From the Cornell Daily Sun: The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression wrote an “urgent” letter to President Michael Kotlikoff on Oct. 16, criticizing his Oct. 13 decision to ban all Cornell Interfraternity Council social events for the rest of the academic year. “FIRE urges Cornell to rescind the October 13 directive as applied to any IFC organization that is not the subject of a pending Report or Formal Complaint,” the letter reads, requesting a “substantive response” confirming that the University has removed the ban by Oct. 26.
The letter claims that the ban violates students’ right to freedom of association, stating that this right prohibits universities from banning social functions unless such restrictions are “narrowly tailored to serve a compelling interest.”
“Courts have invalidated far less onerous restrictions as impermissible burdens on associational freedom,” the letter reads. FIRE is an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to investigate and protect against violations of free speech, focused on issues related to college campuses. In its 2027 College Free Speech Rankings, FIRE recently granted Cornell an F grade for its speech climate, ranking the University 219 out of the 261 schools studied.
“Guilt by association serves no one and guarantees that injustice will be done to innocent individuals -- in this case, including students who were not even on campus in October 2024,” [Robert Shibley, FIRE’s special counsel for campus advocacy,] wrote...
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