The Senate convened on Sunday night to charter a club and to sanction the proposal for the Midnight Buffet this semester.

The Senate began by recognizing and chartering Brandeis Prostheses, a club dedicated to developing and researching prosthetic limbs. Next, a representative for Students for Accuracy about Israeli and Palestinian Affairs approached the Senate for recognition and chartering. The students told the Senate that the club has held on-campus events this past semester, largely funded with donations from other organizations. The students asked for chartering in order to be able to host more events next semester as well.

The students argued that their club was distinct from other Israel-focused clubs on campus because the club would provide an inclusive space for all opinions and would focus more on accuracy, education and outreach than on political stances. After a brief discussion, the Senate unanimously voted not to charter the club.

Following the vote, Student Union Vice President Dennis Hermida-Gonzalez ’17 discussed the Allocations Board election, which was held on Monday. He also noted that more extensive voting on A-board members would occur in the spring semester.

The Senate then moved on to the executive officer reports. Junior Representative to the Board of Trustees Emily Conrad ’17 gave a brief talk about the restoration work on Usen Castle and the Student Union’s efforts to improve on-campus accessibility for students with disabilities.

The meeting then transitioned to committee chair reports. Class of 2018 Senator Skye Golann stated that the Dining Services Committee was working to improve choices of meat products in Usdan dining hall, assuring that vegetarian and vegan options would not be affected by this action. Executive Senator David Herbstritt ’17 also discussed changes that will occur due to the recently passed A-Board bylaw amendment, which will affect the way clubs seek chartering and funding.

A senator added that he led bystander training for club leaders in an attempt to extend training to the majority of the student body. East Quad Senator Callahan Cox ’18 claimed that she was attempting to improve laundry service of washing machines and BranVan shuttle service. Class of 2018 Senator Paul Sindberg then opened a discussion on the Midnight Buffet, an annual event that seeks to alleviate student stress toward the end of the semester. Sindberg noted that the Student Union is able to feed about 1,500 students this semester, and via advertising on t-shirts, they have already obtained 1,000 interested participants. The Senators voted unanimously in favor of passing the proposal.

Herbstritt then moved the meeting to individual senator reports. Charles River/567 Senator Valarie Timms ’16 brought up the issue of on-campus smoking and suggested the campus should be a smoke-free place. Racial Minority Senator Bethlehem Seifu Belaineh ’16 then addressed minority representation on campus.

Belaineh noted that, as an individual, she was not able to represent all students of color on campus, and suggested that the Student Union find ways to promote diversity amongst club leaders on campus.

The Senate also discussed the BranVan and the Joseph’s Boston/Cambridge Shuttle. Several senators claimed that some bus drivers had driven questionably on more than one occasion, and some mentioned hearing word of drivers making racist comments. Rosenthal Quad Senator Will Jones ’18 stated that he had heard that some BranVan drivers were suspected of drinking alcohol before driving, and the senators briefly discussed the possibility of a breathalyzer test for BranVan drivers before they begin their shifts.

—Daisy Chen