Cornell MBA council urges non-marginalized students to skip minority recruiting events, drawing scrutiny of allyship and access

A directive circulated among students at Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management urged non-marginalized students to skip diversity-focused recruiting events, a move that drew immediate scrutiny from alumni, students and civil rights observers. The email, described by National Review as part of a communication from the school’s student council, used the banner “Allyship in Action” and defined allyship as the active and continuous practice of using one’s privilege to support marginalized or underrepresented groups. It warned that attendees who do not identify with the targeted group should respect the space and should not attend, and it cautioned that the presence of those students could harm their own recruiting outcomes and Cornell’s relationships with recruiting organizations.

According to documents reviewed by National Review, the message stated that students who do not identify with the specific marginalized or underrepresented group a diversity conference is designed for should refrain from attending. The note added that a student’s participation could have a negative impact on his or her recruiting prospects as well as on Cornell’s ties to the organizing bodies behind those conferences. The email was circulated last Friday by the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management’s student council, the outlet reported.

Cornell’s Johnson School markets these events as key parts of professional development and networking. Next week’s Reaching Out MBA conference in New Orleans is billed as the world’s largest gathering of LGBTQ business students and alumni and is among several diversity-focused conferences the school highlights. Others include the National Black MBA Conference, AfroTech, the Women in Investing conference, and the Prospanica National Conference for Hispanic students. The university and the school have regularly promoted such events as opportunities to build connections with recruiters and peers across industries. The note said attendees should be mindful of the potential impact on recruiting outcomes and institutional ties, a line that drew sharp questions about equal access in a climate where MBA job markets have been tight.

A Cornell spokeswoman confirmed to National Review that the documents reflected student-to-student conversations. She said the conferences are officially open to all students but did not address the warnings about attendance. The directive’s wording and the timing — described as a Friday circulation ahead of multiple conferences — added fuel to the debate over who gets access to networking opportunities and how allyship guidelines should be applied on campus.

An MBA student who spoke to National Review on condition of anonymity criticized the guidance, saying, “In this tough economy, where MBA job prospects are scarce for many of us, it is abhorrent to see access to intimate networking opportunities restricted based on identity rather than merit. True equality should not equate to carving out exclusive zones that sideline most MBA students and potentially skirt equal opportunity laws.” This firsthand account highlighted the broader tension between inclusive values and competitive recruiting in business education.

The episode comes as Cornell emphasizes a commitment to a welcoming, inclusive environment. The SC Johnson College of Business pledges on its website to foster inclusion, engagement, impact, and community. The school notes that more than a third of its students identify as Asian, Black, Hispanic, or Indigenous, and that over half of its graduate population comes from outside the United States. It also lists more than 25 diversity-related student groups and offers courses such as Inclusive Leadership for Organizational Impact and Leading Across Differences. The controversy arrives amid federal scrutiny of Cornell’s diversity and civil rights practices: in April, the Trump administration froze more than $1 billion in federal funding to Cornell amid investigations into alleged civil rights violations, with reports that the funding request originated from the Johnson School’s student council.

In August, Cornell renamed its Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives to the Office of Academic Discovery and Impact. Some reporting connected the rename to the funding dispute, though university officials have described the change as a strategic rebranding rather than a reaction to the funding action. The current confrontation over allyship guidelines—whether they underscore protection for underrepresented groups or restrict equal access to career opportunities—emerges as MBA job openings remain constrained and students weigh how to balance professional development with campus values.

A spokeswoman for Cornell University did not respond immediately to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, leaving unanswered questions about the university’s formal stance on the student council guidance and the broader policy implications for recruiting events. Meanwhile, the discussion underscores a broader debate in higher education and business about how to define inclusion in practice, how to measure its impact on opportunity, and how recruiters respond when universities showcase diversity programs as part of their value proposition.

As the window for upcoming conferences closes and the broader market for MBA employment tightens, observers will watch how Cornell and similar institutions navigate the line between allyship, access, and the practical considerations of recruiting in a competitive economy. The university’s ongoing emphasis on diversity initiatives and its commitment to an inclusive campus environment remain central to its public-facing narrative, even as internally circulated guidance prompts questions about how such policies intersect with equal opportunity laws and the realities of the business-recruiting landscape.

The broader debate touches on how much discretion schools should grant student councils in shaping who participates in which events, and whether those decisions could inadvertently create barriers to opportunity for students based on identity. Cornell’s leadership has pointed to a long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion, while critics argue that any guidance that suggests excluding certain groups from professional networking opportunities risks undermining merit-based access and could complicate legal interpretations of equal opportunity in higher education. The situation at Cornell may serve as a bellwether for similarly situated institutions as they balance campus values with the realities of recruiting markets and civil rights obligations.

As the university proceeds with its diversity programming and reassesses its internal policies, students and observers alike will be watching how announcements like the recent communication are reconciled with a commitment to inclusion, the realities of the job market, and the expectations of recruiters who attend these conferences across the country. The outcome could influence how other business schools frame allyship and access to networks that are often pivotal to launching and advancing careers in today’s competitive marketplace.