A coalition of local groups in Ithaca renewed calls for Cornell University to “pay its fair share” following the school’s recent decision not to fund two international graduate workers who remain outside the U.S.

Members of Cornell Graduate Students United (CGSU), the Ithaca Teachers Association, the Cayuga Medical Center Nurses’ Union, local lawmakers and others gathered on the Commons downtown Tuesday. The organizations argued that Cornell, with an $11.8 billion endowment and billions raised through fundraising, should direct more of its financial resources back to Ithaca.

As an institution of higher education, Cornell is exempt from paying local property taxes on land and buildings used for educational purposes. Instead, it makes voluntary contributions to several local entities, such as the City of Ithaca, the Town of Ithaca and the Ithaca City School District.

The call for Cornell to contribute more to local governments has grown, particularly as municipal budgets have strained against rising costs in recent years. It’s a bellwether issue in Ithaca and Tompkins County politics that CGSU emphasized to a rally of about 30 people Tuesday. 

Andrea Cicirello, CGSU financial secretary and a Ph.D. student in material science, and engineering, addresses a small crowd on the Ithaca Commons. Credit: Hailea Potter / The Ithaca Voice

The demands come amid a dispute over funding for international graduate workers Momodou Taal and Amandla Thomas-Johnson. Both students were the subject of inquiries from federal law enforcement after participating in pro-Palestine demonstrations. Facing potential deportation, both chose to leave the country preemptively in March 2025.

CGSU has issued an open letter to the university outlining five demands, including greater financial support for international graduate workers, a “living wage” for all workers, an end to austerity measures and increased contributions to the community.

Taal and CGSU said the university had previously told the students — who are completing their studies in Cairo — they could finish their degrees with funding while abroad. For this academic year, however, both were reportedly told they could either return to campus for teaching positions, remain abroad and find outside funding, continue without funding or take a leave of absence. 

A Cornell University spokesperson responded to a request for comment on Tuesday’s demands in an emailed statement.

“Cornell has a strong commitment to shared governance — an established mechanism in which graduate students have an important voice,” the statement read.  “Additionally, CGSU-UE has a collective bargaining agreement in place designed to voice concerns on employment-related matters.”  

Stephan Wagner, a regional lead steward in Cornell’s College of Engineering, said international workers looked to the university for guidance following changes to how long international students can stay in the U.S. The Trump administration rule was set to take effect Tuesday, but was blocked at the last minute by a federal court.

“But what workers got, what workers always get around here, and what our community has gotten for too many years now, is a lot of shrugging and hand wringing from up on the hill,” Wagner said. 

Wagner criticized the requirement that the two students return to the U.S. to maintain their funding, calling it an “impossible” choice because he believes they face detention if they return. 

The union is seeking broader protections for international graduate workers, including a fund to cover immigration-related assistance, visa travel and other costs. It also wants Cornell to guarantee continued funding for workers unable to return to the United States because of visa processing delays, visa or SEVIS revocations or other immigration-related issues. 

“They refuse to act on behalf of international workers, just like they refuse to act on behalf of all workers, students and families all across Ithaca,” Wagner said. 

Cornell’s endowment reached $11.8 billion at the end of the 2025 fiscal year, which the university has said is “significantly smaller” on a per student basis than many peer institutions. 

Cornell launched Resilient Cornell in fall 2025 and has described the initiative as an effort to strengthen its long-term financial position amid government and market pressures. In June, the university said cost reductions and revenue enhancements identified would reduce pressure on its annual operating budget by more than $350 million over time. 

The union’s push for greater financial allocations extends beyond campus.

Cornell currently contributes about $4 million annually to the City of Ithaca under a 15-year financial agreement reached in 2023, which is half of the original $8 million that officials sought. 

Cornell will contribute $750,000 to the Ithaca City School District for the 2026–27 fiscal year, up from $500,000 when the deal was first struck in 2021. The contribution is scheduled to continue increasing, reaching $874,000 by the 2030-31 fiscal year.

CGSU and the Ithaca Teachers Association, which represents ICSD workers, argue those increases still fall short of what Cornell’s property footprint warrants. 

The union is calling for a contribution of at least $732 per student — which would be roughly $3.5 million based on the district’s roughly 4,847 students, according to the latest state enrollment numbers — citing Princeton University’s contribution to its local school district as a benchmark. 

Kathyrn Cernera, president of the teachers union, pointed to the effect Cornell’s tax-exempt properties have on the cost of funding local schools for other property owners.

According to the Ithaca Teachers Association, Cornell’s land holdings with the Ithaca City School District account for roughly 40% of the assessed property value within the district. 

“[That leaves] 60% of the town’s property owners to cover 100% of the taxpayer burden of running amazing public schools,” Cernera said. “The same schools that educate the children of Cornell’s faculty, staff and graduate students.”  

Cerenera also pointed to the state’s funding formula for public school aid, which does not remove tax exempt properties from the equation when calculating a community’s wealth. 

Cornell’s contributions to TCAT have also drawn scrutiny. Cornell, the City of Ithaca and Tompkins County are the transit system’s three financial underwriters. 

Last year, TCAT sought an additional $500,000 from each entity. Cornell initially offered $31,000 before increasing its contribution to $280,000. The university’s offer also reduced the additional funding TCAT ultimately received from the city and county. About 70% of its ridership is Cornell-affiliated.

Tompkins County Legislator Iris Packman, who is also a Cornell employee and alumna, pointed to the TCAT funding dispute in her remarks Tuesday.

“Two things can be true,” Packman said. “Cornell can be both an essential part of our community and not living up to its obligations to contribute.”

CGSU is also calling for higher wages, saying graduate workers currently make below a living wage.  According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, the hourly living wage in Tompkins County is $25.08 per hour, which equates to an annual salary of about $52,166 for someone who works 40 hours a week.

The union says some fellowship-supported graduate workers earn even less, while international workers can face additional expenses.

Under the union’s demands, graduate workers would be paid according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator. 

“If Cornell paid graduate workers a living wage, they would invest that money back into this community,” said Kaori Quan, the union’s communications secretary.