Student Assembly

Dear President Skorton,

I would like to formally communicate Student Assembly Resolution 22, “Orientation Safety Education program,” sponsored by S.A. At-large Representative and Student Safety Task Force Chair Anisha Chopra, Vice President of Internal Operation Melissa Lukasiewicz, Women’s Issues Representative Narda Terrones, and At-Large Representative and Student Health Task Force Geoffrey Block. This resolution passed at last week’s meeting.

The resolution calls for the creation of a comprehensive education program regarding personal health and safety to be a part of First Year Orientation. The education program could include components about about consent, sexual violence, high-risk drinking and New York State and Cornell’s Good Samaritan law, mental health, and diversity, among others. These topics would be addressed in a variety of settings and will be followed up later in the semester by a conversation with students’ Resident Advisers.

The Student Assembly believed that although Orientation currently has programs in place that seek to address safety topics, they could be improved if they were unified and part of one program. S.A. members also believed that an education program of this nature will help mitigate increasingly prevalent issues on campus through improving awareness regarding personal health and safety, as well as promoting active participation in a campus culture of safety, community, and equality.

The sponsors of the resolution have met with Sarah Jones, Assistant Dean of Students for New Student Programs, as well as the student leader of Orientation Steering Committee, Kevin Tobin. Both Sarah and Kevin have expressed their support and they plan to work with the resolution’s sponsors to begin discussing and developing such a program. S.A. members also plan to reach out to other members of the administration, especially staff at Gannett, to assure that the program would align with the university’s approach and comprehensive framework to health and safety issues.

I have attached Resolution 22 for reference. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best,
Adam