March 23rd, 2011
By John Hanson and John Andringa
For the first time, the BSU Student Senate meeting was recorded and later broadcast on KBSU-TV Channel 17 on March 23. Ty Patterson, co-director of the National Center of Tobacco Policy, started off the meeting with a discussion about BSU becoming a smoke-free campus. Patterson has been working with campuses across the country to make the transition to smoke-free campuses since 1997 when he helped the Ozark Technical College, in Springfield, Missouri, to become the first higher education institution in the country to go smoke-free in 2003.
During his tobacco policy presentation, he challenged the student senators to “always think about how that policy can be accomplished through respecting others and respecting the environment. And I particularly want to emphasis the importance of respecting tobacco users.” Patterson advised the Student Senate to work on the tobacco policy as a process and continually work on it by having a permanent agenda item to the student senate meetings.
When Senator Charlie Woodson inquired how the senate could make the students aware of the smoke-free policy and respectfully help them understand the policy, Patterson suggested electronic communication. He believes updating the Student Senate, BSU, and other social media websites with information on the progression of the policy is the easiest way to reach out to the students. Also, he mentioned there must be ongoing discussions in the residence halls and continue the dialogue with forums and discussion groups. He also advised the tobacco users to attend the meetings in order to continue the policy debate even if policy is enacted.
Next on the agenda was Pres. Hanson’s response to the Student Senate’s response on the recalibration. He read his response to the Student Senate and complimented the students for their "tenacity" and the leadership of the Student Senate. He said he would continue to reach out to the community for adjunct professors, extending the teach-out program to graduate students and communicating with the Student Senate. In addition to his response Pres. Hanson said the recalibration has been one of the most difficult tasks in his educational career and told the Student Senate, “I want to thank you for what you did and I really appreciate the spirit of communication.”
Vice President for Finance and Administration Bill Maki presented his findings that will affect the fiscal ear 2012-2013 budget. Bemidji State University’s fiscal year 2011 budget remains balanced with a 4% operating reserve and a $400,000 surplus. Summer 2011 enrollment is up 7% over last year and fall enrollment is up 5%. He also talked about federal and state budgets which could affect Bemidji State University’s budget. These include the possibility of some student grant and work study being cut.
Student Senate’s Minnesota State University Student Association (MSUSA) lobbying effort was postponed from March 22nd to March 29th due the snowstorm. Select Student Senate members plan to meet with local legislators such as State Representative for District 4A John Persell, State Representative for District 2B Dave Hancock, State Senator for District 4 John Carlson, State Representative for District 05A Tom Rukavina, who sits on the Higher Education Policy and Finance Committee. Student Senate member will be doing training on lobbying before meeting with legislators at the MSUSA office. There will be a Student Senate debate Sunday March 27th at 7 p.m. in HS100. The debate will be videotaped and broadcast by KBSU-TV Channel 17.
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BSU Student Senate members gathered for the March 23 meeting in the Crying Wolf room Photo by John Hanson |
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