contact with the students directly," he said.

The amended bylaw was presented at the March 16 Senate meeting and will be voted on at Sunday's meeting. Tonight, an open campus forum will be held at 8 p.m. in the Romper Room on the third floor of the Shapiro Campus Center to discuss the amended bylaw. "It's important to point out that the Senate is interested in getting feedback," said East Quad Senator Andrei Khots '05, a co-author of the amended bylaw. "I will definitely address any concerns there are about the bylaw.