In its March 10 meeting, the Student Union Senate observed a presentation from Secretary Carol Kornworcel ’26, who had been working on updating and revising the official Student Union Constitution. These amendments include changes to the composition of the Senate, Allocations Board, Judiciary and Executive Board, along with revisions to the elections process. All of these proposed changes will be publicly available in the future, presented to clearly demonstrate both the changes made to the current set-ups and the reasoning behind these changes. 

These are currently proposed changes and an ongoing discussion. The Senate will be voting on these changes on March 17, so it can be voted on by the student body before the 22nd. The Constitutional Review committee will rewrite these changes, which will be presented to the Senate again at a later date. General spring elections will be one round after these amendments have been voted on by the student body. 

The proposed changes to the Senate Composition include one additional senator per class, putting the total at three which includes a midyear representative serving a seat from January to December. There will now be an additional two senators at large, raising the number from two to four, with the plan of electing two in the spring and two in the fall. Finally, the remaining senator is intended to be an international student. The total number of voting members is expected to decrease from 24 to 17. These changes, which include the removal of racial minority, Myra Kraft Achievers Program (formerly MKTYP), and housing representatives respectively reflect legalities from affirmative action, an absorption of responsibilities by the E-Board director of Outreach, and the intention to no longer limit senators to focus only on their own quads. 

In regards to the Allocations Board, the proposed changes decrease the number of voting members from eleven to seven. There will be six elected representatives (four elected in the fall, two in the spring) serving two semester terms instead of three, one senate representative, one DSE staff representative and two co-head treasurers elected internally. In changing the three-semester removal policy, Student Union hopes to eliminate the inconsistency behind such an irregular term. The removal of the two racial minority representatives once again stems from the legalities around affirmative action. Furthermore, a smaller-sized group is able to be more directly involved with students during the yearly spring marathon. 

The Judiciary Board, currently consisting of five associate justices (with the Chief Justice internally elected out of the five) and one Clerk of the court will be dissolved due to its lack of utilization. Instead, a committee of E-Board union members, with at least one year of Union experience, will be created if a situation arises. 

Students can expect to see the E-Board removing the Community Enhancement and Emergency Fund and Campus Sustainability Fund representative positions, which will be managed internally through A-Board and various other union representatives. Furthermore, two representatives will be delegated to the Board of Trustees and Undergraduate Curriculum Committee to ensure close work between the two chairs and direct communication with the E-Board.

Finally, the proposed changes to the elections process include an amendment that the president, vice president, secretary and head treasurers may not be permitted to study abroad during their term. Fall elections will see a decrease in the number of available positions to run for, with the eligible positions including two first-year senators, two senators at large and four A-Board representatives. The winter and spring elections will see a similar set of changes. 

Senator Cameron Sherman ’26, co-chair of the Dining Committee, presented the first Senate Money Resolution of the night, discussing the concerns students have raised about allergies. After talking to dining administration, the current plan is to provide stickers to scan a QR code on that will take people directly to the menu. Each sticker will essentially serve as a link to the menu specific to each dining hall and its various sections. The Senate passed a vote by acclamation to confirm this SMR. 

Senator Sahil Muthuswami ’24, chair of the Health and Safety Committee, brought attention to the upcoming event Tea with Teddy, intended to bring attention to the Brandeis Counseling Center with the help of a service dog named Teddy who will be present. The Senate passed a vote by acclamation to confirm this SMR. 

Upcoming club presentations are something to look forward to in the week of March 17, with multiple clubs preparing to present in hopes of gaining probationary status. 

— Editor’s Note: Justice staff writer Ria Escamilla-Gil ’27  and Justice Editor Rani Balakrishna ’25 are Student Union senators and did not contribute to this article.