Agenda of the 85th Senate
Hofstra University Student Government Association November 19, 2020 Hofstra University Zoom University Call to order Meeting Called to order at 6:30 PM A. Special Business a. End of Semester Reports i. President and Vice President gives their End of Semester report Jointly ii. Comptroller presents his end of Semester report iii. Secretary presents his End of Semester report iv. Appropriations Chair presents his End of Semester report v. Club Resources Chair presents his End of Semester report vi. Communications Chair presents her End of Semester report vii. Programming Chair presents her End of Semester report viii. Academic Affairs Chair presents her End of Semester report ix. Equity & Inclusion Chair presents her End of Semester report x. Facility & Operations Chair presents her End of Semester report xi. Wellness & Campus Safety Chair presents his End of Semester Report B. Quorum Call a. Quorum Set at 28 C. New Business a. Chair Nominations i. Senator Hotaling moves to open Chair Nominations 1. Motion Seconded 2. Motion Passed ii. Nominations for Club Resources 1. Chair Connolly-Sisk Nominates Senator Ortiz a. Motion Seconded b. Senator Accepted 2. Chair Paturzo nominates Senator Congdon
a. Motion Seconded b. Senator Accepted 3. Senator Behm nominates Chair Connolly-Sisk a. Motion Seconded b. Chair Declined iii. Nominations for Equity and Inclusion 1. Senator Ortiz nominates Senator Germaine a. Motion Seconded b. Senator Accepted 2. Chair Paturzo Nominates Senator Safian a. Motion Second b. Senator Accepted iv. Chair O’Brien moves to close Chair Nominations 1. Motion Seconded 2. Motion Passed b. Chair Colon moves to suspend the rules for 2/3rds vote i. Motion Seconded ii. Motion Objected iii. Debate 1. Senator Harley a. We should go ahead and do this because we have hit a roadblock it is clear the senate wants to have this. 2. Senator Congdon a. This can open the rules if this is opened 3. Chair O’Brien a. We can go through this by not going overriding this and going at a certain time we should talk during not in session 4. Chair Khandelwal a. We have rules for a reason and we have the ability to suspend the rules. 5. Senator Harley a. These conversations haven't happened outside of opening Con Con 6. Senator Doherty a. We have a majority for a reason and only 2 people can make the call 7. Chair Paturzo a. We impose rules on ourselves rules are there for a reason and it is there to keep democracy we have been having moderated caucuses and the conversations are happening 8. Senator Schank a. We should work through this and wait until next time c. Chair Connolly-Sisk moves for a roll call vote i. Motion Seconded
ii. Motion Passes by a vote of 23-4-2 d. Chair Connolly-Sisk calls for Constitutional Convention i. Motion Seconded ii. Comptroller Cote: Yea iii. Appropriations Chair Liebowitz: Yea iv. Club Resources Chair Khandelwal: Yea v. Communications Chair Colon: Yea vi. Programming Chair Paturzo: Nay vii. Academic Affairs Chair Connolly-Sisk: Yea viii. Equity & Inclusion Chair Mobley: Yea ix. Facilities & Operations Chair Aquino: Yea x. Wellness & Campus Safety Chair O’Brien: Nay xi. Senator Behm: Yea xii. Senator Cheng: Yea xiii. Senator Congdon: Yea xiv. Senator DeBiso: Yea xv. Senator Doherty: Yea xvi. Senator DeCrescenzo: Yea xvii. Senator Funk: Yea xviii. Senator Fletcher: Yea xix. Senator Germaine: Yea xx. Senator Harley: Yea xxi. Senator Hotaling: Yea xxii. Senator Imran: Yea xxiii. Senator Kang: Yea xxiv. Senator Ortiz: Yea xxv. Senator Patane: Yea xxvi. Senator Potula: Yea xxvii. Senator Safian: Yea xxviii. Senator Schanck: Nay xxix. Senator Shareef: Abstain xxx. Senator Singh: Yea xxxi. Senator Walker: Yea xxxii. Senator Welch: Yea 1. By a vote of 26-3-1, this motion passes e. S.A.2020.85.012 i. This calls for an Ethics code there should more of a change and how each person needs to be brought properly what you bring to this table is just as important and that 2/3rds of senators signed this ii. Senator Welch 1. How will the disputes be brought a. Many clubs already have this in place we do not iii. Senator Welch 1. Who would this be reported to and what is the process to get resolved
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a. It will be brought up if someone doesn’t contribute and this will be brought up when someone brings it up Senator Behm 1. This would be used for checks and balance a. Yes it would 2. I want to propose wording but I don’t have anything yet. Senator Fletcher 1. This should be brought up to the discretion of the Chair Chair Aquino 1. To add a clause about reprandment and I agree with Chair Connolly-Sisk a. Any complaints should go to the chair and/or ethics and conduct chair Senator Hotaling moves for a 10 minute unmoderated caucus 1. Motion Seconded 2. Motion Passed by a vote of 27-1-1 Chair Aquino 1. Should be reported to either the committee chair or a neutral SGA party Chair Khandelwal 1. This is for the reporting and may need the judicial panel this is Chair Connolly-Sisk 1. That is way we have Ethics and conduct Chair Khandelwal that is a little extreme Senator Behm 1. This seems like a punishing term and seems to be a lot and the people making the complaints Chair Connolly-Sisk 1. This is the people we are heading to and not the certain people and anyone can report this Senator Walker 1. As a previous Ethics and Conduct chair trying to meet with these people and this may not be that effective. There should be a meeting for this and it may not get anywhere. Senator Behm 1. I disagree with Senator Walker we are still elected to be in these positions Senator Walker 1. That is what I said and when people didn’t show up to their signups and it can make it a lot harder or if you have a meeting it may be more official Chair Khandelwal 1. The wording had changed Senator Welch 1. I like this and it has been effective but Gigi did this and it didn’t go in place if not listened to them
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Chair Connolly-Sisk 1. We do have a process if people not follow the instructions Senator Welch 1. If this does not move on then there should be something Senator Hoatling 1. Is there a 3 strike rule and is warning emails and email process if this passes we do not know what people are going through Senator Welch a. Provides wording ideas Chair Khandelwal 1. Moves to adjust wording a. Motion Seconded i. By a Vote of 26-2-1 b. Motion Passes Chair Aquino moves to pass S.A.2020.85.012 1. Motion Seconded 2. Objection 3. Motion rescinded Senator Harley moves for a 10 minute unmoderated caucus 1. Motion Seconded a. By a vote of 23-5-1 2. Motion Passes Senator Harley 1. I am passionate about this and want to say this before I leave I want to add this so someone can be in SGA for a year before and can only serve on 1 E-board at a time 2. For running for SGA for a year this is a very unique body I want to leave the language very vague and anyone can run as long as they did something SGA related for 1 year because this does require a lot of work in regards to only one E-Board this is a lot as I have been at times for 40 hours plus at certain times Chair Connolly-SIsk 1. Can it be just President and Vice President Senator Harley 1. Yes it can Senator Potula 1. Yes if anyone serves and if you serve other E-board SGA works with so many other admins also others in SGA shouldn’t be able to run but don’t know how this would be received by Hofstra students. Senator Behm 1. I agree especially with others as well as serving in this role this is not right to block this, it may be a good idea or may not. As an amendment to this explain how SGA is ran Senator Doherty
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1. Echo what others said upon hearing this is a good idea you can’t serve. If you just joined you do not run for E-board right away if this applies to other clubs and it should apply to others Senator Harley 1. There are schedules for a reason and this can be a big deal and learning Robert's rules as well as other things can cause there to be a large learning curve that can take more than 1 month to learn Chair Connolly-Sisk 1. For someone that served on E-Board this is a lot Senator Schanck moves to extend by 5 minutes 1. Motion Seconded 2. Motion Passed Unanimously Senator Schanck 1. There is a learning experience so I do not believe there is a learning experience Senator Welch 1. There are some incompinent governments not saying SGA will turn into that we do not want someone to have a learning experience Senator Harley 1. This is a year long term and isn’t just going to affect the person running for President or Vice President but the senate body as a whole Chair Aquino 1. Adding this clause is not making restrictions anyone can join this is only President and Vice President and not just E-Board roles Chair Paturzo 1. I support the experience clause E-Board is structured in many different ways try and find new structures maybe having wording letting people who are apart of clubs that are SGA recognised run for President or Vice President Senator Doherty 1. I would also like to change wording and you can not be President or Vice President of other clubs Senator Behm 1. I don't believe requiring the year is necessary Senator Harley 1. We can pass this and go back to another section Chair Connolly-Sisk moves to change wording 1. Motion Seconded a. By a Vote of 24-4-1 2. Motion Passes Chair Aquino Moves for a straw poll about Section B 1. Motion Seconded Candidates for the role of President and Vice President to adjust 1. Motion Seconded
2. Objection 3. Debate xlv. Chair Connolly-Sisk 1. This clause is very important and that SGA does a lot and this shouldn’t be a problem 2. Senator Welch a. Is there really a difference between SGA recognized clubs and non SGA Recognized clubs 3. Chair Khandelwal a. There is still paperwork and time dedicated to being on the E-Board of a non recognized clubs and this can impact if they are sitting on two E-Boards 4. Senator Harley 5. Chair O’Brien 6. The candidates for SGA President and Vice-President may resign their current position 7. Chair Paturzo a. Not everyone time manages the same way and I don’t think it is fair for us as an organization to tell somehow how they can manage their time. 8. By a vote of 18-11-1 the motion passes xlvi. Chair Khandelwal moves to further adjust the language 1. Motion Seconded xlvii. By a vote of 27-0-3 the motion passes xlviii. Chair Connoly-Sisk moves to pass S.A.2020.85.012 1. Motion Seconded 2. Comptroller Cote: Yea 3. Appropriations Chair Liebowitz: Yea 4. Club Resources Chair Khandelwal: Yea 5. Communications Chair Colon: Yea 6. Programming Chair Paturzo: Yea 7. Academic Affairs Chair Connolly-Sisk: Yea 8. Equity & Inclusion Chair Mobley: Yea 9. Facilities & Operations Chair Aquino: Yea 10. Wellness & Campus Safety Chair O’Brien: Yea 11. Senator Behm: Abstain 12. Senator Cheng: Yea 13. Senator Congdon:Yea 14. Senator DeBiso: Yea 15. Senator Doherty: Yea 16. Senator DeCrescenzo: Yea 17. Senator Funk: Yea 18. Senator Fletcher: Yea 19. Senator Germaine: Yea
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Senator Harley: Yea Senator Hotaling: Yea Senator Imran: Yea Senator Kang: Yea Senator Ortiz: Yea Senator Patane: Yea Senator Potula: Yea Senator Safian: Yea Senator Schanck: Yea Senator Shareef: Yea Senator Singh: Yea Senator Walker: Yea Senator Welch: Yea a. By a motion of 30-0-1, S.A.2020.8512 passes S.A.2020.85.013 i. This action just reintroduces the veto power of the Comptroller. The comptroller cannot disclose all information he knows to the committee which is where this legislation is coming from. Adding in the check from the senate that was not in previous legislation. 1. Senator Welch a. Comptroller can veto something that is passes at a weekly allocation meeting 2. Facilities Aquino a. Has anyone had to do this before i. Comptroller Cote Responds To my knowledge no they have not 3. Senator Welch a. How can we ensure that this isn’t coming from a right place of vetoing the funds. i. Comptroller Cote Responds Have to provide a written statement of the veto and the senate can over turn this ii. Written statement will go to President, Vice President but not senate body at whole b. How can we reverse the veto without knowing why the comptroller vetoed it in the first place c. Comptroller needs to notify the Appropriations chair so then it can be bright up to the senate body by the appropriations chair 4. Chair Khandelwahl a. What are some things that you need to keep secret? i. Comptroller Cote Responds I have to keep 700s secret b. Several issues with appropriations that were not brought to senate so it was easier behind closed doors ii. Chair Connolly-Sisk moves to pass SA.2020.85.13 1. Motion Seconded
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Comptroller Cote: Yea Appropriations Chair Liebowitz: Yea Club Resources Chair Khandelwal: Yea Communications Chair Colon: Yea Programming Chair Paturzo: Yea Academic Affairs Chair Connolly-Sisk: Yea Equity & Inclusion Chair Mobley: Yea Facilities & Operations Chair Aquino: Yea Wellness & Campus Safety Chair O’Brien: Yea Senator Behm: Yea Senator Cheng: Yea Senator Congdon: Yea Senator DeBiso: Yea Senator Doherty: Yea Senator DeCrescenzo: Yea Senator Funk: Yea Senator Fletcher:Yea Senator Germaine: Yea Senator Harley: Yea Senator Hotaling: Yea Senator Imran: Yea Senator Kang: Yea Senator Ortiz: Yea Senator Patane: Yea Senator Potula: Yea Senator Safian: Yea Senator Schanck: Yea Senator Shareef: Yea Senator Singh: Yea Senator Walker: Yea Senator Welch: Abstain a. By a vote of 30-0-1, S.A.2020.85.13 passes g. S.A.2020.85.014 i. Every other position in Senate is held for a year therefore we felt it necessary to add wording that has both the Ethics and Conduct Chair and the Archivist positions held for a year. 1. Senator Hotaling a. Do you believe we could possibly add wording that provides guidance for a case in which either of the two positions can no longer fulfill their position 2. Senator Walker a. The way Ethics and Conduct and Archivist was a starting point for leadership, and many new people used it as a launching point.
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As such, having it for a year is detrimental to encouraging leadership Chair Connolly-Sisk moves for a 5 minute unmoderated caucus to discuss S.A.2020.85.14 1. Motion Seconded, Motion Passed 28-1-2 a. Senator Walker i. Don’t think that we should make this a year long position. It’s a good way of testing the waters without going into a large commitment b. Chair Connoly-Sisk i. The initial reason they were semester long was due to the end of the Rules Committee and to ensure a transfer of power ii. Suggestion of Language: should they be able... c. Senator DeBiso i. Having to teach the position multiple times requires a lot of work on the part of the secretary d. Senator Congdon i. The Archivist goes the extra mile to help the secretary. Even if the person is unable to fulfill the position for the academic year, this does not change the requirement for the full academic year suggestion to remain e. Chair Colon i. Like Social Chair, these positions should be full year f. Chair Aquino i. Language: add “If they are able to” so it gives the person the option to give up the position if they need/want to g. Senator Walker i. The job is serious but if it is a year long position, it should have more power h. Senator DeBiso i. The Ethics and Conduct Chair currently does a lot of work, and as such we do not need to add more to the roles Senator Hotaling suggests Language regarding vacancies Chair Connoly-Sisk moves to add language regarding filling any vacancies of the roles of Ethics and Conduct Chair and Archivist in an academic year 1. By a vote of 28-2-1 the motion passes Chair Connolly-Sisk moves to pass SA.2020.85.14 1. Motion Seconded 2. Comptroller Cote: Yea 3. Appropriations Chair Liebowitz: Yea 4. Club Resources Chair Khandelwal: Yea 5. Communications Chair Colon: Yea
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Programming Chair Paturzo: Yea Academic Affairs Chair Connolly-Sisk: Yea Equity & Inclusion Chair Mobley: Yea Facilities & Operations Chair Aquino: Yea Wellness & Campus Safety Chair O’Brien: Yea Senator Behm: Abstain Senator Cheng: Yea Senator Congdon: Yea Senator DeBiso: Yea Senator Doherty: Yea Senator DeCrescenzo: Yea Senator Funk: Yea Senator Fletcher: Yea Senator Germaine: Yea Senator Harley: Yea Senator Hotaling: Yea Senator Imran: Yea Senator Kang: Yea Senator Ortiz: Yea Senator Patane: Yea Senator Potula: Yea Senator Safian: Yea Senator Schanck: Yea Senator Shareef: Yea Senator Singh: Yea Senator Walker: Yea Senator Welch: Yea a. By a vote of 30-0-1, S.A.2020.85.14 passes h. Chair Khandelwal moves to close Constitutional Convention i. Motion Seconded ii. By a vote of 30-0-1, Motion Passes i. Chair Connolly-Sisk moves to reinstate Robert’s Rules i. Motion Seconded ii. By a vote of 30-0-1, Motion Passes D. Approval of the Minutes a. Senator Welch moves to approve of Senate Minutes from 11/12 i. Motion Seconded ii. Motion Passed b. Senator Funk moves to approve of Cabinet Minutes from 11/18 i. Motion Seconded ii. Motion Passed E. E-Board Reports a. President - T. Stark
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Thank you so much for all the hard work you have been doing. We'll be meeting with Huston and Gaby, we are going to ask about the black face that occured on campus. If you want us to ask them anything let them know. ii. If you want to get more involved just reach out to anyone and they would love to talk and help you to find your own way in SGA b. Vice President - A. Osner i. We now have a date for the five minute check ins. They will happen December 11th. Look for a document to sign up for five minute time slots. Email myself, Tara, and Maxie if you have any questions or conflicts. c. Comptroller - N. Cote i. Echo Tara and Alexa to have a semester well done. Not much besides end of semester report. d. Secretary - C. Greenberg i. No Official Report 1. Sashes Will be delivered and distributed before break ii. Keep on top of your emails F. Committee Chair Reports a. Appropriations - A. Liebowitz i. Nothing to add to end of semester reports b. Club Resources - G. Khandelwal i. Passed the 3 Senatorial Actions ii. Had the Roast/AMA during CR iii. Met with BLAC during Facilities and Operations c. Communications - A. Colon i. No major news. Student Appreciation Week is still going on and there will be more graphics coming out soon. Please continue to post them and make sure students are completing the SAW survey d. Programming - A. Paturzo i. Keep promoting the survey to all students. This will shape all the initiatives that we do. On December 2nd programming is hosting a stress busters activity at 7:30pm on holiday trivia. Will put this in the chat. Thank you so much for this semester with everyone being supportive in promoting all the events. e. Academic Affairs - K. Connolly-Sisk i. Starting program talks for next semester ii. Possible technology initiative in Spring iii. Meeting with Dr. Ploran in February f. Equity & Inclusion - M. Mobley i. The Town Hall was held yesterday. Thank you to everyone who attended and watch for a summary of what was discussed g. Facilities & Operations - B. Aquino i. BLAC came to our meeting. We discussed the new space that will be for black students lounge space. Did ask for specifics on furniture and timeline. Another demand was for more diverse food options where they had a meeting with Compass where there would be a student suggested recipe that would take place
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every week. This was approved by compass and admin but they are concerned about the workload of planning weekly meals for the whole semester. Proposed a work study or meal vouchers. This will be something we continue to work on into spring. Met with the Environmental priorities committee and learned a lot more about what they do. They want to start to build relationships with student organizations. h. Wellness & Campus Safety - D. O’Brien i. We are continuing on the financial wellness and feminine product initiatives into next semester. Thank you to everyone for supporting our projects throughout this semester Senator Congdon moves to pass all Committee minutes i. Motion Seconded ii. Motion Passed For Good of the Order a. Senior Speeches Announcements Snap Cup Adjournment a. Senator Harley moves to adjourn the meeting i. Motion Seconded ii. Motion Passed 1. Meeting adjourned at 11:13 pm
Hofstra University Student Government Association 2020 S.A.2020.85.012 Establishment of Ethics and Conduct Beyond Attendance Taken from Constitution Section II: The Legislative Branch and Section III: Student Government Association Membership, Subsection 302: Code of Ethics and Conduct 215.4 REQUIREMENTS FOR THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT: Any person who wishes to be a candidate for the office of the President or Vice President shall meet the following criteria: A. Candidates shall attend an informational meeting held by the Elections Commission. The meeting shall outline the proper procedures as to their candidacy. Candidates shall be full-time undergraduate students at Hofstra University. B. Candidates for the office of President and Vice President shall not serve as President or Vice President of another organization if elected. C. Candidates for the office of President and Vice President shall maintain a 3.00 GPA in order to be elected to the office of President and Vice President. The GPA status of the candidates shall be verified by the Office of Student Leadership and Engagement (OSLE). D. The candidate’s ticket shall submit a petition to the elections commission with the student identification numbers of no less than ten (10) percent of the Student Government constituency. E. The President-elect and/or Vice President-elect shall make a speech at the Presidential Election Bash.
302.1 Each member of the Student Government Association shall adhere to an accepted standard of official conduct. Members shall adhere to the attendance requirements outlined in the Policy Series. Complaints filed under this section shall be addressed to the Ethics and Conduct Chair or the Secretary, as appropriate. 302.2 Each member of the Student Government Association shall contribute positively to the work environment of their committee, the senate, and all other aspects of SGA in which they are involved. Complaints filed under this section shall be addressed to the Ethics and Conduct Chair or any member of the Executive Board as appropriate.
Respectfully Submitted, Khiya Connolly-Sisk Academic Affairs Chair
Maria Mobley Equity and Inclusion Chair
Kristin Ortiz Senator
Will Germaine Senator
Kathryn Harley Senator and Former President
Calob Congdon Senator
Aaron Liebowitz Appropriations Chair
Dan DeCrescenzo Senator
Maxie DeBiso Senator
Antonella Colon Communications Chair
Thomas Doherty Senator
Katherine Funk Senator
Kaylor Dimes USenate SAC Chair
Matthew Behm Senator
Javeria Imran Senator
Bryan Perez Associate
Nicholas Cote Comptroller
Bernice Aquino Facilities and Operations Chair
Benjamin Sinan Welch Senator Guinevere Walker Senator
George Kaludis Senator
Andrew Patane Senator
Hofstra University Student Government Association 2020 S.A. 2020.85.013 A Reintroduction of Veto Power to the Office of Comptroller for Appropriations Allocations Taken from Constitution Section I: The Executive Branch, Subsection 103: Office of the Comptroller 103.4 VETO POWER OVER ALLOCATIONS: The Comptroller shall have the authority to veto any and all allocations made by the Appropriations Committee. A. The Comptroller shall be required to notify the President, Vice President and Appropriations Committee Chair of the veto in writing. B. The Comptroller must present the veto to the aforementioned offices within two operational weeks of the Senate. C. The Senate shall be empowered to overturn the Comptroller’s veto with approval of three-quarters (¾) of the members of Senate. 103.5 SENATE ATTENDANCE: The Comptroller of the Student Government shall attend Senate meetings. 103.6 COMMITTEE PARTICIPATION:The Comptroller must attend all Appropriations meetings and is responsible for inputting all allocations made during the appropriations meeting into the Access database. The Comptroller shall sit on an Advocacy Committee each week on a rotating schedule. Respectfully Submitted, Nicholas Cote Comptroller
Maxie DeBiso Senator
Matthew Behm Senator
Aaron Liebowitz Appropriations Chair
Khiya Connolly-Sisk Academic Affairs Chair
Hofstra University Student Government Association Two Thousand and Twenty
S.A.2020.85.014 Edits to the Positions of Ethics Chair and Archivist
Taken from the Constitution Section I, Subsection 104. Office of Secretary 104.9 ETHICS AND CONDUCT CHAIR: The Secretary shall appoint an Ethics and Conduct Chair, who shall refer to the Secretary on matters concerning the integrity and ethics of Student Government Association members. The Ethics and Conduct Chair shall maintain a record of absences of all members. A. The Ethics and Conduct Chair shall use technology at Senate solely for the purpose of keeping quorum at the discretion of the Secretary. B. The Ethics and Conduct Chair shall hold their position for the duration of a full academic year. a. In the event that there is a vacancy in the position of Ethics and Conduct Chair, the Secretary shall have the ability to appoint a new Ethics and Conduct Chair to serve for the remainder of the academic year. 104.10 STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION ARCHIVIST: The Secretary shall appoint an Archivist who shall update both the Constitution and Policy Series. A. All legislation passed by the Senate shall go to the Archivist, through the Secretary in its final form by the end of the semester. B. The Archivist shall maintain and update the Student Government Association Archive (minutes). C. The Archivist shall use technology at Senate solely for the purpose of editing and updating the Student Government Association Archive at the discretion of the Secretary. D. The Archivist shall hold their position for the duration of a full academic year. a. In the event that there is a vacancy in the position of Archivist, the Secretary shall have the ability to appoint a new Archivist to serve for the remainder of the academic year.
Respectfully,
Maxie DeBiso Senator
Khiya Connolly-Sisk Academic Affairs Chair
Matthew Behm Senator
Will Germaine Senator
Danny DeCrescenzo Senator
Michael Hotaling Senator
Bernice Aquino Facilities & Operations Chair
Cabinet Agenda Zoom Room November 18th, 2020 I. II. III.
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Call to Order A. Meeting called to order at 8:02 pm Peak/ Pit New Business a. EOSR i. President Stark talks about the slides and editing b. Senate Etiquette i. Vice President Osner talks about Senate and talks about the Senate Meetings c. Feedback circle Pres/ VP Updates A. Have the Trio Meeting this week B. VP Osner Talks about Senate Structure for tomorrow C. Nominations D. Dec 11 will be the meeting for senators to talk to Tara and Alexa Comptroller Updates A. Paperwork deadline is tomorrow B. Collab for events more to come soon C. Not much happening in Comptroller land Secretary Updates A. Sashes will be delivered this week Committee Updates a. Appropriations i. Nothing Much happening in Approps land b. Academic Affairs i. Update on SAS for next semester ii. Navigate overhaul is on track to launch c. Club Resources i. 3 SA tomorrow it is a record 1. All related to the Constitution d. Communications i. Updates for the newsletter e. Equity and Inclusion i. Updates to the committee
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Facilities and Operations i. BLAC coming tomorrow to committee tomorrow ii. BLAC Lounge going to IEI working on office relocations g. Programming i. Build-A-Friend Update ii. Trivia on Dec 2 which is for stressbusters h. Wellness and Campus Safety i. Currently working on feedback for the spring semester VIII. Senior Send Off a. Everyone cries. IX. For Good of the Order X. Adjournment Chair Aquino moves to adjourn the meeting Motion Seconded Meeting Adjourned Meeting adjourned at 9:43 pm
Agenda of the 85th Senate
Hofstra University Student Government Association November 12, 2020 Hofstra University Zoom University Call to order Meeting Called to order at 6:32 PM A. Quorum Call a. Quorum Set at 28 B. New Business a. Chair Connolly-Sisk calls for Constitutional Convention i. Motion Seconded ii. Comptroller Cote: Yea iii. Appropriations Chair Liebowitz: Yea iv. Club Resources Chair Khandelwal: Yea v. Communications Chair Colon: Yea vi. Programming Chair Paturzo: Nay vii. Academic Affairs Chair Connolly-Sisk: Yea viii. Equity & Inclusion Chair Mobley: Yea ix. Facilities & Operations Chair Aquino: Yea x. Wellness & Campus Safety Chair O’Brien: Nay xi. Senator Behm: Yea xii. Senator Cheng: Yea xiii. Senator Congdon: Yea xiv. Senator DeBiso: Yea xv. Senator DeCrescenzo: Yea xvi. Senator Funk: Yea xvii. Senator Germaine: Yea xviii. Senator Harley: Yea xix. Senator Imran: Yea xx. Senator Kang: Yea xxi. Senator Kaludis: Yea xxii. Senator Ortiz: Yea xxiii. Senator Patane: Yea xxiv. Senator Potula: Yea xxv. Senator Rudder: Yea xxvi. Senator Safian: Yea xxvii. Senator Schanck: Nay xxviii. Senator Singh: Yea xxix. Senator Welch: Yea 1. Motion Failed a. By a vote of 25-3-0 That motion does not pass xxx. Senator Harley moves for a 10 minute moderated Caucus
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xxxiii. xxxiv. xxxv. xxxvi.
1. Motion Seconded 2. Objection 3. Motion Rescinded Chair Connolly Sisk 1. Moves for 15 minute a. Motion Seconded b. Objection Debate 1. Chair Connolly-sisk a. This is the second week that this has not passed why can we not move this 2. Chair Khandelwal a. There was no change in the opinion after the second time I don't see it necessary b. Senator Congdon This is getting to be a waste of time for the senators there should be more info Senator Harley 1. We can yield our time if needed Senator Doherty 1. I think this debate is needed to have By a vote of 19-8-2 We move into a 15 minute caucus 1. Chair Connolly-Sisk a. I want to hear from the people that said nay I want to hear your opinions 2. Senator Harley a. I really want to open Con Con it is very important I want to see if this is constitutional appropriate 3. Chair Aquino a. I am very curious why we can’t open it, this is not the final wording 4. Senator Congdon a. This is a process I am going to echo what has been said already. We should give this a chance again if the body doesn’t want to maker edits than that is what it is 5. Chair Paturzo a. I have read it and this is better environment before opening it into Con Con 6. Senator Doherty a. Con Con doesn’t mean we have to pass it this would clear up why. But by saying no it doesn't give a reason 7. Senator DeCresenzo a. This is very important by not going into con con we are not even going to discuss this
8. Chair Connolly-Sisk a. I see the purpose but the space is not appropriate, Clauses changed things were taken out the right way is to open this 9. Senator Harley a. I think following the process is important 10. Senator DeBiso a. I think the discussion is important. This was moved a couple times already. I Was not for this until I talked to other senators 11. Chair Aquino a. This is important however the people worked on this should be able to say what is needed to be heard 12. Chair Paturzo a. Without going into Con Con we were able to make changes since the previous week 13. Chair O’Brien a. Some things can be brought in while being in Con Con without being aware of it 14. Senator Harley a. I think that if we do not get past this then we will not be able to see this format 15. Senator Doherty a. This caucus is to go why we did not go in Con Con, if we go into Con Con we can discuss this further If we keep going like this we may never get a decision 16. Chair Connolly-Sisk a. If we bring this then new Legislation could be brought up 17. Senator Congdon a. We must remember that there is little conversation if this was not open. A Con Con would allow the ability to continue having talks 18. Chair Khandelwal a. Regardless of entry into ConCon, it does not mean that S.A.11 will definitely pass. 19. Chair Mobley a. We should go into con con to hear what others need to say 20. Senator Ortiz a. By opening this up we can hear more 21. Chair Connolly a. Moves for extension of 45 seconds i. motion Seconded ii. By a vote of 27-0-3 22. Senator Ortiz a. This is important because of what this is 23. Chair Paturzo
a. I don't believe that this is important to the whole student body 24. Motion to go in Con Con a. Motion Seconded xxxvii. Comptroller Cote: Yea xxxviii. Appropriations Chair Liebowitz: Yea xxxix. Club Resources Chair Khandelwal: Yea xl. Communications Chair Colon: Yea xli. Programming Chair Paturzo: Nay xlii. Academic Affairs Chair Connolly-Sisk: Yea xliii. Equity & Inclusion Chair Mobley: Yea xliv. Facilities & Operations Chair Aquino: Yea xlv. Wellness & Campus Safety Chair O’Brien: Nay xlvi. Senator Behm: Nay xlvii. Senator Cheng: Yea xlviii. Senator Congdon: Yea xlix. Senator DeBiso: Yea l. Senator DeCrescenzo: Yea li. Senator Doherty: Yea lii. Senator Funk: Yea liii. Senator Germaine: Yea liv. Senator Harley: Yea lv. Senator Imran: Yea lvi. Senator Kang: Abstain lvii. Senator Kaludis: Yea lviii. Senator Ortiz: Yea lix. Senator Patane: Yea lx. Senator Potula: Abstain lxi. Senator Rudder: Yea lxii. Senator Safian: Yea lxiii. Senator Schanck: Nay lxiv. Senator Singh: Yea lxv. Senator Walker: Yea lxvi. Senator Welch: Yea 1. By a Vote of 24-4-2 that motion Failed b. S.A.2020.85.001 c. Academic Affairs Discussion i. One of the professors is very defensive with giving the grades out to that student ii. Professor ended class early after being told front he department iii. People are confused with the departments are due based on Snow Study Days iv. Expand the classes that are required that should be v. Is there a requirement for professors to update blackboard vi. Certain faculty are not conducive to take personal days and professors are not being polite vii. Is there a rule to make them record the class
viii. Is there a rule to make classes no allowed to meet on snow study days ix. What will the status of CTR’s x. Updates to the reporting system xi. Questions about administering Midterms xii. Accommodating students who test positive to COVID xiii. What is the wiggle room with the professors and the Union xiv. Resources for Hybrid parts of the class xv. Is it allowed to switch to remote is assigned to remote xvi. Adding more work that was unexpected C. Approval of the Minutes a. Senator Congdon moves to approve of Senate Minutes from 11/5 i. moves to pass the Senate Minutes 1. Motion Seconded 2. Motion Passed b. Senator Funk moves to approve of Cabinet Minutes from 11/11 i. Moves to pass the cabinet minutes 1. Motion Seconded 2. Motion Passed D. E-Board Reports a. President - T. Stark i. Updates with BLAC ii. Has a meeting with Comptroller Cote and other updates regarding club meetings b. Vice President - A. Osner i. EOSR we have Admin coming to Senate next week ii. Senior Speeches iii. Nominations c. Comptroller - N. Cote i. Explain Money to clubs ii. Paperwork deadline is 11/19 d. Secretary - C. Greenberg i. No Report E. Committee Chair Reports a. Appropriations - A. Liebowitz i. Still giving funds to clubs ii. Unsure of budget weekend if it will be there that will be TBD for the time being b. Club Resources - G. Khandelwal i. SAW 2020.85.11 in committee 1. By vote not seen in senate c. Communications - A. Colon i. Working on flyers or and events coming up d. Programming - A. Paturzo i. Build-A-Friend is going through changes e. Academic Affairs - K. Connolly-Sisk i. Had a meeting with Vice Provost Blue
F. G. H. I.
1. Reviewing the Africana Studies Major over the Winter Session 2. Updates to all majors 3. Connect System Update 4. SGA Credits for Leadership Studies Minor 5. Meeting with SAS tomorrow as well as USenate f. Equity & Inclusion - M. Mobley i. Town hall Cornell is coming before of EOSR g. Facilities & Operations - B. Aquino i. No Official Minutes 1. Will Follow up h. Wellness & Campus Safety - D. O’Brien i. Working on Changes ii. Feminine Products to be more organic iii. Thanks for coming to the event this week 1. Comptroller Cote moves to pass Appropriations Allocations a. Motion Seconded b. Motion Passed 2. Senator Ortiz Moves to Pass all Committee minutes a. Motion Seconded b. Motion Passed For Good of the Order Announcements Snap Cup Adjournment a. Former President Harley Moves to adjourn the meeting i. Motion Seconded ii. Motion Passed 1. Meeting adjourned at 8:27 pm
Club Resources Committee Minutes Fall 2020 Meeting #13 11/16/2020
Meeting Commenced 6:30 PM
Attendance Attended Associate Ettiman Kaur Senator Javeria Imran Associate Bryan Perez Senator Kristin Ortiz Senator Katie Funk Chair Khiya Connolly-Sisk Senator Will Germaine Chair Gopal Khandelwal Gallery Former Communications Chair Rosaria Reilly Senator Matthew William Behm Ethics and Conduct Chair Maxie Rose DeBiso Appropriations Chair Aaron Jordan Liebowitz Equity and Inclusion Chair Maria Victoria Mobley Wellness and Campus Safety Chair David Edward O’Brien Chief of Staff and Secretary Charles Samuel Larry Greenberg Comptroller Nicholas Joseph Cote Vice President Alexa Jade Osner Introduction/Low-Highs I. S.A.2020.85.012 A. Associate Kaur moves to Pass S.A.12 1. By a vote of 1-0-7, that motion passes. II. S.A.2020.85.013 A. Senator Germaine moves to Pass S.A.13 1. Motion Seconded, Motion Passes 6-0-1 III. S.A.2020.85.014 A. Senator Ortiz moves to Pass S.A.14 1. Motion Seconded, Motion Passes 4-0-3 IV. Letting Visitors In A. Senator Germaine moves to open the Gallery B. Motion Seconded, Motion Passed V. Final Meeting
A. Roast B. AMA but be prepared to answer anything you ask Meeting Adjourned Respectfully Submitted,
7:55 PM
Gopal Khandelwal Club Resources Chairman
Communications Committee Minutes Fall 2020 Weekly Meeting 11 11/10/2020
Meeting Commenced 6:33pm Attended:
Chair Bernice Aquino Senator Daniel DeCrescenzo Senator Thomas Doherty Senator George Kaludis Chair David O’Brien Senator Andrew Patane Senator Afsah Shareef Associate Olivia Bevinetto C hair Antonella Colon
Absent: 1. High/Low 2. Weekly Graphics a. Senate Recap- Andrew b. Leaders for Leaders Recap- Afsah c. Wellness Wednesdays- Travelling home 3. SAW Promotion Ideas a. Second instagram challenge b. “I took the survey” graphic 4. Kahoot a. To celebrate last committee meeting b. Thomas once again won
Meeting Adjourned 7:18pm Respectfully Submitted, Antonella Colon Communications Chairwoman
Programming Committee Minutes Weekly Meeting #12 11/17/20
Meeting Commenced 6:30 PM Attendance
Attended
Absent 1. Check-ins
Chair Maria Mobley Senator Susan Cheng Senator Calob Congdon Senator Kathryn Harley Senator Rachel Potula Senator Faith Schanck Senator Julie Singh Senator Gigi Walker Associate Amanda Doherty Associate Gabrielle Schroeder Chair Alexa Paturzo
2. Programming Ideas a. Stressbusters i.
December 2nd at 7:30pm 1.
Holiday Trivia Game a. Start sending in questions about holiday history, movies, traditions, whatever you want!
b. Build-A-Friend 1.
Update
3. Student Appreciation Week (SAW) i.
Week of November 17th-24th
b. Virtual SAW Procedures i.
Complete the survey!
ii.
Promote on your stories, put it in your bio, send it in group chats
iii.
Entered in a chance to win $25.oo B&N gift card
iv.
Interacting on instagram entered in a chance to win another $25.00 B&N gift card
4. Programming Ideas for next semester a. New ideas for programs? i.
Night time scavenger hunt
ii.
Virtual Valentine’s Day event- cards, penpals- secret Valentine
iii.
More collaborating with other clubs and organizations
iv.
Spring Break Week with activities 1.
v.
Awareness- sex trafficking
Build-A-Friend with Valentines
5. Diversity Town Hall a. Tomorrow during common hour 6. Senior send off a. Goodbye and good luck to graduating seniors Maria and Kathryn! We will miss you! b. Thank you for all your hard work on committee! 7. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication on programming this semester! 8. Housekeeping a. Sign up for elections as well, if you are a new senator make sure to sign up with a returning senator! It is mandatory for everyone to complete one election per semester! b. Absences c. Questions? Meeting Adjourned 7:10 PM Respectfully Submitted, Alexa Paturzo Programming Chair
Academic Affairs Committee Minutes Fall 2020 Meeting #12 11/19/2020 Meeting called to order at 6:00 pm est Attendance Attended Chair Connolly-Sisk Chair Paturzo Senator Schanck Senator Behm Senator Congdon Senator Imran Absent Senator Kaludis (Excused) A. Updates a. CUA/CAE i. To Be Continued! b. Technology i. Positive Experience video in the works c. USenate i. Attended last USenate Meeting 1. Working all of next semester 2. Project- One stop shop for virtual resources d. SAS i. Meeting last Friday 1. Discussed programming a. Representative movies b. Documentaries c. Cultural Center Theater Contact d. Activity on the Spoons Theory e. Panelist Ideas- Town Hall maybe f. All of these in the March/April time frame ii. Meet with Julie 1. Make GroupChat to find time to meet together e. Next Semester i. Programs!
B.
C. D.
E.
ii. Initiatives! f. Elizabeth Ploran comes Next Semester The Weekly Norm a. Sign up for elections! b. Please be safe, be kind, and spread some love over winter Take-Aways Instead of Icebreakers a. How did we grow? A Circle. Thank you guys, really. All the hard work I’ve gotten to see from each and every one of you is something that made my heart grow, and I can’t wait to see what happens next in each of your Hofstra journeys. Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 6:30 pm est Respectfully Submitted, Khiya Connolly-Sisk Academic Affairs Chair
Equity and Inclusion Committee Minutes Weekly Meeting #11 11/19/20 Meeting Commenced 6:00 PM Attendance Senator Susan Cheng Senator Thomas Doherty Senator Will Germaine Senator Kathryn Harley Senator Anja Rudder Senator Maheen Safian Chair Antonella Colon Chair Maria Mobley Associate Bryan Perez
Attended
Visitor Absent
Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Cornell Craig Chair Gopal Khandelwal
1. Introductions: How was your day? 2. Cornell Introduction 3. Town Hall Discussion a. Sharing information presented. 4. Chair Updates a. Thank you for an amazing semester. You are all destined for greatness. b. Contact me if you have any questions if you’re running for Equity.
Meeting Adjourned Respectfully Submitted, Maria Mobley Equity and Inclusion Chair
6:30 pm
Facilities & Operations Committee Minutes F20 Weekly Meeting #12 11/19/20
Meeting Commenced 6:00pm Attendance Attended Chair Bernice Aquino Senator Maxie DeBiso Senator Dan DeCrescenzo Associate Abia Farzandali Senator Katherine Funk Senator Benjamin Welch Senator Rachel Potula Senator Wiley Fletcher Absent Senator Julie Singh I. II.
III.
Favorite Thanksgiving food BLAC updates A. Current status on Black Student Lounge: BLAC had a meeting with Dean Gaby last Friday. They requested that the lounge be in the IEI office. B. Notes from speakers: 1. Working with Compass - pitched idea that every Tuesday we can bring a new recipe or suggestion to Compass; a subcommittee of BLAC would make the menus in advance and would engage other Black students; want to figure out if there’s any possible compensation if they were to do that; perhaps food tastings to make sure they’re being prepared correctly 2. Possible compensation from SGA in case admin says no to compensation? Environmental Priorities Committee of the Faculty Senate - Updates A. Met with Kris Lotier (EPC rep) on Monday (11/16). B. The main progress EPC has made was encouraging the University to buy more green energy. The University now purchases about 40% of green energy from a previous 10%.
C. Their intention behind reaching out to SGA is to start rebuilding connections with organizations on campus, and they also understand that the student voice holds immense leverage in terms of pursuing initiatives within the university. D. Their focus is on tangible change, which aligns with our committee’s focus as well. E. They do not receive a budget from the university. F. We will continue collaboration in the spring semester, and we will share some of the SAW data we received from our survey questions.
Meeting adjourned 6:30pm Respectfully Submitted,
Bernice Aquino Facilities & Operations Chair
Wellness & Campus Safety Committee Minutes Weekly Meeting #11 11/19/20 Meeting Commenced 6:00 PM Attendance Attended Senator Hotaling Senator Kang Senator Ortiz Senator Patane Senator Walker Chair O’Brien
Visitor Absent Chair Liebowitz (unexcused) Senator Shareef (unexcused)
1. Ice Breaker a. Last meeting of Fall 2020! b. Peaks and pits 2. Wellness Wednesdays a. The Committee will create content for finals. Use the spreadsheet! b. Finals i. Get a full night of sleep ii. Get sunlight iii. Don’t cram unless necessary iv. Space out your studying. Leave room for breaks! v. Eat healthy foods and hydrate vi. Make a study group/study guide vii. Take advantage of office hours 3. Financial Wellness a. Email drafts will be sent out to surrounding schools b. Draft emails to send to surrounding schools regarding replacement card fees i. Adelphi University: Michael ii. St. John’s: Gigi iii. Molloy College: Kristin iv. York College: Jasmeet v. Long Island University Post Campus: Aaron
4.
5.
6.
7.
vi. Stony Brook: Andrew Feminie Products a. Senator Ortiz has created a document with various data b. Products, pricing, and availability around campus Committee Feedback a. What should the committee focus on during Spring 2020? i. Focus on PSafe: More approachable, report psafe through the reporting system, held more accountable, improve mask policy b. Where can the committee improve? i. Start focusing on PSafe, join in on meetings with admin more, email the graphic creator instead of using the spreadsheet for WW, focus wellness Wednesdays more on remote students. c. What did you like about the committee? i. Committee is really good, keep wellness Wednesdays, work with art with impact again, more independent research. Reminders a. Make sure to check Hofstra Safe Start for daily updates b. Sign up for elections, every senator is now required to moderate one! c. We have two new advisors. Sam Kloeckener-Soszynski and Zaibis Munoz. You can reach them at samantha.kloeckener@hofstra.edu and zaibis.munoz@hofstra.edu. d. Cabinet is open to all. Questions/Concerns
Meeting Adjourned
6:30 pm
Respectfully Submitted, David O’Brien Wellness & Campus Safety Chair
Fall End of Semester Report President Tara Stark Vice President Alexa Osner November 19th, 2020 Hello everyone! Thank you so much for being here and taking the time out of your busy schedule to hear about the work that the 85th Senate has accomplished this semester. Tonight we will be introducing you to the visions Alexa and I have set for the year. You will also hear from the talented voices of our cabinet who have worked so hard into making the first year of operating online possible. On March 9th campus closed and all plans and promises for the semester came to a pause. About a month later, Alexa and I launched a two week-long virtual campaign where we engaged with students across campus communities. Given both of our competitive natures, going head to head with a ticket outside of SGA seemed fitting. A path forward was the slogan we ran on to reflect the uncertainty of what was ahead but also a promise that the Hofstra community will continue on. Our path forward represented acknowledging students’ grief, cultivating a sense of hope, and leading SGA onward in a time when students needed to be heard and seen the most. It has been a tall mountain to climb with some roadblocks along the way, but the 85th Senate’s will and commitment to advocacy have been a dominant voice in our most troubling and rather scary times. Tara and I were used to the hands-on work of a committee so we did not know what to expect in terms of tangible change we could do coming into these positions. Much of the work of a President and VP is to facilitate and to try to ensure the success of the overall work of committee chairs and their members. It was difficult at first to see the kind of work we were actually supposed to be doing until we entered into the summer. The summer brought on its own challenges and created a shift in the social consciousness of our country. While SGA solely exists on this campus and in the minds of our small community, the impact of the work that we do reverberates so much further. The issues that occur on this campus do not just exist here and SGA acknowledges that and is working actively to do our part to advocate for more significant change to be made. Tara and I believe in an SGA that advocates for the needs of the most underrepresented on this campus. We hoped to push this organization closer to where it needs to be in order to properly represent our peers. That is exactly what we had in mind when we built our platform around issues of Facilities, Cultivating Inclusion, and a Hofstra for All. While we built our vision on that framework, the work of our committees has pushed them further and we have grown and adapted to the ever changing needs of students.
On our powerpoint, you can see the outline of our campaign points listed. To avoid spoiling the important work of our committees and how they brought our campaign to life, we will move right along to some of our highlights from the semester. Here are some of the highlights from the semester: a. Leaders for Leaders: This semester we founded the Leaders for Leaders program consisting of 12 passionate first year students. Each week we held workshops for our students on topics ranging from overcoming obstacles as student leaders, navigating student leadership in a pandemic, to advocating for diverse student populations. Each cohort member was assigned an SGA mentor that they met with biweekly. Next semester, our first years will become associate senators and sit on our logistic or advocacy committees. They will then complete a leadership capstone project to demonstrate the tools and skills they have learned throughout their time in the program. We felt this program was especially important this semester because we wanted young student leaders to be introduced to advocacy and SGA but also build community amongst themselves. b. COVID-19 Letter: On September 9th 2020, SGA, the Commuter Student Association, Panhellenic Council, Professional Fraternity Council, Residence Hall Association, and Student Athlete Advisory Committee all co-signed an open letter to the Hofstra community. Together, we held our peers and ourselves accountable to be responsible during a pandemic and continue social distancing off campus. This letter was sent via email to all Hofstra undergraduate and graduate students. In the slide you can see our letter and collage of some of our members. c. SGA Takes a stand: We have especially pushed for SGA to err on the side of what is right instead of what is neutral and what is easy. Our relationships with student organizations like Black Leaders Advocating for Change are important to us and we hope to continue to support the work of student activists and our peers pushing for systemic change on campus. On the slide, you can see a small portion of the work we have done to support students. d. Senate Dialogues- Ironically, while campus was quiet, there was still so much to address and discuss at the virtual senate table. Each week we held open conversations for senators to voice feedback on matters related to our advocacy committees. From this dialogue, we were able to identify important needs and concerns to bring back to administration. e. Meetings with Administrators: Our meetings with the administration have played key roles in developing our vision and furthering along the work of our cabinet. This semester we have had access not only to President Stuart Rabinowitz in our monthly meetings, but also Patricia Adamski, the Senior Vice President of Planning and Administration, and Provost Herman Berliner. Along
with these meetings, we also met monthly with Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, Jean Peden-Christodoulou and Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs/ Dean of Students, Gabrielle St. Léger. We were happy to welcome back the Vice President of Student Affairs, Houston Dougherty, from his medical leave over the summer and we look forward to the meetings with him for the rest of the academic year. We will continue to have these meetings and use these unique spaces to elevate the student voice and the work of our senators and chairs.
Where we go from here: Next semester, we would like to see SGA expand into new territory and explore higher education policy and how SGA can play a role in engaging with it. We hope to invite professors from the higher education leadership and policy studies to speak to senate. Moreover, with the anticipation of the incoming president, we look forward to helping with the transition and starting student relationships with the president early.
Alexa and I are successful when our senators succeed. While we set the vision for sga, our senators and chairs help put in the work to make it happen. That hasn’t been an issue for this group of senators as the 85th senate has met us with enthusiasm and passion for our goals as a collective. Our roles are actualized in how we facilitate our meetings, set the stage for senators to voice student feedback, and guide chairs in reaching their own committee goals. When we invited important speakers to senate, we ensured our senators were prepared with purposeful questions and feedback. We pushed for programming that was necessary to support the student body’s well-being. We challenged administrators to protect our marginalized students on campus by writing statements of support and senatorial actions. And finally, Alexa and I wanted to keep our promise that COVID would not take away the voice of SGA but rather make us louder and more clear. We feel that 85 this semester alone has done such important work for the student body. To be honest, this semester has been hard. But what we have learned from this experience thus far is that we can do hard things. So with that, we are thrilled for our committees to go into the specific initiatives that were completed this semester and how far we have come operating online. This concludes our report and we will now turn it over to comptroller Cote.
End of Semester Report – C. Greenberg SGA Secretary | Chief of Staff Summer 2020 Over the summer I was really busy prepping for the new year as the returning Secretary. I quickly started meeting with Faculty and Staff to tell about the changes of the Student Government Association. As well as help the President and Vice President acclimate to their roles. After that was completed, I assisted with tasks of welcoming new students to the Pride and help with club fairs via zoom. I started to put the Student Government roster together as well as push that out so the Cabinet can keep track of all the senators that are here right now. Over the summer I made all zoom codes for every event that would be happening and put that on one document so it would be easy to find as well as make for less confusion for every meeting for the year.
Archivist Fall 2020 After reviewing all candidates for the position, I chose Senator Calob Congdon to assist me in typing the minutes every week as that can get pretty Stressful at times. Calob thank you for making my role a lot easier as I couldn’t have done it without you especially when I had to screen share and couldn’t type the minutes.
Ethics & Conduct Chair Fall 2020 My next Position I appointed when the semester started was the role of Ethics & Conduct Chair. They are the ones that manage the attendance and making sure that everyone is completing their roles as a Cabinet Member and Senator. For this position I appointed Senator Maxie DeBiso. After being appointed and closely monitoring the attendance she made a guideline of what is excused and what is
unexcused that is located right below my report. Maxie thank you so much for helping me keep track of all 33 Senators and 12 Cabinet members you made my role much easier.
Social Chair The most recent Position I appointed was Social Chair and I felt the need to make this position again because of how different this year was, I wanted a way that Senators can all get together whether it is on zoom or whatever else, to be able to feel like we are in the office again. I appointed Senator Gigi Walker for this role. The first project she did was Cub and Lion Selection Process that was exciting to receive someone let alone the process to make that. So, thank you Gigi for making this SGA tradition stay alive. I hope they can do it again in the future. Other projects she put together were Warm and Fuzzies which are positive words to everyone in the senate which they all received. I am looking forward to what you have planned for the rest of the year.
Remainder of the Year I am looking forward to the rest of the year and for what else we have planned. I would like to thank the rest of the 85​th​ Senate for making this a great Virtual year. Even though we are on zoom it has been an adventure that we are all working on together. I also am looking forward to working closely with the cabinet over the next semester as well as welcoming in the 2 new Cabinet positions to help them for an easy transition into their roles.
SGA Senate Attendance Policy Sheet
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Senator Requirements Senators must attend committee meetings and senate meetings as well as any other required events. Office hours are also required. Cabinet Requirements Cabinet members must attend cabinet meetings, committee meetings and senate meetings as well as any other required events. Office hours are also required. Executive Board Requirements Executive board members must attend E-Board meetings, cabinet meetings and senate meetings. Office hours are also required. Justice Requirements Judicial panel must meet once a month. Office hours are also required. Associate Requirements Associates must attend meetings of the committee they are assigned to. Office hours are also required.
Office Hours ● Senators are required to complete one (1) office hour every week the senate is in session. ● Cabinet members and the E-Board are required to complete two (2) office hours for every week the senate is in session. Things That You Can do Instead of an Office Hour ● 2 or more club elections ● If there is tabling for that week, completing at least one hour of tabling.
Absences ● Students have three (3) excused absences per semester. ● The Ethics and Conduct Chair can deem any reason inexcusable and this will result in one (1) unexcused absence. ● Not going to senate will result in one (1) unexcused absence. ● Not going to a cabinet meeting will result in one (1) unexcused absence. ● Not completing an office hour will result in one-half (1/2) unexcused absence. ● Not attending retreat will result in one (1) unexcused absence. ● Arriving half-way through a senate meeting or leaving early from a senate meeting without letting the Ethics and Conduct Chair will result in one (1) unexcused absence. ● If the Vice President does not submit the agenda to senate will result in one (1) unexcused absence for the Vice President. ● If a committee chair does not submit a mid-year or monthly report will result in one (1) unexcused absence against the chair. Excused Absences ● An absence may be considered excused if given a minimum of 24 hours notice to the Ethics and Conduct Chair before a senate meeting. An absence may be considered excused if given a minimum of 24 hours notice to the Ethics and Conduct Chair as well as the Committee Chair for a committee meeting. Unexcused Absences ● No reasoning behind an absence will result in one (1) unexcused absence. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON HOW MANY ABSENCES YOU HAVE REACH OUT THE ETHICS AND CONDUCT CHAIR ETHICS AND CONDUCT CHAIR EMAIL: sga_ethics@pride.hofstra.edu Respectfully Submitted, Charles S. Greenberg Student Government Secretary | Chief of Staff
CLUB RESOURCES END OF SEMESTER REPORT: FALL 2020 85th Senate - Club Resources Chairman Gopal Khandelwal Committee Members Associate Ettiman Kaur
Senator Javeria Imran
Senator Katherine Funk
Academic Affairs Chair Khiya Connolly-Sisk
Associate Bryan Perez
Senator Will Germaine
Senator Kristin Ortiz
Club Resources Chair Gopal Khandelwal
Club Elections So far this semester, there have been thirty-one (31) club elections facilitated by senators over zoom and two (4) through Google Forms and sign-ups during committee have been successful thus far. It has been noted that despite several promptings from Cabinet, more Senators will need to volunteer to staff elections to complete their club election requirement. Following the advent of the Google Form Elections system, the forms allow the Club Resources Chair to accurately track clubs which have not conducted elections for some time. It is a requirement of Senators to submit the Google Form for each election that they complete.
Senatorial Actions and Judicial Opinions A number of Senatorial Actions have been proposed to the Senate and successfully passed to become SGA’s official stance on certain issues, initiatives, and undertakings to support University-wide projects. Judicial Opinions hold the same weight as any legislation, and are notified to the Senate. S.A.2020.85.001, passed Resolution to Address the Sentiments of the Black Lives Matter Movement
S.A.2020.85.003, passed Proposal to Make One Election Mandatory for all Senators
S.A.2020.85.002, passed Edits to Policy Series
S.A.2020.85.004, passed Resolution to support Black Leaders Advocating for Change at Hofstra University
J.0.2020.85.001, passed [REDACTED]: Majority Opinion
S.A.2020.85.005, passed Changes to the Appropriations Policy Series
S.A.2020.85.006, tabled indefinitely Resolution to Provide Financial Aid to Students in the wake of the COVID-19 Viral Crisis
S.A.2020.85.011, failed Edits to Requirements for Office of President and Vice President
S.A.2020.85.007, passed Updates to the Judicial Panel Constitution
S.A.2020.85.0012, in Senate Establishment of Ethics and Conduct Beyond Attendance
S.A.2020.85.008, passed Student Appreciation Week Survey Questions S.A.2020.85.009, passed Temporary Halt to Club Office Allocations S.A.2020.85.010, failed Edits to Requirements for Office of President and Vice President
S.A. 2020.85.013, in Senate Reintroduction of Veto Power to the Office of Comptroller for Appropriations Allocations S.A. 2020.85.014, in Senate Edits to the Positions of Ethics Chair and Archivist
Clubs Seeking SGA Recognition Overbooked
Recognized
SheEOs
Recognized
American Society of Civil Engineering
Recognized
Club Derecognitions Due to several clubs not hosting elections for an extremely long time, the Club Resources Committee chose to derecognize these clubs. Six (6) clubs were derecognized (African Students Association, American String Teachers Association, Masquerade Musical Theatre Co., National Association for Music Education, Physician’s Assistant Club, Roller Hockey).
Updated Club Constitutions ❖ Danceworks
Club Office Space Reallocation Reallocations Processes were delayed until Fall 2021 due to the inability of Clubs to use their office spaces. All clubs have been notified that they need to remove their club items from their offices before the 24th of November for the DOS to begin Club Office Renovations.
Looking Forward ❖ Work on getting clubs the information they need regarding policy and policy changes that affect them, as well what they need to fulfil the SGA Recognized Club requirements ❖ Create a written script for Club Elections ❖ Send out space reallocation interest form ❖ Continuing work on Club Office Outreach and the Diversity Training Initiative ❖ Finishing the Club Office Allocations Plan
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And with that, I hereby conclude the Fall 2020 Term of the Club Resources Committee!
Chairman Gopal Khandelwal Club Resources Committee, Fall 2020
Communications End of Semester Report Fall 2020 85th Senate- Chairwoman Antonella Colon Members: ● Facilities & Operations Chair Bernice Aquino ● Senator Danny DeCrescenzo ● Senator Thomas Doherty ● Senator George Kaludis ● Wellness & Campus Safety Chair David 0’Brien ● Senator Andrew Patane ● Senator Afsah Shareef ● Associate Olivia Bevinetto Summer Work: ● Representative for SGA in New Student Orientation’s Involvement Panel ● Introductions to 85th Senate’s Cabinet on Instagram ○ Logistic Committee Chairs ○ Advocacy Committee Chairs ○ E-board Members ● Welcome Week SGA Info Sessions ● Posted Hofstra’s reopening policies from the summer senate meeting with Joe Barkwill, Elfreda Blue, and Jean Pede-Christodoulou. Recruitment: ● Events: ○ Attended Office of Student Leadership and Engagement (OSLE)’s Virtual Involvement Club & Organization Fair. ○ Fall Elections Info Sessions: ■ August 31st ■ September 1st ■ September 2nd Internal Projects ○ SGA Photoshoot
■ Had committee members take point to take pictures of SGA members to create more content for the instagram. ○ Decorum For'em: started by the previous Communications chair is a newsletter that summarizes all that SGA has accomplished this fall set to release by the end of the semester. ○ Laptop stickers were purchased (designed by Senator Schanck) Social Media: ● Working toward transitioning from the lifestyle shots of the members, followed by the Canva flyers promoting the events to incorporating design elements in the pictures of SGA members. ● Hofstra’s Branding Guide was introduced to the committee as guidelines to follow when making designs along with the either of the SGA logos. ● We use Instagram stories regularly to share the flyers of events we are a part of, as well as highlighting events some offices/clubs on campus are promoting and working on. ● Started posting Senate Recap flyers to highlight the main points and to keep students informed from week to week. ● Get to Know SGA ○ A biweekly series created to replace SGA office hours due to the pandemic and not being able to use our office space. ○ Each member from all of the Logistic and Advocacy committees submit a video updating students on projects/initiatives within their committees while also introducing themselves. ● Promoted SGA’s newly created first year program Leaders for Leaders. Featured all twelve members on the instagram with facts about themselves. ● Revamped the Instagram highlights to include Wellness Wednesdays, Senate Recap, COVID-19 information, Get to Know SGA, and Leaders for Leaders. Committee Promotion: ● Promoted Programming's Spooky movie night ● Helped advertise SGA's first in-person event, the Halloween Scavenger Hunt on Instagram, This Week at Hofstra, and the Portal Box. ● Spread awareness for the the Student Appreciation Week survey to all students. ● Encourage students to attend Movies for Mental Health and the Equity Town Hall. Respectfully Submitted, Antonella Colon
Programming End of Semester Report 2020 Committee Members: Chair Maria Mobley Senator Susan Cheng Senator Calob Congdon Senator Kathryn Harley Senator Rachel Potula Senator Julie Singh Senator Gigi Walker Associate Amanda Doherty Associate Gabrielle Schroeder Programming Deputy Faith Schanck COVID-19 Procedures:
➢ Programming committee has been tasked with combating putting on events and programs for students that adhere to the state, local, and Hofstra COVID-19 policies ➢ The committee has navigated these uncertain times by doing research and incessantly checking for policy and legislative updates regarding the pandemic ➢ Despite the difficulty of planning programs and getting students to attend, the committee has successfully held and planned programs for this semester
Programs:
Movie Night in Pride Park
➢ This event was held on Wednesday, October 7th ➢ Programming showed the film Silence of the Lambs
➢ The event was well attended, of the capacity of 5o students allowed to attend the event, we had 35 students RSVP and come to the movie night
Family Month ➢ Parent and Family Programs, a division within Hofstra’s Student Affairs department, reached out to ask if my committee was interested in hosting a virtual program during Family Month ➢ Wednesday, November 11th Programming Deputy Faith Schanck and I hosted a Hofstra themed Trivia for families over Zoom Stressbusters ➢ Programming will be hosting a Holiday themed trivia on Wednesday, December 2nd at 7:30 pm over Zoom Trivia Tuesdays ➢ Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life Alex Federico reached out to me to gage SGA’s interest on cosponsoring Trivia Tuesdays ➢ SGA would act as a liaison between the program and SGA recognized clubs to get the words out, and to ask if they want to host trivia on behalf of their club ➢ This will be allocated for in my budget for next semester, as to provide clubs with more opportunities Trick-or-Treat Scavenger Hunt
➢ This was a brand new event that SGA has never done before, so my committee and I worked hard to ensure that it would be successful and well received by both students and administrators ➢ SGA Advisor Sam Kloeckener- Soszynski, Director of Communications for Student Affairs Colin Sullivan, and I met with representatives from the Goosechase platform and decided to go forward with the event ➢ The game allowed students to create teams of up to four players, with one team member having the app downloaded on his/her phone ➢ Riddles appeared in a randomized fashion to ensure social distancing ➢ Once the team solved the riddle they took a photo of the location and submitted it to the app, which automatically kept score ➢ My committee partnered with Wellness and Campus Safety Chair David O'Brien and his committee to provide goodie bags filled with phone, hand, and credit card sanitizers ➢ Students were also given goodie bags with candy ➢ This event was extremely successful, with nearly 80 students attending! Student Appreciation Week (SAW) ➢ SGA's advocacy committees formulated questioned to survey students to gage their needs and interests ➢ The survey will be available through the SGA instagram as well as through their portals ➢ Students who complete the survey will be entered into a randomizer for a chance to win a gift card to the bookstore
Academic Affairs End of Semester Report Committee Members: Academic Affairs Chair K. Connolly-Sisk Programming Chair A. Paturzo Senator M. Behm Senator C. Congdon Senator J. Imran Senator G. Kaludis Senator F. Schanck At Hofstra University, there are approximately 5,500 undergraduate students. 5,500 voices that all have different classes, different academic backgrounds, different day to day struggles. It’s the responsibility of Academic Affairs to be the unit that uplifts every single one of those voices. This semester we worked tirelessly to accomplish that. At the beginning of the summer I set out on a mission: meet with as many administrators as I could, and open a dialog between the Academic Affairs Committee and the different offices that could help support students. From all those meetings, and discussion within the committee, we found four different areas to focus on. Student Access Services One passionate senator from the get go expressed his passion for helping students with disabilities on campus. Through Academic Affairs Matthew Behm met with head of SAS, Julie Yindra to begin a dialogue about the issues that students face on campus, and how we can best work together to support them. In their monthly meetings, they’ve begun planning for next semester, including plans for programs to bring awareness to invisible disabilities, and possibly hosting a panel to discuss the stigma that’s often associated with disabilities. University Senate Relations Calob Congdon, a sophomore senator, worked this semester on fostering a relationship between our committee and the projects that the University Senate is working on within the Student Affairs committee. After attending several meetings led by former Vice President of Student Government and current chair of SAC, Kaylor Dimes, Calob elected to work with the committee and senator Behm on initiatives regarding students with disabilities on campus. Center for Academic Excellence and Center for University Advising
CAE and CUA are two core resources for students on campus, and when COVID hit, their offices had to drastically change how they operated to accommodate the huge number of students who come to them for support. Chair Paturzo and Senator Schank worked together, gathering qualitative data from the student body to present to both Marc Oppenheim and Diane Herbert. The four all collaborated to continually spread the word of the resources offered by the two offices. Technology on Campus Technology on campus is an ever-present and constantly evolving requirement for an adequate learning environment. Senator Imran and Kaludis met regularly to address this with Steve Fabiani and Mitch Kase. They discussed hybrid learning technology implemented on campus, technology complaint rates, as well as an idea involving a “success tips” video for students. Next semester they’ll continue this, as well as collaborating on a resolution discussing the technology on campus. The Provost Office and Student Affairs This semester I had the pleasure of having regularly scheduled meetings to speak one on one with Jean Peden Christodoulou and Elfreda Blue. Meeting with the two of them gave me the unique opportunity to express the academic needs of students to two people who don’t regularly get to hear what students need. Every month, asking new questions to them and presenting the needs of students to them gave student government, and all of the student body a new outlet to voice our needs. I look forward to continuing that dialog as we move into Spring. Looking Forward For all of the voices at this school, there are more problems to solve, more plans to make, and more ways to help. Moving forward, our committee will continue to keep open dialogs, and start more outreach to the students. Academic Affairs strives to uplift each voice of the University, and will always work to do so.
Respectfully Submitted, Khiya Connolly-Sisk Academic Affairs Chair
EQUITY & INCLUSION END OF SEMESTER REPORT: FALL 2020
85th Senate ----- Equity and Inclusion Chair Mobley
Committee Members Senator Susan Cheng
Senator Anja Rudder
Senator Thomas Doherty
Senator Maheen Safian
Senator Will Germaine
Chair Antonella Colon
Senator Kathryn Harley
Chair Gopal Khandelwal Associate Bryan Perez
Subcommittee Assignments The Equity and Inclusion committee was divided into three subcommittees. 1.
Programming, which focuses on club relations, consists of Senator Cheng, Chair Colon, and Associate Perez. 2. Outreach, which focuses on connecting with administration, consists of Senator Doherty, Senator Germaine, and Senator Rudder. 3. Research, which focuses on analyzing school-wide issues, consists of Senator Harley, Senator Safain, and Chair Khandelwal.
Senatorial Actions SA.2020.85.001, p assed A Resolution to Address the Sentiments of the Black Lives Matter Movement
SA.2020.85.004, p assed A Resolution to support Black Leaders Advocating for Change at Hofstra University
Black Healing Counseling Group Within SA.2020.85.001, the document states that Hofstra should “provide free and appropriate counseling services to Black students,” so here is a timeline of how the program was brought into fruition: 1. June 2nd, 2020: SA.2020.85.001 passed by the Senate body. It was subsequently passed along to higher administration.
2.
June 8th 2020: Dean of Students, Gabrielle St. Leger, invites President Stark, Vice President Osner and I to a meeting to discuss the resolution. There were three main demands listed within the original document, and the Counseling Service was deemed as the top priority.
3. June 12th 2020: There was a follow-up meeting regarding the logistics of the service with Dean of Students, Gabrielle St. Leger, Executive Director of the Student Health and Counseling Center, John Guthman, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Cornell Craig, Director of Intercultural Engagement & Inclusion, Gillian Atkinson, University Senate Student Affairs Committee (SAC) Chair, Kaylor Dimes, and Wellness and Campus Safety Chair, David O’Brien. 4. June 24th 2020: After hearing the feedback from all of the appropriate administrators, Dr. St. Leger, SAC Chair Dimes, and I met to discuss the appropriate step forward, and what are goals are for the program. 5. July 12th 2020: SAC Chair Dimes and I met and finalized the name “Black Healing,” and I also touched base with Dr. St. Leger who recently met with Dr. Guthman in relation to what the University could feasibly offer students. 6. August 12th 2020: Director of Communications for Student Affairs, Colin Sullivan, and I met about marketing materials. 7. September 24th 2020: The language for the flyer was finalized. 8. October 9th 2020: The flyer for the service was finalized. 9. October 13th 2020: The group met, and was confirmed to meet again on October 27th, 2020.
Art With Impact In collaboration with the Wellness and Campus Safety chair, David O’Brien, we brought the nonprofit Art with Impact to campus to host the Movies for Mental Health event. This is a program where Art with Impact brought in a facilitator to create a space for students to speak about their mental health experience through film. In August, Andrew, the representative, reached out to do possible programming. From there, I looped in Chair O’Brien to bring in the Wellness perspective. We asked questions like what will this program look like? Who is the target audience? We decided on having a broad program for all students, and possibly doing more specific programming like identity-based or sexual violence awareness in the spring semester.
Diversity Town Hall The Equity & Inclusion committee hosted a Diversity Town Hall to hear out students of marginalized communities (BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, etc). This was a no media event, and all issues remain anonymous. There were 35 registrants that were both diverse in class standing and background. Here is their feedback:
Bias in Academics: ●
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Micro and Macro aggressions displayed against the Black community within the science department. ○ Accusing Black students of cheating while using the lockdown browser. ○ Confusing Black students together despite looking nothing alike. ○ No diversity among faculty within the Physics department. Micro and Macro aggressions displayed against the Latin community. ○ Faculty telling Latin students that their issues in their Native countries in regard to COVID-19 are less than issues faced in the U.S. ■ Latin students feel like Hofstra perpetuates stereotypes rather than dismantling them.
Discrimination in On-Campus Jobs: ●
International students are being discriminated against in jobs that require answering the phone due to the possibility of having an accent. ○ They are treated differently from their white counterparts.
Community at Large: ●
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Black students want the University to hold itself accountable when facing issues like the Black Face incident. ○ They would like to know why the BLAC email was not addressed. ○ They would like the University to vet visitors that come on campus. Some Latin students are uncomfortable with the term “Latinx,” and want to spread awareness towards the alternatives in gender neutrality in the Spanish language. ○ They are also uncomfortable with the fact that the University forces them to use the term “Latinx” when some Latin international students are unaware of what that term means, and subsequently will not come to events. Latin students want to spread awareness of how students and faculty belittle them when they speak in Spanish with one another. Muslim students want to spread awareness about stereotypes and how they are often faced with misinformation and islamophobia by non-Muslim students and faculty regularly.
Respectfully submitted,
Maria Mobley Equity & Inclusion Committee Chair
Facilities and Operations Committee: End of Semester Report Fall 2020 Committee members: Maxie DeBiso Daniel DeCrescenzo Abia Farzandali Wiley Fletcher Katherine Funk Rachel Potula Julie Singh Ben Welch Advocating For Students During COVD-19 The Pride Pantry is a resource for students who may be food insecure. Based on the assumption that a student who is food insecure may also be financially insecure, our committee wanted to provide students who use the Pride Pantry with PPE amidst a global pandemic. At the beginning of the semester, the committee chair met with Beth McGuire who oversees the Pride Pantry. She directed us toward Dom Lavin in order to get the physical materials needed to the Pride Pantry. Dom Lavin donated 500 cloth masks and 500 sanitizer pens to the Pride Pantry in SGA’s name. This project was seen through by Senator Maxie DeBiso. Advocating For Inclusive Facilities on Campus In early August, BLAC published a list of demands to the University to combat the struggles and injustices Black-identifying students face. BLAC first came to Senate to present the entirety of their demands, and then they came to a Facilities committee meeting. One of their demands was for a Black student lounge space, which was discussed in great detail during committee. Gaby St. Leger, Dean of Students, was also present at the committee meeting to provide administrative input. Following this meeting, our committee created a list of possible spaces for the lounge, and it was forwarded to BLAC. Joe Barkwill and Dean Gaby are currently reviewing plans as to where the lounge space can go and which necessary renovations should be done. BLAC, as well as the committee, hope to see the lounge space come into fruition by the spring semester. This initiative was spearheaded by Chair Aquino. After various collaborative meetings between BLAC and the Facilities committee, as well as with Joe Barkwill and Dean Gaby, at the end of November, Dean Gaby, Chair Aquino, and Chair Khandelwal performed a walkthrough of the Student Center offices. Dean Gaby presented two possible options as to where the Black Student Lounge could be potentially located: the current IEI office or the current OSAPA offices. All administrative offices would be moved to the DOS wing where the current SGA office is located. BLAC formally requested that the lounge be placed in the current IEI office.
Looking to the future, the Black Student Lounge will hopefully be constructed by the spring semester, pending any administrative conflicts. The Facilities committee will continue to work with BLAC to ensure that this demand is met, and we will continue to keep administration accountable throughout the process. Advocating For Sustainable Practices Last semester, Senate passed a resolution which encouraged Hofstra to sign the Carbon Net Neutrality agreement. To follow up with this resolution, Senator Ben Welch will be resending the resolution to PLANT, Compass, and Joe Barkwill. Senator Welch is continuing his work on a proposal that will include data gathered in regards to other institutions that have signed the agreement. Next, our committee brainstormed tangible ways in which Hofstra can be more sustainable, with hopes that we can present department-specific proposals to administration in the future. The departments we focused on were PLANT, Compass and ResLife. We are hoping to draft a proposal to present to administrators in the coming semester. We also established a relationship with the Environmental Priorities Committee of the Faculty Senate. Chair Aquino met with chairperson Kris Lotier. EPC hopes to rebuild relationships with other student organizations on campus, starting with SGA. We hope to collaborate on future initiatives. Improving Campus Facilities In reference to last semester’s work with Joe Barkwill, Dom Lavin, and various library personnel, the planned renovations for the Axinn Library were put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s budgetary constraints. After the University performed budget audits, it was confirmed in October that budgeting was approved for the planned library renovations. Renovations will move forward as planned, and we hope to see a renovated library by spring semester. In addition, the university also has plans to renovate Hammer Lab. SGA will play a role in providing a student voice. Goals For Next Semester: 1) See through the construction of the Black Student Lounge with BLAC. 2) Draft a proposal in regards to sustainability to present to administration. 3) Further inform students on safety protocols within facilities for the spring semester.
Wellness & Campus Safety End of the Semester Report Fall 2020 Committee Members Senator Michael Hotaling Senator Jasmeet Kang Chair Aaron Liebowitz Senator Kristin Ortiz Senator Andrew Patane Senator Afsah Shareef Senator Gigi Walker Chair David O’Brien Wellness Wednesdays The Wellness & Campus Safety committee continued Wellness Wednesdays this semester. Every week, a member of the committee chose a health-related topic and submitted advice, tips and tricks, or information in relation to the topic. These graphics were posted weekly on the SGA Instagram story. It's On Us Ambassador This position is now overseen by both the Wellness & Campus Safety Committee and Equity & Inclusion Committee. Senator Katie Funk is serving as the It’s On Us Ambassador and will work alongside the Title IX Office to promote Sexual Health Awareness Week Sanitizer Giveaways The Wellness & Campus Safety Committee distributed over 75 bags of phone sanitizers, credit card sanitizers, and collapsible hand sanitizers for free at the Trick or Treat Scavenger Hunt hosted by Chair Alexa Paturzo and the Programming Committee on October 31, 2020. Art With Impact: Movies for Mental Health The Wellness & Campus Safety Committee partnered with the Equity and Inclusion Committee and Art with Impact, a nonprofit organization, to host Movies for Mental Health on November 9, 2020. This two-hour virtual event used award winning short films to promote mental health awareness. 115 registrants, approx. 70 in attendance 71% of students not already receiving mental health support reported an increased likelihood to reach out for help ● 95% of students said that the workshop reduced stigma related to mental health ● 95% of the students felt the event created awareness of mental health issues. ● ●
In Progress
Financial Wellness The Wellness & Campus Safety Committee is looking into assisting students with the $25 replacement Student ID Card fee. We have been in contact with Michael Martin and are collecting data from surrounding universities and the student body, via the Student Appreciation Week survey, regarding this issue. Feminine Products The Wellness & Campus Safety Committee is eager to increase the variety of feminine products available on campus. This includes, but is not limited to, selling organic tampons/pads on campus. The committee has, and will continue to, research the pricing and proximity to campus of different name brand products.