What's happening
This bill requires non-academic service contracts at state-operated SUNY institutions to be approved by a board with student, faculty, and administration representation.
Why it matters
Increases transparency and accountability. by requiring that major campus service contracts (like food service, bookstores, banking, vending, etc.) cannot be finalized without the approval of a board that includes student, faculty, and administration representatives.
Empowers students and faculty. to have a formal, decision-making role in how non-academic services are provided on their campuses—potentially influencing the quality, affordability, and relevance of these services for the broader campus community.
Establishes clear governance procedures. , including rules for quorum, proxy representation, chair rotation, public meeting notice, and public access to meeting agendas—helping to ensure decisions are not made unilaterally or without due process.
Provides flexibility for campuses. that already have an auxiliary services corporation (ASC) to continue using it, as long as it maintains equal (one-third) representation among students, faculty, and administration—potentially preserving effective existing structures while setting a statewide standard for shared governance.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Boards Approve Campus Service Contracts
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
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History
- Referred to higher education
- Referred to higher education
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
4604
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 3, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. ENGLEBRIGHT -- read once and referred to the Committee on Higher Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to non-academic service contracts entered into by state-operated institutions of the state university
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 356-a to read as follows:
§ 356-a. Contract approval control board. 1. All non-academic service contracts with a state-operated institution of the state university including, but not limited to: bookstores, food service, vending machines, cafes, snack bars, retail outlets, travel agencies, banks and billboard advertising which operate on the property of or under the authority of the state-operated institution shall first be approved by a board consisting of:
a. the elected student council representative (as provided in subdivision one of section three hundred fifty-six of this article) or the elected head of the student association by agreement between any multiple student associations at a specific state-operated academic institution;
b. the elected faculty representative or the elected head of the faculty senate or association by agreement between any multiple faculty associations at a specific state-operated institution; and
c. the head of such institution, or his or her designee.
2. For any meeting a board member may designate a proxy in writing and signed for that meeting.
3. A quorum shall be all three board members in order to approve contracts.
4. No non-academic service contract with the state-operated institution shall be valid without the approval of the board.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03686-01-7
A. 4604 2
5. The chair of each board shall alternate annually between the board member designated in paragraphs a and b of subdivision one of this section.
6. Meetings shall be called as necessary by the chair for the functioning of the state-operated institution but no less than once every four months, or the remaining two members by petition, may at any time call a special meeting of the board and fix the time and place therefor. At least seven days notice of every meeting shall be mailed to the usual address of each member. The agenda for such meetings shall be available seven days prior to the meetings and shall be considered public records.
7. Nothing in this section shall prevent a state-operated institution from establishing an auxiliary services corporation, instead of a board otherwise provided by this section, to approve and oversee non-academic service contracts with the institution which maintains proportional representative control, one-third for each, of that corporation's board of directors between the elected student association, elected faculty association and the head of the institution.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
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