STHSA Meeting Minutes October 3, 2013
Attendees:
Desi Sharp, MDiv ‘14
Anne Hillman, ThD 5th year
Jess Chicka, ThD 3rd year
Jason Blakeburn, MTS ‘14
Tim Snyder, PhD
Heiseung Lee, MDiv ‘15
Ashley Anderson, MDiv/MSW ‘14
Ian Boley, MDiv ‘16
Lauren Delano, MDiv ‘16
Lauren Hickey, MDiv ‘15
Kourtni Brown, MDiv ‘15
Laura Owens, MDiv ‘15
Joseph Kyser, MDiv ‘14
Kristen Redford, MDiv ‘15
Carrie Swanson, MDiv ‘16
Seol Yun Jeong, MDiv ‘16
Ky Scott, MDiv ‘16
AGENDA
Administrative meeting today
Election results
Budget poll
Budget requests
Student stipend statement
New business
ELECTION RESULTS
Public Relations Officer: Brian Teed
1st Year Representative: Lauren Delano
Doctoral Representative: Anne Hillman
MDiv Representative: Kourtni Brown
Non-MDiv Representative: Benjamin Mead
International Student Representative: Seol Yun Jeong
BUDGET POLL
Joseph offers a background of STHSA’s budgeting process: We are funded by SAO through our student fees – we get 3 allocations per year (Oct, Mar, June). We don’t know what the amounts actually are for allocations, though since they’re based both on the number of students and the amount of the fee. In the past 3 years, no formal budget breakdown was given to students, nor was any option for how STHSA would spend its income brought to the student body for discussion. Joseph and Haley went through the past two years of transactions and broke them into five categories (Community Lunch, STHSA Events, student travel, student org, savings). Last year, the executive board was more structured with STHSA’s money because STHSA started with a deficit. Last year, students also voted as a body on the priority of how we will spend our money and most of that went to Community Lunch. We’ll vote today for our budget priority distribution again and the poll will give a voice for the broader base in this community.
Poll results:
20% of budget to student organizations (not much spread)
50% to Community Lunch (not much spread)
10% to STHSA Events (not much spread)
10% to student travel (between 5-20% spread)
10% to savings (range of 5-15%)
Discussion:
- Rumor has it that if we have too much left over from year to year SAO will reduce our allocations. Unsure the validity of this.
Student Organization Budgets
Concern was raised about the budget requesting process in part because of the potential for collaboration between groups which makes it unclear in the present moment how much organizations actually will need for particular events. It’s proposed that rather than organizations submitting a line-item budget that may or may not be the maximum a group can request, all student organizations are given the same amount of money and how they spend their money is reviewed at the end of the year.
Ky moves to have budgets reviewed at the end of the year per semester allocation. Tim 2nds. Discussion
- Organizations could apply for a blanket amount and show how they spent their money
- Motion edit: Ky moves to change the budget request process at the beginning of the semester to no longer require line items and that each semester, organizations will be audited by STHSA.
- Jason moves to table this issue for consideration when the body next meets to discuss any changes in by-laws. Ian seconds. Vote: 8-2-6
Ky moves to keep the original amendment wording.
Returning to Budget Poll Priorities
#1 priority: Anne moves that Community Lunch be the first budget priority. Jess seconds. Vote: 16-0-1
#2 priority: Kourtni moves that student organizations be the second budget priority. Ashley seconds. Yeas have it.
#3 priority: Anne moves that student travel be the third budget priority. Ian seconds. Discussion: In the future, there is a desire to have a voice about how much money given to student travel because funds are coming from STHSA. Vote: 12-1-4
#4 priority: Ashley moves that STHSA events be the fourth budget priority. Ky seconds. Yeas have it
#5 priority: Savings becomes the fifth budget priority by default
BUDGET REQUESTS
We voted in blocks of student organizations and interest groups. Student organizations first
Doctoral Student Association requested $800
Weslyan Student Association requested $800
PARTAKERS requested $800
Korean Student Association requested $800
Southern Fried Theologians request $800
MTS Club requested: $125
Raices Latinas requested $800
CAUSE-J requested $800
Association of Black Seminarians requested $800
- Their graduation stoles were not included in their budget line items
Thecology requested $800
Anne moves to approve the student organizations’ budget. Kourtni seconds. Vote: 16-0-0
No student interest group reimbursements yet submitted.
The student stipend resolution item is tabled until next week.
NEW BUSINESS
Hoodie design winner in – will bring up if something needs to change; will try to make it non-sweatshop hoodie.
Will resume budgeting issue next week.