Opinion
JOHNS | The Republic for Which It Stands
|
Examine the view from Libe Slope at any time of day and you will see the Stars and Stripes waving from Baker Flagpole, flying rain or shine in any season. It is lit brightly at night thanks to a unanimous March 2017 resolution of the Residential Student Congress, which states that the flag must be illuminated 24 hours a day in accordance with the United States Flag Code. It was a good determination, and not the University’s first decision on the issue — in 1991, Cornell chose to suspend its ban against displaying flags of any kind in dorm windows to allow students to show support more vocally for U.S. troops serving in the First Gulf War. Cornell should be proud of its record in honoring our flag, especially given that it stands in stark contrast to anti-flag rhetoric and acts at other universities. In April 2018, for instance, student government leaders at Michigan State University chose to cancel the installation of new American flags on campus over vague and ill-conceived concerns from student leadership, despite a poll indicating over 70 percent of students felt that the flag was “important” or “very important” to them.