Brandeis Student Union held their most recent weekly meeting on Nov. 3. Most of the meeting was dedicated to club presentations, with a brief discussion of questions to ask Interim President Arthur Levine ’77 during a future meeting. 

The Brandeis Society of International Affairs was the first club to make their case for being granted probationary status. According to Neema Kitonga ’27 and Rami Chalom ’26, the club’s co-presidents and Kemi Williams ’27, the club’s vice president, the University previously had a society for international affairs, but it disbanded when most of its members graduated. The club seeks to build a platform for students from diverse backgrounds and academic disciples, and also hopes to collaborate with other cultural organizations on campus. The Student Union voted to grant them probationary status as a club. 

Next was Brandeis Effective Altruism, looking to change their name to Brandeis Impact. The name change would be for several reasons: the group is looking to become more action-forward, with more community engagement along with discussion-based activities. They are also not an official chapter of the national group Effective Altruism, and feel that they are becoming more disconnected from the group, so they felt that a name change would be appropriate. The Student Union approved the name change, and the club will now be known as Brandeis Impact. 

Finally, the Student Union reviewed the case of the Brandeis Portrait Film Club, which was seeking probationary status. Portrait film is a subtype of documentary film, which snapshots a person’s life or story. The Union voted against granting this club probationary status, citing “duality of purpose,” as it was too similar to the pre-existing Brandeis Photography Club. Student Union Bylaws prevent clubs from having the same operations, impact, and student appeal as an existing club.

Student Union is scheduled to convene Nov. 10.