Johns Hopkins University Student Government Association

Meeting Minutes- Tuesday, August 30^th, 2011

I. Call to Order: 7:30pm.

II. Roll Call

• Quorum established. Senator Michael St. Germain excused.

III. Minutes

• No previous minutes to approve.

IV. Executive Board Reports

A. President: Ardi Mendoza

1. Welcome back

2. This year concentrate on issues of security and increase communication between SGA class presidents and committees.

B. Vice President: Wyatt Larkin

1. Aim to enforce rules this year and encourage more teamwork as well as see full participation from all members.

2. The year will see more agendas on PowerPoint’s and time limits to discussions to improve efficiency

C. Treasurer: Joanna Gawlik

1. The newly proposed budget’s recent changes include an overall increase in money. $15,000 has been allocated for both a sophomore and junior event, $11, 000 is available for seniors and $80, 000 for freshman, to fund their High Table Dinner. The discretionary fund exists to fund student proposed ideas. The majority of money has been directed towards Campus Safety and Development and Student Services.

2. Sustainability Initiatives has been given $5,000, to be used for Joanna’s tentative Bike Project.

3. Entrepreneurship Initiatives as overseen by Wyatt will exist to back up other student groups, giving incentive to students for their own entrepreneurial endeavors.

4. Bank Account Withdrawal Numbers (Orange form): Operation number: 80012632, SGA Contingency: 80012569, SGA Events: 80012578, Operations: 80012662. Joanna and Ardi are the only ones who can sign off on these. (*Note: Operating numbers will be omitted in online published minutes)

D. Secretary: Annie Scavelli

1. Website will be used and updated regularly to improve SGA transparency. Keep students informed.

2. Concentrate on Student Services web page, including a database containing syllabi for all Hopkins classes. To be completed with Academic Affairs.

V. Class President Reports

1. Senior Class President: Luke Sand
   1. 1^st Night party not a great success. Due to hurricane, supplies were limited and liquor license was cancelled.
   2. Luke needs access to e-mails; however, his JHMI e-mail is making this difficult. Ardi has been given instructions to fix this.
   3. Disorientation week for seniors. September 11-16^th.
      1. Sunday: Free BBQ
      2. Monday: Free coffee and donuts on the breezeway
      3. Tuesday: Discounted Orioles game including transportation, $15
      4. Wednesday: Senior Night at PJ’s
      5. Thursday: Give away rest of sunglasses
      6. Friday: Charles Village Pub Crawl (tentative)
2. Successfully finding creative ways to not spam e-mail members of the class (e.g. facebook groups).

B. Junior Class President: Alexandra Larsen

1. Sept 27^th, Food Around the World at Nolans
2. Former Senator Archie Henry is abroad. His replacement senator will be determined by next meeting. Applications are coming in. Archie left
3. Commemorate Katie Oppo and Nathan Krasnopoler by either a tree planting or bench.

C. Sophomore Class President: Merrill Anovick

1. Class night Tuesday
2. Budget Question: $15,000 for sophomores for one big sophomore event (or one big and one smaller).
3. Sept 11^th memorial

VI. Message from Dean Boswell

1. Dean Boswell and Dorothy Sheppard will be acting as Jason Heiserman in the interim until his replacement is found. Executive council will be included in job search.
2. September 11^th memorial will be a multitude of smaller memorials, hopefully, going on simultaneously. Dean Boswell has been speaking with the Muslim Students Association. Vice Provost Sarah Steinberg has been coordinating these different memorials.
3. Office of Student Activities should be used as a resource as they are eager to help SGA. Faculty are looking how they can help us, not only academically, but for the student as a whole.
4. Vice Provost Steinberg has amassed a lot of new money for students, particularly from parents fund.
5. President Daniels is open to even bigger and better ideas for student involvement.
6. Buffet and meeting with Vice Provost and Dean Boswell to occur in October. Previously successful meeting with a lot of positive give and take. In February, there will be a lunch with Vice Provost Steinberg, Dean Boswell, and President Daniels. In April, Nickel’s with the President will occur as it did last year for all SGA members.
7. New program: Shadowing program revived possibly in the first two weeks in November. An SGA member will shadow an administrator and what they do during one day, creating a relationship with that administrator.

VII. Old Business

-None-

VIII. New Business

1. Executive Budget
   1. Question: Senator Merrill Anovick: Funding for a concert in fall is being organized with the HOP
      1. i.     Ardi: Playing  around with bigger names. Hope to improve on spring concert and Hoptoberfest
      2. ii.     Wyatt is speaking to a production company to see who we can get for different amounts (missing from initial report)
      3. iii.     Senator Alex Schupper: is there a ceiling budget? Will it affect spring concert budget?
         1. Boswell: Her office is open to support activities desired to occur on campus. She would like to see mid-late October have something big going on. She suggests asking for what you would like and seeing what is possible from there.
         2. iv.     Wyatt: Getting an idea of package rates. More information will be in his executive report next week.
         3. v.     Sr. President Luke Sand: Why do seniors have less money than others?
            1. Ardi: Appealing from parents fund to get more; however, $11, 000 is what each class gets normally. This year, $15, 000 has been allocated for the sophomores and juniors each. The $11, 000 Seniors have is also not including funds for Senior Week.
            2. Motion to Table Approval to Finance
               1. i.     No opposition

c. Motion passed

B. Committee Assignments

a. All members know their committee assignment.

C. Committee Chair Selection

a. Committees given 5 minutes to elect chairs

b. Committees disperse throughout Mason to come to this decision.

c. Results:

Academic Affairs: Alexandra Larsen

Finance: Merrill Anovick

Campus Safety and Development: Nick Trenton

Student Services: Kirk Sabnani

Appointments and Evaluations: Mimi Gu

IX. Committee Efficiency and Productivity Act

A. Kirk (sponsor): Proposed due to under utilization of Student Involvement committee, restructuring will better balance the weight load between committees.

1. This will dissolve Student Involvement and create Campus Safety and Development.
2. Student Services Committee will also be created to promote services campus won’t provide and work with private groups to further these services. It will work with entrepreneurship and other initiatives, improve health and safety overall, include the bike project, and incentivize students to create their own projects.
3. Senators with a proven track record will also be allowed to work on more than one committee
4. Ardi: The committees do have fluidity and can address different, changing concerns occurring on campus and larger amounts of time can be paid to projects we see occur like the off campus housing database, improvements to housing & dining, etc.

10 minutes for discussion

1. Senator Alex Dash: Problem with sole approval of VP to let one person work on two committees. Open to letting it be up to the executive board
2. Last year, Kirk needed to be on both committees last year because his projects fell into both committees.
3. Motion to Table by Joanna Gawklik
   1. Seconded Cameron Ahmad
   2. Motion passed, no objections

X. Committee Chair Approval Vote

A. Motion to approve by Moses Song

i. Seconded

B. Motion passed, unanimously

XI. Announcements

1. President Ardi Mendoza: Dates
   1. Sept 9^th from 2-4:30 SAC fair

b. Sept 10^th SGA 5-8 bbq at Ardi’s

c. Sept 11^th or 18^th retreat for SGA members, 12-4pm

1. Senator Kirk Sabnani: Hopkins 100?
   1. Ardi Mendoza: No. Jason is not here this year, so, no Hopkins 100 sponsored by his office, although senior leadership consultants may be doing there own Hopkins 100.

C. Ardi has lunch with Dr. Steinberg Sept 7^th to get the ball rolling with the Vice Provost and discuss new projects.

XII. Open Discussion:

A.  Senator Alex Dash: Moses and Alex working on President’s Day of Service, PDOS. Team with most participants get $200 to their name. Alex: what is history of SGA and PDOS?

a. Ardi explains history of partnership. SGA advertises a lot for it, using list servs, encouraging people to sign up, and advertise on the top of the t-shirt,

b. Dash: should SGA be an official sponsor? Looking to have 1000 people registered, anybody have any ideas? Can people register under two different groups? No, can only register under one

c. Senator Moses Song: PDOS is looking for SGA funding, possibly for logistics funds

B. Senior President Luke Sand: Facebook group for his class a success! 325 members

XIII. Adjournment

1. Motion to adjourn by Kirk Sabnani
   1. Seconded
2. B. Motion Passed
3. Meeting adjourned at 8:40pm

Respectfully Submitted,

Executive Secretary Annie Scavelli