Adopted Wednesday, 26 September 2012. Amended Monday, 23 April 2012.

Item I. Responsibility

1. The byline allocation procedures are coordinated by the Executive Committee of the GPSA and the Chair of the Appropriations Committee.

Item II. The Appropriations Committee will oversee the following aspects of the byline allocation procedures:

1. Inform student groups of Graduate and Professional Student Activity Fee (GPSAF) funding, eligibility criteria and procedures as outlined in the GPSA Eligibility Criteria and Obligations for Byline Funded Organizations.
2. Ensure that applying organizations, including the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GPSA) and the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly Finance Commission (GPSAFC), fulfill all requirements outlined therein, with particular attention being paid to organizations that have not applied for byline funding before.
3. Send an e-mail to the entire graduate and professional student population to inform them of the upcoming GPSA GPSAF hearings.
4. In accordance with the GPSA Eligibility Criteria and Obligations for Byline Funded Organizations, hold meetings at which applications are discussed and allocations are specified for recommendation to the GPSA.
5. The Chair of the Appropriations Committee will present recommendations and received applications with necessary redactions of confidential information to the GPSA according to the timeline in Item IV.

Item III. The Executive Committee will oversee the following aspects of the byline allocation procedures:

1. The President of the GPSA shall oversee the byline funded groups’ presentations at regular GPSA meetings. The President shall follow these procedures:
   1. Coordinate with the Appropriations Committee and all groups applying for byline funding to present how the group uses byline funds. The presentation shall take place at a regular GPSA meeting during the Fall semester of fund allocation years.
   2. Ensure that all groups are scheduled to present at a regular GPSA meeting before voting on the GPSAF.
2. The President of the GPSA shall oversee the discussion and voting procedure for the approval of the initial recommendation during the regular GPSA meetings. The discussion and voting process shall follow the following procedure:
   1. Ensure sufficient time for the Appropriations Committee Chair to present the Committee’s recommendations and answer questions from the floor during the regular meeting.
   2. The President of the GPSA shall offer a series of motions, one on each group applying for byline funding, as follows: “RESOLVED, That the Appropriations Committee’s recommendation to fund [organization] at dollar figure per student is approved and incorporated into the final resolution.” This motion requires a majority vote.
   3. If the motion fails, the President of the GPSA will offer a motion as follows: “RESOLVED, That all GPSAF funding for [organization] shall be eliminated in the current cycle.” This motion requires a two-thirds vote. If the vote fails, the Appropriations Committee will be responsible for considering the GPSA’s discussion and revising its recommendation in response.
      1. If an organization feels that it should receive more funding than the Appropriations Committee has recommended that organization has the right to persuade the GPSA voting members to vote “No” on the initial recommendation (Item III(b) (ii)), and “No” on the motion to eliminate funding (Item III(b)(iii)), such that it may be sent back to the Appropriations Committee for reevaluation.
   4. If an organization’s first request for byline funding is not approved, the organization shall then have the opportunity to revise its request, and the Appropriations Committee will reconsider its recommendation before the next regular GPSA meeting.
   5. At the next regular GPSA meeting, the Chair of the Appropriations Committee will present the revised recommendation to the GPSA voting membership. The President of the GPSA shall offer a series of motions, one for each revised recommendation, as follows: “RESOLVED, That the Appropriations Committee’s revised recommendation to fund [organization] at dollar figure per student is approved and incorporated into the final resolution.” This motion requires a majority vote.
   6. If the motion in Item III(b)(v) fails, the group seeking byline funding loses its eligibility to receive byline funding for the two-year cycle.
3. The discussion and voting process for the approval of the final recommendation shall follow the following procedure:
   1. After each of the Appropriations Committee’s recommendations for organizations seeking byline funding has been voted on, a collective GPSAF is presented to the GPSA voting members as a resolution. The allocations of the GPSAF will only be to the “eligible” organizations, approved per Item III(b)(ii) or Item III(b)(v).
   2. As a resolution, this Activity Fee allocation is debatable, amendable and follows all other rules of Parliamentary Procedure. (I.e. This means that any voting member can change the funding of an organization by an amendment.) The GPSAF allocation requires a two-thirds vote of the seated voting members for passage.
   3. After the GPSAF allocation is approved, it will automatically be rounded up to the nearest whole number. The difference between the GPSAF and the new, rounded figure will be allocated to GPSAFC.
   4. Should the resulting fee not satisfy the balance requirement, i.e., not allocate at least 35% to the GPSAFC, then the GPSAFC’s allocation shall be increased in increments of one dollar until the requirement is met.
   5. No byline funded group, except the GPSAFC, can ever receive a higher amount of funding than initially requested in the first presentation to Appropriations Committee.
   6. Once funded during any GPSAF funding cycle, a byline funded organization is obliged to follow the guidelines for byline funded organizations, as prescribed in the Eligibility Criteria and Obligations for Byline Funded Organizations.

Item IV. Time Line

1. The Appropriations Committee shall present its recommendations no later than the fifth regular GPSA meeting of the Fall semester.
2. The allocation process will be finished by the last day of classes of the Fall semester.
3. The applying organizations will be informed of their allocation prior to the start of the Spring Semester.
4. The GPSAF approved by the GPSA, according to Item III, shall, by January 1, be presented to the President of the University by the Appropriations Committee Chair and the President of the GPSA.

Item V. Amendments

1. This document may be amended pursuant to Article IX of the GPSA Charter.
2. All amendments must also be incorporated into the GPSA Eligibility Criteria and Obligations for Byline Funded Organizations, the GPSAFC Funding Guidelines, the GPSA Bylaws and the GPSA Charter.

Attachment A: Criteria for Setting and Allocating the Student Activity Fee

Cornell University
March 1, 1999

Pursuant to a letter dated March 1, 1999, the President of the University has delegated responsibility for the setting and allocation of the Student Activity Fee to the Student Assembly (SA) and the Graduate & Professional Student Assembly (GPSA) within the following guidelines:

1. The SA and the GPSA shall each amend their respective charters to include the criteria for the setting and allocation of the Student Activity Fee, including the guidelines set forth herein and which criteria shall be reviewed by and meet the approval of the President of the University.
2. The Student Activity Fee for undergraduate students and for graduate and professional students shall be set every two years for a period of two years by the SA and the GPSA, respectively.
3. The amount of the Student Activity Fee shall be determined by the last day of classes in the fall semester of the fee-setting year by the SA and the GPSA, after substantive input and active participation in the fee-setting process by their constituencies. In the event the SA or the GPSA is unable to meet this deadline, the applicable Student Activity Fee will default to the amount and allocation currently in effect during the fee-setting year.
4. In general, in order to be considered for funding from the monies collected through the Student Activity Fee, an organization must meet the following criteria:
   1. Register as a student or university organization with the Student Activities Office
   2. Allow students equal access to the services being provided by the organization or participation in the organization’s activities
   3. Operate primarily for students by students with funds disbursed through a university operating account
   4. Have an advisor to assist with oversight of the university operating account.
5. Funding from the monies collected through the Student Activities Fee may be provided directly to an organization, which applies for and receives “by-line” funding status, outside of the established Student Assembly Finance Commission or Graduate and Professional Student Assembly Finance Commission processes. In addition to the general criteria set out above, an organization wishing to receive by-line funding must demonstrate:
   1. Its activities are of direct and primary benefit to the entire Cornell community represented by the respective assembly; and
   2. It has a demonstrated budgetary need equivalent to at least 50 cents per student per year.
6. The SA and the GPSA may also elect to provide by-line funding for other programs and services, which are not registered organizations (e.g., Students Helping Students, club insurance) but whose organizational structure and programs and services are consistent with the criteria outlined above for by-line funded organizations. Such funding would require the approval of the respective assembly and the President of the University.
7. The SA and the GPSA will ensure that an appropriate balance is maintained between funds allocated to by-line funded organizations and the Student Assembly Finance Commission or Graduate and Professional Student Assembly Finance Commission, respectively. The SA and GPSA shall allocate no less than 35% of their respective Student Activity Fees to the applicable Finance Commission for disbursement among non-by-line funded organizations.
8. Neither a check-off option nor an option to pay an amount in addition to the established Student Activity Fee for specific programs or services will be allowed for purposes of exempting a student from paying the full amount of the Student Activity Fee, due to the funding instability inherent in administering such a system. Exceptions may be considered if recommended and approved by the respective assembly and approved by the President of the University.
9. These guidelines and the procedures established in accordance therewith shall be reviewed by the SA and the GPSA and a representative of the President of the University at least every four years in a non-fee-setting year.

Byline Procedures Content