The Half Way Point

The Fall 2010 semester is in its final week here at UWM, and with that comes the halfway point for the Romero-Boeck administration, of which I am a member. If I were to issue us a final grade for the semester, I think I'd give a solid B+. We've been working hard for months battling administration over issues like parking, and that effort has taken its toll on our ability to focus energy on things like Senate recruitment, and increased visibility.

Next semester we're going start implementing some programs to raise awareness of the Student Association as a place for suggestions, as well as a problem solving unit. I'll need to devote a large amount of time to laying out plans for these programs. I look forward to it, and hopefully we'll see a semester that can be used for more student activities, etc, instead of having to grapple with administration. Things would be a whole lot easier for both the SA official, and the campus administrator if we were to not be blatantly lied to every time administration sees fit. Turns out renewing the Lake Front parking lot was never formally off the agenda, so during the senate meeting Dec. 5th we tabled the U-Park budget. A few days later some mass email goes out explaining how County Parks Director Sue Black turned down the SA's offer to continue the lease. That pretty much finalized it, CSM will replace the Lakefront, at $4 per student per day. We fought, but in the end administration found a way to force its will on the student body once again.

My editorial on the lack of music practice rooms goes out this week, and I hope people still read the Post during exam week. Hopefully the piece will do a bit more to raise visibility for this problem. I plan to work with Peck's black and gold committee during next semester, and we can find a solution together.

I love writing, but lately keeping up this blog has felt more like a chore than a hobby. The problem is that so much goes on, and it takes so long to properly explain, that sometimes the task itself seems too daunting, and I dread even beginning. I'm caught as to whether this is mainly an opinions blog, or if I should take up the task of properly explaining events, since no one else really does that. I could assume that the only people who read this are StuGov nerds anyway, but you know what they say about assumptions..

Also, I look back to some of my older posts, and I realize how much more "opinionated" I was. It's not that I don't feel the same way now, but it's hard to write like that while also trying to be a news source for SA. I have to remind myself that this blog isn't here to educate the masses on SA procedure. Over the holiday I shall we very busy, working on future projects, and hopefully reading, writing, and having a bit of fun. Next semester will be really big over here, I can promise that, so stay aboard comrades.

-Red Menace, out

"Bury my Heart at SFC"

I’m back. I took the longest break from blogging in quite a while. It’s been about three weeks since the last update, and much as happened since. I’ve been meaning to write something earlier, and I got about half-way through a post before getting sidetracked. Since my feelings back then aren’t the same as now, I decided not to even bother finishing that one. I have a process when I write, and everything has to turn out just right. Because of that, I sometimes don’t update at all because I can’t find the proper time to complete the task. Nevertheless, on this cold and billowy last night of November, I shall update at last.

Part of my previous hesitation in updating had to do with the just completed Senate Finance Committee process. I went through a whirlwind of emotions during the last few weeks, and thought it wasn’t proper to speak on things until it was sorted out. I don’t know just how many of my readers (if there are any) are up to date on the very hard to find budget numbers for segregated fee funded enterprises. Basically, a portion of the money students pay for tuition is designated as “segregated fee money” and is appropriated by the Student Association to pay for costs deemed under “Student Life and Interest.” Thus far, there are several centers and programs that are funded with seg fees, including the entire UWM Athletics Program, the Student Association (including my salary) the UWM Children’s Center, the LGBT and Women’s Resource Centers, the B.O.S.S program, the University Legal Clinic, the Student Activities Office, the U-Park program, and a few others. In total, students paid/will pay $216 each semester during the 2010-2011 school year towards these areas. The Senate appoints members to a committee which decides the total funding of these areas, which is then passed by the Senate, and signed into law by the President. The proposed seg fee changes then take place next year.

After about eleven hours of committee meetings, and much debate from the entire committee, SFC reached an accord, and will present its decision to the Senate for approval on Sunday. The major things that I successfully fought for were a cut to Athletic’s “black hole” budget (currently $79.75 per student per semester) and full funding for the Office of Student Life Plan, which rearranged the Student Activities Office, combined the centers under one funding block, and created the “Inclusive Excellence Center” which will replace LINKS, and focus on minority representation and retention around campus.

SFC voted to allocate $77.25 for Athletics, $34.90 for OSL, and $15 for SAC. The Children’s Center and Legal Clinic saw no change. $6.70 was allocated to the “Campus Activities Board” which will work to bring in big speakers, and events on campus.

The biggest thing I fought for, and lost, was the amount allocated to the U-Park Program. For those of you who don’t know, Milwaukee County is removing UWM’s park and ride program at the lake. Those students who used to park there will be forced to either take the bus, compete for 600-700 spaces at the Capitol and Humboldt Park and Ride, or park in UWM’s new on-campus lot at the Columbia St. Mary’s area. Although students will still pay $12 per semester to UWM’s U-Park program, those parking at the CSM lot will be forced to pay $4 a day.

I tried, I fought and I lost. For weeks the Student Association had been urging U-Park to consider making the CSM lot free to use for students, and augmenting the loss in revenue and the cost of upkeep by increasing the seg fee by a few dollars. U-Park denied our pleas. They claimed “free” student parking on campus would inundate nearby neighborhoods with student parkers unable to find a spot in the lot, and that the loss in revenue from a decrease in parking tickets would cause other services offered by U-Park to decline. One member of the P.E.C committee charged with passing U-Park’s budget claimed he “could just not support free student parking.” So as per usual when the University makes a costly mistake buying property they cannot afford, the students foot the bill. I suspect that after failing to generate their expected income, U-Park will come to SFC next year asking for an increase in seg fees to support the lot. In the mean time, student parkers will have to begin paying $4 a day to park on campus, beginning this fall. Budget concerns or not, this move goes against the student interest, and U-Park should admit its failure. Instead they act as if students should thank them for this lot. I can only hope next year’s committee can find a way to sort out the problem, and remind U-Park who pays its wages.

This is starting to drag on a bit, so I’ll sign off for now. I’ll update soon with an upcoming SLIC event, as well as the goings on of the next Senate meeting.

Senate Finance, Food Permits, and SAO Drama

Last night’s meeting kicked off the Senate Finance Committee, and after only about an hour, I was left wanting for more. There’s something magical about SA after dark. Maybe it’s the empty union, or the intensity of seeing your peers on campus when you should be home relaxing, but something about nightly meetings really spices things up.

Although I’ve been waiting to begin the SFC process for months, things could have went horribly wrong tonight, as I was stuck at KFC (no that’s not another abbreviation for a committee, it actually is Kentucky Fried Chicken) for about 45 minutes. I thought my roommates and I would have ample time to pick up a doubledown sandwich or two before I had to be on campus, but thanks to a large order, and the slowest service imaginable, I came dangerously close to missing the meeting, and being ejected straight off the committee for good! Thankfully, I made it there just in time, and next time, I’ll make sure to allow more than an hour if I want to get takeaway before a big meeting.

Probably the most interesting point during the meeting was the ineligibility of every resource center, due to the plan to include these together in the Student Life Organizations block. Even though we ruled the Women’s Center, the LGBT Center, etc, ineligible for funding, only because we are going to fund them under a different module, it felt odd equating these important resources with ineligibility. I capped off a day filled with Student Activities Office tension, by being the second to a motion finding the Student Activities Office ineligible for funding, due to it being a duplicate service to the “Office of Student Life,” the new center to be put in place by SFC funding.

As for the tension before last night, yesterday morning I authored a new plan to reorganize food sale permits under the Union Reservation and Event Planning Services Office, instead of the Student Activities Office. This plan also includes an end to the previous “six food permits per zone per semester” policy, and replaces it with an unlimited number of food permits that can be issued, outside of six on campus buildings, instead of the previous zone system. The plan also increases the maximum number of food permits per Student Organization to five per semester, which I’m confident RSO’s will appreciate. Obviously, SAO did not seem pleased. I am awaiting an email from Eric Jessup-Anger and the SAO office, on when a meeting will take place to talk about the proposed changes. The plan already received the support of the Dining Services Committee, and I’m confident it will pass in the Senate. Regardless of SAO’s reservations, these changes will pass, and the students will have victory.

I received some good news yesterday, I am to be the subject of the UWM Post’s second “Know Your Government” senator profile, to be printed in next week’s issue. I’m excited to field some questions from the Post’s SA reporter, and I’m humbled by the honor of being featured in our campus newspaper.

The next SFC meeting is next weekend, and the committee will hear direct presentations from those institutions seeking segregated fee funds, including Athletics, which I’m looking forward to hearing from. I plan on working on legislation to be discussed at the next senate meeting also, including a proposed limit on the number of presentations per senate meeting, and a new procedure for filing complaints to the Union Policy Board.

-Red Menace out.

Late Report on the Eau Clair Trip

Better late than never, and know that I have the time, I suppose I'll fill everyone in on the UC trip to Eau Clair, as well as the non-eventful senate meeting.

The Trip to Eau Clair lasted from Friday to Sunday, and after experiencing the city, I can safely say I never want to set foot in Eau Clair for the rest of my life. Friday night was spent wandering around what passes for "downtown" and although Senators Johnson, Banks, and I had some fun, the overarching theme here is how terribly boring that city is.

As far as actual events at the UC trip, the most interesting was the REPS/UC merger. The presidents and vice presidents of all the UW schools, which make up REPS, decided to join with UC, making one united front. REPS will act as sort of an oversight on UC's actions, as well as set the budget UC operates off of. This change makes the current UC board of directors quick almost irrelevant, as they will cease to exist once the merger goes through. Now that Milwaukee is part of UC, the general consensus it that while there is a board of directors, we deserve representation on it. With that idea in mind, I ran for a seat during a meeting in which UC board vice-chair Dan Posca resigned, due to pressure from the organization about his racist/sexist comments, and general conduct.

The election would have went well, as the only schools in the meeting were Madison and Milwaukee, although since we're not technically current members of UC, we were allowed to put candidates forward, but not to vote for them. Safe to say, I lost that election. Nonetheless, I put up a good fight, and Milwaukee will have a seat on the board by January for sure.

The conference gave me the ability to get to know Max Love, the secretary of UC's board, as well as Sana Khan, also a board member. It was nice to see other progressive and passionate student representatives.

Once I get my hands on the legislation REPS passed, I'll fill the blog in on the new voting policies, and other substantial changes. Senate meetings have been pretty quiet, but with SFC coming up, it won't be long before the tidal wave hits the shore.

-Red Menace out.

Student Victories Press Release

The following is an official SA press release, which I'm posting here to assist my readers.


University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee sees many Student Victories

MIWAUKEE, WI; October 18th, 2010: The students of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee have won many recent victories over mismanagement, poor planning, and policies deemed unfriendly to students. The Student Association is proud to proclaim its new initiatives, dedicated to advancing student empowerment, and opening the door to further progress and development for every student.
On September 26th, the Student Association Senate unanimously passed legislation advocating changes in library policy. The “Equal Borrowing Privileges Act,” called for the immediate equalization of circulation privileges amongst UWM students, specifically calling for undergraduates to be allowed to loan periodicals, magazines, and journals. In response to the legislation, the University’s Library Policy Committee will meet next month, and several members of the committee are expecting it to pass without complications. If it does, it can be implemented as soon as next semester.
After an initial delay, the Student Association Senate, during a meeting on October 10th, passed the “Campus Life Commitment Act,” which grants an extension to the Student Activity Office’s controversial new student org renewal process. With knowledge that student organizations are the lifeblood of our campus, the Student Association will continue to seek ways to best address and alleviate the concerns of the student body. The Senate also passed a resolution supporting advocacy for more state funding to the University, and the UW system.
During its Vote Work initiative, which ended last Wednesday, the Student Association, along with members of the United Council of UW Students registered a total of 909 new voters on campus. “I’m pleased at the number of voters we registered. We generated lots of knowledge about the election, as well as the issues that are important to us as students.” said Angela Lang, Vice President of the Student Association. “We look forward to November, and expect to see many students going to the polls confident and informed about their decision.”
After almost six months, and much confusion, a total of $1300 will be heading to the Haiti Relief fund within days. The Senate Oversight and Rules Committee will deliver a report during the next Senate meeting, outlying a new procedure for collecting donations, and handling money. With careful planning, the Student Association will ensure similar confusion does not occur again.
Within weeks, the Senate Finance Committee will begin meeting to assess funding procedures for next year. The committee is dedicated to ensuring that every student funded enterprise is both financially responsible, as well as financially viable.
On Tuesday, October 19th, Student Association President Travis Romero-Boeck will be holding a “fireside chat” in the Union Fireside Lounge at 4:00 pm. This will be an open forum for students to ask questions and give input on campus issues, including the beginning of the Search and Screen Committee to pick a new Chancellor, of which Romero-Boeck is a member.
The UWM Student Association is the student’s voice that seeks out new and innovative ways to prompt positive change on campus and in the community. The Student Association creates a trustworthy and transparent relationship with all of the student body. For more information on the Student Association please visit www.sa.uwm.edu or contact Alex Kostal at 414.229.4366.
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United Council Decision, Press Release Drama

With 699 votes, and 68% of the total, UWM students decided to once again become part of the United Council of UW Students. In a surprisingly quick transformation of opinion from last year, the referendum was held without any sign of a “Vote NO” campaign. Be it an organizational restructuring improvement, or the free legal aide UC offers to its member campuses, most everyone involved in student politics voiced enthusiasm for once again becoming a member.

I’m satisfied with the result, and seeing how the fee charged to each student for UC membership is so small, and refundable at that, I’m not really surprised the outcome happened the way it did. I look forward to a warm partnership in the future, a partnership I’ll experience this weekend when damn near the entire Student Association heads up to Eau Clair to attend a UC convention.

Keeping the positive train rolling, I have issued a press release, detailing the recent student victories of the last month or so. I will post it here, so that readers may take note. As Public Relations Director, I’m gearing up to start polling students weekly on the state of the Student Association, as well as the campus, and the community. I’m looking forward to getting some feedback to what we as student representatives can do better. As Mao Zedong said, “we must always strive to serve the people,” and I plan on serving the students of UW-Milwaukee for a long, long time.

Whilst spreading my press releases today, I noticed that someone had plastered several double sided sheets of paper over them on the third floor org wing of the Union. A stunt like this brings Senator Campbell to mind, since she has been the only legitimate voice of outcry on the press releases going public. Why a member of the Student Association (of which every student is a member) would object to the posting of a SA press release on student victories on common space baffles me. Along with that, it is also a violation of the new UPB bylaws on posting privileges. Nonetheless, I will continue to post my release, without regard to the laws of man or beast. (which I’m actually not violating in any way.)

I’ll most likely update later on this week or Monday, on the happenings at the UC conference, and of course the Senate meeting this Sunday.

-Red Menace, out

Finding time to blog amidst Midterms

Sitting down in my favorite blogging chair, I’m glad to give myself a bit of a break from the constant rush of a week I’ve been having. With all able-bodied men, women, and children of the SA having being mobilized for the United Council Vote Initiative which ended today, I was honestly too busy to even give a report on Sunday’s senate meeting. Rather than attempt to do so now, I’ll just suffice to say it was a bit of an expected, if not uneventful meeting. With the happy exception of a few new senators being appointed, and the first outing for the newly elected Freshmen, it was quite uneventful. All of the old business, including the “Campus Life Act” and my “Senate Accountability Act” was passed, so look out wayward senators, and prepare for a quick and unforgiving dose of myself and Senator Ludwig’s blend of fast acting and hard hitting accountability. (BAM)

Unfortunately, and despite our best efforts, the SA failed to reach our goal of 2000 new voters registered on campus. I expect we’ll end up somewhere between 800-900. This is actually quite good for the number of volunteers we were forced to work with, which ended up being somewhere around 5-10. I wish the Senate would have done a bit more, and I’ll take the next chance to remind them to become a bit more active, during the next meeting.

A student-wide email went out today, naming 25 members of the Chancellor Search and Screen Committee. The two student representatives are the SA President and Vice President. I don’t know what screwed up math equation the board of regents was using to proportion the number of seats for the committee, but how did a campus of 30,000 students end up with only 2 student representatives on the committee? Bullshit.

I believe it would be a good decision for the two student representatives to call an informal committee to meet with interested students about the type of questions they want asked during the sessions. I believe as student representatives, they have a duty to listen to the concerns of the student body. I’ll bring this up to them ASAP. (no pun intended)

Also, the Union is donating $1,300 to the SA, which in turn will donate the full amount to the Haiti Relief Fund. It’s pretty generous of the Union to do this, although it’s a shame the original money was never found. And Katie, the Union donating money doesn’t prove your innocence, nor does it prove Michaels stole the money, if he did, why the hell wouldn’t Scott Gore fire him? Christ. This donation only shows that the Union is willing to move on from this embarrassing debacle, and keep the original goal in view, which was of course, donating money to Haiti.

I’ll try to be a bit more timely in updating, Menace fans (and Kyle) but being a full time student has its costs. I look forward to starting my new Public Relations Initiatives next week, which I’ll fill everyone in about later on.

Onwards and Upwards,

-Red Menace, out