Cornell president's vehicle bumps students after debate

Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff allegedly injured two students while maneuvering his vehicle out of a parking spot surrounded by a group of protesters following an Israel-Palestine debate on campus last Thursday evening.

The incident occurred in a lot near Day Hall in Ithaca, New York, after an event hosted by the Cornell Political Union and cosponsored by Cornell Progressives, Cornellians for Israel, and Students for Justice in Palestine. Kotlikoff, who took office in March 2025, had introduced the debate. Surveillance video released by the university shows several individuals, including students, following him from the event across campus to his black Cadillac SUV. The group surrounded the vehicle, shouting questions about campus speech policies and recording on their phones, according to accounts from both sides.

Video footage captured Kotlikoff reversing slowly from the parking space. The vehicle bumped into at least one person filming nearby, who exclaimed that his foot had been run over. Aiden Vallecillo, a member of Students for a Democratic Cornell, alleged the car struck him and another individual as the president drove away. "As we were still trying to...