Resolution 3. Regarding the Environmental Impact of Byline Funded Organizations.

Whereas, the Graduate and Professional School Charter states in Article XI, Section 9.02: “The GPSA recognizes that along with setting and distributing the GPS Activity Fee comes accountability”;

Whereas, the SA and GPSA are each tasked with allocating and distributing the student activity fee to over 600 student organizations;

Whereas, in the fall of 2009 both the SA and GPSA voted unanimously to endorse the Cornell Climate Action Plan;

Whereas, the Climate Action Plan is currently aiming to reduce the institutions overall greenhouse emission level to zero;

Whereas, Cornell has already become recognized on the national level for its efforts in this area, having recently won the Nature Climate Leadership Award for Institutional Excellence;

Whereas, student organizations and other by-line funded organizations can have an environmental impact as part of their operations;

Whereas, the student activity fee should be use in a responsible and sustainable manner that is consistent with the goals and actions outlined above;

Be it therefore resolved, that the GPSA Eligibility Criteria and Obligations for Byline Funded Organizations, Item IV (Procedure), Section 4.01 be amended to read (with additions in bold):

Section 4.01 Each organization seeking byline funding must submit an application by the deadline set forth by the Appropriations Committee.

• a. With its application the organization must submit, unless prohibited by the University Confidentiality and Disclosure requirements:
  • i. Dollar request per student per year,
  • ii. Mission Statement, Constitution, Charter, and Bylaws,
  • iii. Financial Information (5—10 pages),
    • 1. Statements for the past four fiscal years,
    • 2. Budget and spending to date for the current year,
    • 3. Budgets for the two years of the funding cycle applying for.
  • iv. Group Portrait (3 pages) including:
    • 1. Officers,
    • 2. Number of members,
    • 3. Number of students served,
    • 4. History,
    • 5. Activities, programming, and events in current academic cycle,
    • 6. The environmental impact of the organization and steps taken to mitigate negative impacts.

Be it further resolved, that upon passage this resolution be forwarded to the Executive Board of the Student Assembly (SA) so that they may be aware of the GPSA’s support of the similar resolution adding this provision to the SA’s appropriations procedure,

Be it further resolved, that the Appropriations Committee will include a notification of this new requirement in the announcement of the byline-funding application process to current and future byline funded organizations.

Respectfully submitted,

Roneal Desai ‘13
Student Assembly Minority Representative At-Large
SA Liaison to the GPSA

Michael Walsh
Graduate and Professional Student Representative to the University Assembly

Ben Heavner
Physical Sciences Representative

Christopher Heckman
Physical Sciences Representative