Whereas: the Cornell faculty welcome students with diverse backgrounds from across the globe to pursue world-class education opportunities without obstruction on the basis of legally protected status;

Whereas: the Cornell Faculty Senate affirms that freedoms to engage in research and scholarship, to teach and to learn, to express oneself and to be heard, and to assemble and to protest, peacefully and lawfully, are essential to the function of the university, even for ideas some may consider wrong or offensive;

Whereas: faculty, students, and staff of Cornell University are entitled to due process, according to Cornell policies, with clear and fair procedures to draw conclusions and inform decisions at times when allegations of misconduct, harassment, and/or discrimination places them in potential violation of Cornell policies;

Whereas: a functioning university depends on the transparency, trust, clarity, consistency, and cooperation that derives from shared governance, where faculty have access to information, involvement in matters of concern to them, the authority to examine these issues and make recommendations, and to question all sanctions (dismissals, warnings, reprimands, course cancellations, etc.), as “guardian[s] of academic values against unjustified assaults from its own members,” per the the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) recommendations;

Be it therefore resolved that the Faculty Senate create a procedural reporting and attestation tool that can be used to inform Faculty Senate deliberations and resolutions as a part of shared governance. This attestation tool will inform the Senate about whether core elements, processes, and outcomes of disciplinary cases were followed, in a way that does not violate complainant and respondent confidentiality, for members of the Committee on Academic Freedom and Professional Status of the Faculty (AFPSF). This tool will require committee members to attest that processes and procedures were followed and it will allow for the reporting of any irregularities.

Draft resolution proposed by:

Bryan L. Sykes, Senator, Brooks School of Public Policy
J. Nathan Matias, Senator, Department of Communication

Faculty Senators Supporting this Resolution (in alphabetical order)

Ken Birman, Computer Science
Michelle Crow, Arts and Sciences College RTE
Chris B. Schaffer, Biomedical Engineering

Faculty Supporting this Resolution

David Bateman, Government and Public Policy
Shannon Gleeson, Global Labor & Work
Dan Hirschman, Sociology Drew Margolin, Communication