Minutes — May 3, 2012
Cornell University Student Assembly
4:45pm — 6:30pm, Willard Straight Hall Memorial Room
I. Call to Order / Roll Call
N. Raps called the meeting to order at 4:50pm
- Members present
- S. Balik, G. Block, S. Breedon, D. Brown, A. Chopra, R. Desai, B. Francisco, A. Gitlin, R. Gitlin, D. Goldberg, M. Gulrajani, J. Kay, J. Lee, A. Meller, J. Mueller, D. Muir, A. Nicoletti, A. Pinkney, H. Pittell, N. Raps, J. Rau, P. Sceldo, E. Szulman, N. Treffeisen, A. Wolford, E. Yeterian, A. Raveret, A. Santangelo
- Members unexcused
- G. Hoffman
- Also present
- A. Bores, D. Evensen, H. Geiser, Ari Epstein, Amy Edwards, Chelesa Cheng
II. Approval of the 4/26/12 Meeting Minutes
- P. Scelfo: Under the UA update announcement, someone under 21 is not allowed to hold a government issued ID of someone over 21
- After the amendment, the minutes were approved
III. Open Microphone
IV. Announcements / Reports
Operation Receptacles Announcement — Peter Scelfo
- Ribbon cutting of new garbage cans on North campus. Stickers saying ‘supported by the Student Assembly’ are on all trash cans and recycling bins
SUNY SA Update — Peter Scelfo & Sarah Balik
- SUNY Conference was last weekend — members attended: S. Balik, P. Scelfo, Matt Danzer. It went really well and was very productive
GPSA Update — Mitch Paine
- Mitch to be the new president of the GPSA. Pledges to stay committed to the relationship between the assemblies
Calendar Update — Geoffrey Block
- Calendar Committee has taken into account Resolution 47 (Undergraduate Student Body Denouncement of the Calendar Committee’s Proposal). What they have done is essentially to take another day out of Senior Week and stuck an extra break day during the exam period.
- The proposal is still not great, so asks that any members available next Wednesday (5/9/12) show up to the Faculty/Senate meeting and protest the proposal
CRP Announcement — Adam Nicoletti
- CRP: Collegiate Readership Program
- Digital subscription for the NY Times will be free to all undergraduate students in the Fall
- Proportion of NY Times to USA Today will be increased
- H. Pittell: Will getting online subscriptions reduce print subscriptions?
- The online is a free, complimentary service. The digital subscription is based on what students currently consume on campus
B.L.U.E. Update — E. Yeterian
- In the final stages of campaigning for B.L.U.E.
- Quarter cards have the B.L.U.E. schedule on the back
- Coffee promotion: free coffee each time one tides the bus. Stamp given for each coffee purchased — four stamps to get a free specialty coffee
V. Business of the Day
B.L.U.E. Special Action Report — Adam Nicoletti
- Special project in amount of $700 for B.L.U.E. committed by the SA during first semester
- No comments or question — project fund approved
Resolution 45: Student Assembly Support of a Tiered CUid Replacement System — Peter Scelfo and Alex Bores
- Working to get the tiered system in place by 7/1/12
- Friendly amendments: first be it therefore resolved clause: “CUid” instead of “CiUd”. Sponsors: Peter Scelfo graduates in ‘15 and Alex Bores in ‘13. First whereas clause: reads “�first year since 2006�”
- J. Rau: See what is trying to be said, but does not agree — thinks it could increase haphazardness. Does not think it is Cornell ‘nickel and diming’ students — thinks having to pay for the full cost of a replacement ID encourages responsibility
- Addressing a safety concern. This year there has been a drop in ID replacement cards and an increase in temporary dining cards — do not want students walking around without their IDs
- Dan Kuhr: Thinks the resolution is a great idea. If a student loses their ID, chances are that they will learn from the experience
- J. Mueller: Agrees with J. Rau. Students should have to pay the full cost of printing a new ID card. It would be okay to provide a free replacement for a stolen ID. Also thinks there should be a limit to how many days a temporary dining card can be used
- Stolen ID cards are already replaced for free, as long as significant evidence of theft is shown.
- A. Meller: Does not believe that the cost of replacing an ID is really going to impact how responsible a person is
- Matt Danzer: This gives the SA an opportunity to work with the registrar. Also provides the registrar a chance to create a better system for students. System is good because it doesn’t punish students for their first mistake
- A. Gitlin: The SA is supposed to support what students need — why would it not agree to creating a better system for studnents? Also, Cornell requires IDs of students — why should students have to pay so much for something that is required?
- R. Desai: Any time a students are charged to provide a service to all the students, the question if there is a positive externality that they benefit from. Believes the benefit is safety — would not want students standing outside their dorm at 3am in the morning waiting for someone else to open the door. The system is good in that for students that cannot spend $40 to replace an ID, they can afford the first replacement
- H. Pittell: Thinks the price of the replacement should be considered - $5 of the $40 replacement fee goes toward labor. The process takes a few minutes — thinks $5 is too much as a labor fee
- M. Gulrajani: There is a $200 fine of the CUPD catches a student without an ID
- J. Rau: If this is to save students money, how is this a cost-neutral proposal? Also, this system creates winners and losers. For the losers, they might be farther discouraged from replacing their IDs as the price will keep increasing. This might create a negative externality
- A. Nicoletti: Thinks this is a no-brainer. It saves money, it is cost neutral and it helps students. For those that have to pay to replace their ID more than once, they will do so with fair warning of increased costs
- Call to question, dissent expressed
- Vote: Sense of the body: 10–1 (counts for 2 yes votes). SA: 19–3. Final vote: 21–3
- Resolution 45 passes
Resolution 46: Student Assembly Input on the University Diversity Council and “Towards New Destinations,” the university-wide diversity plan — Nate Treffeisen, Roneal Desai, and Stephen Breedon
- In response to P. Scefo’s question about the amendment last week: If LGBT find the amendment discriminatory, then we have to ask if they have faced the true reality of how the world currently treats them? Cornell provides a unique opportunity to prepare them for the real world.
- P. Scelfo: Generally speaking, is the ratio of LGBT students that graduate lower than that of other students?
- Do not have that information, but believes it should be a priority to collect that information. There is a noticeable difference in yield though
- Shannon: Recommends adding diversity training for students in the resolution
- Friendly amendment: 2nd engagement bullet: “Implement cultural competency trainings for administration, faculty, staff, employees, students, and RAs”
- Sasha Mack ‘13: Would not have RAs in the amendment as they already have extensive training. Believes training should be emphasized for students. Hopes the resolution targets people that are not already involved in the conversation
- G. Block: Worried that in the last be it therefore resolve clause, the focus is too much on underrepresented minorities and not minorities in general
- Friendly amendment: Achievement bullet: “commit to increasing the number of URM and the other protected classes mentioned in the Cornell University non-discrimination policy and EEO protected classes on a federal, state, and local level”
- Andy ‘12 Reiterates Shannon’s point: focus should be that students receive the same training as administrators. Also, the resolution should be shown to students as there is no publication of what is going on. The SA needs to be more open and active in communication with the rest of campus
- P. Scelfo: It is the responsibility of students to research the resources available to them, not the responsibility of the university to hand out that information. If that is to be the case, then a survey should take into account all interests of students and send, for example, information about the French club to those that are interested
- A. Bores: proposes an amendment: change the be it finally resolved clause to a be if therefore resolved clause, then add “Be it finally resolved, that a copyof this resolution be sent to Bob Harrison, Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Lisa Skeet Tatum, Chair of the Diversity Task Force
- J. Lee: In regards to P. Scelfo: the argument does not make any sense. These are minority groups that are being considered and they are the ones that have agreed to have this conversation
- P. Scelfo proposes that the resolution be divided and voted on per individual be it therefore resolved clause
- Call to question
- Roll call vote: 20–1
| S. Balik | Yes |
| G. Block | Yes |
| S. Breedon | Yes |
| D. Brown | Yes |
| A. Chopra | Yes |
| R. Desai | Yes |
| B. Francisco | Yes |
| A. Gitlin | Yes |
| R. Gitlin | Yes |
| D. Goldberg | Yes |
| M. Gulrajani | Abstain |
| G. Hoffman | Absent |
| J. Kay | Yes |
| J. Lee | Yes |
| A. Meller | Yes |
| J. Mueller | Yes |
| D. Muir | Abstain |
| A. Nicoletti | Yes |
| A. Pinkney | Yes |
| H. Pittell | Abstain |
| J. Rau | Abstain |
| P. Scelfo | No |
| E. Szulman | Yes |
| N. Treffeisen | Yes |
| A. Wolford | Yes |
| E. Yeterian | Yes |
VI. New Business
VII. Executive Session
N. Raps adjourned the meeting at 6:00pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Chelsea Cheng