Cornell University Enacts Wild Game Processing Ban in Campus Kitchens

Cornell University has implemented a new policy prohibiting the processing of wild game in its community kitchens. This decision follows an incident involving two students who prepared a bear in one of the university’s dormitory kitchens.

The new rule, detailed by the university, explicitly states, “Processing wild/game animals in community kitchens is strictly prohibited.” This measure was introduced as a direct response to an incident in 2025. In this case, two students brought a black bear’s carcass into Ganędagǫ Hall for preparation after hunting it.

Aaron Chin, one of the students involved, discussed the incident during a podcast appearance several months later. He shared that they had initially intended to prepare the game at a friend’s home near the hunting grounds, which are two hours from Cornell. However, due to an emergency, they were unable to do so and resorted to using the campus kitchen instead.

Chin emphasized their efforts to comply with campus regulations before bringing the bear to campus. “We were really diligent in reading all of the rules and regulations,” Chin said on the MeatEater podcast. “We made sure we did everything by the book because we knew we were going to be under scrutiny.”

The incident prompted significant backlash both on social media and within the university community. This led state regulators to initiate an investigation. An inspector from New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation examined the site of the incident. They ultimately reported no code violations had occurred.

Fox News Digital reached out to Cornell University and Aaron Chin for additional comments on the implementation of the new policy.