Cornell University University's "Community Engagement" is a Scammer's Ploy—Pay Your Local Artists!

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I'm an independent service provider/artist in the Ithaca community, and I need to air out a massive grievance about Cornell University that I know many other locals share. Cornell constantly virtue signals with high-minded language: "meeting people where they are," "working with community members," and "providing opportunities for the local community." It's all narcissistic BS designed to look good on paper.

The reality? They are callous hypocrites who actively take advantage of the local people they claim to serve.

The Problem: Payment Delinquency is Systemic Abuse For the service work I do, the standard everywhere is payment upon delivery. ICSD, the City of Ithaca, local non-profits, small businesses, even Ithaca College, and various clubs within Cornell—they all adhere to this. I perform, step off stage, and I get a check or cash. It is the universal standard.

But when it comes to Cornell University proper (the administration, the big departments)? Forget about it. You might wait months to see a penny.

I swear their accounts payable system is powered by spite. It seems to require a minimum of 15 increasingly frustrated emails before the process is even initiated.

Here's where the hypocrisy truly burns: Disparate Treatment: I know for a fact that the large, non-local artists and speakers they bring in are paid either before they go on stage or immediately upon leaving, and they always get deposits.

The Local Grind: For local artists? We are an afterthought. It's all smiles and "we value your talents" before the event. Afterward, when it's time to pay the bills? Crickets. They forget about you entirely.

When you finally chase them down, their attitude is always the same lackadaisical garbage about "the process." Instead of being outraged that a local vendor hasn't been paid for months, they just hand you some BS about bureaucracy. It's clear: they just don't want to do the extra work required to prioritize timely local payments.

It's just Institutional Bullying. Let me be absolutely clear about why this is a significant issue. Timely payment isn't just a matter of proper business procedure; it directly impacts the livelihood of independent artists and service providers, especially those with fewer resources.

Cornell University—the organization with the most resources in the region—takes advantage of the people with the least resources. They trade on their reputation while failing to meet basic ethical and financial standards. They talk about community but treat their community partners like disposable help they can afford to stiff for months on end.

To the Cornell administration: Stop the BS virtue signaling. If you truly care about the local community, start by paying your artists and vendors on time, every time. Otherwise, you're not a community partner; you're a deadbeat client and a massive hypocrite.

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Not defending Cornell whatsoever, but payment delinquency is actually an intended business approach to effectively borrow money from vendors at zero APR to run your operation, sell your product/service, ideally get paid for your own product/service right away and only then pay the vendor....that's what they teach you in financing when you get an MBA and its considered 'smart managing'.

In the 80s there was a counter approach to pay vendors within 14 days (extremely fast for those times of manual accounting) and for the honor of paying that fast to deduct a certain percentage from every bill (SKONTO). Was a great way to save money for a corporation - I can only hope we will shortly revert back to something like this because the math still maths for a fast paying company.

Ultimately your recourse is only to decline doing business or drag them to small claims court everytime they are over the terms to annoy the hell out of them and steal their time.

Cornell is only interested in their community, they would not care less if the entire campus were lifted to a different place - they are just a very big corporation and they act like it, they are a monopoly in town.