02 02 17 entire issue hi res

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Cornell Has Highest No. O f A c t i v e

Title IX Cases

By NICHOLAS BOGEL-BURROUGHS Sun Staff Writer

The U S Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights has opened a sixth inquiry into alleged mishandling of sexual assault investigations by Cornell University, making Cornell the college with the most active Title IX investigations in the nation

Six active Education Dept. investigations include a wide range of complaints alleging Title IX breache s b y C

The investigations against Cornell include allegations that the university ignored key evidence, failed to respond promptly and fairly to a reported sexual assault, and d i s c r i m i n a t e d against a student based on race, color or national origin by not correctly investigating a sexual assault complaint, according to four n o t i f i c a t i o n letters obtained by The Chronicle of Higher Education through the Freedom of Information Act

A Cornell spokesman said he had no comment on Wednesday night An Education Department spokesman also declined to comment, citing department policy

The sixth and most recent federal Title IX investigation began on Jan 25, bringing Cornell’s active investigation total above that of Indiana University of Bloomington, which has five open cases Open cases do not mean that a university has violated Title IX, only that the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights has determined the need to gather additional facts and investigate

"Please note that opening these allegations for investigation in no way implies that OCR has made a determination with regard to their merit," the Education Department wrote in the four notification letters sent to Cornell

An unnamed person filed a complaint on behalf of a Cornell student in August of 2016, alleging that the University discriminated against the student based on race, color or national origin “by failing to respond promptly and equitably to a

Alleged

Murderer’s Confession Was

Coerced by Investigators, Lawyers Say

By NICHOLAS BOGEL-BURROUGHS Sun Staff Wr ter

Three days after the double-stabbing on Cornell’s campus in August that left one Ithaca College student dead and another injured, police inter viewed Nagee Green during his shift at Subway in Collegetown

When police arrested Green, 23, about 10 weeks later on Nov 7, investigators grilled him for hours about his alleged involvement in the death of Anthony Nazaire and the stab

Apgar Heads to New Post at RPI

By ANNA DELWICHE Sun Staff Writer

Travis Apgar, former senior associate dean of students at Cornell, has recently been appointed

and dean of students at

Institute

“Mr Apgar has con-

developing vision, comprehensive strategies and implementing the objectives necessar y to attain desired outcomes as it relates to student community and organizational culture change,” said RPI President Shirley Ann Jackson in a statement to the Rensselaer community

For more than ten years, Apgar held the

Associate Dean of Students at Cornell Apgar additionally ser ved as the Senior Associate

Engagement for Fraternities, Sororities and Independent Living Apgar was responsible for notable changes

wounds suffered by Rahiem Williams, both of Brooklyn Green ultimately said he remembered stabbing both men, according to a transcript produced by his lawyers, but his attorneys claim in a motion to suppress Green’s statements that investigators “engaged in psychological mind games ” during the interrogation and that the confession came “after more than three hours of outright lies, exaggerations, false statements and persistent pseudo-logical argumentations engaged in by their

Students Cancel Trips, Fear For Family After Trump Ban

By REBECCA BLAIR Sun Senior Wr ter

After Salah Atabani earned his undergraduate degree in his home country, Sudan, he spent two years working to get into a top U S graduate program Now, after one semester of work toward a master ’ s degree in statistics, he is worried he may face a painful decision: forfeit all the time

and effort it took to get here or remain legally barred from seeing his family

As a full Sudanese citizen, Atabani is one of a handful of Cornell students who fear they may not be allowed to reenter the country in light of Friday’s executive order suspending immigration for citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries He is also one of

Daybook

BIO Coffee

11 a m - Noon, Terrace, Statler

Thursday Lunch @ 626 Meet the Dean Noon - 1 p m , Multipurpose Room, Center for Intercultural Dialogue, 626 Thurston Ave

Publishing Scientific Papers and Keeping Up With Them

Noon - 1 p m , 700 Clark Hall

Cold War Nostalgia:

The Ends of History and Global Disorder Since 1989 12:15 - 1:30 p m , G08 Uris Hall

Thursday, February 2, 2017

IAD Seminar: Good Governance and the Challenge of Building an Inclusive Constitutional Order 2:30 - 4 p m , G08 Uris Hall

Unveiling the Origin of Planetary Systems by Dynamical and Statistical Approaches 4 - 5 p m , 105 Space Sciences Building

Scales, Skulls and Sanskrit: French Ethnographies of Tonality, c 1860

4:30 - 6 p m , 124 Lincoln Hall

The Rise of the Constitution 4:45 p m , Kaufmann Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall

Chimes Competition Information Session 5 - 6 p m , McGraw Tower

Astronomy |

will be open to the public Friday at 8 p m Visitors will be able to use the observatory’s telescopes

Biodiversity and Evolutionary Genomics of Ferns (And Hornworts)

Fay Wei Li

11:15 a m , 404 Plant Science Building

Theorizing the Lyric: The World Novel 2 - 5 p m , Guerlac Room, A D White House

Professional Directions: Justin Perkinson, Director, Producer and Cinematographer

4:30 p m , Schwartz Center for Performing Arts

Fuertes Obervatory Public Open House 8 p m - midnight , Fuertes Observatory

Cornell Alumna Defends Qatari Citizen at JFK

From protest to legal battle, Cornell alumna successfully argues to halt CBP deportation

By STEPHANY KIM Sun Staff Writer

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Do n a l d Tr u m p ’ s e xe c u t i ve o rd e r, s h e

w a s n o t e x p e c t i n g t o d e f e n d

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w a s a m a k e s h i f t a re a w h e re t h e re we re

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Re f u g e e A s s i s t a n c e Pro j e c t a n d t h e y ’ ve

“When I talked to CBP, they said they were putting her back on the 8:30 plane.”

b e e n d o i n g t h i s a m a z i n g w o rk t a k i n g t h e l e a d o n t h e f a l l o u t o f t h e e x e c u t i v e o r d e r, ”

L a u t e r b a c k s a i d “At t h a t p o i n t , t h e re we re n o t a s m a n y

l a w ye r s t h e re a n d n o t t h a t m a n y i m m i g r a t i o n l a w ye r s , s o w h e n I g o t t h e re , I w a s q u i c k l y a s s i g n e d [ t o A l

Sa e e d i’s c a s e ] ”

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h a

[ t h e d e t a i n e e s ] a t t h e a i r p o r t a n d n o t p u t t h e m b a c k o n

Ithaca Mayor Endorses Program to Reduce Local Homelessness

Advocates: would aid 32 people currently unsheltered on Ithaca’s streets

By JOHN YOON Sun Staff Writer

St a n d i n g b e s i d e s t a t e re p re s e n t a t i ve s , It h a c a M a y o r Sv a n t e My r i c k ’ 0 9

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Mi s s i o n a d a y c e n t e r, e m e r g e n c y s h e lt e r a n d l ow - b a r r i e r p e r m a n e n t h o u s i n g p rov i d e r d ow n t ow n T h e s t a t e a n d f e d e r a l l y - f u n d e d re n t a l s u b s i d y w o u l d b e m a n a g e d a n d i m p l em e n t e d b y t h e To m p k i n s C o u n t y D e p a r t m e n t o f So c i a l Se r v i c e s t o h e l p p re v e n t p e o p l e f r o m n e e d i n g t o u s e t h e s h e l t e r a n d t o s u p p o r t t h e f i n a n c i a l n e e d s o f p e o p l e s e e k i n g h o u s i n g , Be n n e t t s a i d “ Fo r u s , t r y i n g t o c a re f o r t h e m , s u pp o r t t h e m , g e t t h e m c o n n e c t e d t o h o u si n g a s q u i c k a s we c a n i s o n e o f o u r c h a ll e n g e s a n d c e r t a i n l y r i g h t n ow o n e o f t h e i s s u e s i s m o n e y a s a b a r r i e r t o b e i n g a b l e t o m ove i n , ” h e s a i d “ Ho p e f u l l y [ t h e l e gi s l a t i o n ] h e l p s e l i m i n a t e o r a t l e a s t re d u c e o n e o f t h o s e b a r r i e r s o u r c l i e n t s h a ve i n m ov i n g i n t o h o u s i n g ” De c a d e s a f t e r s h e l t e r a l l ow a n c e f o r p e o p l e o n p u b l i c a s s i s t a n c e h a s n o t b e e n r a i s e d i n Ne w Yo rk St a t e , t h e p l a n w o u l d t a k e f e d e r a l a n d s t a t e f u n d s t o re l i e ve t h e b u rd e n o f l o c a l c o u n t i e s , d i s t r i c t s a n d m u n i c i p a l i t i e s t o c l o s e t h e g a p b e t we e n m a rk e t re n t s a n d s h e l t e r a l l ow a n c e f o r p u b l i c a s s i s t a n c e re c i p i e n t s , a c c o rd i n g t o He ve s i “ We’re i n t h e w o r s t c r i s i s we ’ ve s e e n i n Ne w Yo rk s i n c e t h e Gre a t De p re s s i o n , ” h e s a i d , a d d i n g t h a t p u b l i c a s s i s t a n c e re c i p i e n t s h a ve b e e n g e t t i n g m a xe d f o r s h e l t e r a l l ow a n c e a t $ 4 4 7 a m o n t h a s re n t ro s e T h e s t a t e w i d e h o m e l e s s n e s s c r i s i s h a s re a c h e d “ e p i d e m i c p ro p o r t i o n s , ” t h e C i t y o f It h a c a d e s c r i b e d , w i t h r i s i n g h o u s i n g c o s t s i n t e n s i f y i n g t h e p r o b l e m l o c a l l y “ We s h o u l d n ’ t h a ve t o b e s h e l t e ri n g i n d i v i d u a l s w h e n i t i s e x p o n e n t i a l l y c h e a p e r t o k e e p t h e m i n t h e i r c u r re n t h o u s i n g , ” He ve s i s a i d , s t re s s i n g t h e f i s c a l

i n vo l ve d i n t h e d r a f t i n g o f t h e l e g i s l a t i o n a n d a p p l a u d e d t h e m a yo r ’ s s u p p o r t “ We h a v e a s t a t e w i d e p r o b l e m o f

“It’s one of my goals that no children in Ithaca have to grow up in the same kind of uncertainty and fear that I did.”

h o m e l e s s n e s s , ” s h e s a i d “ It’s h e re , i t ’ s e ve r y w h e re i t ’ s c e r t a i n l y i n t h e c i t y a s we l l We w a n t t o t a c k l e i t s t a t e w i d e ” T h e p l a n a l re a d y h a s t h e s u p p o r t o f 1 1 0 s t a t e a s s e m b l ym e m b e r s a n d h a s re c e i ve d a w a r m r e c e pt i o n i n t h e St a t e S e n a t e ,

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Mi s s i o n c l i e n t s w o rk , t h e i r e m p l oy m e n t d o e s n o t c ove r t h e c o s t o f l i v i n g i n

It h a c a , w h i c h f o rc e s t h e m t o l e a ve t h e c i t y Fo r m a n y o t h e r u s e r s o f t h e d a y c e nt e r a n d e m e r g e n c y s h e l t e r s , h o m e l e s s n e s s c o m e s w i t h a d d i t i o n a l t h re a t s o f v i ol e n c e , a b u s e a n d v i c t i m i z a t i o n My r i c k , w h o w a s s p o r a d i c a l l y h o m el e s s a s a c h i l d , s a i d t h e p ro g r a m i s n e c e ss a r y f o r It h a c a ’ s f a m i l i e s t o t h r i ve “ I a m c o n v i n c e d t h a t m y l i f e w a s s a ve d , t h a t I

b e n e f i t s o f t h e l e g i s l a t i o n

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p l a c e , ” Be n n e t t s a i d , j o i n i n g t h e o f f i c i a l s ’ p r a i s e f o r t h e p ro g r a m

Be n n e t t s a i d t h a t w h i l e m a n y Re s c u e

Six Active Title IX Investigations Put Cornell in League of Its Own

complaint of sexual assault ”

The complainant claimed that during Cornell's investigation of an alleged sexual assault, the judicial administrator “drew negative inferences from language and cultural differences,” disregarded polygraph results, asked inappropriate questions and dismissed testimony that was favorable to the student Cornell also failed to fully review evidence

of inconsistencies in one student's account of the incident and ignored testimony that raised questions about the student's credibility, according to the complainant

The oldest active investigation was filed in May of 2015 and alleged that Cornell discriminated against a student based on that student's sex by “escalating the interim measure from a no-contact order to a temporary suspension, without cause ”

When that suspension was successfully appealed, the student claimed, Cornell

required the student to avoid the campus unless they were attending class, the health center or had advance permission

One student, in a Title IX investigation opened in December of 2015, alleges that the University did not respond promptly and equitably to both informal and formal complaints of sexual assault and retaliator y harassment by a student The university’s alleged noncompliance resulted in a “sexually hostile environment,” the student claims

The Department of Education's Office of

Civil Rights opened another investigation in June of 2016 after a student claimed that Cornell had not responded promptly and equitably to a reported sexual assault during the spring 2015 semester

No information is yet available for the two most recent Title IX investigations, which the Education Department opened in September 2016 and January 2017

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs can be reached at nbogel-burroughs@cornellsun com

Defense Lawyers: Police Played ‘Mind Games’ With Suspect

trained and experienced interrogators ” A grand jury indicted Green in November on charges of murder in the second degree, a class A-1 felony; manslaughter in the first degree, a class B felony; and assault in the second degree, a class D felony He is accused of stabbing Williams three times in the back and murdering Nazaire by stabbing him in the chest

In the motion filed by defense attorney Michael Perehinec Jr in Tompkins County Court on Jan 20, he requested a hearing to determine the admissibility of Green’s confession, alleging that police lied to Green, that his statements were taken without the presence of an attorney and that Green was not adequately advised of his Miranda rights

Assistant District Attorney Andrew Bonavia said the claim from Green’s attorneys that the interrogation process was flawed is a “hyperbolic untruth,” The Ithaca Voice reported, citing court documents

The defense motion also included a 73-page transcript of the police interrogation of Green at the New York State Police Barracks in Freeville, transcribed by a paralegal working in the office of Joseph Joch, one of Green’s lawyers

During the interrogation, Investigator Kevin McKenna of the Ithaca Police Department and Senior Investigator Richard Haas of New York State Police described their ver-

sion of events based on, they said, video evidence and witness testimony

The investigators claimed that at least one video shows Green squaring off with a man in the street near the intersection of College Avenue and Campus Road They said Green pulled a knife out of his pocket, flicked the blade open and, after swinging the knife at the man, the two disengage

The investigators, who are only labeled as “INV” in the transcript, said Green then appears to run over to Nazaire who is tussling with one of Green’s friends At that point, police said in the interview, Williams grabs Green’s backpack and throws him to the ground

Williams is “ very descriptive” in his version of events, an investigator said during the interrogation of Green “He grabbed you and pulled you down,” the investigator said “He’s not denying one little bit of his involvement He’s not denying it He was involved in a fight, there’s no doubt about it He ends up on the bottom of the two of you He says you ended up falling on top of him ”

“[ Williams] calls for his buddy, and his buddy comes running over and gets a shot in, and collapses,” the investigator said, referring to Nazaire “It appears that it’s at that point that you stabbed him and [ Williams] in an effort to get away That part would be understandable It would be understandable This wasn ’ t an intentional death, I’ll accept that ”

Over the course of several hours, the investigators prod Green to admit that he stabbed the two Ithaca College students

They told Green there was a rumor his grandmother knew he killed somebody They refer to Nazaire as “bleed-

ing like a stuck pig,” and tell Green that his version of events is “lame It’s worse than lame ” They tell Green he’s going to “ come across as a liar” and that he will “look like a monster ” in the eyes of the public if he doesn’t confess

The investigators ask Green if he’s willing to admit that he’s having nightmares One tells him, “All of this comes back Your eyes are popping because of the blow You’re still replaying that in your head I can see it in your eyes It’s called PTSD Everybody gets it You have it, I know you have it ”

Multiple times, the investigators tell Green they have video of the incident and that Green will be able to see it as soon as it gets to the barracks Then, at one point, when the investigators are discussing the murder weapon a large black folding knife, according to police one tells Green, “it was on the ground, with your DNA ”

Perehinec said in his motion that “No video whatsoever exists of Nagee Green stabbing anyone nor was Mr Green’s DNA found on any knife located and collected at the scene, both facts being contrary to statements made by interrogators ”

Around the three-hour mark of the interrogation, Green tells investigators he remembers stabbing both Nazaire and Williams as he was trying to get up from under them

An investigator asked, “Do you feel better getting this off your chest?”

“Yes,” Green replies

“Do you have any questions for us?”

“Um, only if I could call my mom ”

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs can be reached at nbogel-burroughs@cornellsun com

Students Uncertain After Trump Travel Ban

University to

many Cornell students with family members who are abroad, now unable to visit the United States

Atabani has plans to visit home at the end of the semester, but he is no longer sure whether he will be able to reenter the United States by summer With his entire family back in Sudan, though, he knows staying in the country indefinitely, even if all his immigration paperwork falls into place, is not an option

“My grandparents were supposed to come to my graduation, but obviously that’s not possible now ”

R a n a S u l e i m a n ’ 1 7

While both the Cornell administration and the Muslim Educational and Cultural Association say they are unaware of any students who are unable to get to campus because of the ban, MECA noted that if the ban had been enacted one week earlier, before the start of the semester, several students would have been turned away at airports According to statistics provided by the International Students & Scholars Office, Cornell is currently home to 2 9 s t u d e n t s f ro m b a n n e d countries, 27 of whom are from Iran There are many more with dual citizenship or with permanent residencies in the States but passports from banned countries

Now, with the executive order set to expire in 90 days, students with ties to the seven countries included in the ban, as well as a slew of international students in the United States on temporary visas, are anxiously waiting to see whether the Trump administration will stick to its hardline stance on immigration policy

Hamid Khatibi grad, a former Iranian political prisoner, now lives in Ithaca with his wife and 12-year-old son and is working towards his second Ph D in engineering Khatibi is here on an O1 visa, which is granted to those with demonstrated, extraordinary academic ability He says he does not believe he will be directly affected by the order, but he worries that his wife and son, who have F2 visas, which offer less protection, will not be able to stay with him He knows he cannot safely go back to Iran, so if his family members are forced to leave, they will be permanently separated

After actively struggling against the Iranian regime, Khatibi says he does not understand why he is being held accountable for his government ’ s actions “We suffered from that government and now this one?” he said of the Trump administration

Ryan Elbashir ’20 holds passports from both the United States and Sudan When she first heard about the executive order, she said she assumed that her naturalized U S citizenship would protect her However, unsure what hiccups she could face when trying to reenter the country, she decided to cancel her spring break plans to visit family abroad

Like Atabani, Elbashir has a lot of family living in Sudan and other banned countries Both lamented that their relatives may not be able to visit them going forward For Rana Sulieman ’17, a

Canadian citizen whose parents are Sudanese, the executive order has already impacted family; she has relatives who, after years of trying for a greencard, were granted permanent residency only to be detained at a Virginia airport on their way into the country

“My grandparents were supposed to come to my graduation, but obviously that’s not possible,” Sulieman added

Atabani knows he will need a visa to stay in this country after graduation and is unsure whether he will be able to get one However, his immigration status isn’t the only factor at play He, like many citizens of banned countries, is starting to question whether the United States will be worth fighting to stay in over the next four years

* * *

For Elbashir, who spent eight years growing up in the United States and has always attended American schools, the dissonance between her American and Sudanese identities has become hard to navigate

Elbashir said her grandmother was fired from her first Sudanese government job after fighting for womens ’ suffrage This began a long family legacy of advocacy a legacy which the group happily brought with them to the United States Elbashir said her grandfather was thrilled to cast his first vote as a U S citizen for the first black president After she cast her own first vote for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in November, she said she “thought I was going to be a part of history ”

Now, she is watching family members scramble to figure out how long they will be welcome in the country

“I guess the most frustrating thing hasn’t necessarily been policy-related, but just the narrative,” Elbashir said “When you hear the president of the United States say ‘ we don’t want them here, we want people who will love this country, ’ it’s really hard for me to see how that makes any sense ”

Every student interviewed for this piece recounted watching relatives spend years working for a greencard and then leaving behind their homes and families to start new careers and new lives in America Now, some say they wonder whether the United States will be the right place for them to build their own futures

Still, Nader Ahmed ’19, an American citizen with family in Sudan, emphasized that Sudanese optimism towards America has not faded When he visited last month, he said everyone he talked with still spoke of America as the same “land of opportunity” his parents saw when they first came here

Many interviewees agreed that watching family members realize they may not have the opportunity to move here themselves may not even be able to visit has been the hardest part of seeing this ban take effect

However, directly facing the possibility of having to leave the States, Atabani says he does not see himself as the primary victim He knows that he would rather leave than stay away from his family He also is not sure if he wants to live in a political climate so rapidly becoming hostile towards him Rather, he says most of his sadness is for the refugees who will be sent back to war zones and the families who will be separated by this order

C o n d u c t S e a r c h f o r

New Director

APGAR

Continued from page 1

made within Cornell’s Greek system Involvement in Greek life has increased from 25 percent to 34 per-

Apgar began in 2006 In

pledge model in the Greek system to an orientation model after a call from former President Skorton to b

process

As senior associate dean of students, Apgar was heavily involved in hazing prevention within the Greek system Most recently, Apgar oversaw hazing investigations for seven fraternities last Februar

representative to the

tributes content to the resources

Jackson said In a statement to faculty, Ryan Lombardi, vice president for stu-

Apgar for “his decade of leadership and dedication to promoting the wellbeing and personal growth of our students ” Kara Miller is set to ser ve as interim director assuming the leadership responsibilities for Greek life until the end of the semester as the University conducts a search for a new director Before joining C

Coordinator for Greek Affairs at the University of Miami in Florida

Anna Delwiche can be reached at adelwiche@cornellsun com

Independent Since 1880 134TH EDITORIAL BOARD

SOFIA HU ’17

Editor in Chief

PHOEBE KELLER ’18

Managing Editor

JORDAN EPSTEIN 18

Advertising Manager

SOPHIA DENG ’19

Blogs Editor

BRIAN LAPLACA ’18

Design Editor

JOSEPHINE CHU 18

News Editor

LOUIS LIU ’18

Business Manager

PAULINA GLASS ’18

Associate Editor

RYAN TORRIE 17

Web Editor

CAMERON POLLACK ’18

Photography Editor

MELODY LI 17

Design Editor

YUN SOO KIM ’17

News Editor

WORKING ON TODAY’S SUN

DESIGN EDITOR Melody Li 17

NIGHT DESKER Anne Snabes 19

EDITORS IN TRAINING

EDITOR IN CHIEF Sophia Deng 19

MANAGING EDITOR Josh Girsky 19

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jacob Rubashkin ’19

NEWS DESKERS Girisha Arora 20 Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs 19

SPORTS DESKER Charles Cotton 19

ARTS DESKERS Lorenzo Benitez 20 Katie Sims 20

DESIGN DESKER Weihong Rong 18

PHOTO DESKER Michael Li ’20

DINING DESKERS Olivia Lutwak ’18 Alex Fowler ’19 Akshay Jain | College Stuff

Why D.J. Khaled?

This past Friday, hypebeasts all around the world (including myself ) collectively celebrated the much-anticipated release of Migos’ latest album, Culture I could sit here and type up a description of Migos, but I’m sure you already have an idea They bring life to your pregames and are probably the reason dabbing is still kind of cool As their album title suggests, Migos have created a new culture in hip-hop and they’ll be the first to tell you that Practically every major rapper has adapted the Migos flow in some way or another, but this column isn’t about how formally interesting Migos’ music is This is about D J Khaled

I’ve always placed high value on the first listen of an album You can never listen to the album for the first time again You can revisit an album and feel certain sounds with a fresh ear, but ultimately that is just an exercise in memory The unknown of the next song, of the next note, cannot be recreated, and I think there’s something really special about that That being said, the opposite is also true After hearing something, it sticks with you regardless of quality, and no level of memory can take away that feeling of expectation

I remember exactly where I was I first pressed play on Culture It was a cold Ithaca morning in my shitty Collegetown house I put on my Bose QC35’s the greatest impulse purchase I’ve ever made and opened Apple Music I pressed play and the album began The voice of D J Khaled, everyone ’ s favorite Snapchat celebrity for a month, rang through my eardrums For whatever reason, Migos chose to begin Culture with the most unnecessary feature I have ever heard

To begin the song, Khaled blurts out a bunch of incoherent bullshit about fuckboys and playing yourself before Takeoff begins his verse Takeoff, one of the more lyrical members of Migos, constructs a clever narrative in his 8 bar verse, rhyming the words cocoon, raccoon and Cancun, among others I almost forgot about Khaled’s introduction during these sweet

Searching for the Other Half

Isat in a cafe on the Lower West Side of Manhattan My copy of The Goldfinch rested on the table next to a steaming p o t o f G e n m a i c h a t e a A b o o k s h e l f

spanned one of the walls of the cafe, putting on show the well-worn books with tattered covers and dog-eared pages Looking up, plants and exposed lightbulbs hung from the ceiling In this little space, I could escape from the frigid December air and hectic noise of the city and forget about ever ything except for the book in front of me

Or so I thought I was acutely aware of the presence of two men as they sat down at the table next to me and began talking about a book they had both recently read in loud, enthusiastic voices They star ted

philosophical text dated from 385-370 B C , provides a prime example of the formation of this idealized love, especially in A r i s t o p h a n e s ’ s s p e e c h A r i s t o p h a n e s begins his origin of love stor y with how humans used to have four hands and feet and two faces The power of these beings frightened the god Zeus to such an extent that he used a lightning bolt to cut the beings in two He forced the two halves to spend their entire lives seeking the other, for they could never feel complete until they reunited with their other half Once the two people found each other, they could never be separated

This Ancient Greek source something that seems so removed from today’s culture is one of many that has influ-

15 seconds As Takeoff ends his verse Khaled comes in again, this time with his trademark phrase, “Another one ” Khaled makes two more appearances towards the end of the track, with a full outro that is just as cringeworthy as his intro

I’m no D J Khaled hater The guy essentially went from a B-list producer to an A-list hip-hop personality solely as a result of his social media charisma, and I completely respect that Khaled flipped a meme into a certified gold album that’s also somehow nominated for the Best Rap Album Grammy I wish I were D J Khaled But I also wish he hadn’t ruined the first song on Migos’ album What bothers me even more is that the song was otherwise fantastic All three members of Migos deliver creative verses that slap over the 808 Mafia production Removing Khaled from the song completely would result in a single that arguably rivals both “Bad and Boujee” and “T-Shirt ”

The question remains: why D J Khaled? I like to think all three members of Migos were finalizing their album when Quavo got a late-night text from Khaled saying he was at the front door

Confused, Quavo went to let him in and I assume Khaled burst through the door with the same irritating tenacity that he began the album with Khaled probably hopped right in the booth after confusing Takeoff with Offset, and started yelling things As his incoherent ramblings were collected digitally, I assume Takeoff and Offset looked to their leader Quavo for counsel Quavo, being the kindhearted man he is, most likely felt some pity for Khaled and told his producers to make his words into an intro and outro

Or maybe Migos just figured Khaled was still popular with the youth Who knows? Regardless, Migos found a way to recover from Khaled’s contributions and deliver a very solid album, an accomplishment nearly as improbable as Khaled’s Alist

with discussing the characters and plot of the novel and moved on to connect it to their own lives quite an intellectual conversation to find myself listening in on One of the men said, “ There’s that idealized love that we know is false but resonates in our hear ts ” When I heard that, I immediately wrote it down and saved it to think about later

An hour or two passed, and I moved from my small table in the corner to the counter which was set against the wall opposite the bookshelf a quieter location Two different men came in almost immediately and sat besides me, their stools angled away from me and towards each other They exchanged presents and kisses and began to chat I tried tuning them out (at this point, I honestly, tr uly, just wanted to read) but I felt myself tense up when one of the men said, “I just want to know what we are ” I realized the conversation had progressed into a what-are-we talk I flipped the pages of my book noisily to convince them that I was deeply preoccupied, but they didn’t seem to notice or care The same man who had brought up the topic continued to describe his feelings for the other; he was scared to lose him, his “other half ”

These two conversations I overheard just hours apar t str uck a chord with me Why do the majority of us, like the first man said, hold on so tightly to the idea of idealized love when we know it doesn’t exist? Why do we believe, like the second man, that there is someone destined to be our other half, as if we can ’ t fully exist on our own?

As long as people have existed, so has the concept of finding “another ” Love is embedded in histor y Plato’s Sy m p o s i u m , a

enced how people vie w love Maybe we can blame Aristophanes for making us believe that only our other half will make us happy, for feeding our beliefs that we are destined for someone But what is this idealized love we talk about? For some, it might be the image of a prince saving a princess and then riding off together into the sunset It might be some undying, unyielding passion that seems to overcome ever ything It might be the sparks flying, Taylor Swift kind of attraction It might be love at first sight T h e w o r d “ i d e a l i z e d ” i m p l i e s t h a t something is per fect or better than reality That’s problematic when we use that word to describe something as power ful as love In the film 5 0 0 Da y s o f Su m m e r , the main character’s best friend, Paul, is asked what the “girl of his dreams” would be like He says she would have “maybe different hair, and she’d probably be a litt l e m o r e i n t o s p o r t s B u t t r u t h f u l l y, Robyn is better than the girl of my dreams She’s real ”

There’s something about idealized love that we can ’ t seem to let go of It’s romantic, glorious, even beautiful We want to think that ever ything can have a happy ending, that love can conquer all things and maybe it can But I think what we come to realize is how much we love the realness of love, whether that be in the small things, the big things, the ner vousness or the excitement I like to think that Paul is right Because the person of our dreams some glorified person remains there We get what’s real

Gaby Leung is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences She can be reached at gl376@cornell edu Serendipitous Musings appears alternate Thursdays this semester

the conversation by sending a letter to the

The grim spectacle of Donald Trump’s campaign has transitioned into the grim spectacle of the American presidency A mere two weeks have elapsed since President Trump’s inauguration, and already the nation has settled into a routine of expansive executive orders and subsequent corresponding outrage The vulnerable are under attack, shame is a forgotten concept and the White House seems devoted to the personal aggrandizement of the president above all else

We are in an accelerated America hurling through history And there are sickening indications that our potential destination is a familiar one When Trump speaks of an “American carnage ” that can only be solved through his agenda of putting “America first,” he is making deliberate allusions The author of these words, Steve Bannon, knows the history of the America First movement He’s well aware of its racist connotations Indeed, behind Trump’s confused attempts at governing is a man with a clear vision

Already, Steve Bannon has emerged as the key figure within the corridors of the West Wing His nationalist and yes, white nationalist ideology has been the driving force behind the early moves of the Trump administration It is motivated by an active desire to return the United States to a more Christian, more white past If Trump’s nostalgic calls to Make America Great Again were deliberately ambiguous, Bannon has begun the job of articulating them into policy

Moreover, Bannon has also been candid that he seeks to advance these goals through the

TKevin Kowalewski | Democratic Dialogue

It’s Happening Now

destruction of the current political system In this context, the administration’s chaotic strategy makes sense The White House intends for this rapid bombardment of new policies to overwhelm the political conversation, and they do so with little concern for the opposition it might encounter They are drawing broad contrasts with the existing order, appealing to the same base that ushered Trump into the White House

Nonetheless, the fact that such a strategy exists does not mean it will succeed It is tempting to craft narratives of a puppet president guided by his shadowy mastermind As of now, such a narrative would appear to be correct But this is a premise, not a conclusion Avoid giving Bannon, and Trump, too much credit Even if their attempts to foment unrest are intentional, we are also dealing with a situation of profound incompetence

The Trump administration is remarkably devoid of any previous governmental experience Every bureaucratic mess and nonsensical Trump statement is not a stroke of subtle genius Resist the urge to interpret every negative story as a distraction from the “real story, ” whatever that may be Trump and his allies are not great at what they do However, they don’t necessarily need to be

Donald Trump enjoys a Republican-controlled Congress that has no desire to check or investigate his power grabs Despite choosing a disturbing mix of incredibly unqualified and extremely radical cabinet nominees, almost all of them are likely to be confirmed His blatant, ego-driven lies continue to be repeated by the

media Further, while his approval ratings are already underwater, Trump has never commanded a majority of the electorate This might just be sustainable Trump certainly believes it is After all, we have never had an administration with less faith in the American people The president openly proclaims the failure of our country Many of those who work for Trump are devoid of the capacity for genuine public service, and they project their failures onto the public They believe that their lies do not matter and that their hypocrisy can be ignored These are the people, such as Bannon, who have wrestled their way into the most powerful positions of our country We must reject their vision of citizenship

Fortunately, the public is rising to the occasion Beginning with the Women’s March, the single largest day of protest in this country ’ s history, Trump has spurred unprecedented mobilization With a stroke of a pen, he spontaneously transformed airports into the newest venue of political solidarity All around the country, a sense of mutual obligation is developing This is a crucial aspect of resilience to the Trump administration

Further, our shared empathy should be wedded to an understanding of sacrifice and service What does this mean? Take simply the example of Sally Yates, the former Acting Attorney General under President Trump Facing the pressure of the most powerful man on Earth, Yates was not afraid Fully aware of the consequences, she declared that she would not defend an unconstitutional executive

THROWDOWN THURSDAYS

order

Yates was fired The White House declared that she had “betrayed” the Department of Justice But her heroic actions can serve as an example for the rest of us, particularly those who hold positions of power These times will present us with deeply uncomfortable decisions, and we must be prepared to make them

This is not hypothetical These decisions are happening now Remember that authoritarianism is not necessarily spectacular If it becomes a reality in the United States, it will set in subtly Free speech will wither not through the burning of books, but through self-censorship The separation of powers will not die through constitutional upheaval, but by an executive branch that continually pushes and expands the boundaries of its power Hate and discrimination will rule quietly as marginalized groups are targeted, one by one, unprotected by the majority

That’s what could happen It doesn’t have to And if these opening days mean anything, it won ’ t This administration is ambitious and cruel, but it is still weak Those opposed to its designs on our country must be keenly aware of how high the stakes are, but also firm in our confidence that we can change things In these next few years, everything is possible May that be the warning to us all, and the promise we make to each other

Kevin Kowalewski is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences He can be reached at krk78@cornell edu Democratic Dialogue appears alternate Thursdays this semester

Reforming the Tax Code

he American tax code is one of the most complex and byzantine bureaucratic str uctures in the federal government The tax code currently stands at an eye-popping 9,000 pages and is often considered the most complex system of its kind in the world To even remotely understand the inner workings of the nation’s tax system requires years of education and training ––making it all but impossible for the average American to comprehend how their taxes are calculated and spent

The sheer size of the nation’s tax code is a hindrance to both greater financial equality and economic prosperity

In terms of income taxes, the nation operates on a “ progressive tax ” system –– the more money you make, the higher the percentage of your income goes to Uncle Sam Cer tainly, the vast majority of the Western tax systems operate under this progressive system, as it is the bedrock taxation policy of most of Europe, Oceania and Nor th America The primar y purpose of this system is to use funds from higher-income individuals to fund social welfare programs, social ser vices and public goods

Unfor tunately, the nation’s tax system has fallen shor t of its “progressive” goals First and foremost, the federal tax code includes a massively long list of exemptions and loopholes that are often exploited by clever tax attorneys –– exploitations that wealthier individuals use to offset higher tax rates It is because of these exemptions and loopholes that the public constantly hears stories of CEOs paying the same tax rate as their secretaries

Beyond income taxes, the tax code also has ver y real and tangible impact on American businesses Small- and medium-sized businesses often find it difficult to employ the army of lawyers necessar y to successfully navigate the tax code and maximize the firm’s profit As a result, profit maximization is often only feasible for the largest of companies This creates an exceptionally unfair and imbal-

anced economic system in which only the most power ful companies can thrive

Another example of the unfair impact of the federal tax code on small- and medium-sized businesses can be seen through the estate tax Commonly known as the “death tax, ” the estate tax functions as an inheritance tariff The philosophy of the tax is easy to understand: America is a nation of self-made individuals, and a tax on inherited wealth helps to prevent the development of a permanent American aristocracy However, inheritance is not a phenomenon solely sequestered to the wealthy –– in fact,

large numbers of low-income and middle class Americans benefit heavily from inherited wealth and proper ty Family farmers, for example, often pass their farms through the generations via inheritance However, the estate tax often functions as an extreme economic burden on inherited family farms –– a burden that frequently forces these farms to close their doors

Clearly the list of problems with our nation’s tax code is long To fix this problem, we must first change the way we discuss taxation For too long both political par ties

have debated and discussed whether the tax rate is too high or too low –– concerns that are, quite frankly, not nearly as impor tant as the constr uction of the tax code itself

The second step must involve a dramatic overhaul of the vast number of exemptions, deductions and loopholes that plague the code Cer tainly, there are a number of useful and productive exemptions and deductions, such as the charitable contribution deduction However, these str uctures often benefit wealthier Americans and large companies in a greater capacity than the rest of the nation Fur thermore, the amount of fraud and abuse in the code’s loopholes, deductions and exemptions is striking For example, a recent estimate showed that 29 percent of Earned Income Tax Credit payments are fraudul e

Americans benefit from the tax credit

Another change must involve a reduction in the sheer size of the tax code Nine thousand pages is impossible for one individual to sift through –– and thus privilege of understanding the code belongs to an elite fe w with intensive legal training All Americans should be able to have a basic understanding of the nation’s tax operations –– to accomplish this, we must reduce the size of the code

I firmly believe that if we are to achieve a greater sense of economic fairness in this nation, we must first make significant changes to our tax code The current system privileges an elite fe w, baffles the majority of the nation and even harms large sectors of the nation’s business community

Michael Glanzel is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences He can be reached at mg786@cornell edu Cornell Shrugged appears alternate Thursdays this semester

t o d

i t It i s a

t h e p e r f e c t s p o t f o r S a t u r d a y m o r n i n g b r u n c h A s s o o n a s w e s a t d o w n , o u r w a i t e r a p p e a r e d a n d l e f t a m a s s i v e p o t o f c o ff e e o n o u r t a b l e I h a v e t o s a y t h a t i t m a d e f o r s o m e p r e t t y a r t s y p i c t u r e s w h e n w e p o u r e d i t i n t o t h e r e s t a u r a n t ' s r u s t i c m u g s T h e m e n u w a s c h o c k f u l l o f u n i q u e c o m b i n a t i o n s a n d d e l i c i o u ss o u n d i n g d i s h e s T h e s w e e t p o t a t o h a s h

c a u g h t m y e y e , a n d I k n e w I h a d t o g o f o r i t O u r s e r v e r w a s e x t r e m e l y a c c o m -

m o d a t i n g w h e n m y d i n i n g p a r t n e r a n d

I b o t h a s k e d t o m o d i f y o u r d i s h e s A f t e r a b i t o f a w a i t , o u r f o o d c a m e o u t , a n d i t w a s e v e r y t h i n g w e h o p e d a n d m o r e M y e g g s w e r e p e r f e c t l y

c o o k e d w i t h j u s t a s l i g h t l y r u n n y y o l k , a n d t h e w h i t e s w e r e w e l l d o n e w i t h o u t b e i n g d r y T h e s w e e t p o t a t o e s w e r e e v e r s o s l i g h t l y c r u

Monks on the Commons

A New, Soulful Dining Experience

very home cook has a few easy non-dishes under their belt that taste flavorful and will brighten up their day I just

discovered a ginger fried rice recipe by Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, a master of home cooking Using the simplest ingredients (leftover rice and eggs) and some aromatics, this recipe produces wonders

St ep 1 : Heat 1/4 cup peanut oil over medium heat Cook garlic and ginger until crisp brown Transfer to paper towels and salt lightly

St ep 2 : Cook leek over peanut oil over medium-low heat for 10 minutes Season with salt

St ep 3 : Raise heat to medium and add rice, stirring occasionally Season with salt

St ep 4 : Top with an egg, in what-

ever way you want it cooked

When I tried out this recipe I used the one large onion in my pantr y instead of using leeks and after slicing the onion I cooked it under medium-low for more than 20 minutes to caramelize it and bring out its sweetness I also ran out of fresh ginger roots, so I used week-old, locally-produced fermented minced ginger from my fridge Instead of fr ying the eggs, I scrambled them with a little sea salt and green scallion in the egg mixture The result is a festival of flavors and textures: the ginger and garlic crisp and golden, the onions sweet and soft, the leftover, dried-out rice become moist again, the eggs highly nutritious I highly recommend it

Ti

p s : If using fresh rice instead of leftover rice, either keep it wrapped in the fridge for some time or lay it out on a surface to dr y

To caramelize the onions, keep the heat low to avoid burning

You can basically cook eggs any way you like and it won ’ t affect the overall quality of the dish

Don’t forget to garnish with soy sauce and some sesame oil, or pretty much anything that goes with rice I prefer toasted sesame seeds and some Chinese chili sauce

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Hey Now,I’m T h e Yo u n g P o p e

BY GRIFFIN SMITH-NICHOLS Sun Contributor

A coarse, savagely blunt maverick who flaunts the expectation of the establishment which, flying in the face of reason, he has come to lead A hardline, reactionar y backlash in the face of reform A defiant, rightward swing of the pendulum Whilst watching HBO’s new series The Young Pope, it is impossible not to think of the current political climate, especially given that fictional Pontifex Pius XIII, formerly Lenny Belardo and portrayed by veteran Jude Law, is, in this Va t i c a n , t h e f i r s t A m e r i c a n Po p e Nevertheless, not only is it hopelessly reductive to dub the series “ Trump as Pope,” it is an assertion lacking style

Although the Catholic Church can still reckon more than a billion believers worldwide, it has, post-1789, lost its intellectual, moral and political monopoly Pius’ struggle is not just to make St Peter’s great again, it is to make Catholicism relevant again He wants, by his own admission, great love stories, fanaticism and total, unswer ving devotion His name itself reflects this: one papal minister astutely remarks that the choice of Pius belongs to a long line of conser vative popes, including one professed admirer of Mussolini

This is not a delicate or particularly subtle p ro p o s i t i o n It i s n o c o i n c i d e n c e t h a t , straight out of the gate, The Young Pope has become an internet meme; the title itself begs to be set to Smash Mouth lyrics Indeed, the s h ow ’ s c re a t o r Pa o l o So r re n t i n o , o f L a Grande Bellezza fame, revels in the outrageousness, bitterly ironic humor and uncanny luster of the Vatican he has conceived: a montage of Pius preparing for his first address to the cardinals set to LMFAO’s “I’m Sexy and I Know It” comes to mind There is no shortage of scenes depicting nuns in full habit making sport; nuns doing anything, Sorrentino realizes, are rivetingly entertaining The show’s soundtrack is a weird hodgepodge of indie rock and minimalist neoclassicism Despite this, The Young Pope is, at its

heart, about a critical engagement with Catholicism, and what role a Church with a seemingly liquefying role in the world should play

To that end, the show is not so much concerned with issues of character development as it is with, speaking biblically, parable Pius

thinking that Heaven is open to all but the ver y worst What Christianity is losing, Pius seems to suggest, is its believing aristocracy If this is the thesis on which The Young Pope hinges, the methods by which the show actualizes it are equally subversive Pius never displays his image to the public; he has read

moralizes on homosexuality (streng verboten), the secular-ecclesiastical power dynamic, the nature of prayer and, scandalously, sexuality It takes an Italian director to create a TVseries that operates less as a linear plot-line than as a series of aesthetic reflections The show reads like a collection of medieval vignettes, about which Pius revolves with a dark energy “ With the attitudes of the last papacy, ” Pius opines in one momentous speech, “the Church won for itself great expressions of fondness from the masses It became popular,” he sneers Nothing could be more anathema to Pius’ worldview Popularization equals a wider net of forgiveness, equals laxer moral standards, equals Hell His is no celebrity papacy, in which a complacent majority give their giddy thumbs-up whilst abandoning the pews in droves, all the while

his Walter Benjamin He eschews ever y trapping of a modern mass-media organization, rendering his invisible aura sacrosanct and inviolable, Christ-like even, precisely because it is never seen His first homily over a crowded St Peter’s Square is given in total darkness, and he only communicates with the outside world through cr yptic letters and proclamations delivered by half-reliant mouthpieces Islam holds representation of the prophet Muhammad to be the highest taboo: he is not the fodder of image-makers or would-be idolators, but is more liable to be shown with his face under a white veil, or, even more austerely, in calligraphy As Pius himself points out in one episode, Islam has more followers One may disagree with his methods or with his dogma, but there is a cold, intensely calculating logic to Pius’ beliefs In one heated conversation, Pius is accused of tr ying to

bring the Catholic Church back into the Middle Ages, with his rigid, unforgiving stance on social issues and attempted re-mystification of the Pontiff figure But what, in all fairness, does it mean for the Papacy to be dragged back to the Middle Ages? Only for the Papacy to reattain its status as the single most powerful and uniquely universal institution on the European continent This is hardly a raw deal for the Holy See Pius’ new conser vatism is subversive, and f a s

impossible to separate its Old Worldliness from its brash, American bravado If Pius is the unbudging, American enfant terrible of the social media age, Émile Faguet’s description of the French royalist Joseph de Maistre is still frighteningly fitting for him: “ a fierce absolutist, a furious theocrat, an intransigent legitimist, apostle of a monstrous trinity composed of pope, king and hangman, always and ever ywhere the champion of the hardest, narrowest and most inflexible dogmatism, a dark figure out of the Middle Ages, part learned doctor, part inquisitor, part executioner ” It is a hopelessly alluring composite personage

In the opening credits, a comet follows Pius as he struts through a Vatican art galler y, the astral phenomenon in some traditions a hopeful sign from God, and in others a portent of disaster Pius winks surreptitiously to the camera as he saunters past a painted depiction of the St Bar tholomew’s Day Massacre, a 1572 bloodbath during the course of which French Catholics killed as m

Huguenots Is it, using Internet parlance, t

Catholicism to the ground just as the comet in the painted landscapes behind him ignites cities and curtains and punches smoldering holes in parasols? It is impossible to say for certain, and that is the point Power, as it for Pius, needs to be inscrutable again

Griffin Smith-Nichols is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences He can be reached at gds82@cornell edu

T h e G r a n d To u r : I n P u r s u i t o f To p G e a r

BY NICHOLAS SMITH Sun Contributor

I’m going to start my review of The Grand Tour by talking about the one thing the show’s hosts can ’ t: Top Gear Odds are, if you ’ ve ever been into cars (or had a “petrolhead” friend), you ’ ve heard of Top Gear, and I don’t mean the American version (that version sucks)

I’m talking about 20 glorious series (which I suppose is Britishspeak for season) of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May getting up to ridiculous hijinks in even more ridiculous cars on the BBC Say what you will about the trio’s final stint being “ too scripted” or “played out, ” but on the whole, I remember their time on Top Gear fondly

After Clarkson got into some trouble and his two cohorts followed him out the door, Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc took over and slowly lost me For me, the

magic of the show was always the dynamic between Clarkson’s energy, Hammond’s wit and May’s cheerful resignation With them gone, Top Gear quickly fell from the top of my watch list

Enter Amazon As one of the flagship programs of their streaming ser vice, Prime Video (which is included with an Amazon Prime membership), The Grand Tour brings the trio back to the screen in what could be called a blatant rip off of the original Be that as it may, you won ’ t hear me complaining much

While the show is still running on a weekly basis, the first twelve episodes are technically the first season of a 36 episode, three-year plan, so it’s a perfect time to reflect on what they’ve done and how they could improve

It’s great to see the three back together after what many thought would be their last rodeo Their chemistry hasn’t changed a bit and it’s fun to see my favorite presenters showing off the hottest cars again

One of my favorite changes to the

format is their new set Instead of hosting the show in the same studio every week, the crew has taken to a travelling tent This season alone they’ve gone to Los Angeles, Johannesburg and Loch Ness just to name a couple The first season is definitely worth your time if you already have a Prime membership

However, the series has some fixable flaws that are preventing it from becoming a membership-seller My first complaint is “the

American ” One of the hallmarks of Top Gear was its “hot laps,” where they ran cars around their track to compare them, conducted by a mysterious and mute driver known only as “The Stig ” “The Stig” and the silly facts Clarkson would present about him were clearly the most recognizable feature of the show “The American,” “the Stig’s” detestable replacement, takes every negative American stereotype to the extreme Though I can see what

they were going for here, in execution it comes across as brash and obnoxious

Additionally, while on Top Gear it was always fun to see celebrities come into the studio and compete on the track, The Grand Tour’ s “Celebrity Brain Crash” was funny at first but quickly lost its luster

And while their weekly short list of comical topics, discussed on “Conversation Street,” can be quite funny, I usually find myself wishing for its time to be replaced with another car test

Overall, The Grand Tour is a fun watch and a pleasant revitalization of one of my all-time favorite TV shows Despite the show’s issues, I’m sure the fan community is more than excited to see what the future holds for Clarkson, Hammond and May whose tomfoolery will continue in the second season, beginning in early February

Nicholas Smith is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences He can be reached at nks53@cornell edu

The RTJ Manifesto

Afew years ago, the runaway success of Run the Jewels might have seemed unlikely, especially to its own members Conventional wisdom defines hiphop as a young person ’ s domain, making the odds unlikely that two 41 year-olds would finally hit their stride after a decade toiling in the hallowed obscurity of underground rap Anyone with a pulse, though, will have noticed that these are not ordinar y times, either for the music industr y or for the world at large Call it the effects of mass media, the Internet or suppressed bigotr y, but the era of “fake news ” and mainstreamed conspiracy theories is upon us Fittingly, a recent spike in sales has returned George Or well’s 1 9 8 4 t o A m a z o n ’ s b e s tseller list, nearly 70 years after its initial release Amidst it all, Run the Jewels’ music suddenly feels like a necessar y and urgent political manifesto

As solo artists, it’s obvious now that Killer Mike and ElP were always destined for niche appeal Hailing from Atlanta, Mike first drew attention in the early 2000s with a feature on OutKast’s Stankonia, before quickly establishing himself as something of a rapper ’ s rapper A lifelong political activist and former small-time drug dealer, Mike’s fier y lyricism and gruff Southern deliver y didn’t consistently add up to more than the sum of their parts until his 2012 solo album, R A P Music El-P produced the entire project, lending his typically dystopic beats to the pair’s first collaboration The cold, paranoid aesthetic worked well behind Mike’s rapping and “Reagan” a condemnation of War on Drugs policies and mass incarceration remains among the duo’s best work

For his part, Brooklyn-born El-P earned his underground cred as the head of Def Jux, the type of indie record label designed to struggle with its finances Sciencefiction bears a heavy influence over the rapper-producer’s solo output, resulting in instrumentals that one might expect if The Bomb Squad sampled John Carpenter As the man himself once tweeted: “I swear to God, I could make a beat with a banjo and a church organ and someone will call it ‘dystopian sci-fi’ ” His lyrics tend to match that theme, depicting governments and institutions as systems of control It’s a compelling approach (granted new significance by Or well’s resurgence), but one that now seems insulated without Mike’s presence The Molotov cocktail of RTJ’s politics depends as much on El-P’s grand condemnation of institutions as it does Mike’s gritty, professo-

After a hiatus of over four years, The xx is back with their third studio album, I See You Ver y rarely does any band leave the musical scene for so long and come back unchanged and The xx is no exception It should be known that this new album dives into a sect of sound that The xx is not so familiar with, yet the subtlety for which they are so praised has not faded one bit

While the band is known for their “dream pop ” sound, on this album they introduce an additional almost electronic vibe on multiple tracks This with the combination of their mystical and reflective lyrics give power to songs like “Say Something Loving” and “I Dare You.” Themes of lonliness and intense self-reflection are present in this album

Tracks like “A Violent Noise” appear to be addressing the effects of substance abuse Co-lead vocalist Oliver Sim sings, “ With ever ything I pretend to feel/Am I too high? Am I too proud?/Is the music

rial stor ytelling

Most importantly, the two of them put together are a comedy goldmine “ Their collaboration is like an interracial buddy cop movie from the eighties,” Hua Hsu wrote in a recent New Yorker profile, “In which they both get to be the one who deals with his authority issues by goofing around ” One does, indeed, get the sense that these outspoken marijuana advocates have spent plenty of time

Really Terrible! And Such Small Portions Chris Stanton

chemistr y on each of their three albums has provided some of the best back-and-

friendship allows the vital

humor to enter music that other wise depicts the world as hopelessly rigged For all their clever boasts and shittalking (which should never be under valued), RTJ’s political revolution depends wholeheartedly on empathy and on the communal nature of their music

For music fans, there’s a tension that arises out of the correlation between quality albums and the artist’s state of mind The “tortured artist” cliché dictates that all great literature, film and music must arise out of personal issues or political disorder Of course, that’s not always the case, and it’s important not to find yourself hoping that others suffer

for the sake of relatable tunes Still, it’s possible to recognize protest music as timely RTJ have shown their willingness, time and again, to pop up in desperate hours, not out of greed for the spotlight but as simple acts of solidarity And every time, they’ve brought along a damn good soundtrack They were there after the death of Mike Brown, and after officer Darren Wilson’s subsequent non-indictment Killer Mike gave a tear y-eyed speech onstage about fearing for his children before sitting down on CNN to discuss his opinions on policing issues in America (his father had been a cop) He then spent months campaigning for Bernie Sanders They were there again after November’s surprise election results, prematurely releasing “2100,” an anthem for “defeating the devil when you hold onto hope ” And they were there in D C on the eve of inauguration, raging against the Trump machine alongside Zack de la Rocha Ultimately, RTJ’s politics are about inclusion, valuing differences and expanding your worldview Their popularity amongst young people, then, should be cause for optimism As President Obama said in his farewell address, “Let me tell you, this generation coming up unselfish, altruistic, creative, patriotic I’ve seen you in ever y corner of the countr y You believe in a fair, and just, and inclusive America You’ll soon outnumber any of us, and I believe as a result the future is in good hands ”

too loud for me to hear?” He’s describing a reality in which ever ything he hears, whether negative or positive, he percieves as br utal noise, hinting that he may have allowed himself to slip to a place he no longer wants to be In the same tone of self-reflection, songs like “Per formance” describe the courage t

Perhaps it is that same theme of self-reflection that led to the title, I See You

We also see a confrontation of loneliness on tracks like “Brave for You ” Romy Croft opens up about the loss of her parents since the success of the band. She sings, “And when I’m scared, I imagine you ’ re there, telling me to be brave.” Their optimistic tone is different The step in this new direction is both bold and commendable Similarly, songs like “Replica” explore themes of breaking free from the past as well as from expectations “And as if i tried to, I turned out just like you/Do we watch and

repeat?” Overall, there seems to be a sense of maturity in this album that is new and pleasing to hear The sound is different, but the feel is the same, connecting it to the band’s first album xx The lead vocals of Romy Croft and Oliver Sim complement each other per fectly, specifically on tracks like “On Hold ” More concisely, if one is listening to I See You with hopes of hearing the same vibe and themes on their debut album, xx, disappointment is inevitable Simply listening to the singles off the album makes it clear that the direction of the band has changed substantially. However, overall, the tone of the new album contains hope and self-reflection, signaling that there is light ahead, and that is definitely something wor th listening to

Rebekah Jones is a freshman in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences She can be reached at rj252@cornell edu

26 A PARTMENT FOR R ENT

26 A PARTMENT FOR R ENT

“A

Monday,

Big Weekend Lies Ahead for No. 16

most dangerous top line with 28 points to his name as well McCarron knows that shutting them down will have to be a group effor t “ O b v i o u s l y t h e y ’ v e g o t a couple of guys who are tops in nation in scoring, but it’s not g o i n g t o b e i n d i v i d u a l g u y s shutting them down,” he said “ It’s j u s t p l a y i n g g o o d t e a m

d e f e n s e , b l o c k i n g s h o t s a n d doing all the little things If you don’t do that against good players, they’ll make you pay for it ”

On the back end of Union’s

l i n e u p i s g o a l t e n d e r A l e x

Sakellaropoulos, who is 17-4-1 with a 921 save percentage on the season

The Dutchmen have been rolling for a while at one point sitting atop the ECAC but were knocked off this past weekend by St Lawrence, who regained sole possession of first place in the conference

RPI has had a markedly diff e r e n t s e a s o n L a s t i n t h e ECAC, the Engineers have one of the worst goal differentials in the nation at -47 They are also among the league’s worst defens i v e l y, g i v i n g u p n e a r l y f o u r goals per game

However, the past fe w games

t e l l a d i f f e re n t s t o r y f o r t h e team RPI shocked the nation b y b l a n k i n g t h e n - No 2

H a r v a r d , 4 - 0 , b a c k i n m i dFebr uar y and defeated Clarkson t h i s p a s t S a t u r d a y T h e Engineers also lost by just one goal to St Lawrence and forced Union into over time While its record may not show it, the E n g i n e e r s a r e a n i m p r o v i n g team, and the Red knows it cannot take them lightly “ It’s b e e n a c l o s e g a m e against RPI ever y time we ’ ve p l a y e d t h e m s i n c e I ’ v e b e e n here, and I know no one in the d re s s i n g ro o m i s ove r l o o k i n g them,” McCarron said “In the ECAC, any team can beat anyone on any given night ” Ju n i o r f o r w a r d D w y e r Tschantz felt a similar way

“ Ev e r y o n e i n t h e l o c k e r room knows that each game we play is going to be tough,” he added “ We lost to Dar tmouth, and they were also toward the bottom of the league ” RPI has str uggled most of t h e y e a r o f f e n s i v e l y, t h o u g h

S e n i o r w i n g e r R i l e y B o u rbonnais leads the team in goals with 12 and sophomore center

Evan Tironese is first on the team in scoring, but the team as a whole averages just two goals per game Sophomore Chase Perr y has played better as of late in net, giving up just 10 goals in the last five games

Schafer gave credit to RPI’s s o l i d f o r e c h e c k a n d h a s preached patience to his team in preparation for Saturday’s game

own zone too You’ve got to have a patient game plan against t h e m a n d n o t g e t f r u s t r a t e d playing that kind of hockey and you ’ ve got to capitalize on your scoring chances ”

W h i l e n e i t h e

RPI will be easy to beat, Cornell knows it must get back in the win column, especially during the ECAC-por tion of its schedule Before this past weekend, the Red had lost just one of its last 12 contests

Still, the team is far from panicking

“ We talked about last weekend as a group, and we know that we ’ re okay and that there’s no reason to hit the panic butt o n a t t h i s p o i n t , ” Ts c h a n

said “ It’s

“RPI is doing a great job of forechecking and cluttering up t h e n e u t r a l z o n e , ” h e s a i d “ T h e y

“We’re going into two very difficult rinks to play at, and we have to just play well and play our game ” H e a d C o a c h M i k e S c h a f e r ’ 8 6

course our team wants to get four points ever y weekend, but they know we ’ re going into two ver y difficult rinks to play at, and we have to just play well and play our game If you just hang your hat on winning the next game or else the sky’s going to fall, you will play tentative and you won ’ t play to win This team doesn’t have that mentality We’re playing to win ” S i

Har vard game and commemor a t i o n o f

h

9 6 7 N C A A championship at the first interm i s s i o n o f t h

D a r t m o u t h game, this weekend will not be without festivities T h e He a d w a y Fo u n d a t i o n , which “aims to provide a safer spor ts culture,” per its website, is sponsoring the entire slate of ECAC weekend games As the t e a m ’ s r e p r e s e n t

v e f o r t h e par tnership, Tschantz has a per-

d injuries

“Concussions are something that get overlooked by a lot of people I think the culture in h o c k e

compared to other spor ts, ” he said “As a guy who has had a fe w myself, I can ’ t speak to how i m

easy to turn your cheek and say I’m okay Just [get] it taken care of while you can or else it can really linger and cause issues down the road ”

Wo m e n

T a k e O n Union, RPI

W HOCKEY

Continued from page 16

played ver y well against us both at home and on the road, so we know we will have another tough weekend ”

O’Neill echoed these sentiments, saying that the team ’ s game plan does not change “ no matter what place they are in the standings ”

“Our team always knows we have to be at the top of our game to be able to beat anyone in our league,” the for ward said “ We must not overlook the placing of these teams because they will be ver y tough competitors no matter what ”

Derraugh, O’Neill and senior for ward Hanna Bunton all agreed that the Red must play a solid team game and stay disciplined in order to come away from the weekend with six points

“Staying together and working as a team plays a big part of our team ’ s success, ” O’Neill said “Using our team strengths speed and defense, as well grit will enable us to be tough competitors against RPI and Union this coming weekend ”

Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p m on Friday night against Union and 3 p m

t h e f o l l ow i n g a f t e r n o o n v e r s u s Rensselaer

Jamil Rahman can be reached at jrahman@cornellsun com

College Hockey’s Best Fans: Time to Step Up

Continued from page 16

C o r n e l l h o c k e y b a c k i n O c t o b e r 2 0 1 4

Ly n a h R i n k w a s s o l d o u t f o r b o t h

g a m e s b e c a u s e o f t h e H a r v a rd c l a s h , a n d t h e s t u d e n t s e c t i o n w a s e n t h u s i a s t i c

d e s p i t e t w o t o u g h l o s s e s T h e f a n s s h ow e d u p e a r l y a n d w e re re a d y f o r t h e

C r i m s o n , s e n d i n g s e a f o o d s o a r i n g t h r o u g h t h e a i r A g a i n s t D a r t m o u t h , t h e r i n k w a s o n c e a g a i n s o l d o u t , a n d t h e f a n s w e r e l o u d d e s p i t e a n o t h e r

t o u g h l o s s t o s w a l l o w a g a i n s t t h e

Gre e n T h e re w e re s o m e d i s a p p o i n t -

m e n t s , a s w a s t h e r e a c o n s i d e r a b l e

a m o u n t o f v u l g a r c h a n t i n g a t t h e o f f i -

c i a l s W h i l e t h a t p a r t i c u l a r p a r t w a s

w h y I f e l l i n l ov e w i t h

r a t h e r d i s g r a c e f u l , t h e re w e re s t i l l a l o t

o f p o s i t i v e s i g n s t h i s w e e k e n d

W h a t i s m o s t d i s a p p o i n t i n g a b o u t

s t u d e n t b e h a v i o r i s t h a t t h i s s e a s o n , t h e

Ly n a h Fa i t h f u l h a v e h a d t h e p l e a s u re o f

c h e e r i n g o n a f a n t a s t i c C o r n e l l h o c k e y

t e a m C o r n e l l h a s r a c k e d u p a 1 2 - 6 - 2

re c o rd ov e r a l l , a n d s p o r t s a 7 - 4 - 2 m a r k

i n E C AC p l a y Se n i o r g o a l i e Mi t c h

Gi l l a m h a s b e e n o u t s t a n d i n g i n n e t , a n d t h e Re d h a s h a d b a l a n c e d s c o r i n g u p f r o n t S c h a f e r h a s l e d a re s u r g e n c e o f s o r t s , d e p l oy i n g t h e s o r t o f t e a m t h a t l e d o p p o n e n t s t o f e a r t r i p s t o It h a c a ’ s

E a s t Hi l l No

t r u e f a n s h o u l d n e e d a s e c o n d re m i n d e r a b o u t t h e t r a d i t i o n o f t h e

Men Travel to Union, RPI for ECAC Tilts

By CHARLES COTTON Sun Staff Writer

Through 40 minutes of hockey in both of last weekend’s games against Har vard and Dartmouth, the Cornell men ’ s hockey team looked like the superior group The Red had outscored, outworked and outshot both opponents after the second period, and in Friday’s case, was primed for its biggest win of the season

But after being outscored by a combined 7-0 across the weekend’s third periods, the Red (12-6-2, 7-4-2 ECAC) walked away with a zero-point weekend and must now regroup before heading off to face No 4/5 Union (18-62, 11-2-1) and RPI (5-22-1, 3-12)

“ We actually thought we played pretty well throughout just as well as we had in any of the other games, ” said head coach Mike Schafer ’86 “ There were some unfortunate events that took place in the third period of both games, and the other teams got some good bounces, but you just hope those things even out as the season goes on ”

“Sometimes things like that happen in hockey, but it’s not about looking back, it’s about looking for ward,” added senior defenseman and alternate captain Patrick McCarron

No 16 Cornell dropped just two spots in the USCHO poll this week, but fell nine points in the standings behind ECAC-leading St Lawrence and seven behind Union after the winless weekend The Red’s first opportunity to bridge that gap comes Friday night in Schenectady, New York against one of the season ’ s biggest surprises: Union

The Dutchmen have been dominating opponents especially ECAC rivals all year long Its powerhouse

A M i s s i v e t o

T h e ‘ F a i t h f u l ’

Two and a half years ago, I pushed open the door to Lynah Rink As I entered Cornell’s hallowed arena for the annual Red/White scrimmage, I unknowingly embarked on a journey that has already taken me to over one hundred Cornell hockey games, all 12 ECAC rinks and several other venues like Madison Square Garden I have

group of for wards has led the team to first in the nation in goals scored, as well as third in goals per game Its goal differential of plus-29 is tied for fourth

The Dutchmen were picked to finish the season seventh and eighth in the ECAC via the preseason coaches and media poll, respectively Now, the small liberal arts college of under 3,000 students is a top-five ranked team nationally, earning votes for first team overall in the USCHO poll

“Union’s a great team, ” Schafer said “ There’s nothing

too quirky about them, they’re just a well-coached, good hockey team ” That dominant for ward core consists of the nation’s top two scorers, both playing on the same line Senior center Mike Vecchione a strong contender for the Hobey Baker award is first in the countr y with 44 points His junior linemate Spencer Foo is next with a single point less Sebastian Vidmar completes the league’s

Icers Ready for Two Key Contests

By JAMIL RAHMAN Sun Staff Writer

Dutchwomen 44-14, but standings, and Union is mired in

Kevin Linsey

attended almost every Cornell men ’ s hockey game since, playing in the pep band and often writing this very column here in The Sun

But over that time, I have noticed a major change in the behavior of the Lynah Faithful that needs to be addressed

When the 2014-15 season started, I was a wideeyed freshman, and the traditions of the Faithful impressed me The band always showed up early in the rink at 6:15 p m sharp for a 7 p m game

As the season Cornell women ’ s Red hosts two EC RPI at Lynah th taking the road f the regular season Cornell (14-6 already faced bo back in October trip of the year W elled to Troy for a (9-17-2, 6-9-1), twice as many sho

E n g i n e e r s 4 1 - 2 0 tender Lovisa Se saves and shutou for the Engineers However the the next day w Schenectady to ta 1, 1-14-1) Corne

l a r g e s h o o t i n g a d v a n t a g e a t t h