JHU SGAThe 114th Session
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Senate Meeting #4 - 9/5/23

Minutes / Senate · 111th session · dated September 5, 2023 · updated September 5, 2023

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This document is from a previous session and is kept for the record. It may have been amended or replaced since.

JHU Student Government

Senate Meeting #4

September 5, 2023 / 07:00 PM / Hackerman B17

AGENDA

  1. Call to Order and Attendance (1 min)

    1. Absentees:
      1. Excused:
      2. Unexcused
    2. Present

  2. Convening Business (3 min)

  3. Amendment and Approval of the Agenda (1 min)

  4. Public Input (3 min)

  5. Reports (17 min)

    1. Cabinet Reports (4 min)

      1. Student Body President - President Ryan Chou
      2. Student Body Vice President - Vice President Jackson Morris
      3. Student Body Secretary - Secretary Amy Li
      4. Student Body Treasurer - Treasurer Jenny Chen
      5. Chair of Programming - Chair Shalala Leny
      6. Director of Communications - Director Milton Diaz
      7. Director of Research - Director Vanessa Han
      8. President of the Senate - President Dalhart Dobbs
    2. Advisor Report (2 min) - Dr. Charles Norman

  6. Non-Legislative Business (15 min)

    1. Parliamentarian Confirmation - President Dalhart Dobbs
    2. Student Alumni Survey & Email - President Ryan Chou
    3. Advisory votes for Robert's Rule of Order for the Senate Parliamentarian - Parliamentarian Jaden Garcia

  7. First Reading

    1. Phi Delta Theta Crab Fest Funding Bill - Senator Sabour Shaik & Maahi Ameer
    2. Academic Senators Bylaw Update Bill - Senator Timothy Huang & President Resham Talwar

  8. Second Reading

    1. Board of Trustees Resolution - Student Body Vice President Jackson Morris & President Resham Talwar
    2. Closed Session - Student Body Vice President Jackson Morris

  9. Prospective Legislation & Announcements (5 min)

  10. Adjournment (Estimated 9:00 PM)

Time-length and adjournment estimates are provided for the benefit of guests at Senate meetings. However, SGA meetings are always slated to extend until 9:00 PM (10:00 PM over the summer) and SGA members are expected to remain in the Senate chamber until official adjournment by motion, whether before or after the adjournment estimate.

AGENDA

  1. Call to Order and Attendance (1 min)

    1. Absentees:
      1. Excused:
      2. Unexcused
    2. Present

  2. Convening Business (3 min)

  3. Amendment and Approval of the Agenda (1 min)

  4. Public Input (3 min)

  5. Reports (17 min)

    1. Cabinet Reports (4 min)

      1. Student Body President - President Ryan Chou
        1. Adding initiatives on Teams
        2. Reach out if you are interested in helping organize debates and collaborating with Baltimore First
      2. Student Body Vice President - Vice President Jackson Morris
        1. Met with the Dean of Libraries (Elizabeth Long) about opening a prayer room in MSE for student groups. Received confirmation in mid/late October
          1. Please reach out if you are interested
          2. Minutes available on Teams
      3. Student Body Secretary - Secretary Amy Li
        1. Compiled all important links for SGA Google Drive and will be adding other important documents like resolution and bill templates
        2. Will be updating Bylaws this week and distributing the merch from last semester
      4. Student Body Treasurer - Treasurer Jenny Chen
        1. SGA budget has not been released, but it has been received (not distributed yet) according to LEED
          1. Should be seeing budget by the end of the week
      5. Chair of Programming - Chair Shalala Leny
        1. Sign up for SGA events, sheet will be released soon
          1. Jackson: Adding event incentive for attendance soon. Required to do 1 tabling event per semester
      6. Director of Communications - Director Milton Diaz
      7. Director of Research - Director Vanessa Han
        1. Sending another round for PRDC due to people dropping out. Meeting tomorrow (9/6) to discuss this further
      8. President of the Senate - President Dalhart Dobbs
        1. Logistically, labeled all the clickers and will be troubleshooting. Speaking with admissions regarding affirmative action case.
    2. Advisor Report (2 min) - Dr. Charles Norman
      1. Budgets are released, some student orgs who received them already

  6. Non-Legislative Business (15 min)

    1. Parliamentarian Confirmation - President Dalhart Dobbs
      1. Parliamentarian responsible about Robert’s Rules of Order and structuring Senate meetings
        1. Student body wide email for recruitment
      2. Jaden Garcia - confirmed as Parliamentarian
    2. Student Alumni Survey & Email - President Ryan Chou
      1. Initiative since last Spring
      2. Goal is build a stronger student-alumni connection
      3. Sending out a survey that accesses how students and alums connect now. Alumni Council is an elected body of alums and worked with SGA and Office of Alumni Relations (responsible for raffle too) to develop this survey
      4. Aim to gain some feedback about this initiative. Intend to send out the survey after the freshmen elections. Worked with Resham, Tim, Ryan, and Milton.
      5. Danial: Possibility to shorten the survey?
        1. Already shortened the survey, worked with the other groups and Senators to edit
      6. Public Input: Life Design would like to add a OneHop to the ability for student-alumni connections
    3. Advisory Votes for Robert's Rule of Order for the Senate Parliamentarian - Parliamentarian Jaden Garcia
      1. Go directly to vote, debate or adjournment at the end
      2. If a motion is up, President Dobbs should ask for a Q&A
      3. President Dobbs can only call for meeting to order
      4. Senator can motion to vote on something on the agenda
      5. Senate can vote ⅔ to override motions from President Dobbs
      6. Motion to discharge something from committee - remove from the agenda, not on Constitution or Bylaws
        1. Hope to either add/remove
      7. Will create a “cheat sheet” for Robert’s Rule of Order
    4. Motion for 5 min Q&A
      1. Senator Cruz Moreno: Could you explain discharge?
        1. If a committee is not working on a bill, motion to discharge can help remove a bill from the agenda. Need Senate approval to solidify committee’s roles
      2. Senator T. Huang: Does the committee have full authority to remove a bill from the agenda?
        1. Yes
      3. Point of order - VP Morris - Can we have documentation of all the potential changes? For Robert’s Rules of Order clarification, go to Teams > General > Files > Reference Documents > Senatorial Rules Help
        1. Will discuss on Teams, discuss in person

  7. First Reading

    1. Phi Delta Theta Crab Fest Funding Bill - Senator Sabour Shaik & Maahi Ameer
      1. Intend to host Crab Fest on Saturday, October 7, 2023 from 2pm to 6pm on the Freshman Quad
        1. During Family Weekend and Hoptoberfest
      2. Motion for 10 minute moderated caucus 1 minute speaking time
        1. Senator Cruz Moreno: Justification for the price. Since you held the event before, you held it in Clipper Room, this is a small room—is that reflective of the number of people you hope to host?
          1. Can achieve so much more by asking more to reach more people. Before, we had $2,500 for 250 people to make the dollar worth much more.
          2. This was a predated event, smaller event especially because of COVID. Hope to reach out to more people
        2. President Dobbs: How much is your organization contributing? Not obligated to contribute but this is a large event.
          1. Covering cost of crab—no definitive number yet. Will also consider donation ($500-700).
        3. Chair Leny: Your organization will be contributing $500-700? Will be hosting any other fundraisers
          1. Organization has a small budget, will try best to contribute. Fundraiser with T-Shirts, generally fundraise with events, such as Orioles games raising $1000
        4. Senator Tomlinson: how will this event garner more people?
          1. Reference event - had 500 people attend for family engagement event last year
          2. From young alumni, there are now more accommodation and more emphasis on this event this summer (social media outreach, etc.)
        5. President Meng: Range contingency plans on Freshman Quad?
          1. Will be meeting this week about this, and will be hosting tents and tables outside. Bike racks to gate the area with wristbands of different levels
        6. Senator T. Huang: Calculated 7.2 crabs per person, what is your plan for extra crabs? Or lack of attendance?
          1. Worked with someone who hosted 650 person event before in which there were 7-9 crabs per person. Should not be an issue based on this history
        7. Senator Jennifer: Where are you putting the extra funding, based on the bill?
          1. Scaled up version of the bushels and funding. Intend for a larger event
        8. Senator Kuzma: How much will the funds be for each person? How much will this be donated for charity?
          1. Total budget will be $5300, if projected number of people attend, will raise $6000. Hope to donate $4000-5000.
        9. Senator Danial: Will be spending $12 per person for just the crabs. There is a lot of room, with a lot of room to fund. Will you be thinking of cutting down the costs per person?
          1. Need to consider beyond crabs, such as rentals, sides, etc. All the money raised will be donated to charity.
          2. Most of our costs are amendable during the week of the event. Willing to adjust for SGA. In terms of accessibility, can bring down the costs with SGA’s support.
        10. VP Morris: $5500 will be raised with $6000 event. This is almost break even. SGA is prohibited from donating to charity directly. Can you cut down the costs?
          1. Will reduce the costs of the events, with excess funding, can request a lower funding
        11. Senator Srigouri: What proportion of the money is from your bank account?
          1. The remaining amount will be fronted, some going to charity and funding for the event. If our cost is $5000, if we get $3750, $750 from us, $500 will be from people.
        12. Motion to suspend the rules
        13. Senator Kemi: Need documentation, there is a lot of guessing. Instead of being so big, there will likely be less waste. Could you donate a larger proportion?
          1. 40 person organization, so funds are limited. All profits go to charity
        14. Senator Xiong: Could you discuss the cleanup of the event? What have you allocated for the cleanup?
          1. Every person of the organization will be responsible for setup and cleanup. There may be more funds needed, but manpower should be enough, based on our meetings with LEED and event scheduling office
        15. Chairperson Leny: Why did you remove some of the foods from last year? How much do you hope to secure Alumni Association?
          1. Budgetary prioritization, crabs are the main food of the event. Currently have mac and cheese, salad bar, but will expand based on the budgets. Vegetarians will be prioritized.
          2. Hope to secure $1500 from Alumni association
        16. Senator Bakhit: How will you transport and store the food?
          1. Flexible with food transportation, based on the ticket sales. Fresh crabs the day of
        17. Senator Garcia: Forward bill to Finance Committee
        18. Motion to reinstate the rules
    2. Academic Senators Bylaw Update Bill - Senator Timothy Huang & President Resham Talwar
      1. Academic Senator Changes
        1. Increase the number of academic senators on academic affairs, need for more overlap in these roles (to 75%, 2 from WSE and 3 from KSAS)
        2. Expand roles of Academic Senators
          1. Met with the Vice Dean Roe (of KSAS)
          2. Required to meet with Deans (at least 2x a year)
            1. Discuss goals
            2. Report progress on initiatives
              1. Need to discuss attendance of these meetings
              2. Whether these senators need to have advisors
          3. Address issues that are distinct from Academic Affairs and specific to their school (WSE, KSAS)
            1. Need to create a differentiation between the sectors
    3. Academic Affairs Changes
      1. Clarify role
        1. Concern issues about both schools
        2. Designate one academic senator as liaison
    4. Motion to suspend the rules, motion for 10 min Q&A, 2 min speaking time
      1. Senator Cruz Moreno: we should expand the Academic Affairs committee, if a large majority of academic senators want to join this committee. Keep the current minimum of meeting with Deans. Liaison program seems contradictory, may exclude their decision and there may be tension between AA chair if they are not a liaison.
        1. Rules currently say “at least,” no limitation right now
        2. Hope to expand the number of academic senators, as the committee is rather small
      2. VP Morris: please specify meeting with the Deans, which Dean is it? These differences make a huge impact on the productivity and effectiveness of every meeting. Liaison seems to duplicate the role, as they are already working closely together
      3. Senator Danial: Based on my comments, having 2 meetings with the Deans is going to be difficult. 2 and 3 senators for every school should be written as a proportion/percentage.
        1. Disagree with the proportion/percentage — If there aren't enough Academic Senators, we should expect there to be 12 senators (7 KSAS, 5 WSE)
        2. Academic Senators should meet in general, and meet with Deans. Every AS should have a requirement to meet with Deans
      4. Senator Srigouri: Does not think the liaison is necessary, as a large percentage of AS are on the committee
        1. Not supposed to be a conflicting situation, will edit these roles further. Will still need an exchange of knowledge between the Academic Senators and AA. Example of this conflict during the summer.
      5. Point of Order - Senator Cruz Moreno - is there a vice chair for AA?
        1. Already have results, need to wait and reelect with these changes in bylaws
      6. Senator Tomilson: How is meeting 2x a year with the Deans will help foster a close relationship?
        1. Minimum bar is established. Meeting with Deans is difficult—just met with KSAS Vice Dean and is a practical problem. They continue deflecting our questions, stating that the dean who is absent would have a clearer idea. They are very responsive via email, can be helpful for updates and check-ins
      7. Motion to un-suspend the rules
      8. Senator Danial: Point of order. For further elections, possibility change name of Academic Senators to School Senators
      9. Senator Benjamin: Why are Academic Senators not on all on AA?
        1. VP Morris: reasoning similar to RSO and Finance Committee. Need for diversity of opinions. An option is to expand AA, but it may be more difficult to set up meetings
        2. President Dobbs: not all academic senators are interested in the concerns of other schools
      10. Senator Garcia: move bill to IA

  8. Second Reading

    1. Board of Trustees Resolution - Student Body Vice President Jackson Morris & President Resham Talwar
      1. Added to share the JHU student body and president of the alumni council
      2. Motion to proceed in voting procedures - not passed
      3. Motion for 5 min moderated caucus 1 min speaking time
      4. Senator T. Huang: Clarification about the Trustees distribution?
        1. President of Alumni Council serves in the BoT and have voting power
        2. Alumni Council may be important in the implementation of this system
      5. Senator Danial: Notice how the Baltimore Sun is on this list—is this going public? Why not go nationally?
        1. Yes. National news is for later
      6. Senator Granados: How will it be publicly disseminated to the student body?
        1. Email (or maybe QR code poster and staple it on Garland Hall :) or Sidechat)
        2. Further discussion on Teams
      7. Senator Danial: First time voting on Resolution. How will this be sent out? Will this text be sent out?
        1. Will figure out how to send this via email or download as PDF. Yes, the text on the resolution will be sent out
      8. Motion for voting procedures - 100% voted
    2. Closed Session - Student Body Vice President Jackson Morris
      1. Motion for closed section, Motion to suspend the rules

  9. Prospective Legislation & Announcements (5 min)

  10. Adjournment (Estimated 9:00 PM)

Time-length and adjournment estimates are provided for the benefit of guests at Senate meetings. However, SGA meetings are always slated to extend until 9:00 PM (10:00 PM over the summer) and SGA members are expected to remain in the Senate chamber until official adjournment by motion, whether before or after the adjournment estimate.

AGENDA

  1. Call to Order and Attendance (1 min)

    1. Absentees:
      1. Excused:
      2. Unexcused
    2. Present

  2. Convening Business (3 min)

  3. Amendment and Approval of the Agenda (1 min)

  4. Public Input (3 min)

  5. Reports (17 min)

    1. Cabinet Reports (4 min)

      1. Student Body President - President Ryan Chou
        1. Cabinet met during the summer, mainly transition tasks. More specific initiatives in the agenda
      2. Student Body Vice President - Vice President Jackson Morris
        1. Seeking representatives for JHU Dining and WSE and KSAS Curriculum committee. Members do not have to be Senators, can be any JHU student
      3. Student Body Secretary - Secretary Amy Li
        1. Working on SGA infrastructure, such as fully transitioning from Microsoft to Google Drive and creating SGA attendance sheet
      4. Student Body Treasurer - Treasurer Jenny Chen
        1. Finance has been meeting for the past two weeks, currently covering 90% of all student organizations and should be done this week
        2. Our budget and other student organizations have not gotten budget yet… wait until the end of next week
        3. Finance Committee should meet at the end of the GBM to figure out the meeting time
      5. Chair of Programming - Chair Shalala Leny
        1. Worked on programming council confirmations during the summer.
      6. Director of Communications - Director Milton Diaz
        1. Working on marketing projects (SIF, website updates, freshman elections)
      7. Director of Research - Director Vanessa Han
        1. PRDC committee members will be working on projects that they are interested in. Please reach out if you have any specific projects to work on
      8. President of the Senate - President Dalhart Dobbs
        1. Cabinet met throughout the summer. Please let me know if you have any questions about SGA transitions and bylaws, etc.
    2. Advisor Report (2 min) - Dr. Charles Norman
      1. Aware that exec has met throughout the summer. Hope for productive meetings. Budget decisions coming soon. Will work on access to Hackerman building

  6. Non-Legislative Business (15 min)

    1. Judiciary CSE Confirmations - Chief Justice Noam Rotenberg & Justice Luc Mazzanobile
      1. Worked with Nubaira to read and review CSE applications
      2. Nominating 3 members, need 4 more members
        1. Nubaira M.
        2. Alisa F.
        3. Jonathan B.
      3. Senator Garcia: Motion to confirm CSE members.
      4. All confirmed
    2. RSO Media Senator Confirmation - President Dalhart Dobbs
      1. 1 more opening for RSO Media Senator
        1. Jam Navarro - confirmed by Senate
          1. Computer Science and Neuroscience majors
          2. Marketing Chair for various media groups, such as outreach and social media.
          3. Want to help with bring RSO awareness
      2. All Senator Positions are now full in SGA
    3. Plans for the Year Round Robin - President Dalhart Dobbs
      1. Move for Round Robin discussion
        1. Organization, hope that new structure can bring
        2. Academic initiatives, wellness and student life
        3. Make opportunities open for all of Senate and student body
        4. Bring transparency and communication to SGA
        5. More access to mentors and support
        6. Improve communication throughout SGA
        7. Bring more opportunities to student athletes
        8. Sending a judiciary member to GBM, having judiciary more involved in SGA
        9. Make SAC guidelines more accessible, help support student organizations in terms of fundraisers, registration and budgets. Specific rooms for underrepresented groups in new student center
        10. VP Morris: Send ideas in Teams
    4. Class Programming Council Confirmations - Chairperson Shalala Leny - confirmed, 100%
      1. Senator Garcia: Motion to confirm Class Programming Council members
    5. Civic Engagement Committee Chair Election - President Dalhart Dobbs
      1. Senator Angela Xiong - voted as new chair
        1. Civil engagement experience at local and national level at Hopkins and in high school
        2. Most of the issues are educational and national level issues
        3. Will promote more civil engagement and hope to increase participation. Advocate for Senators for issues at different levels
      2. Senator Hailey Saya Tomlinson
        1. Work in LGBTQ+ advocacy and international conferences. Now working in intersectionality
        2. Encourage all students from all backgrounds to get involved in Baltimore. From a small town in Alabama, understand the importance of seeking opportunities for civic engagement
    6. 11 for 111 discussion - Student Body President Ryan Chou & Student Body Vice President Jackson Morris
      1. Drafted 11 for 111 to student body to student body during the summer
      2. Goals for SGA and admin hope to work for
      3. In 4 categories:
        1. Within SGA
        2. Undergraduate life
        3. JHU
        4. Baltimore and beyond
      4. Refer to the 11 for 111 document for more specific information
      5. President Talwar: Motion for a 10 minute moderated caucus, 1 minute speaking time.
        1. President Talwar: How will you measure your progress?
          1. President Chou: most of the items under the document has tangible actions attached to every goal. This will be used to update and collaborate on initiatives
        2. Senator : Document structure issues
        3. Senator Danial: Issues with link
        4. President Talwar: For 3b, how will Senators connect with RSOs?
          1. President Chou: Collaborate with Senate representatives to build a bridge between two groups
        5. Senator Danial: How will you make budget allocations more transparent?
          1. Treasurer Chen: Listing semesterly allocations and budget requests to the student organizations. Host more workshops with student organizations, some do not follow SAC guidelines for allocation requests
        6. President Chou: recognize the effort of Ireland and Kobi in creating these goals. Please feel free to reach out to us about feedback etc.
        7. President Dobbs: discussion ended

  7. First Reading

    1. Board of Trustees Resolution - Student Body Vice President Jackson Morris & President Resham Talwar
      1. President Dobbs: First resolution for the Senator
      2. VP Morris: realized that JHU BOT does not represent the university. 65 to 35 from 2010 to 2015, reason for removing young alumni trustees. They vote and determine salary and goals of the president, etc. removal of students from the process. Met with SGA, stated meeting for budget allocations but opportunities to address issues are limited. Need to change the system of BOT. Followed the University of Toronto model due to full representation throughout the university to be on BOT. propose to nominate 2 faculty, 1 graduate, and 1 undergraduate. Send to the News sources
      3. Motion for 5 minute Q&A, 1 minute speaking time
        1. Senator Cruz Moreno: how will we show the new changes in BOT?
          1. VP Morris: send to accessible news sources without subscriptions
        2. Senator Benjamin: Why limit the number of students in BOT?
          1. VP Morris: Duke has current students who are in BOT (voting, resources, advisory committees). Can include current students and more students in the future
        3. Senator T. Huang: How often do we meet with BOT?
          1. VP Morris: two times (Garland Hall meeting, quarterly meeting (exec board, 1-2 committee chairs)
        4. Senator T. Huang: Will we need to attend more meetings over this resolution?
          1. This should be enough
        5. Freshman (Member of the Public): Will this resolution be available for us to read?
          1. President Dobbs: Available on website after GBM
        6. Senator Danial: believe it is worth mentioning the downsizing of the BOT? How to move this forward?
          1. VP Morris: keep strategy closed, intend for these issues to face a lot resistance
        7. Senator Danial: Motion to extend 5 min, 1 min speaking time
        8. Senator Granados: How severe will strategies be, especially high resistance and protests?
          1. VP Morris: Message us if you want any specifics about the strategies. Will send resolution to the student body.
        9. Senator Christian: Will send to JHU Newsletter?
          1. VP Morris: Yes
          2. President Talwar: Student body should view this as something favorable due to greater representation in BOT
        10. Senator Danial: How should Senators support this? There may lead to bad relations with admin
          1. VP Morris: resolution will not only be sent out to the student body, will also include faculty member council for advising and consulting
        11. Senator Meng: Any specifics of Young Member Trustee?
          1. VP Morris: aligned with current BOT bylaws on their website. Will edit bylaws as well
        12. Treasurer Chen: Any possibility for the Faculty Council to also compose their own resolution to align with us?
          1. VP Morris: ask them to ratify the resolution to demonstrate their support.
        13. Senator Srigouri: motion to extend moderated caucus. (passed) what is the proposed plan of recruiting young alumni members and part time faculty members?
          1. VP Morris: Professor Emeritus can work part-time and are well respected
        14. Public Input: Purpose of BOT changes in relations with SGA?
          1. VP Morris: Hope to represent students. Will have CSAC and review applications to recruit students in BOT
        15. Senator Danial: Possibly add any student liaisons in BOT?
          1. VP Morris: lessen the demands in current resolution to open doors for more conversations and changes
        16. Senator Benjamin: Possibly meet more often with BOT and add SGA members to BOT?
          1. VP Morris: Conflict of interest with SGA. add BOT by merit and not connections
        17. Senator R Huang: Possibly discuss with the alumni association for their opinion
          1. VP Morris: they currently nominate 12/35, would love to discuss with them. But we first should address the public first
    2. BATB Funding Bill & Presentation - John Liu and Junior Class Programming Council on invitation of President Resham Talwar
      1. Diligent working on 5-hour Barbie at the Beach musical festival event with LEED (Rebecca) regarding hosting a large event during the semester. Confirmed for a budget list, reservations (centrally located Hopkins locations), and marketing.
      2. Refer to bill and presentation for more information
      3. Motion for 10 min
        1. Senator Cruz-Moreno: This is Kenough. Refer to DMC for tech items?
          1. No items available
        2. Senator Garcia: Rain date? Alcohol symbols is not allowed at the university
          1. Tent for rain date. Will replace with spike ball
        3. Senator Meng: Copyright?
          1. No issue with Jay games, should not be an issue
        4. Senator Danial: event payments?
          1. Hierarchy of prices depending on days before the event. Hope to bring a lot of people to the event with collaborators and social media
        5. Senator R. Huang: How to ensure that people are truly attending the event? Where will the profit go?
          1. Invite security and bike racks, recruit volunteers (e.g., APO). profit goes to replenish the junior programming council budget, especially since this is an event that is open to all classes
          2. Issues have been raised throughout the summer with the LEED. Programming Class Councils need to host their own fundraisers
        6. Senator Meng: From past experience, we should increase the budget to provide more food (trucks, cotton candy)
          1. This is currently first reading
        7. Treasurer Chen: Budget is the same as last year. This might bring a strain on the budget. Have you asked the collaborators for financial support?
          1. None of the student orgs have their own budget. Hop will help us with picnic blankets.
          2. A lot of FSL groups do not pay DJs, only for exposures.
        8. Senator: Possibly invite bands and music groups like at Spring Fair
          1. Does not want indie, wants a rave
        9. Motion to extend 5 minutes
        10. Treasurer Chen: Understand that we don’t have budget. Do you think you will have this event approval?
          1. Not following event approval timeline, working with LEED more closely due to the time restraints
        11. Senator Danial: (to Treasurer Chen): how much SGA budget?
          1. Currently unsure, will likely be around the same as last year, based on conversation with Calvin
        12. Senator Garcia: if you are seriously considering mechanical bull? Waiver available?
          1. Will decide after approval
          2. Charles: Will cover from the admin side
        13. Senator Christian: What are your concerns about safety?
          1. Stick to only to water guns
        14. Treasurer Chen: we do have $6000 in group funds within SGA that we can use
          1. Potentially unreliable source of budgeting
        15. Majority passed, 1 no, 0 abstention

  8. Second Reading

    1. Spring 2023 Bylaws Updates - Secretary Amy Li
      1. Passed 100%
    2. Caucus Constitution Amendment - Senator Cruz Moreno
      1. Went through changes on Constitution to increase the voice of the caucasus to improve the membership and work of all caucuses
      2. Motion 5 minute, 1 minute speaking time
      3. Senator Garcia: Unclear about dismissals in caucus
        1. Currently no specific solution, does not want to have any vacancies in caucus
      4. Senator Jennifer: Advisory meeting clarification
        1. Have SGA exec and advisors to determine participation in caucasus. No participation limited
      5. Senator Park: has any progress made in working with constituent groups?
        1. Nominations via constituent group recruitment. Hope to use this bridge to fill vacancies
      6. 100% passed

  9. Prospective Legislation & Announcements (5 min)

    1. If there are any resolutions/bills, send to President Dobbs
    2. If you want to invite any admin, please let us know in Teams. We are inviting Dean of Admissions in September
    3. All legislation is public
    4. SIF is this Friday, sign up!
    5. Meet Student Services and Internal Affairs after meeting

  10. Adjournment (Estimated 9:00 PM)

Time-length and adjournment estimates are provided for the benefit of guests at Senate meetings. However, SGA meetings are always slated to extend until 9:00 PM (10:00 PM over the summer) and SGA members are expected to remain in the Senate chamber until official adjournment by motion, whether before or after the adjournment estimate.

  1. Call to Order and Attendance (1 min)

    1. Absentees:
      1. Excused:
      2. Unexcused
    2. Present

  2. Convening Business (3 min)

    1. Senatorial Vacancies Presentation - President Dobbs
      1. Each nominee has 1 minute to present their bio and then the senate will vote
      2. Black Caucus
        1. Tyler Turner-
        2. Grace Aboagye- first year, came to Hopkins and went to an SNMA MAPS meeting and a black caucus member said how good it was. Joined and was a member last year. Wasn’t as active first semester, but started seeing more engagement second semester. Was told that there was no black caucus representative, and ran in the special election to see more engagement. Experience in community service
        3. Ja’Niyah Moore
        4. Tyler- 79% to 21%
      3. Hispanic/Latinx Caucus
        1. Sandy Monter-Casio
        2. Cynthia Sanchez Hidalgo-works in OMA, assistant director of culture show, Ole programming chair. Being Ole programming chair allowed them to see a lot of the struggles of latinx students on campus- especially funding, which has made it difficult to find community. Want to create change, tired of being on the other side of it
        3. Cynthia- 100%
      4. Media- no nominees, get your friends to apply
      5. Honors and Professional Society
        1. Rowan Mohamed- sophomore, AMS & PH, pre-med, FLI, have learned a great appreciation for advocacy from things like new games for children at healthcare and hours for HERO members. Feel like this is a great opportunity to continue advocacy, work with administration. Raise awareness of resources.
        2. Steven Doctorman- junior, ChemBE and anthropology, premed- feel this is essential to know student body and processes of pre-med organizations. Friends frequently direct pre-med friends to them. Also help pre-law students- want better link from RSOs and pre-prof advising and raise awareness of opportunities
        3. Steven- 55%, Rowan- 45%
      6. Oaths of Office
        1. Senator Morris- POI- would he have to resign position on programming branch?
          1. Yes, because it’s an executive team position it is considered part of the executive branch
          2. Tyler resigns from the programming council
        2. Tyler takes oath of office for black caucus
        3. Cynthia takes oath of office for hispanic/latinx caucus
        4. Steven takes oath of office for honor & professional society organizations
        5. Please get friends to apply to media senator!
    2. Committee Chair Confirmations - President Dobbs & Vice President Naqvi
      1. Senator T. Huang- if stone isn’t here how will he take the oath of office?
        1. Will take in the fall
      2. Committee chairs take committee chair oath of office

  3. Amendment and Approval of the Agenda (1 min)

    1. Motion to approve agenda passes unanimously

  4. Public Input (3 min)

    1. None

  5. Reports (17 min)

    1. Cabinet Reports (4 min)

      1. Student Body President - President Ryan Chou
        1. Had first post-inauguration email, put a lot in it, big cabinet effort
        2. Had first press-release, covers a lot of what SGA does that news-letter doesn’t. Will release weekly on website
        3. Put out interest form for focus groups of 11 for 111 plan
        4. Recruiting for policy research & development commision and communications & marketing commission
        5. Will have tabling event May 3 2-4pm
      2. Student Body Vice President - Vice President Jackson Morris
        1. Met with VPs Hernandez & Shollenberger, discussed a number of things, trying to meet again next week (reach out to Ryan or Jackson if you have ideas)
          1. SGA visit to 555 penn
          2. SGA involvement in DOSL interviews
          3. SGA involvement in new ADHD learning specialist effort
          4. Greater interaction with board of trustees
      3. Student Body Secretary - Secretary Amy Li
        1. Putting together google drive including attendance
      4. Student Body Treasurer - Treasurer Jenny Chen
        1. Reaching out to Calvin to set up a transition meeting
        2. Will send out email to new finance committee members
      5. Chair of Programming- Chair Leny
        1. Will have tabling May 3 2-4, please come help out and let your constituents know
      6. Director of Communications - Director Milton Diaz
        1. Working on promoting climate survey and tabling event
        2. Recruiting for CMC
        3. Making final SGA recap
        4. Website updates- if you haven’t filled out the form yet please do
      7. Director of Research - Director Vanessa Han
        1. Draft for operational & recruitment plan, started recruitment
      8. President of the Senate - President Dalhart Dobbs
        1. Welcome to GBM
        2. Worked on agenda and committee placements- most people should’ve gotten in their top 3. If there are scheduling issues, let him know
    2. Advisor Report (2 min) - Dr. Charles Norman
      1. Working with cabinet to find proper communication channels for advocacy
      2. For those of you who are coming to the concert, find him at the concert to get backstage pass IF you already purchased a ticket

  6. Non-Legislative Business (15 min)

    1. SGA Expectations Presentation - President Dobbs
      1. Senator Morris- POO- nothing saying committee chairs have to be sworn in, so President Meng can start immediately
      2. Condensing important info from the guiding docs
      3. Attendance
        1. Get to senate chambers by 7PM so we can start on time, most work SGA does isn’t in these meetings so want to be respectful
        2. Have 9 excused absences across all SGA meetings at discretion of chair of meeting
        3. After 2 unexcused absences, meet with cabinet and advisors and then have impeachment trial
        4. After 4 unexcused absences, immediate dismissal
        5. See attendance tracker for your attendance
        6. President of Senate can mandate attendance at additional events (can be overturned by ⅔ vote of senate)
        7. Excuses:
          1. Valid excuses with short notice (less than 48 hours) include family or medical emergency.
          2. For pre-determined commitments, notify president of senate ASAP. Shouldn’t be regular.
          3. Having Tuesday 7-9 free is a requirement for being in SGA
        8. Leave of absence
          1. Can be granted 2 weeks leave- can take it one time and lasts up to two weeks- notify President of Senate and Chair of Committee ASAP
      4. Disciplinary marks- can be reported to the secretary by anyone, including all of you.
        1. Internal affairs committee can mediate discussion to determine further action
        2. 3+ disciplinary marks subjects you to impeachment trial with another trial every 2 additional marks
        3. Increase by 2 marks if you’re on a third committee
        4. Reasons for marks:
          1. Not completing action items
          2. Disruptive behavior
          3. Not completing weekly tasks
          4. Abusing resources (email access, budget, etc)
          5. Disclosing confidential information (anything discussed in closed session)
      5. GBM Expectations
        1. Talking in turn
          1. Always talk in motions, don’t just blurt it out
          2. Be respectful, no personal attacks
          3. Don’t be too upset if something doesn’t go the way you voted
        2. General expectations
          1. Look generally put together (not in PJs)
          2. President of the Senate can mandate business casual
          3. Don’t eat during meeting unless granted exception by president of the senate
          4. Stay on topic on your computer
          5. Don’t be on your phone during meetings
          6. No technology during closed sessions
        3. Expectations with guests
          1. Be extra respectful and attentive
          2. Engage with guests and participate in discussion, they’re usually looking for feedback
          3. Even if you disagree with a guest, still ask respectful questions rather than attacking. Can give negative feedback, but stay respectful
        4. Motions
          1. Point of order- call out break in parliamentary procedure
          2. Point of information- ask quick clarifying question- not like opinion or discussion, just more information
          3. Motion to address the senate- at chair’s discretion, speak outside of moderated caucus/Q&A, immediate interruption
          4. Point of personal privilege- something about you personally/your comfort
        5. Voting
          1. Will try to stick to clickers and only use roll call if necessary due to tech issues
          2. Only pick up your own clicker, not your friends
          3. Don’t vote for non-existent options
          4. May use voice votes first and then clickers if there is consent
          5. Follow instructions of presiding officer
        6. Moderated Caucus & Q&A
          1. “Motion for x minute Mod Caucus/Q&A with x minute speaking times”
          2. Moderated caucus- facilitated discussion, if you finish your time early you can yield to someone else
          3. Q&A- more rapid fire questions
      6. Senator Alezz- motion for 5 min Q&A with 1 min speaking times
        1. Senator Alezz-
          1. How do we access google drive?
            1. Should have been added, will make sure everyone has been
          2. Will we use teams files?
            1. Will primarily use google drive, have guiding docs in teams for convenience
        2. SBVP Morris- should we go into a 5 min recess to discuss committee preferences with new senators?
          1. Don’t think that’s necessary
        3. Senator Garcia- are voted closed or open to public?
          1. Depends on the type of vote, specified in the bylaws usually
          2. Assume open unless told closed, will be added to minutes after meetings
        4. Senator Nabizadeh- could you further explain moderated caucuses? And additional excused absences
          1. Use Q&A for simpler questions, moderated caucus is if you’re discussing something with nuance or opinions
          2. People on additional committees have additional meetings and weekly responsibilities so have more disciplinary marks and absences
        5. Senator Granado- can you do a point of information while in a Q&A?
          1. Yes
        6. Motion to extend passes unanimously
        7. Senator Nabizadeh- can we change committees?
          1. Fairly final, extenuating circumstances like issues working with someone in a committee or schedule conflict
        8. President Huang- can you talk about the difference between resolution and bills?
          1. Resolution are making a stance on something and typically sending it to someone, bill is internal like guiding document amendments or funding approval
    2. Committee Confirmations - President Dobbs & Vice President Naqvi
      1. Committee on Student Organizations
        1. Senator Garcia- motion to approve all listed members to committee on student organizations- passes unanimously
        2. Meeting time- wednesday 6 pm
      2. Committee on Finance
        1. Senator tyagi- motion to approve all listed members to committee on finance
      3. Committee on Student Services
        1. Senator Alezz- motion to approve all listed members to committee on student services
      4. Committee on Civic Engagement
        1. Senator Alezz- motion to approve all listed members to committee on civic engagement
      5. Committee on Academic Affairs
        1. Senator Alezz- motion to approve all listed members to committee on academic affairs
      6. Committee on Internal Affairs
        1. Senator Alezz- motion to approve all listed members to committee on internal affairs
      7. Committee on Health, Safety, and Sustainability
        1. Senator Alezz- motion to approve all listed members to committee on health, safety, and sustainability

  7. First Reading

    1. Spring 2023 Bylaws Updates - Secretary Amy Li
      1. Didn’t have an internal affairs committee so it remained in first reading, no changes have been made
      2. Director Regier- POO- need to refer to committee
      3. Senator Kuzma- motion to refer to committee on internal affairs- passes unanimously
    2. Caucus Constitution Amendment - Senator Cruz Moreno
      1. As we were amending SGA structure, caught some changes coming from the old senate that don’t seem fair or just to caucus chairs
      2. Want to have discussion with new senate
      3. Long conversation with introducers, executive branch, and caucus chairs to ensure fair representation
      4. Previously, structured in a way where a senator from one class makes a decision for the caucus. Now it’s a position elected for the caucus.
      5. Previously caucus would go into advisory period if they don’t meet membership requirements. Receive advice.
      6. Wanted caucuses to still have a say. Now, immediately after requirement is not met a new chair is sent out.
      7. Want proper accountability for caucus representatives and make sure minorities are represented. This is a new position, want to ensure it’s done right.
      8. Also want to recognize special position as minority seat and not just treat it as a general seat. Encourage you to read bylaws amendments, had a big discussion there that generated this bill.
      9. Senator Garcia- motion for 10 min mod caucus with 30 sec speaking times
        1. Senator Garcia- says if the caucus doesn’t meet a representative by fall break, a new representative is found. Doesn’t this leave a gap in the representation of minorities?
          1. Point of discussion. Don’t want to punish the position, only the individual. Need to figure out proper time length. Haven’t found right time, encourage comments
        2. Senator Alezz- could you elaborate on caucus seats having more power?
          1. Improved power- now recognized as an elected position. See that some amendments in bylaws are not taking committee chairship because focus is on caucus.
        3. Senator T. Huang- like general direction, but are there thoughts on including vice chair of caucus as representative?
          1. SBVP Morris- did a lot of work on vacancy procedures in bylaws, it’s a 48 hour process. If caucus has enough members, they meet and elect a new chair. Outside of that, message largest organizations for the group.
        4. Senator Nabizadeh- thank you for introducing this. This says if they don’t meet the membership, they’ll meet with SBVP and advisor. What would this look like? How do caucuses currently recruit?
          1. Want to figure out the caucus- specific issue in finding members. Don’t want to punish the member, but engage in conversation. If it’s outside of their control, don’t want to punish them.
        5. President Dobbs- how do you fill remaining vacancies?
          1. List largest orgs in categories and president of the senate contacts them to solicit applications
        6. Senator Garcia- why is there a requirement at all?
          1. That’s something to discuss. Not sure what the right way to go is.
        7. Senator T. Huang- question about if they’re below membership at turn of semester- will there be an additional meeting?
          1. Would like to
        8. Senator Alezz- activation of caucuses- now you have to wait until next student body wide election
          1. Different bill
        9. Treasurer Chen- wouldn’t it be better to remove membership requirement? Feel like usually it’s not lack of trying but lack of interest
          1. Personally agree, but what to discuss
        10. Senator Park- APIDA Caucus representative right now and involved in others. Have had goals to recruit more members. Usually as much effort as we put in, people still aren’t interested. Think this may be unrealistic.
        11. Senator Alezz- motion to extend by 3 mins- passes unanimously
        12. Senator Alezz- if we’re unable to get 10 person membership, what’s the point of having a caucus? Isn’t the purpose to have input to others?
          1. SBVP Morris- agree, and the requirement to be a member is very loose (ex. coming to one meeting). Also we require RSOs to have 10 members.
        13. Chair Leny- agree with removing requirement- think being part of the community is inherently being able to represent. Sometimes people are just busy.
          1. Senator Cruz Moreno- understand necessity of membership requirement, but will that accurately represent membership?
      10. Senator T. Huang- motion for 8 min mod caucus with 1 min speaking times
        1. Senator Nabizadeh- where does the number 10 come from? Populations of minorities are different. Some caucuses are also difficult to come forward publicly.
          1. Have changed this number several times, not sure about it
        2. Senator Sanchez Hidalgo- outside of SGA, haven’t really experienced any outreach or felt connected to SGA. Don’t think 10 member requirement will help, will further strain relationship
        3. Senator Gharib- haven’t people spoken just by electing the member?
        4. Senator Sanchez Hidalgo- don’t think it works like that, had to personally email president of ole and say they were interested in SGA
        5. Senator Aboagye- think there are different ways to connect with the community, having 10 members and another seems redundant
        6. Director Regier- quick rundown of caucuses- current system is 3 semester advisory status, no immediate loss of position or representation. Have time for a new graduating class if current students aren’t interested. Ways to be a member aren’t just coming to meetings because we get that people are busy, also can just read over minutes and comment with answers to questions the chair has. Welcome other ideas for engagement as well.
        7. Senator Alezz- like danial’s point about population of minorities, could scale. For example think disability caucus may have difficulty. Coming from a big state school I think the requirement for membership is super important to make sure senators stay connected
          1. Director Diaz- POI- we have 35 members.
        8. Chair Leny- why does this have a membership requirement when no others do?
          1. Agree, that was part of our issue. Only seat that has a method of removing it. Don’t want to require membership but do want to encourage it
          2. President Dobbs- different than RSOs because they’re a varying life experience that will affect people’s lives rather than just an organization we’re involved in.
      11. Senator Nabizadeh- do we not get a say after it’s referred to committee?
        1. Still do
      12. Senator Abiodun- motion for 3 min mod caucus with 1 min speaking times- passes with 63%
        1. Senator Abiodun- idea we’re revolving around is holding chairs accountable. If not a membership requirement, come back with other ideas of accountability.
        2. Senator Bakhit- maybe remove requirement but require effort to recruit members
        3. Senator Naqvi- could have alternative method of going to GBM of large organization to get feedback- going to them instead of them going to you
        4. President Dobbs- people running for these positions are already generally active in their constituency already. Hope that with elected officials they have a more vested interest in the group.
      13. Senator Garcia- motion to refer to committee on internal affairs- passes unanimously

  8. Second Reading

  9. Prospective Legislation & Announcements (5 min)

    1. President Dobbs- Will be appointing a parliamentarian (either someone within or outside of SGA)- will work with Milton to advertise or if you’re interested message
    2. SBVP Morris- will schedule meetings with senators to talk about what goals are. Time to meet during reading week, finals, or summer. This has been a fun 2 meetings, excited for next year.
    3. Senator Alezz- POI- could you explain role of parliamentarian
      1. Make sure we follow parliamentary procedure and know roberts rules

  10. Adjournment (Estimated 9:00 PM)

    1. Senator Alezz- motion to adjourn- passes unanimously