The Student Assembly Executive Committee passed resolutions on Thursday approving Special Projects funding requests for the Pan-African Student Association and TEDxCornell.
Resolution 26 approves $1,500 in Special Projects Funding to partially finance PASA’s annual fashion show, Afrik.
“Each year hundreds of attendees show up in their most stunning attire to cheer on student models, support local and outside fashion designers, experience revolutionary displays and representations of African cultures and enjoy being in community,” wrote George Rocco DeLorenzo ’24, S.A. vice president for finance, as part of Resolution 26.
According to Cornell’s Office of the Assemblies, Special Projects Funding is granted to projects, programs and services that further the goals of the S.A. or improve the quality of undergraduate student life.
DeLorenzo noted that Afrik is a celebration that displays the diversity of African cultures, and PASA wished to use the fund to improve their impact.
“[We are] hoping we can continue this tradition on campus,” Rhema Onyia ’24, a PASA representative, said.
The second resolution, Resolution 27, intends to fund TEDxCornell’s annual TED talk event in April with $3,000 of Special Projects Funding.
“TEDxCornell hopes to create an environment in which students and community members can discuss ideas and connect with great speakers and performers,” DeLorenzo wrote.
A representative from TEDxCornell, Vidya Balaji ’25 explained that because it is a nonprofit organization, funding is essential.
“TEDxCornell plans to make the event as accessible as possible by pricing tickets at $3, which is lower than last year. Additionally, TEDxCornell is posting the talks on their YouTube channel so that anyone can watch for free,” DeLorenzo wrote in Resolution 27. “For inclusion efforts, they have chosen a diverse array of speakers for our conference, ranging from Cornell students to speakers from Poland.”
Both of these resolutions have been conveyed to President Martha Pollack.
Elizabeth Gardner ’26 is a Sun contributor and can be reached at [email protected].