Like Ann Coulter ’84 , sometimes Cornell admissions officers let a rotten apple through the cracks. While not all of the facts of the case have been released yet, what Alex Atkind has done is absolutely, positively horrific. It’s a blow against the good reputation of the University, and its many fine students, faculty, and staff. If Alex suffers from some sort of psychiatric disorder, I hope he gets help. And if the University has any basis to expel him from the Cornell community as a result of this incident, I hope it does so. The officer found the apartment and kennel area in disarray, with dog food, bleach and detergent spilled. The dog had a laceration 1 inch by 2 inches wide, and some of its skull was showing through, according to the officer's report. He called the Cornell University veterinary hospital and took the dog there for evaluation. The next day, he was told by the attending veterinarian that the dog suffered chemical burns to its face, eyes, back, groin area and paws. It would likely have diminished eyesight the rest of its life, and it had blood in its stool, probably from ingesting some bleach by licking itself. The officer noted in his report that Atkind acted “cocky and arrogant” and “made numerous comments that this incident meant nothing to him, that he would do it again, and that he knows how the criminal justice system works, and guaranteed me the prosecution of this case would result in an ACD in City Court.” Alexander H. Atkind, 23, of 710 Stewart Ave., Apt. 8 and of Lexington, Mass., was charged with “overdriving, torturing and injuring animals” in violation of a section of the state Agriculture and Markets law. The offense is a misdemeanor. He was released with a ticket to appear in Ithaca City Court on March 21.
And somehow, I suspect that when Cornell claims to promote “diversity”, it isn’t necessarily referring to white males from exclusive New England suburbs that happen to torture animals and then claim that they are above the law.
Or does Cornell help to create these types of people?
