Student Assembly

MINUTES
Cornell University Student Assembly
September 2, 2010
4:45pm — 6:30pm
Willard Straight Hall, Memorial Room

I. Call to Order

V. Andrews called the meeting to order at 4:45pm.

V. Andrews called for a moment of silence for Khalil King.

II. Roll Call

Voting members present: A. Savion, V. Andrews, A. Bajaj, A. Brokman, M. Danzer, R. Desai, C. Feng, M. Finn, A. Gitlin, M. Gulrajani, C. Jenkins, D. Kuhr, R. Mensah, A. Nicoletti, S. Pendleton, N. Raps, J. Rau, U. Smith, A. Yozwiak

III. Open Microphone�Ray Mensah

R. Mensah asked if there were any comments from anyone on the SA or in the community.

C. Jenkins came forward and said that he is promoting a website that is a hybrid of Facebook and Twitter for a school’s own network of people. This site will contain such features as location-based tweets to promote things such as assembly meetings or parties. Jenkins can be contacted at cwj27@cornell.edu.

J. Feldman, a student chair for UA came forward and asked for input on new ideas within the new UA Charter he is working on. Send comments to the UA email address.

A. Gitlin said there will be a panel promoting peace in India and Pakistan with Cornell International Affairs on Sept 11. This event will also provide relief for the recent floods in Pakistan.

U. Smith said that any student who wishes to attend Khalil King’s funeral may arrange to do so by contacting Ujamaa.

Oath of Office

V. Andrews read the oath of office to all of the members of the 2010–2011 Student Assembly.

IV. Announcements/Reports

1. Ivy China Update�Vincent Andrews

V. Andrews said that he had the opportunity over the summer to fly to China to meet with other Ivy League SA presidents. Here, he visited several prominent attractions and two universities to meet with those students. The purpose of the trip was to initiate communication between our universities and their universities. Andrews will type up a 500-word summary of his thoughts on the trip and post it online soon.

2. Resolution Processing�Ray Mensah

R. Mensah said there is a resolution template on the SA Blackboard site, which he would like members to follow. When they wish to submit their resolutions, they may do so in the digital dropbox under the tab in “tools.” He will also be sending out an email about weekly due dates.

3. Elections Update�Charlie Feng

C. Feng said there have been two election events so far and that election materials will be due on the Tuesday after Labor Day.

4. Residential Student Congress Update�Ulysses Smith

U. Smith said last year, there was a liaison from the residential student congress. The SA created this organization several years ago, but it experienced some administrative troubles last year. U. Smith recently received an email that put a stop to the residential student congress until it could regroup and reorganize. There will be more investigating to see what will happen to this group in the future. Anyone with questions should email Rep. Smith, particularly the hall councils because they receive their funding from RSC.

5. Public Relations Update�Natalie Raps

N. Raps said that there will be the first ever bar tab event at Dinos on September 23rd to work with the class councils. She additionally noted that there has been a recent increase in the number of people who are using the SA blog. Furthermore, the 1st meeting for the communications committee is next Tuesday.

6. By-line Funded Organizations Calendar, Appropriations Committee�Adam Nicoletti

A. Nicoletti said he contacted all byline-funded groups to meet with them and asked them for a report on their spending from last year and projected spending for this year. By analyzing these reports, he hopes to keep wasteful spending at a minimum. The ultimate focus of this year is to bridge understanding between the SA and student groups by increasing communication and making this year run smoother than last year

R. Desai asked what jurisdiction the Appropriations Committee has over groups that don’t comply.

A. Nicoletti said Appropriations can fine or revoke byline funding in extraordinary circumstances, but that he will try to ensure the SA and the group are constantly communicating.

7. Dining Committee Update� J. Rau

J. Rau said that Cornell Dining is moving up in the college rankings. Also, the Dairy Bar is closed for renovation until 2013, but ice cream will be sold at Trillium Express until December. The Dining Committee meets every other week, starting next week. If you would like to join, they will be debating such issues as whether or not to use cage-free eggs. To get involved, contact him at jdr252@cornell.edu.

V. Andrews added that the joining the dining committee is a great opportunity to sample food from across Cornell’s campus.

Dean of Faculty update� R. Desai

R. Desai said that the Dean of Faculty has been discussing counseling, advising, and mental health issues related to how professors run their classes. There will also be a faculty senate meeting on the 2nd wed of September. He is looking for input on what issues he should bring up at his various meetings with administration.

A. Gitlin motioned to move “new business” to “business of the day”. This was seconded with no dissent. There was a call of acclamation, and his motion was passed.

V. Business of the Day

1. Welcome�Vincent Andrews

V. Andrews said that he had one big point to stress: while last year may have been the big year for reimagining Cornell, this year will see the start to these new policies. As such, the SA will have a great say in the restructuring of Cornell.

2. Appropriations Committee Appeal and SA Budget�Adam Nicoletti

A. Nicoletti said that the SAFC allocation was recently reduced; yet, the amount of students here has increased. This will lead to some changes in the SA budget. For instance, the Ivy council will be receiving significantly less funding and they will not be attending a conference in the Spring. Also, there will be a decrease in the amount of money in committee budgets. However, if these committees need any more money, they can approach the Appropriations Committee for more money through byline funding. On another note, the SAFC increased their number of commissioners, and they have needed more money as a result. They also wanted shirts t-shirts to represent their organization, but the Appropriations Committee denied them money for the shirts, which they had already bought.

A. Brokman asked where a committee’s request to spend money would go.

A. Nicoletti replied that only himself or V. Andrews could approve what is budgeted, but if the expense is not budgeted, the request moves on to other committees.

R. Kishore, the SAFC VP of External Relations, said that, regarding the SAFC shirts, the money has already been spent and the shirts have arrived so there is no way to return them. They were ordered at the beginning of the beginning of the semester as per tradition and they were not informed that they should not buy them once again. The shirts are integral to SAFC members, as they promote a sense of professionalism when dealing with student groups directly.

M. Danzer said that the SA agreed last year that the shirt funding should be cut because students can already differentiate who is on the SAFC.

R. Kishore said that this decision was not written down at the time they ordered the shirts. There was nothing approved through the SA that said they couldn’t buy shirts every year. Although that came up last year, nothing has passed over the past year.

V. Andrews asked how much the shirts cost and if the SAFC would agree to the cutting the cost of the shirts from their budget rather than their entire funding of 700 dollars.

R. Kishore said that the shirts totaled $537.50,which is less than what was originally budgeted for and that he would accept V. Andrews’ offer.

R. Desai asked if the SAFC only needed shirts for new commissioners last year.

R. Kishore said that the money covered everyone on the commission. Not just new people.

U. Smith asked if the SAFC had ordered the shirts before solidifying their budget.

R. Kishore said that the shirts had been ordered every year before the budget has been passed. They are necessary every year before the budget is passed.

U. Smith said that sometimes tradition isn’t the best policy.

A. Epstein said that there are a number of expenses encountered by the SAFC at the beginning of the semester before adopting a budget. If these problems are to be avoided, there should be a budget arranged prior to the start of school.

A. Bajaj said that the Appropriations Committee voted without any dissent that the shirts were unnecessary.

R. Kishore said that dealing with individual student groups necessitates a sense of professionalism. Being on the other side of the table and looking unprofessional sends the wrong message.

M. Finn asked if these are the exact same shirts as last year’s.

R. Kishore said that they are different.

A. Nicoletti said that the past Appropriations Committee voted unanimously on this subject. Members of the SA who believe the SAFC should have their shirts now should vote now and vote yes. Don’t further waste the time of the Appropriations Committee.

A. Gitlin said that the shirts have already been ordered. Next year, this issue can be readdressed, but it is a little late in the game by now.

C. Jenkins asked why SAFC members couldn’t just wear a shirt or tie or put on a name tag or a placard. What is the need for t-shirts?

R. Kishore said that the SAFC sees many people at several times during the week. They are the SA’s execution organization. They put the SA’s rulings into action. That’s why the shirts are necessary.

There was a call to question. Seconded with no dissent. The hand vote to vote on the amendment passed. By a vote of 12–6−0, the amendment passed. The budget was also passed without any dissent.

VI. New Business

1. R. 1 — Approval of the 2010–2011 Standing Rules�Ray Mensah

R. Mensah said he had made changes to several sections of the previous rules.

U. Smith asked if it was necessary for section 3 rules 3 and 4 to be included in the Standing Rules, as they were already in the Charter.

R. Mensah replied that this was a valid point.

U. Smith called for an amendment to change “college reps” to “all voting reps” in section 3, rule 4

The amendment was seconded. There was a call for acclamation. Seconded with no dissent. The amendment passed.

A. Nicoletti called for an amendment to strike Section 2, rule 4 and insert a bylaw.

The amendment was seconded. There was a call for acclamation. Seconded with no dissent. The amendment passed.

By a vote of 17–0−0, the resolution passes.

2. R. 2 — Conflict-Free Campus Resolution�Christopher Dobyns, Nathaniel Houghton, George Hornedo, Ray Mensah

N. Houghton said that this resolution could make a tangible difference in a part of the world that needs a lot of help. C. Dobyns said that he had travelled to Africa and thought that this resolution would be rather beneficial

D. Kuhr said that one point of the resolution seemed too broad.

N. Houghton agreed that this point could be worded a little better.

A. Yozwiak asked if they had spoken with the Cornell IT committee chair yet.

N. Houghton said they had not yet.

R. Desai said that he thought this is a great cause.

There was a call to question. Seconded with dissent.

A. Yozwiak said he would like to wait to vote on the resolution until it is discussed with the director of CIT.

R. Mensah said this cause is very important and should be passed today.

V. Andrews said that R. Mensah need not worry about not receiving a budget for this resolution because the SA would assist in this.

There was a hand vote to table until speaking to CIT. By a vote of 12–6, the resolution is tabled.

3. R. 3 — Change in Transportation Notifications�Ulysses Smith

U. Smith said that TCAT busses are very important on our campus, but there are also many construction projects, and road closures that frequently interfere with bus schedules. TCAT maintains a subscribable feed that isn’t updated as much as would be desired. This inconveniences many students. Therefore, he proposed that students should be allowed access to the special conditions listserv used by the university. This will allow students to subscribe to the listserv and be informed about planned closures or hindrances to transportation.

The resolution was called to question and seconded. There was a call for acclamation without dissent. The resolution passed.

4. R. 4 — Establishing ‘Speak Up’ Events Hosted by the Student Assembly�Andrew Brokman and Natalie Raps

A. Brokman said that during the last election season, many Student Assembly members talked about having town hall type events to meet more with their public. This resolution will require these types of forums with the administration at least once a semester. N. Raps said that last semester, the administration hosted their own speak up event and it was very successful. It’s good to have knowledge about what the students actually want.

A. Brokman said this should be initiated soon to promote it and get people to speak up.

A. Nicoletti asked why the SA’s ability to conduct public hearings was removed from the resolution.

A. Brokman said that it sounded redundant because the resolution already mentions public referendums.

A. Nicoletti said he didn’t understand why it was removed still.

A. Brokman said that Nicoletti was discussing events that take place within SA meetings, while the resolution deals with events outside of them.

A. Gitlin called for an amendment to change the resolution’s wording regarding the confusion cited by A. Nicoletti.

M. Danzer called the amendment to question. It was seconded and there was a call for acclamation. The amendment passed.

There was a call to question, then a call for acclamation, and a motion for a hand vote. By a vote of 18–0−0, the resolution passed.

5. R. 5 — Committee Review of Resolutions�Adam Gitlin

A. Gitlin said that this resolution would refer all future resolutions to a committee for discussion and review. This will increase the engagement of committee members in SA matters and will give the SA an extra week to go over resolutions. Furthermore, (in an amendment) each committee shall designate a member to focus on student organizational outreach in order to obtain more involvement in committees.

This amendment was accepted.

U. Smith asked if there should be language in the resolution to refer non-pertaining resolutions to another committee like a UA committee.

A. Gitlin said that an executive committee would determine if the resolution should go to the UA or just come to the floor.

R. Desai said that many of the committees don’t meet on a weekly basis. Additionally, last year, it was necessary to write resolutions quickly for immediate impact (as in after the suicides).

A. Gitlin said that there was no language in this resolution saying that the committees have to meet weekly. These committees could meet at other times. A. Brokman asked if this entire process could be more informal. Some of these committees might not want to hold special meetings. It’s important to get advice from students, but is it necessary on every type of resolution? There are 5 different types of resolutions, so committee input might not be helpful for all of them. Of the resolutions passed today, it wouldn’t have been beneficial for all of them to go to committees.

M. Danzer motioned to amend the first sentence of the resolution.

R. Desai motioned to postpone the debate until next week.

There was dissent.

N. Raps said that the SA should vote on this immediately and try to pass it because many groups are meeting for the first time this week.

There was a call for acclamation without dissent for Danzer’s amendment.

The amendment passed.

There was a call for acclamation. Seconded. By a vote of 16–2−0, the resolution passed.

I. Adjournment

V. Andrews adjourned the meeting at 6:40.