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The regular weekly meeting of Student Senate was called to order by Michelle on Tuesday, December 9 2008. Rebecca was present and taking minutes.
Approval of Minutes
a. Bobby: I motion to approve last week’s minutes.
Chair’s Report
Treasurer’s Report
a. Hayleigh: We approved 2 budgets for Human Rights day and we also funded a band for January 23
Roll Call
Michelle, Maddie, Shayna, Brian, Lucy, Elizabeth, Bobby, Aiden, Jasmine, Myles, Cat, Neil, Durga, Eliot, Vera, Amanda, Lily, Lindsey, Angelina, Hayleigh, Vera,
Committee Reports
SSSF- Aiden: We’re working on an auction and we’re also putting up some fun-fact fliers about the history of SSSF. We’re doing a silent auction the position of auctioneer.
General- Not present
Admissions-Aiden: They are presently having their meeting
Curriculum- Vera: We talked about the Confab talking about living and learning at SLC. I’ll be on the panel for that. We also talked about first year studies planning and trying to make it more interdisciplinary.
Student Life Bobby: We will meet tomorrow. CCR had a meeting about the smoking policy on campus. It was an informational session to inform smokers and nonsmokers.
Bylaw Kara: We met yesterday evening
Publicity Jay: We haven’t met yet. Next semester
Alcohol and Drug Elizabeth: We signed a letter to Karen and we have a proposed policy concerning events. It’s confidential and we’re meeting again on Friday.
Strategic Planning Neil: We had a meeting an hour ago. It was successful. It was with directors of advancement and admissions.
Club Recognitions
Coalition for Community Respect
a. Myles: I move to approve CCR. No objections
b. Michelle: This motion passes by silent consent
c. Myles: I will be the liaison
Live Music Club
a. Angelina: Motion to approve the Live Music Club
Liaison argument… I don’t believe it was resolved
UNIDAD Club
a. Madison: I will be the liaison for this club
Christian Union
a. Lindsey: I will be the liaison
Old Business
Conversation on SLC Anonymous Livejournal
a. Michelle: So as you can see form your handouts, we’ve received a few different letters from members of the SLC community. I’m going to open a call list
b. Myles: The consensus of people i’ve talked to about this is to campaign on community respect as opposed to action taken by SLC.
c. Jay: The idea here is not to say that we want the institution to do something. We want to say something as a student body. We’re not going for justice through punishment. There are people here who have been harassed and we need to open this issue up to the campus to talk about.
d. Brian: I’m going to put this on the agenda for General Committee.
e. Lucy: I think it could be useful to have faculty involved in this conversation
f. Guest: Read lots of SLC Anon comments
g. Vera: If we’re still dealing with anonymous things, I don’t know how long-term effective this may be. I’m now speaking as a moderator of the SLC Livejournal. I wanted to talk about what I could do. The extent that I can control this is to make every post be approved by me or another moderator. Just to put that out there.
h. Angelina: I wanted to say part of me wonders if one method of dealing with this. This is a stressful time, and i’m wondering if there are more things we can do to make people less stressed out. It doesn’t justify being mean, but it is a factor.
I.Neil: I’m weary of getting faculty and staff involved because it’s a student issue and we should deal with this ourselves. We have a power as student body to ignore the mean people and it will make a difference. We should at least try this first.
j. Guest: In terms of faculty involvement. I’ve sat in on admissions meetings where students are seriously considering transferring because of this. So in a way, faculty is already involved. Looking at these insults out of context, many are incredibly serious. The only way to deal with this is to have some form of collective student response.
k. Guest: I think this is important to keep this in context. This happens on a lot of campuses throughout the United States. We need to look at underlying issues of why this kind of anonymous trash talking comes up in the first place.
l. Elizabeth: I am most concerned with the culture that is creating and perpetuating this. A big anti oppression training is really nice, but there’s no way we could make the people that really need it come.
m. Jay: I understand the general skepticism about having unity events. But I wanted to get the constructive ball started somewhere. I want to make it tangible and so it has some kind of manifestation.
n. Durga: I have mixed feelings. I too would like to be idealistic about rallying an entire campus around this. I’m upset with the apathy on this campus and the greatest way our campus can be brought together is if individuals claim responsibility it can be incredibly unifying. I motion to start a task force about SLC Anon open to the general public. Seconded
o. Michelle: It has been moved and seconded to make a SLC Anon task force. Are there any objections? Objections with friendly amendment
Kara: I call the question
q. Michelle: So we’re going to vote on voting. If you are in favor of voting on the motion, raise your hand. (20 yes). So now we’re going to vote on the motion. (20 yes). This motion passes.
r. Myles: I motion to extend the time for 5 minutes
objection.
s. Michelle: All those in favor of extending the time, raise your hand. (9 yes) Unfortunately, this is not majority.
Conversation on Student Involvement in Administrative Work
a. Neil: We want to talk about things that have come up in Curriculum Committee, though we don’t have detailed notes or anything.
b. Michelle: I’m going to open a call list
c. Jay: One thing i’ve found in a lot of appeals for juniors or seniors is that they’re upset that they have no way to secure classes that make them competitive for grad school.
d. Myles: Speaking on seniority, I don’t really agree with it. I like the interview system because it shows who truly is the best.
e. Jasmine: We should add a few lines on registration forms where people can say what their situation is because there is more than one situation besides post-grad education like traveling abroad requirements, for instance.
f. Vera: I encourage people to talk about our pedagogy and if and how it needs to be shifted or redefined. We don’t have majors or courses of study is the mindset professors have. If this needs to be addressed, then we should do it.
g. Angelina: In response, I’m happy that this exists and I think it’s important to let students know that we have this ability.
h. Durga: It’s important for people to keep budget in mind and as students, wherever budget is related, students lose power. Because of the school having to reorganize themselves based on budget, it’s going to affect the Strategic Planning.
Discussion on the Role of Parliamentarian
a. Michelle: This is a time to talk about new additions to the conversation.
b. Bobby: I have a proposal. It goes back to the bylaws from 06/07 and it also establishes the neutrality of the parliamentarian effective immediately
c. Lily: I want to keep the parliamentarian as an opinion member of senate. The bylaw proposal is for next year and it changes the parliamentarian as a non- exec, non voting member.
d. Angelina: We’re talking about what it means to have a senator on our body who doesn’t have a voice. I’m wondering what it means to be a senator and if this is about taking away all investment, why don’t we just hire a parliamentarian.
e. Neil: It’s nonsense to say that just because last year’s parliamentarian had a vote then that’s okay. No other body has a parliamentarian who has a vote or opinion.
f. Bobby: I was uncomfortable when the parliamentarian called the question in an earlier conversation. I’d like to make a motion to approve my proposal effective immediately. Seconded. Objections
g. Maddie: I agree that the parliamentarian needs to be a voting member. However, they were elected this year by the community to be a voting member and this is really important.
h. Hayleigh: You are silencing a member of this body and the voice they were elected to have last year.
I. Lindsey: I am open to this proposal but not changing it halfway through the year
j. Lily: It’s important to think about what it means to have a voice and to be a senator. This year, to me at least is making them not a senator. This is not appropriate to me.
k. Elizabeth: I want to point out that we already have positions where people have to come to this meeting every single week who are neutral. Coming from the position of someone who used to be the secretary and hear things going on that you have no right to speak on. It’s alienating and would be a disfranchisement to do this to the parliamentarian this year.
l. Bobby: The parliamentarian’s only opinion should be the constitutional bylaws and nothing else.
m. Jay: The dissatisfaction here has to do with the general feeling that we don’t want to change the role because it’s constituency based but I want to point out that the parliamentarian was voted on last school year and so the constituency has changed.
n. Eliot: making these changes, how will that affect the parliamentarian’s role on the bylaw committee?
o. Kara: The parliamentarian would still chair it because it is not addressed in Bobby’s proposal.
Lailah: I call the question
q. Michelle: All those in favor of ending discussion, raise your hand (5 yes 14 no). So obviously, this is going to move to next semester
r. Durga: The more we talk about this, the more I feel the actual issue isn’t as clear as it used to be. I dont like when people say that we can’t use the word “ideology” because I hope we all bring that to the table in the senate. We are capable of change throughout the year.
s. Michelle: So keep in mind that you’ve just voted on continuing this discussion
Announcements
a. Michelle: Thursday at 4 in Reisinger is the informal Confab
b. Angelina: Christian union is having a party Monday night
c. Lily: It’s a wonderful life is this sunday
d. Aiden: I move to adjourn.