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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: RE: ‘In 2017, Pres. Pollack Responded to Racist Incidents on Cornell’s Campus With a Task Force. Did It Change Campus Climate?’

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We, as former members of the Presidential Task Force on Campus Climate, write this statement with pained hearts as horrifying events unfold at our alma mater, and not for the first time. In the fall semester of 2017, several hate crimes took place on and off campus, prompting us to improve campus climate. We did not expect to be here three years since those events. President Martha Pollack appointed members of the Task Force to identify goals, strategies and values that would lend the university guideposts for how to respond ethically and effectively the next time racism would rear its ugly head. 

The administration has avoided taking direct actions in response to the “Racist, Misogynistic Harassment Strikes Cornell S.A. Members After Disarmament Resolution,” and this has dashed the last of any lingering hopes we had. We want to remind the Cornell administration that our work was not performative, perfunctory or superficial.

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TRUSTEE VIEWPOINT | Student Burnout and Why We Should All Be Concerned

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Spring break has come to a close. What for most of us was a reinvigorating escape from the academic rigor of Cornell will quickly spiral into a rather nerve-wracking finals period. This transition period has always called for members of the Cornell community to come together and foster an encouraging and supportive academic environment. While we frequently place the onus on our administrators to cultivate a caring community through mental health and social services, it’s time to take a step back. It’s time to acknowledge how students and faculty members can better recognize and address students’ mental health concerns on our campus.