Cornell Minority Program

Cornell's Student Assembly recently passed a resolution condemning a university decision which had limited the amount of academic services available to minority students through a special education program.

In addition, the resolution called upon the university's provost to reverse its actions separating the Learning Skills Center (LSC) from COSEP (Committee on Special Education Projects). Furthermore, it calls for the provost to reaffirm Cornell's commitments to affirmative action.

Vice Provost Larry I. Palmer told the assembly members he does not think the removal of the LSC from the jurisdiction of COSEP harms COSEP students or the COSEP program as a whole. "Our feeling was that this was an administrative decision," he said. "We think [the LSC] is more effective this way."

However, Louie Tobias, one of the assembly members who submitted the resolution, characterized the change as "fixing something that was never broken." He added that "taking away the academic arm of COSEP weakens the organization as a whole."

"It is now apparent to everyone that it is available," he said. "When we made the change, the publicity we wanted came about."

Tobias said the confusion about the availability of LSC services "could have been taken care of by publicity" alone. "We've traded in one public relations problem for another," he said.

Meredith Brown, the author of the resolution, said the separation of the LSC from COSEP "is more than an administrative change, it's a reflection of a nationwide trend to the right."

Lack of Student Input

Palmer defended the fact that the change was made without student input, saying that "we don't usually consult with students" on administrative decisions.

Lisa Brown, co-chairman of Black Students United, said "information on minority concerns should not only be directed to minority administration, but also to minority students."

Because the change had only been in effect for those months it was impossible to point to specific negative effects, Brown said. But she added that Cornell is shifting its concern about minority students "to a more superficia concern, if any at all."

After the meeting Tobias said that Palmer's statements reflect the University's growing belief that "minority students are no longer in need of the services that were provided in the put." --The Cornell Draft Sun