Student Assembly Meeting

Thursday, October 29, 2026

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Term:
2026-2027
Assembly/Committee: Student Assembly
Date & Time:
Thu, Oct 29, 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 22, 2026 Meeting Minutes
5. Communications to the Student Assembly
6. Consent Calendar
7. Reports of Officers, Committees, and Liaisons
1. Special Projects Funding Updates
8. Announcements
9. Presentations
10. Appointments and Fillings of Vacancies
11. Public Comment
12. Second Reading Calendar
13. Third Reading Calendar
1. Resolution 30: An Expression of Grievances and Request for Inquiry Regarding the Proposal to Amend Enrollment Deadlines
14. Adjournment
StudentAssemblyMeetingAgendaOctober292026 (1).pdf (65.08 KB)
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 (proxied), T. Aye (proxied), A. Ayoola, L. Blum, M. Causey, E. Chaudhuri, J. Chung, S. Dunn, T. Japal, J. Kimball, K. Krishtopa, D. Lee (proxied), A. Lyons, Y. Masoud, J. Orief, E. Porter, A. Sendelbach, C. Tarala, A. Vink, A. Walters, H. Watkins (proxied), K. Young (proxied)
b. Members Absent: J. Anand, S. Augustin, C. Flournoy,
c. Also Present: M. Friedman, S. Trapani

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

IV. Approval of the October 22, 2026 Meeting Minutes
a. The motion to approve the October 22, 2026 minutes passed through unanimous consent.

V. Communications to the Student Assembly
a. None.

VI. Consent Calendar
a. None.

VII. Reports of Officers, Committees, and Liaisons
a. L. Blum shared that there are a lot of committee meetings in the beginning of the week of November and that she is hosting an environmental reorganization meeting to find co-chairs or a new chair. Policy office hours will also be hosted this Wednesday
b. A. Walters shared that the Communications Committee had a meeting on Saturday and has started to set a consistent schedule for outreach and posting. He added that the organizational column went up in The Sun last Thursday during the meeting and to message him to log tabling points. He further shared that the academic policy committee hasn’t met yet.
c. J. Kimball shared that the Dining Committee will be meeting on Monday at Morrison Dining.
d. E. Chaudhuri noted that H. Watkins wanted to share that there will be an optional Executive Cabinet meeting this weekend and there will be a Pulse meeting at 4:30 PM next Tuesday in MVR.
e. S. Trapani shared that the Elections Committee held an emergency meeting to discuss what to do. Erik redid the email list and it is now correct. The Representative Roundtable was yesterday with many attendants. For Fall 2026, the petition requirement would be reduced by 50% and the committee would public petition counts and informational materials distributed.
f. Y. Masoud requested members to check the GroupMe and vote for which day to have an assembly social, which will be bowling at Helen Newman.
g. M. Causey shared that she’s trying to get a permanent space for the Student Assembly during the week to have office hours for people to come and talk about issues. She requested members to fill out a when2meet to mark their daily availability and times they may be willing to be there.
h. C. Tarala shared he had a second meeting with the primary board liaisons for the
club selection council and the deadline for clubs to re-register this year is tomorrow. There are also around 185 new student organizations that have applied, and the decisions will continue for the next 3 or 4 weeks.
i. Special Projects Funding Updates
i. C. Tarala noted that the box contains the four special project requests which the executives have voted on.
ii. Risley Residential Hall was approved 6-0-1, with a disbursement of $1,800 instead of the $2,000 requested, and it will be in the form of a resolution today.
iii. Khiladi at Cornell failed to pass by a vote of 0-6-1.
iv. Sephardi and Mizrahi Student Council was approved 6-0-1 for $4,000, which will also be in the form of a resolution today.
v. The Finance Club at Cornell failed to pass by a vote of 1-5-0
j. A. Walters noted that attending the representative roundtable qualified for an engagement point.

VIII. Public Comment
a. A speaker spoke in favor of Resolution 33 and asked the assembly to stand with the working class.

IX. Second Reading Calendar
a. Resolution 29: Encouraging Advance Posting and Reasonable Cancellation Notice for TA and CA Office Hours
i. E. Chaudhuri motioned to table the resolution for a week, no dissent.
ii. The resolution has been tabled for a week.
b. Resolution 31: Waiving Candidates Petitioning Requirements
i. Resolution 31 Appendix A
ii. E. Chaudhuri motioned to table the resolution indefinitely, no dissent.
iii. The resolution has been tabled indefinitely.
c. Resolution 32: Improving Access to Garbage Bags in Residence Halls
i. T. Japal shared that the resolution calls for easy access to garbage bags in residential hall common spaces. This previously wasn’t an issue, but this year, the administration removed the garbage bags from the common areas, ultimately undermining cleanliness and adding additional costs for residents.
ii. The assembly discussed campus facilities’s response, HRL's interest in meeting with the Assembly to discuss resolutions like these, and the administration’s intentional choice to remove these garbage bags.
iii. A. Walters motioned to close debate, no dissent.
iv. The resolution has moved to the Third Reading Calendar.
d. Resolution 33: Starbucks Actually Off Our Campus
i. A. Vink noted Ithaca’s history of unionizing all of its Starbucks locations and employee working conditions in Starbucks. The resolution would request Cornell to be Starbucks-free, which would exclude Starbucks from all events, catering, sponsorships, etc.
ii. The assembly discussed potentially reading out to the Dining Committee, Starbucks catering at the ILR table last year, wording of the resolution, other options, communication to the student body, Starbuck’s partnership with Pepsi, dining infrastructure, contracts, contract being beans and machinery, and the We Proudly Serve Program.
iii. J. Chung motioned to end debate, no dissent.
iv. The resolution moved to the Third Reading Calendar.
e. Resolution 34: Approving Special Projects Request for the Sephardi & Mizrahi Student Council
i. C. Tarala shared that the Sephardi and Mizrahi Student Council is hosting its fifth Shabbat dinner on November 6th, open to all undergraduates and is requesting $4,000 with the estimated cost being around $11,000.
ii. The assembly discussed why exec pushed it forward and the event’s openness.
iii. A. Walters motioned to close debate, no dissent.
iv. The resolution moved to the Third Reading Calendar.

X. Third Reading Calendar
a. Resolution 30: An Expression of Grievances and Request for Inquiry Regarding the Proposal to Amend Enrollment Deadlines
i. A. Walters motioned to amend lines 87-91, which asked for a portion of the Faculty Senate agenda’s meeting yesterday, to request the Faculty Senate to dedicate a portion of its agenda in its next meeting to discuss the resolution, no dissent.
ii. A. Walters shared that the notes typed up from last week will be for his meeting on November 10 and that the Academic Policy Committee will be meeting on November 8.
iii. The assembly discussed faculty intention, requesting someone from faculty to motion for them to speak, and potentially having a referendum.
iv. J. Orief motioned to amend lines 95 and 100 from week 5 to week 9, dissent.
1. The assembly discussed representing the student body as a whole, resolutions going through committees, compromising and negotiating, and being coherent with stated reasons.
2. A. Walters motioned to close debate, dissent.
a. The motion to close debate passed by a vote of 14-3-1.
3. The amendment failed by a vote of 2-10-6.
v. The assembly discussed negotiating, academic freedom, balancing standards and student integrity, and specifically stating students prefer 9 weeks in writing,
vi. A. Walters motioned to add line 92, be it therefore resolved that the Student Assembly recommends the Faculty Senate to amend the resolution to include a provision that forces instructors to return graded assignments to students prior to the drop deadline, dissent.
1. The assembly discussed fostering a good relationship with the Faculty Senate, inequity, and student outcomes.
2. A. Walters motioned to close debate, dissent.
a. The motion passed by a vote of 12-6-2.
3. The amendment passed by a vote of 14-1-1.
vii. The assembly discussed the drop deadline being extended over the past 20 years, professor concerns regarding the previous amendment, international students feeling responsible for the deadline change, and talking to professors.
viii. C. Tarala motioned to end debate, no dissent.
ix. The resolution passed by a vote of 17-1-1.

The meeting was adjourned at 6:23 PM by unanimous consent.

StudentAssemblyMeetingMinutesOctober292026.pdf (153.68 KB)