Bemidji State University

Student Senate

Proposed Minutes

March 27, 2002

 

I. Call to Order:  3:15 PM

II. Roll Call:

 

III. Agenda: Addition:

A. New Business Tech fee resolution

                B. Add Swift Style dance club after old business

                C. Agenda Passes with additions

IV. Minutes: Minutes Approved.

V. Guest Speakers:

                A. Gerry Amble

                                1. Tuition numbers being worked on

                                                a. Revision and review of old policy.

                                2. FY 2002 Budget (see handout)

                                                a. Working on FY 2003 budget

                                                b. Planning on return to the group.

                                                c. Purely the M&E budget.

                                                d. Have to cover what happened in negations.

                                                e. Different budgets for all departments

                                                f. MNSCU Reserve

                                                                - Other reserve used for emergency

                                                g. Had 3% inflation on student help, telephone costs, and supplies in FY 2002.

                                3. Want document saying that there was a consultation with the Student Senate.

                                4. Have more information next week.

                                5. May be a 13.5% tuition hike for FY 2003, but don’t think it’s going to be that high. It should be less.

                                6. Would like input on next years tuition rate.

                                7. Answer to Question: Service Income and Reimbursements are from such things as copy machines.

                                8. Student help went up 3%, gave more money to departments for student workers.

                                9. Set money aside for purchase orders for next fiscal year.

                                10 We had high tuition increases

                                                a. to keep salary and supplies up.

                                                b. Contract settlements were more money than anticipated.

                                                c. Wanted to be ahead after 2003.

                                11. We have reductions that we need to build up.

                                12. We have a lot of senior faculty, which we want to maintain.

                                13. Personnel are still a big part of the budget.

                                14. Quality level is why we are so much higher than other MNSCU schools.

                                15. Catalog put on CD, which will lower that cost by $50,000.

                                16. What efforts are being done to cut administration expenses?

                                                a. We do have vacant positions that we are keeping vacant to save expenses.

                                17. Was the 17.5% tuition hick justified?

                                                a. To maintain staffing, computers, labs, without having to make cuts, yes. 

                                18. No electronic academy, money now goes into Center for Extended Learning.

                *Point of Personal Privilege - Senator Bellefy

                *Gavel passed to Speaker Melcher

VI. President’s Report:

                A. We get Progressive Railroads; it will be in the senate office.

                B. Draft Proposal for revisions, we will get copies next week

                C. Legislative affairs report from DC.

                                1. Reauthorization act, change age from 24 to 21.

                                2. Oppose raising loan limits

                                3. International students, how they will be effected

                D. Tuition discussions- apprehensive, our position isn’t getting taken seriously

                                1. We need to be united on how we stand.

                                2. This weekend we (all seven universities) took a stance on we will be able to take a 7.5% increase with a 5%                                          surcharge.

                                3. Number brought up by the MNSCU board of trustees.

                                4. Look forward to the next two weeks.

                E. Nomination for a new election chair coming up.

VII. Vice-President Report:

                A. Meetings Attended

                                1. Went to the search committee meeting.

                                                a. Deciding who we are going to bring on campus

                                2. Union Advisory

                                                a. Ride Board.

                                3. Attended Legislative Affairs Committee

                                                a. Things are looking good

                                4. Saturday - Hobson Union's First Annual Egg Hunt

                                5. Attended Quirky stories with Quistgaard last night

                B. Office Management

                                1. Use parliamentary procedure during guest speakers

                                2. If you have something to hand out for the meetings, do so with the minutes so we can have all the information in                                       front of us.

                C. City of Bemidji

                                1. City council meeting on April 1st.

                D. Miscellaneous

                                1. Received a third application for President and Vice-President.

 VIII. Standing Committee reports:

                A. Legislative Affairs:

                                1. Working on constitution

                                2. Swift and Stylin Dance Club- have constitution ready to go

                                3. No more lobby trips

                                4. Congressman Jim Ramstad-sent a letter

                                5. Conference this weekend was lots of fun and a learning experience.

                B. Academic Affairs Committee:

                                1. If you have problems with classes come see Chair Heisserer.

                C. Student Services:

                                1. Smoking on Campus

                                                a. Smokers shack

                D. Public Relations:

                                1. Checking up on polo’s and licensing issue with University.

                E. Cultural Diversity

                                1. Need people to help with Feast of Nations, if you can help talk to Chair D’Souza

                                2. Change Cultural Diversity name.

IX. Ad Hoc Committee Reports:

                A.  Retention, Recruitment and Fun

                                1. Will meet at stats on Friday

                B. Tech Fee

                                1. Need to give by Friday

X. University Committee Reports

                A. Budget and Resource Allocation

                                1. Campus-wide budget date.

                                2. New bonding recommendations.

XI. MSUSA Reports:

                A. MSUSA Campus Rep:

                                1. Attended Nellie Stone Johnson Dinner on Thursday

                                2. Went to Delegates’ conference this weekend-not fun at all.

                                3. Winona Conference coming up.

                B. MSUSA Cultural Diversity Representative:

                                1. No Report

XII. Old Business:

                A. Student Wage Rates.

                                1. Chair Gassert: Reading of bill

                                2. Chair Gassert:

                                                a. It will be at a cost of just over $50,00

                                                b. Student wage rate is low.

                                3. Sen. Matson: Our tuition is going up & some people can’t live on campus.

                                4. MSUSA Rep Rowlette: This is good.

                                5. Sen. Anderson: Will this cut jobs? (Chair Gassert: Departments have a certain allocation of money.)

                                6. Chair D’Souza: International Students are needed to apply to work off campus because they can’t earn enough on                                             campus.

                                7. Sen. Cloutman: Bemidji has it’s own economy & that economy doesn’t pay $6.50. 

                                Maybe some should pay more.

                                8. Chair Heisserer: Less work available on campus.  It is hard to find a job on campus. Who pays the tuition?  We                                          are higher than town.  Not fiscally responsible. 

                                9. Sen. Weber: Our payroll is very unique.

                                10. President Anderson:

                                                a. Think about your friends that go home to work because they can make more going home to work than                                                        saying here. 

                                                b. We have student workers because we need them.

                                                c. The state will put more money in work-study, and more of a need of from payroll positions. 

                                                d. Look at tuition...we are the highest.

                                                e. Other campus will raise their rates.

                *Seconds speakers list:

                                11. Chair Gassert: Maybe we can barter for it.

                                12. MSUSA Rowlette- Call to question-fails.

                                13. Sen. Anderson: Got turned down for three regular payroll jobs.

                                14. Sen. Weber: Many people have misconceptions about international students.

                                15. Chair Heisserer:

                                                a. Money doesn’t come, if you run out of money, you run out of money.

                                                b. It would be great for international students, but might be pushed off campus.

                                16. Sen. Cloutman: How many people are working on campus, doesn’t seem logical.

                                17. Sen. Frink: Would it be possible to create more jobs?

                                18. Sen. Weber: Could we replace student workers with some administration?

                                                a. President Anderson: No you can’t.

                                19. Vice-President Waletzko: Some people don’t use work-study & therefore that money is available for other areas.

                                20. Sen. Matson-There is a pool of money, so it’s the amount of money not a certain number of workers that can be                                            hired.

                                21. Vice-President: Take your constituencies into consideration...not just your personal opinions.

                                22. No further discussion. Move to a vote: 8 yes, 5 no 1 obtain

XIII. New Business

                A. Technology Fee:

                                1. Chair Gassert: Reading of bill

                                2. Motioned by Chair Gassert.  Seconded by Chair D’Souza

                                3. Chair Gassert: Two staff being paid out of the technology fee.

                                4. Chair D'Souza: No further comment.

                                5. Chair Weber: We should be careful when we raise fees.

                                6. President Anderson:

                                                a. Had nothing to do with the raise in technology fee last year.

                                                b. President Quistgaard and Vice-President Amble are not taking action.

                                7. Motion to suspend the rules-passed

                                8. Move to an immediate vote: Passed Unanimously.

                B. Elections chair appointment:

                                1. Blake Lee Frink

                                2. Sen. Frink: Was inspired by this weekend, come talk to me with ideas.

                                3. Move to a Vote: Appointed Unanimously

*Moved back into old business

                B. Move to suspend the rules motioned by Chair Heisserer. Seconded by Chair Gassert.

                                1. Swift ‘N’ Styln Dance Club.

                                2. Move to Vote: Passed

XIV. Open Forum:

                A. Thanks for the list.

                B. Chair Gassert: Can anybody bring bill to Brian Allen? (Chair Heisserer: I can)

                C. President Anderson: Foundation wants us to work at a thank you on May 5.

                (Passed around a sign-up sheet)

                D. MSUSA Rep Rowlette: Take off the weekend for Winona conference.

                E. Sen. Cloutman: More training for officers working in Security.

XV. Adjournment:  4:55