Student Assembly Finance Commission
October 17th, 2011
5:06 p.m. — 5:45 p.m.
163 Day Hall

I. The meeting was called to order at 5:06pm.

II. Roll Call

III. Voting on New VP Public Relations

• Candidates: B. Coulter and D. Greener. The candidates were given 2 minutes for a speech, followed by questions from the commissioners.
• B. Coulter: I have been here a year and have enjoyed the experience. This position is like a recruitment chair. I have been a recruitment chair before so I am qualified. I can attend meetings. I can publicize the SAFC recruitment period with fliers, contacting many listservs, etc. I can improve the existing application and put better questions on it. I know that this position is on the executive board and I would make it a commitment.
  • Questions:
    • L. Kogos: Where do you see the SAFC going?
    • Coulter: I see the SAFC making more moves in the byline department and finding more money.
    • A. Bandali: What are your views to change the perception of the SAFC to the student body?
    • Coulter: This is our biggest issue and it is difficult. We need to bolster the SAFC brand-get the name out there for funding popular events, get people to know what we do see us in a positive light.
• D. Greener: I am a sophomore in CALS. I am new, but that means I can bring new ideas to the SAFC. I have worked in marketing, development, and advertising. I have a strong grasp on how companies want to be seen by the public. The SAFC requires a fundamental shift in its attitude: we should be viewed as the people who provide money, not those who refuse to give money. We should reach out, keep our online presence up to date, and work together to create a better image of the SAFC.
  • Questions:
    • L. Kogos: Where do you see the SAFC going?
    • Greener: Cornell is about anyone can get involved. The caps should be about how the money can be used, not about making the money exclusive. We should help people learn to help themselves in this area.
    • A. Bandali: How would you get students to follow you on your blog/Twitter/Facebook?
    • Greener: It is tough, but everyone needs to work together on it.
• The candidates were asked to step outside during an open discussion among the commissioners and the vote.
• Paper vote: B. Coulter is the new VP Public Relations.

IV. General Changes to the SAFC for this Semester

• L. Kogos: The article in the Daily Sun was not a particularly bad article; it was just about caps being low. Right now, every club that asks for money is getting it. We would like to change that.
• E. Heintzen: A lot of club sport teams are getting funding cuts because they asked for too much. Is there a way we can inform clubs about past funding and suggest requests for this year?
• Kogos: That is a good idea. Do we want to make this process more subjective?
• Heintzen: We cannot really publicize that some clubs get more money than others, but the truth is that some clubs need more money than others. As the system stands, those clubs are judged the same.
• D. Greener: We should allow commissioners to decide more on their own. As it stands, the process is too objective.
• E. Polk: People who have gone through the process before know how to work the system. With the changes, we’ve given them even more room to work the system.
• R. Patel: Maybe we could tell them not to apply for extra funding during the application process. If we tell them that the commissioners have the final say, this may deter them from applying for extra.
• Polk: Maybe we could inform them that it only hurts them to ask for too much because it pushes the caps even lower.
• Heintzen: It would be hard to know what the club actually does or does not need.
• Kogos: Maybe we could keep caps low and then clubs that need more can apply separately. That, however, is a very big change that would require a lot of planning and a lot of PR.
• A. Verri: It is a slippery slope to say that club x is more important than club y. The structure needs to change on their end as well.
• Y. Tan: Durable goods seemed very expensive. Maybe cap those specifically?
• Kogos: Travel is actually more expensive. Maybe we should put more money into campus events. Maybe we could cap with regards to expense type or membership. However, it is hard to track what the money is used for after it is allocated.
• B. Coulter: Membership is tough to judge; it can be padded/adjusted.
• M. Gruber: We already have a subjective process for funding: byline funding. Other schools have a process like that too. Currently, anyone can make up a club and get money for it. Last year, SAFC was charged with cutting clubs, but it did not happen. There are too many groups that do the same thing.
• Patel: Then maybe we could limit funding by type of group i.e. all pre-med groups get a certain amount of money.
• Heintzen: If clubs have to consolidate, some would have to cut members.
• S. Cohen: Maybe we could suggest consolidation within different tiers for things they can share.
• Kogos: If there any more questions or suggestions, please tell me, K. Song, or M. Gruber.

V. The meeting was adjourned at 5:45pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Miriam Asher