Alumni for a Fair and Just Cornell

Cornell President Kotlikoff Weaponizes Dialog

Photos and text by Milton Taam ENG ‘73

I’m the Cornell alum who, along with four students, conversed and walked with Michael Kotlikoff to his car after the Cornell Political Union (CPU) “Israel-Palestine Debate Series” event featuring Norman Finkelstein April 30.

I'm disappointed that Kotlikoff broke off the dialogue with concerned students, and instead responded to them by weaponizing his car and the next day using his power and privilege as university president to issue an email blast to the entire Cornell community against them (and me?).

The night began with the hope of exchange of ideas. My wife and I arrived early and sat in the front row. We were surprised and gratified to see President Kotlikoff also in the front, a dozen seats away.

It seemed a good opportunity to help President Kotlikoff learn more about the topic of the evening. My wife gave Kotlikoff a copy of our new book and explained it was co-authored by Cornell alums. Palestine - People, Land, and Solidarity: With Our Own Eyes is our first-hand visual chronicle of a people struggling for their land and freedom across decades, and the impact on the Cornell campus. I was excited to see him sitting with the book on his lap.

The hall was jam-packed and buzzing with enthusiastic students, many in suits. The MC, from the Cornell Political Union, emphasized the pride the group took in having such diverse co-hosts, including Students for Justice in Palestine and Cornellians for Israel.

President Kotlikoff gave a brief opening speech. Norman Finkelstein (https://www.normanfinkelstein.com/about/) rose to the podium, which was directly across from Kotlikoff.

Dr. Finkelstein began with pointed criticism of the Cornell administration for suspending, repressing, and risking deportation of Cornell students who called for Cornell divestment from weapons manufacturers and spoke in solidarity with Palestinians. He emphasized that it’s not too late for the administration to reverse course and honor the students who brought risk to themselves for Palestine.

Finkelstein then gave a searing indictment of Israel. He compared Palestinian conditions and actions to Nat Turner’s rebellion of enslaved people in 1831. (And interestingly, Andrew Dickson White, Cornell’s first president, had appealed to Gerrit Smith, a wealthy abolitionist, for funding. Smith had reportedly funded John Brown’s attempted slave uprising at Harper's Ferry.) An academic, researcher, author, and historian, Finkelstein offered eloquent arguments, context, and throughlines for his debate position: “Resolved, Israel Was Not Justified In Its Response To October 7th.

The moderator suggested the audience express agreement with the speaker’s account by stomping feet, and disagreement with the speaker by hissing. The low rumbling of feet swelled to a surge as Finkelstein spoke about how the devastation of Gaza preceded Oct 7th by decades, how Israel massacred Palestinians in Gaza in Operation Cast Lead (2008), Pillar of Defense (2012) and Protective Edge (2014), and when Palestinians in Gaza attempted a nonviolent movement, “The Great March of Return” they were shot and killed by Israeli snipers.

Next, eight student members of the Cornell Political Union took the floor in turn. A supporter of Israel based their case on the 1988 Hamas Charter, and another noted it’s been changed. A student with great flair listed all the West Asian countries who have not “taken in” Palestinians, then another rebutted that this would amount to participation in ethnic cleansing. One student debater listed so many statistics of genocide that he reached the conclusion that Israelis and supporters who don’t recognize the humanity of Palestinians have lost their own humanity.

I had entered not knowing what to expect and was struck how overwhelmingly critical the audience was of Israel, the Cornell administration, and Kotlikoff.

One student debater directed a comment to President Kotlikoff by name, urging him to learn from all this. I looked at Kotlikoff for his reaction since the last two years left me with the impression he was a committed supporter of Israel willing to unashamedly use the university to advance his point of view. His face appeared stoic.

It was then that I recalled being in Barton Hall in 1969, when Cornell President Perkins met with 8,000 students in the wake of the Willard Straight Hall takeover. Would President Kotlikoff rise to the occasion, I wondered?

After the debate and resounding applause, I saw Kotlikoff leaving and thought it was an opportunity to talk with him. My wife rushed in one direction to give Dr. Finkelstein a copy of our book, and I headed in the other. In the hallway, I listened as students asked Kotlikoff about student arrests and suspensions. During a pause I introduced myself to President Kotlikoff as co-author of the book which he still carried.

When students asked Kotlikoff about arrests of Cornell students on campus, I mentioned to Kotlikoff that I, too, had been arrested. “Where?” he asked. “At Bailey Hall, last year,” I replied. I told him that my charges were dismissed and that six of us have filed a lawsuit against Cornell, CUPD, and him for falsely arresting us and violating protected political expression.

I spoke no more, as I was mainly interested to hear what students were thinking. I focused on my decades-long role as a citizen photojournalist and followed along. The students, led by a young woman, continued questioning Kotlikoff about speech and repression on campus. I was impressed with their questions. Roughly halfway to Day Hall, Kotlikoff told the students he had nothing else to say and did not want to be photographed.

When we reached the Day Hall parking lot, Kotlikoff appeared to enter his car, although students seemed to want to continue talking with him. As I prepared to leave, I suddenly heard a student shout that his foot was run over by the car. I was relieved that he appeared to be standing and not seriously injured. I suggested the student call CUPD to report the incident.

At this point I was naturally concerned about the safety of the students, so I approached Kotlikoff’s car window, knocked on it, and tried to inform him that a person’s foot was run over.

When he seemed unwilling to open his window to talk, I went to the front of the car and took a photo (shown here) to document the situation. I then decided I was vulnerable to serious injury by President Kotlikoff because he continued to drive aggressively towards me. For my own safety I moved to the side. Shortly thereafter Kotlikoff exited the Day Hall parking lot without acknowledging what he’d done and without talking with any of the 5 people. Soon I heard the student talking with a person appearing to be CUPD, giving the license plate of the car and apparent direction it was heading.

I hope President Kotlikoff will read our book and learn more. I also hope the Cornell community will not allow the president to threaten the safety of the students and other community members. And finally, I hope we can continue the dialog and free expression with which we began the evening, and which is so important.

Milton Taam Cornell ENG ‘73. With a with a lifelong commitment to people and planet, Taam has modeled zero-carbon options for Cornell’s heating system and has been a modest funder of Cornell clean energy startups. He is co-author of Palestine - People, Land, and Solidarity: With Our Own Eyes, a book featuring his photojournalism in 1977 throughout Lebanon and Palestine (including Gaza), in Palestine in 2009, and of student activism in support of Palestinians and against genocide, 2024-present. The book is available to read online and purchase at freepps.org.