Student Bar Association Meeting
September 11, 2015
- Call to order and welcome
- HEY EVERYONE!
- Attendance
- Mandatory attendance policy – Can’t miss more than 3 meetings a year, excused meetings included.
- 3 meetings a semester, 6 a year. You need to be able to make more than half of the meetings.
- Officer Reports
- President, Max:
- All in new business
- VP, Frantz:
- Buddy information will be sent out on Sunday afternoon.
- Treasurer, Roy:
- Budget has been finished. No complaints!
- Secretary, Katrina:
- Google Calendar on the SBA Homepage. People should be checking it regularly before trying to book a meeting date.
- University Senator, Brandon:
- University Senate was on the forefront for the cyber attack.
- Master plans for all 3 campuses.
- Law School physical plan – Figure out what to do what the basement in the Old Building. Updates being made to the West Building.
- With the merger, we’re hoping to see a rank increase. Senate concern is cost savings. The merger was expensive, so the Senate is looking to see when they’ll get their money back.
- Dean Mutcherson sent out a change of the academic rules, which will affect the 1Ls and 2Ls. There are different academic requirements. Biggest Change: Writing requirement.New requirement is 2 Writing Intensive classes. (Students felt that regular writing classes were useless).
- Debate as to how many credits should be given to journals, moot courts, etc. Also debating what the upper level curve should be like.
- 16 credits is the max., 86 credit graduation requirement. Applies to students that matriculated from June 2014 onward.
- ABA Rep., Mike:
- Not here
- 3L President, Aaron:
- Orientation went well.
- Tavern event was super profitable.
- Field House – The Law Ball, 9/18. Mixer with other law schools. Right after the mixer, so it’ll be fun. Network with people from other schools.
- Restatement (First) of Talent, Friday, 11/13. After party at the Victor. Probably in the multi-purpose room.
- Barrister’s Ball – March 4th at the Crystal Tea Room.
- Part-Time President, Misty:
- Jump-start students were accounted for in new rule making, thanks to Dean Mutcherson.
- Classes are trying to be added to evening sections to be available to more students.
- New business
- Budget ratification – All student leaders were spoken with, but everyone is happy with their budget. BUDGET PASSES. (Requested Dollars: $14,465; Given Out: $9,460);
- New student organizations that may want money – Can seek “emergency funds,” see Roy after the meeting.
- Committees
- Requirement for everyone on the SBA to be on a committee. Students can serve on more than 1 committee. Must be an elected member of the SBA to be on a committee.
- Elections – Aaron (appointed)
- Social – Aaron
- Finance – Roy
- Student Affairs – Brandon
- Education Policy – Frantz
- Communications - Katrina
- Meeting times
- Friday evenings vs. Sunday evenings
- Fridays at 5:30 seem to be the most convenient so it’s going to remain.
- NEXT MEETING: 10/9, 5:30, Moot Court Room
- Parliamentarian
- Responsible for enforcing Robert’s Rules of Order. Has the same job function as the president. Board doesn’t think Parliamentarian is a necessary position. Motion to remove it and amend the Constitution.
- There are 8 people on the board, so Parliamentarian served as a tiebreaker. Board makes their decisions together, so it may not be necessary to keep a position just for a tiebreaker.
- Vote: Motion to abolish -Motion Passes by 2/3 Vote.
- Vote: Motion to have Parliamentary duties absorbed into the duties of President and assigned as necessary – Motion Passes by 2/3 Vote.
- Dean Mutcherson meeting
- Initial meeting was in July, and she wants to have a monthly SBA meeting.
- Next one – 9/17 at 4:30 in the Dean’s Conference Room. If there are too many people, we’ll change rooms, so look for an email.
- Camden/Newark Mixer
- Next Friday on the Bridge, at 7:30. Newark students are coming by bus.
- Law Ball is in Philly later that night, so go after the mixer!
- Faculty was invited, but it’s not a professional event. It’s purely social. Don’t wear a suit, but don’t look like a slob.
- If planned accordingly, you can meet your buddy at the mixer.
- Elections
- 1L Election. Everyone got an email with a proposed timeline for elections:
- Affidavits due 9/17
- Final list of candidates distributed the next day
- Campaigning is 9/21 – 9/23. Anything done outside of those days will result in your name coming off the ballot.
- Can’t tape or leave campaign materials anywhere; can’t leave messages on white boards.
- Can campaign through Facebook; can submit images to be displayed on the LIDS display system; can reserve a table with Arlene Lentini in the office suite.
- Election will be open 9/24 from 9 AM to 9 PM.
- 4 1L representative positions, 2 1L alternates, 2 part-time representatives, 1 part-time alternate
- Student questions/comments/concerns
- SBA Meetings will be opened to all students from now on in case they have questions or concerns they wish to discuss.
- Brandon – Adjunct quality has been called into question this semester. There is little to be done about a bad professor, and the only feedback is heard in end-of-the-year reviews. SBA should ask the administration to administer mid-semester course evaluations to rectify issues before the semester ends.
- Katrina – Meeting Minutes made available online on the SBA website. Tell your friends
- Event announcements
- Frantz – Pro Bono Bankruptcy training tomorrow, 9-5 in E108; Breakfast and lunch served; 1Ls can’t participate, sorry You can do Voter’s Rights and Street Law; Mary Philbrook Awards, 9/30. Contact Dean Jill Friedman if you can’t afford a student ticket ($20)
- Katrina – 9/24 ASB Beer Pong Tournament at the Victor; 10/9 ASB Bar Crawl
- Misty – 10/23 Lunch reception; social workers, nursing students, and law students can mingle and network, 12:30-4
- Brandon – Street Law training, 9/19, 12-4.
- Rutgers Law Running Club – Programs focused on stress behaviors.
- Closing