Kudos to Cornellians for standing up for the values they hold most dear. It’s going to take a lot more than Supreme Court rulings, cancellation of government grants, abandonment by alumni, threats of qui tam lawsuits, and taxation of their endowment before they give up their sacred mission.

One look at the proud webpage of the Cornell’s Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology says it all.

“As a department, we recognize both the necessity and the challenges in overcoming the systemic racism, based on racist policy, which is so pervasive in our society, our institutions, and our academic fields, and which has a major and clearly negative impact on Black and Indigenous People, and People Of Color (BIPOC).”

“We are committed to building an antiracist agenda in our department with the core aim to root out embedded racism in all our activities, including our recruitment processes, our curricula, our social environment, and the way that our department interacts with the wider community.”

“EEB’s commitment to diversity, access, and inclusion begins with recruitment. Fostering diversity among students, researchers, and faculty is a priority for our department. We work to create an inclusive environment and are committed to improving the representation of minority groups within the field of ecology and evolution.”

“Our goal is to create the most inclusive scientific community that we can. As a department, we pledge to combat broader issues of inequality in science.”

That’s how you do world-class science, no to mention restore shattered public trust. DEI Über Alles! Some things are more important than obeying the law or remaining solvent.