Authored by: Hayden Watkins ’28
Type of Action: Internal Policy
Originally Presented: 04/23/2026
Current Status: Adopted by the Assembly, 23-0-0, 04/30/2026
Whereas, the by-line process was delayed several times last semester, requiring a special meeting to be called to pass the Student Activity Fee on time,
Whereas, proposing individual recommendations makes it difficult to compare by-line organizations in the context of the overall Student Activity Fee,
Whereas, the current process of weekly recommendations and rejections burdens by-line organizations by forcing them to attend multiple Student Assembly meetings for one agenda item,
Whereas, recommendation proposals after each Finance Committee meeting resulted in earlier organizations receiving noticeably large increases, with many seeing increases erased in the revised Student Activity Fee,
Whereas, the Student Assembly Charter currently restricts the Student Activity Fee by requiring 35% of the overall fee go to the Assembly’s designated finance commission (the Student Activities Funding Commission),
Whereas, 2 primary funding boards have been formed since this restriction was enforced,
Whereas, the lack of transparency in the by-line process both made it difficult for the Finance Committee to communicate reasons for cuts with the public and for the public to track the finances of student organizations,
Be it therefore resolved, lines 511-529 of the Student Assembly Charter be struck, with the specified content reading:
“iv. At each meeting of the Assembly immediately following such a meeting of the
committee, the Vice President for Finance will introduce a written report, including:
a. name of applicant,
b. amount requested by applicant,
c. amount of allocation recommended by committee,
d. rationale explaining committee’s recommendation, and
e. a brief response from the applicant, including any request to appeal to the
Assembly. The Vice President for Finance may set a deadline for the applicant to
submit a response, provided the deadline is no less than one business day after the
applicant receives notice of the committee’s decision.
v. The Vice President for Finance must inform each applicant of the time and location of
any meeting where the report is to be presented or reviewed and must advise each
applicant to send two or more representatives who may answer questions of assembly
members.
- Representatives from these organizations may include, but are not limited to, club advisors, members of their executive board, or members of the Cornell community with institutional knowledge of the organization and its operations.
vi. If an applicant chooses to appeal the committee’s recommendation, the Assembly will
reconsider the recommendation of the committee. The Office of Assemblies will
provide several copies of complete application materials at any meeting where the
assembly considers appeals.”
Be it further resolved, lines 644-646 of the Student Assembly Charter be struck, with the specified content reading:
“The SA and GPSA shall allocate no less than 35% of their respective
Student Activity Fees to the applicable Finance Commission for disbursement among
non-by-line funded organizations.”
Be it further resolved, Appendix A, Section 13, Subsection H, now read:
“The SA and the GPSA will ensure that an appropriate balance is maintained between funds allocated to by-line funded organizations and the Student Activities Funding Commission or Graduate and Professional Student Activities Funding Commission, respectively. The No less than 35% of their respective Student Activity Fees should be allocated to the Primary Funding Board category by the SA and GPSA.”
Be it finally resolved, Appendix B, Section 3, Subsection Q: Public Finance Documentation be added to the Student Assembly Charter, reading:
“Public Finance Documentation: The Vice President for Finance shall provide a template to document the income and expenses of by-line organizations and their sub-organizations by the week before the start of each semester. Organizations must make this document public via CampusGroups and their website, if applicable. The Vice President for Finance shall be strongly encouraged to prioritize consistency when making templates. These public finances shall be one of the resources considered in off-year and on-year by-line meetings.”
Respectfully Submitted,
Hayden Watkins
Vice President for Finance, Student Assembly
