A controversy is unfolding at Cornell University following an incident involving university president Michael I. Kotlikoff that was captured on video Thursday night.
The video, which has circulated widely online, appears to show Kotlikoff backing his vehicle in a campus parking lot as a group of students approaches and surrounds the car. At one point, the video shows Kotlikoff’s car striking a student. It is alleged that he also backed over the foot of another student. The circumstances leading up to the encounter and what occurred immediately afterward remain unclear.
University officials have not confirmed whether an investigation is underway. Requests for comment to campus police have not been answered, and the university has referred inquiries to a statement posted on its website.
According to students involved, the encounter followed an on-campus debate focused on Israel and Palestine. Aiden Vallecillo, a member of Students for a Democratic Cornell, said a group of students initially approached Kotlikoff in a hallway to ask questions about free speech on campus before following him outside toward his vehicle.
In a message to the campus community, Kotlikoff described a different version of events. He said he was “accosted” by a group that included both students and non-students, some of whom he claimed have a history of disruptive behavior and prior restrictions from campus.
Kotlikoff said the group followed him across campus, shouting questions and recording video. He stated that after declining to continue engaging and asking them to stop recording, the group surrounded his vehicle, blocked his path, and banged on the windows.
“I waited until I saw space behind the car and then… was able to slowly maneuver my car from the parking space and exit the parking lot,” Kotlikoff said in the statement.
He characterized the behavior as harassment and intimidation, saying it crossed the line from protest into conduct that has “no place in an academic community.”
No disciplinary action has been announced, and the university has not released additional footage beyond what is already circulating publicly.
The situation remains under review.
