Cornell Adds New Dorm Rule: No Butchering Bears in the Kitchen

Cornell University has added a new rule to its Community Living Standards for the 2026-27 school year: Students can’t process wild game in communal residence hall kitchens. The policy is only one sentence long, but it doesn’t leave much room for creative interpretation.

“Processing wild/game animals in community kitchens is strictly prohibited,” the updated standards state.

Cornell confirmed the addition was prompted by an incident last September, when two students brought a legally killed black bear into a North Campus residence hall and butchered it in the communal kitchen.

A Legal Bear Hunt Ends in a Dorm Kitchen

On Sept. 6, 2025, two Cornell students killed an adult black bear in New York Department of Environmental Conservation Region 4, roughly 2 hours from campus.

The hunt took place on the opening day of New York’s early firearms bear season. Both students had valid hunting licenses, and a DEC investigation later found no hunting violations.

One of the hunters, Cornell student Aaron Chin, later identified himself and discussed the incident on the MeatEater Podcast.

Chin said he and his hunting partner planned to process the bear at a friend’s home. That plan fell apart when the friend had an emergency. With a dead bear and warm September weather working against them, the students took the animal to the shared kitchen in Ganędagǫ: Hall.

They skinned and butchered the bear on a communal table, packaged the meat, and placed it in the residence hall’s shared cold storage. Photos soon circulated on Reddit and Sidechat, prompting plenty of questions about sanitation, legality, and dorm etiquette.

Cornell University Police responded after receiving a complaint, but no criminal charges were filed. Cornell’s Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards also determined that the students hadn’t violated the university’s existing conduct rules.

The kitchen was closed on Sept. 7, sanitized by Cornell’s Building Care Department on Sept. 8, and reopened on Sept. 9.

The Cornell Butcher Shop Is Officially Closed

The new policy doesn’t ban hunting, game meat, or hunters from living on campus. It applies specifically to processing wild animals in communal kitchens. Cornell’s housing rules still address students who hunt. Residents must register firearms and store them with Cornell University Police, where they’re granted 24-hour access.

The students legally killed the bear, complied with New York hunting regulations, and didn’t violate any kitchen rules in place at the time. While students will still be able to hunt, they’ll need to break down and process their game meat elsewhere.