Senate
 

• MINUTES

Agenda

I. Call to order 6:30 PM  

II. Passage of previous meeting’s minutes

III. Old Business

Revisit Robert’s Rules (15 minutes)
Discretionary Fund Guidelines (10 minutes)

IV. New Business

A. Finance and Public Relations Committee Update (45 minutes)
a. Funding Requests (30 minutes)
b. Computers
c. Public Relations

B. Campus Culture (10 minutes)
a. Campus Elections –Andrew
b. Copyright Information & the RIAA

C. Scholastic Committee (5 minutes)
a. Textbooks in the library

D. Reminders
a. Send Ryan 3 proxies by Friday
b. Send Ryan any non-committee agenda items by Monday at 12noon

V. Open Forum

General Comments (5 minutes)

VII. Close Meeting
Target time: 8:00 PM
 

Download pdf minutes: 10-23-07

Minutes from October 23, 2007

Associated Students of Occidental College

Senate Meeting

 

I. Call to order 6:30 PM  

 

Ryan noted that all discussions needed to be as pertinent as possible since he had to make a flight at the airport, and also that Ken was absent and had sent Don Johnson as his proxy. 

 

II. Passage of previous meeting’s minutes

 

Denise asked if Dominique had problems with the abbreviation of her name to Dom in the minutes; she did not. 

 

The minutes were passed by general consent. 

 

III. Old Business

A.     Revisit Robert’s Rules

 

Ryan felt that Robert’s Rules needed revisiting due to the general confusion of last week’s meeting.  He asked them to understand that when a motion is on the floor, if it is not seconded it dies.  Ryan also asked the Senators to state their name when making a motion to help the Chief of Staff.  If people were not ready to vote on the motion, they could ask the Chief of Staff for clarification on the number of funds allocated or an update on what was just said. 

 

Ryan also informed the Senate that once a motion is seconded, only non-contradictory amendments can be made.  Kenna said that when voting on a funding allocation, amending the motion to allocate a different amount of funds would constitute a contradictory amendment.  Andrew asked whether specification was necessary when moving for an amendment that it was part of a particular motion; Patrick replied that once an amendment is voted on and seconded, when voting on the motion the amendment is voted on as part of it. 

 

Ryan told the Senate that they needed to vote better and be clearer when moving, since last week there was strong criticisms of the motions on the table.  Kenna suggested that during funding requests, Patrick or Mike could move to fund at the recommended amount, after which discussion could take place, streamlining the voting process.  Pat stated that he was fine with it if Ryan was.  Alison feared that people would come to agreement too quickly.  Ryan stated that there was a chance that in the future the funding method will not seem efficient, sparking spirited debate; he believed that process could be expedited.  He also told the Senate that it was crucial for each Senator to be acknowledged before they speak, especially when there are multiple participants and guests. 

 

Alison asked when discussion of a motion would end; Ryan replied that as president and moderator it was his job to read that and entertain a motion.  Kenna said that according to the handbook, anyone can move to end the debate.  Such a motion is not meant to be a power tool, and the senators should hold each other accountable on their use of it. 

 

Kenna also asked whether the new funding voting method could be attempted tonight; Ryan replied that since the Senate had trusted Patrick and Mike with their finances and their opinions were most informed, he would be happy to try it. 

 

B.     Discretionary Fund Guidelines

 

Kenna stated that due to operating expenses, the Discretionary Fund had only $5090 in it instead of the previously thought $6100.  This number was not made known to the Senate because Kenna did not have this updated budget, leaving the Senate without an updated budget.  Patrick asked if these new figures were updated with withdrawals; Kenna replied that they were not and that she can provide these figures at any point via e-mail. 

 

Mike spoke concerning the discretionary fund guidelines, saying that he had given it the new name of the ASOC Student Leadership Fund, accessible by the president, the Senate, Honor Board, and GA.  He said that it could be spent on promotional activities, inter-organizational events like “Get the mission”, special events that clubs wouldn’t otherwise do, and ASOC investments such as new computers.  Mike produced a system of checks and balances: A Senate member could present a proposition, passable by a 2/3 majority, which Ryan would have the right to veto.  This veto could be overridden with general consent from the Senate.  GA and Honor Board would have to follow this same procedure. 

 

Ryan entertained a motion to pass the guidelines.  Patrick moved to approve the new ASOC Student Leadership Fund Guidelines, Andrew seconded, and the motion was passed by general consent. 

 

IV. New Business

 

A.     GA Co-chairs’ Update

 

Laura said that the guests for this week’s GA would be three individuals from Emmons: Richard Youngblood, a counselor, and a nurse practitioner.  They will give a presentation on Emmons, its changes throughout history, its goals and programs for the year, and attempting to increase communication. She said that Richard was interested in firsthand experiences, so if a Senate member or a friend had had an experience with Emmons, relaying it directly at the GA would be the best option.  She also asked the Senate members to announce the GA at hall spreads and to tell their friends about it. 

 

Jessica added that they were going to have an upcoming GA concerning ITS and the RIAA, and that she was also trying to contact the individuals involved with the graduate assistant resolution, but was as of yet unable to make contact with them.  She added that the GA and Honor Board were looking forward to doing something like “Open Spaces” within the next month.  Jessica said that it would consist of different topics by different students, and that students could come and discuss whichever topic they wanted, since the GA is interested in campus climate and they wish to deal with campus issues. 

 

Laura asked Kenna about the progress with the GA Publicity Coordinator search.  Kenna said that they had 3 applications.  Laura also told the Senate to submit ideas for future GAs at least a week in advance, and that KOXY wished to submit a capital improvement request.  Ryan asked about the progress with the GA t-shirts; Jessica replied that they were waiting upon the arrival of a Publicity Coordinator. 

 

B.     Finance and Public Relations Committee Update

 

a.     Funding Requests

Ryan informed the Senate that there were four retroactive funding requests, and also asked them to read Patrick’s funding spreadsheets before attending the meeting.

Club/Org	Event/Program	Funding Amount	Vote
Sigma Lambda Gamma	Intercultural BBQ (9-28-07)	$133.26	Pat moved, Tilak seconded, passed 10-0-2 with Don and Pat abstaining

 

 

Salsa Dance Club	7 lessons (1st semester)	$219.76	Patrick moved, passed 11-0-1 with Patrick abstaining
This funding amount was changed from its original number once cross-checked by Mike; all other funding amounts were the same.
Compadres	Compadres and Hirambee BBQ	$116.00	Patrick moved, Rob seconded, passed 10-0-1 with Don and Pat abstaining
MECha/ALAS	Trip to LACMA	$57.81	Patrick moved, Don seconded, passed 11-0-1 with Pat abstaining
Rebirth Club	“Welcome To New Orleans” Film Screening	$80.21	Patrick moved, Santiago seconded, passed 10-0-2 with Patrick and Andrew abstaining
AXE	Axe-making	$62.34	Patrick moved, Rob seconded, passed 10-1-1 with Don opposing and Patrick abstaining
Theatre Club	Corteo	$20.38	Patrick moved, Rob seconded, passed 11-0-1 with Patrick abstaining
Alison asked the Senate to consider just funding their vans, as it was unlikely they could get by on twenty dollars.  Patrick said that $396 would have to be removed as it was calculated as a lump sum.  Ryan noted that the Senate had not talked about separating individual requests, but it is possible that they could look into it.  Patrick expressed that to deviate from the algorithm for an activity with such low attendance would be a bad move.  Don asked what other sources of funding the Theatre Club could access; Patrick replied that they could apply for funds from the ICC or OSL.  Don said that he asked because AXE, whose funding they had just approved, receives a large amount of funds from the Chemistry Department.  Denise asked if they could fund it since it was less than $25; Patrick replied that the rule was only applicable if the event only cost $25 or less.    Alison moved to end the discussion.
Food Club	Dim Sum Outing	$48.64	Patrick moved, Rob seconded, passed 11-0-1 with Patrick abstaining
Theatre Club	Meeting On Campus	$89.73	Patrick moved to approve, Nonda seconded, passed 11-0-1 with Patrick abstaining
First Nations	Ben Hale Performance	$322.19	Patrick moved, Don seconded, passed 11-0-1, Patrick abstained
First Nations	Visit to Intertribal Arts Marketplace	$68.44	Patrick moved to approve, Dom seconded, passed 11-0-1, Patrick abstained
First Nations	Jim Ruel Comedy Performance	$754.03	Patrick moved, Rob seconded, passed 11-0-1, Patrick abstained
First Nations	Visit to Northridge Native Art Gallery	$45.06	Patrick moved, Andrew seconded, passed 11-0-1, Patrick abstained
Oxy Hillel	College-Style Shabbat	$49.43	Patrick moved to approve, Dom seconded, passed 11-0-1, Patrick abstained
Oxy Global Action	Think Locally Act Globally	$1175.87	Patrick moved, Nonda seconded, passed 11-0-1, Patrick abstained
This event is taking place over the course of a month.
SAE	SAE Haunted House	$839.31	Patrick moved, Tilak seconded, passed 11-0-1, Patrick abstained
Patrick noted that this event was taking place over two nights.  Don asked why this event would be classified as service, to which Patrick replied that children have traditionally been admitted to the haunted house.  Nonda questioned concerning the attendance figure of 1000; Patrick replied that he had spoken to Jermaine McNeal, who said that SAE would be having about 500 Oxy students and 500 Eagle Rock neighbors.  Kenna added that they were asking for a suggested donation of $1.    Andrew noted that attendance was supposed to be Oxy students only.  Alison asked if there was time to table this, since Phi Psi’s haunted house was being funded in the same manner.  Ryan replied that there was probably not time to do this, but asked whether both could be discussed at once.  Patrick told the Senate that SAE had an advantage in that it was on campus property, fulfilling the on-campus parameter.    Ryan called for a vote.  Alison was uncertain as to whether or not attendance numbers could be recalculated without any SAE representatives present.  Ryan said that any time someone has blatantly misrepresented attendance, it would be brought to the attention of Honor Board.  Alison asked about the presence of Campo officers; Patrick replied that they could be utilized to ascertain the true attendance figures.  Andrew wanted to clarify that he didn’t wish to assert that SAE was lying.
Phi Kappa Psi	Haunted House	$196.28	Pat moved, Rob seconded, passed 8-0-4
Devon Puglia stated that SAE was getting funded more for house decorations, but that many of the things that Phi Psi was not getting funded for fell under the purview of house decorations.  He added that the haunted house could not be put on with 196 dollars.  Luke Cederberg added that the event was for disadvantaged children, and that it was not so much catered to Oxy students.  Patrick said that events were funded based on the total amount requested, not due to line items, so that Devon’s decorations argument was incorrect.  Pat stated that another reason that SAE got more funding was due to their higher attendance.    Devon said that although he understood that the 10 times greater attendance contributed to SAE’s higher funding, he would argue that Phi Psi is doing actual service for disadvantaged children, as opposed to SAE’s haunted house which is just giving students a good scare.  Denise said that although she supported Phi Psi’s efforts, the algorithm says what the algorithm says.  Rob agreed, saying that it was good to help out kids, but that student funds should go to students.    Don suggested cutting expenses by cutting either the dry ice or fog machine, which he found redundant, and also noted that 100 rolls of duct tape or trash bags could be purchased for $100.  Ryan asked if Phi Psi had asked PB for a fog machine; Devon said that they had not.  He added that if the Senate funded the event at $196, it would be dishonest; he also expressed his dissatisfaction with the funding request system, and that it was a systematic problem throughout the school.    Rob then asked whether these 100 Oxy students would show up; Devon admitted that the number would be closer to 50.   Denise moved to end discussion.

Devon argued that there should not be a discrepancy between outside service and service to Oxy.  Nonda expressed her feeling that some service can benefit both students and those outside Oxy.  Patrick stated that community service was all about an unaffiliated third party.  Rob noted that this may be yet another situation where the algorithm fails.  Ryan disagreed, saying that it funded at a proper rate.  Mike stated that in the past, accommodations had been made such as peripheral attendance, such as groups giving presentations after their service project to boost attendance. 

KASA	Barbeque (retroactive)	$24.36	Patrick moved to approve, Tilak seconded, passed 10-0-2 with Dom and Pat abstaining
KASA	General meeting (retroactive)	$196.80	Patrick moved, Rob seconded, passed 10-0-2 with Dom and Pat abstaining
Alison asked what the difference between the BBQ and the meeting was; Patrick replied that it celebrated the Korean Thanksgiving, and had film and discussion about its significance and relationship to American culture.
KASA	Beach outing (retroactive)	$15.39	Patrick moved, Andrew seconded, passed 11-0-1 with Patrick abstaining
Alison asked how many times the Senate was funding food for one club.  She said that food can only be funded once per meeting, and that although these were different meeting names they were all for food.  Mike said that there is no way to be sure that they are different meetings, so that it is necessary to take the clubs at their word.

 

b.     Computers

 

Mike stated that he had written up a proposal and that Ryan had obtained quotes from ITS, although it was not yet dispersed in e-mail form.  Mike listed the pros and cons of buying a certain number of computers.  Ryan stated that at least one computer was needed, as only one of the current computers was semi-functional, which is the OSL comp that was given to ASOC when OSL upgraded theirs; soon, however, it will be taken away due to ASOC having access to drives which it is not supposed to have access to.  Mike stated that if only 1 computer was bought things could become crowded, and that if more computers would be bought in the future, 2 should be bought now.  Ryan said that there were currently 27 ASOC members, and that some people do not use the office because of the dysfunctional computers.  He added that 2 computers would be better, but that 3 computers would accommodate everyone, although there was a danger of them being under-utilized. 

 

Ryan noted that the funding options for these computers were the Capital Improvement Fund, of which only 10%, or $2000, has been currently used, or the ASOC Student Leadership Fund.  He added that the Dells are generic computers; if Oxy orders it, it is the newest model currently being offered to the school, and that he had asked for the most inexpensive model.  He had also asked Noel Clay what the issues with the current computers would be; Noel had stated that the hard drives would probably crash and that the computers could not be refurbished.  Don asked what discount was being applied; it was answered that it was a 10% educational discount on Dells and Macs. 

 

Santiago moved to buy 3 computers for the ASOC office out of the Capital Improvement Fund.  Patrick moved to amend the motion, taking half of the funds from the CIF and half from the ASLF. 

 

Andrew moved to buy 2 computers, 1 Mac and 1 Dell from the CIF, and Alison seconded.  She explained her second, saying that although she did not support the purchase of new computers as long as the old ones were functioning, she knew that no one would pass a motion for one computer, much less none, so she might as well knock it down to two. 

 

Ryan noted that one issue was whether groups outside of ASOC, such as Greek Council, could use the computers.   Devon offered that as a student of the college, he didn’t think that ASOC needed 3 computers, but that the purchase would be justified should Greek Council be allowed to use them, as they needed office space to organize their 6-person Executive Board.  Patrick asked how many projected meetings would be held in that room, to which Devon replied that executive meetings could be held every other week, not including ad hoc meetings.  Xochiltl asked how long the new computers would be projected to last; Ryan said that ASOC would be required to keep them for three years, but that the old ones had lasted longer than three years.

 

Ryan entertained a motion to fund three computers, and noted that the CIF was the largest fund from which to acquire funds for these computers.  Kenna told the Senate that the CIR had to go through her, Jonathan O’Brian, as well as the GA before it went through to Gabriella.  Patrick moved to amend that the purchase 3 computers along with the stipulation that Greek Council be put on the agenda for the use of the room at the next meeting, which Rob seconded. 

 

Doubting whether three computers were necessary, Alison moved to purchase two computers, a Mac and a Dell, which Denise seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 

 

Patrick asked whether or not Greek Council could still be put on the agenda; Ryan assented.

 

c.      Public Relations

 

The report of the Public Relations Committee was tabled due to time constraints. 

 

C.    Campus Culture

a.     Campus Elections

 

Ryan asked whether Andrew had gotten a response for the Campus Election Director position.  Andrew replied that he had received a grand total of one application.  Ryan asked if they should go ahead and appoint someone knowing they might not be here next September, since they didn’t have someone for campus elections at the beginning of the year.  Andrew stated that applications are due on the 26^th, and that the position pays $200 a semester. 

 

Kenna reminded the Senate that there would be an election to fill the seats of Denise and Alison, as well as a possible challenge election.  Alison welcomed a challenge. 

 

b.     Copyright Information and the RIAA

 

Ryan noted the numerous complaints from students, including yours truly, concerning lawsuits, and that he was attempting to find some sort of solution. 

 

D.    Scholastic Committee

a.     Textbooks in the library

Alison stated that part of what she and Ken were doing was working with a club that is doing happy hour with students and faculty, like an alcoholic version of “Get the Mission”.  She said that in recent years, faculty had not attended, so that under the guidelines of the Student Leadership Fund she would be bringing a proposal with a funding request for advertising. 

 

Don said that he volunteered for a program called SAP, the goal of which is to develop a resource library not unlike what Ken had been working on with textbooks in the library; last year there had been a budget for 10 science courses, the cost of which came to $10,000.  He would try to make it not cost so much money as well as find a proper location, and that he wanted to make it open to more than just science majors. 

 

Ryan said that he had spoken with Tilak and the other members of the Campus Culture Committee to talk about the multicultural history project, and also reminded the Senate to contact him when appointing proxies. 

 

V. General Comments

             A. Open Forum

Denise stated that she, Patrick, and Mike would be unable to attend the GA, as they had to meet with the cultural graduation representatives, which meant that the rest of the Senate members needed to attend.  Ryan said that they would have a quorum of seven regardless, and asked if one of them could attend the GA.  Patrick agreed to go. 

 

Devon said that he had two comments: Firstly, to keep an open mind concerning Happy Hour, as one of the questions last year left another student crying, and secondly, that the funding request system was a systematic problem at Oxy that encouraged groups to be dishonest about their attendance numbers, and that a new system should be devised that gives more funding and discourages untruthfulness. 

 

Santiago asked when they would receive Ryan’s update, to which Ryan replied that he did not have much to say save that three proxies should be sent to him by Friday. 

 

VI. Close Meeting

 

         Rob moved to close the meeting, closed by general consent at 8:08.