At the Nov. 7 Senate meeting, Director of Communications Andrea Ortega '13 spoke to the Senate about the Student Union website, which is being renovated. She explained that she is putting together a newsletter and that currently two students have agreed to write an online blog on the website to highlight senators' projects.Director of Executive Affairs Ryan Fanning '11 gave an overview of the upcoming State of the Union, which will be Nov. 18 at 6:30 p.m. It will be a 30-minute speech that will address what the Student Union has accomplished, Senators' projects and what the Student Union's goals are.

Fanning also updated the Senate on the Senate retreat, which will be on Nov. 20, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The retreat will include meals, activities, leadership-building events and a social function.

The Senate unanimously chartered SPECTRUM, Brandeis' autism awareness club. The club, which was recognized last semester, seeks to raise awareness of autism and conduct community service activities in Waltham. The club plans to use money to hold on-campus events to raise awareness.

The Senate swore in two non-Senate chairs. Marsha Patel '14 will be the non-Senate chair for the Club Services Committee, and Sharan Shah '14 will be the non-Senate chair for Social Justice. Vice President Shirel Guez '11 swore in the non-Senate chairs.

Senator for East Quad Albert Feldman '13 presented a sign-up sheet for tabling Turkey Shuttle tickets. The Student Union will be selling tickets for the Thanksgiving shuttles to South Station, Logan International Airport and Pennsylvania Station in New York City during the weeks prior to Thanksgiving Break. The tickets will be on sale in the Usdan Student Center and Shapiro Campus Center.

According to an e-mail announcement sent out by Union Secretary Herbie Rosen '12, tickets to New York will be $25 and tickets to South Station and Logan Airport will be $8. Currently, the Senate is scheduled to sell tickets Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 11 and 12 from noon to 3 p.m. and in the Shapiro Campus Center from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Feldman said he would work to organize more dates when tickets could be sold.

Executive Senator and Senator for the Class of 2012 Abby Kulawitz said she would be working with new clubs after they had been chartered or recognized to assist them in responsibilities that clubs would take, such as reserving rooms, after they had been chartered. Currently, the Student Union assists clubs before they are recognized or chartered.

Senator for the Class of 2011 Abraham Berin reported that GPS systems installed on the Brandeis Crystal shuttles will undergo beta testing and that signs for the campus and Waltham shuttles have been added onto the vans. The signs are to help students determine whether an approaching shuttle is a campus van or a Waltham van.





-Sara Dejene