From the Department of Education’s investigation into discrimination at Cornell to a former trustee’s rebuke of the University’s “misguided commitment” to diversity, equity and inclusion, diversity at Cornell has been a topic of contention throughout the 2023-2024 academic year. In 1890, George Washington Fields, a former slave, received his degree from the department of law at Cornell, now Cornell Law School, becoming the first African-American law graduate. Shortly after its establishment, the program was renamed the Hispanic American Studies Program to better reflect its mission and vision. In 2017, a Black Cornell student was hospitalized after being attacked and called the N-word by a group of white men in Collegetown. Both Jewish and Muslim Cornell students have expressed fear for their safety on campus since the war began.
