Cornell business students told not to attend diversity events if they aren’t 'marginalized'
Cornell business students who are not part of marginalized groups were instructed by the student council not to attend diversity-focused programs under the initiative 'Allyship in Action.'
The university continues to promote DEI values, recently renaming its DEI office while facing federal scrutiny over discriminatory practices.
Business students at Cornell University who are not members of “marginalized groups” have been threatened to refrain from participating in certain diversity conferences and initiatives or else face negative recruiting experiences going forward.
The Student Council at Cornell University’s Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management sent an email to business students Sept. 12 that included two internal documents obtained by National Review. These documents defined how students were to practice what they dubbed “Allyship in Action.”
The student council defined allyship as a term they use to refer “to the active and continuous practice of using one’s privilege to support, advocate for, and stand with marginalized or underrepresented groups.”
In one email, members of the student council threatened non “marginalized” students that their “presence may have a negative impact” on their “recruiting outcomes” and Cornell’s “relationship with these organizations,” referring to the organizations to partake in the “diversity conference.”
Lindsey Knewstub on behalf of Cornell University told Campus Reform that these emails were a part of “student-to-student conversations” but that “recruiting conferences are open to all.”
An anonymous MBA student strongly criticized the guidance, telling National Review that true equality should not mean “carving out exclusive zones” like this one, which sidelined the majority of the MBA student population in favor of just a small minority group which raises questions around “equal opportunity laws.”
According to the school’s website, the Cornell S.C. Johnson College of Business seeks to “create a welcoming environment for all” through its core values of “inclusion, engagement, impact, and community.”
The College of Business emphasizes on this website that “any person, any study” remains central to its mission. The school states it “celebrates diversity in all its forms and fosters unity through adaptability.”
Administrators highlight the College of Business’ efforts to empower their community in order to “embrace differences” and to gain the skillset needed to thrive “in an ever-changing society and business world.”
In March, Cornell briefly removed Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) language from its Equal Education and Employment Opportunity Statement (EEEO), then restored it days later, citing the blip as a mere “clerical error.”
The updated version omitted prior references to “affirmative action,” reflecting shifting legal and political pressures following the Supreme Court case, Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, decided Jun. 2023.
According to the version of the EEEO website at the time of this article’s publication, Cornell continues to embrace “diversity in its workforce,” despite the Trump administration’s crackdown on DEI policies in higher education.
[RELATED: Harvard ends long-running minority recruitment program following federal DEI crackdown]
In July, the America First Policy Institute filed a civil rights complaint accusing Cornell University of discriminatory DEI practices in hiring and scholarships.
The complaint alleges President Michael Kotlikoff permitted race- and sex-based exclusions, urging federal investigation into possible violations tied to over $1 billion in funding.
Last month, Cornell renamed its DEI office to the Office of Academic Discovery and Impact (OADI) while negotiating with the Trump administration to restore $1 billion in federal funding.
