Black Cornell Students Occupy Building After Delivering Demands to President

Audio By Carbonatix

Hundreds of black students marched into Cornell University’s Willard Straight Hall on Wednesday afternoon and occupied the building for several hours after delivering a list of demands to the University’s president.

More than 300 marchers, led by Black Students United, were responding in part to the assault on Friday of a black Cornell student. One student was arrested for that altercation.

But the Black Students United’s executive board demanded on Wednesday that the University now work to increase the presence of black students on campus, and create an anti-racism institute, among other things.

They also want the student involved in the assault to be expelled and his fraternity to be permanently banned from campus, to be replaced with a cultural center for African-American students.

Corrie O'Connor