Secretariat Report 2
Date: November 1, 2010
Secretariat Report Number: 2
Position: President
Name: Johannes Deselaers
Account of work and progress of the last 14 days
Planned and chaired all meetings
Conducted appointments of Chairs of Graduation Committee, Graduation Ball
Committee (in cooperation with GSA)
Conducted appointments of undergraduate members of the EQ Committee
Conducted re-elections of one parliamentarian in college Nordmetall
Attended a first meeting with the President and the COO Dr. Thiel
Clarified the status of Foundation Year students as undergraduate students and their
representation by the USG
Started planning the Undergraduate Student Assembly
Established parliaments attendance at the weekly meetings of the GSA
Aims for the upcoming 14 days
Prepare meetings
Prepare for the first AC meeting
Arrange a meeting of Parliament with the College Masters and Student Court
Further coordinate with the GSA for a better communication and cooperation
Attend the food committee meeting and gather information on the decision process
regarding the selection of the caterer
Coordinate with the Provost Search committee regarding the meeting of the USG with
the Provost candidates
Committee Report
Committee: Ombudsperson
Committee Report Number: 2
Date: Nov. 3, 2010
Ombudsperson: Elisabeth Stevens
The office of the Ombudsperson is new to this year’s Undergraduate Student Government. The
Ombudsperson is responsible for complaints concerning university policies. She mediates
between undergraduate students and faculty/admin. All complaints made are held in the
strictest confidence.
UFC
REPORT
Committee:
University
Finances
Committee
Report
Number:
2
Date:
01.11.2010
Chairs:
Rainer
Fiege-‐Köllmann,
Adriana
Trutzenberg
1) EVALUATION
OF
AIMS
FROM
LAST
REPORT:
• The
agenda
for
the
upcoming
year
was
discussed.
• The
website
for
the
University
Finance
Committee
was
updated.
• The
committee
met
on
21st
October
2010
and
on
28th
October
2010,
now
having
a
regular
meeting
habit.
• Overall
progress
has
been
good.
2) ACCOUNT
OF
WORK
AND
PROGRESS
OF
THE
LAST
14
DAYS
• ATM
Machine
on
campus
-‐
this
issue
was
discussed
with
the
chair
of
the
Housing
and
Facilities
Committee.
There
was
progress
made
in
trying
to
ascertain
the
cost
and
the
possible
problems
that
could
be
encountered
when
asking
the
administration
for
an
ATM
machine
on
campus.
Enquiries
pending
replies
have
also
been
made
to
local
banks
to
get
more
information
about
the
ATM
Machine
options
available
for
the
university.
Sparkasse
and
Detusche
Banke
have
been
contacted
but
need
to
be
followed
up
with.
• For
the
Food
Committee
-‐
possible
options
concerning
finances
such
as
having
different
kinds
of
meal
plans
were
discussed
• University
Budget:
Requests
have
been
made
to
the
College
Masters
for
the
accounts
of
the
different
colleges.
This
issue
will
be
discussed
in
the
USG
with
the
College
Masters
• Scholarships
for
2nd
and
3rd
year
students:
this
issue
still
needs
to
be
discussed
with
the
administration
• Communication
with
students:
methods
that
will
be
employed
by
the
UFC
to
receive
feedback
from
the
students
and
methods
to
provide
them
with
information
were
discussed.
The
idea
of
having
a
feature
on
the
UFC
and
the
issues
it
is
dealing
with
in
the
Pulse
Newsletter
were
also
considered.
3) AIMS
FOR
THE
UPCOMING
14
DAYS
• Follow
up
on
the
ATM
issue
with
the
banks
and
the
administration
• Follow
up
on
the
University
Budget
with
the
concerned
administration
personnel
and
with
the
college
masters
• Further
discuss
the
idea
of
scholarships
for
2nd
and
3rd
year
students
• Receive
feeback
from
students
in
regards
to
improvements
and
changes
that
should
be
made
to
the
current
food
system.
COMMITTEE REPORT
Committee: Sports Committee
Committee Report Number: 2
Date: 01.11.2010
Chair: Stephan Huerholz
Evaluation of aims from last report
The committee has met once so far and will from now on convene on a more regular basis
(weekly / biweekly). CAIA has been contacted successfully about the Olympix and work on a
proposal is currently being conducted by Stephan Huerholz (USG) and Angolwisye Mwakisu
(GSA) and will be presented to parliament shortly. Thus the aim was accomplished and
further work has already been undertaken.
Account of work and progress of the last 14 days
As stated above the meeting with CAIA has taken place and the follow up work will soon be
presented to parliament for a vote. The founding of club issue has been brought up in the
meeting with the president and got positive feedback and will therefore be pursued more
rigorously within the upcoming months and next semester to ensure its implementation for
the beginning of the next academic year. It was also brought to my attention that there is
interest in having the gym opened in the morning. This was presented at the meeting with
CAIA and their data shows that it has been offered but that student interest has been too
small.
Aims for the upcoming 14 days
It is the aim to meet with the Clubs and Events committee in order to exchange information
on the handling of clubs. In that matter I will also be attending the sports club leader meeting
on the 2nd of November.
Furthermore I will establish regular meetings with the sports coordinator in order to always
be up to date on issues regarding the sports clubs.
I will refer the gym opening times question back to the committee and ask them to gather
additional opinions in order to see and verify how large the student interest actually is.
Fully take over the responsibility of the sports clubs in cooperation with the Clubs and Events
committee.
Committee Report
Committee: Public Relations Committee
Committee Report Number: 2
Date: 2nd November 2010
Chair: Tilak KC
Account of work and progress in last fourteen days
1. Establishment of the committee
a. The committee consists of
i. Alexandru
ii. Mridul
iii. Prabesh
b. The meeting times have been fixed: Saturday 8:00 pm
2. Spamming of the office hours of the parliamentarians
3. Call of the student EQ
4. Preperation of the posters for office hours of the student representatives
5. Setting up the pool for the need of USG website
6. Calling up of the Nordmetall Election
Aims for the future 14 days
1. Calling for two members additional for the committee
2. Collecting information on whether we need USG website or not
3. Continuing the normal tasks of PR committee
Committee Report
Date: 1st November 2010
Committee Report Number: 2
Committee: Parliament Finance Committee
Chair(s): Lisa Begusch
Evaluation of Aims from Last Report
All aims from last report were picked up on and completed successfully. A new Funding
Application Form was devised, the Teamwork Space was finished, and a new Spreadsheet
was created for the 2010-2011 USG Budget. Other committee duties such as management of
Funding Applications were also done.
Account of Work and Progress of Last 14 Days
1. Parliament Finance Teamwork space was set up
2. A new Funding Application Form for the PFC 2010-2011 was created
3. The PFC Application Guidelines Form was updated
4. The PFC Mandate Form was Updated
5. Funding Applications were reviewed:
a. Deepawali
6. Delivery of Budget updates
7. Meeting with the PF Committee Members to distribute tasks, and give general
information on the set-up of the committee
Aims for the Upcoming 14 Days
1. Review of further Funding Applications
2. Meetings with the other PFC members and discussion about Funding Applications
3. Creating a “Budget Plan” for the USG, in which all main events are summarized, as
well as a description of how much was requested and how much was approved over
the last few years
COMMITTEE
REPORT
Committee:
External
Relations
Committee
Committee
Report
Number:
2
Date:
30.11.2010
Chair:
Benedikt
Blomeyer-‐Bartenstein
Evaluation
of
aims
from
last
report
Committee
Report
Number
1
(17.10.2010)
set
the
following
aims
for
the
next
14
days:
1)
Following
up
on
previous
issues
–
Uni
Bremen
2)
Identifying
a
place
for
the
Committee
Aim
(1)
remains
entirely
possible
and
will
be
followed
in
the
future.
In
retrospect,
aim
(2)
is
more
challenging
than
assumed
and
requires
far
more
time
and
experience
to
be
tackled
properly.
Account
of
work
and
progress
of
the
last
14
days
The
External
Relations
Committee
met
three
times
in
the
last
14
days
(On
the
22nd,
the
27th
and
29th
of
October).
In
these
meetings
the
following
issues
were
discussed
(and
decided
upon):
1)
Meeting
Uni
Bremen
a)
A
further
e-‐mail
was
sent
to
Lena
Graser,
suggesting
a
date.
b)
Lena
confirmed
this.
c)
The
Committee
will
meet
University
representatives
on
the
4th
of
November
at
13:00
on
the
campus
of
Uni
Bremen.
USG
President
Johannes
plans
to
attend
too.
d)
The
Committee
has
informed
itself
about
previous
meetings
(minutes)
and
developed
an
own
agenda
for
the
meeting.
The
categories
to
be
addressed
are:
i)
General
communication
techniques
ii)
Sports
iii)
Environmental
issues
iv)
Academic
issues
v)
Social
Events
vi)
Other
events
(i.e.
BRIMUN,
Debating
etc.)
2)
Creating
a
‘General
Policy’
for
the
Committee
a)
This
has
been
challenging
because
of
lack
of
experience
with
the
committee
and
the
issues
it
will
handle.
i)
This
will
be
taken
up
again
when
the
committee
has
sufficient
experience
with
issues
it
handles
3)
The
Committee
considers
the
representation
of
itself
on
‘Teamwork’
unsatisfactory.
a)
It
is
planned
to
nominate
someone
to
update
the
page.
4)’Print
media
issue’
a)
Parliament
has
entrusted
the
Committee
with
the
task
of
following
up
on
the
request
of
students
to
have
print
media
in
serveries.
i)
The
request
was
discussed
in
the
Committee
ii)
A
report
has
been
created
and
submitted
to
parliament
Aims
for
the
upcoming
14
days
1)
Meet
Uni
Bremen
representatives
on
the
4th
of
November
a)
Initiate
a
series
of
projects
discussed
in
the
Committee
b)
Write
a
Report
for
the
Student
Body
2)
Update
the
Teamwork
page
3)
Create
a
logo
for
the
Committee
4)
Develop
the
‘Art
Cooperation’
Idea
5)
The
“Committee
Transition
Issue”
Many
projects
were
abbreviated
in
this
report.
Please
contact
us
for
full
explanations.
Additional
aims:
Updating
the
teamwork
page.
The
creation
of
a
general
outline
of
plans
for
this
year
is
still
on
the
agenda.
–
Which
was
not
possible
in
the
last
14
days
because
of
lack
of
knowledge
of
where
the
Committee
is
exactly.
Please
do
not
hesitate
to
contact
us
if
you
have
questions
or
concerns.
The
External
Relations
Committee
Committee Report
Committee: Environmental Affairs Committee
Committee Report Number: 2
Date: 31.10.2010
Chair: Hannah Schwarz and Matthias Seel
Evaluation of aims from last report:
The pilot phase for plastic recycling bins could not be started because the university did not
manage to provide a “Grüner Punkt” (plastic) dumpster outside Mercator College, yet.
Surveys about room insulation provided us with an approximate overview of how many
people have experienced this to be a problem. Posters providing information about which
blocks perform best on the Green Team Award and about how to save energy have been
designed, put up in the serveries and will be updated after every round.
Account of work and progress of the last 14 days:
The EAC currently works on finding ways to reduce the usage of to go paper cups and
investigated (survey) student interest in acquiring and using thermo cups that could substitute
these. Furthermore, we are negotiating the implementation of drying racks for college
Nordmetall, where at the moment students have no other option but using dryers. We are also
looking into options to always keep college masters/office masters updated on latest
environmental standards for technical devices such as washing machines or dryers, to make
sure they will take these dimensions into account whenever new devices are bought.
Aims for the upcoming 14 days:
The EAC wants to start the pilot phase for plastic recycling in Mercator college as soon as
possible. Furthermore we want to re-establish a solar panel task force, following up on the
research that was started in this field by last year‟s EAC. Also we plan to look into
possibilities of „environmental sponsors‟ for Jacobs and we will make a concrete plan on how
we could support the use of thermo instead of paper cups in the colleges and in the coffee bar.
Committee Report
Committee: Committee for Events and Clubs
Committee Report Number: 2
Date: November 1st, 2010
Chair: Radu Rovin, Ivo Kirov
Evaluation of Aims from Last Report:
The aims from the last report have been properly addressed and the work is being done
according to the internally established timeline. We have kicked off work in the committee and
are very happy with the team we have drawn together.
Account of work and progress for the last 14 days:
During the past 14 days we have finished the assembling of the committee and have had
our first meetings. We have furthered the contact with CAIA and we organized the first club
representatives meeting where we have informed them regarding important policies for club
founding, funding and proper maintenance. We have designated Tauras to be the person in
charge with club funding applications, and he has already responded to a couple of requests.
We have prepared and organized a dinner for the Foundation Year Students at which 5
members of parliament and all Foundation Year Students participated. The meeting was a
success as it was the basis for better representation for them from the USG – which has been
established at later parliament meetings.
We have started the organization of Fall Games – we have established contact with the
parties that will support us, we have designed the budget and applied for the needed funding and
we have started recruiting judges.
Aims for the upcoming 14 days:
During the next two weeks, our main preoccupation will be the organization of Fall
Games, which are scheduled in the second weekend of the month (November 12th-14th). We will
start a collaboration with the Sports Committee to review the club policies. We will continue
contacts with CAIA with regards to upcoming events. Also, we will set up and assign the first
tasks to the IT Taskforce in cooperation with Facilities & Housing and Public Relations. We
already have an update for the active clubs lists and visibility in mind, but this will most likely
only be carried through in the second half of November.
COMMITTEE REPORT
Committee: Academic Affairs Committee
Committee Report Number: 2
Date: 01.11.2010
Chair: Anna-Lena Schindl
Evaluation of aims from last report
First committee meetings:
The first two meetings of the entire AAC took place. Ideas and plans were made for the
upcoming semester. As the committee is rather large, subdivision took place. Now two or
three people each are working on the following topics: teaching evaluations, minors,
intersession courses and major evaluations. The entire committee will work together on the
concept of transdisciplinarity.
Final Exam Schedule & IRC/reader issue:
Additionally, the final exam schedule was released on the 27th of October (only 2 days later
than promised by the Registrar’s office). The meeting with Lara Christianson concerning the
IRC/reader issue was postponed to the next UEC meeting due to two other guests at the last
UEC meeting. However, an official statement from the PCS was received, that it is not an
issue for them to have a copy of the readers in the IRC.
Account of work and progress of the last 14 days
Additional topics that were worked on/came up in the past 14 days:
- Foundation year (FY) complaint: complaint was issued by FY students about their core
English curriculum (too simple, not adequate), first e-mails with Antonia Gohr were
exchanged, no meeting yet
- UEC meeting: COO Thiel was present: general discussion about higher authorities
(President, VP, Dean) overruling Registrar’s office, decision to push for clear and fair
implementation of guidelines, UEC will inform AC about progress of discussion (I will give
USG an update during meeting times)
- a regular meeting with the Office for Academic Affairs (Antonia Gohr) was set up to ensure
for better information flow
Aims for the upcoming 14 days
- gather more feedback from FY students and set up another meeting with Antonia Gohr to
thoroughly discuss the problem
- get in contact with Prof. Yehuda Elkana (on campus for curricula reform) to maybe set up a
meeting with the committee
- make teaching evaluations a priority on the agenda of the UEC (maybe AC)
