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CFSA Sees Progress - Cornell Finally Reinstates SAT Next Step: Eliminate DEI Statements

Writer's picture: Cornell Free Speech AllianceCornell Free Speech Alliance

Issue No. 8 / May 1, 2024


As has become clear to America, educational quality at Cornell and other Ivy League schools has been badly degraded in recent years. The current Cornell Administration has been a major contributor to this degradation by shifting the university’s primary mission from academic merit and educational excellence to DEI-driven “woke”political action. We are now seeing the disastrous results of this politicization in the hate-filled antisemitic demonstrations at universities across the US.  CFSA has put a spotlight on the current actions taken by the Administration which have cast academic merit aside in favor of the destructive political agendas now championed at Cornell. See below links:










However, Pressure Is Building to Bring

Desperately Needed Reform to Cornell:

SAT Test Is Reinstated!

Working with major donors, alumni, trustees, faculty, students, and parents, CFSA is now seeing progress at Cornell.  After CFSA recommendations for reinstatement of the SAT test for student applicants, a few days ago Cornell University joined other leading universities to again require the SAT test for student admission:

This is a wonderful result for the CFSA team!

NEXT: Elimination Of DEI Statements...


CFSA has long pressed for Cornell to eliminate “DEI Statements” for the hiring of faculty and staff. In Fall 2022, CFSA joined with American Council Of Trustees & Alumni (ACTA) in the Cornell Campus Freedom Initiative to inform Cornell donors, alumni, students, parents, and faculty about how the university uses DEI Statements to weed out faculty who do not hold “woke” social views. Cornell has required DEI Statements from faculty and staff candidates in order to hire only those persons whose viewpoints conform to the preferred Cornell Monoculture cultivated by the current university administration. Such discriminatory hiring practices have transformed Cornell from being a center of Academic Excellence into becoming a bastion of Political Radicalism.

Based on CFSA legal research, it is believed that Cornell’s discriminatory use of DEI Statements in hiring is  UNLAWFUL in New York State. Put under the CFSA spotlight and fearing future litigtaion against such illegal employment policies, Cornell has “very quietly” altered its stated DEI policies over the past 18 months.  After initiation of the Campus Freedom Initiative, CFSA monitored the Cornell DEI Statement Webpage  between October 2022 and April 2024. While never publicly announcing any change to its DEI policy, the Cornell Admin secretly has changed the wording of its DEI Statement policy after pressure from CFSA and ACTA as follows:

Cornell DEI Webpage Language

(bold lettering added by CFSA for emphasis)



Oct 12, 2022: “Applicants for a tenure track and tenured faculty position ARE REQUIRED to submit a Statement of Contribution to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Dec 20, 2022: “Applicants for a tenure track and tenured faculty position ARE ASKED to submit a Statement of Contribution to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.”

Feb 18, 2023: “Applicants for a tenure track and tenured faculty position ARE INVITED to submit a Statement of Contribution to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.”

Apr 28, 2024: “We ask applicants for all faculty positions to share their experiences and/or approaches (past, current or future) to fostering learning, research, service and/or outreach in such a diverse community. Applicants can submit a stand-alone statement or embed the information in other parts of their application materials.

As seen from the Cornell Admin’s alteration of language on its DEI Statement webpage, the Administration has progressively migrated in how it requests DEI Statements from job applicants - from being “REQUIRED” in Oct 2022, to being “ASKED FOR” in Dec 2022, to being “INVITED” in Feb 2023, to being “EMBEDDED” in other applicant submittals in Apr 2024.  Two things which are important to note are that, as of today, Cornell has completely dropped:  i) the phrase “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” from its webpage;  and  ii)  the link to a prescribed “Statement of Contribution to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion”.

But, Cornell Still Discriminates Using DEI Statements


The reality is that the above noted Cornell policy changes are “window dressing” only. Since CFSA’s push to have DEI Statements eliminated, various Cornell faculty and staff have reported to CFSA how the university continues to use DEI Statements to maintain political and ideological purity at Cornell. Such practices, of course, are in direct conflict with the Open Inquiry and Viewpoint Diversity which the university should promote on campus. Drawing upon evidence provided by internal Cornell documents, the next Cornell Campus Report will describe precisely how Cornell is using DEI Statements to discriminate against faculty candidates who hold personal views which are not in conformance with DEI mandates. CFSA believes that these Cornell practices are unlawful. Stay tuned…


PLEASE DONATE


CFSA is helping to bring desperately needed reforms to Cornell. University policy changes on the SAT and DEI Statements show this progress. But much more work needs to be done. CFSA’s NEXT PRIORITY : Completely eliminating DEI statements and associated representations in hiring at Cornell. CFSA needs your support. Therefore, please…



 

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

Learn About the Challenges Now Confronting Cornell:

CFSA Educational Resources Library/Cornell Free Speech Alliance

DONATE

CFSA needs your support. To contribute to the CFSA effort, please

DONATE ELECTRONICALLY HERE.

OR PLEASE DONATE BY CHECK & MAIL TO:

Cornell Free Speech Alliance

PO Box 47624

San Antonio, TX 78265

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To submit an email report on impediments to Open Inquiry

and Free Speech now existing at Cornell, please go to:

CORNELL CAMPUS REPORT HOTLINE

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