Joseph Kyser, MDiv ’14, President

Joseph covers the agenda for the meeting and leads us in an opening mediation of silence.  A candle from the alumni office is lit as a symbol of the many ways those from the past enable us to be here as we prepare the way for the future.

What’s is and What’s New with STHSA?

We’re liaisons between the faculty and the student body.  For instance, faculty committee student representatives are recommended by STHSA and report back to the students.  We are the umbrella organization that manages all student organizations and interest groups.  We help with behind the scenes organization, forms, and organizations’ budgets.  Ashley and the Community Life office is the “on the ground” person and organization to help implement events.

Please pay attention to the STHSA website (blogs.bu.edu/sthsa).  The home page has our outlined tentative agenda for this semester’s meetings and events.  Events will include writing thank you notes to the distinguished alumni that come to the Distinguish Alumni events next week.  Please note the forms and documents relevant to the business of student organizations and the list of student organizations.  Contact information for each organization as well as a student organization handbook is forthcoming.

What’s new:

• Every student organization must send a representative, preferably an officer, to the administrative meetings throughout the semester.
• Public Relations Officer is a new position. This position will be filled soon.  Please think of who you would like to nominate; someone who enjoys “getting the word out”.
• Student Interest Groups are new.  These are groups of students that participate in a singular event and may request a reimbursement from STHSA for incidental expenses or fees.
• Student Organization budgets must be submitted by October 1.
• Traditionally STHSA has submitted student travel funds where students ask STHSA for the funds and then Dean Lightsey’s office matched the funds.  We are now turning the entire process of approving funds over to DL’s office, though STHSA will still contribute funds

Initial Financial Report

Haley: We want to be transparent about finances at STH.  A spreadsheet was created on how our money has been spent on over the past 2 years.  A poll is forthcoming for student opinions on how we’re spending money.  $6,575.06 currently in account and we haven’t yet gotten our fall allocation from SAO, so we will have more eventually.  $1000 currently earmarked for the Student Organization Fair.  $800 per student organization for the year has been earmarked too.  This will come in the form of two transfers, one per semester, to student organizations’ accounts.  Money from the fall will roll over to the spring semester.  At the end of each school year, money transferred from STHSA will be reclaimed by BU.  However, any funds the student organizations raise themselves apart from their budgets from STHSA will NOT be reclaimed by BU

KSA Budget Request

The Korean Student Association requests an advance of their 2013-2014 budget for Chusuk.  The KSA representative explains that celebration will now be at ANTS and is a very big day for Koreans, though the event is open to everyone.  Sam Lyons moves to accept the request.  Ashley Anderson seconds the move.  Motion passes 21-0-0.

Open Positions and Nominations

Joseph emphasizes the diversity of our student population and thus wants nominations to reflect the diversity of the student body.  We will vote on nominations and send them to the faculty who will ensure they are in good academic standing and otherwise review the nominees.

Community and Spiritual Life – worship, community, life, and other non-academic activities.  1 MDiv and 1 non-MDiv representatives are required.  Ashley asks if someone from Community Life and someone from Spiritual Life can be on this committee, possibly even more than just these two people, and preferably someone in addition to or other than Ashley.

— Nominations: Yara Gonzales (MDiv); Ryan Patten (Non-MDiv); Lambert Rahming (MDvi)

Contextual Education and Lifelong Learning (CELL) reviews springboard and travel funds, reviews/approves travel seminars, and manages contextual education. 1 MDiv and 1 MTS representatives are required.

— Nominations: Kate Soules (MTS); Brian Teed (MDiv)

The Academic Policies, Procedures, and Fellowships (AAPF) committee looks over the curriculum, propose new revisions, etc.  The AAPF overall handles other issues such as student probation and background checks, but the student representatives are needed for curriculum review in particular.  1 MDiv and 1 MTS representatives are requested.  Sam Lyons and Jason Blakeburn did this last year, reviewing the first year curriculum and plan for this process (regardless of who is the representative) to conclude this year.

— Nominations: Sam Lyons (MDiv); Jason Blakeburn (MTS); Lauren Hickey (MDiv).

The Theology Faculty Search Committee will be searching for a faculty member serving in science and theology.  The committee’s hope is for 1 Masters and 1 Doctoral level student with similar interests.  Responsibilities primarily include representing the student body to the candidates, reviewing resumes, and sitting in on candidate interviews. Dr. Wolfteich is chair. Unsure if this is only open to STH or also to DRTS, though Dr. Shenton believes DRTS will have their own student representatives.

— Nominations: Stephanie Ruper (Masters); Linwood Blizzard (Doctoral); Jessica Chicka (Doctoral); Greylyn Hydinger (Masters)

The Library Committee seeks 1 masters and 1 doctoral level students.  These representatives will give input to library services and collection.  It’s a good 1^st year committee and meets about once per month.

— Nominations: Ky (Masters); Jason Nathan Huffkin-Harvey (Masters); Ricardo Franco (Doctoral); Julian Cook (Masters); Kaci Norman (Masters); Yuhyen Chung (Masters); Alexis Felder (Doctoral)

There are six open positions on STHSA: Public Relations Officer, MDiv Representative, Non-MDiv Representative, 1^st Year Representative, International Representative, Doctoral Representative.

The Public Relations Officer is a new position this year and will be an executive board position alongside the president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary.  Duties include attending weekly meetings and promoting STHSA and student organizations’ events to the STH community through various medium (email, Facebook, word of mouth, fliers, etc.).  Open to any degree program.

The five representative positions are also expected to attend all STHSA meetings and be the voice of their respective STH groups.  The MDiv and Non-MDiv Representatives may be any year of their respective degree programs.  The 1^st Year Representative may be any STH master’s-level first year student.  The International Representative may be any international student from any STH degree program.  The Doctoral Representative may be from any STH doctoral program and any year.

Nominations will be taken through Sept. 20 and elections occur September 23-25, closing at 5pm.  Email nominations to sthsa@bu.edu or kredford@bu.edu.

Miscellaneous

Once the basement construction is done, STHSA meetings will be in the basement

Organization fair is on September 26 in the BU Beach from 12-2pm.  We want all organizations represented at next week’s on September 19 meeting to discuss logistics of this event.

Spread the word about the hoodie design competition!  Get design submissions to Kristen (kredford@bu.edu) by September 25 in digital or hard copy form.  Voting for this will occur at the same time as the voting for nominated representatives and officers.

An MTS club is in the works.  Contact Kate Soules, Nathan Hoefgen-Harvey, or Jason Blakeburn for more information.

An interfaith group is in the works as well.  Stay tuned for details about it.

Sam Lyons voiced an interest in Daytrippers becoming an interest group, particularly to have cost associated with travel offset.