Q&A With Student Trustee Ross Gitlin

Author: Hannah McGough

This year’s Homecoming was particularly special. A select group of magnates convened on campus to honor Cornell’s Sesquicentennial during what was the first-ever combined Trustee-Council Annual Meeting (TCAM). For Ross Gitlin ’15, this meant putting on a suit and accompanying some of Cornell’s most successful influencers to events of varying degrees of pomp. I sat down with the university’s youngest trustee to shatter superficial impressions of his role, and get a better sense of the ultra-confident student trailblazer behind the vote.

The Student Trustee receives many privileges—full voting power, connections, “supreme control” over the university (as simply stated by Cornell). Are these experiences the highlight of your job?

The opportunity to keep trying to make an impact on university policy is the highlight of my job. What is great about these events is that it gives you the opportunity to interact with board members and council members on a personal level, forging strong relationships that can only help the work that you do in connection with University matters.

Would you say you’re level with the other trustees? Are you taken as seriously?

A great thing about the the role of the student-elected trustee is that you are taken as seriously as any other trustee, and all the other trustees are constantly seeking your opinion. I think it’s remarkable that as both a graduate [trustee] and an undergraduate [trustee], your opinion is extremely valued.

Where I find I have the most impact is another question. I serve on four committees: the Trustee Community Communications Committee [which] deals with town-gown issues, the Committee on University Relations […which] deals with local, state, and federal issues, the Committee on Student Life, and the Committee on Academic Affairs. Additionally, I also recently served on the Presidential Search Committee, which selected Elizabeth Garrett as our 13th President. I am very grateful to have been able to serve in this capacity.

The committee in which you can have the largest impact as a student, I believe, is on the Committee on Student Life. In this committee, we discuss pertinent issues that have the potential to impact the entire student body. Throughout my tenure, I have sought to encourage discussion on key issues. I believe I have had the most impact in seeking to improve the health and well-being of our student body through initiatives that arise out of the Committee on Student Life.

What would these initiatives really look like? Can you give me an example of something students would recognize?

One initiative students would recognize is the newly formed organization, Cayuga’s Watchers. It is a newly incorporated, independent, 501c(3) organization, which seeks to reduce and mitigate the harmful effects of high-risk drinking. I believe Cayuga’s Watchers is one avenue to solve a significant problem — high-risk drinking —  that we continue to see on campus. The model has proven extremely successful at both Haverford, where they have the Quaker Bouncers, and at Dartmouth, where they have the Green Team. Since it’s inception at Cornell, Cayuga’s Watchers has also been extremely successful.

So this was something created outside the board of trustees that you brought in. What does it look like when you bring something to the board?

In the case of Cayuga’s Watchers, I practically said “Wow, here’s this innovative organization that is working to fix a significant problem that we are observing. It has proven successful already at these schools, we have a foundation here, and we should do everything that we can to support them.” When I present something, it’s because I’ve seen an issue on campus and [...] an avenue to improve it.

By presenting to the board, what is your desired effect—what can they provide?

The Board can provide [...] advice and guidance — and advice and guidance from the Trustees can be incredibly helpful.  [In regards to high-risk drinking], the Board can help determine and provide feedback on what other policies can be implemented to reduce the harmful effects of binge drinking.

I’d like to back up a little bit and talk more generally about being Student Trustee. The main objective of the Student Trustee is to be a representative of the student body, but also a member of the governing board. How do you represent the student perspective?

It’s a tricky idea. You’re elected by the students, but once you’re elected you’re a “fiduciary” as a member of the Board of Trustees. And what that means is that while I am a student and while I was elected by the students, I have to vote ultimately based on what’s best for the entire university.

I see my role as bringing the perspective of the student body to the Board. Each person on the Board has an expertise in a certain area, I would say that I have the expertise of living the student experience every day. I try to bring that understanding of the student experience to inform Board discussions and decisions. However, [...] if the majority of students say that we shouldn’t be raising tuition, it doesn’t necessarily mean that I should vote that we shouldn’t be raising tuition, because it may not be in the best interest of the entire institution.

And that’s obviously a hard place to be in. What are the challenges of trying to represent the students, but still agree with your fellow trustees? Do you find yourself adapting more to their way of thinking, or would you say it’s easy for you to think fully as a student and fully as a trustee?

It’s definitely an interesting dynamic. I’d say that based upon my perspective, I use my best judgement as to what will be best for the University in the coming year. It is not limited to what will be best for the students, it’s not limited to [what will be best for the] faculty, or any other constituency. I think the faculty and graduate trustees would give a similar answer — it’s not limited to your constituency, but rather you are challenged to think about what is best for the entire school. And Cornell is a dynamic institution with many different parts.

It is. How do you find yourself in a position where you can comfortably represent the entire student body when it is so diverse? You can only probably relate to a small fraction. Do you do anything to inform your stance on what the student view is?

Fortunately for me, I had the experience of serving on the Student Assembly for two years prior to being elected trustee. During my second year on the SA, I served as the Vice President of Outreach. The goal behind the Vice President of Outreach is to reach out to as many different students and organizations on campus to ensure that the SA is hearing everyone’s voice — that the SA understands every student’s perspective. I brought that experience into my current role as Trustee. I try to meet with as many students as possible — formally and informally. I take as many meetings as I can, but I also stay informed through the SA, where I can get a strong sense of various student’s perspectives and what students believe is important.

You have ample opportunities to get to know the student perspective. That’s not the case for other board members. I’m wondering if you’ve ever had to correct assumptions about the student body within meetings?

I wouldn’t say that I’ve ever encountered a situation where I’ve had to. The board is very knowledgeable about issues of student life.

How do they stay informed?

Trustees stay informed through reading the Cornell Daily Sun, through monthly updates, and through various other means. If there is ever a question about the student experience, Annie — the Graduate Student-Elected Trustee — or I are always happy to answer.

Could you recap your platform, and why you chose to run?

When I ran during my sophomore year, we created a comprehensive platform. My platform included ideas to address financial aid, health and safety, sustainability, diversity and inclusion, communication and accountability, and graduate and professional student concerns.

I first became interested in the position my freshman year. The student government had an info session, where Alex Bores ‘13, spoke about his role as a trustee. That’s when I first became interested. The SA provided an opportunity to learn about campus and student life and a vehicle in which I could have the opportunity to make a difference. What’s unique about [the SA] is that it provides about $6 million dollars of funding every two years to all the student organizations on campus, including Slope Media.

Oh yeah, $1.25 per student!

Which isn’t minimal!

No, we can do a lot with it!

And it was a great experience. But the SA provided a strong foundation for me to be successful in my current role as a trustee.

Your platform included everything from Diversity & Inclusion to Sustainability. Would you be able to line up each pillar of your platform with a real change we would all recognize?

One thing that is important to understand about the role of the Board of Trustees was best explained by Frank H.T. Rhodes, the [ninth] President of Cornell. He said this: in terms of the board and their role in relation to the administration, keep your noses in—know what’s going on—but fingers out. Trustees should not interfere with the management of the organization. So as a board member and even as a student trustee you’re supposed to provide strategic guidance, but not necessarily be too hands-on.

So you’re only movers and shakers in the sense that you’re providing direction.

Well, it’s more complex than that — I believe the Board provides invaluable help to the administration. We provide fiduciary oversight. At the same time, as a Board member it is not my job to interfere with the process of management of the institution. That’s why have incredible leaders in both President Skorton, Provost Fuchs, and their entire senior leadership team, but also in the incoming President-Elected, Beth Garrett.

The unique thing that the Student-Elected trustee can do is [...] get involved in initiatives on campus between Board meetings, because we are on campus each day. I’ve served on several committees in which I’ve found the issues that they are addressing to be very important. I’ve also sought to support organizations on campus because I believe this to be my role – seeing campus organizations that are doing important things and elevating them.

How do you elevate them? Could you give me some kind of example?

When I say elevate, I mean do everything I can to support them and ensure they can be successful. I can do this in providing an avenue for students to discuss issues with the administration — I can help bridge that gap. I can and often do serve as a liaison to the senior administration, in order to help specific causes or organizations that are doing important work. To give you two quick examples, over the last two years I’ve worked with the Every1 Campaign and Cayuga’s Watchers to ensure they have the funding necessary to be sustainable in the future.

How do you balance a position that is so time-consuming with being a “regular” student? How do you do it—do you have a special clock that gives you more hours each day? A clone that’s helping you attend all of these meetings?

I have a busy schedule, but I also look around me and some of the things that other students are doing, [and] the schedules that they have. Whether they’re a full time athlete, a musician, [or] running Slope Media, to me, it’s extremely impressive and also pushes me to work harder as well.

What a nice answer. Really though, how do you manage your time?

I learned to put everything down on a calendar. As a freshman I had a legal pad. Let’s say starting October 20th, [I’d say] these are the things I need to do by the end of the week, and then I’d start crossing them off as I completed them.

Do you have time to have fun? (We need to make sure you are a real person).

Yeah, I have time to have fun. Especially as a senior in which this is the last year I’ll be on campus, I have plenty of time to hang out with friends, to go out, to play sports.

One a scale of 1 to Hotelie, how often do you wear a suit during the school week?

Hotelies, how often do they wear a suit? Like once a week at least?

On Fridays (freshmen).

I don’t think most weeks I have to wear a suit. I don’t go to the various board meetings wearing a basketball jersey, but on a scale of 1 to Hotelie I don’t think I have to wear a suit as often as a Hotelie. There are concentrated periods where I have to wear a suit.

Like this past weekend.

Exactly, when I was in a suit from Wednesday until Saturday.

If the Gitlins are Jonas Brothers, who is who?

I have to say, I don’t know the names of the Jonas Brothers.

What? Do I need to give you the run-down? So we’ve got the oldest, Kevin: kinda shy, kinda like the one no one really loves, but if you had to choose him, a Jonas Brother is a Jonas Brother.

But no one really loves him?

No one is fanatic about Kevin.

Who are people fanatic about?

The middle one. Joe is the “fun” one, he’s the “hot” one, all the girls like him. Then people love the baby, Nick. The little one.

I guess the accurate thing would be that I’m a combination of the middle and the baby, and that both of my brothers are the ones that no one actually likes. (I’m hoping that they’ll read this.) I think we’d all hope that people find us—

To be teen rock stars?

—as people they can come to for anything.

As we wrap up the interview, I want to hear more about your perspective on the trustee role as you’re getting ready to leave it behind.

We’re the only school in the Ivy League to have a student trustee. Do you think having this role makes Cornell better equipped to make decisions?

I think that students are at the heart and center of the university. It is necessary and important to hear the student perspective before making any major decision about the strategic direction of the University. Many decisions have the potential to impact the student experience and the University is better equipped when they have trustees from different constituencies at the table.

How have you been able to stay unbiased?

I think over time I have developed a different perspective on campus life that I originally had because the lens that I now look at issues through is “how does this affect the entire university.”

I could describe the board’s role as [this]: we’ve approached the Sesquicentennial; the school has been around for 150 years. The board’s role is to ensure that we can be as successful in the next 150 years as we have been in the first [150].

So, a lot of forecasting.

It’s broad–level policies. It’s [planning for] 5, 10 years, not necessarily the next day.

Could your success in policy over the course of your years here have anything to do with the fact that you look like white Obama?

That’s an interesting thing…I’ve never heard that before. I admire President Obama so that’s a huge compliment, but do I think that I look like him? I don’t really know how to answer that.

As you approach the end of your term, anything else you wish to accomplish, or see the university accomplish?

I still have a ways to go. But as I do approach the end of my term, I want to get to work on pressing issues that our University continues to face. Including, high-risk drinking, sexual violence, and creating a more inclusive campus culture.

In the case of high-risk drinking, I want to push for additional education. You want more people calling [911] if there is every any doubt whatsoever about someone’s health. Both Cornell and New York State have medical amnesty. As we continue to educate people, you want to see an increase in calls, but less medical transports. If an ambulance comes, you hope that students will not be in such bad condition that they will need to be transported to the hospital. But if someone is transported, you hope that they the BAC — the blood alcohol content — is on average lower. We still have a ways to go, as do colleges across the country on many issues.

Will you be a trustee one day?

I don’t know. What I do know is that Cornell has had a very huge impact on me and I’m very grateful for the institution. If there is any way besides this that I can give back in the future, I probably will.

How will you bring what you’ve learned in the role into your future work?

The Board has to deal with really important issues, whether it’s discussing inequality (in ensuring college is affordable) or issues like sexual violence and high-risk drinking.

These are all issues that I think on a macro level in our country [...] need to be addressed. The conversations on the board, along with my academic studies, have only further informed me and made me conscious of things that need to be addressed.

 

And we’re confident he’ll “Git” it done.

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