Student Assembly

I would like to formally communicate to you Resolutions 54 & 55 from the Student Assembly.

Resolution 54: Eliminating Barriers of Use for the TCAT is a recommendation to Transportation Services. The resolution seeks to have Transportation Services allow individual TCAT rides to be billed directly to a student’s CornellCard or the Bursar using the current ID card system. This recommendation comes at a time when the University Assembly is looking to find a solution to the budget shortfall that the TCAT system faces. Among the discussions of many solutions that the UA will likely submit in a separate resolution, this was one of the items that the undergraduates supported. The measure passed unanimously in the SA, with many citing that the main reason that they do not ride the TCAT is because they do not carry the $1.50 needed for a ride, and the bus drivers cannot make change.

Resolution 55: Restorative Justice for the Cornell Community is an act of legislation. The resolution seeks that a restorative justice approach for addressing particular bias incidents is adopted as a compliment to the current bias reporting system and conflict resolution services offered by the Ombudsman and the Judicial Administrator. The resolution comes at a time when the SA has been actively seeking a way to address bias in the Cornell community, particularly when such incidents cause large disruptions to the public. Many individuals and groups are left feeling hurt, but have no recourse under the current system. The restorative justice approach being sought by the sponsors seeks to encourage dialogue about the incidents with the parties involved and those who were impacted by the incidents. The approach has been in early development stages for some time by Assistant Dean of Student, Kiran Longaker, and the SA is of the belief that the time is appropriate to implement such an approach. The resolution details the particular elements for further developing this approach.

Both resolutions are attached for your reference.

Regards,

Ulysses