ASNAU SENATE MEETING #19
TWENTY-EIGTH SESSION
OFFICIAL MINUTES
Date: March 29, 2016 Number on council: 13
Date of Senate Meeting: March 24, 2016 Number present: 13
Prepared by Kyra Johnson
Amanda Dietlin, Vice President of Academic Affairs, called the Senate meeting of the 2015-2016 Associated Students of Northern Arizona University Senate to order at 4:02pm in the Havasupai Room A & B of the University Union.
Roll Call
All present.
Approval of Minutes
Motion: Senator Moore-Sharp moves to approve last weeks’ minutes.
Second: Senator Sowerwine
Vote: Unanimous, last weeks’ minutes have been approved.
Call to the Audience:
Unfinished Business
Chair Dietlin: Good evening everyone, so first we will go through all the agenda items and let everyone speak. If you are here asking for club recognition just tell us a bit about the group, how many people are interested and what you plan to give back to the NAU community. If you are here for funding, tell us what the money will be going to, what you will gain from it, and how it will benefit the student body.
Item A- SB 28-96: Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)- Phi Beta Lambda
Discussion: Presenter not present
Item B- Club Recognition: Heshima Bioethics Society of Northern Arizona University
Motion: Senator Mathew moves to untable Item B- Club Recognition: Heshima Bioethics Society of Northern Arizona University
Second: Senator Sowerwine
Vote: Unanimous, Item B- Club Recognition: Heshima Bioethics Society of Northern Arizona University has been untabled
Discussion: I am trying to start a club, The Heshima Bioethics Society. We would be the first university to have this club. We focus on undergraduate debates and having keynote speakers come to present to us.
Motion: Senator Graham moves to vote on Item B- Club Recognition: Heshima Bioethics Society of Northern Arizona University
Second: Senator Beghtol
Vote: Unanimous, Item B- Club Recognition: Heshima Bioethics Society of Northern Arizona University has been approved
New Action Business
Item A- Club Recognition: Campus Cursive
Motion: Senator Sowerwine moves to vote on Item A- Club Recognition: Campus Cursive
Second: Senator Moore-Sharp
Discussion: The goals of Campus Cursive is to uplift campus individuals. It its part of an organization, the world needs more love letters. We would have two campuses wide events per semester also we would have 1 club meeting a month. On those events we would be writing letters and we would be setting them up around campus for everyone to find.
Vote: Unanimous, Item A- Club Recognition: Campus Cursive has been approved
Item B- Club Recognition: Club Water Polo (Men’s)
Motion: Senator Roos moves to vote Item B- Club Recognition: Club Water Polo (Men’s)
Second: Senator Graham
Discussion: Since we got our new aquatics center we thought it would be a good time to add a new club. We are recognized by club sports, but now are trying to get approved through student life. We have a decent amount of guys interested, so far.
Vote: Unanimous, Item B- Club Recognition: Club Water Polo (Men’s) has been approved
Item C- Club Recognition: Sigma Pi Fraternity
Motion: Senator Mathew moves to vote on Item C- Club Recognition: Sigma Pi Fraternity
Second: Senator Graham
Discussion: Thank you for having us and we are looking to be the newest Fraternity here on campus. We have a quest for excellence and we want to make the students on campus better. We currently have 37 members and we have any others still interested in joining. We were the first fraternity on campus and you can see our founder father’s names and faces all across campus. As important we were in the past, we are trying to bring that back. We are having meetings every Monday for members. We are currently on week 4 of our 6-week recruitment and after that we will be recognized nationally.
Senator Moore-Sharp: Will you be seeking housing on campus?
Presenter: We are undecided for now due to the open housing problems on campus. Our nationals though have a goal to have every fraternity to have a house near or on campus.
Senator Carr: Why was the chapter dissolved? If you can tell me.
Presenter: Due to an issue in 1999 during homecoming, the man driving the float was having too many drinks during that day.
Vote: Unanimous, Item C- Club Recognition: Sigma Pi Fraternity has been approved
Item D- Bylaw Changes
Motion: Senator Graham moves to vote on Item D- Bylaw Changes
Second: Senator Sowerwine
Discussion: So in legislative we talked about what should be considered a group and individual. So article 10 and 11 is guideline for that. Three or more individuals will be considered a group and receive the same funding as a club unless the budget and senate allows it they can be treated as individuals. We think that if it is great for our school and it should be allowed, it gives us the ability to do so.
Kristine: The one suggestion I have is you mean group members not clubs and this should go under individual funding, not club funding.
Senator Moore-Sharp: Are we changing it, because a group is not exactly a club?
Chair Dietlin: It makes more sense to put it under individual.
Motion: Senator Moore-Sharp moves to amend the 1st line and move to article 11, also to strike the word club and replace with group in section A.
Second: Senator Sowerwine
Discussion:
Senator Mathew: Are we amending it for just A or all of it?
Chair Dietlin: We are moving the chunk under individual funding.
Vote: Unanimous, Item D- Bylaw Changes has been amended
Vote: Unanimous, Item D- Bylaw Changes has been approved
Item E- Administrative Assistant
Motion: Senator Roos moves to vote on Item E- Administrative Assistant
Second: Senator Sivage
Discussion: So this is the 4th draft of this document, but it is creating a full time paid position. We looked at four types of assistants and went through them to see what we needed and Cindy drafted these. There were some minor changes between the two. I know we had question on who was the supervisor, but making sure she or he is accountable for the students, but also is advised by Cindy’s position. We changed a few key changes. For the job description it was a may for the 1st but also for the 2nd so we don’t have to include them in some stuff if we don’t want to. We changed to make sure that the assistant would be the first step before executive team for approval of hours.
Cindy: I don’t really remember, but the job is re-align the position with the changes within ASNAU to recognize it. The bigger stuff is that a lot of processes on campus have changed so we needed for this to reflect that. We did a competitive review over different categories so we met with HR to make sure the position had all the necessary things. So I think the level of authority is what you are going to want so it will be a repeat of the position. So we are going to have to figure out all that.
Vanessa: We worded the position to be held responsible by the students of ASNAU, but would report to the dean of students. So for policy implantation that the assistant couldn’t implement their own rules in the office.
Senator Carr: is there a way this could be a GA position?
Kristine: That’s 20 hours a week that they work and even Paula doesn’t have enough time for you right now.
Cindy: Prior to Mary, she had a second career and loved students that the students here enough to do this job. So you might find someone like that, but looking at your local budget you would bear full cost for the GA which is the same amount as the full time person.
Senator Moore-Sharp: Do we foresee enough money for it?
President Buchta: This executive and new executive team will look at the budget and come bring it to you. So unless we saw a great difference for the amount of enrollment we could, but we need to plan a year in advanced.
Senator Moore-Sharp: Your saying yes, unless there is a problem?
Cindy: If you remember when you got the budget you didn’t account for the rollover, which went to the senate line. Paula helped you do two transfers, because it looked like you had too many rollovers so we moved that money. I think we have a responsible to get back to you with that information if that happened what would we do.
Kristine: Given the budget, you are committing it for the next year.
Senator Carr: Would they be there till they chose to quit or are let go?
Cindy: They would have the same opportunities as other employees at NAU.
Senator Carr: Is it allowed in bylaws to pay someone who is not a student?
Chair Dietlin: We pay Paula and Matt right now so yeah it would be okay. It’s not in the bylaws, but used to be so we are working that back into it.
Vanessa: The past few years that we haven’t had a full position is unique. To fill that place that Mary left we got Paula, but she isn’t able to fulfill all the work we need since we share her with student life.
President Buchta: Over the past few years of Mary not being here, there have been a lot of problems of people not coming to office hours or acting professional. This is a mini corporation and have someone to keep us accountable.
Senator Moore-Sharp: I understand this is very needed.
Chair Dietlin: Right now we have lapses when the front desk girls aren’t there so this would solve that. There would be someone to see if you were there for works since we are all taking your word for it and it would eliminate the questioning. Also the person would make sure things are running smoothly.
Senator Carr: Will this change the duties of front desk or chief of staff?
Chair Dietlin: Not really, it might a little bit, but there will be an assistant to that person.
Vanessa: I want to point out to you what one of my concerns was how the office dynamic could change, but we would have staff sit in on the interview for their input so we would know how the person’s personality would work with everyone’s. We would do our very best to find a person with an upbeat attitude. They would also follow the guidelines, but wouldn’t discipline anyone, but instead report to executive member if there is a problem.
Senator L’Ecuyer: Can we move to vote?
Chair Dietlin: We don’t have to vote on it since it is a discussion.
Cindy: I think you do for the funding portion, right?
Chair Dietlin: I don’t think so, because it is just like the rest of our positions and they can deal with that next year.
Vote: Unanimous, Item E- Administrative Assistant has been approved
Executive Reports
a. President- Alexandria Buchta
- Monday we are setting up senate interviews and we have two people the eligible. I hope you have a good spring break. Next week Cindy and I will be at Allen hall for a residence meeting. April 18th to the 22nd for parking, so would you both send me your availability (Senator Carr and Davis)? There is the Tri-university poll next week. Also Next week on the 29th 5-7pm there are tuition hearings it looks good for us to go and to know what is happening at other schools. Can Abby, John, Jo, and Marc see me after meeting?
Senator Sivage: Where is it?
President Buchta: True Blue room in extended campuses building.
b. Vice President of Student Affairs- Allison Kelley
- The sustainability girls want me to remind you to donate clothes and what ever goes through that no one takes will go to Dallas’s event. Every year we do the undie run and the sustainability said it would be a good idea to do it before earth week wash them and separate them to add to the clothing swap. So its not official but we are shooting for April 8th and if not we will do it later in the semester.
C. Vice President of Academic Affairs- Amanda Dietlin
- I had a meeting with Rebecca Campbell who is chair for academic standards committee she was asking about how you all felt about the school having the possibility of changing to +- grading system. Don’t panic it doesn’t have much support besides the person who brought it up. It would change the grading to be that a 4.0 would be a + and a 3.7 would be a –.
Kristine: An A wouldn’t be a 4.3?
Chair Dietlin: No, an A is an A, but they shot down the 4.3. I don’t know why, but I just think it could be bad for the students who are working full time and going to school.
Senator Moore-Sharp: They were proposing a 3 point drop between + and -?
Chair Dietlin: Yes, there are many school that do this, but it was just a proposal, but it will be shot down.
Senator Mathew: On the chance it passes will it go for this semester?
Chair Dietlin: No, next year
D. Vice President of Government Affairs – Vanessa Pomeroy
- We have a whole bunch of events coming up. On April 18th we have club. It is Jake’s event and we wanted to put together something to interact with clubs more each semester. He felt like he didn’t know much about us before he started and wants to change that. It will be from 6-8pm. We are going to event 1-2 people from all the show up and introduce ourselves and we will get to know more about the clubs we are serving. April 19th is our next voter registration and we will have the voting is sexy shirts for that too. Secretary of state will be able to come and we are trying to get the Phoenix Suns to come as well. Also on April 4th we are hosting another showing of the Hunting Ground with Health Promotions.
Senator Sivage: What time is that?
Vanessa: I will send out an email with all the information. I am doing chief of staff interviews this week and staff next week.