UT SG Minutes 10-12-10

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STUDENT GOVERNMENT

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

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1 University Stations, A6210 Austin, TX 78712-0810

(512) 4713166 Fax: %512) 471-3408 http://www.utsg.org

Student Government Assembly MeetingOctober 12th, 2010

I. Call Meeting to OrderII. First Roll Call

III. Approval of MinutesOctober 5, 2010

IV. Guests

A. Archer CenterKatie RomanoV. Open Forum

A. Feels that safety is in jeopardy if she is not allowed to carry a gun. CHL is a

rigorous process.

B. Michael HurtaUniversity DemocratsAB 14 calls for the election dates, thatwill coincide with the Texas primaries.

C. Jeremy Yager & Yaman DesaiBill White for TexasD. Dana DuncanaStudent in School of Social WorkSpoke in favor of AR 23E. Robert LoveStudent at LBJUTPD & APD came 12 minutes after the shots

are fired. Police cannot be everywhere at once. Speaking against AR 23.

F. Zach FryStudent was an undergraduate at Virginia Tech during the shootings.Feels that students with guns on campus.

G. Jessica LabergeCollege RepublicansTomorrow in Waggner at 8.

H. Cecilia LopezReform Task ForceMeeting on Friday at

I. Alex FerraroSpoke on AR 23Asked representatives to represent theirconstituents concerns, not their own.

VI. Ex-Officio Reports

A. Graduate Student AssemblyManny GonzalezB. Senate of College CouncilsMoving forward CTBACCouncils are proposing

and voting on them. Thursday, legislation voted on faculty sabbaticals.

C. Student Events CenterCameron AllisonVP of Budget and Assessments

SEC will be hosting ACC at 3:00 PM in the Texas Ballroom. Ballet lessons from3:007:00 PM. Wednesday at 10:00 PM. DSC will be hosting Dustin Lance Black,

Screenwriter of MILK. Friday, Orange and White Ball will be having applications

due. Monday, Madrigal will sell tickets for November 18th

20th

.VII. Appointments

A. Graduate Student RepresentativeJohn Bradya. BakerWill he be able to hold both roles.b. Portillo: Move to approve by unanimous consent. No objections.c. John Brady is approved.

VIII. Deputy Advisor Report

A. Melinda Sutton- [email protected]. Executive Reports

A. Scott ParksESB Selection CommitteeMeeting next week. THECB

Applications and Student Regent Applications are both starting.B. Jimmy TalaricoExec reports were sent out.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

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X. Agency Director ReportsA. Resource CenterStaffing will begin next week.

B. Queer Students AllianceC. Out of State Student AffairsD. International Opportunities - Namisha KacchlaGoing through applications.

E. Freshman Leadership OrganizationTaylor RagsdaleLaunched mentor

program last Wednesday.

XI. Representative ReportsA. Council Reports

B. Committee Reports

C. Alex GreenbergSign up for appropriations interview. Finance Committee will

meet on Monday at 8:00 PM.D. John LawlerInternal Affairs met over the

XII. Unfinished BusinessA. AR 20 - In Support of Extending Competitive Benefits to All University

Employees

a. DunnIf this is passed, how much of an impact will it have?b. YagerIt will have a much larger impact, because in the past there

hasnt been a strong follow through. We haveseen already with Scottsmeetings with Powers, will we see a strong impact?

c. PierceMy concern is more about keeping our faculty and staff. I feellike John Chapman are a lot more liberal than normal straight ones. Willthis bring more liberal faculty?

d. WoodsThere are actually a lot prominent Gay Republicans andconservative faculty.

e. StudentHow will this legislation define who qualifies for benefits?f. YagerMichigan, Ohio and other like states. Other public universities,

have found ways for them to work with the same system that we are

looking to create. It states that you have to live with someone for a year.

You cant be a tenet, or a parent. The code will be amended to create anew pier. You can find it under Section I. Under our current Constitution

and what is set out in Texas Insurance Code 1601, there is significantevidence to show we are not living up to the constitution.

g. PortilloMove to approve by voice vote. Objected.h. YagerMove to approve by unanimous consent. Objected. Roll call

vote. Portillo objected.i. WoodsCant object.j. LawlerWhat if people want to debate?k. YagerI move to debate.l. BakerMove to approve by roll call vote. No objections.

B. AR 21In Support of Increasing Textbook Requisition Percentagesa. Lawler - Will this give sole possession of the book list to Co-Op?b. Covinton - This will be address separately.

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c. ArmendarizMove to approve by unanimous consent.d. AR 21 passes.

C. AR 22 - In Support of 24/7 Guest Hours in University Residence Hallsa. John RamseyWe have already passed a resolutionb. WoodsMove to approve unanimous consent. Secondedc. AR 22 passes

D. AR 23 - In Support of the Existing Handgun Ban on Texas College Campusesa. YagerThis resolutions three parts were broken down, and one was

brought out as the sole purpose.

b. WoodsThank you to those who came out. Its important to get inputfrom all sides. Only three murders on campus over the past three years.

Police go through 22 weeks of training, 40 hours per week. CHL goesthrough one day. Anyone at UT could pass the background check. As for

why we support this as opposed to the last, its the law enforcementangle. Having additional force may not be necessary.

c. NguyenWhat is the likelihood?d. Piercee. MillerWhy did yall change the name?f. YagerWe touched upon other topics and decided to strike it.g. LawlerThis was not the original intent of the first piece of legislation.h. WoodsThe be it further resolved was similar, and it remains.i. YagerWhile the initial focus was on media coverage, we didnt feel it

was appropriate. The primary objective didnt represent the title. We didconsider that it had information on the Brady background check.

j. KabirOther questions. We will move into debate.k. PortilloThis issue is very complex. It has been framed in such a way.

It does not equal that more guns equal violence. The nature of campus, is

safe. The rarity of someone actually shooting, we should not be forming

resolutions around large events. Consider the person who would like tohold their hand gun for their own reasons. They are disabled from doing

that.

l. YagerFirst of all just wanted to than everyone that came out to talkabout this subject. The issue at hand is not necessarily students are safe,

but that they feel safe. The situation you just explained is compelling but

there are definitely mechanisms in place that can assist in that. If we

want to work on campus safety, we really should work on actuallysafety. If you are referring to the second amendment, I would refer to

Scalia and Alito, who said there are times when rights provided by the

government can be infracted upon.m. ArmendarizYielding time to a student, but requesting that you give

your time as well.

n. Justin MayStudents who do support guns on campus, are a minority,but we should support their rights. I cant enjoy my rights because I live

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on campus. Id like to remind you about the sexual assaults, the DailyTexan article that cites violence among the homeless.

o. GonzalezTo respond that the constitution stipulates your right to beararms. The University has the ability to edit those rights. Most studentson campus are under 21, so many students in the dorms would already

be unable to carry guns. If its not a life threatening situation, youactually are required to run or surrender your belongings.

p. Grad StudentI think we are looking at this from the wrong angle.Instead of having an affective ban. Anyone can carry a gun without

careful inspection. There are no metal detectors on campus, some place

there are, and not in others. Current rules doesnt actually ban the carry

of guns on campus. There is no way for us to ensure that unless therewere TSA style checkpoints at entrances to every building.

q. Gonzalez yields time to FerraroBan doesnt lead to check points, asthat hasnt happened. I never got caught drinking underage, but that

doesnt mean we should legalize it. Just because you cant get caught,doesnt mean we should make it legal.

r. Miller yielded time to ShiI have a CHL and NRA certified. I have nofelony convictions and no Misdemeanor A or B in the past 5 years. I am

also not allowed to be default on student loans. To those who claim my

CHL training isnt enough, have you taken a CHL class? For those who

cant answer, you may not be able to answer beyond a shadow of adoubt. We have tried to provide these resources. John Lock recently

discussed this, and the video has been uploaded online.

s. WisemanWe are discussing pieces of paper. The constitution is justpaper, parchment, but it is still there. If this was the Gaza Strip, I would

want a gun. But there is not a consistent or deliberate threat. We haventgone through the Holocaust, but we learned about that. We havent seen

our brains, but we learned about that.t. Time yielded by Jesus Hernandez - Anna Marie CardySpeaking to

other people around campus, they ask why cant you use a taser or

pepper spray. What if there are multiple assailants? Pepper spray maytake a while to take affect. Gun bans do not stop criminals from

committing crimes.

u. Bernadette de la CruzMost criminals are off campus and not, if gunbans didnt exist we may have more criminals on campus. You can killsomeone with a gun, and I dont think a one hour online class will trainyou enough to know how to use the gun. I sent this to SG list, and there

was information onv. WestPoint of informationOn the day of the suicide, do you think if

guns were allowed on campus do you feel like more deaths could have

occurred.

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w. Robert GreeneI am an NRA instructor. The CHL class educates theindividuals on laws. It does not train them to use the gun. Do I feel CHL

approved on campus, I do not think it would have made any difference.If you look at the numbers of people eligible, only about 1 may havebeen present in that area. The cops may have arrived and been confused.

Never

x. GreeneCHL holders are not vigilantes. It is meant for us to protectourselves. CHL is dedicated to counseling and understanding and how to

avoid situations. The one that happened. Every CHL student Ive hadwould not have interjected.

y. YagerI would not interject myself, other than to say that my father is aVeteran of the Colorado department. He instructs these classes, and feels

that these classes are not adequate. In Virginia its a one hour course

online. Most people only hit their targets 18% of the time. Seeking toprotect ourselves, regardless of how debatable that is, does include.

z. Director RagsdaleAm I correct in assuming that in the process ofapplying for CHL there is no effectively way to screen for mental health

and stability?aa.GreeneIt does.bb.BakerI move to end debate.cc.Objectiondd.ArmendarizBefore I yield my time, Id like to speak. Yielded time to

ShihIm not asking you all to vote no, just to abstain until a betterdebate has been conducted.

ee.DunnOut of State student, of the 7 top contributing states, 5 out of 7prohibit guns on campus. In terms of recruitment and retention, we

really could be restricting ourselves. Just letting you know, this ban

already exists, and we are just reaffirming our support.

ff. Pierce yields to Melanie SchwartzI dont think more sidewalks andlights will increase that much safety on campus. 38 more universities

began allowing students to carry guns on campus. This is not a new

concept. Facts about guns and killings, killings are a lot rarer thangeneral assault. In Utah, when guns were allowed on campus violent

crime rates drastically decreased, most specifically women. This is about

self defense. Please vote no.

gg.WestPoint of informationWhere are these schools located?hh.SchwartzThat information can be provided.ii. WisemanCan you look for information on causality?jj. Holly HeinrichOther schools included Colorado State, Community

college in Virginia, Utah is the only one where the state prohibited the

universitys from not allowing students to carry.

kk.LawlerI would like to just raise a few questions. Why do you thinkthat the ban has existed for so long? Why do you think after so many

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years of partisan debate, that the legislature hasnt overturned the ban.There has been a lot of communication of what other states are doing. At

TSA, the unanimous consent of schools wanted to take up continuing theban. This regional meeting included the same discussion. All the schoolssaid they wanted the guns kept off campus in Texas.

ll. Burch yielded timeThe Senate passed the concealed carry bill, but itwas filibustered out. Where do mass shootings happened? Columbine,

Virginia Tech, Jokela High School in Finland. All were gun free zones.mm. GonzalezMost students on that campusnn.BakerPoint of orderJust wanted to say that wasnt statistically

based.

oo.WisemanThis isnt a problem. How many shootings occur at mailoffices? How many occurs at gun free high areas? You cant say that it

only happened was because the area was gun free. Are the crimes verypressing? Do we need it right now, or we are going to die?

pp.MillerMotion to limit debate to only people that havent spoken.qq.In order for that pass we need to 2/3. Objections?rr. KabirMotion to suspend the rules is not debatable. Hand vote.ss. HernandezRoll Call vote. 24 out of 34 present. Motion to limit

debate to people who havent spoken passes.tt. The fact that I have to walk half a mile in an area that doesnt rest well

with me. I think a lot of the fears that exist will hold true for the samereason.

uu.NguyenIm a woman, Im 50 and tiny and fall. I appreciate that I fitin the criteria that has been stated. I feel that there are many ways toprotect ourselves. I dont want to go home or sit in a class, where a gun

can accidentally be shot out. A lot of representatives have stated

statistics that are very low.

vv.Williams yielded time to Corey ZipperVP for Students for ConcealedCarry. I just wanted to address something that was said by the other side.

This is my third year, and its not the first time Ive heard that. I dont

believe I use scare tactics, I believe its realism.ww. Hernandez yields time to HurtaI think that the crux of this is about

freedom. Its not even a freedom. Even after a full day of training some

students were freaked out. I dont know if we had the bestjudgement.

AK 47 vs. handgun, I dont know how effective that would be.xx.PierceThere isnt this invisible line when you leave campus that

allows you to then have your gun. I dont know about many of the

services provided by campus.yy.Bartelzz.WilliamsYou have to understand that we are representatives of the

students. There are just as many if not more here in opposition.

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aaa. Butler - I also consider myself an independent woman, but I useS.U.R.E. Walk. I plan to get a CHL, so I can have one in my home. I

dont believe they should exist in a class room.bbb. GreenbergMove to end debate. Seconded.ccc. WisemanPoint of information, has everyone spoken? All those in

favor

ddd. Government JuniorI think the likelihood of someone being in yourclass and having a CHL is low. I am a proponent of it, because it lessensthat the crime will occur. Criminals are less likely to attack them.

eee. MartinezAs a representative of Liberal Arts, we asked our counciland the majority of them were in support of this resolution. Just another

point, there arent a lot of statistics to back up what you are saying.Correlation does not lead to causation.

fff.ArmendarizMove to allow only constituents to speak. 4 voted yes.Motional fails.

ggg. Secretary of College RepublicansNot allowing someone to have agun on campus also doesnt allow them to have a gun immediately off

campus.hhh. WoodsThere was a shooting at the pentagon several months ago.

In Alabama a guy went across the state trying to shoot law enforcement

officials. The sniper incident in Washington D.C. These things typically

happen off campus. You are allowed to keep your gun in your car. Oneof the survivors of Virginia Tech who was shot four times. There are

some people where I would feel safe with, but some I wouldnt. Chiefs

of police from all over those state voted to keep.iii. ArmendarizMove to close debate. Seconded.jjj.YagerMove to vote by roll call. Seconded. No objections.kkk. AR 23 passes with 25 votes.

XIII. New BusinessE. AR 24 - In Support of Closing Loopholes in the Brady Background Check

System

a. The last assembly passed this.b. BradyLast whereas, why did you feel it was necessary to put it there?c. WisemanYou hear about terrorists and terror levels, and we felt that it

addressed that.

d. BradyWould you be opposed to removing that?e. DunnWhy are you passing it again?f. WisemanWe would need to add this to our legislative agenda.g. Committed to Legislative Policy Committee.

F. AB 14Student Government Election Code for 2011 Electionsa. LawlerIf you have questions about any of the dates, please come to

whatever committee will be sent to. One question we have is howpenalties will be incurred in the end.

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b. YagerWhen I asked about splitting up the Executive Alliance, yousaid the reason

c. HicksMany years ago the tickets were split, and many reps were ableto run with cohesion.

d. WoodsWhat about early campaigning?e. LawlerUnder the current rules what happened last season would be in

violation.

f. DunnWhat would the vice president run on?g. HicksExperience and showing the ability to lead a large group of

people.

h. LawlerIf you look at what has happened before, there have only beentwo legitimate tickets. One of the main drawbacks of the party systemwas that it disenfranchised people. If you look back at the history there

has only been a history of executive alliances for the past two years.i. DesaiI dont understand how splitting the ticket allow for more people

to feel included.

j. LawlerWhat we kept referencing was past elections, the individualraces were much more contended. The percentages at play were muchhigher. Larger number of candidates. More exciting race. History has

shown that different party candidates can win.

k. ArmendarizIt worked back then, can you explain why its not workingnow?

l. LawlerNot so much negative, but we decided to approach this yearproactively. We arent saying the system is failure, but that getting rid of

the alliance is proactive.m. KabirCommitted to Internal Affairs.n. HernandezPlease come to this meeting where it will be discussed. I

still have problems with the splitting.

o. LawlerIA meetings are Wednesday nights at 8:00 PM.XIV. Announcements

A. ButlerLPC will be meeting at 9:30 tomorrow in the conference room next tothe SG room. First 20 minutes will be open to testimony.

B. WestOmega Psi Phi is still holding their book drive.C. GreenbergTo update you on the Yom Kippur legislation, it didnt move, but

Texas did vote to change it.

D. MartinezCan organizations apply again, yes?E. BradfordThey can apply again for the same event.F. MartinezStop by West Mall on Friday.G. KabirBass lecture hall tomorrow at 8:30 in Batts Lecture Hall, Leticia Van de

Putte.

XV. Second Roll Call

XVI. AdjournmentHicks moved to adjourn at 10:03 PM.

Documents

UT SG Minutes 10-12-10