APPROVED

Mr. Jason Kohler of the Morris campus reported that the survey on technology was complete and 62 percent of students expressed a willingness to participate in the funding of techology and infrastructure improvements. Students at UMM, he said, have also been involved in discussions concerning the funding of political and religious organizations and have recommended that the fees requests process be reviewed. Finally, Mr. Kohler reported that the UMM Student Lobby Day held May 19, was considered by students to be not only successful but a very favorable experience.

Mr. Don Ness reported on activities at UMD. UMD students were also active participants in their Lobby Day, which was held March 19, and had an opportunity to meet with the chair of the Higher Education Finance Committee. Mr. Ness invited students to join their UMD student colleagues during the upcoming May 8-9 Regents meetings to be held on the Duluth campus.

Mr. Bruce Bromberek, representing GAPSA, reported that GAPSA has focused its attention on the Fees Committee recommendations. Lobby Day for graduate and professional students was February 19 and Mr. Bromberek said there appears to be support for the University budget. Finally, he reported that GAPSA does not support the U Pass proposal recommended by the University Transit Department.

Reporting for MSA, Mr. Jesse Berglund told senators that MSA also does not support the U Pass proposal. MSA has been working actively on the professor evaluations issue and hopes that some resolution can be found before the end of the academic year, preferrably through the University governance structure. Students have also been involved in the discussions concerning the renovation of Coffman Union, the student union on the Twin Cities campus, and in the regent candidate selection process.

Last, a representative of the U of M Coalition for Higher Education (UMCHE) reported that that organization is focusing on the Legislative Agenda approved by the Student Senate in December. She agreed that Lobby Day for Twin Cities students was considered very successful. Next year UMCHE would like to expand the Lobby Day activities and designate more lobby days for each campus. Finally, she reported that the UMCHE will be proposing a change in its name to the Student Legislative Coalition.

Student senators generally supported the idea and offered several suggestions:

• be constructive and use a welcoming tone
• do not be apologetic
• stress that students are interested in developing a good working relationship with the President and his administration
• stress the importance of student government
• invite the President to the first Student Senate meeting in the fall

Mr. Ness thanked students for the good suggestions and said he will bring a draft Resolution to the next Student Senate meeting.

ARTICLE III. SENATE COMMITTEES

2. COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES

SENATE COMMITEE ON COMMITTEES

The Committee on Committees appoints members of certain committees of the Senate and advises the Senate Consultative Committee on the committee structure of the Senate.

Membership

The Committee on Committees shall be composed of 9 elected faculty/academic professional members, 6 elected undergraduate students, and one Twin Cities graduate/professional student.

Of the faculty/academic professional members, 6 shall be from the Twin Cities campus, and one member each from the Crookston, Duluth, and Morris campuses, all elected for three-year terms by the faculty/academic professional members of the Senate from these respective campuses. Faculty/academic professional members must have served as senators within the last five years.

Of the undergraduate student members, 3 shall be elected from the Twin Cities campus, and one each from the Crookston, Duluth, and Morris campuses, all elected by the Student Senate members from these campuses for one year terms. The 6 undergraduate members shall be comprised of 3 of the elected undergraduate Twin Cities representatives to the Student Senate Consultative Committee and the Crookston, Duluth, and Morris Student Senate Consultative Committee representatives. Any undergraduate student committee positions that cannot be filled by October 31 will become at large positions and can be filled by an undergraduate student from any campus. The Twin Cities graduate/professional student shall be elected by the Student Senate members of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly from amongst the graduate/professional student representatives of the Student Senate Consultative Committee. The vice chair of the Student Senate Consultative Committee shall serve on the committee filling one of the seven student positions. The term of service of student members shall be one year. Any graduate/professional student committee positions that cannot be filled by October 31 will become at large positions and can be filled by any graduate or professional student.

. . . .

STUDENT SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES

The vice chair of the Student Senate Consultative Committee shall serve as the chair of the Student Committee on Committees for a one-year term of office. The chair if eligible for re-election to that position.

Duties and Responsibilities

a. The committee shall give consideration to 1) representation from the various campuses and units when appropriate; 2) the number of committees on which the undergraduate student or graduate/professional student member currently is serving; 3) the recommendations of the respective committee chairs, faculty, academic professional, undergraduate student, graduate/professional student members, and presidents of the respective student associations; and 4) expressions of interest in committee service offered by undergraduate students and graduate/professional students. In addition, the committee shall select student senators for committee membership when appropriate to encourage communication between the Student Senate and the committees. The committee also shall strive to assure full and adequate representation by race, gender, and class rank in constituting committees.

The Student Committee on Committees members shall furnish the full committee a slate of student nominees for review and recommendations.

b. To solicit annually from each newly elected member of the Student Senate a list of Senate committees on which the senator is serving or has an interest in serving.

c. To request annually from student association presidents a list of students whom they believe have the requisite interest and experience to serve on specific committees.

d. To recommend to the Senate Consultative Committee such actions or policies as it deems appropriate.

e. To submit to the Clerk of the Senate an annual budget request for the Student Committee on Committees.

DISCUSSION:

Mr. Rob Vanasek introduced the discussion by reviewing the proposal to change the composition and duties and responsibilities of the Student Senate Committee on Committees. He indicated that the recommendation originally came from the Ad Hoc Committee on Student Governance constituted the previous year. The intent of the proposal is to facilitate communication and improve the committee appointment process.

One senator expressed concern about the concentration of power by a small number of students. If the proposal is approved, he said, it would mean that the members of the Student Consultative Committee, which is the executive committee of the Student Senate, would also be appointing the student members of the Senate and Assembly committees. It seems that the student leadership positions should be spread more broadly than that. Mr. Vanasek responded that the committee appointments are really more procedural and the Student Senate Consultative Committee believes that under the new proposal more student committee positions would be filled and in a more timely way.

Mr. Vanasek told senators that the full Senate Committee on Committees will be discussing the proposal at its next meeting and agreed to bring the matter back to the Student Senate after that time.

The elected representatives of the students to the University Senate shall be chosen by secret ballot by the student constituency enrolled in the several institutes, colleges, or schools as specified in the bylaws. There shall be twelve student representatives from the two Twin Cities' student assemblies (MSA and GAPSA). There shall be eleven student representatives from each of the coordinate campuses. Each student assembly shall establish its own procedures of selecting students to represent constituencies.

DISCUSSION:

Mr. Don Ness introduced this item and told senators he initiated the proposal to change how student representation in the Senate is determined from a system of proportional representation to equal representation because he believes it would give the Student Senate a stronger voice in representing all campuses, a voice which he believes is strongly lacking from the outstate campuses. He expressed concern that the majority voice from the Twin Cities campus oftentimes does not represent the other campuses.

While senators were sympathetic to Mr. Ness' concerns, they did not support the proposal. The Senate, it was noted, has a long standing tradition of collegiate representation and the proposal would alter the fundamental structure of University governance. It would also, said one senator, diminish or perhaps extinguish minority representation and, most probably, small colleges would never be represented.