The Senate convened for its first meeting of the semester on Sunday to discuss ongoing initiatives and internal funding requests for events that will take place in the coming months.

The meeting was led by Student Union Vice President David Herbstritt ’17. As there were no clubs seeking recognition or charter and there were no internal communications to be discussed, the Senate moved immediately to executive officer reports. The Student Union’s Director of Programming, Adriana Gleaton ’17 briefly discussed an upcoming Senate training session for returning and incoming senators, which will take place next Sunday.

Herbstritt then delivered the vice president’s report. He told the Senate that he spoke with Senior Representative to the Board of Trustees Grady Ward ’16, Junior Representative to the Board of Trustees Emily Conrad ’17 and Student Union President Nyah Macklin ’16 over the phone to discuss broader Student Union issues and cohesion within the Union.

He also noted that elections for the open Senate positions will take place on Friday, with the results being announced on Saturday and the new representatives taking office on Sunday. He added that all open seats have individuals running for them, with the exception of the midyear senator position.

Next, Herbstritt briefly discussed the then-ongoing race for the executive senator position, which he vacated upon becoming vice president. According to Herbstritt, candidates for that position included Class of 2018 Senator Paul Sindberg, North Quad Senator Hannah Brown ’19, and Senator At Large Lucy Wen ’18. Voting for executive senator was conducted during a closed executive session. Herbstritt notified the Justice in an email that Sindberg had been selected.

The Senate then moved into committee chair reports, the highlights of which included a brief discussion of plans for this semester’s midnight buffet, a description of three Black History Month events that the Union will be sponsoring, the ongoing effort to create a mural in East Quad’s airplane lounge and a new program that would allow environmental groups on campus to speak publicly on global and local environmental issues.

Next, the senators discussed the two senate money requests that were on the table. The first request was for $200 of funding for a ’Deis Impact event that the Social Justice and Diversity committee will sponsor. The event, which Racial Minority Senator Bethlehem Seifu Belaineh ’16 described, would be centered around food that relates to the historical culture of Blacks from all over the world. She noted that the event would give people a chance to sample food from outside their own culture while learning and discussing important moments in Black history.

The next SMR was for the support and outreach committee to sponsor a community service event called “Brandeis bands together.” Brown explained that the event would allow the Senate to partner with a club on campus to support a charitable cause through the sale of wristbands. She noted that the Senate would focus on a different cause each month, and sales from the bands — which would cost $1 — would go to the cause.

She added that the requested funds would go to purchasing the bands and setting up the project. Both SMRs will be voted on next week, as is customary.

The Senators then gave individual reports, the highlights of which included improving the Brandeis app, especially the map feature; restructuring bystander training for clubs and club leaders by working with the office of prevention services; potentially compiling professors’ office hours on one easily-accessible document; working toward greater grade point average transparency for transfer and Myra Kraft Transitional Year Program students; building a meadow near the science parking lot; and gaining widespread support from the student body for Fun Bucks, an alternative name for dining points.

Herbstritt closed the open session by announcing that senators will no longer be required to submit their individual reports in writing before the meeting, though he asked that all senators come prepared with something to discuss at the meetings.

—Abby Patkin