02 03 14 entire issue lo res

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Univ.: Non-Tenured Faculty

Study nds students taught by newer faculty perform better

By JONATHAN

Despite a recent study finding, which found that students in introductor y classes learned more from non-tenure-track faculty than tenure-track faculty, Cornell administrators and faculty said they believe both types of professors bring benefits to education at Cornell

The study, released by the National Bureau of Ec o n o m i c Re s e a rc h , c

taught by untenured faculty were more likely to

and

according to The New York Times

According to Laura Brown, senior vice provost for Undergraduate Educationz, faculty who have just completed their doctorates and are arriving to Cornell without tenure are exposed to different perspectives, approaches and experiences than

University to Offer New Demography Minor

By TALIA JUBAS Sun Staff Writer

Starting this semester, all undergraduate students will have the option minor to in demography

The cross-college, undergraduate minor, offered by the Cornell Population Center, will be “ a rigorous undergraduate course of study on population-related topics,” according to the website of the Center, which performs demographic research and spans 24 departments and programs

Demography is a broad field that concentrates on “the study

of populations, how they grow, move [and] change,” according to Prof Sharon Sassler, policy analysis and management, and director of undergraduate studies for the minor

According to Erin Oates, the CPC program administrator, the Center which has offered a graduate minor since its opening in 2007 has expanded its target audience to include undergraduate students after much planning

“[Our goal has always been] to reach the undergraduate

See MINOR page 4

By CHRIS YATES Sun Staff Writer

i c a b o u t t h e p ro g re s s o f t h e It h a c a

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b e g a n l a s t ye a r a n d i s

s l a t e d f o r c o m p l e t i o n t h i s Se p t e m b e r “ O n e i s s u e t h a t i s p a r t i c u l a r l y i m p o rt a n t f o r C o r n e l l s t ud e n t s i s i m p r o v i n g i n f r a s t r u c t u r e i n t h e

I t h a c a C o m m o n s , ” M y r i c k s a i d “ L a s t y e a r, w e g o t t h r o u g h t h e t r i c k i e s t p a r t , w h i c h w a s t h e u n d e rg r o u n d u t i l i t i e s , b u t n o w t h a t ’ s o v e r a n d w e ’ r e w o r k i n g o n c o m p l e t i n g s u r f a c e a m e n i t i e s , a d d i n g l i g h t s , p a r k s , t r e e s , f o u n t a i n s a n d g a t ew a y s ” A c c o r d i n g t o My r i c k , It h a c a ’ s

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

T h e v i c t i

w a s n o t i n j u r e d d u r i n g t h e i n c id e n t , t h e c r i m e a l e r t a d d e d T h e p e r p e t r ator was last seen h e a d i n g t o w a r d s campus and was described by the victim as a “thin white male in his late teens, approxi m a t e l y 5 ’ 8 ” t o 5 ’ 1 0 ” t

m t h e v i c t i m about the menacing, according to the aler

Hopefully

BUSINESS

MBA Classes Add ‘ Value’ to Undergraduate Programs

Students say Johnson School courses teach skills that are more applicable to the professional world

By SAMANTHA WILHELM Sun Staff Writer

Though a wide variety of businessrelated courses are offered at the undergraduate level, some students say that the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management’s graduate seminars can provide a unique perspective for undergraduates

While graduatelevel courses can be challenging, these classes are valuable in terms of relevant material, engaging discussions and business acumen, professors and graduate students said

you do the better You will understand more, ” she said

Jonathan Kim ’15, who is a computer science major, said graduate-level business courses can be beneficial to students of all majors, not just business majors

“Across schools, people looking for outside electives often go to [the College of Arts and Sciences],” Kim said “I encourage people outside of the Johnson School of Business to really look into it more ”

“Across schools, people looking for outside electives often go to Arts I encourage people outside of the business school to really look into it more ” J o n a t h a n K i m ’ 1 5

Compared to undergraduate classes, graduate-level courses involve more written case assignments and class participation, according to Prof Margaret ShackellDowell, management

“In any discipline, the more writing

Kim said he took NBA 6010: Electronic Commerce, a class which analyzes the function of online businesses, last year

“It was great to see the business aspects which [computer science majors] don’t really get exposed to, ” Kim said

Jamie Moy ’14 said she believes graduate level courses are more applicable to real-life situations

“In [NBA 5000: Intermediate Accounting], I actually analyzed a financial statement and really looked through the nitty-gritty details,” she said “[On the

other hand], other [undergraduate courses] involve memorizing specific situations and regurgitating what it is ”

Another benefit students receive from graduate-level classes is interaction with graduate students, according to Prof Mark Nelson, accounting

“One of the things that [undergraduates] get from taking courses in Johnson is interaction with MBA students who have an average of five years experience,” he said “They’ve often worked in the area I’m teaching so the courses have to reflect current business practice ”

Moy added that some undergradutes are intimidated by the graduate students in these higher-level classes

“[ The graduate students] are ver y knowledgeable and outspoken and [as

Sun Market Watch

DOW and S&P Take a Hit

The Dow Jones Industrial Average noted a five percent decline Januar y, its worst since 2009, signalling that recent fourth-quarter corporate earnings reports disappointed the shareholders in the U S stock market, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday The Standard & Poor’s 500 index also fell registering a 3 6 perecent monthly decline, The Journal reported

Teen Apparel Stocks Flop

Sales across many traditional teenage apparel retailers, such as Abercrombie & Fi t c h , A m e r i c a n E a g l e Ou t f i t t e r s a n d Aeropostale, are expected to be 6 4 percent lower in the fourth quarter, The New York Times reported Friday High teenage unemployment rates and cheap fashion driven by brands like Forever 21 and H&M have affected sales, The Times reported

Emerging Market Stress Causes Equity Fund Contraction

As emerging markets came under serious stress in the past week, emerging market equity funds got hit with $6 3 billion of redemptions and debt funds suffered $2 7 billion of withdrawals, Business Insider reported Sunday

Apple Offers New Products to Combat Stock Price Decline

Following a 7 9 percent decline in the company ’ s stock price, investors at Apple are now focusing on new products that will help continue diversifying sales beyond the iPhone and iPad, The Motley Fool repor ted Thursday Apple could expand sales with new products like television access, mobile payments and wearables, The Fool repor ted

Compiled

by Manu Rathore

undergraduate students] we are trained to mostly listen,” she said

However, Shackell-Dowell said she believes undergraduate students can still hold their own in comparison to the older, more experienced graduate students

“Interestingly, today was the first day that homework had to be done [in NBA 5020: Managerial Cost Accounting and it was all the undergrads who were raising their hands They were the ones that were prepared the grad students were just sitting back,” she said “They really showed them up We’ll see if that persists for the whole semester ”

Samantha Wilhelm can be reached at swilhelm@cornellsun com

Univ. O f cial: Work Experience Not Mandator y for Business School Hopefuls

By SCOTT GARTENBERG Sun Staff Writer

Though many business schools require applicants to have previous work experience, undergraduates who do not fit this description can still apply to MBA programs, according to Rebecca Sparrow, executive director of Cornell Career Services

“For many years business schools star ted, essentially, requiring two years of work between [undergraduate school] and applying to business school,” she said “We’ve seen a little bit of a return to taking students straight from [undergraduate school] to business school ”

According to Sparrow, it can be more difficult for undergraduates who do not have previous work experience to gain entry to and thrive in a top-tier business school Schools include Harvard Business School and Stanford Graduate School of Business

Samuel Cur tis Johnson Graduate School of Management

“We’re in such a unique position to change and respond very rapidly and I think that says a lot about the nature of business schools and why people see that [they’re] so dynamic For most people they are willing to make the long-term investment,” Sneva said

However, there are still qualified candidates who apply to business

“Part of the reason is that you ’ re going to be competing against people who have been out in the workforce for a while,” Sparrow said “Let’s say you ’ re learning accounting You’re going to be in class with people who have worked in that field before Your classmates have that context ”

Either way, proponents of business school believe that it provides high value to students, according to Christine Sneva, executive director of Admissions and Financial Aid at the

edge,” she said “With that being said, we are seeing more employers who are creating alternate career paths, so a student can come out of [their undergraduate education] and still have some of the same options without going back to get a MBA,” she added

Juan Diego Alonso grad, who is enrolled in a joint business and law degree program, said it has been a wor thwhile experience because it helped him build a startup that aims to replace chemical technologies that are used to remediate waste water

“For most people they are willing to make the long-term investment [with business school ].”

C h r i s t i n e S n e v a

school immediately upon obtaining their bachelor’s degree, according to Sneva

Top business schools are looking for applicants who can demonstrate their ability to “contribute to a specific outcome, ” which means that applicants without work experience are expected to have a solid undergraduate record, Sneva said

While many students will pursue an MBA degree, employers do not require all employees to have one, Sparrow said

“There are some employers, for certain career paths, [who] really do want to see that additional education just to have a higher level of knowl-

“While I was here, through the Entrepreneurship [and Innovation] Institute, I got connected to a researcher on campus, ” he said “One of the defining experiences I’ve had while at Cornell has been working with this researcher; last year we actually formed a startup, received government grants, and have taken off from there ”

Business schools provide one with the tools and acumen to strategize better, according to Alonso

“[My aim was] to become better at strategy, ” he said “One of the amazing things about business school is that it teaches you advanced frameworks for gathering and analyzing data If used correctly, you can make a better case for what it is you are trying to push for ”

Scott Gartenberg can be reached at sgartenberg@cornellsun com

New Demog raphy Minor Offered Within C.U.’s Seven Colleges

population and try to spark an interest in demography studies,” Oates said “Now,“we’re seeing this growing interest growing need in globalization,” she said

The difference between this minor and other humanistic minors, such as the inequality studies minor, is that students will acquire applied skills to better work with data, according to Sassler

Sassler said she believes these applied skills are especially important for students to have in the modern world

“Being able to describe data is a crucial skill to have in the current job market,” she said “I think being able to write up demographic data and understand population trends is useful in a lot of fields ”

The requirements for the minor include an introductory demographic course, a statistics course, one demographic overview course from a select list and two general population-related courses, according to the CPC’s website

Sassler said students from all colleges are welcome to join the minor, though she recommends it for students who are specifically interested in working in government, public policy or business fields

She said the demography minor is attracting a cross-section of undergraduates from across the university, noting high student interest and a diverse affiliate list, which consists of about 100 faculty members

According to Oates, many students are already taking the minor’s required courses, which she said she believes reflects a growing interest in demography and the need to be aware of trends in globalization

As the Center and the undergraduate minor move forward, they hope to open it up for seminars, symposiums, and outreach, she added

“Part of our seminar series, people have an opportunity to meet with the speaker, so our graduate students have found that invaluable, just with research collaboration or just networking opportunities,” Oates said

She added that the Center hopes to organize international exchange programs and internships through their already well-established connections to international organizations “We’re learning as we ’ re going," she said

Jubas can be reached at tjubas@cornellsun com

Mayor My rick Re nes Goals in Last Half of Term

the homeless “ O n e p a r t i c u l a

y

solution to the recent flooding issues in Ithaca, which occurred because of the polar vortex, was innovative

“ The polar vortex or the ‘ice jam’ resulted in slabs of ice being damned in creeks in Ithaca [which] threatened to flood areas

o f t h e t ow n , ” My r i c k s a i d

“Eventually, an interesting solut i o n w a s r e a c h e d t r e a t e d

s e w a g e w a s p u m p e d b a c k t h r o u g h t h e c r a c k s , c u t t i n g through the dam of ice and creating pathways through which water could flow ” Ac c o rd i n g t o My r i c k , t h e Common Council, as well as numerous individuals and businesses have been working hard t ow a rd p o s i t i ve d e ve l o p m e n t s , particularly concerning housing and clearing out The Jungle, a l a r g e l y u n r e g u l a t e d h o m e l e s s encampment in Ithaca

“Last year, Richard Sherman, a resident of the Jungle, passed away due to a fire and there have b e e n n u m e r o u s r e p o r t s o f i n j u r i e s , a s s a u l t s a n d t h e f t s , ”

Myrick said “ We are working with partners to provide housing for the homeless and hopefully keep the Jungle clear forever ” My r i c k s a i d s o m e p r o j e c t s h a v e g o n e b e y o n d p r ov i d i n g temporar y shelter and will prov

xc i t i n g development is the Court Street House, which will provide permanent housing for men, ” he said “It’s not a temporar y shelter, but will provide space, bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, employment ser vices and training and treatment for substance abuse ” T

, there is also an equivalent project under way for housing homeless women, according to Myrick

“ There will also be a fifteenbedroom house for women, and yesterday the Council committed for four more bedrooms,” Myrick said

He added that some individuals have gone above and beyond in doing whatever they can to put an end to homelessness in Ithaca

“Carmen Guidi, a mechanic who lives five minutes outside of Ithaca has been doing ever ything he can to improve the lives of the homeless [here],” Myrick said “He has gone into the Jungle, befriended its residents built six separate housing units on his property, and he wants to build 12 more to help move people out of the Jungle and out of homelessness It is truly a wonderful and inspiring stor y ”

Chris Yates can be reached at cyates@cornellsun com

Study Finds Non-Tenured Professors Outperform Those Who Have Tenure

Continued from page 1

professors who have been teaching for many years

“Ne wer faculty who have recently been trained as graduate students have been exposed to different kinds of experiences in relation to how we understand teaching and learning,” Brown said “[ These faculty] might have different perspectives to bring to their teaching that are less available to people who have been teaching for awhile ”

Similarly, ne w faculty members are exposed to the ne west and most cutting-edge research, according to Brown These non-tenured teachers might be doing cer tain kinds of work that are entirely ne w, she added

While professors who have tenure can also learn ne w research and teaching methods, “incoming [non-tenured faculty] who are star ting out have all kinds of oppor tunities for innovation,” Brown said

Despite a common fear that tenure-track faculty research can come at the expense of their undergraduate teaching roles, Brown said she believes that such a phenomenon does not exist at Cornell

“[Non-tenured faculty] might have different perspectives to bring to their teaching that are less available to people who have

been teaching for awhile.”

“All of [our faculty] still have significant teaching responsibilities and consider teaching to be an impor tant par t of their job,” she said “ We really do involve our most advanced researchers in teaching ”

Prof Ronald Ehrenberg, industrial and labor relations, said the degree to which a tenure-track faculty member is committed to undergraduate teaching can var y greatly across depar tments

Ehrenberg said while he believes that professors in his depar tment care passionately about undergraduate teaching, it was a different case in the 1990’s, when he kne w of depar tments where virtually no one cared about undergraduate teaching

Despite these concerns, Ehrenberg said there are many benefits tenure-track faculty, who are involved in advanced research, can provide for their students

“Professors who are involved in research can excite students in a way that faculty members who are not doing research cannot, ” he said “I would not want to see that lost in the freshman curriculum ”

As an example, Ehrenberg said that Ronald Hoffmann, the Frank H T Rhodes Professor of Humane Letters, Emeritus, who won the 1981 Nobel Prize in Chemistr y, gave engaging undergraduate lectures while also working on ground-breaking research

Although the National Bureau of Economic Research’s 2013 study found that non-tenure track faculty appear to be better teachers, Ehrenberg said it is never theless cr ucial to expose undergraduates to tenure-track faculty who are engaged in advanced research

“Undergraduate students deser ve to be exposed during their time at Cornell to the best and brightest researchers,” he said “ We should hire faculty who care passionately about teaching as well as about research ”

com

Top Republicans Stand With N.J. Govenor

TRENTON, N J (AP)

High-profile Republicans were

should not resign from his post as chairman of the Republican Governors Association following a former ally’s claim that there is evidence Christie kne w about an apparently politically

than he has said

Ne w York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Louisiana Gov Bobby Jindal and Wisconsin U S Rep Paul Ryan put Republicans on

Democratic chairman of

state

gating the September lane clo-

state hosts the Super Bowl

Also Sunday, a member of

was subpoenaed by lawmakers investigating the lane closings

c

Christina Genovese Renna left

according to her lawyer Renna had repor ted to ousted Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Kelly, w

some traffic problems in For

Lee ”

Christie, a potential 2016 presidential contender, has been going about Super Bowl ceremonial duties and has not taken questions about the scandal in recent days He didn’t respond Saturday when some spectators booed him at an appearance in Ne w York City’s Times Square He planned to watch Sunday’s game with his family from a luxur y box at MetLife Stadium Giuliani, appearing on CBS’ “Face the Nation” took aim at the credibility of two figures

e s c

: Jo h n Wisnie wski, who’s leading the investigative probe, and David Wildstein, the former Christie loyalist who as an executive at the Por t Authority of Ne w York a n d Ne w Je r s e y l a s t y e a r ordered the lane closures after receiving Kelly’s email, as someo n e w i t h l

He

somebody else to pay his legal bills and he can ’ t get them paid unless the governor is responsible ” The unannounced lane closures caused massive gridlock in For t Lee in September, delaying emergency vehicles and school buses and tying up some comm

mornings Ne w Jersey legislators are investigating whether Christie aides engineered the lane closures to send a message

office is also investigating

W

lawyer wrote a letter to the Por t Authority saying evidence exists that Christie kne w about the traffic jams in For t Lee as they happened He did not disclose any evidence in the letter Giuliani said Wisnie wski, a

guy who’d like to be governor ”

HANK BAO ’14

LIZ CAMUTI ’14

LEVINE ’14

MARTEN ’14

CHIUSANO 15

REBECCA HARRIS ’14

KANG ’15

Aditi Bhowmick | Abstruse Musings

p

n d t h e e x t e n t t o w h i c h t h e i r

p re s e n c e h a s m o l d e d t h e w a y w e t h i n k o f t h e c o l l e g e c o m m u n i t y : T h e b r ow n g i r l i s a n a l m o s t i n d i s p e n s a b l e c h a r a c t e r t o d a y,

a n d t h i s w a s n o t a l w a y s t h e c a s e It i s t h i s

o b s e r v a t i o n t h a t m o t i v a t e s m e t o w r i t e a

c o l u m n a b o u t t h e l i k e s o f m e , t h e b r ow n

g i r l s ( E xc u s e t h e p o l i t i c a l i n c o r re c t n e s s o f t h e t e r m ) W h e n I m a d e t h e m o m e n t o u s d e c i s i o n t o l e a v e In d i a a n d c o m e a s f a r a s It h a c a f o r c o l l e g e , I w a s v e r y n e r v o u s t h a t I w o u l d c o n s t i t u t e a m i c r o s c o p i c m i n o r i t y To b e q u i t e h o n e s t , i t ’ s t r y i n g e n o u g h t o d e a l w i t h t h e r a m i f ic a t i o n s o f b e i n g f r o m w h a t w a s ( u n t i l p re tt y re c e n t l y ) a t h i rdw o r l d c o u n t r y B e i n g a w o m a n f r o m a c o u n t r y l i k e t h i s m a k e s y o u f e e l n e g l i g i b l e , h i d d e n i n t h e s h a d ow s T h e In d i a n w o m a n i s s i g n i f i c a n t i n In d i a , f o r s u re , b u t s h e h a s h a rd l y c r o s s e d a n y o n e ’ s m i n d a s a f i e r c e o r r e s p l e n d e n t f o r c e i n t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l c o m m u n i t y S h e i s u s u a l l y c o n s i d e r e d d e m u re , c o n s e r v a t i v e a n d l a r g e l y i n c o n s eq u e n t i a l Sh e ’ s k n ow n a s a n e xc e l l e n t c o d e r a n d v e r y i n s i g h t f u l How e v e r, i n t h e p a s t f e w y e a r s , t h e b r ow n w o m a n h a s t r a n s f o r m e d i n t o a s e n s a t i o n a l l e a d e r T h i s i s s o m e t h i n g I h a v e n o t i c e d b o t h a t a n d b e y o n d C o r n e l l In In d i a , w o m e n s t i l l f a c e g r o t e s q u e re a l i t i e s l i k e d ow r y, a s e r i o u s p a u c i t y o f o p p o r t u n i t i e s a n d a s o c i e t y t h a t s t i l l h e s it a t e s t o i n v e s t c o n f i d e n c e i n t h e m

Our generation of South Asian women, we brown girls, are crystallizing the kind of lives our mothers wished they could have led

How e v e r, i t i s h e a r t e n i n g t o s e e t h a t s o m a n y o f o f u s b r ow n w o m e n a re d o i n g e x e m p l a r y t h i n g s a c r o s s t h e w o r l d

Re c e n t l y, i t ’ s a s i f t h e So u t h A s i a n w o m a n h a s d e c i d e d t o e m b r a c e t h e s p i r i t o f

e r s

p a n d h a s e s

b l i s h e d a n e xc e p t i o n a l p re s e n c e o n c a m p u s So m a y b e t h e b r ow n g i r l “ re v o l u t i o n ” i s n ’ t t h e b i g g e s t n e w t h i n g t o w a t c h o u t f o r, b u t i t ’ s d e f i n i t e l y o n e o f t h e n e x t b i g t h i n g s b re w i n g b o t h a t C o r n e l l a n d a c r o s s t h e w o r l d O u r g e n e r a t i o n o f So u t h A s i a n w o m e n , u s b r ow n g i r l s , a re c r y s t a l l i z i n g t h e k i n d o f l i v e s o u r m o t h e r s w i s h e d t h e y c o u l d h a v e l e a d A n d f r o m t h e p e r s p e c t i v e o f s o m e o n e w h o h a s s e e n f i r s t h a n d t h e b e s t a n d w o r s t p r o s p e c t s t

B e y o n c é I f I h a d t o d r o p t h e n a m e s o f i n s p i r a t i o n a l b r ow n w o m e n , t h i s c o l u m n w o u l d n e v e r e n d Bu t t h e re i s t h e r a v i s hi n g A n c h a l Jo s e p h w h o s t o l e t h e s h ow o n t h e s e v e n t h c yc l e o f Am e r i c a ’ s Ne x t To p Mo d e l T h e re i s t h e i n c re d i b l e R a c h e l Roy w h o i s re s p o n s i b l e f o r Mi c h e l l

Aditi Bhowmick is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences She may be reached at abhowmick@cornellsun com Abstruse Musings appears alternate Mondays this semester

Building the social sciences

To t h e Ed i t o r : I a p p re c i a t e yo u r c o n c e r n a b o u t Se n To m C o b u r n ’ s ( R - O

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e n c e W h e n p o l i t i c i a n s d e c i d e w h i c h s c i e n t i f i c re s e a rc

e n c e Tw o ye a r s a g o , I w a s a C o n g re s s i o n a l Fe l l ow i n a Se n a t e s u b c o m m i t t e e o f w h i c h C o b u r n w a s t h e r a n k i n g m e m b e r C o b u r n , w h o p r a c t i c e d o b s t e t r i c s a n d i n s i s t s o n b e i n g c a l l e d “d o c t o r ” i n t h e Se n a t e , s h o u l d re c a l l f ro m h i s m e d i c a l t r a i n i n g t h a t s c ie n c e i s n o t a n i d e o l o g y, b u t a b o d y o f k n ow l e d g e a n d m e t h o d Hi s a m e n d m e n t s e t a d a n g e ro u s p re c e d e n t f o r l a w m a k e r s t o p re s u p p o s e t h e s c i e n t i f i c m e r i t o f f e d e r a l l y f u n d e d re s e a rc h – – a s s e s s m e n t s t h a t a re b e s t l e f t t o e x p e r t s i n t h e i r re s p e c t i ve f i e l d s T h a t ye a r, I w a s t h e f i r s t s o c i o l o g i s t t o j o i n a c o h o r t o f f e l l ow s f ro m t h e A m e r i c a n A s s o c i a t i o n f o r t h e Ad va n c e m e n t o f S c i e n c e s e n t t o Wa s h i n g t o n t o h e l p s c i e n c e i n f o r m p o l i c y No n e o f m y s c i e n t i f i c c o l l e a g u e s w o rk i n g f o r l a w m a k e r s o f e i t h e r p a r t y, i n c l u d i n g C o r n e l l i a n s w i t h S T E M b a c k g ro u n d s , e ve r s u g g e s t e d t h a t s o c i a l s c ie n c e w a s s o m e h ow s u b o rd i n a t e o r i n f e r i o r t o h a rd s c i e n c e So c i a l s c i e n t i s t s w o rk w i t h i n a n d a c ro s s d i s c i p l i n e s t o t r y t o u n d e r s t a n d t h e m o s t p re s s i n g p ro b l e m s t h i s c o u n t r y f a c e s Pro m o t i n g a c o l l a b o r a t i ve e n v i ro n m e n t b e t we e n t h e s c i e n c e s a t C o r n e l l w o u l d s e t a d i g n i f i e d e x a m p l e f o r C o n g re s s T h e re f o re , I we l c o m e yo u r s u g g e s t i o n t h a t t h e Un i ve r s i t y c o m m i t t o p h y s i c a l s

Student or Stenographer

Itmay have been a meager 10 days since classes began, but living up to its reputation as a pressure cooker, the University has been blatantly bestowing piles and piles of work upon us To avoid the work overload that comes from switching in and out of classes, I finalized my schedule before last week I still attended about a dozen classes in the process and realized how oddly similar all the classes were, despite their divergent subject matters and different instructors

A typical Cornell classroom consists of a professor talking in front of his or her PowerPoint slides and seated students pretending to listen while their laptop screens indicate otherwise The fact that we ’ re in the early phase of the semester can certainly contribute to students’ dispersed attention, but the presence of technology in the classroom is not a new syndrome ––nor is it confined to the early phase of the semester

About seven years ago, the iPhone and Facebook began to gain momentum Laptops, on the other hand, have been widely distributed for much longer As educators have adapted to new technology by incorporating projectors and PowerPoint slides into their teaching, it somehow has become natural, normal and sometimes even expected for students to bring their personal electronic devices to class with the alleged purpose of taking notes And some students do take avid notes, living up to their declared purpose But too many of us deviate from that intended goal, and the consequences affect the entire classroom

When you lift your head and look around your classroom at any given time, you are bound to spot at least a few people with their computers on If you are “lucky” enough to sit in the rear end of a large classroom, you are greeted with a wide array of colors beaming from laptop screens

Compared to around 2009, when Facebook was at the height of its expansion, the number of blue screens in classrooms indicating Facebook usage has noticeably decreased I am told this is mainly due to a shift in social media focus, with

I f [ a f a c u l t y ’s ] c l a s s f o r m a t r e q u i r e s

s u ch h e

users increasingly opting for more “hip” outlets like Reddit and Vine The specific websites that distract us may have changed, but our fickle nature with electronics hasn’t changed much Since so many of us still struggle to keep our attention focused on class material, why not ban electronics as a whole, preventing us from falling into that temptation?

When it comes to taking notes, the laptop’s greatest advantage over writing by hand is its speed and clarity This is not a matter of opinion: It’s a pure fact Very few human beings, if any, can manage to write legible letters at the speed of typewriting This is precisely why stenographers in courtrooms use machines with special keyboards, instead of trying to dictate all dialogue by hand Therefore, the use of the keyboard in fastpaced environments calling for extensive writing is justified and validated But since when did our classrooms turn into courtrooms and our students become relegated to stenographers?

Now, don’t get me wrong Stenography is an admirable profession; few people are capable of it, and thus, they are well paid The fundamental difference between students and stenographers is that the latter are individuals who are trained to merely listen to court dialogue and type it down It’s a pure communicative transition from the auditory to the visual Absolutely no input by the intermediary is encouraged –– nor is it permitted

A college student’s role, or at least the ideal version of it, should be anything but that of the stenographer It should be about learning how to examine information with a critical lens, to interpret in our own way and to muster the courage to raise our hands and say “ no ” when the proverbial ship is headed in the wrong direction When our classroom experience doesn’t reflect this academic ideal, but rather that of the one-way speaker and 100 typists, there isn’t the forum in which to raise the next leader, whistleblower or pioneer

So I urge faculty that are in the position to ban laptops in their classrooms to do so And if their class format requires such heavy note-taking that an electronic device is preferred to writing by hand, I think they should reconsider what they are teaching

Comm en t of the day

“How about men? Both men and women have and will be perpetrators and survivors of sexual assault. I’m not normally one to get hung up on whether language used is inclusive of all people, but the idea that sexual assault only affects women is actually damaging to male survivors ”

ezracornell

Re: “University Officials Support Federal Sexual Assault Memorandum,” News, published Januar y 31, 2014

The AS A Boycott: Why the ‘Academic Freedom’ Argument Won’t Fly

In mid-December the A m

i c a n St u d i

s A s s o c i a t i o n ( A S A ) voted to join the Boycott, Di ve s t a n d Sa n c t i o n movement against Israel by cutting ties with Israeli academic institutions As m y f e l l ow c o l u m n i s t , Rebecca John, pointed out in her Jan 29 column, this follows the academic boycotts by the Association

f o r A s i a n A m e r i c a n

St u d i e s a n d t h e Na t i ve American and Indigenous St u d i e s A s s o c i a t i o n In response, the Association of American Universities (AAU) issued a statement s i g n e d by i t s e xe c u t i ve board, including our own President Skorton, opposing the academic boycott on the grounds that it violates the principles of academic freedom I respectfully disagree Last week, the New York State Senate passed a bill that would defund state colleges and universities par ticipating in academic boycotts This a n t i - b oyc o t t l a w, o f c o u r s e , i s a n a b s u rd attempt to suppress free speech and is likely to incur legal action challenging its constitutionality First, it’s important to understand that the move to end consumer and academic relations with Israel

i s n o t t h e s p o n t a n e o u s work of radicals It isn’t rooted in anti-Semitism, and it isn’t unprecedented

T h i s i s t h e t a c t i c t h a t Palestinian rights activists have asked the international community to take

l y inspired by the successful BDS efforts that ended South African apartheid, which is widely seen as

and colonization Though many have mischaracterized the movement, the intention of BDS is not to blindly attack Israel or put an end to the Jewish state

The goal is to create nonviolent global grassroots pressure on Israel to abide by international human rights law and the United Nations resolutions that it has thus far ignored The demands are stated clearly in Palestinians’ call to boycott: ending Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, respecting the pers o n h o o d o f Pa l e s t i n i a n s and allowing refugees to return to their homes

The academic component of the boycott is similarly misunderstood The ASA resolution does not target Israeli academics, rather it targets colleges a n d u n i ve r s i t i e s T h i s means that the ASA as an organization will not formally engage in partnerships with Israeli institutions, which as some have pointed out, doesn’t hap-

The academic boycott sho not be considered a threat academic freedom, though perhaps it undermines the academy as we know it.

p e n o f t e n a n y w a y T h e ASA has since emphasized its commitment to academic freedom, explaining that the largely symbolic boycott does not and will n o t p e n a l i ze i n d i v i d u a l academics or their scholarship Understanding the goals and terms of the boycott makes it clear that t h e a c a d e m i c f re e d o m argument that opponents have levied simply doesn’t stand

Though this has not been the principal argum e n t o f s u p p o r t e r s , I would add that I find it preposterous to place a s i m p l i s t i c , d e c o n t e x t u a lized idea of academic freedom before the right to live, to live without fear of displacement and bodily harm, to grow and eat food, to drink clean water and to move and speak

freely As John noted, serio u s v i o l a t i o n s o f Palestinians’ freedom are systematically enacted by the state of Israel, with h u g e s u p p o r t f ro m t h e United States And what about academic freedom for Palestinians? Students i n Ga z a a n d t h e We s t Bank have been silenced, Fulbright recipients prohibited from traveling and a c a d e m i c s b a r re d f ro m leaving the country The ASA boycott doesn’t even come close to that level of c e n s o r s h i p ( Pl u s , i t ’ s probably pretty hard to contribute to the academic discussion or organize a c o n f e re n c e w h e n yo u r n e i g h b o r h o o d i s b e i n g bulldozed ) I understand that it is dangerous territor y t o t a k e w h a t s o m e w

ve attitude toward academic

freedom or to organize “ types ” of freedom in a hierarchy But that’s exactl y w h a t t h e A AU a n d other opponents are doing when they argue that preserving official institutional ties is more important than Palestinians’ freedom that the ASA is standing up for or more important than the free exchange of ideas outside of compromised institutions, which the boycott permits This brings me to my other concern: If opposition to the academic boycott is not about academics or actual scholarship, what are we talking about when we say “ a c a d e m i c f re e d o m ? ” T h e argument hinges on the idea that the institution itself is necessary for the continuation of academic, or rather, i n t e l l e c t u a l d i s c o u r s e Of course, this is an obvious

AAU, whose board is comprised of university presidents However, things are changing Try as they might, universities are not the gatekeepers of wisdom they once were We have the Internet Additionally, an increasingly corporate structure of academ i c i n s t i t u t i o n s a n d a n increasingly corporate cast of bedfellows have their own interests at stake For examp l e , i f I ’ m t o p b r a s s a t Technion, I’d sure as hell expect President Skorton to c o n d e m n t h e A S A T h e Technion-Israel Institute of Technology is Cornell’s partner on the new ech Campus and would fall under the terms of the academic boycott I’m not saying, “down with the academy,” but I think it’s important to recognize that the academic boycott raises issues of institutional autonomy at a time when the institution is losing relevance –– or is at least in a process of serious transformation

In the digital age, universities have no monopoly on knowledge; the academic boycott should not be considered a threat to academic freedom, though perhaps it undermines the academy as we know it A re c e n t a n d p re d i c t a b l e Letter to the Editor that a p p e a re d i n T h e Su n , arguing against BDS, was t i t l e d “ B oyc o t t s Wo n ’ t Work ” To an extent, the author is right Even if every civilian organization in the world boycotted Israel, it could survive on the many, many billions it gets in aid from the U S But it’s not about strangling the state into taking action, it’s about building a movement so big that dignity for Palestinians is t h e o bv i o u s c o n c l u s

and change is inevitable

ARTS ENTERTAINMENT

Dismembered Paws and Circular Saws

BY KAITLYN TIFFANY SUN STAFF WRITER

Ti t u s An d ro n i c u s , o n e o f Sh a k e s p e a re ’ s

e a r l i e s t p l a y s , h a s l o n g b e e n ove r l o o k e d

d u e t o t h e s p e c t a c u l a r n a t u re o f i t s v i o -

l e n c e , i t s d i s m i s s a l by T S El i o t a s “ o n e

o f t h e s t u p i d e s t a n d m o s t u n i n s p i re d

p l a y s e ve r w r i t t e n ” a n d i t s re i n t e r p re t at i o n o f t h e t r a g e d y s t r u c t u re w h i c h p re -

s e n t s m a s s a c r e w i t h o u t r e d e m p t i o n

Howe ve r, Sp e n c e r W h a l e ’ 1 4 a n d t h e

D e p a r t m e n t o f t h e Pe r f o r m i n g a n d

Me d i a A r t s h a ve c o n s t r u c t e d a n e a r l y f l a w l e s s re i m a g i n i n g o f t h e c l a s s i c a l l y

m a l i g n e d p l a y T h e p ro d u c t i o n o f Ti t u s b e g i n s w i t h

a c t o r s re a d i n g f ro m O v i d’s Me t a m o rp h o s e s a n d c a l l i n g o u t t h e ro l e s t h e y w i l l

b e p e r f o r m i n g T h e o r i g i n a l p l a y d o e s n o t u s e t h i s f r a m i n g d e v i c e ( a l t h o u g h i t d o e s re f e re n c e t h e w o rk ) , b u t i t i s h a rd l y a n a c h r o n i s t i c w i t h i n t h e b o d y o f Sh a k e s p e a re ’ s w o rk , i n w h i c h t h e p l a yw i t h i n - a - p l a y i s a t r a d e m a rk T h e c h o i c e i s i n t e re s t i n g , a n d w h i l e i t m a k e s t h e p l o t a l i t t l e b i t d i f f i c u l t t o u n t a n g l e by t h e e n d i t c e r t a i n l y s e r ve s W h a l e ’ s i n t e n t i o n o f p u t t i n g Ti t u s An d ro n i c u s i n t o c o n t e x t

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

e x p l a i n e d t h a t t h e c re a t i ve c h o i c e s we re m a d e b e c a u s e , “ t h e p l a y i t s e l f i s w i l d l y a n a c h ro n i s t i c , a n d s e l f - c o n s c i o u s l y re f e r -

e n c e s p e r i o d s f ro m A n c i e n t Ro m e t o El i z a b e t h a n En g l a n d , s o we w a n t e d t o c re a t e a w o r l d t h a t c o u l d s u p p o r t t h a t w h o l e r a n g e o f c u l t u r a l h i s t o r y, a s we l l a s a d d i n g o u r m o d e r n vo c a b u l a r y ” T h i s t h e s i s i s o bv i o u s , a s t h e c o s t u m i n g i s a

h y b r i d o f p e r i o d g a r b a n d d u c t t a p e , t h e

v i o l e n c e i s o rc h e s t r a t e d by b o t h s w o rd s a n d c i rc u l a r s a w s a n d t h e e xe c u t i o n o f

Sh a k e s p e a re ’ s h u m o r i s a s m u c h a b o u t p h y s i c a l c o m e d y a s i t i s a b o u t w o rd p l a y

W h i l e a l l Sh a k e s p e a re p l a y s c o n t a i n

c o m e d y, Ti t u s i n p a r t i c u l a r h a s a s p e c i a l

a m o u n t o f h u m o r i n i t f o r b e i n g a

t r a g e d y f r e q u e n t j o k e s a r e m a d e a b o u t t h e “ s t u m p s ” o f c h a r a c t e r s w h o s e

h a n d s h a ve b e e n c h o p p e d o f f u s i n g

c r u e l t y a s a w o m a n b e n t o n e xc e s s i ve

re ve n g e A s A a ro n t h e Mo o r, A l e x a n d e r

Q u i l t y ’ 1 5 i s p o s i t i v e l y c h i l l i n g a n d

i m p o s s i b l e t o l o o k a w a y f ro m e ve r y

s c e n e h e a p p e a r s i n i n s p i re s g e n u i n e t e r -

ro r

Hi s c h a r a c t e r i s m e a n t t o b e t h e

e m b o d i m e n t o f e v i l , a n e n t ro p i c f o rc e

t h a t a m p l i f i e s t h e t r a g e d y o f t h e p l o t

w i t h a l m o s t u n w a t c h a b l e a m b i va l e n c e

M a n y s i g n i f i c a n t p l o t p o i n t s r e v o l v e a ro u n d A a ro n ’ s e s t a b l i s h m e n t a s d a rk -

s k i n n e d , a n d t h e re f o re c u r s e d a f a c t t h a t p re s e n t s o bv i o u s c h a l l e n g e s i n a

c o n t e m p o r a r y p o r t r a y a l W h a l e s t a t e s a

b e l i e f i n Sh a k e s p e a re ’ s i n t e n t i o n t o “ [ l a y ] t h e b l a m e o n s o c i e t y m o re t h a n t h e c o l o r

o f A a r o n ’ s s k i n , ” a n d n o t e s t h a t Sh a k e s p e a re t a k e s c a re t o h u m a n i ze h i m t h ro u g h o u t t h e p l a y T h e w a y t h a t t h e

c h a r a c t e r w a s h a n d l e d i n t h i s p ro d u c t i o n w a s p ro b l e m a t i c w h i l e i t w a s d o n e m o re t a s t e f u l l y t h a n i t c o u l d h a ve b e e n , i t w a s h a rd l y n e c e s s a r y t o m a rk A a ro n

Sh a k e s p e a re ’ s s i g n a t u re t u r n s o f p h r a s e a n d t h e a c t o r s ’ t a l e n t s f o r p h y s i c a l c o m ed y t o a d d a s a rd o n i c s p i n o n m u c h o f t h e t h i rd a c t W h a l e ’ s s k i l l s a s d i re c t o r a re o n f u l l d i s p l a y h e re a s t h e a c t o r s t r a n s i t i o n f l u i d l y f ro m w h a t s e e m s i n i t i a l l y t o b e a t r a g i c t a l e i n c l a s s i c s t y l e a n d q u i c k l y b e c o m e s a l u d i c ro u s m a s s a c re It w a s h a rd t o k n ow i f i t w a s o k a y t o l a u g h a t m a n y p o i n t s , a f a c t t h a t W h a l e s a i d h e w a s e x p l i c i t l y a w a re o f He e x p l a i n e d t h a t , “ Ti t u s re a l i ze s h e h a s n o t e a r s l e f t t o s h e d , a n d t h e p l a y m a k e s a n u n e x p e c t e d t u r n i n t o n i h i l i s t i c , a b s u rd i s t h u m o r Au d i e n c e m e m b e r s re a c t d i f f e re n t l y t o t h e h u m o r, a t f i r s t s o m e f i n d i t h o rr i f i c , s o m e f i n d i t h i l a r i o u s b u t by t h e e n d o f t h e p l a y we a l l j o i n Ti t u s i n h i s l a u g h t e r ” T h e re ve n g e p l o t b r a n c h e s o u t f ro m a f i r s t a c t c o n f l i c t b e t we e n t h e Ro m a n w a r h e ro Ti t u s A n d ro n i c u s ( Ad a m Gi a n f o r t e ’ 1 5 ) a n d Qu e e n o f t h e Go t h s , Ta m o r a ( Sa r a h C o f f e y ’ 1 6 ) , a n d i t s l ow l y e n g u l f s e ve r y m e m b e r o f t h e t w o f a m i l i e s It b e c o m e s i n c re a s i n g l y d i f f i c u l t t o t a k e s i d e s a s e a c h f a m i l y r a c k s u p a r a p s h e e t o f d i s m e m b e r m e n t , r a p e a n d m u rd e r, s t a r t i n g o u t a s ove r re a c t i o n s a n d s o o n b e c o m i n g s e n s e l e s s Gi a n f o r t e ’ s ro l e i s u n d e r p l a y e d i n t h e f i r s t a c t , b u t h e s h i n e s i n t h e a b s u rd i t y o f t h e s e c o n d a n d t h i rd , c o m m a n d i n g a t t e n t i o n w i t h h i s e x p e r t l y d r y Sa m Ro c k we l l - s t y l e h u m o r a t o n e p o i n t h e g i ve s a m o n o l o g u e f ro m a t o p a u n i c yc l e C o f f e y i s t h e e m ot i o n a l f o r c e o f t h e p l a y, d e l i v e r i n g m o m e n t s o f h e a r t - w re n c h i n g e m o t i o n a l a p p e a l a s a b e re a ve d m o t h e r a s we l l a s g u t - w r e n c h i n g m o m e n t s o f r e v o l t i n g

o n t h e p ro d

c

i o n a n d t h e

u d i e n c e ” T h e v i e w i n g o f t h i s p ro d u c t i o n o f Ti t u s i s d e f i n i t e l y d i f f i c u l t t h e r a p e o f L a v i n i a o c c u r re d m a y b e t h re e f e e t f ro m m y c h a i r b u t i t ’ s a l s o r i ve t i n g , a n d a c o m p e l l i n g c h o i c e i n t h e t i m e o f t h e v i ol e n t s p e c t a c l e f i l m So m e o f t h e s a m e q u e s t i o n s t h a t s u rr o u n d Q u e n t i n Ta r a n t i n o ’ s h a n d l i n g o f t h e c yc l i c a l n a t u re o f re v e n g e ( K i l l Bi l l , D j a n g o Un c h a i n e d ) o r H a r m o n y Ko r i n e ’ s t e n d e n c y t o t h r u s t b r u t a l i t y a t h i s a u d i e n c e ( Sp r i n g Bre a k e r s K i d s ) a l s o s u r r o u n d t h i s p l a y A s t h e b o d i e s p i l e u p, i t i s d i f f i c u l t t o c o m e u p w i t h a f i r m t h e s i s a s t o w h a t t h e t a k e a w a y i s L a v i n i a A n d r o n i c u s ( Ad r i e n n e Ja c k s o n ’ 1 4 ) i s t h e m o s t o b v i o u s l y - w r o n g e d o f t h e p l a y ’ s v i c t i m s a n d s h e i s e f f e c t i v e l y s i l e n c e d u n t i l s h e m a n a g e s t o g e s t u re t o t h e p a g e s o f Me t a m o r p h o s e s w h i c h d e t a i l “ T h e R a p e o f P h i l o m e l a ” W h a l e c o mm e n t e d , “ Ev e r y o n e g e t s c a u g h t i n t h e b l o o d s h e d , a n d h o p e f u l l y w e a l l q u e st i o n t h e w i s d o m o f o u r b l o o d l u s t Ta r a n t i n o , t o o , m a g n i f i e s t h e v i o l e n c e i n h i s s t o r i e s t o a n a b s u rd s c a l e , t o e i n g t h e s a m e l i n e o f ‘ h a rd - t o - w a t c h’ a n d c a t h a rt i c re l e a s e t o b r i n g u s t o a n e w u n d e rs t a n d i n g o f t h e h o r r o r s

w i t h s t re a k s o f b l a c k f a c e p a i n t i n o rd e r t o i l l u s t r a t e t h a t h i s c h a r a c t e r w a s b l a c k , a n d re m ova l o f a c h o i c e l i n e o r t w o w o u l d h a rd l y h a ve b e e n u n w o n t e d c e ns o r s h i p T h e p ro d u c t i o n i n c o r p o r a t e d e ve r y s q u a re i n c h o f t h e l i m i t e d s p a c e i n t h e Bl a c k B ox T h e a t re , w i t h a c t i o n o c c u rr i n g w i t h i n i n c h e s o f t h e a u d i e n c e , i n s u s p e n d e d h a r n e s s e s a n d o n a n a r r a n g em e n t o f m e t a l s c a f f o l d i n g s W h i l e t h e p l o t o f Ti t u s r u n s a m i l l i o n m i l e s a m i n u t e m a n a g i n g t o p re s e n t a t l e a s t a d o z e n d e a t h s a n d o t h e r a t r o c i t i e s i n r a p i d s u c c e s s i o n t h i s p r o d u c t i o n m a n a g e d e ve n m o re d y n a m i s m : e ve r y a c t o r w a s a c t i n g 1 0 0 p e rc e n t o f t h e t i m e a n d t h e re we re a l w a y s a t l e a s t f o u r d i f f e re n t p l a c e s t o l o o k t o b e e n t e r t a i n e d T h i s e xc e s s w a s ove r w h e l m i n g b u t f u l l y i n s t e p w i t h t h e n a t u re o f t h e p l a y W h a l e t o l d T h e Su n , “ So m e t i m e s e xc e s s i s t h e b e s t w a y t o m a k e a p o i n t , a n d t h e e xc e s se s i n Ti t u s m a k e f o r b o t h w i l d e n t e r t a i nm e n t a n d d i f f i c u l t v i e w i n g , d e p e n

Arts Around Ithaca

Raiders of the Lost Ark

7:00 p m on Saturday at State Theatre

The State Theatre kicks off its series this Saturday with Steven Spielberg’s quintessential adventure flick Embodying the same panache of globe-trotting B-movies of the 1930s, this first film in the Indiana Jones series is sure to thrill even modern audiences

Sean Doolittle

Winter Exhibition Opening

5:00 p m on Thursday at Johnson Museum of Art

n g a n

Op e n i n g Re c e p t i o n o n T h u r s d a y n i g h t w i t h re f re s h m e n t s , m u s i c by D J Ta k 3

a n d

BY ZACH ZAHOS AND SAM BROMER Sun Associate Managing Editor and Arts and Entertainment Editor

Philip Seymour Hoffman, a prolific and widely revered character actor whose Oscarwinning role in Capote made him into an unlikely household name, died Sunday in his West Village apartment The New York Times reports the cause of death was an apparent heroin overdose, the culmination of a tragic relapse of drug abuse that started last year after 23 years of sobriety He was 46 A graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Hoffman hit the ground running with loud, schlubby, scenestealing supporting characters After playing a squirrely classmate alongside Al Pacino in 1992’s Scent of a Woman, Hoffman befriended Paul Thomas Anderson and nailed a fourmovie streak in his early films Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Punch-Drunk Love As a gay boom mic operator hopelessly infatuated with Mark Wahlberg’s pornstar in Boogie Nights, Hoffman undercut the freewheeling, sunny vibe of that film to capture its downbeat core He aimed for a much different effect in Punch-Drunk Love, where, in his most memorable scene, he shouts, “Shut! Shut! Shut! Shut! Shut Up!” with such syncopated zeal that the clip’s popularity on Internet forums is not hard to fathom Other early roles include Jeffrey Lebowski’s boastful assistant (“ They’re the Little Lebowski Urban Achievers ”) in The Big Lebowski; a spot-on Lester Bangs in Almost Famous; the cultured object of Matt Damon’s lethal envy in The Talented Mr Ripley; and, of course, the slimeball who “sharted” his pants and single-handedly made Along Came Polly something worth watching Hoffman began to nudge his way into the

mainstream through his riveting portrayal of author Truman Capote Capote follows the author as he researches a shocking quadruple homicide in Kansas Hoffman’s effeminate, soft-spoken performance contrasted with his earlier work and earned him several accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Actor A year later, in 2005, he paved the way for Heath Ledger and other legitimate thespians working in action blockbusters by pulling all the stops as Mission: Impossible III’ s terrifying villain Hoffman received an Suppor ting Actor nomination at the Academy Awards the following year as a foul-mouthed Greek in Charlie Wilson’s War, a mostly forgettable film buoyed by his in turns hilarious and prescient performance

After playing an emotionally-crippled history teacher in The Savages, Hoffman took his vows, taking on the role of Father Brendan Flynn, a Bronx priest accused by his parish’s nuns of abusing a young alter boy, in Doubt Hoffman was a commanding presence in every scene, eliciting sympathy while at the same time drawing the viewer’s disgust; for this role, he received his second consecutive Academy Awards nod Overlooked by the Academy but not by some influential critics (Roger Ebert named it the best film of the the decade), Synecdoche, New York is a difficult beast, written and directed by Charlie Kaufman at his most reflexive and cryptic No matter how one makes sense of the plot, at least on first viewing, few fictional characters in this millennium confront our deep-seated fears of death, deterioration and failure like Hoffman’s Caden Cotard Usually a surreal, highbrow experiment like Synecdoche answers only to the vision of its auteur, but Hoffman pushed through all the obfuscation to unleash something raw and absolutely devastating

Good People

7:30 p m on Monday and Tuesday at Kitchen Theatre

The Homecoming Players, an Ithaca-based theater group, will be taking over the Kitchen tonight and tomorrow night to showcase its latest production, Good People A play about shame, money and growing up, the play’s title is possibly ironic and will surely up for debate during the readings Good People is the Homecoming Players’ first performance of 2014, and will appear as part of the Kitchen Theatre Company’s Kitchen Sink Series Tickets are $15

Psychedelic Cinema

9:30 p m on Friday at Cornell Cinema

Cornell Cinema presents Ken Brown’s amalgamation of psychedelia super 8 films, originally intended to be part of a light show at the Boston rock venue, The Boston Tea Party, this Friday In an evening designed for transportation back to the 1960s, Ken Winokur of the Alloy Orchestra and Beth Custer of the Clubfoot Orchestra and Jonathan LaMaster of Cul de Sac will accompany the screening with music Tickets are $10 for students and $12 for the general public

Tiffany

More recently, Hoffman channeled his inner cult-leader in Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master The film, a disorienting look at delusion and psychological torment, finds Hoffman as the founder and leader of a philosophical group named “ The Cause ” In one scene, Hoffman, portraying Lancaster Dodd, battles with a doubter of his movement, played by the also recentlydeceased Kevin Welch Hoffman’s fury approaches madness as he protects his life’s work at one point, he calls his opponent a “pig fuck ” Ravenous, unscrupulous and headstrong, Lancaster Dodd presents the actor at his absolute best Even in his more “ commercial” roles, such as his turn as Plutarch Heavensbee in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Hoffman managed to bring his subtle sense of drama and humor to the forefront In that film, he manages to keep the viewer fully in the dark about the intentions of Heavensbee, a member of the establishment Though he is not on the screen for many scenes, his confidence as an actor is clear throughout, whether he is ballroomdancing with Katniss or orchestrating violence from the Capital So, look: We know Philip Seymour Hoffman was only an actor, belonging to a different class of celebrity than, say, Nelson Mandela Our culture tends to holds its famous faces in too-high regard, equally eager to rip them apart at the scent of the slightest wrong Hoffman earned his reputation through his work alone He kept his private life private, and it seemed like he could not care less about the awards his peers

showered over him His premature passing only affects those who know him, but the incredible thing is that we number in the millions He realized some of the most complicated characters in recent cinema beyond their originator’s wildest dreams, guaranteeing we will return to formidable epics like Synecdoche and The Master for years to come He smuggled real quality into the mainstream There, here, we mourn the passing of a name, a voice, a face that, together, formed an icon of quality and promised something greater than mere entertainment

Zach Zahos is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences He can be reached at zzahos@cornellsun com

Sam Bromer is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences He can be reached at arts-and-entertainment-editor@cornellsun com

4

Matthews, Cherr y Have Career Nights

Red prepares to take on Penn next weekend

ing 13 points on nine shot attempts Junior guard Devin Cherr y also had a productive first twenty minutes with seven points and three rebounds

The Bears kept competitive due to the impressive play of freshman guard Steven Spieth, who scored 11 points and shot a per fect three-for-three from the field without missing a free throw in the half

The Bears came out of the locker room with a scoring r un that crippled the Red’s chances Cornell was outscored by 15 points in the half, leading to a final score of 78-66 Cressler was just one-for-six from the field, but it was the dominant play of McGonagill, who was relatively absent in the first half, that helped the Bears come out on top McGonagill put together a line of 13 points, six rebounds and four assists in the half

Despite Friday’s downfall, the Red had some strong per formances of its own Cherr y recorded the first double-double of his career with 13 points and 12 rebounds Senior guard Jake Matthe ws also had a game to remember, putting up a career-high 17 points off the bench

After the loss, the Red headed to Ne w Haven to take on the Bulldogs on Saturday night T h e g a m e a g a i n s t t

Bulldogs proved the Red’s ability to compete in the conference

Though the Red trailed by seven after the first half, the squad fought back after the break

However, Cressler and Cherr y helped bring the Red back into the game in the second half The t w o g u a rd

3 3 points in the final 20 minutes of the game Yale, however, won the battle on the boards The Bulldogs’ star sophomore for ward Justin Sears grabbed 11 boards and scored 11 points and junior guard Javier Duren pulled down five rebounds

Though the Red outscored the Bulldogs in the second half, its str uggles in the first period came back to haunt the team, as Yale would eventually come out on top, 61-57

C re s s l e r h a d a n o t h e r i m p re s s

Bulldogs The Red’s leading scorer put up a career-best line of 29 points, five rebounds and two assists Cherr y suppor ted Cressler’s effor t with 19 points of his own As a team, the Red limited the Bulldogs to 38 percent shooting from the field

Although the Red came out on the losing end, the play of Cressler, Cherr y and Matthe ws throughout the weekend was promising Cornell looks to put all its effor ts together in its next matchup against Penn on Friday in Philadelphia

Iles Anchors Red With 33 S aves

in different situations ”

side was stymied until the freshman line of forwards Kubiak, Buckles and Weidner created an opening in front of the net with Buckles getting the final say to put Cornell on the board, 1-0, 11:04 into the second period

Schafer described the freshmen line as “really, really solid ”

“I can ’ t think of any bad shifts those guys had throughout the course of the weekend,” he said Schafer also said he was pleased to get balanced scoring Friday and Saturday, pointing out how junior forward Cole Bardreau got in on the action via a pass from junior forward and linemate Joel Lowry The pass left Bardreau one-on-one with the goalie, leading to another score and a 2-0 lead with 6:09 left in the third

“[L]ast night Ferlin’s line had one, ” Schafer said “So we [continue] to get help from different people

Iles remained steady with 33 saves, and special teams held Brown scoreless on all six power play opportunities, but the Red did not escape Providence without a final scare The Bears fired 14 shots compared to Cornell’s two in the third period, cutting the deficit to 2-1 with under two minutes remaining Iles continued to make saves, though, preserving a 2-1 final score and weekend sweep

“[T]here was a big, emotional win last night and I kind of thought tonight we did just barely enough to get the victory,” Schafer said “But we figured that out So to come out of here and get four points in such a crucial [game] down the stretch was huge for us And now we ’ re sitting three, four weeks left in the season with a huge game going up to Colgate next weekend ”

Men : Four Teams Notch Weekend Matchup Sweeps

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Cr i m s o n w a s o n l y a h e a d 3 6 - 3 5 a t t h e e n d o f t h e f i r s t h a l f, b u t

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i s n ow 1 7 - 3 , 4 - 0 Iv y a f t e r j u s t e d g i n g o u t Pr i n c e t o n , 8 2 - 7 6 a n d a n n i h i l a t i n g Pe n n , 8 0 - 5 0 Pr i n c e t o n s e n i o r g u a rd T J Br a y w a s t h e s t a r p e r f o r m e r o n Fr i d a y w i t h 2 6 p o i n t s , w h i c h w a s s t i l l n o t e n o u g h t o p re ve n t Ha r va rd f ro m c o m i n g o u t o n t o p T h e

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d e f e a t i n g C o l u m b i a 6 9 - 5 9 a n d

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w a s t i g h t t h ro u g h o u t u n t i l l a t e i n t h e s e c o n d h a l f w h e n t h e Be a r s b e g a n t o p u l l a h e a d C o m p i l e d by Ha m d a n Al Yo u s e f i

Looking Back (Women’s) Har vard Princeton 78 68 Friday, January 31

L o o k i n g B a c k ( M e n ’s ) Friday, January 31 Princeton Penn Har vard Dartmouth 76 58 82 67

Looking Back (Men’s) Cornell Yale 57 61 Saturday, February 1

Icers Extend Unbeaten Streak to Nine

By CHRIS MILLS

For the first time this season, the Red swept an ECAC road series, stunning No 13 Yale (11-6-4, 6-5-3 ECAC), 3-2, in the closing seconds of Friday’s overtime marathon Cornell then hung on to beat Brown (9-9-3, 6-7-1), 2-1, the following night

“Going on the road, it’s always difficult to sweep, ” said head coach Mike Schafer, whose squad now commands a nine-game unbeaten run No 11 Cornell (12-4-5, 8-34) also leapfrogged Colgate and Clarkson into sole possession of third place in the conference standings

The Red kicked off the weekend with a quick goal from sophomore forward John Knisley Taking the dump-off pass from

Struggles Persist After Consecutive Conference Losses

By NIKITA DUBNOV Sun Staff Writer

The Cornell men ’ s basketball team had a busy weekend, hoping to record its first Ivy w i n A

C

weekend, the Red took on two other conference rivals, Brown and Yale On Friday evening, t

Providence to take on the Bears, who were led by the Ivy League’s l

s c o re r Se a n McGonagill The Red got off to a slow start against the 9-7 Bears However, by the end of the half Cornell led by three points, 33-30 So p

rd Nolan Cressler had a strong first half, scor-

See M B-BALL page 13

freshman for ward Jeff Kubiak, Knisely rounded the back of the net ahead of a pursuing Yale defender, then made a quick turn in front to slide the puck past Bulldogs goalie Alex Lyon

Yale struck back just two minutes later 4:47 into the first period when Gus Young got past senior goaltender Andy Iles on the rebound Iles then proceeded to rebuff a barrage of opposing shots, with Yale finally breaking through in the period’s closing minute to take a 2-1 lead

game that, by the closing minute of overtime, appeared destined for a tie But with 25 seconds to go, lightning struck Junior defenseman Joakim Ryan got in the way of a Yale pass, with junior forward and leadingscorer Brian Ferlin in perfect position to scoop up the loose puck

The Bulldogs peppered Iles with 28 shots to Cornell’s 17 in the first two periods, but the Ithaca native kept his teammates in the game, shielding Kenny Agostino’s shot immediately following Yale’s second score

“I thought we did some good things in the first period,” Schafer said “But [Yale] capitalized on a couple of chances and Andy made a big save to keep it 2-1 ”

The Red staved off a Yale power play early in the second period before Kubiak found the back of the net for his first collegiate goal From there, neither side could convert on a series of scoring chances in a

Tw o Iv y Win s Lif t

Red to Tie for First

By JOEL COOPER Sun Staff Writer

“It was unbelievable,” Schafer said “He looked like he was shot out of a cannon, the way he took off and exploded out of there ” Ferlin raced past the defender to his left, withstood a slash from the trailing Bulldog, and lifted the puck over Lyon’s left mitt for the winning goal with seventeen seconds remaining, before being mobbed by the Cornell bench

“Not only did he score, but there was a sort of real big two-hand chop block to try to dislodge him,” Schafer said “He took that slash and still was focused enough to execute to bury it, so it was a great play ” With one of the season ’ s defining victories behind them, the icers had to bear down in Providence to come away with a full four points in the standings Scoring for either

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a n d f re s h m a n p o i n t g u a rd Ke r r i Mo r a n A f t e r a t e n s e o p e n i n g f o u r m i n u t e s , C o r n e l l we n t o n t h e a t t a c k , s c o r i n g t e n u n a n s we re d p

i n t s t o b u i l d a 2 0 - 9 l e a d De s p i t e m a i nt a i n i n g a d o u b l e - d i g i t l e a d f o r t h e n e x t t h re e m i n u t e s , t h e R e d a l l o w e d B r o w n b a c k i n t o t h e g a m e a f t e r a 1 6 - 5 s c o r i n g r u n i n t h e Be a r s ’ f a vo r, a n d t h e f i r s t

h a l f e n d e d w i t h C o r n e l l l e a d i n g by t w o , 3 5 - 3 3 Howe ve r, t h e Re d c a m e o u t o f t h e b re a k e n e r g i ze d a n d t o o k c o n t ro l o f w h a t h a d b e e n a t i g h t c o n t e s t T h r o u g h s o m e s h a r p s h o o t i n g f r o m C o r n e l l , i n c l u d i n g a t h re e - p o i n t e r f r o m Ly m a n , t h e R e d re b u i l t i t s l e a d t o 5 9 - 4 9

w i t h 6 : 3 3 t o p l a y Brow n t r i e d o n e l a s t p u s h , b u t t h e R e d s u n k 6 - o f - 7 f r e e t h row s d ow n t h e s t re t c h ,

s e c u r i n g t h e 8 0 - 7 0 v i c t o r y T h e Re d w a s b a c k i n a c t i o n t h e n e x t d a y, f a c i n g a m u c h t o u g h e r Ya l e s q u a d , w h i c h w a s 9 - 8 ove r a l l c o mi n g i n t o t h e m a t c h u p T h i s e n c o u n t e r w a s a n o t h e r c l o s e a f f a i r, w i t h t h e l e a d t r a d i n g b a c k a n d f o r t h 1 2 t i m e s Howe ve r, a s o l i d d i sp l a y i n t h e f i n a l t e n m i nu t e s f o r t h e s e c o n d d a y i n a row l e d t o a 6 5 - 5 6 v i c t o r y f o r t h e Re d Wi t h t e n m i n u t e s t o g o i n t h e g a m e , t h e Bu l l d o g s l e d 4 5 - 4 2 Howe ve r, b a c kt o - b a c k t h re e s f ro m Ly m a n a n d s e n i o r g u a rd St e p h a n i e L o n g s p a rk e d C o r n e l l’s 1 02 r u n a n d g a ve t h e s q u a d a 5 2 - 4 7 l e a d w i t h 6 : 3 6 l e f t t o p l a y

He l p e d b y t h e t e a m ’ s b e n c h , t h e Re d c o n t i n u e d t o e x t e n d i t s l e a d , a t o n e p o i n t re a c h i n g a 1 3 - p o i n t a d v a n t a g e I n t h e f i n a l s e v e n m i n u t e s , 1 1 o f C o r n e l l’s 1 5 p o i n t s c a m e o f f t h e b e n c h , f ro m j u n i o r g u a r d C h r i s t i n e K l i n e , f re s h m a n f o r w a rd Ni c h o l l e A s t o n a n d s e n i o r f o r w a rd Jo e l l e D a v i d s o n T h i s h e l p e d C o r n e l l s e c u re t h e w i n , t a k i n g i t t o 1 1 - 7 ove ra l l a n d p u t t i n