7:01 p.m.| Attendance. All are present at the beginning of the meeting except President Tanay Tatum and Terrace Apartments Representative April Cha.
- $55 from the New Organization Fund to the Listening Center
- $120 from the New Organization Fund to the Listening Center
- $1,500 from the Speakers, Lectures and Panels Fund to No Such Organization
- $1,200 from the Collaboration Fund to Future Waitstaff of America
- $3,774.40 from the Speakers, Lecturers and Panels Fund to Poder Latino
- $10,000 from the Community Fund to Hip Hop 101
7:04| An amendment called the “Investment Responsibility Amendment” to Bylaw Article V, Section 12 of the VSA’s bylaws is presented. This amendment will add one more position to the Campus Investment Responsibility Committee from the student body. It passes.
7:06| Capital Budgeting
The VSA’s capital budgeting process concluded last week. “For the most part, organization received their requests,” said VSA Vice President for Finance Jason Rubin’13. Certain items being bought through Capital Budgeting will be added to the VSA’s capital loans system from here on, says Rubin.
One of the allocations is for the Vassar Greens, which will use the fund water fountains for students across campus in line with the groups’ efforts to reduce the use of bottled water on campus.
The motion to approve the Capital Budgeting allocations is approved.
7:11| VSA Vice President Charlie Dobb ’12 says that, next week, a poll will go out to Vassar students asking “Do you support not allowing smoking on Vassar’s property?” “This is not an indication of a policy direction,” says Dobb; instead, the question is meant “only to gauge opinion.”
The Committee on College Life “is not keen on moving forward with any policy decisions without student support.”
Dobb says that should enough of a student body support a ban on smoking, he will feel confident to bring it as a resolution to Council . The Council will then have to employ its own discretion in supporting or rejecting the resolution based on the collected data.
7:22| Amendment to the Amendment Concerning Elections: Bylaw Article VI, Section 2.B, 3.B
South Common Representative Matthew Wheeler’12 has amended his own amendment to make election filing an eleven-day process, whereas campaigning is a ten-day process. Wheeler says this is a response to concerns that have emerged since last Sunday, when the motion was first proposed. “This just shortens filing, basically,” says Wheeler. The amendment passes.
Now, the council will discuss the amendment concerning elections, to Bylaw Article VI, Section 2.B, 3.B.
“This is really about making elections fair,” says Wheeler.
Class of 2014 President Michael Moore says that Wheeler’s amendment “still needs more work.” He proposes a motion to table the amendment to the Operations Committee . Wheeler is hesitant to table it “just yet,” since there are people on Council who cannot attend the Operations Committee meetings. The motion does not pass; Council must discuss it in accordance with the alloted time.
Davison President Doug Greer ’14 agrees that the amendment needs work in the wording, but believes in terms of structure, it is fairer because it does not favor candidates who file first.
Wheeler says passing the amendment would not preclude changes to the Fall freshman elections.
Dobb moves — once again — to table the amendment to the Operations Committee. “I feel the conversation isn’t complete,” says Moore. The motion fails.
“I know that there are things we want to change, but I just want to say that the idea behind the amendment,” says Noyes House President Deb Steinberg’14.
Moore “still feels very uncomfortable.” Warner reminds Council abandoned legislation comparable to the amendment ; why, then, he asks, is this motion being considered again? Class of 2012 and Davison House Presidents and Pamela Vogel and Doug Greer’14 voice support to pass Wheeler’s amendment.
There is a motion to adopt Wheeler’s amendment. This motion passes with a two-thirds majority, as required by the VSA’s governing documents.
8:27|The next item — Amendment Concerning Elections: Bylaw Article VI — proposed by at-large member Seth Warner’s is rendered moot. Warner withdraws it.
Executive Board Reports
President
Tatum says that , after getting in touch with the Marist student government representatives after the fire earlier this month, they VSA will be in closer touch with them. Additionally, she reports that Vassar has been invited to sit on the Seven Sisters Council.
Operations
VSA Vice President Jenna Konstantine ’13 reports that the “Constitutionathon is going well,” and that the committee has made progress through the entire document.
Konstantine and Vogel reports that the Alumnae and Alumni of Vassar College is restructuring its Web presence, and name it “The Hub.” “They are very excited about it,” says Vogel.
8:36| Open Discussion
Vogel reports that there are 97 days left until graduation. She clarifies that no decisions have been made for the guest policy during Senior Week. She and her Class Council has created a memorandum asserting the importance of underclassman presence at Senior Week.
The Council goes into fifteen seconds of silence in memory of Whitney Houston.
Wheeler tells Warner that “none of this was personal.” “There is no animosity on my part.”
8:43| There is a motion to adjourn. It passes.
