Following the student-led referendum held in April, President Pollack formally disapproved of its calls for in a public assertion despatched on Thursday.
The referendum requested college students to reply to two questions: whether or not the College ought to name for a direct ceasefire in Gaza and divest from weapons producers “supporting the continuing conflict in Gaza.” A majority of pupil voters selected “sure” to reply each questions by a 2:1 ratio, the place 46.77 p.c of Cornell undergraduate college students participated.
Though the Cornell President is required to supply a written response to the referendum inside 30 days, Pollack despatched out her formal assertion in 38.
Pollack began her assertion by reflecting on the “distressing” scenario within the Center East, stating that the terrorist assaults of October 7 and the conflict in Gaza might be felt by “individuals around the globe, no matter their views and convictions.” Pollack additionally expressed her assist for the best of scholars to carry a referendum within the first place.
In responding to the primary query of the referendum, Pollack said that it isn’t the place of a college to name for a ceasefire and take a stance on contentious geopolitical points.
“It’s not the right function of the college to make an announcement about this complicated political difficulty, particularly when there’s a variety of opinion amongst members of the campus group, as demonstrated by the truth that the vote on the referendum was removed from unanimous,” Pollack stated.
Pollack stated that the College making such an announcement may additionally alienate the viewpoints of different college students who disagree with the end result of the referendum and chill their voices.
Pollack acknowledged that the College has taken a stance on political points just like the Supreme Court docket resolution in College students for Honest Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard Faculty final summer time, which held that affirmative motion is unconstitutional.
Nonetheless, Pollack asserted that these previous opinions are totally different than making an announcement on a “complicated political difficulty,” including that Cornell “will not be the State Division—we don’t espouse a overseas coverage.”
Pollack said her response to the second query within the referendum by explaining the formal course of that should be adopted to contemplate a divestment proposal among the many Board of Trustees. If one constituent governance group passes a divestment decision, the president can ahead it to the Board for consideration, and if all 5 our bodies go a decision, it should robotically be thought-about.
Pollack formally declined to advocate the divestment proposal to the Board of Trustees in her assertion, citing the needs of the College endowment and the way such divestments may violate New York regulation.
Pollack stated that the decision for divestment is likely to be at odds with New York’s Government Order 157, which holds that public funds will likely be divested from state entities that assist the “Boycotts, Divestment, and Sanctions marketing campaign in opposition to Israel.”
Pollack emphasised the function of the College endowment is to not “train political or social energy” however to assist the College and the Cornell group.
“Cornell’s endowment consists of items to the college which might be invested to generate cash that helps the college’s work in perpetuity, funding mission-directed priorities together with monetary support and different pupil assist, college salaries and stipends, services upkeep and upgrades, tutorial applications, and analysis actions,” Pollack stated.
Pollack additionally questioned the truth that the referendum “singles out” corporations for offering arms to Israel whereas not calling for any sanctions or divestment from different nations which might be additionally concerned “in comparable conflicts.”
Pollack ended her assertion by hoping that the College can reside as much as the concept of being a spot that fosters open debate and studying.
“Universities are supposed to be locations of reflection and studying, of considerate debate, and of rigorous evaluation,” Pollack stated. “My honest hope is that we will reside as much as this excellent: on the lookout for methods to work collectively to do what the college is designed for, which is to debate concepts respectfully, to actually pay attention and study from each other, and to hunt considerate options to the issues which have so lengthy plagued our world…”