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University of North Florida Student Senate
Senate Meeting Agenda – June 25th 2012 – 6:30 PM – Senate Chambers
I.
Call to Order
Meeting is called to order at 6:36 pm.
II.
Pledge of Allegiance
III.
Invocation
IV.
Roll Call – Senate President Pro-Tempore – sgaspt@unf.edu
Quorum is established with 17 voting members.
V.
Approval of Minutes
Motion from Sen. Jones to approve the minutes from June 11. Second.
Objection from Sen. Fountain- No minutes have been attached to agenda.
Sen. Jones resends his motion.
Motion from Sen. Fountain to table the minutes from June 11 until the next senate meeting. Second. No objections. Moved.
VI.
Approval of Agenda
Motion from Sen. Brady to table Ray Gonzalez until the next senate meeting. Second. No objections. Moved.
Motion from Sen. Bowman to move SR-12SA-2610 to second read. Second. No objections. Moved.
Motion from Sen. Bowman to move SB-12SA-2416 to second read. Second.
Objection from Sen. Fountain- We were only able to discuss in committee but did not make changes, would like to postpone.
Roll call vote.
Motion dies.
Motion from Sen. Brady to move legislative cabinet elections to after new business. Second. No objections. Moved.
Motion from Sen. Brady to add JR to second read. Second. No objections. Motion from Sen. Brady for unanimous consent.
Second. No objections. Moved.
Motion from Sen. Fountains to approve the agenda as amended. Second. No objections. Moved.
VII.
Recognition of Students Seeking Appointment
None.
VIII.
Student Remarks
None.
IX.
Guest Speakers
None.
X.
Senate President’s Remarks: Senate President Zak Varshovi- sgasp@unf.edu
The JR tonight is in regards to the board of governors meeting this week. The students voted against the tuition increase. Is
important that we take a stand against this. We all are strong against this increase.
If you haven’t had a bill-writing workshop with me yet, please schedule one.
Elections are tonight, take seriously and choose carefully.
Need more balanced numbers for our committees. If you can change committees and do not have a time confliction, please
consider.
XI.
Senate Committee Chair Reports
a. Elections and Appointments Committee – Chairman Joel Versace – sgaesac@unf.edu
Ray Gonzalez was passed but tabled him tonight because he couldn’t make it to tonight’s Senate meeting.
b. Constitution and Statutes Committee – Chairman Jerry Barrs – sgacsc@unf.edu
Going over SR-12SA-2610 policies and procedures tonight. Made some changes, those will be coming to everyone this
week. Going to be a little lengthy tonight so bare with it.
c. Student Advocacy Committee- Chairwoman Megan Jones- sgasac@unf.edu
For Lighthouse, 11 senators conducted them. 511 students were surveyed.
Results: (1) tuition increase- students will have to get more loans and living expenses will be difficult. (2) Pepsi changemore students did not know about the move to Pepsi. (3)Redoing fields- more students are in favor of redoing the fields.
d. Budget and Allocations Committee – Chairman Christopher Brady sgabac@unf.edu
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e.
Did a workshop last meeting with two guest speakers. Tomorrow will be meeting with entrepreneur society, if interested
in sponsoring a request from them, let me know.
University Affairs Committee - Chairwoman Monica Bowman – sgauac@unf.edu
Went over the faculty association meeting in committee. Their next meeting is cancelled. The meeting went over UNF
floor plan and discussed limiting summer pay for faculty.
Discussed moving to a single scantron system. No mandates by department, scantrons are based on faculty preference.
Not a problem moving to a single scantron. Moving the questions onto the tech department.
Also spoke on the topic of homeless students. Some students have been reported to be seen sleeping in cars or have talked
to teachers about not having place to stay. Hope to talk to student affairs, see if we can help these students and help
accommodate them.
Next meeting- new freshman mandate and questioning whether staying on campus helps GPAs and involvement.
Academic standards committee- non-attendance grade assignment. For those who never attend and fail, an “F” will go on
transcript. This is for those who do not attend class and still collect financial aid.
Also went over title 13 but did not vote on it yet.
XII.
Student Government Judicial Report
a. Chief Justice – Matthew Yost - sgajc@unf.edu
Alex Getts- currently trying to go back to an electronic system for parking service. Also there is still a vacancy in the
branch. Holding a special election for chief justice position because Matt Yost is graduating.
XIII.
Student Government Executive Reports
a. Attorney General – Joe Turner - sgaag@unf.edu (3-minutes)
Nothing to report.
b. Treasurer – Billy Namen - sgasbt@unf.edu (3-minutes)
Not present.
c. Vice- President – Mike Naughton - sgavpres@unf.edu (5-minutes)
Few things to give you a heads up about:
Our branches went to Boca Raton for SG Retreat. Goal is to work together and see what other universities do for their
students. Visited FAU campus and discussed what liked and brainstormed for plans over the next year. A lot of work was
accomplished. Presented ideas and developed a theme for SG: “working together to put ospreys first.” Some went to UCF
after to attend a board of directors meeting. To make a long story short, UNF is a top dog and everyone else is not. Keep
up the good work and do not let it go to our heads.
Came up with back up plan for tuition increase. Extra money will be pulled from our reserves.
Name change to campus- South and North Skinner Halls.
Approved a budget that would be operating, will reporting back after UAC meeting.
Participate in as many week of welcome events as possible. Osprey productions has sign ups in their office.
XIV.
Student Government Agency Reports: (3-minutes each)
a. Volunteer Center – Tony Hendricks - volunteercenter@unf.edu
Jerry Barrs- last Friday had orientation. Student coordinators are up to date. July 2 is the first meeting of summer. Lunch
will be provided. Beach cleanup event is at 7 am on July 5. Lend a wing pantry is looking for volunteers. Contact Chris
Youth with questions or to sign up.
b.
Osprey Productions – Brent Fine - opdir@unf.edu
Jerry Barrs- calendar of this week:
Summer B Cookout in the ballrooms from 6-10pm tonight.
Summer B Comedy show tomorrow at 8pm.
Wednesday is movie night.
Thursday is the pool party.
On Friday there is a showing in the Robinson Theater.
c. Club Alliance - Paige Lehman - sgacluba@unf.edu
Had first general meeting and registration open house. Next general meeting will be July 13. Just finished the handbook
and started planning Club Fest for September.
XV.
Senate Appointments
a. Ray Gonzalez
XVI.
Old Business
a. Vetoed Legislation
XIV.
Fiscal Requests from Committee
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XVII.
New Business
a.
b.
c.
Constitution and Statutory Changes on 1st Reading
Senate and Joint Resolutions on 1st Reading
Legislation considered for 2nd Reading
a. SR-12SA-2610: Senate Policies and Procedures Revision of 2012 –Sen. Jerry Barrs
First change under Senate President:
9- Struck, because moved the duty to Pro Temp.
3- Shortened.
6- fixed up to look better
8- cleaned up the language
9- discussed in committee. Proposed to remove however the committee felt strong enough to state that it is up to
the officer.
14- went into what the committees are
16- struck and changed to update website
5- present all actions in senate meetings
G- sergeant arms explained
3- moved to senate president duties
New senator orientation- added pro temp
a- Added university affairs committees and 5 standing committees
4 A III- chair will vote in event of a tie
4 B II- remains but tapes are not used. Have roll call and voting records.
Constitution and Statutes Community: struck E
Student advocacy: B- will work with UAC
Change “chair person” all to just “chair”
4 D- cleaned wording up
6 A 1- lines of succession clarified
5- struck prior to July 1
1- Forms of legislation
2- Cannot disapprove, only can not approve
4 and 5- struck
F 2 B- cleaned up, made neater
Absences: made changes, struck excused by student organization
D and F- president role: excusing and not excusing absences
1 and 2 clarified what absences are and eliminated “half absences”
4- struck, didn’t make sense
J- clarified what would happen to senators who reach 4 points
M- senator not removed till not showed up to meeting
Highlighted changes on the screen.
Friendlies such as capitalization and numbering mistakes.
Struck SG.
“His/ her” changed to “his or her.”
H is supposed to be G.
Added “the”, “commas” and edited a lot of grammatical errors.
Added two chairpersons.
Sen. Delgado- states “to approve or disapprove,” do not think it should say, “disapprove”
Advisor- needs to be there so one is not required to approve.
Att. Gen. Turner- recommend to say approve or fail to approve.
Forwarded the committee, cleaned up, didn’t make sense.
Body changed to student body.
Changed engage to engagement.
Advisor- make note that lighthouse needs to be changed to osprey voice.
Letter A’s were removed because there was no letter B.
Kept student guest intent the same. Changed so that a guest cannot sit in a senator’s seat. Can sit in the back or
where the president puts them.
Questions?
None.
Motion from Sen. Brady to adopt all recommended changes from Sen. Barrs and Advisors.
Objection from Sen. Bowman for the changes that have not been made. Motion is taken back.
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Motion from Sen. Brady for unanimous consent. Second. No objections.
Motion from Sen. Brady to strike 3C9 for the implementation of socials. Second. Objection from Sen. Caudio- think
this is something that is valid because it promotes unity within the organization, something needed, and it is not
required but can be used when needed.
Motion from Sen. Brady for open discussion. Second. No objections. Opened.
Sen. Brady- believe it is inappropriate to use senate’s budget for social events. Therefore would require senators
to pay out of pocket. Not something that should be in our policies and procedures.
Sen. Fountain- I do not see anywhere that it requires money to be sent, so think we should keep this
Sen. Laundy- going off Sen. Brady, doesn’t say anything for Pro Temp, just takes up space. If want to hold a social,
anyone can outside of Senate.
Sen. Caudio- if we have socials it can be beneficial because people, who may not have collaborated before, can
from this
Sen. Brady- do not know any social events that do not require money, also have never had a social before and do
not think we need them. Do not need this for our senate to run properly.
Sen. Fountain- do not need to have this, senate does not require friendship. Just think it is good to allow.
Sen. Jones- in the past, socials have had low attendance.
Sen. Laundy- think there is no place in the document to state that you have the ability to have socials because you
have the ability to do a lot of things.
Sen. Jones- if students found out that student government are out doing social events it would not look good in
how we spend our time and money.
Electronic vote.
Motion passes 14-04.
Motion from Sen. Fountain that number 2 should strike the word “wide.” Second. No objections. Moved. No
discussion. Motion from Sen. Brady for unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Moved.
Motion from Sen. Delgado to amend 5B1D to read, “committee must approve or fail to approve.” Second. No
objections. Moved. No discussion. Motion from Sen. Brady for unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Moved.
Motion from Sen. Bowman to amend 6E2B to read, “approve or fail to approve.” Second. No objections. Moved. No
discussion. Motion from Sen. Caudio for unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Moved.
Motion from Sen. Fountain for under absences, should read “Senators may be removed if all senator’s repeals
exhausted and senator does not attend their hearing.”
Att. Gen. Turner- it was previously a double negative and this change fixes it.
Second. No objections. Moved.
Motion from Sen. Delgado to amend every lighthouse with osprey voice. Second. No objections. Motion from Sen.
Stevens for unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Moved.
Motion from Sen. Brady to approve SR-12SA-2610 as amended. Second. No objections. No discussion. Motion
from Sen. Fountain for unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Moved.
Motion from Sen. Bowman to reconsider SR-12SA-2610. Second. No objections. Motion from Sen. Hebeishy for
unanimous consent. Second. No objections. SR-12SA-2610 back on floor.
Motion from Sen. Bowman to amend under absences, change to excuse absences for H under AB under part 2,
absences shall be considered as two points assessed. Second. No objections. Motion from Sen. Brady for
unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Moved.
Motion from Sen. Bowman for under parliamentary procedure to amend P with body not student body.
Att. Gen. Turner- the word body refers to the senate
Second. No objections. Motion from Sen. Fountain for unanimous consent. Second. Moved.
Motion from Sen. Bowman to move G under H. Second. No objections. No discussion. Motion from Sen. Ucciardo
for unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Moved.
Motion from Sen. Ucciardo to approve SR-12SA-2610 as amended. Second. No objections. No discussion. Motion
from Sen. Ucciardo for unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Moved. Passes.
b.
SB-12SA-2613: Termination of Statement of Third Party Funding – Sen. Megan Jones
On back, strike third party funding. Not doing what it is supposed to.
Questions?
Sen. Fountain- what purpose was this made for?
Sen. Brady- message from Treasurer Namen: stated that it did not function properly.
Sen. Laundy- without this form, will it be up to senate?
Sen. Barrs- because of the new Title 8, it will be up to committee.
Motion from Sen. Delgado to approve. Second. No objections. No discussion.
Electronic vote.
Passes 17-01.
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JR – President Zak Varshovi
This past Thursday there was a meeting on the tuition increase. Gov. Rick Scott was against increase. 9 board of
governors were for it and 4 were against it. Brockelman and our student government fought hard against this
tuition increase. It was not clear how hard we fought against and our ideas were because Go. Watley did not voice
the student’s opinion. I urge you all that we speak out because we were misrepresented. The governor did not
voice his opinion as to why he voted for every tuition increase, except explaining that he sided with UCF.
Motion from Sen. Caudio to approve jr. Second. No objections. No discussion. Motion from Sen. Brady for
unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Moved.
XVIII.
Legislative Cabinet Elections
a. Senate President Pro-Tempore
a. Nominations
Motion from Sen. Fountain to open the floor for nominations. Second. No objections. Moved.
Motion from Sen. Fountain to nominate Bryan Jones. Second. No objections. Sen. Jones accepts.
Motion from Sen. Brady to nominate Sen. Stevens. Second. No objections. Sen. Stevens accepts.
Motion from Sen. Barrs to nominate Sen. Amira. Second. No objections. Sen. Amira accepts.
Motion from Sen. Hebeishy to close the floor for Pro Temp nominations. Second. No objections. Closed.
b. Elections
Bryan Jones:
Feel at ease in SG and at UNF and wish to achieve great things for SG. Will instill the notion to represent these
16,000 students and will teach the importance of what SG does. Living on campus gives a good perspective of
what the campus currently is. Have also been a commuter student, so know their perspective too. Time is very
flexible and very open with office hours to offer to senators. Believe in staying closely connected with every
member of this org. Have been able to be in a fraternity, make good grades and work 20 hours week. Enjoy
teaching and want to show it is necessary that senators cannot be absent. Look forward to working with you all.
Questions?
Sen. Brady- felt like you touched more on being a senator that being Pro Temp. Can you go through the absentee
policy?
At the beginning and end of every meeting there is role call. If miss and did not send request for excuse, points
add up. With 4 points, senator has to go in and explain case. Pro temp not only enforces this but it is also their job
to help these senators and find out why they are not attending.
Sen. Fountain- what will you do to keep senators from receiving these points?
Plan to implement a better communication system. Would talk to members who have received 3 points to
understand what is causing them to receive points.
Sen. Bowman- What personal skills and qualities make you more suited for the position?
Was in charge of my pledge class in my fraternity and had to enforce attendance within that class for
participation. Also had to sit down with some and talk about why they couldn’t attend. Also have an ability to
teach and have great organizational skills. Pro Temp holds both of those in high standards. Organization is
important so that everyone understands what is happening.
Tony Stevens:
When first came to UNF, knew very little about SG. Used to ignore. Last semester when passing out flyers, saw the
other side of it. Being a senator has been rewarding. Not only help students but also change lives. Will be the
person to bounce ideas off of. Know Robert’s Rules and will make sure all senators know the absentee points and
process. Office door will always be open to others. Always do what I say I’m going to do.
Sen. Caudio- are you familiar with the absentee points system?
Absentee points are for not attending. Senators have 6 days to appeal points. On form have to write down the
reasoning of receiving the points. Excused forms are passed onto Pro Temp. Only once a year can points be cut in
half.
Sen. Fountain- how will you decrease absentee points?
Comes down to the individual. I can explain to others the process and hope they understand but cannot make
someone go to an event.
Sen. Caudio- what makes you the best candidate?
Each candidate is different. Have great organizational skills and communication skills. I have great follow
through. If I say I am going to do something, I will.
Sen. Brady- why do you want to be Pro Temp?
Took until my junior year to realize I like to help people out and through SG, I have been able to do that. When I
join something I don’t like to sit back, I want to get involved. Want to be able to teach the senator so they can be a
better voice of the students.
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Corey Amira:
Have strong leadership ability. Have held many leadership positions within fraternity. Have received leadership
awards from UNF Greek Life. Have served on committees in SG. Served on a food advisory counsel. Been on CSC.
Have attended every committee since receiving the position. Served as parliamentarian. Know absentee policy
very well. Know what all committees have been working on because of past position. Have spoken to three
previous Pro Temps. Believe I will be able to assist the president, do roll call, handle the voting system, and attend
orientations. To best serve the students, would like to go the student advocacy route. Listen to Sen. Jones
committee to know what the students want.
Sen. Brady- why do you want to be Pro Temp?
Love getting involved with positions in organizations I join. Spoke with Pres. Varshovi a month ago about getting
involved.
Sen. Fountains- what makes you the best candidate?
All great candidates. Think I have great experience in senate so far.
Sen. Laundy- Agree on increasing the importance of student advocacy, how will you do this?
There are many ways to do this. One example would be to get a board in the student union and all the students
can put on the board what events are going on in the school.
Motion from Sen. Fountain to open the floor for discussion.
Sen. Fountain- Jones had great enthusiasm, had guidance from Brockelman, and had an obligation to serve.
Something he wants to do for the senate and for the students. Like where he wants to take the senate. Stevens
showed more knowledge for the position. Amira showed knowledge for the position and what he wants to do
with the position. Overall for Jones.
Sen. Hebeishy- Great enthusiasm from all. That can only take you so far. Experience is what is needed. Amira has
that experience. Have worked with him in the past.
Sen. Barrs- Agree with Sen. Hebeishy. Worked with on personal and work related roles. Always challenges what is
said and asked. Posses the experience needed to fulfill the duties.
Sen. Brady- worked with both Stevens and Amira. Stevens only one who came to me about the position.
Sen. Barrs- to rebuttal that statement, Amira went to three past Pro Temps.
Sen. Fountain- not to speak negative of Amira, but when running meetings he has missed little details.
Electronic vote.
Stevens wins by vote of 10 to 8.
Getts swears in Sen. Stevens and Sen. Brady.
XIX.
Announcements
a. Committee meetings will be next Monday, July 2nd
b. The next Senate meeting will be held on Monday, July 9th
XX.
Final Roll Call - Senate President Pro-Tempore – sgaspt@unf.edu
Quorum is reestablished with 18 voting members.
XXI.
Adjournment
Meeting is adjourned at 8:39 pm.
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