To be truly representative of the student body, the Student Assembly must expand to include class-specific representatives.

The "First Amendment Clause," seen as an indirect response to President David Skorton’s reaction to the non-discrimination clause, was meant to reaffirm the First Amendment rights of Cornellians, but was tabled indefinitely after a lengthy discussion on Thursday.

To the Editor:

Re: “Reviewing the Reviewers,” Opinion, March 16

The SA’s passing of Resolution 29 poses serious concerns for the Cornell community, many of which seem to be overlooked.

The Student Assembly's recent formation of an ad hoc organizational review committee to begin consolidating overlapping student groups has its proponent and its detractors. Supporters of the committee, which will become officially active in Fall 2010, cite the move as an admirable attempt by the Student Assembly to more efficiently allocate resources. On the other hand, opponents of the committee see it as a waste of time and resources — a useless attempt to exercise power over previously functional and content student groups. While we agree that the S.A. should more efficiently allocate resources, we have reservations about several aspects of the committee. 

Today, Cornell students will get their best chance to glimpse into the future of the Student Assembly. At the Candidate Forum (5 p.m. in G76 Goldwin Smith Hall), candidates for each seat will present a brief statement about their platforms, then field questions about anything and everything the audience can come up with. Audience members should not be led astray by artificial campaign promises like ending budget cuts or tuition increases — these proposals fall far outside the S.A.’s sphere of influence, and are almost as useless as a resolution to improve Ithaca's weather. However, the S.A. is an influential body, and there are many questions its constituents can and should be asking to best ensure their interests are represented in next year's Assembly.

During yesterday's weekly meeting, the Student Assembly took steps to prevent discrimination in independent student organizations by passing a resolution which would extend full membership rights to all student members.

The Student Assembly demonstrated its opposition to the administration’s decision to eliminate Cornell’s Dutch and Swedish programs by passing Resolution 25 last week in support of maintaining both of these language programs. The University decided to fold both the Dutch and Swedish programs last April in the face of mounting budget constraints.

To the Editor:

Re: “The S.A.: Making Decisions to Whose Benefit?,” Opinion, Nov. 19

Thomas Jefferson, one of my personal heroes — and one hell of a legislator — once said, “Power is not alluring to pure minds.” If Jefferson were to sit in on some of the backdoor politicking currently going on in the Student Assembly, he would think that our minds are as dirty as a New Jersey sewer. Thus, when I evaluate the actions of the S.A., I like to follow the logic of a different politician: the ancient Roman judge, Lucius Cassius, who would repeatedly ask himself, “Cui bono?” which literally means “To whose benefit?”