In yet another example of the tension between “intellectual diversity” and “universal inclusion,” Cornell is currently atwitter over some controversial behavior by the Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship. Last week, news spread that Chi Alpha had asked one of its student leaders to step down because of his sexual orientation. The student had apparently succumbed to his homosexual urges and elected to live in sin with his boyfriend. Jesus would not approve.

Cornellians have since come out in droves against Chi Alpha. At a Student Assembly meeting last Thursday, everyone from Chris Basil ’10 to Dean of Students Kent Hubbell ’67 spoke out against the Christian group, claiming that rights had been violated and homophobia essentially endorsed by an SAFC-sponsored organization.

Cornell’s president, vice presidents and deputy provost stepped out of Day Hall yesterday at noon and spent an hour amidst the hustle and bustle of Ho Plaza to speak with students on issues of diversity as part of a week-long event called “Day Hall Talks Diversity.”

Questions such as “Is the percentage of whites higher among faculty, staff or students?” and “What percentage of Cornell faculty are women?” were posted on colored signs to facilitate conversations with some of the top administrators, including President David Skorton, Vice President for Human Resources Mary Opperman, Vice President for Student and Academic Services Susan Murphy ’73 and Deputy Provost David Harris.

This article is the first of a two-part series that examines the controversy surrounding program houses.

The timing of the current review of the program houses on campus has aroused some controversy. Students have feared that with the University constantly on the lookout for means of saving money, the program houses might be deemed an unnecessary expense. Joseph Burke, the director of residential programs, acknowledged that while many would view the timing of the review as suspicious, he said that the review was planned before the economic downturn.

This is a critical time in the life of our University to recognize how far we have come in creating a diverse and inclusive community, but also a time when we must face squarely the long distance we still have to travel. In the wake of our commemoration of the 40th anniversary of The Straight Takeover, I feel compelled to elaborate on my commitment to diversity by sharing some thoughts about what we aim to achieve and how we will know if we are successful. I also want to alert you to some upcoming opportunities to engage the administration and other Cornellians on this set of issues.

As the Cornell community commemorated the 40th anniversary of the takeover of Willard Straight Hall this weekend, the question remains: How far have we come since the tumultuous spring of 1969? Four decades later, some facets of campus diversity have us concerned for the future of Cornell.

It is debatable what the takeover itself directly accomplished. Yet it is undeniable that the image of 50 to 100 black students emerging from the straight — armed with weapons, following a 33-hour occupation — caught the nation’s attention and shed light on the unequal representation of black students in institutions of higher education, particularly in the Ivy League.

“Where did we come from, and how did we get to where we live today?”

So read the flyer distributed by The Cornell Center for Comparative and Population Genomics promoting yesterday’s lecture by Spencer Wells, PhD., director of the Genographic Project at the National Geographic Society.

There were few empty seats in Call Auditorium in Kennedy Hall yesterday evening, where Ithaca residents and members of the Cornell community gathered to hear Wells speak.

“It’s great to see such a high turnout, especially on tax day,” Wells said. “I’m glad all of you aren’t off doing strange things with teabags.”

The music of Callbaxx a cappella resonated throughout Willard Straight Hall as the group performed at the James A. Perkins Prize award ceremony yesterday. The annual award is given to “the program or organization making the most significant contribution to furthering the ideal of University community while respecting the values of racial diversity.”Acceptance speech: President David Skorton pays tribute to Olivia Tai, who accepted the Perkins Prize award for MOSAIC.

A department has merged. A visual facility has been cut. A library is closing.

Across the pond, universities throughout the United Kingdom have either closed departments or are considering closing them due to a lack of funding.

Here’s my take on stereotypes: If you were to take the Taylor expansion of human behavior, stereotypes would be the zeroeth order term. They neither fail to take into account any variation within the group they label nor do they describe anything dynamic. But you have to admit, they’re often close to the mark.

The fact is, stereotypes are fun, and like amoral social scientists and OCD biologists, I occasionally enjoy a good-ol’ fashion exercise in taxonomy. So I want to talk about the stereotypes of the Cornell University gay scene. Every college or university has one, and within Cornell, each school has one, but are all gay scenes created equal? I think not.

On March 2, 2009 at a forum to discuss the Asian and Asian American Center (A3C), President Skorton, in response to a question about the future of program houses and safe spaces suggested that “program houses have to show enough interest to justify those expenses.” Skorton’s statement that students “should vote with their feet” is a popular argument used to hold students solely accountable for the future of their resources in a manner that absolves the University of its responsibility to preserve those resources. An issue as complex as program houses cannot be addressed with a dismissive attitude.