The Senate began its meeting on Sunday by recognizing a new club. The Undergraduate Composers Collective Series seeks to support undergraduate students in composing as well as in learning how to compose. It includes lectures by graduate students and faculty and a performance in which members can have their pieces performed. The Senate approved the recognition of the new club.

Student Union Vice President Charlotte Franco '15 next addressed the Senate concerning dining changes. She said she met with Sodexo last week concerning the plans to reconstruct the Usdan Student Center. Usdan Caf?(c) will become an all-you-can-eat buffet with stations including a delicatessen, a Mongolian grill, a salad station and a vegan station. Usdan Boulevard will increase in the number of stations and will be one of the retail eateries on campus, in addition to existing chains Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks. The construction will be taking place over the course of this coming summer and is planned to be completed by the beginning of the 2014 to 2015 academic year. The Stein is to be reopened in the week following February break.

The Student Union is also organizing a committee to work with Kim Godsoe, the assistant provost for academic affairs, in discussing possible ways with which to update vacations and the number of days off in relation to religious holidays.

The Union is also working to organize a meeting with the administration in order to discuss "certain issues brought up in the [Boston] Globe," that were unspecified, which have been noted within the student body. The Senate said the meeting will include a representative from the Justice, the Hoot and the Student Union.

The Senate then moved on to the committee chair reports. The Sustainability Committee reported on future plans for a green revolving fund. The funds would function as a receptacle for the money saved on sustainable projects such as the installation of dual-flush toilets. The money would then be funneled back into other green projects. The committee is also working to repurchase credits earned from the solar panels installed on the Charles River Apartments over the summer. Other projects include distributing reusable water bottles in collaboration with Tap Brandeis, a campus-wide initiative that calls for the reduction of water bottle sales on campus, as well as increasing hand dryers on campus to replace paper towel dispensers.

The Ways and Means Committee is continuing to work on rewriting the bylaws of the Senate's constitution. The committee also hopes to create a think-tank style committee for which there would be a senator dedicated to examining the sustainability and functionality of each committee.

East Quad Senator Andrew Savage '16 discussed the plans that are being initiated in response to the multiple reports of a student reportedly peering into the showers in East Quad.
Campus facilities are in the process of installing locks on the bathroom doors that students will be able to unlock using their room keys, according to an email to East residents from Community Development Coordinator Stephanie Crane.

The bathrooms are also being modified to increase the ventilation.

Class of 2015 Senator Anna Bessendorf addressed the Senate about many campus safety issues that have come to light in recent events, including the fire in Ziv Quad and the accident involving three students at the crosswalk in front of the Linsey Sports Center. She is meeting David Bunis '83, the senior vice president, chief of staff and chief legal officer, to discuss these issues today.


-Kathryn Brody