We're gonna be in the news again

[Trotsky]

Well I for one am shocked, shocked that an entity run to generationally perpetuate the dominance of the wealthy has no problems sacrificing every core democratic and human value to suck up to fascists.

I mean, who would have ever guessed that would be the result of universities aligning with big business?

I know you have to satisfy your quota of rants against the system, but you clearly don't understand the power dynamic here. Colleges have no choice. Research universities are reliant on government funding.  Harvard, which is far richer and far more powerful than Cornell, tried resisting, realized they couldn't win, and now they are in a far worse position than if they had acquiesced from the start.

Thank you, New York Times, but no.

They do have a choice.  They are actively electing not to exercise it.  It is policy, not a natural law.

A lot of people lost a lot of money opposing slavery.  A lot of people lost a lot of money opposing segregation.   The sensible argument by the comfortable center is always OH NOES!  Don't directly oppose it; live to fight another day.  So they trade other's rights for their comfort.  That is how highly evil outcomes are always insulated within a democratic system.  People themselves  have the power of their convictions -- they go through hell to fight these thugs.  But when you fold their will into institutions, those institutions' prime directive is self-preservation.  Cornell wants to preserve Cornell.  The world can burn if Day Hall survives.

If you don't stand for the marginalized, always, everywhere, then nobody is safe, ever, anywhere.  1860, 1940, 2020... apparently we have to relearn the lesson every 80 years that there is no compromising with these sociopathic fucks.  

You either fight them now in the courts or later in your attic.

[BearLover]

Well I for one am shocked, shocked that an entity run to generationally perpetuate the dominance of the wealthy has no problems sacrificing every core democratic and human value to suck up to fascists.

I mean, who would have ever guessed that would be the result of universities aligning with big business?

I know you have to satisfy your quota of rants against the system, but you clearly don't understand the power dynamic here. Colleges have no choice. Research universities are reliant on government funding.  Harvard, which is far richer and far more powerful than Cornell, tried resisting, realized they couldn't win, and now they are in a far worse position than if they had acquiesced from the start.

I'm with Trotsky. They have a 10 plus billion dollar endowment, plus plus. Combined with other Ivy's and wealthy universities, they should tell Uncle Sam and Big Orange to get stuffed. Fucking cowards.

The endowment point is immaterial. The endowment does not go towards research funding nor would it be remotely enough to cover the lost funding even if it did.

[Chris '03]

Well I for one am shocked, shocked that an entity run to generationally perpetuate the dominance of the wealthy has no problems sacrificing every core democratic and human value to suck up to fascists.

I mean, who would have ever guessed that would be the result of universities aligning with big business?

I know you have to satisfy your quota of rants against the system, but you clearly don't understand the power dynamic here. Colleges have no choice. Research universities are reliant on government funding.  Harvard, which is far richer and far more powerful than Cornell, tried resisting, realized they couldn't win, and now they are in a far worse position than if they had acquiesced from the start.

I think we need to define "far worse position" here. The schools that cave will pay a bribe and get their precious research dollars. And hand over their independence and soul. And then in six months get shaken down again. And again. Because it's never one time. Ask Columbia.

All while prospective students and current and future faculty who are leaders in their fields go elsewhere. And alumni donations dry up.

Sure standing up for yourself is hard. But sometimes that's what is needed.

[ugarte]

I mean the fact is that Cornell doesn't have enough money to keep running properly if they don't get some funding back. Cornell is doing what is best for its students and that is totally logical because those are the people that pay to attend. Would it be nice to be in a financial spot where we wouldn't have to grovel for our money back? Sure. But would it make enough of a difference to the national political landscape if we decided to stand up for ourselves and not ask for funding back? I would say no, at least not enough of a difference to put the future of the university at risk. The only people really at fault here are the trump administration.

lol if you think this is about the students. the students get turfed for dissenting!

[Trotsky]

Meanwhile, the Masters of the Universe are such responsible stewards of our endowments.

[profudge]

::cheer:: agreed Chris!  Well said.

[BearLover]

Well I for one am shocked, shocked that an entity run to generationally perpetuate the dominance of the wealthy has no problems sacrificing every core democratic and human value to suck up to fascists.

I mean, who would have ever guessed that would be the result of universities aligning with big business?

I know you have to satisfy your quota of rants against the system, but you clearly don't understand the power dynamic here. Colleges have no choice. Research universities are reliant on government funding.  Harvard, which is far richer and far more powerful than Cornell, tried resisting, realized they couldn't win, and now they are in a far worse position than if they had acquiesced from the start.

I think we need to define "far worse position" here. The schools that cave will pay a bribe and get their precious research dollars. And hand over their independence and soul. And then in six months get shaken down again. And again. Because it's never one time. Ask Columbia.

All while prospective students and current and future faculty who are leaders in their fields go elsewhere. And alumni donations dry up.

Sure standing up for yourself is hard. But sometimes that's what is needed.

I think this is fantasyland. There are no colleges standing up for themselves. Harvard tried, then they realized they had no choice but to acquiesce. That is because they are reliant on the federal government to continue operating. The Trump administration killed Harvard's research grants, and then they killed Harvard's ability to enroll international students. Harvard cannot continue without research or foreign students and so they were forced to settle—now reported to be for over $500m, and amount that likely would have been much less had they played ball from the start. Not to mention the months of heartache and confusion this caused its students. That's what I mean by Harvard being in a "far worse position" by initially having chosen to resist.

So I don't understand your post. Who are these schools opposing Trump? To me it looks like every one of them will settle, because they have no choice.

To be clear, I think this is by far the worst presidential administration of my lifetime and it has irretrievably damaged every facet of our country, including academia. But people need to be realistic about where and how resisting is possible.

[scoop85]

Well I for one am shocked, shocked that an entity run to generationally perpetuate the dominance of the wealthy has no problems sacrificing every core democratic and human value to suck up to fascists.

I mean, who would have ever guessed that would be the result of universities aligning with big business?

I know you have to satisfy your quota of rants against the system, but you clearly don't understand the power dynamic here. Colleges have no choice. Research universities are reliant on government funding.  Harvard, which is far richer and far more powerful than Cornell, tried resisting, realized they couldn't win, and now they are in a far worse position than if they had acquiesced from the start.

I think we need to define "far worse position" here. The schools that cave will pay a bribe and get their precious research dollars. And hand over their independence and soul. And then in six months get shaken down again. And again. Because it's never one time. Ask Columbia.

All while prospective students and current and future faculty who are leaders in their fields go elsewhere. And alumni donations dry up.

Sure standing up for yourself is hard. But sometimes that's what is needed.

I think this is fantasyland. There are no colleges standing up for themselves. Harvard tried, then they realized they had no choice but to acquiesce. That is because they are reliant on the federal government to continue operating. The Trump administration killed Harvard's research grants, and then they killed Harvard's ability to enroll international students. Harvard cannot continue without research or foreign students and so they were forced to settle—now reported to be for over $500m, and amount that likely would have been much less had they played ball from the start. Not to mention the months of heartache and confusion this caused its students. That's what I mean by Harvard being in a "far worse position" by initially having chosen to resist.

So I don't understand your post. Who are these schools opposing Trump? To me it looks like every one of them will settle, because they have no choice.

To be clear, I think this is by far the worst presidential administration of my lifetime and it has irretrievably damaged every facet of our country, including academia. But people need to be realistic about where and how resisting is possible.

Yep, the universities have become dependent on federal dollars and have blissfully assumed they would be dealing with good faith actors in Washington in perpetuity. Of course that is no longer the case and the universities have no choice but to cave, as much as it might pain us to believe that.

[The Rancor]

The Face Eating Leopards leave us no choice. Just a bunch of nerds letting the bully take your lunch money. There's a Cornell, Harvard, Yale, Colombia whatever grad in every position of power- banking, law, government etc, country wide. Get your shit together. Or don't, I guess.

[BearLover]

The Face Eating Leopards leave us no choice. Just a bunch of nerds letting the bully take your lunch money. There's a Cornell, Harvard, Yale, Colombia whatever grad in every position of power- banking, law, government etc, country wide. Get your shit together. Or don't, I guess.

And what do you propose these powerful Cornell grads do, exactly?

[The Rancor]

The Face Eating Leopards leave us no choice. Just a bunch of nerds letting the bully take your lunch money. There's a Cornell, Harvard, Yale, Colombia whatever grad in every position of power- banking, law, government etc, country wide. Get your shit together. Or don't, I guess.

And what do you propose these powerful Cornell grads do, exactly?

You'd better come up with something, you're getting outflanked by Liberty U and Oral Roberts grads.

[Chris '03]

Brown has settled and seems to be inviting future enforcement action if its admissions policies aren't acceptable to the administration among other things.


https://president.brown.edu/president/brown-and-us-government-reach-agreement


https://www.brown.edu/sites/default/files/brown-and-united-states-resolution-agreement_July-30-2025.pdf

[Trotsky]

This sounded better in the original German.

"Never before," editorialized the New York Times days later, "did a great institution of learning joyously participate in its own degradation."

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

This sounded better in the original German.

"Never before," editorialized the New York Times days later, "did a great institution of learning joyously participate in its own degradation."

As opposed to the New York Times' current self-degradation?

[Trotsky]

NYT was always an enemy inside the gates.