The Senate convened on Sunday to discuss club chartering, plan efforts for upcoming events and address some student concerns.

The Right to Immigration Institute approached the Senate with hopes to even the playing field for immigrants seeking to start a new life in the United States. The club is looking to train its members to represent immigrants who do not speak English in court. The Senate voted to recognize the club unanimously with no objections raised.

Next came Brain Computer Interface, a club that seeks to connect the Computer Science and Neuroscience programs to analyze neurological data on topics like the effect of sleep and relaxation on the brain, with the goal of sharing their research with the student body. After a short deliberation, the club was unanimously recognized.

The Brazilian Culture Club then took the podium to make its case for recognition, which it received with no objection. Citing a recent jump in Brandeis’ Brazilian population, club leaders explained that they wish to create a fun and relaxing place for Brazilian students and those interested in Brazilian culture to gather, speak Portuguese and eat Brazilian food.

Brandeis Robotics Club then came forth to be chartered. The club was recently recognized, and its representatives gave a comprehensive list of what it has done since then, including meetings, bystander training for its board and collaboration with faculty. The club then laid out what it would spend its funding on, including soldering stations and training in proper robotics equipment use. The Senate gave the club the funding it requested.

In executive officer reports, Student Union Vice President Paul Sindberg ’18 discussed efforts to work with the Social Justice department to support the undocumented population at the University and plan upcoming Senate bonding. Sindberg also brought attention to the anniversary of Ford Hall 2015 and announced an upcoming statement on the topic from the Student Union in an attempt to “give credit where credit is due” with regard to the work that the movement has done. Executive Senator Hannah Brown ’19 reminded the Senate about upcoming events like the State of the Union and Midnight Buffet. Then, Brown brought forth a Senate Money Request to obtain T-shirts for the Midnight Buffet, which passed easily.

Senator reports proceeded quickly, as many senators were absent and the week was generally uneventful. Senators brought up some minor student complaints regarding move-in. Many senators also reported excitement regarding an upcoming menstrual products survey. Next came Open Forum, in which Class of 2018 Senator Christian Nunez brought into question the $1 convenience fee to deposit WhoCash online, requesting that a statement be made as to why it is present. Sindberg closed out the meeting by issuing a “challenge” to the senators to have conversations over the holidays with relatives about their beliefs in the wake of the recent election.

—Spencer Taft