The Student Assembly (S.A.) accepted appeals for by-line funding consideration yesterday at a regular scheduled meeting from two multicultural organizations, the Multi-Cultural Greek Council (MGLC) and the African, Latino, Asian, Native American Students Programming Board (ALANA).
A student organization that receives by-line funding receives money from the Student Activity Fee, an annual charge that every student pays. Every two years various student groups apply for by-line funding and the S.A. votes on their eligibility.
The MGLC is made up of twelve fraternities and sororities which plan events geared towards diversity for the community. ALANA organizes multicultural events, such as concerts, or sponsors public speakers.
According to Herbert Cortez ’02, president of the MGLC, granting funding to the council will benefit the entire Cornell community.
“Many of our organizations do provide numerous amounts of community service within our community of color and the Cornell community,” he said.
Claude Mayo ’02, treasurer of the MGLC, said that the organization is asking for 50 cents from each student activity fee. The estimated $6,500 from funding will be mostly used to benefit the each fraternity and sorority which make up the MGLC. “We plan on giving at least $4,500 to the chapters,” he said.
Mayo also said that the remaining money will be used for chapter expansion to include three new chapters, as well as for a reserve for programming. According to Mayo, the unused funds will serve “in case we want to do more programs as a whole.” The organization works on many projects, including community service.
Cortez presented letters from other organizations, La Asociacion Latina and Black Students United, in support of the MGLC. According to Cortez, support from organizations like these show that “the quality of programs we provide is felt by many of the students on campus.”
The second organization applying for by-line funding eligibility was ALANA.
According to the organization mission statement, “the central focus is for minority programming” and the organization aims to “increase consciousness of minority program needs among other university union’s boards.”
Melissa Ariate ’04, treasurer of ALANA, said that the organization helped to bring many programs and events to campus, such as the Jurassic 5 and Common concert, and speakers such as Rev. Al Sharpton. Ariate said that the organization also sponsors “smaller programs that cater to the community,” such as volunteering at local community centers.
In addition to by-line funding consideration, the S.A. also passed a resolution yesterday that would encourage Cornell meal plan participants to contribute to recently established disaster relief funds.
Esther Tang ’04, chair of the committee on dining services, presented the resolution which will allow students to choose not to use their meal plan for dinner on Oct. 12. The proceeds of the food costs of the meals that have been donated will be given to the United Way September Eleventh Fund, a relief fund established in response to the September eleventh attacks on New York City, Washington D.C.
According to Tang, the fund “gives 100 percent of its donations to the cause.”
Tang said that once the number of students donating their meals have been determined, decisions concerning certain dining halls closing on that day will be made. “We’ll count the number of people [not eating] and probably close down Risley Dining, North Star, and Okenshields,” said Tang.
According to Tang, “employees at other closed dining halls will be offered a job somewhere else at another dining hall that night or they can choose not to work…no one is losing hours that night.”
Tang said that the program will be publicized in hopes of influencing other schools to develop similar programs, “Hopefully, other large schools and large institutions will follow suit…C.U. will happily offer advice to other universities looking to do this.”
Archived article by Kate Cooper