November 12, 2009

ITHACA -- Some faculty members at a Southern Tier university are calling on their administrators to take a stand on natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale.
     Cornell professors presented this resolution to the university's Faculty Senate Wednesday night.  It requests Cornell president David Skorton to involve the university community in the decision to lease school land to gas drilling companies.
     Molecular medicine professor Robert Oswald helped write the resolution.  He's concerned about the environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale.
     He says Cornell has a lot to lose because it owns so much land – 11,000 acres to be exact.
     “One of the reasons students and faculty are attracted to this region is the beauty and quality of life here.  If this turns into an industrial site, I think we'll have a damaged reputation at the university,” said Oswald.
     No action was taken on this resolution.  Oswald and the other co-authors will revise the language and present it at next month's faculty senate meeting.