Student Assembly

Sponsored by: Narda Terrones ‘14, Juliana Batista ‘16, Emily Bick ‘13

Whereas, the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA), a United States federal law, provides $1.6 billion toward investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women, imposes automatic and mandatory restitution on those convicted, and allows civil redress in cases prosecutors chose not to prosecute;

Whereas, this updated legislation would service the LGBT community by providing programs and funding to victims of domestic violence regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation;

Whereas, the Student Assembly has previously advocated to prevent and eliminate violence against women and to increase support for victims of violence;

Whereas, the Student Assembly has advocated for LGBTQ inclusion and protection on the Cornell campus;

Whereas, this furthers the mission of protection all students on campus regardless of sexual identity, gender, socioeconomic class, race, and legal status;

Whereas, President Skorton has written letters in support of federal legislations to benefit the Cornell community;

Whereas, a number of Congressmen remain opposed to the Violence Against Women Act, due to elements extending protections to same-sex couples and provisions allowing battered undocumented immigrants to claim temporary visas;

Whereas, the decision made by our congressional representative greatly affects the life and safety of our fellow students;

Whereas, Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (SaVE) is part of the Violence Against Women Act that addresses sexual violence, dating violence, and stalking at institutions of higher education and increase awareness and prevention of these acts of violence by requiring transparency of information, systemic, campus-wide policies and procedures to address these crimes, prevention programs, and assistance for victims;

Whereas, if the Violence Against Women Act is not passed by Congress, SaVE is will not protect the Cornell community;

Be it therefore resolved, that Cornell aligns itself with the ideals of women’s empowerment, inclusion and diversity, and the protection of victims of violence despite sexual identity, gender, socioeconomic class, race, and legal status;

Be it further resolved, that the Student Assembly supports the efforts of all student organizations that are coordinating initiatives (including letter writing campaigns, phon-a-thons, etc.) related to the successful passage of the Violence Against Women Act;

Be it further resolved, that the Student Assembly calls on President Skorton to address a personal letter advocating for the Violence Against Women Act on Cornell’s behalf;

Be it finally resolved, that the Student Assembly calls on President Skorton to encourage the leaders of other institutions of higher learning to also support the Violence Against Women Act, recognizing its profound effect on college campuses across the country;

Respectfully Submitted,

Narda Terrones ‘14
Women’s Issues Liaison At-Large, Committee on Women’s Issues Chair

Juliana Batista ‘16
Freshman Representative At-Large

Emily Bick ‘13
President of Haven: The LGBTQ Student Union

(Reviewed by: Women’s Issues Committee)