The final Senate meeting of the academic year continued a semester-long debate over duality of purpose and club intersectionality as the senators heard proposals from club leaders and discussed amendments. 

The Fencing Club, which was recognized last year under the previous club recognition rules, approached the Senate with a petition to be dissolved and re-recognized it as a probationary club. Probationary status would afford club leaders more resources and assistance as they build membership back up, Club Support Committee Chair Tal Richtman ’20 explained. The Senate voted to award Fencing Club probationary status. 

The Senate next heard a petition for probationary status from the Minority Association of Pre-medical Students. The group, part of a larger national movement, provides mentorship and pipeline outreach to minority premed students. The petition ignited a debate among senators, some of whom argued that the club overlaps with similar organizations which provide assistance and support to pre-med students. 

Rosenthal Quad Senator Lizy Dabanka ’20 reminded her fellow senators of the Senate’s previous discussions about intersectionality, asking them to think critically about the proposal and recognize how their own personal backgrounds may affect their approach. “We really need to look at ourselves with a little more humility,” she said. “We’re students; we’re not God.” The Senate ultimately voted to grant probationary status to MAPS.  

Evan Moloney ’20 next presented to the Senate on behalf of TBA Improv and Sketch Comedy Group, which wanted to change its constitution. The previous draft separated group members into two categories: stage-performing members and general audience members. While the latter group could sit in on practices, TBA wanted to change its constitution to make them general members, also affording them easier access to voting rights. After a brief discussion, the Senate voted to support the change. 

The Senate then discussed amendments in the evening’s unfinished business agenda. One amendment, which focused on the duality of purpose clause and club intersectionality, tapped into a semester-long debate that has been waged in the Senate. Under the amendment, the duality of purpose clause would be altered to allow for clubs that target intersectionality on campus, or the crossroads between two identity groups. 

International Student Senator Linfei Yang ’20 expressed concern that the new amendment would open up floodgates to give unqualified clubs access to Union resources without scrutiny. Finkel added that the duality of purpose rules allow the Senate to be a safeguard for the student body’s best interests, rather than a security guard with a checklist of criteria. Class of 2018 Senator Abhishek Kulkarni replied that the Senate reserves the right to deny a club recognition if it believes the club will not be beneficial to the campus community, adding that the amendment does not force the Senate to recognize overlapping clubs, but rather gives it the option to do so. The Senate voted to reject the amendment.

The last item under new business concerned bystander training, which had previously been a requirement for all club leaders in order for recognized clubs to remain active. Hannah Brown ’19, president-elect of the Union, explained that she and Union Diversity and Inclusion Officer Amber Abernathy ’18 have met with Director of Sexual Assault Services and Prevention Sarah Berg and Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Education, Training and Development Allyson Livingstone to discuss reinstating the requirement. 

However, Berg and Livingstone expressed concern that the previous system required sexual assault survivors to “out” themselves to fellow club members, or else sit through a potentially harmful and triggering training session. Instead, this requirement could be modified such that club leaders could individually choose to participate in bystander training or diversity, equity and inclusion training. The Senate voted to begin work on this new training system. 

After the individual senator reports, the Senate adjourned for the semester.

—Abby Patkin