Student Assembly

Whereas the Student Assembly Finance Commission (the commission) has proposed several changes to the Funding Guidelines that govern its operations (the guidelines); and,

Whereas these changes address a wide variety of issues and aspects of the commission’s operations;

Be it therefore resolved that the Student Assembly (the assembly) approves and adopts the proposed changes and accompanying rationales.

Change #1: Further clarification of documentation requirements

Whereas further clarification of documentation requirements is necessary,

Be it therefore resolved Section 11.3, titled “Documentation Requirements” be added and state the following:
Documentation from the Internet must include logo, header, URL, or other means to validate the source.

Change #2: Amending the prohibited durable goods list

Whereas there is a list of prohibited durable goods,

Be it therefore resolved Section 9.5.4, titled “Prohibited Expenses” be amended and add the following expenses:

• videogame hardware, software, and games
• refrigerators
• flash drives and hard-drives

Change #3: Allowing for the repair of goods

Whereas repairs are needed for certain goods,

Be it therefore resolved Section 9.5.3, titled “Eligible Expenses” be amended as follows:

‘ ’ ‘Repairs
The commission funds for the repair of durable goods purchased with SAFC funds. Applicant:′

• Specifies the equipment to be repaired
• Provides price estimation of repairs
• Provides photo documentation of damaged good with explanation of how damage occurred.

Change #4: Prohibited travel expenses

Whereas certain travel expenses are prohibited,

Be it therefore resolved Section 9.4.4, titled “Prohibited Expenses” be amended as follows:

The commission does not fund:

• food for travelers, or
• social activities for travelers.
• Retreats, including off-campus events in which group members partake in team building, training activities, and other such activities which do not further the purpose of the organization.
• Travel expenses beyond the cost of traveling to and from the final destination including but not limited to, public transportation fares.

Change #5: Eligible travel expenses documentation

Whereas there are certain requirements for travel expense documentation,

Be it therefore resolved Section 9.4.3, titled “Eligible Expenses” be amended as follows:
Transportation
The commission funds transportation for students to and from the event.

Applicant:

• provides Proof of Travel Distance (see Documentation (p 39) for more information).
• includes in its application documentation of airfare costs or bus fares in addition to Proof of Travel Distance, if funding is requested for air or bus travel.

Change #6: Publication requirements

Whereas certain publication requirements need to be met

Be it therefore resolved Section 9.6.3, titled “Eligibility” be amended as follows:
To be eligible for funding, the publication must:

• be printed and distributed in the same semester for which funding is requested; and,
• be available to the entire Cornell community and distributed in areas frequented by this community, including campus dining facilities, student centers, libraries.
• be printed and distributed with a minimum number of 100 copies.

Change #7: Budget hearing requirements

Whereas there are requirements for budget hearings,

Be it therefore resolved Chapter 4, titled “Budget Hearings” be amended as follows:

The applicant may cancel a hearing until one business day before it is scheduled without penalty. If no representative of the applicant arrives within ten minutes of the scheduled start of the hearing, the commission notes the absence or lateness and reduces the allocation to ninety percent of what it would otherwise be.

Respectfully Submitted,

Charles Feng
Liaison to the SAFC, Student Assembly

Dan Gusz
Co-Chair, SAFC

Lauren Rosenblum
Co-Chair, SAFC