Dear President Skorton,

I would like to communicate to you two resolutions which the GPSA passed.

Resolution 4 - Research Assistant and Teaching Assistant Stipend Difference

Many students had expressed dissatisfaction with the decision to not raise the minimum pay of research assistants to keep up with inflation even though teaching assistant stipends were being increased. With this resolution the GPSA is formally calling for the pay difference to be remedied as soon as possible. Further, there is a desire among many graduate students for greater transparency when these types of issues arise. Though Cornell does a good job of engaging with student leaders on a wide variety of issues, many feel that there should be more engagement with students as a whole. It is my belief that the shared governance system at Cornell would gain credibility if this engagement was extended to the assemblies in addition to assembly leadership.

Resolution 5 - Creation of an Ad Hoc Sustainability Committee

This resolution will form a new ad hoc committee to focus on furthering Cornell’s sustainability efforts. Specifically, the committee is tasked with increasing the number of laboratories and offices receiving the Green Lab or Green Office certification through the Office of Sustainability. Further, the committee will be tasked with organizing networking events for graduate students interested in sustainability efforts. Finally, this committee will interface with the Office of Sustainability on other efforts which help Cornell achieve its goal of carbon neutrality. It is my belief that in addition to passing resolutions the GPSA can take a substantial leadership role in furthering initiatives on campus. Achieving carbon neutrality is one such initiative, and I look forward to seeing the impact graduate students can have in furthering this goal.

Best,

Richard Walroth