ASA Minutes 3/15/09
Attendance: Keone, Nan, Paul, Zhou, Gillian, Rachel, Rishi, Leonid
Time: 6:30-7:20

Database:
Making progress. Keone and Beracah recently met with SAO.
The database will have the same info as it does now, but it will be easier to generate reports, easier to search
It will be usable for non-officers, so they can search for groups, etc.
Solves problem of website being out of date .. people will query database directly instead of looking at our web snapshots
.. it will have command line access for asa-exec (!?)

GBM:
Mon april 13th, since 6th is UA elections or something
start 7:30 (check in at 7), because sports end at 7
Pizza costs 700, we have the budget for it so sure

What punishment for not coming?
Derecognize for missing 2?
Yes. Email them beforehand. Make a probation/suspended notation in (new) database.
Email first time groups as special invitation
Put up list of new groups recognized, lef/arcade allocations

Activities rush rules
Happens right before frat rush, so possible student groups are losing out. Also, we don't currently enforce it.
Move fair up? Get rid of rule because unenforced? No one violates it to our knowledge anyway. Purpose of rule to level playing field, but not clear what financially backed groups are doing that's bad.
The main problem would be the social mixer .. groups would jump all over that if we took the rule away. Why don't we take over that time for activities fair? Fewer upperclassmen back .. is this a big deal?
In any case, not a big deal for GBM, and no consensus, so we'll talk about it next time. 

We recognize new groups, then lose them. SAO is writing up a document for new groups (ie. pdf) with list of resources. Reduces questions to us and helps them. Leveraging sao is good too - they are excited and competent. 
Other ideas to put SAO to work for us? (also, secretary's question, meaning that you don't have to be on asa-exec to answer)

Midway -- app is out, closes next sunday, Gillian will then send out map as late apps arrive, then will send out final map
writing up a how-to guide. dylon will do it next year
e33 ($$$) or wmbr (free) for performances? how much money do we have? generally wmbr for cpw midway, e33 for orientation, since midway much smaller.

Leadership training institute (the group we had rejected last year) -- heather highly recommends them now. unfunded 8-0-0
India school fund (from last time) -- we'll vote on-line on Monday after heather gets back
Openlabware -- non-student treasurer, haven't gotten back to us with a new one .. discarding app
Two more groups haven't submitted any forms/confirmed membership after multiple reminders .. discarding apps

Groups that are applying and not accepted yet .. can go to midway as last priority? If they request it, conditional on them being accepted. We have the space. We'll do it on a case by case basis, so far only 1 group has asked. Won't offer it generally, since that is one of the big perks of being a student group. 

Music groups affiliated with music dept want funding for their social events .. music dept used to fund this, but aren't any more. Lots of discussion. Leaning towards no; we'll tell them our concerns, and that if they want to disagree we will entertain an application. 
The concerns are that they already get O(150K) a year in terms of support, and that they are established enough that people won't not come to a MITSO party because they have to chip in $5 for pizza. In contrast an average a capella group spends O(10K) a year, most of it earned themselves from fundraising or ticket sales. 

Start thinking about if you want to be involved in ASA next year.

Secretary appreciates that India Samraat a) doesn't try to make food from regions of India it doesn't know anything about b) tastes reasonably fine and is c) still confused as to why every Indian restaurant in Boston thinks Indian food is always monochromatically brown.

-Rishi