It gives me great pleasure to announce the passage of two new pieces of legislation upon which I served as a primary sponsor. The first deals with the perpetually contentious issue of transparency in the allocation of YOUR Student Activity and Club Sports Fee. Last year I worked to ensure that allocations would be posted online for general consumption and now I am proud to announce that we have opened up the allocation process even further. From this point forth SFAB is required to record the vote of each member on every allocation request. Then, the number of SFAB members voting for and against each allocation will be posted online along with the information about the request on sfab.cua.edu. Furthermore Student Organization Executives (in most cases a President) now have the authority to request a list of those members who voted in favor, against, and abstained from voting on the allocations for which their organization is a direct sponsor or cosponsor.
This new process will better allow organization leaders to improve their skills in requesting funding from SFAB as well as facilitate a conversation between Organizations and the SFAB membership that funds them. It is also my distinct hope that this will encourage students to take an even greater interest in the Student Representation process here at CUA and help ensure fiscal responsibility on SFAB, as well as protecting the interests of our Student Orgs.
The second piece of legislation was an overhaul of the Student Association bylaws reflecting name changes in liaison offices, authorizing the inclusion of SFAB's by-laws, and correcting minor inconveniences.
If you have questions regarding either bill or the operation of the General Assembly please contact me at 60winn@cardinalmail.cua.edu
Friday, October 9, 2009
Show Me the Money- SFAB Allocations as of 10/6/09
So the question I field most frequently from students and student organizations is where does my money go? I encourage everyone to stay up to date on the activities of SFAB on sfab.cua.edu (under the allocations tab).
To date $183,660.56 has been allocated to Student Organizations. For a complete breakdown of these funds, as well as explanations why money was, or was not allocated please visit: https://cua-sfab.campusgroups.com/web_page.aspx?order=5&id=5165
Please keep in mind that each semester SFAB only has about $202,000 to allocate for student programs and activites. As we move closer to the final amount for this semester I will be keeping an extremely close watch on any spending that is out of the ordinary or inapropriate. Should any discrepancies be located I will bring a motion in the General Assembly to suspend this funding immediately.
To date $183,660.56 has been allocated to Student Organizations. For a complete breakdown of these funds, as well as explanations why money was, or was not allocated please visit: https://cua-sfab.campusgroups.com/web_page.aspx?order=5&id=5165
Please keep in mind that each semester SFAB only has about $202,000 to allocate for student programs and activites. As we move closer to the final amount for this semester I will be keeping an extremely close watch on any spending that is out of the ordinary or inapropriate. Should any discrepancies be located I will bring a motion in the General Assembly to suspend this funding immediately.
Friday, September 25, 2009
SFAB Allocation Update 9/25/09
At the end of last year quite a bit of attention was focused on where money was allocated by SFAB over the course of the year to our Student Organizations. In an attempt to increase both student involvement and fiscal responsibility the General Assembly mandated that all SFAB allocations be posted online for the student population to see. Furthermore this resource will ensure that SAGA can vote down any unsound allocations, within the constitutionally mandated one week period of course.
These allocations can be reviewed until September 18th so feel free to contact me or any member of the General Assembly with concerns.
To date $178,370.56 has been allocated to Student Organizations. For a complete breakdown of these funds, as well as explanations why money was, or was not allocated please visit: https://cua-sfab.campusgroups.com/web_page.aspx?order=5&id=5165
I will post an update after each allocation period to keep the student population updated as to the state of the Student Activity and Club Sports Fee for the 2009-2010 school year.
These allocations can be reviewed until September 18th so feel free to contact me or any member of the General Assembly with concerns.
To date $178,370.56 has been allocated to Student Organizations. For a complete breakdown of these funds, as well as explanations why money was, or was not allocated please visit: https://cua-sfab.campusgroups.com/web_page.aspx?order=5&id=5165
I will post an update after each allocation period to keep the student population updated as to the state of the Student Activity and Club Sports Fee for the 2009-2010 school year.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
SFAB Allocations Update 9/14/2009
At the end of last year quite a bit of attention was focused on where money was allocated by SFAB over the course of the year to our Student Organizations. In an attempt to increase both student involvement and fiscal responsibility the General Assembly mandated that all SFAB allocations be posted online for the student population to see. Furthermore this resource will ensure that SAGA can vote down any unsound allocations, within the constitutionally mandated one week period of course.
These allocations can be reviewed until September 18th so feel free to contact me or any member of the General Assembly with concerns.
To date $148,319.70 has been allocated to Student Organizations. For a complete breakdown of these funds, as well as explanations why money was, or was not allocated please visit: https://cua-sfab.campusgroups.com/web_page.aspx?order=5&id=5165
I will post an update after each allocation period to keep the student population updated as to the state of the Student Activity and Club Sports Fee for the 2009-2010 school year.
These allocations can be reviewed until September 18th so feel free to contact me or any member of the General Assembly with concerns.
To date $148,319.70 has been allocated to Student Organizations. For a complete breakdown of these funds, as well as explanations why money was, or was not allocated please visit: https://cua-sfab.campusgroups.com/web_page.aspx?order=5&id=5165
I will post an update after each allocation period to keep the student population updated as to the state of the Student Activity and Club Sports Fee for the 2009-2010 school year.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
SFAB Allocations Update 9/5/2009
At the end of last year quite a bit of attention was focused on where money was allocated by SFAB over the course of the year to our Student Organizations. In an attempt to increase both student involvement and fiscal responsibility the General Assembly mandated that all SFAB allocations be posted online for the student population to see. Furthermore this resource will ensure that SAGA can vote down any unsound allocations, within the constitutionally mandated one week period of course.
These allocations can be reviewed until September 10th so feel free to contact me or any member of the General Assembly with concerns.
To date $105,202.29 has been allocated to Student Organizations. For a complete breakdown of these funds, as well as explanations why money was, or was not allocated please visit: https://cua-sfab.campusgroups.com/web_page.aspx?order=5&id=5165
I will post an update after each allocation period to keep the student population updated as to the state of the Student Activity and Club Sports Fee for the 2009-2010 school year.
These allocations can be reviewed until September 10th so feel free to contact me or any member of the General Assembly with concerns.
To date $105,202.29 has been allocated to Student Organizations. For a complete breakdown of these funds, as well as explanations why money was, or was not allocated please visit: https://cua-sfab.campusgroups.com/web_page.aspx?order=5&id=5165
I will post an update after each allocation period to keep the student population updated as to the state of the Student Activity and Club Sports Fee for the 2009-2010 school year.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Freshman Elections
Tonight I voted in favor of confirming SAGA Speaker Christopher Pierno's appointments for elections co-chairs Anne Roth and Daniel Essig both from the Class of 2012. Over the past year both Anne and Dan have shown a dedication to serving the Student Body of The Catholic University of America and I am truly excited to work with them to coordinate elections for the class of 2013. I am further in support of their choices for the 2009 Board of Elections Anna Galati of SFAB, Haley Jackson of Program Board, and Senior Molly France of SAGA. Those first year students interested in pursuing one of the seven open seats on the General Assembly, the open SFAB seat, or the Program Board Class Committee Chair should attend the information session scheduled for Wednesday September 9th. You will be able to pick up a candidacy packet and receive more information about student representation at CUA.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Washington Post Article on Off-Campus Housing
Rules Trail Raucous Students Off-Campus
Colleges, Neighbors Seek a New Peace
By Jenna Johnson and Martin Ricard
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, August 17, 2009
Each August, moving vans and pickups roll into the neighborhoods surrounding college campuses, carrying futons, boxes and mini-fridges. As move-in season kicks off, homeowners try to determine how their quiet streets will be transformed by hordes of students.
"Even if you see them hauling in a keg the first weekend, maybe that will be their one party of the year," said Jennifer Altemus, president of the Citizens Association of Georgetown. "Still, I wouldn't think that's a great sign."
For most college students looking to live in or near the District, the cheapest option is to rent a house with a large group of friends, packing in as many people as possible. Living off campus also frees students from the adult supervision of the dorms, but they quickly learn that their new neighbors have rules, too -- and enforcement tactics that have been honed on decades of young neighbors.
This year, residents living near Georgetown University plan to hang signs on the doors of student renters, informing them of the rules about garbage collection and noise. On Tuesday, the College Park City Council narrowly voted to continue rent control on single-family houses to help University of Maryland students and others find cheap housing and discourage landlords from buying more houses. And residents of the Brookland neighborhood near Catholic University have pressured police to adopt a zero-tolerance policy for disorderly conduct.
At a community meeting last month, 5th Police District Cmdr. Lamar Greene said officers will measure noise levels when called to student homes and make arrests for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct if necessary. Brookland residents have identified houses rented by Catholic University students, checked landlord licenses and reported those not in compliance.
"My community is absolutely at wits' end about this," Carolyn Steptoe, an Advisory Neighborhood Commission member.
Craig Parker, associate vice president for community and government relations for CUA, said that the university makes clear its expectations for students living off-campus. University policy includes sanctions for students involved in disruptive behavior in off-campus housing and urges neighbors to call the police when there are problems.
Although neighbors often have a point, sometimes they're simply "nitpicking on small issues," said CUA student Ryan Winn, chairman of the student government's student life committee.
"Students are residents," said Winn, 20, a junior political science and pre-law student. "They have rights, too."
Stuck in the middle are university officials who want to stick up for the rights of their students but also keep peace with the neighbors who can have immense influence on zoning requests and construction plans, said David Clurman, president of the Mid-Atlantic Association of College and University Housing Officers.
"Sometimes it's just people being hyper-sensitive, and sometimes it's the students being out of control. You just have to find a balance," said Clurman, assistant director of residential education at University of Maryland Baltimore County.
A public hearing in College Park about rent control last month at times turned into a debate about where U-Md. students should live. Some students questioned why rent control applies only to single-family houses and not apartment complexes, dorms and other on-campus housing, which can cost hundreds of dollars more each month.
"The only reason I can afford to live in College Park is because I'm able to rent a single-family house with a group of people," said Bob Hayes, a junior mechanical engineering major.
More than a dozen landlords spoke, angrily accusing the city of being "anti-student" by trying to run college group houses out of business.
"This is a college town," said Ken Blumenstock, a landlord who lives in Bethesda. "It is normal for students to live in the neighborhoods."
Adele Ellis, who lives near campus with her husband, a U-Md. professor, said rent control helps prevent landlords from getting rich while students live in substandard or unsafe housing.
"We are not anti-student. It is not a matter of throwing students out of the neighborhood," she said at the hearing. "It is a matter of addressing the problems that arise when a number of students in an area becomes overwhelming. It is the difference between a mixed neighborhood and a student slum that is the concern."
In 2004, a GU business student was killed in a rowhouse fire caused by faulty electrical wiring.
"Housing is at such a premium that students" often put up with unsafe living conditions, said Altemus, of the neighborhood association. "And they are paying $6,000 or $7,000 a month for these places."
In addition to student safety, universities have other incentives to keep neighborhood residents happy.
In 2001, the D.C. zoning board refused to allow George Washington University to increase enrollment or launch any new construction projects until at least 70 percent of students lived on-campus. At the time, only about half of the school's undergraduates lived on-campus. Today, 73 percent do.
That same year, the zoning board also refused to approve Georgetown's 10-year construction plan or allow the school to accept more students until school officials gained control of off-campus students.
The school started a 24-hour hotline that neighbors can call to report problems, created its own security team to patrol neighborhoods and punished students who broke laws or violated the student code of conduct while living off campus.
Both GWU and GU have also formed committees of university officials, students and neighbors to discuss town-gown issues and added lessons on being a good neighbor to their orientation programs. GWU provides students moving off campus with a handbook that spells out their rights as tenants, offers suggestions on finding a place and includes a section titled, "Don't let your right to party overshadow your responsibility to your neighbors."
This fall, GU is opening its own row of townhouses on 36th Street NW, called Magis Row. Each house will have four students, a faculty or staff adviser and a theme, such as living green or redefining the hip-hop movement. The houses are meant to be "the best of both worlds" for students who want to live in a house but still have ties to campus, said Jeanne Lord, associate vice president for student affairs.
Students must have high grades and clean records to live in the "coveted houses," so Lord expects that they will be tame, role-model neighbors -- just what the university needs as it prepares to again submit a 10-year plan to the zoning board in 2011.
Colleges, Neighbors Seek a New Peace
By Jenna Johnson and Martin Ricard
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, August 17, 2009
Each August, moving vans and pickups roll into the neighborhoods surrounding college campuses, carrying futons, boxes and mini-fridges. As move-in season kicks off, homeowners try to determine how their quiet streets will be transformed by hordes of students.
"Even if you see them hauling in a keg the first weekend, maybe that will be their one party of the year," said Jennifer Altemus, president of the Citizens Association of Georgetown. "Still, I wouldn't think that's a great sign."
For most college students looking to live in or near the District, the cheapest option is to rent a house with a large group of friends, packing in as many people as possible. Living off campus also frees students from the adult supervision of the dorms, but they quickly learn that their new neighbors have rules, too -- and enforcement tactics that have been honed on decades of young neighbors.
This year, residents living near Georgetown University plan to hang signs on the doors of student renters, informing them of the rules about garbage collection and noise. On Tuesday, the College Park City Council narrowly voted to continue rent control on single-family houses to help University of Maryland students and others find cheap housing and discourage landlords from buying more houses. And residents of the Brookland neighborhood near Catholic University have pressured police to adopt a zero-tolerance policy for disorderly conduct.
At a community meeting last month, 5th Police District Cmdr. Lamar Greene said officers will measure noise levels when called to student homes and make arrests for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct if necessary. Brookland residents have identified houses rented by Catholic University students, checked landlord licenses and reported those not in compliance.
"My community is absolutely at wits' end about this," Carolyn Steptoe, an Advisory Neighborhood Commission member.
Craig Parker, associate vice president for community and government relations for CUA, said that the university makes clear its expectations for students living off-campus. University policy includes sanctions for students involved in disruptive behavior in off-campus housing and urges neighbors to call the police when there are problems.
Although neighbors often have a point, sometimes they're simply "nitpicking on small issues," said CUA student Ryan Winn, chairman of the student government's student life committee.
"Students are residents," said Winn, 20, a junior political science and pre-law student. "They have rights, too."
Stuck in the middle are university officials who want to stick up for the rights of their students but also keep peace with the neighbors who can have immense influence on zoning requests and construction plans, said David Clurman, president of the Mid-Atlantic Association of College and University Housing Officers.
"Sometimes it's just people being hyper-sensitive, and sometimes it's the students being out of control. You just have to find a balance," said Clurman, assistant director of residential education at University of Maryland Baltimore County.
A public hearing in College Park about rent control last month at times turned into a debate about where U-Md. students should live. Some students questioned why rent control applies only to single-family houses and not apartment complexes, dorms and other on-campus housing, which can cost hundreds of dollars more each month.
"The only reason I can afford to live in College Park is because I'm able to rent a single-family house with a group of people," said Bob Hayes, a junior mechanical engineering major.
More than a dozen landlords spoke, angrily accusing the city of being "anti-student" by trying to run college group houses out of business.
"This is a college town," said Ken Blumenstock, a landlord who lives in Bethesda. "It is normal for students to live in the neighborhoods."
Adele Ellis, who lives near campus with her husband, a U-Md. professor, said rent control helps prevent landlords from getting rich while students live in substandard or unsafe housing.
"We are not anti-student. It is not a matter of throwing students out of the neighborhood," she said at the hearing. "It is a matter of addressing the problems that arise when a number of students in an area becomes overwhelming. It is the difference between a mixed neighborhood and a student slum that is the concern."
In 2004, a GU business student was killed in a rowhouse fire caused by faulty electrical wiring.
"Housing is at such a premium that students" often put up with unsafe living conditions, said Altemus, of the neighborhood association. "And they are paying $6,000 or $7,000 a month for these places."
In addition to student safety, universities have other incentives to keep neighborhood residents happy.
In 2001, the D.C. zoning board refused to allow George Washington University to increase enrollment or launch any new construction projects until at least 70 percent of students lived on-campus. At the time, only about half of the school's undergraduates lived on-campus. Today, 73 percent do.
That same year, the zoning board also refused to approve Georgetown's 10-year construction plan or allow the school to accept more students until school officials gained control of off-campus students.
The school started a 24-hour hotline that neighbors can call to report problems, created its own security team to patrol neighborhoods and punished students who broke laws or violated the student code of conduct while living off campus.
Both GWU and GU have also formed committees of university officials, students and neighbors to discuss town-gown issues and added lessons on being a good neighbor to their orientation programs. GWU provides students moving off campus with a handbook that spells out their rights as tenants, offers suggestions on finding a place and includes a section titled, "Don't let your right to party overshadow your responsibility to your neighbors."
This fall, GU is opening its own row of townhouses on 36th Street NW, called Magis Row. Each house will have four students, a faculty or staff adviser and a theme, such as living green or redefining the hip-hop movement. The houses are meant to be "the best of both worlds" for students who want to live in a house but still have ties to campus, said Jeanne Lord, associate vice president for student affairs.
Students must have high grades and clean records to live in the "coveted houses," so Lord expects that they will be tame, role-model neighbors -- just what the university needs as it prepares to again submit a 10-year plan to the zoning board in 2011.
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