On Friday, March 21, The Board of Trustees announced Interim President Kotlikoff would officially become Cornell’s 15th President. He had previously said he would “almost certainly retire” after his interim term. But, the trustees deemed he deserved the job full time “after eight months of outstanding leadership.” This is not a moment to celebrate. Cornell is a microcosm of America, and the Board of Trustees has inaugurated our own uncharismatic Trump.
Kotlikoff started his interim presidency by failing to reach an agreement with the United Auto Workers Local 2300, which represents 1,200 Cornell service and maintenance employees. This stubbornness led to a strike as UAW declared, “[Cornell] university has failed to present a fair package and has not bargained in good faith, stalling and retaliating against protected union activity by the workers.” A key issue in negotiations was Cornell’s failure to provide workers with a living wage. In February 2024 MIT estimated that a single adult in Ithaca must earn $24.64/hour to make a living wage. However, most food and service workers were only making $20.03/hour.
While the workers were on strike, Kotlikoff was pictured crossing the picket line by working at Toni Morrison Dining Hall. Using ProPublica’s data salary for when Kotlikoff was Provost, Kotlikoff made at least $524/hour while scabbing, which is 26 times the hourly rate of a Cornell dining.
The inauspicious start to Kotlikoff’s term would quickly turn fascistic in October 2024. Following the disruption of a career fair with weapons manufacturers, organized by the Coalition for Mutual Liberation, Cornell administration suspended 20 student protesters. I, alongside three others, was temporarily suspended, banned from campus for three years, charged with two misdemeanors and doxxed by CUPD. Kotlikoff felt the need to make five public statements about the events, multiple of which falsely demonized protesters with baseless claims that they caused “medical complaints of potential hearing loss.” Despite Kotlikoff’s best attempts, the vast majority of suspensions were quickly lifted and all criminal charges were dismissed in Ithaca City Court.
An individual reported being sexually assaulted and coerced into consuming ketamine and other drugs by several males at the Chi Phi house on Oct. 25. “A number of students” have been temporarily suspended following reports of sexual assault and drugging at the Chi Phi house, according to a Tuesday morning email statement sent from Interim President Michael Kotlikoff to the Cornell community. As of today, no arrests have been made by CUPD. As we all know, this is not the first case of violent sexual assault at a Cornell fraternity — and will horrifically not be the last. For example, in 2022, all Cornell Greek life was suspended due to myriad incidents of drugging by fraternities.
Kotlikoff had the opportunity to make a strong statement in support of the many community members who have faced gender-based violence at the hands of fraternities. He instead chose to relent, once again, to Cornell’s powerful donors, many of whom have strong ties to fraternities. Similar to Trump and Pete Hegseth, Kotlikoff’s inaction in the face of sexual violence clearly prioritizes institutional profits over student safety.
In January 2025, Kotlikoff’s administration announced a change to University Policy 8.1 Physical Security Systems, implementing a surveillance state on campus akin to George Orwell’s 1984. It reads, “All cameras (including academic and research) must be integrated into the university’s centralized security video surveillance system.” These policy changes come only a few months after former Vice President of University Relations Joel Malina stated “all in-class activities of our faculty [will be scrutinized].”
Kotlikoff wants total surveillance of protesters, total supervision of graduate student research, and total oversight of all professor work. Kotlikoff has created an atmosphere of fear, so that Cornell community members are always on alert to whether they are doing something Kotlikoff may deem unsuitable. And in Kotlikoff’s world, unsuitable includes a class about Gaza and the genocide of indigenous people, individuals who oppose Cornell’s complicity in genocide, employees who want a living wage, and much more. Kotlikoff, in actuality, has “one upped” Trump in this aspect. Trump is only able to force Columbia to put their Middle East, South Asia, and African Studies department under receivership, while Kotlikoff’s role is already to oversee every aspect of academic and campus life at Cornell, and he extends his reach day by day.
To evaluate Kotlikoff’s leadership in March of 2025, we must go back to the Statler Hall protest. Within days of the protest, Cornell suspended international student Momodou Taal without due process, which would have resulted in his deportation. While Taal’s suspension was eventually overturned, this did not mark the end of his possible deportation.
In March 2025, Taal launched a lawsuit against the Trump administration to fight against two executive orders that blatantly suppress pro-Palestininan free speech. A declaration by Unit Chief Roy Stanley from the Counterterrorism Intelligence Unit of ICE cites “open-source records” that detail Taal’s alleged involvement in protests at Cornell as grounds for deportation, which includes statements made by Cornell administrators. Taal’s deportation by the fascist Trump Administration would not be possible without the Kotlikoff administration’s violation of due process, their own rules, and possibly labor laws. This level of repression evokes the dark era of McCarthyism which targeted communists. However, back then Cornell stood firm against McCarthy’s assault on First Amendment rights. But since October 8, 2023, McCarthyism 2.0 has taken hold — and this time Kotlikoff is not only complicit, but an active perpetrator.
Cornell is a microcosm of America. A repressive leader at the top who exists simply at the behest of a small group of extremely powerful millionaires and billionaires who exercise “supreme control” over the institution: the Board of Trustees. Furthermore, In the minds of both Kotlikoff and Trump, sexual assault, genocide, and corporations that exploit working families are things to defend, not oppose. Just like Trump will not be the salvation of Americans, Kotlikoff will not be our salvation at Cornell. Some believe Kotlikoff has the potential to stand up to the Trump Administration. In reality, the Board of Trustees selected him knowing he would willingly shoulder the blame for complying with every authoritarian Trump policy imposed on Cornell for the next four years. Kotlikoff is far from courageous. I urge the Faculty Senate to consider a Vote of No Confidence.
Yihun Stith is a junior studying Computer Science and Government. His biweekly column, Stand Up, Fight Back, explores the political structures and power dynamics that shape life at Cornell. Through analysis, critique and calls to action, the column challenges Cornellians to engage with the world beyond the campus bubble —and to fight for a more just and accountable university. He can be reached at ystith@cornellsun.com.
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