As the Student Assembly upheld a 22-percent cut in byline funding for Cornell Cinema last week, a number of issues surfaced that must not go overlooked. Aside from the cultural misfortunes that this budget slash would bring, we take issue with the manner in which the cuts were implemented, and what this decision will mean for the future of student funding at Cornell.

Conflicting Interests

What is most worrisome about the recent Cinema funding debacle is a blatant disregard for integrity, which is ingrained in the S.A.’s infrastructure. That the S.A. permits its members to hold leadership positions on other byline-funded committees is appalling. Chris Basil ’10, for one, is the S.A.’s vice president for finance and chair of the appropriations committee. Basil is also a member of the Convocation Committee, which in September advocated for an increase in funding to pay for top-tier honorarium speakers. How is it allowed that Basil can support Cinema budget cuts, while also supporting an increase in funding for a group on which he sits? Yet Basil is not alone — there are other decision makers on the S.A. who participate in byline funded groups. We call on the S.A. to reflect on this most recent conflict and develop stringent guidelines to prevent this from happening again.

What Community Clause?

Students turned out en masse on Thursday to show support for the Cinema. The picket signs and vocal protest made for one of the more colorful displays of student interest in S.A. affairs in recent years. The S.A., however, turned a blind eye. Despite their earlier efforts to engage members of the community — namely, by passing the Community Clause in mid-October — it became apparent last week that the act was merely a publicity stunt. The most consequential decisions made by the S.A. — those relating to the budget — will continue to be made by those in charge, with no consideration for the student voice.

The Pot Calling the Kettle Black

One of the S.A.’s main objections to funding the Cinema was that the allocated budget is used to finance the salaries of its employees. But just as the Convocation Committee requires funds to pay hefty honorariums, the Cinema relies on a budget that will sustain staff positions. The S.A. fails to accept this, denying the need to fund students’ salaries with funds provided by other students. We find this reasoning hard to accept, however, given that the S.A. is the only other student group that uses byline funding to pay the salary of its very own student clerk.