<nday, September 22, the CSA Senate met in its first formal meeting of the year. From 7-8 in Sayles 251 the Senators learned about the prospective budget for the coming term, discussed the continued renovation in Upper Sayles, voted to approve the Crop Walk food donation proposal amended the MPIRG contract. The Senators also approved appointments to several College and CSA committees.
Treasurer Sam Ritter ’10 announced that the CSA had approximately $100,000 for this year, up $35,000 from the expected amount. Due to the constraints of the CSA Constitution and Senate bylaws, only the $35,000 extra are available for spending. The Senators discussed whether that money should be spent or not, and ultimately decided to address the matter at a later meeting. Ritter also discussed the lack of pool tables in Upper Sayles. He explained that the tables that had been there were moved during the renovation, and were broken in the process of being moved. He explained various possibilities that were available to the Senate and Senators agreed to delay action until discussing liability with facilities.
The Senate also received a proposal from Laura Shatzer ‘09 representing the students who work for the Annual Crop Walk. The Crop Walk traditionally used donation of dining “dollars” to support their cause and this year needed approval from the CSA Senate in order to secure the ability to get donations from students via Bon Appétit. The Senate discussed the proposal and voted to approve Shatzer’s request.
The Senate also discussed and voted on changes to the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group’s contract. The contract has been approved by many past senates and was approved in referendum last spring. The contract establishes that Carleton students agree to pay a $7.50 refusable/refundable fee to MPIRG. CSA President Caitlin Fleming noticed that the second clause of the contract which stated the language of the annual referendum was inconsistent with Senate bylaws which demand that all referendums be produced by Carleton students and approved by the Senate. The Senate voted to strike this clause. The Senate then voted to approve the remainder of the contract.
The Senate also appointed various individuals to committees on campus. The full list of appointments is below. Senators were also informed of their collateral assignments and working groups. Of these assignments, Senator Brandon Walker ’09 said, “This [the appointments] further underscores CSA Senate’s commitment to the Carleton Community. I’ll have the privilege to work alongside senators Colin Bottles and Chase Kimbal on a Campus Climate Survey committee. Our charge is to figure out ways to further student dialogue about survey results. Our first program will be a student body Campus Climate Survey Q&A session with Dr. Ranking. This is one of several programs we will organize throughout the school year.”
The Carleton Student Association is made up of all current students at Carleton College in Northfield, MN. The students elect senators and officers to represent them through the Senate. The current officers are President Caitlin Fleming, Vice-President Pablo Kenney and Treasurer Sam Ritter. The CSA Senate meets every Monday at 7 p.m. in Sayles-Hill room 251. All meetings are open to all students, and non-students are allowed at the discretion of the Senate. There is a period of open comment for any student at the end of all meetings. Senate Office Hours are Monday-Wednesday from 9-10 pm in Sayles 160.
Fall Appointments 2008
Admissions and Financial Aid Committee: Rebecca Gourevitch (Student at Large)
Associate Dean Search Committee: Chase Kimball (Senator), Caitlin Fleming (President), Moshe Lavi (Student at Large), Mollie Lam (Student at Large)
Budget Committee: Tim Foran (Student at Large), Dominic Vendell (Senator), Jinai Bharucha (Crepe Senator)
Campus Design Committee: Charlotte Turovsky (Senator), Wei Qi Tan (Senator)
Committee on Student Life: Samir Bhala (Student at Large), Charlie Liu (Student at Large), Charlotte Turovsky (Senator), Nimo Ali (Senator)
Dining Board: Chelsea Jones (Student at Large), McKay Duer (Senator)
Distinguished Women’s Vistor Committee: Marlene Edelstein (Student at Large)
Library Committee: Katie Blanchard (Student at Large)
Rec Center Committee: Johara Suleiman (Student at Large)