Community Council Meeting Minutes Fall 2009

September 15 2009
Community Council meeting agenda September 15th, 2009 Community Council Office, 3:30 pm

Meeting begins: 3:36 pm Present: Pam, Amelia, Josiah, Leanna, Ella, Dee Dee, Emily, Julio Guests: Peter, Molly

Late: 3:59 pm Sam Light

Introductions

Welcome back, orientation summary Emily welcomes everyone back Josiah gives an update on orientation, how the event went

Summer check-in

Report Backs FiCom - Dee Dee Signer Seminar went well, also FiCom has forwarded a case of misuse of the Student Activities Fee (found over the summer, report was issued this week) to Community Council. Emily describes FiCom for guests.

SafeCom - Leanna Emailed Usha, assuming that the SafeCom meeting is happening on Friday. Leanna describes SafeCom.

Dee Dee lets the new members know that members of Council need to be part of at least one standing committee.

Josiah asks about chairs of those committees. COCA is waiting a few weeks, COCD came to cosensus, and FiCom is set with chairs.

COCD - Emily One meeting so far, brainstormed new ideas, talked about old ideas.

COCA - Leanna Leanna is co-chair of COCA, expecting this to change. Leanna gives summary of what COCA is. Minutes for meetings are online. Discussing Hampshire Halloween - looking into fewer and different kinds of tents. Looking to save money - not having headlining bands, employing more Hampshire bands. Co-chair and Financial Director will never be the same thing again, nor will co-chair and secretary. Requested two separate accounts, one for Halloween and Spring Jam and one for allocation to student groups. Signer Seminar went well. Google calendar has been created and has every event for the semester that COCA is planning on it - dates for when groups need to submit requests. Yom Kippur break-fast, Experimental Music Collective day rules, Bread and Puppet

Old Business Signer Seminar - Pam would appreciate comments about Signer Seminar. Complaints about food, having switched back to Hampshire Dining Services. Forward any questions, comments to Pam (ptinto@hampshire.edu). Discussion of Signer Seminar follows. Hope is this will be the model in the fall - looking to create a different model for the Spring. The emphasis on programming was a bit lost.

HampFest - Leanna is happy about it being in the RCC. Dee Dee adds that the sound system was ineffective. Speakers in all four corners. Signer Seminar and HampFest weren't properly advertised - Daily Digest gets thrown away. Discussion of improvement of HampFest follows - maybe separate emails.

New Business Nominations and flyer distribution - Emily gives background and update.

Elections - Discussion of tabling for elections - getting the votes should be up to the people running. Push those who are running to advertise. Tips for advertising. What should we do about this timeline?

Josiah has been working on elections - gives background of what has been going on with election planning and nominations.

Discussion about having house elections versus general elections be separate voting events. Consensus that people should all run together regardless of house or general election.

Nominations end on the 16th, nominees have until Sunday night to decline or accept, elections are open 21st - 25th, new members join on the 27th.

Guidelines - on Hampedia for campaigning - Ella

Emily - Email Pam about table tents.

Talk of balloting. Checks - don't have to vote for everyone Leanna - preferential voting is the best

Emily - Voting on Hampshire site (plurality voting due to last meeting in the Spring vote)

Front page - describes who is on, who stays

Discussion follows about voting and bylaws

Next week speech - Leanna getting space and food at 8 pm Discussion follows about space, if there is no class in the South Lounge, then the Upper RCC Dee Dee - poster

Emily email Asha - MagicBoard for nominations - add 11:59 pm on September 16th

Miscellaneous

Miniture golf - RFP, Emily will sign since we don't have any signers

Dee Dee - transgendered students wanting their names to be changed in the College. Josiah - they should go to Bobby Stewart at Central Records. Dee Dee will contact him.

Governance task force: Matan - talking about getting together with student trustees? Josiah - background and update about this committee, Marian will be reaching out to students for input

Emily - forward to the list serv the revised bylaws - forward revised operating procedure

Leanna motions to adjourn. Emily seconds.

Meeting adjourns at 4:30 pm.

September 22 2009
Community Council meeting agenda September 22nd, 2009 Community Council Office, 3:30 pm

Meeting begins at 3:39 pm (due to Emily being late with the key) Present: Emily, Pam, Amelia, Dillon, Leanna, Ella, Dee Dee, Josiah

Report Backs FiCom - Dillon Got into doing funding requests, have been dealing with COCA issue which report will be ready for tomorrow (Wednesday the 23rd), been working at getting group funding with COCA to develop a budget for Hampshire Halloween, working with COCD to determine the scope of "community development" there will be some changes with COCD's relationship with FiCom and how they run.

Numbers: SAF - 170,000 FiCom - 0 COCA - 0 SafeCom - 0 COCD - $6200 in the red (due to waiting to order furniture) Issue with contingency (719) - $21,518 right now - $20,000 that was there last semester is "lost" and will be found after initial group funding - the deficit is not reflected Just brought in new member and Dillon has replaced Wills as fincancial rep to council,

SafeCom - Leanna Positive that they are not meeting on Fridays. Usha is current co-chair, don't know if they have money, need push for new members. Thinking about having a meeting on Thursday.

COCD - Emily Student Initiated Project discussion, Yellow Bike, farm improvements, other projects. Talked about dialogue for this semester, updates on other projects.

COCA - Leanna Have had three meetings - officially 2 new members (Justin and Melissa) and 2 petitioning (Max Pearl and Cere Johnson). Met with Rebecca about Bread and Puppet - unclear where that money was coming from. Met with members of Circus about a miscellaneous request, met with Experimental Music Collective (big discussion that ended up with a test trial four events). Joint meeting with FiCom on the 16th, discussed ways to make Hampshire Halloween cheaper (using on-campus resources). Starting advertising for demos for bands.

Question: community outreach event (for example at Eric Carl) - is that possible to do during Halloween? Yes. Discussion follows about during the day events for kids.

ALSO: COCA Halloween Budget approved - $45,000, if more is needed it will probably be given. The 45 must include payment for EMTs. Going into separate account - business office couldn't split COCA account. Only FiCom can put money into it, only COCA can take money out. If extra, it will go back into 601.

Old Business Elections update (Emily, Dee Dee, Josiah)

New Business Elections and flyer distribution - voting starts on Thursday at 9 am

Speech Night - chalking at 10 pm tonight coffee and cookies from SAGA in Upper RCC Dee Dee picking up stuff from Media Services - Pam reserved the small PA system

Officer positions: Discussion follows about Council officer positions how

Deal with plurality and then runners-up

Running for positions - need to be nominated

Emily Email to new members about officer positions and voting, how meeting will happen - Agenda attached Email to standing committee and to SOURCE

Ella - New Bylaws on Hampedia, minutes on Hampedia (Emily email these) Dillon - bylaws and operating procedures (Emily email these) Ice breakers and non-meeting event Dress-up

Miscellaneous

Governance task force - no updates, first meeting on Friday 12 - 2 pm and will report back (first thing to talk about - how to share notes from each meeting)

Preferred names - Dee Dee talked to Bobbie Stewart, getting a group together about preferred names.

Key - box on Thursday or Friday from Pam

Emily moves to end this meeting Julio seconds 4:34 pm meeting ends

October 6 2009
Community Council meeting agenda October 6th, 2009 Community Council Office, 3:30 pm

Present: Emily, Dillon, Josiah, Idalia, Ben, Leanna, Catherine, Anthony, Ella, Dee Dee, Sam

Meeting begins at 3:34 pm

Things added to the agenda: Approval of the minutes Roundable Discussion from Dee Dee under New Business

Under report backs: SOURCE

Distribution of resources - NS/NS from Josiah Josiah introduces the new copy of the student handbook, updated version online, keep a couple copies in the office

Report Backs FiCom (Financial Committee) - Dillon

Been doing lots and lots of funding requests ** NEED NUMBERS FROM FICOM HERE COCD - negative 6,038.95

Contingency Council: $3,839.89

Every fall all the permanent funding obligations (Cultural Center, CHC, Center for Feminisms, QCA, PVTA, UMass Fine Arts, Office Assistant, $18,000 to House Interns) About $100,000 gets handed out of the fall budget, and today after all $ goes to COCD and COCA, there's only about $1.

Discussing further next week about how to proceed with funding for the rest of the semester, want to come to Council next week with some kind of budgetary proposal about how to deal with the rest of the semester

Possibly setting aside money from the spring

Retreat on Saturday to work out policy issues

moving forward with the Business office P-Cards, Pam has many concerns, student groups that are well established and spend money each week, student groups with FiCom or COCA members on them

thinking about groups within different categories

SafeCom (Health and Safety Committee) - Leanna Had a meeting last night, Leanna Alex and Usha with Chris Thomas - Alex and Usha are the chairs, Chris will be the representative to Council. Decided they think they are going to do serious delegation - Leanna is working on getting bylaws and operating procedures working

Looking at policies of student rights on campus - it is very unclear about health and safety rights - want to make a pamphlet for students, working on getting statistics out of health services, working on working with the EMTs

COCD (Committee on Community Development) - Emily

COCA (Committee on Community Activities) - Sam

COCA had a retreat this past weekend - almost done picking bands for Halloween. Booking lighting sound and tents will be done tonight. Releasing 150 tickets to each of the 5 colleges, Hampshire college will have 3 guest passes at $10 a ticket, first advertising push is happening tomorrow.

Given out a good amount of funding to student groups, going back to FiCom to get more money for events

Officer elections will be tonight - include a bylaw revision that will be produced next Council meeting to be approved next meeting. COCA will be working more closely with FiCom.

Governance task force - Dee Dee and Josiah

Meeting is on Friday, break-out sessions have been meeting, but not much new information

SOURCE - Brittany Williams is representative

Old Business Officer voting - Sam background

Josiah will be the one reading, we've done it in the past with an official order (Chair, Facilitator, Communications Officer, Secretary)

Votes, chances to accept, discussion, voting

Dee Dee asks to move further on in the agenda - Sam isn't elected, discussion follows about COCA representation, tonight COCA elections are happening

Pam enters - 3:53 pm

Brittany joins us - 3:54 pm Introductions

Voting commences:

Discussion follows about order in which people are voted for

Sam motions that we elect our officers in the Chair, Facilitator, Communications Officer, Secretary Ben seconds motions passed

People nominate

Josiah speaks: Leanna and Dee Dee nominated Dee Dee accepts her nomination Leanna accepts her nomination

Dee Dee speaks Leanna speaks

Sam asks a question: do they believe they have the experience managing bodies like this?

Leanna responds Dee Dee responds

There were 12 ballots 5 each, 2 blank

Questions again, responses again

Pam leaves, then returns

We find out - it wasn't recording

Questions again, responses again

There are 12 votes Leanna - 6 votes Dee Dee - 6 votes

Discussion follows about possibly having co-chairs

Josiah questions, responses happen again

We have 12 votes 6 for each

Discussion to move on to vote in other positions Emily, Catherine, Idalia are nominated Emily is ineligible Catherine and Idalia accept nominations

Catherine speaks Idalia speaks

Sam returns

Votes We have 12 votes 5 for each

Nomination happens for Communications Officer Anthony and Ella are nominated Anthony does not accept Ella accept Ella speaks

We have 10 votes for Ella, 1 blank, and Sam is gone out of the room Ella is Communications Officer

Facilitator Ben and Catherine and Anthony Only Ben accepts his nomination Speaks

11 votes are in Ben is elected by 10 votes, 1 non-vote Ben is Facilitator

Question from Emily Idalia speaks Catherine speaks

We have 12 votes Idalia - 4 votes Catherine - 8 votes Catherine is the new secretary

Emily motions to continue meeting by 10 minutes Dee Dee seconds Dillon blocks Dillon retracts his block Motion passes

Josiah suggests - think about the team of people there

Sam asks one question about officers of council serving

Dee Dee has 7 votes Leanna as 5 votes Dee Dee is the new chair of Community Council

FiCom presentation of misuse of SAF funds - Dillon shares information - Stuff that happened over the summer and what happened at the beginning of the year

FiCom by filing a CRB report claimed that there is assertion of malice or fraud

Josiah leaves at 5:07 pm

Names or specifics struck from the minutes

New Business Roundtable Discussion - Dee Dee - request for community council - students getting together 7:30 - 9 pm roundtable to talk about administrative changes - asking community council to advertise this event Will Council be willing to sponsor drinks or cookies for this event?

$250 for cookies

Dee Dee motions that CC funds 250 for event happening tomorow - student discussion Ella Seconds No blocks Motion

Emily moves to end meeting at 5:11 pm Sam seconds no blocks motion passes

Meeting ends at 5:11 pm

November 3rd, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 Community Council Office 3:30-5:00p  In attendance:Sam, Emily, Josiah, Pam, Deedee, Ryan, Ella, Ben, Leanna, Catherine, Dillon  I. Meeting Called to order @ 3:38pm II. Approval of Minutes. Approved. III. Approval of Agenda. Approved. IV. Special Guest Kathy Methot Kathy is the director of financial aid at the college. Hampshire offers financial aid to meet students’ need (cost of attendance- what they can pay.) From there, the office goes on to create an award package. When a new income enters into the field, they will adjust the package accordingly. -Deedee asked why the work study is linked together with any aid that you receive? -Kathy responded that work study is simply a form of aid and is money allotted by the state. The institution matches the offer from the state. However, there is more need than what the federal money provides and the college compensates for that by creating a congruent program. Work-study is taxable income. A student worker can not displace someone who is already working at Hampshire. There are a few college-paid, student jobs that are non-work study. Wages are monitored, so that students stay within the work study limit (plus 300 dollars.) Students who go over 300 dollars, run the risk of getting less funding next year. EMTs- Have a different arrangement. Halloween was not incorporated into their work-study award. Or, it was feared that the Halloween work would exceed the work-study limit. However, this was not the case. Halloween did not push the EMTs over their limit. Dillon asks how is is justified that money coming out of the SAF is counted as work-study? It sees problematic to him that those positions are impacting their ability to serve. Kathy answers that: “any compensation is compensation.” Deedee asks why it is more beneficial to know stipend allotments ahead of time? Kathy says that it is important to know this ahead of time to stay within the margin of need. Dillon asks how does it work for non work-study students? Kathy says that these students limits are monitored, but there is not penalty if they go over their hours…. This admittedly is an inequity. Halloween represents a whole extra shift, but it does not take students over the limit. It is illegal to be paid from two different sources. No student can be paid as an outside contractor.

V. Report Backs a. Committee on Community Activities (COCA) -Sam was half an hour late. There will be another meeting tomorrow morning. Halloween was a success. COCA has a lot of event requests to deal with tonight. -777 has money will be reallocated, etc. b. Committee on Community Development (COCD) -Money is going out to Yellow Bikes and other groups. They have found fire-proof booths. Two weeks from yesterday there will be a COCD open house. c. Financial Committee (FiCom) Numbers: Endowment Report: -Leanna points out the endowment could still be worked on, in terms of letting students know what it is an dhow it works, etc. -Halloween ticket sales will be going back into 601, but this money will probably go back to COCA. -Large approvals: 3,900 dollars to EMTs for EMT education during janterm. The money provides a scholarship for to-be EMTs. These new EMT members will volunteer for 1 semester and then be paid members. -Dillon is stepping down as the FiCom director, as soon as a new person is found. He will not be attending CC meetings as often, or at all. Dillon would like it on the record that he gives his proxy to Leanna. He assures us that his replacement will be well-informed, etc. d. Public Health and Safety Committee (SafeCom) -Maya Berkowitz visited FiCom to discuss EMTs on campus, and Halloween. Maya pointed out that 0 of the 10 transports were folks who were not guests of students (ticket buyers.) -Halloween highlighted some of the issues with Pub Safety not understanding the campus. e. Student of Under Represented Cultures and Ethnicities (SOURCE) No source update. g. Elections Taskforce -They met two Fridays ago. Emily will be sending out an email this week. Josiah, Deedee and Leanna are interested in working on this. -Dillon left at this time. VI. Officer Meeting Feedback Email -Should be up soon. -These emails will go to all the officers. -Please see council website -These submissions will be shared with all of council.

Five College Student Coordinating Board -Ben and Deedee are attending these meetings. One idea is increasing the PVTA service. Emily points out that the PVTA service to the mall is a touchy issue. Emily suggests a line for Holyoke. Sam says: “If we pay for it, they’ll run it.” Emily asks if she can attend the meeting on Friday. The first time that the bus route to the mall was protested was long ago. Leanna aks to have these 5 college meeting minutes released.

All Community Meeting -Deedee wants to get some feedback from the community. A forum for this would be helpful. Emily suggests having an agenda for this. -Ella, how have these meetings worked in the past? -Usually all community meetings are around controversial issues. -Council can only facilitate. -Deedee says the agenda creates the problem. -Emily says that these meetings need structure, but it can be created for and by the folks -who will be at this meeting. We need an outside monitor. Professional? -Can council find something to really support? -Money is an issue that is raising a lot of hostility. -Leanna wants a concrete issue with a goal for this meeting. -This thought was echoed. -Josiah thinks an all-community meeting is a great idea. People come to meetings when there is a specific issue on the table. We need to limit topic and time for this meeting. What are the core topics? Or is that opened up to the body? -Sam asks: What is council trying to do with this meeting? What does this body want to do for the issues on campus? Sam suggests that this body pick something to focus on. -Ben wants to get a sense of what issues folks are most important right now. -Deedee wants to find out what the “climate” of campus is -Emily discusses the big block of cheese day. How about a big block of cheese night in the faculty lounge? -Ryan proposes that he mediates the event -Pam supports this idea of being more accessible -Sam points out using subcommittees and standing committees are resources -The “Big Block of Cheese Event” will be Weds., 7-9 on November 18th -There was discussion of when to have the ACM, or to have it at all. We will plan the ACM after we have this preliminary meeting -Name tags should be worn, maybe buttons -Emily and Catherine will organize this event. Bi-weekly meetings -Ella and Ben propose having working meetings every other Tuesday during council period. There were head nods to this. -Sam suggests that Council still needs to attend this meeting so that voting can happen. -Pam says that voting does not need to occur during these periods and that the periods should be available or working and subcommittees to meet. -Emily suggests we call this period a “working meeting” and not an “off week” -Josiah suggests that this will help old-business get resolved.

VII. Old Business a. Hampshire Halloween CC will get a full budget report on this. A light was stolen during HH ($2,500.) This light was rented. This is the first object stolen for an event. b. Governance Taskforce Letter Ella read the letter in support of the GT elections. The letter was great! The letter will be from council not from specific names. Josiah says that he heard the board denied the request…. This is not verified. c. FiCom Amendment d. Student Representative Proposal Deedee: Motion to extend the minutes. Ben seconded. VIII. New Business Year Goals -Officers have discussed year goals and we want to create a check-list of goals -Deedee discussed some specific goals that council is hoping to achieve. -No raffles, raffles are within FiCom and COCA -Increasing engament.

Officer Stipends -We signed a card to thank Kathy -This will be voted on next meeting -Deedee is looking carefully at amounts to suggest -Deedee will forward amount information to subcommittee chairs, etc.

Elections Results VIIII. Open Forum X. Meeting Adjourned@  5:08pm