We faculty and staff think of ourselves as committed, rational beings; we try to deal with our students (both individually and in the aggregate) correctly, fairly, and kindly; we have a large stake in their success. Please, if you hear a story about outlandish college policies or acts, be sure you have the correct story. Nonetheless, we do sometimes make mistakes. When we do, we want to fix them. If Cornell deals with your student badly, please ask him or her to e-mail or call the person in charge of the relevant office or, should that person be unknown or unforthcoming, an advising dean. That dean will either deal with the problem directly or refer the problem to the appropriate person.
Some parents think it best to go immediately to the top and write the president. The president routinely refers a complaint about the college to the dean of the college, who refers it to us. We then find the right person to handle the situation. This takes time. Further, anyone actually responsible for an issue will prefer to hear about it directly from the aggrieved party. As a rule, this is the way one should conduct life’s business. You will have plenty of time to write the president if the people responsible do not correct real mistakes.