Boeing and L3Harris, two defense contractors confronted by pro-Palestine protesters at last year’s Human Capital and Human Relations Career Fair, did not return to the event on Monday.
In Fall 2024, more than 100 students marched from Day Hall to The Statler Hotel, protesting the presence of weapons manufacturers Boeing and L3Harris Technologies at a Cornell career fair. Protesters presented a letter accusing the companies of complicity in war crimes in Gaza while chanting, banging drums and raising signs, breaking up the event.
The majority of student voters in a Spring 2025 Student Assembly referendum had voted for Cornell to divest from Boeing, L3Harris and eight other weapons manufacturers.
At the fair, protesters pushed past a police line and confronted recruiters, according to footage released by Cornell. The majority of employers packed up before the official ending of the Career Fair. In the weeks following, 19 protestors were identified and referred for disciplinary action according to the University, and a total of four individuals were referred to Ithaca City Court on criminal complaints.
President Michael Kotlikoff said that the individuals involved would “face immediate suspension or employment sanctions” and potential legal action, according to a University statement released shortly after the event.
“These intimidating tactics have no place in a university and violate our commitments to each other. Actions have consequences, on campus and in the criminal justice system,” Kotlikoff wrote.
Among those arrested in connection with the 2024 Career Fair demonstration was Sriram Parasurama, a third-year Ph.D. student who is involved in pro-Palestine activism on campus.
For Parasurama, the absence of the defense contractors in this year’s career fair represented a clear success.
“Regardless of why Boeing and L3Harris pulled out, we achieved our material goal: keeping weapons manufacturers from recruiting our peers on campus,” Parasurama said.
At Monday’s career fair, 29 companies were present for students to interact with.
Nathan Mascia ’27 was in attendance and searching for internships and human connections. For Mascia, last year's protest presented a “tough debate,” and though he supports the right to protest, he felt that the attempt to block students from speaking with certain companies was futile.
“I think providing as many opportunities for the students is not a problem,” Mascia said. “People are going to work for these companies regardless.”
Transfer student Martin Jara ’28 agreed and said that the absence of Boeing and L3Harris from Monday’s career fair “does, in some ways, limit Cornell students' opportunities for the future.”
He added, however, that “I don't think it's really my place to say if [inviting Boeing and L3Harris] was worth it or not.”
Still, other career fair attendees, including Zachary Sullivan ’26, felt some companies should not be promoted by Cornell Career Services.
“There are a lot of companies that I think shouldn't be here,” Sullivan said. “There should be a line in the sand as to who's allowed to come.”
Several defense contractors — including Lockheed Martin — are set to promote to students at upcoming Cornell career fair events. An event with Anduril, an artificial intelligence weapons manufacturer, was disrupted on Sept. 9 by members of The Progressives at Cornell.
In a Sept. 10 Instagram post, Cornell Progressives detailed its confrontation with the company.
“Members of the Progressives handed informational materials to attendees and asked questions during the designated Q&A portion of the session,” the post stated. “To avoid further questions, Anduril recruiters chose to break for ‘mingling’ a full hour before the event was set to end.”
Parasurama pointed to these recent student actions as signs that protests will continue.
“Cornell Progressives disrupted an Anduril recruitment session last week,” Parasurama said. "They're a surveillance and weapons company tied to human rights violations. I’m sure there will continue to be peaceful, nonviolent actions like that.”
Parasurama urged students, particularly engineers, to reconsider pursuing work with defense contractors despite Cornell’s maintained ties with Boeing and L3Harris.
“These companies are complicit in genocide, or not just complicit, they are genociders,” Parasurama said. “These are weapons of murder. If students have any moral conscience, they would choose not to work there.”
Benjamin Leynse ’27 contributed reporting.
