2-28-12

To the beat

Alexis Lee ’14, perfroms in Shimtah’s 11th Annual Concert last Saturday Shimtah is a Korean percussion club

C.U. Prepares to Hire More Militar y Veterans

By MANU RATHORE Sun Staff Writer

In accordance with President David Skor ton ’ s recently announced University-wide diversity initiative, Cornell is vowing to increase the number of military veterans it hires for faculty and staff positions

As thousands of veterans return to the United States from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq the University is currently preparing for the influx of veterans in the job market, according to Davine Bey, diversity recruitment consultant at Cornell’s Recruitment and Employment Center

“We have stepped up our outreach efforts and participated in a number of events starting last year and in upcoming years, ” he said

In order to improve veteran recruitment, Cornell has committed to veteran employment programs such as Be a

Hero, Hire a Hero an organizationthat has helped thousands of veterans and their spouses connect with employers

“Besides just having a presence in these programs, we will also be able to present to veterans and be able to talk to them about opportunities at Cornell University,” Bey said

Prof Daniel Weed, naval science, a Navy captain who is in his 30th year of service, said that Cornell can tap into a valuable pool of talent by improving its plan for the recruitment of veterans

Weed added that he expects the number of veterans at Cornell to surge as more troops return from abroad

“I think one will have to wait for 12 to 18 months before one starts seeing a very large increase in veteran population at Cornell,” he said

Although the University hopes to

See VETERANS page 4

Univ. Seeks Architect for Tech Campus Building

By JOESPH NICZKY Sun Senior Writer

Cornell is currently in the process of selecting an architect to design the main building of the New York City tech campus As of Monday night, Cornell has narrowed down the candidates to six high profile architecture firms,

according to The Wall Street Journal Finalists include Skidmore, Owens & Merrill the firm that helped put together Cornell’s intitial proposal for the campus Cornell administrators aim to select an architect by April in order to be ready to break ground by the end of 2013, when New York City

Cornell Alumnus Will Run For Mayor of New York City

By UTSAV RAI

Tom Allon ’84, president and CEO of Manhattan Media, will prepare to launch his campaign for Mayor of New York City He will be running on a platform of education reform, job creation and economic development

Allon said he decided to start his campaign two years before the election because he is politically inexperienced and has never held public office Allon announced his candidacy last summer

“This is, ultimately, a strength because voters are fed up with ‘ pay to play politics ’” He pointed out that his campaign will take place as the University develops plans for its tech campus on Roosevelt Island

“I am the only non-career politician in the race.”

Tom A llon ’ 8 4

I am not a political incumbent who can dispense favors to the elites and potential donors over the next year, ” Allon said

“It is serendipitously coincidental that a Cornell alumni might be running the city where Cornell is planning to expand more with its new tech campus, ” Allon said Allon said that his biggest strength is his “outsider status, which he said distinguishes him from the other candidates for mayor

“I am the only non-career politician in the race, ” he said

“My background as a public school teacher, reporter, editor, publisher and entrepreneur gives me a unique set of skills and experience to lead the great-

See MAYOR page 5

will turn land on Roosevelt Island over to the University

“We would like to have an architect selected by April,” Whang said “By March of next year, we have to have the final schematic design ready to submit to the city ”

The campus ’ main academic building will produce “ net zero

energy it will use the same amount of energy that it produces “You want to reduce the energy footprint of that building as much as possible and then you generate then that equivalent amount of energy on site,” Whang said In addition to selecting an

City Rejects Appeal from Food Trucks

By REBECCA FRIEDMAN Sun Staff Wr ter

City officials unanimously rejected appeals made by the owners of Louie s Lunch and the Hot Truck of a new $2,153 fee

to continue operating in their current locations, at a meeting of the City of Ithaca Board of Public Works Wednesday night The fee, which was first assessed on the famed food trucks this summer, was proposed by the board in response to a state audit that indicated the two trucks were selling on city streets without properly paying the city

City Will Alter Intersection to Increase Pedestrian Safety

By JONATHAN DAWSON Sun Contributor

In an effort to promote pedestrian safety, the city will upgrade the giant “ octopus ” at the intersection of Elm, State, Hector Street and Floral Avenue near Ithaca’s West Hill using funds from a $250,000 grant, according to Ithaca s city engineer, Tim Logue M S ’00

Logue said that the current problem with this intersection is that cars tend to speed through it when traveling down West Hill, endangering pedestrians attempting to cross the street

By using the grant, which was obtained for the city through the efforts of former Alderperson Maria Coles and Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, to improve the surrounding sidewalks install a mountable curb island and raise one of the crosswalks at Floral Avenue, Logue said the city hopes to change drvier habits and ensure the safety of pedestrians

“We’re trying to make the intersection pedestrian friendly by using traffic calming devices, Logue said

Several city residents said the intersection is inconvenient for pedestrians

“It’s a pretty hostile place to walk,” said Andrejs Ozolins, an Ithaca resident “My wife tripped and fell at the intersection She wasn ’ t watching where she was stepping, paying more attention to the cars ”

The intersection has also proven problematic for drivers

David Nutter, a member of the Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Council, said that visi-

Giving blood

bility is poor for cars making left turns at the intersection

The visibility is kind of cruddy at the intersection,” he said “A couple of problems with [crossing] the intersection are the curves bridge railings and multiple lanes ”

A more pedestrian-friendly intersection would provide various advantages to the Ithaca community, including an increased sense of safety, according to some residents

In recent years, the nearby Lehman Alternative Community School has seen the number of bikes in its racks dwindle because parents are afraid to let their kids bike through the intersection to school, Ozolins said

pedestrian refuge, Nutter said A pedestrian refuge is a section of pavement or sidewalk, completely surrounded by asphalt, where pedestrians can stop before they finish crossing a road

Nutter said the addition of a pedestrian refuge would not effectively address safety issues

“Somebody could take you out on the island,” he said “They’re designing the island to be ineffective ”

“It’s a pretty hostile place to walk My wife tripped and fell at the intersection ”

A n drejz O zolins

“It’s weird that the intersection is only a block away from school and the speed limit is 30 instead of the usual 15 ” said Emerson Millar, a junior at the school

However, Ozolins said the scope of the proposed changes to the intersection are not as comprehensive as many residents had hoped

“The proposal just puts down clearer paint, and doesn t do anything to require cars to slow down,” Ozolins said

Additionally, some residents doubt the effectiveness of the proposed island that will be installed at Floral Avenue

The island will only be four feet wide and can be easily run over by larger vehicles, leading some to propose the creation of a

CONNOR ARCHARD / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

David Forman ’13 participates in a blood drive on Monday The effort was organized by Sigma Alpha Mu and the Cornell ROTC

Festival of Black Gospel Concludes Three-Day Event at RPCC

On Sunday, the Festival of Black Gospel completed its final performance at the Robert Purcell Community Center, according to The Ithaca Journal This was the 35th run of this annual festival in Ithaca

Armed Robbery Reported on the Commons

A store in the Commons reported a robbery by a man brandishing a knife and claiming to be holding a gun on Sunday, according to The Ithaca Journal

An undisclosed amount of cash was taken, but no one was injured

Tompkins Group Hopes to Break Recycling Record

The Get Your GreenBack Tompkins campaign plans to break the Guinness Book of World Records record for most people recycling at once on Wednesday, The Ithaca Journal reported Particpants hope to send a message that Tompkins Country residents can save money by living more sustainably, according to campaign co-coordinator Michael Koplinka-Loehr

Compiled by Caroline Flax

An additional counterproposal to the current plan is to install an all-way stop sign at the intersection The all-way stop a stop sign that instructs traffic a p p r o a c h i n g from all directions to stop before proc e e d i n g through the intersection would be cheaper and easier to replace if residents are not satisfied with it, according to Nutter

He also said that the stop sign is likely to make this alternative more safe for pedestrians

“Cars don’t stop unless there is a reason for them to stop, ” Nutter said Logue, however, argued that this solution does not meet legal requirements

“In my opinion, it did not make sense, ” he said “There are guidelines for all-way stop signs dictated by the federal and state governments and this intersection did not qualify ”

Ozolins remained unconvinced that

stopping cars at the intersection would be any different from the current traffic impediments

“They would back up at the railroad tracks anyways, ” he said

Professors in the College of Architecture

Art and Planning are uncertain that the allway stop sign solution solves pedestrian problems in general

“Drivers can be paying attention, but if they are looking at the sign, they may not be looking for pedestrians,” said Prof Michael Manville, city and regional planning

Prof Ann Forsyth, city and region planning, echoed this sentiment

“You don’t want an environment littered with stop signs,” she said

Forsyth also said the intersection improvement will most likely be effective at controlling traffic but does not change pedestrian habits and behaviors

“What matters for pedestrians walking for travel to get places is that places are close for shopping and housing ” Forsyth said “These upgrades seem a fine first step, and the city can keep monitoring and if it needs to change it can do so ”

The details of the plans are currently being finished, and companies will be able to propose designs for the project in a few weeks However, Logue said that the city could be furthering its efforts to increase pedestrian safety

“This project is the tip of the iceberg,” he said

Jonathan Dawson can be reached at jed276@cornell edu

Weill Medical College Creates Office for Faculty Development

By REBEKAH FOSTER Sun Staff Writer

Weill Cornell Medical College in Ne w York City recently established an

, which will help professors at WCMC forge connections with their peers, the college announced on Jan 26

them with mentoring and suppor t services

“I ve found that many people can go fur ther than they ever thought they could simply because someone else thought they could,” Glimcher said in the Jan 26 press release “ This office will ensure that all our faculty receive the mentoring, guidance and suppor t that will help them succeed ” Dr Barbara Hempstead, associate d e a n f o r f a c u l t y d e v e l o p m e n t a t WCMC, said she shares Gilmcher’s p a s s i o n f o r m e n t o r i n g i n d i v i d u a l s within her own division

Being a mentor within this division has been one of the aspects of my job that I have enjoyed the most, ” she s a i d “ I n m a n y c a s e s , t h i s r e a c h e s

a c r o s s c o n v e n t i o n a l d e p a r t m e n t a l boundaries

In the month since its creation, Hempstead said the ne w office has i n c r e a s e d t h e e f f i c a c y o f WC M C ’ s existing mentoring programs “ This is an impor tant oppor tunity for Weill to formalize what had been being done already, but makes it far more cohesive, transparent and, hopefully, better,” Hempstead said

In par ticular, she said, the office will help ne w faculty form relationships with clinicians and researchers who are in similar fields, learn to effectively apply for funding and write clin-

ical trials Ne w faculty will also have access to a large mentoring network, Hempstead said Faculty already at the school will a l s o b e n e f i t f r o m o p p o r t u n i t i e s t o increase productivity by forming ne w collaborations she said Additionally the office will help faculty understand what is expected of them, Hempstead said “ Un l i k e p r o f

o n a l s i n o t h e r fields, faculty in academic medicine, both scientists and clinicians, must excel in multiple areas to achieve pro-

WCMC, in an email “Given those complexities and tensions, it is increasingly difficult for even the most talented faculty to know what is expected of him or her, evaluate priorities, and to be able to balance their workload ” Cohen emphasized that the Office of Faculty Development will assuage some of the difficulties WCMC faculty face

have

senior faculty member and the dedicated resources to mentor faculty and work with their depar tments to

career, contribute to the college and maintain some balance with their personal lives,” Cohen said Hempstead said she believes that the office will be par ticularly successful for WCMC’s “extremely interactive and collaborative faculty ” All these par tnerships that can be made [through the Office of Faculty D

member be a more creative scientist, a more creative clinical researcher and a better clinician, she said

Rebekah Foster can be reached at rfoster@cornellsun com

C.U. Plans Building for Tech Campus

architect, the University must select a third par ty to constr uct a second building on campus, which will house research and development for private companies This building will not have net-zero energy usage, but must have at least a

L

Design cer tification at the Silver level, according to Whang To receive Silver LEED cer tification, the building must score at least 33 out of a possible 69 points in five categories of sustainable design features

Cornell will lease one third of the second building to a third par ty developer and the other two thirds will be used for research by star tups and other companies, according to Whang The third par ty has not yet been selected

“It will be built by a third par ty developer par tners who will build buildings for us We don’t have as much control over what the designs might be, Whang said “ We are tr ying to put together as tight a contract a lease contract as possible so that we do have some level of control ”

This building will enable private companies to work with Cornell students and staff on research projects

“ This will be space for companies compatible with the mission of the campus who are interested in working closely with Cornell, Technion and our students, faculty, staff and alumni,” said Cathy Dove, vice president of the tech campus “ We are already receiving inquiries from organizations interested in being located on our campus and working closely with us ”

Dove said that students will also profit from the tech campus ’ par tnerships with star tup companies

“Our students will benefit as they will have the ability to work closely with these companies right on the campus there will be internships,

project work,” she said “ The par tners want to be on campus to have easy access to the programs and activities at CornellNYC Tech, and develop close working relationships with our faculty and students ”

Both of the buildings will be 150,000 square feet comparable in size to Duffield Hall and will be completed by July 2017, Whang said

The academic building will achieve net-zero energy usage by both reducing the energy it uses and producing energy on site

“For now our vision is to use photovoltaic panels solar panels,” Whang said “ We’re planning roughly four acres of solar panels ”

offices, the net-zero energy building will be designed to facilitate interaction and showcase research In addition, there will be incubation space, room for workshops and seminars for the broader community,” Dove said

However, Whang said that a definitive outline of the building’s design has not yet been determined

“ We don’t really have anything definitive as to how many of each we ’ re going to have,” Whang said “All we know is it’s going to be classrooms and a lot of open space, so to encourage collaboration amongst people who are in the building faculty, staff and students give people a place to congregate and to meet and have chance meetings with each other ”

The University has not yet acquired various approvals from the city and Ne w York State, which must be obtained before constr uction can begin in Januar y 2014

“Right now we ’ re going through an environmental and land use approval phase with several city agencies and state agencies,” Whang said “ That s what we ll be doing the next two years

to Hire

VETERANS

recr uit more veterans to campus, there are currently nearly 350 selfidentified veterans already working at Cornell, according to Bey

“According to our VETS-100A a sur vey conducted as a par t of Cornell’s affirmative action plan as of 2011, we had about 347 veterans working at the University,” he said “ That number is probably ske wed as it is based on those who voluntarily recognize themselves as veterans Arguably, it is double the number ”

Weed said that veterans fit in well at Cornell due to the overlap between the University’s goals and those of militar y ser vice

Our core values, specifically for the Navy, are honor, courage and commitment ver y similar to Cornell’s values and goals,” Weed said “And so when they hire militar y people, they are ver y disciplined but flexible They are intelligent and hardworking ”

However, Bey said that veterans may be beter equipped for some aspects of the civilian workforce

“A squad leader, for example, has more experience after a year in Iraq than many people have after years of management because it’s instant, real time training,” he said “But they have to be ar ticulate and show the recr uiter how these skills can be applied in the civilian world

Transition into civilian life is also difficult for veterans who are

“Our core values, specifically for the Navy, are very similar to Cornell’s values and goals ”

P rof D aniel Weed

Stundtner, chair of the Veterans Colleague Network Group, a campus organization that aims to raise awareness of veteran issues and provide veterans a for um to share their experiences

“Some veterans from [the] Afghanistan and Iraq War[s] who I have encountered in training sessions have had ver y painful experiences, ” Stundtner said “For tunately, there were other veterans who reached out and helped comfor t them in the course of their training

However, veteran Rick Roper, manager of shops constr uction ser vices for the University’s facilities ser vices, said that most veterans who seek employment at Cornell have positive attitudes and fit in well due to the leadership skills they learned in the militar y

“It is not a tough adjustment,” Roper said “I am working in the area of my exper tise I feel like I fit right in and it wasn ’ t a difficult transition at all ”

Still, Stundtner said he hopes the University will prioritize recr uiting veterans “ When we were civilians before militar y ser vice, the saying was, ‘Uncle Sam wants you, ’” Stundtner said “At Cornell, I would like to see the saying for veterans be ‘Uncle Ezra wants you ’”

Hot Truck Owners Contest Proposed Annual Fees Cornell Alumnus Runs for NYC Mayor

Both owners will have to pay the fee before April 1

At the meeting, Albert Smith, the owner of Shortstop Deli on West Seneca Street and of the Hot Truck, asserted his “grandfathered right” to occupy the truck at that location, saying he has never paid an annual permit fee in the past

The Hot Truck has had a “right to occupy its current location at least since 2003,” Smith said This resolution recognized the “continuation of the Hot Truck’s existence and service at that location along with any rights that may be due by its grandfather status ” Smith said that in purchasing the Hot Truck, he also bought a “grandfathered” right to sell goods on Stewart Avenue Doing so, he said, gives him the right to occupy the land without paying a fee, just as Petrillose did for many years

In the early 2000s, Smith bought the Hot Truck from longtime owner Robert “Hot Truck Bob” Petrillose, Sr for $125,000 At a meeting of the Board of Public Works on Feb 13, Smith said that the value of the truck and its equipment was about $15,000 “ so basically we paid over $100,000 for the right to be next to campus ”

“I’m just talking about being fair and the city wants to collect a couple thousand dollars or a little more per year for me to be in that location,” Smith said at the Feb 13 meeting “I already paid for that ” Board members voiced concern over two separate issues regarding the appeals made by the Hot Truck owners whether the truck owners should pay a license fee and whether the city should allow more than one food truck

Board member Govind Acharya said that he thought the City should allow more than one food truck but that the owners should be required to pay a fee

Mayor Svante Myrick ’09 agreed with Acharya and added that the Hot Truck should not be exempt from paying fees for the use of public land

The city “has no reason to believe that an exemption exists or could have been issued for the Hot Truck,” Myrick read in the resolution

However, Smith argued that the fee would create financial issues for the Hot Truck

At its current location, it is difficult to keep the Hot Truck and it its tradition going,” he said “If the city adds an annual fee, it will become even more difficult ”

Ronald Beck, the owner of Louie’s Lunch since 1997, said that in 2001, then-Mayor Alan Cohen issued a permit and filed a letter with the City Clerk’s office saying that the purchase of business was contingent on the rights to operate in its location

“Eighty percent of the value of my business is the location and the ability to vend there ” he said “Mayor Cohen had given Louie’s Lunch those rights I’m here to respectfully ask the city to recognize that agreement and waive the application

The Board again responded that their decision would not dictate whether Smith and Beck could operate the trucks, but rather was made to institute a fee for use of the land

“This is an application of a city-wide ordinance,” Board Member William Goldsmith said “I don t believe you d find that the mayor had the right to make that determination ”

The Board applied the same reasoning to his case, stating that the resolution would require the owners to pay the fee for the use of public land, not for the right to operate their trucks

“I just urge that here be a way one way or another that both trucks continue to thrive and be part of the culture of the city of Ithaca,” said John Schroeder ’74, a member of the City of Ithaca’s Planning and Development Board and The Sun’s Production Manager

-est city in the world ”

Allon said his decision to r un for mayor was spurred by his concern for the future of New York City’s schools

Watching New York s education system continue to drift into perpetual mediocrity, and wanting to make a difference in fixing it, motivated me to r un for mayor, ” he said

Allon said he will also strive to implement economic and education policies that benefit all New Yorkers

“I want ever yone to benefit, not just the 1 percent, or the 10 percent, ” Allon said Susan Kittenplan ’85, a former Spor ts Editor of The Sun who worked with Allon while at Cornell, praised his decision to r un for mayor She added that Allon’s previous work gives him with a unique perspective on city issues

“ The fact that he has r un micro-local newspapers [City Hall, The Capitol] and covered local stories throughout the five boroughs means he knows the constituents of these neighborhoods ver y well their concerns, their hopes, their delis,” Kittenplan said “He’s been listening and giving citizens a place where they have a voice

When he becomes mayor, he’ll be able take it a step fur ther and really help his fellow New Yorkers

Allon said his main goals at the outset of the

campaign were to gain recognition through various media outlets, including newspapers and television stations, and obtain the suppor t of the

by

Liberal Par ty on Jan 27

Allon was a Senior Editor and Spor ts Editor for The Sun

“I want everyone to benefit, not just the one percent, or the 10 percent.”

Tom A ll on ’ 8 4

Allon said he believes that his time at The Sun gave him a solid foundation for a future in politics

“ The Sun taught me about the intensity and br utality of the political process and the importance of putting on thick skin when you go into electoral combat,” he said

Allon will be r unning against Scott Stringer, B

Thompson, former New York City Comptroller and Democratic Par ty candidate for Mayor in 2009 Incumbent Mayor Michael Bloomberg is term limited and thus unable to seek re-election to a four th term

Utsav Rai can be reached at urai@cornellsun com

D a i l y S u n

BENJAMIN D GITLIN ’12 Editor in Chief

CHLOE GATTA 12

Business Manager

DANIELLE A NEUHARTH-KEUSCH 12

Associate Editor

RAHUL KISHORE 12 Web Editor

BRENDAN DOYLE 12

Assistant Managing Editor

LAUREN BIGALOW 12

Photography Editor

JAMES RAINIS ’14

Arts & Entertainment Editor

MARGO COHEN RISTORUCCI 13

PETER A JACOBS 13

Editor

LAUREN RITTER 13 Assistant Sports Editor

ANNIE NEWCOMB 13 Associate Design Editor

JOSEPH VOKT ’14

Assistant Web Editor

MAEGAN NEVINS 12

AARON SAGE ’13

Media Manager

ALYSSA TSUCHYIA 12

ELIZA LaJOIE 13 Senior Editor

RUBY PERLMUTTER 13 Senior Editor

MICHAEL LINHORST ’12

HELENE BEAUCHEMIN ’13

Manager EVAN H RICH ’13

You Can’t Always Get What You Want

S’14

ometime around my senior year of high school I made the fateful decision to stop pirating my music I will admit that the transition was greatly aided by ser vices such as Grooveshark (which, incidentally, is now being sued by all four major record labels), but the decision was still not an easy one If I wanted to carr y a track with me, I had to have paid money for it at some point I was denied the ability to painlessly download all of the work an ar tist had ever done with a couple keystrokes if I heard a snippet that caught my fancy Instead I had to pay nearly a dollar 99 cents! count them per track, a number that quickly ballooned into something unsustainable for my budget I suffered and still suffer weird looks from people when I tell them that I don’t

ized that there was such a thing as music in the public domain Stripped of the ability to fill my waking hours with the Top 100 char t in the United States on repeat, I was instead led to folk ballads and experimental electronica and Gregorian chant Though I was not necessarily keeping with the spirit of paying-ar tists-for-theirwork, I was exposed to entirely different types of sounds My primar y auditor y cortex was astounded My horizons were broadened My budget for non-essential items has thankfully since increased some what, and owning the latest frat anthem is no longer the emotional ordeal it once was Happily, though, I find that I no longer need that instant gratification that once came with the BitTorrent icon Once upon a time,

Editorial

EDITORS IN TRAINING

EDITOR IN CHIEF Peter Jacobs 13

MANAGING EDITOR Jeff Stein 13

PATRICIO G MARTÍNEZ ’13

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ruby Perlmutter 13

ARTS EDITORS Zachary Zahos 15

NEWS DESKERS Liz Camuti ’14 Katharine Close 14

SPORTS DESKER Lauren Ritter 13

DESIGN EDITOR Annie Newcomb ’13

ASSISTANT DESIGN EDITOR Amanda Stefanik 13

PROOFER Evan Rich 13

Rethinking the Academic Year

A NEW PROPOSAL FROM THE UNIVERSIT Y ’S Calendar Committee would add four days of break to the spring semester Formed in the wake of a suicide cluster in spring 2010, this committee and its proposal seek to lower student stress levels at Cornell Their proposed calendar, which would add a two-day break in Febr uar y and extend spring break into April, is necessar y and well reasoned This revised calendar, if adopted, would be a welcome step toward institutional change at Cornell to address student concerns

As the University calendar now stands, there is only one break in all of spring semester This break, as scheduled through 2016, will always fall directly in the middle of March, leaving large stretches of unbroken work weeks on either side of it This stands in contrast to Cornell’s fall semester, which has at least one day off in ever y month This system breaks up the schoolwork and stress of the semester, and allows for students to take time off for themselves during the academic year Currently, the spring semester lacks these consistent breaks, but the committee’s proposal should remedy that

This proposal should be seen as an element of a larger initiative on Cornell’s par t to address student stress levels Cornell s culture has shifted over the past two years to become a place where discussion and acknowledgement of mental health needs are more open The University’s commitment to reducing student stress has been proven through a tonal change that has permeated the student body, but this proposal is a welcome move that could affect campus past just increased dialogue This is an active step that will change the str ucture and flow of the University year to address student wants and needs

Although it does seek to change the current University str ucture, this specific initiative should be successful in the long-term because it is focused The committee’s calendar proposal targets a concrete problem It does not ask for a decrease in Cornell s workload, or anything else to address the University s rigorous, but re warding, academic standard What it presents is thoughtful, and both addresses what would be best for the student body and doesn’t compromise the quality of a Cornell education

pirate “But why?” is the most common question There’s an annoying speech here about integrity even when the business model of the industr y is obsolete and they refuse to admit it, but I find that the tr uest and easiest answer to that question is well not pirating has expanded my taste in music

The first thing I did after making the decision was to find and rip all the CDs my family actually owned After exhausti n g m y o l d e r s i b l i n g s ’ c o l l e c t i o n s o f Sw i t c h f o o t , C h i n e s e p o p a n d D i s n e y soundtracks, I was left with the collect i o n o f c l a s s i c a l m u s i c re c o rd i n g s m y stereotypically Chinese parents had purchased in bulk Sigh Perhaps this would be more painful than I had anticipated I turned on the radio, hoping to rely on the air waves for my steady infusion of 2008era Chris Brown and Boys Like Girls, but turned it off after realizing that radio commercials were orders of magnitude more annoying than I had remembered

Lacking the spare cash and/or parental approval to buy 99 cent-tracks by the bushel or pay for a music subscription service, I turned in desperation to what was then the not-yet-seedy-underbelly-of-theInternet: I trawled the depths of Myspace for unknown ar tists desperate enough for an audience to offer up their tracks for f r e e T h e n I d i s c o v e r e d t h e l i k e s o f Bandcamp and SoundCloud Then I real-

downloading music was cycling through w

v i c i o u s rapacity Now I wait, sometimes weeks, before deciding if I want to add work to my librar y Presumably, a more carefully cultivated librar y is a better one

If one endeavours to own a complete set of Lady Gaga s musical work, the barrier between “not-having” and “having” can be vanishingly low in material cost If we want, the price is only the smallest twinge of guilt one that fades as we get better at justifying our actions, and one we often pay without a second thought But in my case, I found that years of taking shor tcuts meant that I was missing the vie w

But, cliché metaphors aside, what’s the moral of the stor y? Sometimes, not getting what you want right away comes with happy consequences There s a lot to be said for forcing yourself to do something the hard way For delaying instant gratification in favor of meandering down the path of listening to indie rock

Undoubtedly there s also something to be said about my taste in sound, but I’m going to leave that to the exper ts One does not, after all, simply listen to music

CORRECTION

A ne ws stor y Monday, “At Cornell Banquet, Campus Mulls Place of Muslims in U S , ” incorrectly repor ted the position of Noah Karr-Kaitlin ’13 He is the editorin-chief of the Cornell International Affairs Revie w, not the president

Higher Ed’s Identity Crisis

Higher education is approaching something of an identity crisis And three seemingly unrelated events, some national and some here in Ithaca, offer a glimpse of what the contours of the crisis might be They also illustrate just how badly this countr y needs a d i s c

America

T h e f i r s t e ve n t i s t h e h i g h l y h e r a l d e d C o r n e l l -

Technion par tnership to build the NYCTech campus

Announced just a fe w months ago, the ne w tech par tnership has garnered more excitement than anything else I’ve witnessed during my three years on the Hill And for good reason: The chance to be an integral par t of transforming Ne w York City doesn t come around ever y day

But the decision to build a two billion dollar campus hundreds of miles away from Ithaca does more than just help Cornell in its effor t to become the preeminent research university of the 21st centur y it speaks volumes about what a preeminent university in the 21st centur y will look like In Cornell’s conception, such a university isn’t merely an incubator for ideas; it’s a vehicle to transform society in a ver y real way And while that might not be a novel idea in and of itself, the way that Cornell plans to go about it is

At one point, higher education sought to transform society by educating citizens with a sense of duty to their nation In 1896, Woodrow Wilson, who would become president of Princeton University, gave a speech that would forever change the discourse on higher education In “Princeton in the Nation’s Ser vice,” Wilson argued that the university has a responsibility to instill a sense of civic duty in its students The university is to be neither simply a place of learning for self-gratification, nor a purely vocational institution The “school must be of the nation,” promoting a sense of duty in its students lest they closet themselves off “while a nation comes to its maturity

The days when universities characterize their missions as par ticular to a specific nation are long gone Indeed, Princeton amended its unofficial motto from “Princeton in the nation’s ser vice” to “Princeton in the nation’s service and the ser vice of all nations Cornell is now often referred to as the “land grant university to the world ”

W“h a t ’ s y o u r m a j o r ? ”

R e l i g i o u s St u d i e s “ O h I n t e r e s t i n g ” Pa u s e “Are you religious?”

The question is nonsensical, but I get it ever y time I tell someone my major It’s a little bit like asking an Asian Studies major whether or not he is Asian or asking a Hor ticulture major whether or not he is a vegetable

“ Yeah, actually, I’m a Buddhist ” “Oh cool!” Pause “Do you think of Buddhism as a religion, or as more of a way of life?”

This question is almost as popular as

the “Are you religious?” question, but it takes longer to answer

So is Buddhism a religion? We should star t by defining religion and that's where we first r un into trouble Religion is well, there's the old myth about George Washington and the cherr y tree And if you ' ve ever stuck around for the second half of a Glee Club concer t you ’ ve heard those Cornellians in the crowd belt out the Alma Mater And here’s me, putting out biweekly statements on what I believe is right and wrong in the world Opinion

Surely this is a function of the diverse and increasingly global student bodies at universities around the countr y, as well as the feeling that knowledge the currency of the university should know no national bounds Increasingly, universities’ public ser vice aims focus on producing “global citizens ”

The NYCTech campus, though, represents something of a ne w model of public ser vice for the modern university This conception of public ser vice doesn t necessarily seek to produce knowledgeable citizens with a fealty to the nation; it seeks to transform a local economy, create jobs and ne w technology and blaze ne w frontiers It seeks to find ways to help Ne w York and the United States, as well as the larger world community And by doing so, it seeks t o b a

mission say, as the land grant university to the State of Ne w York with a uni-

“land grant university to the world ”

Hispanic students likely matriculating

In near prescient fashion, President Skor ton released a statement on Cornell’s commitment to diversity just days before the Supreme Cour t announced it would hear Fisher v The University of Texas In it, he reaffirmed Cornell’s commitment to diversity and announced that he and the provosts will be “directing the development of explicit institutional diversity goals ” If that sounds vague, it s because it is President Skor ton has called for a revamped “University Diversity Council” to move these initiatives for ward, but details about these “explicit institutional diversity goals” have not yet been for thcoming

To be sure, the NYCTech campus represents just one model of public ser vice for the university and others surely exist Tufts has a “College of Citizenship and Public Ser vice that seeks to educate “active citizens,” who aim to build “ stronger, healthier and safer communities,” regardless of where those com-

expanding global footprint, will undoubtedly have to reconsider what its public ser vice mission entails and to whom its primar y responsibility belongs

The modern university will also deal with more pressing issues, foremost among them diversity in higher education In the wake of the Supreme Cour t ’ s decision last week to hear a case focused on race-based admissions, the state of diversity at universities across the countr y has the potential to undergo significant changes Should the cour t find the use of race as a factor in admissions unconstitutional, Cornell and other universities will be affected in ver y real ways Many believe that university demographics will change, with fe wer African-American and

But they need to be if any serious debate about diversity in higher education is going to take place

What the NYCTech campus, Fisher v The University of Texas, and President Skor ton ’ s diversity initiative all have in common is this: They should all prompt a rethinking, or at the ver y least a rear ticulation, of the modern university’s mission What does public ser vice mean in the 21st centur y? To whom does the university s primar y responsibility belong? What is the place of race and diversity in the modern university? And what is the place of morality and civic duty? The answer to these questions will ver y likely define the course of higher education in America

We need a “Princeton in the Nation’s Ser vice” for the 21st centur y

Nathaniel Rosen is a junior in the College of Ar ts and Sciences He may be reached at nrosen@cor nellsun com Bringing it Home appears alter nate Tuesdays this semester

Con suming Buddha

columnists are preachers The Alma Mater is a ritual George Washington is a mythical saint We just don't refer to him as such because we ve been on a secularity kick ever since the Enlightenment

My point is that, from a sociological point of view, these sor ts of thoughts and practices are all that religion is Rituals, m

injunctions, mystical experiences, social institutions, all the rest of it, they're just things we do and thoughts we think O c c

together and give them a name: religion

Tom Moore

Buddhism fits about as comfor tably into this categor y as Christianity, or, for that matter, American nationalism or Cornell pride

But when people tr y to tell me that Buddhism isn’t a religion, they mean something else entirely The claim mostly ser ves to distinguish Buddhism, which is hip and exotic, from all those boring Western religions their parents practiced For the “spiri t u a l b u t n o t re l i g i o u s ” w h o c o n s i d e r themselves too clever and skeptical for the faiths of their forefathers religion means

blind acceptance of dogma and meaningl e s s p e r f o r m a n c e o f d e v o t i o n a l r i t u a l Buddhism they claim doesn’t have any of that silly religious mumbo-jumbo

Well, maybe not the Buddhism for sale in the check-out lane of Barnes & Noble Spend some time in a Buddhist community, though, whether in Asia or right here in Ithaca, and you ll get your fill of incense and chanting Buddhism has its fair share of priestly bureaucracy, too This is not to condemn Buddhism, but only to help it down from its Orientalist pedestal Many B u d d h i s t s , j u s t l i k e m a n y C h r i s t i a n s , mechanically mumble along their prayer beads while thinking of decidedly mundane affairs Asians are not inherently more “spiritual” than white people, and Buddhism is not inherently more “spiritual” than Christianity

So why does it matter? What’s at stake in that banal, meaningless proposition, repeated to me ever y time I tell someone I’m a Buddhist, that Buddhism is not a religion?

For one thing, if Buddhism isn’t a religion, it s open for business None of us bat an eyelash at “Nir vana: Positively Pure,” a popular brand of bottled water, but we might think twice before endorsing “Jesus Christ Cola” or “Mohammad Corn Pops ” Nir vana is the complete cessation of all suffering and desire But yeah, I guess bottled water is nice too

More impor tantly, if Buddhism is not a religion, spiritual consumers can pick and choose the par ts they like and ignore anything inconvenient If Buddhism is just some sor t of vaguely wholesome spiritual

path, we can take all the metaphysical doctrines and codes of ethics with a grain of salt Rituals and myths can be promptly disposed of, and the existence of a clergy is, of course, out of the question Let’s just sit around and read the latest books by the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hahn Maybe the Tibetan Book of the Dead will make for an exciting acid trip

What troubles me are the implications of approaching religion not as religion, but as a “spiritual marketplace ” Such a pickand-choose mentality makes us consumers of tr uths, rather than devotees of Tr uth When Eastern religion is repackaged for Western consumption under the name of spirituality, I think we lose something In a cer tain sense, we lose ever ything The potency of religious traditions is in their par ticulars, in the daily practices and concrete understandings that transform the mind

So if you ask me if I’m religious, I will answer, yes, I’m a Buddhist I know it m i g h t b e u n f a s h i o n a b l e f

n young man to count himself as par t of a flock, but I think that s par t of the problem In an era of proud individualism, humility and submission to a tradition greater than oneself is out of fashion Religious content, when severed from religious tradition, becomes just another consumer good

Tom Moore is a sophomore in the College of Ar ts a n d S c i e n c e s He m a y b e re a c h e d a t tmoore@cornellsun com What Even Is All This? appears alternate Tuesdays this semester

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

BY GEORGE KARALIS Sun Staff Writer

Consider this fictitious quotation:

“I have never seen a movie I see advertisements for movies frequently and know that many other people enjoy them, but to me they seem uninteresting and a waste of time

I can imagine the incredulity Likely you would want to express to this person the value of film its ability to evoke wonder, nostalgia, compassion While some films may indeed be a waste of time, others are surely meaningful, whether through educational, emotional or spiritual means To whatever degree, I suspect that the average person would recommend for that hypothetical person to see at least a good film or two before discounting the medium entirely

Now replace in the above quote “ seen a movie” with “played a video game ” The situation becomes more plausible, since many people do not play games and have no interest in doing so Images of Warcraft-addicted teens glued to computer screens, those horrible Farmville requests flooding your Facebook inbox, the children speaking of “pwning” and “n00bs ” To the outsider, games might seem juvenile, frivolous or inane Indeed, gaming and the culture that surrounds it have become major issues to parents, psychologists, politicians and others

But those who play games would argue on the same grounds as the cineastes While some games may hold incredible time-wasting potential, others create profound experi-

Hustle & Flow

ences only understood by the player Players might reminisce on parts of a game that strained their abilities, or perhaps evoked emotion They can also look back and see how they have changed and developed skills over the course of their play, a possibility not available in other media And moving to the social realm, games provide enormous potential for players to have meaningful interactions with others

In this article I cannot defend all these assertions, but I do hope to at least encourage those who have not played digital games for whatever reason to consider giving them a real shot Albeit games are not as accessible as films they have technical requisites, skill assumptions and often-considerable costs

But, today, many games welcome all If you have a computer, thousands of games are available for less than a movie ticket, many for free And as the population of players ages and matures, developers come up with richer and more thought-provoking interactive experiences

Thus, welcome to The Sun’s first feature devoted to digital games A lot of college students already play games, be it Skyrim or Words with Friends, but for the rest of this article, I want to address the readers who have made it this far but are still skeptical (seasoned gamers are welcome to tag along too)

The simplest argument to be made in favor of playing games is that they are fun There is a satisfaction and pleasure available to the experience of gameplay that is not so readily available when watching TV, seeing a movie or reading a book This has to do with

the psychological concept of flow Flow is a positive psychology concept proposed by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi to describe the mental state of becoming completely immersed in a task When a task has the right balance between its difficulty and your abilities you enter a flow state You feel absorbed and in control; you might lose track of time or awareness of yourself It feels really good

You have experienced flow, whether in a well-matched basketball game a challenging piano piece or a particularly interesting homework problem (no?)

But digital games are uniquely apt for generating flow since they are designed especially to do so Games set clear and achievable goals, give immediate visual and auditory feedback based on the player s performance and adjust difficulty as the player becomes more skilled

Take, for example, BIT TRIP RUNNER by Gaijin Games (available on the game service Steam for $9 99, as well as Wii and 3DS) The game mechanics will be familiar if you have ever seen other “ runner ” games like Canabalt or the beloved Robot Unicorn Attack But BIT TRIP RUNNER has some elements especially good for generating flow

Players control Commander Video, hero of the BIT TRIP series, as he runs through colorful 2D levels Each obstacle successfully jumped over, slid under or kicked through plays a sound, and power-ups enhance the visual and auditor y experience If Commander Video hits a single obstacle, he is sent back to the start of the level

The game, while unforgiving, provides an extremely clear measure of progress: you can

see yourself getting better as you run further away from the starting point, grab more gold bricks and upgrade the environment with power-ups Crashing into an obstacle doesn’t stop the game Instead it quickly restarts you ’ re playing again before you can lament your failure

One particularly difficult portion, where blocks approach in rapid succession, might be frustrating and push players out of flow But getting through was one of the most joyous gaming experiences I have had After many (many) failures, I was suddenly able to fly through with complacent ease Mastering something so initially difficult is an extraordinary feeling, and with games it is possible to reach such elation several times in an afternoon

Whereas I had a wonderful flow experience playing BIT TRIP RUNNER, others have equated its gameplay to “psychological torture (by the way, there is an easy mode)

But if you hate RUNNER, that’s alright too

The diversity and inventiveness of games today is astounding There’s more than one out there fo r you

Not all games solely try to achieve flow

Many focus on a story or aim to convey a specific mood The flow model is a traditional way of looking at games, but interactive media harbors limitless possibilities only beginning to be explored

So? Off to play some games?

Joy and Glee in Mozart’s Magic Flute

BY LUBABAH CHOWDHURY Sun Contributer

Mozart’s most beloved opera comes to life in Ithaca College Theatre’s presentation of The Magic Flute, which chronicles Prince Tamino and the birdcatcher Papageno s search for true love and enlightenment This performance mixes the original German libretto and an English translation, resulting in a clear presentation of the story for the English-speaking audience while still remaining respectful of the original material The performances are all impressive, particularly that of the Queen of the Night and Papageno, and the orchestra more than achieves the beauty of Mozart’s score

After seeing a picture of the beautiful Pamina, daughter of the Queen of the Night, Tamino falls instantly in love with her and vows to help her escape from the clutches of

Sarastro, the leader of the Temple and sworn enemy of the Queen of the Night However, not all is as it seems; while the Queen of the Night generously gives Tamino a magic flute which only has to be played to protect him from danger and begs him to rescue her daughter, Sarastro reveals her evil nature to the prince and Pamina Sarastro agrees to release Pamina, but only after Tamino and Papageno prove themselves worthy through a series of trials The opera ends on an optimistic high note, with Tamino and Pamina reaching enlightenment while Papageno achieves his lifelong dream of finding a maiden to share his life with

The story in and of itself has much to offer, with its warming themes on the power of love, knowledge and music Director David Lefkowich has decided to highlight the tension between the evil Queen of the Night and Sarastro by keeping the text and libretto of Sarastro, Monostatos and the other priests in the temple in the original German while the Queen, the Three Ladies, Pamina, Tamino and Papageno sing in English Tamino initially trusts the Queen of the Night when she declares that Sarastro is the villain and not she, an opinion that is only reinforced by the unsettling atmosphere Tamino encounters in the Temple In the program, Lefkowich notes, “by setting the text of Sarastro in German, it allows Tamino to at first find Sarastro’s temple unfamiliar and the characters untrustworthy ” Indeed the unfamiliar language also disorients the audience, as up until this point, the dialogue and singing has all been in English But slowly, the audience along with Tamino comes to realize Sarastro’s true goodness and to value the beauty and knowledge that he represents

Of course, the story would mean nothing without firstrate performances and acting, and it is here that the production truly delivers All the characters match the appropriate talent, notably the amusing Papageno and the Queen of the Night, whose famous aria was not only pitch perfect but also terrifying in its earnest desire for vengeance and death Mozart’s score for The Magic Flute contains some of the most vocally demanding arias in opera, with the Queen s aria Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen (“Hell’s vengeance boils in my heart”) reaching the dizzying height of a high F, the very top of a soprano ’ s range, to the unbelievably low F that is required in Sarasto’s arias on several occasions But it is easy to forget these technicalities while watching the performance; the singers are not only comfortable with the score, but they bring it to life with genuine feeling

Many people hold the opinion that opera is a starched antiquated art form, and, unfortunately, there are many performances that reinforce this assertion However, this is not one of them Papageno had the audience laughing more than once at his antics and contorted facial expressions The Queen’s stage presence is so powerful, it is difficult to focus on the other characters when she is singing or speaking

The orchestra was equally impressive While the pit accommodated a fraction of the players usually found in such performances, the whole hall was filled with Mozart’s splendid music The flute solos were particularly beautiful, and the conducting was dazzlingly enthusiastic, a show to watch in and of itself Overall everyone involved did a wonderful job in respecting Mozart’s work while creating a sweet and enjoyable performance for the audience

Performances run this week, Feb 28, March 1 and 3, at 8 p m at the Hoerner Theatre in Dillingham Center

Three Ways to a Different Music Scene

KAI SAM NG Sun Staff Writer

It has been open for less than a month and debuted its first show less than two weeks ago, but the lounge at Lot 10 is generating some well-deser ved buzz for attracting quite an impressive lineup of shows for a place that just opened its doors Actually, scratch that: their lineup is impressive for any place in Ithaca, period The best part about this is that you will be able to see that lineup in person this Thursday at 9 p m , when three bands two from Ithaca and one from Montreal will not only put on a memorable show but also jolt Ithaca with a burst of musical trendiness

Situated at the place where the restaurant Delilah’s once occupied, Lot 10 is named after the property designation on which the building sits on The name gives off a smooth casualness that matches the lounge itself Its

Familiarity

just-right size provides something that’s hard to come by in Ithaca: an underground, listening room environment where people (for it also hosts events like swing lessons) can interact candidly But that sincerity hides the lounge’s goal organically adjust to trends outside Ithaca This does not so much signify a departure from local music but adds to the scene by bringing in music other than the established roots rock, singer-songwriter and blues acts Ithaca already has

The Ithacan quintet Kin Ship begins the show with summer y, reverb-laden folk songs from their forthcoming album, Where I Live Many other bands share the same aesthetic, but the band stands out from the competition with their ability to successfully fuse in a nostalgic 60s element many other bands strive for Songs For a C K Dexter Haven, available for free on their Bandcamp page, is a collection of demos that gives insight into their sound None of the songs surpass three minutes, but a lot happens in each short burst Bright folk-pop melodies emerge from the turntable static, accompanied by soft percussion that supports delicate vocals They are wonderfully produced, with ethereal strings and organs manifesting to add to the exquisite balance of the songs Kin Ship describes its own music the best, saying it is “what you miss about your father’s record collection,” a wistful escape to simpler times

Intensive Care comes all the way from Montreal in the wake of increasing attention from the internet music elite The outfit is juggling the consequences that come with any band’s ascendancy into public attention: not only is it preparing for an album release and finalizing a record deal but embarking on an experimental tour t h r o u g h t

Collaborating with Jace Lasek of the Besnard Lakes (also from Montreal), it already has a self-released album under their belt from 2009, Fair ytales from the Island (which you can also get from Bandcamp) A prog-rock album at

A Histor y of

breeds contempt, ” the saying goes Anyone familiar with the current events of the world should harbor a little contempt at the way things are running

On one side, GOP contender Rick Santorum spews outdated drivel demeaning women, gays and all other minorities Far more flagrant is the state-sanctioned massacre of civilians over in Syria Videos from journalists two of which were killed last week while covering the clash and everyday citizens expose nauseating bloodshed that has spared no one; a clip went viral earlier this month that depicted a dismembered teen ’ s last moments This continues on, with no end in sight

But, hey, we love violence A small contingent applauded Rick Perry’s boast that, last year, his state of Texas put to death more criminals than any other A much larger majority cheered the death of Osama bin Laden I will not lie to say I was not one of them But, as a key passage from the Bible, Matthew 5:44, attests, Love your enemies,” a principle so noble in theory because it is so difficult in practice

Consider how many synonyms in the English language can substitute for “kill”: murder, slay, waste, snuff, whack, hit, ice to take care of, to do away with, to make sleep with the fishes How many different ways can we describe a field of flowers, or the connection with a loved one? Words appear futile in those circumstances We have all at least seen glimpses of the best in life Millions of songs have been written about how impossible it is to describe, the ineffability of beauty Most of them are so bad they make us value this struggle even more

Violence

The haunting quote from Jean Renoir’s 1939 film, The Rules of the Game, takes the just, if taboo, both then and now, approach to our history of violence: “The awful thing about life is this: Everybody has their reasons ” There is a side to every story, with emotions and values that lie not in black or white, but the grey in between Familiarity breeds not contempt but identification, knowledge of another s affairs that sit not far from our own

Art uncovers these truths and, today, cinema most of all But now that Oscar season is over, I expect movie studios to once again focus on making money; that is, equate the lowest denominator as the entire audience Sickly romantic comedies take a shot at cobbling together some immaculate depiction of true love while Michael Bay and Guy Ritchie wade in the unremitting tide of action blow-em-ups

From post-Oscar Februar y to pre-Oscar October, Hollywood attempts to ignore its unequaled ability to contemplate topics like peace and morality, values long stripped from Congress

Victims of rape assure the cozy masses that the extent of abuse similarly defies words With a glazed stare, PTSD war veterans contend that taking life, for the noblest of causes, still rattles the soul Hostile rhetoric can prove far more dangerous, for it indoctrinates subjects in intolerance, pushing objective detachment to subjective hatred The images of war and the words leading to it remain ugly Violence is the antithesis of beauty

History tells us violence has forever been the answer instead of, to quote Elvis Costello, “ peace, love and understanding ” It is easier, requires less thinking and compensates for the impotence of a long line of male leaders “Kill, kill, kill!” we yell to this day Demonize the enemy, for they could surely not be anything like us

Some films like Harr y Potter, Super 8 and Planet of the Apes slip through the cracks, yet not

even they, the sole breadwinners in the business, occupy the ballot for Oscar night Why does intelligent fare have to be relegated to a narrow three-month window, and at the metropolitan poles of our two coasts, no less? For the rest of the year, sex is love and blood is war

The best of cinema ponders themes greater than its own plot or mechanics Iran’s A Separation, winner of the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar and my Best Film of 2011, period, studies a simple but powerful domestic dispute Through its performances, subplots, editing and direction, the film upends the hostile image of the country and its people many of us have as well as any notion of infallible law No side of the conflict, between a recently divorced husband and sickly, pious woman, acted worthy of condemnation independent of one another Innocuous events escalated until a mutual split in morality cast one vehemently against the other

It is a fascinating, brilliant film that explores the simple violence in language and conduct, and how uncontested it would stand at each home base Like the smallpox explorers

heart, the album works in pop and folk within a postrock template to create deceptively simple songs that build up to towering climaxes An EP, It Takes Time, released just this month, is much more straightfor ward in its indie rock influences, yet maintains what one commentator describes as their “soaring, trippy, hazy rock” elements

Wrapping up the show are the garage veterans of Ithaca, Candy Pants Though a favorite local band for years (they formed in 1997), a lot of time has passed since its last show It’s also its first show with their new guitarist, making this show all the more essential for existing Candy Pants fans To be fair to Cornellians who have never heard of Candy Pants, it is hard to find it because they share their name with two other bands They also do not have a MySpace for people to check them out But that is because we take the internet for granted and expect content to come to us, rather than us searching for it

Those who do search are rewarded with the discover y of a great band with a lo-fi indie rock ethos like that of Pavement and the Dismemberment Plan Its ability to get people dancing has been noted even by The New York Times

Even through actively different approaches, all three bands fundamentally play a type of rock music that invigorates Ithacan music with a shot of something different

This show offers a great opportunity for Ithaca to attract bands with different styles of music and make the city an even more attractive destination for new music trends

Lot 10 is off to a great start, so keep your eyes peeled on the place

Lot 10 is located at 112 South Cayuga Street, and can be reached by the Route 90 and 92 Bus Doors open at 9 p m Tickets are $5 Ages 21 and up

Kai Sam Ng is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences He can be reached at kn298@cornell edu

COURTESY OF SANT SLADE 14

greeted Native Americans with, the origins of strife are invisible to one another

I criticized last year ’ s Drive, a film I otherwise greatly admired, for serving its brutal, almost beautiful carnage with no footnotes Director Nicolas Winding Refn framed the slitting of wrists and stomping of skulls with chill sterility and detachment It disturbed me not for the bloody images but for its refusal for empathy It took a Camus approach to violence, detached and detailed, not unlike the testimony of the BTK Killer or Ted Bundy That approach works for some, but I carry an agenda with the greatest of films “Why?” I want the film to ask Violence is all around us, but it is born of mass ignorance and petty greed Diplomacy seems impossible for a man raised to pull the trigger If this is such a wonderful world, there should be nothing funny about peace, love and understanding The Coen Brothers capture this complex perfectly in Fargo after policewoman Marge apprehends four-time murderer Gaear “And for what?” she asks “For a little bit of money There’s more to life than a little money, you know And here you are, and it’s a beautiful day ”

Zachary Zahos is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences He can be reached at zzahos@cornellsun com The Third Man appears alternate Tuesdays this semester

Heps Prepares Red for ECAC Run

It feels pretty good It s good to know that my hard work pays off ”

The women ’ s team finished first in the 60m by senior co-captain Melissa Hewitt, in the shot put by junior Victoria Imbessi and in the 4x400m relay by a team comprised of sophomore Ebolutalese Airewele, senior Kelsey Reimnitz, junior Libby O’Brien and freshman Katie Woodford

Freshman Rutger Admirand believes that it is very important for the Red to look forward to the next meets, not dwelling on what could have been or what should have been, but rather focusing on where the team is moving forward

“There’s a point where you have to sit there and reflect on what happened and what you need to do,” he said “But when it comes down to it you really just can ’ t sit there and wallow in it You have to pick your head up, you have to look forward and you have to realize that you ’ re the

best one out there, or you re on the best team out there You’re going to see a lot of fire [from this team] Losing at home just by eight points is ridiculous Everyone is just ready to go ”

Taylor told his team that there is a lot to be learned from this Heps meet, and he is confident in the resilience of the team

“I told them in our team meeting, ‘I think that pain and disappointment are two of the best potential teachers out there,’” he said “The challenge is what you do with that pain and disappointment They won ’ t have any trouble getting back up ” The Red now gears up to compete at the IC4A/ECAC championships this upcoming weekend in Boston This meet is generating a lot of excitement on the team according to Hagberg

“I’m excited,” he said “IC4As [are] looking big We re at our peak performances right now, so it’s another chance to show people what we ’ re capable of doing ”

Beyond this, however, the Red is looking to mount another successful campaign in the outdoor season Glantz is entering the spring season with high expectations for her team

“After being here three years and seeing us perform indoor and outdoor, I think that we ’ re a better outdoor than indoor team, she said “Everyone is just going to get faster and stronger ”

Taylor outlined what the Red has to do to come out and compete hard in the spring

“It will be determined by who comes to compete; which team really comes to compete, which team confronts their fears and anxieties best ”

Hewitt is confident that the second place finishes for the men ’ s and women ’ s teams are going to serve as the right motivation for a strong spring season

“We’re going to come back with a vengeance

Loss to Bulldogs Leaves S quad

faking, and was able to find Clare,” Smith said “[Fitzpatrick] had a lot of composure [on] a big f i n i s h r i g h t u n d e r t h e hoop We had three seconds to play out, and were able to force a turnover for browns last possession ” Lyman led the team in scoring with 13 points Se n i o

scored seven As a team, Cornell had 11 steals and shot 43 percent from the floor “ It w

a m r e a l l y w a n t e d , ” Smith said “ We weren ’ t at full capacity [the last time we played] at Brown, so to be able to compete in that manner with that excitem e n t a n d d r a m a w a s g r e a t , t h e p l a y e r s w e r e really excited

Ya l e p r ov e d t o b e a t o u g h c o m p e t i t o r o n

Sa t u rd a y n i g h t C o r n e l l w a s d e f e a t e d b y t h e Bulldogs for the second

t i m e , l o s i n g 8 6 - 7 3 t w o weeks ago in New Haven, Conn

“It was a tough couple first minutes,” Fitzpatrick said “ They went up 11-0, and we were never really able to recover from that It w a s a v e r y p h y s i c a l game We didn’t come out to play in the first couple

m i n u t e s We n e v e r s t o p p e d f i g h t i n g , b u t those first couple really killed us ” Cornell kept the game close, but was unable to break a four-point margin

“ We h a d 2 1

t u r n ov e r s , ” Sm i t h s a i d “ You’re not going to win many games with that We

made some silly mistakes, things we could have prev e n t e d We were disappointed with the outc o m e o f t h a t game a lot of t h i n g s s e l f inflected ” Anyanwu prov i d e d a n o t h e r s o l i d p e r f o rm a

Ta y l o r Flynn and DiMagno also contributed to the Red’s scoring effort, but Yale’s aggressive style of play was ultimately too much for C o r n e

Drummond Shatters Records

By SCOTT ECKL Sun Staff Wr ter

Despite placing last over the weekend at the Ivy League championships hosted by Harvard, the women ’ s swimming team (2-6, 1-6 Ivy League) boasted a few standout performances

The Red scored 630 5 points behind freshman Meredith Drummond, who broke three school records The men ’ s team (1-7, 0-7) will have its chance to win big at the Ivies this weekend in Princeton, N J Drummond led the team with a total of 69 points, which she compiled throughout the three-day event The rookie set the school record in the 200 IM, as well as in the 200 breaststroke, just five minutes after junior Jessie Holley set her own personal record Senior captain Chiara Spinazzola was second on the team in points, after advancing to the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke finals

I was really overall pleased at how well they did,” said head coach Joe Lucia “I think the most important thing was they handled themselves in the meet because it is not easy They were mentally tough throughout the three days ” Lucia also noted the performance of sophomore Kim Jerome, who set the fourth school record of the meet in the 100 breaststroke

Sophomore Sarah Schlichte had her all-time best swim in the 500 freestyle and senior captain Emily Dean had a strong showing in her final meet, earning 34 points Sophomores Melissa Mrozinski and Manita Herlitz-Ferguson also recorded their best performances of the season Lucia noted he was partially disappointed by the performances of the relay teams, which he felt did not fully express the depth of the team He said that he thought going into the last day of races, the team had a chance to pass Brown, but the Red was unable to overcome the deficit According to the coach, his proudest moment was when Drummond beat Holley’s record in the 200 breast

It was one of the best things I saw as a team, Lucia said “When [Drummond] beat [Holley]

after just setting the record herself, [Holley] was the first one to congratulate her and tell her great job ”

Lucia has no time to rest after last weekend, as he will travel with the men ’ s team to Princeton this weekend to compete in the Tigers’ version of the Ivy League championships The Red departs on Wednesday for the three-day event, which kicks off on Thursday, March 1

“The league got very competitive this year, ” said senior Julian Chan “But since our losses this year have been very close we have the confidence we need going into Ivies that we believe we can perform well ”

Both Lucia and Chan noted that defeating Harvard and Princeton are long shots for the team, but they remained confident in the Red s ability to compete against other rivals such as Brown, Penn and Dartmouth

“It is fully on the shoulders of the senior class,” Lucia said “They have been here before and I am looking for them to step up and set the tone for the meet ”

The seven seniors Kevin Brazitis, James Keady, Steven Kwatler, Chan, Zac MijaresShafai, Jake Sangren and Eric Anderson were all on the 2009 team that had the best championship result in school history

Despite failing to beat an Ivy League opponent this year, Lucia highlighted the team ’ s depth and how important it is in a meet like the one starting on Thursday The coach also echoed Chan’s feelings that the diving squad, comprised of juniors James O’Neil, Jon Zollo and sophomore Phillip Truong, will have to have a strong meet record if the Red wishes to place well

Sophomores Henry Scott, Harry Harpham and Taylor Wilson are expected to do big things as well, according to Lucia

“It has been a season of perseverance, Chan said “But we expect personal bests from everyone on the team and if we can do that we can be stay competitive in the league ”

Scott

Thursday,

Women’s Tennis Beats Binghamton; Men Wrap Up Play at Blue-Gray

Over the weekend, the women ’ s tennis team toppled Binghamton (3-5), 6-1, winning its second straight match Freshmen Gabby Sullivan, Sara Perelman and Rosemar y Li, as well as junior Christine Ordway won each of their respective singles and doubles matches Cornell (6-2) began the match by sweeping the three doubles matches of the day Junior Sarah O’Neil, who is ranked ninth in the No r t h e a s t Re g i o n by t h e Intercollegiate Tennis Association, and Ordway combined at No 1 and won their match, 9-8, in a tiebreaker Freshman Courtney Malinchak and Sullivan joined up at the No 2 position and breezed to an 8-6 victory The last pair comprised of Perelman and Li, who won their match at No 3, 84, improving the pair’s record to 80 on the season Ordway (No 2) and Perelman (No 5) sailed to singles victories without dropping a game, before Li (No 6) won her match in a straightset win Sophomore Ryann Young improved to 8-0 on the season, winning at No 3 Sullivan (No 4) also

claimed the win in her match

The Red returns to action for a Wednesday matchup against Army

The men ’ s team (5-8) concluded its weekend trip to Montgomery, Ala in defeat Ranked 59th by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, Cornell fell to 49th-ranked Alabama with a 4-0 loss on Sunday at the Blue-Gray National Tennis Classic

The Red dropped doubles matches at the Nos 1 and 3 spots against the Crimson Tide, then split the singles matches, losing 4-0, as two matches did not finish

On Saturday Cornell played back-to-back against No 14 Auburn and No 15 Missisippi State, but ultimately fell, 4-2 and 40, respectively Since matches were rescheduled for Saturday due to rain on Friday, the scoring format for Saturday was modified to play-todecision

After playing the last six consecutive matches away from Reis Tennis Center, the Red returns home for a doubleheader on March 3 against Illinois State at 11 a m , followed by Temple at 7 p m

Compiled by Lauren Ritter

Continued from page 16

At the No 7 spot, Sachvie won in five against Stanford’s Serena Fagan, tying the match at f o u r a p i e c e Fr e s h m a n No 1

Danielle Letourneau sealed the win for Cornell in another tough f

Chu

Devoy praised both women

Saturday “ D a n

match for us right at the end

[She] was under a lot of pressure,

Devoy said “Lauren Sacvhie, her match went 12-10 in the fifth, and if she had not won her game then Danielle’s [ m a t c h ] w o u l d n t h a v e made any diff e r e n c e I think I have to s i n g l e t h o s e t w o o u t a s being ver y mentally tough and really playing their best for the team They came through and that was awesome to see ” T h e c o a c h m e n t i o n e d t h e effor ts of rest of the team as well,

noting that although “ you can single out the girls that won and they did play exceptionally well even some of the girls

J u lee D ev oy

who lost had great matches also ” Even after achieving its season-long goal, the Red continued to fight hard in its final match against Penn on Sunday In the e n d , C o r n e l l f e l l , 7 - 2 , t o t h e f o

u t according to Sachvie the loss was not for lack of endeavor

“You really couldn’t wish to finish the season on a better note.”

“ When we were playing Penn w h o ’ s a l s o r a n k e d h i g h

them, she said “ E

n e played really well We could have just settled with sixth, but we

Ever yone played to get fifth and it just didn’t turn out for us, but that’s alright ”

You really couldn’t wish to

note, Devoy said Even though the Penn match was a little bit of an uphill battle [the team] came out and played well They didn t get wiped off the cour t by a better team; they stood their ground and were extremely positive It was a great way to finish the season especially for the seniors having regained that No 6 spot which was essentially our goal It was a great finish ”

Olivia Wittels can be reached at owittels@cornellsun com

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Spor ts

By JUAN CARLOS TOLEDO

The men ’ s and women ’ s track and field teams entered the weekend with high hopes of coming away with the Heps championship Both teams finished with three event titles, as well as many more scoring opportunities for the Red According to senior co-captain Molly Glantz, although both teams finished second overall, Cornell athletes can hold their heads high knowing that they gave all they could for their team and for their school

“I think we gave 110 percent in terms of effort and did all we could but I also think that things don’t [always] happen perfectly,” she said “I think everyone can look back on their performances and say they could have done this or that, but at the end of the day we did all we could for the weekend and I think Columbia did a really great job ”

The men ’ s team came up just eight points shy of winning the meet, taking second to Princeton Senior hurdler Dan Hagberg described how close the Red was to claiming the Heps title

“We had a great day one, better than we normally do,” he said “Then Sunday came around and we had a lot of great performances but just came up a little bit short at the end [We had] the highest points total at a Heps ever to not win the meet ”

According to men ’ s head coach Nathan Taylor, the difference between winning and losing in a meet like the Heps can be extremely close

“I think it’s always tough when you think you can win and then not win,” he said “When you think about it we lost the meet by one centimeter and two one-hundredths of a second It’s the blink of an eye; that’s the difference between winning and losing in this meet If you gave grades, we ’ ve got a very good team; we got an A The other team got an A-plus ”

The men ’ s team came away with first-place finishes in the

hurdles by Hagberg, in the long jump by sophomore Steven Bell and in the heptathlon by senior Nick

Hagberg was pleased with his first place finish

“I was ecstatic,” he said “I ran a [personal record], the first time I ve ever gone under eight before [in the 60m hurdles] That was a personal goal of mine, to break eight, so that was

good to get that out of the way with one of my last meets indoor ” Bell pointed to hard work as the reason why he was able to defend his crown in the long jump

C.U. Hosts Heps, Places Second to Princeton Cagers Defeat Brown By One in Friday

Got a napkin? | Cornell ser ved up Stanford a hot plate of revenge, as the Red beat the west-coast rival, 5-4

Final Score Not Indicative of Team Depth

By OLIVIA WITTELS Sun Staff Wr ter

This weekend, the Cornell women s squash team ended its season on a high note at the Howe Cup After a 5-4 win over longtime rival Stanford on Saturday, the No 7-seeded Red ensured it will regain the No 6 spot in the national rankings for next year The team suffered a 90 loss against Yale in its first match of the weekend, but according to head coach Julee Devoy, the final score was not

indicative of the squad’s performance

“There were six very competitive matches that went 3-1 or 3-2, so it was definitely much closer than the score reveals,” Devoy said “On paper, [Yale is] a better team than us, but we put up a good fight ”

Senior co-captain Lauren Sachvie echoed Devoy’s thoughts We did even better than we did when we played [Yale] in the season, ” she sad “Even though the score seems like they maybe would have killed us, everyone

had very close matches that we were just on the losing end of ”

The tough loss on Friday did not deter the women from preparing themselves mentally for Stanford

“Our main goal for the weekend was to go and beat [Stanford] and try to regain our sixth seed that we had a couple years ago Before [the match] we were really pumped and everyone really wanted to go out there and win,” Sachvie said

See W SQUASH page 15

By REBECCA VELEZ Sun Staff Writer

It was another weekend with split results for Cornell (11-14, 5-6 Ivy League), as the Red secured a win Friday night, 5150, against the Brown Bears (1610, 7-5), but fell to the Yale Bulldogs (16-10, 8-4) on Saturday, 69-58 The Red now stands at fifth in the Ivy League Friday night’s game proved to be a battle until the final few seconds

Game

“Everyone did their job With three seconds left, they didn’t ger another shot off ” Clare Fit zp at ric k

“It was a good game it was tight Both teams were solid on offensive and defensive ends, said head coach Dayna Smith “The lead margin wasn ’ t great for either team; it didn’t go over five It was really a good battle They’re a tough and scrappy team ” Brown and Cornell traded points for the entire first half, finishing the first 20 minutes of the game tied, 25-25

“In the second half we came out with a lot of energy, said junior forward Clare Fitzpatrick

“We went up a couple points, then they’d come back to tie it up ” With 15 seconds left in the game, Brown made a layup to put the Bears ahead, 50-49 Cornell then put the ball back on Brown s side of the court, and Fitzpatrick got an open look with 11 seconds to go Unfortunately the shot was off Brown rebounded, but sent the ball out of bounds Cornell took it in from under the opponents ’ net and with three seconds remaining, a good shot by Fitzpatrick secured the win

“We got the ball, ran a play [sophomore Allyson DiMagno] set a screen for me [Sophomore Shelby Lyman] threw a beautiful pass, and I got the game winner to put us up by one, ” Fitzpatrick said “Everyone did their job With three seconds left, they didn’t get another shot off It was an exciting game down to the wire ” Shelby did a nice job of ball