Sonoma State University

Senate Meeting Minutes: 9/9/22

Minutes

Associated Students
Sonoma State University
AS Senate Meeting
1:00 pm -Friday, September 9, 2022
Erin Fisher Room - Associated Students Office - 2nd Floor Student Center

Agenda

  • Call to Order & reading of the Land acknowledgement- Meeting was called to order at 1:03pm
  • Roll Call- Erik Dickson, Nataly Hernandez, Yasmin Esquivel, Taylor Rozek, Celine Rubalcava, Salavador Ochoa, Gerald Jones, Bryan Burton, Melissa Nelson, India Garcia, Maia Madrigal- Hernandez, Brenda Guzman- Hernandez, Victoria Lopez, Ellie Orona was present.
  • Public Comment – pursuant to California Education Code 89306, the AS Senate provides this time for any member of the public to address the AS Senate on any item affecting higher education. Pursuant to California Education Code 89306(b), each speaker will be allowed no more than three (3) minutes to address the AS Senate.
  • Liaison Report to the Senate
    • Academic Senate Designee- Designee Burton discussed a new program that will help students having access to supplies, resources, materials they made need, no new fees added to the tuition and many more in store.
    • University President’s Designee – There was an allocation of $ 280, 000 dollars for the Seawolf Scholar Program. There was also an allocation for the Basic Needs Initiative: 99,000 dollars. The Designee was also discussing the heatwave and how residential is practicing safety methods to students so they can be safe on campus with several different events. However, there was one heat wave related transport.
  • Reports
    • AS President- AS President Esquivel suggested that for future meetings and reports, there can be a google form for each member, putting what you want to discuss and whatnot, so it will be a smoother transition for the other meetings. AS President also met up with the President of Sonoma State University, President Lee, to discuss marketing of SSU and also to brainstorm ideas to create for future students of SSU or potential new students looking at SSU. For current and future meetings, they understand the topics may be serious at times, but also hope to have a natural and flowing conversation so it is not awkward but also open as well.
    • Executive Vice President- Executive Vice President Hernandez discussed a new leadership program on campus, called RSVP, also known as Raising Student Voice and Participation. This program is for emerging and aspiring leaders to hold the opportunity to sit on university committees
    • Vice President of Finance- Vice President of Finance Rozek reported that they will be doing a one on one with Monir Ahmed, to get to know him but also meeting with him so they can discuss the current financial situation of SSU.
    • Senator of Diversity- Senator Rubalcava reported that they will be meeting with the Campus and Planning Space Advisory Committee, and the Hispanic Committee.
    • Senator of Student Resources- Senator Ochoa has been in talks with the IT department, the service manager, planning from last semester such as improving the WIFI on campus in a couple weeks.
    • Jump Representative- Jump Representative Lopez reported about:
      • Sonoma Serve Events- lot of involvement, 11 site members,
      • 4 events in this semester
      • Study Buddies program (extending to more elementary school as well)
      • Interviews starting this week and next week
      • More students being involved overall
      • Looking for community partners working with JUMP such as Special Olympics
    • ASP Representative- ASP Representative Madrigal- Hernandez reported that for this school year, ASP has held 8 events, 4 dealing with Noma Nation Orientation. There were approximately 300 students in attendance including First Year and Transfer students. They also reported 45 dollars of our budget spent towards games connected with Noma Nation Orientation such as Nook and Cranny involvement, money towards also into Capture the Flag, about $173 on prizes of rounds of games, Amplify the Green (DJ)-500 students present at the event overall, The total amount of the ASP spent in total was $ 9,000.
      • Big Nite- $25, 000 spent, campus community and student involvement
      • Mark the Date- planners, supplies, syllabus, 30 students in participation
      • Tie Dye- 300 came approximately, $4 a student
      • Bowling Nights- $950 to rent, full capacity and line coming, 400 students approximately coming and Around 5,000 students in attendance
      • Upcoming ASP Events- Come out and Color (national coming out day), Conchas and Conches (Dance and teach students Folkerico)
      • Ongoing Events Throughout Fall Semester;
        • Bowling Nights, Toons at Noons, Movie Nights at Theater, Paint and SIP, Open Mic Nights
        • Seawolf Pride Event- Draw their image of Seawolf Pride, Greek Life, Clubs
        • Traditions- Campus Movie Fest coming up Soon
        • ASP All set up for Fall and Discussion for Spring Events Ongoing
    • Children's School Representative- Children’s School Representative Nelson reported: The students are excited to be involved with upcoming events with the Children’s School. There are also more families coming out and meeting with Student Assistants since COVID and the pandemic, since less families were coming in or would drop off the kids at the gate. However, the Children’s School is feeling positive post COVID. There is a full staff (7 members, 36 student assistants, 47 children enrolled (COVID/ post COVID), as of right now. There are also Students observers, which are students from educational programs to do their field work and approximately 34 are scheduled for the semester. In August, they had some repairs and renovations to the building and currently, what is upcoming is applying for the grants to fully renovate the building, families of volunteer work(SASS), and retreat service project.
    • Basic Needs Representative- Basic Needs Representative Hernandez reported:
      BNI Programming Biweekly Report
    • Executive Director- Executive Director Dickson reported that within the corporation, 15 new employees were hired . There is also some upcoming items that are to be reviewed and discussed about:
      • Child’s School tuition,
      • Expenses of everything
      • staffing(60% more)
      • support staff and budget
      • Advisory Board
      • Staff Model of AS and changes of programs ,student involvement;
      • advisor model and change to needs of the students.
      • Loss of revenue due to COVID and the pandemic, serving the students the best we can
      • Long time revenue plan(bridge current loss of revenue, loss of student enrollment, services offering and opportunities and talking with the BOARD.
    • Business
      • AS-CR 003.22.23 Outreach Hours (Discussion)
        • AS President’s ITEMS:
          • Different Outreach hours based on RSVP, specific outreach, confusion of AS with other departments, an opportunity to show who and what is AS?
          • Outreach such as tabling, speaking in classes, club meetings, at least 3 outreach hours per month, along with an activity in order to get student feedback and share info on AS, Outreach List
          • Suggestions: social media, rules/process policy, host a town hall, takeover on Instagram, club outreach, quiz for prize and free food, all table members participate tabling beginning and ending for certain events
          • Logging in hours
          • As making the list, use terminology to encourage outreach, so it is not a chore but something natural
          • For CV, presentations of current and upcoming events
          • Voter Registration
          • Lack of Student Rallies
      • AS-CR 004.22.23 Approval of Interim Staffing Plan (Action)
        • Discussion- For 2022-2023, There has been a lot of changes happening in the office such as staff changes, so Executive Director Dickson proposed:
        • Proposal: Executive Director at 25% capacity
        • AS Business Office Specialist and AS Community Service and Basic Needs Coordinator are new to
          roles and will continue
        • AS Programming Coordinator- advising Senators, supervising SG (Student Government) hourly staff, advise several AS committees, work on student govt projects including scholarships
        • AS Office coordinator- will take additional administrative and daily financial tasks associated with Executive Director’s roles
        • For each assignment, employee will receive a 10% in range progression increase to their pay rate for extra duties in their range and another 10 for extra duties they are associated with ED functions Commencing Search for single full time intern position using the existing position New Staffing Model when new employees are coming and starting Pro Staff to conduct search: Student leaders, student involvement, bring certain number of employees, zoom meeting with the candidates
        • Action:
          • Motion to Approve Increase in Payment for Staffing Duties Effective August 7, 2022: Senator Ochoa motioned, and Senator Rubalcava seconded that motion
          • Motion passed unanimously
  • Items for the Good of the Order
    • Child’s School/Parents’ Club- meeting this week and next week
      • Events Coming Up- National Children’s Center Week, first week of October, connect with
        the campus, few ideas and having parents’ committee, possible kid’s fair involvement with
        other clubs on campus.
    • Checking emails: Google Forms, Agenda Items by Tuesday, biweekly meetings
    • Current Events with JUMP And ASP
  • Adjournment
    • 2:48 pm – Adjournment of the Meeting

Posted in the accordance with the Gloria Romero Open Meeting Law of 2000 by: President Yasmin Esquivel

The Associated Students of Sonoma State University acknowledges Indigenous Peoples as the traditional stewards of the land. Let it be acknowledged that the Associated Students and Sonoma State University is located within the traditional homelands of the indigenous peoples collectively known as Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo.