An independent organization advocating for free expression, viewpoint diversity, and academic freedom at Cornell University

Read this Overview of the threat to academic freedom now facing Cornell.

CFSA Launches "Academic Freedom" Educational Resources For The Cornell Community. See Below...

The Founding of CFSA : Listen To News Podcast Here

Ezra Cornell's Founding Vision

“I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.”

Ezra Cornell
University Founder, 1865

Ruth Bader Ginsburg On Free Speech

“The right to speak my mind out, that's America ... The right to think, speak and write as we believe without fear that Big Brother will retaliate against us because we don't tow the party line.”

Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Cornell '54
Associate Justice / United States Supreme Court

Today's Cornell Reality

“Students do not feel comfortable expressing their opinion ... due to fears of social ostracism and especially from fear of punishment from the administration.”

Anonymous Graduate Student / Letter To The Dean
Cornell University Graduate School
April 2017

Today's Cornell Reality

“Today, many Cornell faculty and students live in fear. If they hold the wrong view, university leadership gives no support and mob justice may be unleashed against them. ”

Professor Richard A. Baer
Cornell University
October 2021

Today's Cornell Reality

“Many Cornellians are scared to challenge the progressive status quo and speak in opposition to those pushing ideological conformity.”

Laura Jocelyn / Cornell Student ‘24
Liberal Caucus Of The Cornell Political Union
August 2021

Today's Cornell Reality

“Professors, staff members and students are strongly discouraged from entertaining certain topics even privately, much less discussing them publicly on campus.”

Professor Wendy Williams
Cornell University
May 2018

Today's Cornell Reality

“It is really pernicious...For students, the path of least resistance is to keep your mouth shut. This very much undermines the learning environment (at Cornell).”

Matthew Samilow / Cornell Student '22
The Cornell Political Caucus
October 2021

Today's Cornell Reality

“Students ... cannot say things in their classes. This is what is so remarkably depressing about Cornell...You are in an environment that discourages dissent.”

Professor Richard F. Bensel
Cornell University
October 2021

Today's Cornell Reality

“(With the) intolerance of meaningful debate...the risks and penalties are tangible...from shaming and ostracizing, to fear of loss of tenure and jobs for professors…”

Professor Stephen Ceci
Cornell University
May 2018

Today's Cornell Reality

“The demise of viewpoint and academic freedom at Cornell may be broken beyond repair. If universities like Cornell cannot be reformed, building new universities may be the only course left for America.”

Anonymous Humanities Professor
Over 30 Years Tenure
Cornell University

Today's Cornell Reality

“We write as a group of liberals frustrated with the current campus hostility towards free speech and open dialogue.”

Ben Feldman / Cornell Student '22
Liberal Caucus Of The Cornell Political Union
August 2021

Today's Cornell Reality

“The lack of ideological debate on this campus is extremely harmful to students.”

Jessica Reif / Cornell ‘13
The Cornell Forensics Society

Today's Cornell Reality

“Under strong pressure to conform to ideological norms, 88% of Cornell students report self-censorship in class and on campus.”

Connor Murnane
Foundation For Individual Rights In Education (FIRE)
Cornell Student Survey / 2021 College Free Speech Rankings

Today's Cornell Reality

“Differences should be what the university is most about – not just differences in how people look, but in how people think.”

Julius Kairey / Cornell ‘15
The Cornell Forensics Society

Today's Cornell Reality

“Undergrads are now exposed to less viewpoint diversity than ever before... This has profound consequences for everything that happens at the university. ”

Professor Jonathan Haidt
New York University
September 2019

Evidence Of The Cornell Monoculture

“99.5% of Cornell Faculty, Academics’ Donations Given to Left-Leaning Groups.”

The Cornell Daily Sun
November 2018

Today's Cornell Reality

“Faculty donations go almost entirely to ( a single political party). This reflects the extreme homogeneity of political views on campus.”

Professor Richard F. Bensel
Cornell University
October 2021

Today's Cornell Reality

“Cornell's commitment (to free speech) feels more perfunctory than real... The faculty know that the university doesn't really back you up.”

Matthew Samilow / Cornell Student '22
The Cornell Political Caucus
October 2021

Today's Cornell Reality

“Cornell … will not benefit if it becomes known as a place that is hostile to academic freedom.”

Dr. Peter Wood, President
National Association of Scholars
July 2020

Today's Cornell Reality

“(Cancel Culture) is a striking illustration of the threat woke ideology poses to our freedoms....We need to confront totalitarianism before it causes disaster -- while it is still possible to do so. ”

Professor Dorian Abbot
University of Chicago
October 2021

Today's Cornell Reality

“Some are pessimistic about bringing needed change to Cornell. I am more positive -- because the current learning environment is so utterly indefensible. And, Cornell leadership knows this. ”

Board Member
Cornell Free Speech Alliance
October 2021

Today's Cornell Reality

“(The University monoculture) treats unorthodox opinions as a heresy that must be punished...rather than as ideas to be evaluated and debated.”

Professor Steven Pinker
Harvard University

Today's Cornell Reality

“A repressive campus culture ….. does not eliminate those with dissenting views. The goal is to win hearts and minds—not to cancel them.”

Sara Stober / Cornell Student '22
Liberal Caucus Of The Cornell Political Union
August 2021

Today's Cornell Reality

“We are actively discouraged … from engaging in intellectual discussion in favor of regurgitating talking points that professors give us.”

Jessica Reif / Cornell ‘13
The Cornell Forensics Society

Today's Cornell Reality

“What we are seeing on campus….is the idea that shaming people and shutting them down is somehow OK.”

Professor John McWhorter
Columbia University

Today's Cornell reality

“Cornell's monoculture distorts research. The study of American poverty is directly impeded. Only certain causes and solutions are "acceptable" avenues of study -- others are not. Free academic inquiry is shut down. ”

Anonymous Professor
Cornell University
October 2021

Today's Cornell Reality

“Private talks with faculty and students are shocking. An Orwellian atmosphere exists at Cornell. The campus is riddled with anxiety about saying the wrong thing or holding the wrong view. It is heartbreaking to see. ”

Board Member
Cornell Free Speech Alliance
September 2021

Today's Cornell Reality

“Cornell leadership fails to protect free speech. Denouncing a professor while taking no action and citing job protection tells faculty and students lacking such protection that they are at risk. This is how ideological conformity is imposed on campus.”

Professor William A. Jacobson
Cornell University
October 2021

Today's Cornell Reality

“Once victimhood culture gets onto campus …and gets into the teaching, students are literally taught to see people as good or bad…This means there is eternal conflict and grievance. ”

Professor Jonathan Haidt
New York University

Today's Cornell Reality

“The most untrained eye can observe that ….. the university continues to endorse an abhorrent lack of (viewpoint) diversity.”

Raj Kannapan / Cornell ’13
The Cornell Review

Today's Cornell Reality

“Conformity of opinion … stifles not only speech, but thought…Scholars are afraid even to consider different ideas for fear they will run afoul of norms of thinking.”

Professor Robert George
Princeton University

Today's Cornell Reality

“Faculty viewpoint conformity contributes to a campus culture hostile to free expression. Viewpoint diversity should be embedded in the hiring process just as the university embeds other forms of diversity.”

Professor William A. Jacobson
Cornell University
September 2021

Today's Cornell Reality

“Cornell is captive to a religious fervor which is intolerant of non-believers. The religion of identity politics and grievance culture now pervades Cornell and seems determined to stamp out viewpoint diversity and free academic inquiry. ”

Professor Richard A. Baer
Cornell University
September 2021

Today's Cornell Reality

“The current situation at Cornell is alarming. A repressive monoculture which creates fear now dominates the campus. Alumni must help bring the university back to balance.”

Board Member
Cornell Free Speech Alliance
September 2021

Today's Cornell Reality

“There is repression and the tyranny of consensus ... where you don't have robust debate (on campus) because tolls are exacted from those who deviate.”

Professor Glen Loury
Brown University

Today's Cornell Reality

“There are a million examples of (Cornell University) actions that contribute to the (repressive) culture...The fear on campus is an effective deterrent (to free speech).”

Matthew Samilow / Cornell Student '22
The Cornell Political Union
October 2021

Today's Cornell Reality

“Faculty preach a very uniform way of thinking which is very clearly reflected in our classes and assignments.”

Jessica Reif / Cornell ‘13
The Cornell Forensics Society

Today's Cornell Reality

“(University policy) seeks to increase the representation of some groups through discrimination against other groups ... (which) rises to the level of excluding applicants from certain groups.”

Professor Ivan Marinovic
University of Chicago
August 2021

Today's Cornell Reality

“Free speech is not a partisan issue. Regardless of political leanings, any reasonable person can see how very unhealthy Cornell's GroupThink culture has become. This situation must be corrected. ”

Board Member
Cornell Free Speech Alliance
October 2021

Today's Cornell Reality

“We are seeing the rise of a particular subgroup (on campus)… They’ve adopted a way that is vindictive….It’s about calling people out. People are afraid of them.”

Professor Jonathan Haidt
New Your University

Today's Cornell Reality

“The word "unsafe" is part of this bizarre, intolerant (university) culture...People are claiming to be unsafe if they hear any opinion they disagree with.”

Professor Steven Pinker
Harvard University

Today's Cornell Reality

“There is no way to explain away the transparent contradictions between the university’s diversity policy and its supposed commitment to a competition of ideas.”

Raj Kanappan / Cornell ’13
The Cornell Review

Today's Cornell Reality

“A small group of radical students… are weaponizing their moralism and intimidating others into silence. This is now a huge problem on campus.”

Professor Jonathan Haidt
New York University

Today's Cornell Reality

“Woke ideology is totalitarian in nature. It attempts to corral the entirety of human existence into one narrow ideological viewpoint and to silence anyone who disagrees. ”

Professor Dorian Abbot
University of Chicago
October 2021

Today's Cornell Reality

“Very few people know just how radically the (university) professoriate has changed….Students are much more afraid to speak up and disagree than they were 10 to 20 years ago. They are walking on eggshells. ”

Professor Jonathan Haidt
New York University

Encouragement For Cornell Faculty, Students & Staff Facing GroupThink

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face.”

Eleanor Roosevelt
1884 - 1962
U.S. First Lady / Diplomat / Feminist / Humanist

Encouragement In The Struggle Against Cornell Monoculture

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Professor Margaret Mead (1901 – 1978)
Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Anthropology
University of Rhode Island

Encouragement In The Struggle Against Cornell Monoculture

“It may be that a sleeping giant (the alumni) is finally waking up in response to the current push to remake the university system into one big indoctrination camp. ”

Jay Schalin
Director of Policy Analysis
James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal.

Cornell FSA Launches New Educational Resources Addressing Academic Freedom & Free Expression On Campus : 1) CFSA Campus Report;  2) CFSA "Open Inquiry" Video Short Course,  and 3)  UOIF "Academic Freedom" Webinar Series. See New Web Library Resources Below.

Visit Library  :     Review CFSA Campus Reports HERE.

Visit Library  :     Review CFSA "Open Inquiry" Video Short Course HERE.

Visit Library  :      Review UOIF "Academic Freedom" Webinar Series HERE".

CFSA has established strong connections with many members of the Cornell Community who have experienced up-close and personal impediments to Academic Freedom, Viewpoint Diversity, Open Inquiry, and Free Expression on campus. The testimonials shared by these Cornellians will surprise and disturb many within the Cornell Community -- as they wonder how life at Cornell has been changed so radically since they attended the university. To share insights provided by these testimonials, Cornell FSA has initiated the "CFSA Campus Report" series which will be distributed to CFSA followers over the coming year. Please check out the above "CFSA Campus Report" series. In addition, Cornell FSA has created a growing video short course series whose purpose is to educate and inform the Cornell Community about the trends which have created these impairments to Academic Freedom and Free Speech on campus. To learn from these new educational resources, please take the time to view the above "CFSA Open Inquiry Video Short Course" presentations. Finally, CFSA has served as Co-Sponsor with the University Open Inquiry Forum ("UOIF") to present the above webinars focused on returning "Academic Freedom" to Cornell and other universities nationwide. Please review CFSA's newly assembled educational resoucres by clicking-on the above links.

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          CornellFSA Year-End 2022 Capital Campaign :                                                     

                                  $250k Raised

As evidenced by reports from Cornell faculty & students and highlighted in this video overview of Cornell's Current Campus Conditions, Open Inquiry and Academic Freedom are under profound threat at Cornell University. CornellFSA has assembled an army of Cornell Community volunteers who are dedicated to bringing critically important educational reforms to Cornell. We have completed a 2022 Year-End Fundraising Campaign which has raised approx. $250,000 in contributions to the CornellFSA cause. These resources will help implement future CornellFSA programs. A summary of CornellFSA's major accomplishments and ongoing action plans can be reviewed HERE.  We continue to reach out to out to supporters to fund the CornellFSA action plan for 2023 and beyond. To make a donation to CornellFSA, please send your check payable to : 

                                     Cornell Free Speech Alliance

                                                 PO Box 47624

                                         San Antonio, TX 78365  

                                       Thank you!

 

                   New Cornell DEI Loyalty Pledges

Cornell faculty members are now required to make "Political Loyalty Pledges" (watch ACTA video) which continue to transform a formerly proud "Community of Scholars" into a "Band of Political Activists". The Nov 2022 Stanford University Academic Freedom Conference confirms that dangerous DEI political mandates have now aggressively moved from the Humanities to STEM. The result is to impose an "Ideologically Pure Monoculture" throughout all academic disciplines at Cornell which suppresses Free Expression, prohibits Academic Freedom, and eliminates Viewpoint Diversity by preventing faculty and staff representing a diversity of viewpoints from being hired. Pres. Pollack and the Cornell Administration must be brought to realize that imposing "viewpoint suppression" through prejudicial hiring and promotion practices aimed at imposing political uniformity on campus not only violates US legal principles but also perverts the basic educational purposes of Cornell. Rather than illuminating educational truths by embracing diversity of thought, Cornell's DEI bureaucrats are making absurdly outrageous and untrue claims about Cornell while imposing DEI political litmus tests in hiring and promotion which have crushed Viewpoint Diversity and helped deliver 99.5% Political Purity on campus. All views should be welcome on campus. An "extreme super-majority" adhering to only one political viewpoint runs directly counter to Cornell's fundamental responsibility to promote and protect thought diversity in the classroom and in research. The facts are now in. Observers from across the political spectrum agree on the results. Current Cornell DEI policies are expunging thought diversity among the faculty and staff -- which, in turn, teaches intolerance and close-mindedness to students. Prospective faculty who do not conform to DEI political philosophy mandates are screened out under the current hiring and promotion process.  As a consequence, an environment of Open Inquiry no longer exists at Cornell.    

                                  Cornell Policy : 

                   Free Speech or Just "Lip Service"

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Cornell Pres. Martha Pollack Pays Lip Service On “Open Inquiry & Free Speech” In Fall 2022 Keynote Address To New Students. However, in 2022, FIRE ranks Cornell’s “Free Speech Climate” 154th out of 203 US universities surveyed. After a full year of efforts by CornellFSA requesting action by the Cornell Administration to strengthen Free Speech & Open Inquiry at the university, Pres. Martha Pollack chose “Free Speech On Campus” as the topic of focus for her very recent Fall22 “Annual Address To New Students”. CornellFSA was initially very pleased with this result – which validates all the efforts which CornellFSA has made over the past year. Pollack's verbal pledge comes after extensive national media coverage CornellFSA has brought to expose the current Monoculture and Thought Orthodoxy at Cornell and elsewhere (i.e. from WSJ, Washington Post, Newsweek, National Review, FOX News, Washington Examiner, and many other media outlets) and through the efforts CornellFSA has made to push for reform of Cornell Policies on certain important free speech matters. Yet, despite Pres Pollack's recent address, FIRE's student survey reports that 88% of Cornell students feel compelled to "self-censor" on-campus and FIRE rankings show that Cornell's free speech environment languishes within the "bottom quartile" of the 203 US universities surveyed.  Thus, Pres Pollack's recent address represents little more than sound-bite “lip service” from the Cornell PR department. Worse still, the Summer and Fall of 2022 have seen the Cancellation of Abraham Lincoln and the Shout Down of Ann Coulter take place on campus. The Cornell Community must now hold the university accountable to the Pollack pledges by continuing to support the Cornell student / faculty/ alumni push for Cornell's adoption of the "Chicago Principles" as its Free Speech Policy (see Cornell Daily Sun article below). Congratulations to all CornellFSAers who have contributed to pushing Cornell University to finally declare "Free Speech" a university goal ! It is a beginning for CornellFSA's work to transform Martha Pollack's PR statements from "lip service" into "reality".

Sample Press Coverage :      

Pres Pollack’s “Newfound Focus” On Free Speech :

Cornell President’s Keynote Address – Sep22

Cornell Daily Sun

Cornell Should Adopt the Chicago Principles

by Sara Stober / Cornell '22
Liberal Caucus of the Cornell Political Union
August 30, 2021

A little over seven years ago, the University of Chicago issued a report defending free speech on campus. Since then, over eighty institutions or faculty bodies have adopted the report and committed themselves to promote free expression. We write this letter to encourage Cornell to do the same.

Click here for link to full article

CFSA GROWTH REPORT : CornellFSA Now Has 21,000+ Supporters & Followers (with over 110 Faculty) And Is Growing Rapidly. Thank You! .....................................................................................................

OUR GOAL :

Moving Cornell's Mission From "Political Activism" Back To Pursuing "Knowledge & Truth" 

UOIF / CFSA SPONSORS THE MIT "GREAT DEI DEBATE" -- ATTRACTING OVER 20,000 VIEWERS. 

CFSA brings a "large Cornell audience" to the MIT "Great DEI Debate" through the University Open Inquiry Forum ("UOIF")  webinar series launched in Spring 2023.  IMPORTANT : CFSA is proposing a termination of Cornell's use of DEI Statements in faculty hiring. Click-on the below UOIF / MIT DEI debate to understand why this Cornell policy change is needed!

PLEASE WATCH THIS DEBATE (CLICK HERE)

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More than 20 non-profit organizations have joined to co-sponsor the above webinar. See sponsors below... 

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CORNELL "CANCEL CULTURE" IS ALIVE & WELL

FIRST :  Abe Lincoln Cancelled At Cornell In Summer 2022

THEN : CU Alum Ann Coulter Cancelled : November 9, 2022

                     (see "Ann Cancelled" and "Words Are Violence")

In her annual Aug 2022 keynote address, Cornell Pres. Martha Pollack declared that Free Speech is a priority at Cornell. But as cited by the American Council of Trustees & Alumni, Cornell is not living up to these words and priorities. The Cornell Review reports that, regarding disciplining the disruptive students who shut down the Nov22 Coulter speech, Pollack "does not have a good answer.” Instead, only lip service has been offered which stated that  protection of free speech is "something we need to discuss". Cornell leadership has for months stonewalled a formal request made by CornellFSA, FIRE & ACTA for the university to institute free speech training for incoming students. The Cornell Administration's 's refusal to act helped cause the Coulter debacle. CornellFSA does not endorse the views of Ann Coulter or any other partisan speaker who visits Cornell. However, CornellFSA resolutely supports the right of Ann Coulter and others to have their reasonably held views publicly expressed at Cornell -- regardless of the public popularity of the views shared. 

As a politically non-partisan organization, CornellFSA supports views from across the political spectrum being freely heard and fully examined at Cornell. However, the Cornell Admin has refused to take the simple actions recommended by CornellFSA, ACTA, & FIRE to allow such Open Inquiry to occur. Policies aimed at preventing Cancel Culture have already been implemented at myriad universities including NYU, Purdue, Princeton, Univ. of Chicago, and scores of others. Over 100 US universities have adopted the Chicago Principles as their free speech policy. BUT NOT CORNELL. Why not? What is the Cornell Admin waiting for? Perhaps a continuing stream of national embarrassments for Cornell? Seems words are cheap in Ithaca. Will Cornellians hold the Cornell Admin accountable? Cornell needs a LEADERSHIP that will deal with its serious Cancel Culture problem. With only hollow words, the Cornell Admin has shown no willingness to lead on this critical issue which continues to seriously damage Cornell, its traditions, and its reputation.  WE ASK THE CORNELL ADMINISTRATION TO PLEASE TAKE THE NECESSARY ACTION !  THERE IS NO  REASON FOR FURTHER DELAY.

Abe Finally Reinstated In Oct22

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Lincoln Bust Being Reinstated At Uris Library. (Fall Semester 2022) In the summer of 2022, Cornell faculty and alumni discovered “The Cancellation Of Abe Lincoln”  -- i.e. the removal of the marble Lincoln bust (1865) and accompanying presentation of the Gettysburg Address text (Cornell owns an original address in Lincoln’s own hand) from Cornell's rare manuscripts Kroch Library section of Olin Library after a reported complaint which apparently identified Abraham Lincoln as a symbol of American racism. Sadly, Cornell University readily capitulated to this cynical and distorted view of American history and its greatest President. Witnessing this appalling failure of President Martha Pollack and Cornell's top leadership to defend the university's time-honored reputation and values, CornellFSA supporters took timely action and brought pressure on President Pollack and her Administration via faculty & alumni mobilization and through heavy news media coverage. In response, the Cornell Administration offered an untruthful cover-up to the press suggesting the Lincoln display was removed due to a normal exhibit rotation. But with the commitment of CornellFSA supporters, the university's Cancel Culture actions were made known, as was the false and intentionally misleading “official cover-up" narrative created by Cornell University Relations designed to hide the cause of the Lincoln exhibit removal. These official Cornell statements have now been repudiated via press and faculty investigations. THE RESULT :  On 9/29/22, it was announced by the university that “Old Abe” will be reinstated in a new and more prominent display at Uris Library. CONGRATS to the Cornellians who made this happen !  The media and CornellFSA illuminated the facts related to this embarrassing episode for Cornell -- and the weakness demonstrated by Cornell's leadership. See the below “before” and “after” news articles on the Lincoln bust cancellation. This reporting resulted in Cornell’s reversal and reinstatement of Abe Lincoln :

     News Before:     “Lincoln CANCELLED At Cornell” Press Report -6/28/22

     News After:          “Lincoln REINSTATED At Cornell” Press Report – 9/29/22 

Become A CornellFSA Subscriber

If you are a member of the Cornell Community who wishes to preserve freedom of speech and open academic and intellectual inquiry at Cornell University, we urge you to subscribe to the CFSA Quarterly Update today by clicking on the below link. This no-cost CFSA subscription will keep you informed of ongoing matters at Cornell relating to free speech, viewpoint diversity, and academic freedom on campus. As requested, CFSA maintains strict confidentiality regarding subscriber names and contact information. Please subscribe today !

Subscribe now

Join faculty, students, staff, and alumni from Cornell and these leading universities in the fight to preserve free expression and academic freedom on campus :

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