PRESIDENT OF THE UNION CHIP KIRCHNER ‘17 COUNTS members hands during a vote.President of the Union Chip Kirchner ’17 held a meeting with the old members of the Executive Board to continue with ongoing business.
The E-Board needed to discuss a proposal to purchase new tables and chairs for the McNeil Room. The selected chairs have red and black vinyl upholstery, and the tables have wheels that can be locked for easy rearrangement.
Associate Director of Union Operations Joe Campo looked through transaction data of the McNeil Room during lunch hours, and found that thousands of members of the community use the space just between the hours of 11 am to 2 pm. Since the current tables and chairs are fifteen years old, he feels that it is important they be replaced.
The current tables and chairs would be moved to another location on campus that needs them. The Darrin Communications Center was mentioned as a location that needs more table space.
Director of Student Activities Cameron McLean also recommended that trolleys be purchased to easily move the tables and chairs out of the way for performances, debates, and other Union events.
The E-Board then approved $140,885.42 for the purchase of 331 chairs and 67 tables in a 14-0-0 vote.
Next, Destination Imagination came to seek approval for their travel fees to the national competition in Knoxville, Tennessee. Everything but the cost of travel is covered by registration fees. Seven members, the maximum allowed for a competition team, are going to the event. The E-Board approved their travel plans 14-0-0.
Graduate student Yijie Guo came before the E-Board seeking Union affiliation for the new Chinese-Christian Fellowship. Their mission is to reach out to RPI students and spread the word of Jesus Christ. The club plans to have weekly Bible study and discussion. The E-Board unanimously approved their constitution and granted them affiliation with the Union.
The meeting was then closed to the public to discuss the qualified candidates to fill the Assistant Director of Student Activities position. Soon thereafter, the meeting was reopened so that the Board could accept the recommendation of the proposed candidate to be presented to Human Resources 12-0-0.
The E-Board also approved the hiring of a new Communication Specialist and Administration Specialist, unanimously.
W2SZ, RPI’s ham radio club came before the E-Board to get new air conditioning units for their facility. The three repeaters used by the club generate a lot of heat, and the club is worried that during the summer months the excess heat will shorten the projected lifetime of the repeaters. The only form of ventilation the building has are fans, some of which are broken.
The E-Board discussed whether it would be best to spend money now on the units, or wait to improve the building that they are being housed in. Ultimately, it was decided that getting the new units was of high importance, and the E-Board approved the reallocation of funds from the W2SZ budget to pay for new air conditioners in a 11-0-1 vote.
The last item on the E-Board’s agenda was to fix the issue the Student Senate had with the suggested bylaw changes. The motion was to revise the proposed amendment to Article V, Section 7 of the E-Board Bylaws, to read “These rules of order shall be subordinate to the Bylaws unless the rules of order specifically state otherwise; these rules of order may only supercede Article V or VI of the Bylaws and only if approved prior to the meeting where they shall take effect.” The vote failed 9-3-0 because it requires two-thirds of the voting body of the E-Board to have attended the meeting.