It has been just under a month since classes began, yet the trust between Cornell’s students and its president has already frayed. Each week has brought another revelation from surveillance controversies to procedural maneuvers that weaken shared governance. I am not calling for Kotlikoff’s resignation. What I offer instead is advice on how he might begin to repair the damage.
On Sept. 2, The Cornell Daily Sun reported that Chief Administrator to the Office of the Provost Kristin Hopkins was captured on police bodycam footage asking if officers had gathered “a decent amount” of student IDs belonging to Cornell students protesting the March 2025 panel “Pathways to Peace.”
In that same video, Hopkins referenced how “Mike … was just hoping the number would be more.” It is clear that “Mike” is President Michael Kotlikoff. The immediate response to this news tore into the administration. The notion that they are here to protect students has been shredded.
Three days later, it was reported that the administration established a Code and Procedures Review Committee to revise the Student Code of Conduct. That Committee would also be responsible for reviewing any suggestions for the Student Code of Conduct by the University Assembly — and then sending it to Vice President of Student and Campus Life Ryan Lombardi.
Extra review by the committee and Lombardi are opportunities to kill UA input — a tactic often used by authoritarian regimes, globally. These steps boost executive power, decrease legislative power and create new opportunities for UA resolutions to get lost in the process. Not to mention, the UA is supposed to provide a check on the executive branch — that is now gone. The committee also lacks any professional student representation and adequate graduate and undergraduate student representation.
In May, the central administration drastically increased its control over campus surveillance systems for purposes unknown to students and faculty, but placed under the guise of ‘renovations.’ It seems Cornell students are being hunted, surveilled and having their conduct placed under further scrutiny.
The President has lost the trust of his students, as many see his top priority in rounding them up rather than protecting them in this dark time. It would only be reasonable for students to feel that they can’t rely on the President or his office.
The impact of trust on the situation is quite precarious. In situations where leaders aren’t trusted, their constituents or colleagues are more likely to engage in behaviors that those in conflict studies call ‘defection,’ i.e. they’ll act in ways you may not like.
Mike, I am not writing here to call for your resignation. Instead, I offer some genuine and free advice on what you must do to rebuild trust with the Cornell student body, who should be your top priority.
- Power-sharing
In moments of high distrust, it is best for a leader to demonstrate a commitment to real power sharing, not just the symbolic kind. It shows a willingness to adopt and abide by the proposed rules of others. Given Cornell’s existing shared governance, it’s pertinent to start taking assembly concerns more seriously instead of simply letting their resolutions die on your desk.
The assemblies of the University are not in competition with you for power — rather, they exist to split the workload of administering services to the student body. They have always been your ally; they will seldom push you away first.
2. Demonstrate Predictability and Dependability
Be kind and be consistent. If you are truly sincere in protecting students and their rights, be absolute in that — don’t hope that more of them are rounded up after a protest. Remember: bad news is always ten times as loud as good news, and the students won’t forget.
Make your kindness and your heart a policy of your administration. ‘Cornell is kind’ should be your vision, and you should live it through actions. Shared governance can help you achieve this vision of institutionalized kindness. Take Resolution 37, a policy introduced to the assembly in Feb. 2025 and rejected promptly by your office in Apr. 2025 that called for the protection of at-risk members of the Cornell community through tangible programs and training.
If you believe that this resolution was already addressed by University policy, then work with the Student Assembly to create something that applies more directly. Don’t just dismiss it out of hand.
Lead without asking others to follow you. Carry the banner of kindness yourself, and only after will the people follow you. They will come to believe in you if you first believe in them.
3. Be Honest About How You Feel
It takes a bit of bravery, but the stakes are too high: tell people how you feel. Do it as often as it feels genuine to do so. You don’t have to bare it all, but when we’re discussing the future of this University, honesty matters more than sunshine and roses.
Tell people the reality, and be honest with them. Then tell them how that reality makes you feel. If you feel uncertain, that’s fine. If you feel determined, that’s fine. Cornell may just unite behind your fear and your quiet resolve and come out of this storm better off.
I hope you take these words to heart, because many Cornell students hang onto every one. They are universal and favor no side or viewpoint. They are well-informed by my study of building trust in violent conflict scenarios. Since you are not at war with the student body, this should be easy.
Paul Caruso is an Opinion Columnist and a second year MPA student in the Brooks School of Public Policy and the Founder of the Cornell Negotiation Student Society. His column, Caruso's Compass, focuses on politics, international affairs, and campus life. The column seeks to identify issues with the status quo and provide solutions to them. He can be reached at pcaruso@cornellsun.com.
