There are some rules you assume don't actually need to be written down.
Don't set off fireworks in your dorm room. Don't ride a motorcycle down the hallway. And maybe don't butcher a black bear in the communal kitchen.
But, apparently, Cornell University needed to make that last one official.
The Ivy League university in Ithaca has updated its Community Living Standards for the 2026-27 school year, adding a very specific new rule prohibiting students from processing wild game in communal residence hall kitchens.
Cornell's New Rule Is Only One Sentence
Cornell didn't exactly leave much room for interpretation with the addition to its rules for cooking and community kitchens.
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The new policy states that processing wild or game animals in community kitchens is strictly prohibited.
The university confirmed to The Cornell Daily Sun that the change was made in response to an incident during the 2025-26 school year involving two students, a legally hunted black bear and a North Campus dorm kitchen.
Because college.
Two Students Brought a Black Bear Back to Their Dorm
It all started in September 2025 when two Cornell students legally hunted and killed an adult black bear in New York.
According to student Aaron Chin, who later discussed the incident on the MeatEater Podcast, the original plan wasn't to bring the bear back to campus.
The students reportedly planned to process the animal at a friend's home, but an emergency made that location unavailable.
Faced with warm September temperatures and a whole lot of bear meat they didn't want to spoil, they apparently went with Plan B: The dorm.
The bear was brought into a communal kitchen at Ganędagǫ Hall, where the students skinned and butchered it on a shared table before packaging the meat and putting it into cold storage.
But as you might imagine, other students noticed.
Pictures of the Bear Quickly Spread Around Cornell
Photos of the scene began circulating on social media, showing the remains of the bear in the communal kitchen and packaged meat stored in the dorm.
The situation sparked plenty of reaction from students and eventually attracted national attention.
Cornell University Police responded, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation investigated the incident.
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But, this is where things get interesting: the students apparently hadn't broken the rules. The bear had been legally hunted, the students had valid hunting licenses and the DEC found no hunting code violations.
Cornell also determined the students hadn't violated the university's existing conduct rules. Turns out there wasn't actually a rule saying, "Please don't butcher a bear in the dorm kitchen." But, there is now.
Cornell Shut Down and Sanitized the Kitchen
Even though the students weren't charged, Cornell temporarily closed the communal kitchen following the incident. The space was fully sanitized by Cornell's Building Care Department before reopening two days later.
Cornell's Community Living Standards note that cooking in university residences can bring students together, but can also create unsafe or unsanitary conditions when it's not done in a way that respects everyone sharing the space.
A bear on the kitchen table apparently falls into the second category.
Students Can Still Hunt, Just Don't Bring the Bear Home
The new rule doesn't prohibit Cornell students from hunting or possessing legally obtained game meat. Students who hunt can also still register and properly store firearms through Cornell University Police.
The university is simply drawing a much clearer line about what can happen once that successful hunting trip is over.
So, for any Cornell students already making plans for hunting season, congratulations on the bear. Just find somewhere other than the dorm kitchen to take care of it. Please and thank you.
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Gallery Credit: Brian Cody TSM Albany