To the Editor:

Re: “The Berry Patch: By-line Funding: It’s Simple, Really,” Opinion, Nov. 4

Although The Sun correctly identified the need to publish information regarding the allocation of the Student Activity Fee, it did a disservice to the Cornell community by turning the piece into an anonymous, factually incorrect, satirical piece of prose. By blatantly admitting that the writers spent no more than “three-and-a-half minutes digging through the annals of the Student Assembly Charter to bring [its readers] the facts,” The Sun did more than disgrace its duty to report truthfully and thoroughly — it demonstrated a complete lack of respect for its readers. Not verifying facts often results in The Sun unfairly representing organizations on campus and regrettably losing credibility among its readers. Just last week, The Sun incorrectly reported that the Student Assembly Finance Commission influenced the cut in the funding of the Cornell Cinema.

The Student Assembly Finance Commission is a subcommittee of the Student Assembly and is also one of the many organizations that the S.A. byline funds with the Student Activity Fee, a process which takes place every two years. Thus, the SAFC, the Cornell Cinema and other overarching organizations that complete the necessary requirements are funded through this by-line funding process. All of the funding distributed to the SAFC from the by-line funding process is in turn allocated to over 350 student groups each semester. The SAFC funding decisions are made based on an objective set of guidelines. Neither the questions posed in the Berry Patch nor the corresponding responses that were permeated with allusions to popular culture, instead of the facts, conveyed this funding structure.

While The Sun identifies that few of the people who have been “feuding over Cornell Cinema budget allocations … actually know what … by-line funding is,” its journalists do not do their due diligence in mitigating that situation when they publish unchecked information.

Lauren Rosenblum ’11, SAFC Vice President of Public Relations

Yuliya Neverova ’10, SAFC Co-Chair

Charlie Feng ’11, SAFC Co-Chair