The Executive Board meeting took place November 19, the Thursday before Thanksgiving break, wherein they introduced graduate student Jen Church as the new Rensselaer Union Annual Report Chair and Senate/E-Board Liaison. Church plans to graduate in 2017 and is an active graduate senator, serving on the Graduate Council. Her past experience as a leader in student government includes holding the position of Student Government Communications Committee Chair and participating in other student councils. When questioned as to why she was interested in holding the position, she said that, in the previous fall, she had come into student government, which was at the same time as the introduction of the UAR, and she became involved in its handling. She went on to state that she is interested in attending both Senate and E-Board meetings to offer her support and act as the bridge between the two.
Next, president of the newly formed Boxing Club Liam McEneaney ’17 appealed to the E-Board to make the club Union-recognized. The club would consist of not only boxing, but mixed martial arts type fighting and self-defense. So far the club’s attendance is at a consistent 12 with a total of 24 individuals stating interest in the sport. They currently do not have any meetings on campus and will not participate in sparring until they have registered with USA Boxing. Their coach is a public safety officer, who also teaches a boxing fitness class, and is currently coaching the club pro bono until club dues start being collected. The club is open to all students, regardless of gender or experience. The motion to approve Club Boxing as a Union-recognized club was postponed until the club’s constitution is aligned with the policies of risk management, specifically outlining what “light sparring” means in their constitution.
E-Board Representative Shannon Gillespie McComb ’17 presented to the E-Board her concerns about the Houston Field House charging the Men’s and Women’s Hockey teams to rent their facilities. Gillespie McComb made it known that during her presentation there would be no need for a motion and that it would be pure discussion on the topic. Gillespie McComb stated that she had made contact with other schools, determining that when a school has a team, they don’t typically rent out the facilities to the school’s own team. She then presented statistics, showing the high cost of renting the Houston Field House, the cost of which during a game is significantly higher. The Field House is treated as an auxiliary service, like the Union; it has its own budget and some autonomy. After discussion revealed the fine details over how the Field House charges the teams and how ticket costs subsidize much of that charge for game days, the members began a new discussion concerning where this money would come from in order to alleviate the cost of the rent for the hockey varsity teams. An alarming solution would be for students’ activity fee’s to rise a negligible amount. This solution was met with split responses; some in favor, while others more inclined to an alternative solution. A straw poll was taken, and the members were inclined to Gillespie McComb doing more research, finding an alternative solution, and returning with that information. The presentation ended with board members writing down specific question for Gillespie McComb to ask the administration to investigate the matter further.
The meeting concluded with a discussion lead by Conrad Mossl ’17 on the E-Board’s policies when dealing with non-profits, followed by the President’s and Director’s Reports.