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HomeMy WebLinkAboutA001 - Staff Report, Student Affairs Commission, October 25, 2005 q t STAFF REPORT STUDENT AFFAIRS COMMISSION October 25, 2005 After hearing a presentation on the proposed Student Affairs Commission from Government of the Student Body officers on September 27, the City Council asked that a round-table discussion be arranged where issues related to this Commission could be explored more fully. GSB President Angela Groh, GSB Vice-President Chris Deal, and ex officio City Council member Tony Borich will participate in this round-table discussion with you on October 25. Tony has taken the initiative to build upon the earlier presentation at your September meeting and to suggest changes in response to issues raised at that meeting. Tony's work provided a great deal of useful information to help staff prepare this report. Presented below are some of issues that should be explored in more depth as the City Council considers the creation of a Student Affairs Commission. The language provided below is only meant to stimulate dialogue and not meant to be a final recommendation. PURPOSE The GSB's suggested purposes for this Commission are as follows: • Enable community members to provide input on city government policy issues that primarily or uniquely affect students in an ordered, knowledgeable, efficient and competent fashion; • Provide a natural and public forum for city leaders to facilitate communication between students and city government; • Promote productive dialog, negotiation and social capital building between students and community constituencies that are interested in student affairs. CHARGE 1) Subject to Council request, express an official position on issues/policies under consideration by the Council that primarily or uniquely affect students. 2) Express a solicited or unsolicited advisory statement to the Council on city issues/policies that primarily or uniquely affect students. REPRESENTATION (1 year term, except when designated): The GSB has recommended the following composition. Each position would hold a one-year term, except for the three non-student positions, which would hold two-year terms. Voting Members • City Council Student Ex-Officio Member • GSB President • GSB Speaker of the Senate • IRHA (Residence Hall) President • CSA (Campustown) President • OCG (Off-campus) President • Greek Community Leader • Off-Campus Student Resident • University Impacted Area Resident (non-student) • Chamber of Commerce Representative (non-student) • Rental Property Owners Representative (non-student) Non-Voting Liaisons: • University President's Designee(s) • City Manager's Designee(s) Additional possibilities: • High school student • Campustown business representative (non-student) • Citizen at Large At the beginning of each term, the Commission could elect a chair, responsible for moderating meetings and facilitating the business of the commission. Additionally, the Chair could act as the official representative of the Commission. The elected chair could include any member of the Commission. As an alternative, the ex-officio City Council member could act as the official representative of the Commission, or even chair the meetings. Related issues: • Does the suggested membership represent all sides of student-related issues? • Do one-year terms provide enough continuity for issues that will come before the Commission? • Will all of the members fully participate in the Commission's work, inasmuch as they are already filling heavy workloads in other elected or appointed positions? • Are there any other non-student interests that should be included? MEMBERSHIP SELECTION Appointments would be made by the Mayor, following, when possible, the guidelines set out in the Commission's original charter. Mayoral appointments would be approved by the City Council in the same way that other commission members are confirmed. Related issues: • Would positions be confirmed by Council, since the composition section above refers to specific student elected and appointed positions? STAFFING In carrying out business within its scope, the Commission would be provided support by one member of the City staff designated by the City Manager and one member of the ISU staff designated by the President of ISU. Depending on the issue, other staff members from the University and City would provide background information. MEETING FREQUENCY The Commission could establish regular meetings on a monthly or quarterly basis. Of course, the group can meet more frequently when a issue(s) require it. LOCATION OF MEETINGS Meetings can be held at the University which would be more convenient to the majority of members. Or, to reinforce the that this is an official City body, the meetings could be held in the Council Chambers. The City Hall location will allow for the more convenient taping of the meeting for cable television viewing. SUSTAINABILITY How do we make sure that the enthusiasm that is generated during the creation of this body is carried forward into the future? There will undoubtedly be times of peak workload for this body and times when there is a lull in activity.