Meeting Recap #4: Sept. 27, 2011

Everything below is also available here.

The following notes were compiled during the Sept. 25, 2011 Associated Students of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (ASUAF)  senate meeting. All senate meetings, unless otherwise noted, are held at 4p.m. on Sunday in the Alumni Lounge.

Senators in attendance
Arthur Martin
Jennifer Chambers
Robert Kinnard III
John Netardus
Chelsea Holt
Timothy Grediagin
Andy Chamberlain
Michael Golub
Jesse Cervin
Will Collingwood

Senators absent
Sophia Grzeskowiak-Amezquita
Aaron Acevedo
Hollie Seiler

Officers present
Mari Freitag (president)

Let’s fund a movie
“SB 177-002: Let’s Make a Movie.” This bill will give the UAF Film Club $500 to produce a short training video for new ASUAF senators. The internal affairs committee will be in charge of producing the movie. The senate voted 7-2-0 in support of the bill. Michael Golub and Timothy Grediagin voted against the bill.

Leadership money for students
“SB 177-005: To Sponsor Students for the Leadership Conference.” This bill will set aside $150 to sponsor 10 students to attend the UAF Leadership Conference on Oct. 8 in the Wood Center Ballroom. The money will go to the first 10 students who ask for it. Senator are excluded from the scholarship. The senate voted 7-0-2 in support of the bill. Robert Kinnard III and Chelsea Holt abstained.

Stickers!
“SB 177-006: Stickers.” This bill will set aside $500 to allow the senate to purchase stickers with “ASUAF” printed on them. They will be used for promotional purposes. The senate voted 8-1-0 in support of the bill. Timothy Grediagin cast the dissenting vote.

Senate to get totes
“SB 177-008: Tote Bags.” This bill will set aside $550 from the senate’s rollover account to purchase approximately 80 tote bags. The bags will be used as promotional items and given to students as a “thank you” for attending senate meetings. The senate had originally allotted money for the totes during the summer, but they were not purchased by then-executive officer Sabra Phillips. The senate voted 6-3-0 in favor of the bill. Michael Golub, Timothy Grediagin and Jesse Cervin cast the three dissenting votes.

Acevedo to resign?
Aaron Acevedo has expressed his intent to resign from the senate, according to Jennifer Chambers.

Committees may combine
Due to a lack of senators, some committees may combine for the time being. Robert Kinnard mentioned the idea, adding that the combination would only be for the semester. The concern is that several senators may become worn out, since many already serve on several committees.

Meeting Recap #3: Sept. 18, 2011

The following notes were compiled during the Sept. 18, 2011 Associated Students of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (ASUAF)  senate meeting. All senate meetings, unless otherwise noted, are held at 4p.m. on Sunday in the Alumni Lounge.

Senators in attendance
Robert Kinnard III
Jennifer Chambers
Chelsea Holt
Will Collingwood
John Netardus
Jesse Cervin
Arthur Martin
Michael Golub (via telephone)
Timothy Grediagin
Andy Chamberlain

Senators absent
Sophia Grzeskowiak-Amezquita
Hollie Seiler
Aaron Acevedo
Josh Cooper

Officers present
Mari Freitag (president)
Dillon Ball (vice president)
Josh Banks (government relations director)
Rosemary Paz (public relations director)

Cahill remarks
Cathy Cahill, president of the faculty senate, attended the senate meeting. She said that she wants the faculty senate to have a good relationship with ASUAF. Cahill added that the faculty senate will be revising the core curriculum this year. The core curriculum has not be revised since 1991.

Chamberlain and Berg confirmed
Andy Chamberlain was confirmed to the ASUAF senate by a vote of 8-0-0. Murial Berg was appointed to the Chancellor’s Diversity Action Committee by a motion to consent. A motion to consent is not a vote, but confirmation by lack of objection.

Budgetary extra
Senate Chair Jennifer Chambers said that the senate has extra money in their budget after hiring an office manager, Anne Williamson. Since Williamson’s salary is lower than that of former executive officer Sabra Phillips (whom Williamson replaced) the difference in pay will be moved to senate projects. The total amount that will be moved to senate projects is not yet available.

Club council concerns
Vice President Dillon Ball’s copy of the club council manual didn’t reflect the spring 2011 changes, he said. The first club council meeting had to be held within the first two full weeks of class, according to the new manual. By the time Ball scheduled a meeting, the deadline passed. “It was an honest mistake that we missed this deadline,” Chambers said. As vice president, Ball chairs the club council.

Club council meeting
The first meeting of club council will be held on Oct. 6 at 7:30 p.m. in Gruening 208. The council’s duty is to allot money to UAF clubs.

Blood drive successful
The blood drive was a success, according to public relations director Rosemary Paz. There were so many volunteers that the blood bank had to turn people away.

Assembly debate
Government relations director Josh Banks is working the with public relations committee to host a debate between borough assembly candidates at the Wood Center. Banks intends to speak to assembly candidates this week.

Leadership conference bill
SB 177-005 would sponsor 10 students to attend the UAF Student Leadership Conference in the Wood Center Ballroom on Oct. 8. The application fee is $15. The fiscal impact of the bill would be $150. It was sent to the executive committee for discussion.

ASUAF needs stickers bill
SB 177-006 would allot $500 for the purchase of stickers with the words “ASUAF” on them. It was sent to the public relations committee.

Conflict of interest bill
SB 177-007 would change the ASUAF bylaws so that no senator may vote on a motion that would financially benefit them directly. Senators would still be allowed to vote on motions that allocate money to organizations they are a part of, because they would not “directly” benefit. It was sent to the internal affairs committee.

Tote bags need purchasing
SB 177-008 would allocate $1,500 to allow the senate to buy 250 ASUAF-themed tote bags to give out at events. The money had originally been appropriated during the summer but the totes were not purchased. The bill was sent to the public relations committee.

Club council meetings bill
SB 177-009 would change the wording in the club council bylaws about when council meetings would be held. After discussion between the executive and senatorial branches of ASUAF, the senate decided to move the bill to the executive committee.

The following was taken directly from my minutes at the Sun Star's website. 

Committee meets thanks to determination and technology

The executive committee of ASUAF deserves some special recognition.

While almost all of this semesters committee's have had trouble making quorum, the executive committee is one you would expect to make quorum consistently. It's made up of committee chairs after all, senators one expects to be a cut above the rest. They proved this by having a meeting, even though only one of their senators - Chelsea Holt - was at the official meeting place, the senate chambers.

How did they make quorum with only one senator at the meeting place? They did so thanks to the consciousness of senators, the power of technologically, and a wild game of telephone.

A wild game of telephone? Yes, and let me show you how.

Sophia Grzeskowiak-Amezquita, the committee chair, was in Tennessee during the weekend. She attended through Skype.
John Netardus was on the phone with Grzeskowiak-Amezquita.
Michael Golub called into the office and was place on speakerphone while Chelesa Holt (in the office) was on her mobile with Robert Kinnard III.

Arthur Martin, chair of the internal affairs committee, was absent.

Holt, then made sure the Skype conversation with Grzeskowiak-Amezquita was in full view of her mobile and the office's phone, before turning the volume up on both phones.

That meeting alone pretty much says to the other committees: "If you have enough members, you should be able to make quorum. Period."

While all the committees have had difficulty making quorum - and one is actually defunct at the moment due to lack of members - the executive committee decided to step up. In doing so, it has made itself a role model for the other committees and their members.

For a list of committees and the senators on them, please check out this post.

The Nookraker is expanding

In the next few weeks, you may see more of The Nookraker. 

Not only do I have a new snazzy link on the UAF Sun Star's main page, I will also be connected with the ASUAF Facebook page. What does that mean? That means when I post here, it automatically posts there, too. 

I'm also co-hosting "UAF Thursdays" on The Morning Blend with Josh Collins. While there is no law that says I have to talk politics, there is a solid chance I will at least once a show.

Also: If any readers ever have questions or comments, always feel free to ask them!

Committees meet for the first time

With the exception of the executive committee, which attempted to meet on Sept. 10, all ASUAF committees have either met or will be meeting over the course of the next week.

I hope to add a calendar widget so I can post when committee and senate meetings are, but have so far had no luck finding one that works. Until then, I will post meeting information either in a post or as a text box on the main page.

The current meeting information is below:

Sept. 16: Student Affairs (5:30PM)
Sept. 17: University Relations (11:30AM)
Sept. 17: Executive Comm. (6:15PM)
Sept. 17: ASUAF senate meeting (4:00PM)
Sept. 20: Public Relations (6:00PM)
Sept. 23: Internal Affairs (5:07PM)

All committee meetings will be held in the Senate Chambers, located in the Wood Center.
The senate meeting will be held in the Alumni Lounge.

"What does a committee do?" - Part 1: The Executive Committee

What does a committee do? That depends on the committee. Below is the first in a five-part series detailing what a committee does.  The following information is taken straight out of the ASUAF bylaws.

 What does the executive committee do? It can:

• propose constitutional amendments.
• propose ASUAF rules and Bylaws revisions.
• codify standing rules of procedure and decorum of the Senate.
• codify implicit changes to these Bylaws.
• delete footnotes that have been replaced by bylaws.    
• define classes of legislation.To codify ASUAF policy and procedures.
• insure these bylaws are enacted and maintained.
• review the developing ASUAF budget and to present its recommendations to the Senate.
• formulate policy and procedure for the expenditures allowed under the ASUAF budget with the advice and consent of the Senate.
• receive petitions for loans, grants, or other ASUAF funds from recognized student organizations.
• have access to the fiscal records of all ASUAF departments and committees. To outline procedures for the performance of these duties in the Finance Procedure Manual.
• review the Finance Procedure Manual in the first month of the Fall and Spring semesters every year.
• receive the assistance of the ASUAF Student Leadership Coordinator in obtaining information that the committee needs to fulfill their duties.

The executive committee is made up of the chairs of the other four committees, but is not limited to only those chairs. Any committee, the executive included, can have up to 7 members. This means the executive committee could have the four chairs, their own chair, and then two additional members.


To read a list of who is currently on this committee, please check out our committee member page.

Coming Up: "What does a committee do?"

"What does a committee do?" will be a five-part series asking just that. It will include information from the bylaws, who can be on a committee, and who is currently on the committee, because, let's face it, we all don't have time to check out the bylaws on a whim. The bylaws are long and complex, these posts will be short, sweet, and accurate.

Enjoy.

Senate committees flush with members

Here is the list of senate committees and who is on them. Commentary to follow. 

Executive:
Chair: Sophia Grzeskowiak-Amezquita
Members: Arthur Martin, Chelsea Holt, Robert Kinnard III, John Netardus, and Michael Golub

Internal Affairs
Chair: Arthur Martin
Members: Sophia Grzeskowiak-Amezquita, Jesse Cervin, and Will Collingwood

Student Affairs
Chair: Chelsea Holt
Members: Jesse Cervin, Timothy Grediagin, and Aaron Acevedo

University Relations
Chair: Robert Kinnard III
Members: Michael Golub, Hollie Seiler, Chelsea Holt, and Aaron Acevedo

Public Relations
Chair: John Netardus
Members: Timothy Grediagin, Will Collingwood, and Paul Pharr

Meeting Recap #2: Sept. 11, 2011

The following is 99 percent what you will see in this Tuesday's (Sept. 13) issue of the Sun Star.  No commentary today, sorry.

Senators in attendance

Present:

Jennifer Chambers

Sophia Grzeskowiak-Amezquita

Arthur Martin

Chelsea Holt

John Netardus

Will Collingwood

Jesse Cervin

Robert Kinnard II

Michael Golub

Absent:

Hollie Seiler

Aaron Acevedo

Timothy Grediangin

Paul Pharr

Officers in attendance

Mari Freitag

Concert Board appointment

RJ Mikulski was appointed to the Concert Board by ASUAF president Mari Freitag. The senate confirmed the appointment by a vote of 6-0-0. Cody Rogers, the assistant director of the Student Activities Office (SAO), had recommended Mikulski to Freitag. The Concert Board works with SAO in hosting concerts during the school year.

Officer appointment

Mari Freitag has selected former ASUAF senator Josh Banks to be the ASUAF government relations director. Banks will be hired for the position during the next week. The government relations director is responsible for maintaining a healthy relationship between ASUAF and local, state and federal governments.

Public relations chair appointed

John Netardus was appointed chair of the senate’s public relations committee. The public relations committee works with the government relations director in advocating university issues both within and outside of the campus. Some of these concerns include informing students of issues facing the university and working with university staff and faculty in promoting UAF. Robert Kinnard III nominated Netardus for the position.

Publication board representative selected

Chelsea Holt was appointed as the senate’s representative to the publication board. The publication board oversees the financial health of the Sun Star, has the power to hire and fire the editor and acts as an advisory council to the papers staff. Sophia Grzeskowiak-Amezquita nominated Holt for the position, while Will Collingwood nominated Jesse Cervin. Both Holt and Cervin accepted their nominations. Holt was confirmed by a vote of 4-3, with senate chair Jennifer Chambers casting her tie-breaking vote to Holt.

Rating: * * * (3/5) = Average result / expected / approval
Why?: Other then being a short meeting (under 40 min.) not much happened. They confirmed a few appointments, but did not vote on any legislation. This was a good meeting, but pretty basic in what it accomplished.

Meeting Recap #1: Sept. 4, 2011

The following is (almost) straight from my ASUAF minutes for the UAF Sun Star. You can find the original brief here.

The following briefs were compiled from notes taken during the Sept. 4, 2011 meeting of the Associated Students of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (ASUAF) senate.

ASUAF is comprised of a legislative and an executive branch. The student government acts as a representative body for the university’s student population. ASUAF is charged with holding events and allotting money to undertakings it deems worthwhile to the students they represent. Their funding comes from a $35/per student government fee collected every spring and fall, and a $20/per student fee collected in the summer.

Senators in attendance
Present:
Jennifer Chambers
Jesse Cervin
Josh Cooper
Robert Kinnard III
Chelsea Holt
Sophia Grzeskowiak-Amezquita
Michael Golub
Arthur Martin
Will Collingwood

Absent:
Paul Pharr
John Netardus
Timothy Grediangin
Hollie Seiler
Mary Strehl
Aaron Acevedo

Officers in attendance
Present: Mari Freitag and Dillon Ball

Spring 2011 election results
The following senators were elected to seats on the ASUAF senate: Michael Golub, Sophia Grzeskowiak-Amezquita, Chelsea Holt, Arthur Martin, Will Collingwood, Timothy Grediangin, Aaron Acevedo and Hollie Seiler.

Confirmed
The following individuals were confirmed for positions within ASUAF: Michael Golub (senator), Sophia Grzeskowiak-Amezquita (senator), Chelsea Holt (senator), Arthur Martin (senator), Will Collingwood (senator), Mari Freitag (president) and Dillon Ball (vice president).

Minutes tabled
All minutes from the summer committee were tabled until the next meeting so the senators would have a chance to review them.

New office manager
Anne Williamson was hired in the summer to replace Sabra Phillips. Williamson’s new position is office manager, replacing Phillips’ position as executive officer. Phillips resigned to accept a new position elsewhere within the university system. According to ASUAF president Mari Freitag, Williamson learns fast and has “hit the ground running.”

Director positions open
ASUAF is looking for a government relations director and a web director.

NANA contract
President Freitag will investigate NANA’s contract with the university. The contract expires in July 2012 and Freitag wants to make sure that the corporation is fulfilling its contractual obligations, she said.

Committee chairs named
Sophia Grzeskowiak-Amezquita (Executive), Arthur Martin (Internal Affairs), Chelsea Holt (Student Affairs), and Robert Kinnard III were nominated and accepted positions as committee chairs. No chair was named for the Public Relations committee.

Expedited legislation
SB 177-001 – Starvation Gulch barbecue: $500 was allotted to hold a barbecue during Starvation Gulch. Sen. Grzeskowiak-Amezquita attempted to amend the legislation to $400 but failed to achieve the necessary support. Jennifer Chambers sponsored the bill.

SB 177-003 – Blue and Gold barbecue: $200 was retroactively provided to the Alumni Association to help cover the costs of its barbecue during the Blue and Gold hockey game. Arthur Martin sponsored the bill.

Moved to committee
SB 177-002 – Let’s Make a Movie: This legislation would provide the film club with $500 in order to produce a training video for new ASUAF senators. It was moved to the executive committee. Jennifer Chambers sponsored the bill.

SB 177-004 – T-Shirts for Quidditch Club: This legislation would provide the UAF Quidditch Club with $500 to buy t-shirts to sell at fundraisers. Jennifer Chambers sponsored the bill.

Strehl resigns

Mary Strehl has resigned her seat in the senate. The senate is now composed of fourteen senators.

The old guard will shape policy

The first senate meeting was a good start to the year. I won't include a large summary here since my weekly briefs are available on the UAF Sun Star's website.

But, what I'll say here is that I think this batch of senators looks promising. There's enough new blood, that appeared interested in being involved, but enough of last years "old guard" that knows what they're doing.

Who is this "old guard?" I'm talking Robert Kinnard, Chelsea Holt, Jennifer Chambers, Arthur Martin, and Sophia Grzeskowiak-Amezquita. While I know several people will scoff and sneer at a couple of those names, all five of them have an understanding of how the senate works. They have all expressed verbally their intent to be highly involved this year. They are also all officers within the senate, of either the senate itself or committees. They were all elected by their peers (in some cases, re-elected). One, Arthur Martin, was approved for the senate by unanimous consent. Most of them were involved with at least one large endeavour within the past school year.

These are the five people who will shape policy within the senate over the course of the next year. I wish them the best of luck.

Expect a recap

I'll have a recap of yesterday's (Sun., Sept. 05) ASUAF meeting on Wednesday. This weeks online and printed editions of UAF Sun Star will include my recap, which will be republished here with commentary.

Happy Labor Day and see you this week.

New Pages!

Check out my three new pages:

Rating Guide
Meet Your Executives
Meet Your Senators

I hope to expand the last two to include short biographies, voting histories, and a photo.

Meeting Preview #1: Sept. 4, 2011

The ASUAF senate will be meeting on Sept. 4 at 4:00 pm in the Alumni Lounge. This is the senates first meeting for the 2011/2012 academic year.
 
The senate has four bills to discuss:

SB 177-001: Starvation Gulch BBQ
$500 to be allocated towards holding a BBQ during Starvation Gulch (obviously).
SB 177-002: Lets Make a Movie
$500 to be allocated to the Film Club "with the understanding that they will produce a short training video for new ASUAF senators."
SB 177-003: Blue and Gold BBQ
$300 to be allocated toward co-hosting a BBQ with the Alumni Association.
SB 177-004: T-Shirts for Quidditch Club
$500 to be allocated to the Quidditch Club to help them raise money to attend a Quidditch tournament in California in April 2012.

The senate may potentially allot $1,800 in their first meeting. Boy, it's fall and they've hit the checkbook running. Being a "use the student fee, that's what it's there for" kind of guy, I approve of them spending money. I'm sold (har har) on funding the two BBQs, since they are annual events. I also support funding the Quidditch club. I'm hesitant, however, on funding the production of a senator training video and let me tell you why.

Oh, my eyes
Why am I "meh" about SB 177-002?

I'm worried the money will be used to make a terribly boring and pointless training video like the one in the film "Waiting." Since I can't find a clip of it online, this old training video from Bennigans will have to do. Watch it.

Even if the videos point (be kind and respectful) is valid, the average college student/senator will not be receptive to the presentation. For almost any issue, presentation is crucial. I watched the video and my first thoughts was "My god, that was the lamest thing I have ever seen in my life. I will never work or eat at Bennigans for fear of becoming a hideous sycophantic zombie." That is not the impression a senate looking for members is going to want to give off.

Meeting Forecast: Partly Cloudy
If the turn-out during the summer committee meetings was any indicator, we can expect turn-out for the first senate meeting to be low. I say this because the number of senators I expect to be there I can count on one hand.

My best guess: Jennifer Chambers, Arthur Martin, and Robert Kinnard for sure, everyone else has either graduated or left the senate. Out of the 11 senators at the last official meeting last spring semester (May 3), five are no longer senators. The current agenda lists only one senate nominations, Arthur Martin, who is a shoe-in.

[A section detailing the "meeting forecast" terms will be added shortly.]

What is all this?

This blog is dedicated to the political goings-on of the Associated Students of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (ASUAF), the student government. It will operate from Sept. 1 to late-December 2011.

This blog will be three things:

1. Informal
2. Opinionated
3. Researched

If I have an opinion to share, I will let you know why I feel the way I do.

To commenters: If you have something to say, say it! Let me know what you're thinking and don't be shy.