Student Assembly

Sponsored by: Natalie Raps ‘12, Roneal Desai ‘13

Whereas, the Cornell Board of Trustees contains faculty, employees, students and alumni who elected by their constituencies, and heavily values their contributions

Whereas, the Cornell Board of Trustees used to contain five student members amongst its 62 members until it was contracted in 1984, leaving only two student seats

Whereas, when the Board was expanded back to 64 members in 2002, student seats were not restored

Whereas, since 2006, when the two student seats were split between graduates and undergraduates, students in even-numbered class years have not had a fair opportunity to run for the Board, because they are required to run as freshmen, significantly disadvantaging them against their older peers

Whereas, improving the critical ability for students to communicate to the Board of Trustees would help the Board understand and improve students’ lives and the Cornell experience for all members of campus

Whereas, improving the ability for students to understand the rationale behind Board decisions would ease campus tension and promote a more productive campus dialogue for all involved

Be it therefore resolved, that the SA wishes to draw the Trustee’s attention to these standing issues with student representation.

Be it further resolved, that the Board Membership Committee consider solutions to these issues, including adding another student trustee to the Board

Be it further resolved, that the SA offers its assistance to the Board of Trustees in determining how students can be best represented on the Board.

Respectfully Submitted,

Natalie Raps ‘12
President, Student Assembly

Roneal Desai ‘13
Minority Representative, Student Assembly

(Reviewed by: Executive Committee, 9/28/2011)