U-PASS Advisory Board Regular Meeting October 27th, 2015 I.

Present:  Royce Le – ASUW Representative  Thomas Crowe – ASUW Representative  Adam Khan – ASUW Representative  Monica Cortes-Viharo – GPSS Representative  Zack Howard – Transportation Services  Cooper Smith – U-PASS Liaison

II.

5 min public comment period acknowledged.

III.

Approval of Agenda at 10:34 am

IV.

Description of Chair and Vice Chair roles, and election process Cooper: These roles (Chair and Vice Chair) are outlined in the Advisory Board (AB) Bylaws which you should have in your Resource Binders. They are the first document in Section 1. The Chair is responsible for setting the agenda for upcoming meetings, and presiding over the processes of the board during meetings (holding votes, acknowledging quorum, observing the public comment period), maintaining decorum, and helping to focus discussion. The Vice Chair takes over this role in instances where the Chair is unavailable at any particular meeting. Zack: Traditionally one spot has been filled by a representative from GPSS and the other by a representative of ASUW. Monica: But that isn’t a formal rule? Zack: No, it is not formalized, but we have found that this structure was beneficial in the past, so it is something to consider. Thomas: Right, it wasn’t that way last year. Zack: Correct, for part of last year both positions were filled by ASUW Representatives.

V.

Action Item: Approve Annual Report 2014-15 Zack: It’s my understanding that there wasn’t a formal approval of this report by last year’s board. The purpose of this document is to maintain the legacy of last year’s board. It covers the accomplishments of last year’s board, financial statements and projections for coming years, discussions about the U-PASS fee and the increase and the mechanics of how it happened, the MOU, and conversations that may have fallen to the wayside during the U-PASS fee increase discussion.

The other objective of the Annual Report is informative - to define roles and the purpose of the Advisory Board, and the benefits of the U-PASS program. The goal of this particular AR (2014-15) is to serve as a springboard for the AB to go to the Senates early, in order to explain what the U-PASS program does, what the AB does, and why it is important. Thomas: Motion to approve the 2014-15 Advisory Board Annual Report. Adam: Seconded. Cooper: Are there any objections? *No objections made Annual Report for 2014-15 is approved. Monica: In the Annual Report there are recommendations for how the relationships between the AB and Senates can be improved. In my experience, many times with Annual Reports suggestions are given but they only live there in the document and don’t come back into the meetings. If all the older AB members are gone now, I think it’s important to acknowledge that it is is up to the new members now to ask questions. Zack: Cooper and I have SOPs on how to record information relating to the AB, and we understand students come and go, but while you (AB members) are here you are very engaged; so that Annual Report is really a snapshot of that group’s experience. I think we acknowledge that we can do more work, and I believe there will be time on the agenda to discuss that. Monica: Also, is there going to be an ‘ask’ (from AB to Senate) this year, such as new services or fees, or anything we should start thinking about long-term? Zack: Last year’s agreement between ASUW and Transportation Services (TS) is the increase in the U-PASS fee to $80 this year, and $84 next year. No further increases have been discussed past that. TS has a responsibility to present to the AB what the financial projections are, and other data like how many trips are projected on link light rail, etc. From my perspective, our projections last year covered a 2-year period and so far the results have been meeting our expectations. We made conservative projections, and over-projected the ridership estimates to prevent shocks to the system. There are plenty of other reasons we might go to the Senates, like potentially adding benefits to the program. The intention of presenting to the Senates ensures they’re informed on the state of the program should other conversations be necessary later in the year. Monica: In this agreement, is there any room to discuss an opt-out for students in distance learning programs? I know it’s messy to figure who actually comes to campus. Is that something that can still be discussed within the current agreement?

Zack: The question of distance learning is on the agenda today.

VI.

Discuss Distance Learning Question Zack: I am happy to move to item 4, with Celeste not able to be here yet. Last year, the AB asked TS to consider the question of distance-only students. The history of the AB’s decision on the topic of exemption is also in your binder; this question was brought up repeatedly at the start of the Universal program, and the AB hears from students regularly, typically around the start of the quarter. The AB also published a white paper explaining their position, and stating that all students receive some benefit from the program directly or indirectly. Celeste arrives. Zack: Last year the AB was asked again about the question of exempting distance learning students. At the retreat, Alice mentioned the WWAMI program as an example of students who don’t see the benefit of the U-PASS. We’ve worked with the UW registrar’s office to learn what definitions there are for a student, and how to do so for a distance learning student. Celeste: It’s harder than you think. Zack: From a programmatic standpoint, the historic decision has been to define eligibility for Universal Student U-PASS by who pays the Student Activities Fee. That’s a very easy implementation. Conversely, defining what a distance learning student is, is much harder. Many have the option to take courses on campus. Some programs may offer distance learning one quarter, and not the next. We have looked into defining the definition of a distance learning student, using data already available in the software. Thomas: How does the student database work? What information is available? Adam: How many distance learning students are there? If the number is low, can we do a case-by-case basis? Is that feasible? Celeste: Because there is no definition, it is hard to identify the number. When we’ve looked before, I want to say around 700, but that’s not a sure-fire number. It’s at least in the hundreds. Transportation is the bulk of the cost of the U-PASS program, whereas administration costs are fairly small. Implementing a case-by-case process would significantly increase costs of administration, which would take away from revenues gained from the U-PASS fee. When we brought the estimate back to the AB, assumptions had to be made about who was included (as a distance learning student). The screen the student database used was for students who were registered for zero classes that had on campus class time. However, it is up to instructors to enter this data into the database, so when we talked to data analysts they said there was a high level of error in this data. To use this method,

a system would need to be implemented to make sure data is input in a more accurate way. Zack: And to talk about some policy implications; we predict that with fewer people buying into the U-PASS program the need to increase the U-PASS fee would come sooner and more frequently. We also have to consider how a blanket exemption might have unintended consequences, like distance learning students who do live in Seattle that would no longer benefit from the Student U-PASS, but would have to opt in at a higher rate (nearly twice as much). There are also worries about a slippery slope where others will start asking for exemptions or opting out. This is something to consider as future groups consider the decisions of this AB. Monica: How does Berkeley do it, since they also have a universal pass? Zack: I didn’t realize they had a universal pass. Monica: Well I think they did. I feel like we need to strengthen our argument if we’re going down that road. But we should look at how other universities do it. VII.

Presentations to Senates Celeste: Every Fall there should be a presentation to the Senates on the state of the program and the AB’s goals for the year ahead. It sounds like the Senate processes are moving slowly at this time? Monica: Well we actually had a spot on the agenda (GPSS) for someone to talk about the great things involved in U-PASS program. But unfortunately that person cancelled. Celeste: Yes, that was actually us. We wanted to have the AB set up so they could be part of the discussion. But you can work with Cooper to have that rescheduled. Zack: Yes, we wanted to have the AB involved rather than just TS, so it isn’t just students paying for a service quid-pro-quo, but that there’s strong student representation. Monica: Yes, we didn’t want it to be quid-pro-quo either, but to look at U-PASS as a resource, not just a political framework. Cooper, please send me some dates so we can talk about getting this presentation back on GPSS’ agenda. I think right now, many people only see it as a free bus ride, and people should know it is much more than that. Monica departs Zack: If there are students who are particularly interested in the aspects of the U-PASS program, we are looking for people interested in getting in front of ASUW Senate, letting them know what the AB is, what the U-PASS program is, that it is their (the student’s) program, and why they should care. It would be much more powerful coming from you, TS will back you up with the more technical aspects, but it would be great to know what is important to ASUW.

Adam: I work with the Senate. Actually, a resolution in support of U-PASS was recently proposed. Thomas: It was Resolution R-22-4. It was considered, but not yet approved. It probably is still in one of the committees. Zack: Great, we will definitely look into that. The Summer Quarter expansion is an issue we don’t have as much work on as the Distance Learning Question. Would it be beneficial to have TS at the next student meeting? Thomas: The next meeting is tonight. Celeste: Can we get a hold of the sponsor (Timmy Bendis) of the resolution, to talk with him about it? Thomas: Yes, I can provide Cooper with his contact information. The resolution is the fourth put in, so I would guess that it will probably come up to first consideration either tonight or next week. Adam: Is there a time sensitive deadline to meet with this? Celeste: We want to make sure ASUW has full information to consider that. And the AB should be the ones to advise ASUW on changes to U-PASS, not from members of the Senate. It is kind of out of process. I suppose it would be fine for Senate to make a recommendation. Zack: Do you (Adam) think you’d be able to reach out to him today (re: process)? Adam: Yes, I can reach out to him at one of the next Senate gatherings. Celeste departs. Adam: When do minutes get approved? Zack: At the next meeting. Cooper will distribute the minutes at same time he distributes agenda for next week. VIII.

Meeting is adjourned at 11:30