EA R5 (2016-2017): Endorsing The Ithaca Plan: A Public Health and Safety Approach to Drugs and Drug Policy

Deferred by the President

• Resolution:
  EA R5 (2016-2017): Endorsing The Ithaca Plan: A Public Health and Safety Approach to Drugs and Drug Policy
• Day:
  June 7, 2017
• Action:
  Deferred by the President
• Summary / Notes:

  Dear Ulysses,

  Thank you for submitting EA Resolution 5, “Endorsing The Ithaca Plan: A Public Health and Safety Approach to Drugs and Drug Policy.” I appreciate the work of the Employee Assembly to address the issues of overdose and addiction in our community and its advocacy for effective means of helping individuals suffering from addiction. 

  Cornell is committed to building strong relationships with local and regional agencies to enhance health and safety on campus and for our campus community. I have read Interim President Hunter Rawlings’s response to University Assembly Resolution 3, which was passed in November 2016 and addresses the same topic. I want to reiterate that Cornell supports the City of Ithaca’s effort to convene community leaders and experts involved with responding to drug use to develop a strategy to address the problems of overdose and addiction in the local community. 

  As President Rawlings pointed out, The Ithaca Plan recommendations are substantial and complex and, if implemented in full, would require considerable financing, collaboration, and data tracking. Cornell will continue to be a key partner with city leaders and county health officials in exploring these recommendations and relevant available research. 

  I affirm President Rawlings’ stance that The Ithaca Plan deserves further study at the state and federal levels, but that Cornell is not in a position to lead a legislative lobbying effort to change drug policy. Therefore, I do not support the resolution asking Cornell to partner with the City of Ithaca to advocate for approval of the full plan in the state legislature.

  Nor do I support the recommendation for the Cornell administration to provide annual progress reports on the plan. The Ithaca Plan calls for the involvement and cooperation of a broad network of local administrations and leaders that may well change over time. It is not, in my opinion, appropriate to commit the university to providing reports on a plan that is, at its heart, the responsibility of local health authorities. 

  I fully support the EA in its efforts to represent and communicate the diverse voices of our staff community, and I appreciate the outreach to the community to engage in public comment on this important matter. In reading the details of the resolution, however, I am unclear as to whether the intention of this resolution is the Employee Assembly’s endorsement of the Ithaca Plan or an affirmation of the University Assembly’s endorsement. Line 47 indicates that the EA is acknowledging the UA’s endorsement of the Ithaca Plan. 

  Finally, I am concerned that EA Resolution 5 mustered five votes in favor, one vote against, and 11 abstentions. As such, the resolution represents the recommendations of less than one-fifth of the 28 total assembly members, which indicates a lack of consensus on the matter. This disproportion is troubling for me, as the EA is charged to serve as a voice of all Cornell employees. Actions encouraged and carried out by a minority of the assembly do not reflect the spirit of the EA charter. 

  Again, I greatly appreciate the Assembly’s work to highlight the important issues brought forth in The Ithaca Plan. There is nothing I take more seriously than the health and safety of our campus, and I value your partnership in supporting our campus community.

  Sincerely,

  Martha Pollack

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