Calltoorder
AgendaoftheSenate
HofstraUniversityStudentGovernmentAssociation
February13,2025
HofstraUniversity
MeetingCalledtoorderat6:52PMEST
A. QuorumCall
a. Quorumsetto26
B. NewBusiness
a. ChairVickersmovestoopenanunmoderatedcaucusfor15mins
i. Motionseconded.
ii. Motionpassed.
b. WELCOMECSA!!!
i. SenatorEhrlich:Thecommuterstudentassociationdoesdifferentthings. It'saplacecommuterstudentscangoandfeelsafe,havesomeonetogo to,andhaveanoutlet.Itisimportantbecausecommutersathofstrafeelas iftheirneedsareforgotten.Eventhoughthereisagoodpopulationwho livehereandagoodpopulationthatcommutes,allofourconcernsare important.Anexampleofaconcernistheshuttle.TotheMineolaTrain Station,thereisnoshuttleserviceallday.Thoughthereisanightshuttle thatisreallygood,itstopsat10aminthemorning.Hempsteadhasa shuttlealldaywhichisgoodbecauseitisabusystation.Commuter studentsareworkingwithpublicsafetytoincreasepublictransportation.
ii. SenatorFinkelstein:TheMineolabusissosmall,thesolutionistosenda follow-upshuttle.
iii. SenatorEhrlich:P-safehasstatedthattheyaresendinganadditional shuttleeverydaybutIhaven’tnoticedanydifference.I'mnotsureifthere isamiscommunicationbetweenpublicsafetyandthestudents.Theydid adda7:40amschedule,butnoteveryonecangoonthatshuttle.People arebusyandhaveothercommitments.Wedon'twantourconcernstobe forgotten.Wearethankfulforthegreatservicesthatareprovidedtous. Wearejustaskingformoresupportandtoputourselvesinourshoes.
1. SenatorKurtz:IstheshuttlethatgoestoMineolathesmalloneor thebigone?
a. SenatorEhrlich:It'sthebigone
2. SenatorAhmad:Hofstraonthewebsitehasa“share-a-ride” program.Isthatavailable?
a. SenatorEhrlich:Shehasn'tmentionedit.Peoplehave mentionedthereareissueswiththeHofstrasafeapp.Yes, youwanttotracktheshuttleduringnighttimebecauseitis agoodresource.But,duringtheday,peoplewanttotrackit aswell.OnthedayoftheTrumprally,wewerewaiting andtheshuttlenevershowedup.Eitherway,itshouldn’tbe thecasethatpeopleareleftbehind.Especiallyifyouhavea class,wherenotallprofessorsareunderstanding.Someare verystrictandstickbythebooklikeyou'relateandyou can'tcomein.Wedon'twantpeopletohavetoexperience thatbecauseitisoutoftheircontrol.
b. SenatorFinkelstein:Shewouldtalkaboutit,sheisontop ofthingswithcommuters.
3. SenatorCallahan: Iwasgoingtoaskaquestionaboutother transportation.Alotofcommuterswereupsettodaybecausethere wasn’tasnowday Howcanweadvocateformoresnowdaysfor commutersifitbecomeshazardousforthemtocommute?
a. SenatorFinkelstein:Yeah,Idon'tthinkasnowdayneedsto beinitializedeverytimeitsnows.However,Ithinkthere shouldbeanoptionforthecommuterstudenttoemailthe professorsayingtheydon'tfeelsafeontheroads.
4. ChairDiSanto:Weweretalkingaboutthisabityesterdayinthe Cabinet.Oncewegethere,makingsuretheparkinglotsare clearedupforcommutersisdefinitelynecessary.Ifeellikeitwas unfairthatwewereexpectedtocometoclassesyesterday.I understandthatHofstracan'tcontroltheroadsbutoncewegeton campus,theycancontrolthat.Yesterday,Ihadtoparkonsheetsof ice.It'snotjustannoying,it'sasafetyhazard.Formeasa commuter,it'snotjustaboutparkingspaces,thereareplentyof parkingspaces.It'saboutoursafety.Weneedtoadvocatetoour professors,especiallyifit'sareasonablethinglikebadweather,it isunderstandable.OrhaveaZoomoptionforstudents.Also havingprofessorsplanahead.
a. SenatorErhlich:Thankyouforbringingupthatconcern,I wasn’taware.Youshouldbeabletofeelsafeparkinghere.
Asforprofessors,Ifeelthatthey should beunderstanding, however,notallprofessorsunderstandtheinconveniences thatcommutersexperience.Professorsshouldbemore opentostudents.Studentsshouldbeabletoexplaintheir concerns.Likeit'ssnowingortheroadsareicyandI’d ratherattendclassvirtually.
b. SenatorFinkelstein:Aboutprofessorscanceling class—someofmyfriendsthatonlyhaveoneclassaday, theycomeinat8:30fortheir9:40andthentheirprofessor willcancelatthelastminute,andtheyendupbeingstuck atHofstraforalargepartoftheday.
5. SenatorBlack:AsSGA,somethingweshoulddo,especiallywith thechaosofthemorningschedule,Psafeneedstogetnumerical evidence,forexample:“Hey,theshuttleleftwithoutme.”This helpssothenexttimewegotothemwecanshowthemexactly whattheyneedtofix.
a. SenatorErhlich:InfutureSAWsurveys,thereshouldbea questioninthereabouttheshuttletogaugeifthereare concernsaboutit.
6. VicePresidentJoyal:Thatwastheendofthe15minutes. However,IwanttoaskthewholeSenatebodywhatwecandoto helpadvocateforcommutersoncampus.Anyideasforinitiatives?
a. SenatorRuffo:Intermsoftheshuttlething,Iseealotof peoplecomplainingaboutit.Ifwecangetaformoutin termsofgaugingwhattimespeoplepreferforshuttletimes. Sometypeofcompromisetoadjustthetimes.
b. Senator Dzaveluri:Avabroughtupprofessorscanceling classes;lecturestakingplaceduringhazardousweather shouldhaveonlineoptionsforcommuterstudents.
c. SenatorIacovich:Ithinkalsoinacademicaffairslast semester,wetriedtochangethepolicyaboutsnowdays.I thinkweshouldcontinuetoadvocateforbadweather policiessoitisn'taproblemforprofessorstoopenupa Zoomroom.Especiallytostudentswhoarecommuting.It isunderstandablethatsometimesitiseasiertogettoclass thanothers.Itisimportantthatcommutersgetthesameout oftheirexperienceatHofstraaseveryoneelse.
d. ChairJacobs:Iwaswonderingwhatthesituationislikein Hempstead.Aretheresufficientpublictransitoptionsfor
students?I’veheardthatHempsteadstationisregardedas unsafebymany.
i. SenatorErhlich:SowithHempsteadstation,Ihave driventherebutIhavenevertakentheshuttle.To myknowledgethough,itisbusy.Itisnotagood neighborhoodandwedon'twanttoputstudentsin dangeroussituations.
ii. SenatorFinkelstein:Wehadatalktodayinthe officeaboutdisturbingthingswe’vewitnessedat theHempsteadstation.
e. ChairDanek:Iwasjustgoingtotouchonthefactaboutthe snowdaypolicy.Itwasveryconfusingwhentheuniversity putoutastatementsayingthecampuswouldopenat10 am.Eliminatingthedelayedopenings,you'reeitherclosed andallclassesareonZoomoryou'reopen.Alotofthe timeitfreezes,itisharmfulnotjustduringthemorning. Thedelayedopeningcausesconfusion.
f. ChairDiSanto:Everytimethere’sa“flurry”outsidewe shouldn’tjustcloseclasses.Iagreedelayedopeningsare problematic,however Weneedtotryandcompromise. WhatweexperiencedonMondayisthattheUniversity prefersbeingin-person.Ifwehavetodebatewhetherwe needsnowplowsfortheparkinglot,that’swhenitgets tricky.
g. SenatorAhmad:Itisalsoabigthingwithcommunication fromfaculty.Ihada9:40onTuesdayandIdidn’teven knowtheyweregoingtobecanceleduntilthemorningof.I couldnotcometocampusorplanmydaybetter.Professors needtocontacttheirstudentsimmediately,notwaittill11 am.
h. ChairKurtz:IjustwanttoaskabouttheHofstrasnowday policyspecifically.Wehavetworeadingdaysattheendof thesemester.Whathappensifwegooverthose,ordon’t usethem?
i. PresidentAnnibali:Therearetwobuiltintothe semester,iftherearemorethantwo,itwouldjust eatintoclasstime.
7. Vice-PresidentJoyal:Onthetopicofdelayedopenings,taking everythingintoconsideration.Whataresomeofthemainpoints thatshouldbebroughtuptotheadmintofurtherthisdiscussion?
a. ChairDiSanto:Iwouldsaythemainpointtomake,forbad weather,makingthepointofitbeingasafetyissue.Weare students,wearehereforareason.Wedon'twanttoriskour safetyorhavetogetcarrepairs.Itisn'tjustofmatterofnot wantingtoshowup
b. SenatorBlack:Ithinkweshouldtrytostandardizethe actualopeningandclosingofcampus.Wewereconfused aboutwhatthatmeantforour9:40.Somemajorsorschools havenonstandardtimesat9:30.Forthemostpart,sticking tothenormalclassperiodswouldbeaneasiertransitionfor this.
c. SenatorYepez:Alsoasacommuter,ifyouhavea9:40,you havetobehereanhourbefore.Thenresidentsdon’tliketo walkinthesnowsotheyfillupmoreparkingspots.
i. SenatorFinkelstein:So,IrememberPresidentPoser talkingaboutthisduringthetownhall,about parking.Specifically,residentialstudentsparking onthesouthside.Ithinkthereneedstobesome typeofpunishmentforthat.Thatparkingisnotfor residentialstudents.
ii. SenatorErhlich:Iwasn'tatthetownhallbutatlast week'smeetingshedidmentionthat.Commuter parkingislimited,butthankfullyHofstrahasplenty ofparkingspots.Though,thesouthsideparking shouldbeforcommutersonly.Wedon'twant peopleparkingonthestreet.Apossiblepunishment offineifthiscontinues.
d. SenatorThani:Howareyougoingtomonitorwho’s dormingandwho’snot?Therearesomanystudents.
i. SenatorFinkelstein:Thereshouldbeadifferent parkingpassforresidentsandcommuters.
1. SenatorAhmad:Thereis.
2. SenatorErhlich:Thereshouldbeastricter punishment.Icompletelyforgotthereare stickersthatsayifyou'rearesidentialor commuterstudent.Ifeellikeaprivate communitywhereyoudriveinandthey checkyouatthegatewouldbeagood possibility.
c. DiscussiononcollaborationwithClubsandorganizationsoncampus
i. ReviewoftheSenateTimeline
ii. Reflectiononcurrentrelationships
iii. Initiativesweshouldimplement
d. SenatorPrahladmovestoamendtheallocationforWomeninMusic,lineitem2: WelcomeEvent,to$187.78
i. Motionseconded.
ii. Motionpassed.
e. SenatorBlack:movestoamendtheallocationforHinduStudentAssociation,line item4:HoliDinner,to$2831.25
i. Motionseconded.
ii. Motionpassed.
f. Discussionaboutoutreach&howwecanimproveadvocacyforthestudentbody
i. VicePresidentJoyal:Thethemeforlastsemesterandalittlebitinthis semesterhasbeenfocusedonfacultyandadmin.Todaywassupposedto betheCommuterStudentAssociation.Ihavereachedouttothefaithand identity-basedclubsaswell.AlloftheGreekorganizationcouncilshave alsobeeninvited.Youcanseethethemeofoutreachingtothecommunity forthissenate.Iwantedtohaveadiscussionandalsoareflectiononwhat wecandobetterinsupportingourorganizations.Notjusttheonesweare affiliatedwith.Wouldanyoneliketogiveanysuggestions?
1. SenatorFinkelstein:Ithinkthereisawaywecansendamassive notetoallclubsthattheycanpresenttothesenateaboutanything thattheyneed.
2. SenatorIacobovici:Iknowwetalkedaboutthislastsemester.But, Ithinkalotofwhatwedoisonlyregardingusasasenate.Suchas changingpoliciesaboutattendance.That'sgoodbecauseinthe senateweneedtobegrowingandchanging.However,weneedto representthe150studentsthatweallrepresent.Weneedtomake ourpresenceknownoncampus.Wecanalwaysdomore.
a. VicePresidentJoyal:Whatdoyousuggest?
i. SenatorIacovich:Wecandomoreduringwelcome weekfornewfreshmen,notjusttablingduringsaw weekbutthroughoutthesemester.Tablingcould growourassociatesaswell.
3. SenatorDzaveluri:Idefinitelyagreethatwecandomore.There arealotofpolicies,alotofchangesthatcanbemade.Yes,wecan domore.But,themainthingweneedtodoisconnectwiththe studentbodysotheyknowwearetheonesdoingthiswork.For example,duringthecommittee,MaisabroughtupthatSGAcan
havepanelsduringcommonhours,similarlytofaculty.Wecando thesamethingwithSGA.Ithinkthatwouldallowourworkto showmore.
4. SenatorGarramone:Iagreethatwecanhavemoreofavoicefor thestudentbody.Maybewecanhavealittlenewsletterthatgoes outtothestudentbody
5. PresidentAnnibali:First,regardingstudentappreciationweekin thespring.Inyearspastwehavedoneasecondsurveyhowever,it isusuallythesamequestions.Inthecabinet,wediscussedtaking outsurveyresultsandputtingintoadvocacy.Wearestillgoingto tablebutnotfocusonsurveyresponses.Duringwelcomeweek,we dofourevents.Ithinkthechallengeismakingthebestevents possible.Ithinkit'shardwithwelcomeweekstuffbecausethereis somuchhappening.Itisimportantthoughthatwedomore.It's provenwiththepeopleatthistable.Regardingthenewsletter,we doanewslettermonthly InregardtowhatAvasaid,wecouldsend anemailtothestudentbody Ithinkthat'sagreatidea.Ijustwant togivecontext
6. SenatorFinkelstein:AboutthenewsletterIwasgoingtosay somethingsimilar Ithinkthestoryrecapshouldbeapostinstead sopeoplecanreferbacktoit.
7. SenatorAhmad:Ithinkwehavetolookatthefactthateveryone hasdoneanamazingjobatfillingupthesenate.Lookatthe numbers.Wehaveover300organizationsoncampus.Idon’tthink it’sabadideatohaveasenatoraweektositinontheirevents. LikehowJusticeshavetositinthesenate.Wegositinontheir meetings.Thisissotheyknowwearehereandtheycancometo us.
8. ChairDanek:Aboutthesenatetimeline.Wediscussedthatwe’d haveastudentathleticcouncil.Agoodideamightbetoputthe studentsideandadministrativesideinthesameroom.Sotheir advisorscansitin.Thiscouldhelpfacilitateaproperthree-way conversationbetweenSGAandeachoftheorganizations.
9. SenatorSubramanian:TopointtowhatMaisawassaying,Ithink thattherearealotofclubsthatrepresentsub-sectionsofthings thatalotoflargerclubsdo.IfSGAlookedatalltheclubs,putour logoontheevents.Thatallowsforoutreach.Wearepayingforit.
10.SenatorRades:Sotogobacktotheideaaboutunderstanding studentissues:Backinmyhighschoolwehadacouncilmeetingin whichstudentscouldvoicetheirconcerns.
Thisiswhatpeoplearesupposedtododuringthesenate.Ifwe haveseparatethingsthataremoreformalwherepeoplecan expresstheirideasandconcerns.Wedon'thavetodoiteveryweek buteverymonth.Peoplewillfeellikeweareanactualresource andproblem-solvinginthemoment.
11. SenatorCallahan:IlikeSenatorAhmad’sideaaboutsenators attendingclubmeetingsbutIalsothinkitshouldbethesamefor theorganizations.Theyshouldattendmoresenatemeetingsandtry toengagewithusaswell.Weshouldn’tfeelthattheburdenis entirelyonus.Idoagreewiththelargerpointsthatweneedtobe moreopen.
12.SenatorIacobovici:IthinkthatwedohavethatspaceinthePPAW. Alotofpeoplearethereeveryday Advertisingthatwearethere, andmore.Whetheritbesocialmediaorflyers.Advertisethatwe arethere.Maybewecansettimesthattherearegoingtobechairs ore-boardthere.
13.ChairDiSanto:Justtobuildoffofafewspeakers'points.Wehave hadtownhallsinthepast.Weadvertisethemalot.Lastyear We trieddoingatownhall.Wecoulddoitinadifferentway We discussedinthecabinethow Therewasanadvocacyforumforall oftheadvocacychairs,nooneshowedup.Topreviousspeakers' points.WeusedtohavearecaponInstagram.Ithasnolikes.Now wejuststicktothestorypost.Ourofficenumberiseverywhere. Howtocontactusispostedeverywhere.
14.SenatorMiranda:TogooffofAva'spoint,sometimeswemention thingsthatdoalreadyexist.Wearen'tallonthesamepageonwhat theschoolalreadyhas.Jesshasaone-on-onesessionwherepeople cangoexpresstheirconcerns.Theresourcesareoutthere.Maybe asaSenatewecandoaworkshoptolearnwhatisoncampusso weareaware.
15.PresidentAnniballi:Firstoff,inhavingthisconversation,Iwantto saywearen'tdoingthingswrong.Wherewewereandwherewe arenow,weengagewithclubs,wehavesomanybetter relationships.Myfreshmanyear,itwasnotlikehowitistoday.I thinktothecreditofEvelynandtoclubresourcesoverthepast fewyears.Theyengagewithalmosteverysingleclub.Wedoalot ofengagementintheirmeetings.Whenwetriedclubmeetingsin thepast,likeGreeklifeorclubcouncils,wetriedtogetthemto comeoratleastknowthatwewerehere.Theresponseweoften getfromthemisthattheydon’twantusthere.Itcangiveaweird
presence,especiallyifitisusgoingtomeetingsfrequentlysoit feelslikewearewatchingoverthem.Alotofthepeopleatthis tablearealreadyinsomanydifferentclubs.Thereisalwayswork tobedone,butwherewearerightnow,Thingsarereallygood withclubsandorganizations.Wehavesecuredhundredsof thousandsofdollarsforclubs.Wehaveallocatedmorethanwe haveeverhad.Threeyearsagoitwasthecompleteoppositeissue. Wewereinadeficit.Thankstoeveryonehere,wehavebeena goodpositiveforcetotheclubsandorganizations,insteadofabad one.Idon'twanttotalklikewehaven'tdoneanything.However, wecandomore.
16. SenatorSubramanian:Mydifficultywhenitcomesto understandingwhatSGAdoesforclubsisnotunderstandingthe intricaciesofwhatweactually can doforclubs.Ithinkifwemade itcleartoclubswhatweactuallycanaccomplishforacluboftheir sizeandgoals,thatmightbehelpful.
17.SenatorCallahan:Ithinkthatcreditisowedtousfordoingmost thingsright.Wedohavereallygoodrelationshipswithclubsand organizations.Wearegoodatpromotingandadvertisingourselves. AmajorpointIdon'tbelievemanypeoplehaveaddressed,there stillremainsanegativestereotypethatSGAisjustforpopularkids whodon'tactuallycareaboutthestudentbody.Assomeonewho hasn'tbeenhereforaslongaseveryoneelse,thistableusedtobe veryhomogenous.Therearesomeissuesthataren'tresolvedor maybesomebeliefsthatdon'trepresentourviews.
18.ChairQuail:Firstofallthankyouforyourinput.Iamlistening andtakingnotesandwewilldiscussitincommittee.Thefirstnote Ihave,Iknowclubsverywell,Iknowhowtheyfeelaboutus.It wouldnotgowellifweweremandatingSGApresenceattheir meetings.Second,IwanttoemphasizethatItalktoabout40clubs aweek.Thenumberofquestionsthatareresolvedaweekare countless.Wehaveverypersonalconnectionswithourclubs.
19.PresidentAnniballi:Thenatureofstudentgovernmentisthatitis verydynamic.Ifyouareafirst-yearstudenthere,thereareonly6 semestersleft.Inthespanofthattime,there’shugeturnover.If youlookbackonpastSGAs,therearehugecyclesthathappen whereitfluctuatesbetweengoodandbad.Ithappensalmostevery two-yearperiod.Thisisreallythefirsttwo-yeareBoardthat’sever happenedandbeensoconsistent.It’simportanttoremind ourselvesthenatureofstudentgovernmentisincrementalprogress
overhugeperiods.Themostimportantthingtofocusonisthe present,andhowwecanhelpthestudentsweareherefortoday.
20.VicePresidentJoyal:IwanttoechothesnapstowardEvelynand Maddie.Wecanstillsupportclubevents.Youcandoyourown self-outreachbygoingtotheseevents,suchasBlackHistory Montheventsthatarehappeningeveryday.Thisissomethingthat wecantalkaboutatanytime.Isthereaspecificconcernthatyou wouldliketodiscuss,letmeknowandIcanaddittotheagenda.
C. ApprovaloftheMinutes
a. SenatorMirandamovestopasstheSenateminutesfrom02/06
i. MotionSeconded
ii. MotionPassed
b. SenatorIacobovicimovestopasstheCabinetminutesfrom02/12
i. MotionSeconded
ii. MotionPassed
D. E-boardReports
a. President
i. BoardMeetingMeetingwithPoserinTwoWeeks
b. VicePresident
i. Wearenonoperationalnextweek!Usethistimetoworkonyourpitch presentationforyouprojects
ii. REMINDER:ThepresentationsaredueFebruary27th
iii. Startthinkingaboutrolesfornextsemester
1. Howshouldyouapproachrunningforacertainposition?
iv. Thecabinetagendasarealwayspublishedsotakeagander
c. Comptroller
i. Spring2025BudgetsPushed!
ii. NewSubcommitteeMember!!!Yay!!!
1. ShoutoutBianca
d. Secretary
i. Noformalreportlol
E. CommitteeChairReports
a. Appropriations
i. Minutes
ii. Treasurertrainingalmostdone!
1. 4/5done,onelefttomorrowonZoom
2. 92responses
3. 100%passrate
4. 93.04%assessmentaverage
b. ClubResources
i. Minutes
ii. TWENTY-ONENEWCLUBAPPLICATIONS!
iii. DayofGiving
c. Communications
i. Morereels!!
ii. Valentine'sdaycontent!!
d. Programming
i. Minutes
ii. Valentine’sDayPhotoBooth
1. February14th,2025-StudentCenterAtrium-11AM-2PM
2. Sharetheposterfrominstagramtootherclubs/orgsandcometake cutepictures!
iii. RHA:BigBucksBingo
1. February21st7pm-9pmPlazaMiddle/East
iv. RelayforLife-April26st12-8pm
1. Howtoregister2025.pdf
2. JoinSGA'steam!
v. IfyouhaveanyquestionsaboutProgrammingandChairingletmeknow! :)
e. AcademicAffairs
i. Minutes
ii. CareerCenterMeetingTomorrow
iii. IT+TeacheroftheYearMeetingTomorrow
iv. Tutoringpageupdates
f. Equity&Inclusion
i. Minutes2/13
ii. MeetingwithCornelltomorrow!
iii. InstaBHMgraphic
iv. Askmeaboutmyposition
1. Equityisfun!
g. Facilities&Operations
i. Minutes
ii. IcecreammachineYAY!
iii. Flyerforthefacilityconcernreportingformisdone
h. Wellness&CampusSafety
F. ApprovalofCommitteeMinutes
a. ChairYoung movestopassthecommitteeminutesfrom02/10
i. Motionseconded
ii. Motionpassed
b. SenatorMirandamovestopasstheallocationsfrom02/11
i. Motionseconded
ii. Motionpassed
G. ForGoodoftheOrder
a. ChronicleArticle
i. If youreadthearticle,theymissedeverythingpresidentposersaidabout theflagpolicy
b. DayofGiving
c. ComptrollerGreenlawmovestoopenthegallery
i. Motionseconded
ii. Motionpassed
d. ComptrollerGreenlawmovestoclosethegallery
i. Motionseconded
ii. Motionpassed
H. Announcements
a. Anythingnon-SGArelated!
I. SnapCup
J. Adjournment
a. ChairYoung movestoadjournthismeeting
i. Motionseconded
ii. Motionpassed
1. Meetingadjournedat8:36PMEST