Student Senate moves forward with IFRB proposal, discusses improvements to Sodexo and promoting constitutions for RSOs
By: Barbara Edwards Indy Staff Writer
The Associated Students of Fort Lewis College focused the Oct. 23 meeting on moving forward with an Institutional Fee Review Board proposal, addressed issues with RSO constitutions and addressed past and future discussions with Sodexo employees for improvements.
Student Senate passes Resolution to Submit Proposal to IFRB
Resolution 19-035 was passed at the meeting to submit a proposal to the IFRB to increase student activity fees by $1.40 in order to increase funding for RSOs.
“The total amount allocated to RSO IIs has fallen to record lows which has in turn affected programs and events throughout the school year,” Speaker of the Senate, Gillian Bynum, said in the resolution presentation. “This has the potential to majorly affect student retention rates.”
For every credit hour a person takes, they will be paying an additional $1.40 in their student fees, First-Year Ambassador, Robert Dennett said.
Student fees could be increased next year, but the Student Life Center was paid off entirely during the 2018-2019 school year, decreasing student fees by nearly $4.00 per credit hour, Dennett said.
The IFRB members include two non-voting members; Mark Mastalski, the director of the Dr. R Terry Bacon Leadership Center and Michele Peterson, the associate vice president of finance administration, Dennett said.
Voting members include Cody Stroup, the ASFLC President; Cameron McGeshick, the Financial Allocation Board director; three senators from the table; two students at large from the FLC student body and one additional staff member from financial aid, Dennet said.
IFRB receives fee proposals from all of the departments and approves changes to the overall budget, Dennet said.
“It is separate from ASFLC and FAB because IFRB is supposed to be an impartial judge, a body outside of everything else, in order to judge the fees,” he said.
ASFLC and FAB control student activities fees and are advocates for registered student organizations, Dennet said.
“We are charged with the prospect of ensuring every group on campus has the resources needed to accomplish their mission,” Dennett said in his discussion statement.
Dennett was given the hero award concluding the meeting for his devotion to working on the IFRB proposal.
Other discussion
During campus committee reports, ASFLC Sen. Gail Tahhahwah, said that she has been reaching out to RSOs to express the importance of having a constitution for their organization in order to have documentation of procedures to follow.
In the last week alone leading up to this meeting, Mastalksi has had conversations with three RSOs that have been having issues that could have been addressed if the organization had a written constitution.
The problems become very personalized without an objective constitution, Mastalksi said.
Mastalksi and vice president Klearman had a discussion about drafting a “baby constitution” to make it easier for RSOs to fill out the draft how the please, Klearman said.
In officer reports, both Stroup and Klearman mentioned working with Sodexo management towards improvements.
Klearman sits on the food review board and meets with members of Sodexo once a month. Klearman mentioned the opportunity for other senators to join her at these meetings to address improvements.
Klearman brought up BISH box suggestions, two of them suggesting that stevia be brought to Animas Perks. The table is posting these comments in their office to be addressed.