GPSA Funding Policy Committee

Related actions: 2008SpringAction06.

I. Preamble

The Graduate and Professional Student Activity Fee is set by the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GPSA). This mandatory charge is included in the University billing statement of all students. The purpose of the Fee is to support financially organizations and programs that are student-determined and student-directed. Funded organizations must be seen to provide a valuable service to the Cornell student body. The GPSA recognizes that along with setting and distributing the Fee comes accountability. Each organization that receives funding from the GPSA is subject to Guidelines set by the Assembly in consultation with the organizations and the Cornell student body. The GPSA recognizes the significant differences in purpose and reporting relationships between the GPSA and Graduate Finance Commission on the one hand and other Fee recipients on the other. The Funding Guidelines of the two groups of organizations are therefore enumerated separately.

II. Graduate and Professional Student Assembly Finance Commission

1. The Graduate and Professional Student Assembly Finance Commission (GPSAFC) is a review committee of the GPSA and is bound by all provisions of the GPSA Charter.
2. The GPSAFC Chair shall present directly to the GPSA every fall semester a full written accounting of their operations for the previous academic year, including the names of organizations requesting funding, the amount requested, the amount awarded, and the amount actually spent as well as figures for the Commission as a whole.
3. The GPSAFC Executive Committee shall be comprised of its Chair and approximately six graduate and professional student members appointed by the GPSA.
4. Any revisions of the GPSAFC Treasurers Handbook must be approved by a majority vote of the GPSA.
5. Criteria for funding of graduate student organizations are also determined by the GPSA and may not be altered or waived without express GPSA approval.

III. Self-Programming Organizations

All recipients of the Student Activity Fee shall adhere to the following Guidelines:

1. For all events (concerts, lectures, films, etc.) funded by Fee allocations and for which admission is charged, Cornell students shall receive a reasonable discount to reflect their prior contribution via the Student Activity Fee. Fee recipients are strongly encouraged to offer such discounts for all their events.
2. The GPSA shall have the option of appointing a Cornell student to serve as a non-voting Liaison to each organization or, where appropriate, its Advisory Board or Steering Committee.
3. Organizations that own capital equipment are strongly encouraged to include depreciation in their full yearly budgets and must report balances in all depreciation in yearly financial statements. Capital equipment purchases must be reported in the financial statements of the year purchased.
4. Each organization shall every fall semester provide directly to the GPSA a full written accounting of the use of its Fee allocation (or, if necessary, of its entire operation) for the previous academic year, as well as an oral summary of its activities, including usage statistics and future programming plans.
5. For accounting and reporting purposes, the Student Activity Fee monies shall be held in a separate university account.
6. Each organization shall report to the GPSA prior to an event all monies received for that event from other Fee recipients, including organizations funded by the GPSAFC.
7. Each organization shall regularly advertise its existence and encourage student participation in its meetings, which shall be open to the public.
8. Each organization shall every September provide the GPSA with a written Mission Statement outlining its perceptions of its roles and responsibilities.
9. Each organization shall include the following (or similar) statement on all fliers, posters, promotions, programs, and literature: “Funded in part by the GPSA.”
10. For all events (concerts, lectures, films. etc.) funded by the Fee allocations and for which admission is charged, Cornell students shall be given the first opportunity to purchase tickets. At least the first day of ticket sales must be for Cornell students exclusively.
11. All organizations receiving Student Activity Fee funds must abide by the campus poster policy and any repeated violation of the policy will lead to an investigation of that organization’s funding by the Assembly.
12. All organizations must notify the GPSA prior to any changes in the organizations/bylaws and/or constitution.
13. Organizations which repeatedly violate these guidelines shall have their eligibility for funding investigated.

Furthermore, individual organizations shall adhere to the following additional Guidelines:

Cornell Concert Commission

1. The Cornell Concert Commission should continue to offer discounted tickets for all ticketed events.
2. The Concert Commission shall seek to produce two shows at Bailey Hall or similar venue, at a maximum of $50,000 each academic year.
3. The Concert Commission shall seek to produce two shows at Barton Hall or similar venue, at a maximum of $35,000 each academic year.
4. The Cornell Concert Commission shall seek to produce one free show every year on the Arts Quad.
5. Each year, the Cornell Concert Commission shall co-sponsor a minimum of three on-campus music events with other Cornell University groups.

Cornell Cinema

1. Cornell Cinema shall not increase student ticket prices without the express approval of the Student Assembly and the GPSA.
2. Cornell Cinema shall at every film showing provide a suggestion box or similar medium for determining student preferences.
3. Cornell Cinema shall maintain the range, quality and amount of programming it currently provides.

Cornell University Program Board

1. The Program Board shall fund for at least one lecture per year with an honorarium of at least $10,000.
2. The Program Board can subsidize expenses for no more than one elected or appointed public official per year, regardless of cost. At the speaker’s request, any honorarium paid may go to a charity.
3. The Program Board shall have at least one event free of charge to all Cornell students.
4. The Program Board shall offer students reduced ticket prices as well as the opportunity to purchase the best seats available at performance venues two full days before being sold to the general public.
5. In order to alleviate the costs for other Cornell organizations, the program Board shall designate at least 5% of the budget for co-sponsorships.

Emergency Medical Services

1. Cornell EMS shall continue to provide exemplary emergency response and basic emergency care for the Graduate and Professional students of the Cornell community using updated equipment and emergency response vehicles.
2. Cornell EMS shall continue to offer and provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillation (AED) instruction, along with First Aid classes for training of EMS members and interested Graduate and Professional students.
3. Cornell EMS shall continue to provide emergency response support for special events on the Cornell campus.
4. Cornell EMS shall provide extensive training to all squad members consisting of basic emergency medical technicians (EMT-B), Critical Care Technicians (AEMT-CC), and Paramedics (AEMT-P).

Big Red Barn

1. The Big Red Barn shall continue to provide TGIF, Summer TGIF, International Coffee House, Orientation for incoming students, and the Year-End Barbecue. At its discretion, it shall also continue to provide weekly dance classes, periodic movie nights, and other such events and seasonal events as it sees fit.
2. The Big Red Barn shall upgrade the program in the following respects:
   1. Offer one hot item at TGIF once a month
   2. Add newspaper and magazine subscriptions
   3. Increase the programming for each fellow to bring in more local artist/speakers/performers
3. The Big Red Barn shall do one special event each semester to enhance the program as a whole.

Athletics

1. The Department of Athletics and Physical Education shall provide the Graduate and Professional students and their families free admission to all home athletic contests. This does not include men’s ice hockey; in which the Graduate and Professional students and families are eligible to purchase tickets at a reduced price upon presenting proper Cornell identification. The Department of Athletics and Physical Education shall provide the Graduate and Professional students and their families free admission to all home athletic contests. This does not include men’s ice hockey; in which the Graduate and Professional students and families are eligible to purchase tickets at a reduced price upon presenting proper Cornell identification.
2. The Department of Athletics and Physical Education shall continue to provide access to the numerous fitness center locations and many fitness opportunities (exercise classes, intramural sports, etc.) for the Graduate and Professional Student community, providing the opportunity to engage in a healthy lifestyle and foster personal development.
3. The Department of Athletics and Physical Education shall continue to provide a wide range of physical education courses to the Graduate and Professional Student community. In addition, to physical education courses, the department will provide opportunities for outdoor education through the Outdoor Education Program and related programs for the Graduate and Professional Student community.
4. The Department shall also allocate at least 200 Hockey season tickets to graduate and professional students. The distribution of these tickets shall not require Graduate and Professional Students to wait more than four hours in the “Line”.

Slope Day Programming Board

1. The Slope Day Programming Board shall allocate one seat in the Executive Committee for graduate & professional students.
2. The Slope Day Programming Board shall support continued grad student representation on the steering committee.
3. The Slope Day Programming Board shall collect information on how many and how long graduate students attend slope day and present this information to the GPSA during the Fall Semester.

IV. Graduate and Professional Student Assembly Obligations

The Student Assembly shall assist Student Activity Fee recipients in adhering to the Guidelines as follows:

1. The GPSA shall provide each organization as well as the Dean of Students and the Dean of the Graduate School a current copy of these Guidelines each semester and of the GPSA Charter each year.
2. Each organization, shall be notified of any GPSA, meeting in which legislation concerning or affecting Fee recipients is pending.
3. The GPSA Vice-President for Finance shall wherever possible, and as early as possible attend at least one meeting of each organization each year and shall assist, when desired, organizations to prepare their written and oral reports to the Assembly.

V. Duration and Supersedence

1. Once approved by the GPSA, these Funding Guidelines shall take effect on 12 Feb 2007 and shall not expire until the next Student Activity Fee funding cycle starts, unless amended or renewed by the GPSA.
2. These Funding Guidelines supersede all previous legislation of the GPSA and its predecessor bodies, as well as all charters, constitutions, by-laws, and other legislation of all Student Activity Fee recipients and other student organizations.

VI. Amendments

The funding guidelines may be amended only in consultation with the GPSA.