Student Assembly

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This page contains comments posted by members of the Cornell community pertaining to Public Relations in the Student Assembly. Before posting to this forum, please read the comments below to make sure that the information you are providing is pertinent to the discussion. Comments are especially valuable if they add new information or points of view.

Initial Findings

The Student Assembly’s reputation suffers at Cornell University. It is often the subject of attacks, both satirical and serious, in campus publications and amongst the student body. Historically, the Student Assembly, and the greater sense of undergraduate student governance, was a lauded concept by the administration. Elected student leaders provided keen oversight for the programs and policies that originated in Willard Straight Hall. It is essential that the Student Assembly fight hard to reestablish its reputation for honest work, and to engage in public service for the undergraduate community.

A primary charge of the Student Assembly is to recommend and allocate the Student Activity Fee, a component of undergraduate tuition. The fiduciary responsibility held by the Student Assembly requires that it be held to a high standard and subject to considerable scrutiny. It is equally essential, however, that the scrutiny leveled against the Student Assembly is grounded as opposed to purely speculative; various watch-dog organizations must be willing to evaluate the strength of their arguments in light of evident consequences should their accusations be incorrect.

The Student Assembly must employ all available means to effectively communicate with the Cornell community. The university administration must be willing to accommodate the Student Assembly’s requests for additional communication outlets if it expects its student leaders to remain dutiful to its charge.

Potential Solutions

1. The Student Assembly must employ the following forms of communication with the undergraduate student community:
   1. Assembly Viewpoint column in the Cornell Daily Sun
   2. Weekly Student Assembly updates in the Cornell Chronicle
   3. Brief segment on Thursday evenings with WVBR radio station
   4. Opt-out Listserve, beginning with the Class of 2012
   5. Once / semester newsletter-insert in the Cornell Daily Sun
   6. Student Assembly blog on the Student Assembly website
2. The Student Assembly must open all general body meetings and committee meetings to all members of the undergraduate community. The Student Assembly should no longer employ executive session.
3. All committee meetings of the Student Assembly should be recorded and uploaded to the Student Assembly website.
4. All typed minutes from full Student Assembly meetings should continue to be uploaded to the Student Assembly website, and their availability should continuously be publicized at Student Assembly meetings.
5. The Student Assembly should continue to maintain a small budget to cover costs for representatives’ initiatives.
6. The Student Assembly should conduct weekly office hours in Olin Caf� that are accessible to all members of the undergraduate community. Dean Hubbell or another leader from the Dean of Students Office can be present for these weekly sessions.

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