Cornell Students Shut Down Career Fair, Demand Divestment from Weapons Manufacturers
And Academic
I am not offering comments beyond questioning their definition of “ethically conscious investment strategies regarding the ongoing war in Gaza.” Why are they not using the term terrorism? It seems as though Hamas is being left out of the equation, almost as if they are innocent bystanders. Is Hamas no longer considered a terrorist organization after its vicious attack on Israel? It seems like we are suffering from collective amnesia here.
Matt Dougherty Ithaca Times
Updated Sep 20, 2024
https://www.ithaca.com/news/ithaca/cornell-students-shut-down-career-fair-demand-divestment-from-weaponsmanufacturers/article_37ec5470-76aa-11ef-a114-f3a94aa47980.amp.html
Over 100 Cornell University students organized with the Coalition for Mutual Liberation (CML) shut down a career fair on Wednesday at the university’s Statler Hotel, attended by defense contractors Boeing and L3Harris.
The students rallied against the presence of the defense contractors, accusing them of producing products that are used to perpetrate acts of violence against Palestinians in Gaza. In response to the protest Cornell released a statement threatening students involved with disciplinary action.
The protest began with a rally outside Cornell’s administrative building, Day Hall, and progressed as students marched to the career fair while under supervision of roughly a dozen Cornell University Police Officers.
Student protesters were equipped with pots, pans, and drums to create noise to disrupt the event. Once inside, they continued chanting and handed out fliers to attendees, outlining the role of Boeing and L3Harris in supplying arms to the Israeli military.
The coalition also delivered a letter to the companies’ representatives at the fair, accusing them of “aiding and abetting war crimes and genocide under several U.S. laws.” The letter declared a “People’s Embargo” on Boeing and L3Harris and asserted that these companies would no longer be able to “conduct business as usual at Cornell.”
After about 20 minutes of chanting, the career fair ended and Cornell Police told protesters to vacate the area. No arrests were made.
CML said the defense contractors were invited as featured companies at the career fair despite Cornell students voting to approve a referendum to divest from weapons manufacturers last semester. However, before her resignation at the end of last semester former Cornell President Martha Pollack rejected the referendum.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) following the event, the Cornell University chapter of Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) said, “These two companies were included in the list of military contractors that students voted overwhelmingly for Cornell to divest and cut professional ties from. Neither one of these genocidal companies should be recruiting on Cornell's campus in the first place.“
According to CML, both companies manufacture weapons and munitions used by the Israeli military in the ongoing assault on Gaza.
“Boeing supplies the Israeli military with a wide variety of weapons, including fighter jets, attack helicopters, missiles, bombs, and precision-guided bomb kits,” the coalition said in a statement. CML continued saying that L3Harris produces “munitions, weapon components, and surveillance technology that is also used by Israel to commit genocide.”
The coalition says that Cornell’s investment in these companies makes the university complicit in what the International Court of Justice has ruled a “plausible” genocide in Gaza, as well as ongoing violence stemming from the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law.
“Cornell grows its over $10 billion endowment through violence, ethnic cleansing, and genocide,” CML’s statement read, pointing to the substantial profits these companies make from defense contracts. As of 2022, Boeing generated $35 billion in revenue, 56% of which came from its defense sector, according to reporting by Investigate — which is designed to provide information that helps organizations make ethical choices in their financial investments.
The protest took place as Cornell has received intense criticism for the their decision to allow Accociate Professor Russell Rickford to return to his teaching duties after he was put on a leave of absence following comments he made in support of Palestinian resistance movements last fall. It also occurred as Cornell has refused to re-register the Students for Justice in Palestine club for the fall semester despite the club meeting registration requirements.
Cornell’s Vice President of University Relations, Joel Malina, issued a stern response, condemning the protest and the actions of the students involved. Malina said the protest violated university policy, disrupted an important student event, and endangered public safety.
“Cornell Police officers were pushed and shoved. Guests of the university felt threatened. And students were denied their ability to experience the Career Fair,” Malina stated. He added that the behavior exhibited by the protestors was “unacceptable, a violation of university policy, and illegal.”
Malina also noted that Cornell Police were actively investigating the protest, working to identify those who participated.
“Students will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct and Community standards for immediate action, including suspension,” Malina stated. He indicated that faculty and staff involved in the protest would be referred to Human Resources and that some individuals could even face criminal charges.
While CML maintains that its actions are justified in light of Cornell’s continued investment in companies it views as profiting from human rights abuses, Malina’s statement shows that the administration views the protest as a breach of public safety.
The tension between student activism and institutional policy is unlikely to dissipate soon, as Malina has declared the administration's intention to take disciplinary actions against students involved in the protest.
In a statement responding to Malina, Cornell YDSA said, “Cornell purposefully did not email this statement to its student body in order to hide its repressive actions.” YDSA continued saying that “Cornell has forced the student body” to take direct action because “the administration continues to ignore the 70% of students who have voted to divest from arms manufacturers like Boeing and L3Harris.”
The protest adds to a growing list of student-led actions aimed at pressuring universities around the country to adopt more ethically conscious investment strategies regarding the ongoing war in Gaza.
Like many other elite universities, Cornell has historically resisted such efforts, citing the complexities of its investment portfolio and its legal and fiduciary obligations.
This type of campaigning against weapons manufacturers comes from people who have never felt personally threatened themselves, growing up in the relatively safe environment of the United States. What I find particularly galling, though, is the arrogant and self-righteous attempt to shut down the event rather than just state their perspective. If a person feels that they don't want to work for a certain company, that's fine. They also can state their views about that company or its activities. But to try to prevent others from getting jobs at that company via disruption and intimidation fails to respect that others have a different view.
Do these kids have anything else to do? As someone who used to protest occoccasionally years ago. These kids are obsessed with Palestinian and seem to not know actual wtf is going on or historical facts. Like who pays your bills? Do u not have jobs.