On April 3, the organizers of Fight the Fee released a document titled “Frequently Asked Questions” about the Fight the Fee movement and “Welcome the Trustees” demonstration. The document mainly addressed questions about the protests, such as “Why disruption?” and “Why did you refuse to speak to the Chairman of the Board at the protest?”
Some answers provide clarification on important aspects of Fight the Fee:
“Why disruption?”
“Once we put ourselves between Cornell and business as usual, we force the University to address our grievances before it can proceed.”
Whereas others again raise anti-Board of Trustees grievances:
“Why did you refuse to talk to the Chairman?”
It is impossible to have a respectful dialogue with the Chairman of the Board that might effect change because he “has vested interests in suppressing student speech, continuing his meeting undisturbed, and most of all, continuing to extract growing amounts of revenue from the students year after year.”
At the Review, we have a few perhaps less-frequently asked questions about Fight the Fee and its future actions. The following questions are not solely focused on Fight the Fee, but rather challenge every concerned student to think critically about the Board of Trustees and the future of Cornell.
1. Has Board of Trustee “Conflict of Interest” Helped or Hurt Cornell?
One of Fight the Fee’s main grievances with the Board of Trustees is certain Board members’ perceived conflict of interests. For example, at a March 24 teach-in, Daniel Marshall, ’15, noted that former Vice-Chair Robert J. Katz served as a senior director at Goldman Sachs when the firm was the underwriter on a $285 million loan to Cornell in 2010. The Board of Trustees and Cornell University administration disclosed the possible conflict of interest on relevant forms, including on the bond prospectus.
Yet, it’s possible that Cornell University, not Goldman Sachs, benefited from Katz’ leadership at both institutions. Depending on the 2010 loan’s interest rate and the inflation rate in the following years, Cornell could have made money by taking out the loan. Furthermore, several legal avenues exist through which Katz may have operated, such as Interested Director Transactions. Concerned students have looked in to and will continue to investigate possible conflicts of interest in the Board of Trustees, but, while doing so, must remember that the Board of Trustees may have legally and beneficially handled such conflicts.
2) What should Cornell Do Financially to Pay Back Gannett’s Debt?
Susan Murphy has admitted that a portion of the health fee imposed on students will pay off debt that Gannett Health Services incurred in 2009-2010. While facing new fees to pay for debt that, arguably, resulted from administrative mismanagement is frustrating, the University does need to pay off the debt. Fight the Fee states in their “Frequently Asked Questions” that “While we are not against rigorous research of Cornell’s finances (clearly), many participants in #FightTheFee challenge the idea of offering a single, Band-Aid policy fix when the issues at stake demand structural, systemic analysis and transformation.” Yet, in the fight against the new health fee, it seems that students must think of any alternate way of paying off debt or resign to paying the fee. This question especially applies to all concerned Cornell students. Do we think that administrative cut-backs can produce enough revenue to pay off the Gannett debt? Is there, truly, a way to avoid paying the fee?
3) Will Fight the Fee Change Their Tactics when Elizabeth Garrett Assumes the Presidency?
(Image via Daily Trojan)
In the introduction to “Frequently Asked Questions,” Fight the Fee writes, “The University will continue to fund unnecessary debt-financed buildings, and students will always be excluded from financial decisions, until something steps in and says, ‘enough.'” Three important Ithaca campus administrative positions are turning over in quick succession (President, Vice President, and Provost). First interactions between the student body, Student Assembly and the new Cornell administration could greatly determine the state of shared governance under incoming-President Garrett. Has Fight the Fee already begun considering if they will protest against, or attempt to work with, President Garrett? How much of the decision will depend upon Garrett’s first months as president?
4) What Will the Proposed Student Union Look Like?
At a March 24 Teach-In, Daniel Marshall, ’15, and Wyatt Nelson, ’16, stated that students have been working to create a student union that would be completely independent of the Cornell administration or infrastructure. Is there a timeline of when the student union will be revealed to the student body as a whole? Are the student union’s current organizers willing to divulge any details about the union’s progress or structure? When the union is established, how will its leadership be selected? Currently, the union’s development is occurring entirely behind-the-scenes and due to the work of a small group of students. Interested Cornell students should ask themselves what they want out of a student union, and if they want one at all.
