Student Assembly

Sponsored by: Roneal Desai ‘13, Stephen Breedon ‘14, Sasha Mack ‘13, Sasha Mack ‘13, Kathy Zoner

Whereas, the Student Assembly (the Assembly) has the ability to make recommendations to the President of Cornell University;

Whereas, the Cornell University Police Department (CUPD) is accountable to the President of Cornell University;

Whereas, various members of minority communities on campus have expressed a sentiment of distrust towards the CUPD;

Whereas, a tension between any students and the CUPD poses a serious safety hazard to all students;

Whereas, students should be assured that there is not a racial disparity between investigated suspects of on campus crimes;

Whereas, the CUPD must uphold its mission statement of enforcing campus regulations in a “fair and impartial manner” and “foster a safe and secure environment” for all Cornell Students;

Whereas, the CUPD has devoted numerous resources towards addressing student concerns such as these, including regular external audits and the use of the Public Safety Advisory Committee;

Be it therefore resolved, that the Student Assembly recommend that the President of the University request the CUPD formally continue to annually reevaluate their Racial Profiling Prohibition policy and preliminary investigations guidelines and their execution in complaints that were recently brought to it and consider changes that would help alleviate student doubt regarding racial equality, which would possibly include more stringent training on identification and comparison of complexion, height, weight, and other not readily changeable descriptors;

Be it further resolved, that the Assembly request the CUPD to formally present at a future SA meeting any substantial problems they identified in recent cases, any changes made to the protocol as a result, and an overview of the current audit process to ensure that it clearly avoids acts of bias or discrimination;

Be it further resolved, that the Student Assembly staffs a member of its Safety Taskforce to attend the Public Safety Advisory Committee.

Respectfully Submitted,

Roneal Desai ‘13
Minority At-Large Representative, Student Assembly
Co-Chair, Joint Assemblies Multicultural Committee

Stephen Breedon ‘14
Hotel Representative, Student Assembly
Co-Chair, Joint Assemblies Multicultural Committee

Sasha Mack ‘13
Co-Chair, Black Students United

Kathy Zoner
Chief, Cornell University Police Department

(Reviewed by: Joint Assemblies Multicultural Issues Committee, 9/27/2011)