Seven of 18 Student Association voting assembly members were absent from Monday night’s meeting.

The meeting was still held, however, as the quorum requirement of the majority plus one, or 10 members, was met. But Vice President Marlene Goldenberg expressed concern about the attendance.

‘It’s important that you’re all here,’ she said.

Absent assembly members must notify the SA recorder, with a valid excuse, either before or up to 24 hours after the meeting’s conclusion. If they do not, they receive a demerit for each roll call they miss – two of which are taken each meeting.

This is SA’s lowest turnout in February.

‘Keep in mind, we haven’t had 18 assembly members the whole semester,’ said Jessica Oster, co-director for SA public relations. ‘We always do meet quorum.’

Two new assembly members were voted in: Bill Markt, a sophomore in The College of Visual and Performing Arts, and Ben Schott, a freshman in the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

Markt said he wanted to work with the Committee on Academic Affairs to help in- and out-of-school VPA transfer students obtain scholarships.

Schott said he was eager to add a SUNY-ESF voice to the assembly.

‘I think a little SUNY-ESF consciousness would be good for SA,’ he said.

An additional finance board member was voted in as well. Robert Smith, a freshman majoring in accounting and finance, was approved by a vote of 9-2.

A chunk of the meeting was devoted to Parliamentarian Marko Markov’s review of SA’s parliamentary procedures.

Using projected slides and handouts, Markov explained the SA’s structure, the assembly members’ responsibilities and the legislative processes that must be followed. As parliamentarian, Markov is responsible for making sure all assembly members know how they should conduct themselves during a meeting.

The constitution and the codes of statutes are the most important documents SA members should know, Markov said.

‘If you are going to know anything in the codes, please know the operations codes,’ he said.

The meeting ended with a presentation on a proposed power reduction and recycling campaign by assembly member Neville Williams.

The premise of the campaign is to hold a competition between residence halls – some of which will be grouped together – to reduce energy usage and increase recycling.

The specifics of the competition – including prizes and which halls compete – have not been decided yet, Williams said.

Other schools, including Harvard, Duke, and the University of Connecticut, have attempted similar programs, Williams said.

The Student Environmental Action Committee and the New York Public Research Interest Group have endorsed the plan, he said. SA’s and the Residence Hall Association’s endorsements are pending.

The Committee on University Affairs, is working on arranging a shuttle to take students to campus from the Hancock International Airport and Regional Transportation Center after Spring Break, said Larry Seivert, committee chairman.

The next meeting will be held Monday at 7:30 in Maxwell Auditorium, though it might be rescheduled, because of SU men’s basketball game against Georgetown.

Published on February 18, 2007 at 12:00 pm