SG Update 3/2

Student Government (SG) President Farid Barquet, a fourth year Biotechnology and Molecular Bioscience and Biomedical Sciences double major, announced that each SG Senator position has at least one nominee; however, two Representative Student Organization (RSO) positions have zero nominees. Thus, the deadline for all RSO presidential hopefuls to submit their signatures and other required documents has been extended to Friday, March 9, 2018.

SG voted unanimously to endorse a revision to RIT’s C13 Policy — the Service or Assistance Animal Policy.

Barquet then reviewed a PawPrints petition that had not reached the 200-signature threshold for response, but that he had an interest in anyway. The petition called for the addition of Kosovo as a destination country when requesting transcripts. Barquet explained that RIT outsources the printing and delivery and the company that handles the delivery utilizes the International Organization of Standardization’s (ISO) directory. Since Kosovo is not recognized as a nation by the ISO, it is not listed as a destination when requesting transcripts. Since the company also serves multiple other universities, RIT does not have any direct control on this aspect. However, Barquet assured Senate that he would still forward along the request, along with the petition.

Additionally, Barquet addressed another petition that did not reach threshold. This petition asked for access to the Bank of America ATM in the Gordon Field House during ticketed events. He explained that this ATM should be accessible at all times according to staff’s internal policy; however, he admits there may have been miscommunication between management and employees during previous events resulting in the inaccessibility of the ATM, located on the upper vestibule.

Facilities Parking and Transportation (FPAT) Committee Chair Bryan Gascon, a third year Management Information Systems major, presented a charge to introduce blindspot mirrors into the dormside tunnels. This charge also stemmed from a proactive response to a PawPrints petition. The task was charged to the FPAT Committee.

Discussion around the C11 Policy continued, with Senate again looking for the best ways to simultaneously dispel rumors and misconceptions as well as collect constituent feedback regarding the proposed revision.

“Of the Month” announcements were made. "Committee of the Month" was awarded to the FPAT Committee. "RSO of the Month" was awarded to the ALANA Collegiate Association. Finally, "SG-er of the Month" was awarded to Graduate Senator Sanjay Varma Rudraraju.

President David C. Munson, Jr. and Dr. Kit Mayberry, vice president for Strategic Planning and Special Initiatives, provided an overview for Munson’s strategic plan. They explained that the current draft of the plan is largely a reworking of the strategic plan set forth by President Destler in 2014. However, of the 121 objectives and action items set forward in 2014, Munson has consolidated these into around 36. Munson clarified that the majority of objectives were not simply abandoned, but were instead combined with other objectives for ease of comprehension.

Munson also explained that he would need to make budget calculations to ensure that these goals were fiscally achievable. He noted that the most expensive portions of the plan are the increase in tenure-track faculty, addition of new research facilities, expansion of experiential education, elevation of the performing arts and the facilities that would be required to support all of these expansions.

Senate will not meet on Friday, March 9 due to its proximity to spring break. The next meeting will take place on Friday, March 23, and will be a town hall debate for presidential candidates for SG and the RSOs. Regular Senate meetings will resume on March 30, with the announcement of election results.