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.