F12-S13 Interim SGA Meeting Minutes

This Interim Oversight Body of CoCD, CoCA, and FiCom meets as needed. Below are meeting minutes of the days on which it has met.

Friday, April 19th
Interim Council 4/19

In Attendance: Bexx, Aidan, Mandy, Adrianna, Sam, Connie

Connie motions to approve $5,600 for stipends. Bexx seconds.

$5,600 approved for stipends.

Emily Caplan $600

Bexx Merck $600

Aidan Caplan $400

Mandy Theissen $600

Carter Gill $600

Adrianna Perry $400

Ashley Barnes $400

Connie Hildreth $600

Nathan Whitmore $600

Dina Amouzigh $400

Bea Carbone $400

Talking about budgets for scope groups.

CoCD

Sports Co-op Score board

$5,095

Mandy motions to approve, Sam seconds. Motion passed.

Friday, March 1st
In Attendance: Bexx, Adrianna, Connie, Emily, Aidan, Carter, Mandy, Wesley, Nelson, Pam

Sports Co-op

Total: $6,255.60

Future SGA to take on future funding procedure for sports funding. Suggestion to make a recommendation to the new student government on how sports funding should be handled.

Connie Motions to Approve $6,255.60 for Sports Co-Op’s Spring Budget. Emily Seconds No Blocks Motion Passes

Funding, Transition, Subcommittees vs. Implementation Task Force

Outdoor Movie Screen

Total: $8,599.00 for the screen not including shipping. Emily motions to approve up to $9,000 to include shipping. Carter seconds. Motion Passes.

Friday, February 8th
Present: Emily Caplan (CoCD), Aiden Caplan (CoCD), Ashley Barnes (CoCA), Jessica Doanes (CoCA), Anna Perry (CoCA), Connie Hildreth (FiCom), Nathan Whitmore (FiCom), and Nelson Hernandez

This meeting was called in order to approve several backed up proposals from several committees which are over $5,000 each.

From CoCA:

[not submitted to FiCom yet] CoCA requests $100,000 for the spring. They've used the fall budget to pay for fall events, Jan-Term events, and even some spring proposals. They might be very close to the red. 35-40 student groups haven’t put on events last semester, so they have to put to two this semester, which will take up even more funds.

CoCA met with FiCom over this request. FiCom thought that it was a lot, but that something around $80,000 is good for now. For budgeting purposes, it's a better plan to chunk the funds. Last fall CoCA received $60,000, which wasn't enough. FiCom agrees to the understanding that if CoCA requests the extra $20,000, they shall be granted the funds.

Student groups who haven’t put on any events in this year, they could put on events in part of the spring jam in order to fulfill that requirement. Thus, a portion of the extra $20,000 can go into this? Although, the Spring Jam budget does have $1,000 put towards that here. If CoCA wanted to do that, they would have to have that dialog internally. Moving their general funds to their Spring Jam budget might not be allowed.

For budgeting purposes, the Spring Jam budget should all be together in one piece when it gets approved.

The community council bylaws did say that that a budget for spring jam and hampshire halloween should not be approved by community council. However, we don’t necessarily operate through those currently.


 * Connie motions that FiCom is allowed to allocate up to $100,000 for CoCA’s Spring Budget. Emily seconds.

Also, it is agreed that in the end of March, CoCA will try to apply for the next $20,000.

[already submitted to FiCom] The Spring Jam budget is now on the table. The best way of doing this is for this group to decide up to a certain number and then FiCom will approve the rest of the details. The budget proposal is sitting in Zoho, and FiCom will discuss it at their next meeting.

I’t’s $40,550 dollars this year, as opposed to $38,000 which was the budget last spring. It is bumped up a little bit for music, specifically because of the amount of submissions, the CoCA inbox has about 40-50 submissions.


 * Ashley moves to approve up to $45,000 for CoCA’s Spring Jam budget. Jessica seconds.

The line on the budget that is called ‘surprise’ is the CoCA Surprise that they will plan for in their own meetings.

From FiCom:

Hoodies were actually over $5000, but FiCom reduced the amount of medium sizes in the final order which made it $4990. However, at the end, the supplier did not add a final price for the XL hoodies and the total price ended up being closer to $5019 dollars. As it was time sensitive, FiCom took it upon themselves to approve it.

For the Red Scare trip, the total is over $5,000, but it has been separated into different submitted proposals. They submitted some of it right before winter break. This trip is always over $5,000. Coming back from Jan-term, the red-scare trip needed their housing immediately so that was spent separately, with a total of $3,200. However, that is not the final price for lodging, and they will be going back to FiCom for the difference. Aside from that, their bid has also been funded through FiCom for a few hundred dollars.

Transportation [in pending] is a total of $4,200. They pay for their own gas, and they fundraise for this event all year.

This group, as well as FiCom, believes that they need to be really on top of their game. These budgets should all have been sent in together at the same time. However, there has been the issue of getting this group to meet in order to approve things that are over $5,000 dollars. CoCA has also been having this problem with the interim SGA, in that they are seeing a lot of student groups putting in proposals for events over $5,000.

It might be a good idea to produce an email chain in order to approve events from CoCA, for example, that would just be usual business. When there is a problem or someone has a kind of issue with the proposal then a meeting may be called. Spring, for example, has a lot of big conferences going on, so this might be the case for these events. Something like the CoCA budget for the spring semester would be something that we would meet about. The group feels like they should maybe get some more input on this measure from the Dean of Students office.


 * Connie moves to allow FiCom to approve at least $5,000 more for anything that comes up in terms of the Red Scare trip. Emily seconds.

This is in addition to what they have already approved, and encompasses the $4,200 of transportation and a potential $800 for the difference in lodging.

From CoCD:


 * Emily motions to allow the split of a stipend between two officers of the subcommittee. One officer stepped in halfway through the semester and the other stepped in.  Thus, each person will have $200. Wesley Seconds.

CoCD will also be “coming down the pipeline” with the project idea for a giant movie screen.

There is some confusion among the group with some of the procedures within CoCD. How is the Student Project Application (SPA) incorporated with the rest of the subcommittees procedures? Are there minutes which can be uploaded onto Hampedia? CoCD will update stuff.

SGA Planning Process:

There will be a Town Meeting at the end of the semester. Date is pending.

Some members of the group feel as though they are not getting enough communication from the planning group. What will be the fate of the subcommittees? Are the new scope groups currently going to be running?

Members of the interim SGA will be added to the SGAPlanning listserve.


 * Emily moves to adjourn the meeting. Connie seconds.

Monday, December 3rd
Present: Emily Connie Wesley Mandie Pam Josiah

The recommendation of Nathan, FiCom's financial director, is that the situation of the SAF is such that it does not need to increase this year. Josiah wants to be sure that this doesn't cause a trend of not increasing with tuition which could cause a need in the future for a large, sudden increase, but that is not an issue at this time. Wesley agrees with the recommendations of Nathan (financial director of FiCom) that we don't change things either way until the new SGA forms. Mandy motions to keep the student activity's fee stable, Wesley seconds. The motion passes unanimously.

The SGA planning is continuing, divided into in several groups. All but the group meeting to decide scope groups are expected to be done by January, and as council does not usually meet during January, things could be in place by Spring. Josiah will be sending out an email to the community updating everyone on where things are. Connie is concerned about training officers while membership, leadership and even the existence of committees are in question. The proposal for scope groups will be sent on to all the subcommittees when it's ready, and making a smooth transition will be a priority. It will also be sent to Pam for her review.

There was a proposal at the five college coordinating board about a ride share website (zimride) that's been approved by risk assessment. There's a 3-year contract, with the first year being $2500, $2000 for the next years, per school. 6500 over three years. It's not a financial strain, but there's a question of whether this would be useful. Mandy motions to approve this funding for 3 years for the previously mentioned amount. If the price goes up, it needs to be brought back here. Connie seconds. No blocks, motion passes. This is still pending approval from the business office.

Friday, November 16th
Attendance: Mandy, Emily, Nelson, Connie, Nathan, Wesley, Carter, Bexx

We need to pick members to serve on the Tri-Council who will represent the SGA (on interim basis at least for now): Wesley, Carter, Mandy and Nathan

Stipends: We need to submit our requests! CoCD Stipdends are not even across committees - and CoCD receives a lower maximum on stipends. After discussing this, Connie motioned to make the co-chair position stipends of CoCD allowed the same maximum ($600) as the other groups and the officers allowed the same maximum of $400. Everyone at the meeting approved.

Sports Funding: How should sports be funded? Right now FiCom funds many sports-related requests (League fees, equipment fees, etc.) Hampshire treats teams as student groups, which some leagues don't even allow. We decided to come back tot his conversation at a future meeting.

Mandy is looking for some suggestions/brainstorming about how COCA transition plan from what it is right now to what it will become under the new SGA. COCA could start to break up the subcommittee between event planning and the financial components. We ended this deciding that COCA representatives would come back to us with more information.

Friday, October 5th
Present: Emily Caplan Connie Wesley Evans Nelson Jorrell Josiah Litant Pam Tinto  Agenda:''' Discuss funding of Sports Co-Op

Minutes: Josiah opens the meeting at 9:03, turns over discussion to Connie to talk about the history of Sports Co-Op

FICOM: Connie goes over the history of funding Sports Co-Op. Explains the new relationship between Fi-Com, Sports Co-Op, and OPRA.

Josiah: Clarifies some of the history of funding from old Community Council.

Discussion: About Sports Co-Op Do we feel that the SAF guidelines are still appropriate to the situation? Long term we need to have more discussion about this. Discussion about SAF guidelines and their review upon sitting the new SGA.

Move: Wesley moves to approve the standing sports Co-Op Budget for $8780.00. Second: Connie Block: Mandie Voting: Yea: Wesley, Connie, Jorrell, Emily Nea: None signaled Abstention: Nelson, Mandie Motion Carries

Move: Nelson moves that FiCom begins the process of evaluating the SFA guidelines, with special care taken to note how the SFA has been included to cover Sports Co-Op in the past. FiCom will present a report to the new SGA with their findings. Second: Emily Motion carries unanimously

Mandie brings information about 5College Student Governance dinner, at mount holyoke, 4pm, Hampshire Halloween

Motion to Adjourn: Emily Second: Connie

Wednesday, September 19th
Present: Emily Caplan Connie Bexx Mandy Wesley Evans Nathan

Agenda: Look over/approve Halloween budget Overview of Student Activity Fee (SAF)

Minutes:
 * FiCom made an error in approving Halloween budget
 * Lighting cost edited to $8,000 from $9,000.


 * Student Group Activities in the Halloween budget is for Student groups who want to do something, have a table, have food, etc, at Halloween. Funding is available if they approach CoCA for funding; mentioned at Signer Seminar.
 * The Halloween budget was approved unanimously among meeting attendees! (Around $52,000)
 * NSync, an new website by Smith Students that will be a hub for 5-Clg events.
 * 5-Clg SGA event
 * Proposed to be hosted at Hamphsire in the Spring
 * Funding?
 * FiCom is noting future funding for SGA, similar to Community Council’s budget so that we could host an Ice Cream Social

Nathan arrived!


 * Where does the SAF stand this year?
 * FiCom is in charge of allocating money received by Student Activity Fee
 * This year they received about 400,000 in income and a significant amount of rollover from last year
 * SAF is able to support things at higher rates, i.e. printing, food $
 * What do you anticipate doing with leftover money at end of year?
 * Money rolls over to operating budget for next year.
 * Goal of FiCom is to allocate money so they can benefit Student groups and government the most.
 * FiCom asked to do some digging about Endowment fund and make some informed decisions about it and how it will play into SGA
 * No reason to sit on this much money when there are so many projects that need to be done, but at the same time, some security is necessary for SGA purview

Friday, September 14th
Present: Josiah (non-voting member), Many (CoCA), Connie (FiCom), Wesley (FiCom), Emily (CoCD), & Nelson (CoCD)

Quorum: Half plus one AND representation from each of the three subcommittees.

CoCA Budget for Non-Halloween Fall Functioning

It has been increased 40% from last fall's budget. For this semester, the amount of funding allotted to CoCA will be $70,710.50. FiCom has already provided $4,000 in initial funding for CoCA's early operations.

There was a surplus last year and this is not a measure to use up that surplus, but to prevent another surplus at the end of this academic year. We are unsure as to how the surplus funds are being handled. It is unclear as to how we can deposit these funds into the SAF Endowment Fund, as has been instructed by previous Community Councils.

In terms of CoCA's budget, the exact numbers have not been calculated. However, it is only the job, of this body, to approve a maximum amount of funding. FiCom is then charged with processing up-to that maximum in funding to CoCA.


 * Nelson moves to approve a maximum amount of $66,710.50 to fund CoCA's non-Halloween fall 2012 operations. Wesley Seconds.  Motion Passed.

Halloween Budget

In previous years, Community Council has not had to approve the Hampshire Halloween budget, but it has been presented to that body for review. After all, the old body could reject any funding approved by a subcommittee, which included HH funding.

This body will meet in Wednesday, September 21st to discuss the HH budget.


 * Emily moves to adjourn the meeting. Mandy seconds.  Meeting Adjourned at 11:00am.