Student Assembly

MINUTES
Cornell University Student Assembly
October 25, 2007
4:45 — 7:00 P.M.
Memorial Room, Willard Straight Hall

I. Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 4:45 p.m.

II. Roll Call

Present: Mazdak Asgary, Chris Basil, Daniel Budish, Mark Coombs, Asa Craig, Samantha Dong, Adam Gay, Elan Greenberg, Vincent Hartman, Ryan Lavin, Ian Lesyk, Steven Matthews, Ashley McGovern, Carly Miller, Arjun Natarajan, Austin Redmon, A. Salem, R. Salem, Christopher Sarra, CJ Slicklen, Rebecca Smith, Rebecca Stein, Sanjiv Tata, Andrew Wang

Unexcused: Lance Polivy

III. Open Microphone

C. Slicklen asked if any members of the audience wished to speak on items not on the agenda.

K. Duch, 2009, Student Elected Trustee, said that the trustee met the weekend of October 19. Since the SA has a packed agenda she said that anyone interested in more information could contact her. She attended the Committee on Student Life meeting which is the most pertinent to students and will be writing a Daily Sun Column that will be published on October 31.

IV. Approval of the Minutes

i. October 4, 2007 Minutes

There were no corrections to the 10/4/2007 Minutes. There was a call for acclimation. It was seconded. There was no dissent. The minutes from the 10/4/2007 SA meeting were approved.

ii. October 18, 2007 Minutes

There were no corrections to the 10/18/2007 Minutes. There was a call for acclimation. It was seconded. There was no dissent. The minutes from the 10/18/2007 SA meeting were approved.

V. Announcements/Reports

i. Public Relations Update — A. Natarajan

A. Natarjan said that he and C. Slicklen will be hosting the WBBR radio show Soap Box after the meeting. They will be discussing racial tension in Ithaca and the use of tasars. He said that the SA polo shirts should be arriving in the next few weeks. Additionally, the Communications Committee is working on creating posters advertising the fact that the SA has meetings every Thursday at which students can express their opinions. He said that he attended the Council on Mental Health Awareness where he found out that Cornellians are surprisingly sane compared to students at peer institutions. Students are taking advantage of the mental health services offered and appear to seek help when they need it.

In response to a question posed by A. Salem, A. Natarajan said that he and C. Slicklen would delineate between their personal views and those they express on behalf of the Student Assembly while doing the radio show.

In response to a question posed by M. Asgary, A. Natarjan said that he would look into posting the radio show to the Student Assembly website. He said that he and C. Slicklen will be hosting the show each Thursday night.

ii UA Update — C. Basil

C. Basil said that the University Assembly met on October 24 and voted to add another graduate seat to the Campus Planning Committee. The addition of this seat equates graduate members with undergraduate members for a total of 4 students. The UA felt, and he agreed, that since much of physical planning relates to the graduate community it was appropriate to add the additional seat. He does not feel that the additional graduate student will interfere with the undergraduate student voice on the committee. There was also a Campus Planning Presentation where representatives discussed plans for the next twenty or so years. He said that he was surprised by the UA’s criticism of the plans. Many individuals on the UA felt that the plans are more of a testament to those individuals donating money as opposed to what is best for campus. The UA is considering ways to focus the administration on addressing the needs of the faculty and graduate communities. He recommended that the SA start getting involved in the issue. Also, the UA passed a resolution backing the t-GEIS report.

iii Environmental Committee Update — A. Redmon

A. Redmon said that Environment Committee met October 22. They worked on drafting resolution in support of the Connect Ithaca program however the individual primarily responsible for the program is in Sweden. He will be coming to Cornell to meet with senior officials and to present the program in general. He will provide more information at a later date and will present a finalized resolution after the program is introduced to the community. He said that he is also serving on the President’s Climate Commitment Implementation Committee which met for the first time of the year on October 23. Members primarily discussed the structure of the committee and different courses of action. The Cornell Climate Neutrality Working Group, a sub committee, will be meeting November 1 in 401 Warren Hall from 3:00–5:00p.m. The meeting will be a series of presentation from administrative officials and student groups and a brainstorming session regarding how to move forward.

iv. Appropriation’s Committee Update — A. Gay

A. Gay said that the SA will discuss by-line funding Class Councils at the next meeting instead of the present one. Two other organizations have also been tabled until a later date.

v. Transportation and Dining Committee Updates — M. Asgary

M. Asgary said that the Transportation Committee would be meeting Friday, October 26 at 12:15 to discuss some issues brought up by representatives during the T-GEIS presentation. If anyone wants more information please contact him. As for dining, the issue of Big Red Bucks being accepted at the Temple of Zeus has come up again. If someone would like to commit themselves to this campaign the administration might revisit the issue. If there is not a substantial student movement however, the administration will not take action.

vi. GPSA Update

R. Salem said that the GPSA voted on certain delegations of the Student Activities Fee.

Amy Richter said that the GPSA operates slightly differently than the SA. She said that the GPSA receives all recommendations from the Funding Policy Committee at the same time twice. The GPSA voted to send Cornell Cinema, Athletics, Slope Day, and the GPSAFC back the Funding Policy Committee. These organizations will be reheard during the next few weeks. The final by-line funding allocations will not be voted until November 26.

VI. Business of the Day

i. Asian and Asian American Forum — Rebecca Lee

Linda Yu, co-president of Asian and Asian America Forum, introduced representatives from the Asian and Asian American Forum. She said that there needs to be an improvement in the well being of Asian and Asian American students at Cornell. In 2004, the Cornell University Asian and Asian American Campus Climate Task Force Report was compiled. Students of Asian descent comprise nearly 20% of undergraduates and over half of the graduate student population. Students who graduated in 2000 were least satisfied with their Cornell experience because of faculty inaccessibility, quality of academic advising and counseling services. Half of Asian and Asian American students reported that they had little or no sense of community at Cornell University. Furthermore only 6.5% of faculty and 2% of nonacademic staff at Cornell are Asian. Students of Asian descent underutilize mental health services. More than half of the 20 suicides occurring at Cornell between 1996 and 2004 were by students of Asian descent.

R. Lee, 2007, co-president of Asian and Asian American Forum, said that since the 2004 report Cornell has focused most of their efforts on mental health services. The administration hired a therapist and an outreach director of Asian descent at Gannet Health Services. There was also an expansion of CAPS outreach to more natural settings such as the Let’s Talk Sessions. However these actions approach the problem retroactively. There has been a lot of student effort but leadership rises and falls making it difficult to maintain a consistent effort. Additionally the creation of an Assistant Dean position under the Dean of Students Office of Student Support is in the works. They fully support this move but feel that it is not enough. The Asian and Asian American Forum would like to see more institutionalized support established.

Naveen Dasa, President of Asian Pacific Student Union, said that there are a number of functional uses for a community center that could really benefit the community. A community center would provide (1) an obvious place for students to seek casual mental and spiritual care, (2) a central location for students to find information and meet others with similar interests, (3) dedicated staff to better identify mental health warning signs, especially if they are bilingual, and (4) academic initiatives (cultural/history classes), parent workshops, outreach (info gathering, statistics, career advising.

Mark Law, an international student, said that the purpose of their presentation is to solicit support. It does not make sense that more action has not been taken since the publication of the report. He emphasized that the Community Center would not be exclusive to Asian and Asian American students. Rather it would be a two way gateway to link the Asian population to general student body. The gateway will promote the free flow of social and cultural information providing support to both communities.

Bhavna Devani, a current Ph. D. candidate in the government department, said that she has been apart of Cornell’s Asian and Asian American community since 2002. She does not understand why there is not a space. Time and graduation washes away student efforts. A concrete physical place takes the burden off student leaderships and would cultivate a sense of community that transcends cultural markings.

R. Salem said that he agrees that turnover is restrictive. He asked if the Asian and Asian American Forum envisioned a location for the space.

B. Devani said that there was a space on West Campus that could suffice as a community center.

M. Asgary said he appreciates that the Asian and Asian American Forum made the SA aware of the statistics. He said that he was envisioning a community center similar to Appel of RPCC. However, after B. Devani’s response to R. Salem a smaller space would make sense. He asked how the project would be funded and if alternative spaces are available. He said last year R. Lee had mentioned the stigma in Asian Culture associated with seeking mental health services. He asked how this stigma would be overcome.

R. Lee said that she does not care what the space is called or where it is located as long as it is a physical space. As for the stigma, the community center will not be a mental health services center. The center will be a focal point for students, faculty and staff to get together and provide resources through extension.

B. Devani said that the financing has been proposed to every relevant body on campus. Confirmation that the center will exists needs to happen before funding can be attained. Alternative locations exist. Many buildings include underutilized space. She said that the report raised issues greater than just mental health. A sense of community also needs to be cultivated.

R. Lavin said that D. Budish is working on planning a Collegetown Community Center. Getting in contact with him could be beneficial. The SA also has a Residential and Community Life Committee where a more free flowing and open discussion could take place.

A. Salem said that an Asian and Asian American Forum representative had indicated that Students of Asian descent were not satisfied because of faculty inaccessibility, quality of academic advising and counseling services. He said that he does not understand why these concerns are specific to Asian and Asian American students.

B. Devani said that Asian and Asian American students are often more hesitant to speak up. Students that are not of Asian descent can at least identify with their faculty in some way. Additionally there have been numerous instances in which faculty have made incredibly inappropriate comments.

A. Salem said that he is concerned that the Community Center will facilitate cliquish behavior. He said that a resource center is a great and important idea but that the forum should be careful of segregation.

B. Devani said that the community center would be about the Asian and Asian American identity. Asian American identity is very diverse.

ii. The Student Assembly’s Allocation of the 2008–2010 Student Activity Fee — A. Gay (on behalf of the Student Assembly Appropriations Committee)

� ALANA

A representative from the African, Latino, Asian, and Native American Programming Board (ALANA) said that the organization is committed to creating and supporting events that cater to the multicultural community at Cornell University and the surrounding Ithaca area. ALANA offers social, cultural, and educational programs reflecting the interests and concerns of CU’s diverse community and is open to the entire university. Organizations can apply to ALANA for funding through co-sponsorships in addition to ALANA holding its own events. ALANA often co-sponsors events with other campus organizations in order to provide the most interesting programs possible. Offerings include films, lectures, discussions, performing and visual arts. ALANA requires that organizations applying for co-sponsorships remain active in ALANA which is an umbrella organization. Co-sponsorships are capped at $700 per group and funding requests are due two weeks prior to the event. Co-programming events are not capped and funding requests are due 1 month in advance of the event. ALANA is required to be a part a group’s planning and execution process.

A. Gay said that the Appropriations Committee voted unanimously to fully fund ALANA at their requested amount of $7.25 per student. The committee was impressed by the groups conduct and budgeting. The allocation level has not increased.

C. Slicklen commended the organization on their hard work.

There was a call to question. It was seconded. There was dissent. The motion was withdrawn.

In response to a question posed by M. Asgary, a representative from ALANA said that there typically is no rollover from year to year.

There was a call to question. It was seconded. There was dissent. The motion was withdrawn.

E. Greenberg asked those who had questions to raise their hands when discussion opens so they can be placed on the speakers list.

M. Coombs asked A. Gay to elaborate on how the Appropriations Committee takes attendance figures into account when making funding decisions.

A. Gay said that whether or not attendance figures are taken into account depends on the group and varies group to group. In regards to ALANA, attendance figures were not brought up.

There was a motion to call to question. It was seconded. There was no dissent. By a roll call vote of 16 yeses, with 4 abstentions the Student Assembly voted to uphold the decision of the Appropriations Committee to fully fund ALANA at their requested amount of $7.25 per student.

� Club Insurance

Allen Bova introduced himself as the Director of Risk Management and Insurance for Cornell. Club Insurance was established to protect students who many be injured during club activities, student clubs and club officers. Club Insurance has three policies associated with it. The three policies include a liability policy to protect against lawsuits, a catastrophic medical policy and a catastrophic cash policy. The medical and catastrophic medical policies were put together to mimic the insurance the university provides for intercollegiate sports program and provides the same type of protection. The policies have been used and have helped students in the past. Additionally since he has been at Cornell, a club has been sued. Using the liability policy the club was able to win the lawsuit. He said that from time to time things happen and people get hurt giving rise to the need for a safety net for students. Club Insurance is not asking for an increase in funding. The policy allows individuals to become club officers without having to worry. Club Insurance changed the policy this year to a much better and more comprehensive policy.

A. Gay said that the Appropriations Committee voted unanimously to fully fund Club Insurance at their requested amount of $4.50 per student. Club Insurance provides an invaluable service to students.

In response to a question posed by M. Asgary, A. Bova said that the GPSA funds Club Insurance at the same amount. Originally the GPSA did not fund Club Insurance and Club Insurance therefore did not cover graduate groups. However, graduate students had a problem with this and took action to get insurance.

A. Wang asked if A. Bova anticipated in increase in insurance prices.

A. Bova said that since the Student Assembly allocation remains fixed over a two year period, he has asked the university to pick up interim increases in insurance prices which the administration has agreed to do. Due to softness in the insurance market and the change in carriers, Club Insurance did not need to ask for an increase this funding cycle.

There was a call to question. It was seconded. There was dissent. The motion was withdrawn.

In response to a question posed by A. Salem, A. Bova said that there was no student involvement in Club Insurance. He said that no students have shown interest. He said that he would make it open for student involvement if there was an expressed interest.

A. Salem said that he realizes that A. Bova is much more equipped to handle insurance purchases and issues but recommended perhaps advertising to increase student involvement.

There was a call to question. It was seconded. There was no dissent. By a roll call vote the Student Assembly voted unanimously to uphold the decision of the Appropriations Committee to fully fund Club Insurance at their requested amount of $4.50 per student.

The SA moved into a discussion regarding why individuals choose to abstain from voting during the by-line funding process.

Announcements/ Reports (Cont’d)

vii. Cornell Loan Deferment to Peace Corps Discussion — V. Hartman

V. Hartman said he is applying to the Peace Corps after graduation and that it was not possible to defer a university loan. He got in touch with the administration and President Skorton and university loans will now be deferrable if students enter the Peace Corps. He suspects that university loans will also be deferrable for students participating in Teach for America.

viii. Banning of Quarter Carding on Ho Plaza Discussion — V. Hartman

V. Hartman said that quarter carding on Ho Plaza has always sort of bothered him. He said that he views it as a nuisance feeling that students are being solicited. Quarter carding may even deter students from entering Willard Straight Hall.

M. Asgary said that he understands V. Hartman’s concern. However, quarter carding on Ho Plaza may also draw people to it. Ho Plaza is always bustling with activity and many campus tours take advantage of that activity. He agrees that if students tell another student that they do not want a quarter card, the individual handing out the quarter card should back off.

V. Hartman said that banning quarter carding would still permit groups to have tables that students can approach. Banning quarter carding would prevent individuals from actively seeking out students who do no approach the tables on Ho Plaza.

E. Greenberg asked all those who supported quarter carding to raise their hands. Nearly everyone did.

R. Salem emphasized that students have the option to turn down accepting quarter cards.

I. Lesyk said that quarter carding is a key means of advertising for many groups. Banning quarter carding will negatively affect many organizations.

V. Hartman said that Cornell Concert Commission did research on effective advertising. It turns out that chalking is the most effective method and that quarter carding is actually not a very good way to advertise.

G. Mazza said that he is a tour guide and the kids and their parents love Ho Plaza’s environment. Quarter carding demonstrates student activity and should not be banned.

In response to a question posed by A. Wang, V. Hartman said that the Willard Straight Student Union Board has the right to ban quarter carding.

A. Wang said that he recognizes there would be an environmental benefit to banning quarter carding. A solution may be limiting the number of quarter cards that an organization can hand out instead of banning quarter carding all together.

V. Hartman said that resources to monitor the amount of quarter carding do not exist. He pointed out that quarter cards are printed using SAF money. Therefore, students are paying to be quarter carded.

S. Tata said that he would suspect that quarter carding would pop up elsewhere on campus if it were to be banned on Ho Plaza.

V. Hartman clarified that Ho Plaza extends from College Ave up to Uris and Olin Libraries.

M. Coombs suggested starting to encourage groups to look at alternative means of advertising. Quarter carding does not contribute to the culture of sustainability that Cornell is looking to promote.

In response to a question posed by S. Dong, V. Hartman said that logistically to quarter card on Ho Plaza student groups must reserve a table at Willard Straight because Ho Plaza is university property. Students cannot just stand in front of a building quarter carding without university permission.

S. Dong said that people have the freedom to advertise and that students can say no if they do not want a quarter card. She does not view banning quarter carding as a wise decision.

Business of the Day (Cont’d)

iii. Student Assembly Finance Commission Appeals to the Student Assembly � Adam Gay

� Salsa Mundo Dance Practice

L. Chernosky said that Salsa Mundo is appealing for funding for a speaker. Funding was denied because the SAFC was under the impression that the speaker was an employee of Cornell. The speaker’s C.V. indicated that he is or has been employed by Cornell.

A representative from Salsa Mundo said that the speaker’s C.V. states that he is an instructor for a graduate student organization. The speaker is in no way affiliated with the Cornell staff. He finished working for Cornell in May of 2006.

A. Gay said that the Appropriations Committee voted 10 to 1 to overturn the decision of the SAFC. The individual that Salsa Mundo wishes to bring in is not affiliated with Cornell. The Appropriations Committee did not hold the group responsible for the information submitted in the personal statement of the speaker. The issue is strictly factual.

In response to a question posed by M. Asgary, a representative from Salsa Mundo said that the speaker is an individual the group would like to bring in to teach the salsa troupe. He is currently not affiliated with Salsa Mundo. Salsa Mundo would like to contract him.

M. Asgary asked why this was a problem.

L. Chernosky said that the speaker’s C.V. that the group submitted did not make it clear that the he was not employed by Cornell.

M. Asgary confirmed that the SAFC does not check the status of all the speakers that groups request funding for. He asked why the SAFC denied the appeal when the organization appealed based on SAFC oversight.

L. Chernosky said that the C.V. was submitted at the appeal.

In response to a question asked by M. Asgary, A. Gay said that he was positive that the individual is not affiliated with Cornell in a way that is not permitted.

M. Asgary confirmed that the group received some funding. Salsa Mundo was just denied funding for the speaker.

In response to a question posed by A. Salem, a representative from Salsa Mundo said that she believes the speaker graduated from Cornell in 1997.

L. Chernosky said that funding was originally denied because the SAFC was under the impression that the speaker had graduated in the past five years.

In response to a question posed by A. Salem, L. Chernosky said that the SAFC believed that the speaker had graduated in the past five years from communicating with the group.

There was a call to question. It was seconded. There was no dissent.

M. Asgary said that he thought that the SAFC was not allowed to accept new information at budget hearings.

L. Chernosky said that the SAFC holds budget hearings to allow groups to clarify aspects of their budgets that cannot be done through paper.

By a vote of 19 with 1 abstention, the Student Assembly voted to uphold the decision of the Appropriations Committee overturning the decision of the SAFC.

� Sikh Association

L. Chernosky said that the Sikh Association is appealing on the basis of new information. The documentation submitted by the organization does not match the SAFC guidelines presented in the handbook. Additionally, there was no indication as to why the room reservation could not have been provided earlier.

The representative from the Sikh Association said that the reason there was not a URL address on the emails he submitted for documentation is due to the fact that he uses Microsoft Outlook. Outlook does not print out URL address on emails. There was no other way of printing out the email. He brought his laptop to substantiate the claim that the email is legitimate. He said that he was unable to get in contact with the speaker at an earlier date because he was out of the country.

A. Gay said that the Appropriations Committee voted 10 to 1 with 1 abstention to overturn the decision of the SAFC. There was a long discussion regarding web based emails and email programs such as Outlook. The committee felt that the emails are legitimate and thus that the group should be funded.

In response to a question posed by M. Asgary, L. Chernosky said that the issues of proper documentation and room reservations carry equal weight.

I. Lesyk said that in order to fund a speaker, the SAFC requires proof of a room reservation.

The representative from the Sikh Association said that he emailed the speaker prior to the budget deadline but did not receive a response because the speaker was out of the country.

In response to a question posed by M. Asgary, L. Chernosky said that emails printed directly from email programs constitute acceptable documentation. Copying and pasting the contents of an e-mail into a Word, Excel, etc. document is not considered valid. To commissioners, the documentation submitted by the Sikh association appeared like it could be a word document.

M. Asgary stressed that if the group erred in submitting documentation, the SAFC is not at fault and that there is no basis for appeal.

C. Slicklen said that it boils down to the fact that the organization used an email program that does not print the URL address on emails. He asked the Sikh Association to show representatives the email on his laptop. He said that the SAFC did not error but that the appeal illustrates an exception.

M. Coombs asked if it would have been possible to print the email in a different program with the URL address.

The representative from the Sikh association said that it was not possible to print the email from another program.

L. Chernosky said that there was a third issue in that the group presented no room reservation. This issue is in addition to the documentation and lack of speaker contact issues.

The representative from the Sikh Association said that he did not see the point in reserving a room if he had know way of knowing when the speaker could come to Cornell. He said that he was waiting until the appeals process to present the reservation so that he could confirm a date with the speaker.

A. McGovern said that according the P&T Handbook, it is acceptable to print documentation from an email program. The group did this so the documentation appears to be legitimate.

R. Lavin reiterated what A. McGovern said. He said that representatives could look at the issue as whether or not the SAFC erred or whether or not SAFC policy erred. The email is not a copy and paste. It is legitimate.

D. Budish said that he really feels that the group did not error. The P&T Handbook does not state that the URL address must be on the bottom of email documents.

There was a motion to call to question. It was seconded. There was dissent. The motion was withdrawn.

A. Salem said that he personally feels that the group should have taken extra precaution to ensure their documentation appeared legitimate.

In response to a question posed by A. Salem, L. Chernosky said that a forwarded email would not be acceptable.

A. Salem said that it then appears that the group did not error.

M. Asgary emphasized that the email looks like something that the group could have typed up. He suggested having the SAFC define what email programs are acceptable.

In response to a question posed by A. Wang, L. Chernosky confirmed that the lack of a room reservation was part of the reason that the organization was not funded.

A. Wang emphasized that other organizations were able to obtain room reservations and speaker contact. It is important to make sure that organizations are following proper procedure.

V. Hartman echoed A. Wang. He said it bothered him that the organization said that they did not see the need to reserve a room if that had not yet confirmed with the speaker. The first thing a group should do when planning to bring in a speaker is to reserve a room. The room reservation may be the most important issue in the appeal. The organization did not provide any documentation as to why they did not or could not reserve a room. He does not think that the SAFC and the SA should fund a group that did not provide a room reservation for their event. Providing a room reservation is a fundamental policy of SAFC and overturning the decision would undermine their legitimacy.

L. Chernosky confirmed that to be funded for speakers groups need to provide both a room reservation and documentation showing communication with the speaker regarding the event.

A. Gay clarified that the SA is voting on the issue outlined in the rationale provided by the SAFC. The issue stated in the rationale is that of improper documentation and not of the room reservation.

In response to a question asked by V. Hartman, E. Greenberg said that the room reservation was the main reason why the SAFC did not fund the organization.

M. Asgary pointed out that there is a note made by an SAFC commissioner in their packets indicating that the room reservation was a contributing reason to the decision not to fund the organization. He said that any computer science major could write an email program. The organization should take steps to ensure that the email documentation they provide appears to be legitimate and traceable. He said that most groups start trying to contact speakers and reserve rooms far in advance of the SAFC budget deadlines. He asked the group when they started trying to contact the speaker.

The representative from the Sikh Association said that he began trying to contact the speaker about a week in advance of the budget deadline. The event the organization is planning is supposed to be a symposium and he was in the process of contacting numerous other speakers as well. The forum was coming together and he emailed the speaker in question after he had confirmed with certain other speakers.

M. Asgary asked why the Sikh Association was not able to confirm room reservations prior to the budget deadline.

The representative from the Sikh Association said that he had not been able to get in contact with the speaker and was therefore unable to confirm the date of the event. He thought that it would be inefficient to reserve a room for a specific date without knowing the date that the event would take place.

C. Slicklen said that issue regarding the room reservation did not come up at the Appropriations Committee Meeting. It said that it is unfair to deny funding to group based on an issue that did not arise during the appeals process. The issue that should be being discussed is the email and the email is legitimate. The group should not be faulted if the issue of the room reservation slipped through the cracks during the process.

There was a call to question. It was seconded. There was dissent.

V. Hartman said that the issue of the room reservation is important and that it would be premature of the assembly to vote on the Sikh Association Appeal. He recommended sending the appeal back to the Appropriations Committee so that the committee can discuss the issue of the room reservation.

There a vote to determine whether or not the previous question would be called. The question was not called.

A. Wang said that it is very important for Appropriations Committee members to look through the entire packet they are given regarding a group’s appeal. As M. Asgary pointed out the room reservation issue was mentioned in the packet.

There was a motion to refer the Sikh Association Appeal back to the Appropriations Committee. It was seconded. There was dissent.

C. Slicklen said that he thinks that it inappropriate and unfair to the group to send the appeal back to the Appropriations Committee.

M. Asgary said that the Appropriations Committee erred in failing to adequately examine a document they were given. Therefore the committee should reexamine the issue and come back to the SA with the proper recommendation. Money cannot just be given away based on mistakes. It is disrespectful to other organizations.

A. Salem said that referring back to the Appropriations Committee ensures that the SA is following appropriate procedure. He does not think that it is a big deal to take time to ensure a proper result.

A. Gay said that the Appropriations Committee did not error and that all information was taken into consideration in making the decision. The committee had a very thorough and long discussion on the appeal. The rationale on the first page of the packet is what was submitted by both the group and the SAFC. Decisions are not always black and white. In terms of scheduling, there is no opportunity to discuss the Sikh Association in the near future. Delaying the decision is unfair to the group.

By a vote of 12 to 5, the Sikh Association Appeal was referred back to the Appropriations Committee.

VII. Unfinished Business

There was no unfinished business.

VIII. New Business

There was no new business.

IX. Adjournment

There was a motion to adjourn. It was seconded. There was no dissent. The meeting was adjourned.