Cornell MBA Council Advises Certain Students to Skip Minority-Focused Recruiting Events: Report

At Cornell University, business students who do not belong to “marginalized or underrepresented groups” have been advised to avoid attending diversity-focused recruitment events. This recommendation comes with a warning that participation could negatively impact their career opportunities and the university’s relationship with recruiters, as noted in documents acquired by National Review.

The guidance was shared in an email on Friday by the student council at Cornell’s Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, according to the report from the publication.

The council named the program “Allyship in Action,” which they described as the “active and ongoing practice of leveraging one’s privilege to support, advocate for, and stand alongside marginalized or underrepresented communities,” based on the email mentioned by National Review.

The email continued, “Students not identifying with the specific marginalized or underrepresented group that a diversity conference is set up for should honor that space and refrain from attending,” the publication recounted.

Cornell points to “core values of inclusion, engagement, impact, and community” on their DEI page. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

An anonymous MBA student expressed dissent, telling National Review, “In today’s challenging job market, where MBA positions are limited for many, it’s appalling to find networking access reduced based on identity rather than ability. True equity shouldn’t mean establishing exclusive areas that effectively exclude most MBA students and could potentially neglect equal opportunity regulations.”

This dispute highlights tension between Cornell’s professed principles and the guidance from the council. The SC Johnson College of Business asserts on its website a commitment to “fostering a welcoming atmosphere for all,” highlighting core principles of “inclusion, engagement, impact, and community.”

The Cornell University campus in Ithaca, New York, US, on Tuesday, April 11, 2023. (Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

More than a third of students identify as Asian, Black, Hispanic, or Indigenous, and over half of its graduate population comes from outside the United States. The school lists more than 25 diversity-related student groups and courses such as Inclusive Leadership for Organizational Impact and Leading Across Differences.

For many students, the question is whether allyship guidelines protect underrepresented groups or limit equal access to career opportunities at a time when MBA jobs are already scarce.

A spokeswoman for Cornell University did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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