At its Feb. 7 meeting, the undergraduate Student Assembly voted its support for Cornell's recently announced student aid policy. The assembly unanimously approved a resolution commending the university's "commitment in providing students an affordable education."

The new policy, effective next year, replaces need-based loans with grants for all undergraduates from families earning less than $75,000 a year, making it possible for new students to graduate debt-free. And within two years, students whose families earn under $120,000 will receive grants that will require them to borrow no more than $3,000 a year.

In its resolution, the assembly pledged to help "in efforts of support for Cornell's new financial aid policy."

In another action, the assembly amended its charter to provide for direct election of its highest officers. This puts the assembly, which currently selects its executive leadership in a private session, to start opening the election of its president and executive vice president to the entire student community in the 2009 spring election.

"We think that those who are to speak for the people are best chosen by the people," said Mark Coombs '08, the SA director of elections and a sponsor of the amendment.

This decision will also place Cornell's practice in line with other Ivy League universities, all of which select their undergraduate student government president by popular vote.