Student Assembly

Dear President Skorton,

I would like to formally communicate Student Assembly Resolution 45, “Fostering a United Student Body,” sponsored by S.A. President-elect Ulysses Smith, S.A. Co-Chair of Committee on Inclusion and Diversity Initiatives Oscar Correia, S.A. Greek Tri-Council Liaison Juan Carlos Toledo, S.A. Vice President of Outreach-elect Juliana Batista, S.A. Vice President of Public Relations-elect Ian Harris, Former Facilitator of Cornell Asian Pacific Islander Student Union (CAPSU), Wei Yang, and myself.

The resolution encourages student organizations to implement diversity and inclusion initiatives into their activities, similar to Toward New Destinations. The plan asks student organizations to come up with diversity and inclusion initiatives based off three principles: composition, engagement, and inclusion. The plan aims to encourage student organizations to take specific steps to offer involvement, participation, and membership to all communities on campus, ensure that students of all identities and backgrounds experience the full range of student activities on campus and cultivate an environment in which students feel welcomed.

United Study Body recognizes that each student organization is different and therefore it does not mandate specific initiatives. Rather, the plan gives students flexibility and guidance in determining which initiatives are best for their own organizations.

S.A. members believed that the university’s emphasis on diversity and inclusion through the Toward New Destinations plan should not end on an institutional level and it should be incorporated into student activities as well. S.A. members believed that United Student Body will provide students with a framework to bring students together across difference.

Some students were concerned that implementing a plan for every undergraduate student organization would be too difficult, given that there are approximately 700 undergraduate student organizations. However, the plan outlines that it would be implemented gradually over the course of a few years. The plan would only apply to approximately 40–50 organizations during the first year.

I have attached Resolution 45 and its appendix for reference. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best,
Adam