The first meeting of the Student Senate for 2002-03 was convened in 25 Mondale Hall, Minneapolis campus, on Thursday, September 20, 2002, at 12:10 p .m. Coordinate campuses were linked by telephone. Checking or signing the roll as present were 38 voting student members and 1 ex officio member. Chair Ryan Osero presided.

Ryan Osero noted the Professor Feeney was unable to attend today’s meeting due the time change. He will be at the October 31 meeting to speak with the students.

Ryan Osero reminded senators that copies of the Student Senate handbook and a Parliamentary Procedures guide were available at the back of the room. He then walked senators through the Parliamentary Procedures guide, noting the purpose and principles behind parliamentary procedure. He reminded senators that the Student Senate is only as strong as its members. Members can only be effective if they attend meetings and come prepared to debate and vote on items, which includes talking to the student’s constituency prior to the meeting.

If senators wish to make a comment or ask a question during the meeting, they should walk to a microphone and, after being recognized by the chair, state their name and college before proceeding. Senators cannot ask questions or make comments from their seats because this exchange will not be tape recorded or be broadcast to the coordinate campus senators. These same procedures will be used during the University Senate meetings.

In closing, he said that senators should feel free to speak to himself, Eric Steinhoff, Judy Berning, or Becky Hippert if they have any questions during the year.

Eric Steinhoff, Vice Chair of the Student Senate, familiarized senators with some parts of the Student Senate Handbook but asked students to read through the entire handbook. He asked senators to look at the inside cover for a list of common acronyms for committees within the University Senate. He then referred senators to the University Senate website, which contains the meeting schedule, list of senators, and past Student Senate minutes.

Senators are responsible to their student assembly/association and college board, as well as to the Student Senate. He reviewed the procedures for when senators cannot attend a meeting and the flowchart for the how the University Senate operates.

Lastly, he said that the handbook contains contact information for the senators as well as the Student Senate leadership. Senators should review the contact information listed in the Student Senate handbook and let Becky Hippert know of any changes.

Q: What happens if there is an issue that requires immediate attention but the Student Senate is not scheduled to meet in the near future?

A: The Student Senate Chair should be made aware of the item of business, since it is possible to hold a special meeting for urgent items of business or the item could be introduced under New Business if the docket is already finalized. The item could also be discussed by the Student Senate Consultative Committee (SSCC) since it has the authority to act on behalf of the Student Senate.

Ryan Osero announced that Legislative Network is hosting an alumni breakfast on Saturday, October 12 and they need student volunteers to serve breakfast and distribute flyers. If anyone is interested, please contact him.

MOTION:

To approve the Student Senate minutes, which are available on the Web at the following URLs. A simple majority is required for approval.

http://www1.umn.edu/usenate/ssen/020425stu.html

DISCUSSION:

With no discussion a vote was taken and the motion was approved.

Ryan Osero called the attention of senators to a lengthy list of amendments to the Constitution, Bylaws, and Rules which will be presented for action at today’s University Senate meeting. He asked that everyone attend that so these items can be approved.

COMMENT:

This statement was approved by the Student Senate Consultative Committee on Thursday, April 5, 2001, was presented at the Board of Regents meeting on the same date, and was then approved by the Student Senate on April 19, 2001.

Ryan Osero, Student Senate Chair, welcomed senators to the 2002-03 Student Senate. He informed senators that Eric Steinhoff, from the Morris campus, is the Student Senate Vice Chair and Judy Berning, from the Carlson School of Management, is the Student Senate Consultative Committee (SSCC) Chair. Senators should feel free to contact any of them with questions or concerns. If senators cannot attend a meeting, please contact Becky Hippert.

He then re-emphasized that the Student Senate is only as strong as the involvement of its members. Senators can be involved by attending meetings or sending an alternate, be prepared with questions and concerns, talk to your constituents about issues prior to the meetings, communicate Student Senate actions with the students assemblies/associations and college boards, serve on a Senate/Assembly committee, and talk with administrators regarding campus policies and procedures.

He then thanked all senators who attended the Student Senate Workshop and Colleen Klatt who facilitated the event.

Issues for the Student Senate this year will include the presidential search, the Gopher/Viking stadium proposal, the effects of the full-time policy, financial accountability, and funding for the state Higher Education Services Office (HESO). If senators have any other issues, please contact him or a Senate/Assembly committee.

Judy Berning, Chair of the Student Senate Consultative Committee (SSCC), said that issues for the SSCC this year will be the stadium proposal, work study funding, and accountability. The last issue will involve a joint task force with the Faculty Consultative Committee and the administration. Financial accountability will be examined for service units, college reserves, and student service fees.

Crookston – Jean Korkowski said that the Kiehle Building is scheduled to be finished October 9 and a final design is almost complete for the Bede Hall renovation.

Duluth – Nick Cecconi stated that new dormitories, referred to as Griggs Towers, opened on campus this fall, ground was broken this fall for the Swenson Science Building, updated plans have been received for the new Recreational Sports Facility, and Kirby Hall renovations are proceeding as scheduled.

Morris – Kevin Vogeltanz reported that the campus is trying to rally support again for renovations to the Social Science Building. Reginald Davis added that Morris is attempting to have all the gubernatorial candidates visit campus.

Graduate and Professional Student Association – No report.

Minnesota Student Association - Judy Berning said that MSA will be sponsoring a float in the Homecoming parade this year.

MOTION:

To approve the charge to the Student Senate Consultative Committee (SSCC) Membership Task Force

STUDENT SENATE CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE (SSCC) MEMBERSHIP TASK FORCE

1. OBJECTIVES:

2. MEMBERSHIP (total of 6)

3. TIMELINE

COMMENT:

Questions were raised last year on the membership of the Student Senate Consultative Committee (SSCC). A proposal to change the membership was brought forward to the University Senate but was not approved. The suggestion was then made to appoint a task force to examine both the role of SSCC and what membership would best serve that role.

DISCUSSION:

Ryan Osero began by making three changes to the motion. The first is a change to the section on membership so that the Student Senate Chair and the Student Senate Vice Chair will be finalizing the membership. The second change is that the motion was presented to SSCC on September 19 for information, not for approval. The third change is in the dates for the last two items in the timeline, which should be in 2003, not 2002.

Q: How will students be chosen and do the members need to be senators?

A: Members do not need to be senators, just a member of each student association/assembly. The Student Senate Chair and Vice Chair will be talking to each student association/assembly president for recommendations and volunteers. The chair, though, will be an at-large member.

Q: Will SSCC approve the committee membership?

A: Since the charge for the task force is to examine the current membership structure and how the committee functions, he did not feel that it was appropriate that SSCC should approve the members. The task force membership will be shared with the SSCC and the Student Senate once it has been named, and both groups will receive reports.

With no further discussion a vote was taken and the motion was approved.

A senator made a motion that the Statement on the Proposed Stadium, previously approved by the Student Senate, be re-approved given the current situation. The motion was seconded and the floor was opened for discussion.

Q: What is the status of the stadium proposal?

A: Last spring the state allocated funds to the University for a pre-design on the stadium and to create a Memorandum of Understanding with the Vikings regarding what a joint stadium would be and how it would operate. The memorandum is currently being drafted and will be presented for approval at the December Regents meeting. The location for the proposed stadium will be the Huron parking lots.

Q: What would the parking situation be for students and faculty during construction?

A: Parking during construction has not been finalized, but the proposal is to use buses to transport people to and from satellite lots. After construction, there will be two parking ramps, to replace the lots, at a cost of $60 million and a yearly operating deficit of $3 million.

A senator commented that night class students need access to affordable parking and all students should not rely on statements that begin with ‘probably’.

Q: When will a response be received to the questions and concerns that were submitted by SSCC?

A: There is no definite date since many of the issues are still unresolved. The expectation is that more details will become available closer to the December Board of Regents meeting.

With no further questions, a vote was taken and the motion was approved.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:00 p.m.