The second meeting of the Student Senate for 2006-07 was convened in 165 Peik Hall, Minneapolis campus, on Thursday, November 30, 2006, at 11:31 a.m. Coordinate campuses were linked by telephone. Checking or signing the roll as present were 23 student members. Chair Joshua Beiningen presided.

Joshua Beiningen, Student Senate/Student Senate Consultative Committee (SSCC) Chair, said that SSCC met with Vice Provost Jerry Rinehart in October to discuss changes to the Student Conduct Code. This will be sent to the Regents for approval in December. There is also a report later on the agenda on the University's Sustainability Report, which is a follow-up to an idea from the September Student Senate meeting.

He noted that he and the vice chair were also contacted by the Student Representatives to the Regents asking for input for their semester report.

Lastly, he noted that he was contacted by the Public Affairs Leadership Students to send a Twin Cities representative to a meeting on an after-hours taxi service. Two senators noted that they were already planning to attend.

Crookston – no report.

Duluth – Jeni Kiewatt said that UMDSA has been working on research for alcohol education reform, sponsorships for the Duluth taxi program, textbook rental, and a better neighbors program.

Morris – Adam Yust stated that MCSA discussed changes to the probation policy, holiday outreach opportunities, and LEED certification for all campus buildings. The campus assembly also approved the campuses strategic positioning plan, completed the undergraduate catalog revision, and continues to work on changes to the campus constitution.

GAPSA – Kristen Denzer noted that GAPSA is talking about lobby day and voted against an MSA transportation initiative to purchase a van and drive students on weekends.

MSA – Jeff Holtz said that MSA is working on Support the U Day, which is the new title for lobby day. MSA Night of Safety Walk was yesterday and had good turnout. They are also working on organizing a community concert for spring semester. Students can receive a ticket to the concert by performing 10 hours of community service. MSA Awareness Week is February 5-10.

Civil Service Committee (CSC) – Daniel Moore said that he attended the CSC meeting this morning, at which time the President attended to discuss increased funding for professional development. The President stated that he is committed to doing what he can to grant the proposal request. CSC also discussed the tuition benefits resolution that is at today's University Senate meeting, heard a presentation on the biennial budget, heard the impacts of strategic positioning, and learned of the University's lobbying efforts from Government Relations.

Jaki Cottingham-Zierdt, Chair of the Council of Academic Professionals and Administrators (CAPA), said that CAPA has approved its four committees' work plans, which are available on-line. CAPA is excited about human resources guiding principles from the Regents. These principles center around a humane workplace environment, which is important during times of change.

The Communications Committee is trying new strategies to keep people returning, such as a wiki for professional development and web polls. She noted that if the Student Senate wants an opinion from professional staff, they can ask that a question be included in an upcoming poll.

Lastly, the Professional Development and Recognition Subcommittee is trying to quantify the value added by professional staff. If the University uses indices to determine whether it is meeting its goals to be a top-three research institution, CAPA knows that funding will go towards measures of progress.

MOTION:

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

http://www1.umn.edu/usenate/ssen/060928stu.html

DISCUSSION:

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

MOTION:

To amend Article VI, Section 2.b and 2.c of the Student Senate Rules as follows (language to be added is underlined, language to be deleted is struck-out). As an amendment to the Student Senate Rules, the motion requires a simple majority.

ARTICLE VI. RULES FOR COMMITTEES OF THE STUDENT SENATE (Changes to this article are subject to vote only by the Student Senate)

...

2. Terms of Membership, Chairing of Committees, and Removal of Members for Absences

...

b. Student appointments to committees of the Student Senate shall be made for terms of one two years. Student members of committees must be registered for at least six credits for each semester in the academic year. Graduate students who have completed course work and are not required to maintain continuous registration during interim periods of study in preparation for written and oral examinations must be certified by the individual department director of graduate studies.

c. Terms of committee service begin July 1 and terminate June 30. No non-student member is eligible to serve more than two consecutive full three-year terms on any one committee, and shall be eligible for reappointment only after a one-year interval of nonmembership on that committee. No student member is eligible to serve more than four two consecutive one two-year terms on any one committee. No committee member is eligible to serve on more than two committees of the University Senate, the Faculty Senate, or the Student Senate at a time. These rotation procedures and limitations do not apply to ex officio representatives.

...

COMMENT:

Last year a concern was raised about continuity of student membership on committees. The Student Committee on Committees discussed the issue and determined that it would be appropriate to assign students to two-year terms on committees, and therefore only have half rotate off each year. This amendment modifies the typical student committee appointment and student term limits.

DISCUSSION:

Q: Is the rotation process stipulated in the Senate Constitution?

A: No since it is a general practice.

With no further discussion, a vote was taken and the motion was approved with 14 in favor and 7 opposed.

What is Project Re-Cell:

1. E-waste in the form of cell phones, PDAs, etc. is a major pollution problem for our water tables (because many get dumped into our landfills);

2. When I say many, I'm talking, at minimum, 50 million of these things that "turn over" each year, with less than 5% of the no-longer-used models collected for refurbishment or recycling;

3. Obviously, the U of M has tens of thousands of students who do cell phone plan "turn over" on a regular basis;

4. By putting out collection boxes for those old phones (for example, in student unions and dorms) you not only do the environment a favor, but...you get money back for those you collect (see attached price list for examples);

5. Project Re-Cell also collects PDAs and accessories like chargers and cables;

6. This money can then go to any U of M program/ nonprofit organization you want.

Other Information:

1. Phones that are refurbished/resold...have their memory chips erased;

2. Phones that cannot be refurbished...are worth $.95 per scrap metal pound;

3. Project Re-Cell will inventory everything that's collected so you have records of what comes in and what we pay;

4. Project Re-Cell supplies the collection boxes (12" x 12" x 12" with a slot in the top for security/easy drop-in);

5. Project Re-Cell supplies the mailing labels; and

6. Project Re-Cell even pays for shipping them to our Idaho headquarters. (Translate: There's absolutely no cost to the U of M.)

So what would the University need to do?

- Say yes (make the decision to try this out);

- Identify the best locations for collection boxes to be placed;

- Once they arrive, put them out;

- Maybe do a little PR stuff re: letting students know you've started a cell phone/PDA recycling program;

- Have someone check the boxes periodically and when they're full: secure the contents (newspaper topping), tape them up, and either call me...or fill out a simple "Request for UPS Pick Up" form on our website (takes about five minutes). Within 24-48 hours a truck comes by...at the location of your choice. And three to four weeks later, a check is cut and sent your way.

[For more information, go to: http://www.projectrecell.com/index.html]

DISCUSSION:

Barb Fluor, a representative from Project Re-Cell, said that she works for this company because they have a policy of zero landfill and no exportation to developing countries. Currently, 50-80 percent of these materials are being sent overseas. The company that actually does the recycling has signed the Basel Action Network (BAN) pledge, which states that the company will not export or import an e-waste that contains toxic materials and it will not engage prison workers in handling these materials. She then asked senators for questions.

Q: Has this program been piloted on other campuses?

A: Recylcemania is campus-wise recycling contest that involves 32 campuses from across the United States, but it does not do any electronic waste. So far no campus has joined Project Re-Cell.

Q: How often are the collection boxes emptied? How does the University prevent people from taking phones from the boxes or throwing in their trash?

A: The campus would need to determine a safe place for the boxes; where they are either watched 24 hours or locked up at night. She hoped that as a pilot project, only a few boxes would be set out and that a few students would be willing to check the boxes. To actually recycle phones, the collection container can be sent in, with a new collection box sent in its place, or the content can be transferred into another box and then mailed in.

Q: If the University participates in phone recycling, what will happen to the number of phones that are donated to domestic abuse centers?

A: Across the United States, 25 million phones are already not being recycled, so it should not have a huge impact on domestic abuse centers. In other areas of the country, when Project Re-Cell representatives have contacted these centers about a possible impact, they usually state that they are sometimes overwhelmed with donations and then have a stockpile that do not know how to use.

Of five area battered women's shelters in the area, three said they had enough phones and did not need any other "streams" of donators. One said they actually had more phones than needed on occasion and at those times they sent them in to a company that recycles them, and only one said they needed more phones.

Q: What is the cost to the University to participate?

A: There is no cost. Project Re-Cell supplies the collection boxes and pays for shipping. The only cost is in the time needed to put out boxes and monitor their fill level.

Q: Can collection boxes be supplied to each campus?

A: Any campus can receive collection boxes if they choose to participate. Project Re-Cell just needs a contact phone number and address.

Q: What money does the University receive for phones collected?

A: If the phone is working, then the payment amount is listed on the handout. If the phone does not work, then the recycler melts down the components and the University receives 95 cents per pound. When the collection boxes are received, an inventory is done; a new web application will allow institutions to log-in and view their account and recently collected inventory.

Q: How is privacy of the donated phones guaranteed before they are mailed to Project Re-Cell?

A: Before the box is mailed, Project Re-Cell cannot control its contents. Any phone that Project Re-Cell receives has its memory chip cleared or the entire phone is sent to scrap recycling.

Q: Does money from recycled phones stay with the campus?

A: Yes.

Barb Fluor thanked the senators for listening to the presentation and asked that anyone interested in participating contact her.

Joshua Beiningen then asked senators how they wished to proceed with this project. He noted that the presentation was done at a Student Senate meeting to reach all campuses and because it fit with agenda items generated in September. However, further action needs to be determined by the body itself.

A senator said that he supports e-waster collection, but due to the different resources available at each campus, wondered whether this was an action for the Student Senate as a whole to approve or just up to each campus.

Another senator said that she still has concerns about privacy of phone information since the boxes are portable and most students do not delete phone memory.

The Student Senate decided to forward this item to each campus association for further action.

Daniel Moore, a student senator from the University of Minnesota - Morris, was elected Student Senate Chair.

Leslie Krueger, Chief of Staff for University Services, joined the meeting to discuss the University’s recent Sustainability Report and Regents policy on Sustainability and Energy Efficiency, which were both distributed.

She said that the Regents policy includes six guiding principles and four steps for implementation. One step in the implementation process is accountability, which includes performance measures on these principles and regular reports back to the Regents. Since this policy was adopted, this phase of implementation has been delayed due to that fact that there are different policies currently in place and a holistic view is needed to make changes. She is hoping that the Twin Cities campus master plan will guide this effort.

She then turned to the Sustainability Report, highlighting examples from teaching, research, service, and operations. These examples include interdisciplinary organizations that enhance sustainability and specific campus initiatives.

The first is the President's Initiative on the Environment and Renewable Energy (PIERE), whose goals are to coordinate efforts among the colleges and centers at the University.

A second is the Initiative on Renewable Energy and the Environment (IREE) which received state money to fund seed grants in four clusters: 1) hydrogen, 2) bioenergy and byproducts, 3) policy, economics, and ecosystems, and 4) conservation and efficient energy systems. To date, IREE has awarded $8.5 million to fund 24 projects, such as the solar vehicle project, a study on ethanol plants, and wind turbine projects.

A third area is the newly-formed Institute on the Environment, a result of the strategic positioning process. It is an effort to organize interdisciplinary research and will have faculty and researchers that serve on a rotating basis.

A last area is the Center for Sustainable Building Research in the College of Design. It is meant to promote interdisciplinary work in architectural research and serve as a state resource for public agencies and building owners. The Center focuses on sustainable design, energy-efficient buildings, window and glazing research, building design process and evaluation, and building science.

Leslie Krueger then highlighted three specific projects at the University. The first is a solar-driven hydrogen fuel cell demonstration project that provides electricity with no carbon emission. A second project is a 1.65 megawatt wind turbine at Morris. Lastly is a proposed Morris biomass gasification research and demonstration facility. The University has received $6 million from the state to explore the technology and a proposal will be presented to the Regents in February. If approved, construction would start in the spring.

She then turned to changes in University operations, and introduced Jerome Malmquist, Director of Energy Management. The University is looking at using biomass, specifically oat hulls, as an alternative source of fuel. After a long approval process, the University Steam Plant received clearance to burn 25,000 tons of oat hulls, which are a renewable source of energy and saves money. These oat hulls are a byproduct of cereal production.

Q: With the switch to whole grain cereal, does this affect the amount of oat hulls available?

A: Oat hulls have little to no food value, so it would likely not be used in whole grain cereal.

The University also participates in the Chicago Climate Exchange which is a voluntary, legally-binding. pilot program for reducing and trading greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Other participants in the program are Dow, Corning, Dupont, Ford Motors, and IBM. The University is one of the few institutes of higher education that participates.

The program includes carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydro fluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride and participants have agreed to cut emissions by four percent from their baseline by 2006. The University will participate in phase two, which will cut another two percent by 2010.

Q: Are cell phones included in the University's electronic waste?

A: Most electronic waste is computer equipment.

Q: A previous speaker discussed as pledge to not ship waste to developing countries. Does that University participate in this pledge?

A: The University contracts with a company to handle electronic waste after first trying to reuse it on campus. This company does have requirements on disposal, but she is not sure of the details.

Leslie Krueger mentioned that the University’s recent Sustainability Report is available on the web at: http://www.uservices.umn.edu/sustainableU/Sustainability&U.pdf and she encouraged senators to stay involved on this topic.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:05 p.m.