UA R17 (2020-2021): Calling on Cornell to End All Ties With Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Rejected by the President

• Resolution:
  UA R17 (2020-2021): Calling on Cornell to End All Ties With Immigration and Customs Enforcement
• Day:
  April 27, 2021
• Action:
  Rejected by the President
• Summary / Notes:

       

• File Attachments:
• Text Attachment:
  Dear Logan,

   

  Thank you for submitting University Assembly Resolution 17, “Calling on Cornell to End All Ties With Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” for my consideration.

   

  As I describe in my response to UA Resolution 19, Cornell is committed to supporting our undocumented students and students with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, and many of the resources we offer are listed on the Office of Student and Campus Life’s website. That response also details Cornell’s policies with respect to protecting the privacy of student information and records, including immigration status, from unauthorized or unlawful intrusion.

   

  In addition, Cornell Career Services is committed to assisting students with DACA status and other undocumented students with their career development goals, and a representative from that office serves in a working group led by Cornell Committee Supporting Undocumented Students (CCSUS). CCSUS members include, among others, representatives from the Undocumented & DACA Support Office and from the DREAM Team. Undocumented students face particular challenges in their job and internship searches, and I’m proud of the work CCS does to help these students advance their careers.

   

  Cornell, like most U.S. research universities, has long held ties with federal agencies to carry out basic and applied research on a variety of subjects. Cornell’s faculty members are free to pursue funding from these agencies: collaborations that lead to innovative ideas and new discoveries, enhance human and animal health, strengthen the economy, transform technology, and protect the environment. Restricting the federal agencies to which a faculty member can apply for research funding would run counter to the principle of academic freedom. In a similar vein, students entering the job market should have access to a broad range of employers though Cornell Career Services, and the choice of which employers to explore is best left to the individual. For these reasons, I must reject this resolution.

   

  Thank you again for submitting the resolution and for the University Assembly’s support for undocumented Cornellians.

   

  Sincerely,

   

  Martha E. Pollack

   

  Martha E. Pollack

  President, Cornell University

  300 Day Hall

  Ithaca, NY  14853

  www.cornell.edu