MEETING START TIME: 5:07

ATTENDANCE:

Solomon, Zawatsky, Kempler, Kilduff, Cicero, Weinreich, Sim, Rode, Patterson, Lanoie, Sit

GENERAL DISCUSSION:

Kilduff: We need off campus seats, so talk to your friends who live off campus.

Bruce: I have a copy of the university manual and the general council approached us about a student group that drove an issue for him. He doesn’t care how we do it, but there is a liability issue because there are groups that exist that aren’t recognized. The vice president says we need to solve this. Recognition of student organizations and graduate student organizations should be a part of student senate. Naomi is the associate vice president, Annie—GLBTQ, and many other members of my staff, the chair of the 20,000 voices: I have spoken to all of them; honor societies aside (we don’t have to worry about them). I got in touch with your SOARC chair. You have an affiliate process. SOLC takes us up to this point. We can bring back into senate some organizations that have not been able to be recognized in order to get rid of the liability issue. The catch on the whole thing is that under the affiliate status, it references the bylaws for obvious reasons—no discrimination (which we support). You can’t be an affiliate unless you go through the normal process and you have been excluded. We are going to try to meet with Sam Flycek before this gets voted on. Kyle might have more to add, seeing as this is his bill. This came out because we have been challenged by (in a nice way) general council. This is an attempt to solve the long term problem

Weinreich: Hopefully everyone has had the chance to read the bill. This is an attempt to solve many other issues. This way we can bring more groups and more of the campus to work with us. Any questions?

Rode: What benefits would affiliates have?

Weinreich: They would be eligible to contact finance.

Bruce: They get rid of the liability problem by just being recognized alone. People have been looking the other way but we can’t do that. The last thing we want to talk about is going through the university faculty senate.

Kilduff: It’s important to remember that this bill isn’t recognizing any groups at all. Its just laying groundwork to giving us the power to do what we have to do. It’ll lead up to questions for other days. But this is just giving us more power.

Weinreich: We are requiring them to follow the process that any other group would follow. That’ll all be in here.

Zawatsky: can you describe the liability issue

Bruce: If BOND, or other groups, had an event off campus (for example) and something happens, the first thing lawyers will do is say the group isn’t recognized. The university is at fault. In the manual it says only the student senate can recognize it. The other thing it says is that no student organization can use the university name in outside activities unless it is approved by me.

Zawatsky: So it’s not the liability of the club?

Bruce: the club membership would be liable. Let’s say someone is hurt, it’s a combination of the group: the group would be sued, I’d probably be sued, senate would be sued, and the university could be sued.

Kilduff: If they did have that event under us, they’d have to follow our rules.

Bruce: Another possibility is when a non-recognized group does something with a recognized group.

Rode: I’m just curious about the “creates, recognizes, and funds” the group

Weinreich: Anything to do with contingencies and budgeting goes to Chairman Sit.

Bruce: You’re taking the SOLC model, and saying it will fit for these things.

Weinreich: There are organizations that I can think of that can brought in with this, but that is long term and a bigger issue. This will quickly take care of the liability issue.

Bruce: everyone has to go through the RAM process first

Weinreich: These groups have been going through an offhanded kind of process, so this is also taking care of that.

Kilduff: Affiliates are NOT the same as our normal RAMS groups but this is just a way to get those groups going.

Bruce: If someone has an issue with funding, that’s fine but that’s not a part of this discussion. You might say I support this; I just don’t want to fund this.

Rode: So, it’s us accepting all student groups, but how do we separate who we can and can’t?

Bruce: they still have to go through your process

Weinreich: If we pass this, and affiliates come, I’ll have them apply and then figure it out. I won’t begin this until after the Re-rec bill. This is us extending our recognition. SOLC is the only affiliate we have right now, so think about things like Peer Advocates that are in the grey area with potential to bring a whole new side to what senate can offer to this community. As we move forward, we’ll have to be careful with this. I don’t think we’ll ever be at the point where we’re just passing everyone. It all still needs to be passed by senate.

Zawatsky: There’s a reason that this is a new thing, and we don’t want to start contradicting our own beliefs

Cicero: Everything still goes through SOARC, this is just saying that now we can say yes we can recognize you now. This is only expanding.

Bruce: The group still has to justify their mission and whatnot.

Weinreich: As distasteful as it is, if an Elitist group shows that they are following the bylaws, but they’re saying they want affiliate status, they are showing no greater purpose. This is just an expansion. We’re not saying we can recognize everyone, but it really is just an expansion.

Bruce: We haven’t talked to the groups yet. And we’re going to tell them they can’t have it both ways. I would urge you to try to talk in general terms when you have a debate about this. Talk about selective membership and stay away from examples in general discussion.

Weinreich: If we’re getting too many examples on the floor, it’ll be a problem because it’s not about anyone specific.

Rode: I just want to throw out there that we don’t have our old bylaws and we’re already making changes.

Zawatsky: Hypothetically, if we extend affiliation to a group and they refuse, are they officially dissolved?

Bruce: that becomes an issue for the institution to be sure that they follow up with what they’ve charged us to do. I’m hoping that this will make some of these problems go away

Kilduff: I’m going to call for a vote now. We’re going to vote on whether or not to bring this to the floor. The bill is SS-13/14-20—Bill Calling for the Revision of Article X of the Stuident Senate Bylaws

Vote: 11-0-0

 

MEETING ADJOURNMENT TIME: 5:52