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GUEST ROOM | Neurodiversity in the Trump Era
April is Autism Acceptance month, a time to intentionally include, faithfully affirm and openly embrace autistic people, who make up around 3% of the population. While the Biden administration formally recognized Autism Acceptance month, President Trump has proclaimed it Autism Awareness month, reverting to the outdated and harmful terminology which emphasizes alertness to a threat rather than welcoming of differences. “Awareness” campaigns serve only to perpetuate stigmas and medicalized attitudes rather than promote belonging and inclusion while acknowledging both our humanity and our uniqueness. Acceptance month centers on an act you take through purposeful learning, reflection and practice. Accepting someone requires educating yourself about their life; unfamiliarity breeds misunderstanding, disdain…
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‘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…
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GUEST ROOM | Reflections on Les Misérables, Cornell University and the Trump Administration
At the 2025 National Governors Association dinner, the U.S. Army Choir performed “Do You Hear the People Sing,” a revolutionary anthem from the musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables. Shockingly, the song, about fighting against tyrannical governments, was approved before the dinner and was not the act of protest it may have seemed to be. Even though Donald Trump is painting himself as the oppressed, starting with the unauthorized use of this requiem during a Miami rally eight years ago and extending to his glorification of his mugshot, he is exactly the type of tyrant Les Misérables speaks out against: One who betrays our systems of checks and balances,…
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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…
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Dyson to Be Renamed Donald J. Trump School of Business Excellence in Business
After intense pressure from President Donald Trump, the Cornell administration has decided to make a swift change in branding, renaming the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management to the Donald J. Trump School of Business Excellence in Business. On April 8, the Trump administration notified the Cornell administration that it had frozen $1 billion in federal funding. The administration delivered Cornell a list of demands that, upon completion, would lead to the restoration of federal funding. In an interview with The Sun, President Kotlikoff said, “While I cannot publicize the exact content of the list, our University refuses to comply with the demands of an unhinged authoritarian who uses…
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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…
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Cornell Health Adjusts Gender-Affirming Care Page Following Trump Executive Order
Cornell Health has deleted several lines from its gender-affirming care page. The move follows an executive order from President Donald Trump directing federal entities to withhold funding from medical providers that offer gender-affirming treatments to individuals under 19 years old. Cornell Health’s gender-affirming care page previously noted that “New York State has legislation in place to protect access to gender-affirming care” and that they “do not anticipate any future changes to the services [they] provide,” as of Jan. 9. Cornell Health added that “students enrolled in Cornell’s Student Health Plan and other New York-based employer and exchange insurance plans in 2025 will continue to have coverage for gender-affirming care.” However,…