Action Taken: Introduced by Representative Brandon Bolin

S.B.A.B. (05)F-06_____

Action Taken: Introduced by Representative Brandon Bolin

Date:______

Certified by:

Legislation to Finance the Purchase of Limestone Benches to Provide for Outdoor Seating in the Quad to be paid for from the Residual Funds to Serve as a Tangible Improvement to the SMU Dedman School of Law Campus

WHEREAS The lack of a sufficient amount of outdoor seating in the law school quad has been a frequent complaint by many law school students;

WHEREAS The Voting Council is charged with responding to the pressing needs and concerns of the students;

WHEREAS Currently, the four existing stone benches inside the Tempieta coupled with some outdoor furniture near Carr Collins and the Underwood Law Library serves as the only place where students can sit outside;

WHEREAS Observation and student input indicates that the current demand for outdoor seating exceeds the supply;

WHEREAS The need to address this concern has been taken up by the 2004-2005 Voting Council;

WHEREAS The Spring 2005 Residual Sub-Committee, formed and authorized by the 2004-2005 Voting Council, was charged with coming up with suggestions for how the Residual Funds should be spent in order to provide tangible improvements to the Law School campus;

WHEREAS This Sub-Committee unanimously agreed that a portion of the Residual Funds should go the purchase of quality stone benches for outdoor seating;

WHEREAS The 2004-2005 Voting Council agreed with this assessment by tentatively approving the expenditure of $8,000 to be spent on outdoor seating and/or PIT improvements;

UNDERSTADING That the Voting Councils endorsement of the Residual Funds Sub-Committees recommendation does not serve as a binding earmarked appropriation since appropriate details required for an earmarked expenditure were not provided at the time of the Voting Councils approval last April 2005;

UNDERSTANDING That any earmarked appropriation for the purchase of outdoor seating will have to be once again presented to this 2005-2006 Voting Council and voted on by a majority vote, and if quorum is established at the meeting will this appropriation receive binding effect;

WHEREAS Much effort in recent weeks has been placed into researching an appropriate vendor for the purchase of stone benches for outdoor seating;

WHEREAS The vendor was provided by reference from an Assistant Dean of the SMU Cox School of Business;

WHEREAS Cox recently used this vendor to purchase stone benches for the business school’s Executive Education Center’s Schlegel Plaza and can likewise provide the Law School with benches of the same size, quality and character as those that currently exist in the Law School Quad;

REALIZING The purchase of several stone benches is a significant expenditure, but which would provide a tangible improvement to the law school as stipulated when using the Residual Funds for any purchase authorized by this Voting Council;

REALIZING That quality limestone benches will last for a long time, possibly two hundred years or more, thereby providing the law school with a tangible improvement for years to come;

WHEREAS The 2005-2006 Voting Council can have the origin of this gift engraved for an additional expense of $100 per bench into the bull-nose of each of the benches;

WHEREAS The vendor identified for this project is Ionic Cut Stone located in Indiana;

WHEREAS Ionic Cut Stone will make SMU Law School Eight (8) custom limestone benches with engraving for a charge of $445 per bench excluding shipping and handling costs (the cost of each bench without engraving is $345.00);

WHEREAS Eight Stone Benches will provide a substantial improvement to the law school quad and increase the amount of outdoor seating for students to use and to enjoy;

WHEREAS Each quadrant within the law school quad should receive two benches for a total of eight benches;

THEREFORE That this Voting Council earmark $4,500.00 from the Residual Funds to LET IT BE purchase Eight (8) stone benches from Ionic Cut Stone to serve as a valuable

ENACTED and tangible improvement to our Law School campus. Any excess funds from the purchase and shipping costs will automatically be put back into the Residual Fund Account.

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Respectfully Submitted,

Brandon Lloyd Bolin, Sponsor

ABA Representative