Boca Raton House of Representatives
– 3rd Legislation
22 May, 2009
Meeting to order @: 3:40pm
Pledge of Allegiance
Appointments
Nicholas Scalice as Parlimentarian: Alan Pollack, Forbes
James Shackelford as Secretary: Forbes, Pollock
Roll Call: Emily Pollack
Quorum: 14/27 (Quorum is met).
Approvals:
15 May, 2009 Minutes: Alan Pollack, Owens
22 May 2009 Agenda: Alan Pollack, Owens
Open Forum: N/A
In-House Elections:
Carly Cass: Join house because she is highly involved with RSA. Wants to change policies:
Discrimination Policy.
Questions: N/A
Tanielle Dacosta: Join House because of wanting to help with students around school.
Questions:
Shackelord: any clubs on campus? Answer: No.
Alexandra Hyppolite: Wants to be more involved in campus and see things changed in policies.
Questions:
Emily Pollack: You applied to being in Student Government in theFall, by in-house or election?
Answer: In-house
Owens: 2.4 Gpa, feel you will focus on school work? Answer: Yes.
Vote on In-houses
Motion to move oath of office before governors report: Forbes, Pollack
Motion to omit all members: Patterson, Ejene
Point of Inference: Alan Pollack
Motion to insert speaker appointments after vice presidents report: Pollack, Peterson
Carly passed with 13 yes 0 no, now a representative
Dacosta passed with 13 yes 0 no, now a representative
Hyppolite 13 yes 0 no, now a representative
Oath of Office
Governors Report: N/A
P.O.P.: Forbes
Presidents Report- (Marni with report)
Written letter for the House: (on behalf of vetoing BRHR-09-06) “complete agreement but wording of customized
textbooks could work against our initiative. The textbooks could cut the costs. Alter the therefore be it resolved
clause. The clause should go with accordance to ordering new editions of ordering customized textbooks every two
years.”
Questions: N/A
Vice Presidents Report: N/A
Speakers Appointments:
Campus Actions: Appointment of Kenneth Ejene (Accepted)
Motion to approve Campus Action chair: Peterson, Haye
Ways and means: Appointment of Owens (Accepted)
Motion to approve Ways and Means chair: Pollock, E. Pollack
Rules and Policies: Bastidas (Accepted)
Motion to approve Rules and Policies chair: Patterson, Peterson: Emily Pollack (Bastidas not on Rules and
Policies)
Motion for roll call: Emily Pollack (Yes for Bastidas to have chair, no for Bastidas not to have chair)
8 yes, 7 no’s Boris is rules and policies chair
Chief Justice report: N/A
Program Reports: N/A
Motion to include GSA report: Ejene, Masseti
P.O.P: Peterson
Student Government Advisor Report: N/A
House Forum: N/A
Vetoed Business
BRHR-09-06: Owl Initative
P.O.I.: Ejene (Governor recommended removing the clause about customizable)
Speaker clarification: (Changing so there wouldn’t be an upset by the faculty senate
about customizable)
Follow up: Change, what intentions?
Speaker: Customizable textbooks is used by faculty: bring resolution to faculty senate
for approvals. Since a lot use the textbooks Whymer felt that there would be an
issue with the discontinuation of customized textbooks. Spoke to an aid that
states a statue for limitation of customizable textbooks. Majority vote overrides
the veto by Whymer.
Motion to put BRHR-09-06 into old business: Ejene, Owens
Tabled business: N/A
Old business:
BRHR-09-06: Owl Initiative
Motion to suspend rules: Shackelford, Owens (Sherman clarifies the motion to new members)
Boris: Significantly revised the resolution last meeting. We are going to propose that faculty do
not continue being late on a 30 day requirement and the 2 year program. Companies make
money off of customized textbooks, if we discontinued it the professors would be upset. The
president understands the discontinuation as a very blunt statement. This is just a proposal, it
doesn’t implement the policy, and the staff is supposed to debate at their level. We need to
send a message to the president and state our goal as little to no customizable textbooks.
Consider this is only a proposition to the higher levels. We can change the wording, but it’s a
proposition. A lot of different factors, but not to make compromises here.
James Shackelford: Pearson Ambassador, argued upon customizable textbooks bringing in revenue and
hindering the school and the companies. Wants a motion to change the rule to allow customizable
textbook but wants to make it a year and a half to allow compromise.
Nicolas: I get supplements that cover the textbook, what does the book benefit?
Shackelford: returnable book within a certain amount of days
Owens asked for Shackelford’s opinion on customizable textbooks.
Nicolas: Missing out on new material for bio majors
Emily: Nothing has really been changed with the books and very little change.
Shackelford: How we will notify the students about expiration of the book?
Bastidas: The bookstore implemented a program already to which faculty administration came together
to agree and the publishers would agree to the edition. Would notify the students before it expired.
Community college is a smaller scale class. ½ to only ¼ would actually be implemented. The faculty senate
must approve of this. Sent to 35 legislators about our plans and that we would come to an agreement,
they know about the plan and we had 24 that had agreed to endorse it via letters of support. Issues with
companies and courses with significant changes. Blackboard usage of sections of books.
Shackelford: Will this effect any supplements such as MyITLab to change when requested?
Boris: Other departments don’t use the supplements. I don’t want to say no to the compromise
of that.
E. Pollack: Did you look into the fact and get royalties from customizable textbooks. The school can get
money back from customizable textbooks. The school should work on a way for buying and selling those
books.
Boris: “…no employee may not accept loans, descriptions, or royalties…”. What the school is doing is
illegal.
Scalice: It’s important not to lose sight to what professors can do by adding “more red tape”. Should we
define significant changes in the bill?
Boris: We should define it but I wouldn’t support this unless the law was on our side. The problem is it is
so vague and even legislators say its vague. We are the ones to come up with a way to support it. This
issue came to light because I found out about how vague the law was. It says we have to meet standards
but we need to be specific.
P.O.P.: Alan Pollack
Motion to recess: Alan Pollack, Owens
Back from recess at 5:16PM
Roll Call
Motion to reconsider motion to approve Rules and Policies Chair as Boris Bastidas: Patterson, Jean-marie
Roll Call Vote: (Vote of yes is to keep Bastidas, vote of no is not to keep Bastidas)
5 yes and 10 no’s Boris isn’t Rules and Policies
Motion to open nomination on floors: A Pollock, E Pollock
Alan Pollack as Rules and Policies Chair: Shackelford, Massetti (Pollack Accepts)
Close floor to nominations: Emily Pollock, Shackelford
Alan Pollock: I was the rules and policies vice chair in my first session then in the second semester took chair of
Rules and Policies. Helped re-write 700’s and elections statues.
Sherman: We don’t get a lot of work done when we do the 700’s
Pollock: I am aware.
P.O.P : Hayes
Roll Call vote on nomination (Yes is to approve A Pollock, no is to not approve Pollock)
12 yes, 2 no A Pollock is rules and policies chair
Old business:
BRHR-09-06: Owl Initiative
P.O.I. directed towards Bastidas, what would you define a customized textbook as?: E Pollock
Bastidas: Difference is if a professor writes a book (publication) . Bundled packages that are
spineless are customized for the course. A book written by a professor written as not a customized book.
Emily Pollock: Any book that is altered is considered a customizable textbook
Speaker Sherman: where would you stick this in the bill?
P.O.I. we are better not to have them because of different books. That would alter the grade
and degree of what you would receive.: Nicolas
Sherman: unless we write another resolution, we couldn’t stop that.
Motion to amend the bill in the whereas clause on the 7th clause, insert “BRHR would define a customized…: E.
Pollack, A Pollack.
Motion to pass the BRHR-09-06 as approved: Owens, A Pollack (Passed)
Motion to omit all members: Peterson, Owens
New business: N/A
Special Order Speeches: N/A
Open Forum: N/A
Motion to allow representatives to speak in open forum: A Pollock, Owens
Nicolas: Tests are different for each classes and wondering about one single exam.
Shackelford: Academic policy allows the teachers to have their own exams.
E. Pollack: Teachers emphasize on different subjects more than others and there isn’t an easy teacher.
Shackelford: closing Time Capsule project next week. Will get rid of obelisk.
A Pollack: Obelisk, can we keep it?
Shackelford: yes, if the House wishes.
Nicolas: Did you mass email everyone?
Shackelford: Yes
Sherman: Everyone must submit a written speech to me before Friday, so I may know what you are saying
and so the secretary can write what you are saying word for word in the house. Everyone is in a new
committee to allow everyone to get a feel and run for future committees. We have a new job for the
secretary. Secretary will be going to every meeting recording the meeting. He will be quiet as possible in
the meetings. It is a new requirement for the State. Sunshine law violations, today some people were on
computers and texting. We CANNOT let this happen. If an officer or representative is here, you can be
charged a 500 dollar fine and is considered a second degree misdemeanor. I will confiscate the items and
return them to you at the end of the meeting.
Questions:
Owens: Can committees appoint secretaries themselves?
Sherman: I want the secretary to keep it in the same form.
A Pollack: How do we approach written statements for no reports?
Sherman: Write no report. I have to have a paper trail for any changes that we make and what is
happening in the committee.
E. Pollack: Why would the secretary be on committee on committee and not another committee?
Sherman: The secretary must be focused on taking minutes on committees. The secretary will be
reporting everything that happens on the meetings.
E. Pollock: If there are representatives that want to learn more about committees they can join
committees without interfering in the committees.
Sherman: the problem with that is its 4 absences and you are out. For house it 2 points for both roll calls
and 1 point for committees with both roll calls.
Alan Pollack: Standing committees cannot have over 25% of the house.
Legislative Report
Sherman: As a representative you can say what you want in open forum in the committees. Police
department is going to make travel on foot easier when passing around cars. I need campus action to go
into the breezeway and ask what is safe and not on campus. The police department will come to the
house meetings and we will express the students concerns in the house. All representatives will be going
once a week and asking the students what is most unsafe on campus. $62.50 transportation fee increase
for the building of a new garage or for putting up more blue lights. We will be getting a 14 passenger van
to use as a shuttle for transportation. Students will be picked up at stops and it is a faster transportation.
We are hoping to increase the lighting on campus.
Motion to extend speaker time by 5 minutes: A. Pollock, Massetti
Questions:
A Pollack: Can we run 2 vans?
Sherman: police department gave us the van
E. Pollack: Who is paying for gas?
Sherman: We are not.
Nicolas: A bus was stopped by environmental reasons. Will this effect transportation?
Sherman: Not from what I am aware of.
Haye: With the environmental club, you will not see any attempts by the board to stop you.
Sherman: I will keep everyone updated on the meetings that I have and you are welcome to come to my
meetings. Two meetings next week you might wish to attend: Technology Fee Committee on Wed. @
10AM in SU132 and on Thursday: A&S Fee meeting in the Dean’s Office.
Motion to insert special order speeches after legislative report: Haye, Alan Pollack
Alan Pollack: Wanted to announce Scalice as a member to work on Parking Appeals. A third position might
be open. Usually Tuesday mornings @ 10:30AM.
Sherman: Asked Chief Lo about the carpool spots. That is not a university initiative and it is a county
initiative. There are special decals that they receive through the mail from their cities. We are trying to get
those spots moved to a different location in Lot 16.
Reminders:
Next regular House Meeting (29th May 2009)
3:30 PM – Senate Chambers
Final Roll Call.
Motion to adjourn: Peterson, Ejene
Adjourned at 6:10PM