“Cornell’s mission is to foster personal discovery and growth, nurture scholarship and creativity across a broad range of common knowledge…[o]ur legacy is reflected in the diverse composition of our community.”

— Cornell’s Statement on Diversity, from cornell.edu.

In 1993, a group of predominantly Latino students reacted to acts of discrimination and racism on campus by staging a nonviolent takeover of Day Hall. This protest culminated in a series of demands that the University agreed to address. Among the University’s commitments was the hiring of more underrepresented faculty and the strengthening of programs such as Latino Studies.

In Sun articles and columns, in recent protests and in meetings with senior administrators, a number of students have raised concerns about Cornell’s commitment to, and support for, diversity programs focused on our under-represented minority (URM) undergraduates.

We want to reassure all members of our community that a commitment to diversity goals and initiatives remains fundamental to Cornell’s mission. However, it is also important to acknowledge that, even as we pursue our goals, necessary budget cuts across campus have affected and will affect many programs. The impacts have not, and will not, disproportionately impact programs focusing on URM students.