Department of Student Engagement

Article II: Union Senate

Section 1 – Legislative Powers

The legislative powers of the Union shall be vested in the Union Senate. The Senate shall:

  1. Represent and reflect the views of the members of the undergraduate student body.
  2. Enact legislation consistent with the purposes set forth in this Constitution.
  3. Maintain Senate Bylaws to specify the means through which the Senate will fulfill its Constitutional duties.
  4. Recognize and charter clubs.
  5. Confirm Presidential appointments to Executive Board positions.
  6. Advocate for students by serving on Senate Committees, as specified in the Bylaws

Section 2 – Senate Composition

The Union Senate shall be composed of residential senators, class year senators, and additional senators. The representative members of the Senate shall be:

  1. Union Vice President, in a non-voting capacity;
  2. TwoUnion Senators at-large, elected by the membership of the entire undergraduate student body;
  3. Two Union Senators from each class, elected by the members of their class;
  4. One Union Senator from Massell Quad, elected by the residents of Massell Quad;
  5. One Union Senator from North Quad, elected by the residents of North Quad;
  6. One Union Senator from Rosenthal Quad and Skyline Quad, elected by the residents of Rosenthal Quad and Skyline Quad;
  7. One Union Senator from East Quad, elected by the residents of East Quad;
  8. One Union Senator from Village Quad and the Brandeis residential facilities located at 567 South Street, elected by the residents of Village Quad and 567 South Street;
  9. One Union Senator from Ziv Quad and Ridgewood Quad, elected by the residents of Ziv Quad and Ridgewood Quad;
  10. One Union Senator from the Charles River Apartments, elected by the residents of the Charles River Apartments; 
  11. One Union Senator from the Foster Mods, elected by the residents of the Foster Mods;
  12. One Union Senator from an off-campus residence, elected by Union members living off campus;
  13. Two Union Senators for Racial Minority Students, elected by students who identify as members of a racial minority;
  14. One Union Senator for Transitional Year Program students, elected by members of the currently enrolled in the Transitional Year Program;
  15. One Union Senator for Midyear Students, elected by members of the most recent Midyear class to enter Brandeis as of January that academic year;
  16. One Union Senator for International Students, elected by international undergraduate students.

Section 3 – Terms of Office

Is as follows:

  1. The term of each position shall be one year, as defined in Article IX, with the exception of the Midyear Senator position.
  2. Students are only eligible to vote and run for election as Racial Minority Senators if they have self-identified as members of a racial minority group through the Brandeis University Registrar. 
  3. The Union Senator for International Students shall be elected by a majority vote of all undergraduate students who have declared themselves to the Brandeis University Registrar as being international students.

Section 4 – Executive Senator

The Executive Senator shall be the Secretary of the Senate and preside over the Senate meetings with the Vice President. The term of the Executive Senator shall be one year. The Executive Senator shall:

  1. Be elected by a plurality vote of the Senate.
  2. Be responsible for the training of new Senators, along with the Vice President
  3. Assume the duties of the Union Vice President in the Vice President’s absence. If the Vice President’s office becomes vacant, the Executive Senator shall carry out the duties of the Union Vice President until a new Vice President is elected.
  4. Write and distribute the weekly agenda for the Senate.
  5. Maintain the minutes and attendance log of the Senate. 
  6. Manage the budget of the Senate and prepare all financial documents.
  7. The Executive Senator can be replaced by a ⅔ vote of the Senate at any time.

 

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