Minutes
University Assembly Meeting
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
4: 30 � 6:00 p.m.
316 Day Hall

I. Call to Order

R. Orme called the meeting to order at 4:42 p.m.

II. Roll Call

Roll was taken via sign-in sheet. Present: A. Craig, M. Fontana, A. Frieden, K. Laden, N. Raps, N. Brideau, E. Strong, R. Orme, M. Hatch, E. Sanders, A. Stroock, R. Wayne, K. Duch

Not Present: C. Robertson, S. Pardo, B. Liddick, K. Speiser, J. Blair, L. Lawrence, E. Loew, B. McKinney, K. Duch

Also In Attendance: K. Zoner, K. Rourke, N. Evensen, R. Lavin, S. Myrick, A. Epstein, A. O’Donnell, Y. Zhang

III. Reports from Constituent Assemblies — SA, GPSA, EA, FS

SA� A. Craig reported that the SA’s biggest topic last week was Chi Alpha and their possible discrimination against a homosexual member.

GPSA� N. Brideau reported the GPSA passed changes to their charter and elected their officers for next year.

EA�There was no report.

FS� There was no report.

IV. Call for Late Additions to the Agenda

There were no late additions to the existing agenda.

V. Approval of Minutes

R. Orme asked the assembly to vote on the minutes from the March 25, 2009 meeting. Two minor changes were made to the existing minutes. The members voted and the minutes were voted on and approved as amended.

VI. Business of the Day

• A. Miscellaneous CJC resolutions — 45 minutes

K. Laden said he would briefly go over the edited parts of the Code with help from the JA, Mary Beth Grant and members of the CJC who were present. (These changes were made in the document by A. Epstein during the meeting.)

3.2.A.1.g MB Grant said the first change here was not a substantive change, was a scrivners error. There was a brief discussion.

K. Laden said the next change was to clarify “acts” meant more than just those that were listed. There was a brief discussion. M. Hatch suggested a slight change in the wording. K. Laden accepted that as a friendly amendment. R. Wayne also made a wording change suggestion. K. Laden accepted that as a friendly amendment also.

3.4.A.1.a.7 K. Laden explained the next change. MB Grant clarified the procedure when there is a violation of the code. The accused student would be under violation of probation and the new charge, so the JA would already know there is something else out there instead of judging from a clean slate. This would help prevent that and simplify the system. There was a brief discussion. R. Orme made a suggestion for a change in the wording. K. Laden accepted it as a friendly amendment.

K. Laden clarified “order of protection” for the next change. There was a brief discussion. MB Grant clarified it was a language change.

3.2.B K. Laden clarified it was a word change for the next item. There was a brief discussion. MB Grant clarified it was a wording change.

3.4.A.1.c K. Laden said “harassment” and “discrimination” are two different things, so discrimination was added. There was a brief discussion.

2.2.A.3.d K. Laden said “marijuana” was added to the next item. CU Police Chief K. Zoner said this is to clarify that marijuana is a controlled substance and using it is violating the code. There was a brief discussion.

3.2.A.3.b K. Laden said the code now mirrors NYS law regarding parental permission about the possession of alcohol to those under 21. K. Zoner and MB Grant said this is to clarify the situation when parents give their children alcohol and send them to campus with it. She then said that direct parental supervision is required. There was a brief discussion.

3.3.E.2 MB Grant said previously, accused students only get to see evidence at the hearing. This would allow the accused to see the evidence beforehand. There was a brief discussion. The Hearing and Review board has suggested this. M. Hatch made a suggestion to change the wording a bit. K. Laden accepted this as a friendly amendment.

3.2.A.3.1 and 4.3.E.3.b.6.c MB Grant said we want to have as many witnesses as necessary for the JA to make a fair decision but we cannot subpoena anyone to testify if they do not wish to. K. Laden said this was the compromise reached that everyone was comfortable with. There was a brief discussion.

2.4.C.3 K. Laden said that Hearing and Review board members who do not fulfill their duties can be removed by the chair at their discretion. Replacements would still be determined by the UA.

3.3.E.1 K. Laden explained that if there is a probation violation the accused can ask for a hearing. R. Orme suggested a modification to this. J. Blair also had a suggestion for a change. K. Laden accepted both suggestions as friendly amendments.

The members voted to accept the code as amended by a vote of 12–0−0.

• B. JA appointment resolution — 15 minutes

R. Orme read the resolution and then moved for a vote to approve. K. Laden seconded. The members voted and the motion passed by a vote of 12–0−0.

K. Rourke then commended the CJC for all their hard work this last year. MB Grant then commended Kathleen Rourke for her 25 years of service to the committee. M. Hatch suggested they send a letter of commendation to Kathleen, and the members agreed.

M. Hatch motioned to extend meeting to 6:15 p.m. K. Laden seconded. The members voted and it was unanimously approved.

• C. Presentation on Collegetown Urban Plan and Design Guidelines — 30 minutes

SA President Ryan Lavin thanked the UA for their time, and then explained what the presentation would be about and gave a brief history of the plan and the resolution. He then turned the floor over to Svante Myrick, a CALS student, and the Collegetown representative on the Common Council.

Svante Myrick said the plan started three years ago when the city hired a consultant to review the area. He said that property values in Collegetown are 6–10 million per acre, which is comparable to downtown San Diego or Boston. E. Strong said this is because due to shortages of housing, the students have spread out into the residential areas, and that is undesirable for everyone. They asked the consultant to come up with a plan for increased yet attractive quality housing within Collegetown.

R. Lavin said that currently, 97% of the population in Collegetown is Cornell students. He added that he thought the plan takes into account all the stakeholders, plus sustainability rules, community values, etc. He said unfortunately, the plan has been ignored by the city council, and there have been many roadblocks created. He said he felt the university needed to take a stronger stand in support of the plan in the hopes of moving it forward, so he wrote this resolution.

There was a brief discussion, and R. Lavin and S. Myrick answered a few questions from the members.

M Hatch motioned to support the resolution. K. Laden seconded. The members voted and the motion passed by a vote of 10–0−0.

VII. Additional Items from the Floor

There were none.

VIII. Adjournment

M. Hatch a motion to adjourn the meeting. K. Laden seconded. R. Orme adjourned the meeting at 6:14 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Yang Zhang
Student Clerk, Office of the Assemblies