Student Senate Honoraria Policy

• Student Senate adopted this policy April 5, 2011.
• Here is Media Board's explanation of the evaluation process for all media student staff receiving honoraria and timeline.
• Here are the evaluation forms: editors-in-chief/KRNL general manager; business manager/KRNL station manager
• Honoraria policies for absentee staff have been rewritten by Senate and will be posted soon.

Senate Honoraria By-Laws

Article I. Definition

1. An honorarium is a gift acknowledging services provided by a volunteer. These articles only apply to students and their receipt of honoraria.
2. Honoraria is a collective term used to describe the stipend awarded to students in positions on campus as volunteers that benefit the Cornell community as a whole.

Article II. Eligibility

1. Only Student Senate-sponsored organizations can request honoraria.
2. An organization can request honoraria if the position(s) for which honoraria is being requested fulfill a critical service for the welfare of the Cornell College community, particularly the student body.
3. For a requested position to be considered, it must be relevant and vital to the success of the student organization, and the position must exceed demands of a normal volunteer to the point where monetary compensation for their time is warranted.
4. No honoraria can be awarded for positions on campus that are also receiving academic credit.

Article III. Application for Honoraria

1. If an organization is compatible with Media Board (i.e., a new form of media), it must approach Media Board regarding the possibility of incorporation.
2. Honoraria may only be requested during the spring budget process. An applying organization must define each paid position in relation to Cornell College as a whole as well as the role of the position and its necessity in the organization.
3. Any request for honoraria shall include the following for each position:
   1. Description of the position
   2. Services or products that this position provides
   3. Total honorarium requested for the position
   4. Estimated number of hours per month
   5. Effective “wage” of the position
4. The requested amount should not be full compensation for the work done, but it is designed to offset the time and commitment of the individual to fulfill their responsibilities.

Article IV. Awarding Honoraria

1. Honoraria will not be rewarded as a lump sum but distributed monthly throughout the academic year.
2. Honoraria shall be awarded based on the successful completion of the duties and responsibilities of each position. Each position will be handled separately by the organization.
3. The leader of the organization shall be the judge of the completion of these duties by the paid staff members of the organization, except for themselves (if paid).
4. The respective advisor of the student organization shall send a report to the Appropriations Committee if full monthly honoraria is not to be awarded.
5. If a paid staff member is off-campus and unable to fulfill their duties for a period of 1-2 months, then another member of the organization will be assigned the position temporarily and will be awarded honoraria for fulfilling the requirements of the position.
   1.  
6. If a paid staff member of an organization fails to complete their duties, they will be susceptible to the following protocols:
   1. Awarding half of the monthly honoraria for completing some of their duties.
   2. Awarding none of the honoraria for failing to complete most if not all of their duties.
   3. An individual will not be awarded honoraria for completing the duties of an honoraria-receiving position, unless it fulfills the requirements of Article IV, Section 5.
7. For any unexcused absences to official meetings, missed staff hours, and/or unmet agreed-upon deadlines, the staff member will receive a 10-20% reduction in their monthly honoraria for each instance.

Article V. Evaluations

1. Evaluations of each organization receiving honoraria must occur at least once each year, during fourth block, in order to maintain honoraria privileges.
2. If an organization is monitored by Media Board, the media head must conduct evaluations for each staff member, and Media Board will conduct evaluations of each media head.
3. All evaluations conducted through Media Board will be passed on to the Appropriations Committee and Executive Council for further review and discussion.
4. If an organization is not monitored by Media Board, the Appropriations Committee will receive these yearly formal evaluations. The leader of the relevant organization must conduct evaluations for each paid staff member, and the advisor will handle the evaluations of the organization leader (if paid).
5. The  Appropriations Committee reserves the right to request a formal evaluation at any time during the year.

Article VI. Suspension

1. At any time, the Appropriations Committee or the Auditor General may request that the General Assembly suspend the honoraria privileges of a position or an organization as a whole. This decision may be based on, but not limited to, the following:
   1. Failure to produce a quality product or service
   2. Evidence of poor organization or mismanagement
   3. Poor evaluations