Student Assembly Meeting
Thursday, September 5, 2024
If you need accessibility assistance with a PDF document, contact the Office of the Assemblies.
-
Term:
2024-2025
- Assembly/Committee: Student Assembly
-
Date & Time:
Thu, Sep 5, 2024 - 4:45pmto6:30pm
-
Location:
Willard Straight Hall Memorial Room (WSH407)/Zoom
-
Agenda:
Student Assembly Agenda 9.5.2024 (2).pdf (120.89 KB)
- Meeting Packet:
- Audio Recording:
-
Minutes:
Call to Order
- Z. deRham called the meeting to order at 4:47 p.m.
- Members Present (24): S. Almosawi, R. Acharjee, L. Berinde, S. Chan, E. Chaudhuri, Z. deRham, D. Donovan, C. Flournoy, E. Galperin, D. Gekman, G. Gonzalez-Mulattieri, N. Hite, J. Lederman, K. Liu, F. Meng, S. Razzak, I. Rezaka, J. Silverman, D. Suarez, A. Vinson, E. Yao
- Members Absent (2): K. Everett, C. Kim, M. Scali, C. Tarala, S. Zhuang
Also Present: N. Maggard, O. Karim, N. James, H. Khan
Reading of the Land Acknowledgment
Z. deRham stated the SA’s acknowledgment of the Cayuga Nation.
Announcements
There were no announcements.
Open Microphone
None.
Approval of the Minutes
- There were no minutes.
Consent Calendar
There was nothing on the consent calendar.
Presentations
There were no presentations.
Second Readings
- N. Hite discussed Resolution 5, the AY2024-2025 Student Assembly Budget.
- O. Karim asked N. Hite about his process of assigning allocation amounts. N. Hite stated that the SA overspent last year, and that because some committees spent very little last year he allotted the bulk of the budget to the largest spending committees.
- D. Gekman asked about the amount that the SA has in reserves. N. Hite stated that because of overspending last year, the current reserves are depleted.
- E. Galperin asked for more information about the $10.5K special projects budget and if those projects were decided yet. N. Hite stated that the SA spent the most on special projects last year, and that he allotted the most money to that category to avoid the SA having to draw from reserves for future special projects. Z. DeRham stated that special projects include SA funding for student organizations, and that the category is where a lot of the SA spends.
- F. Meng asked why the amount allotted for the Summer Experience Grant is $1.2K, given that grant amounts reach $5K. N. Hite stated that the Financial Aid Review Committee has access to a large, entirely separate budget to use and that the SA could always transfer more money to the category later, if needed.
- O. Karim asked about the low $50 allocations to the Dining and Academic committees. N. Hite stated that the numbers are based on previous spending and that those committees spent close to nothing last term.
- O. Karim asked about sources of overspending and how N. Hite would avoid overspending this year. N. Hite stated that aside from special projects, food was a big source of overspending. He also stated that on resolutions without specific sources of funds, the money came out of reserves, thereby depleting the reserves.
- I. Rezaka asked if the SA should be spending its reserves. N. Hite stated that the large amount of reserve money last year came from Covid and unused student organization funds, and that he does plan to spend it, just without depleting the account.
- J. Lederman asked if the reserve money is currently being invested. N. Hite stated that the money is just in the account, uninvested. Z. deRham stated that the SA is not allowed to invest the money.
- E. Galperin asked about the special projects fund, and the process by which organizations can request special projects money. N. Hite stated that organizations can submit a special projects funding request, before the Appropriations Committee reviews the request and decides whether or not to move it along, and then the entire SA votes to approve or deny the request. Z. deRham clarified that rules on special projects funding are outlined in the SA’s governing documents and detailed on CampusGroups.
Seeing no further questions, Z. deRham stated that the resolution will be moved to
the third reading calendar.
Third Readings
There were no third readings.
Appointments and Vacancies Calendar
- Z. deRham appointed N. James to be Assistant to the President for Policy.
- N. James swore an oath of office.
- Z. deRham appointed H. Khan to be the Director of the Office of Student Government Relations.
- H. Khan swore an oath of office.
Z. deRham asked members interested in becoming committee chairs to let her know and to prepare a statement for the next meeting.
Other Business
- O. Karim stated that the GPSA is prepared to send a representative to the SA’s Committee on ESG, should the SA decide to create one again after last year’s ad hoc committee. A. Vinson stated that he is drafting a resolution to restart the committee this year as a joint committee.
- Z. deRham stated that the D. Suarez, A. Vinson, D. Gekman, E. Galperin, J. Lederman, I. Rezaka, and S. Almosawi were the first seven members to contact her about being on the Committee for Vacancies and that they will receive voting seats.
Other members will still be able to come to future meetings.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 5:08 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Anthony Wang
Clerk of the AssemblySA Minutes (9-5).pdf (107.57 KB)
Associated Resolutions
Resolution | Abstract | Status |
---|---|---|
SA R5 (2024-2025): SA R5: Approving the 2024-2025 Student Assembly Operating Budget | This resolution approves the Student Assembly Operating Budget for the 2024-2025 Academic Year | Adopted by the Assembly |