-
‘The Patients Are the Ones that Suffer the Most’: Researchers Left in Limbo After Cornell Funding Freeze, Stop-Work Orders
A quantum materials professor. A space weapons researcher. A breast cancer oncologist. In the wake of at least 90 stop-work orders sent to Cornell University by the federal government just in April, researchers across Cornell’s campuses have seen their projects halted and are left grappling for answers. An April 21 statement from Cornell administration noted the federal stop-work orders began in February of this year, impacting “vital research” across its main Ithaca campus, Cornell Tech and Weill Cornell Medicine. Cornell Media Relations confirmed that stop-work orders on more than 80 research grants were from the Department of Defense and the Department of Agriculture. The stop-work orders impacted research focused on…
-
‘We Can Do Something About It’: Former Rep. Joe Kennedy III Talks Trump Administration, Federal Funding Freeze
Amid Cornell’s $1 billion federal funding freeze and nationwide tensions between universities and the Trump administration, The Sun sat down with former Rep. Joe Kennedy III to talk about the different challenges the United States is facing during a period of accelerated government change. Kennedy, who is the grandson of former Attorney General and New York Senator Robert Kennedy, served in the House of Representatives from 2013 to 2021 for Massachusetts’s 4th Congressional District. During his time in Congress, Kennedy was selected to deliver the democratic response to President Donald Trump’s 2018 State of the Union Address, an honor only awarded to one member of the Democratic Caucus. Kennedy ran…
-
How the Money Moves: Funding a New Headliner Two Weeks Before Slope Day
After President Michael Kotlikoff rescinded Kehlani’s invitation as Slope Day headliner two weeks before the concert, the administration is now seeking to find and fund a new headliner, according to the email announcement. Kotlikoff’s announcement to remove the slope day headliner follows student and parent dissatisfaction regarding Kehlani’s anti-Israel rhetoric on social media. In a meeting with concerned students on Tuesday about Slope Day before the announcement, Kotlikoff was asked about whether or not the University would consider changing headlining artists. To this, he noted the “practical issue” with selecting another artist — the lack of time until Slope Day, which is set to take place on May 7. “We…
-
Cornell Law Professor Calls University Funding Freeze ‘Illegal,’ Highlighting Due Process Violations
Legal concerns over the freezing of over $1 billion in federal research funding at Cornell have escalated, with Prof. Michael Dorf, law, calling the actions “illegal” for bypassing statutory due process protections in the ongoing civil rights investigation. Following the funding freeze, a Trump Administration official confirmed to CNN that the pause was undertaken in connection with “several ongoing, credible, and concerning Title VI investigations.” Currently, there are at least two Title VI investigations into Cornell. In November 2023, the U.S Department of Education announced that Cornell was being investigated for potential violations of Title VI, related to reports of antisemitic or anti muslim harassment. This came after Cornell received…
-
The University Still Has ‘Not Gotten Formal Notification’ of the Funding Freeze, Kotlikoff Tells Student Assembly
As Cornell sees an over $1 billion funding cut from the Trump administration and at least four student visa revocations, President Michael Kotlikoff and Dean of Students Marla Love addressed the Student Assembly at its Thursday meeting. Funding Cuts Kotlikoff said that the University still has “not gotten formal notification” of the funding freeze at the Assembly meeting, over a week after The New York Times broke the news of the cuts on April 8, based on information from U.S. officials. The University received over 75 stop-work orders from the Department of Defense on Monday related to Cornell research “that is profoundly significant to American national defense, cybersecurity, and health,”…
-
Paleontological Research Institution Grapples With Loss of $100,000 Grant Amid Trump Funding Cuts
The Paleontological Research Institution received a formal letter terminating nearly $100,000 of federal funding on Wednesday following several funding cuts under the Trump administration. The PRI was awarded the grant last fall by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which has recently been dismantled by the Trump administration. The IMLS is an independent federal agency that supports U.S. museums and libraries through grants, policy development and research opportunities. As of March 31, IMLS staff were placed on administrative leave and the following day, several institutions across the country began receiving termination letters for different grant awards. The PRI has received several grants from the IMLS in the past. The…
-
Women’s Higher Education Now Fundraises to Make up For Trump Administration’s Funding Cuts
Cornell’s Women Higher Education Now is taking action to protect women’s access to education following the loss of federal funding that once sustained the Asian University for Women in Bangladesh, which offers full-ride scholarships to its campus for women who cannot afford an education. WHEN is a student organization that is partnered with and raises money for AUW to support women’s education. It primarily holds fundraisers such as selling cookies and flowers. According to its Instagram, the organization aims to “explore and spread awareness on issues about gender equality, sustainable development, and equitable education.” AUW offers full-ride college scholarships to women who would otherwise be unable to access or afford…