R.7 Long Term Solution for Graduate Student Center

Whereas the Big Red Barn has evolved into becoming an essential part of Graduate and Professional Student life since its inception in 1992; and

Whereas Graduate Students are essential to a Research University’s mission - in that they perform research, teach, and attract excellent faculty; and

Whereas while Graduate and Professional Students as a whole constitute the most diverse community on campus, often as individuals they are closely tied to a specific field and building, and it is thus important to provide a community space to improve the communication amongst individuals from various fields and enrich the Graduate Student Life experience; and

Whereas such centers exist at most of our peer Ivy institutions; and

Whereas the need for such a space has previously been emphasized in the “Vision Statement for a Graduate Community Initiative” and in the Status Report of Preliminary Recommendations of the GCI Task Force; and

Whereas the Big Red Barn has successfully provided such a space and hosted the popular TGIF, dancing classes and numerous other activities, it is now so successful that many organizations need to be turned away while others fight with space restrictions allowing only 165 of the 6000 graduate and professional students in the building at once; and

Whereas in addition to such problems, within the last year the Big Red Barn has repeatedly been closed for substantial renovations, and remains closed to this day; and

Whereas this has caused a significant disruption in social activities, many of whom cannot easily be held at alternative locations, or despite their obvious importance and popularity are now subject to cancellations (TGIF); and

Whereas the work currently underway on the Master plan for Cornell University recognizes the need for an enlarged Graduate Student Center; and

Whereas in the current capital campaign Graduate Student Life is not considered; and

Whereas renovation work is expected to allow a temporary reopening of the Big Red Barn for the next three to five years only; and

Whereas a long term vision for the campus including a Graduate Student Center some decades away thus neither solves the problems the Graduate and Professional Student Community faces today, nor will it solve the ones resurfacing in five years if the Big Red Barn is to be closed yet again;

Be it therefore resolved that the GPSA urges the administration in the face of the current emergency to recognize the importance of a new operational Graduate Student Center to continue on the successful path set out by the Big Red Barn in 1992; and

Be it further resolved that the administration make this recognition visible by creating a working group, which, as outlined in the GCI interim report, is “inclusive of representatives with decision making capability, [and] continues to meet on a monthly basis to bring together representatives/information from across campus” and which shall further be charged with the identification of possible sites and solutions for such a center, to be opened within the next five years; and

Be it further resolved that the GPSA recommends reaching out to Graduate Alumni to help fund such a center; and

Be it finally resolved that this resolution be sent to David Skorton, President of Cornell University, Alison Power, Dean of the Graduate School, Kent Hubbell, Dean of Students, and the members of the Graduate Community Initiative Task Force.

Respectfully submitted,

Joern Kupferschmidt
At-Large Representative
Graduate and Professional Student Assembly