Approval of Minutes
Bobby: Motion to approve last week’s minutes. Seconded. NO objections. Passes by silent consent
Chair’s Report
Michelle: We need to vote on whether or not to hear Pam’s agenda today. So we’re going to discuss this and we need to decide as a body whether or not to discuss this issue tonight.
Pam: I need to address this. I don’t want to take time. I just need 15 minutes. You folks already know about this, the Student Voter Registration project. Robert has volunteered to act as Parliamentarian so that could be taken off the agenda.
Vera: I feel you are misreading the immediacy in the bylaw. We’ve already set the agenda. I don’t think you can just bring in somebody to act as your parliamentarian. He resigned because he didn’t feel comfortable doing the job. This is going to take a lot longer than fifteen minutes.
Pam: I’m asking you to not vote this evening. We live democratically here.
Brian: You’re out of order. You need to be on the call list
Pam: I have a right to be here. I feel strongly about this. 50 students feel quite strongly that they wanted to be heard and they wanted to be heard tonight. I respectfully disagree with your interpretation of the bylaws.
Michelle: I’m going to start a call list
Angelina: I think this needs to be considered in the greater context of discussing student grants. I motion to not see the Student Voter bill tonight. Seconded.
Pam: You’re not representing the 50 students who wanted this heard tonight. You’re in violation of the bylaws. You’re not recording the minutes. They are supposed to be tape recorded and sent to the archivist.
Michelle: You are welcome to stay.
Pam: This is going to be heard and this is going to be heard now
Angelina: Can I please see your petition. ::reads::
Michelle: We’re in the middle of the motion. Can Angelina restate this motion, please. I motioned to not see the Student Voter bill tonight. Seconded. No objections.
Maddie: We’re going to do a roll call vote. 2/3 majority. <15 yes 2 no 1 abstain>
Treasurer’s Report
Rebecca: Gave report
Roll Call
Continued Selectiion of Parliamentarian
Michelle: We need to continue the conversation about the parliamentarian
Amanda: I would volunteer myself to do this just so we can move on and function as an effective student body
Neil: Can i take an informal poll, who wants to be parliamentarian during this meeting
Amanda: We’re going to get another student at large. I’ll do it as long as is necessary
Bobby: I suggest not making a motion not overriding the previous motion and I think it’s important not to disenfranchise the only new student at large position
Jay: I would like us all responsible for this. The name gets picked at random at the beginning of each meeting for that meeting. Informal poll: Who likes doing it this way
Maddie: I’m concerned about the time-sensitive things. I feel uncomfortable with Amanda filling in. I am willing to do it for his meeting and for the rest of the year.
Michelle: I want to make it clear that if someone volunteers to do it for the rest of the year, we have to attempt to fill that position.
Maddie: Informal poll, who supports me doing it for this meeting
Brian: I think we should have a parliamentarian set for the next meeting.
Bobby: I motion to have Madison act as parliamentarian for this meeting and for every subsequent meeting, the parliamentarian will be chosen by lottery for that meeting. Seconded. Objection
Eliot: I think they should be chosen at the end of each meeting
Michelle: We’re going to vote on the motion
Bobby: I call the order of the day
Take Back NYU Discussion and Socially Responsible Investing
Michelle: Neil, give us an update
Neil: We are having a presentation for the Board on Thursday. I collected some information from other schools. We want to form a committee that could advise the investment committee. They can do divestment or engage in shareholder advocacy which allows them to make use of their role as shareholders to introduce new solutions at shareholder meetings. I’m not going to ask them to pass anything at this board meeting, I’m going to focus on getting their approval to form a committee. There is a petition for people to support the creation of sed committee. The only other thing we could do, perhaps, is make a motion to support this committee and to vote on it unanimously. I motion to create and support a socially responsible investing committee. Seconded. No Objections. Passes Unanimously.
Jasmine: We talked about NYU last week. Some people thought to support the idea of the protest, not the way it was carried out. Some people wanted to show solidarity, some didn’t. I’m disappointed in those who didn’t. I think we should support people’s voice no matter what. In this sense, I support and show solidarity with NYU.
Bobby: Giving someone support in solidarity and acknowledging the Bill of Rights is a different thing.
Vera: I think I know what you’re going to say. At this point, I don’t think it would be appropriate for us to do something in solidarity with NYU. It’s been weeks afterwards. We haven’t been able to handle it in a timely manner. It’s inappropriate. Let’s just learn from this lesson about timeliness.
Maddie: I agree. People who do not respond in a timely manner are safe.
Bacchanalia Discussion
Durga/Neil: I printed the budget which I’m going to pass around. SAS recommended that we fund this budget in full. :: goes through the budget::
Michelle: Questions for Durga?
Angelina: I want to say it looks awesome and I’m really excited
Brian: Will there be vegetarian, vegan, and nut-free options?
Neil: Of course, I hope so.
Aiden: Can we fund the alcohol first?
Michelle: Yes
Vera: It’s at every Bacchanalia and it’s important and we should fund it.
Emily: The beer at the fall formal was good beer
Amanda: I motion to approve alcohol at Bacchanalia. Seconded. No objections. This passes by silent consent
Michelle: So let’s talk about the funding for the actual event. Just so everyone knows, it comes out of the Special Events line.
Neil: I’d like to say that we’re trying to save money on bands so if we do that, we’d like to be able to move that money to other activities. So perhaps we could stipulate that in the motion.
Angelina: I motion to fund Bacchanalia in full with a lump sum. Seconded. No objections.
Bobby: I call the question
Michelle: All those in favor of voting, count off <18 yes>
Now we’re going to vote on the motion <17 yes 1 abstain> this motion passes
Reallocation Publication
Michelle: There is a significant amount of money left over in the publication budget and it seems that these publications would like more money. Also, The Annual is no longer a publication and so there is $5000 extra dollars
Brian: I talked to Sarra. She wanted to know if they could get $1500 to do another publication.
Angelina: Do we have a figure on how much is left?
Michelle: It’s about $9,000
Maddie: In the bylaws, it states that leftover money must be returned to the general line. So this doesn’t mean that this money belongs to publications. It is to be considered for general senate’s use. Maybe we should consider it for roll over, or to SSSF or to create these grants.
Eliot: Amanda and I had a meeting with a good amount of our first year constituents this week. There was constant talk of lack of amenities in the new dorms. I think we should consider allotting even a portion of this budget to the quality of life fund. This is a very high request and should be considered.
Vera:I’d like to do a poll to offer a limited amount of this money to established publications for more copies.
Maddie: I would like to state Hayleigh doesn’t have to be here and also that technically we could allocate money to other places directly from the publications line. It can sit there and we can spend it however we want.
Vera: Informal poll about taking some of the money for more copies for publications
Cat: I’m speaking as the editor of the Art Review. At the beginning of the year, we were feeling crunched for money and we cut many copies for publications. Publishing art is very, very expensive and right now there’s a big push for lots of publications to put their things out right after spring break. We’d like to do this in a prompt manner.
Brian: Point of information, how much money would you guys be requesting
Cat: A couple of thousand of dollars. We’re considering how much money we can raise, too.
Neil: I was going to point out the same thing. We did under fund a lot of them. We should publicize that we have extra money and not move forward without being fair to every other publication. It would be nice to have a better idea of how much money we have left.
Durga: i want to press that the decision has to be made this meeting because publications have to be sent to press before the end of spring break. There’s no point in talking about this unless we’re going to vote on something. There is immediacy to this issue. The Annual was not responsible with their funds. The more established, successful magazines deserve to be considered as such.
Jay: Some publications need more money than others. We’re going to run up against some publications saying it’s not fair and so forth. Could we come up with a figure where we give them 10% of their current budget added on. So it would be $4700 in total. Just throwing that out there.
Amanda: With the concept of fairness, we really need to follow our bylaws and be fair and treat all publications equally. It is important to recognize that some people took the initiative and were more responsible, but we need to be fair.
Lily: Some publications are not going to need more. We do not have a scheduled meeting the day we come back on Monday but maybe we could have this be an open proposal period where people can come forth with their needs. If people need money, they re going to make it work. It would be the day we come back from spring break.
Maddie: I like Lily’s idea but my issue is this money belongs to everyone and members of the community don’t know this. I don’t think it’s consistent with our bylaws unless we publicize this and make it accessible to all students.
Vera: I agree. There is a difference between a publication that comes out once a week and one which comes out annually. I really support Lily’s idea.
Angelina: I motion to allocate whatever the amount of The Annual to SAS to deal with and allot to publications. Seconded. Objection
Lily: Can we add an amendment that it is also pending Hayleigh’s approval.
Angelina: Yes
Maddie: I do object to the amount of money. I feel it should be available to all students.
Vera: I understand that $5000 feels like a lot of money but we should consider it already spend. We have excess in lots of other places.
Michelle: I want to say that it is unclear exactly what the amount is because The Annual may have spent some already
Amanda: I call the question
Michelle: We’re going to vote on voting < 18 yes>
We’re going to vote on the motion. <13 yes 5 abstain> This motion passes. SAS has control of the money from The Annual to allot to publications.
Senate and Student Affairs
Lucy: We’ve done no better and no worse without them. I’m in favor of keeping this a students-only space
Vera: It’s hard to talk about. I no longer have a knowledge of what the agendas are going to look like in the future. There is a volatility to our own agendas as they already are.
Angelina: I have not felt a difference either way. I would not have a problem with Student Affairs coming back in the room. I wonder if another adult had been in the room, if what happened tonight would have still happened
Brian: I agree. The age dynamic/power whatever would have been beneficial
Lily: I talked to Mary about this. We’re working with her on the New student Union. If it’s been no better or no worse, it is her job description and we need to honor that. I think it’s respectful to her to honor that.
Nellen: I agree with everything that’s been said.
Cat: I consider myself to be an adult. Having someone slightly older and thinking about if the dynamic would have changed is like a crutch. I don’t think we require a staff member come or not come
Neil: I agree with Cat. With Pam Julian, it would have happened anyway. I don’t want to undermine Michelle’s authority. We’re responsible for ourselves.
Durga: It’s not a question of age but rather someone being hired by the school issue. This is a question of who is hired by whom. The conversation inevitably changes a bit when a hired person is in the room.
Bobby: I’d like for this conversation to focus on what’s happening now and not what’s happened in past meetings
Jay: I think we need to rely on past meetings. Today, we were following procedure and we were calling the question. I think it’s getting better with each meeting.
Amanda: Can we not say “she” or “Mary”. It really seems like senate and students are at odds right now. Now is a good time to show our constituents that we can be responsible and fulfill our roles on our own.
Lucy: A lot of the decisions that have been made in past meetings would not have occurred with a representative from the administration in the room. I was impressed today with how we handled what happened earlier. It worked itself out. This is our job and I agree with everyone.
Vera: First off, we didn’t just close off our meeting to Mary but that we closed it to all non-students. This is not the most important part of Mary’s job. She has a lot to do with senate relations outside of this room. We’ve learned a lot about working as a body without an authority figure in this room
Maddie: I really hope students don’t read these minutes. This is open to the student body. This is not just us talking in a quiet, safe room.
Brian: We should have been able to handle what happened without an authority figure in the room. Some of us raised the issue that we felt uncomfortable with her but we have to deal with the issue that there will be power dynamics with things like that. I don’t think any type of knowledge as a bad thing. I think it’s inappropriate to be referring to staff members as “babysitters”. It’s the wrong mentality. We need to be responsible for how we’re proceeding.
Lily: Back to Durga’s comment, I agree that the conversation changes but I don’t think it’s always changed in a negative way. I don’t think the decisions we’ve made are not as good. I’ve always viewed Mary as someone who helps guide me. They’re an advisor. It’s supposed to be helpful. I agree with Brian.
Jasmine: Everybody has made good points on both sides. I think we’re capable of running things without an advisor. I’m also not comfortable with the idea of meetings be closed to anyone. I’d like to suggest that these meetings be open. We don’t have to invite a member of student affairs. If we would like to have a closed meeting, then we will vote on the specific meeting. I’m trying to find a middle ground
Lenna: We need to talk about not just her contract but also that it’s in our contract. We also agreed that they would be here.
Amanda: My issue with Jasmine’s proposal is that its rewording what we currently have. I motion to close meetings to administrative officials and make a students-only space for the rest of the year. So it’s an extension of the motion we had before. Seconded. Objection.
Angelina: The idea of having an advisor and the idea of having non-students in the meeting are two different things. Faculty or whomever is not a student should be able to come into this space
Lily: I agree with Angelina. We’ve been struggling with transparency. Everything which affects students also affects everyone at this school. I think these meetings need to be open.
Maddie: I agree with Lily. I also think it would be detrimental to close this space to Student Affairs.
Brian: I would also like to say that its ridiculous that we’re barring faculty and staff and simultaneously demanding that we not be barred from their meetings.
Durga: The difference is that as a student body, we do not have the same power that a person hired by SLC has. At the end of the day, the administration makes decisions that we have no say over. As students, we decided not to fund publications all of the computers that they requested. Student Affairs then went behind our backs and funded them the remaining computers out of their budget. It underminded us. At yesterday’s confab meeting, Mary put on record that students voices are not being heard on this campus. She said it herself. The fact that every single space needs to have an advisor is a problem. I would also like to say that “transparency” is a word which means nothing anymore.
Neil: I agree. As an advisor, Mary can veto any decision we make. Having her as part of the decision reduces our role in consolidating student opinion. We need one group on campus which represents students. I call the question
Michelle: To vote on voting, raise your hand <17 yes>
Maddie: We need a 2/3 vote. All those in favor, raise your hand <7 yes 9 no 1 abstain> This does not pass
Brian: How do we tell Student Affairs that the meeting is open.
Neil: There was no affirmative motion so what we do is notify them that the previous motion expired
Brian: I motion to extend the time by 5 minutes. Seconded. No objections.
I want to motion that we re-phrase Bobby’s earlier motion about the parliamentarian being Maddie on the 31 and having it be a lottery picked at the beginning of each meeting. My motion is that it be at the end of the meeting.
Amanda: I have a friendly amendment. Can we say this occurs until a student steps up to run?
Brian: Yes, of course.
Seconded. No objections
Aiden: I would like to call for a roll-call vote.
<3 no 2 abstain 11 yes> this passes.
Announcements and Adjourn
Amanda: Motion to adjourn