A conservative think tank filed a federal civil rights complaint against Cornell University, accusing the Ivy League institution of using diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in its hiring practices and scholarships.
The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) filed the complaint in late June with the US Departments of Justice, Education, Health and Human Services and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (FOX Business host Larry Kudlow currently serves as the vice chair of the board for AFPI.)
The complaint alleges that internal documents, public policies and archived webpages show a “university-wide culture that places an illegal identity-based ideology above equal opportunity and merit, leading to a coercive and hostile environment.”
Among the allegations in the 10-page complaint is that Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff, who served as provost during the time the alleged practices were implemented, oversaw a “hiring scheme” that “excluded the vast majority of qualified candidates based solely on race and sex.”
The AFPI document