[In these minutes: Agenda items for 2003-04, Approval of Student Senate
agenda, Discussion of the role and charge of SSCC]
STUDENT SENATE
CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE (SSCC) MINUTES
OCTOBER 16,
2003
[These minutes reflect discussion and debate at a committee of
the University of Minnesota Senate or Twin Cities Campus Assembly; none of the
comments, conclusions, or actions reported in these minutes represent the views
of, nor are they binding on, the Senate or Assembly, the Administration, or the
Board of Regents.]
PRESENT: Scott LeBlanc, (chair), Sean Bell,
Derek Brunsberg, Joshua Colburn, Jeff Dahl, James Kanten, Levi Kary, Charles
Stech, Jeremy Steil, Adam VanWagner, Dan Weiske.
REGRETS: Ryan
Osero.
1. CLARIFYING AGENDA ITEMS
Scott LeBlanc reviewed
the list of items that were submitted by members. He asked that this committee
pick a few to work on, and consider sending a few others to the Student Affairs
Committee.
Q: If items are sent to another committee, how can SSCC
guarantee that work is being done?
A: SSCC can always request progress
updates.
Members then made the following comments:
- Student Service Fees audit should be handled by Student Affairs since it is
part of their charge
- Student Bill of Rights should go to Student Affairs
- SSCC should discuss administrative acts that take place over the summer.
While SSCC can meet over the summer, it is inappropriate to push items through
without student input. A letter could be sent to the President on this topic.
Could these policies be revisited in the fall?
- SSCC should not spend time on the stadium, especially since coordinate
campus students will not be funding it
- Any Twin Cities issues should be scheduled for the end of the meeting so
coordinate campus students can leave
- Housing is a topic that needs to be examined
The committee
decided to focus on the following issues:
- Tuition, including the University fee
- Administrative acts over the summer
- Student Code of Conduct
- Student Senate role and attendance
- MnSCU relations
- Student Service Unit Accountability
2. APPROVAL OF
STUDENT SENATE AGENDA
Dan Weiske reviewed the discussion items that
will appear on the agenda. It was then approved as presented.
3.
DISCUSSION OF THE ROLE AND CHARGE OF SSCC
Scott LeBlanc asked members
to consider what they wanted SSCC to be, just an agenda-setting body or a
consultative body?
Members then made the following comments:
- If SSCC is not consultative, then who is?
- SSCC represents all groups and can meet much quicker than the full Student
Senate
- It will be hard for SSCC to set the agenda if it is not consultative
- SSCC is the only committee guaranteed a student chair
- Can SSCC be truly consultative without equal
representation?
The committee then turned to the actual charge
language for SSCC, noting that the current list of duties and responsibilities
for SSCC should be increased to included some duties listed under SCC, as long
as the duties are particular to the needs of students and do not overlap other
duties.
The committee then reviewed the charge language, noting duties
that needed to be deleted or language that needed to be changed. It was decided
that the revised language would be approved by email following the
meeting.
Scott LeBlanc said that issues about membership would be
reviewed at a future meeting.
4. OTHER BUSINESS
The
committee then discussed holding a separate meeting for SSCC and interested
student senators to work on reviewing changes to the Senate constitution. A
member noted that the response rate for a meeting in Duluth was poor, and
meeting at another coordinate campus might not be much better. Since most
senators are in the Twin Cities, it should probably be held here. Another
member then asked that an email be sent to all senators, asking them to RSVP for
attending a Saturday meeting to review the constitution.
With no further
business, Scott LeBlanc thanked all members for attending and adjourned the
meeting.
Becky Hippert
University Senate