Senate passes resolution to endorse a proposed Student Grief Absence Policy
In its April 7 meeting, the Student Union Senate began with committee reports, discussing the various accomplishments each committee has achieved over the course of the semester, along with possible next steps to take in the Fall. Yoni Kahn ’24, the co-chair of the Social Justice and Diversity Committee, had the senate take note of a Mielle product pop-up shop taking place Thursday, April 11 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mielle, a hair care company that promotes natural and organic hair products, will have a selection of hair products available for people with hair that is not typically carried in on-campus stores due to curly or kinky textures. This is the final event SOJO will be holding for the 2023-2024 academic year.
Student Union President, Noah Risley ’24, then proceeded to discuss a Senate Resolution put forward by Academic Advisor Kiernan Acquisto. Acquisto’s proposal is a new policy regarding grief-related absences for students, as Brandeis University does not currently have a bereavement policy applicable to all students making it an outlier in this regard. Currently, should a student’s life be affected during times of death and grief, their ability to travel and take appropriate time off is up to the whim of their professors. This proposed policy’s purpose would be to promote the general mental health and well-being of university students by allowing them the opportunity to grieve in applicable circumstances. This would include excused absence days, allowing all students who opt into the Grief Absence Policy to take five calendar days of absence to mourn, along with a traveling daysystem. Students may be granted additional days of absence to account for travel to and from their respective location, as follows:
1. Within a 150 mile radius of Waltham: no additional absence days
2. Within a 150-300 mile radius of Waltham: one additional excused absence day
3. Beyond a 300 mile radius of Waltham: two additional excused absence days
4. Outside the 48 contiguous United States: four additional absence days
The degree of relationship between a student and the individual they are mourning is broad, as Acquisto acknowledges that “significant relationships” often transcend biological family. Any students who wish to use the Grief Absence Policy must submit proof of death for any individual(s) being mourned to Academic Services and immediately notify them via email. The Senate passed a vote by acclamation to confirm this SMR.
Finally, Senate discussed the upcoming New Club of the Year award, which nominations are currently being submitted for. This award was created last year, and involves a process in which the Senate nominates a club and the entire Student Union votes on them. Qualifications specify that to be eligible, a club must have transitioned from probationary to charter over the academic year. Last year’s winner, Brazilian Student Association, was successful due to high student interest, fulfilling a largely-unrecognized niche and informative and engaging presentations given to the Senate.
As the academic year draws to a close, theSenate expressed its gratitude and appreciation for continued student engagement and feedback, along with an acknowledgement of the hard work Senators and committee chairs have put in this semester. Risley concluded the meeting on a cheerful note, wishing everyone “a great summer.”
— 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.
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