Whereas, a lawsuit filed in September 2026 by a former Cornell student identified as Jane Doe, regarding a sexual assault she reported in 2024, has drawn intense national media attention to Cornell's campus,

Whereas, the Student Assembly stands with survivors of sexual violence and continues to demand accountability from the University, including through its recent unanimous resolution calling on administrators to provide a full account of how this case was handled,

Whereas, Cornell’s own 2025 Survey of Sexual Assault and Related Misconduct (SARM) found that 35 percent of undergraduate women and 8 percent of undergraduate men reported experiencing sexual assault during their time at Cornell, compared to 23 percent of women and 9 percent of men in 2023, and that the reported rate among undergraduate women has equaled or exceeded 20 percent in every administration of the survey since 2015 [1],

Whereas, Cornell offers communities based on identities, values, or lifestyle preferences,

Whereas, women's spaces do not strictly regulate who is on the floor or in the space as any keycard for that building can be used to access them. Within women's only floors, individuals from other floors often use the bathrooms and study spaces due to this, and within Balch men occasionally walk around unaccompanied,

Whereas, humanities classes tend to have large participation grades, often comprising twenty percent or more of a student’s overall grade. This participation grade is often associated with discussion-based performance rather than just attendance, 

Whereas, though discussion performance can comprise a large portion of a student’s overall grade, equivalent to a prelim at times, students often do not know their participation grade until the end of the semester or, sometimes, they are not made aware at all,

Whereas, Cornell students rely on University leadership for timely, accurate, and substantive communication during times that threaten the well-being and/or safety of the campus community 

Whereas, Cornell’s officially released statements have failed to appropriately and coherently inform the student body of pertinent developments, often leaving students feeling frustrated and concerned,

Whereas, Cornell has repeatedly experienced a litany of tragedies, including student deaths, serious gorge injuries, reports of drugging and sexual assault in November 2024, followed by multiple deaths within the University community in Fall 2025 [1,2];

Whereas, students have criticized administrative responses housed in emails that deflect to resource referrals while academic expectations continue, forcing students to compartmentalize and move on without adequate time or practical support to process grief and fear [1,2];