Student Assembly

As discussed Thursday, 8 March 2007.

Whereas, the Student Assembly is a body whose members represent a combined total of thousands of students on the Cornell campus;

Whereas, SA representatives, have the right and the responsibility to communicate with their constituents on the issues of the day;

Whereas, Rule 12 of the 2006 — 2007 Student Assembly Standing Rules gives them this right, asserting that “representatives may communicate regularly with their constituents through e-mail mailing lists and listserves, which may be maintained by � the Department of Campus Life,” among others;

Whereas, number (5) in Bylaw 4.2.c.5 of the Charter of the Cornell University Student Assembly gives to the SA Vice President for Public Relations the responsibility of “[a]ssist[ing] SA members and committee chairs in their outreach programs”;

Whereas, an e-mail to be sent by an SA member to his or her constituents or to other concerned parties in the Cornell community most definitely qualifies as “outreach,” and, to be sure, falls well within the realm of public relations;

Whereas, there is currently no process for determining when the Vice President for Public Relations � or any member of the SA Executive Committee � must, on behalf of an SA representative seeking to send out a bulk e-mail, request permission from the Vice President for Student and Academic Services or other administrator for that person to be allowed to do so, regardless of his or her personal judgment on the matter;

Whereas, the SA Communications Committee, chaired by the Vice President for Public Relations is charged with, according to Bylaw 7.6.a.2 “ensur[ing] a direct and ever present link between students active in campus government and students at-large”;

Be it therefore resolved that the Student Assembly will make the following change to the description of the charge of the Communication Committee in the SA Charter:

Bylaw 7.6.a.2 Communication Committee - The committee will ensure a direct and ever present link between students active in campus government and students at-large by such means as conducting polls, referenda, forums, and hearings. It will also actively publicize activities and meetings of the SA and its committees, and relay student interests to the SA. The SA VP Public Relations shall chair this committee. The chair will be assisted by at least five undergraduate students.

Bylaw 7.6.a.2.a Any SA member who wishes to send an e-mail which requires pre-approval from the Vice President for Student and Academic Services � or any other Cornell administrator � must first submit a copy of the proposed e-mail to the Communication Committee for review and recommendation. The committee will have three (3) business days to approve the message. The Vice President for Public Relations will submit both the e-mail and the Communication Committee’s written recommendation as an attachment on the agenda of the next scheduled SA meeting, where it will fall under Business of the Day. The purpose of presenting the message at the SA meeting is informative alone, as the SA may disapprove of any of its committee’s actions pursuant to Bylaw 7.3.3. If the SA consents to the message, then the Vice President for Public Relations and the remaining members of the SA Executive Committee must, in good faith, take all necessary and helpful steps to try to ensure the successful delivery of the e-mail to its intended recipients.

Respectfully submitted,

Mark Coombs ‘08 Executive Vice President

C.J. Slicklen ‘09 Vice President for Public Relations