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STUDENT SENATE

SESSION XXXVIII – MEETING 2

September 25th, 2016 – 6pm– Paul College Room 165

  1. Call to Order:
  1. Roll Call
  1. Communications
  2. Senators and Guests
  3. No communications.
  4. Graduate Student Senate
  5. Not present.
  6. Liaison to Administration
  7. Not present.
  8. Senate Executive Board
  9. Parliamentarian Shannon:[Explained officer duties]. We had our first Judiciary meeting this week, and it was very successful. We are always looking for new members! In addition, we are still adjusting the meeting time. Welcome to a great session! I’m glad to see all of these new faces and I hope to meet all of you.
  10. Executive Officer Alex: [Explained officer duties]. Please remember to clock in your hours in the Senate Office, as part of your Senator responsibilities. Also remember to join a committee, for that is also required of Senators.
  11. Business Manager Christian: [Explained officer duties]. I’m going to be sending out an important e-mail soon, so check it out.
  12. Public Relations Manager PJ: [Explained officer duties]. Keep spreading the word about SAFC at large. If you want to be part of the Facebook group, just contact me and I can get you added. I am still working on name tags, for Tyler Anderson and I have just created a new template.
  13. Historian Jesse: [Explained officer duties]. I see some new faces tonight, so please state your name when you speak so I can get you down in the Minutes. Thank you.
  14. SAFC Chairperson Aaron: [Explained officer duties].
  15. CFO 1 Danny: SAFC is a great way to get involved with UNH. You are all welcome to visit me at my office hours.
  16. CFO 2 Jake: You can also come to my office hours if you have questions, or you can contact me via e-mail or phone.
  17. Academic Affairs Chair Kyle: [Explained committee responsibilities]. If you’re interested, please join. We are currently working on a resolution involving the Navitas Program.
  18. Campus Structure Chair Zach: [Explained committee responsibilities]. If interested in joining, please let me know.
  19. Community Development Chair Siri: [Explained committee responsibilities]. If you have any interest in the MUB, the president’s commissions, enhancing student life, etc. you should join! Hope to see you there!
  20. Health and Wellness Chair Katie: [Explained committee responsibilities]. We have a tone of stuff coming up, including mental health awareness week. You are all welcomed to join or get involved, and I would love to answer your questions.
  21. External Affairs Chair Sadie: [Explained committee responsibilities]. If anyone is interested, come talk to me after the meeting!
  22. Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Chair Cam: repeat.
  23. Financial Affairs Chair Ian: [Explained committee responsibilities]. We will be presenting some Bylaw amendmentstonight.
  24. Judicial Affairs Chair Brennan: [Explained committee responsibilities]. We will be meeting with UNH police, and helping with homecoming preparation. There is also plenty of stuff related to legal services that we will be working on. [Explained the role of legal services].
  25. Student Trustee Lincoln: no communications.
  26. Student Body Vice President Carley:This is the last day for you to fill out the student survey, so please take it! The results help us know what students want to change about UNH and campus life. It is really important that we get a ton of feedback.
  27. Student Body President John: This week has been busy for Carley and I (IT advisory committee, upcoming faculty senate meeting, upcoming meeting with theGranite Yearbook, Title IX policy meeting, etc.). With Homecoming on the way, I want you all to remember that you represent the student body, so please be active during Homecoming. However, that also means that as representatives of the student body that will not be taking drugs or getting drunk from alcohol. You will be removed if caught. We have an important responsibility, but please do have fun! Just remember to have responsible fun.
  28. Student Senate Speaker Doug: Tonight is going to be an interesting and difficult night for me. Over the last couple weeks, I have had some developments in my life that have causedme to make difficult decisions. One of which was the decision to resign as Senate Speaker. I will still be involved with the Senate. The reason why this is a difficult decision for me to make is not because of the title. It is because of all of you. It is something I treasure and value a lot. This is an amazingorganization because of who we are and what we do. I have been able to do a lot of things in this organization, but that will never be the same as what I got out of it, due to all the relationships and friendships made here. We as a Senate do something unique. We are the one organization that is the official voice of the student body, as we always rise to the occasion. We empower students when they feel like they are just 1 out of 13,000. I want you to know that I am proud of all of you.
  29. Danny: Love you buddy!
  30. Zach: Doug has been a great colleague. I am looking forward to working with you as a senator.
  1. New Business
  2. XXXVllI- 3.01 Removal of Senators
  3. Alex: Remember that you will be removed if you miss four meetings unexcused.
  4. No action.
  5. XXXVIII- 2.01- Approval of Senators
  6. Joshua Velez (Engelhardt), Abigail Moberg (Stoke 2), Camden Tatsapaugh: (Handler co-1), Ellen Goulding (Handler Co-2), Emily Brooks (Handler Co-3), and JameeHersch (Stoke 3) added themselves to the bill.
  7. Passed unanimously.
  8. XXXVIII- 4- Approval of SAFC At-Large Members
  9. Aaron added Alex Fries.
  10. Alex Fries: I served on the SAFC my sophomore year, and I am looking forward to working on it again.
  11. Passed unanimously.
  12. XXXVIII- 5- Nomination of SAFC Senators
  13. Aaron: There is one seat remaining, so if interested I would encourage you to nominate yourselftonight. [Explained role].
  14. Zach: If you are a new senator, I recommend that you nominate yourself.
  15. Isaiah: Are there any accreditations that someone has to have, like financial experience?
  16. Aaron: We are looking for a variety of perspectives, so a lack of financial experience is not a deterrent.
  17. Shannon: This will count toward your office hours and committee requirements.
  18. PJ: I think it is a lot of fun, in addition to work.
  19. Sarah Scheinman and Isaiah Laurencelle added themselves to this bill.
  20. Passed with one abstention.
  21. XXXVIII- 6- Approval of Judiciary Committee Members
  22. Shannon: [Explained function of the committee].
  23. PJ: I am also part of this committee, and it is fun going over grammar mistakes, particularly those made by John Dean.
  24. John: I write a lot of resolutions and like to capitalize everything, so please help me!
  25. No Action.
  26. XXXVIII- 7- Approval of Election Committee Members
  27. Doug: [explained function of the committee].
  28. Katie: If you plan on running for first year senator, do not add yourself.
  29. No action.
  30. XXXVIII- 8- Approval of Financial Affairs Committee Members
  31. Ian: [Explained function of the Committee].
  32. No action.
  33. XXXVlll- 9- Approval of Financial Affairs Committee Bylaw Amendments
  34. Ian: These responsibilities were once overseen by the business manager, but when it turned out to be too much work, the Financial Affairs Chair was created. The amendments will help align this with our other bylaws and formalize the role of the Chair.
  35. Passed with one abstention.
  36. XXXVIII- 10- Approval of Election Committee Standing Operating Procedures
  37. Doug: [Summarized procedures and dates]. We are currently exploring the possibility having ballots on the UNH app.
  38. Katie: As the former first year senator, I encourage all first years to apply. It is an amazing service. Step up and show us what you got!
  39. Zach: You should all bring this up to your first-year friends and resident halls.
  40. Passed unanimously.
  41. XXXVlll- 11- Approval of FAC Standing Operating Procedures
  42. John: Our budget cycle process was not really lined up with the University budget cycle process, so now it will be more streamlined. We worked with administration to do this, and we will work with Graduate Student Senate to make sure we are all on the same page.
  43. Passed Unanimously.
  44. XXXVlll- 12- Student Senate Speaker Bylaw Amendments
  45. Zach: I motion to move this to the front of the agenda. I think that we need to do this first, due to there being so many people that do not fully understand the process.
  46. Lincoln: People can abstain if they don’t understand the process. This is asinine.
  47. Katie: We are restricting student voice by not allowing new members to speak on this.
  48. Alex Fries: As someone that would be considered a “guest,” I do think discussions are incredibly important, and I believe that everyone here has a base-line understanding of the process.
  49. Lincoln: If this body thinks we can decide who can be here or question a hall’s decision,then we have missed the point of this organization.
  50. Motion failed.
  51. John: Under these amendments one can run for Speaker or Parliamentarian with a requirement of one semester. We want to be able to have more people run, especially this year considering that under the current rules only three people in this room would be eligible to run. The amendments will also allow the speaker to run for president or vice-president. Lastly, the amendments will remove theone semester requirements for Business Manager, Public Relations Manager, and Historian.
  52. PJ: I was part of summer quorum this year and noticed that there was much more SAFC resolutions than Senate resolutions. Why do we want to count Summer Quorum as a semester?
  53. John: Members are still experiencing Senate business and processes. All these amendments do is allowmore opportunities to run.
  54. Ian: Why not have a two semester requirement for Speaker?
  55. John: I think it only takes one. There would obviously be higher expectations for a person with only one semester during the interview process.
  56. Tyler: Based on how diverse these amendments are, I motion to divide the question.
  57. Motion passed.
  58. Jake: I served as Business Manager, and I think you need some sort of experience to serve.
  59. Lincoln: I agree about the business manager position, but I have to disagree about the Speaker concerns. If the Senate thinks you are the best person to fulfill the job, why would we reject them?The amount of time one spends in Senate should not be a credential. Regulations like this do not make sense, considering that all people are vetted during the interview and approval process. You find out how qualified a person is based on their application. If they are not ready it will be apparent.
  60. Aaron: Something I am having a hard time reasoning with is allowing the Speaker to run for President, considering the non-political nature of the Speaker. I think we are weakening something that has a reason for being there.
  61. Joey: I believe that the semester requirements are a bit much. I just want to find a common ground, and I think changing it to sessions will help provide an exact number and clear up confusion and vagueness.
  62. John: I am open for negotiation, but I prefer to use the term semester for the sake of consistency. I would also like to add that people can have business experience from other orgs.
  63. Aaron: Amendment to change definition of a semester to “50% of a given session.” I believe this might help us find common ground, for it can give concreteness and openness.
  64. John: How about 75%?
  65. Aaron: Sure.
  66. Christian: I believe this is a good minimum requirement.
  67. John: This makes no sense to me that we are trying to define a “semester.” I think we need to stay consistent to the language. Besides, I would like to believe that everyone knows what a semester is.
  68. Lincoln: reword “semester shall be defined as maintaining active membership status for 75% of either Fall or Spring University Semester or summer Quorum Session”
  69. Jesse: Can you explain what you mean by “active”?
  70. Lincoln: scratch “active.”
  71. Amendment passed with three nays.
  72. Danny: amendment to remove summer quorum as a qualifying “Semester.”
  73. Lincoln: Real work gets done at summer quorum. I think it is insulating to say that their efforts do not count.
  74. Ryan: I want to reiterate that all we are doing is reducing barriers.
  75. Emily: Is there a limit on how many SQ meetings you can miss?
  76. Doug: Yes. Two unexcused.
  77. Zach: Who is doing all of this hard work during SQ that you discussed?
  78. Lincoln: The President and Vice President have duties to be at Summer Quorum. The real work is done by senators speaking with external affairs, administration, faculty, etc. The comments on how work this year was “all SAFC work” implodes when one realizes that this mindset shows the lack of understanding people have on Senate business. The agenda of summer quorum was largely in consequence of the decisions made by the strong leadership of the past.
  79. JP: I was initially against designating summer quorum as a “semester”, but I now support this. It does giveyou Senate and SAFC experience, and it could be harder or easier than the previous years.
  80. Zach: Having worked with SQ in the past, I can say that it is not the same level of work that is done over a semester of Student Senate.
  81. Bryce: There is a vetting process in place that will critically examine an applicant if one thinks that his or her time on Summer Quorum does not demonstrate adequate “experience”.
  82. Sadie: If we are here with equal voice and an equal vote, why should we not have an equal chance for candidacy?
  83. Alex: How do these changes effect the vetting process?
  84. Lincoln: There is no change. All of the questions and concerns brought up now can easily be brought up during the vetting process. Call to question.
  85. Call to question passed.
  86. Amendment failed.
  87. Alex: The semantic sticking points are not conducive to the bill. We are talking about tiny details. These can come up during a vetting process. As an organization that trumpets involvement, we should be taking down barriers not building them up.
  88. Jake: Amendment to reinstitutethe 1 semester qualification for BM.
  89. Bryce: Did you think it was a common problem running for a position where many of the applicantswere not competent for the position?
  90. Jake: No, because of the barrier.
  91. Emily: As the current BM, how do you feel?
  92. Christian: I came in with a lot of business experience, but it was still a difficult job.
  93. Lincoln: As a former BM, I can say that it is a highly unique position due to the level of commitment and responsibility. In fact, I would love to see more requirements for BM.
  94. John: There are people here who are highly qualified due to being on SAFC or having other business experience. Whether they are ready will be apparent in the interview. I am going to have to disagree with this amendment to the amendment.
  95. Christian: As previous BM, do you think your predecessor did his job correctly?
  96. Doug: Out of order.
  97. Aaron: I was out of my depth when I stood in as BM for a couple weeks, even with my one semester of experience.
  98. Zach: I would encourage voting members to take into consideration what three current and former BMs have said, as well as look at the authorities of the BM listed in the constitution.
  99. Amendment passed with one nay.
  100. Doug: we are now voting on each amendment individually.
  101. Passed amendments on 1 semester requirement for running for Speaker and defining semester as “maintaining membership status for 75% of either Fall or Spring University Semester or summer Quorum Session”.
  102. Christian: Officers directly report the speaker. It could be easy to convince a President or Vice-President that a certain officer should be removed, all in order to help the Speaker get elected to higher office.
  103. Lincoln: If someone takes the time to run the Senate effectively and unbiasedly, that is an honorable commitment. To want to help change policy and convince people that you are the one to do it given your background, best of luck during the election!
  104. Alex: I think people in general have a bit more of a moral fiber and backbone, especially the President and Vice President. These theories are a bit unfounded, and not conducive to this amendment.
  105. Christian: I am completely in favor of removing red tape, but this amendment would give the Speaker questionable authority and presents a potential threat to officers.
  106. John: sometimes you have a president that runs again, so if we allow that, then I don’t find the hypotheticals to be valid. I can agree that a Speaker running while expected to be unbiased in Senate is a stronger argument than this one.
  107. Sadie: is there a clause that helps resolve this issue of a Speaker running for office?
  108. Doug: Yes. An officer would be expected to run election committee in this event.
  109. Tyler: Biasness reared its ugly head in the 90’s and led to a lot of controversy. I would say that this hypothetical is in fact valid.
  110. Aaron: I think keeping the original wording is important because running involves setting an agenda. When your job as Speaker is meant to not have a policy agenda, it seems hard to uphold neutrality.
  111. Amendment Failed.
  112. Removal of the Historian and PRM one semester requirement passed.
  113. XXXVlll- 13- Amendment Regarding Constituencies
  114. Jesse: Motion to table this amendment to October 2, 2016. After talking to the authors and proponents of the original amendment, I realized what implications this amendment proposal might have. Believing that there is a better way to go about this situation, I urge that discussion be tabled to the next meeting.
  115. Danny: Don’t amendments need to be brought to Judiciary?
  116. Doug: yes, but only if the amendments significantly change the contents of the amendment.
  117. Motion passes with one nay and one abstention.
  1. OTHER BUSINESS
  2. President and Vice President Hourly Logs
  3. Shannon: [explained role of the Logs]
  4. Passed Unanimously.
  5. Speaker Doug’s Resignation
  6. Lincoln: Return to approval of senators. [Passed unanimously]
  7. Doug Marino added himself to this bill. [Passed unanimously].
  8. Comments on Tabled Constituency Amendment
  9. Jesse: thank you for approving to table discussion on this amendment. If you have not talked to your constituents about this amendment, please do so this week. If you have any questions about this amendment, I strongly encourage you to seek me out.
  10. Aaron: Arnold Palmer died today.
  11. Nominations for Speaker
  12. PJ: I nominate Alex Work (declined)
  13. Jake: I nominateShannon (declined)
  14. Danny: I nominateCarley (declined)
  15. Katie: I nominateAaron (accepted)
  16. Jake: I nominateGabe Hoffman (TBA)
  17. Christian: I nominateDanny (accepted)
  18. Alex Work: I nominateEric Commo (TBA)
  19. Emily: I nominateJake Adams (declined)
  20. PJ: I nominateChristian (declined)
  21. John: I nominateBrennon (declined)
  22. Jake: I nominateZach (accepted)
  23. Shannon: We will also be accepting nominations at the next meeting.
  1. Adjournment

Student Senate Bill XXXVIII – 3.01 Removal of Senators