Student Assembly

The 2008–2009 Standing Rules
Prepared for Approval, September 4, 2008

The Student Assembly’s foremost interest in 2008–2009 shall be the undergraduate students of Cornell University. Ethical conduct is expected of all members at all times, as members are representative of their constituencies and those they represent.

These Standing Rules shall serve as guidelines for specific rules and effective leadership from the Student Assembly that may not specifically covered in the charter, but will aide in the efficiency of a successful Assembly.

These Standing Rules shall be adhered to by all Student Assembly members (elected and ex-officio), committee members, and staff.

These Standing Rules shall be utilized with the following prefaces:

Rule 1 In the event of a conflict, the Charter and Bylaws shall supersede the Standing Rules.

Rule 2 The Standing Rules shall be revised at the beginning of each semester by the President and Executive Vice-President and submitted for the approval of the Student Assembly by the Executive Vice President. The Standing Rules shall take effect upon their approval by a majority vote of the membership of the Student Assembly.

Rule 3 A two-thirds vote of the Student Assembly members present at a meeting shall be required to suspend the Standing Rules.

Section I: Attendance and Related Policies

The Student Assembly is charged to “seek out and voice effectively the interests and concerns of the student body.” To do this, attendance and participation, as outlined below is imperative for efficiency within the Assembly.

Rule 1 Attendance is required at all regularly scheduled meetings. Regularly scheduled meetings are held Thursdays, from 4:45 until 6:30 p.m., while undergraduate colleges are in session. Informal meetings are considered official meetings when held in lieu of regular Thursday meetings.

Rule 2 Attendance at all informal, organizational and specially-scheduled meetings is required, when the Executive Committee provides SA members at least 72 hours prior notice of the meeting. Such meetings shall be considered “regularly scheduled meetings,” for the purpose of accruing absences.

Rule 3 Attendance is required at all committee meetings to which a member has been elected or appointed. Rule 4 Any member who fails to attend a required meeting or event shall be considered absent. These members must arrive prior to roll call. Any arrival after that time or departure prior to adjournment will result in half-absence. All absences are accrued. This rule shall apply to all committees and bodies in which the Student Assembly or Student Assembly Executive Board has appointed representation, including, but not limited to, the GPSA, the UA, the Faculty Senate, all SA Committees, ad-hoc committees, advisory committees, and by-line funded organizations.

Rule 5 If a member must leave a meeting before it is adjourned, the member will be credited with one-half absence.

Rule 6 Excused absences may be granted for illness, academic conflict, official Student Assembly business, official University business that would constitute grounds for excuse from academics, obligations from employment that arise after the scheduled time of adjournment, family emergency, and religious observation. To be considered excused, all excuses must be brought to the attention of the Vice-President for Internal Operations at any point prior to the absence. Any excuses made after this period are up to the discretion of the Executive Board. (Excused absence shall only count toward the consideration of proxy votes, and do not exonerate members whose absences necessitate the consequences outlined in Articles 3 and 7 of the Student Assembly Charter.)

Rule 7 All candidates who are elected to the Student Assembly during Spring Elections are required to attend all Organizational Meetings and the last two SA meetings during the Spring Semester.

Section II: Policies and Procedures

To “voice effectively” these interests which were mentioned above, strict rules must be adhered to when conducting business as an assembly. These rules focus on the efficiency and organization of the tasks at hand.

Rule 1 The agenda for any informal meetings shall not contain legislation unless they are held in lieu of regular Thursday meetings.

Rule 2 Roll call of SA members will be taken following the call to order.

Rule 3 Consequences for absences are outlined in Articles 3 and 7 of the Student Assembly Charter. The Executive Board will have the discretion to waive the consequences of absences by a majority vote when extenuating circumstances are involved. Members may appeal the decision to the SA at the next scheduled meeting.

Rule 4 The tendering of proxy votes shall occur in accordance with Bylaw 6.4a, but shall require that an excused absence be by the Vice President for Internal Operations.

Rule 5 The Executive Vice President will place under Unfinished Business any item that has previously appeared as New Business; items such as appropriation requests, SAFC appeals, and committee assignments are to appear under Business of the Day. All other items shall be introduced as New Business, unless the Student Assembly approves by a majority vote to permit the same as Business of the Day.

Rule 6 Open Microphone — a period of testimony at which any member of the Cornell community may speak — will be conducted at the beginning of each regularly scheduled meeting. Speakers will be given up to two minutes to discuss issues that are not on the meeting’s agenda. Time extensions may be granted at the discretion of the chair. SA members may speak at the discretion of the chair.

Rule 7 Following a successful motion for the previous question of any action item on the agenda, the author(s) shall be recognized for at least 2 minutes.

Rule 8 Speakers will be recognized at the discretion of the Chair and placed on a speaker’s list maintained by the Chair. Each speaker shall have a maximum of three minutes to speak, with the option to yield the balance of his or her time to another single individual at the meeting, including the Chair.

Rule 9 The Executive Committee (at its weekly meeting) will discuss the agenda for Student Assembly meetings. Items for the agenda must be submitted to the Executive Vice President of the Student Assembly. These items must be in the proper format, as designated by the Executive Vice President.

Rule 10 The Office of the Assemblies must post the agenda to the Student Assembly website no later than noon on the day of the meeting.

Rule 11 The Vice President for Public Relations must forward the agenda to The Cornell Daily Sun, The Cornell Chronicle, and all other relevant publications.

Section III: Leadership and Oversight

The leadership of the Student Assembly is elected to effectively run the Assembly. As a result, members in a position are charged with these obligations and are required to adhere by as such.

Rule 1 In accordance with Rules 5–8 and Articles 3 and 7 of the Student Assembly Charter, the SA Vice President for Internal Operations has the obligation to be in constant contact with the SA clerk, all committee chairs, and all bodies in which the SA sends representation to keep an accurate log of attendance. The SA Vice President for Internal Operations shall report the record of attendance to the Executive Committee at their weekly meeting.

Rule 2 Each SA member must be a voting member of at least one SA committee, the University Assembly, or a UA committee. The Chair of each committee shall maintain attendance rolls and report absences following each meeting to the Vice President for Internal Operations.

Rule 3 All voting representatives shall host at least one forum or outreach activity with individuals from their respective constituencies and report all outcomes to the SA at the next regularly-scheduled meeting following such an activity.

Rule 4 College representatives may communicate regularly with their constituents through e-mail mailing lists and listservs, which may be maintained by their respective college dean’s office, the Department of Campus Life, the Office of the Dean of Students, or the Office of the Assemblies.

Rule 5 The President and Executive Vice President will be ex-officio members of every committee and taskforce associated with the Student Assembly and whose activities are delineated in the SA charter. This includes but is not limited to the SAFC.

Rule 6 Committee chairs will report upcoming committee meeting dates and times at regularly scheduled meetings, as well as post committee agendas and minutes to the SA website, as appropriate.

Rule 7 All SA Committee members must be a member of their respective committee listservs. Meeting dates, times, and agendas shall be sent to all committee members 48 hours prior to the meeting. The SA President, Executive Vice President, and Vice President for Internal Operations shall be CC’d on these e-mails.

Rule 8 Any author whose legislation impacts any specific Cornell student, administrator, faculty member, or staff member, or affects the funding and guidelines of a registered student organization, in his or her legislation will contact the leaders of the party or organization before such legislation is introduced as New Business. The aforementioned need not consent to the legislation, but it is highly encouraged that the aforementioned attend the meeting.

Rule 9 New Business shall be an opportunity for SA and community members to ask questions of and make suggestions to the author of a piece of legislation. Comments may not be argumentative in nature and questions must seek factual answers. The author will have the floor for approximately fifteen minutes, to explain or address questions on the resolution.

Rule 10 Unfinished Business shall be an opportunity for discussion and debate on the legislation.

Rule 11 All speakers shall address their remarks to the Chair.

Rule 12 Except for points of order, information, and questions of privilege, no person shall be recognized by the Chair twice before all other members (voting and ex-officio) have had the opportunity to speak.

Rule 13 Following an affirmative vote for Previous Question, the Chair will recognize members of the community who wish to speak on the question. Each speaker will limit his or her comments to no more than two minutes, and the Chair may limit the number of speakers due to time constraints. If multiple speakers wish to address the Student Assembly, equal opportunity will be given to those in favor of and those opposed to the question, in such order, to speak.

Rule 14 The Chair may call the question, without it requiring a second or vote, when he or she deems that debate has exceeded its time limit or when discussion becomes repetitive.

Rule 15 When the vote of the Chair may decide the outcome of a decision (i.e. to make or break a tie), he or she shall be empowered to cast a vote, but shall do so only after all other voting members of the Student Assembly have registered their votes.

Rule 16 A Student Assembly member may appeal the decision of the Chair when he or she disagrees with the Chair’s interpretation or application of the Standing Rules or the Charter. The motion shall require a simple majority to pass.

Rule 17 The Chair shall keep time at any point when such is required.

Rule 18 Any Student Assembly member, including the Vice President for Public Relations, must submit a mass message (e-mail, advertisement, press release, etc.) to the Executive Board for approval. The Executive Board may approve a message by a majority vote and the vote may be conducted by e-email. The correspondence must be saved and reported at the next S.A. meeting by the Vice President for Public Relations.

Rule 19 Any SA member may attempt to overrule a decision by the Executive Committee by submitting their challenge in the format of a resolution at the next regularly scheduled meeting. A 2/3 majority of the voting membership must be reached to overrule the Executive Committee at any time.

Rule 20 Any college or constituency who lacks representation as a result of a seat being vacated or unclaimed may be represented, in the interim, by a liaison appointed by the President, and confirmed by a majority of SA Members. The liaison holds no voting privileges but represents the concerns and needs of their constituency. They may also represent the student assembly to their college. Their liaison post shall be terminated immediately upon the declaration of their replacement via an election.