WHEREAS, Cornell University receives hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal government for a variety of programs including:

• 1. $140 million in federal financial aid in 2011
• 2. $31 million in graduate research grants in 2010 primarily for direct stipend funding and tuition
• 3. $483 million in research grants in 2011 from the following sources:
  • a. National Institutes of Health (50% of Cornell’s federal funding)
  • b. National Science Foundation (29% of Cornell’s federal funding)
  • c. Department of Defense (5% of Cornell’s federal funding)
  • d. Department of Agriculture (5% of Cornell’s federal funding)
  • e. Department of Energy (<2% of Cornell’s federal funding)
  • f. NASA (<2% of Cornell’s federal funding)
  • g. USAID (<1% of Cornell’s federal funding)
• 4. $16 million for Cornell Cooperative Extension in 2011 from the following sources:
  • a. Smith-Lever ($8.9 million)
  • b. Expanded Food & Nutrition Program ($3.8 million)
  • c. Other programs ($3 million); and

WHEREAS, The Budget Control Act of August 2011 established spending caps as well as automatic reductions, called the “sequester,” that would cause a 9.4% cut in defense spending and an 8.2% cut in nondefense spending in the event that Congress fails to pass a budget; and

WHEREAS, Graduate and professional students rely, in part, on federally-funded William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan, the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan, and the Perkins Loan; and

WHEREAS, Graduate and professional students also receive fellowships which fund stipends and tuition while they conduct research; and

WHEREAS, Graduate and professional students participate in federally-funded research projects that form the basis of their graduate work funded by the various government agencies; and

WHEREAS, Graduate and professional students participate in Cornell Cooperative Extension research and outreach to help communities across New York State; and

WHEREAS, The education received and the research performed by graduate and professional students contributes to creating private and public sector leaders, advances fields of science and humanities, and provides the knowledge-based infrastructure to make the United States competitive on the global stage; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the GPSA calls upon Congress to pass a budget and avoid sequestration, as well as to maintain funding for higher education in the budget that is passed; and furthermore be it

RESOLVED, That this resolution enable the delegation of graduate and professional students traveling to Washington to advocate on behalf of GPSA and broader graduate and professional student community to members of the New York Congressional delegation; and furthermore be it

RESOLVED, That this resolution or a letter containing the relevant contents be sent to the offices of Senator Charles Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Congressman Maurice Hinchey, Congressman Tom Reed, and Congressman Richard Hanna; and furthermore be it

RESOLVED, That this resolution be sent to David Skorton, President; Stephen Johnson, Vice President for Government and Community Relations; Dianne Miller, Director of Federal Relations; Barbara Knuth, Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School; Elizabeth D. Moore, Chair of the Board of Trustees Government Relations Committee; and Kent Hubbell, Dean of Students.

Respectfully submitted,
Mitch Paine
President, Graduate and Professional Student Assembly

Nicole Baran
Executive Vice President, Graduate and Professional Student Assembly

Darrick T.N. Evensen
Graduate Student-Elected Trustee

David Bunck
Field Representative, Chemistry and Chemical Biology

Kyle Albert
Liason to the University Assembly