Heard at Cornell is a column that regularly quotes important statements made by Cornellians. This excerpt is taken from the Comments of the Concerned Alumni, authored by Robert Platt Esq. ’73, JD ’76 and Elias Lehrer, ’98. Mr. Platt is a former trustee. The statement was posted to the comment section of UA Resolution 7: Right to Protest, which is scheduled for consideration today.
It was unnerving seeing a crowd of Cornell students, some of whom I have sat next to in class, call for the destruction of the only Jewish country in the world. Yet, as the local Hillel students said, the rhetoric was “shocking, but unsurprising.”
Unfortunately, Cornell has instead enacted a complicated and much-misunderstood enforcement mechanism under Title IX and Cornell Policy 6.4 that regulates all communications between students — online, face-to-face, in classrooms, in the dorms, outside, and even off-campus.
The SA has embarrassed itself, students, and the university in national media, and the attempts by the resolution’s sponsors to spin the criticism as “misrepresentation” aren’t making them look any better.
With more American flags, not only will Cornell’s student body be more unified in identifying with the nation which provides them all the opportunities they currently hold, but we will also be reminded of the contributions we have made to the national identity.
Resolution 31 is an embarrassment, particularly for students. In fact, this debacle is only an embarrassment for Cornell insofar as how poorly it reflects on the caliber of Cornell students. Cornell students, if the Student Assembly is to be believed, would give up their freedoms—to learn, listen, speak and engage—to avert even the slightest discomfort.
Ithaca-based institutions have met the financial needs of the community for 150 years without relying upon “hot money” that can get caught up in unprecedented bank panics. Tried and true approaches can finance the Ithaca Green New Deal just as they met past challenges.
It once had tennis courts where Noyes Recreation Center now stands and a field that was affectionately named the “dust bowl” because it was so well used for various sporting activities. There were also volleyball courts and a basketball court between Founders and South Baker Halls. All of this was scrapped during the 2001-2005 construction of the West Campus House System.
This organization is a registered student organization of Cornell University