Approximately 180 Cornell Graduate Students United members and supporters gathered in front of Bailey Hall at noon on Wednesday to protest for the University to bargain with CGSU over international graduate student Momodou Taal’s suspension.
CGSU — the graduate student union established in November 2023 — is demanding the University bargain Taal’s suspension under a Memorandum of Agreement reached in July 2024. CGSU successfully bargained for the MOA following advocating for Taal and Bianca Waked grad who were temporarily suspended for organizing a pro-Palestine encampment last spring.
The agreement gives CGSU the right to bargain over the effects of academic discipline of graduate students as long as it affects their working conditions.
The union is arguing Taal’s suspension is included within the terms of the MOA since he was an instructor for “What is Blackness? Race and Processes of Racialization,” a First-Year Writing Seminar under the Africana Studies and Research Center.
The University suspended Taal for his involvement in a career fair disruption in Statler Hall on Sept. 18 attended by defense contractors L3Harris and Boeing. If Taal is withdrawn from the University, he will be in violation of his F-1 visa status, likely leading to his deportation.
According to a report by Cornell University Police Department Lieutenant Scott Grantz ’99, Taal and other protesters entered Statler Hall after explicitly being told that they were not permitted to do so by officers and participated in “unreasonably loud” chants.
Interim University President Michael Kotlikoff claimed protesters pushed through police at the ground-floor and second-floor entrances.
Sun reporters on the scene did not witness violence against law enforcement.
According to BSU leadership’s recollection of a Monday meeting with Interim President Michael Kotlikoff and Vice President of Student and Campus Life Ryan Lombardi, the administrators said they are using interim measures instead of the MOA to manage the case since they are “prioritizing the safety and the health of the community.”
CGSU is among several campus organizations arguing for the University to rescind the suspension.
Jawuanna McAllister grad, a member of the CGSU-UE Bargaining Committee, told The Sun the union hoped the University would respond to their request to bargain.
“We know that Cornell has a pattern of unjustly disciplining workers without due process,” McAllister said. “And so what we need is for Cornell to, right now, hold up their fair end of the bargain with this Memorandum of Agreement, and actually bargain with us over the things that affect our employment.”
A masked speaker delivered a speech written by Taal, who is currently barred from campus due to his suspension. Taal’s speech alleged that the University was infringing on his freedom of speech rights.
“My actions fell squarely within the ground of free speech and people protest. I have not engaged in any form of violence, nor have I called for such action,” the speaker read from Taal’s speech. “Instead, my advocacy has been rooted in the principles of social justice and equality, principles that are fundamental to the Africana studies.”
At around 12:35 p.m., protesters marched from Bailey Hall to Day Hall to continue demonstrating.
Outside Day Hall, Alderperson Kayla Matos (D-First Ward) addressed the crowd supporting Taal.
Matos is an advocate for just cause legislation — an effort to end employment at will practices in Ithaca. Employment at will laws allow for employers to fire employees without any notice or reasoning. She said graduate students should be included in just cause legislation, which would only allow employers to fire workers without notice for “egregious misconduct.”
“What you are fighting for is something that matters to your elected officials and the entire Ithaca community,” Matos said. “It matters to us because every worker should be entitled to due process and just cause protections —- you are not alone here.”
Prof. Risa Lieberwitz, industrial and labor relations, the president of the Cornell University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said the organization stood in solidarity with CGSU and asked the University to bargain with the union.
“We must have each other’s backs, we must be in alliance collectively, we must be in alliance individually, we must come together,” Lieberwitz said. “We are against the infringement on our academic freedom and our freedom of speech.”
A University spokesperson sent a statement claiming that the administration has cooperated with the Union over the course of the past few months.
“Cornell University and the CGSU-UE have met regularly since April to negotiate a first collective bargaining agreement. Bargaining sessions have been productive and led to tentative agreements on several articles,” the statement read. “Cornell continues to negotiate in good faith to ensure a contract that supports the needs of graduate workers.”
Correction, Oct. 3, 10:44 a.m.: A previous version of this article incorrectly transcribed a few words from Prof. Risa Lieberwitz, industrial and labor relations.
Gabriel Muñoz is a member of the class of 2026 at the College of Arts and Sciences. He serves as city editor for the 143rd editorial board. He previously served as city editor for the 142nd Editorial Board and news editor for the 141st Editorial Board. He can be contacted at gmunoz@cornellsun.com.
