Meeting Minutes 10/15/2014

Absent Emily, Oomung

Chair: Tyler Bieber

Meeting Minutes: Approved

Agenda: Approved
Forest: Form a committee to promote election commissioner

Tyler: hiring permanent hiring committee

Nicholas: Green screen update (table next week)

Check In’s

• Andrew: space for members to check in about what people have been up to
  • Brendan: Takes up time not everyone is allowed to present
  • Tyler: stack, 5-10 minutes designated for check-ins
  • Examples of Check In’s: Brendan can give the GSU an update on the S&A Board hiring process.
  • Dylan: Update on meeting in Pullman for the Washington Student Boards Association Meeting
• Brendan: motion to add check-ins to agenda, as long as it does not take up an agenda item, but is worth mentioning to the Union. (Nominated)

GSU Scholarship

• Geoduck instead of the GSU
  • input for the name of the scholarship
  • The scholarship can build a positive bridge between the GSU and the student body
  • There was a debate, regarding if a GSU member could receive this award
  • Tyler forms stack
  • Dylan: Can we use the name without the vote of the students? Representatives of the unions
  • the name can be the Geoduck Student Leader/Leadership Scholarship-not student union

Concerns with a GSU scholarship:

• Members are nervous about an idea of a scholarship created by the GSU ,because it sends a message that it is the GSU’s responsibility to bridge the financial gap with their own personal resources due to the system’s failure in supporting students.
  • Temporary scholarship-people will miss it/not recognize it
  • It potentially sends a message where GSU members do not need stipends
  • Concerns with using the “Geoduck Student Union” name

• Dylan: Can you apply when you will not be a GSU rep the following year?
  • Nicholas: understand issues (donating money, name)
  • reservations for the precedent of the future
  • Can be a part of the GSU 2014-15 legacy
  • Tyler: after questions, motion or table
  • Linkon: give time for other’s to speak
  • Forest: see it as representatives appropriate for us to lend our name, creates a space to create a future, negativity in the room
  • Nicholas: motion to approve the GSU solidarity scholarship
  • 7 votes: approving
  • 7 votes: denied
  • scholarship name denied

Open Committee Positions

• open committees positions posted on commons, bulletin board, office
  • Evelyn suggests to have the promotional material done before this weekend (before harvest weekend)
  • Tyler: target date for committee position (week 5 or 6)
  • Andrew: week 5, unfilled committees appoint GSU members
  motioned-nominated

WSA Liaison

• Jeff, Nina, Anne are interested in the position
  • Evelyn suggests giving other Evergreen students a chance to apply for this position
  • Tyler explained that other schools already have a liaison who are developing strategic plans.
  • Set a target date
  • Jeff mentioned getting a group together and strategizes for the WSA Liaison position.
  • Jeff: contact first-year advising, reach out to find students interested in this position
  • Outreach team-contact first-year advising
  • Nina said that there is a budget of $4,000 for this position, and allow non-GSU members to apply for the position.
  • Tyler reminded the GSU that WSA has been having meetings since August. GSU has started to attend these meetings in October.
  • Set up a plan to to have a liaison hired at the end of the academic year
  • motion-to leave the position open for the next two weeks (nominated)
  • Dylan: if there will be multiple applicants, then there should be an interview process.
  • Tom will post the position on CODA
  • Brendan: motion to create WSA Liaison committee (nominated)
  • Committee members: Evelyn, Molly, and Brendan
  • Tom: information for budget-WSA fee and remaining balance

Greener Commons Discussion Update

• Andrew: Dylan H said there is no way that academic computing will make a canvas for student groups.
  • Moodle is a possibility-strongly recommended against that-enrollment status
  • A forum can be created on Word press where there is a section only for members to use
  • the forum would be located at blogs.evergreen.edu/geoduckunion
  • should the GSU use campus resources or look at other alternatives?
  • Forest: fine with not using state resources, and suggests trello.
  • Forest, Andrew, and Nat expressed interest in creating the Word press forum.
  • General interest in having a forum
  • Molly: focusing on GSU rep website where we can open up to the community
  • Motioned: to build a centralized group around the GSU website (privately) and abolished the facebook group
  • should the forum be private? And the Greener Commons page be public?
  • Forest urged that any conversations revolving around official business should be made public
  • Nicholas: vote on two separate issues, moved to separate votes (abolish the face book group and decided if the forum should be private or public.)
  •Motion to create a private forum
  • Vote for: 9
  • Vote against: 5
  •Motion to make a private forum (failed, needs 2/3 vote)
  • Andrew motion to abolish the facebook page
  • Other members suggests that the facebook page cannot be abolished until there is an alternative space for communication among GSU members.
  • Andrew: resend the motion to abolished page
  • Dylan: 30 minute cap for this discussion next week
  • Motioned to vote for public page (Nominated)

WSA Report

• Tyler and Dylan attend WSA meeting-GSU’s first WSA meeting of this year
  • 4 representatives (vote on behalf evergreen student body) for the general assembly
  • general assembly on November 14th, at Washington Central
  • Tyler updated the GSU on what happened at the WSA meeting
  • opposed the 15 percent cut to all public agency
  • voted yes on a proposal on an item to legally defined consent as “yes means yes”
  • preserve/ created public transport system on campus
  • intend to vote yes on a drafting a proposal that calls for open aired space, not restricting foot traffic for free speech zone w/o consequences
  • There are conflicts for with not only budget cuts, but the notion to bring down class sizes in k-12th grade.
  • This funding will likely come from our budget
  • Evergreen’s budget is under 194 million dollars
  • Linkon: if we do reduce class size, more resources, more money
  • trying to get SPSCC to go to the WSA, representation for the board
  • Tyler and Misha will talk to SPSCC
  • Tyler: working group in a committee (drafting letters, lobby day events) established something next week
  • sat, jan 31st host WSA meeting
  • catering, 10-11 schools
  • Tom: who extended the invitation? In 2009, there was a vote for a onetime fee for the purpose of a membership and intern to attend WSA sessions. Two years ago, the GSU appointed someone, using S&A fees there is about 4,000 in an account. This fund can be used for memberships, intern-legislative session, travel expenses
  • Budget managers will review expenses for hosting the WSA meeting at Evergreen in December
  • Safe Communities Act-tabled for next week
  • Green Screens for next week

Nick and Evelyn left at 2:40

Safer Communities Act

• Tyler provided a copy of “The Safe Communities Act” bill to GSU members.
  • Multiple incidents occurring on lower campus
  • There was an advocate presence during this discussion, Virginia Green
  • Organize a task force for the Green Dot Program
  • Supplement self-defense workshops to assist the Green Dot Program
  • Ask the S&A board for $1,000 budget for these projects
  • currently, there is a senior conduct office and a process to investigate these cases.
  • One person judging on two different interviews. This creates a bias perceptive on the situation.
  • Have 2 designated officers that would determine what happened in the situation
  • Appeals board (?)
  • record our progress with Office of Sexual Violence Prevention
  • Tyler will reach out and ask CASV members to be a part of this discussion.