What's happening
This bill requires non-academic service contracts at SUNY schools to be approved by a board with student, faculty, and administration representatives.
Why it matters
Increases student and faculty influence over campus operations. by requiring both groups to approve non-academic service contracts, ensuring their interests are considered in decisions about services like bookstores, food, and banking on campus.
Mandates transparency and accountability. through public agendas and regular meetings, providing more opportunities for campus community input and oversight of contracts that affect daily campus life.
Prevents unilateral administrative decisions. on non-academic service contracts, requiring consensus among students, faculty, and administration, which could lead to more balanced and widely supported agreements.
Allows flexibility for campuses. by permitting the use of an auxiliary services corporation, as long as it maintains equal representation among students, faculty, and administration, supporting tailored governance structures while preserving shared control.
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Who cares
SUNY state-operated campus administrators
Non-academic service contracts would require approval from a three-member board with student, faculty and administration representatives, unless the campus establishes an auxiliary services corporation with equal representation to approve and oversee them.
Elected student and faculty representatives
They would gain seats on contract approval boards and alternate annually as chair, with all three members required for a quorum to approve contracts.
Campus bookstores, food service operators and other non-academic vendors
Their contracts with state-operated SUNY institutions would not be valid without the required approval.
Headline styles
Require Campus Contract Oversight
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
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
4625
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 4, 2019
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.
LBD08449-01-9
A. 4625 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.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.