STUDENT SENATE SESSION XXXVIII – MEETING 6

October23th, 2016 – 6pm– Paul College Room 165 MINUTES

1.CALL TO ORDER

2.ROLL CALL

3.COMMUNICATIONS

  1. Guest Speaker: Director Stacey Hall
  2. Stacey: It’s great to be here with you all! I serve as the Director of campus recreation. Katie asked me to come here tonight and share some updates, and I also want to get some feedback from you on a few things. For starters, I want you all to know what we offer in campus rec, because you are, after all the leaders of the student body. We offer several programs and have 11 facilities. One of those facilities that we don’t manage but are still involved in is college woods. We have a new marked trail in college woods. We worked with several different departments to get this done, and we have marked every 2.2 miles. Most of the trail is accessible. I would also like to take some time to explain why it is important to get as many students active here on this campus. Physical activity has proven to have positive effects on emotional health and retention. We conducted a study where we looked at the number of times that a student used the rec center and what their GPA was after four years. Our results show that GPAs were higher for those who went to the REC center more often. This is powerful information, and there is certainly a correlation here. Other schools have found this same information too. The goal of the Hamel Rec Center project is to create a space that everyone is comfortable to go to and where everyone can find something they like to do. We are doing okay fitness space wise, though the challenge we have right now is the fact that only two courts available at the moment.
  3. Brennan: How has the limited court space been effecting campus intermural , like indoor soccer?
  4. Stacey: Indoor soccer has probably been impacted the most. However, I can’t wait until the new floor goes in, because it will be much better than what indoor soccer was using before.
  5. Stacey: We opened Phase One, earlier this semester. We Tweeted it out, but did not have a big announcement because we are only just starting. Phase Two opens in January. We will be opening a demonstration kitchen, which health services had purchased and will be using for programing to teach about things ranging from nutrition to backpacking.
  6. Jon: Can you talk about how you went about choosing the new equipment?
  7. Stacey: There are a lot of new trendy things out there, so it was important that we had students give their opinion on what we should use. We had a public demonstration in February where students could try out pieces from eight different vendors and give their feedback. We have a decent variety, and will be including more (i.e. more heavy weights).
  8. Stacey: My question for all of you is how should we celebrate this grand opening when it is all done? UNH does not have any policies about openings, so the possibilities are wide open. There was a super formal ceremony when Paul College opened. We have been thinking about having an open house, which will give students a chance to get the layout of the building and find out what there is.
  9. Isiah: I agree that it is important to get students more active and involved, and that is why you should focus on brining in the people who have never perhaps worked out before, or those who may be too nervous to try out something. If you can encourage students to try out the equipment at the open house, they will be more comfortable using it when they come back.
  10. PJ: I don’t work out very much, so the demonstration kitchen really stood out to me, and I believe it is a great idea. Maybe you can even have free sample foods, a crash course on the camping, and maybe even expand on those ideas in the future.
  11. Jon: I like the idea of a 24-hour opening. I don’t know if people would show up at 3am, and it might be a lot for your staff, but it would be pretty cool.
  12. Alexander: I also really like these new ideas, and agree that there should be live demonstrations,
  13. Nick: I don’t work out a lot either, so maybe you could appeal to students who are not so active through yoga, napping class, or something.
  14. PJ: Going off 24-hour idea, maybe if we had something cooler during those late times that would bring people in, like glow in the dark rock climbing.
  15. Senator: People love free stuff, so that could attract people too.
  16. Ryan: it is pretty easy to bring people who already work out regularly, so your challenge is going to be advertising to the other people, and let them know that there is more than just work out events going on.
  17. Isiah: If you do consider having an open house, you may want to get RSVPs so as to get an understanding of the space and stations you will need.
  18. Stacey: One idea that we have been considering was having an hour designated for each hall.
  19. Danny: You should reach out to OGC, Slow Food, and NHOC to help run sessions.
  20. Katie: I don’t think one hour per dorm makes sense. It could be problematic for people who feel that that is the only time they can go. I do have a suggestion though, and I am being serious about this: puppies! I got to stand next to a table with puppies during fresh check day, and it was the highlight of my week!
  21. Senator: You could also talk with Resident Life to do socials that would bring people to the gym.
  22. Senator: the actual student athletes don’t use the Whittimore Center because they have stuff in the field house. Maybe you could use them to run demonstrations on sports, nutrition, etc.
  23. Stacey: When you think of the first week of classes of a new semester, would a Thursday afternoon to Friday afternoon work for an open house?
  24. Jon: It would be better to do Wednesday instead of a Thursday or Friday.
  25. Katie: Do you have enough employees to do a 24-hour opening?
  26. Stacey: I would have to think that through.
  27. Stacey: The outdoor pool will open back up in June depending on weather. We closed the old pool after the summer of 2013 and were trying to get a pool that meet the safety codes. There were some rioters known as FUNHOP, who were mostly were Durham residents that could not wrap their head around the idea of getting a new pool. There was a lot of negotiating involved, and it played a huge role in the politics around this new pool. This decision went up to the trustees, not to Senate of Campus Rec. However, Senate wrote a thorough resolution that was unanimously passed and had very clear expectations of the university. It was hard to justify a pool that students rarely used but still had to pay for. There is no student fee dedicated toward this new pool, nor did we charge. We had about 4,035 students attend, many of which went twice. This number blew me away, because only 400 students used the old pool. I know you are getting ready to set the student fee prices, so I need some advice. Should we ask for a couple dollars to go toward the fee, or should we charge a pass for the students who use the pool?
  28. Senator: If you include it in the student activity fee, they may feel more obligated to go.
  29. Carley: Most students were under the impression that the pool was already covered by the fee. For students who don’t understand that and are suddenly being charged a couple more dollars, I don’t think that would boost up attendance.
  30. Katie: I think that we have to look at whether 4,000 are worth charging the 9,000 who do not use the pool. It is great for the pool, but not so great for the students.
  31. Danny: If we do not go the fee route, you could consider charging the students who do not usually go, and give the others a pass.
  32. Isiah: Seeing as students only get access for three weeks in the Fall, it does not seem worth charging students. It is also hard to predict whether students will be too busy with their studies to go to the pool.
  33. Senator: if you are going to charge a fee, the pool should be open longer.
  34. Zach: At the present time, what are the community members be charged?
  35. Stacey: Depends on the plan they purchase. It can range from $4-$7 per use.
  36. Bryce: by having a small increase in the student activity fee may be setting a precedent for other similar projects, some of which students may not even want.
  37. Isiah: Longer hours would mean more life guards and higher pay.
  38. Senator: If you add pool events it may bring in more of a crowd.
  39. Stacey: As you can see, this is why we needed your advice. This is not a straightforward policy. When we see students getting excited about the pool like we have never seen before, it makes us see things differently.
  40. Bryce: Why were the rioters so beholden to what they wanted?
  41. Stacey: It has to do with the fact that there are certain things that the University is trying to get out of the town and vice versa.
  42. Aaron: I feel like it would be inappropriate to lob this into the student activity fee, considering that it is only available for a short time, and because there are plenty of alternatives.
  43. Jon: If we consider the route with including this in the student activity fee, students are going to be discouraged about not having full access to the pool. The pool would need to have full access.
  44. Carley: We also need to consider that if we have a washout, we just wasted $2 of a fee.
  45. Peter: Then TNH will write an article, and Union Leader will write an article because they hate the school. And it would all be a cluster.
  46. Stacey: I appreciate all the feedback! Lastly, I want to let you all know that we have several positions to fill, including group exercise instructors, and another personal trainer. Now that we will have the space, we want to build these services up.
  47. Isiah: would the services be free for students?
  48. Stacey: We are working on ways to cover costs to make it more affordable for students.
  49. PJ: I run PR, so I can advertise for you if you send me the slide show and information!
  50. Katie: Hey Jesse. Are you taking Minutes?
  51. Jesse: Yup. I’ll send them to PJ.
  52. Phillip: In order to apply, would you need a certification?
  53. Stacey: Yes, but we can help you get it.
  54. Jon: Thanks for coming in!
  55. Senator Communications:
  56. Isaiah: Williamson had a successful fall festival despite the weather, and I would recommend that your halls do similar events.
  57. Graduate Student Senate
  58. Not present.
  59. Liaison to Administration
  60. Not present.
  61. Senate Executive Board
  62. Parliamentarian Shannon: [filling in for Speaker]
  63. Executive Officer Alex: Orientation went well, and I appreciated the attendance and enthusiasm. General Elections are in 16 days! You live in a great state, so you should absolutely vote. You can register at HOCO and in town. Exercise your right to vote, because it is very important! I also want to remind you not to use electronics when we have guest presentations. It is important to give them our undivided attention, especially since we are representing the Senate and the student body.
  64. Business Manager Christian: As you may have noticed, the quarter-zip vest fee was due to today. However, I am extending the deadline to tomorrow, so please pay it!
  65. Public Relations Manager PJ:I will be conducting interviews for the Public Relations Committee positions this week, so please apply if interested or add yourself to the committee as a general member. PR is moving forward!
  66. Historian Jesse: I just want to reiterate what I said at orientation: if you happen to miss a meeting, please feel free to reach out to me as a resource to catch you up to speed. I do take the Minutes after all.
  67. SAFC Chairperson Aaron: Budgets and Concepts are still going strong, and I am optimistic that we will have a full slate of budgets to present to Senate next Sunday. Don’t forget that attending a budgets and concepts meeting counts toward your office hour requirements. Point of information: NH has a 3.4 voter impact, so your vote has a big impact here! Nate also wanted me to let you all know that a Senate Alumni is coming to campus this week to do a presentation. I encourage you all to go attend the event.
  68. CFO 1 Danny: No new communications.
  69. CFO 2 Jake: No new communications.
  70. Academic Affairs Chair Bryce: My council will be working on resolutions regarding the effectiveness of Teach assistants and issues regarding textbooks. You are all welcomed to attend and join in the discussion.
  71. Campus Structure Chair Zach: I will be putting up a resolution soon concerning bathroom cleanliness. Come visit me at my office hours if you want to learn more.
  72. Community Development Chair Sarai: no new communications.
  73. Health and Wellness Chair Katie:My council will be going on a tour of health services, and if you are interested in coming this us please see me at the end of the meeting. There will be three resolutions coming up from my council, one is on mental health awareness/issues and talking about “take five to save lives” campaign. There is also a Health Service event “Fierce and Fabulous Expo”, and a discussion with UNH Dining about J-Term dining, serving sizes, and food allergies. For those who saw the recent SHARP movie, please let me know what you thought about it. Unfortunately I was not able to attend. If you are interested in joining my council, please talk to me so that I can set up a meeting that works for everyone.
  74. External Affairs Chair Sadie:Sorry I could not be at orientation! I was at Mock Trial. We are reviewing SAARC projects that involve overseeing the development of town infrastructure, and have narrowed it down to the projects we think students would be the most interested in seeing happen. We sent them to Jon and Carley.
  75. Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Chair Alicia: Not present, but communicated her meeting times via e-mail.
  76. Financial Affairs Chair Ian: We has a good orientation yesterday. The fee process is coming up, and I will be having a meeting this week, so please add yourself to add bill or talk to me if you are interested.
  77. Judicial Affairs Chair Brennan: Working on the resolution on therestructuring of student legal services. I am more than happy to answer questions this week.
  78. Student Trustee Lincoln
  79. Not present.
  80. Student Body Vice President Carley
  81. I was at and ROTC training exercise so I was unable to be at orientation.Jon and I are working on the Master Plan which we have based off the student survey results.
  82. Student Body President Jon
  83. I have been speaking all weekend, so I want to keep this communication brief. The Legal Service Resolution will be coming up next week, so there is probably going to be a very long discussion about that next week. Tonight there is going to be a resolution coming up that Carley and I worked out with Housing over the summer. I encourage you to ask questions and pass it. There is also a fair amount of important stuff coming up soon, so I will be glad to talk to you about it this week.
  84. Acting Student Senate Speaker Shannon
  85. Alex could not be here for personal reasons, so please work with me.[Explained voting procedure]. There are rumors about tons of resolutions, coming up for next week, so this would be a great time to joinjudiciary!Judiciary is Monday’s at 7 PM
  1. NEW BUSINESS
  2. XXXVIII - 2.01 - Removal of Senators
  3. Alex Work added Jacob Remick, Hunter Lambroff, Drew Sunderlin, and Joey Ramirez to the bill.
  4. Alex: I talked to all of them and all were fine with this, just so you know.
  5. Passed Unanimously.
  6. XXXVIII - 3.01 - Approval of Senators
  7. Sarai Bardales (Stoke) added herself to the bill.
  8. Approved Unanimously.
  9. XXXVIII - 4 – Nominations for SAFC Senators
  10. No action.
  11. XXXVIII –5–Approval of Financial Affairs Committee Members
  12. Ian: Please add yourself if interested, because this is the best time to join, now that we are dealing with the student activity fee.
  13. Parker Armstrong added himself to the bill.
  14. Jon: This will be the last time to add yourself to this committee. If you do not sign up now you will miss important training.
  15. Passed with one abstention.
  16. XXXVIII – R5– Housing and Residential Resolution
  17. Jon: I heard a lot about students being put into built up lounges, and although the reasoning was a good, I did not want to exclude students from being somewhere closer to their classes. Students have also expressed that they did not like their lounges being taken up. I met with the head of the Department of Housing, who has been working to get students out of lounges. This resolution is meant to recognize their hard work.
  18. Ryan: How much of this issue would say was the consequence of fewer students and Housing making a conscious effort?
  19. Jon: I would say fifty-fifty, but Housing did make a conscious decision that they did not want to put students into lounges.
  20. Jon: When you hear about space issues, keep in mind that it is largely a first semester problem. Second semester is a bit easier because more spaces tend to open up. This will be important to mention to your constituents id they bring up issues related to space.
  21. Nick: friendly amendment: “increasing student body” to “increasing number of resident students”
  22. Doug: friendly amendment: “less” to “fewer.”
  23. Passed Unanimously.
  24. XXXVIII -6– First Year Election SOP Amendments
  25. Shannon: The purpose of this amendment is to change the dates to “October 26th to October 27th”. A few weeks ago we were supposed to have elections, but we could not approve signatures and get word out in time. Putting this off would not be appropriate for the candidates that got their forms in on time and have been patiently waiting. It is also important to we get an first year senator so that first year students can be represented.
  26. PJ: Are non-traditional first year students and first year transfer students not considered first year students under the current wording?
  27. Doug: based on my interpretation, I would say it includes both as first year students.
  28. Shannon: I will be sure to clarify that with Julie.
  29. Nick: Were the ballots sent to non-traditional students?
  30. Doug: Last year the election was on Wildcat link, so we did not actually send out ballots.
  31. Christian: Was anyone around when we went from “freshman” to “first year student”.
  32. PJ: The change happened in 2004-2005. I did some digging around, and discovered that non-traditional first year students, and first year transfer students were being represented in 2007. If we do not allow non-traditional first year students and first year transfer students to vote than we are having just another freshman election, which is not what we want.
  33. Jake: I motion to amend the wording to reflect non-traditional first year students and first year transfer students.
  34. Shannon: That motion does not pertain to the current discussion on the amendments. Those can be addressed at a different time.
  35. PJ: I am hesitant to pass this. We are not giving enough time to confirm that non-traditional first year students and first year transfer students are actually be represented.
  36. Ryan: We have less than two months left of the semester and we still do not have a First-Year Senator. I urge everyone to consider the consequences of delaying this anymore.
  37. Doug: In my experience I would say that the current wording of the SOPs reflects all students first year students, including non-traditional first year students and first year transfer students.
  38. Parker: How important is the timing of getting the first-year senator elected?
  39. Jon: It would be nice to finally get a full team. I have faith that Alex Frieswill do what is right and make sure that all first-year students are being represented.
  40. Christian: I like the discussion thus far, and I also believe it is important to includenon-traditional first year students and first year transfer students. However, it is taking way too long to elect a first-year senator and we need to move forward on this.
  41. Tyler: I used to be the Babcock senator, which is a hall full of non-traditional first year students and first year transfer students who were not represented during the first-year senator election. We do need to get the first-year senator elected as soon as possible, but I also want to say that if we find out that non-traditional first year students and first year transfer students, that would be the time to raise the questions.
  42. Katie: As I interpretthem, it includes all first-year students, not just freshman. I don’t think there is any hint in the wording that it is just referring to freshmen.
  43. Jon: Point of information, Katie used the word “freshman” twice.
  44. Shannon: If this amendment pass right now, I will be sure to send Julie an e-mail clarifying this. Non-traditional first year students and first year transfer students are included, and I will make sure that they continue to be.
  45. Jake: I am worried that future student senates may misinterpret what the term “first year student” means.
  46. Emily: This is important to me, because I fall into this situation. I believe that Shannon will work this out. We can bring this up at a later time, so please just pass this.
  47. Passed unanimously.