I’m deeply disappointed by the Assembly’s failure to remove Rep. Mulattieri from its ranks. The Cornell Student Assembly is the premier institution for Cornell’s student body. The reputation of the Assembly is derived from its members, and is applied by proxy to the student body at large. The actions that Representative Mulattieri has allegedly done to the women and girls of this campus reflect exceedingly poorly on this body and, by the same extension, the students of Cornell. As the charter does not define cause, we should interpret our powers of recall broadly, and try to repair the damage done to our reputations. We should have voted to remove Representative Mulattieri, not necessarily as an indictment of his character, but because we have a responsibility to protect and defend our image and uphold the legitimacy of this body. This did not occur, by a vote of 21-3 with 12 abstentions (24 needed to pass), and I think that this reflects a failure of the Assembly to maintain a position of legitimacy and good standing among Cornell’s students.
The Assembly does not have the authority to determine guilt, nor does it have the authority to prescribe justice. The purpose of this body is to represent the students of Cornell. Therefore, whether Rep. Mulattieri actually committed the crimes of which he was accused should not be germane to our decision, since we lack the resources to rigorously determine the truth. It is a fact that he has very publicly been accused of a highly contentious and inflammatory crime, and it is a fact that this body will suffer in the public eye pursuant to his not being removed. Although this is regrettable, this suffering is a real avenue for change, and I strongly encourage readers of The Sun to reach out to their representative on the Student Assembly and voice their opinions on this matter to them. It is not right that the women and girls of this campus should continue to be represented by a man who has so publicly been alleged to have engaged in sexual harassment, and the failure of the Assembly to defend these women and girls is deeply disturbing.
-Michael O’Donnell (Transfer Representative, ILR ’27), Mackenzie Barberis (Women’s Issues Liaison At Large, ILR ’26)