SA: April 29, 2012 Letter To President Skorton re R.42 and R.47

Dear President Skorton, Vice President Murphy, and Dean Hubbell,

I just wanted to call your attention to a few resolutions that passed at the SA meeting on Thursday.

The first is Resolution 42 which encompasses a large amount of changes to how the Student Assembly Finance Commission appropriates out its funds to all undergraduate student organizations that apply. The Student Assembly Finance Commission along with the future Vice President of Finance Roneal Desai have done a fantastic job creating these much needed changes. After three meetings in which any community member could share their insights or concerns about the changes (and to which the SAFC amended its proposal to address these concerns in the Appendix to Res. 42) the SA engaged in a healthy debate which ended with a final vote of 21–0−2. Below is a brief summary that outlines the attached Resolution 42 items.

Beginning in Fall 2012 the SAFC will now be enacting-

• A tier system: In response to decreasing caps, the SAFC will be assigning groups into tiers based on their spending history for the past 4 years. Each tier will have its own tier cap.
• Tier movement: Groups will be able to move tiers based on (1) how much of their allocation they spend and (2) how much of their tier cap is spent.
• Performance tiers: The highest tier (Tier 1) will have additional criteria that groups will have to meet. The SAFC will evaluate eligible groups based on membership, honors and recognition, event attendance, unique contribution to campus, and accessibility. No groups will be placed into Tier 1 until Fall 2013.
• Decreased documentation: Much of the documentation groups have to submit has been removed to make the process easier for presidents and treasurers.
• Goal: The goal of the tiered system is to solve the instability in caps for the foreseeable future by reducing unspent funds and ensuring that groups which demonstrate a higher need for funding can access it.

The second Resolution is Resolution 47- the Undergraduate Student Body Denouncement of the Calendar Committee’s Proposal. After being contacted by many student organizations- including Cornell Minds Matter- that the changes in the proposal for study days and finals will only add to student mental health and stress, the resolution sponsors felt that there needed to be more of direct focus on the discussion by the Faculty Senate. The Resolution hopes to again urge your senior staff and the Faculty Senate to look into shortening winter break and exploring all other possible options to decrease student stress before any changes are finalized. The sponsors of the Resolution include SA members from all classes (including 2015 when said changes are expected to take effect) as well as the Cornell Class Councils of 2014, Senior Week and Cornell Minds Matter. Attached please find Resolution 47 that passed unanimously by a vote of 22–0−0.

I hope all is well and that you have a great rest of your weekend.

Best,
Natalie

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