Student Assembly Meeting

Thursday, October 8, 2026

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Term:
2026-2027
Assembly/Committee: Student Assembly
Date & Time:
Thu, Oct 8, 2026 - 4:45pm
to
6:30pm
Location:
Willard Straight Hall Memorial Room (WSH407)/Zoom
Agenda:
1. Call to Order
2. Call of the Roll
3. Reading of the Land Acknowledgment
4. Approval of the October 1, 2026 Meeting Minutes
5. Communications to the Student Assembly
6. Consent Calendar
7. Reports of Officers, Committees, and Liaisons
8. Announcements
9. Presentations
10. Appointments and Fillings of Vacancies
11. Public Comment
12. Public Hearings
13. Second Reading Calendar
14. Third Reading Calendar
1. Resolution 18: Addressing the Delays and Lack of Transparency Surrounding the Risley Shops and Theater Repair Timeline
2. Resolution 23: Transparency Regarding Cornell Administration Statements
15. Adjournment
Meeting Packet:
Audio Recording:
Minutes:

I. Call to Order
a. E. Chaudhuri called the meeting to order at 4:45 PM.

II. Call of the Roll
a. Members Present: D. Addoquaye, S. Agarwal, J. Anand, S. Augustin (proxied), T. Aye, A. Ayoola, L. Blum, M. Causey, E. Chaudhuri, S. Dunn, C. Flournoy (proxied), J. Kimball, K. Krishtopa, D. Lee, A. Lyons, Y. Masoud, J. Orief, E. Porter, A. Sendelbach, C. Tarala, A. Vink, A. Walters (proxied), H. Watkins, K. Young
b. Members Absent: J. Chung, T. Japal
c. Also Present: Z. deRham, S. Trapani

III. Reading of the Land Acknowledgment
a. E. Chaudhuri stated the land acknowledgement.

IV. Approval of the October 1, 2026 Meeting Minutes
a. The motion to approve the October 1, 2026 minutes passed through unanimous
consent.

V. Communications to the Student Assembly
a. E. Chaudhuri shared that Special Projects is now open and there has been
communications to organizations who asked for it.

VI. Consent Calendar
a. None.

VII. Reports of Officers, Committees, and Liaisons
a. H. Watkins shared that Resolution 27 has been added to the box.
b. E. Chaudhuri shared that the executives voted to move Resolution 23 to the Third Reading Calendar.
c. C. Tarala shared that Special Projects is open and details about the byline townhall.
d. S. Agarwal shared about SHAC’s meeting this Wednesday with Cornell Health.
e. L. Blum shared committees that met and requested members to schedule tabling for the rest of October and that there will be no office hours next week.

VIII. Announcements
a. E. Chaudhuri announced that the Board of Trustees will be meeting this Friday, with a portion of it being open to the public.

IX. Public Comment
a. A speaker made suggestions on improving Resolutions 23 and 20, as well as their opinion on Resolution 21.

X. Second Reading Calendar
a. Resolution 19: Supporting New York State Senate Bill S54A
i. Z. deRham shared that the resolution would voice the assembly’s support
for the New York State Senate Bill S54A, which prohibits the use of intoxication of the victim as a defense in sex crimes.
ii. The assembly shared their thoughts on the circumstances surrounding the
resolution.
iii. A. Vink motioned to close debate, no dissent.
iv. The resolution moved to the Third Reading Calendar.
b. Resolution 20: Protecting Minority-Based Programs at Cornell
i. Y. Masoud shared that Trump’s administration is trying to push out a
non-discrimination bill that actually creates discrimination, and that the resolution would ask Cornell to act preemptively.
ii. The assembly commented on the resolution formatting and wording, along
with recommendations regarding updates and cross-collaboration with other ivy league institutions.
iii. S. Dunn motioned to close debate, no dissent.
iv. The resolution moved to the Third Reading Calendar.
c. Resolution 21: Abolition of the Interfraternity Council (IFC) and its Affiliated
Fraternities
i. A. Sendelbach shared that the resolution would abolish IFC and its affiliated fraternities.
ii. E. Chaudhuri ceded the chair to L. Blum.
iii. Y. Masoud shared that fraternities are the third most common location of sexual assault for foreign students, lines 40-64 depict the horrible things that happened at fraternities here, lines 68-78 depict the occurrences that occurred at other universities that resulted in fraternity shutdown, and lines 93-99 which specifies IFC and not MGFC due to operating differences.
iv. The assembly discussed university oversight, student assembly legislative authority, fraternity perception, accountability from Greek Life senior administrators, other schools, hearing student opinions, collective punishments, ensuring the assembly will reform IFC, why MGFC is excluded, Kotlikoff’s response, and overall housing.
v. The Chair smiled favorably upon a motion to extend the meeting to 7 PM,
no dissent.
vi. H. Watkins motioned to table the resolution indefinitely.
vii. The motion to table the resolution indefinitely passed by a vote of 14-4-2.
viii. The resolution has been tabled indefinitely.
ix. L. Blum ceded the chair to E. Chaudhuri.
d. Resolution 24: Bi-Semesterly Updates on Participation Grades
i. E. Porter shared that some courses have large participation grades, making it difficult for students to know their standing until their final grade is released. The resolution would communicate or amend the faculty handbook to require communication about student participation grades.
ii. The assembly discussed how participation grades are calculated and
recommended tying it to a metric.
iii. S. Dunn motioned to close debate, no dissent.
iv. The resolution moved to the Third Reading Calendar.
e. Resolution 25: To Pilot Secure Residential Communities
i. E. Porter shared that in Hu Shih, there is an all women's floor with men in
the lounges and hallways. The resolution proposes a key card system which prevents non-residents from entering, specific visitation hours through the RA, and potentially having an all men’s floor for safety or religious accommodations.
ii. The assembly discussed branding, areas that prevent residents from inviting men in, concerns with asking someone about their gender, RA gender, and
dorm infrastructure.
iii. S. Dunn motioned to table the resolution for a week, no dissent
iv. The resolution has been tabled for a week.
f. Resolution 26: Comprehensive Sexual Assault Prevention Training and Student Review of Curricula
i. S. Agarwal shared that members from Greek Life agreed that the training
had little emphasis on sexual assault prevention, and that the resolution would include more training for anti-sexual assault, reporting process, consent, and more.
ii. The assembly discussed differences from Resolution 16, adding the campus pulse committee, and ensuring the training changes Cornell.
iii. S. Agarwal motioned to refer the resolution to the Campus Pulse
Committee, no dissent.
iv. The resolution has been referred to the Campus Pulse Committee.
g. Resolution 27: Condemning Aggressive Media and Business Conduct Towards the Cornell Student Body
i. E. Porter shared that the resolution would condemn the media’s recent actions.
ii. J. Anand shared about code of ethics and ensuring the media has the required approval.
iii. The assembly discussed how to focus on how this is affecting students, especially their mental health.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:00 PM by unanimous consent.

StudentAssemblyMeetingMinutesOctober82026.pdf (143.58 KB)