Livestreaming discussed, no decision made

The Executive Board meeting that took place on January 25 consisted mainly of the approval of proposals by the Interplanetary Society and Ultimate Frisbee, as well as approval of a new club training policy.

The Interplanetary Society started things off by asking for money to go toward their competition fees and snacks at the events and workshops that they host throughout the year. The E-Board decided to go with their standard policy of subsidizing 40 percent, which came out to be, $170 for the club. The motion to approve the request passed 17-0-0.

The next club to come before the E-Board was Ultimate Frisbee, presented by Chris Duffy ’20. Duffy came asking for money to pay their coach, pending his approval by the Division of Human Resources. Money has already been allocated toward a coach in the next fiscal year’s budget, but that won’t take effect for some time. Duffy explained that the money to pay for the coach would come from an increase in club dues for the semester. When questioned, he told the E-Board that he had let club members know what was being proposed and asked anyone struggling to pay the increased amount to come to him for help.

When members of the E-Board asked about how the coach’s salary was determined for this semester, Duffy explained that Ultimate Frisbee is asking for exactly half of what has been approved for the next fiscal year. He also told the Board that while the coach hasn’t been allowed to work with the players directly, because he is still in the process of being approved by HR, he has been creating workouts for the team and sending them over.

After discussion, the motion was amended to include specifics on how much money was to be approved. The motion passed 15-0-2.

After Ultimate Frisbee, a motion came before the board to approve a new club training policy. The policy consisted mostly of current policies condensed into one place, with the inclusion of a new bystander intervention training section that, according to the document, “is mandated by New York State law for all officers of student organizations recognized or affiliated with institutions, as well as those seeking institute recognition or affiliation.” The motion passed 17-0-0.

At the very end of the meeting, a discussion was sparked regarding the potential to livestream E-Board meetings. Those in favor brought up that it would help to get the E-Board and its members more recognition as well as potentially getting people more interested and involved. Those opposed to the idea worried that it would be very difficult given how often the E-Board deals with sensitive financial information and closes its meetings. They also mentioned concerns that, currently, when the merits of a motion are being discussed, all interested parties are asked to leave the room, which would be logistically difficult if the meetings were streamed online.

The Executive Board meets on Thursdays at 8 pm in the Shelnutt Gallery.