The meeting was opened with a few notes from Grand Marshal Kara Chesal ’09 about the opening of the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center and the hockey line.

The first thing on the Senate’s agenda was the appointment of Alex Franz ’10 as the Executive Board’s Club/ICA representative. Franz has served two terms on the E-Board, and wants to bring a new five-year plan to fruition for clubs on campus.

“The goal is to incorporate more long-term planning for clubs and encourage club members to make long-term goals for clubs rather than just plan for the four years they are here,” Franz said. He plans to work with clubs that have fallen into disrepair first, and then work with other clubs to reach a higher standard.

The Senate confirmed Franz’s appointment to Club and ICA representative in a vote of 14 in favor, zero opposed, and one abstention.

“The Senate confirmation of Franz, although expected, was still a great success for the Board,” Odell commented. “As one of two returning members to the board, he will provide a wealth of knowledge and experience and will also serve as a role model to the young board.”

The next order of business was approval of the 2008 Freshman Elections Handbook. Chair of the Rules and Elections Committee Christopher Goldsmith ’09 explained to the Senate that no real changes had been made from previous years except for amending the time necessary for a hearing to be held.

Graduate Senator Christina Laskowski questioned the method of delivery of notifications for hearings, noting that there could be a possible delay by offering an option to mail them to students; however, Goldsmith said that no one had used the method in at least the past five years.

The Senate approved the Freshman Elections Handbook in a vote of 15-0-0.

Third on the agenda was the approval of the Student Sustainability Task Force’s by-laws. Graduate Senator Ben Cohen said that the task force was informed in November that the group needed to create a set of by-laws, in order to have a formal mechanism for passing and ratifying documents, as well as for longevity. Members of the SSTF have held meetings since then to create the by-laws and have passed them within the group.

Cohen explained that Chief Information Officer of the Senate August Fietkau ’09 gave the task force a basic set of by-laws that the group built upon.

The Student Sustainability Task Force’s by-laws were approved in a vote of 13-0-2.

Following the new business, Senate committees gave updates on their projects. The Web Technologies Committee reported that it currently is spending most of its time on Concerto, which currently has 15 large screens on campus.

The Finance, Facilities, and Advancement Committee noted the shuttle route changes that were made to accommodate changes in student residencies in locations such as the PolyTech apartments. The committee also plans to continue evaluation of parking areas and classrooms, organize a forum for campus safety, work on the student escort service, and set up a Light Walk.

The new Student Life Committee, chaired by Senator Andrew Neidhardt ’11, is attempting to get a myriad of projects off the ground, including the sophomore housing requirement, promotion of ALAC and CDC, and working on how the relations with the city of Troy affect Student Life.