STUDENT SENATE JOURNAL
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
APPROVED DRAFT
Forrest
Hinton, Student Senate President, Presiding
Opening Roll
Call
|
2-15-2006
Opening |
|
There were thirty-nine
(39) Senators (Barnes, Bellamy, Cariaga, Carter, Compton, Culp, Dimond, Douglas, Fabricius, Gardner, Gluck, Griggs, Gula, Hager, Hankins, Hughes, Kling, Lofvenholm, Long, Mckethan, Mickey, Miller, Moye, Murden, Musick, Norman, Oluronbi, Kasey Phillips, Santiago, Saunders, Sawrey, Sevits, Rondell Smith, Templeton, Waldrup, Wally, Walton, Whitehouse, Yasin) present. There were eightteen (18)
Senators (Adams, Brannan, Collins, Maria Evans, Godfrey, Haggard, Heath, Hoy, Hutcherson, Kelly, Kersh, Michael Lloyd, Shivers, Stephenson, Joseph Washington, Wilburn, Winfree, Wood) absent. A quorum was present. The following officials
were also present: Forrest B. Hinton, Toms |
[A history of the Leadershape Institute was
given. One-week opportunity, free of
charge, to learn about leadership, which has only been available at NCSU for
the past 2 years. Signup deadline is about March 1, and the program will be
held the week of May 14. More
information is available at (www.ncsu.edu/cselps/leadership)].
[Took the Senatorial Oath of Office].
Mr.
Gene Summey: Tuesday February 21, Progressive Dinner – Hillsborough St.
Commission - $10 to go 3 places for a meal.
Happens at 6, 7 and 8 pm.
[Motion
has been made to vacate the office of Student Senate Secretary and appoint a
new Secretary. Seconded. Senator Joe Sevits nominated and subsequently
a motion to close the floor for nominations was made, seconded and passed by
consent. Consent was called to appoint
Senator Joe Sevits as Student Senate Secretary and the motion passed without
objection].
[SCJ
Jennifer Edwards was not present for a report and did not send a proxy to
present one on her behalf].
SBT Seneca Toms: Senators have until Thursday at 5pm to make changes to Appropriations requests submitted online. The administration of the accounts of SG will be handed over to the business office however the writing of the checks will remain in-office. Delta Sigma Pi has been notified about the unpaid balance of $4000. Hopefully this situation will be fixed before I leave office.
SBT Seneca Toms: I was lashed out at the meeting in an unprofessional manor. The view of the Student Senate I stated as I stayed at the judicial meeting.
SBT Seneca Toms: Whil Piavis has been disrespectful. I will not tolerate it. If you’d like the truth about the issues stated in the report please contact me.
Sen. Matt Walton: Has there been discussion on the use of office space?
SBT Seneca Toms: No, I can’t tell you right now what the plan is for the meeting next week.
Sen. Adam Compton: Do you feel the same Forrest, are we moving backwards?
[SBP
Whil Piavis was not present for a report and did not send a proxy to present
one on his behalf].
[SSPPT
Zach Adams was not present for a report and did not send a proxy to present one
on his behalf].
SSP Forrest Hinton: The SBP did submit a report which is in the packet. I cannot answer questions on his behalf, but you can read it. Lynette Barksdale has sent in her resignation. [Read]. We will be filling the position. The books are open for other offices, please file online or upstairs for non-senatorial offices. We will be considering confirmation for the election commissioners by fast-track tonight. [Praises Sen. Whitehouse for work on football tailgating taskforce]. Campout was a great success. We had 1,400 students approximately. This was the largest campout since 2000. A wonderful turnout. Piñata smashing, car bashing, pick picking, Dr. Stafford even sent praise. [Applause]. Please be here for the next meeting as transportation will be here to talk about the parking pass increases.
Sen. Matt Walton: What is the parking increases projected at now?
SSP Forrest Hinton: About 9%. The BoG voted to increase tuition and fees last week. It came as no surprise. I am planning a trip to meet with the governor with some Student Senators, watch your email for more about that. Erskin Bowles will be here February 23, 3pm, free ice cream and you can ask any questions you’d like of him. [Pauses for questions].
Sen. Tracy Hutcherson: Why aren’t you attending the meetings anymore?
SSP Forrest Hinton: I thought that some of the things that are occurring are not progressive and I feel at the time I that I wrote my report I felt it was a waste of my time.
Sen. Tracy Hutcherson: I feel it is a waste of time too.
Reports of
Senate Standing Committees
Sen. James Hankins: We will be looking at the GER. If you have an opinion, please attend.
Sen. Adam Whitehouse: Campout was successful. The largest turnout since alcohol was banned. We have had some ticket fraud hearings, we’ve had some no-shows that have lost their eligibility for five games. We have the Coretta Scott King resolution and the unified University Calendar. Of the 20 some rules that we mostly ludicrous, only a few passed. Pass-outs will stay, gas powered generators, and speakers at a low volume level likely. Pat-downs will likely not be that bad, as it will increase safety at the games. In a case of pat-downs or no pass-outs, saving pass-outs was worth it.
SSP Forrest Hinton: You will have to get to the game earlier due to the pat-downs.
Sen. Adam Whitehouse: I do see that it will cause problems for the first few games, so people should get there earlier.
Sen. John Mickey: Have you looked into getting extra scanners at the gates?
Sen. Adam Whitehouse: Not until they get $15,000 each they will not do it as we have advocated for them to. They have stated that the other gates are just as congested.
Sen. Joe Sevits: I feel that $15,000 is an inflated value as Dr. Stafford has stated in the past the scanners cost roughly $1,000 and the other costs would have to be extremely steep in order for the total cost to be that high. Frankly, I feel that figure provided to you is BS. [Urges continued advocacy towards opening additional gates for students and remarks that the comment that the student gates are just as congested as the other gates, a comment reportedly made by a member of the administration, is false, as rarely is there lines of 20-50+ people at the other gates waiting to get into the games].
SBT Seneca Toms: The locations of the gates both during football and basketball has been the farthest away. [Urges all action possible to bring the gates open to students closest to the student section].
Sen. Adam Whitehouse: Athletics likely put the student gates where there was the least congestion during planning and they did mention that wireless access was one reason why the student gates were placed as they were.
Sen. Tracy Hutcherson: Which just happens to be the worst gates.
Sen. Joe Sevits: It doesn’t make enough sense that for the funding we put in Athletics, including that we are putting in via the fee increase approved this year, that they can’t provide $45,000, or whatever the cost is involved to open at least three additional gates. [Urges further action to persuade Athletics to improve the gate situations].
Sen. Adam Whitehouse: I will ask them again to.
Sen. Erich Fabricius: AB 97 will be coming up tonight. The committee will be meeting next week to consider nagging issues of impropriety in the budget keeping SG has faced over past years.
Sen. Hutcherson: [Read agenda items for tonight that committee considered and recommended to the Senate]. Lynette Barksdale has failed to come in to speak with the committee. Jason Mo has failed to give an appropriate report. We also considered and approved the elections packet.
Sen. Alex Carter: 6-1 was the vote to postpone indefinitely the “Academic Bill of Rights” bill; I was the sole dissenting vote. Technician wrote an article about the bill.
Sen. Adam Compton: Fee process, tuition guarantee, and textbook prices will be our three top priorities for the remainder of the year for the committee. We will be talking to Dr. Stafford, John Small, and Laura DeCastro about tuition and fee processes.
Sen. Andrew Barnes: University Architect will come in Tuesday at 9:30pm; the next meeting. We will also be writing legislation regarding food on Centennial because dining is not moving and we’d like to get something substantial out there before 7 years in the future.
Reports of
Senate Select Committees
Sen. Hailey Gula: For appropriations next week will be our big week.
Sen. Matt Walton: Why should Senators be at the interviews?
Sen. Hailey Gula: It is required for the Senators to be at their groups’ interviews. It helps the committee, it helps the groups, and they should be there.
SSP Hinton: We’ve had two meetings in the committee of the budget. Minutes are in the packet. Sunday at 9pm in the Senate Chambers will be the next meeting.
Sen. Erich Fabricius: We’ve met this past Sunday and the Monday before that. We are continuing to work on the bills. Please look over all the bills we have submitted online. They are detailed.
Comments/Announcements
Sen. Adam Compton: Budget reconciliation did pass.
Sen. Tracy Hutcherson: Great digital camouflage produced to provide protection for our troops [sporting it tonight]. Speaking of protection I picked up my three flavored condoms and a vanilla dental dam. Great work by the College of Textiles. [Applause].
Sen. James Hankins: Please take some notice of the many African American accomplishments that have made our country great during this month.
Unidentified Senator : Internship is available.
Sen. Joe Sevits: Look for emails I will be sending out shortly. Two minutes is not enough time during comments to detail all I’d like to. I’m looking into getting ESPN-U into Time Warner Cable’s offerings for the Raleigh, Durham, Fayetteville area. I am also looking into the possibility of getting satellite service for the student centers and showing the games we can’t see on cable on-campus the days of the game. Students normally would have to go out and crowd bars, or find a friend in the area that has the channel to see the games, so this is a service I feel would be good to offer through SG or later a partnership with the Union/UAB. AB 97 will be coming up, I have prepared information and am willing to answer questions later. The University Standing Committee on Dining met yesterday and I am disappointed. I got into a disagreement with administrators regarding if temporary food service located between EB1 and EB2 is something students on Centennial Campus want until permanent options are provided, I say they do, the President of the Engineers Council agrees, and so does every student I have spoken to who has taken classes on that side of campus. I will not wait a projected 5-7 years to get permanent food services there when we can take action sooner to meet the need of the students. We are putting together a survey, if you have questions you would like to be included or feel would be helpful for them to be, email them to me. I will be contacting you all about this later, along with members of the College of Engineering and University Dining to put this together. Lastly, the Inter-Residence Council is holding a broomball event this Friday, signups are online at (http://www.ncsu.edu/irc).
Sen. Erich Fabricius: [Makes two motions, one to fast-track appointments for the elections commissioners being considered tonight for first reading and one to consider all 6 in bloc, both of which passed without debate or objection].
Approval of
Appointments
First Reading
of Bills and Resolutions
[In
accordance with the Fabricius motion, all the above confirmations are
considered in bloc at this time].
SSP Forrest Hinton: It is very important that we have a good elections commission. Take this confirmation set seriously. I will let questions go as long as they need to. One of these appointed tonight may be the next Chair.
Danielle Seale: I’d like to serve to make this election a fair and responsible one.
Ms. Bracey: I want to ensure fair elections and be a part of Student Government.
Mr. Hassel: I want to make sure everyone plays by the rules and we have a fair election.
Sen. Brian Godfrey: Since I am not running next semester, I’d like to serve.
Sen. Erich Fabricius: For all candidates. We’ve had problems with candidates remaining ignorant of the statues that regulate elections and think they can get away with violations. Will you be willing to use some of the stiffer penalties now in our statutes?
Megan Peters: Yes, but on a case-by-case basis. We will be fair and just.
Ms. Bracey: If the rules are explicitly stated to the candidate, it is their job to abide by them.
Danielle Seale: I agree. It is on a case-by-case basis.
Kevin Hassel: I am willing to do so and will in cases where necessary.
Sen. Brian Godfrey: I will in cases of intentional destruction of campaign materials and will make use of warnings and notifications.
Sen. Erich Fabricius: For Godfrey, Seale, and Peters. Do you have willingness to serve your complete term into the fall?
[All, yes].
SSP Hinton: How committed are you to “rocking the vote?” Setting up polls and making sure students are aware of elections?
Sen. Brian Godfrey: [States commitment].
Kevin Hassel: Students need to be aware of the ability to participate.
Danielle Seale: We will as commissioners make sure students are aware.
Megan Peters: I talk to students commonly about elections and will continue to.
SSP Hinton: [Reads email from Andrea Atwell].
Sen. Adam Compton: I move to approve all nominations. [With no objections, motion was approved by
consent].
Referred
to the University Affairs Committee.
Referred
to the Budget Committee.
Referred
to the Select Committee on Government Simplification.
Referred
to the Select Committee on Government Simplification.
Referred
to the Select Committee on Government Simplification.
Referred
to the Campus Community Committee.
[Motion
was made to fast-track by Sen. Erich Fabricius, seconded by Sen. Matt Walton,
passed by consent without objection].
Referred
to the Public Affairs Committee.
Sen. Tracy Hutcherson: We did have Sen. Scott Stephenson come in, he admitted that his absences are excessive. He proposed a censure of himself instead of impeachment. We have evidence he was not a student in the fall, and the committee as a whole agrees he should be impeached.
Sen. Erich Fabricius: The charge of not being student is not in the bill, Mr. President, is it germane? It is dilatory.
SSP Forrest Hinton: [Explains what an impeachment means and briefs the Student Senate on the statutes].
SSP Forrest Hinton: Consent called to approve bill, no objections, so moved.
SBT Seneca Toms: Sponsors report. These are changes to make SG better and to improve the facilities we have. [Pauses for questions].
Sen. Erich Fabricius: [Explains where the bill is pulling funds from and how the recent legislation that re-defined the trust requirements allows for some to come from the general trust. Outlines actions and changes by committee as listed in AB 97]. [Pauses for questions].
SSP Hinton: [Details each change that was made in the bill individually]. Please take note to the latter part of the bill where most of the changes are made.
[Sen. Matt Walton submits a formal amendment to change line 1606 containing funding for logos on larger cups in Fountain from $1,500 to $0 and to place all $1,500 into the line item for spring appropriations].
Sen. Matt Walton: I do not support the $1,500 in 1606. I feel that it would better spent in appropriations because of the impact that it will have on students will be more positive. It is self-indulgence.
Sen. John Mickey: We have a problem, students don’t know who we are, what we do. When they’re coming in as freshmen and sophomores they will see our advertisements on something they can touch, they’ll take notice.
Sen. Robert Wilburn: [Speaks in negative].
Sen. Sara Yasin: [Speaks in positive].
Sen. Matt Walton: This is not the best way of serving the students, appropriations is where the money could be better spent.
Sen. Erich Fabricius: [With leave of the Senate addresses the Chair of the Appropriations Committee and asks if the money this year is needed in her opinion].
Sen. Hailey Gula: Yes, we could use the funds, money is always good.
Sen. Tracy Hutcherson: I am in support of keeping the money in 1606. When they pick up their cups, they see it. Students don’t know about Student Government, how do they know about SG and appropriations? They go to the website! We have the same groups coming in for appropriations, we need to get new.
Sen. Alex Carter: I think it is a great way to increase awareness, but it does not help the apathy in the awareness issue.
Sen. Erich Fabricius: Appropriations should have adequate funds based on previous years.
Roll call vote held, Walton amendment failed by vote of 9-36-12:
|
Walton
amendment to AB
97, Precision Spending Act |
Failed:
9-36-0; 12 absent |
|
|
A yes vote
strikes $1500 from the cup logo line-item and inserts $1500 into spring
appropriations. A no vote opposes this action. |
||
|
There were nine (9)
Senators (Carter, Gula, Kelly, Lofvenholm, McArthur, Santiago, Walton, Whitehouse, Wilburn) voting in the affirmative. There were thirty-six (36)
Senators (Barnes, Bellamy, Brannan, Cariaga, Compton, Culp, Dimond, Douglas, Fabricius, Gardner, Gluck, Godfrey, Griggs, Hager, Haggard, Hankins, Hughes, Hutcherson, Kling, Long, Mckethan, Mickey, Miller, Moye, Musick, Norman, Oluronbi, Kasey Phillips, Saunders, Sawrey, Sevits, Shivers, Rondell Smith, Templeton, Wally, Yasin) voting in the negative. There were zero (0)
Senators present but not voting. There were twelve (12)
Senators (Adams, Collins, Maria Evans, Heath, Hoy, Kersh, Michael Lloyd, Stephenson, Waldrup, Joseph Washington, Winfree, Wood) absent. A quorum was present. The Walton motion to amend
AB 97,
Precision Spending Act, requiring majority approval, was not agreed to by a
margin of 9-36. |
||
[Consent called on bill and with no objections, AR 97 was approved].
Sen. Erich Fabricius: This clarifies policy in regards to the Student Chief Justice. In the worst case, you could potentially be put in a situation to approve both a Student Chief justice and a Student Body Chief Justice otherwise.
Sen. Matt Walton: [Submits formal amendment]. [FORMAL AMENDMENT].
Sen. Compton: [FRIENDLY AMENDMENT].
Sen. Hutcherson: [FORMAL AMENDMENT (SECONDARY)].
[Pursuant to the Student Body Statutes, the Senate moves into the Committee of the Whole to consider the secondary amendment. Prior to doing so, due to the absence of the pro-tem, the Student Senate agrees by consent to have its most senior member chair the Committee of the Whole. Sen. Erich Fabricius subsequently takes the gavel].
[Three cases is struck to two cases by the proposed friendly amendment to the secondary amendment].
Sen. Erich Fabricius: There is no way of interpreting if this change is more stringent, or less stringent and it shouldn’t cause anyone to be disqualified.
Sen. Adam Compton: There are people running that may not have sat on more than one case. This would disqualify them.
Sen. Matt Walton: While I support the intent of Sen. Hutcherson, I do not support the effects.
Sen. Erich Fabricius: [Explains difference of academic integrity hearing over other hearings].
Sen. Forrest Hinton: I want to thank Sen. Walton for making his amendment as he originally made it. We do not have any judicial members that are qualified under our current statutes. We could be shutting out someone who has already filed.
Sen. Tracy Hutcherson: [Makes motion to extend debate by two minutes on if to recommend favorably to the Senate the proposed secondary amendment].
[Eight Senators did not rise, motion fails].
Sen. Matt Walton: We need a wide field of candidates for Chief Justice and this will allow it.
[Vote held on recommending the Hutcherson Amendment to the Senate passes].
Sen. Erich Fabricius: [Responds to Sen. Forrest Hinton’s question and clarifies constitution wording in relation to amendment].
Sen. Hutcherson: Although this will be dealt with in the referendum, I feel it is important to have guidelines in place for this year now.
[Vote on Walton amendment is held. Ayes have it by standing vote. Further division called for counted vote, requires simple majority to be held, counted vote proposal failed].
[Motion made to rise and report from committee of whole made, passed by consent].
Sen. Matt Walton: I would like to make a friendly motion to make the bill state a “confirmed” assistant.
[Walton amendment passed by consent with no objection].
[Consent on the bill called by Sen. Matt Walton and is objected to].
SSP Forrest Hinton: I’d like to call Lock Whiteside up since he is a member of the Judicial Board for his opinion before we pass the bill.
Lock Whiteside: [Recognized to speak of J-Board member stance]. It looks good but I am a little concerned about changing the rules after the books have opened. There is some ethics in that, but if you change rules like this, be sure to do so before individuals file for office.
SSP Forrest Hinton: Consent has been called on the bill. [Passed].
Sen. Adam Compton: Can the Chair note that this is the first time Sen. Walton has had something passed with only his name on i