Minutes
University Assembly
April 24, 2002
Art Gallery, WSH
4:30 — 7:00 PM

I. Greetings and Call to Order

D. Tobias, Chair, called the meeting to order at 4:35p.m.

Attendance:

Present: Carol Bader, Scott Beemer, Josh Bronstein, J.S. Butler, Tyrell Haberkorn, Karsten Hueffer, Ellis Loew, Dawne Martyniak, Peggy McKee, Tom Mendez, Jane Mt. Pleasant, Gregory Pratt, Joshua Roth, Aaron Saathoff, Adam Schleifer, Donald Tobias

Excused: Alan Mathios, Kristie McNamara

Absent: Ken Reardon

Also Present: Ken Clarke, Janet Corson-Rickert, Mary Beth Grant, Pat Hangen, Rod Hawkes, Richard Helms, Carl Jones, Jr., Steve Kaiser, Umair Khan, David Lieb, Valerie Lyon, Hope Mandeville, Timothy Marchell, Michael Matly, Trina Nobles, Bryan Preston, Kristen Riley, Dena Ruebusch, Patrick Savolskis, Bill Stebbins, Helen Steh, Nianne Van Fleet, Margie Whiteleather, Bob Wigden

II. Additions to the Agenda

Hearing and Review Board Appointments

The recommended appointments to the University Hearing and Review Boards were as follows:

Recommended Student Selections for the University Hearing Board

To serve 2 year terms (August 29, 2002 - August 25, 2004):
Homa Dashtaki
Allison Goldberg
Mindy Lok
Douglas Schnell

Recommended Student Alternate Selections for the University Hearing Board

To serve a 2 year term (August 29, 2002 - August 25, 2004):
Howard Block
Elizabeth Cho
To serve a 1year term (August 29, 2002 - August 27, 2003):
Milee Shah

Recommended Student Selections for the University Summer Boards (Summer 2002)

Homa Dashtaki
Allison Goldberg
Mindy Lok
Elizabeth Cho
Douglas Schnell
Ariam Mogos

Recommended Employee Selections for the University Hearing Board

To serve 2 year terms (August 29, 2002 - August 25, 2004):
Mark Cappello
Sara Hernandez
Elaine Hyams
Edward Weissman

Recommended Employee Alternate Selection for the University Hearing Board
Alan Jump

Recommended Student & Employee Alternate Selections for the University Review Board

Matthew Cohen ‘03 - To serve a 1 year term (August 29, 2002 - August 27, 2003)
Debra Lamb-Deans, employee - To serve a 2 year term (August 29, 2002 - August 25, 2004)

A motion was made and seconded to accept the appointments. The motion passed unanimously.

CJC Code Changes

A motion was made and seconded to accept the proposed code changes. Discussion on the changes followed.

D. Tobias pointed out that the changes numbered eleven (11) and twelve (12) were proposed to make the code compliant with Federal statues. He also commented that the harassment definition was reviewed favorably by members at the last UA meeting.

In regards to the addition to Title Three, Article II, J. Mt. Pleasant expressed concern over allowing the use of Emergency Medical Transport to be considered misconduct. Richard Helms of the CJC explained that this was put in the footnote to allow for JA discretion in individual cases.

[Tim Marchel, Director of Alcohol Initiative], explained that this clause should be considered in reference to a larger initiative in development at the University. It involves an Amnesty Clause, which would help students be less hesitant about getting medical help. They can use this statue in the code to give the student the option to get counseling instead of punishment.

J. Bronstein questioned who would be responsible for paying for this counseling. T. Marchel explained that this detail has not been clarified yet.

S. Beemer questioned whether protests and rallies would be restricted under this clause? R. Helms said that if the protest rose to the level that it was considered disorderly, then it would be at the discretion of the JA.

E. Loew called the question to vote on all changes except Title Three, Article II, clause AA and it’s footnote. The change passed 14–0−1.

The question was called to vote on clause AA without the footnote. The addition passed by a vote of 11–3−1.

J. Mt. Pleasant commented that she is in favor of the footnote. She said that people must face the consequences of repeated offenses.

K. Hueffer said that this clause imposes a punishment for seeking help. J.S. Butler also commented that this clause seems to charge a person for seeking help, and he cannot support it.

A. Saathoff remarked that he is uncomfortable approving this footnote without the framework in place for the counseling option.

The question was called to vote on the footnote. The footnote failed by a vote of 1–14–0.

III. Approval of Minutes

A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes of March 27, 2002. The minutes were approved as presented.

A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes of February 27, 2002. The minutes were approved as presented.

IV. Business of the Day

Transportation Services Program Document

David Libe spoke of Transportation’s accomplishments during the past year, and its initiatives for the coming year. The roadwork resulting from the North Campus Initiative was completed this past year. The website was also updated so patrons can complete some transactions online. They are also working with the West Campus Residence Initiative to address the impacts on parking. They worked with the Student Assembly to address Bridge Safety. They also replaced the cycling symbols on Campus, increased B-Lot by 120 spaces, and initiated a Motorist Assistance Program. The parking fees have been increased for next year, with the amount of the increase guided by the Consumer Price Index.

D. Libe announced that the initiatives for next year are the paving of the Oxley parking lot near Route 366, improving parking at the Tennison Polo Center, and the renovation of the bridge at Pine Tree Road and Route 366. They will also begin a new program in which new graduate and professional students, who live in campus housing located far from campus, will receive free OmniRide bus passes.

Bill Stebbins pointed out that the transportation department also is currently utilizing a five year program to anticipate parking needs on campus. He directed the member’s attention to the pie charts, which show where tranportation’s money comes from and what it is used for.

J. Mt. Pleasant commented that the increase in fines is quite large, and questioned why such a large increase is necessary? B. Stebbins explained that the fees do not increase every year, so when they do increase it is larger. J. Mt. Pleasant also pointed out that new students would be paying double what continuing students pay for parking. She remarked that this is taking advantage of new students, and is not fair.

D. Libe commented that the new student rate is equivalent to what it costs to park in the parking garage. This is also intended to be a disincentive to bringing cars to campus, as it is already very crowded.

A. Saathoff remarked that Cornell’s public transit system does not have the flexibility needed by graduate students, and the $600 fee for parking is very expensive. He questioned if this issue has been addressed. It was suggested that he bring this concern to the GPSA. They would have to work to find alternate funding, as the money must come from somewhere.

J.S. Butler commented that the increases in parking are more than reasonable, as they are not even large enough to keep up with inflation. He also pointed out that if Cornell subsidized more parking, money would be taken away from other University activities.

The motion was made and seconded to approve the Transportation Services Program Document. The document was accepted with a vote of 12–2−1.

Health Services Program Document

Janet Corson-Rickert, Director of University Health Services, spoke about the accomplishments of Health Services for the past year. They concentrated on Public Health, by extending the hours of service after the 9/11 events for those who needed mental assistance. They also offered the public Flu shots and vaccinations for Measles/Mumps/Rubella. They have also worked to increase counseling services. They have had a 61% increase in business in this area, so they have been working with the Administration to get more support. They have doubled the staff and cut waiting times.

J. Bronstein commented that some students have faced problems at Gannett with their non-student insurance. Valerie Lyon explained that they had previously examined whether it would be possible for Gannett to begin billing third-party insurance companies. They found that it would no be possible, as they would be dealing with over one thousand different insurance companies.

J. Mt. Pleasant asked if they had looked at improving CAPS service to minority students? She suggested that they use the American Indian Program as a model, which has worked to make students feel comfortable with using the program.

The motion was made and seconded to approve the Health Services Program Document. The document was accepted unanimously.

Religious Affairs Program Document

Ken Clarke, Director of Cornell United Religious Works, introduced the Religious Affairs Program Document. He explained that this has been a year of transition for CURW, as the previous director, Reverend Johnson retired. They have been working to make the transition to new leadership as smooth as possible. The CURW chaplains also offered their services to students who needed guidance as a result of the 9/11 events, and worked with Muslim students who felt their safety was an issue. They worked to create a climate for civil discourse regarding the conflict tin the Middle East.

K. Clarke also talked about CURW’s accomplishments over the past year. They have been working to create a CURW presence on North Campus, so some chaplains have begun participating in the Faculty Fellows Program. They have established an on-call system so chaplains would be available to address concerns. They are examining space issues in Anabel Taylor Hall, and looking at how it can be expanded. The CURW Advisory Board is also revising its by-laws, and will be electing a new Chair.

S. Beemer asked how prepared CURW was to cope with the events of 9/11. R. Clarke commented that one can never be fully prepared for events such as those, but they worked to look at how students were impacted and responded based on that.

The motion was made and seconded to approve the Religious Affairs Program Document. The document was accepted unanimously.

Cornell Store Program Document

Rod Hawkes, Chair of the Store Administration Board, outlined the Cornell Store’s accomplishments for the past year and initiatives for the coming year. The store has instituted new check out registers, and have seen shorter line times as a result. They have improved their online book services and transitioned all their vendor information to electronic form. They have started a pilot program with the Johnson School of Management, where students can reserve their textbooks in advance and their Cornell Author of the Month program has received positive feedback.

M. Whiteleather spoke of the initiatives for next year. The store will be working to streamline the supply channel interactions with vendors, which will save a large amount of time for store employees. They are remodeling their warehouse for better space utilization. They will be instituting new strategies to prevent theft and for handling losses when theft occurs. They will continue to survey customers to maintain and increase customer satisfaction. They will also be developing projects that will improve communications between the store and faculty members regarding textbooks. And, finally, they will be evaluating the coffee and caf� services plan to increase utilization of beverage services.

J. Roth pointed out that both a Borders Book Store and a Barnes and Noble Book Sellers will be opening stores in town in the coming months. He questioned how that would affect the Cornell Store’s business?

M. Whiteleather commented that to retain their business, they plan to communicate to the public about the services the store excels in.

A. Schleifer commented that many students have a bad opinion of the campus store because prices are very high. He asked if there has been any effort to reduce prices or to better their public image?

J.S. Butler remarked that prices are so high because the textbooks are very expensive to begin with.

M. Whiteleather also explained that the Cornell Store has done what they can to keep books as cheap as possible.

A. Schleifer suggested that the Cornell Store make this information more accessible to the public, so public opinion will improve.

The motion was made and seconded to approve the Cornell Store Program Document. The document was accepted unanimously.

Resolution on Paper Usage at Cornell University

A. Saathoff explained that this resolution, which has already been passed by the GPSA, asks for Cornell University to work towards making the transition to the use of 100% post-consumer recycled paper for copying needs.

The motion was made and seconded to approve the Resolution of Paper Usage at Cornell University. The resolution passed unanimously.

V. Adjournment

A motion was made and seconded to suspend the meeting until May 1, 2002, at 4:30pm. The motion passed unanimously.

Respectfully submitted,

Kristen Riley