GA Minutes 6 Feb 07

*Passed Legislation:*

Legislation to fund sexual assault educational event at Tri-Kappa Fraternity
Sponsored by: Ian Tapu ’08, Yuki Kondo-Shah ’07, Tim Andreadis ’07, and the Diversity and Community Committee

WHEREAS Student Assembly has committed itself to addressing sexual violence on the Dartmouth campus;

WHEREAS Student Assembly stands as a student advocacy group, and as one of its main platforms, aims to create a safer environment for all members of the community;

WHEREAS Student Assembly seeks to support the work of any campus group wishing to address sexual assault;

WHEREAS Student Assembly seeks to generate a general student body discourse about how all members of the Dartmouth community can contribute to better gender relations;

LET IT BE RESOLVED that Student Assembly collaborate with Trikap in order to put on the following event, “Hearing Their Silent Voices: Sexual Assault and Violence Against Women:”
- On Monday, February 26, 2007 at 6:00 PM, SA and the Brothers of Kappa Kappa Kappa will hold a dinner/ discussion at Tri-Kap
- Working with the Sexual Assault Peer Advisors (SAPA) and Mentors against Violence (MAV),
- Performances by X.ado and the Rockapellas will address the topics of sexual assault and violence.
- Discussions will lead to peer-to-peer dialogue about the subject.
- Through this discourse, we can provide recommendations for students, faculty, and administration on more effective ways of engaging the community in a productive discourse around sexual assault.
- The event will be held in conjunction and in support of “Speak Out” which will occur later in the week.

LET IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED that Student Assembly allocate up to $500 for this event
- $300-$400 on dinner costs, depending on the RSVPs
$100 for advertisements, ($40 graphic designer, $60 Color and Black and White Posters, distributed by the Communications Committee)


Resolution to Support Alumni Funding for Readership Program
Sponsored by :Molly Bode ’09 and the Alumni Affairs committee

WHEREAS the readership program provides newspapers such as The New York Times, USA Today, Boston Globe, and The Financial Times everyday to the student body free of charge;

WHEREAS the readership program is one of the most successful and effective programs implemented by the Student Assembly;

WHEREAS a large proportion, twenty-five thousand dollars, of the annual budget of Student Assembly is currently spent on the readership program;

WHEREAS funding by the alumni would guarantee continuation and improvement of the readership program;

WHEREAS funding by the alumni would alleviate restrictions on the Student Assembly budget;

LET IT BE RESOLVED that Student Assembly seek funding via the college Alumni to ensure the unhindered continuation of the program;

LET IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED that Student Assembly endorses the following letter to the development office in its initial dialogue to obtain funding.

*Tabled Legislation*:

Proposal to Create the Dartmouth Student Government Review Task Force
Sponsored By: Jacqueline Loeb ’08, Jaromy Siporen ’08, Neil Kandler ’09, Shaun Stewart ‘10, Peter Matthews ‘10, Nathan L. Bruschi ‘10, David Imamura ‘10 and the Membership and Internal Affairs Committee (MIAC)

WHEREAS recent events on campus have called into question the structure, efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability of Dartmouth’s student governance system to the student body;

WHEREAS constant critical evaluation is beneficial to any system of organizations;

LET IT BE PROPOSED THAT the Student Assembly create a Task Force with the purpose of critically examining the current structure, efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability of Dartmouth’s general system of student governance;

LET IT BE FURTHER PROPOSED THAT the members of said committee be comprised of thirteen students consisting of one representative from each of the following organizations: the Undergraduate Finance Committee, the Council on Student Organizations, the Committee on Standards, the Organization Adjudication Committee, the Programming Board, the Class Councils; the Student Assembly, the Collis Governing Board; two from the Greek Leadership Council, and four at large members to be selected from the student body;

LET IT BE FURTHER PROPOSED THAT the above members vote within the task force to elect a committee chair;

LET IT BE FURTHER PROPOSED THAT the Membership and Internal Affairs Committee (MIAC), which has the responsibility to constantly review and change Student Assembly’s constitution as the Assembly evolves and adapts to fit campus needs, undertake the task of publicizing, recruiting and selecting members for this task force;

LET IT BE FURTHER PROPOSED THAT this task force solicit the participation of the pertinent deans when necessary;

LET IT BE FURTHER PROPOSED THAT this task force compile and present its preliminary findings to the Student Assembly before the end of Winter quarter.

LET IT BE FINALLY PROPOSED THAT this task force continue as long as it is deemed necessary.

*Failed Legislation*:

Amendment to create Student Government Review Taskforce/ Constitutional Amendment
Proposed by Adam Shpeen ’07

WHEREAS the Constitution of the current Student Assembly and, therefore, the current Student Assembly structure has remained fundamentally unchanged since at least 1995;

WHEREAS broad student opinion is decidedly against the current structure and function of the Student Assembly;

WHEREAS Student Assembly ought to be an organization that empowers students to advocate student interests;

WHEREAS Student Assembly ought to concentrate student power to the extent possible in order to maximize the influence that students can have on the direction of the college and on the quality of student life;

WHEREAS a massive transformation of Student Assembly would engage campus in constructive dialogue regarding student government;

LET IT BE PROPOSED that upon the approval of this resolution the Student Assembly permanently disbands;

LET IT BE FURTHER PROPOSED that upon the approval of this resolution the final act of the Student Assembly is to oversee an election of 11 students charged with leading the effort to construct a new student governing body;

LET IT BE FURTHER PROPOSED that the 11 students be elected by an online student-wide vote, to be held no more than two weeks after the passage of this resolution;

LET IT BE FURTHER PROPOSED that any student currently enrolled in the College and on-campus may run, pursuant to the accumulation of fifty petition signatures from other students;

LET IT BE FURTHER PROPOSED that all students currently enrolled in the College will each receive 11 votes in the election;

LET IT BE FURTHER PROPOSED that the group of 11 students will meet with Deans from the Office of the Dean of the College, including but not limited to the Dean of Student Life and Upperclass Deans:

LET IT BE FURTHER PROPOSED that the group of 11 students will meet periodically on Tuesdays at 7 PM in Carson L01 with students interested in aiding in the formation of the new student governing body;

LET IT BE FURTHER PROPOSED that the group of 11 students issue a definitive plan to form a new student governing body no later than April 1, 2007.

LET IT BE FINALLY PROPOSED that the new student governing body be one that concentrates student power and grants students with more substantive influence than the current Student Assembly