SBA Meeting minutes 1.31.16
Present: AJ, Chanel, Bahar, Brittany, Jess, Mary, Keegan, Tyler, Crystal
Absent: Nicole, Jordan, Courtney, Derek
Call to Order
AJ: Everyone has had a chance to look at the agenda this meeting. Any questions or comments
Approval of Meeting Agenda for 1/31 Meeting
Brittany: Motion to approve
Chanel: Second
Approval unanimous
Approval of Meeting Minutes for 1/24 Meeting
AJ: Any questions on last weeks meeting minutes?
Jess: Motion to Approve
Bahar: Second
Approval: Unanimous
Student Interview Panels for Hiring New Professors
AJ: We’re having students sit on panels to interview professors. We have a visiting civil procedure professor. We have professors from all over the country coming to interview for the next two weeks. There’s an open position for Civil Procedure and GLS and there’s been about 9 interviews. Students don’t make the final decision on hiring but faculty heavily weighs in on their opinions.
Jess: Do we know how we are selecting students?
AJ: I talked to a lot of the 2L’s some of the top performers of the class and some of the 1L’s as well. We’re good to go on that.
Letter of Grades
AJ: Spoke briefly to professor Davies and we are going to have a meeting about how the process works before I write a letter so we can phrase it approrpriately. That way we can make sure they are sent out in an order.
Mary: For one of our classes specifically we do not have our finals back, specifically POLA and Statutes and Regulations. Last year we did not get some assignments back from GLS I.
Bahar: There’s a lot of classes that didn’t get papers back.
Mary: It would just be helpful to get them back.
AJ: Okay. Funding requests will be pushed back to next meeting because Neil is unable to attend. We will table this to the February 21st meeting.
Smoke-Free Resolution
AJ: So before we speak out about it generally does anyone have any substantial textual edits to the proposal?
Tyler: I made a resolution stating exactly the opposite.
AJ: Perfect but any to the one that was originally made?
Jess: Substantively in regards to location I would like to modify as to where it would be banned. I’m not a smoker but I respect the fact that people choose to smoke. Maybe trying to keep it off the central heart of campus but not limiting it so much that they can’t do it on the sidewalk. That would be my concern.
Alex: As far as I remember it said it would be banning all tobacco products. That would also be related to chewing tobacco even in your own apartment which I think it outside the scope of the administration.
AJ: I get that.
Alex: I think it’s gross when you see someone spitting tobacco but it doesn’t impose on anyone’s health.
Tyler: What follows are arguments against the resolution. I have a bunch of reasons and conversations with students.
AJ: Would you be able to e-mail that to the board? If we were to move do you have alternative places where it could move to?
Tyler: Yes I can e-mail it. No I don’t have an alternative place yet.
AJ: If we weren’t to support one side or another maybe we could talk about moving it. I know this is a logistic question but where do you see it moving to?
Bahar: Maybe by the CDO by the vine thing?
Mary: Maybe by G but I don’t know if that’s too close to the classroom area?
AJ: I think that’s a little close because it’s right by the doors.
Mary: I understand the problem with it in the middle of campus.
Jess: It is in the heart of campus and I would like to see it away from there.
AJ: Are we under the understanding that the little gazebo by the gazebo heart of the campus as well?
Mary: It’s going to be somewhere that’s covered so people will go there when it’s raining.
Alex: It was really see it being in the middle of campus and it is uncomfortable smoking there because so many people walk by but we do need to have somewhere where it has an overhang. The one by Silveracre does not have an overhang. The other one is over by the lecture hall but that doesn’t make sense either. Across the street by the bike cages there is a grassy area where a structure could be built and it is away from all entrances.
AJ: That makes sense. I’m thinking there’s not going to be any final decisions made today on where SBA stands on this. Tom do you have anything to add from what we talked about last week?
Tom: I know the president is coming for a town hall. As far as making a habitat where they are making smoke. Logistics is the main thing. As it was written it is the ideal standard, that is how the legislation is being written in the capital I believe. It’s just where can we do it.
AJ: So there’s three weeks to the next meeting and the next one is where we make a final decision on this. The president is coming for town hall on the 8th. I don’t think any decisions will be made before then if anything it won’t be effective until the next academic year. I think as it’s been discussed it is going to be an all or nothing as far as all Pacific campuses go. Tom if you could spearhead as many signatures for it and Tyler on your end let’s see how many signatures we can get in nonsupport.
Tom: The only thing before going into this competition thing is there any room for Tyler and his group and our group to find a common ground and figure out if we can find a policy.
Tyler: I would like to move it.
AJ: I think that moving it would be the compromise but as it is now it’s either going to completely go away or stay here. So we need to know what the students general idea is on it. You can draft a joint position if you want.
Chanel: I think that we should as an SBA either stay silent on the issue or be against banning smoking on campus. Each of us represents the students of the school and in each of our classes there are at least 1-10 or more smokers. We should consider this when we make a decision on where we stand.
Brittany: I think we should be silent
Jess: I could see that.
AJ: By when do you think you could have a joint draft Tyler and Tom?
Tom: Can we stretch to Thursday morning?
AJ: By early morning Thursday is fine.
Limiting Faculty Parking – topic for next meeting
Chanel: Students have been getting tickets for parking in faculty spots. We have reduced faculty since the spots were created. We may want to bring this up to administration to see if we can reduce the parking to create more for students.
AJ: I don’t know if that’s necessarily a Dean Mootz issue but I can talk to Rebekah first and see what the vibe is with that. Generally do you think there is an issue with parking?
Bahar: I feel like recently on the 5th avenue side yes because there’s been MCLE’s but over by Silveracre is not so bad.
AJ: We will put that on the agenda for next week.
Brittany: Tickets are on sale for Barrister’s. We will be making an event page soon.
Keegan: Motion to adjourn
Crystal: Second
Unanimous
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