Cornell University has banned students from processing wild animals in dormitory kitchens after two students butchered a black bear in a shared campus kitchen.
The university added the rule to its undergraduate community living standards for the upcoming academic year, stating that processing wild or game animals in community kitchens is strictly prohibited.
The change follows an incident in September 2025 involving two students who legally hunted an adult black bear with New York State hunting licenses. They initially planned to process the meat at a friend’s house, but an emergency forced them to find another option.
Concerned that the meat would spoil, the students brought the bear to Ganędagǫ Hall, where they processed it using a dormitory kitchen.
Police were contacted, but the students were not charged after New York environmental officials determined that they had not violated hunting regulations. Cornell also did not take disciplinary action against them.
The university has since updated its rules to clarify what activities are considered appropriate in communal kitchen spaces, explicitly banning the processing of wild game.