R 12. Resolution Regarding Changing the Required Dollar Amount for the Graduate and Professional Student Activity Fee (GPSAF).

Whereas the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GPSA) is tasked with recommending to the President of Cornell University and the Board of Trustees an amount for the Graduate and Professional Student Activity Fee (GPSAF);

Whereas the purpose of the GPSAF, as specified by the GPSA Eligibility Criteria and Obligations for Byline Funded Organizations (created by Article IX of the GPSA Charter), is “to support organizations and programs that are operated primarily for students, by students�[and which] directly and primarily serve and benefit the entire graduate and professional student community at Cornell”;

Whereas the GPSA recently recommended (and the Board of Trustees approved) an increase in the GPSAF from $70 per graduate student per year to $76 per graduate student per year, covering the period 2010 to 2012;

Whereas the current fee guidelines, as set by the GPSA Byline Allocation Procedures (Item III — x), specify that once approved by the GSPA, the GPSAF shall “automatically be rounded up to the nearest whole even number”;

Whereas the “whole even number” standard presented challenges during the GSPAF approval process (in terms of allocating funding amounts to each organization requesting byline funding) and proved an unnecessary, inflexible requirement;

Whereas the GPSA has learned from Susan Murphy (Vice President of Student and Academic Services) and Paul Streeter (Vice President of Planning and Budget) that it is possible to change the GSPAF standard to a “whole dollar” amount;

Be in therefore resolve that the GPSA amend the GPSA Byline Funding Allocation Procedures (Item III — x) to read as follows (proposed changes are underlined): “after the GPSAF allocation is approved, it will automatically be rounded up to the nearest whole number. The difference between the GPSAF and the new, rounded figure will be allocated to GPSAFC.”

Be it further resolved that the Office of Assemblies post the revised GPSA Byline Funding Allocation Procedures on the website for public access and download;

Be in finally resolved that this resolution be delivered to President David J. Skorton, Vice President of Student and Academic Services Susan Murphy, Vice President of Planning and Budget Paul Streeter, Office of Assemblies Director Peggy Beach, Dean of Students Kent Hubbell and Graduate School Dean Alison Power.

Respectfully Submitted,
Chris Clarke
GSPA Social Sciences Representative

Dave Walden
GPSA Appropriations Committee Chair