As a current Cornell student, I would say that the administration tends to over-exaggerate the extent of bigoted behavior on campus. This assault is probably the most intense racially-charged event that has occurred in recent memory. These “persistent problems” probably just include the verbal harassment aimed towards some Latino students in light of the DACA announcements. That is the only other occurrence of bigotry I know of from this semester.
Also, this is President Pollack’s first semester at Cornell. It might take her some time to analyze how the groups on campus function, and how minorities are treated as a part of campus culture.