ITHACA, N.Y. — A coalition of student groups at Cornell University sent a list of demands to administrators, urging the school to stop its “complicity in genocide.”

Those organizations are the Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, and Young Democratic Socialists of America. Their campaign, “Students Not Bombs,” demands that Cornell University divest from investments in weapons manufacturers that partner with Israel.

The organizations met outside Day Hall on campus on Monday.

According to the United Nations, more than 70,000 Palestinians, including 20,000 children, in Gaza have been killed since Oct. 7, 2023. On that day, Hamas launched an attack on the Jewish State. The United Nations reported that 1,200 people were killed and 250 were taken hostage by Hamas.

Israel’s response to the Oct. 7, 2023 attack has been globally condemned.

ALSO READ | Cornell grad says he was banned from campus after confrontation with university president

President of Students for Justice in Palestine Adriana Vink said Cornell should focus only on its students. She said that the divestments should be transformed into an investment benefiting the student body.

“A budget is a statement of moral values,” said Vink. “When Cornell is deciding to spend its money investing in ThyssenKrupp and BAE Systems, instead of its students, making sure cooperative houses aren’t falling apart and that students on SNAP have access to groceries… that represents what Cornell stands for.”

Full list of Students Not Bombs demands:

Divest from weapons manufacturers, including BAE Systems, Boeing, Elbit Systems, General Dynamics, L3Harris Technologies, Leonardo, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX and ThyssenKrupp.Sever all ties with the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology while preserving Cornell Tech and its graduate student jobs.End all Career Services events and job postings of institutions underpinning genocide & deportation, from weapons manufacturers to ICE and CBP.Create an independent ethical research review board consisting of hired students, faculty, staff and outside human rights experts.Pay its fair share to Ithaca through investments in TCAT, public schools and other public services.Redirect internal investments to prioritize student affordability, fund Anabel’s Grocery and co-operative housing, halt rent increases to dorms and provide a living wage to graduate workers.Diversify academic opportunity, support currently underfunded departments, increase opportunities in STEM with a specific focus on supporting socially beneficial engineering, and create a Palestinian Studies minor and major.

The coalition’s demands can be read in full at this link.

Monday was the first day of the Fall 2026 Semester at Cornell University.