April 11, 2011

Roll Call

Senators Present: Mahaffey, Perry, Rodgers, Wheat, Beovich, Byrd, Gessner, Husain, Miller, Powell, Berglund, Ringsdorf, Tanner, Purnell, Schneider, Johnston, Pearson, Carlson, Youngblood, Pruett, Ramsey, Thomas, Horton, Swindle, Wilson, Wolf, Davis, Speller.

Senators Absent: LePointe, Woodward, Hall, Norton, Sells, Calhoun, Fishel, Pittman.

Approval of the Minutes

Pearson-I move to approve the minutes from April 7, 2011 by acclimation.

MOTION PASSES

Officer Reports

President Proctor- I am still waiting to hear back from Dr. Smith on the GLBTA resolution; there is going to be a two to three week turn-around on that. For the EC report, some people had concerns about the process of the elections. We did receive a lot of complaints about people not getting the ballots. Everyone is required to check their Jaguar1 e-mail, so that is the e-mail list we use, but we took out the online degrees, who don’t pay the activities fee. It ended up being 150 students. Two years ago, an issue we had was the week long voting process. It is statistically proven that people do not vote after the second day, that’s why we did a cut down. We started last year with Homecoming, Mr. and Mrs. Jaguar, and SGA elections. From the 5-10 years of records, we saw the students only voted in the first two days. Anyone who we got an e-mail from about not getting a ballot, it wasn’t the fault of the University, it showed up in their spam box. We can check the status of those who voted, and we saw that some people who said they didn’t get a ballot did. Some students opted out of Zoomerang ballots. I don’t want to discuss it right now, but maybe in new business. I just wanted to make sure everyone had this information before we got into discussion about it. We went through so much for this election, and I could not have done it without this committee. Every student received an e-mail, although it may have been sent to trash or opted out.

Vice President Al-Greene- Senator Norton, can’t be here this week, but she spoke to the Dean of the College of Education, who liked her idea for the manipulative project, and she will be back next week with the numbers. I also just sent around another form of the break down of the Camp-Rap-a-Hope numbers. We also have two other senate projects to discuss tonight as well. We have two SGA meetings after tonight, and we have $24,241 left in the operating budget. Look for senate projects!

Treasurer Baldwin- No report.

Attorney General Macon- Higher Ed day went well. Thank you to all who attended.

Chief Justice Shephard- My parking article didn’t get published, and I am not sure why. Cassie Fambro, who came last week about raising money for the boy and his family, came by the office today and said she would not be able to make the meeting tonight, so I am going to pass the bucket around again. We raised about $86 last week with the goal of raising $300. We will be there in no time, if we keep it up!

Special Orders

No report

Committee Reports

Pro Tempore Perry- Wednesday is the Community Day in the BMD library. Please come by Friday to promote the Jag to Jag program, where students can donate left over meals to students who have financial struggles. We will be in the market from 11am to 1pm. I need senators to pass out flyers, and be there for an opportunity to sign up. Also, I passed around an updated list of office hours. Let me know if you need help.

Proctor- I have our Senator at Large’s report. Senators Pittman, LePointe, and Sells all have a mandatory RA event, so that is why they are not here. Greekweek is this week, so donate blood on Tuesday and Wednesday from 10am to 5pm. Tuesday is a baseball game vs. Nichols State at 6pm. Wednesday is softball vs. Florida Atlantic at 6pm. Thursday, baseball and softball at 4 and 6pm. Friday is a baseball game vs. UALR at 6pm, and that is going to be a tournament through Sunday. Oozeball is Saturday. Senate at Large, Pittman is still working on IPC breakfast. And if any of you have ideas of things to say to newly elected senators for the IPC breakfast, send it to Ashley on Facebook. May the 2^nd at 6:30pm is when our banquet is going to be, and it‘s going to be on the terrace. The new president will coordinate it. An event on Facebook will go out soon. As soon as the new president is elected, we will get more information out to you and to the new senators. Newly elected senators can’t bring date. We have a $2,500 budget, but it should only be about $1,700 based on the numbers we have right now. We need two new plaques for this.

Byrd- Student Affairs, meet with me after meeting, you can get office hours.

Old Business

Hussain- I move to open the floor about the tennis tournament.

Senators- Second.

Hussain- It’s April 17^th to benefit Camp-Rap-a-Hope. It’s going to be about $1,600 to spend.

Ramsey- Is there a t-shirt design?

Hussain- Cord has one, but he is not here.

Pearson- So we are going to approve $1,500 just to give t-shirts?

Perry- I would like to know the number of shirts? I haven’t seen much advertising, and that’s a lot of t-shirts for it to be this Sunday.

Ramsey- I would like to see a t-shirt design.

Gessner- I would be ok to approve what we know, which is $189. I am going to fund 189.07 for the tennis tournament and close the floor.

Senators- Second

Al-Greene- All in favor?

Senators- I.

Al-Greene- Opposed? Abstentions?

Hussain abstained

MOTION PASSES

New Business

Ramsey- I would like to open the floor for the Welding senate project. The College of Engineering service a lot of out senior design projects, so this isn’t just for engineering. This will allow us to weld anywhere and give the safety equipment for it. It will say SGA on it!

Gessner- I move to close the floor and fund $1,064.12

Senators- Second

Al-Greene- All in favor?

Senators- I.

Al-Greene- Opposed? Abstentions?

MOTION PASSES

McHaffey- I open the floor for the Allied Health project

Perry- It would be for 6 computers for $3,930.18. We currently have 5, and we would be replacing those. They are at least 10 years old. It will be open to any Allied Health students. There is new personnel in the office that will watch out for them. It also goes to reroute some wi-fi.

Wolf- What are you going to do with old computers?

Perry- It goes to property.

Proctor- I know Special Student Services are looking for computer. They don’t need anything fancy, just something for the hearing impaired.

Perry- I know the Deans of Allied Health would be ok with doing that, and that is a really good idea.

Robin- It goes to property or SHAC. They would just have to do a property transfer.

Johnston- I know they want to get rid of them, but is there any way we can move just for advising during the summer because normally 50 students to have to register for orientation in there because it is so big.

Perry- I will talk to them about that.

Gessner- I move to close the floor and fund.

Senators- Second

Al-Greene- All in favor?

Senators- I.

Al-Greene- Opposed? Abstentions?

MOTION PASSES

McHaffey, Perry, Rodgers, and Wheat abstain

Perry- I move to open the floor for the College of Education.

Proctor- I met with the guy who coordinates the old PE building. They have had a lot of old equipment given after the new recreation center was made. They are still left without things they need. They aren’t sure if they will have to place a bid on $1,000 for squat and dead lifting machines. It would be $700 for weights and a rack for them. They aren’t sure of the definite amount, but I am asking to approve $2,000. I would understand if you all would want to wait to approve until we got a definite amount.

Gessner- I think this is a good project, but just to be fair to the other projects, I say let’s wait.

Proctor- I will get something to you then once they know.

Pearson- I move to close the floor.

Pearson- I move to open the floor for the Gwen Sebastian Nature Trail project. It’s for improving our trail back there that a lot of our students use. They want to put up a covered kiosk, gazebo, signs for destination points, etc. They are saying it will be about $11,900, and we can approve in increments. I am shooting for getting the trail signs. There are 3 organizations already in: The Society of Women Engineers, Sustainability and Biology Graduate Students .

Gessner- I am all for it! This is great! I would like to do signs.

Speller- What’s the point in waiting if we have the money?

Baldwin- The full breakdown: $2,500 for the banquet. We have $18, 665 left.

Ramsey- Do we have a rollover set up?

Baldwin- Yes.

Pearson- As a point of information, the ROTC is another organization on this. They have $1,000 pledged to it, and the cost I said is the cost without their $1,000. Some of the trails are eroded, so they need to flatten them out, so people can run out there. There are a lot of people use this, and with these improvements, people won’t get lost.

Gessner- I move to close the floor and fund $2,590 for signs.

Senators- Second.

Al-Greene- All in favor?

Senators- I.

Al-Greene- Opposed? Abstentions?

Pearson abstains

MOTION PASSES

Proctor- As a point of information, if you have any other projects to improve, you might want to do that now. Besides the Education equipment project, does anyone have projects? This is something to consider for all of you have the least amount of funds for your college.

Perry- Senator Wheat is working on a big project.

Wheat- It’s called the Red Box project, but I wasn’t going to bring up until I had all the information. It was to get a Red Box machine on campus.

Ramsey- This project will “tap” us out, if we do fully fund this project.

Proctor- Do you know if they have talked to any other groups?

Pearson- They do have other organizations that are contributing, but it is mainly going to flatten out the trail

Perry- I just want to add that I use these trails, and they have community users who use it too. I would like for them to ask the community as well.

Spellers- Can we make a motion to approve the benches at least?

Proctor- Will someone yield their floor to Patrick?

Al-Greene- He can have the floor.

Patrick- Currently, I am taking Hydrology, and I am having a concern of what’s going to happen because we have a lot of equipment out there, and we already have a lot of erosion out there.

Perry- I open the floor to discuss the trail in general. I know the Geology and Biology departments have been on these trails for years, and I think there is a lot of regulation, and I am pretty sure they are taking care of it.

Pearson- The committee is made up of the Biology Department. Kiosk is going to be at the entrance, and they wanted to make the foundations of bricks, and they were going to get people from the community to buy bricks, which would be filling in wholes and planks to stop erosion. They are not effecting the environment with the studies out there.

Ramsey- This seems like a good topic to discuss at IPC to get non-SGA organizations involved in the project.

Proctor- The reason I asked that question about the community is because Dr. Sebastian is so vivacious . He has so many ties to this University and community, and I just don’t want him to feel like we are the only group who will be willing to give.

Beovich- Do you know when they need the money by?

Pearson- August 1. I was hoping once everyone saw us involved, more would be inclined to give.

Beovich- I feel like if we fund the benches, it will leave a good amount.

Gessner- With what we have taken out today and the banquet, where are we? If we fund $2,500.

Wheat- I move to close floor and fund $2,500.

Ramsey- Objection: Buying the benches is much easier for groups to do separately, so let‘s buy the kiosk instead.

Wheat- I move to fund for the kiosk at $2,800.

Senators- Second.

Al-Greene- All in favor?

Senators- I.

Al-Greene- Opposed? Abstentions?

Pearson abstains

MOTION PASSES

Perry- I move we fund $2,500 for banquet.

Johnston- I move to close floor and fund.

Senators- Second.

Al-Greene- All in favor?

Senators- I.

Al-Greene- Opposed? Abstentions?

MOTION PASSES

Ramsey- I would like to open the floor for elections.

Senators- Second

Ramsey- Would you guys like to extend the elections for a couple more days or a week? I know a lot of people had issues. Two days may be enough, if you are out of the loop.

Proctor- Were you hoping to do that this for this election?

Ramsey- Just for next year.

Wheat- If we get the computer issues fixed, I think it’s fine.

Gessner- When we vote for president of the United States, it is one day. And we have two days for SGA. Plus, we can’t vote, it’s up to election committee.

Perry- We have seen the statistics. I don’t want to pacify the students so much to encourage laziness. Hopefully PR will help. I don’t want to encourage students to not be well informed on when elections are coming.

Johnston- And the longer you give, the worse the trash talk will be.

Davis- I move to close the floor.

Senators- Second.

Al-Greene- All in favor?

Senators- I.

Al-Greene- Opposed? Abstentions?

MOTION PASSES

Proctor- Just one point, when the new portal system is approved, we have been told that you will be able to go in, and there will be a tab for SGA elections, and it will be elections for anything, and that will help us tremendously.

Ramsey- Will we still use Zoomerang?

Proctor- No!

Student Forum

No report

Announcements

Proctor- I am going to plan a Spring Cleaning Day to bring in the newly elected group. There is so much stuff in the SGA office that no one else uses. I need to find a day . Hopefully, it will be a Friday, 8 to 5 all day. There will be tasks for everyone. Hopefully, it will be easy office hours because everyone is moving out of office.

Sheppard- There will be a fund raiser in the office tomorrow that we talked about earlier. Let’s make our goal.

Proctor- Run offs are Wednesday and Thursday. Friday morning, we will know who the President is!

Proctor- Our event is this Wednesday at the BMD library for the Community Day. We have the table skirt, thank you Cameron for finding it!

Adjourn

Adjourned at 8:48pm