Oleville

April 30th, 2013

April 23rd, 2013

April 16th, 2013

April 9th, 2013

April 2nd, 2013

March 19th, 2013

March12th, 2013

March 5th, 2013

February 26th, 2013

February 19th, 2013

February 12th, 2013

January 22nd, 2013

January 8th, 2013

December 11th, 2012

December 4th, 2012

November 27th, 2012

November 13th, 2012

November 6th, 2012

October 30th, 2012

October 23rd, 2012

October 9th, 2012

October 2nd, 2012

As it was the second to last Senate meeting of the year, it was the last time to introduce any proposals for budgetary issues or bylaws changes, since both must be tabled for at least one meeting. This week Senate heard an update on the SGA budget, including a breakout of the Pause revenue. All things are looking good, and we should expect a slight surplus at the end of the year.

Two of the proposals dealt with the budget for next year. First, Senate was presented with a change in the branch allocation percentages. These are in the bylaws and determine how the money we receive from the College is distributed throughout SGA. The second proposal was to approve the budget for next year as a whole.

There were many bylaws changes this week! Some passed including MEC’s proposal and the Board of Student Media change. Others were tabled including election policy manual changes, SOC, PAC, and, VN policy manual and bylaws changes. We will take a final look at those next week.

Two major proposals were presented and passed. First, the transportation subcommittee asked for Senate to approve the recommendation to merge the Skoglund, I –lot and J – Lot. The second proposal was to approve the PRIDE statement, which will replace the RICH statement.
Student Pride Statement
As an Ole, I will practice

Passion for learning and the pursuit of vocation,
Respect for the worth and dignity of all people,
Integrity at all times and in all circumstances,
Dedication to a life of service, and
Engagement with my community and the world.

Recognizing that community has no boundaries, I will carry these values with me as I travel,
work, study, and serve.

Happy May!

Matt Alveshere
SGA Vice President and Senate Chair

It was another packed agenda this week for the Senate. Fred Behr, Director of Public Safety, started our meeting with a presentation about St. Olaf’s emergency operations and procedures. Senators learned about the varying procedure St. Olaf has in place to respond to situations ranging from a tornado to an active shooter on campus. Behr encouraged all students to sign up for OleAlerts, a system that will send out emails and text messages during emergency situations. If you have not already signed up, you can do so here.

Senators then heard budget updates from the members of the Board of Student Media which includes the Manitou Messenger, the Quarry, and KSTO. All groups are keeping their budgets on track this year and have made adjustments for next year.

Finally, the Senate took a look at six bylaws proposal. Any change to the bylaws must be tabled for at least on meeting before it can be passed. This rule is in place so that Senators can reflect and gather feedback on proposed changes. Senate passed three of the proposal this week including adding executive session to the policy manual, amending the impeachment bylaws, and updating the SAC bylaws.

Only two more Senate meetings this year!

Matt Alveshere
SGA Vice President and Senate Chair

The Caf Fast is awarded each semester to a student organization to support that group’s mission. This semester we had three very worthy groups present to Senate. Habitat for Humanity, Haiti Justice Alliance, and Oles Face AIDS all presented the needs of their organizations. Ultimately, Senate awarded the Caf Fast to Oles Face Aids. Look for more information on when this event will be held.

Senate continued to look at more bylaws and policy manual proposals. The ADC and Executive Committee proposals passed through the Senate, and Impeachment bylaws changes, executive session policy manual, and SAC bylaws proposals all got their first look. We will pick up the latter proposals next week.

Only three more Senate meetings this year!

Matt Alveshere
SGA Vice President and Senate Chair

Our first item of business this week was to pick up the proposal from SOC to allocate $4,000 to their general org grant budget line item. It passed! Now more student orgs can get funded from now until the end of the year.

This week was also faced with bylaws and policy manual changes. The bylaws are what set up the structure for SGA and the policy manual describe how to do things. A lot of our time for the rest of the year will be focused on updating these two important documents.

Three proposals came forward, the first two from ADC. They made changes to their bylaws and policy manual to more accurately describe how the branch operates. The third proposal concerned the executive committee bylaws and policy manual, making some needed clarifications about expectation of executive committee members.

Hang in there!

Matt Alveshere
SGA Vice President and Senate Chair

This week Senate had had a visit from Prof. Jo Beld, Director of Evaluation and Assessment, to talk about the newly passed STOGoals. These statements are specific outcomes that all St. Olaf students are expected to master throughout our time on the Hill. The Institutional Research and Evaluation (IR&E) office has taken the data they have already collected and are beginning to see what how we are doing on STOGoals. Some of the goals St. Olaf is excelling at, such as critiquing arguments, but some areas have room for improvement, such has applying theories to practical problems. Look for more information about STOGoals in the future.

Senate also picked up a proposal from before spring break concerning purchasing two iPads for SGA use. The proposal passed, so once the iPads have been purchased, SGA can use them for live Tweeting and Facebook posts during events as well as keeping important documents concerning the planning of the events. Hopefully this will make things a little easier for our programmers.

Another proposal was introduced asking Senate to transfer $4,000 from the capital improvements budget to SOC. Student orgs have continued to make requests, and SOC needs more money to meet these requests. Since all financial proposals must be tabled, Senate will pick this proposal back up next week.

Um! Ya! Ya!

Matt Alveshere
SGA Vice President and Senate Chair

With the onset of midterms, it was a short meeting for Senate this week. Senate looked at a proposal to buy two iPads for SGA to use during campus events. Senator Ozzello presented the idea so that branches would be able to post to social media during events, including taking pictures. The funding would come from the SGA Capital Improvements fund.

In reports and announcements, we hear about a bunch of great events happening around campus over the next couple weeks, including the Matt & Kim concert on April 12th, and the beginning of the alumni speakers on April 3rd with Mary Carlsen ’79.

Have a good spring break!

Matt Alveshere
SGA Vice President and Senate Chair

This week we heard from Pete Sandberg, Assistant Vice President for Facilities, about the many changes coming up to the physical campus. One of the biggest changes will be coming to Buntrock, where a new focus on expanding the Cage has begun. Stemming out of a need for more table space, Sandberg has formed a committee to discuss the possibilities for this project. Another major renovation will be happening to Ellingson Hall in the near future to put an addition that would add more study space. While the timeline is not confirmed for these projects, plans are moving ahead to make needed changes on campus.

As always, we are here to listen to your comments and concerns.

Matt Alveshere
SGA Vice President and Senate Chair

It was a quick meeting in the boardroom this week! With all of the election stuff going on, we kept the agenda short. Senate passed a proposal from SAC to move funds between line items in their budget. They took excess money from their homecoming budget and will now be spending it on the President’s Ball. Senators then gave updates on what they working on in reports and announcements.

Next week, Pete Sandberg, Assistant Vice President for Facilities, will be coming in to follow up on his mid-year update on the physical campus.

Don’t forget to vote on Thursday!

Matt Alveshere
SGA Vice President and Senate Chair

Senate had a full schedule this week talking about student life issues and hearing from the subcommittees. First, Asil Abuassba ’15 addressed the Senate to bring awareness to an action that had happened last week on campus. The Oles for Justice in Palestine had a display in the hallway going to Rolvaag, and on Friday, February 22nd, two Palestinian flags were stolen and a poster was vandalized by someone writing “Death to Gaza.” The Senate discussed the incident and turned to the Oles Against Discrimination committee that was formed after the racial message left in Rand. If anyone knows any information about this incident, please contact the Dean of Students Office.

Next the Senate heard from all of the subcommittees to get an update on what their plans are for this semester. Students can look forward to conversations about how parking permits are assigned, the Collegiate Readership program, preparing students for work on campus, bylaws, and more. It should be a busy semester!

Let us know what’s on your mind!

Matt Alveshere
SGA Vice President and Senate Chair

This week in the boardroom was much quieter than our past few meetings. Andrew Sather, Board of Regents Student Observer, presented the February BORSC report titled “St. Olaf in Liberal Arts: College in the 21st Century.” The report focused on academics, lifestyle, and results. Check it out here on YouTube.

On another note, candidate registration material is due on Friday, February 22nd at 5:00 pm. If you are interested in running for a leadership role, please consider it.

Until next week!

Matt Alveshere
SGA Vice President and Senate Chair

Senate hit the ground running this week as we opened up the first meeting of seconded semester. We started with a presentation from Denis Egan, a lobbyist with the Minnesota Private College Council, spoke about the Day at the Capital program. One in four Minnesota students receive a grant from the state, and funding for this program is always under fire. You can find out more and sign up here.

The second part of the Senate meeting focused on a proposal to add a referendum to the spring ballot that would ask students if they would support St. Olaf becoming a tobacco-free campus. The conversation was very lively and included many student voices during the open student comment section. Ultimately, Senate decided to put the question on the spring ballot and let the students vote. Senate hopes that this will spur the conversation around campus on the issue.

As always, check back here each week for the agenda to see what sort of issues are coming up in Senate.

Matt Alveshere
SGA Vice President and Senate Chair

As Senate gathered this week two topics were on the agenda. First, Senate revisited the Intended Learning Outcomes that the Curriculum Committee is creating. You can read the ILO’s here. Senators brought up concerns about specific wording in the document and discussed concepts they thought were lacking from the ILO’s. Senators also discussed how this document would be used during Week One, with academic advisors, and by the Piper Center. Members of the Curriculum Committee will be taking the feedback back to the committee as they continue to work through the ILO’s. If you have any questions or comments about the ILO’s contact a Senator.

The second piece of business that the Senate took up was confirming the Election Commissioner. Brian Finks, Faculty Life Senator, will be serving as the 2013 Spring Election Commissioner. It may seem like elections are a long way off, but actually we will be voting for the new SGA leadership in six weeks! Now is the time to start thinking what you want to run for. Election material will be available starting February 11th.

Senate is done for Interim, but we will be back at the start of next semester.

Stay warm!

Matt Alveshere
SGA Vice President and Senate Chair

As Oles gather back on the Hill, Senators gather back in the boardroom to continue business. However, Senate does look a little different for interim as we welcome 13 proxies. These interim members carry the same responsibilities and rights as their full-time counterparts. Don’t be afraid to reach out to them!

The Internal Affairs subcommittee has been charged to research several different issues that face SGA. This week we discussed one of those issues: the Book. Discussion was centered on whether or not SGA should continue the student agenda, and if so, what it should like and how it should be distributed. No decisions were made, but lots of ideas were brought into conversation. If you have something to say about it contact any Senator or the Internal Affairs subcommittee.

The Senate also took a very critical step of approving Jordan Montgomery as the new Student Organizations Committee Coordinator. This position was vacated in November, but will now be filled with Jordan’s three years of experience as a member of the committee.

Next week Senate will not be meeting. Interim is always a good time to take a little break.

See you on January 22nd!

Matt Alveshere
SGA Vice President and Senate Chair

At our final meeting of the semester, Senate began with a discussion of the recent events in Rand Hall. Vice President of Student Life Greg Kneser sent out an email on December 5th describing the event. Conversations have been happening all over campus, and SGA is joining in. Senators expressed concern for how this type of behavior impacts students. Senators began generating ideas to help prevent a future event like this. Ultimately, Senate decided to form an ad hoc subcommittee that would partner with the Multicultural Affairs Office as well as the Office of Student Life to consider the next steps that need to be taken.

Next Senate received three end-of-the-semester reports. First, the attendance report was given reflecting how many excused and unexcused absences each Senator had. This is reflected in the minutes. Second, the Pause gave an update on their financials showing a positive first semester. Finally, SGA Financial Officer Kevin Klynstra gave a report on how SGA overall is doing for the budget. So far there are no major concerns.

Senate will begin meeting again in interim.

We wish you a merry Christmas and a restful break!

Matt Alveshere
SGA Vice President and Senate Chair

Senate had two special presentations this week. First, members of the TRiO Student Support Services Board of Leaders came to speak about their program. Senate heard about the history of the program, and the success that it has had at St. Olaf. We also heard about how federal funding for this program is a constant battle. Since TRiO is looked at as discretionary funding, it is always on the list of possible cuts. Senate members were given the opportunity to sign a petition asking for funding to stay with the program. Please contact Mellissa Hinderscheit to sign the petition.

The second presentation was from the Curriculum Committee to introduce the idea of St. Olaf Intended Learning Outcomes. These are college wide goals for learning and development. Check them out here. This is the beginning of a campus wide conversation that includes students, faculty, and staff. Talk to any Senator to give your feedback on the idea!

Come join us for our last Senate meeting of the semester next week!

Matt Alveshere
SGA Vice President and Senate Chair

During this week’s Senate meeting, we began with an executive session. This means that the meeting was closed to the public and that the minutes for that portion are also confidential. However, the actions taken as a result of this session are public. From this executive session, Daniel Frankenfeld, Student Organizations Committee Coordinator was removed from office.

In old business, the Senate approved a proposal to change the time that agendas need to be released from 36 hours in advance to 24 hours in advance. This gives the chair of Senate a little more flexibility to release the agenda on a weekday.

See you in the boardroom!

Matt Alveshere
SGA Vice President and Senate Chair

It was a busy night in the boardroom this past Tuesday. We started with a discussion with Randy Clay talking about some of the issues he has seen in the Caf this year. One of his biggest concerns is the amount of missing property from the Caf. One of the most notable items was 216 coffee mugs that were stolen over a ten day period. Randy believes that behavior is not very inappropriate, especially for Oles who follow an honor code in the classroom, but no respect for the business that is the Caf.

PLEASE RETURN ANY BON APP PROPERTY TO THE CAF.

Next we took up a conversation about the RICH statement, Respect, Integrity, Celebration, and Honesty. Senators agreed that it was important to have this type of statement, but questioned if the specific words, and especially the acronym, are what we want to be represented by as a student body. The conversation is going to continue with the student feedback and involvement subcommittee, as well as the student life committee.

Two new business items were also on the table. First Senate confirmed the appointment of Melody Rosen as Faculty Governance Senator. This position became vacant after the fall elections. Second, a bylaws change was introduced that would change the requirement for agendas to be released 24 hours before the meeting instead of 36. Senate will pick this back up next week.

As always, stop by the boardroom or send us an email!

Matt Alveshere
SGA Vice President and Senate Chair

This week Senate was able to hear from Marci Sortor, Provost and Dean of the College. As our chief academic officer, she oversees all of the academic aspects of the college. She spoke about the projects that she is working on, including many of the faculty searches. One of the trends in faculty searches includes multi-department appointments, such as economics – environment science, or physics-biology-neuroscience. Sortor sees this type of appointment as the future of education.

Senate also picked back up the budget and the DCC bylaws change proposals. The budget passed with little opposition. After a few questions about the DCC bylaws change, the proposal passed unanimously. If you have any questions about either of these things please contact any senator.

Next week, Randy Clay will be joining us, will you?

Matt Alveshere
SGA Vice President and Senate Chair

For a change of scenery, Senate met in the Pause this week. Every semester, Senate meets outside of the David E. Johnson Boardroom at least once in order to become more visible to the student body. In the meeting we discussed the caf fast. Each semester, a student organization is chosen to be the caf fast organization. The caf fast is an opportunity for students to sign up to give up a specific meal in the caf, and have the proceeds go to the designated cause. This year the Senate heard from three organizations, Peruvian Medical Relief, Oles Face AIDS, and St. Olaf Global Medical Brigades. After hearing a presentation from each group the Senate discussed the merits of giving the caf fast to each of the organizations. Ultimately, Senate voted to have the Peruvian Medical Relief receive the Semester I caf fast.

Also in this meeting, Asia Black, DCC Coordinator introduced a proposal that would change the DCC bylaws. These changes reflect some of the changes that have happened in DCC over the last year, including organizations’ name changes. The proposal also changes the way orgs become a member of DCC and how they apply for funding. For more information on this contact Senator Black.

Next week we will be back in the Boardroom, and will be picking up the budget.

Matt Alveshere
SGA Vice President and Senate Chair

This week’s meeting was focused on budgets. Kevin Klynstra, SGA Financial Officer, and Catherine Haines, SGA President, introduced the 2012-2013 SGA budget reflecting our official allocation from the college. This year SGA was allocated $542,080 which Senate is responsible to oversee. Our bylaws dictate the certain ways that this money must be distributed between our eleven branches, but there is also room for discretion. Senators asked questions about the general structure of the budget, as well as began to talk about any changes that should be made to the budget. The Senate will continue to discuss the budget at our November 6th meeting and bring it to a vote. If you have any questions about the budget, contact Kevin Klynstra or any other Senator.

As a line item, SGA contributes to the budgets of The Quarry, KSTO, and the Manitou Messenger. These three organizations are on the Board of Student Media along with the SGA President and SGA Financial Officer. As such, the three media orgs presented their budgets to the Senate. All of them seem to have a sound financial plan as well as innovative ideas for the year.

Next week, Senate will be meeting in the Pause, so make sure you come and see what’s going on!

Matt Alveshere
SGA Vice President and Senate Chair

This week in Senate we heard several important presentations. First we heard from Branden Grimmett, Director of the Piper Center for Vocation and Career. He shared the exciting programs that the Piper Center is working on such as Ole Biz, Shad Ole, and the nationwide trips for specific career paths. One thing that has greatly improved from the Piper Center is the Ole Career Central website which has lots of job and internship opportunities as well as a link to schedule coaching appointments with Piper Center staff. If you have any questions, stop by the Piper Center anytime and talk with a peer advisor.

Our second presentation was the Board of Regents Student Committee (BORSC) giving their October report about St. Olaf alumni engagement. The report looked at the current programs St. Olaf offers for current students to interact with alumni. It also covered how current seniors feel about becoming alumni. The presentation concluded that St. Olaf does a great job encouraging alumni participation in current programs, but more work could be done so that these programs reach more students.  Look for the final report on the BORSC page.

Our final presentation was from Kevin Klynstra, SGA Financial Officer. He gave an overview of how SGA’s $600,000 budget is distributed. Once the college finalizes their budget, Senate will vote on the SGA budget.

Don’t hesitate to contact any Senator with questions or comments you have!

Matt Alveshere
SGA Vice President and Senate Chair

Another exciting year for the Student Senate got started this past Tuesday in the David E. Johnson Board. This year we are starting a new tradition: an open student comment section. At the beginning of each Senate meeting, students will be able to directly address the Senate about whatever is on their mind. Do you have an opinion about something Senate is looking at? Do you have an idea about something SGA could do? Do you want to share how awesome an event was? The student comment section is the time to do it!

This week was a busy start to the year starting with a presentation from Vice President for Student Life, Greg Kneser, and Dean of Students, Roz Eaton-Neeb, about what their roles entail. Vice President Kneser focuses on the long term aspects of student life. Dean Roz is responsible for the day-to-day business of helping students out. Both will serve as advisor to the Senate this year, and are looking forward to what this work will bring.

Business this week included several confirmation proposals. All appointments made by the SGA President and Vice President must than pass through the Senate with a two-thirds vote. The positions being confirmed include: SGA Financial Officer, SGA Marketing Communications Director, SGA Webmaster, SGA Executive Assistant, Senate Parliamentarian, Faculty Life Senator, and Curriculum Senator. The Senate also approved their schedule for the year. The Senate will meet every Tuesday at 6:30 pm.

As always, Senate meetings are open to all students. If you are interested in something that Senate is working on, feel free to stop by a meeting or contact a Senator.

Matt Alveshere
SGA Vice President and Senate Chair

May 7th, 2013

April 30th, 2013

April 23rd, 2013

April 16th, 2013

April 9th, 2013

April 2nd, 2013

March 19th, 2013

March 12th, 2013

March 5th, 2013

February 26th, 2013

February 24th, 2013 Meeting II

February 24th, 2013 Meeting I

February 19th, 2013

February 12th, 2013

January 22nd, 2013

January 8th, 2013

December 11th, 2012

December 4th, 2012

November 27th, 2012

November 13th, 2012

November 6th, 2012

October 30th, 2012

October 23rd, 2012

October 9th, 2012

October 2nd, 2012

May 1st, 2012
April 24th, 2012
April 17th, 2012
April 10th, 2012
April 3rd, 2012
March 27th, 2012
March 13th, 2012
March 6th, 2012
February 28th, 2012
February 21st, 2012
February 14th, 2012
January 24th, 2012
January 10th, 2012
December 6th, 2011
November 29th, 2011
November 15th, 2011
November 8th, 2011
November 1st, 2011
October 25th, 2011,
October 11th, 2011
October 4th, 2011

Oct. 5th Minutes
Oct. 12th Minutes
Oct. 26th Minutes
Nov. 2nd Minutes
Nov. 9th Minutes
Nov. 16th Minutes
Nov. 30th Minutes
Dec. 7th Minutes
Dec. 14th Minutes
Jan. 11th Minutes
Jan. 18th Minutes
Feb. 8th Minutes
Feb. 15th Minutes
Feb. 22nd Minutes
Feb. 27th Minutes 1
Feb. 27th Minutes 2
Mar. 1st Minutes
Mar. 8th Minutes
Mar. 29th Minutes
Apr. 5th Minutes
Apr. 12th Minutes
Apr. 19th Minutes

Thomas Freeman, Chair

This standing subcommittee is charged with the revision and interpretation of the SGA constitution, bylaws, and policy manual. These important documents govern the way SGA operates. All bylaws and policy manual proposals must be reviewed by this committee. This year, this committee will focus on adding substance to the policy manual.

Rachel Braun, Chair

As the STUDENT Government Association it is our duty to obtain as much student feedback about what we are doing. Simply put, SGA exists for students. The focus of this committee will be to find creative ways of getting that feedback and responding to it. This committee will also be charged with looking at the way that students engage with SGA, and how to increase involvement.

Sarah Loquasto, Chair

Many students have jobs on campus and rely on it as a source of income.  This committee will analyze what students want from their jobs and gather ideas of how to improve student work. This committee will work with financial aid and human resources.

Mitch Kampf, Chair

All students need to get around, whether it is in their own car or by bus. This committee will examine campus transportation and parking options and discuss ways to develop them. This committee will work closely with Kris Vatter, Director of Student Activities and Buntrock Commons.

Christina Espey-Sundt, Chair

In 2010, St. Olaf participated in the National College Health Assessment, which showed that St. Olaf students are more stressed in comparison to other college students. This committee will study the causes of stress for students and suggest possible ways to decrease it. In conjunction, this group will look at alcohol and drug culture on campus. This committee will work with the Wellness Center and Dean of Students Office.

Rachel Palermo, Chair

SGA has many issues that are important to students, and need to be carefully thought through. This committee will look at those issues and make recommendations on them. Initial issues include The Book, SGA allocation methods, and collaborating with other student leaders. More issues will be sent to this committee throughout the year.

One Senator will serve on this campus wide committee, which looks at safety issues on campus. The committee discusses accidents, safety policies, safe work practices and possible remedies.