Student Assembly

Minutes — September 6, 2012
Cornell University Student Assembly
4:45pm — 6:30pm, Willard Straight Hall Memorial Room

I. Call to Order/Roll Call

A. Gitlin called the meeting to order at 4:48pm.

Members present

S. Balik, G. Block, E. Bonatti, G. Braciak, S. Breedon, A. Chopra, R. Desai, A. Gitlin, R. Gitlin, T. Hittinger, T. Iwaoka, D. Kuhr, J. Lee, M. Lukasiewicz, J. Marshall, J. Mueller, P. Scelfo, N. Terrones

Members tardy

U. Smith

Members excused

M. Cho, D. Muir, C. Pritchett

II. Approval of the 8/30/12 Minutes

• Minutes approved

III. Open Microphone

• None

IV. Presentation by Chief of Cornell University Police Kathy Zoner

• Community response to incidents has been overwhelmingly positive
• Crime-Alert cases of rape and forcible touching over the weekend are open and very active
• Escort requests have never been turned away, even after service hours
• Increased lighting in places where crimes have occurred in the past
• D. Kuhr: self-defense class recommendations?
  • Check posters and the CUPD website for classes and drop-in lessons
• G. Block: Any updates on video cameras? Has the CUPD reconsidered is position on pepper spray and tasers?
  • There are a lot of different opinions about cameras so no consensus has been reached
  • Pepper spray is usually obtained illegally and usually doesn’t work
  • Tasers should not be handled by untrained people
• N. Terrones: How many violators have actually been caught?
  • Doesn’t have hard data, but a lot of cases not sent out on Crime-Alert have been solved — only sent out when violators are still on the loose
  • Working on a way to update Crime-Alerts on the website
• P. Scelfo: What is so different about the weekend cases that allowed it to be sent out to the entire school?
  • There are mandates for what crimes the campus needs to be alerted bout: reportable crime and ongoing threat to the community
• G. Braciak: A lot of new students don’t receive information about BlueLight
  • There is RA training and information is sent out as often as possible
• E. Bonatti: Is there collaboration between CUPD and Ithaca police? Workshops should be made open to the entire community. Also, would it be helpful to publish the identities of the perpetrators?
  • CUPD has excellent relations
  • A lot of workshops/programs are under-attended
  • Always a press release as well as an online crime log

V. Announcements/Reports

Safety Announcement — A. Chopra

• Plan for the year is to increase communication about safety programs

Cayuga’s Watchers Announcement — A. Gitlin and J. Mueller

• Initiative that promotes student safety
• Accepting applications for Exec Board positions

Election Update — J. Weinberg

• Trying to directly engage freshmen through RAs, OLs, etc.
• Asking freshmen lecturers to encourage voting
• SA will be operating booths on North

VI. Business of the Day

Resolution 2: Approval of the 2012–2013 Operating Budget — R. Desai

• M. Lukasiewicz: Motion to pool committee budgets excluding Appropriations, Public Service Committee, SUNY SA, Ivy Council
  • R. Desai: The excluded committees receive significantly more funding are have consistently spent money on projects. Hope is to prevent other committees from pointless spending — they will need to request funds should the need arise
  • U. Smith: With the pooled budget, wouldn’t any committee be able to ask for money?
    • No, committees not originally outlined receive Special Project funds
  • Call to question, seconded, dissent expressed
  • Vote to vote: 14–3
  • Vote: 12–1
  • Motion passes
• R. Desai: Motion to fund Ivy Council on behalf of C. Pritchett
  • Vote: 0–13–5
  • Motion fails
• Call to question, seconded
• Roll call vote: 18–0

• Resolution 2 passes

VII. New Business

Special Projects Request: Cornell Collegetown Student Council Neighborhood Fair — R. Desai

• How special project funding works:
  • Request under $250 can be immediately approved by President or VP of Finance and comes to assembly as form of a report
  • Request between $250 and $1500 goes to the Appropriations Committee and there needs to be a 2/3 SA vote to overturn their decision
  • Request over $1500 goes to the Appropriations Committee and there needs to be a 1/2 SA vote to overturn their decision
• Eric Silverman requested $100 for the neighborhood fair — wants to show Collegetown residents that there are good students in the area and to foster positive relationships. Money is for a permit

Resolution 4: In Support of National Coming Out Day — T. Iwaoka

• Motion to move to Business of the Day
• Moved to Business of the Day
• This year it does not occur over Fall Break — hope that Assemblies’ endorsement will help spark conversations on campus
• Gives the SA a great opportunity to do outreach to this community
• R. Desai: In full support, but how will this be publicized?
  • Emily Bick: Haven will be running awareness events
• P. Scelfo: Motions to amend: replace ‘strongly support’ with ‘recognize’
  • Call to question, seconded
  • Vote: 3–15
  • Motion fails
• Call to question, seconded
• Vote: 19–0 (Community: 2, SA: 17–0)
• Resolution 4 passes

Resolution 5: Amending the 2012–2013 Standing Rules — R. Gitlin

• Motion to move to Business of the Day
• Moved to Business of the Day
• Requires SA members to attend at least 2 outreach events per month, otherwise absences will be incurred
• Members that represent individual constituencies must hold at least one outreach activity with their respective constituencies
• Amendment: Add ‘per semester’ to the second to last sentence in the last clause
• R. Desai: Motion to strike last clause — for the most parts, events were planned for the sake of planning them and most just involved giving out food. Not a good use of funding — efforts better spent on attending outreach events and representing the SA
  • U. Smith: Representatives’ responsibility to reach out to their constituents
  • M. Lukaciewicz: Can’t reps be required to attend events that pertain to their constituency. Believes efforts should be spent on policies that affect their constituency instead of ‘party planning’
  • T. Hittinger: Would it be better to let everyone hold themselves accountable?
  • Call to question, seconded, dissent expressed
  • Vote to vote: 5–12 discussion continues
  • R. Gitlin: Self-accountability leads to laziness. Events are what they are made out to be — not ‘party planning’
  • S. Breedon: Reaching out to constituents is an integral responsibility as an SA rep
  • Call to question, seconded, dissent expressed
  • Vote to vote: 14–2 move to voting on the motion
  • Roll call vote: 5–9

• Motion fails

• Call to question, seconded
• Vote: 12–5. Exactly 2/3 vote, so chair gets the tiebreaking vote. A. Gitlin votes yes, so the Resolution passes

Resolution 6: Engaging Unelected Community Members Through Associate Membership — C. Pritchett, D. Muir, G. Block

• In the past, people have been allowed to sit at the SA table to be part of debate (liaisons, trustees, etc.)
• Allowing two associate positions that would be at-large liaisons, considering a semester rotating mechanism
• E. Bonatti: How will associates be chosen?
  • Similar process to applying to be a Committee member
• J. Lee: Why is this necessary if there are opportunities for people at Open Microphone and in committees?
  • Open microphone is very passive of the SA and this is just an extra opportunity for people
• Motion to table the resolution and move to Executive Session
• Resolution tabled

A. Gitlin adjourned the meeting at 6:32.

Respectfully submitted,
Chelsea Cheng