Cornell board clears president of wrongdoing after confrontation with anti-Israel students
Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff has been cleared of wrongdoing by the school's board after he got into a confrontation with anti-Israel students in April.
The incident took place on April 30 following a debate on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Following the event, a group of anti-Israel individuals — who Kotlikoff said were both students and non-students — followed the university president to his car while questioning him.
Kotlikoff said he told the group that he would not answer any more questions and asked them to stop recording, but they refused. He then got into his vehicle, backed out of the parking spot and left. While Kotlikoff said he waited until there was space behind his car, Students for a Democratic Cornell (SDC) alleged his vehicle struck one individual and ran over another person's foot.
An Ad Hoc Special Committee of the Board of Trustees issued a statement on Friday, detailing the review that took place following the confrontation and expressing support for Kotlikoff. The committee said that during the review it considered evidence gathered by the Cornell University Police Department (CUPD), including verified footage and a sworn statement that Kotlikoff provided CUPD.
In the statement, the committee said that the person at the scene who reported that Kotlikoff's vehicle had made contact refused treatment from the EMS team and would not provide a sworn statement to CUPD. The committee noted that none of the individuals at the scene gave sworn statements about the incident.
"The Committee has found that the actions taken by these individuals on April 30th, which included following President Kotlikoff from an evening event into a parking lot and impeding his ability to leave, are inconsistent with university policies governing expressive activity and our standards for respectful conduct, safety, and the prohibition of intimidation," the statement read.
CUPD presented the evidence it had gathered during the investigation to the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office, which determined that criminal charges were not warranted, according to the statement.
The committee also said that Kotlikoff declined to pursue a complaint against the students involved in the confrontation, but added that "appropriate action is being taken against the non-students involved."
Cornell Law School Professor William Jacobson said the board's decision confirmed what publicly available videos had already shown.
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"The result of the Board of Trustees investigation into the incident between activists and Cornell's President confirms what the public videos showed — reckless conduct meant to trap and confront the President in a dangerous manner, and highly questionable claims of injury by the activists," Jacobson said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
In its statement, the committee reaffirmed Cornell's commitment to "robust debate and peaceful protest," emphasizing that "expressive activity must occur within the bounds of the law and with respect for the rights and safety of all members of our community." The committee also expressed confidence in Kotlikoff's continued leadership of the university.