Between the protesters’ waving signs, the additional media coverage, the unusually vocal audience and the array of students with camcorders, yesterday’s Student Assembly meeting looked more like a political rally or professional sporting event than an Appropriations Committee by-line funding appeal. The entire meeting focused on hearing Cornell Cinema’s appeal to overturn the Appropriations Committee’s recent decision, which not only denied the organization’s request for a $0.75 increase, but also imposed a $2.40 decrease from $11.00 to $8.60 for the next two-year byline funding cycle.

While the strict Student Assembly Finance Committee guidelines intend to impart fairness in the distribution of funding to student groups, these rigid rules have instead prevented certain groups from fulfilling their mission. Such is the case with Sexual Awareness for Everyone, a student group that works to educate students on sexual health topics and promote safe sex practices.

In order to fulfill their goal, SAFE requested funding for condoms, lube and dental dams to distribute free of cost to the Cornell community. A clause in the guidelines prohibited the group from receiving funds. It is clear that the SAFC needs to revisit its guidelines so as not to thwart worthwhile causes due to bureaucratic practices.

Some students gasped and others giggled when Lisa Opdycke, ’11, president of Sexual Awareness for Everyone dramatically plopped down a large, 26-page-long petition of names and signatures from students who support the group’s request for funding from the Student Assembly Finance Committee for condoms, dental dams and lube. Opdycke presented the impressive list at last Thursday’s S.A. meeting as a symbol of campus-wide support when SAFE appealed the outcome of the SAFC’s funding decision to the Student Assembly.

In an attempt to enhance its communication with the student body, the Student Assembly recently created the Student Innovation Council to put student ideas into practice more effectively.

After months of debate, the Student Assembly yesterday passed the “community clause” — the resolution that allows all undergraduates currently enrolled as students at Cornell to vote on certain matters at Student Assembly meetings. Resolution 11, or “Voting Rights for Members of the Undergraduate Student Community” as the Community Clause is formally titled, squeaked by on a 16-5 vote, barely garnering the two-thirds majority needed to pass.

Student Assembly members discussed a series of three resolutions designed to bolster student involvement in the selection of resident housing directors at yesterday’s meeting. The plans include the restructuring of the general housing lottery system and the creation of in-house housing lottery systems in the Collegetown dorms like those on West Campus.

I previously wrote about the Student Assembly's community clause, which, in a bid to increase student participation at its meetings, would grant voting rights to students in attendance. Since then, I took the plunge and attended my first-ever S.A. meeting. It is not exactly on the list of 161 things to do before you graduate, but I can now say I did it.

The Student Assembly spent a majority of its meeting yesterday being briefed on and discussing two existing University-wide initiatives — the Climate Action Plan and Cornell’s preparations for reaccreditation. Towards the end of the meeting, two representatives introduced a new resolution about the renewed efforts to extend some S.A. voting rights to the student body at-large, but there was not sufficient time for the Assembly to discuss or take any action on the matter.

The Student Assembly dedicated much of yesterday’s meeting to a discussion about the appropriation of funding — particularly convocation funding for the classes of 2011 and 2012.

“The history of convocation is that we’re a student-run initiative and the administration has made it clear from day one that it is a student responsibility to pick the convocation speaker and finance it,” Heather Levy ’10, class of 2010 convocation chair, told the S.A. yesterday.

The Student Assembly’s defeat of Resolution 4, the Community Clause, at last Thursday’s meeting presents cause for concern. While the resolution attempted to increase student attendance at S.A. meetings through limited voting rights, several S.A. members were hesitant about both the exercise of S.A. power and the numerous restrictions placed upon community members who would be eligible to vote.

It was not the decision to strike down the resolution that irked us. It was instead the debate that played out surrounding Res. 4 that is of paramount concern. Rather than address the mechanics and feasibility of the resolution itself, members of the S.A. fixated on what the clause would translate to in terms of their share of the “power”.