The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/author/meghnamaharishi/)
The Student Assembly appropriations committee unanimously approved byline funding on Tuesday for the Cornell Interfaith Council, giving the group funding for the first time since its inception in 2015.
The Student Assembly appointed Liel Sterling ’21, founder of Cornell’s ACLU chapter and a candidate for Student-Elected Trustee last semester, to spearhead the new Office of the Student Advocate on Thursday.
“For too long, all of you have felt unheard and your memories unacknowledged,” Cornell President Marth Pollack said in a speech at the event. “No one can take away the pain of what you experienced. But what we can do is hear your stories and become accustomed, become the custodians of your memories with this memorial, which will remain here in the heart of campus for as long as the University stands.”
Fifteen candidates spoke on issues ranging from mental health to laundry in the Memorial Room of Willard Straight at a candidates’ forum Thursday evening, hoping to successfully make their case to fellow students as Student Assembly elections near. Currently, the S.A. has five vacant spots — four for freshman representative and one for College of Arts and Sciences representative. There are currently 13 candidates running for freshman representative and two for College of Arts and Sciences representative. Previously open spots — transfer, LGBTQ liasion at-large and Art, Architecture, and Planning representative — were recently filled as each of the candidates for those positions ran unopposed. Noah Watson ’22 will serve as transfer representative, Tomás Reuning ’21 is the LGBTQ representative and Aram Cass ’23 is the AAP representative.
The Student Assembly unanimously passed a resolution Thursday to establish an Office of the Student Advocate, a student-run office which would provide counsel to students struggling to navigate Cornell’s administration.