INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 141, No. 5
8 Pages — Free
TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2024 n ITHACA, NEW YORK
News
Arts
Sports
Weather
Bhangra Benefactor
Grande Grandeur
Crimson Conquered
Snow showers
Cornell Bhangra hosted the largest Bhangra showcase and donated ticket proceeds to non-profit Ithaca Welcomes Refugees |
Sydney Levinton '27 reviews Ariana Grande's new album, eternal sunshine | Page 5
Men's hockey swept Harvard in the ECAC quarterfinals, sending the Red to championship weekend in Lake Placid.
HIGH: 40º LOW: 31º
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CML's Ultimatum for Admin Coulter Will Return CML will violate policies until the trustees consider divestment
By JULIA SENZON Sun Managing Editor
The Coalition for Mutual Liberation has issued an ultimatum. The pro-Palestine organization will continue to violate the controversial Interim Expressive Activity Policy unless the Board of Trustees agrees to consider voting on divestment from arms manufacturers providing Israel’s military with weaponry. CML, an umbrella organization that encompasses over 40 organizations from Cornell and the larger community, hosted a campus-wide protest advertised as a “walk out to fight for divestment.” Held on Thursday, March 14, the demonstration’s timing aligned with Cornell Giving Day, an annual one-day fundraising event that
contributes to the University's To Do the Greatest Good campaign. Approximately 200 student protestors chanted phrases including “Any person, any study, Cornell Trustees’ hands are bloody” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” Protestors argued that Cornell’s actions do not reflect the University’s mission “to do the greatest good.” A speaker in Duffield stated, “We will continue to violate the Student Code of Conduct. We will continue to violate the interim policy. We will continue to disrupt, we will continue to make noise. … We will continue to do all of these things until [President] Martha [Pollack] agrees to call for a vote on divestment at the Board of Trustees meeting on March 22.” See DIVESTMENT page 3
MING DEMERS / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Divestment demands | The pro-Palestinian organization will continue to violate the Interim Expressive Acitivity Policy until the trustees vow to vote on divestment from arms manufacturers.
to Campus April 16
By DINA SHLUFMAN Sun Assistant News Editor
Ann Coulter ’84, a controversial conservative media personality, is reportedly set to make her return to Cornell’s campus on April 16. Nadine Strossen, a free speech advocate who formerly served as the president of the American Civil Liberties Union, confirmed Coulter’s agreed-upon date to come back to the Hill in an email to The Sun. Strossen wrote that Coulter “just told me that [the event] will be on 4/16.” Strossen originally proposed a Coulter speaking opportunity to Provost Michael Kotlikoff in January. Kotlikoff responded immediately by saying, “‘Oh, that’s a great idea,’” according to Strossen. Coulter, who helped found the conservative news source The Cornell Review as an undergraduate, has a long history of making discriminatory remarks against minority groups including immigrants, Jews and Muslims. After The Sun recently broke the news that the University had invited Coulter to campus, Kotlikoff wrote a letter to the editor in The Sun in which he defended his efforts to bring the rightwing pundit back to campus as being in line with Cornell’s
dedication to free expression. “I agreed that there could be few more powerful demonstrations of Cornell’s commitment to free expression than to have Ms. Coulter return to campus and present her views. … I believe that Cornell must be a place where the presentation of ideas is protected and inviolable,” Kotlikoff wrote.
“I believe that Cornell must be a place where the presentation of ideas is protected and inviolable” Provost Kotlikoff Kotlikoff added that he had “worked with the Federalist Society at Cornell, the Cornell Political Union, the Heterodox Academy Campus Community at Cornell and other Cornell organizations to sponsor such a presentation.” A spokesperson for Cornell Media Relations could not confirm the date of Coulter’s planned appearance or identify which campus groups would sponsor the event. To continue reading thisw story, please visit www.cornellsun.com. Dina Shlufman can be reached at dshlufman@cornellsun.com.
Top Admin Ghost S.A. Meeting About Interim Policy By DOROTHY FRANCE-MILLER Sun Staff Writer
On Thursday, the Student Assembly was slated to hold a council with three representatives from Cornell administration — Dean Marla Love, Provost Michael Kotlikoff and Vice President and General Counsel Donica Varner. But Love was the only representative to appear for the meeting, prompting a postponement with no set date. The administrator’s appearance was intended to converse with S.A. members about the heavily criticized Interim Expressive Activity Policy, according to Executive Vice President Claire Ting ’25 in a written statement to The Sun.
Enacted on Jan. 24, the interim policy added restrictions on expressive activity, including measures against carrying sticks and poles in protests and limited hours for amplified sound. Both the S.A. and the Faculty Senate have claimed they were not properly consulted by the Cornell administration in the policy’s implementation. On Feb. 22, The S.A. unanimously passed Resolution 58 to call for the interim policy’s suspension until a process for formal consultation with the University assemblies is finalized. “Two of our three guests are delayed and we’re going to have to reschedule,” Love announced upon her entrance. Love did not provide any additional context for their absence.
When asked when the meeting would be rescheduled by an S.A. member, Love responded: “We’ll have to look at the calendar.” Love did not provide any further scheduling specifications. A representative of Cornell Media Relations did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication. This postponement was unexpected by S.A. members, who had been awaiting the arrival of the administrative representatives. To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com. CYNTHIA TSENG / SUN ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Dorothy France-Miller can be reached at No show | Top administrators were unexpectedly absent at a Student dfrancemiller@cornellsun.com. Assembly meeting about the Interim Expressive Activity Policy.