Calltoorder
AgendaoftheSenate
HofstraUniversityStudentGovernmentAssociation
February06,2025
HofstraUniversity
MeetingCalledtoorderat6:45EST
A. QuorumCall
a. Quorumsetto31
B. NewBusiness
a. ChairDiSantomovestoopenthegallery.
i. MotionSeconded
ii. MotionPassed
b. WELCOMEPRESIDENTPOSER!
i. PresidentPoser:Thishasbeenaninterestingstarttothesemester,andwe allhavebeenpayingattention.Wehavetwobigconcerns,thoughthere aremanyothers.OneisDEI,whichisveryimportant.Wehavea departmentforDEI,butitiswithinallofourjobstosupportinclusionand belonging.UntilsomeonetellsmeIamdoingsomethingillegal,weare justgoingtokeepdoingwhatwearedoing.Wemayhavetochangesome words,butwearenotgoingtochangewhatHofstrais.Wewillofferthe sameservices,andwewilldowhatweneedtodotoserveourstudents. Thesecondissueisimmigration,andthequestionofwhatthegovernment willbedoing,whetherornottheywillbecomingontocampuses.Thatis whytheemailwassentoutafewdaysago.Nassaucountyisdeputizing theirofficerstobeICEagents,sowearepayingattentionandfollowing thenewsverycarefully.Theyaretalkingaboutdismantlingthe DepartmentofEducation,andIdobelievethattherewillbechangessoon thataffectaccreditationandfinancialaid.Havingsaidthat,thingsare goingwellatHofstraandIamlookingforwardtothesemester Weare pushingaheadonourstrategicplan,especiallyaddinginterdisciplinary courseswheremultipleprofessorsfromvariousfieldsareintheclassroom thatcounttowardsmajorsandGenEdcourses.There’smore,butI’llopen ittoquestions.
ii. SenatorDzaveluri:AttheLegislativeBreakfastyoutalkedabouthowyou wanttointegrateAIintotheclassrooms,butIhavesomeconcerns.I believesomestudentswon’thaveself-controlandsomeprofessorsmay notbeexperiencedenough.Isthereanytrainingplanforprofessorsand students?
1. PresidentPoser:WearenowtrackingtheCanvasusagetoensure professorsareactuallyusingit.Wehavealmost70-80%usage.We thinkouradjunctprofessorsaretheoneswhoarenotadhering, whichisabitofatrickysituation.AboutAI,nomatterwhatyour majorordisciplineis,IwantourstudentstounderstandhowAIis affectingandchangingyourfuturecareer.Technologyisrapidly changing,andifstudentsaregoingtomisuseit,itisnotbecausea professoristeachingalessononhoworwhyAIisusedinyour field.Cheatinghappens,butIdon’tthinkthatwillbethefocus.
iii. SenatorCallahan:Iwascuriousabouttheuniversity’srelationshipwith thecounty,whichIunderstandisincreasinglystrained.Howareyou findingagreementinthatenvironment?
1. PresidentPoser:Thisallstartedduetoaninitiativetoputahuge casinobytheNassauColiseum,whichwedon’tthinkwouldbe beneficialtotheHofstraandneighboringcommunitythathasclose to30,000students.Whentheydidn’tfollowthecorrectpaths,we broughtalawsuitagainstthem,andwewon.Thishassubsided, andweareworkingverycarefullywiththecounty.Asofright now,therelationshipisnothurtingus.Wehavetriedtosettle thingsonthelegalend,butweareinaquietphase.Thecasinois inthemidstoftheirenvironmentalplanningphase,thentheymust dozoning,andthensubmittheirapplications.Weshallseehowit goes.
iv. SenatorIacobovici:YoutalkedaboutthethreatoftheDepartmentof Educationbeingdismantled.Whatisourplanifthisoccurs,orifFAFSA getsfrozen?
1. PresidentPoser:Itisverycomplex.TheDOEcannotjustgoaway becausethepresidentsaysso.Therearevariousprogramswithin theDOE.ThePresidentcannotjuststoptheflowofthatmoney. Evenifcongressdoesnotdismantlethedepartment,theprograms wouldremain.Thisissueisthattheprogramswillgetmovedto otherareas,forexamplethetreasury.Thisiswheretheproblem wouldbe.Iunderstandtheconcern,butitisveryhardtocreatea planwhenyoudon’tknowwhatyouareplanningfor.Wedon’t knowwhatwillhappen,sowecannothaveonedefinitiveplan.I
canassureyouthatwearenotaloneinthis.Thisiswhyitis importanttopayattentionandtalkaboutthesethingsinadvance.
v. ComptrollerGreenlaw:HowisCanvasusagemeasured?Isitjustfrom professorshavingthepage,or,doesitincludeclasscontent?
1. PresidentPoser:Thatisagoodquestion,butIwillhavetoaskthe personwhorunsthestats.Idon’tknowwhatitisexactly,butI don’tthinkthatitismerelyhavingapage.Theyallhaveapage.
vi. SenatorAhmad:OneofthebigthingsthatHofstrapromotesitselfonis havinginternshipopportunities,however,mostinternshipsare incentivizedtowardsJuniorsandSeniors.IsthereawaythatHofstracan mitigatetheseconcerns?
1. PresidentPoser:Goodquestion,oneIhaveneverheardofbefore. Itislogicaltosavethemforupperclassmen,butitissomethingwe canlookinto.Wearealwaystryingtokeepupwiththedemandof students.Ialsothinkthattherearesomeadvantagestostayingon campusandlearningtheskillsthatwillbenefityouinthat internship.Yourjuniorandseniorselfmightthankyour underclassmanselfformakingsureyougetyourcreditsoutofthe waytobeabletofocusonaninternship.
vii. SenatorAhmad:SothisisinrelationtothePalestinianflaginthestudent center IunderstandthiswasdeniedbecauseofthelackofPalestinian studentswithinourschool’sdemographics.CouldyouexplainHofstra’s rationale?
1. PresidentPoser:JessEadshasdecided,andIapproveofthis,that althoughthisstartedasaninternationalstudentinitiativeto representourstudentshere,weareinsteadgoingtoputupallthe flags.Theyareinsteadgoingtorepresenttheworld,andbea friendlyreminderofhomeforanyonewhowalksontocampus.We aregoingtoputthemallupatoncewheretheywillremain.
viii. ChairVickers:IknowHofstradoesalotofworkwithconnectingtothe largerHempsteadcommunity.Especiallycomingfromadifferentstate andseeingthesegregationthatLongIslandhas—arethereanyideasto betterintegratediversecommunitieswithinHofstra.Doyouhavegoalsof includingon-campusclubs,Greeklife,etc.toincludestudentswhofeel isolated?
1. PresidentPoser:Thishasbeenamainfocusofthepastfewyears. Wearedoingmanythings,butoneofthemainthingsisthatwe havestudentteacherswhogointotheschools,businessstudents helpneighborswithtaxes,andothereventslikeShake-A-Rake.We alsonowareincorporatingpathprogramsforhighschooljunior
andseniorswheretheycomeontocampustoreceive6college credits.Ahandfulofthosestudentswillreceivefullscholarshipsin hopestheyattendHofstra.Wealsohavewintercoursesforthese students.Theotherthingyoumentionedisbakedintoourstrategic plan.Wewanttoencouragefacultytobuildlocalcommunity engagementintotheircourses.Ithasmanybenefits:itengagesthe community,itallowsstudentstoseehowtheircareerworksinthe realworld,anditalsomakesastatementthatcommunity engagementcountsandisimportantofreceivingcollegecredit.We aredoingeverythingwecanthinkof,buttherearedefinitelythings wehaven’tthoughtof.Iencourageyoutoreachouttousifyou haveanyideas.
ix. SenatorFinkelstein:I’vebeenworkingonapersonalinitiativetogeta sensoryroomoncampus(particularlyforneurodivergentstudents).We werelookingataroomandwantedtoknowifanyonehaddibsonit.
1. PresidentPoser:ThisissomethingwehavespokentoJessEads about.Iamnotsureofthestatusofthis,though.Haveyouspoken withJessinSAS?Iwillmakeanoteandcheckinonthis,butIam almostpositivethisisintheworks.
x. SenatorGarramore:IamatransferstudentandI’mveryproudtobeat Hofstra.Whatareyourproudestmoments/achievementssincebeinghere?
1. PresidentPoser:Ithinkmybiggestachievementhasbeenthrough hiring,bothwithseniorleadershipanddeans.Iamexceedingly proudofthepeopleIhavehired.Wehavebecomearealteamwith realfriendships.IcameherehighlyambitiousforHofstra,butitis amazingtohaveaschoolwithonly10,000students–asmall LiberalArtsschool–buthavesomuchgoingonbetweenstudent success,sports,andsoon.Evenhiringdoneoutsideofmycontrol, likefaculty,arealsojustasamazing.Thestrategicplantookabout 2yearssothatwasabiggoalandachievementaswell.
xi. ChairDanek:Soyoumentionedthegoalofincreasingretentionand expandingprogramslikedual-degreeprograms.Whataresomemajors thatcouldincludemoreprograms?
1. PresidentPoser:Itreallyisthemarketthatdeterminesthat.We don’twanttosetupaprogramthatisnotmarketableorneededfor ourstudents.Thesedecisions,ofcourse,getapprovedbythe Provost,butarereallymadeatthelevelatthefacultyandwhat theyhearfromstudents.Itisquitespecifictothediscipline.There arenationalissueswithenrollment,andourgraduateenrollmentis notgoingupformanyreasons.
xii. SenatorBlack:Youweretalkingaboutnewinterdisciplinaryclasses.Are thereanyplanstoincludeclustersorprograms?
1. PresidentPoser:Absolutely.Wedohavesomeprogramsalready, likemusicbusinessandsportsmedia.Theyaren’tfullyintegrated withmultiplefacultyinthesameclass,asthatiscomplicated. Thereareafewmorecomingonlinewithcomputerscienceand socialsciences.ThereisalsoUsabilityStudies,whichstudieshow peopleinteractwitheverydayproducts.
xiii. SenatorRades:Whatdoyoufeeltheuniversityisdoingtoaddressthe impactwe’rehavingonclimatechange?Isthereanybodythatcouldtake overapositioninwhichtheyoverseeenvironmentalimpact?
1. PresidentPoser:Onethingwearedoingisaswemakenew buildings,wemakesuretheyareenvironmentallyfriendly Weare whatisknownas“LEADSilver”whichmeanswearepretty sustainable.WeneedtoregainourconnectionwithLEAF,aswe wereabletogetdaytodayfeedbackonhowtoimprove.Iwould saytotalktoJessEads,fornow,aswearegoingthrougha transitionposition.Itisajointeffortamongstthewholecampus. Wewelcomeadvocacyonthistopic.
xiv ChairYoung:DuringWelcomeWeek,whenwewentoverthestrategic planconversation,youmentionedallthediversefacultyandstaffyou’ve beenhiring.Iwouldliketoknowtheprocedureyou’veimplementedto achievethis.
1. PresidentPoser:Iwasverysurprisedwhenwearrivedthatthere wasnosearchcommitteetraining,andthattherewasnouniversal portalforapplications.Theseareuniversalpractices,soImade thesetrainingnecessaryforanyoneonasearchcommittee.Weare trackingwhoisapplying,whoisacceptingoffers,andwhomaybe declining.Ifweseealargeresponseof“no”fromanyparticular identifyinggroup,wecanreevaluatewhatwemayneedtochange onourcampus.Alotofitisalsoaboutsupportforfacultyand theirresearchandotheracademicinterests.
xv. VicePresidentJoyal:Therearealotoffacilityimprovementsintheworks rightnow.Arethereanylong-termprojectsintheworksthatyou’dliketo getstudentinputon?
1. PresidentPoser:Thethingsthatarehappeningthissummerisa completerenovationoftheGutharttheater,MonroeHall,the9th floorofthelibrary,advisingwillbemovedtothe4thfloor,and hopefullyotherlevelsofthelibraryaswell.Thestudentcenterasa wholeisalongtermimprovement.HofstraHallwillbeturnedinto
acommunityspaceratherthananadministrativebuilding.Weare alsoworkingonclassroomseachsummer.ThatisallIcanthinkof rightnow,butwearealwaysworking!
xvi. SenatorYari:ArethereanyimprovementshappeningwithintheAthletics department?
1. Wehavedonealotinthepastfewyears.Newscoreboards,new fieldhockey,baseball,andsoccerfields,andalotofimprovements withinthearena.Wehavealonglistofthingsthatneedtobe improved,andweareslowlyworkingonthem.Thereisnothing majorrightnow,andsomeotherthingsIcan’tsharejustyet.We havethreefundraisinggoals:studentsupport,academicprograms, andathletics.
c. ChairYoungmovesfora7minutebreak
i. Motionseconded
ii. Motionpassed
d. SA.2025.89.015
i. ChairDiSantomovestopassSA.2025.89.015
e. RelayforLife-April26th12-8PM i Howtoregister2025pdf ii. JoinSGA'steam!
C. ApprovaloftheMinutes
a. SenatorCallahan movestopasstheSenateminutesfrom01/30
i. MotionSeconded
ii. MotionPassed
b. SenatorIacobovici movestopasstheCabinetminutesfrom02/05
i. MotionSeconded
ii. MotionPassed
D. E-boardReports
a. President
i. WinterHomecoming!ClubCanvasisgoinggreat.
ii. CampusDemonstrationandFlagPolicyUpdates–Bigwinsforus!
iii. UniversitySenatemeetingsoon.Updatestocome.
b. VicePresident
i. CommitteeAssignments:Ifyouhaveanyquestionsorconcernspleaselet meknowandcomespeaktomedirectly.
ii. Askmeaboutmyposition,andfeelfreetoaskothersabouttheirs
c. Comptroller
i. ROLLBACKISDONE!!!!
1. Spring2025BudgetswillbepushedinAccessonceMikeDevlin officiatesrollback(tomorrowhopefully)
ii. ComptrollerSubcommittee
1. JuliaandPrahladareworkingontheAdvisorSemesterly AllocationBreakdownlist…almostdone!
2. Goingtotakingonemorepersonsoonassociateorsenator
iii. Hopefullydigitalbudgetplatformcomingsoon?
iv. MaybewanttobeComptrollernextyear?Talktome!
d. Secretary
i. Anynon-seniorsgraduatingearlythisSpring?
ii. Keepcomingtomeetingsandkeepdoingofficehours ��
iii. Wannabesecretarynextyear?HMU!
E. CommitteeChairReports
a. Appropriations
i. Minutes
ii. Treasurertrainingnextweek!
1. Appropriationsrequiredtocome,everyoneelsewelcome!
a. Monday,February10–1:00PM(Stu145)
b. Tuesday,February11–4:30PM(Stu141)
c. Wednesday,February12–1:00PM(Stu145)
d. Thursday,February13–4:30PM(Stu145)
e. Friday,February14–4:00PM(VirtualSession)
b. ClubResources
i. Minutes
ii. NewclubapplicationclosesTOMORROW!
iii. NewclubofficesignsareUP!
iv Ifyouareinorknowofaclubthatishavinganissueorhasaquestion, pleasesendthemdirectlytome!
c. Communications
i. Minutes
d. Programming
i. Minutes
ii. Valentine’sDayPhotoBooth
1. February14th,2025-StudentCenterAtrium-11AM-2PM
iii. CollabswithClubs
1. RHA:BigBucksBingo-February21st7pm-9pmPlaza Middle/East
e. AcademicAffairs
i.Minutes
ii.MeetingwithDr.BlueTomorrow
iii.MeetingwithProvost’sOfficeissetfor3/7
f. Equity&Inclusion
i. Minutes2/6
ii. Black@Hofstraahugesuccess!!
g. Facilities&Operations
i. Minutes
ii. Icecreammachineisalmostworking
iii. MeetingwithLiamfromSAStomorrow
h. Wellness&CampusSafety
F. ApprovalofCommitteeMinutes
a. ChairVickersmovestopassthecommitteeminutesfrom02/03
i. Motionseconded
ii. Motionpassed
b. ComptrollerGreenlawmovestopasstheallocationsfrom02/04
i. Motionseconded
ii. Motionpassed
G. ForGoodoftheOrder
a. AnythingSGArelated!
H. Announcements
a. Anythingnon-SGArelated!
I. Adjournment
a. ChairSkeldonmovestoadjournthismeeting
i. Motionseconded
ii. Motionpassed
1. Meetingadjournedat8:43EST