The Union Senate's Club Support Committee implemented a new, two-pronged approach to overseeing clubs this week. The policy combines a hands-on method of chartering new clubs with an annual renewal process for clubs that are already in existence.

Executive Senator Shekeyla Caldwell '14, chair of the committee, announced the measures at the senate's Nov. 6 meeting.

According to Caldwell, new clubs that wish to be chartered will now contact and work directly with the committee to draft a comprehensive constitution before presenting it to the senate. Caldwell said in her announcement that she expects this to lengthen the chartering process to about a week.

The goal of the Club Support Committee's increased involvement is to "make sure that [clubs'] ideas are formed in a way that is definitely going to benefit this campus," said Caldwell in an interview with the Justice.

Caldwell said that while she didn't think the more intensive process would affect the number of clubs being chartered, "What they do with their money is going to be more beneficial" as a result of the altered process. "We don't want clubs who [sic] aren't ready to be clubs getting money and not using it appropriately," said Caldwell.

One of the first clubs to undergo the revised chartering process was the Brandeis chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting.

Ivan Ponieman-Ferradas '14, one of the club's founding members, described his experience with Club Support as "positive" in an email to the Justice. Specifically, when the Senate found ALPFA's constitution to have too much in common with the Business Club, the Club Support Committee "helped [them] define a clearer mission statement."

Ponieman-Ferradas said that without the direct involvement of Club Support, "it would have most likely taken us much more than only two weeks to found and have our club recognized and chartered."

Clubs already in existence are also now required to submit a short form to the Student Union with information detailing their activities and mission statement, where and when they meet and who holds leadership positions.

The Club Support Committee emailed the form to all club leaders last Sunday night, after the renewal process was announced. The deadline to submit the form is Nov. 23.

As of Sunday, approximately 100 clubs had submitted the form, said Caldwell at the senate meeting. There are 270 clubs listed on the myBrandeis website.

While the process aims to "clean up" the registry of clubs on myBrandeis in order to provide accurate information to current and prospective students, Caldwell says it has the "positive externality" of encouraging clubs to be productive.