Union Council - January 2010

Union Council Meeting of January 21, 2010

Ms. Zhang reported tabling the naming of the new south campus union building until February 2. She said that adequate information had not yet been obtained. She said Mr. Guthier will lead a meeting for those interested in discussing the issue on Friday, January 22, 12:15 p.m. In response to Mr. Rolling’s question whether Ms. Zhang or Mr. Guthier met with Chancellor Martin, Mr. Guthier shared that he has talked with the Chancellor, and she wants to ensure students have input in the process. She said she also hoped both Union Council and ASM would work out the process.

Mr. Guthier announced the Memorial Union project RFP for architects/engineers will be going “on the street” this week. Projected dates for architect interviews are March or April. Mr. Guthier said that construction is approximately 14 days behind schedule at this time. He also said the project is tracking to be on budget.

Mr. Walter distributed the December preliminary financial report which indicates a year-to-date net loss of over $300,000. He noted that units build budgets from the bottom up and those are rolled together in one larage, complex budget. He said the budget will be presented for approval at the February 2 Union Council meeting. In order to save time at that meeting, the officers suggested not using a full hour presentation, and he is willing to meet with those Council members requesting more detail. Mr. Walter reported that positions have been frozen and that revenue is down.

Mr. Rolling suggested contacting SSFC prior to presenting the Union budget. Mr. Walter said that he, Mr. Guthier and Ms. Zhang are attempting to meet with the SSFC chair to review questions in advance.

Two other issues addressed include the Memorial Union renovation oversight/student involvement and the Union's student leadership structure for 2010-2011.

The oversight/student involvement structure keeps the original Design Committee structure, but it also attempts to make improvements from the Union South project structure by 1) adding an executive committee to serve as a more defined intermediary among Union Council, the architects, and other entities involved in the process and 2) shifting much of the initial planning discussions to input groups with the hope of freeing the Design Committee to focus more on bigger picture items like budget and overall project priorities. The five member executive committee will consist of the Union President, the Student Project Manager (described below), a student Design Committee member selected by the Design Committee, the Union Director, and the other Union staff member on the Design Committee. The fifteen member Design Committee will keep the same format promised in the 2006 funding referendum. Applications for the Design Committee should be sought sometime this semester, with the first meeting likely occurring in early May or before.

On a somewhat related issue, Union Council also addressed the student leadership structure for the 2010-2011 academic year. Eliminating the previous Vice President for Project Management officer position, two new positions - VP for Leadership Development and Student Project Manager - were created. The VP for Leadership Development will work to enhance existing efforts to train student leaders within the Union's student programming board. The position will also work to strengthen partnerships across campus. The Student Project Manager will work with the Union President to coordinate the design of the Memorial Union renovation.

The Union is currently seeking applications for 2010-2011 officer positions, which include Union President, VP for Program Administration, VP for Public Relations, and VP for Leadership Development. Applications are available here.

Spring Union Council Schedule:
February 23
March 4
March 25
April 15
May 7

Posted by Michael Nemmetz and Dan Cornelius