In an email to all government undergraduates this morning, the Faculty Senate—perhaps mistakenly—sent a draft resolution on academic freedom in China.
The email, which was addressed “Dear Senators,” was sent to the entire government department listserv. Among the attachments was a resolution demanding that Cornell take “all necessary steps to ensure that academic freedom and freedom of speech” are protected on every Cornell campus around the world.
The resolution, which was signed by Professor Richard Bensel, among others, states that Cornell has “rapidly expand[ed] academic programs in China and other nations with authoritarian regimes.” Given China’s hostility to free speech and academic freedom, the resolution’s sponsors fear that faculty rights may be curtailed to placate the People’s Republic.
China is not, as the resolution says, the only authoritarian regime that Cornell is befriending. As featured in the 2022 World Cup, Cornell has invested heavily in Qatar– a country with a long history of human rights abuses.
This is not the first time the Cornell-China relationship has been scrutinized by faculty. Last Spring, Bensel and several other professors held a teach-in on the topic, in which they explored the nature of Cornell’s involvement with China, the PRC’s relationship with academic freedom, and even the self-censorship of many Chinese students in America to comply with the PRC’s policies.
After the event of last April, Professor Bensel—in an interview with the Review—asked the administration how the university’s academic freedom statement “applies, if at all, to the global hubs system including the People’s Republic.” Bensel further stated: “I have not been able to get a straight answer. I think we need a straight answer.”
In an address to employees last week, President Pollack spoke at length of the danger posed by so-called “anti-woke” legislation in Florida to academic freedom. She has not made any such statement on China.
Given the resolution released today, it seems Professor Bensel is still looking, almost a year later, for his straight answer.
Update: A link to the draft resolution has been added to this article.
