On a cold and rainy night this past Friday evening, members of the Board of Trustees, scurrying from dinner to a gala in Bailey Hall, were met with an unlikely greeting: peaceful, yet pronounced, student protest.

A self-described “coalition of students of color” staged the protest to shine light on what they consider to be a lack of administrative support for the needs of various minority communities on campus. Among these concerns were minimal financial resources for Asian and Asian-American students, neglect of student input in the decision to reassign Ujamaa Residential Housing Director Ken Glover and insufficient staffing at the Office of Minority Educational Affairs.

While student support for these causes has made headlines in recent weeks, the style of protest that was exhibited on Friday was most appropriate — and, we hope, effective. It illustrated a uniquely unified front to a diverse array of student groups and highlighted a multitude of complex issues that deserve University-wide attention. Even with tape binding their mouths, the protesters instigated a conversation that we all better join in on.

Earlier on Friday morning, Skorton addressed the Board in his State of the University address. In it, he outlined the four pillars that built Cornell and, more broadly, define academia. Classical and contemporary inquiry, innovative thinking, student access to education and public engagement, he said, would never be weathered despite the magnitude of the fiscal storm that the University is facing. The protest that took shape outside of Bailey was nothing less than an admirable display of the first pillar standing strong.

Activism is a very real and vital aspect of academia. An effective protest stems not from emotion, but from innovative and speculative thought. It is critical thought, as Skorton acknowledged, that supports that first pillar of what makes Cornell stand strong. “The most useful and the most versatile education of all,” according to President Skorton, “requires students to acquire knowledge and think critically about it.” The students protesting outside Bailey effectively exhibited both their knowledge of University happenings and their ability to question authority while staying smart. It is the prosperity of academic freedom that has preserved the academic core of Cornell since its inception.

Students posed their questions to those in authority in a thoughtful way. First, in an impressive display of leadership, representatives from the group Students for Ken Glover met with Skorton, Vice President for Student and Academic Services Susan Murphy ’73, Provost Kent Fuchs and Deputy Provost David Harris last week to discuss Glover’s reassignment. After deciding that did not go far enough, these students joined forces with other students who had similar concern about a lack of a voice on campus. They presented their stance in a peaceful — but necessarily conspicuous — way to the trustees, demanding notice from them with their actions.

What we need on campus is more a proactive discussion; yet, the lines between discussion, dialogue and debate are often opaque. So, what happens when students feel that attempt after attempt their voice is not being heard? What was conveyed on Friday night resonated as an equally thoughtful and powerful protest, a necessary step for students to be heard. We hope to see more students take a lead in student protest and demonstrate the mindful form of activism academia is meant to foster.