MINUTES
Graduate & Professional Student Assembly
March 29th, 1999
Big Red Barn Graduate & Professional Student Center Greenhouse
5:00 P.M.

I. Attendance:

98–99 GPSA Members 3/29:

Matt Abramovitz E Dennis Carlson P Amy Carroll P Michael Cosh P Christophe Darnault Deidra Suwanee Dees P Wendy Fleischman P Stefan Hames E Sergey Kiselev A David McCusker A Purnima Menon A Yogesh Potdar P Lauren Russell A John Schwarz P A. Ramon Thomas A Linda Yannone A

Others Present: Philip McPheron, Patrick Carr, Dale Porter, Tanya Sokolsky, Bonnie Bailey, and Stephanie Tinsley

II. Call to Order

The meeting was called to order by J.Schwarz, GPSA President, at 5:02 p.m.

III. Open Forum

Dale Porter, Physiology, informed members about a leadership opportunity available in the college of Agriculture and Life Sciences. This position is for the Graduate Student Director of the Alumni Association. In order to qualify for the position, a student must have his/her major advisor be in the college of Agriculture and Life Sciences. D.Porter distributed information to members and encouraged interested individuals to apply for the position.

Dennis Carlson, Statistics, reported that the Judicial Administrator(JA) search committee has narrowed the list of candidates to between three to five individuals. D.Carlson explained that as Vice Chair of the University Assembly he has been assisting with interviewing for the new JA. The JA is responsible for handling violations of the Campus Code of Conduct at Cornell. The committee will submit a list of three names to President Rawlings when the search is completed. It is planned to have the new JA in place by July 1, 1999. D.Carlson informed members that the candidates will be on campus during April. If anyone wants to meet with the candidates, it would be best to schedule a meeting in advance because the candidates’ schedules are busy.

J. Schwarz announced that next month there will be double meetings for both the GPSA and COR. The first meeting is the regularly scheduled 5:00 meeting and will be the last meeting for the 1998–99 COR and GPSA. The second meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:00 and is the organizational meeting for the 1999–2000 COR and GPSA. J.Schwarz explained that next year’s GPSA members will be elected at the COR organizational meeting.

IV. Minutes

The minutes of the January 25, 1999 GPSA meeting were approved as submitted.

The minutes of the February 22, 1999 GPSA meeting were approved as submitted.

V. Announcements and Reports

A) Academic Leadership Series

J. Schwarz explained that Cornell University holds a series of meetings called the Academic Leadership Series each year. Each of these meetings focuses on a set of topics. J.Schwarz stated that one of the topics for the May meeting was the subject of graduate education. The other two topics are: focusing on Cornell and the Marketplace, and North Campus and the freshman experience.

J. Schwarz informed members that he and S.Hames, GPSA Vice President, were asked to help plan this event. There were also other graduate students who were invited to help plan this event. Approximately 200 to 300 faculty members have been invited and planners hope to have forty-five graduate students present. Attendees will split into groups consisting of about ten faculty members and three graduate students to discuss assorted questions. J.Schwarz noted that invitations will go out soon and if members know of any individuals who would be interested in attending, they should submit those names. This meeting will be held on May 12.

B) Committees

J. Schwarz informed members that the Food Services Study Team will be meeting on April 1, 1999. The GPSA still does not have a person assigned to this committee, which will study food services on campus. J.Schwarz asked if any members would be interested in serving on this committee.

J. Schwarz announced that the Committee on Minority Education is being reactivated by the Faculty Senate. The Faculty Senate has requested that the GPSA appoint a representative to the committee. The committee appointment would be for a one-year term. J.Schwarz asked that members inform him if they are interested in the position.

D. Dees stated she would be interested in serving on this committee if she is accepted to the Ph.D. program at Cornell next year.

J.Schwarz replied that D.Dees would be on this committee if it is possible. He asked members to inform him if they know of anyone else who is interested.

J.Schwarz reported that the SA has agreed to designate a specific seat on their CIT committee for a graduate or professional student. He commented that there were issues brought up at the last COR meeting concerning Tjaden lab but he does not have an update. He asked that members inform him if they know of anyone interested in serving on this committee.

B.Bailey explained that among some of the issues this committee has dealt with are e-mail security and computer equipment on campus. She said they cover a wide variety of other computer/technical related topics.

J.Schwarz added that this committee had objected when CIT announced it would only support the latest version of Bear Access. The committee objected on the grounds that there are still many people at Cornell whose machines cannot support the newer version of Bear Access and who continue to use the older versions. J.Schwarz stated that this committee was apparently effective in communicating its concerns since older versions of Bear Access are still supported by CIT.

C) April COR and GPSA Meetings

J.Schwarz stated he had already spoken on this topic during the Open Forum.

B.Bailey added that committee applications are due in mid-April. She stated that ads will be run in the Cornell Daily Sun in the upcoming weeks. She noted that in the past, there has been a lot of response to the ads by undergraduate students, but not many graduates students have responded.

Amy Carroll, Microbiology, suggested that the ads be run in the Cornell Chronicle because more graduate students read that.

B.Bailey replied that she would look into that suggestion.

Phil McPheron, Director of Graduate Student Housing, offered to send out the information on the residential hall listservs if B.Bailey would send the information to him.

B.Bailey agreed to forward the information.

VI. Business of the Day

A) GPSA Charter Change Resolution

J.Schwarz announced that the items under “Business of the Day” will be reversed because the GPSA Charter amendment can be covered more quickly than the Treasurer’s Handbook resolution.

Michael Cosh, Civil Engineering, stated a task force was established by the Board of Trustees to examine procedures regarding the Student Activity Fee. This task force has made several recommendations regarding this topic and this resolution will incorporate these recommendations into the GPSA Charter. M.Cosh proceeded to explain the various changes to members.

M.Cosh explained that the change made to Section 2.18 of the GPSA Charter establishes a deadline for setting the Student Activity Fee. The Student Activity Fee must be set by the last day of classes during the fall semester. If it is not set by this date, then the Activity Fee will revert to the already established levels.

M.Cosh stated the changes to Section 2.19 outline rules for student organizations. Part A defines which organizations can be funded from the activity fee. Part B sets standards that specifically to by-line funded organizations. Part D, which states the Finance Commission must receive at least 35% of the Activity Fee, was recommended by the Board of Trustees and Dean Ford. This is to ensure that the Finance Commission remains a source of funding to groups on campus so it can control spending practices and set guidelines. Part E states there will be no positive or negative selection options. It was decided that such options would be too complex to effectively implement for both undergraduate and graduate populations. M.Cosh informed members the Board of Trustees had people working on this for several months.

D.Carlson asked for clarification on the distinction between a group funded by the Finance Commission and a byline funded organization.

M.Cosh replied that this distinction is noted in part B. In broad terms, byline funded organizations appeal to Cornell students as a whole, such as Cornell Cinema. The GPSAFC deals with smaller groups that typically appeal to a more defined community, such as an organization of students for a particular field.

J.Schwarz announced that the Charter resolution would not be voted on at this meeting because a two-thirds vote of the entire GPSA is needed in order to approve it.

B.Bailey offered to send out an e-mail vote to members.

M.Cosh requested that a week be given after the initial e-mail for comments on the resolution. Afterwards, the vote can be taken.

Members agreed to this suggestion.

B) Resolution to the Treasurer’s Handbook

M.Cosh stated these changes are proposed to the GPSAFC Treasurer’s Handbook to correct mistakes and to clarify certain areas. The first change to the handbook simply states that liability insurance is provided for clubs. This change also informs readers where more information on this insurance can be found. The second set of changes is in the “Accountability Requirements.” Accountability requirements must be fulfilled before money is released to an organization. M.Cosh stated Loreen Geiger, Office of the Assemblies, suggested these changes as she is the one who primarily deals with these issues.

Patrick Carr, Geology, suggested that the apostrophe in “statement’s” be dropped in part 7.

M.Cosh said if accountability requirements are not met by an organization by October 1, then the money will revert back to the GPSAFC to use for special project requests. He informed members that there are presently still some groups who have yet to meet all the accountability requirements this late in the year. Therefore, it would be nice to be able to give this money to groups who would actually use it for special projects.

P.McPheron noted in the paragraph about the deadline, “accountability points” should be changed to “accountability requirements” to keep the language consistent.

M.Cosh agreed with the suggestion. He informed members that the GPSAFC has $105,000 allocated to various groups but only has $83,000. However, only 17% of the funds have been spent. M.Cosh noted it is expected there will be funds to roll over to next year.

J.Schwarz noted that an apostrophe is needed in “your groups” on page two, four lines down in the last paragraph.

M.Cosh stated that parts 13, 14, and 15 were added to Section VI, “Specific Guidelines for Graduate Student Organizations.” Part 13 deals with admission fees charged at events. Previously, no admission fees were allowed at events which were partially funded by the GPSAFC. However, it is felt that this is too restrictive and that groups should be given a little leeway. Therefore, groups will be allowed to charge admission at two events per year that are funded by the GPSAFC. This translates into one event per semester. The maximum fee is $4 and graduate students should receive a discount to reflect the fact that Student Activity Fee money was used to help finance the event. The maximum admission fee was intentionally set low because the GPSAFC does not wish to finance expensive events, such as lavish dinner parties.

M.Cosh stated part 14 was added to clarify that events funded by the GPSAFC must occur during the academic year. There are some exceptions allowed to this rule. For example, the Vet School follows a different academic calendar and exceptions are made for them. He noted part of the reason for this change was that the accounts book does need to be closed at some point in the year. Part 15 clarifies that events must occur in the vicinity of Cornell. This is to ensure that all students have equal access to attend an event. M.Cosh noted that there are occasional exceptions for sports when clubs wish to participate in tournaments.

D.Carlson asked what offset and stenciling refers to in part 5?

M.Cosh replied that he believes those are cheaper forms of printing that are not used as much any more.

M.Cosh stated that part B states that neither phones or phone calls will be funded. The reason for this is because it is difficult to monitor phone calls to ensure the calls were for club business.

P.McPheron suggested that this wording be made more specific by saying phone equipment and phone calls will not be funded.

A.Carroll asked when this resolution would take affect and how information will be distributed.

M.Cosh stated that the GPSA can decide when this resolution should take affect if it wishes. He stated major changes will be sent along with the allocation letters for next year. An e-mail may also be sent to organization presidents. M.Cosh noted organizations can also be informed of the pending changes during budget hearings. This information will also be on-line.

In the “Accountability Requirements” section, J.Schwarz noted he did not think that organizations were allowed to have outside bank accounts.

M.Cosh replied that an account is set up by the Finance Commission in the University system when a group is allocated funds. However, it is also possible for groups to have outside accounts and many do. M.Cosh stated the rules set down in the handbook only apply to moneys given to an organization by the GPSAFC, however it is helpful for the GPSAFC to get a full picture of all finances a group has available. They are, of course, allowed to spend their own money as they wish.

J.Schwarz requested that M.Cosh define the dates for the academic year, considering that some events occur before and after classes.

M.Cosh stated all receipts are currently due after the last day of classes. However, since dates on the academic calendar change each year, it is not really possible to define them.

D.Carlson suggested adding language defining the span to be the first day of classes and the last day of classes for the fall and spring semesters.

M.Cosh agreed to this change.

B.Bailey suggested that “be” should be inserted in “may granted” in this section.

A vote was taken on the Resolution on the Treasurer’s Handbook, as amended. The resolution passed 7–0.

Resolution on Changes to the Liability Section and Specific Guidelines for Graduate Student Organizations Section the GPSAFC Treasurers’ Handbook

Whereas it has been resolved that changes should be made to the Treasurers’ Handbook by the GPSAFC to address policy discrepancies and new revisions by the GPSAFC,

Be it therefore resolved that the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly approves the attached corrections and changes to the GPSAFC Treasurers’ Handbook

Respectfully submitted,

Michael H. Cosh GPSAFC Chairperson

POLICIES (FINANCIAL REGULATIONS AND INFORMATION) FOR FUNDED STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

Graduate and Professional Student Assembly Finance Commission Treasurer’s Handbook (last updated 01/25/99)

PUTTING ON YOUR PROGRAMS

Liability Insurance - The GPSA Club insurance program began in the fall of 1998 for graduate and professional clubs (including registered sport clubs) at Cornell University. Clubs must be registered with the Student Activities Office in Willard Straight Hall to take advantage of this program. Graduate students who pay the annual student activity fee are eligible for coverage. The GPSA club insurance policy includes general liability, liquor liability, participant liability, spectator liability, and catastrophic accident and medical insurance for sport clubs. Please contact the Department of Risk Management and Insurance for more information about the GPSA Club insurance program. The Club Insurance program will be overseen by students with the help and assistance of the Department of Risk Management and Insurance. This information is meant to be an overview of the program, the insurance policy contract governs the actual terms and conditions of coverage.

HOW TO HANDLE THE MONEY IN YOUR ACCOUNT

Accountability Requirements

Before any funding can be reimbursed from your organization’s account, the officers must supply the following documents to the GPSAFC office:

1. Current names, mailing addresses, and phone numbers of the President, Treasurer, and Advisor of your organization. The Advisor must be a FULL-TIME Cornell Faculty or staff member and officers must be REGISTERED Cornell students.

2. A campus mailing address for your organization. All correspondence will be sent to this address.

3. Current registration with the Assistant Director of Student at http://www.sao.cornell.edu/SO/ (255–4169, 521 WSH).

4. A copy of the most recent bank statement if your group has its own outside bank account, and/or other university account, if applicable.

5. A completed and signed ADVISOR’S EVALUATION form *

6. The signed STATEMENT OF ETHICAL CONDUCT *

7. The HOLD HARMLESS STATEMENT with all three statements signed *

• Forms provided in the Budget Packet handed out in the Spring or can be found under ACCOUNTABILITY FORMS at: http://www.assembly.cornell.edu/gpsa/forms.html

Regular Office Hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM.

Once again, your group cannot use any GPSAFC funds until these seven obligations have been fulfilled! For organizations going through the annual budgeting process in the spring, these accountability requirements must be met prior to October 1st of the funding year in question. If accountability requirements are not fulfilled, your group’s allocations will be reverted to the GPSAFC Special Projects Fund for redistribution throughout the year. These groups may reapply for an annual budget but funding at the previous level is not guaranteed. For organizations applying for an annual budget on a rolling basis throughout the academic year, the accountability requirements described above must be fulfilled within two weeks of receipt of their rationale letter regarding their budget.

VI. Specific Guidelines for Graduate Student Organizations

A. The GPSAFC has set the following additional conditions for the funding of student organizations: 1. An organization must have at least 41% graduate membership to be eligible for funds.

2. If any members of a student organization are receiving academic credit for their activities within the organization, the GPSAFC cannot fund those activities.

3. No individual salaried by Cornell University within the last 6 months can receive payment for services with GPSAFC funds.

4. Secretarial services will not be funded.

5. Organizations are encouraged to use offset and stencilling, instead of more expensive publication methods.

6. No certificates or membership cards will be funded.

7. Some books and subscriptions will be funded if the groups are willing to leave the publication in University libraries without duplicating existing inventories.

8. “Speaker” allocations will pay only for travel, meals and lodging for the speaker. Reimbursement for speakers’ meals will be paid only if restaurant receipts are submitted indicating separate meals.

9. Funding for social events will not exceed 20% of an organization’s allocation except in exceptional cases.

10. Line item transfers will be considered on a case by case basis.

11. A breakdown of requested funds is a requirement; incomplete breakdowns will not be considered.

12. Fund transfers cannot be made to SAFC funded organizations.

13. Organizations may sponsor or co-sponsor events which charge admission a maximum of twice during the academic year. Admissions fees for graduate students must be less than or equal to $4 and graduate students are to receive a discounted rate to reflect their contributions made to the event. Fees collected must be deposited into the organization’s University account (See the Accounts Representative in 518C Willard Stright Hall [Loreen Geiger] for details).

14.Events must occur during the academic year (first day of classes to the last day of classes during the fall and spring semesters) to ensure that the Cornell Community has the opportunity to participate. Exceptions may be granted in special circumstances.

15. Events must occur on the Cornell Campus or within a reasonable distance from Cornell (i.e. Ithaca ) to ensure that the Cornell Community has the opportunity to participate.

B. The Commission has decided that it WILL NOT FUND the following: 1. Organization stationery. 2. Organization travel (group members to conferences, meetings, etc.) 3. Conference expenses. 4. Membership fees. 5. Phone Equipment and Phone Calls. 6. Office space. 7. Postage. 8. Office supplies.

As passed by the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly on March 29, 1999.

VII. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned by J.Schwarz at 6:15 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted, Stephanie Tinsley