University of North Florida Student Senate
Senate Meeting Agenda – April 15th 2013 – 6:30 PM – Senate Chambers
I.
Call to Order
Meeting is called to order at 6:38 pm.
II.
Pledge of Allegiance – Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Collin Waychoff
III.
Invocation – Senate Chaplain Morgan Wolf
IV.
Roll Call – Senate President Pro-Tempore Kaitlin Ramirez (sgaspt@unf.edu)
Quorum is established with 36 voting members.
V.
Approval of Minutes
Motion from Sen. Tortellero to approve the minutes from April 1. Second. No objections. Moved.
VI.
Approval of Agenda
Motion from Sen. Turner to add two more to the executive confirmations. Second. No objections. Moved.
Motion from Sen. Farrell to change the date of the agenda to April 15. Friendly.
Motion from Sen. Caudio to approve the agenda as amended. Second. Sen. Turner objects. Sen. Caudio resends her
motion.
Motion from Sen. Turner to add Stormy Goodman under executive confirmations as well. Second. No objections.
Moved.
Motion from Sen. Caudio to approve the agenda as amended. Second. No objections. Moved.
VII.
Recognition of Students Seeking Appointment
None.
VIII.
Student Remarks
Star Caudio- wanted to welcome the new senators, congratulations and thank you for serving. We older senators
are completely at your disposal. We are here for you. Good luck on exams.
IX.
Guest Speakers
None.
X.
Judicial Branch Report
a. Chief Justice – Alex Goetz (sgajc@unf.edu) (5-minutes)
Elections took place last week and I am back for another year. The associate chief justice will also continue
until he graduates this summer.
XIV.
Executive Agency Reports: (3-minutes each)
a. Osprey Productions - opdir@unf.edu
I am the director designee. This past Friday was the spring ticket concert. Did move it to the arena due to
thunderstorms. Attendance was about 1000. This was much less than expected due to the last minute move.
Also had a showing of Les Miserables and had a root bear pong tournament. Have trivia night coming up this
week.
b. Club Alliance - sgacluba@unf.edu
Nothing to report yet.
XI.
Executive Branch Reports
a. Attorney General – sgaag@unf.edu (3-minutes)
Currently working on policies and procedures and working with CSC chair.
b. Treasurer – sgasbt@unf.edu (3-minutes)
Piece of advice, SB-13S-2687 is a request as per proviso those funds are to be authorized by the senate and
must be passed with a two-thirds vote so keep that in mind.
c. Vice President – sgavpres@unf.edu (3 minutes)
Not much to report. Like to encourage you all to confirm the executive branch. They have gone through hours
and hours of training.
d. President – sgapres@unf.edu (5-minutes)
Our VP and the professional staff have been on SG hiring committee. Like to thank all of those that worked on
the hiring committee. They spend countless hours interviewing and deciding. I issued an executive order after
Billy Namen issued an audit for alternative action for the volunteer center. I put them on a status to find how
to better that agency. In light of the success of aim higher, I have created a new agency. Matt Brockelman will
be representing this. He came with vast knowledge of this from his past experiences. Commend our senate
president with rescheduling our senate meetings. It is better for the students and will have more involvement
and more requests for funding.
Sen. Anderson- for that new job where is that funding coming from?
Special projects.
Sen. Anderson- which line item?
Don’t have it on me.
XII.
Legislative Cabinet Reports
a. Constitution and Statutes Committee – Chairwoman Kaitlin Ramirez (sgacsc@unf.edu)
Thank you for attending our meeting. Hope to see more of you in the summer and the fall. Have some serious
work to be done. It is exciting stuff I promise. Will be explaining more in the new senator orientations.
b. Budget and Allocations Committee – Chairman Fransua Estrada (sgabac@unf.edu)
Today we held an emergency committee meeting to exhaust our travel request fund until the end of the fiscal
year. Until then we will be working on title 8 revisions.
c. Elections and Appointments Committee – Chairwoman Emily Antworth (sgaesac@unf.edu)
Next meeting in the summer we will be going over title 6. If you are not on the committee but are interested
in knowing more about the process please come.
d. Student Advocacy Committee – Chairman Aaron Anderson (sgasac@unf.edu)
Finals Frenzy is next week. You are assigned an absentee point if you do not volunteer. We will be at the
library and the student union. Will need 12 of you to do 3 hours and the rest of you 2 hours. Other wise some
students won’t get granola bars or bananas.
e. University Affairs Committee – Chairman Justin turner (sgauac@unf.edu)
I had one report and a guest speaker. Dr. Jackson continues to investigate why faculty leave. Guest speaker
was John Cimble. Had a lot of good information on credit hours and how that change will be occurring
through the university and the state. Some new classes will have to be brought. Also focusing more on the
main points of classes and outcomes.
f. Senate President Christopher Brady (sgasp@unf.edu)
First off, looking forward to this year. Going to be a fun year. We held our first cabinet meeting and talked
about our goals and we will be refining them this Wednesday and we will be sending those out. Will have
senate at 1 pm on Fridays starting in the fall. Committee meeting times have also been assigned. Will not sign
up for these until the end of the summer. Fill out the sheet going around for emergency contact information.
Also fill out when you will be here, you can take a leave of absence over summer if you like. Tonight is new
senator orientation for those new senators. Those who came in the fall it is not required but I suggest you
attend. Please pay attention during confirmation, sat on the committee and all individuals are great.
XV.
Fiscal Requests
a. SB-13S-2687: Student Union Administration – Sen. Steven Anderson
For this request tonight, when looking at the numbers it is a lot more. The quality is different because it is
needed. Also know that the fund for the student union is meant for this. They are being very careful with their
money.
John Simms, associate director of the student union- I have a PowerPoint to explain this request in more detail.
Provides student union mission statement. We serve as a hub for the campus. A couple core functions are
facilities maintenance, programming, support, and service delivery options. We also support in house clients,
for example student government. Shows a cost break down. The chairs in the ballrooms get beat up over time.
They need to be replaced and we are requesting 100. Line three is for glass doors. We are looking to replace
the wood doors with glass ones. Creates an open inviting environment and works as a sound barrier. Also with
the game room doors, they open out into the hallway and students have actually been knocked over so this is
also for safety. Like to soften an area of the student union by adding an irrigation system and get potted plants.
The student union has both informal and formal lounge spaces. The lobby on the third floor, we are looking to
make this more of an informal lounge area. We are looking to get an outdoor movie screen that is built to be
portable and for outdoor use. Shows the blue print layouts of union. Top left, is the first floor. Because the
intercultural center for peace office is new, we just put some furniture out there that we had. Top right, is the
second floor. Bottom one is the third floor. Use this building more for communal engagement.
Advisor Rivera- the fund balance was once to build this building. Anything that rolls over next year will be a
part of the fund balance. Anything from renovations to papa john’s comes from this. Right now the account is
at $179,000.
Sen.- you spoke about a new screen but what will be done with the old one?
That broke some time ago and it was done away with.
Motion from Sen. Caudio to approve SB-13S-2687. Second. No objections. Discussion: Sen. Caudio- think this is
great, they need it. This is what the fund is for. Treasurer Turner– not a 2/3 vote. I apologize, I was looking at
last weeks requests. Sen. Anderson- like to reaffirm my support for this request. The Student Union is a
centerpiece of our campus and we should continue to improve it.
Electronic vote.
Passes 34-0-2.
XVI.
New Business
a. Constitution and Statutory Changes on 1st Reading
b. Senate and Joint Resolutions on 1st Reading
c. Legislation considered for 2nd Reading
d. Senate and Joint Resolutions on 2nd Reading
XVII.
Executive Confirmations
a. Anthony Stevens – Chief of Staff
Pres. Fassi- Chief of Staff is here to oversee entire executive cabinet. This consists of all members of the
cabinet, basically all students working within the branch. Will have weekly meetings. Will make sure progress
is being made. Was pro tempore prior and did an amazing job.
Anthony Stevens- am a junior, finance and marketing major. Served as your previous pro tempore. For new
senators this is new and a fun time. Was the operations chair for dance marathon, in charge of the event itself.
For IFC was in charge of scholarship and communications. Look forward to this year.
Sen. Anderson- are there any conflicts that will hinder your work?
Anthony Stevens- none
Pres. Fassi- just for future questions, I have chosen individuals who are making SG their number one priority.
Motion from Sen. Caudio to approve Anthony Stevens for chief of staff. Second. No objections. Discussion: Sen.
Caudio- I have seen Anthony Stevens do amazing things and I can’t wait to see what else he does. Sen.
Tutwhiler- this is someone who is involved in all aspects of SG and someone who is involved though
everything it does. I couldn’t think of a more qualified student. Sen. Anderson- have done a great job.
Motion from Sen. Caudio for unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Passes.
b. Joseph Turner – Treasurer
Pres. Fassi- Was a senator and won new senator of the year. Served as your attorney general. No one else more
qualified.
Joseph Turner- was an honor and privilege to serve as attorney general under the last two presidents. When
seeking appointment I was able to serve two weeks later. Also served as parliamentarian and I also served on
the B and A committee and sat on the budget hearing. Will make sure title 8 is followed. Fundamental part is
that all money is spent in compliance with title 8 and that it serves our students. I still get to work with you all
and work with the students unlike I was able to do with the attorney general.
Motion from Sen. Pino to confirm Joseph Turner as treasurer. Second. No objections. No discussion.
Motion from Sen. Reich for unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Passes.
c. Paige Lehman – Attorney General
Pres. Fassi- Was the International business society president and then got involved with senate, ran for
elections and committees chair. Was in charge during Brockelman’s election and it ran spotlessly. She then
came in as club alliance director and again that ran spotlessly. Actually added club alliance to her leadership.
The relationships have improved because of her leadership. I couldn’t think of anyone more appropriate for
this chair.
Paige Lehman- I graduated last year with political science. Have been in SG for 3 years now. Was in the
executive branch for two years.
Motion from Sen. Caudio to approve Paige Lehman for attorney general. Second. No objections. Discussion:
Sen. Caudio- impeccable record and you will see she is amazing and she looks great. Sen. Anderson- when I
started here I was looking at clubs and met Paige and she is amazing to work with and will do amazing.
d.
e.
f.
g.
Motion from Sen. Higden for unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Passes.
Ryan Traher – Director of Communications
Pres. Fassi- Everyone on this campus knows Ryan; he represents this campus and knows all about the campus.
When looking at this position, he published those two past press releases. He would control the message that
SG is giving the campus and the city of Jacksonville.
Ryan Traher- many of you did not know I was resigning to take the position. I will miss you all very dearly.
Decided to take the position to better represent the campus for SG. A lot of you saw my letter to the spinnaker
and I want better communication. Besides media I hope to work with lobbyists and Brockelman in his new
position. I guarantee you will not find anyone more passionate about this.
Sen. Caudio- is this a new position?
Yes, we had a Webmaster however we have revamped that position and added some new tasks.
Sen. Anderson- what are those other tasks?
Pres. Fassi- issuing press releases, meeting with the chief justice and the attorney general. Making sure that
others outside of this floor know what is going on.
Motion from Sen. Estrada to confirm Ryan Traher for Director of Communications. Second. No objections.
Discussion: Sen. Caudio- so focused, he is the perfect person. He has a large task ahead of him. Sen. Wisz- had
the privilege of working with Ryan on a class project and he has so much passion about PR.
Motion from Sen. Turner for unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Passes.
Alin Cepoi – Student Advocate
Pres. Fassi- Worked as student assistant for the past year and a half. Whenever I am working on a project he is
constantly available on whatever it may be. He has shown a drive to do more. He has constantly stepped up to
fill vacancies. The hiring board unanimously supported him. Ability to make this position more than it has ever
been before.
Alin Cepoi- thank you all for the opportunity. Since June I have been able to serve students. Like to raise the
standard to serve students on a higher level. Major in finance and financial services.
Motion from Sen. Caudio to approve Alin Cepoi for Student Advocate. Second. No objections. No discussion.
Motion from Sen. Caudio for unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Passes.
John Chwalisz – Osprey Productions Director
Pres. Fassi- Met John when in the student union administration office. The he was always in OP, was
homecoming director, worked as assistant director for OP with Brent Fine. Want this to be something SG has
never seen before. This man does not need any transition, he knows what to do
John Chwalisz- feel very qualified for this position. I have the knowledge and have worked at the Universal
Studios Orlando. Worked with others from around the nation and out of the country. Ready to work with the
students further.
Sen. Tutwhiler- believe you have the experience. Can you touch on some of the ideas of how you will take
things to the next level?
Pres. Fassi- want to implement how successful OP has been with event planning. Like to implement this with
all SG planning. For instance, late night breakfast, swop the loop, etc. John as OP director would oversee all
planning, not just the usual events.
John Chwalisz- one big thing is to change our policies and procedures to only two positions and eliminate our
committees. It opens up a lot of doors for us. We just finished the applications. Will have extra events in the
fall. And aim to increase student happiness.
Sen. Caudio- oversee all events, include homecoming?
Pres. Fassi- Yes. Again looking at homecoming in the past year, OP contributed to that.
John Chwalisz- homecoming requires a lot of volunteers and we have students who like to volunteer.
Motion from Sen. Estrada to confirm John Chwalisz for Osprey Productions Director. Second. No objections.
Discussion: Sen. Estrada- so excited, he has planned great things and events. Sen. Anderson- been a privilege to
work with John in OP. He is so qualified and his motivation passes on. He is ready to lead.
Motion from Sen. Caudio for unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Passes.
Zhani Thuzar – Osprey Productions Assistant Director
Pres. Fassi- Whenever I see Zhani, she was with either Brent Fine of John Chwalisz.
John worked with Zhani ever since she came to OP. She took a new position and ran with it. She has a passion
for OP and for the students as a whole. Zhani is not afraid to learn or try new things.
Zhani Thuzar- very excited if confirmed to improve the legacy that they have already helped make. I look to
improve communication in the positions.
Motion from Sen. Caudio to approve Zhani Thuzar for Osprey Productions Assistant Director. Second. No
objections. Discussion: Sen. Anderson- she is unbelievably organized. Great record keeper. So helpful. If she
doesn’t know the answer she knows where to find it.
Motion from Sen. Turner for unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Passes.
h.
Nick Tillem – Associate Director of Student Life & Osprey Productions
Pres. Fassi- Before we had a homecoming director. Nick has been in OP for a year. Every event I have been at
he is always there. He is extremely committed. In the interview, he was spot on.
John Chwalisz- didn’t have clear tasks for the position but Nick made the position his own. He always goes the
extra mile.
Nick Tillem- joined OP and fell in love with it immediately. I negotiated over 1000 cupcakes from sweets by
holly for market days. Also made relations with the organic gardens. I am encouraged to take your ideas and
add to the position.
Sen. Anderson- can you explain more about the position.
Pres. Fassi- this is at the discretion with the OP director. I choose to house homecoming under osprey
production but rally in tally, swoop the loop, etc. these can be delegated to him with John’s approval.
Sen. Anderson- some of the events, are things that we already allocated money to, so will the money come from
special events?
Pres. Fassi- Set events will be occurring because there is already money allocated but we will be making future
new ideas.
Motion from Sen. Turner to approve Nick Tillem for Associate Director of Student Life & Osprey Productions.
Second. No objections. Discussion: Sen. Caudio- so qualified and so approachable and we will have so many
student get involved with OP. Sen. Anderson- worked with him as well and he is always willing to learn and
improve.
Motion from Sen. Turner for unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Passes.
i. Stormy Goodman- OP Graphic Designer
Pres. Fassi- Choose to bring on Stormy because of her past experience.
If ever seen flyers with OP on it that is from stormy. She is a perfectionist.
Stormy Goodman- Junior in graphic designer and media major. Also entered the campus activities for design
last fall and placed first. I would like to continue the legacy if confirmed.
Motion from Sen. Caudio to confirm Stormy Goodman for OP Graphic Designer. Second. No objections.
Discussion: Sen. Anderson- works hard and her work is amazing and is perfect. OP always looks better because
of her. Very focused.
Motion from Sen. Pino for unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Passes.
j. Brett Weisman – Club Alliance Director
Pres. Fassi- Was not confirmed but has been serving and is involved in numerous organizations on campus.
Knew from the moment we met him that he had the drive.
Brett Weisman- I started inactus club. Joined a ton of clubs and then started inactus. One thing I have learned
from clubs is they need passion. My goal is to find out why certain students aren’t in clubs. I get to refine the
system.
Motion from Sen. Turner to approve Brett Weisman as Club Alliance Director. Second. No objections. No
discussion.
Motion from Sen. Tutwhiler for unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Passes.
k. Ashley Charles – Club Alliance Assistant Director
Pres. Fassi- Not as much club alliance experience but has the drive to refine the system that has been put in
place. After meeting with Brett he was sure that Ashley was the perfect person for this.
Brett Weisman- was looking for someone I would get along with. She is also going to bring passion and
excitement.
Ashley Charles- First time working in SG. Was a cheerleader but that goes along with the excitement I have.
Also understand the way clubs work. Feel like this is a good fit for me.
Motion from Sen. Turner to confirm Ashley Charles to Club Alliance Assistant Director. Second. No objections.
No discussion.
Motion from Sen. Waychoff for unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Passes.
l. Gabriel Manner- Director of Graphic Design
Pres. Fassi- Looking for someone well versed in the programs. Wanted to have advertisements. He is into
movies and he will explain more. But love his fresh new talent. Will be showing you what he will be doing.
Gabriel Manner- Major in electrical engineering. That’s my day job. My night job is graphic design. Have had
my own company for the last five years. Had clients around the country with impossible projects and
impossible deadlines and have loved that and can’t wait to see what you throw at me.
Motion from Sen. Caudio to confirm Gabriel Manner. Second. No objections. Discussion: Sen. Caudio- fabulous.
Motion from Sen. Waychoff for unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Passes.
m. Thomas Dobrowolski- Lend A Wing Pantry Director
Pres. Fassi- Has great experience and unanimously approved by the committee. Billy was convinced by him.
Thomas Dobrowolski- A junior in the Nutrition and dietetic department. This started off as a mandatory need
for my department however it has became much more. Have much faculty guidance. I have volunteered over
24 hours with the pantry so I know the day-to-day tasks. Have also worked with other pantries. Was able to
get a lot of good ideas and would like to get my department of nutrition a lot more involved. Like to increase
the donations and the volunteers. We started as a model after UCF and I would like that one-day others are
modeling after us. Like this to become a strong and better place.
Sen. Anderson- said you worked in the pantry over 24 hours and want to connect pantry with nutrition. Any
ideas for the pantry itself and providing services?
I would like to provide a service that motivates others to volunteer if they have used the pantry.
Pres. Fassi- will be reporting to the chief of staff. Will be giving will the ability to advertise and stock the
pantry. Make sure others know it exists and that is as always available
Motion from Sen. Turner to approve Thomas Dobrowolski as the Lend A Wing Pantry Director. Second. No
objections. Discussion: Sen. Anderson- like the ideas he put out. Love to have students, faculty, and staff get
involved. Thomas Dobrowolski- also like to implement a task force to make sure those that need the pantry
most are using it. I have gotten names of professors interested in working on this task force.
Motion from Sen. Caudio for unanimous consent. Second. No objections. Passes.
Chief Justice Geotz swears in executive branch.
XVIII.
Announcements
Remember to sign up for finals frenzies and let me know if you are doing a leave of absence. Also sign up for the
committees you prefer to work on. The summer calendars are posted and there will be a week break in between
the committee and senate. New senators are required to stay for the orientation.
XIII.
Final Roll Call - Senate President Pro-Tempore Kaitlin Ramirez – sgaspt@unf.edu
Quorum is reestablished with 38 voting members.
XIX.
Adjournment
Meeting is adjourned at 8:12 pm.