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ICYMI: Cornell University Discriminated Against Me

WASHINGTON, D.C., August 4, 2025
In Case You Missed It, so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts have crushed merit in America’s higher education system. At schools like Cornell University, left-wing dogma unfairly targets scholars for their race—encouraging the exact kind of race-based discrimination DEI demagogues claim to fight. In fact, the problem has gotten so bad that the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development held a hearing on this issue in May, and President Trump signed a slew of executive orders addressing the dangers of DEI.

To truly end discrimination in our higher education system and restore excellence on college campuses, we must focus on merit, not skin color.


Cornell University Discriminated Against Me
Colin Wright
July 30, 2025

I’m filing a complaint against Cornell University for racial discrimination.

…

I’m an evolutionary biologist, a liberal and a first-generation college graduate. I dreamed of becoming a scientist for as long as I can remember. … I applied to countless tenure-track positions across the country in 2019 and 2020. One of those applications went to Cornell, for a position in their Neurobiology and Behavior department…

Last month, the America First Policy Institute released internal Cornell emails showing the university conducted an effort to recruit what the search committee referred to as a “diversity hire.” … That “somebody,” who is black, was selected not because of research excellence, but because of race. I was denied the chance to compete—so were other academics who might have been qualified.

This discriminatory practice, conducted in coordination with Cornell’s Office of the Provost… violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race.

…

Suppose the school selected only white candidates to produce a racially predetermined outcome. There would—rightfully—be national outrage…

… Across academia, qualified scholars were sidelined, forced to submit DEI statements that functioned as ideological loyalty oaths and racial litmus tests.

Discriminatory DEI policies represent a systemic rot that has weakened the public’s trust in science and demoralized a generation of scholars.

Read the full op-ed here.
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