University of North Florida Student Senate
Senate Meeting Minutes – September 15th 2014 – 6:30 to 10:00 PM – Senate Chambers
I.
Call to Order
- Meeting is called to order at 6:35PM
II.
Invocation (Senator Talley)
III.
Pledge of Allegiance (Senate President Ramirez)
IV.
Roll Call – Senate President Pro-Tempore Shomari Gloster– sgaspt@unf.edu
-
Quorum is established with 24 voting members
V.
Approval of Minutes – August 25th 2014
- Senator Rotella. Motion to approve the minutes from August 25th, 2014. Second. All in favor. Moved
VI.
Approval of Agenda
- Senator Kennedy. I move to add SB-14F-2797 to tonight’s agenda to 2nd read. Second. Discussion. All in
favor. Moved
- Senator Kennedy. I move to add SB-14F-2798 to tonight’s agenda to 1st read. Second. Discussion. All in favor.
Moved
- Senator Gloster. Motion to approve tonight’s agenda as amended. Second. All in favor. Moved
VII.
Recognition of Students Seeking Appointment
- Hailey Guerra. Junior. Political Science and Criminal Justice. General Senate Seat.
VIII.
Student Remarks (3 minutes per Student)
- none
IX.
Guest Speakers
a. Andrew Coconato, Assistant Director of Osprey Productions (5 minutes)
- Tonight I am speaking as a student to students. If you have already heard this speech before I will say it as
many times as I have to, to motivate action among students. I am a very passionate person for this school and
I am in my 4th year and I am kind of tired of the lack of passion and motivation in students. So, I’ve been
going around to chapters, I spoke at the club alliance meeting, I’ve spoken to the intercultural center for peace,
I’ve spoken to the LGBT center, I’ve spoken to my brothers, I’ve spoken to my friends, and my colleges for
my passion for this school, it lacks. A friend of mine did a survey and asked 300 students what would enhance
their experience at UNF. 70% said they knew more people and they had more friends. This is something that
we as leaders don’t understand very well because we are very involved in our organizations and we have made
friends and connections. The second answer was “I don’t feel like UNF is a legitimate school”. You know
what makes schools legitimate? Most people would say football. It’s not the actual football team that makes
the school legitimate; it’s the students at the football games. I can’t control whether or not we have a football
team. I would like to see us create school legitimacy without a football team; I cannot do that by myself. As for
you all as senators, you represent the voice of the students. All you have to do is just go to events and talk to
students and ask them what they want to see in this school, you have the power to do a lot. I am not talking to
the Senate as a whole; I am talking to each and every one of you individually. What will you do specifically to
leave a legacy for this school? If we don’t take initiative how do we expect others to? Nowadays people are
lazy and don’t want to put forth effort to make change. By the time I’m gone, someone else is going to be
leading the pack. This is an awesome school; I need help making other students believe that. I need help
establishing legitimacy. We had over 500 students at our pool party on Saturday, it was advertised very well. I
did not see much Greeks, and not much student government representatives. I think that is repeated way too
many times in here, and I think it’s about time to change this. Take initiative, take your position and make
something powerful. You aren’t at any other schools, you are here. I don’t have a script in front of me, this is
from my heart. Don’t just come up to me and say “dude your speech was great”, I want to see action; I want
to see you actually do something. Speak to someone as a student to a student. Take pride in this school,
because if you don’t, no one else will.
X.
Office of Elections
a. Elections Commissioner – True Rains sgaelections@unf.edu (5 minutes)
- Party registration is due this Friday. So any of you that are interested in starting a party or registering to a party,
that is due at 5:00 to the SG Rotunda. I would also encourage you for those of you who are re-running your
DOI are due in the next couple weeks. And for those of you who are running in the spring, it is not just my
job to recruit people for Senate, it is our job. I have been speaking to my classes; I would encourage you to do
the same. We need to increase interest in Student Government. People will see it as a lot more legitimate. Last
year there weren’t even elections, it was kind of embarrassing. I want to make sure that this year we blow it out
of the water. I can’t do that on my own, I would encourage you to help me. Come to me with any ideas or
questions you have.
XI.
Judicial Branch Report
a. Chief Justice – Daniel Powers sgajc@unf.edu (5 minutes)
- I don’t have anything to report tonight.
XII.
Executive Branch Reports
a. Osprey Productions – John Chwalisz opdir@unf.edu (3 minutes)
- As I promised you guys, I am going to bring one of my coordinators to each senate meeting. So I want to
introduce you to Victor Reyes, he is our Music Coordinator:
o Victor Reyes: I have a very similar passion to all of the coordinators that are in Osprey Productions. I
have all the same goals that you all have; I want to see students be prideful. I want this to be
everyone’s 1st choice. One way we can do that is through entertainment. I want to bring everyone
together. One of the best ways to do that is through music, stage productions, anything to get
students to come. I want to tell you about some of the events that we have coordinated. The 1st one is
called Elevate. It is kind of like a coffee house idea, it will be a networking event for small musicians
within Jacksonville and UNF. The movie “Neighbors” is showing this Wednesday, there are two
showings at 7:00 and 9:45. Also, just to reiterate, the pool party was a huge success.
- I know you guys are going to be here late tonight. There is something tonight called the Thrilling Dead, which
is a giant Thriller dance production. Practices do start tonight. Don’t worry if you do miss the first one, we can
have a refresher course for you all. It will be going on every Monday for the next 7 Mondays. I have heard
through the grape vine that President Turner and Director McGuire might be dancing in that. Last but not
least, October 22nd is our next general meeting.
b. Club Alliance – Katie Jackson (Assistant Director) sgacluba@unf.edu (3 minutes)
- Club alliance is dealing with re registration, it ends this Friday. We are very busy because everyone likes to
procrastinate. We had our last general body meeting on Friday last week and we had a total of 187 people
attend. There were 164 clubs compared to 145 last year, so that’s exciting. This Friday we have our
philanthropic meeting in the auditorium. They have their board fair will be next Tuesday on the green from
10:00-3:00, they have partnered up with Lend-A-Wing. The most exciting news is that Club Fest is two weeks
from today on September 29th from 10:00-3:00. We are going to be serving BBQ chicken sandwiches, hot
dogs, nachos, popcorn, and drinks. The theme is game night, so we are providing activities including a huge
Twister, corn hole, and jenga. All the clubs have games, so there are going to be lots of games to play. We are
going to need a lot of help, so if you want to get involved we are passing around a signup. Our staff is only 5
people, so there is no way we can handle all of that. If you sign up for 8:00 meet at our office, and if you sign
up for any of the later slots meet us at the green.
c. Attorney General – Matthew Harris sgaag@unf.edu (3 minutes)
- First of all how many of you know how our parking appeals system work? How many of you know you get a
ticket if you park illegally? Myself, the Chief Justice and Parking Services have worked together to create a new
representation system which allows students who come up to appeal their parking tickets to have some sort of
representation who knows how the system works. That is going to be myself, Ryan Hennessey, or Collin
Waychoff; we are going to help students alleviate some of that stress. It is a very important service to help
students. Second of all I would like to announce the start of a new program that I will be holding on Mondays
before Senate. I am tentatively calling is “weekly open conference”. This is a time for you all to get together in
an informal setting to discuss some of the things that might be going on in senate, or some issues that you
would like to take on in the future. It will be John E. Sapp conference room every Monday. We are all familiar
with Sunshine law which prevents the voting body from discussing items of business, which is kind of hard
coming into senate not having talked to each other. This is a time to collaborate before senate without the
intensity of senate and without Roberts’s rules. I have asked Treasurer Wolf to join as well for any fiscal
questions that come up.
o Senator Brown: What time? - 4:45 on Mondays.
o Senator Gloster will it be every Monday? yes
d. Treasurer – Morgan Wolf sgasbt@unf.edu (3 minutes)
- Due to the length of the agenda I’m going to hold my remarks for a different time. Please pay attention to
what Senator Kennedy added to 1st read on the agenda.
e. Vice President – Anthony Stevens sgavpres@unf.edu (3 minutes)
- Who knows what is going on tomorrow from 11-4? –your voice your choice is a survey for our students and
how they feel about the possible initiatives we have going on in student government. If you have any time at
all, any help is welcome. As for the lounge space, the furniture will be coming on the 30th.
f. President – Joseph Turner sgapres@unf.edu (5 minutes)
- This morning we released via YouTube and Facebook, we released the 1st of my weekly updates. These
updates are for students to stay more in tuned with what we are doing. This week we talked about the SG free
print lab. We did a poor job marketing that upfront, but we are making that up now. We are telling students
about the initiative, why we made the changes, how it works, and where it is available. 2 weeks ago we had
about 400 prints a day and then last week we reached 600 a day, once we get that more out there this week we
are expecting those numbers will rise. We are monitoring it; we might need additional printers and computers,
depending on how successful the initiative is. We sold about 450 Jaguar tickets for each game, through our
presale events and our one general sale from last week. We are hosting another one, because of the high
demand, this week on Wednesday in the student union from 4-7 since some students couldn’t make it during
the day. Senator Baker was kind enough to jump on board with the “your voice your choice” questions, and
add those to the osprey voice questions for this week. We want everyone just as informed on the questions. I
want to talk to you about each question briefly. 1st question is about renovating the nature trails. They are
frankly just not in the keeping with the quality of this University. We can do that, and it’ll enhance the
experience. 2nd idea we looked at beach front areas. We want to see if students like the idea of putting a beach
front right on Lake Oneida, with a dock. We have a great lake, and we can really step it up with a beach front.
The Ozzie statue was something that was proposed by the Fassi administration. There has been negative
feedback, so we are going to survey that again and get accurate student opinions. There are a couple questions
about the library. First one is asking if they are in favor of a 24 hour library. Amit the library commons project,
we weren’t able to get everything we wanted due to budgetary issues. The thing that had to be cut was the
increased technology. The library gave me everything that they wanted to include. We can ask the students
what they want from that list. There are 7 items, and the students will pick 3. It includes things like iPads,
laptops, and presentation rooms. We can’t get everything we want in the library, but we want to make sure we
get what is best for the students. Amphitheater renovations, currently we have to bring in $40,000 worth of
lights, there is a decent advantage by having the infrastructure already built in. We want to get student
feedback on that. The next questions are related to athletic support initiatives. One is building a student deck
on the left field line. The next is a 4 by 8 video board in the student union paid for by the student union fund
balance to help promote sporting events on campus. We also want to see if the students would like the idea of
renovating the boat house. Last question is the print lab, to tell them about the initiative.
o Senator Galligan: What kind of renovations to the boathouse were you considering? - We don’t have
any specifics; we just want to know what the students are interested in that. If they are then we would
probably put together an ADHOC committee to talk about that. I am not qualified to make all of
those decisions on what would make it better.
XIII.
Legislative Cabinet Reports
a. Constitution and Statutes Committee – Chairman Shomari Gloster sgaspt@unf.edu (3 minutes)
- Last week we had an appeals hearing we passed it with a 4-0-0 vote. We also had SB-14F-2782 which you will
hear tonight, which passed by unanimous consent. Then we had SB-14F-2786 which passed by a 4-0-0 vote. I
will be sending out a detailed absence policy, just so we all are aware of what the absence policy is and that we
do know how that process works.
b. Budget and Allocations Committee – Chairman Blake Kennedy sgabac@unf.edu (3 minutes)
- I have just been elected the B&A chairman, I am excited about this position, and I have chosen Senator Talley
to be my Vice chair. I look forward to what this year presents and to the experience. We had two travel
requests in our last committee meeting. First was for the Reformed University Fellowship (RUF), they
requested $2,000 for the fall conference, it pays for 25 students; it was passed 4-0-0. The next was for Ashley
Gates, she is a part of the Accounting and Financial Women’s Alliance. She asked for $481 which covered
hotel, registration, and airfare. She will be accepting an award on behalf of the AFWA chapter here at UNF.
That was approved 4-0-0. We had a transfer request from the department of recreation which passed 4-0-0,
and that is the SB-14F-2797. Lastly, Treasurer Wolf presented the 2013-2014 year end encumbrances, which is
also on tonight agenda.
c. Government Oversight Committee (3 minutes)
- none
d. University and Student Affairs Committee – Chairman Chase Baker sgausac@unf.edu (3 minutes)
- For USA last week, we passed title 12 revisions. We are also doing osprey voice; I will pass out the signup
sheet, you just have to sign up for 1 hour. *shows results from our last survey* the first question was about the
budget, what have we done with it, and what you can do to get involved. As far as issues go, 2nd place is
events. Next osprey voice is Wednesday (student union) and Thursday (library). The use of the iPads is pretty
cut and dry; the app is open on the iPad. Where do you pick up an iPad? Business and accounting.
e. Senate President Kaitlin Ramirez sgasp@unf.edu (5 minutes)
- I am really trying to enforce that we don’t use any cellphones in the senate chambers; we don’t want to break
any sunshine laws. It is especially important that you are completely present in what you are doing. What you
do here makes lasting decisions. It is really important that you are not distracted and that you aren’t breaking
any laws. Please make sure you sign up for elections. Anyone who is a spring seat, Commissioner Rains needs
people to table, for the elections on October 28th and 29th. This can count towards your hours, since you are all
grandfathered into the scholarship program. Also sign up for hours for Club Fest. Don’t forget Osprey Voice
and “Your Voice Your Choice” are both going on this week. GO elections and nominations are tonight. As
for the GO committee meeting last week, there were 7 appointees that were forwarded to tonight, make sure
your questions are similar for each candidate. They were all passed through the committee. We have 7 spring
seats available and it is completely up to you. Over the summer we had 2 safe space trainings. If any of you are
interested, LGBT is hosting one on Wednesday.
XIV.
Unfinished Business
a. SB-14SB-2784 S.L.A.B. 2nd Read September 15th Sen. Rotella- They are requesting $5,800 to bring Tim
Augustine to school. I will allow them to tell you the full details.
- Jacob: Thank you all for your time. I think this is one fantastic way to improve this semester. We were at a
professional for delta sigma pi, when we were there we saw a professional speaker, Tim Augustine, we thought
it would be an excellent idea to bring him to campus. He is focused on recruiting. He has interviewed multiple.
He has been recognized for his books. Fox news. He is focused on generation wide. He is an example of
success. We think that is one of the key points, seeing Tim Augustine, maybe they will think about joining. I
have heard him speak; I know he is a fantastic public speaker. Tim captures the audience. If you read one book
in your career search make his be it. He will provide students how to land a job. How to transition from
college to the professional field. The real thing is, he brings that involvement. We can all think of that one
person who has that involvement, I know that Tim Augustine can bring that. He is a nationally known
speaker. The $5800 includes two 45 min private sessions. He also includes 40 books to give away. In addition
he will have workshops, and an all campus seminar, which is open to all students.
o Senator Kennedy- Have you looked for any other funding? – We did not, because it happened so fast
over the summer. SLAB is 12 Coggin clubs; we can get them to fund food and stuff.
o Senator Kennedy- This is just a one day event? - Yes.
o Senator Talley- How exactly do you plan to advertise? -We have a SLAB meeting tomorrow, I have
booked rooms in the student union, and we will be discussing the marketing aspect. Coggin has been
working on advertising materials
o Treasurer Wolf- On the presentation it said that he would be doing workshops with the clubs and
then in brackets it said “flexible”? -He is going to do 30 min session from 1-5 with the different
Coggin clubs, for the clubs that are helping out.
o Senator Kennedy- He would be speaking for a total of 3 hours?- Yes
o Senator Talley- What day of the week is this going to be on? - Wednesday, it has the best student
participation. We are hoping for a good student attendance.
 Senator Rotella motion to approve SB-14SB-2784 for $5,800. Second. Discussion (I believe
that $5,800 is pretty steep, even with the credentials that Tim has, to bring in one speaker).
Roll call vote. Motion dies.
XV.
New Business
a. Legislation considered for 1st Reading
i.
SB-14F-2798
b. Senate and Joint Resolutions on 1st Reading
c. Legislation considered for 2nd Reading
i. SB-14SB-2782 Title V Reform Sen. Gloster:
- As I stated in my report this went to my committee and it passed unanimously. There were some changes
under Associate Chief Justice, this was to make congruent with the selection process. The intent was for the
Chief Justice to be able to pick their leaders. The chain of command 501.2 it is an order of succession, we
have one they should too. 506.2 the freezing of A&S funds, the chief justice may freeze funds of an A&S
entity as he sees necessary, they may appeal this to the judicial council. 507.3 it simply says that they are not
compelled to freeze funds
 Senator Tunjic: I move to approve SB-14SB-2782. Second. Discussion. Senator Kontolmotion for unanimous consent. Second. All in favor. Moved.
ii. SB-14F-2786 The Compliance and Balance Act (CBA) Sen. Ramirez
- The CBA are revisions to title 7, to help make the processes clearer here are some diagrams* there are 4 bodies
that can issue a senate subpoena. You give notice through email. The person being summoned must respond
within 5 days. There are the 6 grounds for removal of an officer, each are defined in the title. There are 4
requirements for articles of impeachment; the grounds must be outlined, what are the charges, supporting
evidence, and the enactment clause. There are two processes for all branches and how to impeach. To impeach
someone in the executive branch this is through the judicial process. The judicial council makes a
recommendation to the senate and the senate president issues a subpoena. That subpoena is at the next senate
meeting. After the hearing there is a 2/3rds vote, if adopted it is forwarded to the judicial branch for a review
hearing which requires a majority vote. If that passes, then that officer is removed immediately. For the
legislative branch, a senator or myself makes a motion. If it passes with majority vote, I then issue a subpoena.
That subpoena is at the next senate meeting. If the motion is adopted for the articles of impeachment are
approved with 2/3rds vote then it is forwarded to a judicial hearing. If that passes with majority vote, then that
officer is removed immediately. Through judicial, they make a recommendation to the senate. I then issue a
subpoena. That subpoena is at the next senate meeting. If the motion is adopted for the articles of
impeachment are approved with 2/3rds vote then it is forwarded to a judicial hearing. If that passes with
majority vote, then that officer is removed immediately. To impeach through the legislative branch, I call for a
motion for the articles of impeachment. I then issue a subpoena. That subpoena is at the next senate meeting.
If the motion is adopted for the articles of impeachment are approved with 2/3rds vote then it is forwarded to
a judicial hearing. If that passes with majority vote, then that officer is removed immediately. For the
impeachment of a judicial member, I call for a motion if a senator or myself issues it, then it passes with
majority vote. I then issue a subpoena. That subpoena is at the next senate meeting. If the motion is adopted
for the articles of impeachment are approved with 2/3rds vote then it is forwarded to a judicial hearing. If that
passes with majority vote, then it goes to the executive branch and the president must sign. If the president
vetoes the bill the senate can override this with a 2/3rds vote. To remove a judicial member originating from
the student body president, he makes a recommendation to the senate. I then issue a subpoena. That subpoena
is at the next senate meeting. If the motion is adopted for the articles of impeachment are approved with
2/3rds vote then signed by the president, then that officer is removed immediately. If the president then
veto’s it, the veto can be overridden with a 2/3rds vote. There are a lot of strike outs and a lot of additions so
I just wanted to clear it all up. In the C&S committee there was one change to change for the B&A and GO
committee to write a simple resolution, it must be a majority vote. There were also corrections to the words
accused and impeached.
o Senator Talley- I was just wondering why we were changing the language? - Title 7 originally was really
not well written, there were too many loop holes.
o Attorney General Harris- This is not something you’ve seen a lot and hopefully not something you
will have to see. This is something that we do have to have firm just in case we do have to use it. We
used to have non-compliance; the new system is now funneled through judicial system. Senate
subpoenas are now more useful things for the senate. The old system was more trial like. For the
impeachment process, the old one had several processes and they weren’t very clear. We want it to be
very easy to understand.
 Senator Brahmbatt. I move to approve SB-14F-2786. Second. Discussion. Senator Talley- I
move for unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Moved.
iii. SB-14F-2792 Fiscal Year 2013-2014 Year-End Encumbrances Sen. Kennedy
Treasurer Wolf: According to the A&S budget, all year-end encumbrances should be funded through our
special requests fund. The new fiscal year starts July 1st, all of these indexes had funds left over for things that
they ordered for but not yet paid for. So if an index ordered a computer in June but cannot pay for it until July,
a new budget has started so this is called encumbrance. So that amount will be swept into the next fiscal year.
The new fiscal year a new budget has been started. So the total encumbrance for 14-15 is $18,330 and this will
be taking out of our special request index.
 Senator Gloster- Motion to approve SB-14F-2792. Second. Discussion. Senator Rotella:
Motion for unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Moved.
iv. SB-14F-2796 Revisions to Title XII Senator Baker
- Senator Baker: This bill eliminates section 1208 in title XII. It is my job to produce reports for the university
wide committees. I don’t feel like it is worth me spending my time on it, I would rather spend my time on
osprey voice.
o Senator Matejka: Are there minutes that are published from these committees for students to have
access to? That is supposed to be my job to have those minutes up to date.
o Senator Wollam: Is there an alternative. I feel like there should still be a report? – I talked to Ryan
about it, we have senators who sit on them, and they are called ambassadors. These ambassadors can
come up with reports to report back.
o Senator Gloster: There were minutes posted on the university website, some of the committees there
are minutes posted, sometimes they are up to date, but we have no control over that.
o Senator Ramirez: You can always motion to add or strike anything to any bill.
o Senator Baker: We now post osprey voice results on the website instead. there is one up there now
from July to look at.
 Senator Gloster: Motion to refer back to committee. Second. Discussion ( I do believe there
is better way for students to have access to these things/ I think it would be very beneficial I
would rather have our committee chair focus on other things/ I think it should be the
ambassadors job to report back to the senate).I would like to resend my motion.
 Senator Rotella- Motion to approve SB-14F-2792. Second. Discussion. Motion for
unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Moved.
v. SB-14F-2797 Senator Rotella
- Senator Rotella: There is no new money being touched; it is just transferring money to create a new job to help
better the Wellness Center. This is to help students in the Wellness Center. It passed in our committee.
 Senator Baker motion to approve SB-14F-2797. Second. Discussion. Senator Kontol: Motion
for unanimous consent. Second. no objections. Moved.
d. Senate and Joint Resolutions on 2nd Reading
-
XVI.
Senator Appointments (3 minutes)
a. Alin Cepoi
- I’m double majoring in finance and financial services and minoring in international business. As an
international student I don’t have the legal right to work outside this campus. This has pushed me to be
involved on campus. My first two years I volunteered. I was a tutor for calculus. I mentored students. This
gave me a chance to interact with students. Afterwards I joined student government. First as a student
assistant and then I was the student advocate. I served on 10 university wide committees; I was able to bring
student issues to those committees. I was also the first contact when students were having issues. I had to take
action; it gave me a lot of leadership experience. I will graduate this December, this is something that gives me
personal satisfaction and I enjoy helping students.
o Senator Rotella- What is your favorite student government initiative that you have seen since you’ve
been here- I enjoyed Chick-Fila, it is something that I consider a big achievement.
o Senator Kennedy- What goals do you have planned since you are only here for one semester- I would
like to serve on two committees- B&A and USA. B&A because of my major. USA committee because
I was on that committee the past year, I want to help find solutions to these osprey voice questions.
o Senator Brown- Could you explain what you did for your most recent position- I served as the student
advocate, I served as a voice for the students.
 Senator Galligan: I move to approve Alin Cepoi for general senate seat. Second. Discussion
(he passed through unanimous consent at the GO committee). Senator Baker: Motion for
unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Moved.
b. Caleb Grantham
I’m a first year here at UNF; I am enrolled in the honors program. I recently was elected as Vice President to
the administration of the crossings council. Throughout all 4 years in high school I was involved in my school.
I had many leadership positions. I was also involved in a number of service organizations including the
national honors society. Outside of school I was involved in a youth government program. With this program
9 students are sent to the state capital to learn about state. They actually sit in the state capital building. The
following summer I was invited back to serve as a counselor. In closing, I would like to answer why I want to
be in student government. That answer is simple for me, being in student government it gives you a voice.
o Senator Talley- What are some ideas you want to bring to the senate? - I don’t have any to present
right now. The biggest thing for me is I want to focus on what we can do to make our school unique
and not to compare to other universities. We cannot properly represent the students unless we know
what they want.
o Senator Culberson- What committee to see yourself apart of? - I would like to be a part of the
Government Oversight committee, I like the task they are given. They are the gate keep
o Senator Kennedy- Could you just clarify what you were elected VP of? - The crossings council. Each
of the residence halls has a council. They are responsible for putting together events for the students.
 Senator Kontol- motion to approve Caleb Grantham to a general senate seat. Second.
Discussion ( he has been involved in a lot and I think it is exactly what we need/ I like his
initiative that he has taken in his first year of school) motion for unanimous consent. Second.
No objections. Moved.
c. Connor Akers
- I am a freshman in the Coggin college of business and I am also apart of Coggin’s LLC as well. I am honored
and humbled as being approved by the GO committee. I was born in St. Petersburg, Florida. I was in the
international baccalaureate program. I was team captain on my swim team. This was a great leadership
position. For a period of time I was in musical theater, I worked directly with many of the leaders. Most
relevant, I competed in a congressional debate, it was very competitive. Through this I have a great
understanding of Roberts’s Rules. Legislation is not simply what I’m good at; it is something I love to do. I
was a karate instructor, this focuses on focus and discipline and these are characteristics I can bring to the
senate. I also worked for YMCA as a swim instructor.
o Senator Brown- You said that you have a big passion for legislation, have you thought of any ideas to
bring to senate? - As I was brain storming ideas, the legislative body’s way to legislate is based on two
things: constitutional authority, and the funding it has to make things happen. So, what I would do as
a senator would be to work to overhaul title 8. For the ability for SG to fundraise, the entire budget
comes from the A&S budget. There are contingencies, if they receive funds. I see no reason why this
can’t work for student government. What could we do with 10,000 more dollars? We can raise money
for the student government.
 Senator Wollam: Motion to approve Connor Akers for general senate seat. Discussion ( I am
really impressed/during the GO committee we saw how passionate he is, he touched on a
few personal issues and the fact that he was able to overcome those and still have all of those
involvement it is very impressive) Senator Brown: motion for unanimous consent. Second.
No objections. Moved.
d. Jonathan Rader
- I am a junior; I am a transfer student from FSCJ with a major in political science and a minor in economics.
My leadership skills didn’t come until my freshman year of college. I started out as the student government
president as a freshman. Our student government was falling apart, no events were happening on campus. I
did face some challenges. We started with 3 officers and ended with 13 officers. Just like your predecessors, we
fought for instate tuition reductions. We were honored to fight with you guys. I took the time to travel to DC
to talk about issues like pell grants and student loans. I also spoke with Governor Rick Scott. I loved student
government, it represents a family. There is no other organization I want to join. I am joining the marines after
two years. I want to serve the students and leave my mark here, even if no one knows who I am.
o Senator Brown- Can you elaborate on the events you brought to campus during your positon? - We
had a 9/11 event; one of our goals was to have a hot dog sale. My goal was to get $20 and we got
$200. Our campus is sort of like a mini mall. We were very fortunate for that. We had something
similar to Osprey voice. We also created more community services events for them. We served over
2,000 hours.
o Senator Galligan- Do you have an idea of what committee you would like to serve on? - I would like
to join the budget and allocations committee, I served on the student and activities fee committee
-
back at FSCJ, we had a $5,000 budget. The thought of 4.5 million dollar budget is crazy; I would love
to be very conservative with that money.
o Senator Kennedy- What would you say was your largest mark you left on FSCJ campus? - we were a
small campus, a lot of students knew who I was which was a blessing. They knew that I was at every
meeting; they knew that I was there for them fighting those issues. I wanted our school to be more
recognized. We did care and we did try for school spirit. We were very successful with that. The
amount serving on student government has grown a lot.
 Senator Kontol: Motion to confirm Jonathan Rader for general senate seat. Second.
Discussion (I would love to see the continuation of progress you can bring to UNF/ I think
his passion and experience can be very good for these chambers) Motion for unanimous
consent. Second. No objections. Moved.
e. Muhammad Ali Awan
- I came to the USA two years ago. During high school I was a part of two national honor societies. Microsoft
honors, out of 55 applicants I was one of those two. I am a recipient of Bright Futures scholarship. I came to
UNF as a sophomore because I already had credits coming in. I led a blood drive at my school. I played
soccer all my life. My junior year I was a member of a club that was similar to senate, there was a lot of
discussion involved. I was captain of my soccer team. I have volunteered in hospitals. I have met people who
didn’t know if they were going to be alive tomorrow. It is one of my dreams to become a doctor. I would love
to be a part of this senate. I want to be a part of UNF. I want to make everyone proud.
o Senator Rotella- What made you pick UNF? - My sister went here, and she loved it here. And my
mom also works here. I think I made a great decision. If you work hard you will get what you deserve.
o Senator Kennedy- I see that you joined the biology club are you interested in getting involved in
anything else? - As soon as I finish Bio 1, I want to do research with the biology department. Then I
would like to do an internship at a hospital.
o Senator Silberstein- What can you bring to this senate? - I want to join the USA committee; I have
those skills to talk to people. That’s what I can bring to this house. This house is all about talking.
 Senator Wollam: Motion to approve Mohammad Ali Awan for general senate seat. Second.
Discussion (we were really impressed last Monday; his cultural diversity will bring a great
addition to our chambers). Senator Rotella: Motion for unanimous consent. Second. No
objections. Moved.
f. Noah Gomez
- I would just like to thank the members of the GOC for forwarding me to senate. I am a freshman here at
UNF and I am majoring in biology, and I am a native of Jacksonville, FL. The reason I am here today is
because I was taking classes over the summer and the Spinnaker did a really good job with what was going on
at this school. It really inspired me and you guys do so much. Before I begin my introduction I just wanted to
ask you all a question; how do you eat an elephant? You eat an elephant one piece at a time very slowly. It
takes time, courage, sacrifice, and dedication. I think everyone in this room has that, and that is a reason you
are all here. The elephant is any problem here at UNF you conquer here every Monday. I think that I have the
same qualities that it takes to eat an elephant. I was very involved throughout high school; I was treasurer of
my class, treasurer of the national honors society, president of my Spanish club, and student leader for the
student international baccalaureate. I think I have a lot to offer the senate. It takes time, change takes time. It
may not be that different of a place but it will be 20 years down the line. We may not be remembered, but I am
okay with that.
o Senator Kennedy: Could you describe the qualifications you needed to become treasurer of your class?
- It needed ambition, there was an application process, I found little things that needed to be tweaked,
and there was a lack of participation at our sporting events. We had issues communicating with our
class. We got the word out, just by being a face for the people that elected me.
o Senator Kishek: Is there a certain committee you wish to serve on? - After the meetings I was
interested in USA because it is the talents I believe I have, it being the liaison between the students
and senate. Osprey voice and town hall are also great things. Maybe talking about soft skills. I just
think there is a wall for people in here and the people outside. So maybe working on ways to approach
people. The UNF fountain, there is limestone all over that, and that is something that can be taken
care of. We can make little vines, and show that senate is concurrent and hip.
 Senator Kishek motion to approve Noah Gomez for general senate seat. Second. Discussion
(I think he is very well spoken and he was very involved/I like what you said about Vine and
like how you want to focus on the social media/ he has a lot of passion and I think he can
bring a lot to USA committee/ he has a lot of enthusiasm/ on his resume he has served a
multitude of different things) Senator Brown: Motion for unanimous consent. Second. No
objections. Moved.
g. Leah Melquist
- I am a freshman here at UNF. I am intending to double major in marketing and public relations and minor in
business administration. I am from Zephyrhills, Florida. You are all wondering if you should appoint me to
senate, well here are three reasons why: 1) Academic and education always come first, I believe that 100%.
From 6th grade until 12th grade I stayed on control with the honor roll program. I also had 3 AP credits rolling
into the University. I also received my academic letter in high school. 2) Leadership experience. I was in
student council all four years. I held a representative position, then a vice president position and then the
president position. I also did student government where I was treasurer, vice president, and then president. I
also was in Key Club, I was treasurer. We all learned the Roberts rules. 3) I want to be the change. My senior
year 6 of us went to a camp called any town; we learned how to end discrimination in our schools. We brought
that back to our school and started something called unity days. We saw the change and we saw the result. We
had numbers and we had percentages. I know things can be changed. I know it can happen, and I know you
have been working very hard to do that.
o Senator Talley- Are there any changes you want to make? - When I was doing the papers for the
appointment packet, we had to do a survey. One thing brought up was the women’s center. A guy
came up to me and said where is the men’s center? I want to look into that. That is one of my goals
and it’s something I want to see changed.
o Senator Kennedy- What attracted you to UNF and what was your first thought of orientation, and
when they spoke about student government?- I came here junior year and when I stepped onto
campus, I saw that it was gorgeous. I saw that student government was very big here. A lot of people I
talked to they said it was one of the biggest organizations UNF has to offer. When I came to the
chambers during my orientation I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I felt at home here.
 Senator Kontol. Motion to approve Leah Melquist for general senate seat. Second.
Discussion( she completely blew us away in GO committee/ I just love how personable you
are/her experience with any town is very beneficial for this senate/ the fact that she learned
from her survey should say great things about her). Senator Rotella: Motion for unanimous
consent. Second. No objections. Moved.
*New appointees sworn in by Chief Justice Powers*
*Senator Kontol: Motion for 2 minute recess. Second. No objections. Moved. 8:59PM
*Senator Wollam: I move for division of house. Second. Quorum is reestablished with 31 voting members 9:06PM.
XVII. Government Oversight Committee Chair Elections (3 minutes)
*Senator Gloster: I move to open the floor for nominations. Second. All in favor. Moved
*Senator Kontol: Motion to respectfully resend my nomination.
*Senator Talley: Motion to close the floor for nominations. Second. All in favor. Moved.
a. Amanda Wollam
b. Lauren Kontol
- Resended nomination.
c. Jonathan Mack
- Not present.
*Amanda Wollam is new GO chair.
XVIII. Announcements
- Osprey voice is this week, please sign up.
- Please contact Commissioner Rains about volunteering in elections.
- LGBT resource center is having training this Wednesday.
- OP thriller night is tonight.
- I am still looking for a sergeant in arms, if you are interested please come see me.
XIX.
Final Roll Call - Senate President Pro-Tempore Shomari Gloster
- Quorum is reestablished with 31 voting members
XX.
Adjournment
- Meeting is adjourned at 9:11PM.
Minutes prepared by: Leah Tolisano, Senate Secretary.