Session of February 24, 2022

February 24, 2022

Minutes Recorded by: Bethany, Secretary

Visitors: Steve Conn

Call to Order at 11:05AM

Senator prays

Roll Called

Minutes Approved at 11:07

Officer Reports:

Speaker Avent: To clarify on the discord message about dress code, jeans are now okay as long as they are worn with an appropriate button down shirt with the intent of proper taste still mind.

Committee Reports:

Chairman Crowder: Student Life committee is doing a lot of great stuff - we can cover it all later in the session

Chairman Drebot: We just had debate night and it went really well.

Chairman Gonzales: We have a bill to present on stickers today.

Chairman Shaughnessy: Club funding is going well, and we will have a bill soon.

Special Business:

Old Business:

Senator Allen: What is the update on the polos?

Senator Berry: I am waiting on the quote.

Chairman Crowder: Regarding piano tuning, I have emailed Dr. Taylor and he is working on tuning public pianos in the Belcher Center.

New Business:

Chairman Gonzales: I motion to bring a bill to the floor.

Senator Ko: I motion to bring this bill to a vote.

Motion declined.

Chairman Moore: How much money are we allocating?

PPT Moyes: As for deciding different sizes, are there ideas?

Chairman Gonzales: We can get clear ones, paper ones, sticker sheets, etc.

Senator Berry: Motion to bring this bill to a vote.

Bill approved.

Announcements:

Chairman Crowder: Floor snacks will be received today. We are also doing an ice cream run today.

Chairman Drebot: This coming Monday is elections chapel. Our candidates will be speaking for 5-7 minutes to present themselves. Voting opens right after that.

Senator Branch: How does voting work?

Chairman Drebot: It will be online, and we are working with Londa to get it figured out.

PPT Moyes: Is there a plan to send out the link?

Chairman Drebot: Yes, we will be working on that.

VP Avent: It will be through email.

Senator Berry: When is the last day of voting?

Chairman Drebot: The 4th is the last day which is Friday. Voting closes at 11:59pm that day. We should know results pretty quick.

VP Avent: The votes will be tabulated over the weekend and available the next Monday chapel.

PPT Moyes: As candidate Moyes, for those running unopposed what percentage of votes are required for us to get that position?

VP Avent: More than the other people running against you…

Chairman Crowder: What if we wish to not vote for someone even if they are running on their own?

VP Avent: You can select ‘I Choose Not to Vote.’

PPT Moyes: Does that mean when we are ranking, is it set up that we can just put one person and not fill in the rest if we only wish to vote for one?

VP Avent: Yes.

Senator Bright: If you vote for a person who is dropped, you forfeit a chance to vote for a second candidate if that is the only person you select?

VP Avent: Yes.

Chairman Crowder: What is the update with go-cart funding?

VP Avent: Let us move into open forum

Open forum:

Senator Allen: We are having a meeting tonight where we will discuss it. One idea is passing a bill to dedicate a certain amount of money to cover a certain number of components for each team. We will add stipulations, but those need to be discussed.

PPT Moyes: May it be noted that Dean Steve is uncomfortable walking into the silence.

Senator Hofer: Now that Steve is here let our 35 minutes of silence end.

Chairman Drebot: I would like an update on the sidewalk cracks.

Senator Berry: They said it would not be until summer because of the foot traffic. I will ask if he can get started on Spring Break.

Chairman Gonzales: Senator Bright, you are the liaison between senate and teachers? Any updates?

Senator Bright: We met last semester, but not this semester. I can see about reaching out about the next meeting.

VP Avent: I believe they had their full meeting Tuesday, so they will have their executive meeting this coming Tuesday.

Senator Berry: I want to see what everyone’s opinion is about parking. We have been told to park in certain parking lots, but it seems that people are not parking in the correct place. Have y’all heard any complaints?

Chairman Drebot: ELH resident, yes, this is frustrating when people park in our lot but they are out of room so there is not much we can do.

Chairman Crowder: This issue is frustrating but there is not much we can do. It is what it is. It is just an overflow of people running out of spots.

Senator Hofer: I think the immediate solution is to encourage students to park in the correct lot.

Chairman Gonzales: This is not a new issue. If you notice, the blue residential stickers are allowed anywhere residential. So, the issue is the same unless the stickers were specific to parking lots.

Chairman Drebot: Has administration ever considered restricting Freshman from having a parking spot?

Dr. Conn: To clarify, that is a function of some universities wanting Freshman to stay on campus and get involved. In previous years there was a lot of complaining about getting a ticket so the Chief decided to say you can park wherever. I think the parking situation is better than the past and better than other schools. This is about picking battles and losses at this point.

Seantor Willsea: Are we allowed to park in apartment spots?

Senator Allen: No, there are not that many spots for them anyways. I am not sure about residents parking in the Library or Glaske lots.

Citizen: I do believe it is not an issue within business hours.

VP Avent: A lot of those are for commuters, faculty, and staff. That is messed up to take spots from them. Apartments do have a different sticker.

PPT Moyes: I think I agree that floor emails are a good idea to encourage floors to park in the right spot.

Citizen Foster: How hard would it be to have a counter that tells us how many spots are available in a lot?

Senator Allen: I could see that going poorly with pranks.

Chairman Crowder: It would be very difficult. Usually, these systems are hung from ceilings and it would be a lot of work for little payoff, and it would be expensive.

Sergeant Rubingh: The Belcher lot on Tyler W. fills up when there is an event. People who live there have to park other spots. Is there anything we can do about that?

Chairman Moore: I think we should have precedence over student lots, but that lot of community and belongs to Belcher.

Senator Bright: Does the lot to the North of Tyler fill up?

Senator Allen: Most of the visible parking lot fills up but the rest behind Tyler is not very big so it would be full always.

PPT Moyes: It seems there is an issue with parking. There is a lot of grass between the Tyler lot and the MIR’s house. Is there an option to expand parking there?

Sergeant Rubingh: On the North? They use that already and park in the grass.

PPT Moyes: My question is can that be paved?

Senator Bright: I am not against having the communication, but I don’t know how much parking would be gained and if it would be worth the cost. But it is worth asking.

Senator Willsea: I wanted to ask about handicapped spots that are never full?

Senator Berry: I think there is a requirement for how many spots per building. We should talk to UPD and see what they think.

Chairman Shaughnessy: Part of it is age of the building. There are new regulations for newer buildings.

PPT Moyes: the student life committee deals with these issues when we are needing to talk to UPD and Chief Shults.

VP Avent: Executive Cabinet has been discussing getting a rock to put near the pond to start new traditions. Thoughts?

Chairman Shaughnessy: What is the price and size of the rock?

Chairman Gonzales: Is one option to get concrete and make it around that?

Chairman Crowder: What is the purpose, and can we nickname it Dwayne?

VP Avent: I think Joe is planning on carrying it himself.

Dr. Conn: I think it is a school spirit thing. It gets painted and then other people paint it and it’s a whole thing and it’s fun.

Senator Allen: Out of interest in the societies and events, could you inform exec cab to ask the societies before putting Dwayne out, so he doesn’t block events?

Chairman Gonzales: There are rocks that could be picked from the pond.

Senator Bright: Any key points that y’all would like discussed with the TFO?

PPT Moyes: I know SI situation has been trying to be resolved. Just figuring out from their end what the process is for knowing if a class needs additional instruction and how we can help with that.

Chairman Gonzales: Also, if you could look into where more lab techs and assistants are needed.

Chairman Shaughnessy: Scheduling for the Fall.

Senator Bright: A question for those who have been here longer than me – I know that it was hard to plan when my summer internship would end because the schedule for fall was not posted. Is that something that happens every year?

VP Avent: Usually it is out in advance.

Senator Berry: The summer course catalog isn’t released either.

VP Avent: You can see them on LUSA. But it is probably unofficial.

Senator Allen: I can also ask if IT knows about schedules not being up.

Chairman Gonzales: I motion to recess.

Meeting Recessed 11:49