Changes made to Special Rules of Order

This week’s meeting of the Executive Board was opened by President of the Union Matthew Rand ’19, with the agenda containing several proposals from various on-campus organizations, and discussion on changes to the Board’s Special Rules of Order.

First up was the report from the committee of the week: UPAC. Programming Board Chair Lauren Pencille ’18 presented, first announcing the success of Winter Carnival, which drew in 500 to 1,000 people for events and activities at the East Campus Athletic Campus. Pencille further mentioned that tickets for UPAC Concerts’ spring concert, featuring Blackbear, will go on sale Wednesday, March 21. The P-Board is also planning DCC After Dark, which will take place April 13. Pencille also stated that the P-Board is working with the Union’s admin office to create a calendar for all their events, and with other programming groups on campus to prevent conflicts between events occurring at the same time.

Graham Knowles, associate director of the Archer Center, along with several representatives, came to the Board seeking Union affiliation for their organization—the National Society of Leadership and Success. Knowles outlined that the purpose of NSLS, whose chapter at RPI was started July 2017, is to build “student’s leadership capacity” through seminars and various networking events. He further mentioned that, as NSLS sent out induction invitations to students late last year, there were several concerns from students as to the legitimacy of the organization. Knowles said that Union affiliation and the subsequent listing of the organization on the Union’s website might calm those concerns, providing more legitimacy to the organization. The Board voted to affiliate NSLS with a vote of 7-3-3.

Following the affiliation of NSLS, the Historic European Martial Arts club, also known as the German Longsword club, came seeking a starter budget to begin their organization. Currently, members provide their own equipment, but the club was looking to purchase a pair of masks and swords to have on hand for newer members who might not have the necessary equipment already. The Board passed a motion to reallocate $140 from club contingencies to the German Longsword club, voting unanimously 13-0-0.

UPAC Sound then requested to reserve the McNeil room on Sunday, March 26 from 12 pm to 6 pm for a training show. Equipment Chair Kealan Hofler-Marron explained that UPAC Sound is bringing in a sound professional so that they can improve their skills as a club, and better provide services to organizations on campus. Hofler-Marron further mentioned that rooms elsewhere on campus and in the Union will be reserved and serve as study spaces, and that the show will be well advertised with posters beforehand so students know the McNeil room will be unavailable. The Board’s motion to allow UPAC Sound to use the McNeil Room passed 12-0-0.

RPI TV President Jason Lee ’19 also came before the Board with a proposal that would reallocate $2,600 from their current budget to their reserves for the purchase of a new 4K camera next fiscal year. Lee explained that while they believe the camera would make a good addition to their current lineup of equipment, they still would like a demo before the purchase. The demo couldn’t be scheduled before the large purchasing deadline set by the Union. A motion to reallocate the $2,600 to RPI TV’s reserve account failed with a vote of 4-4-5. After further discussion, the Board decided to move the large purchase deadline back so RPI TV can still purchase the camera this fiscal year with a vote of 8-3-1.

Next, W2SZ President Galen Gold ’20 asked the Board for money to replace some of their hardlines and rotor cables. Gold explained that hardline is the coaxial cable that is used to connect radios in their shack to antennae on their towers. Alongside the cost of the cables themselves, W2SZ would also need to hire tower climbers to replace the cables themselves, as well as perform other routine maintenance and repairs. The E-Board approved a transfer of $1,678 from club contingencies for W2SZ’s cables with a vote of 12-0-0.

Following W2SZ, Policies Committee Chair Anissa Choiniere ’20 presented some recent changes to the Board’s Special Rules of Order, notably to the “Audio/Video Recordings and Live-Streaming” section. Following the Senate’s resolution earlier this month, which prohibits any Union body from prohibiting livestreaming at their meetings, the E-Board’s policy had to be changed to reflect this mandate. The language of the policy still states that “The Executive Board or its members are encouraged to not actively take part in live-streaming of meetings,” but removes language that permits the President of the Union from asking guests to remove recordings at her request. The full amended policy is available at poly.rpi.edu/s/ebprop.

A motion to pass the amended Special Rules of Order passed 12-0-0.