PRESIDENT
Holden: Hi, everyone. I’m giving Dave’s report for him since he is at the President’s meeting right now. Basically, he wants all of us to get email accounts- a universal email with your position on Senate or something like that. Something along the lines of senatevp@my.uri.edu . No underscores or periods, preferably, just one word. If we could think of ways that we could form generic email accounts for the executive committee too, that would be good.
Troiano- We can’t work on that, right? Like creating those accounts?
Holden- Well, he wants us to just come up with a platform so that we could have a general format to present.
Cordisco- Could you just do your title with senate? docsenate@my.uri.edu?
Holden- If someone could write down those ideas, that would be clutch, bra. Next, we want to see if we can incorporate clickers into our meetings, with aye and nay capabilities. It could keep a record of our voting. His main reasoning was to keep a record for the Cigar and for us to see how people voted on different things. Coates will talk more about that when he comes in.
Coates- What does everybody think? How do we want format them? Do we want chair included in the email?
Cordisco- I think our position with senate @my.uri.edu would be good.
Coates- Ok, I like the idea of docsenate@my.uri.edu, so I’ll write that down to present. Really important for student orgs to get universal email address.
Ferreira- Is there a way to link the my.uri.edu to the current email addresses?
Coates– Yes, we can set that up one night after we receive new email addresses. Not that difficult. Clicker idea? Anything that happens in the chambers is on record and posted on the Internet. Once we take the elections online, we can really work with having candidate profiles, so that you have a candidate profile and we can show a link to their voting record.
Jones– I am just concerned if senators know that their vote is being speculated electronically, it may sway the way they vote and encourage them to vote with the general consensus or in favor of what they think others might want to see rather than how they would like to vote because they know there is a record of exactly the way they vote on every vote or bill.
Holden- Nothing in the Senate Chambers is private. Students have a right to know who they elect and the decisions they are making.
Coates– I am hoping the Cigar will also have access to see how somebody voted. Three button clicker- aye, nay, abstain. We can have a computer at the meeting that calculates the votes and you can see how senators would vote. I don’t know if it requires a bylaws change or if we can force it through as an executive committee. I want to find a program, find clickers, and purchase it. I mentioned the idea two years ago, but it didn’t become the most important issue. Moving to online elections will also be the more crucial piece.
Holden- Anything else?
VICE PRESIDENT
Holden– Email went out for the retreat.
Cordisco– Didn’t get that email. Only got an email today about Executive meeting tonight.
Holden– Ok, I sent out the email about retreat to all of Executive Committee, so I’ll talk to Kim about that and the mailing list.
Cordisco– When is that?
Holden– Saturday, September 24th 10am-3pm. Pretty fun day. Learn all about Senate and each other. We went out last year that was fun, too. I would like this year to actually stick with the goals. I would like to see attainable goals and steps we can take to keep those goals. I could really appreciate if as many as you could attend if possible.
Cordisco– Is it here?
Holden– It’s at the low ropes course. Information about what to bring will be forthcoming.
Juhr- Do we do the same activities as last time?
Holden- We don’t have to. If you want to sit with me and talk about other ideas, we can do that. You all also received attendance sheets in your mailbox today. If you could submit them in my box after each meeting, I can hand them back to you before the beginning of next week so I can see who is going and who is not going. I want to do an early intervention type thing for senators who are not showing up to committee meetings. Please let me know right away if somebody is not coming.
Troiano- Did you switch Nicastro out of mine?
Holden- No, not yet.
Coates- I appointed Chris Cicero to Athletics Advisory Board this week. That is a pretty confidential committee, only reports to me. Reports do get saved because it deals with NCAA Compliance, which we are pretty good about. I appointed Andrew Pilkington to a new committee that’s on technology. The University last year, at the suggestion of the SBPC, created a new technology fund which has a substantial amount of money in it, is designed solely to buy new academic related technology, so classroom technology or campus-wide stuff. Anything else that has to do with academic mission of the university. That committee is going to work on identifying which proposals they should decide on to purchase. Another big deal is that I am meeting with Director of Recreation Services, Jodi Hawkins, to talk about some things. One of them will be discussed at the SBPC meeting, on September 26th. They want to institute a recreation or wellness fee, to the tune of $250. They want to increase the price of the fee; we already pay $50 currently as students. Other universities do charge considerably more than we do.
Cordisco– What if I don’t use the gym here? Do I still have to pay the fee?
Coates- Yes, we would have to pay because it is included in your tuition.
Cordisco– Why couldn’t they just make it a separate payment?
Coates- If they cut out of their revenue, they would add to the tuition bill.
Holden– The people that used the gym would have to pay more than that.
Coates– Many other universities like UCONN and UDEL and even UMAINE and a couple of other state universities that charge $500 to a $1,000 fee. I need to talk to Jodi to see where she is at about it. I am not generally in favor of this kind of increase. I don’t know what they are going to do, but they just spent $12 million in a gym they haven’t even opened yet.
Juhr– The gym that is being built in the Roger Williams Center.
Coates– No matter how many times not to include in the budget, gym equipment, for a building they just spent $12 million, they did not listen. I was sitting in SBPC meetings saying it is nonsensical to spend $750,000 on a new gym because they were talking about instituting this fee this year with no gym that has not even opened yet. They still did not budget the movie. The money is not there to buy the equipment. They have actually approached the Student Senate multiple times about paying for gym equipment. They wanted $300,000 for gym equipment.
Cordisco– Is this something they will warn the students here about?
Coates– It will show up on your tuition bill. There is a very good chance we could block this from happening.
Ferreira– Per semester or yearly, this new fee?
Coates– Last I heard, $200 more a year.
Troiano– Would that prevent the project to be undertaken?
Coates– No, the bid has already gone out and the construction has gone out. We need the facility. Since we have increase enrollment this year, that facility is not adequate to service the campus. The plan is to keep both facilities open. They want to attract commuters to the ones down in Keaney and Mackal.
Juhr– So, is the new one going to have cardio and weights?
Coates– Yes, it is a gorgeous design.
Juhr– Are there changing rooms? Or just bathrooms?
Coates– No locker rooms.
Jones– Can they pass this if we clearly state we are against this proposal?
Coates– It will make it very difficult for them.
Troiano– Then we have the empty building we spent $12 million on.
Coates– They will find the money. They won’t leave it empty forever. I will talk to Jodi on Wednesday to find out more. It is planned to be discussed on September 26th at the SBPC meeting. Campus Affairs should have ideas for a bill ready for Wednesday, talk about it with your committee, just in case. We will decide whether or not to put it on the agenda. That’s all I have. Don’t know if anybody has any other questions for me. Committee chairs, please talk to your members about liaison positions.
ACADEMIC
Holden– Reading Chris Caisse’s report and Stephanie Segal will also not be attending. Chris is looking at the syllabus skeleton looking at the different options. He called to renew the ProJo contract, and our contact is on vacation. He will be in touch with her immediately upon her return. He will be emailing UD about a core class focusing on the state economy. Waiting to hear on JCAP about Academic Standard and Calendar Committee. He is still reading up on the new advising committee summer reports and waiting to hear when they are going to be meeting next. Also, something I talked about with Bruce today. Make sure you tell your committee to actually read the bills before they get them and not on the senate floor. People seem to have questions about things that they could have asked beforehand. It is something that I wanted to mention. Please tell your committee members to look at the bills ahead of time and be well-educated when they are brought to the floor.
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Cordisco– Who is the newsletter going out to?
Coates- We have a 100 student organizations. It goes out to all of their student email accounts. I want to do a volunteer sign-up list for students who can volunteer to sign up to receive the newsletter. I have to find out the information on the service. As far as I know, our former DOC has all that information.
Cordisco- I was thinking about possibly doing excerpts from a few committee members for different newsletters, so they can get a feel what is going on from the actual committee members. My second question is about what Jodi was talking about last week. I was wondering if what was going on in Keaney is safe for the students who will be working out?
Coates– I don’t know if the cardio room is going to be open at all.
Cordisco– She said it would be.
Coates– They will probably section off where the track ones and use the outside entrance for students to enter. I can find out more information on Wednesday. One of the other things we were thinking about for the newsletter when we were planning it is highlighting an upcoming month, and help our student organizations market their events. Anything else? Committee chairs, I have to meet with you all separately one on one. Anybody free next Tuesday after 11am?
Ferreira– I have an office hour from 1-2pm on Tuesday.
Coates– We can meet at 1pm.
Troiano– I am free Tuesday from 11-4pm.
Coates– We can meet at 11am.
Juhr– My last class is a lab that ends at 3. I go from 9:30-2:50.
Coates– Is Wednesday better for you?
Juhr-Thursday and Friday both my classes end early. Office hour at 11 on Friday.
Coates-We can meet at 1pm on Friday.