The Student Assembly spent much of its Thursday meeting debating its proposed operating budget, with members clashing over whether the body should begin the year with money in its Special Projects Fund. The Assembly also advanced a resolution urging the University to provide employment guidance to international students amid stricter federal oversight, in addition to resolutions establishing member outreach requirements and Student Activities Funding Commission allocations.
Resolution 4: Approving the 2026-2027 Student Assembly Operating Budget
The most extensive debate concerned Resolution 4: Approving the 2026-2027 Student Assembly Operating Budget, authored by Vice President for Finance Christian Tarala ’27.
The resolution proposed setting the Assembly’s operating budget at $33,039.36, including $10,686.36 for an “Initiatives” account, a flexible pool of funding for Assembly-led student and community programming. It also set the Special Projects Fund, which allows student organizations to apply to the Assembly for funding for specific projects and activities, at zero.
Tarala said the decision reflected his belief that reviewing individual student organization funding requests should not be a central function of the Assembly.
“We are not a funding board,” Tarala said during the meeting. “It takes an incredible amount of time to fund relatively small amounts of money.”
Tarala said he hopes to work with the Student Activities Funding Commission, which distributes funding to student organizations, to support projects that might otherwise rely on the Assembly.
“Special projects is not our job,” Tarala said. “That’s SAFC’s job.”
Tarala emphasized that beginning the account at zero would not eliminate Special Projects. Organizations could still submit applications and the Assembly could transfer money from its reserves when funding requests arise.
Student Assembly President Eeshaan Chaudhuri ’27 similarly pushed back on suggestions that the proposal would eliminate a source of funding for student groups.
“Nothing is getting defunded,” Chaudhuri said. “This is just the starting amount in their balance.”
Several representatives objected, however, arguing that the budget should communicate the Assembly’s priorities even if funds could later be transferred.
Representative At-Large Christian Flournoy ‘’27 argued that the initial allocation still mattered because it set aside money specifically for student groups
“Budgets will always fluctuate,” Representative At-Large Christian Flournoy ’27 said, adding that he wanted to ensure “there is a pool of money designated for students.”
Members also questioned the decision to place more than $10,000 in the Initiatives account while leaving Special Projects empty. Chaudhuri said the Initiatives Fund would allow the Assembly to support projects of its own with fewer restrictions, including community outreach and campus engagement.
“I would love Assembly to do more with the Ithaca community this year,” Chaudhuri said, describing possible drives and outreach events to engage the broader student body.
Tarala added that prolonged fights over individual funding requests have distracted the Assembly from broader policy work in previous years.
“We will literally sit here for hours and hours on end arguing about whether some group will get a couple thousand dollars versus passing resolutions that will actually effect real change in our community,” Tarala said. “I really don’t think that that’s the best use of our time.”
The debate prompted several proposed amendments, including an effort to move $1,000 from the Initiatives account into Special Projects. Members ultimately voted 16-3-5 to close debate without passing the amendments, and the resolution will be voted on at the next meeting.
Resolution 2: Clarifying Practical Training Options for International Students
The Assembly advanced a resolution calling on Cornell International Services to provide more guidance for international students after the Student and Exchange Visitor Program announced increased oversight of a temporary employment program for students with F-1 visas. Guidance from the University states that the update “significantly narrow[s]” international students’ options for employment off campus.
Resolution 2: Clarifying Practical Training Options for International Students, focuses on Curricular Practical Training, which authorizes international students to work in internships and other jobs during their time as students.
The guidance from Cornell states that CPT will now only be approved for practical training that is embedded in the curriculum, required of all students for degree completion and supported by a formal agreement with the employee, potentially limiting students’ ability to use CPT for summer internships.
Among other questions, the resolution asks International Services to clarify whether students may qualify for CPT through degree-required internships, established co-op programs, independent studies, field studies or comparable academic arrangements.
It also calls on Cornell to provide guidance on alternative forms of employment authorization, including pre-completion Optional Practical Training. Unlike CPT, pre-completion OPT requires authorization from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and using OPT while still enrolled can leave students with less time to work under OPT after graduation.
The resolution asks Cornell to explain eligibility requirements, application timelines, processing times and how pre-completion OPT affects work authorization after students’ degree completion. It also asks International Services to coordinate with Cornell Career Services, college-level career offices and academic departments so international students receive consistent guidance.
“Internship recruiting for the following summer begins months in advance, and uncertainty about work authorization can affect international students’ ability to apply for positions,” the resolution reads.
The resolution will be voted on at the next meeting.
Resolution 3: Introducing a Mechanism for Ensured Engagement & Outreach by Members of the Student Assembly
Members also considered Resolution 3: Introducing a Mechanism for Ensured Engagement & Outreach by Members of the Student Assembly, authored by Vice President for Communications Alexander Walters ’28 and Chaudhuri.
The resolution would require each voting member to earn five points before the final meeting of each semester. Points could be earned through tabling, participating in Assembly communications, organizing events and other approved forms of constituent outreach. Members who do not reach five points would lose voting power and could face a vote to remove them from the Assembly after two weeks.
Walters said the system was designed to enforce outreach responsibilities already required of representatives per the Student Assembly bylaws.
“We’re going to be implementing a point system … to ensure that voting members of the Assembly are creating outreach and engagement events and doing their charter-mandated job of doing outreach to constituents,” Walters said.
Walters said the resolution intentionally avoids prescribing exactly how representatives should engage with students.
“We wanted to keep it pretty flexible,” Walters said. “Just as long as you’re doing some sort of outreach, we’re not going to mandate that you do it at a specific time in a specific place.”
The resolution will be voted on at the next Assembly meeting.
The Assembly also discussed Resolution 5: Removing Fixed SAFC Student Activity Fee Allocation Requirement, a measure to give future Assemblies more flexibility in distributing the Student Activity Fee, which will also be voted on at the next meeting.
Emma Spindler is a member of the Class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is a senior writer for the news department and can be reached at espindler@cornellsun.com.
