GPSA R3 (2015-2016): Recommendation for the Graduate and Professional Student Activity Fee for 2016 - 2018

Conveyed to the President

• Resolution:
  GPSA R3 (2015-2016): Recommendation for the Graduate and Professional Student Activity Fee for 2016 - 2018
• Day:
  December 14, 2015
• Action:
  Conveyed to the President
• Summary / Notes:
• File Attachments:
• Text Attachment:
  Dear President Garrett,
  
  I would like to communicate with you GPSA Resolution 3: Recommendation for the Graduate and Professional Student Activity Fee for 2016 - 2018. As per our Charter, this recommendation requires your approval before it can be made official. This recommendation is the result of the hard work of our Appropriations Committee, as well as the careful deliberation of our full assembly. The total fee we recommend is $85.00, a $4.00 increase over the previous level. The original Appropriations Committee recommendation, linked here, details the reasoning behind the various increases and decreases in the allocations. There were two main differences between this recommendation and the amounts ultimately passed by the main assembly.
  
  First, the allocation to the GPSA itself was increased by $2.50 to allow us to find a way to tackle food insecurity among Graduate and Professional School Students. Based on a survey conducted this year by us, we found that up to a quarter of Graduate and Professional School Students have dealt with food insecurity in the past. It is likely these funds will be used to pay a portion of Annabel's Grocery's startup costs and allow Graduate and Professional School Students to access the store.
  
  Second, there was a decrease to the allocation for Cornell Cinema by $0.10. This was the result of a lengthy back and forth between groups of students in favor of increasing the overall funding for Cornell Cinema beyond what had been recommended and other groups against any increase to the Cinema's funding from activity fees. The controversy over this particular group has created heated discussions every byline funding cycle I have been a part of, centering largely over the appropriateness of the activity fee providing such a large portion of their revenue.
  
  If you have any questions before you make your decision I will answer them as quickly as possible.
  
  I look forward to your reply,
  Richard Walroth