El Camino College Associated Students Organization Senate Meeting September 6, 2011 Administration Room 131 1:00pm I. Call to Order Dillan Horton called the meeting to order at 1:01pm. II. Roll Call A sign-in sheet was passed around the Senate. Present: Dillan Horton (Chairperson) Brooke Matson Simone Montague-Jackson Nathan Wofford Jasmine Hormati Mark Zeleyaran Priscilla Young Marisa Tam Kirsten Hartman Melina Mossberg Bilal Akhtar Kelly Ng Absent (Excused): Derrick Moon Absent (Unexcused): Dorothy Chan Alexander Clavel Felix Chan III. Approval of the Minutes 3.1 – Minutes of the July 26, 2012 meeting Jasmine Hormati: Under 7.1-Member Reports, it was not clearly stated who said what. Under her report, “Student Educational Committee” is to be removed. Motion to approve the minutes of July 26th as amended made by Brooke Matson. Seconded by Jasmine Hormati. Motion passed. 3.2 – Minutes of the August 23, 2012 meeting Jasmine Hormati: Under 7.1-Member Reports, “Master Print” is to be replaced with “Master Plan.” Brooke Matson: There are no minutes for August 3rd. Motion to approve the minutes of August 23rd as amended made by Jasmine Hormati. Seconded by Nathan Wofford. Motion passed. IV. Approval of the Agenda Brooke Matson: Under 3.2-Minutes of the August 3, 2012 meeting, the date is to be changed to August 23, 2012. Motion to approve the agenda of September 6 as amended made by Jasmine Hormati. Seconded by Brooke Matson. Motion passed. V. Old Business Being that there was no old business, Dillan Horton moved on to the next item. VI. New Business 6.1 – Nominations for Appointment 6.1.1 Rachel Tamashiro, Vice Presidential Commissioner – Brooke Matson Brooke Matson stated that we can appoint people to ASO and that Rachel Tamashiro has already been doing a good job and has been in ASO since the beginning. Dillan Horton has recommended to Brooke Matson that Rachel Tamashiro should be his Commissioner. Brooke Matson recommended Rachel Tamashiro to be appointed to ASO as Vice Presidential Commissioner. Motion made by Jasmine Hormati. Seconded by Mark Zeleyaran. Motion passed. Dillan Horton passed the gavel to Brooke Matson. 6.1.2 Melina Mossberg, Senate Leader – Dillan Horton Dillan Horton stated that as Vice President, he has the ability to appoint the position of Senate Leader, which is one among the 16 senators to provide leadership and guidance for the Senators. He has confidence in Melina Mossberg to be up to the task in leading the Senators. Dillan Horton recommended the appointment of Melina Mossberg as the ASO Senate Leader. Motion to appoint Melina Mossberg as Senate Leader made by Dillan Horton. Seconded by Jasmine Hormati. Motion passed. Brooke Matson brought back the gavel to Dillan Horton. 6.2 – 2012 Bond Measure E Resolution – Dillan Horton Dillan Horton: The money that we get to pay for renovations to new buildings does not come from the general fund used to pay for classes, teachers’ salaries, etc. The money that we get from the state that we use is completely separate. The money that we get to pay for buildings comes directly from the citizens of the district. To get approval for that sums of money, we have elections to let the voters of the district decide whether or not the college or district has money to renovate new buildings. In 2002, the El Camino College District went out for its first bond measure to the sum of nearly $400 billion to pay for renovations to old buildings and the building of new buildings. Between the years of 2002 and the present 2012, the district has used funds to pay for the new Humanities building, renovations to the Social Science building, the not yet completed MBA building, and other projects that are in design and development, such as the new Physical Education Complex. With the 2002 Bond, the focus of renovation has been on buildings on the perimeter of campus, disregarding the central buildings (Administration, Student Services, Activities Center, etc.). The governing board of this district has decided to go out for a second bond election on the 2012 Presidential Election to get additional funds for the renovation to these older buildings. The board and a number of other local agencies, like school boards and city councils, are being presented with a number of resolutions to decide whether or not they want to be in support or stand against Bond Measure E in the upcoming election. As the official representation for the students of this college, ASO must take a stand to support Bond Measure E or not. Dillan Horton passed around Bond Measure E pamphlets. Brooke Matson explains that a resolution is something that we as a student government can pass and say that the student government of El Camino College supports or does not support something. Past resolutions that were brought to the Senate include resolution to ban smoking on campus and resolution to save winter session. She states that we will vote on Bond Measure E and decide if we support it or not. We will then have a resolution that says ASO completely supports or does not support Bond Measure E. The document “Resolution Supporting El Camino Community College District 2012 Facilities Bond Measure E” was displayed on projector and read aloud by Dillan Horton. Dillan Horton urged the voting members to not take decision lightly for it will have a significant effect on this college campus and, as student representatives, to keep in mind the people they represent have particular interests and should use the best of their abilities to represent them when voting. Discussion: o Public comment made by Ryan: He asked Dillan Horton to elaborate on “There will be no more than $25/ year per $100,000 accessed” mentioned on the pamphlet. o Dillan Horton: He stated that the money that we get for bond is derived from Homeowners tax. The voters of this district paid an extra sum of $19 for the 2002 Bond Measure. This 2012 Bond Measure is an extension of that 2002 Bond with an additional $6. Annually, each homeowner of the district will pay $25 towards the next 7 years for the upgrade of college facilities. o Public comment made by Ryan: He asked if it was worth raising other people’s taxes to make renovations on campus. o Dillan Horton confirms that Ryan’s comment is the essential decision that is being made. o Jasmine Hormati commented that the district has been doing a good job not going over the amount, as in for the 2002 Bond, the cost has not went over $19. o Public comment made by Kareem: He asked that if someone’s house was worth $200,000, they would be paying $50 instead of the $25 per $100,000. o Dillan Horton confirms to his understanding. o Public comment made by Kareem: He stated that he was in the same class as Dillan and referred back to Brooke Matson’s announcement about ASO signing off for Bond Measure E. Kareem stated that he was under the impression that because Dillan Horton introduced himself to their class as the Vice President of ASO, that ASO had already given their approval in signing off for Bond Measure E. o Dillan Horton presentations that he had made to that class are in the confines of being the Vice President of ASO. Dillan stated that the Bond campaign and the actions that ASO takes are separate. There are a number of state laws, board policies, etc. that governs how districts and entities of districts can participate within the electoral process. Because we are not necessarily fully a part of the district, we aren’t allowed to fully participate or advocate on one side for a particular measure that will be going for the voters. Dillan stated that he personally was looking for volunteers for the Bond campaign because he is one of the people participating in the Bond campaign. This organization has not taken a stance on the particular issue. o Public comment made by Kareem: He stated to Dillan Horton that Dillan introduced himself as the “Vice President of the ASO” to their class but should not have been representing ASO because he hasn’t gotten the o o o o o o o o o authority yet. Kareem claimed that Dillan should have just introduced himself as a student from El Camino College instead of the Vice President of ASO because they haven’t approved Dillan to go before other people. Dillan Horton replied stating that it was the way he was asked to be introduced. During their class, Dillan introduced himself by his name at the beginning of his speech and then later introduced himself as Vice President when he was asked by Kareem. It is part of who he is and how he operates on the campus. If there were any discrepancy as to whether or not he was representing the organization at that time, he confirmed that he was not. Brooke Matson clarified that Dillan Horton can indeed introduce himself as Vice President of ASO and present the information; he just cannot say that ASO, as a whole, is presenting the information. Brooke stated the example that she can go to a class and state that she is the President of ASO, but she cannot say that all of ASO supports this until it is voted upon. Marisa Tam asked about the bounds of the district. Dillan Horton stated that the district spans from the northern boundaries of rolling hills estate all the way up to somewhere north of Lennox. Public comment made by Kenneth Brown: Inglewood, Ladera Heights in the northern border, continuing through Lennox, El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, and down through Torrance. Public comment made by Ryan: He asked if the student population would fully appreciate the new renovations and additions to campus. He stated that, referring to students and members attending the meeting, we are all students dedicated to our education and actively accomplishing goals. He asked that when you look at the rest of the student body, how much of them are actually motivated and would appreciate additions. It has got to be worth it to the tax payers. If in a tax payer’s head, majority of the students are only going because their parents are telling them to go after graduating from high school. Ryan asked if it would be worth it if only a fraction of the student body is motivated to learn and if they would fully appreciate it. Jasmine Hormati responded that a lot of time for students, this is first chance at having a college experience and a lot of the experience comes from the college presentation, such as the look of the classrooms, if the technologies are up to date, if there still is the archaic use of chalkboards, etc. She stated that a lot of things on the campus have to be revamped, especially because some of the buildings are 50 years old. Something we should also keep in mind as student representatives is that we should look to the future. Students will be here in 25 years from now and might be sitting in classrooms that would be 72 years old. Public comment made by Ryan: He asked if we need to impress students who are concerned about looks first and education second. If students are really coming here to learn from quality teachers, read books, and study for their future careers, will they care about if everything is new and clean. Dillan Horton states that programs such as the nursing and radiological technology program are programs that are of value to the district and the people that reside here. The successfulness of those students not only depend on the faculty members teaching, but the facilities and equipment used to learn as well. Those things that were built in the mid 50’s are not o o o o o o o up to date and up to code with what they will see when they go out into the professional field of study. Marisa Tam stated that a possible advantage in passing Bond Measure E could help El Camino in terms of recruiting more competitive teachers. Up-to-date facilities and a competitive campus would be advantageous in terms of recruiting good, competitive teachers that have other options. Nathan Wofford stated that he believed this is one of the best times we can support something like Bond Measure E. He said that if the economy does get back fully on its feet, and Bond Measure E was decided in 10 or 20 years, this material will be a lot more expensive due to the increase hike in prices. If we can secure this ahead of time and also save the college a lot more money in the process, it might be more advantageous for the school. Brooke Matson stated that if we update our facilities, such as adding another level to the canal structure with solar panels, we would be up to date with technology and would save a lot of money. That saved money can be used towards better classes or teachers. Public comment made by Ryan: He asked if the amount of saved money was already calculated and how much time it would take to see those changes. Dillan Horton stated there have been numbers made by the facilities and has seen them at one point, but he did not have that information with him. Public comment made by Kareem: He stated that most people want to ensure education for not only this generation, but for the next generation to come. $6 is not a lot. He then described his own opinion as to how the Compton Center of El Camino College looked similar to a middle school. In comparison, El Camino College is on the level of some universities and we have to keep building to take it to the next level, just like going green with the additional parking level and using the passing of Bond Measure E as a recruiting tool. Motion for ASO to approve the resolution of Bond Measure E made by Jasmine Hormati. Seconded by Brooke Matson. Motion passed. 6.3 – California Schools & Local Public Safety Protection Act (Prop 30) Resolution – Dillan Horton In the interest of time, Dillan Horton recommended the tabling of Item 6.3 to the next regularly scheduled meeting. Motion made by Jasmine Hormati. Seconded by Brooke Matson. Motion passed. 6.4 – Special Elections Calendar & Guidelines – Brooke Matson Brooke Matson informed that we approved, last meeting, to have a Special Election. This Special Election is to approve some constitutional changes that are needed to be kept up to date. A Special Election was attempted last year during a regular election, but could not be approved in time. She stated that we approved the election and now we need to approve the calendar and guidelines. The Special Elections Committee did meet and has sent the calendar and guidelines for the Senate to approve. The Special Elections Calendar & Guidelines document was displayed on the projector. Dillan Horton stated they were approved and recommended by the Special Elections Committee. Motion to approve the Special Elections Calendar & Guidelines made by Jasmine Hormati. Seconded by Priscilla Young. Discussion: o Jasmine Hormati asked that because there are more for the Constitutional Amendments, if part of it will be done now and the other part done for later. o Dillan Horton stated that there have been a number of proposals, but none in writing, therefore some of it will have to wait until the next regularly scheduled election in the spring. The ones already proposed at the last meeting will be going forward. o Brooke Matson clarified that the voting will be held on September 19th and 20th from 9am – 2pm and 4pm – 6pm on the library lawn. She encouraged everyone in the room to vote. Motion passed. 6.5 – Constitution Day – Dillan Horton Dillan Horton explained that Constitution Day is a day celebrating the U.S. Constitution that, by some manner of legislation, we are mandated to hold every year. It will be held on September 17th. A booth will be out and Constitution crossword puzzles and pamphlets will be given out. Motion to approve Constitution Day made by Brooke Matson. Seconded by Mark Zeleyaran. Motion passed. 6.6 – Conference Attendees – Brooke Matson Brooke Matson stated that there are a number of conferences that ASO attends throughout the year. The first one will be CCCSAA, which is leadership training conference. She stated that she met with the Finance Committee and discussed if they could afford to go and they were able to afford to go. She had sent an email out to all of ASO to see who was interested in attending. Those that replied back and expressed interest were considered. Motion to approve the attendance of Brooke Matson, Dillan Horton, Kirstin Hartman, Simone Jackson, Derrick Moon, Nathan Woffard, Ricky Gonzales, Brittany Hubble, Elena Mercado, and Erica Soohoo to CCCSAA made by Brooke Matson. Ricky Gonzales, Elena Mercado, and Erica Soohoo are from ICC. Seconded Kirstin Hartman. Motion passed. 6.7 – Finance Items – Derrick Moon Because Derrick Moon was at the Planning Budgeting Committee Meeting, Brooke Matson presented the Finance Items. 6.7.1 – CCCSAA Conference Attendance Motion to approve $2,748 from the AS Conference Attendance Account Number (71-836103) to attendances at CCCSAA Conference. Seconded by Priscilla Young. Discussion: o Public comment made by Ryan: He asked what exactly is done at the conferences. o Dillan Horton stated that there are a number of workshops involved with training various ASO student leaders and advisors. In other conferences, not particularly CCCSAA, there is advocacy, things as far as voting on resolutions. He stated that when they go to State-Wide Student Senate in DC, they engage in advocacy meetings with various legislatures and federal decision makers. o Public comment made by Ryan: He asked what the $2,748 would be paying for. o Dillan Horton stated that it would be handling the fees for a number of things, such as registration fees for each respective student, hotel stay for each respective student, transportation, and everything else needed to attend a conference. o Public comment made by Ryan: He asked where CCCSAA will be located at. o Dillan Horton stated that it would be held in a hotel in Los Angeles near LAX, making it significantly cheaper than previous CCCSAA Conferences. o Melina Mossberg asked if we are using ASO’s money for ICC members. o Dillan Horton stated that because of everyone’s decrease in budget, ICC was only able to pay for two conference attendees within their budget. He stated that we looked at our ASO funds and saw that we could afford to pay two extra spots, not the original two. o Melina Mossberg asked that if we had two more people from ASO that wanted to go, would they be able to attend. o Dillan Horton stated that if there were more ASO members interested in going, then they would have gone o Public comment made by Ryan: He asked if it only concerns people on board, assuming everyone sitting at the tables during the meeting. o Dillan Horton stated that usually the people who are selected are not necessarily sitting at the table, but members of the organization are usually the people that attend. o Public comment made by Ryan: He asked what the CCCSAA will be held at. o Jasmine Hormati stated that this particular conference is not open to the public, but the SSCCC is open to the public and can accept people as observers. o Public comment made by Ryan: He stated that he wanted to see if the costs could be cut due to the fact that it is only in Los Angeles. He questioned if the hotels and use of transportation is completely necessary. o Dillan Horton stated that for other conferences where they can have observers, they would try to cut costs, but the cheapest possible method is what was employed for the conference. o Brooke Matson stated that they need to stay there at the hotel because they could lose people and they might not come back in the morning. Motion passed. 6.7.2 – CCCSAA Student Representation Fee Motion to approve $986 from the ASO Student Representation Fee Income Account Number (72-48800) made by Brooke Matson. Seconded by Jasmine Hormati. Discussion: o Jasmine Hormati asked if this fee was for CCCSAA. o Dillan Horton confirmed. He stated that because there is an advocacy component of CCCSAA, we were able to pay for some of it from the Student Representation Fee, so the cost was split from the two different accounts. Motion passed. 6.7.3 – Blanket Purchase Order Brooke Matson explained that we make a lot of copies throughout the year for flyers and other purposes. It is a huge way of how we do PR. She stated that we need a blanket purchase order so that we can send it to the copy center and they will send it to us and they will just directly take it out of our account, instead of having to go individually after each copy session and approve money through the Senate. Motion to approve of $400 for the purpose of paying for copies through AS Supplies Account Number (71-834101) made by Brooke Matson. Seconded by Jasmine Hormati. Motion passed. 6.7.4 – Club Rush Supplies Brooke Matson stated that there will be a lot of supplies and giveaways for students during Club Rush. Motion to approve $379.10 worth of supplies for Club Rush from AS Public Relations Account (71-836412) made by Brooke Matson. Seconded by Kirsten Hartman. Motion passed. 6.8 – Senate Visitors Dillan Horton stated that throughout the 3 months of the fall semester, we will be seeing a number of members from the various bodies that participate in consultation alongside ASO this year. There will be about two per meeting. 6.8.1 Dr. Christina Gold (President of the Academic Senate) Dr. Christina Gold introduced herself as the President of the Academic Senate. She passed around a document titled “Senate Leadership and Committees.” She stated that she will be discussing how the Faculty Academic Senate overlaps and interacts with the Associates Students Organization and the joint responsibilities that they share. Dr. Gold stated that they would like to work more closely with the students. The Faculty Senate’s structure is similar to ASO’s: they are elected, they have a President, Vice Presidents with various responsibilities. Dr. Gold directed the ASO Senate to look at the chart on the back of the handout titled “Overlapping Purviews of the Academic Senate and ASO.” There are certain areas in which students provide input, certain areas that have significant impact. For the Faculty Senate, they provide input into academic and professional matters. There is overlap in the area of curriculum, grading policies, educational program development, student preparation and success, processes for institutional planning and budget development, and in program overview. She stated that Simone Montague-Jackson was trained to work with the curriculum. Simone Montague-Jackson stated that she received a breakdown of college curriculum and realized it was a vital committee. It enabled her as a student to see what prerequisites and what the syllabus is with various teachers. She looked at the detail and analyzed them to make sure they are keeping up with the required El Camino guidelines. Simone stated that it is a lot of work but it is a very interesting learning process. Dr. Christina Gold stated that Simone Montague-Jackson benefits from the process to learn about curriculum and it can be a possible career to pursue. The curriculum committee really needs and benefits from student input and student feedback. Dr. Gold stated that it is a really important piece that they are sometimes lacking. The other area they need feedback in is the Educational Policies Committee. She listed Board Policies that fall under Academic Affairs that they work on in the Senate with the deans and they benefit from student input. Dr. Gold stated that she is looking for a student who might be interested in sitting on the Education Policies Committee to help provide input into the policies, such as probation and prerequisites. They overlap in the Academic Program Review Committee. She stated that ASO has someone sitting in the Planning Budgeting Committee Meeting for this year. She stated that they pleased when a student attends the meetings to hear what they have to say. Simone Montague-Jackson asked when the Educational Policy Committee meets. Dr. Gold replied with everv 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month from 1pm – 2pm. Public comment made by Ryan: He asked when the Academic Senate Meetings are held. Dr. Gold replied with the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month from 12:30pm – 2pm in the Alondra room. 6.8.2 Mr. Kenneth Brown (Member of the El Camino Community College District Board of Trustees, Area One) Dillan Horton encouraged the Senate to wish our Area One Board Member a happy belated birthday. Mr. Kenneth Brown first thanked the ASO for their contributions. What the board members are doing is very important because they are giving a voice to the students. The inputs that Mr. Brown receives from Jasmine Hormati, the students that attend the board meetings and the people that contact him through email and Facebook are essential in his communication with the students. He stated that he appreciates ASO supporting Bond Measure E and that he is available for any questions and comments concerning that, as well as for anything related to what the Board does or the thinking that goes behind the decisions, etc. He encouraged the Senate to contact him. VII. Reports 7.1 ASO Member Reports None. 7.2 ICC Reports Because the ICC representative has left, the ICC reports will be deferred to the next meeting. 7.3 AGS Reports None. 7.4 Committee Report 7.4.1 Activities Committee Simone Montague-Jackson stated that she needs volunteers for Club Rush next week. 7.4.2 Fundraising Committee Nathan Wofford stated that he is trying to get the committee started as soon as possible and that if anyone were to be interested in joining, to send him their contact information. 7.4.3 Policy Committee Dillan Horton stated that there will be a meeting held on Monday. 7.4.5 Public Relations Committee None. 7.4.6 Sustainability Committee Dillan Horton stated that there will be a meeting on Wednesday. 7.5 Adviser Reports 7.5.1 Rebecca Cobb (Not present) 7.5.2 Breanna von Stein Breanna stated that the ASO is getting a really great start and to keep up the good work. For the Committee and Senate Division meetings, make sure to check with her and Rebecca Cobb. VIII. IX. Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items None Adjournment Motion to adjourn the meeting the Senate meeting at 2:05pm made by Brooke Matson. Seconded by Priscilla Young. Motion passed. _________________________________ Brooke Matson, ASO President _________________________________ Breanna von Stein, Advisor