The Student Union Senate discussed chartering the Brandeis Curling Club and the Brandeis Entrepreneurial and Tech Association at its March 20 meeting. The Pokémon club was supposed to present, but did not attend the meeting.

Curling Club President Alexandra Pickett ’24 said that the club would start meeting during the fall 2022 semester at a curling club about 16 minutes from campus. The club, she said, would give students an opportunity to learn about and practice the sport of curling.

After a discussion over whether there was enough interest in the club in order to charter it, the Senate voted by roll call against chartering, but told Pickett that she would have another opportunity to present in the future.

Eyal Cohen ’24, “CEO” of BETA, described to the Senate what he saw as a lack of “startup culture” on Brandeis’ campus. Cohen said that the purpose of BETA is to give students with an interest in starting a business –– whatever that may be –– a place to learn from experts and each other on how to do so.

Cohen said that there is a brief application as well as an optional interview, which Sen. Joseph Coles ’22 said could be restrictive in that it creates a possibility that a club member may not be accepted.

Both Cohen and Lorena Castaño ’23, the BETA officer who conducts interviews, said that they had not denied any student entry to the club based on the interview, and that there are current members of BETA that did not take an interview.

The Senate voted to charter the club by roll call, with only two abstentions and two votes against. The Senate recommended that Cohen and Castaño remove the interview process.