Emma W-B ’11 calls the meeting to order at 7:10 PM.
Roll Call
Excused Absences: Sarah Sherman ’11, Augusta Irele ‘10
Unexcused Absences: Liana Donahue ’12, Samantha Newman O’Gara ’12, Ellen Butler ’12, Pragya Krishna ’13, Nga Nguyen ’12
Approval of Meeting Procedure
Emma W-B ’11: So we are going to do things a little different at this meeting—we need to vote on meeting procedure. [Document at the Bottom of the Minutes] Are there any questions? Since there are no questions we are going to vote to approve this procedure. You can vote for, against, and abstain. Okay, the procedure has been approved.
Announcements
Tanya Kaur ’10: I won’t be at the February 14th meeting.
Katherine Redford ’10: In the month of December we had one hearing where two students were found to have given themselves an unfair advantage on a take home exam. They both failed the exam and the final grade was capped.
Simran Singh ’10 and Shannon Ryan ’10: Pick up tshirts from Shannon’s room in Radnor, they are $15 each. Senior Cocktails are going to be Febuary 12th, and the theme is the Roaring 2010’s. We are planning for Senior Week now, and are going to be sending out a survey, so look out for that.
Emma W-B ’11: I was asked to share this information with the assembly. There will be a blood drive on Febuary 2nd, from 8 AM-6 PM. Check out their website:membersforlife.org/pennj/schedule/bdc_schedule.php
Your Two Cents
None
Scheduling of SGA Meetings (2/7, 2/14)
Emma W-B ’11: I have been informed that February 7th is Superbowl Sunday and so we are going to vote on whether we want to change the meeting time. Okay the vote has passed and we are going to change the time. Now we are going to vote on whether we want the meeting at 12 noon, 1 PM, or 2 PM, or you can abstain. Okay we are going to change the meeting time to 1 PM on Sunday.
Marisa Franz ’10: If you can’t make that meeting because of the change in time will it count against you?
Tanya Kaur ’10: No, if you can’t make the meeting on Sunday because of the time change it will be an excused absence. This is the same policy we had for lantern night.
Emma W-B ’11: Okay now we are going to vote on whether we want to move the meeting on Valentine’s Day, because a 7 PM meeting that night may not be popular. Okay we will be moving the meeting. Now we will be voting on whether we want to move the meeting to 1 PM or 4 PM. Also, it was just brought to my attention that this is the meeting before Plenary, so just keep that in mind.
Megan Mahoney ’10: Can we change the meeting to before Sunday?
Tanya Kaur ’10: No, because it’s the meeting before Plenary, people need to have their resolutions done and so with the workshop schedule, Sunday is the easiest and earliest day we can expect them to be ready.
Emma W-B ’11: Okay we’re going to put this to a vote. Okay great, so we will be moving both February 7th and 14th meetings to 1 PM.
Revision of Elections By-Laws
Hannah Curry McDougald ’10: I don’t know if you remember how many issues there were with elections, and it was just a hot mess because there were too many people involved. One of the things I realized is that it would be easier to vote on Blackboard than Survey Monkey because it puts the responsibility on the election head rather than multiple people. That’s all I changed. Does anyone want to see a demonstration? Okay, so you log onto Blackboard, go to the SGA ‘course’, and you can click on the ballot, and you can submit your vote.
Emma W-B ’11: Are there any other questions? Okay so now we’re going to vote whether we want to accept, not accept, or abstain. Okay great, it passes.
Grand May Day Discussion
Emma W-B ’11: We want to have a grand may day discussion about things you want to see and what you like.
Colleen Hayley: I would also like to know what things you don’t like, besides for rain, because we don’t want to do things people don’t like. Also, no animals, because it’s against school policy to have animals.
Julia Fahl ’12: Dar Williams
Taline Cox ’10: I like the pirate people .
Brittney Thornbury ’12: Can we have a moonbounce?
Jill Settlemyer ’10: I liked the Coverband in 2008
Simran Singh ’10: What’s the difference between May Day and Grand May Day?
Colleen Hayley ’10: It happens once every four years, and there’s slightly more money, but not a lot more money.
Emma W-B ’11: Point of Information: SGA funds all of Plenary so we aren’t going to have a lot of ‘new’ money come out.
Caroline Heffernan ’10: Turkey Legs in 2008 were delicious.
Taline Cox ’10: Food in general in 2008 was delicious.
Hannah Curry McDougald: I don’t drink coffee, but my friends complained about no coffee all day.
Julia Fahl ’12: Can we get heartier food available on the lawn? Anything that helps with absorption…
Madeline Velturo ’11: Can we make the hoop roll more exciting than it is?
Annalee Garrity ’11: Can we play up the hoop race more as well?
Colleen Hayley ’11: We can also get theme ideas. In 2007, there was Renaissance. In 2008, it was Island and Pirates, and in 2009 it was Circus.
Simran Singh ’10: We need a better rain day situation; I was hanging out in TGH and there was a Jazz band playing and I didn’t want that. Can it just be an empty space where people can hang out?
Collen Hayley ’11: Point of Information: rain day sites are written on the May Day poster and last year the rain sites were mostly in the gym.
Julia Fahl ’12: Theme Idea: Outer-space.
Elle Works ’10: Theme Idea: Wild Wild West
Madeline Velturo ’11: Theme Idea: American Bandstand
Annalee Garrity ’11: Theme Idea: Carnival
Shannon Ryan ’10: Theme Idea: Prohibition
Simran Singh ’10: Can we get a DJ?
Brittney Thornbury ’11: Last year we didn’t have nutella, and we needed it.
Carolien Heffernan ’10: If it’s not raining, can we have all meals served outside?
Julie O’Neil ’10: Can we move the Philadelphia Story earlier in the day?
Madeline Velturo ’11: Can we have the movie out on the green?
Hannah Curry McDougald ’10: Can we have the classes eat separately or is that a financial issue?
Colleen Hayley ’11: Yeah, exactly. We don’t have much control over the food—dining services takes care of all of that, and with the budget crunch, we can request that, but not guarantee it.
Marisa Franz ’10: At the very least can seniors be separate?
Colleen Hayley ’11: Yes, they always are.
Megan Mahoney ’10: Speaking on behalf of Julia Fahl ’12, she would like a sunset space rave with glowsticks.
Old Business
Laurel Lemon ’11: I’m on the 125th committee; I met with Jenny Rickard before break and we wanted to get ideas for anyone that can come…
Julia Fahl ’12: Karen Kornbluh ’85 is on Obama’s staff and then Theresa DeSharif.
Sophia ’12 Elizabeth Beltran who graduated in the ‘30s donated quite a bit of money to the renovation of gym, she was also one of the first women on Wall Street
Katherine Redford ’10: Jon Stewart
Caroline Heffernan’10: Drew Gilpin Faust ‘68
Hannah Curry McDougald: Shannon and Simran have a nice list of people for commencement and you can use that list.
Blair Smith ’12: Seth McFarland, creator of Family Guy
Elle Works ’10: Michelle Obama doesn’t charge for public speaking events
Julia Fahl ’12: Hill-Dawg.
Emma W-B ’11: That would be Hillary Clinton
Saba Qadir ’13: Salima Ikram
Madeline Velturo ’11: I think the school would gain from hearing Sarah Palin speak.
Tanya Kaur ’10: Rihanna and Lady Gaga
Brittney Thornbury ’12: Dr. Biden, Joe Biden’s wife.
Annalee Garrity ’12: Steve Colbert
Shannon Ryan ’10: Madeline Albright
New Business
Laurel Lemon ’11: For Special Events, there have been 22 applications submitted, which is a ton. So I was wondering if you guys thought this was a good idea: after we get the applications, go through them, and do interviews, we would email them out to all of you, so you could go over and review them prior to Sunday’s meeting so then we could productively vote on them.
Emma W-B ’11: So now we are going to have a vote on this. Vote if you want this to pass, not pass, or abstain. Okay, this passes. You will be emailed the Special Events Applications.
Motion to end the Meeting. Meeting adjourned at 8:12 PM.
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Meeting Procedure, that was approved on January 24, 2010
The following guidelines are presented for adoption by the Assembly. These guidelines are made under the auspices of the SGA Constitution and in no way prelude or replace any stipulations in the Constitution, in particular those under Article II, relating to the Assembly. They were formed as part of the Assembly’s right to use Roberts Rule of Orderas a basis for parliamentary procedure. (Article II, Section II)
Meeting Time:
- Meetings convene at 7pm. Meetings are officially called to order at that time by the President. The official start time of the meeting will be recorded by the Secretary.
- Meetings end approximately one-hour and a half (90 minutes) from the time the meeting is called to order by the President. Unless a motion to extend time is made and passed or a motion to adjourn the meeting is made and passed before the end of the meeting, all discussion will cease at the end of 90 minutes and the meeting will be adjourned.
Attendance:
- Attendance at all SGA meetings will be taken by roll call at the start of the meeting by the Secretary. Members who arrive after roll call has been taken must inform the Secretary of their presence at the meeting.
- Quorum is the official number of Assembly members who must be present in order for any voting to occur; this is two-thirds of the voting members of the Assembly.
- Individuals occupying co-positions are both expected to be at every meeting.
- Only two excused and two unexcused absences will be allowed during each semester that you are serving.
- An Assembly member with more than the allowed absences will be asked to step down from their position and if they choose not to, are subject to removal from office specified in Article IX, Section II, under the grounds of “neglect of duty.”
- Those occupying co-positions are permitted no more than two meetings where the vote for the position is lost; that is, occupants of a co-position may be absent from the same meeting no more than twice in a semester, or they will be asked to step down from their position.
- Whenever a meeting is missed (including Plenary), it is the student’s responsibility to email the Secretary before the meeting begins, stating the reason for the absence. Whether or not the absence is excused/unexcused is at the discretion of the Secretary. (Emailing the secretary does not guarantee that the absence will be excused.) Excused absences consist of family emergencies, illness, religious holidays, and other extenuating circumstances.
- Voting Members of the Assembly and Number of Votes:
| 13 | Dorm Representatives (Denbigh, Merion, Radnor, Pem East, Pem West, Erdman, Haffner, Rhoads North, Rhoads South, Perry House, Brecon, Rock, Batten House) |
| 6 | Members-at-Large |
| 1 | Haverford College Representative |
| 1 | Off Campus Representative |
| 1 | McBride Representative |
| 4 | Class Presidents |
| 1 | Elections Heads |
| 1 | Heads of Residence Council |
| 1 | Head of Curriculum Committee |
| 1 | Traditions Mistresses |
| 2 | Board of Trustees Representatives |
| 1 | Representative to the Faculty |
| 1 | Heads of Social Committee |
| 1 | COPS Heads |
| 1 | Athletic Association Representative |
| 1 | Civic Engagement Office Representative |
| 1 | Office of Intercultural Affairs Representative |
| 38 | Total Voting Members |
| 25 | Quorum |
Agenda:
- After the meeting is called to order by the President, the first three agenda items will be as follows:
- Roll Call
- Announcements (please submit announcements to the Secretary in writing, by midnight on the day of the meeting) if they are to be included in the minutes.
- Your Two Cents
- During this item, any new items for discussion, questions or announcements can be made.
- Agenda items for discussion will be posted at the beginning of each meeting, as well as e-mailed to the Association prior to the Assembly meeting.
- At the end of the meeting, the final two agenda items will be as follows:
- Old Business will be an agenda item. During this time, material that has already been presented may be revisited, questioned, or announced.
- New Business will be an agenda item. New material pertaining to a Representative Council Member’s position may be brought up for discussion.
Discussion:
- In order to participate in discussion, you must be on the floor of the Campus Center Main Lounge. Individuals on the stairs or the balcony must come down to the floor to be added to the speaking order.
- Discussion length on each agenda item will be determined by the Executive Board, and will be announced before discussion begins. A motion to extend time may be made, upon receiving a two-minute warning or a motion to table may also be made, if it is felt that this meeting time is not adequate to discuss the issue at hand.
- All timings in the meeting will be monitored by the Treasurer.
- Discussion is open to all individuals present at the meeting. Recommendations may also be made by any individual present at the meeting. Voting and the making of motions are restricted to Assembly members.
- At the end of discussion on an agenda item, the President will ask if there are any motions to be made on the topic.
Motions:
- Motions may be made, seconded, amended, and voted on only by members of the Assembly.
- All motions must be made by raising your hand and announcing that you have a motion. When acknowledged by the President you may state the motion.
- All motions with the exception of two noted below must be seconded. Seconds may be made by raising your hand and announcing your support for consideration of the motion.
- Motions may not interrupt a speaker or be presented while another motion is on the floor with the exception of those noted below.
- Voting on all motions is done by simple majority (50%+1) with the exception of calling the question and extending time, which require two-thirds.
- The following are types of motions that may be made:
Main Motion: A motion that is made for consideration during the discussion of an agenda item. When such a motion is made, discussion on the agenda item shall be suspended and five minutes of discussion will occur on only the motion. At the end of 5 minutes, unless time is extended, a vote will be taken on the motion and discussion of the agenda item will resume. Motions must be pertinent to the agenda item being discussed, and may not be made when another motion is on the floor or interrupt someone while they are speaking.
Motion to Extend Time: a priority motion which may be made while another motion is on the floor. Such motions may be made regarding discussion on an agenda item, discussion on a motion, and/or extend meeting time. They must be seconded and specify the amount of time for the extension. There is no discussion of the motion and a vote is immediately taken. It requires a two-thirds majority to pass.
Motion to Call the Question: a priority motion used to stop discussion and put whatever motion is on the floor up for an immediate vote. This motion may be made while another motion is on the floor, but may not interrupt another speaker. It must be seconded and voted on immediately requiring a 2/3 majority to pass. If this motion passes, then a vote will follow immediately on the previous motion on the floor, after a brief restatement of such motion.
Motion to Table Discussion: a motion used to stop discussion on an agenda item and move onto the next agenda item. It may be made while another motion is on the floor, but may not interrupt a speaker. The motion must be seconded and then immediately voted on. If the motion passes, the agenda item is tabled until a motion is made to reopen the discussion, postpone to a different time, or until the next meeting.
Point of Order: a motion used to protest a breach of rules, conduct of procedure. A point of order may interrupt a speaker and does not require a second or a vote. Once point of order is made, the Chair must take corrective action and if appropriate place speaker at the end of the speaking order, and resume discussion on the agenda item or the motion, depending on the point of order.
Anyone present can call a speaker out of order if the speaker is being disrespectful or fostering a gang mentality.
Point of Information: such a motion is used to request information in a discussion.
Motion to Adjourn: A motion to call the meeting to a close. Such a motion must be made if all business is finished before the 90 minute set meeting time in order for the meeting to be adjourned. It must be seconded and voted upon and may not interrupt a speaker or be made while another motion is on the floor.
Voting:
- All voting will be done by hand count, which will be tabulated by the President. Hand counts will be done of those “for” and “against” a motion as well as those “abstaining.” Most votes require a simple majority. A two-thirds majority requires that two-thirds of the voting members present vote and that two-thirds agree.
- Only Assembly members may vote in the meeting, and co-officers to any position have only one vote. The President may only vote in the case of a tie and certain Assembly positions are specified as non-voting.
- A role call vote may be requested by any Assembly member, the results of which would be published in the minutes.
Speaking Order:
- Speaking order will be maintained by the Vice President. In order to be put on the speaking order, raise your hand or make eye contact with the Vice President until they acknowledge (nodding, thumbs up, etc.) that you are on the list.
- Speakers must be acknowledged by the President
- Direct responses to a speaker may be made if the response is from the presenter of the agenda item or if the speaker is asking a particular question of someone. Otherwise responses should be confined to your turn on the speaking order.