University of North Florida Student Senate
Senate Meeting Minutes – August 24th, 2015 – 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM – Senate Chambers
I.
Call to Order
 Meeting called to order at 6:35PM.
II.
Invocation – Senate Chaplain Noah Gomez
III.
Pledge of Allegiance – Sergeant-at-Arms Sean O’Linn
IV.
Roll Call – Senate President Pro-Tempore Caleb Grantham
 Quorum has been established with 18 voting members.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
Approval of Agenda
 Senator Ascanio: Motion to add SB-15F-2890 Title XI Revisions to 2nd Read under New Business.
Second. Adopted.
 Senator Ascanio: Motion to approve tonight’s agenda as amended. Second. Adopted.
Approval of Minutes – July 20th, 2015; July 27th, 2015
 Senator Ascanio: I motion to approve the minutes from July 20th. Second. All in favor. Moved.
 Senator Ascanio: I motion to approve the minutes from July 27th. Second. All in favor. Moved.
Recognition of Students Seeking Appointment
 Kristoff Nicholson
 Farouk Smith
 Morgan Ungrady
 Glehn Vonloh
 Chase Baker
Student Remarks (3 minutes each)
 Attorney General Baker: The bookstore is tax except if you bring your Osprey1 card.
 Senate President Baker: I want to introduce our professional staff; Ms. Watkins: Director and
doubles as therapist; Ms. Margaret: works a lot with agencies and deals with all the big contracts; Ms.
Shore: advisor for all legislative cabinet and all senators; Ms. Campbell: serves as office manager for
business and whole floor; Ms. Harrison: helps with Osprey Productions and all behind the scenes
business Ms. Tison: secretary; Mr. Zook, Mr. Barnes, and Ms. Katrina: accounting associates; Mr.
Malcolm: associate Vice President; Dr. G: in charge of all of us.
 Claire Hyde: I am a nutrition major and heard about comedy show and about possibly not having
one. I wanted to let everyone know that was my favorite part of homecoming so I am in full support
of that. Thank you.
Guest Speakers
a. Mrs. Betty – Southworth
 When I was hired to work in Student Government in 2002, Southworth was really getting
noticed. Scott Southworth and two other students at University of Wisconsin felt it was
unlawful that they were paying fees that supported clubs they were against. It took several
rulings and a Supreme Court decision to say that it is about freedom of speech. The
mandatory fee that is set on students is lawful. There is a student fee assessment committee
that gets together to figure out how much they projected in earnings and to calculate an
appropriate fee. It is the process that the Supreme Court upheld that everyone has the right
to freedom of speech to request funds no matter the opposing ideals. I have worked in many
different branches on this campus. I had some outside knowledge of budgeting and that
served me well so when I came to Student Government, it was one of the most exciting
parts of my life. The presence in here is very rewarding and know that all administrators in
this room are looking out for you. A young man did not want to pay fees but the
government said he must. The Southworth law states that if I meet the criteria of a registered
student that I have the right to come to you and request that I want money for my club. The
law does not state that I must get the money I request, but that my request must be heard
and a fair decision must be made on it. Your decision is not based on your opinion of them
or what they represent, but the manner in which they are presenting it and its outcome to
the university; viewpoint neutrality is key. The outcome is determined by referendum. Say
the chess club of 10 people wants funding for a meeting of $2,000, then the checkers club
has 1,500 members and wants $5000 to have an active event. You can very easily make a
motion to change how much you want to fund them; you are basing your decision on what
is lawful, not your personal opinion on them. You do not have to fund every penny
someone is asking for. The most horrible meetings are the ones that do not ask questions.
Some good questions include “are you receiving funds from anywhere else?”, “is it free and
open to all UNF students?”, “what would you do if we don’t fund you?”, “will you be
enrolled at the time of the travel?”, “have you traveled before with Student Government
funds?”, and get periodic reports of clubs to make sure they are up to club standards.
Viewpoint neutrality means that a decision cannot me made on what a club stands for. You
should ask clubs to come back after their trips to inform us on how it went. Not all requests
must get funded. Simply because an organization is popular does not mean they will get
funding. You never fund by intimidation or by lack or information. Be encouraging to clubs
but do not fund them because you feel sorry for them; listen to the message of what they are
asking for, give them their right to freedom of speech, and decide based on the potential
outcome to the entire university. Make sure you fund something based on the right reasons.
I may not know your names but I will always love you.
X.
Office of Elections Report
a. Elections Commissioner Brad Johnson (3 minutes)
 I am very excited about fall elections and we have some good candidates. Political Party
Declarations of Intent are due September 15th. There will be a Party Fair on the 23rd of
September so candidates can join a party, if not declaring one. Candidate Declarations are
due the 29th. Election dates are October 27th and 28th. If anyone has any questions, please see
me. All forms can be picked up in the rotunda or can be printed off from the website.
XI.
Judicial Branch Report
a. Chief Justice Ben Jaeger (5 minutes)
 We have one opening on the branch right now. We are working on the application process
and are interviewing currently. I will be going around to classes and speaking about the
parking process and what our branch does. If anyone has any questions, please see me.
XII.
Executive Branch Reports
a. Osprey Productions – Director Katie Jackson (3 minutes)
 We had the luau yesterday, this week has been very busy. We had over 200 students stop by
our table, which was great. Wednesday we will be showing the Avengers in the Student
b.
c.
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f.
XIII.
Union Auditorium. On Friday we are having a Week of Welcome Pool party in the
clubhouse. We are also going to have Garibaldi, a performance painter. If you are interested
in volunteering, please stop by and let us know.
Club Alliance – Director Zachary Mease (3 minutes)
 The luau was on Sunday, it was pretty crazy and awesome. Almost every single club stated
that it was one of the best events in matters of recruiting members and getting their name
out there. We are estimating over 2,500 students came by with 78 tables set up. We hired
two coordinators. Club Fest will be October 29th, 2015.
Treasurer Cameron Duffy (3 minutes)
 I am extremely excited to work with all of you this year, we have been left a great budget by
Morgan. *fiscal overview PowerPoint presented* I am working with Dana about provisionary
language changes and some updates to Title XIII, trying to fully understand the legislation.
The budget season is starting and we are currently finalizing all dates, which will be
announced.
Attorney General Dana Baker (3 minutes)
 There is a bill for Title XI coming up that changes the section about forming an agency,
making it easier to understand. We are decreasing how many people serve on the Club
Funding Board and we are allowing clubs to receive supplemental funding; the bill requires
2/3 votes. Title III will also be up at your next meeting. Please be consciously prepared
before Senate, if you have any questions, please see myself or any of the advisors. Please
schedule a touchpoint with me so I can help you.
Vice President (3 minutes)
President Hailey Guerra (5 minutes)
 Welcome back; I am excited to be serving as President, my door is always open. Student
Government had an all-day training section with multiple departments so we can better
serve our students and work together. Zach and Leah, thank you for the job well done at the
Luau. UNF will be hosting the FSA meeting this weekend, there will be a reception this
Friday and all Senators are welcome. There is a request up tonight for Osprey Productions.
After extensive consideration, I have decided to appoint Jordan Wilson as Vice President.
Legislative Branch Reports
a. Constitution and Statutes Committee – Chairman Caleb Grantham (3 minutes)
 We had an emergency meeting at 5:30PM to discuss the bill added tonight. Both Title VI
and Title XIII are being revised. Packets have been provided with the updates. Please take
those. Senators have duties outside of just attending Senate, including informing students,
approving/amending/writing/presenting legislation, and being informed on all Student
Government information. Reach out to volunteer at agency events; be involved and take
initiative.
b. Budget and Allocation Committee – Chairman Troy Bottom (3 minutes)
 We started the fiscal year on July 1st. The Travel Requests index started at $30,000 and is
now $26,310. The Special Requests index started at $330,000 and is now $232,913.07. Salary
Reserves are at $38,060.82. We had a lot of requests coming through. I will have trainings for
my committee and Senate about basic budgeting questions and I will have a budget
procedural meeting with the branch heads soon. I am currently producing a draft for the
agenda of the budgeting meetings.
c. Government Oversight – Chairman Gustavo Ascanio (3 minutes)
 I find myself thankful for the Student Government staff and training, all the information
they are willing to teach. The GO committee worked a lot this summer to ensure we are
asking the right questions for appointees; this can be done by really understanding how the
position works and its duties. I will be providing a guide of that to my committee and
anyone else who wants it. The GO committee will also be working more this Fall on the
oversight of Student Government. If you have any concerns about a process, please let me
know.
d. University and Student Affairs – Chairwoman Cassidy Keefe (3 minutes)
 I will be beginning a Senator of the Month; spotlighting a certain Senator who branched out,
asked the right questions, and got involved. They will be featured on the social media.
Osprey Voice in August stated that Wi-Fi had the worst signal at the dorms, most students
were not aware of the Week of Welcome breakfast, ACE tutoring would be greatly utilized if
it was in the library, and that the most utilized hours would be mid-day during the weekdays,
specifically Monday around 1:00PM.. I have sent out an email of a calendar of all USA
events until December. The sign-up sheet for Osprey Voice for September is in the back.
e. Senate President Chase Baker (5 minutes)
 I am running for an appointment for a Spring General Senate seat so that I will not be
contributing to a problem that has been reoccurring since I joined Senate. Do not let others
control your thoughts, make smart decisions, do not use electronics during Senate, and dress
business professionally.
XIV.
XV.
Unfinished Business
a. Legislations considered for 1st Reading
b. Simple and Joint Resolutions on 1st Reading
c. Legislations considered for 2nd Reading
d. Simple and Joint Resolutions on 2nd Reading
New Business
a. Simple and Joint Resolutions on 1st Read
b. Legislation on 1st Read
c. Simple and Joint Resolution on 2nd Read
d. Legislation considered for 2nd Read
i. SB-15SB-2889 Osprey Productions – Senator Grantham
 Every year homecoming week is kicked off with a comedy show, and every year it
improves. This is an annual tradition that is enjoyed by both students and alumni. A
special request is required for this event, and it has my full support
 Osprey Productions Director Jackson/Homecoming Director Wrigley: There have
been mutual decisions from all parties involved in the comedy show that show full
support for this. This annual tradition unites the school from all past, present, and
future Ospreys. Last year had over 4,000 attendees. I have researched through all
responses about the comedy show. Students continually claim that they want more
from the Homecoming comedy show. Some students complain that they want to see
more tradition in this campus, and the comedy show is that. This is the second most
requested item from students. I have accumulated four years of data that state that
students want more large events. At the Luau, we surveyed students that asked them
to rank what they want; larger name artists were continuously wanted and lesser
name artists were in 4th place. Homecoming is overseen by a University-Wide
Community and the Student Community (which I am the chair of). Homecoming
has its own budget, but the comedy show was not included in it because they were
unsure of who would be taking over the process. Morgan felt that it would be easier
to ask for it through a special request. I have printed out the minutes from the
budgeting meeting in the Spring, specifically about the comedy show budgeting
decision. These state that the plan was set, from the budgeting decisions, to have the
comedy show funds be requested through special request. We stopped paying for
certain organizations, so we cannot use SLS fees. Staging and lights cost a lot, but
they also are utilized for Lip Sync.
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Senator Villavicencio: What is the difference that $20,000 can make for
artists? –It can differentiate between a big-name artist like Daniel Tosh and
someone who is somewhat known.
Senator Thames: Will there be a concert still? –Yes, but that is taken out of
the Osprey Productions budget so if we dip into that for the comedy show, it
will hinder the concert.
Senator Jordan: Was there any indication of the price tag when asking
students about what they want? –Some students asked and I explained the
pricing between artists and how it would come from a special request.
Senator Burke: What potential comedians have you planned for? –I cannot
figure out specific pricings for comedians through my agent until we have a
set budget in line for it.
Senator Grantham: If we removed $20,000 from the requested fund, would
you increase ticket revenue to make up for it? –We would take random funds
to curate for police, production, and so on.
Senator Burke: You aren’t able to contact an artist about specific funds, but
could you give a quote to Senate so we have an idea? –Yes, these are quotes
from the website, but dates and confidentiality have to be taken into account.
Senator Villavicencio: If we funded you the full amount, would you fully use
the funds or tap into the fund you have? –That is open-ended and is based
on the situation that occurs.
Senator Burke: I understand we did not allocate anything for the
Homecoming budget this year to Osprey Productions, but we did allocate
$10,000 for security and $85,000 for lights, sound, and stage, can you please
clarify why you can’t take money from those indexes? –We cannot take
money from those revenues, we can only play with ticket revenue. The
indexes are separate.
Senator Jordan: How much control do student-elected positions have? –I
would take my options to the Homecoming Committee I sit on.
Senator Buffet: Have you considered asking less money for lesser-known
comedians? –We surveyed students, and they feel that bigger name is the best
decision. Jim Gaffigan was the largest name we have had and it produced the
most ticket revenue.
Senator Jordan: If we have to fund the entirety of the event, can students be
involved in the decision process of an artist? –There is a lot of confidentiality
that goes into that, so that would not be possible; however, we ensure we
have the best intentions of the students are in mind and we take into account
what they say through surveys and whatnot.
Senator Burke: If we were to fund you the full amount, would you feel you
have enough time to secure a contract with a big-name artist? –Yes, we will
be working to the best of our abilities to do so.
Senator Ascanio: What will be the consequences of this request, compared to
last year? –Last year, we returned over $200,000 from the special request
index after the comedy show request.
Senator Ascanio: Can this be tabled? –This has already been tabled once
before, it cannot happen again. A decision must be made tonight.
Contracting must begin immediately because securing a bid also takes a few
months.
Senator Grantham: Motion to amend SB-15SB-2889 such that the Executive
Action signature line reflects the current President, Hailey Guerra. Second.
All in favor. Moved.
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Senator Jordan: Motion to amend SB-15SB-2889 to remove line 13, changing
the total to $100,000.00. Second. Discussion.
 Senator Ascanio: Motion to close the floor for discussion. Second. All in
favor. Moved.
 Roll call vote does not pass 7-0-11.
 Senator Ascanio: Motion to approve SB-15SB-2889 for the full amount.
Second. Discussion.
 Senator Ascanio: Motion to close the floor for discussion. Second. All in
favor. Moved.
 Roll call vote passes 11-0-7.
ii. SB-15F-2890 Title XI Revision– Senator Jordan
 This bill will makes changes to Title XI regarding the Club Funding Board, the
Volunteer Center, and the Lend-a-Wing Pantry
 Attorney General Baker: We removed the Volunteer Center from all legislation. We
changed the procedure for creating an agency, making it more transparent and easier
to understand, including adding specific information and language changes. Changes
were made to reflect our current procedure in events such as budget hearings.
Changes were made about the members of the Club Funding Board.
 Senator Grantham: Motion to amend SB-15F-2890 page 15, strike lines 2-5, page 14,
line 32 strike “receiving student government funding for basic and add “fund eligible
RSOs” after “all”, and then add “at September 1st” to the end. Second. All in favor.
Moved.
 Senator Jordan: Motion to amend SB-15F-2890 such that all chapter number reflect
the changes made to “Executive Agencies”. Second. All in favor. Moved.
 Senator Thames: Motion to amend SB-15F-2890 page 12, line 38 insert “all eligible
RSOs”. Second. All in favor. Moved.
 Senator Jordan: Motion to amend SB-15F-2890 so that Executive Signature reads
“Hailey Guerra”. Second. All in favor. Moved.
 Senator Ascanio: Motion to approve SB-15F-2890 as amended. Second. Discussion.
 Senator Thames: Motion to approve SB-15F-2890 through unanimous consent.
Second. All in favor. Moved.
XVI.
XVII.
XVIII.
XIX.
XX.
Amendment to the Agenda
 Senator Grantham: Motion to open the floor to amendments to the agenda. Second. All in favor.
Moved.
 Senator Grantham: Motion to remove Legislative Confirmations from tonight’s agenda. Second. All
inn favor. Moved.
 Senator Grantham: Motion to close the floor for amendments to the agenda. Second. All in favor.
Moved.
Legislative Confirmation
a. Sergeant-at-Arms: Sean O’Linn
Announcements
 Thank you for your time and educated debating. Please sign the FERPA form and Consent form if
you have not yet. If you are seeking appointment, please see me after.
Final Roll Call – Senate President Pro-Tempore Caleb Grantham
 Quorum has been reestablished with 18 voting members.
Adjournment
 Meeting adjourned at 9:53PM.
Minutes taken by Farah Azzouz, Senate Secretary