Cornell students petition against Ann Coulter event, call her a ‘white supremacist’
Cornell University students circulated a petition to condemn Ann Coulter’s speech on Nov. 9.
The event is hosted by the Network of Enlightened Women chapter at 5:00 PM.
Cornell University students are circulating a petition to condemn Ann Coulter’s Nov. 9 speech, arguing that the conservative speaker should be barred from visiting her own alma mater.
“Although Ann Coulter is a Cornell alumni, that does not mean she should have a right to spread non-inclusive and fascist ideologies,” the petition reads.
“She is on record for saying absurd things like how women should not have a right to vote and that some cultures are inferior to others. Cornell University should be no place for hate speech.”
It implores signatories to indicate whether or not they oppose Coulter’s campus appearance, calling her a “white supremacist,” a threat to “LGBTQ+ rights,” and an “anti-Semite.”
Network of Enlightened Women (NeW) will host Coulter in Landis Auditorium at 5:00 PM. The group advertised the event on Instagram, which was thoroughly protested in the comment section.
“Besides being the ugliest poster I have ever seen, this event is an insult to all Cornell students,” one user wrote. “Shouldn’t students be formulating their own ideas instead of mindlessly swallowing racist, homophobic, and transphobic ideologies?”
Another user claimed the event violated Campus Policy 6.4, which prohibits “bias, discrimination, harassment, and sexual and related misconduct.”
“Cornell University is committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and respectful learning, living, and working environment for its students, faculty, and staff,” the policy reads.
The event follows one day after the midterm elections, which Coulter referenced in an Oct. 26 op-ed in which she predicted Republicans may “outperform the polls.”
“Inasmuch as I will be giving a speech at my alma mater, Cornell University, the day after the election, I’m about to do something very stupid: make an election prediction,” Coulter wrote.
Rebecca Valli, Director of Media Relations at Cornell University, told Campus Reform the school is “committed to academic excellence and a core belief that learning flourishes in an environment where diverse ideas are presented and debated without hindrance.”
“Our campus community understands the importance of vigorously debating and reflecting on differing political and social views, including – and often especially – those that challenge personal ideas and beliefs,” she said. ”From our founding, Cornell has stood for free and open inquiry and expression, and robust debate and a discussion of all views are hallmarks of the Cornell experience both in and out of the classroom.”
Campus Reform contacted Cornell and NeW for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.