Senate Meeting Minutes
6:30 PM –November 19th, 2012
David E. Johnson Boardroom
Executive Assistant: Nick Stumo-Langer
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Call to Order
a. Raymond: Shift your placards a bit, sorry for misspelling Senator Allen’s name. I
have a present for all of you. Now you don’t have to rip up anything here’s the
things.
Roll Call
Approval of the Minutes
Special Orders
a. Open Student Comment Section
i. Davis: Motion to open the student comment section
ii. Second
iii. Derek: First can I get a show of hands a problem with registration? Most
people, how many of you think that the registration system isn’t working
for the students? Okay cool. We have a system in place that isn’t letting
students get into class, no uniformity across departments and they’re all
working their best to make it work. We have a broken system, but I’ve
been here four years and it’s not our job as students to find better software,
your job as Senate to let the problems be heard and what I think should
happen, Senate should write a resolution to change the registration system
to find the problems and asking them to fix them. It’s not my job to fix it,
but it’s our job to let them know and hold them accountable and let them
know that they need to fix it.
iv. West: I share your sentiments; I attempted to get into every single IST and
haven’t been able to get into any one of them.
v. Williams: Have you researched any other systems?
vi. Derek: I know other schools do it differently; I haven’t looked into
because it’s not my responsibility.
vii. Palermo: Lot of people having this issue and if you haven’t done any
research. Do you have any suggestions on how the departments and we’ll
send out a survey and barely anyone responds. Do you have suggestions
from things you’ve heard on how we could address the issue?
viii. Derek: I think it’s a thing people are dealing with a lot and they’re not
getting into classes they need for their major and getting kicked out of
certain classes. I bet you could compile a common list.
ix. Allen: It can be frustrating, whether our system is broken or just
overcrowding.
x. Derek: By-product of overcrowding, then that is broken. A good reason
for why things have changed but it still needs to be fixed.
xi. Frankenfeld: There may be flaws but I doubt any senior would be denied
graduation for it, they make the check things and there’s also systems like
preregistration in place and there are things in departments.
xii. Derek: At St. Olaf we have been encouraged to study abroad or double
major and people who do them are at a disadvantage to get into classes
they need. You can get any writing class you need but it wouldn’t be
something in your interest area. Get the most of it.
xiii. Webster: This is my first year here, more based on the classes we’re
offering and the quantity of classes should be done. I don’t know how
changing the computer system would change that.
xiv. West: Graduation. It’s not going to prevent me from graduating, or student
teaching 9th semester.
xv. Obermann: It’s not the student’s responsibility; it’s also our responsibility
to understand what the needs are. Listening to concerns more. Maybe get a
group of students to organize a task force for this. I think we do need a
group of students willing to give input for the administration.
xvi. Martin: Could you elaborate on the difficulties you’ve had? I’m in a small
major and I don’t exactly have the same problems, are these issues that
affect a number of classes or a variety of departments?
xvii. Raymond: Keep it on topic to the previous statement and not addressed
about it.
xviii. Derek: I know a bunch of people in a bunch of different departments. If
you want to talk after the thing you can talk to Senator Crowley. I would
be willing to help but I’m not going to do the groundwork and it’s not my
responsibility.
xix. Bryz-Gornia: Personal issues we have had. I’m majoring in Spanish and
I’ve been kicked out of plenty of Science classes and it’s been a “tough
luck” situation. We could try and make the professor more sympathetic or
administration. Those issues are important too.
xx. Derek: Professors are found responsible for it; so many people have good
reasons to want to get in. Everyone’s really stressed out and we need to
articulate the problem in a certain way.
xxi. Frankenfeld: I think it might make sense in the liberal arts as a student and
a college. If we had a class that had 3 GEs over Interim it’s fairly popular
and not everyone can get into that. You can accept this many and someone
mentioned that profs shouldn’t have to deal with it. We’ll have a
disproportionate amount of students in certain classes. I believe that would
be unconstructive to liberal arts environment.
xxii. Obermann: Task force, first do you think this would be a good thing? Is it
Senate’s job to make this? Would you play a role in that?
xxiii. Derek: Yes, I think the task force would be great, it is Senate’s job and
just walking around you know it’s a huge problem in the student body,
talk to me later.
xxiv. Raun: Thanks for coming, I have two points. Putting together a group of
students you have a lot of stories to incorporate. You may not feel it’s
your responsibility because you’re so busy. I think the main argument is
that we don’t have a lot of time. To send the message properly, illustrating
the problem. It is frustrating; I don’t know what we could do.
xxv. Stumo-Langer: I work in the Academic Advising Center, oo an insider!
There has been conversation about changing the system that we currently
have and I think that’s a generally good idea. It’s not that easy however
because you have to balance the small class sizes with the needs and wants
of students while also getting people into classes.
xxvi. Davis: In response to a previous senator. I don’t want to pursue another
burden on a subcommittee. We are looking at comparable institutions.
xxvii. Raymond: Thanks stop by our office hours and you are welcome to come
back.
b. Michael Kyle, Vice President for Enrollment and College Relations
i. Raymond: Michael Kyle got his degree in PolySci from in 1985. He
served as director of alumni relations at St. Paul Summit College. Named
Vice President in 2004. Wanted to bring him in to Senate and talk about
the process for selecting the student body that we serve. As we talk about
various issues its relevant what the process is and how it’s changing.
Including overcrowding and dorms as well as how many funds are
allocated for financial aid in the college.
ii. Kyle: I’ll wander around like Mitt Romney and Obama in the debate. I
served in SGA; we had the protocol but not the depth for serving students
that you exhibit. I don’t think students think they’re appreciated enough,
so thank you for that. I’m going to talk a little bit about the issues for
admissions and financial aid, not getting to the basics of acceptance
things. What I call dynamic tension as the college faces the realities we
face here. The commitments as a diverse environment and national student
body so that they’re meeting people from everywhere that was the college
deciding that these are important priorities to realize. To give you a sense
of what keeps me up at night. The common application decided to go
through its first major change and it also decided to make a change on the
back end, everything from apps coming in on that about 45% of common
app users are down in users. If we’re making it difficult for you to apply
it’s hard to sustain your interest. So I suspect that over the next two
months that they are stagnant at many colleges. It’s a significant issue.
Those of you who work in the office you would notice some staff
turnovers. It’s the first job that someone gets out of college. Go and make
not much money and live in Hilton Garden Inns and convince people from
CA to come to St. Olaf in January. We’ve had a number of transitions this
year, 7 people in last 6 months. No one is leaving because they are
unhappy but rather it’s a seminal moments with turnover, we’re trying to
manage that. Last year we had to do something to reverse the sophomores,
you’re way too large, because of the awesome class of 2016. I’m adding a
humorous element, we didn’t set out overenroll a class. Between that class
and this class this fall we had to enroll a class we could house we came in
at about 766 for this year’s class, one of the important things that this was
a class to constrain our financial aid discount to offer the programs we
offer here. 60% of the students are from outside MN, 14% is multicultural,
6.5% are international students, 43 students from CA. The priorities that
we needed to reach this year and we met them, because of the
hardworking priorities that are competing. Board of Regents raised this
issue, 7% drop in Lutherans that year that has some elements of our
constituency and stakeholders concerned. A guiding percentage has been a
certain percentage of them and when you pull some levers in enrollment
other things are going to happen in the situation. If you think about how
we compete in 3 different markets. Think about which one you would
classify in, 1/3 applying to high rate of admission, high financial aid, and
not the academic profile that St. Olaf enjoys. 1/3 to public flagship
institutions U of M and UW, more Lutheran students choose the
University of Minnesota the people are not looking for a small class size
type experience, we occupy that space and make them feel and seem like
private liberal arts institutions creating scholarship programs that. The last
1/3 apply up the food chain, higher ACT, financial aid endowments
including Carleton, Macalester, PGS, George Washington University.
That’s the proportion that’s expanding most. Really if you think about it
we are never under enrolling we are simultaneously competing in all three
markets. Not many others are worrying about all three markets
simultaneously; they’re worrying about Carleton Grinnell and University
of Chicago. We’ve been able to simultaneously compete in value and
price. Second thing is we had about 4100 applications, 1000 didn’t know
anything about that student before they applied. We didn’t know them
called stealth applicants, not telling us much about them. Somehow we
need to find out whether they were, they don’t know us very well they
won’t yield us very well. There were 220 stealth Oles who came in this
year. Not interested with looking at the perfectly scrubbed fall pictures.
I’ll transition to financial aid, talk about commitment for need based first
and foremost, figuring out how we can afford the students we admit. We
will meet your demonstrated financial need. You’re families went through
that. We’ll meet your need at 100%, we run a comparatively small merit
based discounts. A large number of them wouldn’t come to St. Olaf
without it. We give you a larger amount and now you have a 26k
difference in the option. It’s increasingly difficult for us to model how
they will all act react and behave. Indebtedness, I’ve heard of loans and it
was an average of less indebtedness, the average trend in one year isn’t a
trend, we need to be concerned about it. Here’s what I worry about, 17%
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that were offered loans declined their loan we gave them an award. We’re
not going to borrow this loan and it measures everything. We don’t need
as much money as you gave us; we take this posture that we have a
philosophy and posture that we meet the need. The part that we’re not
going to need will be the one we need to pay back. Student work, I would
love some Senate some year to take a look at. Most have a student work
award and an additional way to meet your financial need and take a guess
of the utilization rate of student work, what percent that were allocated
were used. 50%. A component is access to a low-access subsidized loan
and we have half utilization of student work. I’m not sitting here saying
they’re getting rid of the loans and student work. We’re one of three that is
meeting student’s need. A swing rate of 2-4 million in student need, some
of the attributes we want to see in students. We could not be the school
that demonstrates the need. You may need the money for books and
spending money and there’s a few issues going on in my world.
Boyle: Thanks for coming, I’m the intercampus liaison. He was talking
about the Quest Bridge program.
Kyle: We could but we have not. Quest Bridge is great, someone w3as
using it in Pac NW, he chose the U of Chicago because they were. Quest
Bridge serves low-income families. They’ve been less concerned with
lower socio-economic grants than us. They have no merit scholarship
program. To find that, they a certain percentage has to be able to afford
everything about 45-50%. Quest Bridge is a great program, we don’t need
it, are we losing some students? Probably.
Obermann: Recruiting international students how do you target them? An
amount from each campus.
Kyle: We had like 6 on campus 10 years ago. Part of that 3 out of 4 years
they’re in the US they get the tab picked up. We started five years ago and
went from 10 to about 167 on campus right now. 5-6.5% being
international. We’re part of the United Davis programs, come from IB
residential high schools. We get a 20000 dollar grant and we are able to
meet these students’ need. The population is China or India and we could
double the international students they commit from different people and I
think that what we’re doing is great but the kind of international students
we’re looking for is the demographics and socio-economic group from one
country. The goal is to stabilize the number for academic credentials and
academic need.
Strommen: I’ve heard that we’ve had a fairly high rate of people leaving
between Sophomore and Junior year.
Kyle: We have a higher percentage that don’t return for Junior year, I
don’t know if it’s a concerning number. Right now, VP Kneser there
aren’t clear patterns emerging from that. The colleges started down that
path, the letters they would write from me, first gen Hispanics and
Californians won’t stay. I’m not making fun of that, all the populations are
performing in accomplishment and retention that the student body is.
ix. Swanson: Soph to junior is mental health and health. Freshman and Soph
it’s easy to identify. How do we put a finger on that?
x. Kyle: The students are saying the same thing; I chose to fit into the
community. Could be a traumatic experience and I don’t want to be
quoted as saying I’m not. There’s no huge red light on it, an orange light
that we’re attentive to.
xi. Benning: Affirmative Action policies, the role race plays in St. Olaf’s
decisions.
xii. Kyle: They didn’t really make a decision on. Race-based admissions that
the University of Texas was following. We have multiple ways for St.
Olaf to become more diverse. Create an environment that is attractive for
people to come to. Minneapolis South, you didn’t want to choose a college
that didn’t value it.
xiii. Swenson-Klatt: It was different coming here.
xiv. Kyle: We have actively been recruiting students of color and if you
remember taking those tests, we’ve been seeking students who achieved at
a certain level. The population in those three states is increasingly diverse,
we’re doing better because we’re s[pending more time there and attracting
to broader range of that. We could have a whole discussion on this, I
appreciated the report that BORSC put together, we’re thinking about
what does it mean everywhere on campus.
xv. Lipo-Zovic: How does transferring work coming to students, I’m curious
into how it matters in the process? Talk more about the student work thing
and there’re limits on how many jobs you can have.
xvi. Kyle: We’re not going to solve the issue here. Every student who has a
problem is valid. I want to work in a job that all I do is study. I would love
for us to take a completely clean look at student work. What is our
connection to this main street intuitive developing these different sets of
skills. I don’t want to work and I can’t as well as those things. The transfer
thing is interesting. It has come fairly reactively and you don’t go to
Carleton and say you want to come over. The amount of those students
have said reactivate my application and it’s a bad thing that they are
saying I made the wrong decision. We’re going to try to bring in 10-15
mid-year transfer students. Find 40 transfer students. The only thing they
have to do is give us our high school transcript as well as the institution’s
transcript for course quality.
xvii. Lipo-Zovic: Does it change?
xviii. Kyle: How they finished their high school experience, and what courses
they were able to take and if we have programs that can help. Cause
further restrictions.
xix. Obermann: Last year I was a part of this St. Olaf Brand and what was the
image that emerged?
xx. Kyle: We did we hired a firm called the Thorburn group, a brand agency
that they don’t think they have brand attributes like Nokia or Apple or
Target. There is a brand identity to St. Olaf that didn’t lead to a bunch of
tag lines but really is that what the identity should be. We are in the final
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VI.
stages of presenting a brand identity guide that tells the St. Olaf story and
we’ll talk in February and show you what they found. Words that are good
descriptors and how we are quietly refreshing how we talk about St. Olaf.
c. Budget Presentation – Senators Keller and Schwirtz
i. Raymond: This is for questions about the budget.
ii. Keller: We presented this already this year, our budget went up about
$14000 and that’s good! Last spring Senator Schwirtz we met with the
new and old branch coordinators on what was spent throughout the years
we came up with them and significantly cut the Admin branch and I can
tell you from last year all percentages did decrease for 2 branches but
increased for everyone else. I budgeted 0 for buffer and capital
improvements because we have the right amount in each one 2-5%,
Security is set at 2.03% used to be Lutefest and is security for SGA events.
iii. Swanson: POI $2000 of that has been given to EMTs for being available
for SGA.
iv. Keller: Stipends are pre-budget as well as collegiate readership. Each
branch put the percentages in for their line items. In the bylaws branches
can transfer money up to 500 and between 500-999 they have to tell
Senate and over 1000 they have to be approved. ADC got rid of general
communication, PAC moved money from things to committee
recognition, DCC struck Lutefest, Pause got rid of one of the kitchens.
v. Benning: I’m curious the money in the buffer and capital improvements,
can we gain interest on it.
vi. Raymond: Mandated in the Bylaws page 36 that we are supposed to have
access to it.
vii. Swanson: March 1st Capital improvements is open to requests by senate.
Just cash on hand.
viii. Raun: You touched on how BORSC and SAA were cut this year, it’s still
kind of unclear to me why they were cut.
ix. Schwirtz: We got in touch with all of the coordinators and basically from
all the previous experience we’ve had we believe that they weren’t
throwing big events that would be able to do with little less than the
previous things. ASlong with Admin could be achieved on a frugal basis.
Along with the course of the year. A decision made we needed to change.
We can find a way for more funding if necessary.
Old Business
a. Pause Bylaws Change – Bylaws Committee, Senators Schwirtz, Strommen, Allen
i. Raymond: Pause Bylaws Changes. Rise to a point of personal privilege.
Anything you’d like to add from it?
ii. Strommen: Basically to just make it clear because of the conflicting points
in the Bylaws
iii. Lipo-Zovic: Move to PQ
iv. Second
v. Raymond: The proposal passes.
New Business
a. SGA Budget Percentages Bylaws Proposal – Senators Keller and Schwirtz
VII.
i. Raymond: These are bylaws and budget changes; they must be tabled for
our next meeting. With Senators Keller and Schwirtz.
ii. Keller: Point is to update the bylaws and there are 3 changes to these
bylaws and security should be allotted 2.03% and shall be used for outside
security. We’re striking number 4 because of the book and we do not need
that Stipend and letter I are the changing percentages. Like I said in the
spring of last year Schwirtz, Klysntra and Haines we worked together to
do that. We anticipated a 50000 cut in funding but the percentages for the
most part increased and ADC in their growth they deserved a slight
increase. We decided not to print the book because of a lack of student
interest.
iii. Schwirtz: We vote on these percentages in the bylaws we see these things
in the white sheet on the budget and the branches are in charge of them.
iv. Lipo-Zovic: POI Why we have separate proposals?
v. Raymond: You’re changing the bylaws with this.
vi. Stumo-Langer: The reasoning that I’ve understood from this is that we are
editing the budget bylaws because the budget should be analyzed every
year and gone through to make sure they are necessary.
vii. West: Move to table
viii. Second
b. SGA Budget Proposal – Senators Keller and Schwirtz
i. Raymond: Move on to the second proposal, anything you’d like to say?
ii. West: Move to table
iii. Second
c. Subcommittee Absences Proposal – Bylaws Committee
i. Davis: Pretty straightforward the BORSC observer should be taking
attendance for subcommittees. We’ll be striking number 7 in Article 2 as
well as striking the item in Article XVI. Inserting the item of having
subcommittee chairs enforcing the attendance policy.
ii. Davis: It’s set up that the BORSC observer takes attendance for all
subcommittees.
iii. Frankenfeld: I don’t think inserting the letter will be monitoring absences.
iv. Schwirtz: I think that letter c could be that attendance is kept by someone
at the subcommittee.
v. Benning: Move to table.
vi. Second
Reports and Announcements
a. President: So all the Execs have been thinking about Carleton and what we can do
to work with Carleton. People have been involved in the different groups having
them come in the Spring. We can collaborate in programming over the spring or
something.
b. Larson: We bought new equipment for our dorm.
c. Financial Officer: org training on Thursday.
d. International : Africa Week was very successful
e. VN: Activism grant posters are up and the sexual assault module should be
completed by December, Paws for Finals is on Reading Day.
f. BORSC: We’ve chosen our winter report, talking about Rumours at St. Olaf and
addressing those types of things. Look at ways that students communicate with
administrators and to clear up the rumours and issues.
g. Student Life: I will be meeting with Bruce King tomorrow.
h. Thorson: Had a successful coffee night.
i. Honor House: Thanksgiving potluck on Thursday at Wendell Berry.
j. Proxy-Environment: Carbon Neutral.
k. Intercampus Liaison: President was there and defining their traditions and values
and we’ve done a lot with the PRIDE statement with that. I’ll present to them
about how they can do it. They’re done until January.
l. IHC: Fear Factor on Saturday 1pm in the Pause.
m. Mohn: No Shave November play with bubble wrap and run into bubble wrap.
n. Mellby: Great event last Friday at 9pm. I’ll keep you updated.
o. Hoyme: Excitement, we purchased four foosballs.
p. DCC: Africa week was a success and DCC is looking for an MCO for second
semester. Thinking of a possible large event.
q. SAA: Ole Night Out is this coming Sunday, an Alumni of the month and alumni
speaker on December 9th.
r. SAC: Friday Saturday playing Harry Potter 7 Parts 1 and 2. Friday Men’s hockey
game at home against St. Thomas, throwing t-shirts. Vikings versus Packers
showing at noon on Sunday, build your own trail mix to win sweet prizes. We’ll
be tabling for phantom of the opera on December 4th at 5pm.
s. Off Campus: I’ve had feedback and interest the renter’s lease agreement as well
as renter’s rights and responsibilities.
t. ADC: Collab with Wellness Center for Zumba, Friday we are doing an event in
Ytterboe lounge depending on difficulty level we will give out a whole pie.
u. MEC: A show we are co-hosting in the Pause Miracles of Modern Science, ton of
fun. MEC also has Free Energy coming at 10pm in the Pause.
v. Pause: We had “fry-day” and it was good turnout a lot of people got free food.
We are looking at finances and projects we need to fix, we need to figure that out.
Also a financial report soon. Weekend is crazy we have solid events all of the
time from Friday to Sunday.
w. Soc: We funded CSA and Oles Combating Poverty.
x. PAC: PAC has been working with Carleton and we talked about collaboration at
an honor house last week. A dinner on the recession, 3 open slots next semester,
app goes up.
y. MCD: Live-tweeting Senate meetings again.
z. Webmaster: We put this up for PRIDE week. Good reception.
i. Lipo-Zovic: You’re a god.
aa. Executive Assistant:
bb. Chair: It’s harder to design these than you think. We are going to be in the Pause
our next meeting December 3rd. Heads up, starts at 6:30pm meeting won’t start
until 7pm. To get more people to come we’ll have some snacks and things. Get
excited.
cc. Swanson: Art Barn is a venue for your use, holds 60 people and a kitchen. For
interim there’ll be an art class down there. Last minute things in December or 2nd
VIII.
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XI.
semester. You have 2.5 weeks left of class; ask for help if you need it. Your
classes do come first.
i. Davis: open like normal things?
ii. Swanson: A one card checked out by Nancy Stuckmeyer, you just have to
get the card ahead of time. Holding people accountable, they went out and
bought a screen on the back of it, they bought it and that’s really open.
Hill Hype
a. Christianson: Caf Fast is going on right now, it’s a VN org and they have it all on
the thing. Give up your Caf number and tomorrow night OSR is having an
informational meeting. If you’re interested.
b. Stumo-Langer: In the Heights was great.
c. Obermann: NCAA Div III championships were held and Boys took first and Girls
got an at-large bid for nationals.
d. Lipo-Zovic: Also this Saturday at 7pm having a Date Auction with Michael Enich
for a date event.
e. Schwirtz: Oberamnn, Allen, myself you might get to date. Might want to get an
event.
f. Allen: Jazz I in the Pause at 8:15pm they are talented and wonderful.
g. Keller: Friday night in the black and gold ballroom. Hosting a hip hop event at
9pm.
h. Seabrook: Had our Ole Open and we took participated.
Senator of the Week – Senator Raun
a. Senator Mnanngagwa
Good Times
a. Guess That Senator – Senator Crouser
b. Guess That Senator – Senator Williams
c. Senate Dates
i. Obermann and Keller
ii. Benning and Raymond
iii. Webster and Byrz-Gornia
Adjournment
a. Stumo-Langer: Close the open student comment section
b. Second
c. Schwirtz: Move to Adjourn
d. Second
e. Adjourned at 8:21pm