The Student Assembly passed a resolution stating that once the Cornell administration approves a performer, it cannot rescind their invitation “except as contractually allowed” during the Assembly’s final meeting of the semester on Thursday.
Passed with unanimous support, Resolution 58 seeks to leave the artist selection process in the hands of the Student Programming Council — which includes the Slope Day Programming Board — and prevents Cornell administrators from considering “the political viewpoints, affiliations and lawful political expression of prospective performers” when choosing artists. The resolution will be submitted to the University president for approval.
“At the very least I hope this [resolution] makes [the] administration consider their role in stifling versus uplifting student opinion,” said Student Assembly President Zora deRham ’27.
The resolution comes just eight days after President Michael Kotlikoff announced the rescission of Kehlani’s invitation to perform at Slope Day. In the announcement, Kotlikoff cited “grave concerns” from students about the performer, who Kotlikoff said had “espoused antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments in performances, videos and on social media.”
Kotlikoff stated that Kehlani’s performance therefore would have “injected division and discord into Slope Day.”
Submitted by Executive Vice President Adam Vinson ’25 and sponsored by 22 directors, officers and members of several SPC organizations, the resolution argues that increased University oversight in student-led programming is “antithetical to freedom of expression” and will erode trust between student organizations and the administration.
“The autonomy of our byline organizations is important,” Vinson told The Sun.
Selections Director Jen Grous ’25 and Executive Director Hannah Devine-Rader ’25 of the Cornell Concert Commission detailed to the assembly their experiences selecting performers. In one example, they described their process for selecting Mannequin Pussy — a politically vocal indie-punk band aligned with pro-Palestinan causes. Grous and Devine-Rader expressed fear that the University may censor future Cornell Concert Commission selections and prevent them from hosting similar artists.
At Cornell, publicly political speakers have often been welcomed. The resolution cites Josh Radnor, Jesse Williams and BJ Novak, among others, as politically forthright figures recently hosted by SPC organizations “without issue.”
The Assembly approved the resolution after approximately 20 minutes of deliberation. School of Industrial and Labor Relations Representative and Student Health Advisory Committee Chair Davian Gekman ’27 proposed removing lines 13 through 14 from the resolution, which recapped Kotlikoff’s decision to cancel Kehlani’s performance despite “the Slope Day Programming Board’s good faith selection in booking her.” This amendment was struck down.
The assembly did add a set of clauses at Line 44 of the resolution, which solidified its “democratic power” to allocate the millions of dollars raised by the $212 Student Activities Fee so that it represents the desires of the student body. The added lines also command the administration's respect for the shared governance system, including the use of SAF funds by student organizations through the Assembly.
As a result of the resolution, deRham would like to see the University apologize to student leaders for “having hard work and care go to waste.” She hopes that, moving forward, Cornell administrators have more active communication with student leaders who invite guests to campus.
Eric Reilly is a graduating senior from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He served as the Assistant Managing Editor on The Sun’s 142nd Masthead and News Editor on the 141st Masthead. He can be reached at ereilly@cornellsun.com.
Zeinab Faraj is the assistant sports editor on the 143rd editorial board and a member of the class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. You can reach her at zfaraj@cornellsun.com.
