Student Assembly

Whereas, the Student Assembly Charter does not specifically enumerate those seats designated for underrepresented constituencies, and

Whereas, the positions of Minority Representatives, International Representative and LGBTQ Representative have become an integral and irreplaceable part of the SA, and

Whereas, enshrining these positions in the SA Charter demonstrates a credible institutional commitment to the advancement of these underrepresented constituencies,

Be it therefore resolved, that Article 3, Section 1 of the Student Assembly Charter, titled “Composition,” hereby be amended to read as follows:

The SA will consist of 23 voting members who are registered undergraduate students at Cornell University. Eleven voting members of the SA will be elected by and from the student populations of the colleges and schools, one from each: the College of Architecture, Art and Planning; the School of Hotel Administration; the College of Human Ecology; and the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Two each shall be elected from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Engineering; and three shall be elected from the College of Arts and Sciences. In addition, eight voting members will be elected at-large by and from the University undergraduate student population as a whole: two at-large seats are to be reserved for candidates seeking the offices of President and Executive Vice President of the Student Assembly and must be explicitly designated as such; four at-large seats are to be reserved for candidates seeking to represent constituent groups of students determined by the Student Assembly to be underrepresented, two of which shall represent minority students; one of which shall represent international students; and one of which shall represent the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer community. Four shall be elected by and from new students entering in the fall. The SA may allocate not more than two of its eight at-large seats to any one constituent group (or groups) of students which it determines to be underrepresented. Should the Assembly determine to allocate a seat or seats to specified groups of students, such allocation shall be in accordance with procedures promulgated by the SA and contained in its procedures and/or bylaws. Should there be no candidate running for a given seat, the seat shall be considered vacant. The seat will be filled, under Article 3, Section 4, after the newly elected SA takes office.

Respectfully submitted,

Matt Danzer ‘12
LGBTQ Representative at-Large
Student Assembly