After a semester of debate over free speech and suspensions of student activists, Interim President Michael Kotlikoff, Dean Marla Love and Dean Michelle Van-Ess held a town hall- style meeting with members of Black Student United Friday evening . BSU members leading the event presented questions to the administrators based on submissions to a Google Form.
The meeting followed outrage from BSU regarding statements made by Vice President of University Relations Joel Malina during a private Hillel Zoom meeting. In the meeting, Malina told Jewish parents that “if there were a faculty member that invited a KKK representative to speak or a student group that invited a KKK representative to speak, yes, we would allow that.”
Malina later clarified his statement in a Sun Letter to the Editor. While he deemed the KKK “abhorrent” and said the analogy he made in reference to the group was “terrible” in the letter, he did not officially apologize, a point brought up on Friday.
This lack of apology was publicly criticized by BSU, and prompted a central question raised by several students during the BSU Town Hall meeting: “Why was there never an official apology or acknowledgment of wrongdoing made on behalf of the University?”
In response, Kotlikoff referenced Malina’s clarification statement saying that it was a “bad analogy,” and explained that Malina was trying to describe the University’s commitment to First Amendment rights.
Students also raised questions on the suspensions of student protesters. One speaker in the audience, graduate student Amandla Thomas-Johnson, was subject to sanctions that confined him to his place of residence as a result of his participation in the Statler Hall career fair protest. Thomas-Johnson expressed frustration with the lack of evidence or explanation that had been presented to him at the time of his suspension, as well as the terms of his sanctions, which he described as a “house arrest.”
“How can you live with yourself while doing that to Black people at this University?” Thomas-Johnson asked the administrators. “Do you think that is a fair and proportionate response to people peacefully protesting against the slaughter of innocent people?”
In response, Kotlikoff explained that nobody had experienced sanctions for peaceful protest, even those who violated policies — such as volume constraints by using megaphones. Kotlikoff differentiated peaceful protest and campus “disruptions,” stating that only students who had been “disrupting” the community — with actions such as breaking windows, shutting down a career fair or pushing past police — experienced sanctions.
“We’ve tried to say, ‘Full support for First Amendment rights, full support for you to protest and express your political opinion about what’s going on in Gaza — But when you start to infringe on other people’s rights, that’s where we have to get involved’” Kotlikoff said.
Admissions and affirmative action were also a prime concern for the BSU community. Director of Undergraduate Admissions Pamela Tan and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Lisa Nishii, who sat in the audience, helped answer questions about the effects of the Supreme Court’s July ruling that banned affirmative action.
“We too are very concerned about the impact of the Supreme Court ruling,” Nishii said. “We have to act within the boundaries of the law.”
While the decision restricts admissions officers in their effort to accept a diverse student body, the administrators explained that the office now utilizes outreach efforts such as the National Education Equity Lab and other community-based organizations, as well as reaching out to specific more diverse schools to ensure diversity in Cornell’s student body.
Tan explained that even though applicants have the option to register their race on the application, the admission office cannot see it. So admissions officers instead rely on indicators including the newly instituted community essay, students’ membership in affinity organizations and clubs and Questbridge scholar status to target underrepresented student populations.
“I cannot undo centuries of inequities in one year,” Tan said. “But the team and I are going to try.”
Although he expressed dissatisfaction with the administrators’ answers on protest response, Dayo Omokanwaye ’26 said that the discussion of affirmative action was comforting, as he feels the drop in Black student enrollment has been noticeable on campus.
“[Tan] did seem a little passionate about coming up with solutions for affirmative action,” Omokanwaye said.
Administrators also addressed concerns over financial aid among Black students. Student presenters asked how the University intends to ensure that it meets the financial needs of Black students in the wake of the election, with the “potential consequences” the incoming Trump administration could have on federal loans and federal work-study funding.
“It’s a difficult question to answer, because we really don’t know fully what’s coming,” Kotlikoff said in response. “[Financial aid relies] somewhat on federal grants, and it’s a little hard to predict, … but I can assure you that Cornell’s commitment to need-blind admissions and meet[ing] full need for our student body is rock solid.”
While attendees appreciated the open discussion fostered by the town hall, many were frustrated by the lack of what they considered to be clear answers given by members of the administration.
“We appreciate the concern they express,” said Seth Vieira, co-political action chair for BSU. “However, we are hearing more concern expressed than answers given. And I think that really determines how the night went.”
Raquel Diaz ’28 said that the town hall just “reaffirmed the things” that she already felt about the University’s administration — a sentiment that was echoed by many.
“I don’t think my questions were answered,” Raquel Diaz ’28 said. “Coming into a predominantly white institution, you hope that it’s going to be more inclusive and that there will be initiatives for people of color to feel heard.”
Co-president of BSU Cameron Smith 26’, who opened the event and asked questions throughout, told The Sun in an email that she was not satisfied with the response from Kotlikoff, Love and Van-Ess. Referencing protester suspensions and sexual assault reports, she said she had hoped to use the discussion to create mutual understanding of these difficult situations.
“I don’t think we got the answers we were looking for,” Cameron wrote. “I don’t think that [the administration] made good points on why things are unfair, and even the fact that they are trying to convince us that it has to be unfair is an issue.”
Despite some students’ disappointment in the results of the night, administrators expressed hope that Friday’s meeting would initiate an ongoing dialogue between the two parties.
“I think this is a first step,” Van-Ess said. “What I’ve been telling students is to follow-up, hold us accountable to the questions we didn’t necessarily know the answers to and continue the conversation.”