Cornell University has banned students from processing wild game in community kitchens following a 2025 incident involving the butchering of a black bear in a campus residence hall.
The university’s updated policy states that “processing wild/game animals in community kitchens is strictly prohibited,” according to a report by Fox News.
The policy change follows an incident at Ganędagǫ Hall in which two students brought a bear carcass into a shared kitchen and processed the animal there.
One of the students, Aaron Chin, later said he and another Cornell student had killed the bear while hunting. According to the Fox News report, the students had initially planned to process the animal at a friend’s home but brought it to campus after those plans changed.
Chin said the students reviewed Cornell’s rules before bringing the bear to the residence hall and believed the activity was permitted under the university’s existing policies.
The new rule removes that uncertainty by expressly prohibiting the processing of wild or game animals in community kitchens.
The policy does not specifically target bears. Instead, it applies broadly to the processing of wild or game animals in shared campus kitchen facilities.
The incident also prompted an investigation by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. According to Fox News, a DEC inspection of the kitchen found no code violations.
Cornell’s new policy establishes a separate university restriction regardless of whether the activity complies with state regulations.
The rule means students living in university housing may no longer use community kitchens to butcher or otherwise process animals taken during hunting.
The policy change follows an incident that brought attention to how Cornell’s housing rules addressed the preparation of wild game and resulted in the university establishing an explicit prohibition.
Photo: Pixabay
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