Cornell University has implemented a three-year suspension against four pro-Hamas students for forcibly breaching police barriers to shut down a university-organized career fair.
Of the four suspended students, three were also arrested after breaking into the on-campus Statler Hotel to object against military contractors attending the ILR Career-Fair on Sept 18.
“The disruption of the ILR Career Fair that followed the Day Hall protest was not a peaceful or harmless rally, as some have described it. Individuals used force to enter the Statler Hotel after receiving explicit instructions by Cornell University Police (CUPD) that they were not permitted to do so,” Cornell Interim President Michael Kotlikoff wrote in a Sept. 30 message to students.
“This was made clear to participants, so much so that their organizers announced on a megaphone that they would use any means necessary to breach the Statler and that individuals who did not feel safe partaking in such aggressive tactics should remain outside,” he continued. “Many chose to do just that.”
Cornell Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter Co-Chair Atakan Devirent was among the students arrested, as noted by the group’s Instagram account. Yihun Stith and Sriram Parasurama were also arrested, as listed on the Cornell daily crime log.
Pasasurama told Campus Reform that Columbia’s decision to suspend him “definitely reflects a bias in the sense that they are prioritizing the wellbeing of their shareholders over their students.”
“I do not think this will deter student protestors from fighting for justice in Palestine,” he added. “The motivation and resiliency I have observed in the student protestors is to be commended and I don’t think this university discipline will quell them any time soon,”
Cornell’s Jewish Voice for Peace chapter President Jacob Berman was also suspended for his involvement in the protest. Both Deviren and Berman sought to negotiate their punishments with the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards, but their requests were ultimately denied, according to The Cornell Daily Sun.
These suspensions follow the revocation of an immigrant student’s visa for disrupting the same career fair, although that student was later reinstated and had his visa returned.
Cornell’s Vice President for Media Relations Joel Malina published an updated statement on Oct 10, outlining the university’s process for handling disciplinary actions related to the pro-Hamas protest from a month prior.
The four students were suspended roughly a week after Malina’s statement was released.
Cornell’s chapters of the Coalition for Mutual Liberation and Jewish Voice for Peace posted to Instagram on Oct. 17, stating, “Wear a mask, cover your hair, and conceal identifying features,” in preparation for a “walkout to the board of trustees meeting.”
“If they can’t identify you, they can’t repress you,” the post reads.
Campus Reform has contacted Cornell University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
This article was originally published at campusreform.org
