AAS Minutes

9/19/2005

 

I. Attendance

II. Call to Order at 9:05 p.m.

III. Approval of the minutes: Minutes approved.

IV.  Officer Reports:

1  Mike Simmons

o Has ordered Parliamentary procedure tapes, located in Frost Library

o Is trying to get Barack Obama to speak on campus.

o To get Harvard Business School professor to come speak to Amherst students.

o Working on getting a U.S. Senator to teach at Amherst.

o Ashley Rose and Mike Simmons are working on improving sexual assault policy on campus.

o Setting up a retreat with other NESCAQ student senators.

o Has made progress on setting up campus retreats.

o Working on sportsmanship at Amherst College foster more interest in student sports.

o CAP report deciding whether or not to administer the SAT.

o Participating in a debate to not have homework assigned

2  Austin Yim

o If you have announcements, please send it to me before 11.

IV.  Announcements

1  Emily Silberstein

o If you have a particular interest in a focus group, please email me.

2  Spencer

o Get our money and investments out of the companies who are doing business with Sudan, and thus funding the genocideā this will be a symbolic act

o This will make people more aware of the genocide in Sudan

o 15% of our investment pool is indirect (stocks)

o 80% is in funds (Trustees have not divulged the companies)

o If there is enough student support, President Marx will bring the case in front of the Trustees

o Spencer’s Resolution: We the Senate of the Association of Amherst Students do hereby resolve that it is in the best interests of the student body for the administration to actively consider and explore the possibility of withstanding investments from companies that offer services and funding to the government of the Sudan (excepting those that provide humanitarian services to the people of the Sudan) while the genocide there continues.

o Motion to use Spencer’s language to put on the floor.

o In favor: Unanimous.

V.  Special Orders

3  BC recommendations

WAMH

o Has secured other funding; this event only needs the additional $2000 from the AAS

o If there is over-funding, then WAMH will return the amount of overage to the AAS

o Motion to amend WAMH recommendation to $0.

Pros

4  Small concerts have been very unsuccessful in the past

5  We should pool money to bring large concerts to Amherst

6  If we set the precedent of not bringing “bang to the buck,” we could run out of money towards the end of the semester

7  Each student pays the same amount for the Student Activities Fee. If we consistently allocate more money to one group more than the others, then we are being unfair in our distribution of money back to the students.

o INSERT VOTES

o Motion fails.

o Motion to decrease funding to WAMH by $240.

o Motion to amend the amendment to decrease funding by $40.

o INSERT VOTES Y:11, N:9 Motion passes.

o Motion to decrease funding to WAMH by $40.

o INSERT VOTES. Motion passes.

Hillel

o Motion to amend the breaking after Yom Kippur fast from $200 to $600.

o Every Hillel event is open to the Amherst campus

o Motion passes.

o Motion to fund Hillel $2300. Motion passes.

· B.C. recommendations pass. INSERT VOTES.

· Committee Elections

o Elections Committee

1. Raj; Elect

2. Emily; Elect

o Faculty Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid

1. Raj; 2-year position; Elect

2. Tim; 1-year position; Elect

o Committee on Priorities and Resources

1. Jordan; Elect

VI.  New Business

1  Motion to insert Richa’s proposal into the bylaws of the Constitution. Bylaw amendment follows:

 

VIII. COMMITTEE ELECTIONS

A. Committees shall be filled by election from the Senate in the following order and with any accompanying guidelines:

1. Student Standing Committees

a. Judiciary Council (two (2) members: may not sit on any other committee)
b. Budgetary Committee (eight (8) members)
c. Elections Committee (five (5) members)
d. Dining Services Committee (five (5) members)

2. Faculty Committees

a. College Council (one (1) member from each class)
b. Committee on Priorities and Resources (three (3) members)
c. Committee on Educational Policy (three (3) members)
d. Committee on Admission and Financial Aid (two (2) members)
e. Library Committee (two (2) members)
f. Committee on Discipline (two (2) male and two (2) female)
g. Committee on Health and Safety (two (2) members)
h. Committee on Physical Education and Athletics (two (2) members)
i. Information Technology Policy Committee (two (2) members)
j. Affirmative Action Advisory Committee (one (1) member)

3. Trustee Committees

a. Advisory Committee on Trusteeship (two (2) members)
b. Committee on Honorary Degrees (two (2) Juniors, one (1) Senior)
c. Advisory Committee on Student Life (two (2) from each class)

4. Administrative Committees

a. Space Allocation Committee (one (1) from each class, one (1) Executive Branch member)
b. Interdepartmental Student Fund Committee (one (1) member)
c. Residential Life Committee (one (1) Senior, one (1) Junior, one (1) other member)
d. Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee (one (1) member)

5. Five College Committees

a. Five College Student Coordinating Board (one (1) member)

B. Any Senator wishing to run for a committee position shall submit their name to the Vice-President of the AAS, who shall conduct these committee elections. Those receiving the greatest number of votes shall be on the committees. In the case of a tie vote relevant to the outcome of the committee position elections, another vote shall be taken between those parties receiving the tie votes. Every Senator shall have as many votes as there are positions on any specific committee.

C. The Dean of Students will hold a mandatory meeting for any Senators interested in joining the Disciplinary Committee prior to the meeting when committee elections will take place.

6. Master General Club Committees

a. Social Council (one (1) member)
b. Amherst College Program Board (one (1) member)

c. Flics (one (1) member)
d. Acems (one (1) member)
e. The Olio (one (1) member)

A committee assignment must concurrently be created upon the addition of any club or organization into the Master General fund.

 

OTHER RELEVANT CONSTITUTIONAL PASSAGES:

 

Constitution, I. The Senate

C. Powers and Duties of Senators

Senators shall:
3. Sophomore, Junior, and Senior Class senators must serve on at least one, and may serve on no more than four, standing student, faculty, administrative, or trustee committees, in addition to their respective class councils. First-Year senators shall be exempted from the requirement to serve on any standing or faculty committees, assuming all available positions are occupied.

D. Ad Hoc Committees

1. The Senate shall create ad hoc committees at its discretion. All ad hoc committees shall be under the jurisdiction of the Senate.
2. If the committee desires a chair, the chair shall be selected from within the committee.
3. A quorum of 2/3 of the committee shall be required to conduct business.
4. Any actions of the committee shall be submitted to the full Senate for approval
5. Provide a monthly written report to the Vice-President for inclusion with the agenda of the first meeting of each month.

III. SENATE COMMITTEES

D. Committees and Senate Elections

1. All committee seats shall be filled by Senators elected by the Senate. Each Senator shall fill at least one and no more than Four (4) committee seats in addition to their Class Council.
2. In the case of a student Senator who is elected by the Senate to serve on a Faculty, Administrative, or Trustee committee that has a two-year term, that student shall automatically remain on that committee during the second year even if that Senator is not reelected. In this case, committee obligations will remain unchanged.
3. In the case that a standing Senate committee or student-faculty committee seat is vacant, the Senate shall have another round of elections within the Senate. If the seat remains vacant, the Senate may appoint a student to fill this position. The appointed student shall be subject to the same attendance requirements as Senators.
4. Faculty, Administrative, and Trustee committee members shall not be allowed to resign from their committee seats unless they are also resigning from the Senate, except in instances accepted by the Vice-President.
5. All Faculty, Administrative, and Trustee committee elections shall take place before the Senate recesses for the summer. The faculty handbook will be the authority on the composition of Faculty, Administrative, and Trustee committees.

 

 

2  Motion passes.

3  Seats:

o Social Council: Sam Siegel

o Program Board: Charmel Maynard

o FLICS: Jason Kung

o ACEMS: Julie Kim

o Olio: Josh Stein

VII.  Adjournment (11:10 p.m.)