Candidates for Pupil-Elected Trustee Focus on Coverage Plans on Gynecologists, Fundamentals Wants and Psychological Well being in Pre-Election Discussion board
5 scholar candidates for the undergraduate trustee place on the Board of Trustees mentioned their platforms and {qualifications} in a Wednesday, April 26 discussion board moderated by Solar editor-in-chief Angela Bunay ’24.
Annually, the Workplace of Assemblies holds an election for a scholar place on the Board of Trustees, the best governing board at Cornell. Undergraduate and graduate college students are every represented by one seat, held by a scholar for 2 years, elected in alternating years. This yr, the undergraduate place is open, which implies each the candidates and the citizens will consist completely of undergraduate college students.
The scholar who wins the place will maintain a two-year time period working from July 1 of this yr to July 30, 2025, the place they are going to take part in committees and maintain full voting energy alongside the opposite Trustees. In accordance with the 2023 Pupil Trustee Election web site, Cornell is among the many few establishments within the U.S. to permit their college students to carry such a robust place.
The Board of Trustees, headed by President Martha Pollack, serves as probably the most influential governing physique at Cornell — serving as the manager choice makers on all points of the College’s functioning, based on Cornell’s bylaws. The Board of Trustees is made from 64 members that embrace alumni, college students, school, Cornell employees, enterprise individuals, agriculturalists and the eldest descendant of Ezra Cornell — amongst others. With phrases spanning from two years to lifelong appointment, Trustees on the board approve the annual price range and monetary plans and make the ultimate name on all main College selections.
The yr’s eligible candidates are Andrew Juan ’25, Bahram Mehretu ’26, Audrey Pinard ’25, Veronica Lewis ’25 and J.P. Swenson ’25. A sixth candidate, Heily Gonzalez ’26, dropped out of the race this week.
In accordance with the 2023 election web site, candidates have to be a full-time undergraduate scholar registered in good standing all through their two-year time period.
Amongst different necessities, candidates should additionally petition for no less than 150 undergraduate signatures and attend the candidate discussion board. On the discussion board, candidates had been requested seven questions on expertise, relations with different trustees and the College, constituent wants and priorities for his or her time period.
Andrew Juan
Juan is a sophomore within the Brooks College of Public Coverage who’s working on a platform of enhancing well being, entry and spirit. He described his imaginative and prescient for a way the Cornell group can enhance entry to healthcare.
“Ever for the reason that pandemic, our era as a complete has misplaced a way of belonging as a result of we’ve all been separated for thus lengthy,” Juan stated. “Now that we’re all again collectively, we have to work to [foster] social connection. We have to carry again that sense of belonging. We have to be sure that each scholar at Cornell feels welcome and looks like they belong at Cornell.”
Juan particularly talked about that damaging perceptions of Cornell Well being discourage college students from searching for out help. He believes group engagement is the way in which ahead.
“The Board of Trustees wants to make sure that we enhance funding in direction of constructing social communities at Cornell by way of golf equipment, actions [and] athletics,” Juan stated.
As a way to do that, Juan stated he would draw on his earlier expertise in administrative our bodies. Juan is presently an undergraduate consultant on the College Meeting and a chair of the U.A. Campus Welfare Committee.
“I can be doing nothing extra than simply persevering with the work that I already do exactly on a bigger scale with the Board of Trustees,” Juan stated, “guaranteeing that I can steadiness what our institutional focuses are with the focuses and desires of the coed inhabitants.”
Bahram Mehretu
Mehretu is a first-year scholar within the College of Industrial and Labor Relations who hopes to deal with housing, meals and monetary insecurity at Cornell. He emphasised that guaranteeing primary wants are his prime precedence — and that he could be agency in demanding them.
“I consider that one of many largest points that we face on campus is primary wants and insecurities,” Mehretu stated. “These primary wants are considerably hidden from the bigger Cornell inhabitants, however these are insecurities that we see every day. We all know that college students aren’t on the meal plans, we all know that college students are struggling to seek out housing of their junior and senior yr [and] we all know that college students are combating their funds. That is due to an absence of centralization of sources, in addition to an absence of sources.”
Mehretu stated that he believes that the Board of Trustees ought to advocate for a central primary wants middle to spice up entry.
“Let’s home a monetary help workplace that may present different choices apart from excessive curiosity loans. Let’s present housing workplaces that may present you help to discover a property that isn’t predatory,” Mehretu stated. “Let’s give attention to creating meals depots the place college students can come and take meals privately, with out having disgrace.”
Mehretru additionally emphasised that he’ll advocate for scholar wants on different essential points like Title IX reform and psychological well being.
“I’d look to maintain [relations with the Administration] cordial and respectful, and on the identical time be agency on crucial points,” Mehretu stated. “On the subject of [mental health, basic needs and Title IX reform], amicability isn’t going to be my first intention. I can be getting in there with respect and cordiality, however I can’t be trying to give [the] Administration leeway or give directors grace in a few of these conditions, as a result of they’re too essential.”
Mehretu additionally emphasised a want to bolster psychological well being companies. As a way to obtain his targets, Mehretu stated he would draw on earlier management and advocacy positions in social justice organizations. He famous that these positions taught him to talk up and to compromise.
“Earlier than I got here to Cornell College, I used to be the manager director of a social justice group. Inside this place, I used to be assembly with politicians. I used to be assembly with town council and the mayor. I used to be assembly with the state senate and state representatives,” Mehretu stated. “In these interactions, I’ve discovered the abilities of when to acknowledge to compromise and the way a lot to compromise.”
Audrey Pinard
Pinard, a sophomore within the School of Engineering, needs to verify college students’ voices are heard within the choice making course of, and is advocating for improved sustainability efforts, equal alternatives and simplified misconduct reporting companies. Pinard defined how she believes Cornell’s psychological well being system is the biggest problem going through the College.
‘I positively assume we have now to deal with the psychological well being disaster on campus,” Pinard stated. “With the growing tutorial strain and stress ranges, college students are experiencing greater charges of tension, despair and in addition different psychological well being challenges.”
A psychological well being report of the 2019-2020 yr discovered that 42 p.c of Cornell college students had been unable to operate academically for no less than per week attributable to nervousness, despair or stress. This determine was up from 33 p.c in 2015.
Pinard referred to as for the Board to spend money on extra psychological well being sources, together with hiring extra professionals, increasing service availability and selling a campus tradition that values psychological well-being.
“I’d work to bridge the hole between the Administration and scholar physique by internet hosting conferences and creating alternatives for college students to share their experiences and supply strategies for enchancment,” Pinard stated. “Moreover, I’d push for the implementation of psychological well being applications and initiatives that prioritize the wants of marginalized and underserved scholar communities, akin to LGBTQ+ college students and college students of colour.”
Pinard additionally talked about her want to see extra sustainable efforts in school rooms, highlighting her work on current initiatives that included a recycling program for lab pipettes and a repurposing of extra supplies for dyes and make-up. Pinard additionally hopes to implement a murals and backyard committee.
As a way to obtain these targets, Pinard stated she’s going to draw on her expertise moderating and addressing scholar points as president of Toni Morrison Corridor final yr, and can give attention to open and trustworthy communication.
“I plan to ascertain open channels of communication with related directors to make sure that scholar voices are heard and thought of in essential decision-making processes,” Pinard stated. “I consider to find widespread floor and dealing collectively in direction of mutual options that profit all the Cornell group. Transparency and accountability are additionally essential to me, and I plan to commonly replace college students on my actions.”
Veronica Lewis
Lewis, a sophomore within the College of Lodge Administration, hopes to extend accessible transportation and promote fairness among the many scholar physique. Lewis defined that she believed well being care — significantly gynecological entry — is a very powerful difficulty the Administration wants to deal with.
“I consider that the most important difficulty at Cornell College is healthcare entry and that features each psychological and bodily healthcare entry,” Lewis stated. “We’ve feminine college students who’re receiving gynecological care so far as Rochester as a result of they can’t obtain it on campus, and will probably be exterior of supplier care and are available at nice expense to them — not solely monetarily, however by way of their class time.”
Lewis defined that in an effort to obtain this reform, she would preserve a agency but non-abrasive demeanor, noting that she significantly understands the best way to talk respectfully with the Administration as a scholar within the College of Lodge administration and the daughter of a school member. Lewis presently serves because the vp of exterior affairs and because the College of Lodge Administration consultant for the Pupil Meeting.
“I’ve seen how school members and college students work together with [the] Administration and have seen what works most successfully and speaking the wants of the scholars to them,” Lewis stated. “I’m not going to be getting in as a loaded gun, however as a hammer. I can be after all agency, however I can’t be explosive in nature and I’ll make sure that to advocate for the wants of the scholars whereas advocating on either side.”
Lewis additionally emphasised her want to implement a motorbike share program as a method to offer equitable transportation to all members of the campus group.
J.P. Swenson
Swenson is a sophomore in ILR and hopes to deal with entry to healthcare, communication between college students and directors and the inclusion of marginalized teams. Swenson defined that his expertise receiving psychological well being companies informs his give attention to enhancing these companies for college students.
“I’d say that the most important difficulty that plagues the many of the Cornell undergraduate inhabitants needs to be the entry to psychological and bodily well being companies by way of Cornell Well being,” Swenson stated. “I believe that — as an individual who has acquired companies from Cornell well being, particularly with the [Counseling & Psychological Services] program — it’s a lengthy and enduring course of that’s sluggish and takes quite a lot of ambition. And when somebody is down, it could be arduous to attempt to put all that effort in to obtain these sources.”
Ought to he be given a place on the board, Swenson stated he can be an advocate for college students combating psychological and bodily well being points.
“I wish to enhance and implement training for first-year college students as a result of quite a lot of first-year college students are simply thrown into Cornell,” Swenson stated. “In case your psychological well being and bodily well being is less than par, there’s no manner you may succeed as a scholar.”
Swenson additionally talked about a want to implement a motorbike share program on campus, enhance funding for membership sports activities {and professional} golf equipment, subsidize lunch payments and bolster range, fairness and inclusion programming. So as to take action, Swenson stated he’ll make himself accessible to college students with open Zoom calls and draw on his expertise as an undesignated at-large consultant for the S.A. to seek out widespread floor with different Trustees.
“I’m going to stay cordial and respect[ful], however I must put an emphasis on the scholars’ must enact change. By doing so, I hope to work with them to seek out out the advantages of each events,” Swenson stated. “I consider that’s the simplest method to obtain change… if the Administration thinks {that a} decision or change or proposal will profit them, they’ll be extra amped to go this decision and enact change. That change will in the end profit the scholars.”
Elections will start Might 1 at 10 a.m. and run till Might 4 at midday.
Allyson Katz ’26 is a Solar contributor and may be reached at [email protected].
Correction, April 29, 7:47 a.m.: A earlier model of this text incorrectly acknowledged that Andrew Juan was within the School of Human Ecology. The article has been corrected to mirror that he’s within the Brooks College of Public Coverage.
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