Destination Imagination granted $4,000

In the meeting of the Executive Board on April 17, Roebling Investment Group and She’s the First were approved as a Union affiliated clubs, Destination Imagination was approved funds for globals, the Multicultural Leadership Council was approved as a committee, and Pride Alliance was approved to transfer funds originally meant for their drag show to a barbecue and the purchase of board games.

The meeting had a delayed start as the Board struggled to get enough members present to achieve quorum. Once it was reached, the rest of the meeting progressed relatively smoothly.

The first motion of the evening was to approve Roebling Investment Group’s affiliation. The group was student-formed and in its seventh year of existence with the purpose of cultivating an interest in finance for students. During their presentation, members of the club explained that there isn’t much support for students who are interested in finance and that they want to pursue that so they hope to fill that void.

When asked why the club is asking for recognition now, the group responded they have felt very separate and “detached” from the rest of the Union and would like to fix that. They also said that with their growing membership it feels inappropriate to continue without at least looking for affiliation. The reason that they didn’t affiliate when the club first started was because at that point it only consisted of five members.

The motion to affiliate the Roebling Investment Group was approved 11-0-2.

The club, She’s the First, also came before the Board looking for Union affiliation. They will be a chapter of the larger international organization, which raises money to support girls who will be the first in their families to graduate high school. When asked about more specifics on what the national organization does, they explained that usually each chapter usually focuses on one girl at a time and pays for her school supplies and tuition.

When asked about their low attendance at meetings, they explained that they are currently trying to find a time that’s easy enough for everyone to make. They also said that they are getting more people every day and at the time of their presentation were up to a total of 25 members and had experienced a fair amount of interest from prospective students.

They also addressed the issue of what they will receive from the national organization. They explained that they had just gotten recognition from them and received a starter constitution and a contact that they have been emailing with. They also said that the national organization will provide them with a website and possible fundraiser ideas, however it will not provide them with any actual funds.

The motion to approve She’s the One as a Union affiliated club passed 12-0-1.

Destination Imagination came before the board requesting funds for them to attend and participate in the Global Finals in Knoxville, Tennessee. They participated in the state’s tournament and as a result qualified for Globals. The presenting members broke down their request into three main budget items. The first was registration, which covers everything there, including housing and food. The second was providing vans to serve as transportation to the event and the third was two hotel nights, one on the way down and one on the way back.

The original motion was to reallocate $4,100 from travel contingencies, but that number was amended to be $4,000 because there is a $4,000 limit for how much money the E-Board can give for national competitions that requires a two-thirds majority vote to surpass.

The motion to reallocate $4000 from travel contingencies to Destination Imagination for the Globals Finals passed 12-0-1.

At the beginning of the discussion on the motion to amend the Rensselaer Union Club Classifications, a motion was made to postpone the discussion until next meeting so that the policy committee could have time to figure out all the details on the policy. After some discussion, the Board decided that the best way to do this was to fail the original motion because there would be so many changes that it would be simpler to write a new one next week. Following that decision, the motion to postpone failed 0-11-1 and the motion to amend the Rensselaer Union Club Classifications failed 0-11-1.

The Multicultural Leadership Council came seeking to become a temporary committee of the Board. They explained that they want to give multicultural groups better representation in the Union and exist to provide resources and help with diversity on campus. As a temporary committee, they would report on their work and other multicultural clubs affairs and would help to bridge gaps and facilitate workshops on diversity and inclusion.

The organization of the club consists of seven students that are selected by an interview process and that, as a committee, they would have an eighth member approved by the E-Board. Their meetings are open to everyone, however only the core seven have voting rights. The club was seeking to become a temporary committee in order for there to be a trial period where the best relationship between the MLC and the E-Board would be figured out.

The majority of the discussion from the Board came from worries about the restriction to only seven voting members and concerns about the idea of the MLC being a temporary committee to allow for a trial period. It was explained that by becoming a committee they would have to comply with E-Board bylaws requiring a chair as well as open meetings. It was also explained that they were promised by an unnamed person that they could come before the Board in September and that they have felt like they have been falling through the cracks. Allowing them to become a temporary committee, would act as a sort of “olive branch.”

The motion passed 11-1-1.

The final motion to come before the Board was to allow Rensselaer Pride Alliance to transfer funds that were originally allocated to their Drag Show which was canceled to a Barbecue and the purchasing of Board games for the club. There was some talk from the Board about the amount requested for the games that wouldn’t be required to be shared with everyone, however it was pointed out that sometimes clubs need to have stuff that is theirs that they can access at any time.

Both motion to reallocate $236.94 to RPA’s purchase of board games and the motion to reallocate $475.75 for an RPA barbecue passed 12-0-1.