Student Assembly Meeting

Thursday, March 12, 2026

• Term:
  2025-2026
• Assembly/Committee: Student Assembly
• Date & Time:
  Thu, Mar 12, 2026 - 4:45pm
  to
  6:30pm
• Location:
  Willard Straight Hall Memorial Room (WSH407)/Zoom
• Agenda:

  1. Call to Order
  2. Reading of the Land Acknowledgment
  3. Approval of the February 26th, 2026 Meeting Minutes
  4. Consent Calendar
  5. Reports of Officers, Committees, and Liaisons
  6. Announcements
  7. Presentations
       1. Cornell University Administration: President Michael Kotlikoff & VicePresident Ryan Lombardi
  8. Public Comment Microphone
  9. Second Readings
       1. Resolution 63: Recognizing September 25 and Establishing a “SurveyService Window” Administered by Student & Campus Life
       2. Resolution 67: Transferring Funds to the Multicultural Greek FraternalCouncil
       3. Resolution 68: Investigating the Cornell Greek Community Account
       4. Resolution 69: Urging Cornell to Support Higher TCAT Funding
       5. Resolution 70: The Last Straw: Single-Use Plastic Phaseout
       6. R70 Appendix & Notes
       7. Resolution 71: Grade Transparency
       8. Resolution 72: Alleviating Preliminary Examination Overloads
       9. Resolution 73: Calling for Cornell to Improve its Land Acknowledgement and Recognize the Benefits Obtained through the Morrill Act of 1862
       10. Resolution 74: Transparency in First-Year Program House Access and Placement Outcomes
  10. Third Readings
       1. Resolution 53: Approving Special Projects Request for the International Affairs Society at Cornell 1. R53 Appendix A: International Affairs Society at Cornell Special Projects Funding Request Form
       2. Resolution 54: Approving Special Projects Request for the Cornell Persian Students Organization1. R54 Appendix A: Cornell Persian Students Organization (PSO)Special Projects Funding Request Form
       3. Resolution 48: Public Comment Duration 1. R48 Appendix A: Updated Bylaws
       4. Resolution 49: Attendance Callouts
       5. Resolution 50: Tri-Semesterly Committee Chair and Liaison Reports
       6. Resolution 51: Updating the Bylaws With a Contingency Plan for Vacancies in the Independent Offices1. R51 Appendix A: Updated Bylaws
       7. Resolution 52: Expanding College Credit Limits
       8. Resolution 55: Condemning the University Administration’s Use of Programming to Platform Individuals Implicated in War Crimes
       9. Resolution 56: Improving Accessibility Information and Support for Disabled Students in Residential Housing
       10. Resolution 57: Ensuring Equitable Evaluation of Special Projects Funding Request
       11. Resolution 58: Winter Sidewalk Maintenance
       12. Resolution 66: Reassessing Resolution 21: Approving the Recommendation for the 2026-2028 Student Activity Fee
       13. Resolution 61: Calling for the Termination of Cornell University’s Partnership with the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology While Preserving Cornell Tech
       14. Resolution 60: Free Laundry
       15. Resolution 64: Approving Special Projects Request for Bhangra at Cornell 1. R64 Appendix
       16. Resolution 62: Health Vending Machine Expansion to West & Collegetown Communities
       17. Resolution 65: Approving Additional Special Projects Request for the Young Democratic Socialists of America
  11. Appointments and Vacancies Calendar
  12. Adjournment

   

• Meeting Packet:
• Audio Recording:
• Minutes:

  I. Call to Order
       a. Z. deRham called the meeting to order at 4:45 PM.
       b. Members Present: D. Addoquaye, S. Agarwal, J. Anand, L. Blum, D. Carson, M. Causey, A. Cekic, C. Cook, Z. deRham, G. Dorward, M. Ehrlich, A. Fard, C. Flournoy, E. Galperin, I. Gayle, L. Han, Y. Masoud, E. Porter, J. Purcell, H. Spector, J. Swavy, C. Tarala, T. Waguespack, A. Walters, H. Watkins, Z. Yabut, E. Yao, K. Young
       c. Members Absent: A. Aftab, V. Kakra, C. Kim, K. Krishtopa
       d. Also Present: E. Chaudhuri, I. Gilenson, K. Abebe
  
  II. Reading of the Land Acknowledgment
       a. Z. deRham stated the land acknowledgement.
  
  III. Approval of the February 26th, 2026 Meeting Minutes
       a. The motion to approve the minutes passed through unanimous consent.
       b. Z. deRham motioned to move presentations to right now, approved by unanimous consent.
  
  IV. Presentations
       a. Presentation by Cornell University Administration: President Michael Kotlikoff and Vice President Ryan Lombardi regarding a stem cell donation announcement, the Student Code of Conduct going through its annual review process, protests that adhere to guidelines, the quality and volume of Student Assembly resolution submissions, and good faith commitment expectations.
       b. M. Kotlikoff and R. Lombardi received and answered questions from members.
  
  V. Consent Calendar
       a. None.
  
  VI. Reports of Officers, Committees, and Liaisons
       a. C. Tarala reported that the International Students Committee is looking for members.
       b. I. Gilenson reported that registration for the spring election will open next Tuesday, March 18th, and remain open until the end of March. Registration will consist of the submission of a completed candidate application form and the completion of petitions, with election rules being published alongside the start of registration which includes the exact number of petitions a candidate must receive to be eligible for the ballot. He would smile favorably upon a motion to move up consideration of the Third Reading Calendar after Presentations are over, specifically Resolution 51.
       c. A. Cekic reported his attempts to revive the Office of the Student Advocate and shared that they are currently working on a case worker system where students help anyone trying to understand their rights and how to navigate Cornell bureaucracy.
       d. S. Agarwal shared that the Student Health Advisory Committee will be meeting next Wednesday at 4:30-5:30PM with Cornell Health. She shared that the next topic of discussion is increasing mental health resources on North campus and adding transportation options to Cornell Health.
       e. L. Blum reported that the Environmental Committee tables on most Fridays at Mann or Olin. She shared that the committee is working on passing resolution 70, ways Cornell could revise the Climate Action Plan, and incorporating recycling into fraternities.
       f. M. Ehrlich reported that the Academic Policy Committee is meeting every other week, had a meeting this past weekend, and that they are working on a resolution that allows students to reschedule prelims if they have more than 3 in 24 hours.
       g. E. Galperin reported that the Dining Committee voted against Resolution 59 and shared some Ramadan updates, such as that people should be able to pick up pre-fast meals at any dining hall and can check online for its hours and procedures, as well as that passover hours are limited for 104West with Passover beginning over spring break.
  
  VII. Announcements
       a. None.
  
  VIII. Public Comment Microphone
       a. A representative from the Interfaith Council at Cornell spoke about the reassessment of Resolution 21 resulting in ICC’s inability to cover its annual allocation for over 35 organizations.
       b. Many speakers spoke in favor of or in opposition to resolutions 55 and 61.
       c. A speaker from the YDSA shared that the funding request reimburses its members who went to a conference to discuss how to protect immigrant students from ICE, support student workers, and build an intersectional movement that centers the concerns of marginalized young people.
       d. M. Ehrlich motioned to extend the meeting to 9:30PM, passed by a majority vote.
       e. Z. deRham motioned to move the Third Reading Calendar to above the Second Reading Calendar, no dissent.
       f. K. Young motioned to move Resolutions 55 and 61 to right below Resolution 54, no dissent.
  
  IX. Third Readings
       a. Resolution 53: Approving Special Projects Request for the International Affairs Society at Cornell
            i. R53 Appendix A: International Affairs Society at Cornell Special Projects Funding Request Form
            ii. A representative shared that they are here to receive approval for their Special Projects Fund for their most recent conference at the University of Toronto.
            iii. E. Chaudhuri asked about previous events.
                 1. C. Tarala shared that because it was done in the past, they can have a full breakdown of exactly what was spent.
            iv. M. Ehrlich motioned to close debate, no dissent.
            v. The resolution passed by a vote of 26-0-0.
       b. Resolution 54: Approving Special Projects Request for the Cornell Persian Students Organization
            i. R54 Appendix A: Cornell Persian Students Organization (PSO) Special Projects Funding Request Form
            ii. C. Tarala motioned to amend line 15 to say, whereas the total cost of the event is 8,000, no dissent.
            iii. A. Fard shared that as an open event, this is the oldest new year celebration in history and it touches many people, with even a waitlist option.
            iv. K. Young motioned to close debate, no dissent.
            v. The resolution passed by a vote of 24-0-0.
       c. Resolution 55: Condemning the University Administration’s Use of Programming to Platform Individuals Implicated in War Crimes
            i. Y. Masoud reiterated that this resolution is only about administration and war criminals and it does not target Israeli politicians or Israeli war criminals, but all war criminals. She shared that all her sources are cited along with an appendix with all the pdfs that she used and a definition of what ‘implicated by war crimes’ means. She added that the resolution is a recommendation asking the university to create the guidelines using the resolution.
            ii. Z. deRham moved the assembly into a discussion period, where members mentioned the resignation of the founder of the Human Rights Watch and discussed students heckling during public comment, personal experiences, this being an issue with all the assemblies, having credible sources, whether to vote by secret ballot, and what would happen if someone was contesting to be a war criminal.
            iii. M. Ehrlich motioned to close debate, no dissent.
            iv. A. Cekic motioned to vote by secret ballot, dissent.
                 1. E. Galperin motioned to vote on the motion, dissent.
                 2. M. Ehrlich shared that he will say his views on things, though he recognizes the pressure on other members of the assembly.
                 3. E. Chaudhuri shared that this is a public service role, people signed up to have their voices heard and known by the community, people deserve to hear how they're representing them, and that politicians don’t have the option to cast a secret ballot.
                      a. A. Cekic shared that 1-2 years ago, there was a truck with 2 TVs driving around campus smearing people’s opinions, taking things out of proportion. He mentioned that there is a difference between students and politicians.
                 4. Y. Masoud noted that if the assembly does a secret ballot, they’ll be letting them scare them into silence and oppress values and morals.
                 5. M. Ehrlich shared that the issue before is unrelated, but they’re still unsure whether people will be doxxed. He asked the audience if they thought the assembly should vote publicly and received a general consensus that they did. He motioned to close debate, no dissent.
                 6. The motion to vote by a secret ballot failed to pass.
            v. The resolution passed by a vote of 19-2-3.
       d. Resolution 61: Calling for the Termination of Cornell University’s Partnership with the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology While Preserving Cornell Tech
            i. Y. Masoud reiterated that Kotlikoff said that big issues come from all the assemblies and that she is in contact with the Graduate Student Assembly. She further added that though Cornell Tech is a graduate school, there are several undergraduate opportunities at Cornell Tech and that other issues like Qatar or another international Cornell campus can have another resolution written for it.
            ii. E. Galperin mentioned that he did write a Qatar resolution and that a student who was in the program, as an affected voice, asked not to vote on it. He added that the previous resolution is not meant to single out one institution or one country, but this one does.
                 1. Y. Masoud clarified that Resolution 55 has nothing to do with a specific state, while this one does have a clear connection.
            iii. M. Ehrlich motioned to close debate, no dissent.
            iv. The resolution passed by a vote of 17-2-5.
            v. C. Flournoy motioned to move Resolutions 64 and 65 to now, no dissent.
       e. Resolution 64: Approving Special Projects Request for Bhangra at Cornell
            i. R64 Appendix
            ii. Z. deRham moved the assembly into a discussion period, where members discussed potentially using ticket sales to reimburse the cost of the event and asked for budget clarifications.
            iii. A. Walters motioned to close debate, passed by a majority vote.
            iv. The resolution failed to pass by a vote of 1-15-6.
       f. Resolution 65: Approving Additional Special Projects Request for the Young Democratic Socialists of America
            i. C. Tarala shared that the resolution will fund YDSA to send 17 people to the America Winter Organizing Conference, which will cost them $5,083.
            ii. A representative shared that they will be sending 17 people and will be covering hotel rooms, gas, food, and transportation. They added that some fundraising was done, but are requesting for money to fill the gap.
            iii. C. Tarala clarified that the resolution asks for $3,309.59 specifically.
            iv. M. Ehrlich asked whether any costs changed since submitting the application and if any other funding was received for this.
                 1. A representative answered that costs have not changed and they have not received any other funding from any other byline organizations.
            v. Y. Masoud motioned to close debate, no dissent.
            vi. The resolution passed by a vote of 22-1-0.
       g. Resolution 48: Public Comment Duration
            i. R48 Appendix A: Updated Bylaws
            ii. C. Tarala shared that the assembly saw how successful this resolution can be with many people coming to speak and it was to the hour. He noted that the resolution sets the default but the assembly can still change it.
            iii. C. Flournoy moved the assembly into a discussion period, where members discussed the benefits of the resolution, written public comment, and any doubts with the resolution.
            iv. Z. deRham shared that to extend public comment, you can suspend the rules, which suspends the standing rules, which would then suspend the hour to extend.
            v. Z. deRham motioned to add a clause between 27 and 28, no dissent.
            vi. C. Tarala motioned to end debate, no dissent.
            vii. The resolution passes by a vote of 19-2-1.
       h. Resolution 49: Attendance Callouts
            i. C. Tarala shared that he had a conversation with the Office of the Assemblies which had some suggestions about how this may work procedurally. He motioned to amend line 28 to say the Chief of Staff as opposed to the presiding officer or scribe, no dissent.
            ii. C. Tarala motioned to end debate, no dissent.
            iii. The resolution passed by a vote of 23-0-0.
       i. Resolution 50: Tri-Semesterly Committee Chair and Liaison Reports
            i. C. Flournoy asked whether the resolution would take action immediately after approval.
                 1. C. Tarala clarified that the resolution stated that the assembly would designate those 3 days in the first meeting of the semester.
            ii. L. Blum motioned to end debate, no dissent.
            iii. The resolution passed by a vote of 22-0-0
       j. Resolution 51: Updating the Bylaws With a Contingency Plan for Vacancies in the Independent Offices
            i. R51 Appendix A: Updated Bylaws
            ii. Z. deRham shared that both object lessons that inspired the resolution were in the crowd today and requested to pass the resolution because she has an email drafted to be sent after the meeting for the people of ethics so that they can ideally come next week.
            iii. M. Ehrlich motioned to close debate, no dissent.
            iv. The resolution passed by a majority vote.
       k. Resolution 52: Expanding College Credit Limits
            i. M. Ehrlich shared that he made some edits about other colleges.
            ii. Z. deRham moved the assembly into a discussion period, where members discussed credit limits for first-year students, schools not allowing space for another major, nontransparent petitioning systems, and suggestions to receive financial aid for the summer.
            iii. K. Young motioned to amend the resolution to include that "no college shall maintain a summer session credit limit for undergraduate students below that of credit requirements for financial aid." after line 28, dissent.
                 1. Z. deRham moved the assembly into a discussion period, where members discussed talking to the Faculty Center to understand the nuance of what admin put into the policy, students being unable to go past the limit despite meeting the GPA requirement, potentially reducing access for those who want to take just one class during the summer, and students judging what they’re able to do in a semester.
                 2. C. Tarala requested to change it to say that it can’t be below the financial aid requirement.
                 3. The motion to approve the resolution passed by unanimous consent.
            iv. C. Flournoy moved to end debate, no dissent.
            v. The resolution passed by a vote of 23-0-0.
       l. Resolution 56: Improving Accessibility Information and Support for Disabled Students in Residential Housing
            i. J. Swavy shared that no changes were made, just to update the Housing and Residential Life website so that it displays the accessibility features of dorms.
            ii. Y. Masoud motioned to close debate, no dissent.
            iii. The resolution passed by a vote of 23-0-0.
       m. Resolution 57: Ensuring Equitable Evaluation of Special Projects Funding Request
            i. C. Flournoy shared that the idea is to make sure that minority marginalized organizations on campus are still able to receive Special Projects Funding and that equity is applied to all organizations on campus.
            ii. Z. deRham moved the assembly into a discussion period, where members discussed whether this resolution is still relevant considering the rescinded Resolution 43, whether the procedure to rescind Resolution 43 was proper, what would be done in certain circumstances like Bhangra’s where a minority-based organization didn’t receive the funding due to math, how this
  resolution would give teeth to these organization other than being symbolic, and repercussions for organizations who lie on the application.
                 1. M. Ehrlich motioned to amend the resolution to include repercussions for artificially inflating costs, no dissent.
            iii. A. Fard asked how they would define minority groups.
                 1. C. Flournoy shared that an identifying factor would be having an international and multicultural label.
            iv. A. Fard motioned to add “multicultural” in the definition whenever it brings up historically marginalized and minority, no dissent.
            v. Z. deRham moved the assembly into a discussion period, where members discussed the substantive function of the resolution, excluding organizations with a recruitment process, and the assembly’s role.
            vi. C. Tarala motioned to table the resolution for a week, dissent.
            vii. The motion to table the resolution for a week passed by a vote of 11-1-4.
       n. Resolution 58: Winter Sidewalk Maintenance
            i. H. Spector reiterated that the winter sidewalk maintenance has been really bad this winter and recalled concerns about Thurston Bridge with the black metals. She motioned to amend the resolution to add right after line 21, “be it further resolved, the Student Assembly recommends that facilities and campus services consider using sand or more environmentally friendly options as an alternative to salt”, no dissent.
            ii. C. Flournoy motioned to close debate, no dissent.
            iii. The resolution passed by a vote of 18-0-0.
       o. Resolution 62: Health Vending Machine Expansion to West & Collegetown Communities
            i. E. Chaudhuri recapped that vending machines on North Campus are great and that they want more on West Campus and C-town and that money in the reserves account should be used for good things, such as vending machines and health products.
            ii. A. Walters motioned to close debate, no dissent.
            iii. The resolution passed by a vote of 19-0-0.
       p. Z. deRham motioned to adjourn the meeting.
            i. The members discussed whether to adjourn the meeting or to continue with the Second Reading Calendar.
            ii. C. Flournoy motioned to end debate, no dissent.
            iii. The motion to adjourn the meeting failed to pass by a majority vote.
  
  X. Second Readings
       a. Resolution 63: Recognizing September 25 and Establishing a “Survey Service Window” Administered by Student & Campus Life
            i. E. Chaudhuri shared that there are many campus surveys that don't get a lot of responses, resulting in bad research. The resolution creates a day where students are incentivized to go and do research. He noted that he had a one-on-one meeting with Student Campus Life and a one-on-one meeting with the Institutional Office of Research and Planning, both of which love the resolution and would put a lot of money into it and do programming around it, as it would be great for campus culture and morale.
            ii. A. Walters motioned to close debate, no dissent.
            iii. The resolution moved to the Third Reading Calendar.
       b. Resolution 69: Urging Cornell to Support Higher TCAT Funding
            i. M. Ehrlich shared that there were talks of Cornell giving TCAT money last semester, but only gave TCAT around $230,000 of the $500,000 that was needed. He added that Cornell will be negotiating with TCAT soon and urged the assembly to support TCAT due to its importance and potentially being able to get free bus passes if Cornell does support TCAT.
            ii. C. Flournoy motioned to end debate, no dissent.
            iii. The resolution moved to the Third Reading Calendar.
       c. Resolution 70: The Last Straw: Single-Use Plastic Phaseout
            i. R70 Appendix & Notes
            ii. L. Blum shared that she’s been in contact with Plastic-Free Cornell for a month and shared a quick movement called Skip the Ledge.
            iii. E. Chaudhuri motioned to end debate, no dissent.
            iv. The resolution moved to the Third Reading Calendar.
       d. Resolution 71: Grade Transparency
            i. D. Addoquaye shared that lack of grade transparency makes it stressful for students due to the importance that transcripts can hold in some students’ lives. He added that grade transparency would help students know where to dedicate their hours.
            ii. G. Dorward motioned to close debate, no dissent.
            iii. The resolution moved to the Third Reading Calendar.
       e. Resolution 72: Alleviating Preliminary Examination Overloads
            i. M. Ehrlich shared that some people have too many prelims in 24 hours.
            ii. L. Blum motioned to close debate, no dissent.
            iii. The resolution moved to the Third Reading Calendar.
       f. Resolution 74: Transparency in First-Year Program House Access and Placement Outcomes
            i. K. Young shared that though many program houses on campus cater to marginalized and multicultural communities, many of these dorms are not very representative of these communities. She shared her experience with working with advocacy groups to have conversations with admins, talked about the lack of clearness, and that they were told that these communities didn’t apply to these program houses. This resolution calls for transparency in the numbers of how many people apply to these program houses and how many are actually granted these program houses to determine the issue.
            ii. M. Ehrlich shared his own experience and motioned to close debate, no dissent.
            iii. The resolution moved to the Third Reading Calendar.

  SA Minutes 3-12-26.docx.pdf (206.1 KB)