NEWS BRIEFS: Cornell Wraps Changes to the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program (AIISP) in Self-Protective Institutional Policies

What you would assume and expect isn’t happening at Cornell. Clarity of actions, we mean. Instead, the actions taken to the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program are connected to “Resilient Cornell,” the university’s administrative directive. If A is done, or B isn’t done — even if actions have enormous implications for a department, program, etc. — the outcome is connected to the directive. “Because of it, this is what we did.” That directive includes paying strict attention to federally imposed interpretations associated with funding, expanding, continuing, etc., diversity programs and policies.

It is too easy to point to “the enemy without,” claiming that the incursion on higher education is coming only from the Trump Administration. There is also “the enemy within,” sometimes complicit, and at other times an active agent in compromising higher education’s values and mission.

Cornell has the audacity to claim that it maintains an institutional commitment to Indigenous communities as it also de-structures a program. From Cornel

From Sue Lyons on Facebook

What is Cornell University’s response to dismantling Native American programming and its impact on Haudenosaunee students? CORNELL UNIVERSITY DISMANTLED all Native American programming, support staff has been eliminated, and Akwekoh will no longer give preference to Native students. I suspect these changes were made to become compliant with Trump’s policies and government funding for colleges and universities. I am shocked and dismayed that Cornell would cave to political pressure, if that is indeed the reason for these actions. What is going to be the response from the Haudenosaunee? Our students are left hanging. (Copied) Cornell is a land-grant institution with a commitment to educating specified populations, including Native students. What does this mean for their land-grant status?

From The Cornell Sun — Letters to the Editor, Commentaries, and Articles pertaining to the AIISP

 

 

 

 

 

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