Wartburg College Student Senate

Wartburg College Student Senate 2004-05 Annual Report April 14, 2005

The mission of the Wartburg College Student Senate is to make a positive difference at Wartburg College by acting as a voice for the student body; fostering communication between students, faculty, staff and administration; developing legislation relevant to the needs of our constituency; and representing our institution through leadership and service to the community.

Contents

Executive Team Reports

. Student Body President Ben Parks . Student Body Vice President Colin Buzza . Student Body Recorder Ashley Weets . Student Body Treasurer Jed Riley . Academic Ombudsperson Emily Barnd . Administrative Ombudsperson Emily Friedman

Cabinet Reports

. Academic Policies Committee (APC) Chair Annie Fox . Political Action Committee (PAC) Chair Sarah Walters . Student Relations Committee Chair Travis Olson . Housing Subcommittee Chair Amanda Pullin . Recycling/Environmental Subcommittee Chair Stephanie Schwartz . Technology Subcommittee Chair Annie Reiher

Roster of Senators, 2004-05

Outstanding Organization Award Nomination 2

2004-05 Outstanding Organization Award www.wartburg.edu/senate 3

Student Body President’s Report Submitted by Ben Parks

By all accounts, the Wartburg College Student Senate enjoyed a productive and successful year in 2004-05. The executive team’s primary goals for the year were twofold: . Improve communication across campus. . Enhance the internal operations of Student Senate. I believe that by striving to improve these broad areas of importance, Senate’s work on behalf of the student body has been enhanced. In a year in which we have been honored as Organization of the Year, it is easy to trumpet the accomplishments of Student Senate. This Annual Report, then, presents a compilation of the many ways, concrete and otherwise, in which Student Senate worked to reach these goals and to serve its important mission.

I thank each and every member of the Wartburg community who helped to make this a successful year in Student Senate. Every Thursday, it was a humbling experience for me to come to meetings and speak before a group bursting with leadership. I observed with pride the dedication that each member put into being a Senator, and I fed off of their collective energy and enthusiasm more than they can know.

As Student Body President, I viewed my position as the external leader of Senate, and indeed, most of my obligations this past year reflect that. From speeches at the Knighting Ceremony, Opening Convocation, Saemann Student Center dedication, Regents and Presidential Scholarship Days, and the Chellevold Convocation to regular meetings with President Ohle and other Cabinet members to representing the student body before the Board of Regents, this year has been very rewarding. One of my favorite duties, though, was to serve as chair of Executive Team meetings each week. I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to look beyond the constitutionally-defined parameters of my position and engage in many significant conversations about both the present and the future of Wartburg College.

For a more in-depth perspective on Student Senate’s role on Wartburg’s campus, I invite you to check out the Outstanding Organization Award Nomination compiled by Colin Buzza and I (available at the end of this report).

In closing, always remember… it’s all about the students! 4

Student Body Vice President’s Report Submitted by Colin Buzza

The purpose of this report is to provide a retrospective on Student Senate’s activities, as they relate to the Vice-Presidential office, from the 2004-2005 academic year.

Resolutions At last count, Senate considered 64 resolutions in the 2004-2005 academic year. A complete list has been compiled elsewhere, but highlights include the following: an overhaul of the student body constitution; additions of the social co-chair positions and May Term Senate to the by-laws; significant changes to housing procedure; endorsement of the environmental graduation pledge; senior move-out day; resolutions to protect student privacy and handicap rights; and consideration of an international student vote and a diversity affairs ombuds position. 26 resolutions this year were supplemental money requests, and a major portion of Senate’s contributions went towards attendance of leadership and professional conferences.

This year was the first with an official resolution format, which was available online. Additionally, routing sheets were introduced second semester to ensure proper approval and follow-up for constitutional amendments, by-law amendments, and general resolutions. The system seemed to work quite well, and I’d recommend that updated sheets be implemented in the coming years.

Meetings Meetings were again scheduled for meeting time on Thursdays, but this time was moved to 11:30am. This change may have contributed to this year’s excellent attendance. Alternative sites included the Ballrooms (not conducive) and the new Science Center, which was great for audio/visuals but not a great setting for debate.

Agendas were emailed out a day or two before each meeting, and also posted on the Senate website. This worked particularly well, although I would suggest that a 48 hour period would allow the best window for agenda additions and perusal. Meetings were also streamlined a bit, and most were adjourned within sixty minutes. This was done by moving parliamentary procedure forward, encouraging increased committee discussion, and providing Senators more opportunities to be prepared for discussion prior to meetings.

Elections With multiple run-offs, narrow victory margins, and the adventurous navigations of E-Vote, 2004-2005 elections were anything but bland.

Fall elections were completed with few hitches. Some buildings didn’t have enough candidates, but additional candidates from other locations were willing to represent floors in these buildings. This worked well as it ensured all students received representation in a timely fashion. After a week of frustration, E-Vote did produce proper results, but the election illustrated the programs limitations. Executive and May Term elections were also completed with few problems.

Senate Elections Committee met regularly this year, planning Executive and May Term elections, researching alternatives to E-Vote, and determining the means by which vacant Senate seats were filled. The committee decided to solicit and appoint replacements for each vacant Senate seat. It seemed those motivated to run a campaign had already done so in the fall, and it was difficult to find candidates. By avoiding elections the Committee found willing 5 and able replacements in a timely manner that ensured that constituents were without a representative only for a minimum length of time. Lessons learned: Elections Committee is an integral part of running efficient elections, creating good promotional materials, and making sound appointment decisions—the committee should be fully utilized. Also, links to the WartBLOG were particularly helpful in giving students access to information and creating informed voters.

E-Vote was used for all Senate elections, approval of Constitutional amendments, and voting for the Chellevold and Staff Awards. It served its purpose, but showed limitations on election restrictions and flexibility. Elections Committee investigated alternatives, and has recommended that, if possible, a new system be designed. Wartburg Junior Thomas Hansen has learned how to use the code in which E-Vote is written. By pursuing his help, and possibly the integration of Wartburg’s new survey software, it seems a powerful and flexible program can be created that could serve not only Senate, but also other campus functions. Suggestions include creating longer spaces for text within questions and answer spaces, allowing write-ins, integrating pictures or other platform information, generating more complete turn-out reports, and improving restriction allowances so very narrow populations can be surveyed.

Senate Review Senate Review Committee met occasionally this year, but there was little to discuss. This year’s Senate was the largest ever, with over fifty members, but it was a rare day that a Senator was absent or otherwise neglecting his/her duties. I would challenge future Senates to maintain and even improve upon this record. The one blemish was a few instances of poor committee attendance. In the future I would suggest more regular reports of committee attendance to Senate Review, and further emphasize the importance of committees as working bodies of Senate. Committee re-structuring (both the initial creation of subcommittees and the semester membership changes) seemed to help by creating more alternatives for meetings times and ensuring that each Senator was contributing in an area in which they had particular interest.

International Student Vote Committee This was an issue into which Senate invested much time and effort. There are just a few things I would like to mention in relation to it:

*Diversity (in many forms) was obviously a hot topic this year. Kudos to Senators and constituents alike who gave much of themselves to the process this year. Please don’t be afraid don’t be afraid to devote that much of yourselves to such causes again, no matter what the outcome or what it is called. We as students have great control over the atmosphere and relations on this campus.

*On this issue, like many others, much of what turned out to be important this year was not necessarily a resolution, but rather the process through which it was considered. It is through this process that understanding can be achieved, and I believe this is how Senate can best contribute to this campus. This year’s Senate was particularly thoughtful, patient, and did, in my estimation, an outstanding job of pushing this process beyond our own organizational borders and creating a wider awareness across campus. Don’t stop. Signs don’t always reach people, constituents don’t always respond to a knock on the door, and the WartBLOG doesn’t always rack up the hits, but if these and other outlets of communication continue to be pushed on a regular basis, the strides made this year will be just the beginning of an improved role for Senate as the true mouthpiece and sounding board for the student body. 6

Student Body Recorder’s Report Submitted by Ashley Weets

This year I took care of a variety of internal jobs as Student Body Recorder. The minutes were edited each week and sent out to Senators promptly on the Tuesday prior to Senate meetings. I also kept the office paperwork as organized as possible by organizing the files and keeping each resolution stored in its correct place. In an effort to increase communication campus-wide, the Student Friendly minutes were streamlined and sent to Senators the same day as minutes were mailed. Articles and information for the “Senate Focus” in the Trumpet were also published periodically, utilizing the campus media. Promos for forums and other Senate events also ran on KWAR, yet another medium that is available to inform the campus. A major improvement for next year would be increasing the utilization of those lines of communication. The Recorder can be a fundamental part of that process and improvement is always a necessity. Also included in my report is a brief compilation of each Resolution brought forth to Senate this year. Please peruse it at your leisure because it’s important to learn from the issues and discussions of previous years to be able to look forward progressively.

Money Requests Resolution # Description Amt Amt Final Requested Awarded Vote 7 WASE; NEA Conference $395 $120 pass 11 Phi Beta Lambda; leadership conference $2,063 $0 tabled 14 Social Work Club; Holiday Shoppe $2,000 $500 pass 15 WRSL; writing conference $1,300 $1000 pass 16 VAC; leadership conference $100 $80 pass 17 Campus Ministry; band $5,000 $0 tabled 19 SPJ; peace conference $500 $370 pass 21 Women’s Rugby; tournament fees $1,285 $950 pass 22 Phi Beta Lambda; leadership conference $863 $300 pass 23 Amnesty; SOA Protest $1,100 $880 pass 24 Student Center Council; programming $1,500 $1500 pass 32 FCA; leadership conference $600 $450 pass 34 Diversity Team; diversity conference $3,708 $0 tabled 35 Advancement/Development; conference $470 $375 pass 36 Campus Ministry; bands $1,200 $960 pass 37 Trumpet; newspaper conferences $2,700 $1,000 pass 38 Wartburg Players; theatre festival $2,025 $1,500 pass 47 Diversity Programs; diversity conference $2,952 $1,200 pass 49 STALC; service trip $3,400 $1,066 pass 50 Wartburg Karate Club; membership fees $900 $0 tabled 51 Wartburg Athletics; nutrition speaker $350 $250 pass 52 Pavement Pounders; Habitat Hustle Sponsorship $500 $500 pass 57 WTV; NBNA Conference $700 $560 pass 59 Tomoko Kushihashi; NAFSA Conference TBA

By-Law Amendments Resolution # Description Final Vote 8 Article III; committee membership specifications voice vote, pass 9 Article III, Section 8; added I-Club Liaison voice vote, pass 12 Article III, Section 10; add Social Co-Chairs voice vote, pass 27 Article I; add International Student Representative ballot vote, fail, 14/34/4 7

54 Article VII; add May Term Senate voice vote, pass 58 Elections TBA

Constitutional Amendments Resolution # Description Senate Student Body Vote Vote 33 Article IX; Amend by Section or Article voice vote, pass pass, 87.95% 39 Amend Article order voice vote, pass pass, 90.85% 40 Article IV; Duties and Powers of Officers voice vote, pass pass, 88.56% 41 Articles V and VI; Executive Powers voice vote, pass pass, 88.47% 42 Article VII; Duties and Powers of Senate voice vote, pass pass, 87.62% 43 Article VIII and IX; Student Body Rights voice vote, pass pass, 89.80% 55 Articles IV and V; Add Diversity Affairs Ombuds ballot vote, fail, 20/23/1 60 Articles IV and V; Add Diversity Affairs Ombuds student petition TBA

Other Business Resolution # Description Final Vote 10 Assign PAC Constitutional Review voice vote, pass 18 Organizational App; National Science Teachers Association voice vote, pass 20 Sprinkler Guards tabled 25 Senior Move-Out Day voice vote, pass 26 Declining Balance on Washing Machines tabled 28 Donate 6 refrigerators to Holiday Shoppe voice vote, pass 29 Housing timeline changes voice vote, pass 30 Housing communication procedure changes voice vote, pass 31 Housing procedure changes voice vote, pass 44 Environmental Graduation Pledge endorsement voice vote, pass 45 Wartburg Directory theft prevention voice vote, pass 46 Organization App; Sigma Delta Pi voice vote, pass 48 Organization Application process revisions voice vote, pass 53 Organizational App; Wartburg Film Society TBA 56 Organizational Application process revisions voice vote, pass 8

Student Body Treasurer’s Report Submitted by Jed Riley

The balance of the ’04–’05 Senate budget began with a $17,058.12 roll-over from the previous year. Fall Term ’04 fees came into the budget on September 30th, 2004, at $26,159.20 and Winter Term ’05 fees were processed on January 31st, 2005 at $25,019.20. The decline in the amount was due to the decrease in enrollment the second semester. This has been a common observation at Wartburg in the last five years.

During the year, Student Senate received 28 Supplemental requests asking for a total of $43,286.32. However, when the supplemental requests were assigned to Budget Review, they were amended down to a total of $18,081.13. This number does not include Resolutions 63 and 64, as they will be voted upon in Senate on Thursday, April 14th, 2005.

$18,319 was allocated for the ’04-’05 school year. At the time of this report, $7,031.85 has yet to be reimbursed. Reasons for the large amount include: 1) organizations are waiting until the last minute to turn in receipts 2) some organizations have decided not to utilize their Senate allocation. This last point was concentrated on during the 2005-’06 Allocation process. Even though there were more allocation requests this year (28 to be exact) than in the last five years, the requests were amended to $17,315 from the total of $50,917.13 (pending approval by Student Senate on April 14th, 2005). Reasoning for this significant difference was due to the lack of specific information given by organizations. The Budget Review committee did not want to tie up funds for next year if organizations were not sure they will use them.

Next year’s enrollment should be about the same number as this year, according to Alexander Smith, Dean of Students. Given this approximate number, next year’s fees again should be about $51,178.40. In the Budget Review Manual, Senate must keep a 35% contingency fee available for any new clubs or organizations that request funding. With that said, $17,912.44 must be in the Senate account at all times during the ’05-’06 school year. The outlook for next year’s financials are positive.

Balance as of 4/13/05: $32,939.75 Less Supplemental& Allocation IF used: $11,337.39 Less Admin. Expenses (April & May): $ 4,000.00 Rollover for Next Year: $17,602.36 Approx. Bal for ’05-’06: $51,178.40 Less Allocation for ’05-’06 if approved: $17,315.00 Anticipated Budget for “05-’06: $51,465.76 Less Contingency Fee: $17,912.44 Available Funds for ’05-’06: $33,553.32 9

Academic Ombudsperson’s Report Submitted by Emily Barnd

It has been a relatively uneventful year in the world of Academics. Luckily, (or unluckily depending on how you look at it,) I have not had an extensive amount of academic issues to deal with. The majority of what I dealt with consisted of problems on an individual student basis and I simply guided the students in the right direction. Following is a brief summary of the things that I attempted to accomplish this year:

 Waves of Love: Emily Friedman and I worked together on this project. All told, we raised over $7,000 to go to tsunami relief. The fundraiser consisted of several different parts and all culminated with a benefit dinner. The idea for future years is to pick a new organization to benefit. Complete details on this project can be found in the “Waves of Love” binder in the Student Senate office.  Letter of Academic Quality to Board of Regents: This year at one of the Board retreats, the focus was on academic quality; what it means to Wartburg and what we can do as students, faculty and staff to improve it. In conjunction with APC and the executive team, I wrote a letter from the students highlighting what we felt were the most pertinent issues the Board should address. This will continue to be a hot topic as Wartburg will be reviewing the plan of Essential Education and will be reviewed as an institution of higher education within the next year.  Chellevold Award- We had many excellent nominations for the Chellevold Award. APC narrowed the finalists to five and the student body then voted. The winner was Dr. Bill Withers of the Communication Arts Department.  Advisor Award -We had many excellent nominations for the Advisor Award. APC narrowed the finalists and selected a winner. The winner was Dr. David McCullough of the Biology Department  Staff Award- We had many excellent nominations for the Staff Award. APC narrowed the finalists to five and the student body then voted. The winner was Deena Kazda of Dining Services.  Faculty Appreciation- On our tri-yearly rotation of appreciation, we began to make slight changes. We usually hold a dinner for all faculty, staff or organization members. This year, to accommodate the schedules of both faculty members and students, we had coffee and cookies before the final faculty meeting of the year. This was much appreciated by the faculty; they got the recognition they deserved and no one had to give up an extra evening!  Newspaper Readership Program- Another project in conjunction with Emily Friedman! We attended a workshop at UNI to help us further the program and to help faculty members utilize the program within their classrooms. We wrote a letter to all faculty members and sent supplementary material as well. Response has been limited thus far, but we are hopeful that the program can continue to grow and become more useful for students.  APC/PAC- Comprehensive information for Academic Policies Committee and Political Action Committee can be found within their respective reports. 10

 Faculty Meetings- As the first student to be allowed to attend monthly faculty meetings, I was very interested to see what went on behind closed doors! It was interesting to see things from a faculty member’s point of view. It was certainly a learning experience.  EPC- More interaction with faculty! While I was not able to vote, it was an eye-opening experience to see exactly how classes are created and all the debating that must occur in order to get things passed. One thing for next year is to look at getting the student vote back on those faculty committees. With the work done by APC, it should be easy to go over and hopefully reestablish ourselves.

Overall, it has been a positive year. Additional information on specific procedures can be found in my comprehensive binder in the Student Senate office. Administrative Ombudsperson’s Report Submitted by Emily Friedman

As the end of my term as Administrative Ombudsperson draws to a close, I offer the following remarks, categorized by the appropriate headings, as a summation of my work throughout this school year.

USA Today Student Readership Program- In November, Emily Barnd and I attended a meeting at the University of Northern Iowa where the readership program was being discussed. Through this meeting we learned much about the readership program, the many options and benefits it allows the schools at which it is in use, ideas in which to improve the program here at Wartburg and made relevant contacts, whom I have used as resources. A letter encouraging Faculty and Staff to implement the newspapers offered on campus into their syllabi for the coming school year was distributed at the end of March. As of April 12, 2005, no feedback has been received.

Two points to consider for the future of the Readership Program:  Implementation a faculty and staff readership program. USA Today offers a program that is very similar to the student readership program for faculty and staff with a variety of options. Interest of the faculty and staff has not completely been gauged, but the overall feel is that this would be successful.  Expanding the Student Readership Program to include off-campus students. There are mixed reviews as to whether or not this option, but it is an area in which to conduct further research.

Recycling- The recycling program has made significant strides this year. In March, bins were ordered to make recycling receptacles available to students in residential buildings where it is not currently an option. Tim Liddle, owner and operator of Northeast Iowa Recycling of Plainfield, will be responsible for picking up the deposited items and EARTH has agreed to help educate students on the necessity and benefits of recycling. Maintenance has agreed to this plan and is helping to order the bins.

The surplus monies from the USA Today Newspaper Readership Program have been designated to pay for the bins and any other costs that may be incurred from recycling. The bins have been received and put in their appropriate spots. Collection will begin during May Term and Tim will be called in as needed. Earth will be responsible for promoting the awareness and proper use of the new bins.

Student Organization Recognition Application- In conjunction with the Office of Campus Programming, the process in which groups can apply to become officially recognized campus organizations underwent a revision. The goal of our work was to more clearly define the process groups must take, to keep better records of which groups are active and to organize all of the paperwork and information involved. 11

The most significant change in the application process was that of conditional recognition. Previously organizations had the option of whether or not to apply for conditional recognition; after the revision, it is required. Only after the conditional recognition is submitted may groups apply for full recognition. This, along with the signatures of eight full-time Wartburg students who are committed to the organization, will ensure that the groups applying for recognition have carefully scripted how their organizations will be run and will ensure the group will survive after its founders have graduated. Other than these changes, the majority of the information on these forms remained the same.

Waves of Love- Waves of Love was a project taken on by the Ombudspeople to help raise money to aid the victims of the tsunami in Southeast Asia. The project consisted of several events including Jazz at Joes, a fast, general collection jars and culminated with a benefit dinner. In total, more than $7,000 was raised; 85% of the monies were donated to Lutheran World Relief’s Wave of Giving and while the remaining 15% stayed in the Cedar Valley at the United Way.

Bulletin Boards- Bulletin Boards are in place in every hall across campus. They were checked periodically throughout the year. Keeping bulletin boards up to date are very important to fostering communication between Senate and students and checking them often will make sure that the appropriate information is being given.

Mailbox Flyers- A policy was enacted earlier this year that charged each organization 2 cents to stuff mailboxes if the flyers were addressed and 3 cents if they were not. While the purpose of such a policy is understandable, it is not necessarily in the best interest of organizations as many of them have limited budgets. Therefore, a letter was written to Matt Pries, Ron Peterson and Darla Hamann advocating for a new policy in which organizations would be able to stuff mailboxes twice per year.

The response of our proposal was to compromise at a flat fee of $20 per stuffing. Flyers must also be approved by the student center director and folded to fit inside the mailboxes.

Website/Blog- An independent, yet intertwined part of the Administrative Ombudsperson job this year was maintenance of the Student Senate Website. Both communication pieces were highly successful in making information more readily available to students. As of April 7, 2005, the blog has received more than 3,000 hits. This medium has not yet been utilized to its maximum potential and I heartily encourage future executive teams to push for its use.

Thank You Notes- An extremely valuable practice Exec undertook this year was the practice of writing thank-you notes to people or groups on campus who have contributed significantly to the betterment of the Wartburg Community. After soliciting ideas from Exec, Senators and students, it was my job each week (or every other) to designate who these people would be,

Maintenance- Working with maintenance is a significant part of the Administrative Ombudsperson condition. There were not many problems for which I needed to contact them, however, when I did, John and Scott were prompt and efficient in responding to the problems.

Here are a few of the specific issues I discussed with maintenance:

 Bike Racks- An additional bike rack was ordered for Knights Village and a slab of concrete was laid to accommodate for that rack. There are adequate bike racks for the amount of bikes on campus this year.

 Trash cans on the campus mall- The response from maintenance was that they tend to create more problems than they help; students will attempt to throw trash away and when they miss the garbage can, they continue walking, creating a more substantial problem than the one that already exists. In addition, the trash receptacles tend to attract birds and small rodents that no one likes. Thus, trash cans on the campus mall will not be put into place. 12

 Trash Cans on the Frisbee Golf Course- Several students had been advocating for trash cans on the Frisbee golf course at the end of the 2003-2004 school year. This continued into the fall of this year in which discussions between Lex, Maintenance and me took place. There were several problems that arose through these discussions, mostly surrounding who would be responsible for the empting of the receptacles; Maintenance was already understaffed and there was no student group willing to step up and say they would.

The student eventually quieted down and still nothing has been done. Implementation of trash cans of this nature would still be a beneficial project to look into. However, without a student group willing to take responsibility, it may not happen.

 Frisbee Golf Holes- Hole number 6 of the Frisbee golf course had been stolen at some point during the year. A replacement has been ordered and will soon be in place. In addition, Scott discussed the possibility of cementing the holes in the ground to make sure they stay in place.

 Grossman Hall North Door- Each year it is asked if the door on the north side of Grossmann Hall can be changed from an exit only door to a full service door. The answer is always no. Replacing the door would require changing the frame as well. It is very expensive to do so and now that there is an entrance to both Grossmann and Lohe from the Cardinal Commons, people should be directed to use those doors.

Technology- The addition of the technology sub-committee this year allowed for more in- depth contact and communication with ITS. The committee met with Gary Wipperman approximately every other week to discuss pertinent issues. Here is some of what they discussed:

 Electronic Book Buy Back/ Student to Student selling:- The cost of books is always a concern for students. In an effort to keep them down, the technology subcommittee looked into the possibility of an online student book “trade” very similar to Concordia, a school in MN. After investigation, it was determined that in order to bring as comprehensive of a system to Wartburg, a new program would have to be created/purchased; this is not something ITS is willing to do at this point. After this was announced, the subcommittee began to promote e-Wart in hopes of getting more hits and selling books through that manner. Note for future: Arlene Schwarzenbach is in favor of a program like this to help keep costs down…do not hesitate to continue pushing for a book trade version. (Concordia website: http://www4.cord.edu/student/sa/online%20sale/browse_dept.htm)

 Loopholes- Loopholes were found in I-Net that allow students to change three letters in the address bar and access information provided to faculty. The information was immediately presented to Gary Wipperman and the problem corrected to an extent. There are still ways in which someone can get this information, but it is much more difficult before. There are also legal matters involved with this loophole in regards to student ID numbers. See the “technology” tab of the Administrative Ombudsperson binder for that information.

See the year end reports of the Student Relations, Housing, Technology and Environmental Committees for more details on each committee’s activities. 13

Academic Policies Committee (APC) Report Submitted by Annie Fox, Chair

Because APC had a predominantly uneventful year, the committee was able to step outside of the usual issue- based concerns and evaluate initiatives that have not been discussed for some time. The committee was successful in all endeavors and has a solid base for next year.

Fall 2004 . Advisor Award: APC made nomination forms available and promoted the award on campus. Once nominations were received, the committee evaluated each nomination and voted. Dr. David McCullough received the Outstanding Advisor Award. . Advising Evaluations: Colin Buzza, Emily Barnd, Annie Fox sat in Faculty EPC meetings to discuss evaluating academic advising. The committee approved Dr. Ribich’s proposed evaluations and discussed ways to communicate the surveys with students. . LEAPS Initiative: APC, along with members of Exec, met with Dr. Bartel and Dr. Lambert to discuss a draft of the LEAPS initiative. The committee was able to ask questions and make suggestions for how the programs should be implemented.

Winter 2004-2005 . Institutional Committee Surveys: The committee created a survey to evaluate student roles on institutional committees. The survey was distributed to all students serving on institutional committees. . Leadership Scholarship: APC distributed applications and promoted the scholarship. The 2005-2006 recipient of the Student Senate Leadership Scholarship is Jessica Wilke. . Academic Quality Evaluation: The committee discussed academic quality and ways of measuring it. We helped draft a letter to the Board of Regents on student perception of academic quality.

Spring 2005 . Institutional Committee Survey Results: APC evaluated each survey response and compiled the results in a summative report. The committee found substantial support for re-evaluating student involvement on these committees. . Chellevold and Outstanding Staff Awards: The committee made the nomination forms available and promoted the awards. Once nominations were received, we narrowed the field down for student vote. Dr. Bill Withers won the Chellevold award and Deena Kazda won the Outstanding Staff Award. Both were recognized at the luncheon meeting. . Faculty Appreciation: The committee discussed a faculty or staff dinner but decided that due to other events at the time that we should not host a dinner this year. 14

Instead, members of the committee as well as Exec, thanked the faculty by serving treats before a faculty meeting. We informed the faculty prior to the meeting so they knew to come early. This went over well and should be looked into again next year.

Overall, APC had an interesting year because we were able to look at issues generally outside the scope of our committee. We recommend that next year’s APC continues to evaluate academic quality, student involvement in institutional committees, and other means of appreciating faculty and staff. Other suggestions include advocating for the use of the Newspaper Readership Program in the classroom, an examination of the Essential Education program, and tenure polices.

Political Action Committee (PAC) Report Submitted by Sarah Walters, Chair

October  Set our goals for the year, this was very important throughout the year to keep track of progress made.  Collaborated with the leadership of Democrats, Republicans, and Progressives to help promote and work at the election forum  Passed out Early Voter Registration and/or Absentee Ballots  Resolution 10: Examined Resolution 10 proposed a committee be formed to thoroughly examine the Student Body constitution. As a committee we accepted this challenge.  Set a timeline for examining Student Body constitution, we decided we wanted to propose these to the student body with officer elections in January.  Resolution 12: In the meantime, PAC examined Resolution 12 involving the Social Co-chair positions November  Held the first campus forum collaborating with Housing sub-committee (unfortunately this was more housing than PAC related so it would have been more beneficial to hold two separate forums)  Get out and vote campaign, drove students to the polls  Continued examining constitution December  Wrote letters to Tom Vilsack thanking him for his work and encouraging him to keep students best interest in mind regarding the Iowa Tuition Grant.  Members of PAC became actively involved with MLK planning committee (this was very beneficial and hopefully more PAC members will get involved in the future)  Start preparing changes to constitution to bring to the student body  Resolution 27: Reviewed and thoroughly discussed the International Student Vote resolution prepared by the specially formed committee. Brought to Senate with suggestions for both supporting and opposing resolution. January  Resolution 33: Brought first changes to student body regarding the process of rewriting the constitution, thankfully it was passed by the student body  Resolutions 39-43: Brought Student Body Constitution changes to Senate, these were then sent to the Student Life committee, and then presented and passed by the student body.  (Diversity statistics were distributed by Executive Liaison of Diversity in the Trumpet, unfortunately PAC did not help out with this. In the future, PAC should really help collect and write up these statistics. So collaborate more with Diversity committees on campus) 15

February  Attended Iowa Legislative Day down in Des Moines (met with State & Local reps) (this would be a good thing for PAC to do annually, Jen Sassman is the contact for this event)  Resolution 44: We passed the endorsement of Graduation Pledge, and brought it back to Senate. It is currently being promoted throughout campus for seniors to sign upon graduation. March  Changed normal PAC meeting times for the month of March to promote attendance at the Faith and Sexuality min-convocations  Resolution 54: Discussed and passed the recommended resolution of adding May term Senate to the Senate By-Laws to have a more defined role.  Resolution 55: Thoroughly discussed and debated amongst our committee the pros and con’s of adding a Diversity Ombudsperson to the Senate Executive team. April  Held campus wide forum. Received lots of suggestions for changes around campus. This list was posted on the BLOG and given to the Administrative Ombudsperson to bring to faculty and staff.  Resolution 58: PAC brought suggested changes to Senate changing the wording of the overall election process.

Overall, PAC had a very successful year. As a committee, we were able to respect each others differences, comfortable enough to share and to speak out to each others’ suggestions, all while remaining productive at accomplishing our goals. The group of people that I was able to work with was amazing. Each person brought a variety of ideas and suggestions to the table and we were able to connect to create an effective committee. Although some resolutions created more conflict than others and we never truly settled on a final choice, we were able to respect each others opinions and compromise to come up with suggestions for changes towards improvement.

Student Relations Committee Report Submitted by Travis Olson, Chair

Student Relations met on a weekly basis during the Fall Semester, on Wednesday evenings at 6:30. We talked about several resolutions throughout the year making amendments and passing them on. Below is a list at a few of the things we look at this year.

 Senior move out day  Sexual Misconduct Policy  Sexual Misconduct Procedures  Numerous new Constitutions for new student organizations

We also have done a lot to look over the official recognition for new student organizations. The committee looked over, suggested changes, and the approved the forms for both conditional and full recognition. As a committee we talked about the process and decided we find it to be a very important that someone from every new organization meet with the committee before their full recognition is granted. It was a precedent we wanted to sit to continue to people in upcoming years. 16

For the future, I believe Student Relations needs to do more to seek out ways to improve the student body. This year we focused on getting enough people to meetings and a lot on new organizations.

I have thoroughly have enjoyed my time with the Student Relations Committee, and continue to look forward being involved with Senate in the future.

Housing Subcommittee Report Submitted by Amanda Pullin, Chair

Fall Term Actions  Established a presence on campus  Worked towards improving timeline, communication, and educating the campus on the housing process  Distributed Housing and Venting Survey’s  Forum sponsored with First-Year Experience and Political Action Committee  Submitted three resolutions through the Senate dealing with timeline, general housing procedures, and communication, which were passed and sent to the Residential Life office

Results  Established a relationship between Residential Life and Housing Subcommittee  Manor sign-up now conducted in fours  Timeline included Resident Assistant’s being notified prior to actual housing sign-up  Availability of proposals increase  Over 25% participation in the Housing and Venting Survey  Clearer communication between students and administration

Winter Term

Actions  Housing Extravaganza for mainly first-years students whom were educated on the logistics and procedures of housing sign-up, included Peter Armstrong Director of Residential Life, Rachael Willits Grossmann/Lohe Hall Director, Hal DeLaRosby Assistant Director of Residential Life, and Patrice Bailey Residence Hall Director  Chair meet and scheduled weekly meetings with Peter Armstrong  Provided feedback and assistance in housing issues

Results  Residential Life utilized housing subcommittee at various times throughout semester, which included asking for feedback on housing dates, proposal information for Lohe and Residence, Knight’s Village and Lohe openings, and the recent submission of a Christian Manor Proposal  Next year Residential Life is working towards having online sign-up, increased communication to the student body, and more information dispersed throughout campus 17

Next Year: Continue meeting with Pete, increased communication will always be a necessity, improve housing sign-up, and work towards more notification measures.

Recycling/Environmental Subcommittee Report Submitted by Stephanie Schwartz, Chair

- First year for the subcommittee - One chair (Stephanie Schwartz) and four members (Kristy Hall, Kate Hunt, Todd Stanhope, Erin Wright) - Primary goal for the year was to institutionalize recycling on campus - Other goals to work with library on paper usage and recycling - Worked with EARTH on the promotion of the graduation pledge

Recycling - Worked closely with administrative ombudsperson (Emily Friedman) - Worked closely with EARTH president (Ann Calhoun) - Met with maintenance staff (John Wuertz and Scott Sharar) - Created a plan to purchase large bins for outdoor recycling - Maintenance chose locations for bins - Contacted and met with Tim Liddle, owner of Northeast Iowa Recycling (NEI) out of Plainfield - Met with Lex Smith for approval of bin purchase - Met twice with President Ohle and Ann Calhoun, first meeting was to ask for his support, which he gave, second meeting was to update him of progress. - Met with 2005-2006 administrative ombudsperson (Amanda Pullin), 2005-2006 EARTH Vice President (Erin Wright), 2004-2005 administrative ombudsperson, maintenance, and Tim Liddle to pass torch in order to insure recycling will occur and have continual support from all parties.

All parties (Senate, maintenance, EARTH, Tim Liddle) agreed upon 5 sites and bins, plastic (all types not separated), paper (all types not separated), glass, and metal would be recycled. Each bin would have four compartments. Inside the bins would be separate containers, two for each material being recycled for easy exchange. Maintenance found and purchased appropriate bins after approval by everyone. Senate reimbursed maintenance. The bins are in place and recycling will be picked up beginning spring 2005 after students move out. 18

Technology Subcommittee Report Submitted by Annie Reiher, Chair

The Technology Subcommittee, under the Student Relations Committee, is committed to serving as a liaison between the student body and the Information Technology Services at Wartburg College. We aim to help students utilize technology services on campus, improve communication among students and Wartburg Information Technology Staff, and allow students to express their thoughts candidly regarding technology at Wartburg College.  Improve communication between Information Technology Services and the student body.  Improve understanding and awareness of various types of technology on campus.  Provide an outlet of direct feedback from students to IT in order to better meet the needs of Wartburg students.  Communicate every other week with Information Technology Staff to discuss questions, concerns, announcements, etc. Yearly Activities  Investigate a new ways to facilitate book-buy-back in the bookstore or within students.  Possible Ways to Promote E-Wart: The Page, Trumpet, Individual Mailers, Posters (Large one in Student Center), Bulletin Boards, etc.  Develop new ideas for trumpet articles written by ITS  Update Senate and Student Body of research and projects within technology services including charging for printing, wireless access, illegal downloading, etc. Goals for Next Year  Actively Promote NASCAR system on Campus  Find ways to help students understand and utilize all services offered on my.wartburg  Develop system of wider campus feedback for students concerning technology

This was the first year for the technology subcommittee and it was our mission to find out what our purpose would be at Wartburg. As a communication tool, I think this committee has great potential to serve as a resource for students. One of the most powerful lessons that my subcommittee and I have learned is that students do respect technology on campus and want to have a better understanding of it. We have also learned that ITS, up until this point, had no method in place to receive student feedback other than through their student workers. It is my hope that this subcommittee can, in future years, find a way to be an outlet for students and their anxiety, frustrations, and questions concerning technology on campus. 19

Roster of Senators, 2004-05

Clinton Hall Tasha Hunter Ground North, 1 North Ivan Ivanov Ground South Brad Berns 1 South Lin Brookshire 2 North John Welch 2 South Cari Blatchford 3 North Jessica Foster 3 South

The Complex Ben Clarkson Centennial Ground, One Alyssa McGuire Centennial 2 Jessi Carver Centennial 3 Matt Ollendick Hebron Ground Jonathan Palmquist Hebron 1 Ryan Granchalek Hebron 2 Laura Guth Hebron 3 (Fall Term) Krystina Irvin Vollmer Ground Ellen Engh Vollmer 1 Stacey Ehlinger Vollmer 2 Emily Harkins Vollmer 3

Founders Katie Bowers 1 Eva Sersland 2 Erin Grandgenett 3, SCC Liaison

Grossman Travis Olson 1, VAC Liaison Lauren Kahler 2 North Erin Moran 2 South Amanda Pullin 3 North Erin Wright 3 South 20

Lohe Natalie Tarkett Ground Alek Wipperman 1 Katie Jo Kuhens 2 North Kristy Hall 2 South Justin Harken 3 North Kate Hunt 3 South

Manors Lucy Joseph Ottersberg, Wiederand. Brandon Newton Swensen, Engelbrecht Todd Stanhope Cornils, Schmidt Jessica Wilke Ernst, Chellevold

The Residence Stephanie Schwartz 1N, 1S Annie Reiher 2N, 3N Matt Lamos 2S, 3S

Knights Village Mary Achelpohl Saginaw, St. Sebald Annie Fox Galena, Dubuque Sarah Walters Mendota

Off-Campus Kelly Bielenberg A-D (Fall Term) Megan DeMeulenaere E-Kray, ETK Liaison Sarah George Kremer-Oelmann (Fall) Verne Houston Ohrt-Shields Julie Moeller Simmer-Z (Fall Term Erin Wolf Simmer-Z (Winter Term)

Liaisons David Jeannot BSU Liaison Ben Krueger Campus Ministry Liaison Stephanie Baty International Club Liaison

Executive Liaison for Diversity Delford Doherty

Exec Team Ben Parks President Colin Buzza Vice President Ashley Weets Recorder 21

Jed Riley Treasurer Emily Barnd Acad Ombudsperson Emily Friedman Admin Ombudsperson

Outstanding Organization Award Nomination

We wish to nominate Student Senate for the 2005 Outstanding Organization Award. Through the dedication and commitment of its members, Student Senate has enjoyed a productive and successful year, clearly demonstrating achievement in each criterion for this award:

Hosts an annual event While Student Senate does not host a seminal “large” event, the organization plays an active role in many annual campus events. These include on-campus issue forums (such as successful housing forums), the Chellevold and Staff Awards, the upcoming Faculty Appreciation Luncheon, and co-sponsorships (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day activities, 2004 Election Forum, Career & Internship Fair, Knight Ski, Jamie & Jim’s Kids Dance Marathon, Pavement Pounders 5k Road Race). We’ve witnessed vast improvement in forum attendance, as well as greater involvement in the majority of these events.

In addition, this year Student Senate initiated Waves of Love, an all-encompassing effort to raise money for victims of the Southeast Asia tsunami disaster. This involved the more visible formal dinner and also included a fast in the Mensa, a change drive, donated proceeds from Jazz at Joe’s, an effort to collaborate with other ELCA institutions, and cooperation with various other campus organizations. We are hoping that this effort will serve as a precedent for the continuation of a large, annual globally-minded fundraiser.

Displays leadership development By the nature of its structure, Student Senate develops leaders out of each of its members. Senators serve as leaders to the constituents on their floor and to their fellow committee members; committee chairpersons serve as leaders to their committees; executives serve as leaders for both Student Senate and the student body. This year Senate has been dedicated to ensuring that each member of Senate has had the opportunity and the feedback to grow as a leader. Through self-evaluations, committee chair evaluations, and executive evaluations, each member has had the chance to reflect upon their own leadership qualities. In addition, through regular one-on-one meetings with a member of the executive team, and through an afternoon of training with the Seedplanters program (leadership and team building organization), members of Senate have also had the opportunity to see that leadership can be strengthened through cooperation and communication.

Promotes group activities Student Senate serves not only as an advocate for all students, but also as a self-contained organization with more than fifty active members. As such, Student Senate realizes the importance of team building to ensure a cohesive, committed group that can best serve students’ needs. Through bonding and service activities, weekly devotion, and the aforementioned Seedplanters training, we have provided means for greater understanding of those with whom we work so often.

Provides a service project 22

The last portion of the Student Senate mission statement is representing our institution through leadership and service to the community. This year, Senators organized and executed a Saturday morning clean-up day. Through the formation of a recycling/environmental subcommittee, Senate has spearheaded an effort to initiate an institution-wide recycling program; this greatly-needed program will begin serving students next fall. Senate’s Political Action Committee played an active role in the voter registration efforts last fall. Additionally, the Waves of Love initiative was clearly borne out of dedication to the Senate mission.

Demonstrates improvement or re-establishment This year, the entire Wartburg community has benefited from a revitalized Student Senate. Within the organization itself, morale has improved considerably; even with twelve additional members this year, attendance at both large-group and committee meetings has been outstanding. Additionally, the perception and awareness of Senate has been enhanced across the community.

Specific improvements this year include increased personal communication between senators and their constituents, a new student-designed Senate website, the debut of WARTblog (an interactive web log feature), and an altered committee structure to tackle problems that have slipped through the cracks for years. This final change has yielded a promising new recycling program, improved housing sign-up and communications, and greater awareness of technology-related issues.

Enhances multi-culturalism Student Senate has played an active role in facilitating greater understanding amongst everyone in the community. Delford Doherty, Senate executive liaison for diversity, has served as an effective advocate for campus diversity organizations, bringing the leaders of these groups together to discuss Wartburg’s ongoing commitment to improving multi-cultural communication. Doherty also implemented a campus-wide diversity survey that has yielded perceptive results. As an organization Senate has co-sponsored MLK Day and participated in SafeZone activities (the latter of which isn’t multi-cultural, but most certainly is dedicated to improving understanding). Finally, Senate dedicated an ad-hoc committee and much of first semester to facilitating discussion surrounding a special Senate vote for international students; while this discussion did not yield a vote, it brought to the surface many other issues that need to be part of the ongoing campus dialogue.

Meets group goals The executive team’s primary goals for Senate this year were twofold: (1) improve communication across campus, and (2) enhance the internal operations of Senate. Communication has improved by the following means: truly emphasizing communication with constituents; improved website; WARTblog; increased student forums; student-friendly minutes; consistent public relations approach that fully utilizes campus media; showing appreciation for students, faculty, staff, administration, alumni and donors through thank-you notes. The internal operations of Senate have been enhanced through: regular agenda sent to Senators for first time; minutes sent in timely fashion; routing sheets to ensure proper follow-up on resolutions and conditional recognition of student organizations; formation of new subcommittees; accountability surveys; bonding exercises.

Respectfully submitted,

Ben Parks and Colin Buzza Student Body President and Vice President