SA Meeting Minutes

By Rice Thresher Staff     11/18/13 6:00pm

The following were noted at the meeting of the Student Association on Nov. 18.

• SA Secretary Nathan Andrus announced that applications for the SA Director of Technology position are open until 11:59 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25. The person selected will start in January 2014 when the current Director of Technology goes abroad. The position will include a new focus on increasing the SA's involvement in social media and expanding its online presence. Applications are available at sa.rice.edu.
• Hanszen College Senator Gabrien Clark presented his findings on the Center for Career Development's policies regarding employer recruiting and student responsibility. Clark said Rice's soft deadline of two weeks to protect graduating seniors from high-pressure job offers is not being fully enforced, and students who are unaware of their responsibilities have been skipping scheduled interviews and reneging on offers. Clark said CCD employer relations representatives will speak at an upcoming SA meeting to clarify CCD policies and gather feedback. Clark and SA President Yoonjin Min will work with college presidents to gauge the effectiveness of current CCD educational resources. Send questions or comments to gjc3@rice.edu.
• Wellbeing Working Group Chair Ian Bott and Wiess College Senator Shannon Cheng presented mid-semester updates on behalf of the Wellbeing Working Group. The group is considering several initiatives to increase support for students regarding mental health and sexual assault, including creating student advocate positions, conducting an external audit, and better defining disabilities and promoting awareness of Disability Support Services to students. The group is also considering educating college resident associates and masters and more actively utilizing Rice Health Advisors.
• SA Parliamentarian Brian Baran introduced Senate Bill No. 5 as a procedural measure to formally approve clubs recommended for approval by the Committee for Club Approvals. The Student Senate passed the bill.
• Members of the Spirit and Branding Best Practices Project announced that a survey will be sent to students to help the committee identify shortcomings in spirit by measuring the level of spirit across campus. The survey is available at sa.rice.edu.
• Andrus and Baran reintroduced SA Bylaw Amendment No. 1 to amend blanket tax oversight procedures. The Senate passed amendments to change deadlines of "one week" to "five business days" and to set a deadline for the SA treasurer's response to an appeal of a procedural error. The Senate passed the legislation.

 

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The SA will next meet Monday, Dec. 2 in Farnsworth Pavilion at 9 p.m.

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