Beloit Student Congress
700 College Street
Beloit, WI 53511
Phone: (608) 363-2051
Email: belcon@belcon.beloit.edu

News Archive

Wednesday August 20, 2008 - Want to get online?
Kayla Nimis - BelCon DIT

As you might have noticed BelCon plays host to some other websites, such as the Green Pages, the Zine Library, and the Round Table.

Any student who would like to be hosted by the BelCon web server, can contact me at dit @ belcon.beloit.edu and we'll get it set up.

Good Luck!
Wednesday August 20, 2008 - Club Registration
Kayla Nimis - BelCon DIT

Welcome Back!

I'm here to remind you that with the new year starting up it's time to start thinking about registering clubs through BelCon. In order to access budgets and vote at BelCon and BelFAST meetings your club must be registered.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. New clubs are always welcome! In order to start a new club there are a few requirements, primarily 6 charter members. If you start a new club it will be reviewed by the Club Oversight Organization (COO) and they will determine whether or not your club is placed on Trial Status. If you are put on trial Status you will recieve a $50 budget which you can use for club activities. After the trial status you are reviewed again by COO who will then either put you on Active status or renew your trial status.

2. Sign up for the Activities Fair! The fair is a great way to make your club activities known to campus. To sign up go to the BelCon website, any registered, Active club can reserve a table. The fair will be Wednesday, September 3 in the Chapin Quad 4-6:30 pm (Rain Date: September 4).

3. Make sure that club leadership is discussed with club members. All students are welcome to join any club and take part in their activities. However, please do not register a club that you haven't previously been involved in (if it's already listed on the BelCon website) as many have already made plans for the year.

Go to the BelCon website (belcon.beloit.edu) for more information regarding clubs, help can also be found in the office of Student Activities (x2301, Open M-F 8-4:30).

Good luck with move-in everyone!
Kayla
BelCon Director of Inventory and Technology
Wednesday April 23, 2008 - Server Error
Kayla Nimis, BelCon DIT

An error occurred when upgrading the security features and we are working to fix this as quickly as possible.

Until this happens the information on the BelCon website will not be current as far as proposals go, and in limited cases, club listings.

Thank you for your patience.
Thursday January 24, 2008 - BelCon Agenda 1/28
Galen Quinsey Belcon VP

Agenda
1.Call to Order
2.Announcements
3.Approval of minutes
4.Committee Reports
5.Student Forum:
-Budget Process Review
-S.A.L.T.
6.Break
7.Body Wrap
8.Business Section:
-Elections
-BelFAST Bilaw amendment
-Buncha-K
11.Adjourn
Wednesday January 23, 2008 - Important: Activate Your Clubs!
Kayla Nimis, Treasurer

This is just a reminder that all clubs must be reactivated at the beginning of EACH semester. Until they are activated online, you will not be reimbursed for club spending.
The process is painless, just go to the clubs page and look for your club. If it says "Not yet registered for this semester," click on that link and it will ask you to enter in the contact information and who can access your club funds.
Monday January 21, 2008 - Buncha-K Update!
Kayla Nimis, Treasurer

There have been some changes to the current Buncha-K proposal listed.

Yoga Club - Remove "26 Weeks of Yoga Instruction" -$520

DJ Club Equipment - Add "USB Soundcards for DJ's with Laptops" +$61.47

This puts the current funding proposal at $20,359.40 of the $22,500.00 available. A difference of $2,140.61.

All amendments must be made in writing (in addition to proposing a hostile amendment at the BelCon Meeting) to me, Kayla Nimis. The form is listed under Buncha-K on the sidebar.
Sunday January 20, 2008 - Belcon Agenda 1/21
Galen Q. VP

Agenda for Belcon

1)Call to Order
2)Elections
- secretary
- parliamentarian
3)Announcements
4)Approval of minutes
5)Committee Reports
6)Student Forum
- Introduction
- Letter to Trustees
7)Break
8)Body Rep
9)Business Section
-Elections (Again!)
-Food Committee Chair
-P-Board Rep
-Exec Board Rep
-Club Oversight member
-Buncha K
10) Adjourn
Monday December 03, 2007 - BelCon Agenda 12/3
Mitchell Young

Hey Everyone,

Here's the BelCon Agenda for Monday, December 2nd. Remember, BelCon is in the Moore Study Lounge tonight.

1. Call to Order
2. Announcements
3. Approval of Minutes
4. Committee Reports
5. Student Forum
-Study Abroad Funding
6. Break
7. Body Wrap
8. Sports Center Proposal
9. Capital Fund Proposal
-Chess Boards and Clocks
10. Amendments
11. Adjourn

It should be a very insightful and busy meeting tonight!

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
-Mitchell
youngm@stu.beloit.edu
Sunday November 18, 2007 - BelCon Agenda for 11/19
Mitchell Young

Hey Everyone,

Here's the agenda for the BelCon Meeting:

1. Call to Order
2. Announcements
3. Approval of Minutes
4. Committee Reports
5. Student Forum
-BelCon Purpose
6. Break
7. Body Wrap
8. Elections
9. Amendments
10. Film Commission Computer Location
11. Adjourn
Thursday November 08, 2007 - Election Results - Fall 2007
Peter Bartanen

Winners of the Fall 2007 BelCon election. They will take office in January 2008:

President - Mitchell Young
Vice President - Galen Quinsey
Programming Board Director - Alex Catalan
Funding Board Director - Jacob Oppenheimer

Total valid ballots needed for a valid election: 297
Total valid ballots cast: 330

President

Jackson Johns: 78
Mitchell Young: 227

Other (write-in):
Peter Bartanen: 1
Charles Westerberg: 1
Gumby: 1
Ben Braddock: 1
Wedge Antilles: 1
Captain Falcon: 1
Admiral Ackbar: 1
Boba Fett: 1
John Watrous: 1

No Preference (Abstention): 8
None (New Election): 8


Vice President

Kimberley Ballinger: 135
Galen Quinsey: 156

Other (write-in):
Nicole Oddo: 1
Martu: 1
Judas: 1
Frank Sinatra: 1

No Preference (Abstention): 8
None (New Election): 4

Programming Board Director:

Alex Catalan: 252

Other (write-in):
John Jacob Jingle Heimer Smith: 1
Joseph Stalin: 1
Mike Polaski: 1
Chewbaca: 4
Satan: 1
Cole Foslien: 1
Paul Miller: 1
Abraham Behrmann: 1
Dr. Mario: 1

No Preference (Abstention): 54
None (New Election): 12


Funding Board Director

Jacob Oppenheimer: 255

Other (write-in):
Crystal Alburger: 1
Joe Emery: 1
Bowser: 1
Abraham Behrmann: 1
Chewbaca: 1
Cole Foslien: 1
Brandon Davis: 1
Stephen Colbert: 1
John Burris: 1
Hans Solo: 1
Lindsey Green: 1
Gordo Mermant: 1

No Preference (Abstention): 39
None: 24
Thursday November 08, 2007 - BelCon Agenda for 11/12
Mitchell Young

1. Call to Order
2. Announcements
3. Approval of Minutes
4. Committee Reports
5. Student Forum
- New Schedule
6. Break
7. Body Wrap
8. Amendments
9. Film Commission Computer Location
10. Adjourn
Monday November 05, 2007 - November 5th BelCon Agenda
Kayla Nimis

1. Call to Order
2. Announcements
3. Approval of Minutes
4. BelCon Member of the Week
- Rocky Horror Picture Show & German Club
5. Committee Reports
6. Student Forum
- Sports Center Update
7. Body Wrap
8. Amendments
9. Adjourn
Monday October 29, 2007 - Student Forum Tonight UPDATE!
Jacob Oppenheimer

The three main areas of discussion for tonight in regards to the emergency drill are:

1) Overall response to the exercise

2) What we have learned from this exercise

3) Real world applications
i)Communication with students
ii) Building evacuation
iii) Campus evacuation
iv) temporary gathering points
v) tracking student presence on campus
vi) Post Event Support

I hope to see everyone tonight and ready to offer input "from the trenches."
Monday October 29, 2007 - Emergency Drill Response!
Jacob Oppenheimer

Tonight's student forum topic will be a response to the emergency drill from students' perspective.
Thursday October 25, 2007 - BelCon General Body Agenda 10/29
Kayla Nimis

1. Call to Order
2. Announcements
3. Approval of Minutes
4. Committee Reports
5. Student Forum
- Emergency Drill
Members of the Planning Committee will be present to
answer questions and hear feedback.
6. Break
7. Body Wrap
8. Capital Fund Proposal
- Ceramics Club (Vote)
9. Buncha-K Introduction
10. Bylaw and Constitutional Amendments
11. Adjourn
Wednesday October 24, 2007 - Buncha K Update
Kayla Nimis

Buncha-K will be introduced at next week's BelCon meeting (10/29) and I will also be talking to BelFAST (10/30).

After the BelCon Meeting the Application will be available along with the timeline and more information on this website.

The money will not be voted on until February 2008 so if you needed it before then, I would recommend that you apply to another funding source.
Tuesday October 23, 2007 - Office Hours
Jacob Oppenheimer

Questions or concerns? Just want to chill on a comfortable couch? Stop in between 4-5:30 every Wednesday in the BelCon office on the third floor of Pearsons and talk about all things BelCon and even items that aren't.

This week, we'll be reviewing proposed Bylaw changes. Snacks will be provided.
Sunday October 21, 2007 - BelCon Agenda for 10/22
Mitchell Young

Welcome back from break!

BelCon should be a very exciting meeting this week, as we get a post-Trustee update as well as some facts about the Emergency Drill. On the Business side, we will hopefully get to vote on some amendments, including one to shorten the meeting by 20 minutes!

1. Call to Order
2. Announcements
3. Approval of Minutes
4. Committee Reports
5. BelCon Member of the Week
6. Student Forum
-Trustee Report
-Myth-Busting about the Emergency Drill
7. Break
8. BodyWrap
9. Elections
-Election and Campaign Committee Chair
-Election and Campaign Committee Member
10. Capital Fund
-Ceramics Club
11. Amendments
12. Adjourn

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Mitchell Young
youngm@stu.beloit.edu
Box 1696
Ext 4928
Tuesday October 16, 2007 - Fall 2007 Elections
Kayla Nimis

BelCon is looking for 4 elected officers, if you would like to run we are looking for:

President
Vice-President
Programming Board Director
Funding Board Director

Each of these officers serves a one-year term. If elected, you would serve Spring Semester 2008 & Fall Semester 2008.

If you would like to run you should fill out an Application and turn it into the Office of Student Activities.

The current schedule for this fall's elections (subject to changes as the Election Committee sees fit):

October 24th: Applications Due to the Office of Student Activities
October 30th: 7pm - Java Joint - First Debate
November 6th: 6pm - Chapin Quad - Second Debate (Rain location: President's Dining Room)
November 8th: 9am-4:30pm - Mail Room - Elections

If you have any questions about the positions, feel free to email the current officers who will be more than happy to tell you about it.
Thursday October 04, 2007 - BelCon Agenda 10-08-07
Kayla Nimis

1. Call to Order
2. Announcements
3. Approval of Minutes
4. Committee Reports
5. BelCon Member of the Week
6. Student Forum
-Alcohol Philosophy
-How should we deal with students who are irresponsible?
7. Break
8. BodyWrap
9. Capital Fund
-Free Bike Program
-Free Pearsons Arcade Machine
-GEM Lesson Plans
-Ceramics Club Start-up Costs
10. Amendments
11. Adjourn
Friday September 28, 2007 - Off-Campus Expense Reports
Kayla Nimis

As you may have noticed a new form has been added to the site for your downloading pleasure, the Off-Campus Expense Report.

From now on all clubs going off campus must fill out one of these forms detailing all spending. This is not a part of the proposal process, however, it is being used to track how BelCon money is spent.

If you have any questions feel free to email myself (treasurer@belcon.beloit.edu or Crystal (belfast@belcon.beloit.edu).
Friday September 14, 2007 - BelCon Agenda 9/17
Mitchell Young

Here is the BelCon agenda for Monday, September 17th:

1. Call to Order
2. Announcements
3. Approval of Minutes
4. Committee Reports
5. Placard Rules Clarification
6. BelCon Member of the Week
7. Student Forum
-Input for the Letter to the Trustees
-Student Bi-Daily E-Board
8. Adjourn

With no business, it should be a pretty short meeting!
Thursday August 30, 2007 - First BelCon Meeting on 9/3
Mitchell Young

Hey everyone, I hope you all had a great summer!

The first BelCon meeting will be at 7 P.M. in Mathers. As it's the first meeting, we have to elect committee chairs and committee members, so it's sure to be a busy meeting. The following is the list of everything that is open:

1 Secretary
1 Parliamentarian

Budget Committee: 4 members
Club Oversight Organization: 1 chair, 4 members
Election and Campaign Committee: 1 chair, 6 members
Executive Board: 2 members
Food Committee: 1 chair
Judiciary Committee: 4 Members
Programming Board: 1 member
Residential Life Committee: 1 chair
Student Forum Committee: 1 member
Student Policy Committee: 1 chair, 5 members

As you can see, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, or look at the Constitution/Bylaws located here: http://belcon.beloit.edu/bylaws.php?parent=10

A more detailed look at each committee will be given before each position is elected on Monday. See you all there!

-Mitchell Young
BelCon Vice President
youngm@stu.beloit.edu
224-406-1319
Ext 4928
Box 1696
Thursday August 30, 2007 - New P-Board Director
Mitchell Young

Alex Schwartz, our P-Board Director from last semester has resigned so he can pursue an exciting scholarship/internship with the Beloit International Film Festival. As constitutionally mandated, the Assistant Treasurer, Philip Thomas, has become the new P-Board Director for the remainder of the term (through the Fall semester). An election for a new Assistant Treasurer will take place at the second full session meeting following the vacancy, which is on September 10th.

Congratulations Philip and good luck Alex!
Monday August 27, 2007 - Club forms are now available
Peter Bartanen

The club registration and new club forms are now online and available. Clubs may now register for fall semester by going to the "Clubs" section and clicking the red "register" link next to their name or in their club profile.

Also, email reminders have been added to the funding proposal.
Saturday August 04, 2007 - Welcome to Version 4!
Peter Bartanen

The BelCon web site project began during the Summer of 2005 and has since been blown up and put back together four times, each—I hope—better than the last. The site has always been an experiment for me. I’ve tried and failed at many things (annoying little snowflakes near Christmas a couple years ago) but succeeded at a few. Working on this web site has afforded me a pastime to which I’ve devoted many, many hours. The knowledge that this will likely be my last demolition of the BelCon web site is liberating and disheartening. My goal, this time around, was to create a system so easy to use that this tool would outlast my own tenure at Beloit. I hope I’ve succeeded, but if not, I now have less than a year to finally make it work.

With that, welcome to the latest version. Please share your comments, suggestions, and questions. I’d be happy to hear them – crazy or not.

What follows is a pretty exhaustive list of changes. With the exception of some of the information, you will see that everything is newly built.

• New design using CSS, Javascript, and minimal HTML. The design is aimed toward looking brighter, more modern, and therefore more minimal. No more awkward images, unnecessary headers, etc.

• Implemented a new three-tier menu system. The first two tiers appear on the left side of each page (and show up on all pages). The third tier is specific to each section and appear as boxes near the top of every page. This menu system is dynamic and can be manipulated through the web-based administration section.

• Printer-friendliness. All pages will automatically print without the navigation or legal mumbo-jumbo. Try it. I was pretty pumped when I got it to work.

• Removed outdated and unnecessary content from all sections. The information that remains is the most relevant, and it’s easier to find with fewer pages to sort through.

• Elevated Programming Board, WBCR, and the Round Table to the top tier. Hopefully this enhanced visibility will allow for continued development and attention.

• Made the clubs page easier to navigate. It’s also more clear which clubs have and have not registered (our new word for ‘activated’) in a given semester.

• The attendance list now pulls directly from the list of Active and Trial Status clubs. No more worrying about updating the attendance list, unless there are some new residence halls or houses to be added.

• Brand new funding proposal. I’m really excited about this. REALLY excited. I originally didn’t want to mess with this again but I had a revelation one night and came up with what is now there. When viewing a proposal, the format has been altered a bit so that the key information appears closer to the top of the page. Hopefully this will eliminate the need for scrolling during a meeting. But the really exciting part is the process for filling out a new proposal. Instead of running through an entire maze of text boxes, the form is now point-and-click. When creating/editing a proposal you now literally have to click the title of your proposal to change it, and the page updates automatically when the information is changed. Bottom line: no more flipping back and forth from page to page when editing proposals. Hopefully it will be much more efficient!

• Added a calendar feature to show upcoming events in the next seven days. Also changed the full calendar to list format for ease of use (and because it was discovered that the old calendar skipped over February for no apparent reason. I tried long and hard to solve that one…).

• Simplified the Contact Information sections. No more profiles that were rarely updated. Now, contact information is minimal. I also removed student phone numbers from the public areas of the site.

• The administration section has been simplified and reworked. When logged in, a red ‘Administration’ box appears at the top of each page throughout the site, so you can access the administration section even from a non-administration page. I’ve also changed the permissions for administrative users. Now, anyone with a username and password can edit all sections of the site.

Coming shortly, a section where clubs can change their information, transfer money, and see their attendance—all in one place! I also have to finish some of the pages within the funding proposal section and a couple other random spots.

I decided to launch the new page today because I was making changes to things that were disrupting the old site. There will be extensive testing yet to come to make sure the bugs are ironed out and that everything is in order before school starts.

Please check things out, submit proposals and whatever else. I’ll clean up your mess. And let me know if you’d like to see some changes.
Friday July 27, 2007 -


Monday July 23, 2007 -


Saturday July 21, 2007 - Apologies for the mess as we migrate to version 4.0 of the BelCon web site!
Peter Bartanen

My apologies for the mess during the next few days as we migrate to version 4.0 of this web site!
Friday April 27, 2007 - Final BelCON meeting of the year
Jacob Oppenheimer

Student forum this week will be jam packed with a brief Question and Answer session with John Winkelman and Bill Flanagan about the emergency drill currently being planned for next year. Feel free to voice your concerns. We'll also be covering a plan to encourage students to enroll in fall semester study abroad programs.

Business section will also be chock full of goodness as last week's BelFAST bylaws will be further discussed and voted upon.

Did I mention the delicious cupcakes?
Monday March 19, 2007 - BelCon Agenda 3/19
Mitchell

1. Call to Order
2. Announcements
3. Approval of Minutes
4. Committee Reports
5. BelCon Member of the Week
6. Presentation about the proposed New Schedule
7. Break
8. Vote on Capital Fund Proposals
-Interfaith Drum Circle Set
-Unicycles for Juggling Club
9. Amendments
-Capital Fund Amendment
-Constitutional Amendment
10. Elections
-Election Committee
-Club Oversight Organization
-Budget Committee
11. Budget!
12. Adjourn

There are three committee positions to be filled, as well as the beginning of the budget process, so it should be an exciting meeting.

If you have any questions, please let me know!

Mitchell Young
youngm@stu.beloit.edu
Box 1696
Ext 4928
Friday March 16, 2007 - Be BelCon's Assistant Treasurer
Laurel Purdy

Hey everyone!

As no one has applied for the position of Assistant
Treasurer for BelCon, the Election Committee is extending
the deadline to apply for this position (and this position
only) until Monday the 19th. So, if you want to be
Assistant Treasurer, pick up an application in Student
Activities or apply on the BelCon website! The first round
of debates will be Tuesday the 20th at 9 pm in the Java
Joint!

The application is available by clicking here!
Wednesday February 28, 2007 - Election Application Now Available
Peter Bartanen

Applications for Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer are now available online or outside the Student Activities office. The deadline for completing them is Wednesday, March 14.

To fill out an online application, visit http://belcon.beloit.edu/election-application.php
Monday February 26, 2007 - BelCon Agenda 2/26
Mitchell

1. Call to Order
2. Announcements
3. Approval of Minutes
4. Committee Reports
5. BelCon Member of the Week
6. Student Forum- Topic explained below
7. Roll Call
8. Adjourn

The Student Forum topic will be a discussion with Vandewalle & Associates about how to make the city of Beloit more appealing to Beloit College graduates.

If you have any questions, please let me know!

Mitchell Young
youngm@stu.beloit.edu
Box 1696
Ext 4928
Monday February 19, 2007 - BelCon Agenda 2/19
Mitchell

The BelCon Agenda for February 19th:

1. Call to Order
2. Announcements
3. Approval of Minutes
4. Committee Reports
5. BelCon Member of the Week
6. Student Forum- Topic is explained below
7. Break
8. Body Wrap
9. BelFAST Amendment
10. Executive Board Membership Amendment
11. Capital Fund Discussion/Voting
-CCOC Computers
-Flood Arena Strobe Lights
12. Roll Call
13. Adjourn

Depending on some information from the Dean of Students, Student Forum will either be about smoking policy or general concerns drawn from the BelCon Body.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

-Mitchell
youngm@stu.beloit.edu
Ext. 4928/Box 1696
224-406-1319
Wednesday February 14, 2007 - BelCon Office Hours
Jacob Oppenheimer

Comments? Complaints? Suggestions? Questions? Come meet with an executive board officer Tuesdays, 4pm-6pm in the BelCon Office (3rd Floor Pearsons)

The goal is to facilitate better communications between the Exec Board and the Student body.
Saturday February 10, 2007 - Letter to the Board of Trustees
Jacob Oppenheimer

Please feel free to comment and let me know what else needs to be addressed on the 10th.

oppenhei@stu.beloit.edu

The link: Letter to the Board of Trustees

Tuesday January 30, 2007 - Strategic Plan Presentation
Jacob Oppenheimer

Unsure of what a "Venture experience" is? Confused about clusters? Join Ann Davies and Company to discuss the revised Strategic Plan for Beloit College to find out.

Where: Mathers A and B
When: Wednesday, January 31st
What: Town Hall meeting concerning the revised Strategic Plan
Wednesday January 17, 2007 - Good Tidings and Merry Meetings!
Jacob Oppenheimer

Good tidings, fellow students!

Welcome back to the bubble for another semester of higher education and learning. Yes there's a difference, and yes it's up to all of us to truly understand it. But I digress.

Beloit Congress convenes once again this monday, January
22nd at 7pm in Mathers A & B, for a fun filled night of elections and committee appointments. If all goes according to plan, you'll be able to grill us, take our egos down a peg or two, and finish up with business in time to enjoy your friends' company outside the hallowed halls of Mathers with plenty left over to continue procrastinating. Let's start this semester off on positive foot. I look forward to listening to what you all have to say, and of course, if you have any comments or concerns, feel free to talk to or email myself or anyone on the Executive Board. We look forward to seeing you at the first BelCon meeting of 2007.

Sincerely,

Jacob Oppenheimer
President, Beloit Student Congress
president@belcon.beloit.edu
Wednesday November 29, 2006 - The Club Review - 2006
Peter Bartanen

Club Leaders: Please fill out this form (also attaching relevant documents) and return to Box #891 before December 20th, 2006.

http://belcon.beloit.edu/uploads/clubreview.doc
Sunday November 12, 2006 - BelCon election results
Peter Bartanen

Here are the results of the Fall 2006 BelCon Elections! Thank you to all who voted!

Total Number of Ballots Cast: 398
Valid Ballots: 362
Invalid Ballots: 36


Your BelCon officials for 2007 term are

President: Jacob Oppenheimer
Vice President: Mitchell Young
Programming Board Director: R. Alex Schwartz
Funding Board Director: Crystal Alburger

Here is the break down of the numbers:
President:
282 Votes for Jacob Oppenheimer
55 Mike Lovelace
5 Other:
2 Peter Bartanen
1 Anna Lawrence
1 James Lynch
1 Wedge Antilies
11 No Preference (Abstention)
8 None of the Above (New Election)

Vice President
162 Votes for Mitchell Young
145 Hillary Mellinger
3 Other:
1 Abraham Behrmann
1 Andrew Bartles
1 Jackson Johns
43 No Preference (Abstention)
9 None of the Above (New Election)

Funding Board Director
277 Votes for Crystal Alburger
7 Other:
1 Nigel Richard
1 Chewbacca
1 Julie Rainwater
1 Billy McFinnigins
1 Justin Aier
1 Yuta Kabeya
1 Matt Asleesen
66 No Preference (Abstention)
12 None of the Above (New Election)

Programming Board Director
280 Votes for R. Alex Schwartz
6 Other:
1 Dan Addis
1 Will Bragington
1 Philip Barret
1 Andrew Bartles
1 Sarah Stephanson
1 Rachel Peck
64 No Preference (Abstention)
12 None of the Above (New Election)
Note: these results include the original misspellings for write-in candidates


For the Referendum ("We recommend that the Board of Trustees raise the Student Activities Fee $5 per semester to support major campus projects, to be decided upon by students. Do you agree?")
300 voted Yes and 62 voted No

More than 2/3 of those who voted were in favor. However, if a referendum is to pass, 50% of the student body has to vote, which did not happen.

This election may be contested up to 1 week following the electionday. If you wish to contest this election email
purdyl@stu.beloit.edu.
Wednesday November 01, 2006 - Diversity Initiatives Meeting
Peter Bartanen

On Monday, October 30 there was a meeting of campus leaders, including students, faculty, and staff, to discuss the number of initiatives taking place on campus regarding diversity and racism. The meeting was well attended and the results were positive.

Click here to download the minutes from this meeting.
Tuesday October 10, 2006 - Fall Break Shuttles to Van Galder Bus Stop
Peter Bartanen

Note: You only need to reserve a spot if you're taking a 3:00-7:30am bus!

Fall Break departure shuttles:

Friday, October 13 - Sunday, October 15
Departure times: 8:00a, 9:15a, 11:00a, 12:15p, 2:00p
(3:00a-7:30a by reservation only)

Fall Break arrival shuttles:

Friday, October 20 - Sunday, October 22
Pick-Up times: 12:30p, 2:30p, 4:00p, 5:30p, 7:10p, 8:10p, 9:00p, 10:10p, 10:40p, 11:40p

BTYB: ResLife and Friendly Van Drivers
Tuesday October 10, 2006 - Election applications now available
Peter Bartanen

Tuesday August 01, 2006 - New to BelCon?
Peter Bartanen

BelCon is composed of representatives from all the clubs and residence hall floors and houses on campus. There are a number of committees that discuss campus issues, such as student policies, residential life issues, and food service. There are also committees that oversee the creation of new clubs, the allocation of the $110 Student Activities Fee you pay every semester (nearly $260,000 per year!), and deal with questions and problems on behalf of the student body.

(There's more!)

BelFast, an acronym for “Beloit Funding and Allocation of the Student Treasury,” is a funding process by which any student can apply for and receive funding for events, trips, and more! Any student may propose for up to $220 on their own, and clubs can apply for even more. The money is approved by a large group of students who meet on a weekly basis, so attending this meeting is an easy way to know what’s happening on campus!

Programming Board provides a ton of entertainment throughout the year. There are six committees that are overseen by P-Board: Film Series brings movies to campus on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, C-Haus Programming books bands to play at the C-Haus, and Student Programming books comedians, bands, etc. BelCon sponsors three major music events during the year which are planned and run by their respective committees. Folk and Blues Committee plans the largest, a two night event toward the beginning of September. Vortex Committee plans a major rock concert in February, and Spring Day Committee plans an outdoor carnival and concert in April. There is also a Welcome Back Dance early in the fall semester and a student performace of the Rocky Horror Picture Show around Halloween.

There are so many opportunities for you to be a part of student government. We would love for you to get involved! Check us out online at http://belcon.beloit.edu. Also look for posters and emails throughout the year!

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. I look forward to getting to know you and working with you this year!

Sincerely,

Peter Bartanen
President, Beloit Student Congress
president@belcon.beloit.edu
Friday July 28, 2006 - Ummm... We're Back.
Peter Bartanen

Well, after accidentally deleting the databases, I got them back. Hopefully everything is working now!
Tuesday April 25, 2006 - Funding proposals & clubs now searchable
Peter Bartanen

The funding proposal and clubs databases are now searchable! The search function will search for keywords in the titles and descriptions of proposals and in the names of clubs. An advanced search is forthcoming.
Monday April 17, 2006 - New Proposed Parking Policy
Peter Bartanen

The parking policy is now available for download. Discussion will continue at BelCon on Monday, April 24 at 7:30 PM in Mathers Room, Pearsons Hall.

View the parking policy by CLICKING HERE.
Friday April 14, 2006 - 5+1 Proposal Documents
Peter Bartanen

The proposal for 5+1 has been released by the Office of the Dean of the College and is available on Moodle as well as using the links below. If you have any questions or comments, please send Peter Bartanen and/or Joe Reistetter an email. As a reminder, this is just a PROPOSAL. It is not official yet. There is still time to give input and possibly get things changed.

5+1 Proposal Preface
5+1 Proposal
Teaching Load Comparison with Other Schools
Pie chart of students per faculty
Overhead presentation slides

Please read these documents carefully.

Sunday April 09, 2006 - SPRING DAY!!!
Paul Miller P-Board Director

Spring Day will be all over campus this Thursday!
Look for more posters for different events going on.
Wake up eat lunch then party away at Spring Day!

$10,000
Of your student activites fees are going to Spring Day!
Come reep the rewards with things like:
LASER TAG!
JELLO WRESTLING!
OBSTACLE COURSES!
FREE FOOD!!!
BANDS!!

and MUCH MUCH more!!!

I am so excited I used TOO MANY UPPERCASE LETTERS!!!
THAT MEANS IT WILL BE EXCITING!!!!

Spring Day is brought to you by
BelCon and Spring Day Programming Board Committee
Tuesday March 21, 2006 - BelFast will start at 10PM tonight, March 21
Peter Bartanen

BelFast will be starting at 10PM tonight, March 21 in Mathers Room, Pearsons Hall. The meeting will last no longer than an hour.
Monday March 13, 2006 - 2006-2007 Budget - "Mahna Mahna"
Peter Bartanen

The new 2006-2007 budget proposal has been posted online. It can be found at this location.

If you would like to make amendments, send Julie Rainwater, the Treasurer, an email stating what you would like to change. If you are proposing to increase funds to a certain line, be sure to also include where you will be taking money from. Example: If I wanted to increase the amount of money allocated to Academic Fund, I would state this in my amendment but would also include that I want to decrease the amount of money allocated to Social Event Fund.

We will hear a presentation of the budget next Monday, March 20. If you have any questions, feel free to email Julie Rainwater and Rich Kasper, Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer.

Congratulations and thanks to Julie, Rich, and the entire Budget Committee for their hard work on this year's proposal!

Monday March 13, 2006 - Student Programming Chair Found!!!
Paul Miller

We have a new Student Programming Committee chair! But you can still get involved and help bring bands/comedians/speakers/performers/anything to campus!
Katy Koessel is our new Studnet Programming Committee chair. Programming Board works is through 7 committees. These 7 committees are:
C-Haus (All bands at the C-Haus)
Student Programming (General Programming throughout all of campus with a big event in the fall)
Folk and Blues
Vortex
Spring Day
Welcome Back Dance (Money for big ballroom dance within 2 weeks of fall semester)
Film Series (Funds the movies shown in Wilson Theater)

If you would like to be involved in any of these committees or bring anyone to campus please email Paul Miller, the Programming Board Director at pboard@www.beloit.edu
Don't forget the email address includes the "www"

Get Involved!

Paul Miller...
Programming Board Director
Beloit College
PBoard@www.beloit.edu
Monday February 13, 2006 - Programming Chair Needed!!!
Paul Miller

Those lovely folks that bring you Vortex, C-Haus Bands, Spring Day, Film Series Events, Folk and Blues, Rocky Horror and other such events would like more student input.
If any student is interested in helping out with Student Programming Committee, which is used to bring a large variety of events from bands to comedians to anything you can think of, please email Programming Board
pboard@www.beloit.edu
or the Programming Board Director Paul Miller
Millerp@stu.beloit.edu

No experience is required just a desire to bring fun things to campus!

Thank you!

Paul Miller...
Programming Board Director
Beloit College
Sunday January 29, 2006 - Student Report to the Board of Trustees
Peter Bartanen

My report on behalf of students to the Board of Trustees is available for reading. Please email me (bartanen@stu.beloit.edu) if you have any questions or would like me to bring up another topic in my oral remarks at the meeting.

The link: Letter to the Board of Trustees

Wednesday January 11, 2006 - More updates.
Peter Bartanen

Here is another list of updates. These are (probably) the last ones til next week, at the earliest. I have other projects to work on...

- Completed the funding proposal system, correcting some bugs and adding some features including a drop down menu for club sponsors and an indicator calculating how much of the total cost of a proposal was requested.

- Updated the attendance module for BelFast attendance.

- Updated the clubs module and made it so that Trial status clubs are now able to activate.

- Made various grammatical updates (and, uh, that content update...) to a number of pages

- Added a 'Budget Request' form to the Money section

- Updated the funding assistant module

- Changed the passwords to all user accounts (CONTACT ME IF YOU NEED AN UPDATED PASSWORD)

Tuesday January 03, 2006 - BelCon: Reloaded
Peter Bartanen

A number of obvious (and not so obvious updates to the page). First, I made a change to the news page so you can see part of the news article without actually clicking it. So, to read the rest of this article, for instance, hit the link below!


The changes are as follows:


- Updated news on front page so that an abstract of each article will appear

- Put the calendar on the front page

- Added a 3-day view for upcoming events

- Graphical upgrades, including a logo refinishing and color redesign

- BelFast/Funding Proposal Upgrade: I am still working on this but it's mostly done. There is a completely redone funding proposal system now online. To access it, go to Money->Begin the Process. You will then be able to start a new funding proposal using a system that is MUCH more streamlined and user-friendly than the old one. Additionally, the 'Current Proposals' page and the 'View Proposal' page have been updated for BelFast. I am still working on writing instructions and such for this section. An important feature of the new funding proposal system is the ability for us to post events sponsored through BelFast directly to the BelCon calendar. There are more too, so take a look around.

- Removed the programming database

- Removed the Vacancies database

- Removed the mailing list database

- Removed the Feedback database

- Removed the Omniboard/BelFast database

- Updated Spring 2006 officers and committee chairs

 

I think that's all for now.

Friday December 23, 2005 - Proposed Constitutional Amendments Regarding Club Attendance
Peter Bartanen

The latest round of proposed constitutional amendments regarding voting and attendance have been posted in powerpoint form. They were developed by the Voting and Attendance Ad-Hoc Committee and put together by Natalia, our Parliamentarian.

Click here to download the powerpoint presentation

Friday December 23, 2005 - Important: End of Semester Information
Peter Bartanen

Some important dates to remember:

December 8 is the last day to propose to the funding boards. December 12-13 will be the last times the funding boards will meet this semester. We will be electing representatives to BelFAST, one from each meeting.

December 12 we will elect people to fill committee chair vacancies for next semester. Please come if you are interested in taking a more active role in BelCon!

December 14 is when keys to the offices on Pearsons 3rd must be returned to Student Activities. Also, this is the last day when club budgets and underspent money will be accessible this semester. No cash advances or reimbursements after this date!

Friday December 23, 2005 - Espresso Machine, Sports Center Equipment Approved
Peter Bartanen

The BelCon general body has approved the purchase of a new Espresso Machine for the Java Joint as well as a new Cable Crossover Machine for the Sports Center.

The Espresso Machine has been installed and is working great, reducing the wait-time for customers in the Java Joint.

Thank you to David Fish, Liz Brodek, and Francesca Vitale for sponsoring these proposals!

Friday December 23, 2005 - Proposed Constitutional Amendments
Peter Bartanen

The proposed constitutional amendments from the November 14 General Body meeting can be found in a powerpoint presentation at the following address:

http://belcon.beloit.edu/files/amendments.ppt

Friday December 23, 2005 - BelFAST Bylaws Posted
Peter Bartanen

Bylaws for BelFAST, Funding Oversight Committee, and the five combined funds can now be found on the BelCon informational page. Click the big "BelFAST" image on the BelCon homepage or use the following link:

http://belcon.beloit.edu/belfast.php

Monday November 14, 2005 - Capital Fund Purchase
Peter Bartanen

The BelCon General Body has approved $200 for the purchase of twelve banners for the Alternative Gift Market.
Wednesday November 09, 2005 - BelCon Election Results
Peter Bartanen

The results from the November 8 election are in!

President: Peter Bartanen

Vice President: Carrick Davis

Programming Board Director: Paul Miller

Assistant Programming Board Director: Matt Aslesen

Congratulations to all the winners!

To see the breakdown, Click HERE.

Sunday October 23, 2005 - Website layout updates
Peter Bartanen

I have put in new drop down menu features for the entire website which I hope will make it easier to find things.

I have also built the administration section into the site a bit more.

Finally, I increased the width of the \"white\" middle section of the page so that it is bigger if there is no right panel.

Tuesday September 20, 2005 - New procedure: Roll-Call during the Business Section
Peter Bartanen

This is being posted on behalf of Nachiket Karnik.

There will now be a roll-call taken at the beginning of the business section to ensure that all clubs are present for that section of the meeting.

Saturday September 10, 2005 - Site updates
Peter Bartanen

I have made a number of changes to the site:

- Adjusted the top bar to have a blue background, only showing up when the window is not maximized and the navigation bar gets cut off
- Added document download links to the Constitution, Freedom of Information Act, and the Lexicon
- Removed the account numbers from the club profile page
- Added links to the bylaws in the funding board guidelines page
- Revamped the 'current funding proposals' feature so that it displays correctly
- Added a section to the 'current funding proposals' section so that the public can see completed proposals
- Added a feature to the funding proposal view mode to create a printable version, avoiding the weird formatting when printing off the site
- Adjusted automatic email notification when the status is changed on a funding proposal
- Implemented the 'addslashes()' function to avoid apostrophe, quotation mark, and comma issues
- Changed the minutes module so that minutes are displayed in descending order, from newest to oldest
- Fixed a bug in the calendar system where the audience was not displaying correctly in administrative mode
Inserted club meeting locations into the club profile page

Saturday September 10, 2005 - Funding Boards starting up this MONDAY and TUESDAY!
Peter Bartanen

The BelCon funding boards will begin meeting starting next week: Monday, September 12 and Tuesday, September 13!

Social Funding Board meets Monday nights after BelCon, at 9:00 PM.

Cultural Funding Board meets Tuesday nights at 9:00 PM.

Educational Funding Board meets Tuesday nights at 10:00 PM.

All meetings are held in Mathers Room: 1st Floor, Pearsons Hall.

Note: We need a new chair for the Educational Funding Board. If you are interested in learning how to run a funding board and would like to run for this position, please come to Educational Funding Board on Tuesday (9/13) at 10:00 PM.

Also, there is a new process for funding proposals. All proposals should now be submitted using our online system, found at http://belcon.beloit.edu. To access the funding proposal and to see current proposals in the process, select the "Money" section and use the appropriate links on the left.

If you have any questions about the funding board process or the website, please feel free to email me (bartanen@stu.beloit.edu) or stop by the Office of Student Activities!

Thursday August 25, 2005 - Thanks for the support!
Peter Bartanen

Thank you to everyone who has visited this site and also to those who have expressed their support in person. I'm encouraged by the enthusiasm surrounding this project, and I'm confident this project is merely a first-step toward a larger initiative on campus.

Soon the student email login page will be redesigned with a visible link to the site. I hope that will increase traffic to this site and will educate students more about BelCon. But I have been particularly struck by the power of word-of-mouth referrals to the site. Since I introduced the site to RAs and OLs less than a week ago, the number of daily hits has rapidly increased. I expect even more traffic when the returning students get back this weekend. Keep spreading the word!

As students return to campus and clubs get back in business, this site will come alive. The club database will be updated, the calendar will fill up, and the site overall will turn into a well-oiled machine. I'm excited to see how things turn out these next couple weeks and through the fall semester.

Sincerely,
Pete









© Beloit Student Congress - The materials contained on this web site are presented by student organizations and do not necessarily reflect the views of either the broader student population or of Beloit College. This web site, and all other web sites hosted on this server, abide by the Beloit Student Congress Web Server Policy. Designed by Peter Bartanen '08.