02 13 17 entire issue hi res

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Defenders and Detractors of Planned Parenthood Clash in Dual Protests

By MARIN LANGLIEB and ANU SUBRAMANIAM Sun Staff Writers

As the debate over Planned Parenthood funding rages on the national stage, Ithaca was host to protests both for and against giving federal funds to the organization on Saturday

Nearly 20 local students and residents participated in a peaceful protest in support of defunding Planned Parenthood early Saturday morning The protest, which took place across the street from Planned Parenthood, was one of many happen-

ing across the country and was aimed at taking taxpayers dollars away from the organization

One group of attendees, the Students for Life Club at Ithaca College, spoke about their reasons for coming out to support the cause

“We often talk about choice but for a woman, you hear a lot of stories about women getting pressured into [an abortion] Often it’s not even what the woman wants but she feels like it’s

Mixed-Gender Rooming to Be Available for All Students

By NEETU CHANDAK Sun Staff Writer

Male and female students will now be able to room together in any residential hall after Cornell announced its final implementation of a gender-neutral housing policy for the 20172018 school year

The change was proposed in December 2015 in Student Assembly Resolution 26: Promoting Justice and Friendship in the Housing Lottery The initiative behind the change is to offer flexible housing options for all students

Students expressed mixed reactions to the new policy.

Gender-neutral housing was first adopted in fall 2012 for upper-level students participating in continued occupancy in their on-campus residences, according to Karen Brown, director of Campus Life Marketing and Communications Now, the option opens up to incoming first-year and transfer students

The policy will not apply to historically sin-

See HOUSING page 4

Renovations for Eastern Half of Ag Quad Complete

By AELYA EHTASHAM Sun Staff Writer

P h a s e O n e o f t h e

$7 8 million Ag Quad

r e n ov a t i o n p r o j e c t i s l a r g e l y c o m p l e t e , a c -

c o rd i n g t o D a v i s

Orinda, project manag-

e r f o r t h e A g Q u a d

Ut i l i t y Up g r a d e s a n d

L a n d s c a p e R e v i t a lization

Areas on the eastern side of the quad have n e w p a t h s f o r Ma n n L i b r a r y a n d Wa r r e n

Hall, as well as two new blue light phones that have been activated and new light poles

Orinda said that a l o t o f t h e l a n d s c a p e work on the eastern half of the quad is complete, adding that the under-

ground utility upgrades work steam pipes,

t e l e c o m d u c t b a n k s , and water pipes has all been completed

P h a s e t w o w i l l involve completing the r e m a i n i n g c o n c r e t e p a t h s o n t h e we s t e r n end of the quad and new plazas at Roberts a n d K e n n e d y H a l l s , Orinda said, in addition to benches, lighting poles, new topsoil and plantings are also planned in the second phase

A f t e r s i g n i f i c a n t p r o g r e s s , c o n s t r u c t i o n has halted for the duration of winter “ L o w t e m p

e s are not conducive to the

said

around late March or early Ap ri l d epend ing on weather conditions

Halted construction means the Ag Quad’s circuitous routes to dif-

remain in pace for the

h there is clear signage for n

ings, the new concrete paths will provide more direct access Ag Quad construction is still on track for

UndocuCornell: Understanding and Supporting Undocumented Students

9 - 10:30 a m , 700 Clark Hall

Bloomberg Workshop

Noon - 1 p m , Stone Classroom, Mann Library

Engaged Cornell Hub Monday Brown Bag Lunches

Noon - 1 p m , Engaged Cornell Hub, Kennedy Hall

Social Justice Lunch Series Noon - 1:30 p m , Public Service Center, 100 Barnes Hall

Monday, February 13, 2017

Funding Environmental Conservation: The Politics of Conservation in the Galápagos Islands 12:15 - 1:10 p m , 105 Space Sciences Building

The “How” and “Why” of Natural Selection: Integrative Approaches to Behavior and Immunity 12:20 p m , A106 Corson/Mudd Hall

The Intersection of Social Justice and Climate Justice: Where Social Movements and the Law Collide 2:55 - 4:10 p m , B25 Warren Hall

Science and Applications of Optical Metamaterials 4 - 5 p m , Schwartz Auditorium, Rockefeller Hall

The Evolution of Social Behavior 7 p m , History Center in Tompkins County

Literature | John Keene, African American and African Studies, Rutgers University, will speak about his recent award-winning work, Counternarratives, in a lecture Tuesday

Berry Breeding at Cornell: Conception to Commercialization 12:20 - 1:10 p m , 135 Emerson Hall

Summer Opportunities and Career Fair 1 - 5 p m , Statler Ballroom, Statler Hotel

Revealing the Formation And Atmospheres of Exoplanets with Direct Imaging 4 - 5 p m , 105 Space Sciences Building

John Keene on Counternarratives 4:30 - 7 p m , Guerlac Room, A D White House

Presidents Day Break Deadlines

DISPLAY ADVERTISING DEADLINES: Thursday, February 16 at 3:00 p.m. for the Wednesday, Februar y 22 issue and the Thursday, Februar y 23 issue.

CLASSIFIEDS DEADLINE: Thursday, Februar y 16 at 2:30 p.m. for the Wednesday, February 22 issue.

The Sun’s Business Office will close at 5:00 on Thursday, Februar y 16. We will reopen Wednesday, Februar y 22 at 9:00 a m

Pressures

Legislators on Climate

By JENNY CHAN Sun Staff Writer

i n s t a l l k i n d s o f i n j u s t i c e : s c i e n t i f i c , s o c i a l a n d c l i m a t e , ” s a i d

“Trump’s Muslim ban was indicative, allegorical even, of the disdain and discrimination towards non-white, immigrant, non-Christian and minority lives that already exist in this country ” G a b r i e l a V e g a ’ 1 9

G a b r i e l a Ve g a ’ 1 9 “ C o r n e l l m u s t d i v e s t i t s e n d o w m e n t f ro m f o s s i l f u e l s a n d m a k e a b o l d c o mm i t m e n t t o c a r b o n n e u t r a l i t y ”

Ve g a a d d e d t h a t s h e h o p e s c a l l i n g l e gi s l a t o r s w i l l h e l p re s i s t t h e a n t i - c l i m a t e a n d a n t i - s c i e n c e f o u n d a t i o n s o f t h e

Tr u m p a d m i n i s t r a t i o n “ T h e c e n t r a l i d e a b e h i n d c l i m a t e j u s -

“It is especially important now for Cornell to take a strong, unequivocal stance against all kinds of injustice ”

a d y e x i s t i n t h i s c o u n t r y, ” Ve g a a d d e d C l i m a t e Ju s t i c e C o r n e l l s a w t h e c a l l - at h o n a s a n a c c e s s i b l e a n d e f f i c i e n t m e a n s o f re s i s t a n c e f o r s t u d e n t s “ W h e t h e r p e o p l e we re t h e re a t t h e t a b l e o r s a w o u r Fa c e b o o k e ve n t , we t h o u g h t i t w a s i m p o r t a n t t o d o s o m et h i n g t h a t i s n ’ t i m m e n s e l y d i f f i c u l t f o r v o i c i n g d i s s e n t , ” Ve g a s a i d “ W h i l e p ro t e s t i n g a n d m a rc h e s a re g re a t , i t i s a b l e i s t t o e x p e c t a l l t o b e a b l e t o c o m e

By RAYMOND ZHANG

Staff Writer

W h i l e h u n d re d s o f It h a c a n s a t t e n d e d t h e a n n u a l It h a c a C h i l i

C o o k - O f f o n t h e C o m m o n s

Sa t u rd a y, a n o t h e r g ro u p, Fo o d No t B o m b s , s e r ve d i t s ow n c h i l i

t h e y h a d n e ve r d o n e i t b e f o re “ Fo r m a n y p e o p l e , i t w a s t h e f i r s t t i m e t h a t t h e y c a l l e d t h e i r r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s Ma n y o f t h o s e p e o p l e we re n e r vo u s a t f i r s t , b u t a f t e r t h e y c a l l e d , t h e y g e n e r a l l y s e e m e d e m p owe re d a n d h a p p y a b o u t i t

We we re g l a d t o b e a b l e e n c o u r a g e t h e m

t o d o i t f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e , ” Ve g a s a i d

o u t i n s u p p o r t ” K n o w i n g t h a t r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s a r e re q u i re d t o k e e p re c o rd s o f c o n s t i t u e n t o p i n i o n s , C l i m a t e Ju s t i c e C o r n e l l a s k e d p a r t i c i p a n t s t o c a l l t h e i r l o c a l re p re s e n t at i ve s a n d s e n a t o r s t o vo i c e d i s s e n t , e ve n i f

Ve g a h o p e d t h a t t h e c a l l - a - t h o n w o u l d i n s p i re s t u d e n t s t o c o n t a c t t h e i r re p res e n t a t i ve s w h e n e ve r t h e y s a w i n j u s t i c e “ We h o p e t h a t C o r n e l l s t u d e n

Jenny Chan can be reached at jc2764@cornell edu

U S A ” A m o n g t h e c o f f e e , v e g e t a r i -

a n c h i l i a n d b a n a n a b r e a d w e r e a n a r c h i s t a n d a n t i - f a s c i s t p a mp h l e t s p r o m o t i n g t h e o v e r a l l m e s s a g e o f Fo o d No t B o m b s “ Fo o d No t B o m b s i s a n i n t e r n a t i o n a l n o n - h i e r a r c h i c a l

o r g a n i z a t i o n , ” s a i d Ev e

a t D e W i t t Pa r k f r e e o f c h a r g e T h e f o o d s t a n d a t t h e p a r k w a s f l a n k e d b y l a r g e s i g n s r e a d i n g m e s s a g e s s u c h a s “A m e r i c a Wa s N e v e r G r e a t ” a n d “ No Tr u m p , No K K K , No

A n d e r s o n ’ 1 9 o f t h e It h a c a

c h a p t e r “ We’r e c e n t e r e d o n f o o d j u s t i c e , c o m m u n i t y o r g a -

n i z i n g a n d a n t i - c a p i t a l i s t a c t i o n i n It h a c a ” T h e o r g a n i z a t i o n g i ve s o u t f re e f o o d e ve r y Sa t u rd a y a n d ser ved chilli this Saturday to mirror the theme of the nearby cookoff However, the group provided only vegetarian food, believing it aligned with their values “ T h i s we e k we t h e m e d o u r m e a l a f t e r c h i l i i n o rd e r t o b e i n t h e s p i r i t o f a c h i l i f e s t i va l , b u t o u r s i s a n a n t i - c a p i t a l i s t a c t i o n , ” A n d e r s o n s a i d “ So w e d o n ’ t e x p e c t a n yo n e t o p a y

Planned Parenthood Advocates Organize Counter-Protest

Scheduled

protests to defund agency spur supporters to respond in defense

l y a b o u t h e a l t h c a re T h e y a re a b o u t a b o r t i o n , ” h e s a i d

h e l p w o m e n ”

He n r y Sm i t h , v i c e p re s i d e n t o f t h e St u d e n t s f o r L i f e c l u b a t I C , a g re e d w i t h Zi m m e r m a n , a d d i n g t h a t h e b e l i e v e s a b o rt i o n s a re a v i o l a t i o n o f e q u a l r i g h t s “ I v i e w a l l h u m a n b e i n g s a s p e r f e c t l y e q u a l , f r o m t h e t i m e t h a t t h e y a re v e r y o l d t o t h e t i m e t h e y f i r s t b e c o m e w h a t w e w o u l d c a l l h u m a n T h a t ’ s w h y I ’ m h e re , ” Sm i t h s a i d “ We c a n ’ t c h o o s e t h a t s o m e h u m a n b e i n g s l i v e a n d s o m e d o n ’ t ” R a y Z i m m e r m a n , s e n i o r re s e a r c h a s s o c i a t e a t t h e D y s o n s c h o o l , q u e s t i o n e d t h e t r u e p u rp o s e o f P l a n n e d Pa re n t h o o d “ I t h i n k t h e re i s a l o t o f d e c e p t i o n i n w h a t t h e y a c t u a l l y d o T h e y re a l l y a re n o t p r i m a r i -

“Planned Parenthood is like one of the top healthcare providers and it is a total nonprofit.” B

E s t h e r Z i m m e r m a n , R a y Zi m m e r m a n ’ s w i f e , re f l e c t e d o n h e r y o u t h i n A r g e n t i n a a n d e x p l a i n e d w h y s h e i s p r o - l i f e “ My b i o l o g i c a l m o t h e r w a n te d t o t a k e m y l i f e , ” s h e s a i d “ I re a l l y d o n ’ t k n ow e x a c t l y w h o s a v e d m y l i f e , b u t i f t h a t p e r s o n d i d n ’ t s p e a k f o r m e , I w o u l d n ’ t b e h e re t o d a y We re a l l y n e e d t o s p e a k f o r t h e o n e s t h a t c a n ’ t d e f e n d t h e m s e l v e s ” A t t h e s a m e t i m e , a p r o t e s t t o d e f e n d P l a n n e d Pa re n t h o o d t o o k p l a c e i n D e W i t t Pa r k Pr o t e s t o r g a n i z e r Je n n i f e r Fo r t e s a i d t h a t w h e n s h e h e a rd o f t h e a n t i - P l a n n e d Pa re n t h o o d p r ot e s t s h a p p e n i n g a l l o v e r t h e s t a t e a n d c o u n t r y s h e t h o u g h t t h a t I t h a c a s h o u l d h a v e a c o u n t e r p r o t e s t “ b e c a u s e o f t h e k i n d o f c o m m u n i t y w e a re ” “ I f e e l g r a t e f u l t o l i v e i n a

c o m m u n i t y w h e re i t ’ s e a s y t o r a l l y p e o p l e t o g e t h e r f o r a c a u s e , ” Fo r t e s a i d L i n i n g t h e s i d e w a l k , o v e r f i f t y s u p p o r t e r s h e l d s i g n s re a di n g “ I S t a n d W i t h P l a n n e d Pa r e n t h o o d ” a n d “ Wo m e n ’ s R i g h t s A r e Hu m a n R

“I believe that Planned Parenthood isn’t about helping women I want to help redirect funds.”

B e c c a H a r b e r w h o h a s u s e d i t a s h e r p r i m a r y h e a l t h c a r e p r ov i d e r f o r t h e p a s t 3 0 y e a r s

H a r b e r w a s p r o t e s t i n g t o “ a f f i r m t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f P l a n n e d Pa re n t h o o d ” “A b o r t i o n i s s u c h a t i n y a m o u n t o f w h a t P l a n n e d Pa re n t h o o d d o e s , ” H a r b e r s a i d “ I ’

Parenthood It’s for the communities, all kinds of communities ”

Marin Langlieb can be reached at mlanglieb@cornellsun com Anu Subramanian can be reached at asubramaniam@cornellsun com

New Housing Policy

Raises Several Concerns

HOUSING

gle-gender dorms such as Balch Hall

Students expressed mixed reactions to the new policy

i H a r i

Me y e r h o f f, m e m b e r o f t h e b a n d

A n s w e r t h e Mu s e , g a v e 6 0 p e rc e n t o f t h e p r o c e e d s f r o m h e r

b a n d’s d ow n l o a d c a rd s a l e s t o P l a n n e d Pa re n t h o o d Ma n y o f t h e p r o t e s t e r s h a d

u s e d P l a n n e d Pa re n t h o o d i n t h e p a s t , i n c l u d i n g It h a c a re s i d e n t

While students like Kathr yn Miller ’15 argue that the University is just sending a positive “ message of acceptance, ” others worry about its implementation

“While it’s a good thing that there are more housing options, people could abuse the system, making it dangerous in that aspect, ” Amanze Udebiuwa ’19 said “It is risky ” Some have expressed concern that the new housing policy could lead to a rise in sexual assault, since students could potentially pretend to be the opposite gender solely for housing purposes Miller, however, questions the plausibility of such an action

“I think when people come to college, the first idea will not be to fake gender,” she said “But we should still have concern in the back of our minds ” Miller and Udebiuwa both agreed that Cornell parents may display concern over gender neutral housing

“I think a lot of parents will be worried because it goes against traditional values,” Udebiuwa said “Cornell needs to explain to parents the exact rules to make it more appealing ” Miller added that research should be conducted to examine the long term impact of gender neutral housing in order to “placate ” parents

Ithaca College implemented gender-neutral housing for the 2016-2017 school year According to Linda Koenig, assistant director for Housing Services and Communications at I C , the impact of gender

neutral housing has yielded positive results on campus

“Initially when we advertised the option, we received a few phone calls from parents concerned that their student would receive a roommate who did not match their biological sex, ” Koenig said “After explaining that students need to opt into the Open Housing policy, concerns de-escalated ” Kylee Farabaugh ’19 and Shane Eccleston ’19 demonstrate that the new policy could work with careful planning After Farabaugh’s fall semester roommate moved into a sorority house and Eccleston’s roommate became an R A , they asked for permission from the housing department and the other female members in the suite in Just About Music and moved in together

“Last year, I was always over at her room so it only made sense that we roomed together,” Eccleston said “It’s about setting clear boundaries and following them ” Both emphasized the importance of having a steady friendship if such a move is to take place

“I would not recommend this move to any person who is at Cornell for the first semester It works for me and Kylee because we already have that established mutual respect, ” Eccleston said

Despite concerns, the gender neutral housing policy certainly allows for debate as to what type of housing is best for all students on campus “Some people will feel comfortable and some will not with this new policy,” Udebiuwa said “I think it’s important that we open the discussion and make sure every person feels comfortable ”

Neetu Chandak can be reached at nchandak@cornellsun com

LOUIS LIU 18

Business Manager

PAULINA GLASS ’18

Associate Editor

RYAN TORRIE ’17

Web Editor

SOPHIA DENG ’19

Blogs Editor

BRIAN LAPLACA ’18

Design Editor

JOSEPHINE CHU 18

News Editor

DIVYANSHA SEHGAL ’18

Science Editor

TROY SHERMAN 18

Arts & Entertainment Editor

STEPHANIE YAN ’18

Assistant News Editor

SHAN DHALIWAL ’18

Assistant Sports Editor

ZACHARY SILVER 19

Assistant Sports Editor

BRITTNEY CHEW ’17

Assistant Photography Editor

SIERRA RINALDI ’18

Human Resources Manager

Independent Since 1880 134TH EDITORIAL BOARD

SOFIA HU ’17 Editor in Chief

PHOEBE KELLER 18

Managing Editor

JORDAN EPSTEIN ’18

Advertising Manager

ADAM BRONFIN ’18 Sports Editor

CAMERON POLLACK ’18

Photography Editor

MELODY LI ’17 Design Editor

YUN SOO KIM ’17 News Editor

JOSH GIRSKY ’19 News Editor

SHAY COLLINS 18 Arts & Entertainment Editor

MADELINE COHEN ’18

Assistant News Editor

JACK KANTOR ’19

Assistant Sports Editor

EMILY JONES 18 Dining Editor

SUZY PARK ’18 Video Editor

MEGAN LEE ’18

Marketing Manager

WORKING ON TODAY’S SUN

DESIGN EDITOR Brian LaPlaca ’18

EDITORS IN TRAINING

EDITOR IN CHIEF Sophia Deng 19 MANAGING EDITOR Josh Girsky 19

NEWS DESKERS Alisha Gupta 20 John Yoon ’20

SPORTS DESKER Zachary Silver ’19

ARTS DESKER Lorenzo Benitez 19 Nathan Chazan 19 PHOTO DESKER Cameron Pollack 18

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling

William Wang | Willpower

The Seven Degrees Of Cornell

“Hey, Adrian?”“Yeah?”I’ve stopped in my tracks now, and I’m

l o o k i n g b a c k a t t h e A r t s

Quad It’s a typical Monday afternoon during dr y December, and the streams of people flooding into the center of the school has gotten me doing mathematical gymnastics in my head

“How many people did you say were at Cornell?”

He pauses for a second

“21,000, I think, if you count grads and professors ”

I cock back my head in surprise: no seriously?

But he was right In terms of breathing, functional human beings on Cornell, there are around 21,000 here daily And based on simple mathematics and a reasonable social life, you might be lucky to meet just five percent of them during a typical four years stay here

“C’mon man I don’t want to waste time here We got a program assignment due soon ”

And that was that * * *

I still couldn’t believe it when Narhee Kim showed up one day during my high school accounting class, sporting a Cornell 2020 shirt that matched exactly mine

“Narhee, you ’ re going to Cornell too?”

“Yep!”

I asked what major she was pursuing

“Ap p l i e d E c o n o m i c s a n d Ma n a g e -

ment ”

My jaw dropped That was my major I didn’t believe it What were the odds of a high school sending two kids from the same class into the same school, same major? Later, because I gotten in early decision, and her regular decision, I’d make the joke that she followed me here, and that she’d probably follow me into our new jobs after graduation She didn’t like that idea one bit

* * *

Narhee wasn ’ t my only connection back from high school There’s Nicole, who rows at a top 30 pace for crew in her age group She does animal science, and her concentration?

Sharks

Yowza I still can ’ t believe someone would want to work with sharks ever y day, but maybe I’ve watched too many Jaws movies They’re quite harmless, she pleads “Did you know that toasters kill more people each year than sharks?”

How?

“People put their forks into them, and they electrocute you ”

Ah That makes more sense And in terms of human nature, it sounds about right Sometimes, stupidity is more lethal t h a n m o t h e r ’ s n a t u re ’ s t o p - o f - t h e - l i n e killing machine

And then there’s Olivia, who doesn’t like to be called short She’s a plant major by day, badminton zealot by night She spends four hours each day at Cornell’s Helen Newman gym, playing Badminton with the Badminton club, getting tutelage from her mentor, Alex Sometimes, I stop by and ask her how it’s going She gives me a quick thumbs up, a cursor y glance and resumes playing She’s determined, despite her disadvantageous height, to play badminton for the French Olympic badminton team, as she’s a French citizen I’d tell her if she’s game for 2020, I’d fly to Tokyo to just watch her play She laughs it off, but I can tell she’s serious Anything’s possible

* * *

Emily’s wired the same She wants to be a doctor, and God help anyone who gets in

her way She’s taking 20 credits, and has gotten a mountain of homework to do Sometimes, we watch the Simpsons when we ’ re down, but then it’s right back to work She wants to get an M D -Ph D (“it saves money that way”), and I’m not sure she’ll settle for less The jokes about Asian doctors write themselves, but I think it misses the point: it’s not automatic, it’s not given Being Asian doesn’t make it any easier She’s competing against the top one percent in the world for the top one percent profession in America People today in this countr y are too eager to write off elites as out of touch, but they don’t see the work that gets them there

One day, she sends me a snapchat An “A-” is written in chalk on the sidewalk next to Balch Her caption?

The Horror I sigh That’s so Emily * * *

Bu t i f Ol i v i

focused on one idea, Michelle’s a kaleidoscopic She’s a pre-med and AEM double major, certain she can manage both She has her own YouTube channel, and “it’s going to make us famous!” She’s obsessed w i t h K - d r a m a , e l e c t r o n i c m u s i c , a n d grades She’s got a million things on her mind, running faster than the speed of light

In the middle of our spreadsheet modeling assignment, she gets a bit impatient when we trip up on a problem She’s got 22 credits to deal with, and two jobs She’s on the edge of her seat

“ William, I gotta do this, this, this and this ”

Some people want one thing in life She wants it all

* * *

Yet it’s hard to stay impressed with one person Cornell has a funny way of making the spectacular seem normal And in this final instance it’s Div, my suitemate from the India He talks in a rushed, garbled hush, but it’s deceiving His mind is a weapon of mass creation He spends his days programming code with jargon that looks like Sanskrit Sometimes I get curious and knock on his door

“Div?”

“Yeah?”

“ What’s up man?”

He shows me his code for the advanced C S class he’s taking It sprawls and collapses in various blocks, as it looks like the tumbling green code from The Matrix He’s programmed an evolutionar y game, where users simulate a natural ecology system for animals (“Critters”) that eat each other The animal left standing at the end move on to the next round, and gain strength points The game can be played on multiple laptops, as it’s hooked up to the Wi-Fi ser ver It’s a relatively small game, but the code is mind bogglingly complex

Just today, I stopped by his dorm for another chat I give the procedural, “ What’s up?”

He shrugs, rubs his hands in as if he’s cold, and smiles sheepishly

“ Pre p a r i n g f o r a n i n t e r v i e w w i t h Facebook,” he replies, casually

All I can do is laugh I’m not even surprised at this point The mantra, “it’s who you know, not what you know,” has never been truer

And I can ’ t wait until I know all 21,000 people

William Wang is a freshman in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences He may be reached at wwang@cornellsun com Willpower appears alternate Mondays this semester

To Whom I Owe My Academic Wanderlust

No one other than James Baldwin could have ever hoped to deliver a proper eulogy to James Baldwin, but I find it incredibly ironic that my namesake ended up accepting the mantle

Amiri Baraka was an embattled and deeply flawed artist, and in reading his work, I have often found myself rapidly vacillating between vehement disapproval and mesmerized admiration What he had to say about the man I aspire towards, though, falls in neither category

“Jimmy Baldwin [created contemporary American speech] so we could speak to each other at unimaginable intensities of feeling, so we could make sense to each other at higher and higher tempos, ” wrote Baraka

For most anyone else, words like these would serve as poetic and profound excerpts from a worthy homage However, when it comes to Baldwin, facsimiles of his impact are impossible and tributes to his greatness are useless Those who love Baldwin are much better off encouraging people to read his essays, experience his novels, watch his interviews and listen to his speeches The act of doing so is far more important than hearing what others have to say; you must meet the man for yourself Director Raoul Peck understood this well, which is why his film about Baldwin, I Am Not Your Negro, is comprised entirely of the esteemed storyteller’s own words In doing so, Peck has continued the great tradition of providing the artist with life after death I recently attended a showing of the film at Cornell Cinema, as well

as the faculty-led post-screening panel discussion that took place afterwards I nodded as Dr Woubshet elegantly described the vacuum left by the film’s almost complete omission of Baldwin’s sexuality; reflected on Dr Sheppard’s thoughtful deconstruction of laughter as a mechanism for absorbing traumatic art; and reveled in Dr Gaines’ deceptively calm commentary on Baldwin’s evisceration of white supremacy But one moment in particular struck me with a kind of cynical wonder and vulnerability: Dr Rickford’s final soliloquy I cannot do the message justice here, but suffice it to say that Professor Rickford was unflinching in his criticisms of the ways in which those entrenched in these bastions of elitism often cower at power under the guise, crucially, of challenging it

Hearing this, I couldn’t help but wonder how many times Dr Rickford and his peers had made such impassioned pleas to the apathetic masses Even now, I wonder just how much the indomitable will of the honed intellectual can take before yielding to the fatigue caused by yet another bout of rapturous applause followed swiftly by meaningless, self-congratulatory gestures More bluntly, there is something disturbing about the sensual relationship that supposedly intellectual types seem to have with violence, fear and history I am especially incensed by the way my white

peers often flock, in droves, towards the next box to check on their own journey of enlightenment a false enlightenment built on the idea that such displays of perceived progressivism will in and of themselves erode the rigid encasements of society ’ s ills These monotonous actions of good faith are like breaking free from a chain-laden monolith, only to hover in uncertainty above those who remain entrapped But the damage will not be undone by such inertia

I write this even as I challenge my own hypocrisy After all, I sometimes

to me again My family, people, culture and history are all right there; they are my truth, and this nation’s too

feel as if every second spent writing from the peace of my bedroom buries me deeper in the pretension and pedagogy that preoccupies the privileged few black and brown folks who can afford to do so I too have accomplished nothing, really, beyond the acquisition of knowledge and the expulsion of thought Yet I’d like to believe I'm entering certain spaces with a level of deserved entitlement to engage there It’s so layered and abstract that it almost replicates the same dynamics of pretension that I’m seeking to critique This is why I gain so much from being, quite literally, “in the shit” when I go back home to Atlanta: because the world becomes concrete

Still, I too can succumb to the intoxicating allure of my current circumstances and forget why I am writing, forget the limitations of my writings While listening to Rickford speak, I began to think about how it was that my hubris could have grown so bloated and lethargic and useless I do believe the line between a piece of art for the sake of flexing one ’ s own muscles and a piece of art for the sake of exacting change is difficult to toe, and I’ve certainly ventured into the territory of the f o r m e r m o r e often than I’d like to admit Baldwin certainly recognized the perils of his role, yet he always seemed to chose, with unmatched discernment, the most perfect construction of language He had an almost preternatural sense for the dimensions of words, exerting his agency over them without beating you over the head with his vocabulary

All of this being said, I must confess my debts to this institution, without which my own awakening may have been delayed or dampened After all, I was not born in the year 2000, and so the Black Lives Matter movement did not coincide with my formative years If that had been the case, the white supremacists

Narayan Reddy | Reddy Set Go

Everyonerallying in Atlanta after Dylan Roof ’ s act of terror would not have seemed so bizarre to me and my beloved city, so overwhelmingly black and beautiful and bold, would not have seemed so untouchable to me So I have a peculiar relationship with places like Cornell, because I recognize that I needed the torturous times of freshman year the agony of allowing the world’s view of my blackness to dictate my own perception in order to unshackle myself I know, furthermore, that every second spent here has allowed me to see realities of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, ability among others, that I never imagined or conceived of as a child

And so, now, I must begrudgingly state that being here has helped me become this version of Amiri Banks: Someone who cannot be told anything about himself from a history book, news article, song, film, mouth, pen or any other orifice ever again without meeting that knowledge with skepticism, criticism and weariness; someone who cannot be looked down upon ever again; someone who relishes his opportunities to tell people what’s really good

On that note, consider yourself lucky that I’m out of space today, because I was just getting started I hadn’t even begun to dig into the real issues at hand yet, but rest assured that I will I suppose this means that I’ll have to wait two weeks to pick up where I left off, so stay tuned

Amiri Banks is a junior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences He may be reached at abanks@cornellsun com Honest A B appears alternate Mondays this semester

Why Affrmative Action Is Necessary

has dreams, and a college degree has always been seen as a crucial means to reaching them As a result, more people than ever are trying to obtain higher education, and they have good reason to believe that the quality and prestige of the college they attend can have a significant impact on the quality and prestige of the work they do after graduation Controversy arises when it’s deemed that certain groups of people have an unfair advantage in the admissions process I have listened to engineers male engineers lament the school’s allegedly lower standards for female applicants They had to work extremely hard to gain acceptance to Cornell’s engineering program, while others, they claim, just “walked in” because they “have vaginas ” Despite the misogyny conveyed by this language, unqualified girls in engineering are the least of our concerns, when one considers the apparent injustice done when black and Latino applicants with credentials inferior to those of white applicants are given what those white applicants deem preferential treatment in college admissions Such a practice makes it easy to question the fairness of the affirmative action policy taken up by most universities in the United States

My opinion? Of course affirmative action would be a blatantly unjust practice if we lived in a perfect world It would be ridiculous to give anyone an edge if everyone started in the same place: if women weren ’ t systematically led away from pursuing STEM fields, or weren ’ t held in lesser regard than men; if Black and Latino people were treated in the same way white people are, and even if, in India, my parents ’ homeland, “untouchables” or people of the lower castes were afforded the same opportunities as people of higher, “cleaner” castes If all conditions were equal for these various groups, then yes, affirmative action would be unfair But such equalities remain

only hypotheticals We are far from attaining them, but affirmative action is a step in the right direction In track, a “staggered start ” gives the runners different starting lines to account for the length differences in each lane, in order to make the race fair Affirmative action is a protocol that attempts to equalize the distance each individual must cross in order to reach his or her goals, to offset hurdles like racism, sexism and p r e j u d i c e s that come in any other shape or form, the ind i s p u t a b l y real and unfair disadv a n t a g e s What some see as equality waning is actually privilege slipping, and society progressing towards a world closer to the ideals of equal opportunity

This metaphor isn’t perfect The track has each competitor run the exact same stretch, while affirmative action cannot enforce complete parity It is merely a buffer against institutional oppression that does and will for an indefinite time continue to have a profound impact on individual achievement That oppression is the real injustice, the one that rightly deserves more attention than the ongoing debate about affirmative action in college admissions The only thing truly concerning is the failure of opponents of the policy to recognize this

Especially concerning was a conversation in which I was discussing the ignorance surrounding affirmative action with a Latina friend, who spoke to her experience as a high school senior accepted to Cornell and shortly subjected to

interrogations about her true merits I was momentarily surprised to find out the interrogators were actually Asian-American, an instance of another view of the affirmative action debate: qualified Asian-Americans being denied admission to universities because of their race As an Asian-American, I think the argument is strewn with holes

Some affirmative action opponents advocate for socioeconomics as the variable attempting to control for s y s t e m i c o p p r e s s i o n H o w e v e r , distinct racial pasts indicate that race and i n c o m elevels are not separate but in fact deeply related The notion that rich white students are only interacting with rich white students on campus conflates the issues of racial diversity and income inequality among college students It also ignores that socioeconomic-based or race-based affirmative action is not mutually exclusive

The fact of the matter is, many AsianAmericans can trace their origins in America to parents or grandparents granted entry and decent employment in this country on account of their advanced degrees This history is especially apparent for those who have children vying for spots in selective universities Black and Latino families in general have a different one African-Americans can trace their American roots back to slavery, and many in the Latino-American community have and continue to be held down by the hardships of being undocumented in this country despite their

indigenous, ancient American history Even with centuries of social progress in America, both groups also have thorough experience with the centuries of ongoing inequality This is just one comparison that explains the “model minority,” a stereotype grounding the argument Asian-Americans have made in explaining the unfairness of the affirmative action policy in relation to their community It is one that reflexively pits minorities against minorities, with defendants targeting black and Latino student demographics which often only make up five to fifteen percent of the college population while white students, some of whom are also allied against affirmative action, can make up 65 to 75 percent

A case can definitely be made for more Asian-Americans in American universities, but by joining the tired offense against other underrepresented minorities, we fail to recognize the bigger picture To some extent, AsianAmericans who cite their higher GPAs and SAT scores as undeniable proof of racial injustice overlook the values of holistic admissions and plays into the stereotypes of being industrious machines poring over numbers and statistics Good for studying but not much else, including creative and leadership positions

It shouldn’t be surprising that affirmative action can actually be a stereotype-maintaining force in some instances It is a system that wasn ’ t created for us, for minorities, and does reflect a larger injustice However, it is necessary in terms of its value as an acknowledgment of that injustice; setting the stage for serious policies that use its potential to make sure we may live in a world where head starts will become unnecessary

Narayan Reddy is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences He can be reached at nreddy@cornellsun com Reddy Set Go appears alternating Mondays this semester

2 0 9 9

This week we have a sobering bit of dystopian fiction that reflects, quite conspicuously, on our modern day Enjoy, but don’t take for granted Send submissions for Sun Story Sunday to Andres Vaamonde, alv49@cornell edu

2 5 JA NUARY 2 09 9

Ramona is getting an infant She told Mother, Father, Alexander and I tonight at dinner, as we sat around our dining room table, eating our meal of chicken breast and brown rice and broccoli florets

We’d been discussing our days, and Xander who was visiting from Subdivison Nineteen on a business trip from the Technology Sector was asking Mother objectively uninteresting questions about the new bot system that they’d implemented at her job in the Government Sector Mother was saying, “they’re just so quick and reliable, and they get more work done in an hour than most human employees can get done in two weeks ”

I’d zoned out at this point, but I remember thinking that Ramona hadn’t even really waited for a lull in the conversation before blurting out her news: “Grady and I are getting an infant,” she’d said, her eyes glued to her plate, but her food still untouched Her voice was awkwardly loud and I noticed that it wavered ever so slightly

The four of us just looked at her

G25, our kitchen bot, came out from the kitchen then and refilled all of our water glasses, making sure to add a spritz of lemon to Mother’s cup “What?” Father asked

We watched as Ramona chewed on her lower lip, a habit that I’d picked up from her over the years, and one that Mother hated more than anything “We’ve been thinking about it for a long time,” Ramona said, “and I’m almost in my Twenty-Second Year We just think that it’s time ”

“But, Ramona, you know what this means, ” Mother said As always, I had no idea what she was feeling in response to the big announcement

Either way, what she’d said was pointless because of course, we all knew what it meant: Ramona wanted to get an infant She wanted to visit the Lab with her fiancé Grady and sit down with a Pre-Infant Counselor, who would guide them through the entire process: the Gene Selection, the Infant Designing, the In Vitro fertilization, the parenting therapy, and the nine months of Ramona’s pregnancy

“Of course I do,” my older sister had replied, interrupting my thoughts She’d finally looked up to meet our parents ’ gazes “But I’m ready We’re ready ” “Oh, Ramona ” Mother reached out and touched Ramona’s hand There was a smile in her eyes “Congratulations! Really ” Finally, her older daughter was making something of herself by settling down and starting a family something Mother always said Ramona was made to do “I’m so proud of you, ” my mom continued She reached for her glass of water and took a sip, but not before adding, “I’ll be even prouder when you stop chewing on that lip of yours ” 1 7 FEB RUARY 2 09 9

It’s been a few weeks since Ramona’s big announcement, but it was still all my family seemed able to talk about; “How do you like your Counselor?” Xander asked from his seat across the table this morning He blew air onto a steaming spoonful of oats

We were all seated around the breakfast table Xander still with us as he continued his work for his Sector project and Ramona had just mentioned something about an appointment the week before She smiled now “We like him a lot Grady and I were so nervous going into the Lab, but Dr Carter was so empathetic and easy to talk to and gave us a ton of information ” Her smile looked like it was going to crack her face in half; I tried not to roll my eyes

“Yeah?” Xander prompted “Information like what?”

“A lot of background information, mostly stuff that we already knew, but we just needed to hear again Then we scheduled our Gene Selection appointment for next Monday ” Mother chimed in “Tell Alexander what kind of infant you two are thinking of,” she pushed

This time, my self-control wavered and I allowed myself a quick eye-roll; if I had to hear about Ramona’s baby any more than I already had during the past few weeks, I was going to implode

“Well, Grady wants a Male, and I think he’s succeeded in convincing me ” Ramona’s grin was still plastered to her pale white face, and I looked at the food I was shoveling into my mouth so that I didn’t have to see the disgustingly sweet smile any longer than I needed to “We both want him to be at least a Level 8 Intellect with Musical Inclinations, and probably Predisposition to end up in the Entertainment Sector Tall he has to be tall and blonde hair is preferable since he’ll be a performer We’re stuck between brown and green eyes, but I think I can convince Grady to let him have brown eyes, since that’s such a stark look, you know?”

Ramona continued to babble on about the different traits that she wanted her infant to posses when he was born, but I tuned her out and pushed my spinach salad aside, serving myself another slice of cake

But as soon as I did, my Watch began beeping wildly: a warning that I was reaching my Calorie Limit for the day With the cake knife still in hand, I glanced up from the platter to see Mother glaring at me, daring me to take a bite

I didn’t

Instead, I joined Father on his nightly four-mile run that evening, while Mother, Father, Ramona, and Xander drank hot tea in the living room and finished their conversation about the dream baby that my sister and Grady were designing

9 M AY 20 99

At school today, students in their Seventeenth Year took the Projective Sector Qualification Tests Marshall, my neighbor and best friend of several years caught the Grav-Train back to our Subdivision, Marshall talking about the exam the whole time

“I think I only missed one or two questions,” He was saying His almond-shaped, honey-colored eyes were bright with excitement

This story continues online at cornellsun com

Ore Afon is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences

Comm en t of the day

“Student Assembly Narrowly

Ara Hagopian | Whiny Liberal

Democracy, Morality and Hookup Culture

e op l e y o u d o n ’ t c a r e a b o u t ? ” I

w a s o n e o f t h e f e w w h o w e n t t o t h e “ n o ” s i d e

A s a f o l l o w - u p e x e r c i s e , o n e p e r s o n f r o m e a c h s i d e w a s a s k e d t o s h a r e t h e r e as o n i n g t h a t l e d t o t h e i r a n s w e r T h e “ y e s ” r e p r es e n t a t i v e s p o k e p r im a r i l y a b o u t c o n s eq u e n c e S h e m o r e o r l e s s s a i d t h a t i f t w o p e o p l e c a n b e m a t u r e a n d e f f e c t i v e l y c o m m u n i c a t e t h e i r e x p e c t a t i o n s , t h e r e ’ s n o r e a s o n w h y t h e y s h o u l d n ’ t e n g a g e i n a m u t u a l l y p l e as u r a b l e a c t T h e f o l l o w i n g i s a p a r a p h r a s e d v e r s i o n o f m y r e b u t t a l a s d e l e g a t e o f t h e “ n o ” s i d e “ I t h i n k w e h a v e t o h o l d s e x u a l a c t s t o t h e s a m e s t a nd a r d t o w h i c h w e h o l d e v e r yt h i n g e l s e I f I m a k e a j o k e a t y o u r e x p e n s e a j o k e , s a y, a b o u t r a c e o r a s i m i l a r l y t o u c h y s u b j e c t y o u m i g h t f i n d i t f u n n y We m i g h t j u s t e n d u p a s t w o m a t u r e a d u l t s e n j o y i n g t h e m u t u a l l y p l e as u r a b l e e x p e r i e n c e o f l a u g ht e r A n d y e t s o c i e t y g e n e r a l l y d i s c o u r a g e s j o k e s a t t h e e x p e n s e o f o t h e r s , e s p e c i a l l y w h e n t h e y d e a l w i t h d e l i c a t e i s s u e s s u c h a s r a c e S e x u a l i t y i s a d e l i c a t e i s s u e , a n d i t s h o u l d b e h e l d t o t h e s a m e s t a n d a r d ” F o r n i c a t i o n i s m u c h m o r e a n a l o g o u s t o o f f - c o l o r h u m o r t h a n o n e m i g h t t h i n k I ’ m s u r e I d o n ’ t h a v e t o c o n v i n c e a n y o n e t h a t c a s u a l s e x e v e n c a s u a l s e x w i t h c l e a r l y d e f i n e d e x p e c t at i o n s a n d p a r a m e t e r s c a n l e a d t o h u r t f e e l i n g s , d i s a pp o i n t m e n t a n d a n i m o s i t y S h o u l d w e n o t t r y t o m i n im i z e t h e r i s k o f o u r o w n a c t i o n s c a u s i n g a n o t h e r p e rs o n t h e s e n e g a t i v e e m o t i o n s ? Wo u l d t h a t n o t b e t h e r i g h t t h i n g t o d o ? It i s i m p o r t a n t t o r e c o gn i z e t h a t I h a v e b e e n s p e a ki n g o f a m o r a l i d e a l A n d m o r a l i d e a l s a r e t h i n g s t o b e k e p t f o r r e f e r e n c e , n o t a c h i e v e d o r e v e n s t r i v e n f o r No b o d y, i n c l u d i n g m y s e l f , i s i n a n y r u s h t o b e c o m e a b s t in e n t S e x i s s i m p l y t o o d e s i ra b l e B u t i f t h a t ’ s t h e c a s e , w h y b o t h e r m o r a l i z i n g a t a l l ? I b o t h e r b e c a u s e I t h i n k t h a t t h e m o r a l i t y o f h o o k - u p s h a s a g r e a t d e a l t o t e a c h u s a b o u t t h e n a t u r e o f m o r a l i t y a s a w h o l e T h e m o d e r n m o r a l c o ns c i o u s n e s s i s c h a r a c t e r i z e d b y f a i t h i n t h e p o w e r o f h u m a ni t y a n d , i t f o l l o w s , f a i t h i n t h e p o w e r o f t h e i n d i v i d u a l T h i s r e a l i t y i s a t l e a s t s o m ew h a t a t t r i b u t a b l e t o t h e w o r k o f I s a a c Ne w t o n T h i s w a s a m a n w h o i n v e n t e d c a lc u l u s , u s h e r e d i n m o d e r n s c i e n c e , a n d r e v o l u t i o n i z e d t h e w o r l d I s a a c ’ s a s m a r t c h a p , t h o u g h t h i s c o n t e m p or a r i e s M a y b e t h e h u m a n r a c e i s n ’ t s o h o p e l e s s a f t e r a l l M a y b e W E s h o u l d b e t h e a r b i t e r s o f o u r o w n d e s t i n y T h i s o p i n i o n l e d t o a n i n c r e a s e d e m p h a s i s o n s c i e nt i f i c i n q u i r y ( t h e n k n o w n a s n a t u r a l p h i l o s o p h y ) , b u t i t p e r v a d e d a l l r e a l m s o f e i g ht e e n t h a n d n i n e t e e n t h c e n t ur y t h o u g h t T h e s e x u a l r e v ol u t i o n i s a n a t u r a l b y p r o d u c t o f s u c h t h i n k i n g B u t t h e r e a r e s o m e m o r e s i g n i f i c a n t b y p r o d u c t s D e m o c r a c y, f o r i n s t a n c e I s u p p o s e t h e p o i n t o f t h i s a r t i c l e i s t h a t o n e s h o u l d n e v e r t a k e a m o r a l s o c i e t y f o r g r a n t e d I o n c e h a d a h i g h s c h o o l t e a c h e r t e l l m e t h a t m u r d e r i s o b j e c t i v e l y w r o n g a n d t h a t e v e r y s o c i e t y h a d a l w a y s t h o u g h t s o I p r o m p t l y b r o u g h t u p h u m a n s a c r i f i c e , a n d i n m y o p i n i o n I d i d n o t r e c e i v e a n a d e q u a t e r e p l y O b j e c t i v e m o r a l i t y s i m p l y d o e s n o t e x i s t It i s t h i s a m a t e u r p o l i t i c a l s c i e nt i s t ’ s v i e w t h a t d e m o cr a c y i s o n s o m e t h i n g o f a d e c l i n e E v e r y p o l l s a y s t h e s a m e t h i n g A m e r i c a n s a r e d i s s a t i s f i e d w i t h g o v e r nm e n t D o n ’ t t h i n k f o r o n e s e c o n d t h a t h u m a n i t y h a s c o m e s o f a r a s t o b e i m m u n e t o a n o t h e r d a r k a g e s It h a s b e f o r e a n d i t w i l l a g a i n Ne x t t i m e y o u a r e c o mp e l l e d t o s a y s o m e t h i n g a k i n t o , “ Ye s , Gr a n d m a , m y f r i e n d i s g a y a n d i t s h o u l d n ’ t m a t t e r It ’ s 2 0 1 7 , ” s a y s o m e t h i n g m o r e l i k e “ Ye s , Gr a n d m a , m y f r i e n d i s g a y a n d h u m a n b e i n g s a r e e n d o w e d w i t h c e r t a i n u n iv e r s a l r i g h t s , o n e o f w h i c h i s t h e r i g h t t o l o v e w h o m e ve r t h e y c h o o s e ” B e c a u s e e v e n i f y o u d i s a g r

I s u p p o s e t h e p o i n t o f t h i s a r t i c l e

i s t h a t o n e s h o u l d n e v e r t a k e a m o r a l

s o c i e t y f o r g r a n t e d

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Everything St il l Awesome in LEGO Batman Movie

BY DAVID GOULDTHORPE Sun Staff Writer

Remember in 2014, when The LEGO Movie neared its release date and many of us were ready to laugh and ridicule it? Things sure have changed since then The LEGO Batman Movie has been on my radar since the first teaser dropped early last year, and I’ve been hotly anticipating it all this time It’s also the first major animated release of the year, and after more than a month of downtime, I’m happy to finally put my revie wer hat back on My happiness is doubled by the fact that I get to kick off my revie ws with such a delightful movie And sure enough, LEGO Batman, directed by Chris McKay, gives us a fast-paced delight that expands on its predecessor and delivers even more thrills and laughs

The LEGO Batman Movie stars Batman (of course), voiced by Will Arnett, reprising his role from 2014, and he’s just as boastful and self-parodying as ever He lives the bachelor’s life, he’s the sole hero of Gotham City, he has a massive mansion all to himself and he’s content with that However, his life begins to cr umble when his butler, Alfred (Ralph Fiennes), demands that he star t taking responsibility for his own well-being The issue is fur ther exacerbated when the ne w c

Gotham In addition, Batman ends up accidentally adopting an excitable boy named Dick Grayson (Michael Cera), saddling him with the monumental task of balancing his alter-ego with the responsibilities of parenthood And if that wasn ’ t enough, the Joker (Zach Galifianakis) has a secret plan for revenge after he finds out he’s not Batman’s

number one enemy Add all these elements together, and we get a mad adventure that ends up being not only Gotham’s weirdest and most dire hour, but also a wake-up call to Batman that his per fect life may not have been so per fect after all

Now, I do want to star t with my criticism The weakest par t of the movie is its pacing: the opening hits the ground r unning and is mayhem and chaos for about ten minutes

Then it suddenly slows down or more appropriately, hits the brakes Now the speed does slow down for a reason: it contrasts the hectic life of Batman on the streets against his lonely home life It just feels so sharp and jarring that it makes the jokes in this segment feel like they come too slowly Plus, there are a couple of scenes that I thought were the “belly of the beast” moment, where the hero faces the greatest peril, only to find out we

weren ’ t there yet It’s not a movie-breaking problem, but it definitely keeps it shy of a per fect score

That negativity out of the way this is a fun movie This is a ver y fun movie While there are some problems with pacing, it still works smoothly enough to keep the film moving for ward Oh, and the humor the film has a ver y high gag-to-laugh ratio, and you’ll get all kinds of jokes here In fact one of my favorite jokes is still making me chuckle aloud as I m writing this As is appropriate for a project titled The LEGO Batman Movie, the source of a lot of the best gags comes from the Batman lore itself Remember that ridiculous bat-shark repellent? You can bet that LEGO Batman does, and he also thinks it’s ridiculous The movie both pays tribute to the beloved Dark Knight trilogy and takes a jab at the ridiculed Batman and Robin It even takes

a

Super man and Suicide Squad (it’s so nice to see a studio willing to make fun of itself ) In shor t, it celebrates ever ything cool about Batman and laughs at ever ything ridiculous about Batman

A lot of the humor comes from the supporting characters as well Dick Grayson is the starry-eyed orphan who’s just happy to be along for the ride, eager to make his new dad proud Alfred is Batman’s surrogate father, tired of his nonsense and trying to read up on how to deal with unruly children Barbara Gordon is a nononsense commissioner who recognizes the good work her dad accomplished with Batman, but still wants to return to law and order without the aid of vigilantes The Joker he just wants to be recognized as Batman’s number one bad guy, in a laugh-inducing reverse bromance: “You never ONCE said ‘Joker, I hate you!’” The way they bounce off each other creates not only great laughs, though, it also creates real heart Just like The LEGO Movie, roaring good comedy is combined with effective pathos to create a story that’s not only fun, but heartwarming, too

Warner Animation Group has a lot more LEGO movies planned In fact, we got a trailer before the movie for The LEGO Ninjago Movie I do feel concerned that they could get burned out from making so many LEGO movies, but so far, they don’t show any signs o f l o

LEGO Batman’s neck of the woods at least So, go get yourself and the family together to see The LEGO Batman Movie, and make your day a little more awesome

David Gouldthorpe is a junior in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations He can be reached at djg284@cornell edu

a l s n o b s f e e l f re e t o ro l l yo u r e ye s ) a n d e n d e d w i t h t h e d e s i g n s o f Ma s t o d o n ’ s Bl o o d Mo u n t a i n p l a st e re d a c ro s s m y t o r s o I w o re t h e m f o r a l o t o f re a s o n s , s o m e o f w h i c h h a d

t o d o w i t h h ow m u c h I e n j oye d s n e e r i n g a t t h e c u t e l i tt l e m i d d l e s c h o o l e r s w h o we re we i rd e d o u t by m y f a s h -

i o n t a s t e Bu t f i r s t a n d f o re m o s t , I c a m e t o s c h o o l i n t h e s e m o r b i d c o t t o n n i g h t m a re s b e c a u s e I t h o u g h t t h e m u s i c w a s r a d a s h e l l I l ove d m e t a l l i k e n o t h i n g e l s e It

w a s t h e o n l y t h i n g I w a n t e d t o l i s t e n t o

Ne a r t h e e n d o f t h a t t i m e p e r i o d , w h e n m y i n n e r p o m p o u s a c a d e m i c w a s j u s t l e a r n i n g t o e x p re s s h i m s e l f, I b e c a m e a f o r m i d a b l e m e t a l n e rd I re a d u p o n m y h i st o r i e s , b row s e d t h e f o r u m s ( m e t a l f o r u m s t a k e t h e c a k e o n p e d a n t r y, s e c o n d o n l y p e r h a p s t o a n a l o g s y n t h e s i ze r g e e k s ) , re c i t e d t h e g e n re s a n d t h e s u b g e n re s I c o u l d t e l l yo u o r a t l e a s t I t h o u g h t I c o u l d t h e d i s t i n c t i o n s b e t we e n e ve r y d i f f e re n t k i n d o f m e t a l , s i p p i n g t h e s t o ne r a n d d o o m t e r ro i r o f Ne u ro s i s a n d El e c t r i c Wi z a rd l i k e i t w a s a f i n e w i n e My p re f e re n c e g ro u n d e d i t s e l f ve r y l i t t l e i n c e r t a i n m e t a l b a n d s ’ t a s t e f o r s h ow m a n s h i p, h i g h - e n d s p e e d a n d t h e f a n t a s t i c a l , a l t h o u g h I d i p p e d i n t o Be h e m o t h re c o rd s e ve r y n ow a n d t h e n It w a s m o re t h e r h y t h m s I c o u l d n ’ t g e t e n o u g h o f I w a s h y p n o t i ze d by t h e g ro ove s o n Bl a c k Sa b b a t h re c o rd s , w a n t i n g p re t t y m u c h t o l i ve i n Ge e ze r Bu t l e r ’ s o p e n i n g b a s s l i n e t o “ Wa r Pi g s ” I d u g Ky u s s a n d Sl e e p, E a r t h a n d Su n n 0 ) ) ) a l l t h e s l ow j a m s Obv i o u s l y, I d i d n ’ t s t a y t h a t w a y f o re ve r Ma s t o d o n ’ s Re m i s s i o n m a d e w a y f o r f a vo r i t e s o f o t h e r g e n re s l i k e De a t h Gr i p s ’ Ex m i l i t a r y , Ju s t i c e ’ s Cro s s o r St Vi n c e n t ’ s St ra n g e Me rc y I t

y a n d o p e n e d u p t o t h e p o s s i b i l i t y t h a t , m a y b e , w h a t I l i k e d a b o u t m e t a l c o u l d a l s o b e f o u n d i n o t h e r m u s i c T h a t w a s t o u g h a t f i r s t I d i d n ’ t w a n t s o f t n e s s a n d s e n t i m e n t a l i t y, n o t t o m e n t i o n I h a d a n a ï ve p re

i n

“ h i p p i e - d i p p i e ” Bu t I e ve n t u a l l y w a r m e d u p t o Su f j a n St e ve n s - e s q u e p re c i o u sn e s s a n d f r a g i l i t y, t h o u g h I ’l l b e d a m n e d i f i t d i d n ’ t t a k e m e a w h i l e A n d t h e e f f o r t s t i l l m i g h t n o t h a ve b e e n c o m p l e t e l y s u c c e s

m

i c w

n

d t h

t a l d i d t h i s i n s p a d e s Of c o u r s e , t h e s e f e e l i n

p e r m e a t e a l l t y p e s o f m u s i c W h a t m a d e m e t a l d i f f e re n t i n m y e ye s i s t h a t , l i k e t h e ve r y e x p e r i e n c e s o f a l i e n a t i o n a n d a n g e r, c o n f ro n t i n g m e t a l m a d e p e o p l e u n c o m f o r t a b l e It w a s l o u d a n d h a r s h a n d t e r r i f y i n g Bu t m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y, i t w a s n ’ t b e a u t i f u l By p o p u l a r s t a n d a rd s i t w a s u g l y a n d a b j e c t , a n d i t re j o i c e d i n t h a t T h a t , I s u p p o s e , w a s m e t a l ’ s g r e a t e s t p o l i t i c a l s t re n g t h It j o l t e d yo u o u t o f t h e t y p i c a l s o n g a n d d a n c e o n t h e r a d i o t h a t c r a d l e d yo u i n t o a s t e a d y s l e e p o f i n s ec u r i t y a n d b o re d o m It b l a s t e d yo u a w a k e a n d t h re w yo u i n t o g l o b a l t e e t h - g n a s h i n g T h e w o r l d , w h i c h we ’ ve l e a r n e d i s o f t e n m o re v i o l e n t a n d d i s s o n a n t t h a n a n y m u s i c c o u l d e ve r b e , c a n s u r p r i s i n g l y b e c o m e e a s i e r t o

d e a l w i t h a f t e r t h a t Di s c u s s i o n s o f t h e p o l i t i c s i n vo l ve d i n m u s i c h a ve b e c o m e t h e h o t t e s t o f h o t t o p i c s n ow a d a y s Ge o r g i a Te c h i s t e a c h i n g a s o c i a l - j u s t i c e c l a s s o n t r a p m u s i c In d i e f a n s a re o n l y re c e n t l y c o m i n g t o t e r m s w i t h t h e i d e a t h a t t h e i r m u s i c m i g h t ’ ve b e e n m a d e t o s e l l i Po d s t o m i d d l e c l a s s w h i t e p e o p l e A m b i e n t m u s i c , u n s u rp r i s i n g l y, h a s f i n a l l y b e e n o u t e d a s a t o t a l i n s u f f e r a b l e d u d e f e s t L i s t e n e r s , i t s e e m s , a re s t a r t i n g t o re a l i ze t h e d e e p l y i n t e n s e c o n n e c t i o n b e t we e n m u s i c ’ s a e s t h e t i c c h o i c e s a n d t h e v a r i o u s s o c i a l b i a s e s t h a t f a c t o r i n t o m a k i n g t h o s e c h o i c e s C e r t a i n l y, c l a s s , r a c e a n d g e n d e r f a c t o r s t ro n g l y i n t o t h a t f o r m u l a Bu t we c a n a l s o l o o k a t w h y c e r t a i n m u s i c d i s t u r b s , a g i t a t e s , d i sg u s t s o r e n g ro s s e s u s W h a t d o we t a k e a w a y f ro m a m u s i c w h i c h m a k e s re j e c t i o n a n d d e a t h i t s v i r t u e s ? T h e s e n e w d i s c u s s i o n s h a ve d e f in i t e l y a f f e c t e d m y ow n u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h e o r i g i n s o f m y t a s t e i n m u s i c Ma y b e I t h o u g h t i t w a s j u s t t h e g ro ove s I e n j oye d Ma y b e I a l s o e n j oye d t h e a t t i t u d e w h i c h f o u n d p owe r i n we i rd n e s s a n d h o p e l e s s n e s s Ma y b e t h e n o i s e s m a d e m e t h i n k a n d f e e l o n a w i d e r s c o p e t h a n I p re v i o u s l y h a d b e l i e ve d

Jonvi Rollins

Establishing an identity is one of the most vital par ts of being a rapper Unlike cer tain pop ar tists, who can attain fame simply by having a well-produced beat and catchy lyrics that they may not have written, rappers typically need to connect to their listeners through their personalities and the messages that they convey This isn’t to say that pop music is an easier genre to succeed in, but rather that rap, stemming from its creation by oppressed people rebelling against systems of racism and pover ty, has always emphasized the impor tance of the voice Through absorbing a rapper ’ s words, the audience can star t to piece together a preliminar y mental image of who the ar tist is and subsequently relate their own experiences to this identity Not all personas that rappers give off have to be real, and not all messages conveyed have to have moral substance in order for the commercial success to be gained We’ve all probably heard of songs that solely focus on how many dollar bills one can throw into the air or about how a car resembles a panda When a rapper actually chooses to speak about real material, while also showcasing their talent on the mic, they the leap from a status of mediocrity to actually being ‘good’ Big Sean finally takes the definitive step into the ne w class of ‘good’ rappers with his release of I Decided

The album begins with an insightful intro that sets up the concept for the rest of the work The track features a conversation between J R Starr and God, in which the former claims “I feel like I ble w it with my family, with her, these kids around me don’t have no

one to look up to ” Even though Sean is not speaking, he makes himself vulnerable by admitting to his flawed past and his desire to come to peace with his

through the next track “Light” delves deeper into Sean’s feelings about himself He somberly claims “Spent my whole life tr yna find the light at the end of the tunnel/I should have realized it was inside,” before Jeremih smoothly sings the hook

Big Sean doubles down on his r umination about himself in the suggestively titled tracks “Jump Out

Balcony ” His fear of not being able to tr uly accept his actions takes center stage as he explores his past decisions and attempts to accept what he’s done The dismal lyrics and the drab beats bring Sean’s emotional conflict to center stage On “Hanging Halfway Off The Balcony”, he remarks “I’m hangin’ halfway off the balcony/Over thinkin’ ‘ cause my job is way more than a salar y/Ever ything around me gold like I just

“Sunday Morning Jetpack” and “Inspire Me”, in which he delves into his love and appreciation for both his mother and grandmother, excellently deliver the cr ux of the album’s message However, amidst I Decided‘ s abundance of hear twarming and self-questioning lyrics, there is still room for Sean to rap about less substantial things “Moves” and “Bounce Back,” while sounding like they could fit seamlessly into Drake’s What a Time To Be Alive mixtape, showcase Sean’s ability to craft catchy, confidence-inspiring

tunes

The most controversial track on the album by far is “No Favors,” which has already caused a member of a Canadian women ’ s rights group to advocate for the arrest of the featured ar tist, Eminem The Detroit rapper takes his explicit routine to a deeper level when he says “Fuck Ann Coulter with a Klan poster ” , “ Your man don’t want it, Tr ump ’ s a bitch/I’ll make his whole brand go under,” and “It may be disturbing, what I’m saying’s cringe wor thy/But I’m urinating on Fergie ” Still, despite the vulgarity, the track provides one of the best listening experiences from the entire album due to its match of Sean’s seriousness and Eminem’s high level of absurdity

By no means was Sean an untalented rapper before his latest release, he just lacked the sense of self that allows a rap ar tist to take the next step Even though he seemingly opened up in his prior release, Dark Sky Paradise, he didn’t delve into his state of being as he does in I Decided Whether it’s Kendrick Lamar and To Pimp A Butter fly or Biggie Smalls and Ready To Die, ever y good rapper has a piece of work that can wholly establish their identity for the audience In the end, Big Sean defines himself through self-scr utiny and self-acceptance in an intriguing and enter taining fashion, making I Decided one of the most interesting projects of the past year

Jonvi Rollins is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences He can be reached at djr277@cornell edu

Legion Flies Above Superhero Tropes

L e g i o n a l re a d y s e p a r a t e s i t s e l f f ro m other superhero shows through its use of a largely character-driven plotand departure from long-winded exposition The first episode takes its audience on a visually stunning journey as it diverges from typical s u p e r h e r o t r o p e s a n d c o m m i t s t o i t s unique style

The series follows the journey of David Haller (Dan Stevens), a young man being treated in a mental hospital after being diagnosed with schizophrenia and attempting suicide The causes of his illness are vague as he is also a mutant with telepathic a n d t e l e k i n e t i c p ow e r s W h i l e h e i s undoubtedly able to move things and cause serious damage with his mind, it is unclear whether the voices in his head are entirely hallucinations or if they are a result of his mind-reading abilities

During his time in the mental hospital, David Haller spends most of his time with Lenny (played brilliantly by Aubrey Plaza) until he meets Syd (Rachel Keller) who becomes his girlfriend Their relationship is complicated by Syd’s complete avoidance of human contact Syd is finally released from the mental hospital, but as she is leaving, David kisses her, causing them to switch bodies as a result of Syd’s mutant powers Over whelmed by David’s abilities, Syd kills Lenny and traps all the patients of t h e m e n t a l h o s p i t a l i n t h e i r r o o m s

Meanwhile, David leaves in Syd’s body, safe until their bodies switch again David is captured by the government and while he thinks that they’re interrogating him to find out what happened on the day of Lenny’s death, they monitor his powers, speculating that David may be the most

powerful mutant they know Ultimately Syd and two other mutants, who David saw at the hospital the day of the incident, break David out of the facility, leaving us to wonder where they go from here Legion stands out from other superhero shows in its narrative strength and unique tone Instead of

backstories, Legion p

emphasis on devel-

Da

his powers through his childhood and

mately ending up in a mental hospit a l T h

u i c k , mostly visual intro-

d

audience inside of David’s head, prov

the character and s

e s h ow from clunky explanations The show focuses on how David deals with the aftermath of his power ’ s destruction rather than the development of his powers, avoiding an extremely overused superhero trope This keeps the plot moving and human-focused While the character’s personalities have been shaped by their powers, they are not necessarily defining By giving David a diagnosis of schizophrenia, David’s struggle becomes more ambiguous and universal

than if he were dealing with a more stereotypical power Legion commits to a unique aesthetic and tone that mirrors David’s plight and brings its audience into David’s perspective The show has a trippy quality to it Ever ything about the sets, the costumes

and the music is slightly off-kilter, suggesting that the creators may not be showing the events exactly as they occurred, but rather through David’s perception of these events Legion excels through its effective use of ambiguity and uncertainty Because David has schizophrenia and cannot see the difference between reality and his delusions, we are shown the stor y through an unreliable narrator, and the show’s aesthet-

ic quality further emphasizes this vagueness The show constantly blurs the line of what is real and what is imagined It’s unclear to what extent the voices David hears and his skewed perception of reality is the result of his powers Some of the voices are likely the effect of his telepathic p ow e r s , a s Sy d appears to him in a vision explaining that she’s coming to rescue

Some of his visions, h ow

a re d e l usions of some sor

a r s t o David after her death, making it impossible for him to be reading her mind or receiving a message from her The use of ambiguity in stor ytelling moves away from a straight-

leaves much more to interpretation It also adds a layer of psy-

and thrill The audience, like David, can never be quite sure what is real

Legion’ s pilot is a strong start to a series with a lot of potential If Legion stays committed to its style and tone, it has the chance to rise to a higher tier than current superhero shows

Brynn Richter is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences She can be reached at ber65@cornell edu

1

26 A PARTMENT FOR R ENT

Four Bedroom on Eddy St

Eat in kitchen, access to washer/dryer Fully furnished Only $540 per person/month! Available 6/5/17

Certified Properties of TC Inc

607-273-1669 certifiedpropertiesinc com

26 A PARTMENT FOR R ENT

Collegetown

Collegetown

1234

Heart of Collegetown

From Small Town to National Champion

program like Cornell seemed out of reach

But then, “ out of nowhere Cornell comes knocking on my door, and I’m not going to lie to you I didn’t even know where Cornell was, ” he said Head coach Rob Koll and his associate Damion Hahn came to visit Dean and immediately hit it off with him and his family Koll invited Dean back to Ithaca for a tour of the school and the wrestling center, and the high school senior was not going to take a pass on that

“I was playing in a football game, and after it ended I literally walked into my car in my pads and we drove out there,” Dean said Dean who always valued academics fell in love with the school’s campus and was impressed by the wrestling team, so he knew Cornell was the place for him He committed right on the spot during that visit

“At Cornell, you get to wrestle at one of the best programs in the country, and you get to go to school at one of the best universities in the country, so that seemed like a clear win-win,” he said “Cornell definitely took a risk on me, but it worked out ”

Dean later learned why Cornell came to be interested in him

“The first time I saw Gabe was

“Cam took me in, and he really taught me how to be successful at the Division I level,” Dean said “ When you come into college, it doesn’t matter how good you were in high school, you ’ re going to get the crap kicked out of you, and Cam taught me how to deal with that ”

Dean’s grey shirt year got off to a rough start at an open tournament when he lost his first two matches and was eliminated He called his father and told him he wanted to give up the sport, but he was told he had to finish out the year and see what happened

“After that phone call, I figured if I have to finish this year, I’m gonna do the best that I can, ” Dean said “I worked as hard as I possibly could from that point on ”

Dean finished out the year with some limited success, but never won a tournament His goal as a freshman was simply to gain a spot on the team ’ s starting lineup

Donning the Carnelian And White

Upon arrival at Cornell, Dean defeated the then-current starter at 184 in practice to win the spot, and during the course of that season, he compiled a series of major upsets which put his name in the conversation of top wrestlers in the nation

He won the esteemed Cliff

in the same day, but he overcame it and went on to finish the year 432, never losing again en route to his first NCAA championship Dean won nearly every accolade you could that season, but remembers that year for its difficulties, rather than its bright spots

“My whole sophomore year was tough for me, ” he said “My values were in the wrong place I valued winning way too much It was probably the longest, most stressful year of my life ”

However, he still remembers some of his better moments, particularly his first win

“Winning the first one was awesome It was truly a surreal moment, ” Dean said “I mean when I was a kid my dad would say you ’ re this close to being one of the best wrestlers in the country, and I just thought he was full of crap After I won the first one I remember seeing my dad and hugging him and just saying, ‘Hey, you were right ’” Still, Dean’s goal that summer was to change his ways: to learn to be just as successful while doing things the right way

at a national tournament, and he was wrestling the No 1 ranked guy in the country, who was being recruited very heavily by a lot of schools,” Hahn said, who has developed a close relationship with Dean “I remember watching this young scrappy kid get the first takedown on the No 1 ranked guy, and my eyes lit up Gabe ended up losing by a technical fall but he never stopped wrestling I thought to myself, this kid is a fighter, and I knew he had serious potential ”

After committing to Cornell, Dean deferred his admission for a year and took classes at a local community college, a relatively common practice for future Cornell wrestlers referred to as “ grey shirting ” During that year, Dean who was not allowed to train at Cornell spent much of his time honing his skills at an Olympic training center He was also heavily aided by former Cornell wrestler and national champion Cam Simaz ’12 who still lived in the area

Keen Invitational in Las Vegas and took down the national No 1 and defending NCAA champion Ed Ruth at a major tournament in Tennessee who pinned him earlier in the year

“Before I walked out there [to face Ed Ruth] I remember saying to myself I don’t care how bad he beats me, I’m not getting pinned again,” Dean said “He was a much better athlete than me, but I was gonna make him earn it I went out there, and I wrestled that way and won ” Dean went on to take third in the NCAA championships, losing to Ruth in another rematch, but he exceeded his goal of making the starting lineup many months prior

Over the summer, Dean made the U S U-20 National team where he won a bronze medal in Croatia After two seniors graduated, Dean came into his sophomore year as the national No 1 at 184

He suffered a setback at the same Las Vegas tournament he had won the year before by losing twice

Junior Year:

Wrestling the Right Way

“I came into my junior year, and I said I don’t care if I win another national title or not, but I’m going to do it the right way, ” Dean said “The right way for me meant realizing that it’s not just about winning or losing It’s about your motivation and your effort and going out there and trying to be fun to watch for the fans ” Preparation became a central part of Dean’s life He took pride in eating right, training right, studying right and winning right He received advice from Cornell Athletics’ nutritionist Clint Wattenberg on how to eat the right way and now follows an extremely healthy diet

“I eat a very strict diet very clean, lots of vegetables and proteins and lots of carbs,” Dean said “But I always treat myself after a long weekend I’ll come home and go to Purity for a little ice cream ”

Dean’s routine for cutting weight many wrestlers’ biggest gripe is consistent and effective He has it down to an exact science and hardly even minds it

“Cutting weight isn’t really that bad if you know the right way to do it,” he says

Overall, his work ethic is one of the keys to his success, and he knows it

“I will say that my work ethic and my drive have gone a long way in getting me to where I am This sport is blue collar,” he said “And the best athletes don’t always win,

so you ’ ve got to work hard ”

“The tireless work ethic he has was the deciding factor in most of his matches He would outwork and out-wrestle anyone who stepped on the mat, ” coach Hahn said “That has continued to grow while he has developed his style of wrestling ”

Dean was unstoppable his junior season He lost just one match the entire year which he ultimately avenged and won his second consecutive national title at 184 Dean also earned first team all-America honors for the third straight season

“ That second championship was the best one because I did it the right way, ” he said

The Quest for One More

This season, Dean seems to have gotten even better He is currently ranked No 1, is 23-0 with 17 pins and is a leading candidate to win the Hodges Trophy, which recognizes the best overall wrestler in the country regardless of weight class

As an overall team, Cornell is not too shabby either, ranked in the top 10 and the favorite to win its conference the EIWA for the 11th straight year Dean is well aware of the fact that he could not have done it on his own

“To get where I am today I’ve needed overwhelming love and support from my family, my friends, my teammates and my coaching staff As the saying goes, ‘ one man ’ s trash is another man ’ s treasure, ’” he said “At Georgia Tech I was nothing to them, but Cornell saw opportunity in me, and I’m very lucky they did ” Dean repeatedly stresses the importance of the support he received from his coaches and the way in which they believed in him At Cornell, he has benefited from the whole staff, but especially from Hahn

“I’m really really close with Damion we spend a ton of time together,” he said “There are three men to whom I really credit who I am today: one ’ s my father, one ’ s my grandfather and the other is Damion Hahn He’s been a huge influence on my life ”

Hahn also had extremely high praise for Dean, who has practically become another member of his family

“Gabe and I hav very close relationsh We have a mut respect and bond w one another that grown during his tim Cornell,” Hahn s “Gabe is very close w my family, and my c dren look up to him act like he’s their bi brother Gabe is a great kid, and I’m so thankful that I’ve

had the opportunity to coach him and to have him as a part of our life

”

Dean has tremendous respect for his head coach Rob Koll as well, although the two are not quite as close outside of the wrestling room

“It’s great to see someone like Gabe achieve such success because he does everything right,” Koll said “He is the perfect role model for our current and future wrestlers ” Throughout his wrestling career, Dean has accomplished nearly ever ything there is to accomplish He has also earned Academic all-America honors for his commitment to his classwork Despite all the rewards, he knows there is much more to his life than what is in his trophy case

“If you put your values in all the accolades, you ’ re not going to be the happiest guy, ” Dean said “Someday we ’ re gonna have to quit sports, and if all your value is wrapped up in how successful you were, then you ’ re really not seeing the bigger picture in life ”

“As proud as I am of winning national titles and becoming an all-American, I truly am more proud of the relationships I’ve built at Cornell and people I’ve gotten to know and the things that I’ve learned from my family,” he continued “Those things I will carry with me for the rest of my life ”

Dean’s goals from here on out include winning a team trophy top four in the nation for Cornell and to make the Olympics in four years “After that, I’ll just see where life takes me, ” he said

While his future may not be certain, you can count on Gabe Dean for one thing the same thing that got him past that one summer day on the Georgia Tech football field all the way to taking a chance on wrestling and becoming a national champion at Cornell: he’ll always recognize opportunity

Charles Cotton can be reached at ccotton@cornellsun com

Women Utilize ‘Total Team Effort’

La s t Su n d a y, To m B r a d y and the Patriots embarked on the greatest comeback in Super Bowl histor y However, the Pats weren ’ t the only big winners that day With 30 second ad spots that fetched five million dollars apiece, broadcaster Fox made around $500 million in ad revenue

T h e c o m m e r c i a l i z e d c r u s h surrounding the Super Bowl is just the most recent case of the enormous swamp of money that surrounds major spor ts Over the past decade, broadcasting networks have shelled out tr uckloads of money for the rights to broadcast spor ts games In particular, the NFL’s broadcasting rights rank as the most expensive, not only in the context of major American spor ts, but also in general American enter tainment proper ties Four of the five

n e t w o r k s t h a t c u r r e n t l y h o l d

b r o a d c a s t i n g r i g h t s N B C , Fox, ESPN and CBS will pay a total of nearly $40 billion for these rights between 2014-22 (the fifth is the NFL Network) Commercialization dots the landscape in more ways than just broadcasting rights Many

m a j o r A m

i c a n s p o

t

m s h a v e t h e i r s t a d i u m n a m e s bought out by companies The Mi n n e s o t a Ti m b e r w o l ve s p l a y in the Target Center, while the C a r o l i n a Pa n t h e r s w e l c o m e o p p o n e n t s t o t h e

now, businessmen are pushing and probing to find more ways i

Recently, the NBA announced that player jerseys will feature ads star ting in the 2017-18 season

This cash-influx is not strictly an American phenomenon Overseas, the jerseys of soccer p

clubs begin to embrace a ne wer, w

course, this doesn’t even begin to touch upon the exorbitant amounts of money surrounding player transfers these days Paul Pogba recently transferred for an eye-watering 105 million euros, shattering the previous record set by Gareth Bale just three years earlier, who himself broke the transfer record set by Real

M a d r i d t

m m

t

C

a n o Ronaldo four years before that Judging from the recent histor y,

i n e v i t a b l e t h a t t h a t record will again be broken in the near future

Cu r l e w c a m e b a c k u p t h e i c e a n d t i e d t h e

g a m e a t t w o T h e g o a l d e m o n s t r a t e d t h e

Re d’s a b i l i t y t o f i g h t b a c k t h i s s e a s o n ,

m a n a g i n g t o s a l va g e p o i n t s e ve n w h e n t r a i l i n g o n t h e ro a d T h e t e a m h i t t h e re s e t b u t t o n i n

Pr o v i d e n c e o n S a t u r d a y, a s t h e R e d

c r u i s e d t o a 5 - 1 v i c t o r y ove r Brow n ( 5 -

2 2 - 0 , 3 - 1 7 - 0 )

“ T h e s e c o n d g a m e o f t h e we e k e n d

w a s m u c h b e t t e r, ” De r r a u g h s a i d “ We

we re e xe c u t i n g o u r p a s s e s a n d p l a y i n g

o u r g a m e ”

Fi ve d i f f e re n t C o r n e l l s k a t e r s s c o re d

f o r t h e Re d o n Sa t u rd a y a n e n c o u r a g -

i n g s i g n f o r De r r a u g h , w h o h a s i n s i s t e d

t h a t t h e t e a m n e e d s t o f i n d s c o r i n g f ro m

u p a n d d ow n t h e l i n e s On t o p o f t h a t ,

1 1 t o t a l p l a ye r s re c o rd e d a p o i n t

W h i l e t h e t e a m h a s a p a i r o f d a n g e r -

o u s g o a l s c o re r s i n s e n i o r f o r w a rd Ha n n a

t e a m “ We’re g

Bu n t o n a n d f re s h m a n f o r w a rd K r i s t i n O ’ Ne i l l , C o r n e l l d o e s n o t re l y o n a n y o n e p l a ye r t o c a r r y t h

influence A common complaint among English soccer fans is that the increasingly financial focus of the spor t is sucking the soul out of the game Fans point t

free zing out the traditional raucous and hear ty suppor t which once made up the fans of clubs

l i k e A r s e n a l a n d M a n c h e s t e r United, effectively transforming w h a t w a s o n c e t h e w o r k i n g man ’ s game into an elites-only enterprise

There are suspicions in the United States as well In 2007, the NBA was rocked by a scandal involving a referee who was c a u g h t b e t t i n g o n h i s o w n games, purpor tedly in cahoots

t t i n g s c o r i n g f ro m a l o t o f d i f f e re n t p e o p l e n ow, ” De r r a u

In a small, sandy strip of land f a r f r o m t h e w e l l - e s t a b l i s h e d i n f r a s t r u c t u r e o f t h e Un i t e d

States and Europe, laborers are hard at work These workers have little in common with the

flashiness of the modern spor ts world, and yet are intrinsically linked with it

T h e b u l k o f t h i s w o rk f o rc e

c o m e s f r o m m i g r a n t s f r o m n e a r by c o u n t r i e s s u c h a s Ne p a l , Ba n g l a d e s h a n d In d i a s e e k i n g a ro u t e o u t o f t h e c r u s h i n g g r i p o f p ov e r t y O n c e t h e y a r r i v e a t t h e i r n e w j o b s , t h e y a re c o nf ro n t e d w i t h e x p e n s i ve re c r u i tm e n t f e e s , e f f e c t i ve l y e n s n a r i n g t h e m t h ro u g h f i n a n c i a l o b l i g a -

t i o n s It is also an area that has been designated as an ideal location for a World Cup

Despite all the attempts to p u r g e F I FA o f i t s m o n e y o b s e s s e d l e a d e r s h i p , t h e f a c t remains that the Qatar World Cup is still a go Never mind the s c o r c h i n g t e m p e r a t u r e s t h a t make spor ts unplayable during the summer, the links with globa l t e r r o r i s m , t h e n o n e x i s t e n t infrastr ucture, or the well documented human rights violations in preparation for the World Cup; it seems that money has tr umped all concerns And this i s

t h e ludicrous sums of cash that fly around today with regards to spor t, we must take great care that it does not over whelm what spor t stands for T h

C

s t a bl i s h p re c e d e n t s Fo r t h e s a k e o f t h e b e a u t i f u l g a m e , a n d f o r s p o r t i n g e n e r a l , l e t u s h o p e i t d o e s n o t e s t a b l i s h a p re c e d e n t i n a n y o t h e r c a t e g o r y A n o t h e r S w a m p t o D r a i n : T h e S p o r t s Wo r l d

One would be hard pressed not to raise an eyebrow when confronted with the sheer volu m e o f m o n e y t h a t c i r c l e s around spor ts today While it is tr ue that a lot of this money ends up being small nuisances coming in the form of ads or branded stadium names it is

e q u a l l y t r u e t h a t t h i s m o n e y exer ts an exorbitant amount of

w i t h o r g a n i z e d c r i m e Ev e n more recently, there have been r umors of the NFL using its financial muscle to cover up the results of studies on the harmful effects on the brain of playing football at the collegiate and the professional level for extended periods of time But perhaps the grossest and most blatant misuse of power comes far from either America or Europe

t i o n T h e i r e m p l o y e r s s t r i p t h e m o f t h e i r p a s s p o r t s , p reve n t i n g t h e m f ro m re t u r n i n g t o t h e i r c o u n t r i e s At w o rk , t h e y d e a l w i t h b r u t a l w o rk i n g c o n d it i o n s , c r a m p e d l i v i n g q u a r t e r s a n d a m i n i s c u l e b a s e s a l a r y w h i c h i s o f t e n d e l a ye d o r e ve n w i t h h e l d f ro m t h e m O ve r 4

t h o u s a n d w o rk e r s a re p ro j e c t e d t o d i e d u r i n g t h e i r l a b o r s h e re T h e e n t i re a re a c o n s i s t s o f a va r i e t y o f h u m a n r i g h t s v i o l a -

s T h e s e , o f c o u r s

,

ICERS CLINCH FIRST IVY TITLE SINCE 2013

Maintaining momentum | The two games against Yale and Brown bring Cornell’s undefeated streak to six games

By

C o r n e l l’s u p p e rc l a s s m e n , a s t h e t e a m h a s c o m e c l o s e t o w

w a y o r t h e o t h e r ove r t h e p a s t c o u p l e ye a

e r i o d “ I t h o u g h t o u r p a s s i n g w a s o f f a n d we j u s t d i d n ’ t l o o k i n s y n c , ” De r r

Wrestling the Right Way: The Rise of a Midwestern Boy to National Stardom

By CHARLES COTTON Sun Staff Writer

“Recognize opportunity,” reads the Latin inscription on Gabe Dean’s necklace that he always keeps close by his side The twotime NCAA national champion and three time all-American has used these two words as a guide throughout his journey to the top of the collegiate wrestling world

Now a senior applied economics and management major and the heavy favorite to win a third consecutive national title in March, Dean’s road is far from over

Midwestern Memories

Gabriel Curtis Dean was born in Eastern Michigan and spent the first few years of his life in a rural home as one of three children As a young boy, he enjoyed running around outside, going fishing with his father and playing video games at home just like any other kid

“My mom actually tried to put me into tap dancing when I was little, but it lasted about a day,” Dean said “There was a part of this one dance where I didn’t like what I had to do, so I just walked out right in the middle of the dance, and that was it ”

Dancing may not have been a good fit, so Dean’s father came up with a different plan for him

David Dean wrestled for Minnesota where he won two Big 10 championships and was a national runner-up, going on to coach at Michigan State for 13 years At first, Gabe did not care much for his father’s livelihood,

but that soon changed when he got to experience it firsthand

“He would bring me and my brother up to the wrestling room, and we would run around on the mats and play with the guys on the [MSU] team, ” he said “They were our role models growing up ”

Once he finally entered the sport at the age of nine, Gabe’s wrestling career got off to a rough start at a small local tournament

“I got head-locked and pinned by a girl,” he said “I acted like I was paralyzed on the mat because I was so distraught ”

From that point on, wrestling was always one of his activities, but

thing he is very thankful for

“One of the things I’ve really appreciated is my parents never pushed me to do anything,” he said “Sure, my dad was a little manipulative with wrestling like by bringing me to practices and all that, but they let me do what I wanted and enjoy my childhood, and they loved me unconditionally no matter what ”

Next Stop: Lowell, Mich.

When Dean was going into the sixth grade, his family moved west to Lowell, a town of about 4,000 As Dean and his siblings grew up, their father left his job at Michigan State to spend more time with his family At Lowell High School, he became head wrestling coach, where Gabe’s uncle was already the head football coach

the passion he holds today took some time to arrive

“My true passion was always football Even when I was a kid I loved football,” Dean said, who also played baseball and basketball

On multiple occasions, Dean almost walked out on wrestling like he did on tap dancing

“I actually tried to quit wrestling several times as a kid, but [my parents] would always bribe me back into it with ice cream or stuff like that,” he said Still, Dean’s parents never forced wrestling on him some-

Going into high school, Dean kept his focus on football The then-freshman played quarterback on his junior varsity team and developed his natural ability throughout the season As a sophomore, Dean was eager to earn a spot on the varsity team, but standing in the way was a senior quarterback who had taken the starting gig

“They were working me at safety trying to find me a position and a week before the first game, we were having a scrimmage, and the QB broke his collarbone,” Dean said “I was the next in line ”

While Dean was going to get that starting gig at the position he was most prepared for, the position came with pressure In that small

town of Lowell, around 8,000 to 9,000 people would come out for a Friday game, tailgating included “It was pretty terrifying It’s one of those Friday-night-lights towns, ” he said Dean took it all in stride though, winning seven out of his first eight games and ultimately leading his team all the way to a state championship Dean led the team to two second place finishes in his junior and senior years

At the same time, Dean was also wrestling for his father throughout his time in high school Although he humbly remarked that he was “ not as successful nor particularly dominant in wrestling,” Dean still went on to win the state championships at his weight class during his junior year Still, it was his football career Gabe wanted to take to the next level, not his wrestling one

The summer before his senior year, Dean attended what he thought was a football camp at Georgia Tech, but as it turned out, the camp was a scouting combine This was Dean’s big chance to show off his talent and win the attention of some Division I programs, but it did not go anything

like he had imagined it would “I was there for maybe 20 minutes, and they told me that I was too small and that I could never be successful as a Division I quarterback,” said the five-foot-10 Dean

“That’s when I was said, you know, I don’t like the way in which your destiny lies in the hands of a lot of other people in football, and in wrestling it’s in your hands, you control your own destiny in the sport

”

“I really had a bad taste in my mouth about that whole situation, they were pretty rude to me, ” he continued “But you know what one door closes and another one opens, and I decided to commit to wrestling ”

Wrestling Takes Center Stage

Although he had been more passionate about football, Dean was actually receiving more attention from wrestling programs He was recruited by Michigan, Michigan State and Minnesota perhaps because of family ties but was not on the list of the nation’s top 100 high school wrestlers A nationally renowned