Santa Clara University’s club sailing team ended its season by trading its usual college dinghies for a heavier boat, a shifting course and a race that had the Broncos needing to find their sea legs fast. The team competed on May 20 in a keelboat regatta at Encinal Yacht Club in Alameda, California, where Chase VanDerveer ’27, Lauren Laird ’29, Joaquin Torres ’29 and Lorenzo Maino ’29 finished fourth out of five crews in a field of mostly local sailors. The race was outside their normal competition schedule. Unlike the smaller dinghies used in many college regattas, keelboats have a fixed keel beneath the boat that provides stability and helps crews handle stronger winds, shifting conditions and longer tactical races. For the Broncos, the format was a change of tack. VanDerveer said the 22-foot keelboat weighed about 3,200 pounds, much more than the 200-pound boats the team normally races. “I treated it like a dinghy, and not a big boat like it is,” VanDerveer said. That lesson came after what VanDerveer called a “tactical mistake” on the first windward leg. Nevertheless, he was happy the crew got practice in. Torres, who competed in his first keelboat race, said the format kept him busy. “Compared to the dinghies, it’s a lot more engaging,” Torres said. “There’s just more stuff to do, and there’s always something going on.” Maino served as the tactician, watching the course and other boats while VanDerveer steered. “I’m giving information and giving them calls on what to do,” Maino said. The wind also refused to stay anchored. VanDerveer called the conditions “shifty,” saying sailors had to “connect the dots” between stronger patches of wind before those patches changed direction. The regatta capped a year of growth for the club, which VanDerveer said has grown to about 20 active members. The same crew expects to compete in match race qualifiers in Long Beach next year. “Our first race next year will actually be pretty similar,” Laird said. “It’ll be on keelboats like this one.” This regatta proved a valuable learning experience ahead of the team's competition next fall, helping them avoid the mistakes they made this time around. 📝+📷: Dylan Ryu

Santa Clara University’s Student Court upheld Student Body President Claire Krebs’ ’26 veto of the Student Senate’s decision to deny two provisional student organizations full club status, ruling Thursday, May 21, that the veto fell within the president’s constitutional authority. The decision ends a challenge brought by Herb Schreib ’26, the Associated Student Governments’ web development chair, who argued that Krebs exceeded her power by vetoing the Senate’s April 30 vote to deny Friends of MSF and the American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative from graduating from Provisional to Registered Student Organizations. According to the ruling, the court held that the Senate’s vote to deny the groups RSO status constituted an official Senate act and was therefore subject to a presidential veto. The court wrote that a Senate act includes “any outcome produced through a valid vote, including denials.” Krebs issued the veto on May 7, citing concerns about the brevity and speculative nature of the Senate’s discussion. The Senate later voted unanimously to uphold the veto, while allowing the constitutional question to proceed to court. The ruling also rejected Schreib’s argument that allowing the veto would disrupt ASG’s balance of powers. The court wrote that the Senate retained its ability to override the veto by supermajority vote and chose not to do so. “The Presidential veto is UPHELD,” the decision read. During the May 21 Senate meeting, Chief Justice Bea Ricafort ’26 said the court viewed the veto as part of ASG’s checks and balances system. She also used the ruling to criticize the Senate’s handling of the original PSO vote. “This is not a disagreement problem,” Ricafort said. “This is an engagement problem.” Ricafort said senators have a responsibility to understand the consequences of their votes before taking action. “If you have questions or hesitations about any measure that is presented to you, don’t shoot your hand out and motion,” Ricafort said. “Ask the question.” The decision leaves Krebs’ veto in place, allowing Friends of MSF and the American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative another path toward RSO recognition. 📝: Dylan Ryu 📷: Getty Images