The UNLV Graduate & Professional Student Association
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NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING
WAYS & MEANS COMMITTEE MEETING 44-03
Thursday, June 27, 2024
HYBRID PUBLIC MEETING:
IN PERSON: Graduate Commons, LLB 2141
4505 S Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV 89119, USA
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE AGENDA AND PUBLIC MEETING NOTE:
PERTAINING TO VIRTUAL MEETINGS:
Public Comment may be submitted via email to gpsa@unlv.edu.
Messages received by 9:00 AM on the day prior to the meeting, may be entered into the record during the meeting. Any other public comment form submissions and/or voicemails received prior to the adjournment of the meeting will be transcribed and included in the permanent record.
Members of the public wishing to listen to the meeting may do so via:
CONTINUED:
Below is an agenda of all items scheduled to be presented and considered at the meeting. Notification is hereby provided that items on the agenda may be taken out of the order and presented, two or more agenda items may be combined for consideration, and an agenda item may be removed from the agenda or discussion relating to an item on the agenda may be delayed at any time.
Some agenda items are noted as having accompanying reference material. Copies of the reference materials that are distributed at the meeting may be requested by emailing the Chair at gpsa@unlv.edu. Copies of any such materials will also be made available at unlv.edu/gpsa on the “Agendas and Minutes” folder of the appropriate meeting. Reasonable efforts will be made to assist and accommodate persons with a disability attending the meeting. Please email the GPSA Manager at gpsa@unlv.edu in advance so that arrangements may be made.
This meeting’s agenda has been posted in accordance with NRS 241.020. Agendas may also be also be available online at unlv.edu/gpsa/agenda in the appropriate session and meeting number folder.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Public comment will be taken during this agenda item. No action may be taken on a matter raised under this item until the matter is included on an agenda as an item on which action may be taken. Comments will be limited to three minutes per person. Persons making comment will be asked to begin by stating their name for the record and to spell their last name. The Board Chair may elect to allow additional public comment on a specific agenda item when that agenda item is being considered. In accordance with Attorney General Opinion No. 00-047, as restated in the Attorney General’s Open Meeting Law Manual, the Chair may prohibit comment if the content of that comment is a topic that is not relevant to, or within the authority of, the Body, or if the content is willfully disruptive of the meeting by being irrelevant, repetitious, slanderous, offensive, inflammatory, irrational or amounting to personal attacks or interfering with the rights of other speakers.
All other members present will be available in the meeting minutes and listed below.
Members of the Public Present:
Virginia Smercina, Business Manager GPSA
AGENDA
Meeting called to order by Chair Peña at 5:35pm.
- PUBLIC COMMENT INFORMATION ONLY
(See foregoing notation regarding public comment)
No public comment.
- APPROVAL OF MINUTES FOR POSSIBLE ACTION
Request is made for approval of minutes of previous meetings.
3a) CONSENT AGENDA:
-
- Minutes for the June 17, 2024 (44-02) Ways & Means Committee Meeting as posted to the public GPSA Drive.
Motioned to approve: Hearn
Seconded: Ain
Motion passed unanimously 6-0-0.
4a) GPSA Treasurer Report
Treasurer Lopez noted the following:
The treasurer gets back voting power after abdicating the chair position, but he would like for the treasurer to maintain a more advisory position. He would like for the treasurer to not vote on budget allocations and similar concerns.
The Ways and Means Committee budget will replenish on July 1st. He then briefly explained the general procedure of the Ways and Means Committee to the new committee members.
4b) Ways & Means Committee Chair Report
- Introducing Vice Chair Hearn
- Welcoming new members
- Discussing goals for the upcoming year
Chair Peña discussed the following goals for the upcoming year: she wants to look through the operating policy and possibly alter aspects of the policy, streamline the RSO funding process, possibly moving the RSO funding to a different committee, and she is open to additional suggestions.
4c) GPSA Manager & Advisor
The business manager Virginia Smercina gave new members a brief overview of the Ways and Means Committee and how it connects to the GPSA executive board, including the relationship between the GPSA treasurer and the Ways and Means Committee.
- UNFINISHED BUSINESS FOR POSSIBLE ACTION
Unfinished Business is any motion or action item that was under discussion and was postponed or moved to this meeting at the discretion of the public body as approved by the chair.
5a) No Unfinished Business as of the posting of this Agenda.
- NEW BUSINESS FOR POSSIBLE ACTION
New business is any motion that is new to this meeting. All items will be for possible action unless otherwise stated.
Motioned to open: Hearn
Seconded: Ain
Motion passed unanimously 6-0-0.
6a) Review and vote on the new RSO Application and workflow in TeamDynamix (TDX)
- Chair Peña requests time to review and vote on any new RSO Applications and workflow in TeamDynamix (TDX).
Chair Peña informed the committee that we have no new RSO budget applications and our committee also has no money left in its budget.
Treasurer Lopez informed us that the new priority funding decision date for RSO applications is Friday of the fourth week of every semester. That is the date RSOs are recommended to have their applications submitted by.
6b) Onboarding New Members
- Treasurer Lopez requests time to onboard new committee members. The list of new Ways & Means committee members is as follows: Hoor Ain, Daniella Nikoloska, Amruta Godbole.
Treasurer Lopez discussed the functions of the Ways and Means Committee as a group in charge of approving the overall budget of GPSA. This is to ensure oversight over the GPSA executive board and make sure there is budget transparency throughout the organization. That is the general function, but the Ways and Means Committee currently also oversees the RSO applications at this time, but that responsibility will likely be moving under the umbrella of Sponsorship soon. Treasurer Lopez then gave a general rundown of how RSO applications are reviewed, the process of RSOs applying for funds and receiving funds, and how our TeamDynamix workflow works. He shared his screen to show an example of what RSO applications look like and how they are reviewed through our committee. He asked for questions and new members did not have any questions.
He also said that he sent out the Committee’s operating policy, and that document has everything that one would need to know about the Ways and Means Committee. He gave an overview of the responsibilities of the Chair and Vice Chair.
Chair Peña discussed the idea of meeting quorum, and how it is important for us to know about any absences. Treasurer Lopez clarified that to meet quorum, we need a minimum of 4 people at each meeting since we have 6 voting members total. If new members want to discuss something at a meeting, they should email the chair to have their item placed on the agenda. Otherwise they can bring up new items at the meeting and they will be placed under new business and discussed during the next minute.
Chair Peña also told new members that if they are part of an RSO and their application comes up, it is their responsibility to abstain due to a conflict of interest.
Ain asked how many RSO applications generally come in, and Treasurer Lopez gave the amount of funds requested and disbursed last year as a reference point. The total budget last year was $17,000, there was a total of $16,283.71 requested and $14,346.02 allocated. This upcoming year the budget will likely be $10,000.
Ain also asked what the Committee can and cannot fund for RSOs.
Chair Peña added that as a Committee, we do not have to fund entire RSO applications. They can be fully funded, partially funded, or denied. It is important for us to consider our total budget, while also trying to support RSOs.
Ain asked if we only fund graduate organizations or undergraduate organizations. Treasurer Lopez indicated that any organization that has graduate students as members, they are eligible to receive funding. The operating policy outlines what the Committee can or cannot fund, and Treasurer Lopez walked through that section of the operating policy for new members. He also stated that this year, at least one member of the RSO will be required to attend the meeting that their application is being discussed at. We are also requiring RSOs who receive funding to complete a close-out survey and have a table at the GPSA Research Forum. He reiterated the priority deadline section of the operating policy. He drew particular attention to the section of the policy that specifies what the Committee cannot fund.
Ain asked what it means to be an NSHE supplier. Treasurer Lopez outlined what that means.
Chair Peña asked for additional questions, and seeing none, we moved to the next item.
6c) Call for new business items.
No new business items.
- ANNOUNCEMENTS INFORMATION ONLY
Nia announced that the executive board has a meeting tomorrow, Friday June 28 in case any members were interested in attending.
- PUBLIC COMMENT INFORMATION ONLY
(See foregoing notation regarding public comment)
Treasurer Lopez requested some changes to the operating policy. He thinks it would be best if we lowered the total funding amount from $2000 in order to be able to fund more RSOs in total.
He also wanted to amend the voting power of the treasurer. He thinks that as an executive position, the treasurer should not have a voting position. He would prefer to stay on the committee in an advisory capacity.
Nia discussed her feelings about the treasurer being a voting member, and ways that the Ways and Means Committee can remain connected to Ways and Means without voting.
Ain asked how to assist RSOs who have questions on how to become an NSHE supplier, and Nia shared some resources that our Committee can direct RSOs to if they have questions.
Nia also mentioned that for student organizations that have GRSO status, they should be considered with a different funding model than is used for standard RSOs since GRSOs are heavily funded by the Grad College, whereas RSOs with graduate members have no other avenue for funding. Ain commented that she thinks that is a good idea.
- ADJOURNMENT FOR POSSIBLE ACTION
Meeting adjourned by Chair Peña at 6:21pm.