The Senate convened on Sunday and reflected on last week’s debate over whether or not to recognize an identity club on grounds of duality of purpose. The bulk of the meeting time was spent on an open forum on intersectionality, facilitated by Union Diversity Officer Amber Abernathy ’18. 

Abernathy said her goal was to to help present a framework for moving forward in how the Senate sees “intersectionality and inclusion in general,” not only to aid Senate members with how they come to recognize clubs but also with their day-to-day tasks as they interact with constituents. 

Last week’s review and vote not to recognize the Jewish Feminist Association of Brandeis, a group that fell under the Hillel umbrella, led to some Senate members’ concerns about how to reconcile intersectional identities and the Senate’s bylaw policies on duality of purpose. 

However, Student Union Vice President Hannah Brown ’19 said the discussion on intersectionality had been requested by many Senate members since last semester and that the facilitation was “not about last week,” rather “about the future and how we will go about club recognition.” Brown said the subject of club recognition and duality of purpose has been largely debated in the Senate for the past three years. 

Abernathy introduced the history of the term “intersectionality,” first coined by scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, recipient of the University’s 2017 Joseph Gittler Prize. The term is used to refer to how different aspects of identity — such as class, race, gender and sexual orientation — may overlap and interact with one another. 

Abernathy told senators to realize, “When we don’t look at the complex being and all the identities that someone holds, we’re really risking putting someone out and leaving someone out and really causing harm.” 

Senate members further reflected on how they may incorporate the theory into their work and policies. 

“It’s important to recognize your place in any conversation … making sure you see from the other perspective and asking yourself what you bring to the table as far as your history and your background,” said Social Justice and Diversity Committee Chair and Rosenthal Quad Senator Lizy Dabanka ’20.

Racial Minority Senator Hangil Ryu ’20 brought up the idea that intersectionality may include consideration of mental health, and others agreed that intersectionality can pertain to many types of crossroads. 

Club Support Committee Chair and Class of 2020 Senator Tal Richtman asked the Senate to think about what actionable items beside “listening better” could be implemented to ensure that the Senate practices intersectionality.  

East Quad Senator Samantha Barrett ’20 added, “Because we’re a legislative body … there needs to be some general outline that says ‘okay, these are the parameters we follow’” when determining duality of purpose.

Class of 2019 Senator Vidit Dhawan agreed that, while it is important that people are aware of intersectionality, it is equally important for the student body to focus on using shared interests to get more diverse members to each other’s clubs, rather than spreading the community thin with many sub-groups.  

The Senate left the discussion open-ended for future discussions and implementations. 

Brown announced to the Senate that the Board of Trustees meeting is taking place today and that their request for a student panel for a Q&A on student life and concerns will include Abernathy, Brown, Student Union President Jacob Edelman ’18, Rebecca Myers ’18 and several graduate students. 

—Michelle Dang