On Nov. 7, 2025, Cornell announced a $60 million settlement with the Trump administration, unfreezing $250 million in funding and closing all open Title VI Civil Rights investigations. Half the sum would go to the government, the other half to support agricultural research. Cornell further committed to additional data sharing on admissions, the use of a controversial Department of Justice memo in internal training and inclusion of questions about antisemitism in our campus climate surveys.  

However, the deal leaves many questions about our past and future unanswered. There has been no real transparency or accountability. 

Let’s begin with transparency. When the AAUP met with President Kotlikoff and Provost Bala in August 2025, we were told transparency about the negotiations with the government wasn’t possible. They were worried that any leaks might damage the University’s negotiating position. 

Reasonable or not at the time, this logic no longer applies.  

First, we need a full accounting of the University’s financial decisions over the last decade. To what extent did these decisions leave us vulnerable to coercion? The University’s rationale for austerity has shifted over time. Announced on the heels of the federal freeze, there was broad support for helping Cornell “stand strong.” The deal’s announcement, however, was followed by statements that this didn’t reduce the need for austerity. In the University Assembly, leadership has suggested expanded financial aid was part of the problem, but also stated in the University Assembly meeting on Dec. 2, 2025 that our fundraising goals were consistently being met. Less frequently acknowledged are costs associated with Weill Cornell Medical — despite assurances WCM would not draw on Ithaca resources — including potential legal liability for sexual abuse. The current line is that we need to........

© Cornell Daily Sun