Coates, Roy, Cologna, Rossi, MacKinnon, Segal, Prata, Holzman, Boiteau, Jones
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Cologna– provost student advisory council mtg on Thursday. Going to send an email about possible meeting time change. Memorandum- faculty senate committee is trying to address advising, trying to come up with better drop period proposal. Take a look at the memo, on advising, and basically basing opinions on advising report that is 2 years old. This is an update on that report and how students feel, let me know of anything that you don’t think doesn’t belong in the memo. Pilkington researching second grade options procedures at our sister schools.
SOARC
Rossi- President’s meeting went well. Xposure wants co-sponsorship. Wants 1 or 2 reps to attend their March meeting.
Roy- When is the meeting?
Rossi- March 10th, Thursday
Coates- What time is meeting?
Boiteau- Go down to info desk to find out meeting time.
Rossi– Working on Senate Conduct. Still haven’t heard from Surf Club, put something in their mailbox
Prata- do they know they are ignoring SOARC?
Rossi- Sent a request to meet on Friday and haven’t heard anything since
Coates- Give them until next Monday and put a memo in their box. If they don’t respond by next Wednesday, freeze budget.
Boiteau- Froze the budget of EMA because the president is a graduate student.
Coates- Questions for SOARC?
VICE PRESIDENT
Prata- First, Ski trip is cancelled. Sent out an email a while ago. Don’t have enough people to get a bus or not enough people to get discount. Frank said to cancel. Senior speaker committee meeting Friday at 2 to read over speeches, got about 5 people that are interested. Gave extensions because of time crunch. Second meeting they will come and read their speech next Monday and top 2 will come read their speeches at the Senate meeting. Need a date for the barbeque. Normally do it in May, at our house. Combination of old Senate and new Senate. Usually have been during the weekend of finals. Do we want that again?
Coates- What is the weekend between that they just extended classes?
Boiteau- May 7th?
Prata- Last week in April? April 30th?
Coates- what is the date of Oozeball?
Prata- Let me know and get back to me.
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Prata- Sam wanted to know if all the chairs and Dave and I if we can all email her and tell her what’s going on in our committees for the newsletter.
Coates- Can also reach out to student orgs. And put it in the newsletter as well, possibly an event of the month. Going to be a March newsletter, probably at the end of the month. Possibly Greek Week, Hair Show, etc.
Coates- Anyone can contribute on Senate. Can be a mix of entertainment and news. Want students to read it.
FINANCE
Boiteau- Budget bill on the floor tonight. Received an email from LASA that they didn’t receive budgeting paperwork. Going to email back and invite to finance on Monday. Not going to add tonight without talking to them first. Make a decision at finance meeting on Monday. In the past, we have given penalty.
Coates- Check the sign-in sheets at President’s meeting. Email reminders went out too.
Boiteau- Emails went out, signs in the office.
Coates- Recognized as a category “S” and got switched. They are on FBP.
Boiteau-get money for copying, printing, recruitment, co-sponsorship. That is one issue. Couple groups coming for money this week.
Coates- Equity Council meeting from 9-10 tomorrow inside College of Business.
Boiteau- We’re going to start talking about inventory policies and procedures and talk about how we are going to start it and penalty if group is missing inventory.
Coates- Questions for finance? I think co-sponsorships line has failed and possibly move co-sponsorship line into recruitment. Not making groups work together now.
Boiteau- I cut from SEC since it is not working out.
CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER
Holzman- SOARC handbook is out. Copy is on my desk in the office. White papers, haven’t started them. Transition binders- nice job Brenden for making significant process.Databasing, have talked to Frank, working with him and Kim to make website searchable within just our realm. Make a search box, maybe put another one that just looks at archives or something. Two Requests for Information- one for budget, and another of the history of veto power.
Coates- long-term plan for Holzman to investigate past history, like veto power. We have no information on the frequency of how it is used. That is Holzman’s task. I did find out the last time it was used was 2005. President Patton Mills vetoed a bill. Veto was overruled, so we will know how many times there has been vetos, how many times overridden, the issues, etc.
Segal- Question about article. Ask now or in my report- about Surf Club? Said they were upset because they went to finance, but didn’t we immediately consider them, so is that false information?
Coates- quoted Pat as saying what Boiteau said.
Roy- Didn’t they interview from Senate?
Coates- they didn’t ask me anything about that though.
Boiteau- also didn’t put platforms in the paper today. Very nicely demanded it gets put in tomorrows issue.
Coates- Wrote article about Surf Club, and went to Q&A.
Segal- told Kim there wasn’t enough room in the paper.
Boiteau– Going to a meeting Monday at 4 with them.
Coates- Make clear that they have an obligation to students about who is running and should be put in the paper, all of the students should find out from the student newspaper who is running and who is not. Could have also put things on their website if it wasn’t able to fit in the newspaper. Questions for CIO Holzman?
TREASURER
Mackinnon– Budget is tight for the end of the year. Please see me to see if we have the money. Will be making category changes to afford copy printing and office supplies.
Coates– Any suggestions for upgrades in the office?
Boiteau- going to need another computer. Dell is going to be down. Giving the monitor to yearbook.
Coates- Any other suggestions? So far we have fridge, microwave?
Davis-don’t think we should put a fridge in the office. Not an office setting.
Coates- Take into consideration. How we can make it more inviting to other student members?
Boiteau-think our office is too professional. Have to talk to people in other corners away from all the senators in the office.
Davis- I think half glass, half cubicle would help. With me, treasurer, and finance desks would be divided, it would probably work.
Coates- Maybe dividers or cubicle-like set-ups.
Davis- I think organizations like the fact that they can come into the office and see what’s going on and actually go to the person they can find. So I don’t think we should exclude ourselves.
Sinapi- I would say the only thing I would suggest is to have availability of some kind of meeting area that is private. Too many times somebody comes in and they can’t have a conversation.
Coates- One thing I was thinking is finding a place to show a slideshow, put up a screen. Like the dorms they have in the TV. Something like that so students can walk in and see what is going on. People look at screens. Like where the bulleting board is now, above the computers. Have to find a way to program it and fill it with stuff. Information administration would want us to get out. Back to elections chairman.
ELECTIONS
Mackinnon– Elections on-going. Can’t tell you how turn out has been, haven’t been at the booths. How has turn out been?
Segal- normal. I was working at the booth, and one of my friends came up to me and said she voted and name wasn’t highlighted on the sheet. So you have to ask if they are listed off-campus, ask if they are off-campus or in Greek housing.
MacKinnon- I’ll make an announcement.
Coates- Look at the address in the book, the address should be the sorority or fraternity house.
Holzman- If somebody says they are in the Greek house, and the book says they are from another house, from an outside place, there is a list that we got from FMA that has the name of every Greek in every Greek house. Diversity house, and IEP house too, so you can verify if they are on the list, they can get an on-campus ballot.
Coates- Make an announcement tonight, Billy about the motions. Any questions for elections or treasurer?
CAMPUS
Sinapi-have an illustrated version of campus maps. We can get in contact with administrators and go underway with that. Does anybody else no recall RIPTA taking out shuttle buses from Chafee? Only go one way now in Chafee. Only go down now.
Coates- They come up Flagg Road and then they turn right. Go from Plains to Flagg Road straight up flagg past CBLS and Coastal Institute and take right onto Upper College and then o straight down upper college and then take right onto East Alumni and go down to the union and down butterfield road and go by Eddy and take a right at ZBT but when they come back, they go down that road that leads past Chafee instead. No stops on West Alumni, which runs to Plains Road parking lot.
Sinapi– other htan that, blue lights. Trying to get a list of them. Some of them alternate when they are on and off. When we get them all, going to write something for the Cigar and local media. Told the administration we would be doing this because this happened last year with the delay. Also, bonfire is underway.
Coates– Looks like a lot of people are using the Hertz cars. How many people are signed up?
Sinapi-Multilple reports after February. A lot have signed up, not just students. Health Services are requesting materials, Parking Services too. A lot of people interested in informing people about it.
Coates- Talked to someone from lockshop today. They want the two of us a get together to attend a meeting on a Tuesday, date and time to be announced, about issues involving us taking four of the staff parking spots for the Connect Cars.
Sinapi- They are not guaranteed the spots.
Coates- Also, want to be able to institute littering penalty for students. Has become a bigger issue than years past. Want students caught littering to be punished with community service, maybe picking up trash. Want to talk to us about that. Judicial and other administrators are being resistant to the idea. I would rather have them have to pick up trash than be fined. Sinapi and I can work on that together. Questions for campus?
EXTERNAL
Jones-Road to the Statehouse planning underway. Vice-Chair Roy ordered post-its to give out to legislators. Called CCRI about food, they are providing this year again. Talked to Andrea Hopkins. She sent me a list of bills that are being circulated at the Statehouse right now that have to do with Higher Education. I’ll be sending out a list of these bills to exec and senate. Please take a look and tell me what you think so we have something we can bring up when we go on April 7th. Alexa is working with the coalition. She will have information about that after their next meeting this month. Also, if you have anything you think we should bring up at the statehouse, please leave a note in my mailbox or talk to me about it. Sending out a sign-up list next week of senators who can go.
Coates– I’ve seen the Action Plan for the Coalition. Want to restrict maximum number of unrelated person that can live together to 2. Also had a problem with garbage pick-up procedures.
Holzman- There is most likely a state law about maximum occupancy. Towns might not be able to make stricter rules.
Coates- Attached ordinances from other states.
Coates- Have an email from Andrea Hopkins. Sent us budget proposal from Governor Chafeee. Sent a Commission to Study Higher Ed affordability and accessibility and everybody on that committee and where they meet. She also informed me that Mondays and Fridays the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation are in their offices in Rhode Island, so I am going to try and deliver those letters on a Monday once they are done. They come back from D.C. on Mondays and Fridays, so I can catch them then. Take the bill opposing the budget proposal and letters similar to what I wrote to Chafee and hand it to them. Questions for external?
CULTURAL
Davis- Next week, Thursday, is President’s meeting. March 31st is Diversity Services for URI. Flyers in mailboxes tomorrow.Rammies, we have an announcer. Alexa Roy is going to be one announcer. Nominations are up, booths next week for students to nominate organizations. Ellery Pond Awareness coming along great, projected date April 29th-May 1st.
Coates- do you have plan to generate better attendance for Rammies? Last year not a ton of people.
Prata– Didn’t get out of the word as much as we thought we would.
Coates- Something came up the week before. It was the floods. Last year, more low-key than we would have liked.
Davis- Meeting with Dr. Freeman and through our meeting, we decided to work together more closely this year.
Coates- Questions for cultural?
Rossi- Let me know if you need me to do anything for the Rammies.
Coates- Would be nice if we could get a lot of students to be on it. Questions?
Prata- Rock the Pond in April, 3- day thing? Bad time to have Senate barbeque at that time then.
SECRETARY
Segal- Minutes are coming in, but I still need more liaison reports. Nominations for Kudos, tell me before the meeting. Anything else, just let me know before the meeting.
Coates- Questions for Segal?
PRESIDENT
Coates- Not a ton going on. I am arranging a meeting with myself and president of the Rhode Island College Student Governments and presidents of college campuses. Going to see if we can find a way to formalize relationship between RIC and CCRI and their other campuses. Waiting to hear back from them. First 3 members of Board of Regents approved today and 2 more to go-Carothers and Adrian, who is the same guy who was appointed to be the chairman of the board of governors. I was going to talk to them about meeting with them individually. I feel like having one representative between the three school does not work that well- CCRI does not have a live-in campus or graduate programs, so don’t understand needs of other 2 schools. RIC does not have same infrastructure or multiple campuses, so raises different issues. All institutions have unique needs. Don’t see how one person from one school can represent all three. Those are my intentions when meeting with the other schools. Also plan on contacting Student Council on URI Providence Campus- don’t really have a relationship with them.
Cologna– Going to involve GSA in it too?
Coates– Only undergradute; CCRI does not have any graduate programs. Will bring in graduates from RIC and URI at a later point.
Holzman- relationship between grad students and university is more employee-employer than service.
Coates- Have you also heard of the NUS? National Union of Students in the United Kingdom. If we can put some type of coalition together, want to keep it quiet until what RIC and CCRI thinks. Response I got from RIC was that they had a similar idea but not many were interested. I think it is difficult to ignore 3 institutions of students than 1 particular institution. Signs of us being able to work together. Long-term goal but is happening in near future. Expecting a meeting by the end of March. Besides that, not all saw letter I delivered to Governor’s office. Will read at meeting tonight. A lot know the gist of it. Meeting with Equity Council tomorrow morning, have been told some decisions are being made about how to organize diversity groups on campus. Apparently, there is a plan for there to be multiple councils related to diversity issues with an executive council overseeing all of them and don’t plan to have a student one. I suggested we have Katherine Freedman coming to cultural meetings and have outside student participation. More students will participate with this opportunity. Don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow morning. More updates about that. SBPC does not meet until next Friday. With this budget proposal, some projects can still be underway, like the basketball courts with this money. I don’t know what they are going to target first. Want more IT staff, for marketing and web design, had a lot of requests. Staff and faculty have been on a 3 year pay freeze despite contractual obligations from the University to give them a raise, so I assume there will be raises given but do not know for sure. Any questions?
Boiteau- what are we doing with the Wednesdays that they are extending classes?
Coates– Bylaws states that Senate can declare an exceptional circumstance to not have a meeting. Exec can probably decide that. I think it is an exceptional circumstance. There is only one reading day and Friday exams so don’t know if I want to keep senators on that Wednesday night. Don’t know if it will really be necessary.
Sinapi- If we might need one, there is a valid and strong argument that we should because we missed one because of the flood.
Coates- we called a special meeting so we only missed one. I think we can wait on decision until annual meeting on March 30th,but can decide as an Executive committee around that time.
Prata- New senators might be taking an absence that night to study so we might want to consider that.
Cologna– Do we feel UC is adequate for freshmen?
Sinapi- No, but the head of it has not only been actively taking feedback and using it. Not right now but there are easy things to fix.
Cologna- I think UC is much stronger than upper division.
Sinapi- When it applies to other majors. Psychology has peer advising and are told wrong information that does not match up to any advisors.
Prata- sat through a training session last night on advising meeting so you might want to talk to UC about transferring information to other colleges.
Cologna- We’re in a transition period where some colleges advise their own students or they hire part-time staff to do the advising as mentioned in the manual. Or department chairs are designated advisors but only serve 3 years. Also, there are professors that do not have time to advise students. So they just hire part-time staff.
Prata- Has anybody sat down with somebody in UC?
Sinapi- Sat down with assistant Dean. What they have done and continue to do is good.
Coates-Did you get an email from Ann Morrisey? Provost Special Assistant. Putting a working group on advising together.
Cologna– Same thing.
Coates- We should look at two options. Maybe put something on our website- what is your worst advising experience? Survey. And with that, a more formal survey that we can send out to those responders. Had a student that said one of her professors had to defend her with general education problems. Ask Talent Development how they are trained as advisors.
Cologna- With more liberal colleges, looking for more focused tracks and what to take.
Prata- Question regarding advising. Does it matter if it is still a URI student but is studying abroad?
Coates- Figure out how we can reach out to these students with past advising experiences. “Tell us your advising stories- good or bad.” We can also do info booths, after elections.
Sinapi- Two issues in committee. One is the Bias Response Team, has no students on it. Also, working on something about dry campus vs. wet campus because there are assumptions on both sides. Looking for facts about that.
Coates- Also, look into Higher One about opt-in rather than opt-out about student refund cards?
Sinapi- Probably has something to do with money.
Coates- Anything else to add to before we adjourn?
Meeting Adjourned