The following are meeting minutes from the Senate meeting. The Senate meets every Monday at 5:30 PM in Room 318 on the third floor of The Commons. These meetings are open to all students to listen to discussion. If you would like to present an issue, please contact the Speaker of the Senate, Steve Gilmore, in advance so you can be added to the agenda.
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5:39 meeting called to order
Roll Call: Mike on his way, Brittany excused, Danielle…?
Approval of minutes: good
Week in review:
Adrienne
• Night at the Apollo good
• Made announcement about retriever weekly (interviewed about informal dance)
• Flyers should be coming out soon
Elani
• Commons advisory board meeting – meeting rooms on 3rd floor will be themed by decades.
• Huge list of projects over the summer coming out soon too
Gabe
• Looking into Arabic and sign language – emailed head of MLL department
Nayana
• Finished constitution, should be presenting next week
Dr. Fey
• Newspapers definitely being read.
• In commons, gone early afternoon
• Last a little longer in other buildings
• 99.8% usage (665 currently picked up)
• haven’t done more surveys
• more people prefer after than did before
• majority still get news from other sources
• look at proportion; to determine how much undergrads, grads and faculty should pay
• this year we had a pilot program, so didn’t have to pay for 4.5 weeks of program; would be paying for all of it next semester
• $30,000 ish next year
• 21k for undergrads
• do you believe usage of newspapers is valuable enough to students to spend money vs. whatever else spend money
• willing to pick up faculty and staff side
• Sondheim kicked in $500 each semester for the program
• Next year will be strapped for money (request to cut 2% of budget). Don’t see it likely that other departments will put forth money
• If stays, because of SGA (biggest amount), GSA, and Dr. Fey’s office
• Can put in $3,400 to keep it going another year.
• If SGA doesn’t do it, it won’t happen
• NY Times – The Sun expressed interest too. USA Today program has 3 different papers. The Post provides international and national perspectives (Post top 3 as well as Times). Post 15 cents cheaper per paper compared to Times; also a local paper (in terms of advertisements).
What is it we would have to do?
Determine if it is important – if so, put up percentage of funds. One time expenditure of funds from GL wouldn’t even be a drop in bucket.
Is there a chance of having Post separate from USA Today program?
USA Today negotiated rate for Post and Sun. According to surveys, USA Today is not last paper picked up. Post, USA Today, then Sun. Tastes on campus are broad.
If we decided to go with just one, would your dept still help same proportion. Equal cost of less cost with different program, still help?
Wouldn’t be opposed, but would want to be sold on why would do that.
Rates for prices on each paper
35 cents for USA Today
35 cents for Sun
25 cents for Post (? Could have gotten Sun and Post switched)
If we put this in our budget, will that need to be every year or subject to change?
Wouldn’t want to enter it in more than a year contract – they offer a 2 year contract, but since SGA changes so much, tough to settle something for a future senate 2 years out.
What have you heard from professors incorporating into classes.
Sondheim, yes. Faculty is definitely using program.
30 weeks a year, 15 a semester?
During academic year – deliver through finals, not on breaks though.
Have you heard any opposition to program?
Haven’t heard anyone – only hesitation is from Student Government. On the other hand, who would say that they don’t ‘like something they got for free. No one has really said, “why are you doing this?”
Wouldn’t support a fee increase – if GSA is in support, they have some money to help out with.
Most campuses are using this program. At national conventions, this is the program people bring up.
Other campuses get same rates. Other campuses have dedicated student fees, some have taken out SGA money, some have Student Affairs money. Penn State pays for it out of Student Affairs.
If we make one time expenditure, are you prepared to defend year after year?
No, not my program. Was a conduit to bring this program to SGA (last year and this year). From retreat, got impression that Senate was in favor, so went forward.
With SGA being biggest contributor, would be anchored to it. Would go up to $30,000? Would be paying 70% of total cost – lots of money to pay for one year and then have students expect students to provide in future years, especially when we know we’re not getting money from other departments. Are concerned about students saying, “why isn’t SGA getting papers this year?” Concerned if we start the program, will set up self to continue program which is a lot of money.
If students want paper, that’s who you serve. If you deal with 11-12k people that use this program, what other program do you have that touches more people than this. Potentially every one on this campus, for as little as 3-4$ a year. This is the tough part of leadership. There isn’t anything else that I can see that you could do that could touch as many people as this could touch.
Is there anyway we could put this in our budget without yearly increase?
Budgeting a GL expenditure, could budget in. Depending on other student orgs will determine if this is sustainable.
If you help out this year, greatly appreciated. But, I’ve already paid for it. Somehow there is a myth that this is my program. I’m not here to defend it – just give you information about it. If you want do the program, that’s fine, if not, that’s fine. I think it’s a good program, but the decision is up to you. The only reason it came up this year, is because SGA expressed interest, but it’s been coming to me for years. You could also let the papers give a bid, and take the cheapest price. I’m confused about why this is taking so long when you’ve made decisions faster with more money at stake.
Only hesitation is that each SGA will be new. At retreat, lots of people first came to SGA. May have just excited but not looking into the future as much as should have being new. Thank you for bringing the idea to us.
I’m not defending program, I’m just a conduit to get it here. I’ll help anyway I can, even money.
I remember discussion about card readers. Nothing on card’s now to distinguish people from undergrad, grad, faculty, staff.
Would be no reason for card reader, in my opinion.
Card reader good idea because want to see what proportion people are using it; see if proportions we have are accurate. Could see that undergrad’s are using way more or way less than 70%.
Are we comfortable with seeing this program continuing, even though part of funding not from a source that will continue?
Difference between dance and papers is that we’re getting money back from dance.
Also, dance is advertised as 40th thing – so doesn’t need to be continued.
Exit Dr. Fey
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Phil - Everyone is so tentative about if we can afford – we can, just determine if this is what we want to do or not.
Alex – let’s try not to beat a dead horse. He said everything he’s said all along, and when he said it this time, I agreed with everything. It’s not his program, it’s the campuses program. Our decision if we want to do it. If students say that they want it, our responsibility to bring them newspapers. Where we have leverage – what papers, and how many we put forward. Benefit of NY times is they actively engage faculty; workshops with faculty, free newspapers for faculty, etc. I will continue to head up the committee. I encourage everyone to take the survey and get friends to take.
Thaddeus – agree with Alex a lot. Think we need to talk with NY Times about specifics, compare and contrast. Maybe go straight to the newspapers to pick and choose which ones we want. Doing research into how we can get mass subscription to Sun and Post. Money important, personally not comfortable to use GL money, but just own personal opinion. $22,000 a year is a lot.
Adrienne – no need to beat dead horse. Now we know how Dr. Fey feels. We are the people that have the most people to put forth, and under grads do use the program most. If we can get past how we were approached, whose program it is, etc, it’ll be all good. Puts a lot of pressure on next year’s SGA. One time expenditure, no point in avoiding it anymore.
Terrance – are we paying for each paper or just one paper? USA Today program, pay chunk. With NY Times program, pay per paper. Pay for papers taken.
Avi – we have lots of students benefiting, and don’t really have any other program that we are able to provide a service to this many students. SGA should try to reach the greatest amount of people, this program can do that.
Mike – assuming we have an ideal situation where everyone is re-elected. How many people know they can’t be in next year. 4.5 Seems like there won’t be a lot of pressure next year to follow up with stuff we’ve done. Don’t have as much pressure because general student doesn’t understand difference between different SGA’s year to year.
Adrienne – any talk of legislation, Alex?
Alex – waiting for results from survey. At this point, USA Today program might not even be best fit program for this campus, but need results to determine.
David – can set up hotline for newspaper addicts. If there are big cuts next year, SGA might have to spend beyond its means for first time next year. SGA’s in past have spent far less than allocated. But, if do this, will cut SGA’s funding closer to bone. Raises question: is it okay for SGA to spend more money than taking in?
Thaddeus – under enrollment using projection numbers that aren’t real.
Mike – have we done any research to what we can do to improve retention? No, but there is a retention committee.
Gabe – I have faith that future SGA’s will ensure we don’t go bankrupt.
Phil – you should do what you think is right, right now; don’t worry about future SGA’s.
Steve – NY Times: 40 cents a paper, faculty directly involved, if they get 10 students involved, they get free home subscription. Online service costs money. Could bring guest speakers down for free. Towson, CP, Loyola also takes part in this. Steve – NY Times: 40 cents a paper, faculty directly involved, if they get 10 students involved, they get free home subscription. Online service costs money. Could bring guest speakers down for free. Towson, CP, Loyola also takes part in this.
Mike – that sounds really good. Can we do someone to come down and give us a proposal? Yup
Tabassum – can we have some kind of resolution that says how we feel about this. He’s coming in, talking, we sound like we agree. Now that we’ve ended this meeting on a good note, there’s need to be follow up soon.
Will have committee meeting soon – discussion over.
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EXEC REPORTS
Gabe – continuing with study groups. Also MLL thing.
Nayana – make sure getting out to people about running
Josh - General assembly in favor of freezing tuition – only support with full funding of governors budget. Secondly, looking into possibilities for what Ramona proposed last week.
David – turn in your applications
Phil – entertaining idea of deficit spending to do program like Readership.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Steve – OPA and Woolie applications are due this Friday.
Nayana – sending out constitution soon
Mike – a moocher.
Everyone except Danielle and Brittany.
6:51 meeting adjourned.