Interim President Hunter Rawlings sent the following message to the Cornell community Nov. 22:

I write to reaffirm Cornell’s commitment to our core principle of “any person, any study.” Cornell is a place where we respect each individual, regardless of heritage, ethnicity, individual identity, religious belief, or national origin. I would also like to reassure all those who study, serve, and reside within our living and learning environment that we deeply value your voice and presence on our campuses and encourage your full participation as active members of our community.

I want to give particular assurance to our Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students at Cornell who are on undergraduate financial aid and may have concerns about ongoing policies. Cornell currently treats undergraduate DACA students as eligible for need-blind admission and need-based financial aid, and we will continue to adhere to this policy. All currently enrolled undergraduate DACA students will continue to be eligible for need-based financial aid, and new applicants (including transfers) with DACA status will be considered in the domestic aid pool for their entire undergraduate enrollment at Cornell.

Cornell stands and will continue to stand with every Cornellian. We are determined to ensure that all can participate fully and freely in the life of the institution, that we embrace the diversity represented by those who join our campuses, and that we support and defend the most vulnerable among us. We are committed to maintaining the privacy of individual student information and to providing a wide array of services, counseling, and information so that every Cornell student has an equal opportunity to learn and discover without fear of intimidation. This is all part of our commitment to being a learning community faithful to its founding principles.

I wish you all a safe and healthy conclusion to the fall semester and look forward to our continued work as we prepare to welcome President-elect Martha Pollack.