General Studies Lounge

Attendance:

niko, yong, chikodi, monique, elizabeth, elie, richard, william, helena, evan madeo, alex, nancy saunders

Niko: We’re going to keep this meeting extremely tight, and we’ll be taking a speakers list. Nancy has introduced new rules about the quorum. Today is about passing the budget, and talking about today;s financial aid announcement later. Carey Pointer for OMA.

Carey: Thanks Niko and Helen. Asst. Director in OMA. CU SpeakOUT. Out of handouts, just go to our website. how can GS Students get involved? Examples on our webpage. That page is here in handout form.

Our mission is quite varied, many of the programs and services are run and coordinated by students. STudents provide a lot of leadership in OMA. We’re only 5 years old. GS students have been involved for a number of years. Feels nature for me to say welcome. But we also want to continue to involve GS Students with what we do.

More specifically I want to speak about diversity training program. Can read about that here. I want to talk about CUSpeakOUT program, passing out a card and poster for you to keep. Some of you may know about “safe zone” where students can talk about gender identity and other topics. I am focusing time on this program to make this more than it was. Spent time focusing on LGBTQ and friend groups through focus groups.

LGBTQ students talk about this campus as tolerant, but not accepting. Hard time to find supporters, and finding safe space, where they can be themselves, where they can speak about their sexual and gender identity. I found that striking given this school and city. Allies are having a hard time as well. Studies show people are afraid of saying “the wrong thing” which contributes to the climate here. So this program is one part of helping to change that perception.

I changed the name after a lot of student input, to focus on action oriented part of the program. We’re now launching to students, staff and faculty. This sign is our logo and is something we provide visual ways to say “yes, I am an ally and member of this program” we also ask people to attend a new member session to practice skills to have this conversation, that this survey has shown. New member sessions are happening once a week, starting after spring break.

Hoping people will be interested in sharing the message with your friends and constituencies.

Anyone have any questions.

Monique: Do you have any business cards?

Carey: Yes, definitely

It’s really important to me that the undergraduate schools are part of this program. It’s very important to me.

Allen Settle: Carey thank you for coming. I think this worked in my highschool.

Carey: we’re providing a different type of training for faculty – larger groups, using faculty as teachers as well. In my experience and by speaking to faculty I have a fear that they aren’t going to join in droves, but I want to find a way to bring the program to them. They may not decide to join, but we do want to give them a chance to join.

Brody: We also included this information in our weekly email update.

Niko: seque

Evan: Junior class is looking for $150, if anyone can help us out. We’re having monthly lunches, for juniors and the student body. next one is another internships lunch but also people who’ve gone into internships and how to survive financially here and beyond. Budgeting and how to pay back student loans.

Brody: gslounge.com 50k hits this week! Success is because students are posting content, that’s the secret to success.

William Melendez: 4 school art event. Each school will have a mini-history. I am going to be speaking to one of the ladies who runs the university archives about GS content but also I need to call on students who might know alumni or stories which might be written up and added to our portion of the exhibit. 19th of April, and there is a deadline to bring the material together.

Niko: email to gssc about this?

William: definitely

Niko: Let’s get to the business at hand. Keep every line item to an extreme minimum.

Allen: Two pages, figures and then gala figures.

This budget is what I introduced last week. Shows change in distribution in money in light of senior class and the Gala. The budget is tight, as usual, but we have worked many hours in the Finance committee to find the best solution given the constraints.

Niko: taking speakers list. No direct replies.

Alex: last semester we had more money we didn’t use. Where did $ go?

Allen: funding for that semester was for that semester. Funding would have been allocated to members who were programming, and re-allocating this semester given constraints. There is no carry-over. Each semester is brand new, we look at the new semester independent of promises from last semester.

Evan: I understand our budget constraints and unfortunately Keith isn’t here to answer this question. Karly and I went to Keith and he told us that budget is for programmers who are programming. We have $550, which is much mroe than other classes, is it possible to find $150.

Allen: I’ve been asked to say this, it’s bound to the GSSC to set the budget, this is what the finance committee has thought is the best solution. We have been actively engaged in all the financial situations going on. We feel we’re at the position to give our advice, given the situation.

Nancy: I completely and totally agree that seniors deserve more funding since they have this last chance to do senior centric events however, first year class has 1% of the senior class budget, even the jr class budget has 5% of the senior class budget. Even if $2k was re-allocated it would be important. I have voiced this to the e-board.

Allen: we don’t have more money for four council events. based on this, we’ve spent our 4 council money.

William: so if there is any more 4 council programming the rest is cut?

Susannah: I am just here to speak to the sr class budget, though I appreciate nancy’s concerns, the disparities match what has historically happened. ie. progressively increasing funding, important to turn people into donors. There is a pretty tight relationship with people feeling invested in GS community and aid. Since we’re about increasing our endowment we want to prevent curtailing events and if I understand correctly the senior budget is way short of the real cost anyway – ie senior cruise wouldn’t happen.

I’d also like to point out that the deans offices of the other undergraduate activities, we only have class day and the senior cruise. For me at least, I’ve waited for four years to take the cruise with my mother, I am here to advocate for it and tell you that it’s important. I’ve been part of those smaller underclass budgets, and I’ve waited for this senior class budget. This is a big hit considering last years senior class budget which was $16k, and $11k is only part of the cost.

Alex: I have two things. I would argue that with the increased debt that GS Students incur and the time it takes to pay that back, programming events to seniors can’t afford to give back to the alumni fund anyway.

My original comment is that I realize that the sr class should have more money for their last semester. the problem I am having with this last semester is that the SL funds come from everyone. The JR class is the largest, and that freshmen are not 1%, am I saying that freshmen should be on equal footing, no, but $100 here or there would be great. Basically it feels like students are putting all their money into one event from all four of their years – the senior cruise.

Allen: Last year we spent 10k on orientation, and this semester $1k

Monique: Also, Chikodi and I programmed half a dozen events last semester, only one of which was exclusive to seniors. We’re open to entire student body.

Niko: After governing board and other overhead expenses, we’re left with $28/student per semester. Ie. we don’t have $387 per student per semester. We knew there were going to be penalties having chosen to do the Gala.

Monique: I planned the cruise last year, it’s open to the entire student body.

Evan: I want to re-iterate that there can’t really be a one to one correlation between student life spending and what they give back.

Elie: I would like to speak to Susannah, if this budget was cut at all there will be no senior cruise, but if you want to take away from it, realize there will be no senior cruise.

Nancy: I wasn’t thinking about taking away the senior cruise, I remember last year they had more.

Chikodi: We’re looking at raising the baseline price for the cruise starting at $60 so the revenue to pay for crew which is $900, docking $900, cutting the dj, This is a great event, it’s open to all students. We have raised the price and we are offering less in order to make this happen. This is also the recommendation of the finance committee. And anyone who was there Friday, all students are welcome.

Evan: When is it possible to make a motion?

Ken: You want $150 Evan? Yes, Alex, how much more do you need? $100. So we need $250. That’s 2.3%. It sounds like there are $250 between unanimity and passing this.

Angelines: I have not been to a finance committee meeting but it seems like there must be money somewhere. Can you pull $100 from the e-board discretionary fund? The only reason that I am saying this is that I was on council last year and I have some familiarity with the budget. Can you pull from discretionary and co-sponsorship?

Niko: that’s your memory that $500 from co-sponsorship funds haven’t been spent?

Correct.

Nancy: has e-board discretionary been spent? and what’s our investment in the bar-b-cue? we should be included in that, it would suck to not be involved.

Joel: last year it was $1370, and this year they said the money can only go up. first planning meeting was last week. if we do get involved, we want to tell them asap that we can’t participate.

Niko: we’ve been successful for raising money for traditional things, ie the Gala. Working with Dean Stellini for an invite to the bar-b-cue. About 400 students from GS go to the bbq.

Do we have, Allen and Elie, $500 from co-sponsorship?

Allen: yes, not spent

Niko: straw poll about if $500 would work for budget

Evan; motion to re-alloc co-sponsorship to other classes

Helena: question: since they agreed we want $250, but we’re getting $500.

Allen: club fees don’t cover their costs. co-sponsorhip is a way to increase funds.

Helena: making the whole student body of GS suffer because we want to be respected is bad. I know it’s important, but it sucks that my budget is $200, same budget as a club.

Elizabeth Alonso-Hallifax: More sense to take $250 from e-board discretionary especially since co-sponsorship is such a big deal.

Niko: what would elections committee need?

Susannah: no idea, $100?

William: to answer your question about co-sponsorships, like I mentioned earlier the 4 council arts campaign, but we haven’t put in $55 yet.

Brody: they originally wanted $0!

Evan: motion to take $250 from co-sponsorship, and another $250 from e-board discretionary fund. take $167 to jr, $167 first year and same to sophomores.

Niko: all in favor, motion passes.

meeting will be over at 8:40, 12 minutes to discuss what many of you came for, financial aid announcement. meeting officially ends at 8:40, there is a meeting later in the week when the vp of policy, nancy saunders where she’ll hold a meeting.

Joel: Does election committee double as judicial committee? I’d like to call for a judicial committee about whether expenses made over this summer were correctly approved.

Niko: Keith is scheduling a meeting.

Joel: no vote required. I have the right to call for the formation of a judicial committee.

Niko: since we didn’t have quorum, but now that we have Karly on the phone we have one. (he relays the resolution to Karly). We want to take the vote again since you are here. Do you have any questions?

he takes the vote again, so the motion passes, your budget is no $717.

Joel: who would organize it?

Niko: I sent out 6 nominations, should be done at the end of this week

Niko: let’s talk about financial aid, introduce the GSSC

How did the financial aid resolution hit you?

Greg: does administtration have a reply, like point for point reasons about why parity was not made?

Nancy: it’s a long resolution, they’ve responded to most things this week and in the past. I haven’t had a meeting with the admins about how the announcement applies to CU, only with GS. GS admins have wanted same thing we’ve wanted – more money and parity. They haven’t had the power though.

What has been in their power has been control over merit transparency etc.

Why do we not have the same model? Because we possibly came from a high paying job.

Their response to that was to add need and current debt to merit based model that they use to determine scholarship amounts. One thing we need to clarify is whether the scholarship cap is $17,000-18k. will that be raised? We have a list of questions and want to gather yours.

Verdis: I don’t see this as progress. This is them quieting us down, they don’t want to make us equal with other schools. We shouldn’t be happy with 17%.

Nancy: Progress, but not enough?

Verdis: Progress of course, but they are quieting us down. Not really addressing the issue.

Nancy: You think that it should be the same as CC and SEAS? or the same as Harvard.

Nat Allard: I am a first year. When I read their proposal it felt like a slap in the face. We go to the same school, do the same work, judged by the same standard. We pay more. our money is going to subsidize people who gets scholarships. Why are people discriminating against me? is it age? is it because I came out of highschool and went to college at 31? if I was jewish or black this wouldn’t be accepted.

We’re not lucky to be here, THEY are lucky to have us in the classroom.

Angelines: There’ve been some breakdowns of the $1million. 1200 students, 70 on aid. comes out to like 420 students, divide the million by that, you get ~2,000 per student. So basically this is some bullshit. They’ll probably increase a few people’s scholarship, but nothing significant to help things.

#2, we were doing financial aid last year, one of the things we’re going after is that they’re supporting their argument about checking our assets. who’s to say that the unsrcupulous GS Student won’t quit their job a year early? who does that?

Look at other models of financial aid, non-traditional, + med schools and others. There’s a way to look at income over last 5 years if the student is 21+.

Yes, we are too grateful. I can’t go into non-profit. I can’t be a civil rights lawyer. I have to go raise a family.

Niko: The official part of the meeting is now over. We’re still going to have this discussion but you are welcome to peter out.