Associated Students of Michigan State University

ASSOCIATED STUDENTS OF MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

FIFTY-FOURTH SESSION

October 19, 2017 AGENDA

328 Student Services

I. Call to Order – 7.04pm

A. Roll Call – 34 members present

B. Approval of Agenda - Approved

C. Approval of Minutes - Approved

II. Presentations

A. Jessica Norris, Title IX Report

1) Presentation of the Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct (RVSM). Highlighted how reported incidents increased, but not the number of incidents, which is a reflection of the community being more educated on their rights and the process. Despite the increase in the number of reported assaults, the office was able to keep their timeliness in processing the cases. Changes in the process, sanction guidelines for all MSU Community, also added information about consequences for failure to report, addressing it through employee discipline, and is not outlined, including expectations. A glossary was included to improve the understanding of the policies making it more accessible. Consulting looking at best practices for the way in which RVSM policy is set here. Focus group with that firm will be brought together including student leaders to gather input. Reminded and suggested students to stay informed.

(a) Question – SARV Training mandatory.

(i) Our participation rate is over 90%, the same as the online training making something mandatory with consequences. Fear that by forcing them to attend, will detract from the participation.

(b) Question strategies to identify Sexual Assault

(i) Policy

(i) The new policy/letter does not alter the process that we have placed in. Many legal academics advocated for greater due process within each institution, with the past Dear Colleague letter there was space for creation of better due process.

B. John Prush, MSU Police, Mopeds

1) Recently the topic has been moped parking changing. There is a legacy provision which allowed moped to park on bike racks, 30 years ago. The AUTTC (committee on transportation) made recommendation to make all mopeds be registered, to change the registration fee from $100 to $50. Second recommendation was to make parking areas for mopeds which were not attached to the sidewalks. This year the registration was over 1,100 mopeds. The idea was to change some car parking lots into moped parking. Each cat spot could be turned into 4 mopeds. AUTTC made this recommendation to the MSU Police. Working with ASMSU, AUUTC worked on a motion to postpone these changes, MSU Police would only enforce the registration part of campus. MSU PD started the Move Safe Campaign promoting. Big metal signs at Farm Lane and Shaw. Worked with the Sparty’s Stores for positive ticketing, positive enforcement campaign. Encouraging students to come for AUTTC meeting. The group is desperately looking for your input.

(a) Question about efforts in AOP

(i) MSU PD has little time in that program but mention of moped parking was made.

(b) Does not believe that it could increase the demand for car parking spaces

(d) Question about adding more spaces

(i) Thanks to ASMSU, by selling and creating the registration first we got better data, strongly believe that they should create more space than the parking spaces which already exist.

(e) The intent is to convert employee parking spaces to moped parking, so as to not decrease the amount of parking for students.

C. Mayor Meadows and Tim Dempsey, City of East Lansing & Income Tax Question

1) Two issue on the ballot, 0.5% income tax for none residents, 1% for residents, would also decrease the property taxes. Largest budget expense would be public safety. Causes of fiscal distress, similar to other communities, restriction on local revenue that cities could collect, significant legacy costs from pension promises. State revenue sharing is less early 2000s. Decline of $700,000 dollars in revenue from 2006 to 2017. Pension Payments, the actuaries did not do a great job for predicting the revenue of interest for pension payments. Tried to cut compensation for the employees, sacrifices. Staffing for public safety has decreased significantly decreased since 2005. If you are a student earning less than $5,000 you will not pay at all. Everyone who pays it gets a $600 exemption. Property tax would reduce our revenue by about $5 million. Council cannot change the system on its own would require voters. Estimated $5 million, 3 legacy cost payments, infrastructure 1 million, the last million for operations.

(a) Question on the rationale and data source of the exemption

(i) Mayor – It is a poverty exemption, and for students who work for about $8/hour part time, the tax would not apply to students.

(b) Question about the development

(i) Council’s approach to development any business that generates business in East Lansing

(ii) Constitution cannot levy a sales tax, could not tax

(iii) Property taxes to new development the MSUFCU construction – generates $225,000 the likelihood of us growing out of it through property taxes

(iv) Mayor affirmed that theoretically this passes the rents should go down because the property taxes would go

(i) The City would not make enough revenue from it.

(d) Question could we change the threshold?

(i) Yes, we can change all that in the future to lower property taxes even more than what was planned for. The objective was to exempt the average student on campus working about $10 a week.

(e) Question about initiatives to businesses for East Lansing?

(i) Economic gardening has been done, first with MSU and the Hatch also with Jackson which employs 200 students.

(f) Question about making you a progressive tax?

(i) The City cannot implement that type of

D. State News Editorial Staff

1) Started 108 years ago. A newsroom of 33 students aside from the design and advertisement team.

2) Located on the second floor of the panda express building. The State News owns the building and rents it to businesses. Gets $5 tax dollars and also money from advertisements. Funding helps avoid law suits, giving students more freedom.

3) Nominated this year for two Pacemakers (college newspapers top 25 in the nation)

4) Question on Tax renewal

(a) Brought up in discussion with the administration – students run editorials and advertisements are always reminded of students getting their refund.

5) Question about feeling pressure on what to write.

(a) As far as pressure, Editor in chief claims that they are not pressured to write anything, backlash comes and goes just like any other professional media outlet.

III. Reports

A. Assembly Members

1) Donovan – Apologizing for the conduct in the previous meeting.

2) Greenleaf – Next week CSD is hosting pumpkin carving event.

B. Committees

C. Class Councils

1) Sophomore Class Council – Partnership with the Lansing Bells 5k.

D. Office of the President

1) VPIA - Resignation of Elias Naddaf, Kelsie Loukkala, Ben Roggencuk. Seats opened in the General Assembly: Veterinary Medicine, Natural Sciences, Nursing, Communication Arts and Sciences, Arts and Letters.

2) VPGA – For sure registered around 650-750 students. 28% increase in registration through TurboVote, signifying that we reached out more students through the tactic of sending registration forms through mail boxes. Working on efforts with It’s On Us, our State Liaison will be speaking on the Senate floor, instead of getting a resolution passed we will have a speaking moment to speak on It’s On Us. Continuous effort on the Federal Level for student loans, currently had meeting with chamber of commerce, where we can learn more and advocate where they see fit. Know Your Rights Night will be November 6th.

3) VPAA- registrar candidates narrowed down to 3 and coming to campus. Opportunities for students to engage with them- Ewurama to keep us posted! Academic governance tracking system on acadgov.msu.edu site. You are able to track all policies and initiatives moving through academic governance. Faculty/student input tab on academic governance site in order for students to provide feedback to the policies and initiatives that they are tracking. Met with the director of CAPS program, last week Academic had a presentation from the Mental Health Advisory Board, challenge is to hire an executive director for CAPS. Academic Know Your Rights Night, November 8th at 7pm. Day after the City of East Lansing election.

(a) President – Battling issues with Michigan State University name at a major university, great challenge for a long-term direction of this program, what does that mean? There is no one to direct the organization moving forward. Would not help to pass a resolution, since the administration to his knowledge would do anything to add someone to that position. CAPS is looking for feedback want to know how this is going. Especially the one for international students where they can call someone within their native language. When we do get a candidate pool we are looking for January.

4) VPFO – Bus.com, not moving forward with that initiative for lack of competitive tickets, wanted to know more form data after Project TIME in order to balance out the demand.

5) President – Talked about Project TIME, how each OOTP member is focused on each area. The majority of the work will take place at committees. February is the best time to get survey responses, also by waiting more we can have more students (Freshman). Off Campus Policy – not suggesting it at this moment, we need more student input. ASMSU wants to have that conversation before other departments drive the conversation. Mentioned story in the conference at University of South California, where race and social differences clashed. Thinking of ways to improve the Stories Behind the Spartans, with self-submissions of narratives, for greater participation and genuinely participation.

(a) Landon shared that during MRULE, when he was an ICA, the greater challenge was to get people to be vulnerable and share their story. Could students be

(b) Hoang – Encouraging ASMSU members to reach out for CORES/COPS groups, since we do a lot with narratives.

E. Chief of Staff – (has been doing all the float building)

F. Advisor

1) Graduate Advisor Zack – Encouraged students to contact him

(a) Encouraged students to come to the events of It’s On

IV. Public Comment

V. Action Items

A. Consent Business

B. Old Business

C. New Business

1) Bill 54-08 Student Allocation Board Code Changes – Passed 32-0-0

(a) Changed introducer, from Brown to Iancio. Seconder became VanHuyse.

VI. Discussion Items

A. Goals from retreat

1) Colpoys – Greater constituent outreach has worked really well.

2) Horne – Upholding the values and norms that we established

3) Aridi – Representatives have been more objective and starting to reach out across with people we disagree.

VII. Announcements

A. Next Meeting Date: Committees Thursday, October 26th starting at 6pm – 328 Student Services Building

B. Homecoming Parade – Tomorrow (Friday, October 20th) from 4-8pm @ Hannah Community Center

VIII. Final Roll Call – Used roll call vote from bill

IX. Members Privilege

X. Adjournment – 9.40pm