MEETING START TIME: 3:00 pm

ATTENDANCE:

Committee: Sam King, Eric Wang, Jen Scotti, Dan Bertel, Romanuel Percy, Dan Depetro, Natasha Nemeth, Austin Cordova, Austin Faria

Absent: Michael Bachials

Non-Committee:

 

COMMITTEE DISCUSSION:

 

1. URI College Republicans
   1. Who attended: President
   2. Meeting time and place: yes
   3. Members – 30
   4. Elections held to our standards: No – elections were held during one meeting
   5. Purpose: Promote the values for free market principals, limited government, and freedom and equality of opportunity. Dedicated to getting conservative politician elected into government.
   6. Goals: Increase social media presence to help member retention: facebook, email list.
   7. RECOMMENDATION: UNFUNDED
      1. Vote ( 8 – 0 – 1 )
      2. Need to attend senate meeting on __February 8, 2017______

 

 

 

Stipend Review

 

• Student Senate
  • Vice-president
    • Student Senate is the official voice of students of campus.  Senate represents students through their committees.  Senate recognizes groups to minimize liabilities.  Allocate funds from student taxes to fund programming events.  Senate has a working relationship with students and administration.
    • Moderator of the student senate.  Moderates all student senate general meetings.  Follow Robert’s Rules of Order and be mindful of all groups that attend the meetings.  Does not have a vote, stays neutral on all topics.  Speak in the absences of the president of the senate if necessary.  Member of the executive committee.  Maintains the records of senator attendance to maintain the vitality of the student senate.  Serves as the organizer to the Scholarship and Commencement committees.  Ensures that the senate complies will all the bylaws.  Moderates internal senate disputes as an approachable person.  5 required office hours a week. Fridays, meetings with Cathleen Collins to meet the needs of students and administrators. Organizes retreats for the student senate to help the organization flow better.  Organizes new senator orientation to help their integration with the group.
    • Necessary to stance in for the president’s needs.  Meeting administrators, sit on committees, leadership of organization, face of senate.  Sits on summer senate to ensure that clubs are able operate during summer.  Ensure that members are meeting the needs of senate and that senate is meeting their needs.  Recruits new senators.
    • Student Senate is vital to the campus as the official student voice.  The President is the face of the senate and other executive members cannot take on the duties and responsibilities of the Vice-president.
    • Election – declared for student senate.  Was popularly elected.  Results were uncontested for 3 days.  Was sworn in.
    • Vote: (5-0-1)
  • Cultural Affairs Chair
    • The cultural affairs committee is committed to building and maintaining a unified and inclusive campus committee.  Serves as a liaison to multi-cultural student organizations.  Uphold campus traditions.  Outreach to the student body directly instead of through he student organizations.
    • Check cultural complains box. Check for events that senate can promote for multiculturalism.  Organizes senate events.  3 office hours a week.  Meets students and brings up important points to the president about how certain university offices can be improved.  Attends and promotes events such as diversity week.  Provides the student voice during critical committee meetings.  Much busier when events are happening on campus.  Met with the counseling center to discuss student complaints and researched funding options for extending hours for the counseling center.  Will be attending budgeting meeting to discuss funding counseling center partnerships.
    • Creating, improving, and maintaining campus traditions.  Organizes Ace of cakes, Rhody Paws, Homecoming event, Diversity week events.
    • Senate is required to be non-partisan.  Cannot support certain events on behalf of the senate.
    • Vote: (7-0-1)
  • External Affairs Chair
    • The external affairs committee is concerned with persons and entities outside the university.  Develop a working relationship with Narragansett in affairs concerning students.  Goes to town council meetings, conducting cleanups.  Deals with office of commuter complaints.  3 office hours a week.  Most of the work is done outside of the office.  Goes to meetings with Narragansett police department.   Reached out to other nearby universities to see how they deal with housing ordinances.  URI’s commuter population is unique in that they live with their friends as opposed to commuting from their homes.  Is an accessible resource for commuter complaints.  Represented the student population at the Narragansett town council. URI has a commuter population of around 10 thousand students.  Conducted a survey to gather student opinions on different matters.  Desires to educate students on how to find housing.  Plans on creating method for students to voluntarily register their parties with the local police department.  Represents committee at the annual commuter housing affairs.  Continues the position responsibilities over the summer and winter breaks.
    • The chair and the committee are important to fully represent the off campus student population
    • Vote: (7-1-1)
  • Finance Committee Chair
    • Oversees the budgeting process for all student senate recognized groups.  Discusses and meets with groups to allocate funds during budgeting.  Budgeting finances the events for student organizations Maintains and updates the finance handbook: budgeting and policies.  Serves as the financial advisor for all student groups.  5 required office hours a week.  Holds signatory powers jointly with the president.  During Presidents Meetings, talks about budgeting, signature cards, handbook changes, and finance training.  Keeps records of all the contingency grants given to the groups. Drafts finance handbook changes over the summer.
    • Vote: (7-0-1)
  • Chief Information Officer
    • Maintains the institutional memory of the Senate.  Responsible for the integrity of the student senate’s records and update transition material.  Is a voting member of the senate executive committee.  Maintains an up to date Student Senate Alumni Network.  Maintains the record of liaison reports.  Records the minutes of the general meetings and manages the weekly agenda.  3 office hours weekly.  Necessary for the transparency of the student senate and the institutional memory.
    • Vote: (8-0-1)
  • Student Organization Advisory and Review Committee (SOARC) Chair
    • Act as an impartial arbiter for conflicts between student organization.  SOARC is the primary face of student senate to student organizations.  Voting member of student senate.  Moderates monthly student organization presidents meetings.  Reviews the monthly check-in meetings conducted by the committee.  5 office hours weekly.  Meets with students organizations during the office hours and continues checking emails with student organization outside office hours.  Oversees recognition process for new student organizations and the annual re-recognition process.  Develops and maintains the model constitution.  Oversees and manages the annual stipend-review process.  Committee reviews all organizations applying for recognition and recommends funding status.  Continually examines and revises student organizations.  Represents student organizations in all matters regarding the university.  Updates the transition materials for the position.  Acts impartially when there are conflicts between student groups and the student senate to ensure that voices are heard.  Plans on creating a showcase for performing arts groups in the university.  The committee is important to the creation and maintenance of student organizations.
    • Vote: (8-0-0)

Committee recess: 5:06pm

Committee re-convened: 5:19pm

• President
  • Approves or vetos legislation.  Chairs the executive committee.  Appoints students to university committees to ensure that students are adequately represented.  Hold signatory powers over internal accounts and student activities tax accounts.  Can temporarily withhold stipends through a Rule&Ethics complaint until the Rules&Ethics committee considers such decision.  Acts as the official representative of the senate.  Facilitates communication between the student senate and the university administration.  Sits on the summer senate.  5 office hours per week.  Without the office of the president, student senate would be required to meet every time a decision needed to be made without central leadership.
  • Vote: (8-0-1)

 

• Extra
  • Presidents meeting next Monday at 7pm

 

MEETING ADJOURNMENT TIME:  5:52pm