Opinion | Letter to the Editor
To the Editor: Assembly members defend decisions
November 3, 2009 - 2:38amTo the Editor:
Re: “In Defense of Our Cinema,” Opinion, Nov. 2
As Assembly members, we respect the opinions of The Sun’s editors, but we must note that their involvement in the process is both late and sensational. In an effort to better inform undergraduate students, we feel that the Cornell community must first understand the reasoning and method behind the Student Activity Fee funding process before we can address the issues surrounding Cornell Cinema’s allocation.
Every other year the Student Assembly allocates around $5.8 million in Student Activity Fee money to 31 different on-campus organizations. This “Activity Fee” is charged to all undergraduates as a part of their tuition to support a variety of organizations on campus such as Cornell EMS, Concert Commission and EARS. Therefore, when organizations ask the S.A. to increase the Activity Fee, representatives must balance the added tuition burden with the benefit the program provides to all students. By design, this is a funding process which is run entirely by students under the purview of the S.A., so as to ensure the organizations benefit all students.
Two years ago when the S.A. discussed the funding allocation of Cornell Cinema, a concern was raised that the organization did not have adequate student involvement both in its structure — a feature that distinguished it from other by-line funded organizations — and its low per screening movie attendance. Two years later the S.A. faces a disconcertingly similar scenario, with no students at the helm of the decision-making process and continued low attendance. As a result, the Appropriations Committee reduced Cinema’s allocation. The S.A. agrees that Cornell Cinema benefits the undergraduate student body, but the Assembly funds on the quality of the proposal submitted, and the Assembly through its funding allocation is initiating a conversation to encourage the Cinema to look to restructure and reorient its strategy.
Finally, we would like to point out that the decision made last Thursday is not final. The Student Activity Fee in its entirety must be approved by the Assembly at the end of the semester. Between now and then, the S.A. will be following up with Cornell Cinema’s leadership and holding a conversation about Cinema’s structure, which could precipitate a higher funding allocation. Lastly, the final vote was extremely close, with 10 Assembly representatives voting in favor of the budget cut while 10 representatives opposed, demonstrating the Assembly itself contains differing opinions. Therefore, we welcome and encourage all students to take part in these discussions by attending Assembly meetings and contacting their representatives.
Rammy Salem ’10
Student Assembly President
Vincent Andrews ’11
Vice President for Public Relations
So the Student Assembly's
So the Student Assembly's argument is that Cornell Cinema did not adequately adhere to the SA's bureaucracy--and that the SA is trying to rectify their mistake by helping the Cinema survive hand-in-hand alongside the SA's bureaucracy--and that, really, only HALF the bureaucrats were true bureaucrats--and that, if students want to be heard, they shouldn't hesitate to let their voices drown in the SA's bureaucracy.
Apparently Rammy and Vincent
Apparently Rammy and Vincent are under the impression that we in the Cornell Community are not perfectly familiar with the juvenile manner in which the SA conducts its business. The excuses they present are tired and overused, indicative of the fact that in the five years since I first arrived in Ithaca, absolutely nothing has changed. The Assembly remains a collection of spoiled brats playing "government" and trying to pad their future resumes by targeting the funding of longstanding and vital student organizations. We get it, guys: you want to be important. You want to see your names in the paper. You want pretend that anyone other than yourselves actually cares about your pathetic ambitions.
Well we don't.
So grow up, and stop pretending that any of you children know the first thing about the management of a student-run cinema. Either that or prove that, maturity-wise, you're all still in high school, and cut Cornell Cinema's funding out of spite, after forcing them to jump through absurd procedural hoops for you, just like you've done to so many other important student organizations in the past few years.