Finding “sufficient causal relationship” between work-related injuries sustained by Cornell painter James Smith in 2001 and his suicide in 2007, a New York State appellate court upheld a decision awarding Smith’s wife workers’ compensation payment.

Cornell’s newly-founded Licensing Oversight Committee hit the ground running in its first meeting Tuesday, pledging to renew business relations with Russell Athletics and investigating the abuses alleged by two aggrieved former Honduran workers for Nike, both of whom spoke at the University on Tuesday.

Overgrown quads crawling with ticks. Cracked sidewalks unplowed in mid-winter: impassable. Showers caked with inch-thick mold. Classrooms dusty, dirty and unkempt. Dorm bathrooms still reeking of last weekend’s now-hardened vomit. Dining hall buffets empty. Scared, starved students calling out to mommy in bewilderment. A university unhinged, rendered inert.

This description of life without Cornell workers is overly dramatic, of course. A lame attempt at shock and awe. But what would become of our school without the services provided by these workers? How much are their services worth?

The University announced on Friday that it would terminate its business relationship with Russell Athletics due to concerns over labor violations and anti-union practices. While we applaud the decision of the University, the decision is largely due to the efforts of student groups and recent activism. The University should have the responsible foresight to sever ties with violating companies before students rise up in protest.