The trans STEM graduate student activists on campus who fight for equity in the sciences will not have to worry that the free speech advocates for equality and the merit aficionados will cause them harm at Cornell University during this theme year for free expression. President Pollack has our backs! President Pollack has been given national recognition for her support for equity over merit. No longer will Merit, Fairness, and Equality trump (ugh, I hate that word) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Cornell.

The Bear is proud to report that President Pollack was honored with the 2023 Academia Leadership Award for her leadership, commitment to public service and dedication to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and access to graduate education.

Not a word about merit, equality, and fairness! Not even free speech!

Sara Xayarath Hernández, associate dean for inclusion and student and faculty engagement in the Graduate School, reaffirmed the Bear’s belief, that Cornell is not academically excellent currently nor has it been in the past, because it was founded on and perpetuates various injustices. These include settler colonialism, indigenous dispossession, slavery, racism, classism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, antisemitism, and ableism.  Academic excellence will only come when we achieve equity as a result of advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Once we achieve equity, academic excellence will become the reason for meritorious students to apply to Cornell:

Cornell’s continued membership in the consortium is part of its ongoing commitment to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and access inside and outside of academia… Creating an atmosphere in which all students feel supported and included is integral to their success, as well as Cornell’s success. Cornell’s dedication to this belief is critical to our academic excellence and enabling our students to thrive.

The Bear is  exhilarated and excited that President Pollack was honored with the 2023 Academia Leadership Award for her leadership, commitment to public service and dedication to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and access to graduate education.

Not a word about merit, equality, and fairness! The Cornell administration has moral clarity in terms of DEI. Yes, the Cornell administration has our backs!