In its 17th meeting in session 30, the student senate addressed an assortment of issues, including approving new senators, discussing the possible merger with Franklin Pierce Law Center and an extended period of discussion involving the prospect of having a second Amtrak ticket kiosk placed at the Dairy Bar for the convenience of students.
The meeting began with a guest speaker, Interim Vice President of Research and Public Service Taylor Eighmy.
Eighmy went into detail about what he feels are the benefits of the university merging with Pierce Law, which is located in Concord.
"They came to us because it was part of their strategic plan," said Eighmy.
According to Eighmy, there are roughly 500 graduate students attending Pierce Law, along with close to 100 total faculty and staff. It's not yet known whether Pierce Law would move to Durham or stay in Concord if the schools merge.
"If we merge, is it best to keep them in Concord, where it is the seat of power in the state, or should we move them here so they can create excellent academic synergies between the law school faculty and law school students?" said Eighmy.
Pierce Law Center, according to Eighmy, would also want to make the decision that best serves them financially, which could affect both the decision to stay in Concord or come to Durham and the decision to merge at all.
"Law schools tend to gain money, not lose money," he said.
The university, in order to merge with Pierce, would have to make the same decisions as well, once again factoring what would be best for the college community.
While having more options available to UNH graduate and undergraduate students would have its benefits, Eighmy also expressed concern for a growing space problem both in dorms and in dining halls, two problems that he feels would become significantly worse if they aren't addressed prior to merging with Pierce Law.
When asked whether approval for the merger would involve state officials and the board of trustees, Eighmy said with every step of discussion on the matter, all parties - including the governor - are apprised of the situation. Ultimately, though, only the board of trustees would be involved.
"We have to go through the board of trustees this summer," said Eighmy, adding there is no clear timeline for a decision at this time.
Lounge recycling bin discussion moved
A resolution that would have the student senate encouraging the UNH Department of Housing to provide a recycling bin for each residential lounge was removed from the agenda and moved to the next scheduled session.
Campus Rec bond resolution passed
The senate approved a resolution that allows for the student senate to encourage campus recreation to pursue a possible Higher Education Finance Authority Bond to help repair present problems within the Whittemore Arena and various recreational locations around campus, as well as a large degree of maintenance to Boulder Field.
The decision to encourage campus recreation to pursue the bond was passed unanimously after some discussion.
New senators approved
In the next order of business, the student senate voted on approving senators Paul Yudd of Gables 4 and Ashley Rennebu of Upper Quad 1, which passed unanimously.
The student senate also voted on the appointment of senators Heather Dean and Harmony Abrams to the dining committee, which passed unanimously.
SHARPP brochure aimed at LGBTQ students
The next resolution, which encourages the Sexual Harassment and Rape Prevention Program to draft a brochure targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer students to inform students within those minorities of the services SHARPP provides.
The author of the resolution said the resolution specifically targeted minorities because "most advertising targets heterosexual couples."
He also said most LGBTQ students, in his experience, weren't aware of SHARPP's services. Under the condition that the brochure be presented to the student senate before its final meeting of the semester, the resolution was moved to voting with minor amendments and eventually passed unanimously.
Additional Amtrak kiosk at Dairy Bar debated
Lastly, a resolution involving the student senate strongly encouraging the university move to add a second Amtrak ticket kiosk at the Dairy Bar for student use was moved into discussion.
According to the author of the resolution, long lines are regularly a problem at the Dairy Bar as students who have purchased tickets on the Internet try to obtain a ticket from the kiosk using a confirmation number and barcode supplied at the time of purchase.
From time to time, students may not be able to obtain a ticket and, having only the confirmation code, will either not be able to board the train or will have to pay for a second ticket in order to travel.
The resolution's author said adding a second kiosk to the station would make the lines move faster. One drawback to getting the second kiosk is the possibility that Amtrak wouldn't provide the kiosk for free, which would then result in the university possibly having to pay a total of $25,000 for the kiosk.
Once the possible cost of the kiosk became known to the student senate, the resolution entered debate for over an hour.
During the debate, two senators cited examples of situations in which they had purchased a ticket online but were prohibited from using the train because the kiosk providing the tickets was broken.
Support for the resolution increased steadily until Student Body President John Banks moved to amend the final paragraph of the bill to include a final line that read as follows: "…if and only if the purchase and installation expense of the kiosk is covered by Amtrak."
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