The Senate convened for its weekly meeting on Sunday, with two clubs presenting for probationary status.

Jordan Brodie ’19 and Ethan Saal ’19 of the Mindfulness Club petitioned the Senate for probationary status. The club wishes to have “Mindfulness Mondays,” which would include an activity like yoga to get students on the right track for a mentally healthy week. Brodie stated, “Our goals are around … creating a positive impact in the community.” Saal emphasized that when it comes to mental health, the group works on the preventative aspect of self-care rather than the treatment provided by institutions like the Brandeis Counseling Center. Brodie stressed the need for an overarching mindfulness group on campus, as many students suffer from mental health issues. 

Senator-at-Large Shaquan McDowell ’18 asked how the club would be different from Zen Zone, a small mindfulness group run by the chaplaincy. Brodie and Saal replied that Zen Zone is extremely obscure and is a research project rather than a club, and thus does not have a set future. Brodie added that multiple chaplaincy members have put forth statements of support for the existence of the Mindfulness Club. 

McDowell and Class of 2020 Senator Tal Richtman expressed reservations about the statements of interest in the club, as most of them came from Facebook posts rather than actual testimonies. Rosenthal Quad Senator Elizabeth Dabanka ’20 added that her problem with the club was that it would not collaborate with Zen Zone and thus would ignore a similar, existing organization on campus and unnecessarily found a club. 

Multiple Senators expressed concern over the language of the club’s purpose, as it could be misinterpreted as being a treatment space or insensitive to psychological health. McDowell added that some of the group’s activities may violate duality of purpose. 

The Senate did not recognize the Mindfulness Club.

Nathan Kline ’20 of the Psychological Amusement in Notable Interests Club petitioned the Senate for probationary status. Kline stated that the club’s purpose is to have a fun atmosphere for both psychology and non-psychology students to discuss the field. The club has been watching movies and television shows and psychoanalyzing them. Kline stated that he wants funding to be able to do more activities. 

Kline outlined the difference between the club and the Psychology Undergraduate Department Representatives — the UDRs do academic and networking events, whereas the club would do more fun events. Richtman asked about the lessons that Kline has learned from the failure of the previous iteration of the Psychology Club. Kline replied that the old club was heavily dependent on the Psychology Department, whereas the new version would be self-reliant. 

Dabanka and McDowell expressed concerns about the club’s organizational structure, stating that the club seemed to revolve around Kline. Executive Senator Aaron Finkel ’20 and Class of 2021 Senator Noah Nguyen, who attended the club’s meetings, replied that the other officers are very passionate and involved. Class of 2019 Senator Benedikt Reynolds added that just because a club is disorganized one week does not mean that it cannot improve its organizational structure in the future.

The Senate approved PANIC for probationary status. 

The Senate passed a Senate Money Resolution for an event for off-campus students.


—Emily Blumenthal