Tuesday, September 19, 2017

BSU Declares ‘State of Emergency,’ Cornell President Launches Initiatives Following Assault

Following an assault in which a black Cornell student said he was called the N-word and repeatedly punched by a group of white students in Collegetown on Friday, Black Students United at Cornell declared a “state of emergency” over the weekend and President Martha Pollack issued a series of initiatives meant to improve the campus climate.

Ithaca Police arrested one Cornell student after the fight on Eddy Street at about 1:30 a.m. on Friday. The arrested Cornell student, who had not been identified as of Sunday evening, was charged with misdemeanor assault, Ithaca Police Lt. John Joly said, adding that the department is investigating “any racially biased motivation.”

Pollack said in a message to the campus community that Cornell, pending a final investigation, will not consider reinstating the Psi Upsilon fraternity, which had its recognition revoked in 2016. At least four student groups said in separate statements that members of Psi Upsilon were responsible for the assault, although the fraternity’s alumni group denies this. On Saturday, “You Rasist Fucks [sic]” was seen in paint on the Psi Upsilon’s uninhabited former house.

Delmar Fears ’19, a co-chair of BSU, said in an interview over the weekend that the organization had declared a “state of emergency for black students” following the assault and had warned black students not to attend Interfraternity Council or Panhellenic Council parties because of concerns for their safety. 

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Source: The Cornell Daily Sun (via The Empire Report)

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