Attendance: Bedard, Petit, Prata, Simon, Clarke, Harrington, Sinapi, Shah, Holland (late), Coates (late)

Call to Order: 5:09 p.m.

 

I. Jesse and Chad

• Grad Senate members, also involved with the Union
• Looking to interact with us, have not done this in the past (lack of need?)
• Trying to get more active in dealing with grad school issues, which will impact undergrad students
• Want to make a statement about the tuition hikes
• Considering putting together a rally on the quad, but not sure
• Grad students alone would not make a big enough statement so coming to see how we feel and if we would be supportive of such a movement
• We have tried reaching out to grad school senate in the past but there have not been many members
• External- wants to branch out more to the state, would like to work with them, maybe lobbying, etc.
• Have had students go to BOG meetings recently, there’s an open forum in the beginning and then they do what they want. Not sure we made much of a statement
• An ambassador to go to grad meetings? Vice versa? Liaisons!
• About 20-25 senators, about one meeting per month
• Requirements- attend at least two meetings
• Exec- also once a month
• How does it work between grad senate and grad assistant union?
• Not every grad student has an assistantship
• The executive boards of each of them are the same people
• Less money=more lectures, fewer TA’s, worse education
• As far as a protest, going to a BOG meeting, State House, etc.
• We want to do lobbying at the general assembly, trying to create a lobbying group
• Giana looks pretty tonight. Amanda is excited. Anthony is doing homework but he is actually listening. Dave is being too serious. Allen is concerned about money and buses and liability. Juelia looks bored. Vidhi is very concerned with her hair. I’m having fun typing.
• Come to the BOG luncheon on November 9^th
• WRONG: Increasing the tuition by 10%. This is not in direct relation to the economy!

II. Finance

• No bills, no one wants money
• An idea we talked about with Melvin wade is it is possible we recognize a multicultural umbrella group, Allen doesn’t agree but Melvin and students like it. They would get a set amount of funding.
• Put a referendum to make a multicultural group like club sports, but this might segregate them more.
• MCC runs their own multicultural round table already
• Multicultural groups want more money in their budget, but this cannot happen because most of the groups are level 3
• They don’t understand that less than half of our student groups have an operating budget

III. Cultural

• Had a meeting, going to be setting up a deadline for groups for appreciation day
• Delegated jobs to new committee members
• Ex. Calling PINK, clothing drive people
• Anti-Semitic occurrence on campus
• We do not need to do anything in addition to Dr. Dooley’s letter
• Dave Coates enjoys saying, “I told you so. You know I’m right”

IV. Academic

• Want to run by statement ProJo was asking for, why Student Senate got ProJo in particular. Being a productive citizen…blah blah life long learner…local paper of record…communities in which they belong…blah
• Looks good.
• Next week I have to email Provost because he moved his advisory council from Tuesday to Wednesday, which is bad because it was supposed to be our long discussion on advising. Might send some committee members. Anyone can go.
• Students went to teaching effectiveness committee meeting. Talked about how teachers do not think curriculum is rigorous enough, we need to read more. Temi needs to push back, make them understand there are teachers that just read off a powerpoint. It’s not just on the students for not doing a lot of work.
• Academic complaint- teacher is outsourcing grades to another state. Asking someone out of state to grade homework, papers. Teacher is the one grading midterms, and homework is graded on two different scales. THAT’S OUTRAGEOUS.

V. SOARC

• Re-rec bill on floor, talked to many groups today
• Voted underwater hockey down in committee, but they are in bill because they got their paperwork in on time but we disagree with their group. They can fight it in the general meeting.
• Safety and liability, they do not have insurance
• Limit it to two or three a week (groups who are trying to get recognized now).
• We will keep budgets of groups who are not recognized at the moment for missing paperwork deadline or whatever. Their budget is frozen.
• How many minutes are in a year?
• Groups are confused about what is required for co-sponsorship, group helping is not entitled to a share of the profits.
• Senate has not given out any co-sponsorship yet
• Go to Katherine if you have any problems with the bill

VI. Vice

• Formal will be January 29^th
• No details have been decided on.
• Long winded conversation about something we’ve done before. Lovely.

VII. DOC

• Nothing

VIII. External

• Recycling event on the quad

IX. Campus

• RIPTA is sending a manager down to handle hillclimber
• Holes in the quad, probably from commencement

X. Presidente

• BOG nov 9^th, hand out forms
• Welcome reception for dr. pina wed, nov 5^th
• Openings for some committees and liaisons
• Bruce and Dave are getting more info for projects
• Review of the fitness center in ROJO’s, someone told president we can put rock wall in ROJO’s. NO.
• Kim is coming to our meeting next week to take pictures
• Update exec page so it’s more pleasing to the eye