THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Friday, April 18, 2014 3
NEWS
Cornellians Form Ad Hoc Student Assembly ASSEMBLY
hear their concerns. “You have a special privileged relationIsraeli occupation of Palestine” — at last ship with the Student Assembly because week’s S.A. meeting, the Ad Hoc Assembly they are elected to speak on behalf of the stuwas comprised of students from across cam- dent body, but last week they failed to speak pus who demanded the S.A. remain on behalf of the entire student body,” Bailey accountable to its stated purpose of protect- Dineen ’15 said to Skorton. President Skorton responded to Dineen ing the interests of the student body. With its own agenda in hand, the Ad and other students who asked him not to give his scheduled statement to Hoc Assembly interrupted S.A. President Ulysses Smith ’14, as Visit cornellsun.com the S.A. “If we’re not going to talk he began presenting the first for a video of with each other, you’re doing item on the S.A.’s agenda. In Thursday’s Student the same thing to me that you’re what many called a “preAssembly meeting. accusing others of doing to planned” maneuver, Smith you,” Skorton said. motioned to yield the room to Smith was unable to gain control of the the Ad Hoc Assembly. With a vote of 19-21, the assembly agreed to overrule its stand- room and allowed the Ad Hoc Assembly to ing agenda until Skorton and Murphy’s continue with their closing statements and added Skorton and Murphy to the open mic scheduled arrival at 5:30 p.m. “In this very building 45 years ago, stu- list, which limited open speech to three mindents demanded representation and were utes per person. “Some of you have reached out individugiven the S.A., which has become a group of politicians who are afraid of politics, a demo- ally to us, asking us how you can fix the sitcratic institution that is afraid of conflict, rep- uation,” Anna-Lisa Castle ’14 said in the resentatives who are terrified of their own con- closing statement. “We do not want to be stituents,” members of the Ad Hoc Assembly fixed. … There is no one who you can negotiate with, with whom you can politik out of group read from their opening statement. Items on the Ad Hoc committee’s agenda your present dilemma. We want institutionnot only included a presentation of al accountability from the S.A.” Responding to comments made in the Resolution 72 but also topics such as the recent funding cut from ALANA — closing statement and by two initial speakers Cornell’s multicultural umbrella organiza- in the open-mic, Skorton reiterated his comtion; the University’s proposal to stop offer- mitment to hearing students through email ing free TCAT bus passes to first year stu- or during his weekly office hours — held dents; and multiple tuition increases in the immediately before the S.A. meeting. “All I can say is that I think the key problast five years. Skorton and Murphy arrived at the meet- lem I’ve been observing during the last week ing just as the Ad Hoc Assembly was reach- or so ... is that we have not yet learned how ing the closing remarks and open mic por- to talk with or listen to each other across this tions of its agenda. Rather than return campus,” Skorton said during the open mic. power to the S.A. as previously agreed upon, “We haven’t learned how to talk within the members of the Ad Hoc Assembly urged student body, between faculty and students Skorton to forego his time with the S.A. to or among the faculty.” Continued from page 1
Murphy echoed Skorton’s sentiments nerstone of most of the successful social jusand added that it is necessary for faculty and tice movements that have come to pass,” he students to participate in the process of said. shared governance. However, the end of the meeting left lin“I will take a role in trying to structure gering questions about the state of the opportunities, if you want to debate the Assembly moving forward and the power of content of a particular issue,” Murphy said. students to affect change at the University “If we want to spend time talking about the level. process, about how we talk about difference, In an interview after the meeting, Smith you have my commitment to that.” said he remains uncertain about any similar S.A. Vice President of Finance Geoffrey events that could ensue at next week’s meetBlock ’14, who motioned to table ing, but that the Assembly will work to Resolution 72 last week, said he was disap- include more voices in their decision making pointed in the outcome of the meeting process. “I think that group brought up a lot of because he felt it was ineffective. “We heard a lot of sentiments that were valid points and the reality is that most of already known and we didn’t have time for the assembly members are working on those dialogue between the parties,” he said. “We same things,” Smith said. “There is a huge problem with commuhad the time to interact [with Skorton and “If we’re not going to talk nication in terms of working to get people Murphy] but spent a lot of time arguing with each other, you’re doing involved … I think we back and forth.” the same thing to me that can start doing a better job of making ourselves Many students takyou’re accusing others of a lot more available for ing part in the Ad Hoc doing to you.” students and hopefully assembly, however, said going forward will be they were satisfied with President David Skorton able to more respectfulthe outcome. ly address the concerns Castle, one of the organizers of the Ad Hoc assembly, said she that students have.” she thought the meeting went well. Lubabah Chowdhury ’14, co-sponsor of “We were able to create a platform for Resolution 72 and member of Students for those who are underrepresented, for those Justice in Palestine, said the meeting has left who feel short-changed, and for those who her “cautiously optimistic” and that she truly want a reinvigorated form of student would like to continue working with the S.A. democracy,” she said. “Now it’s time to find “Now we’ve established ourselves on a way to move forward, with or without equal footing [with the S.A.] and I feel like cooperation from the Student Assembly.” I’m much more comfortable with talking to Betrearon Tezera ’14, who participated in [S.A. members],” she said. “I look forward the assembly, also said the meeting was suc- to working with them and to demonstrate cessful. what dialogue really looks like.” “I felt a very vibrant commitment to not simply upholding ‘the democratic process’ The Sun’s News Department can be reached but also civil disobedience, which is a cor- at news@cornellsun.com.
C.U. Community Remembers 45th Anniversary of Straight Takeover By NOAH RANKIN Sun City Editor
On Thursday, students gathered at the Student Assembly claiming that their voices are not heard on various campus issues. Nearly 45 years earlier — when racial tensions were running high — a group of students took over Willard Straight Hall for similar reasons. Various student groups organized the 45th anniversary event of the Willard Straight Hall Takeover — including the ALANA Intercultural Programming Board, Black Students United, the
Student Union Board, the Interfraternity Council and the Student Assembly. The event will be held in Willard Straight Hall with students hoping to take an extra step in commemorating the Takeover by challenging misconceptions and “changing the narrative” of the event, according to Olivia Obodoagha ’15, president of ALANA. “There [are] a lot of misconceptions about the Takeover, [including] that it’s a day that’s only for black students, that it’s something that was chaotic and violent,” Obodoagha said. “We really wanted to focus on the fact that that
RICHARD A. SHULMAN / SUN FILE PHOTO
Expelled | On the morning of Saturday, April 19, 1969, after then-unarmed black students had occupied the Straight, a dozen whites, mostly from Delta Upsilon fraternity, entered the Straight through a side window. The whites later said that they had only wanted to talk with those inside, but the blacks regarded the entrance as an invasion. The whites were forcibly evicted by the occupiers through the same side window; their exit was accompanied by a large metal ashtray (seen mid-air at upper right).
wasn’t the complete story. We’re really trying to focus on the narrative as opposed to stereotypes about the day.” According to Obodoagha, “changing the narrative” refers to bringing the conversation to the several student groups that were implicated in the event — not just the occupiers of the building — and how they have been shaped by the Takeover up to the present day. “Our approach was to bring in groups that people wouldn’t normally think are associated with the Takeover,” Obodoagha said. “Historically, we’ve done the [commemoration] strictly with BSU and ALANA. So while we wanted BSU to maintain the integrity of their event and the tradition, we wanted to use this as opportunity to find intersections of how this event affected everyone.” Cameron Pritchett ’15, president of the Interfraternity Council, said the anniversary presents an opportunity for the Greek system to “reflect on the progress” of the last several decades. “If you think back to 45 years ago and beyond, some people in the Greek system weren’t on the right side on a lot of these issues that have to do with race and integration and supporting different diversity efforts,” Pritchett said. “This [anniversary] is just a reminder that we need to keep working every single day to make sure that any person on this campus can feel comfortable and at
RICHARD A. SHULMAN / SUN FILE PHOTO
Best friends? | Afro-American Society leader Eric D. Evans ’69 and Students for a Democratic Society co-chairman C. David Burak ’67 share smiles with University President James Perkins on Wednesday afternoon, April 23, 1969 in front of a crowd of 8,000 in Barton Hall. Perkins arrived after the University faculty voted to nullify penalties issued by the campus judicial system against three blacks, as had been demanded by 10,000 students occupying Barton on Tuesday evening (see photo caption on Page 5).
home in the Greek system.” According to Andrew Newman ’14, executive director of the Willard Straight Hall Student Union Board, another key effect of the Takeover is that it served as the catalyst for the current level of student governance at Cornell. “[People] hear that students took over the building, they kicked parents out over Parents’ Weekend and eventually they gave back the building,” Newman said. “They don’t talk about the document that was signed, or that the intent of that document was to give a student voice on campus.” According to Newman, the modern incarnations of the Student Assembly, the Student Union Board and the office of the Ombudsman were all formed in subsequent years as a result of the
Takeover, as previous student governmental organizations had been largely powerless in making student voices heard by faculty. According to Yamini Bhandari ’17, freshman representative for the S.A. and a co-host of the event, the anniversary serves as an opportunity for remembering that the S.A. was created directly from a time when students felt voiceless on campus — an issue especially relevant given recent student action. “Obviously [the S.A.] is a product of the Takeover, and I think this commemoration is very eyeopening for us because it’s a lot about what our core principles are,” Bhandari said. “Sometimes we get stuck in the nitty-gritty of See REACTIONS page 4