Session of November 10, 2022

November 10, 2022

Minutes Recorded by: Sean Koay, Senate Secretary

Visitor(s): Abby Leatherman, Ben Trosen, Ian Latka  

Call to Order at 11:05 AM

Senator prays

Roll Called

Minutes Approved at 11:08 AM

Officer Reports:

VP. Crowder: PPT Gonzalez is not here because he has internships and jobs interview.  

Committee Reports:

Chairman Byrne: We have not spent any money in a month, but we have just been informed by the Baja club that they have not picked up the money that they were given last semester, so we are planning to give Baja their money so they can get off my back. 

Chairman Ko: I guess this week I am working on the campus building hour project and working on student and senate interest survey.  

Chairman Hoekstra: On the recycling bins, I will send the email today as I been too busy lately. 

Special Business:

VP. Crowder: Elections for VP, LSM, and YAC will start next semester, but campaigning should start this semester, so let me know if you need more information.  

Old Business:

Chairman Ko: I told people about the pool thing, and I found that people are supportive of having a pool on campus, but most of those people haven’t really been to the pool. We want the pool, but we just don’t use it. 

Senator Brown: Part of the problem with the pool is that the hours are just so weird as they are open at inconsistent times. 

VP. Crowder: it is on the Solheim website, if you want to keep the pool, do floor events that would include the pool. The best way to have voice heard is to use it. 

Chairman Byrne: There is a pastor in town he is Chris Live, his wife is a swim coach, and is the primary user for the pool, so if you want supporter for the pool, contact her. 

Senator Farmer: She has been very active about the pool, that’s why it is still there. 

VP. Crowder: Yes, she is the best swim teacher in this area, that is why it is staying open for this long now. People would drive hours just to swim and train here. 

Steve Conn: I don’t want to give a specific number but the magnitude of the difference between what the Longview swim clubs versus the cost of maintaining the pool a whole year is just too far. There is no way to make it economically beneficial. The thing that we are considering is whether to prioritize spending that much money on the pool. 

SGT. Shaughnessy: Reads out the time of pool hours. The hours for the pool are very unique. 

Chairman Ko: One strong alternative for the pool, is to fill it and expand the weight room. 

VP. Crowder: It could be used for larger workout area, and the front gym can be used for offices. 

Senator Kontush: I have heard people complain that the weight room has bad equipment, and I agree that we should have the pool filled to have a better weight room. 

Steve Conn: I have heard support for that idea, there are discussion about building a whole new track facility, and whether that new facility would include a new weight room, if so, we don’t need three different weight rooms. I think that an upgrade to the weight room will happen in some capacity in the near future. 

VP. Crowder: If we want to fill in the pool, let’s talk to our floors about ideas on what to do with that area. 

Senator Dennis: Regarding the benches, are there any information about it? 

Steve Conn: I know nothing about those benches, and I don’t think student life had anything to do with the benches. Can you move the whirlpool a couple feet. Is it actually a problem, or an inconvenience? 

Senator Dennis: I think it is more of an inconvenience, but I was just curious if there would be more stuff added. 

Senator Kontush: You can also discuss with other societies, as they can also help you. LAS doesn’t see an issue, but you can talk to KZX. 

Senator Dennis: I can talk to the other societies about that. 

Steve Conn: It’s been probably six years since I have been hearing about the basketball pavilion ruining the whirlpool, but when that pavilion went up, it hasn’t really affected that whirlpool event. 

Announcements:

VP. Crowder: There will be an event called Lighting LeTourneau, which is hosted by our president, Steve Mason. There will be a tree lighting ceremony, and the choir will also be involved. There are also luminaries, and small booths involved. If you can’t volunteer, please join. 

Chairman Hoekstra: There is no Senate ice cream this week. 

Open Forum:

Senator Farmer: So, we had a constitutional amendment passed by the Go-Pro committee which allows you to represent a floor that you are not currently residing in. 

VP. Crowder: This will be voted two weeks from now. 

Chairman Byrne: I think this is the wrong way to approach this problem. There are too many enforcements, stipulations, and bureaucracy involved in this. 

VP. Crowder: To enforce this, it would be the job of the Sergeant in Arms. The questions are whether we want the quality of people or the quantity of people.  

SGT. Shaughnessy: Something else that can be done is if we could leave this legislation as a last effort for when/if we fall below a certain number of senators and want to boost the numbers. 

Senator Farmer: The main thing was that we can have more freshman involved in this instead of leaving after a semester. 

Chairman Byrne: In that case we should work on retention instead. 

Senator Wallisky: I agree that this bill would create more problem than it solves, and we should pursue another solution for retention. 

Citizen Leatherman: The main concern are the numbers in senate and the floors being represented. If you are represented by someone not on the floor, they would only be able to understand the floor to a certain extent. 

Senator McNeil: That is a valid point and I do agree with it, but as the senator for ELH3, I don’t really talk to people on ELH3. 

Senator Brandt: I agree with that. 

Senator McNeil: Too many people on campus do not care about senate, and all they think about us is that we just fund YAC. We just don’t have enough impact as Senate. People will join YAC or LSM as they feel that there is better impact there.  I don’t think the amendment will do anything. 

Senator Kontush: About people not caring, we need to start by doing something for us to look more serious. People don’t take us seriously and think that Senate is just people talking. We just need to do something for people to take us seriously again. 

VP. Crowder: What big projects can we do for this lasting change? How can we impact them? 

Senator Kontush: I think we should have more things, instead of just discussing and then take two months to get it done. We should talk about it and then do it, as that is the only way things can get done. 

Citizen Latka: One thing the senate could do is to bring back the Buzz app and bring back something that actually matters to the students. 

Senator Kontush: That would be a good start for the Senate. 

Citizen Trosen: Just go talk to your people. 

Senator McNeil: The discussion about the Buzz app, we have discussed this several times, but the student Senate have almost no say about the Buzz app. Student life mainly has control about the buzz app. There are a lot of reasons for the Buzz app to be removed. 

Steve Conn: The Buzz app is not gone, but a piece of the functionality is gone. We have the discord and Instagram feed. After years of running it, the Buzz app is getting more and more unresponsible. In reality, it is for school business, and not a social media application. Before, the only feedback I received was of it being toxic, now that it’s gone people say they miss it. 

SGT. Shaughnessy: Motion to recess 

Meeting Recessed at 11:50