Cornell University President Martha Pollack announced her resignation at the end of June after facing months of campus turmoil, even though the race-focused agenda she imposed on the campus will continue unless the trustees intervene. The campus was engulfed in support for terrorism and anti-Semitic rhetoric after the Hamas massacre, leading to scrutiny from Congress and a decline in donations.
The intense race-focused initiative at Cornell, stemming from the death of George Floyd, marked a turning point for the campus. Pollack’s assignment of Ibram X. Kendi’s book led to a campus-wide anti-racism initiative with mandatory training and course work. The campus adopted a binary view of being either “anti-racist” or racist, with no middle ground, further dividing students and faculty.
The embrace of violence and anti-Israel sentiments on campus has been repeated in various forms since the initial crisis in October. Despite attempts to address the toxic atmosphere, including condemning calls for genocide, the root cause of the radicalization against Jews on campus remains unaddressed. The race-focused initiative has infiltrated almost every aspect of campus life, turning decolonization into a campus religion.
Efforts to add modules on antisemitism to the DEI agenda may not be enough to address the underlying issues and eliminate the group-identity focus needed to foster a more inclusive campus. Calls to remove the DEI initiative altogether and refocus on individual dignity without considering race or other identities have been made. The tactic of racializing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has worsened tensions on campus, creating divisions among students and promoting anti-Semitic rhetoric.
The Faculty Coalition’s list of demands post-October further exacerbated tensions by pushing for racial employment preferences and reevaluating Cornell’s relationship with The Technion in Israel, showing how the DEI initiative was used against Israel. Decolonization has become a common theme on campus, with anti-Israel groups forming coalitions against Israel, framing it as a common white enemy. The persistence of the DEI initiative needs to be addressed and reevaluated to prevent further harm and division within the Cornell community.
Overall, the DEI initiative at Cornell was a colossal mistake that cannot be solved by minor adjustments. The campus needs to remove the initiative entirely and shift the focus away from group identities towards promoting individual dignity. The administration’s continued support for the initiative risks perpetuating the harmful environment that has emerged on campus, leading to further damage and division among students and faculty.
