Mamadou Taal, a Ph.D. student in Africana Studies, was suspended Monday by the university after he took part in a protest against a career fair attended by defense contractors L3Harris and Boeing last week. Taal is studying at Cornell on an F-1 student visa, which can be terminated by a suspension.

Cornell is not alone in declining to suspend foreign students after rowdy or disruptive anti-Israel protests. In November 2023, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology amended its threat to suspend students who had protested in Lobby 7, the school’s primary entrance, despite the institution’s policy that protests are not allowed in that zone.