S.G.A. SENATE MEETING
October 21, 2013
NOTE: THE MEETING AGENDA ITEMS TOOK PLACE OUT OF THE TRADITIONAL ORDER BUT THE MINUTES WILL APPEAR IN TRADITIONAL ORDER FOR THE RECORD.
The meeting was called to order in the Carnival Room of the Donald G. Bollinger Memorial Student Union at 4:00 p.m. Presiding officer was Vice President Adam Lefort. The Recording Secretary was Dolly McGeever.
The pledge was led by Senator Sarah Zeringue and the prayer was given by Senator Sarabeth Theriot.
The Nicholls Student Government Association Mission Statement was read by Senator Adam Doucet and Senator Kellen Hart read the first value of the Nicholls Creed.
The following Executive Board members were present: President Melissa Cloutet, Vice President Adam Lefort, Treasurer Lohan Kotzé, Director of Student Rights and Grievances Brittany Chiasson, Director of Public Relations Mary Sauce and Secretary Dolly McGeever.
The following Senators were present: Sarabeth Theriot, Lawrence Arceneaux, III, Nicholas Martin, Kellen Hart, Lillie Bourgeois, Fallon Authement, Brandon Polkey, Carolanne Moore, Richard Grabert, Lindsey McGinity, Yaye Ba, Adam Doucet, Taylor Boudreaux, Chadlyn Gibson, Josie St. Pierre, Philip Roth, Meghan Hanley, Meah Johnson, Dane Vizier, Jr., Kristine Normand, Les Theriot, Sarah Zeringue, Catherine Broussard, Brendon Gros and Markos Picou.
The following Senators were absent: Cody Hood, Gabby Marcello, Evan Villemez, Jordan Galjour and Gus Lujano.
Web Tech was represented by Senator Sarabeth Theriot.
Student Supreme Court was represented by Justice Tamara Lafont.
Election Commission was represented by Commissioner Cera Boatwright and Commission Member Anthony Naquin.
The following guests were present: Dr. Eugene A. Dial, Jr., Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Services and SGA Advisor, Michael Matherne, Director of Campus Recreation, Dr. Denis Soignier, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Jennifer Bach.
No minutes were presented.
GUEST SPEAKER:
None.
OFFICER REPORTS
PRESIDENT’S REPORT – MELISSA CLOUTET
I went to a COSBP meeting at the LSU Law Office in Baton Rouge. The meeting took place in the LSU Student Union. A lot of the Universities weren’t there because it was their Homecoming so in our System it was only Nicholls, UL Monroe and UL Lafayette. We talked about the things we’re doing for the Get Fit Movement which is the program implemented for the semester. I am the Chair of that project so I had to brief everyone about the details. The next COSBP meeting is November 8th and 9th, Friday and Saturday, at Northwestern University in Natchitoches. If any of you would like to come, I can fit several in the vehicle. Senator Dane V., Jr. volunteered.
I received five applications for Treasurer. This week, I’m conducting interviews with the five who have applied because Treasurer Lohan K. is leaving us in December.
We received our “Fight Song” t-shirts. We ordered 500 and will hand them out 50 at a time at games so we can save some for the Spring. In the Spring, we want to include these in our food drive. If you bring in 10 cans of food, you can get one of the shirts. If SGA officers work the Family Day tent and other events, they can get one. Students have to show their Colonel Card to get one.
OFFICER REPORTS CONTINUED
DIRECTOR OF STUDENT RIGHTS & GRIEVANCES’ REPORT – BRITTANY CHIASSON
I have samples of the emails I normally send out. There are three different ones. It’s information to give to students who have questions about certain things. There’s a letter about parking and one on Food Advisory. Read over them so you have an idea of what to say if someone comes to you complaining about parking. It should level out some of the complaints we’re getting.
TREASURER’S REPORT – LOHAN KOTZE
I distributed an updated Financial Statement. For the Senator Projects, we have more than $13,000 in there so next month you can subtract items from that amount. The money in the Professional Services line item is for public speakers or tax workshop for students on campus.
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS’ REPORT – MARY SAUCE
Family Day set up will start around 11:00. We need another judge for the booths on Family Day. Senator Adam D. volunteered. We’re having a mummy wrap where kids wrap their moms in toilet paper and we’re having a pumpkin roll. Winners will be given raffle tickets and winners will be pulled around 2:00 p.m. You should wear your Nicholls colors.
We have Colonel Day coming up and will need volunteers for that. It’s similar to orientation.
VICE PRESIDENT'S REPORT – ADAM LEFORT
· The “What you’ve Done/Heard” forms are due this Friday. Remember that we want the name and email of the person you speak to so Director Brittany C. can contact them. Most of you have good detailed ones.
· Good job on motions today. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me.
· Go to the game this weekend for Family Day and support our team.
ACTIONS TAKEN ON OLD BILLS
Six motions were tabled and three motions were passed and sign by President Melissa C. at the meeting of October 14.
STUDENT SUPREME COURT REPORT – Tamara Lafont
No Report.
ELECTION COMMISSION REPORT – Cera Boatwright
No report.
WEB TECH REPORT – Sarabeth Theriot
No report.
SGA SENATE COMMITTEE REPORTS
Finance Committee – Gabby Marcello, Chair
Present: Senators Lillie Bourgeois, Lawrence Arceneaux, III, Fallon Authement, Yaye Ba, Adam Doucet, Brendon Gros, Meghan Hanley, Lindsey McGinity, Carolanne Moore, Kristine Normand and Philip Roth.
Absent: Senators Gabby Marcello, Jordan Galjour, Cody Hood, Gus Lujano and Sarabeth Theriot.
We discussed a motion concerning SGA funding for the Nicholls International Community Banquet. The motion was written to support the program for $500.
SGA SENATE COMMITTEE REPORTS CONTINUED
Judiciary Committee – Senator Lawrence Arceneaux, III, Chair; Nicholas Martin, Co-Chair
Present: Senators Lawrence Arceneaux, III, Nicholas Martin, Fallon Authement, Yaye Ba, Lillie Bourgeois, Adam Doucet, Richard Grabert, Brendon Gros, Meghan Hanley, Lindsey McGinity, Carolanne Moore, Kristine Normand, Brandon Polkey, Philip Roth, Josie St. Pierre and Les Theriot.
Absent: Senators Jordan Galjour, Cody Hood, Gustavo Lujano, Gabby Marcello, Sarah Zeringue and Sarabeth Theriot.
We discussed the following:
· Went over three absentee forms that were all excused.
· Discussed one Senator who has missed numerous SGA committee meetings and decided to give him a warning/reminder about this.
Meet the SGA/Social Events: Homecoming/Christmas (Mr/Ms Nicholls/Banquet) – Lillie Bourgeois, Chair
Present: Senators Lillie Bourgeois, Taylor Boudreaux, Catherine Broussard, Chadlyn Gibson, Richard Grabert, Kellen Hart, Meah Johnson, Brandon Polkey, Les Theriot and Dane Vizier, Jr.
Absent: Senator Sarah Zeringue.
Guest: Vice President Adam Lefort.
We discussed the following:
· Family Day this coming Saturday.
· The Get Fit Movement coming up.
· We will have the United Way parking spot raffle all month.
· We want to have a small Scantron Giveaway soon.
· We discussed the football game to honor our Veterans and will get a sign printed to put in the Union for students to sign.
Campus Improvements Committee – Senator Carolanne Moore, Chair
Present: Senators Carolanne Moore, Taylor Boudreaux, Lillie Bourgeois, Catherine Broussard, Chadlyn Gibson, Kellen Hart, Meah Johnson, Nicholas Martin, Josie St. Pierre, Dane Vizier, Jr. and Markos Picou.
Absent: Senator Sarah Zeringue.
We discussed the following:
· Complaints that Ellender Lab closes 30 minutes before it’s supposed to.
· Get dry erase boards in Peltier instead of chalkboards.
· Many food advisor complaints that will be given to Senator Lindsey M.
· Senator Nicholas M. is taking care of housing complaints, including toilet troubles, in Scholars Hall.
· New sides to the volleyball net in Brady Complex.
· Senator Lillie B. will look into prices and write a motion for new basketball nets by Gouaux Hall.
· Senator Josie S. will send a schedule of athletic events to Debbie Kliebert to put up on the Marquee.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
F1314-027a
I move to take the motion on the CPR class from the table.
1. Nicholas Martin
2. Lawrence Arceneaux, III
Move into vote:
Passed For-26 Against-0 Abstained-0
UNFINISHED BUSINESS CONTINUED
F1314-027
I move that the Senate allocate up to $540.00 to sponsor a CPR class for students. This will pay for up to 30 students at $18 each to take the class on November 9th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. This is to be taken from the Senator Project line of the budget.
1. Richard Grabert
2. Meghan Hanley
Discussion: Senator Richard G. said the classes are free for up to 30 students. To sign up for the class, we’re going to advertise in The Nicholls Worth. The students can sign up with Continuing Education Department.
COMMENT: Commission Member Anthony N. asked if the participants would be issued a card certifying they’ve been trained. Senator Richard G. said yes.
COMMENT: Senator Kristine N. asked if additional classes would be held. Senator Richard G. said if the class fills, yes.
COMMENT: Commissioner Cera B. asked if the class was issued through the American Heart Association. Justice Tamara L. said yes, it’s the same one the nursing students need. Vice President Adam L. said it’s the one normally issued for summer camps. Justice Tamara L. said we need to make sure we advertise it.
Question: Move into vote:
Passed For-26 Against-0 Abstained-0
F1314-031a
I move to take the motion for the water bottles off the table.
1. Dane Vizier, Jr.
2. Lawrence Arceneaux, III
Move into vote:
Passed For-26 Against-0 Abstained-0
F1314-031
I move that the Senate allocate $217.50 plus shipping to purchase clear water bottles for the Harold J. Callais Memorial Recreation Center. A total of 150 water bottles will be purchased for $1.45 each and a $55 set-up charge. The bottles will be given to students who bring illegal bottles to the Recreational Center. SGA logo will be on the bottles and the money would come from the Senator Projects Line Item of the budget.
1. Dane Vizier, Jr.
2. Fallon Authement
Discussion: Senator Dane V., Jr. said we met with Mike Matherne, Director of Campus Recreation, last week and defers discussion to him. Mr. Matherne said we met about three weeks ago when he approached me about improvements to the Recreation Center. We’re always open to that. One of the things that came up were towels and bottles. Those of you may not know this, but when the building first opened we distributed clear water bottles to people with bottles that weren’t clear. I believe the Recreation Center is just as clean today as it was the day we opened. One of the reasons is that we only allow water past the front desk. We don’t allow Gatorade spills, stains or sticky goop anywhere. That’s because we’re really strict about our bottle policy. We purchased the bottles through a tobacco grant about a year ago. That grant is now gone. The bottles Senator Dane V., Jr. is suggesting, we would gladly distribute those on your behalf. As we did before, if someone comes in with an opaque bottle, we would swap it out with the clear one. It would be a bottle giveaway for the first 150 people. We’d be happy to do that if you want to go that way because I think it’s a great service to the students.
COMMENT: Senator Nicholas M. asked if there would be any record of those who have received a bottle. Mr. Matherne said we haven’t in the past but if you’d like a list of one bottle per person, we could keep a list to make sure they don’t get a bottle every time they come in. That’s a great suggestion.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS CONTINUED
COMMENT: Senator Kristine N. asked how often do they come in with their own bottles. Mr. Matherne said at the very beginning of the semester, they come in not knowing what the policy was, especially the first-time Freshmen. I can’t tell you how many we gave out in the week but we gave out several hundred when the building first opened until people got into the habit.
Question: Move into vote:
Passed For-24 Against-0 Abstained-2
F1314-032a
I move to remove the Psychology Department items from the table.
1. Lawrence Arceneaux, III
2. Catherine Broussard
Move into vote:
Passed For-26 Against-0 Abstained-0
F1314-032
I move that the SGA purchase 1 Respiration Monitor Sensor, I EKG Logger Sensor, 1 Pulse Logger Sensor, 1 Galvanic Skin Response (GSR), 1 USB Module, 1 Neulog Sensor Cable (1 meter) and 1 Rechargeable Battery Module set at the price of $585.15 and not to exceed $650 for the Psychology & Counselor Education Department. The money would be taken from the Senator Projects Line Item of the Fall budget.
1. Lawrence Arceneaux, III
2. Lillie Bourgeois
Discussion: Senator Lawrence A. said he would like to defer discussion to Dr. Soignier of the Psychology Department. Dr. Soignier said in the Psychology Department everyone conducts an experiment as part of their career plan. So because Psychology is a Science, it gives them a chance to experience the science part of Psychology. I’ve worked at several schools and in some cases they grow radishes and look at the effect of water and such things. We like our studies to be specific to people and can actually look at questions that are important about human behavior. One of the topics that comes up every semester is the effect of stress, anxiety or perhaps some other physiology measure of trust that indicates lying or intentions. What we have in the laboratory now is a 45 year old Grass Polygraph. It stands taller than me on a rack. The leads are all broken. The GSR requires a special adaptor which is broken. When I priced the repairs so we can have a Polygraph operating for the student research, the price was over $2,000. I started looking at other options. This is a brand new thing. This company has only been in existence for six months and they make a device the size of a pocket calculator. It’s an amazing thing. It has a Respiration Sensor, a Heart Sensor, a Skin Sensor and an EMG Sensor for muscle tension. That’s a complete Polygraph package for under $600. We’re looking at about 90 students per year that will put this to use. There’s also a chance that the research the students do will get published and help them get into Graduate School. A device like this collects pretty high quality data. It will teach our undergraduate students to present data they collect scientifically. It has a pretty big impact on the type of science we are completing in the laboratory and what the opportunities are for undergraduates.
COMMENT: Senator Richard G. asked how reliable is the new company. Dr. Soignier said this Grass device is a large device so I looked into it. It turns out that a good friend of mine, Jeff Tasker at Tulane University who studies stress and collective Physiology has purchased one of these set ups to see what it’s like. He’s just ordered twelve more. There’s a lot more resources at Tulane but he says the data is incredible. It comes with a software package that enters the data right into every cell file. It’s nice and cool. He was really impressed with it and he’s been doing this for a long time. I could produce a letter from Jeff Tasker but for now I have one testimonial from a personal friend who is pleased with this.