-First Meeting of 2nd Semester- 1/11/12

HELLO BSU STUDENTS! I hope you all had an excellent, relaxing break. I know I did!

Student Senate kicked off second semester with our first meeting this Wednesday 1/11/12. A lot of good things came up right away which is exciting for us because it gives all of us senators plenty of things to work on to hit the ground running.

First we heard from Ryan Montgomery, Assistant Coach for our BSU Men’s Basketball team. He asked the Senate for feedback on how to increase attendance at men’s basketball games since this season so far they are 11-3 and ranked #4 in the NCIS. We gave him a number of promotional ideas and told him that we as a Senate would do what we could to promote games as well, in fact, there is a HOME GAME TONIGHT! Our BSU Men’s Basketball team is playing at home against #3 ranked St. Cloud State. Admission is FREE for students, so if you like attending BSU Athletics I encourage you to attend tonight at 8:00 PM! and support our Beaver Basketball team! To see a full list of men’s games for the rest of the season, follow this link:  http://www.bsubeavers.com/mbasketball/schedule/134/

We had a first reading of SB 12-06 which is a bill that has been motioned by Senator Davison that addresses the implementation of the Collegiate Readership program. You may have noticed the two week trial run of this program where there were free Newspapers for students towards the end of first semester. In order to make this program a permanent resource for students, a fee of $4/student per semester must be put into place for funding. Senator Davison proposed a fee of $5, and suggests that the extra $1 will go to help fund the Northern Student magazine. Senator Horien is seconding this bill, and a second reading/discussion will take place next Wednesday January 18th at the Student Senate meeting. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, OR SUGGESTIONS REGARDING THIS BILL, PLEASE CONTACT STUDENT SENATE OR ATTEND NEXT WEEK’S MEETING AND MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD. You can stop by the Student Senate office at any time and talk to a senator! We are located in the Upper Hobson Union just down the hall from the Front Desk.

As always, we encourage any and all students to attend our Student Senate meetings Wednesdays at 4:00 pm. We are typically in the Crying Wolf Room, but due to some scheduling conflicts this semester, many of our meetings will be held in other meeting rooms such as the Ozawindib Room or the Gathering Room in the AIRC. Student Senate will make sure the meeting place is communicated before each meeting so stay tuned!!

We are the official voice of the students and we are here to represent YOU! Use us as a way to connect with administration and address ANY concerns you have!

—Until next time…do whatever you can to stay warm and not slip on the ice! —

-Co-Chair Cooper (University Affairs)

10-16-11 Meeting

Hey everyone, sorry that we haven’t updated our blog since the summer.  Here are the highlights from today’s meeting:

• Student Senate Passed SB 12-02, which said how Student Senate supported the allocation of $5,000 of the Green Fee on the purchase of a Cold Tub for the athlete department.
• Kari Cooper & Cara Mielke presented a resolution that is changing a requirement of Student Senators, Committee Co-Chairs, and the University Liaison from having to attend MSUSA conferences.
• Myself and & Sarah Shepherd resented another resolution stating that we would like to see Student Senate to send out mass e-mails to the student body when if and  we work on issues that are a major concern to the student body.

Former Co-President Andrew Spaeth in the News

All though Andrew Spaeth may not have been the Co-President for the BSU Student Senate for well over a year; Spaeth has still been active with aiding all students-both BSU and others-with making Student Voices heard:

Check out outgoing state chair, Andrew Spaeth's letter to the editor in the Winona Daily News. http://fb.me/10tbzK4yN—
MSUSA (@MSUSA1967) May 24, 2011

Unlikely ally? Student leader Spaeth defends MnSCU chancellor: http://ow.ly/52Ndt—
Alex Friedrich (@MPRAFriedrich) May 25, 2011

@MSUSA1967 Chair Andrew Spaeth will be testifying in front of Higher Ed Conf Comm this afternoon. #mnleg #stribpol—
MSUSA (@MSUSA1967) May 03, 2011

@MSUSA1967 Chair Andrew Spaeth addresses Gov Dayton's Higher Ed roundtable! #mnleg #stribpol Facebook.com/msusa1967 http://t.co/fl1bIuX—
MSUSA (@MSUSA1967) April 13, 2011

MSUSA Chair Andrew Spaeth testifies to the Sen High Ed Comm about how cuts hurt students http://bit.ly/hrnGVL #mnleg #stribpol—
MSUSA (@MSUSA1967) March 28, 2011

As you can see from these tweets, former students from BSU that served on Student Senate are very passionate about helping out their peers and keep on trying to get our concerns out there.

Student Senate Members Know How to R&R

Yesterday afternoon, several Student Senate members went to Sun Splash.  Freshman Senator Tyler Brown (picture left) is pumped for his first experience at Sun Splash.

With finals starting on Friday and the last Student Senate Meeting today at 4 PM; being able to get some Rest and Relaxation is a must need for the Student Senators.  Plus, getting to hang out with our fellow students is always a fun thing to do.  After all, it’s always enjoyable hanging out with other students so we can just have fun and hear about what’s going on with them.

Not only did we get the chance to visit with other students, we also got to play around a bit.

The Campus Activity Board (CAB) graced use this year with having a photo booth.  Co-President Ashley Tenney & Junior Senator Amy Brown are enjoying the photo booth.

As you can tell, not only are they posing for one photo, but they got two for the price of one.  Plus, we get to see how creative they both are.  After all, you does not want a purple mustache?

Now, as with any photo shoot-even in a photo booth-you still have to prep for it.   Amy Brown had this in mind with wearing a cool pair of sunglasses.

Plus, Amy Brown would only let me take a photo of her as long as she had her really cool sunglasses on.  After all, who wouldn’t want to wear those?

Now, any BSU related event wouldn’t be complete without Michael Meehlhause.  Now, as you can tell, Michael is very pumped for Sun Splashed.  That, and Tyler Brown gets the chance to see how energetic Michael can be.

Now, one has to wounder how much sugar Michael had prior to showing up…or if there is something up.  After all, Michael just cannot stop pointing at the ceiling.

Then again, the picture on the right is him being really pumped up about winning a race.  Oh Michael, only you would act so energetic about something so simple.  However, we get to see Michael truly enjoying Sun Splash for what it is designed for…to have fun.

Hopefully Michael had as much fun as he seems to be having in this photo.

Then again, Michael does seem to enjoy his need for speed.  For those of you who saw him partake in his class assignment last Wednesday with the wheelchair; you’ve seen how much he loves going fast.

You would of thought that we would of learned by now.  But, at least Michael showed how with finals starting on Friday, you can still relax and have a good time.

Freshman Senator Kari Cooper also had a fun time.  She, alike Tyler Brown, was pumped with her first Sun Splash.  Plus, with her second set of finals coming up; Senator Coops knows how important it is to relax so she can study more effectively to do really well.

Now, with classes done for the semester at the end of today, make sure you enjoy the rest of the semester.  If you want something to do; check out our last Student Senate today at 4 pm in the Crying Wolf room.

The Second-to-Last Senate Meeting :( 4/20/11

Hello Senators and BSU Students! Today’s meeting was another great one….much like all the others

We had a very informative presentation from VP Bill Maki regarding Tuition and Fees for the 2011-2012 school year and a new contract option with Paul Bunyan Transit (PBT). The Tuition and Fees Task Force Committee (TFTFC) submitted a recommendation to VP Bill Maki which he was very excited about. He said he hopes to implement all of these recommendations! Thanks you to the TFTFC for all the work you did meeting and discussing this topic. It’s very important and effects everyone. You can see these recommendations on the file that is attached to this blog post! As far as PBT is concerned, we negotiated a contract from $38,000 down to $24,000 which is a pretty significant difference. The cost per student to ride PBT per semester would be $25. This is a pass for unlimited rides. This would be a pretty good deal for students who really use PBT regularily.

At the city council meeting that was held this past Monday (4/18) they discussed the Solar Panels at the Sanford Center that Student Senate approved to help fund. They ended up tabling the discussion to next Monday’s city council meeting, so let’s cross our fingers that they end up favoring the idea!

In the Student Affairs Committee we are working on a number of things. Senator Mielke and myself presented the first reading of SB 11-09 (Mandatory Student Health Insurance). We also had a good meeting with Advisor Tosch concerning our Security Camera/ Speakers in the Tunnels initiative. We will be meeting with Casey McCarthy from Public Safety within the next few days to move forward with this project. Senator Moubry is working on putting up signs that direct people to Elevators around campus to make our campus more easily accessible. Our Campus Club and Organization Informative Meeting will take place next Tuesday in the Crying Wolf Room at 1:15.

In the University Affairs Committee they are working with Bill Maki on the PBT contract. Senator Turner is also getting more information about the TV Boards, he will continue this initiative in the Fall.

*CONGRATULATIONS TO CO-PREZ MEEHLHAUSE! His “Bemidji State of Mind” Music Video made the front page of the Bemidji Pioneer! If you have not yet seen this masterpiece, click on this link!* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74FNnWpikb4

Here are some important reminders for Senators!

-We have a few Photo Shoots we need to partake in next Wednesday. First of all, if you want to be in the Tobacco Free Policy picture, contact Co-President Tenney. You will be taking a group picture downtown. Also, ALL SENATORS are asked to meet outside of Deputy Hall around 3:30 for our Senate picture. Wear your Senate Polos if you have one, if not last year’s Senate shirt is good or any other black/green BSU shirt!

-We approved our stipends for the semester. If you have not worked on campus before, you need to see Barb at the HMU desk IMMEDIATELY for instructions on how to file the proper paperwork. If you want your stipend, DO NOT PUT THIS OFF!

-If you’d like to meet with one of the VPAA candidates, meet in Conference Room 2 tomorrow evening at 5:00 pm. Anyone can come to this so feel free to invite any students who are not in Senate.

-If you are planning on taking part in our Highway Cleanup on Saturday April 30th, please let UL Johnson know ASAP so Dr. Lisa Erwin has a head count for the BBQ she is hosting afterwards!

Next week is our LAST SENATE MEETING! As I said before this is a pretty sad day. I would encourage everyone to be sure and attend and stay the whole time if at all possible. Sounds like we’re gonna be giving out some awards and it should be a fun meeting!

Have a great Easter weekend everyone! This weather is so Bi-polar I don’t believe a thing the forecast says haha Don’t forget to STUDY STUDY STUDY!! Finals are right around the corner!

Love, Senator Cooper! <3

The Much Accomplished Senate Meeting

4/13/11

Hey Hey Hey! So I must say that our meeting this evening was quite productive and we got a lot of information thrown at us. A lot of GOOD information. Hopefully no one is too overwhelmed!

To start out the Tobacco Free Policy has been made official by President Hanson! All students received an e-mail today! It’s awesome to see this student initiative become official so quickly and efficiently. A huge thanks to Ashley Tenney for all of her leadership to get this policy put in place!

We had Dale Burns from UnitedHealthcare come speak with us about a Mandatory Student Health Insurance plan. With this plan all students would have access to health care, including mental health care. The more people who participate, the cheaper the cost will be to students. With more students with health insurance, this will help increase retention and increase student attendence and GPA overall. Students will be able to seek out financial aid, special grants, etc. to help pay for this plan so hopefully this won’t burden students financially too much.

We approved the SAFAC budget for next year! Looks like a good plan and I hope we see some cool things coming from all our clubs and organizations on campus next year. Thank you to Leah Palmer for all the work you do with SAFAC!!

A few reminders, coming up we have Student Senate Highway Cleanup on April 30th. Meet in the Senate Office at 10:30. We will clean up from 11:00-12:30 [it will probably take a shorter amount of time if we have more people attend, so everyone should go ] Then Lisa Erwin is hosting a BBQ at her house for all of us afterwards!

Also if you want to apply for a cabinet position for next year, apps are due this Friday the 15th. Put your application in the binder that’s on top of the microwave in the Senate office by 8:00pm

Co-Presidents Michael Meehlhause (Left) & Ashley Tenney (Right) have different ways of dealing with the having new Co-Presidents Elected. Photo by Joe Vito Moubry

Sounds like everyone had a great time at the MSUSA conference this past weekend! Unfortunately, our beloved Meehlhause did not receive the State Chair position, but we all know that will neither dampen his drive or ego We love you Meehlhause! Amanda from SCSU will do a fine job.

Only two more Senate meetings left for this school year I don’t know about anyone else but I think it’s sad. Maybe some of you are happy. To each his own. If you have any more bills or initiatives you want to get done by the end of this school year, please present it next week!

Happy 21st Birthday to Co-Chair Charlie Woodson!! Have a great night buddy!

Love, Senator Cooper

3/23/11 The Not-So-Long Senate Meeting :)

Hey Hey Hey! So turns out tonight’s meeting that was expected to go til about 7:00 only last a little past 6:00 which was nice for all of us. A huge thanks to Lisa Erwin for the Pizza, Salad and Pop. It was a nice break for us. Keeping us Senate kids full and focused!

We were joined by three esteemed visitors today; Ty Patterson, President Hanson and Bill Maki. First off, Ty came to talk to us about implementing our Smoke Free Campus Policy that is to be put into effect next Fall. Some key points to having success with this new policy were: -Stressing the issue to students of respect for others and the environment. It’s important that we be pro-active in informing students that this policy is in place to enhance BSU’s values for each other and the environment. Smoke Free air is going to benefit all of us and all the nature we’re surrounded by. -Respect Tobacco Users This to me was one of the most important points. We all need to be respectful and sensitive to those who use tobacco and the inconvenience this is causing them. We as sentors need to seek out these individuals and keep open communication with them and helping them in any way possible whether it be supporting them with a quit plan, finding nicotine alternatives or finding designated places off campus for them to smoke. I encourage all of us to stick together on the issue and help each other out, smokers and nonsmokers, we’re in this togther. -Continuing to revisit the Issue As a Student Senate we need to keep this policy a priority. Once it’s in place doesn’t mean we shove it off to the side, it means we’ve made a commitment and we need to follow up with it. -Electronic media is key in Communication it’s our responsibility that we keep our students up to date with this policy, which means utilizing all forms of communication. This is nothing new to us. Just a reminder to not slack when it comes to keeping our students informed. A BIG THANKS TO TY PATTERSON FOR COMING TO TALK WITH US Ty has worked with a number of university’s around the country who have gone Smoke Free and it was a great privilege to have him at BSU!

Next we had President Hanson come give us a response to our response to the recalibration. He was very grateful and impressed with our efficiency and thoroughness. Good Job Senate! I know as well as everyone else how much work it took to write and edit and read through our response but it was well received by administration and it sounds like they are taking immediate actions with our suggestions!

Bill Maki gave us a Budget Update. And that’s about as much as I can elaborate on that issue. Thanks Bill for all your hard work because it’s certainly not a job any of us would want to take on. Well I guess I should speak for myself. I hate numbers. But I know it’s an important issue to address and it’s important we all stayed informed about it.

Here are a few important events coming up!

Co-Presidential Debate: This Sunday night at 7:00pm in Hagg-Sauer 100. It sounds like Charlie Woodson and Nick Nelson will be debating on different issues and discussing their platforms with students. Get the word out and encourage everyone to go, it’s important the student body make an informed vote on who they want running this place next year. Either way, BSU will be in great hands next year

Elections: March 28th-April 1st. Look for the e-mail in your BSU portal. Or just go onto Collegiate Link to vote!!

MSUSA Lobby Day: Tuesday March 23rd. Sign up in the Senate office if you’re interested! Sounds like we might head down Monday night and stay at the Meehlhause residence which I am really looking forward to personally haha Get involved and talk to our legislators about lowering tuition in Higher Education because that’s something we’d all like to see change.

MSUSA Conference in Woodbury: If you haven’t attended a MSUSA Conference yet this year, or if you just think they’re so much fun you want to go again, be sure to sign up to go April 8th-10th. I believe there are limited spots so make sure you contact either a Co-Prez or Gabe Wakonabo to get in on the action.

That’s all I got for this week folks. I thought it was funny that Bemidji was doomed for a Snowpocolypse and we ended up not even getting an inch. The little snow we did get melted away from the beautiful sun today. Thank God. Have a good week everyone!!

Love, Senator Cooper <3