The Geoduck Student Union

Due to frequent absences, the GSU has created a new policy to effectively work with absent members. It reads:

“If a representative has 2 unexplained absences in a row, or 4 explained and/or unexplained absences total, a subcommittee of at least 3 members will be formed to address the issue. This committee will try to contact the absent representative and then make a recommendation to the GSU about what should be done.” 

GSU Meeting Minutes

February 15, 2012

CAB 301

Committee Update:

            This week Jessica and Eli worked on sorting out a more effective way to have the committee’s achieve more together. The proposal was made to have 5 main head committee’s that would have sub-committee within them. Each head committee would have a Liaison that is a contact person who is the head person in that group. Each GSU member is required to be in at least one of these committee’s. Here are the proposals for the new head committee’s:

Proposals:

Special Student Groups

Outreach: Jessica

Student Activism: Courtney

Campus Life:Chelsea

Academic Concern: Eli

Listed above are the committee’s and their liaisons. Special Student Groups still needs a liaison. Over the next week they will email the GSU office manager which committee they are going to be in and join one.  Jessica motioned to approve the head committee’s. Motion Passed.

Resignations:

Mary-Lou and Kent both sent in their resignation over the week. This raises more drive to actually have the ballot item that was discussed last week, this would help keep the number of GSU members consistent.

Disclosure Commission:

            In the past, the Legislative Internship has been filled by two different people. The last person who filled this position had (unknowingly) failed to have monthly reports of what he had been doing and the money he had spent to keep an update. Willy has been informed of this monthly report and is now going to be sure to complete it each month.

WSA:

There is a huge rally taking place on Monday, February 20^th, for students to speak against financial aid budget cuts, specifically work study. Mara came to the GSU meeting to talk again about out reach to students to raise awareness about the rally and have students attend. She shared the need for student speakers who have work-study to advocate keeping it next school year. There will be post cards on the WSA website if people cannot attend the rally to send it with their stories about work-study. Jazmin volunteered to pass out fliers with Mara sometime before the end of the week. Mara also reminded the GSU of the WSA Board Meeting next Saturday from 10am-5pm.

Outreach Workshop:

Mara is partnering with the GSU and is going to give the GSU an outreach workshop to help reach the students. It was decided that sometime in March would be a good time, from 2:30-4:00pm at one of the GSU meetings.

Graffiti:

            With the tremendous amount of graffiti committed on campus, there is an estimated $10,000 to clean it up. The suggestion was made to have a “free wall” or a mural to go over the graffiti, embracing the Evergreen artistic side. Andrew is going to contact Paul Smith to see why it is costing so much and if there is a more creative way to deal with the issue.

Present: Kelli, Amy, Jessica, Josh, Louis, Chelsea, Jazmin, Ryan, Courtney, Andrew, Nate, Ken, Eli

Absent: Joseph, Tasha (excused), Kyle, David, Willy

February 8th, 2012
GSU Meeting Minutes

Tacoma Campus Visit

Accountability:
            Jessica brought up that there has been an inconsistency with the people volunteering to be on committees but not fulfilling them. She suggested that we start using our task list again to have more accountability. It was brought up that the GSU could use Moodle or Google Groups to converse throughout the week (without email) and be able to correct meeting minutes before meetings to save time. Members could post progress notes, goals they are setting and keep track of attendance. Jessica made the motion to use Google Groups to keep members connected over the week. Tasha seconds motion. Motion passed.

Absences:
There have been some absences this quarter and it has brought up some concern about the policy about absences. Currently the policy is that 2 unexplained absences means the GSU recommends for removal and the GSU votes to remove that member.  It was suggested that we had a new policy stating that 4 absences through the quarter (even if excused) can be recommended for removal.Chelsea is going to write up an absence policy for next meeting.
MiT Program:
Kent has brought up that the legislator has now doubled the standards from a few years ago for the MiT program. He really wants to change this and see why it’s been changed and it’s changed to be so much more difficult. Courtney is going to talk to her seminar group while Kent continues to do research.

Sexual Assault Policy:
Jessica is going deeper into her original reason for being on the GSU, which is to help work on the sexual assult policy here at Evergreen. She just wanted to check in with the GSU and let them know what she is going to be doing.

Outreach Committee:
There have been members going out to classrooms and advertising for the committee openings on campus. They are passing out handbills and sign-up sheets to try to get students involved in their classes. Amy is going to table this week to advertise the committee openings as well.

Constitutional Amendment:
Every quarter students have to resign from the GSU for various reasons and it makes it very hard for new students to get onto the GSU. It was suggested that it would be 3 alternates and they would be the next 3 highest votes on the ballots and would be notified that later in the year they might be able to fill the position. The next elections this will be on the ballot as a ballot item. It has to be turned in by week 5 of next quarter.

Special Initiative Budget:
The budget needs to be renewed for spring quarter for the new amount of stipend for all that new GSU members. Eli is going to attend the necessary workshops to submit a new Special Initiative.

Present: Kent, Josh, Eli, Chelsea, Nate, Louis, Ryan, Jessica, Courtney, Ken, Tasha, Willy

Absent: Amy, Kelli, Joseph, Kyle, Jazmin, David, Andrew, Mary-Lou

GSU Meeting Minutes
February 1st 2012

Tacoma Visit:
            The vans for the trip down to Tacoma next week need to be picked up before 12 on Wednesday. All members will be meeting at the van at 1 in C lot and leaving at 1:15 for Tacoma. The room the members are meeting in is 104 on the 1st floor.

Working Groups:
Jessica brought up a new idea to have a set aside time in the GSU meeting to build in time for working groups. The GSU discussed having it at the beginning or the end of the meeting for a half an hour. Jessica made a motion to have 30 minutes dedicated to working groups after the meeting. Louis seconds the motion. Motion passed.

WSA Lobby:
On February 20th there is going to be a Lobby Day in Olympia. The GSU also needs to fill the WSA Liaison Position and the GSU needs to advertise to the students about the position. The GSU also needs to fill the position of the Trustee liaison. Tasha is going to a meeting in Tacoma and Courtney is a back-up. Chelsea and Eli are going to talk at public comment at the Faculty Agenda meeting liaison.

Outreach Workshop:
            Jessica suggested the GSU host a workshop to learn to effectively outreach. She is going to email Mara about what she might be able to do to help the GSU.

Present: Willy, Nate, Ken, Chelsea, Courtney, Tasha, David, Amy, Jazmin, Louis, Josh, Jessica, Eli

Absent: Joseph, Kyle, Kelli, Ryan, Andrew, Mary-Lou

GSU Meeting Minutes

January 25, 2012

Public Comment:

Louis announced that today there would be a meeting at Traditions Café 7-8:30 for Peace Corps info. Also in April there would be a TEDX presentation and they need to select speaker and there is a meeting at 3pm today as well.

Committees:

The committee work groups are working on outreach and getting the committee’s advertised. They decided to start tabling for the GSU, posting in the CPJ, radio station and creating posters/fliers.

WSA:

Mara came to the GSU and explained her position with WSA. She is the new organization director and is here to represent Evergreen. She will be making monthly rounds to Evergreen. She wants to assist Evergreen in any sort of community organization that might be helpful and anything Evergreen might need from WSA. GSU expressed the need for student involvement in the GSU and Mara wants to be utilized to outreach for the GSU to the students here at Evergreen. Jessica made a motion to have some sort of system set up for WSA reps to represent the Tacoma Campus as well. Andrew seconds motion. Motion Passed.

Aramark Contract:

Tom has the new timeline for the possible new contract for the next school year. The GSU appoints 3 students and one can be a GSU member. There will be a meeting on February 3^rd.

Student Jobs:

            A GSU member brought up a concern that he has for the student employment on campus. He wants to know what the GSU can do to create more jobs on campus to help students get a job. He is hoping to develop an approach to a grant for next year to provide more jobs. The working group for looking into the information about the Student Employment is: Ryan, David and Kelli.

SLAR’s:

SLAR’s are due next Wednesday Feb 1^st.

Noise in the Room:

            Kent brought up the issue of the fan in the CAB 301 and that the S&A Board no longer meet in the room due to the noise. Tom informed the GSU that John Hurley is already in the process of fixing this.

Advertising Initiative Process:

Every time the GSU votes new members in, there is an opportunity to have initiatives on the ballot. So far in the past, the GSU has been behind on brainstorming the initiatives to have on the ballot and there wasn’t any on in the fall. Now there is a deadline of week 5 to have the initiatives in and to be submitted by any students. Working Group: Andrew, Josh, Ken

ATM’s:

            Chelsea met with John Hurley and he told the GSU that we are allowed to switch the ATM’s. John needs to contact the banks to have them switch the ATM’s at the same time. Once John has confirmed a date, the GSU will advertise the ATM’s movement in the CPJ and fliers. Louis proposed maybe having Credit Union ATM in the HCC as well and said he would look into it further.

Snow/Salt on Campus:

            When the snow storm hit last week, it was extremely difficult for students who lived on campus to walk around campus. Ryan is going to contact Paul Smith about the contract for snow conditions and if there might be a more effective way to approach it in the future. There were conversations about maybe having students with grievances shoveling as a part of their community service when the snow hits like it did.

Meeting Minutes:

Kentmotioned to approve the meeting minutes with corrections. Tasha Seconds. Motion Passes.

Present: Louis, Mary-Lou, Chelsea, Tasha, Kyle, Kelli, Amy, Joseph, Ryan, Andrew, David,Wilbert, Nathan, Josh, Ken, Eli, Jessica

Absent: Jazmin, Nate, Courtney