03 21 16 entire issue hi res

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Union of White C.U. Students Emerges

Members remain anonymous, receive support from white nationalists

By PHOEBE KELLER and SOFIA HU Sun Managing Ed tor and Editor in Chief

Two anonymous students from the Union of White Cornell Students claim that the group will release demands to Cornell administration within the next few days and eventually organize a march of white students

In an interview with The Sun on Wednesday, the students called the union a “civil rights group ” with over 140 members The students asserted that they also plan to host a white students’ march and initiate a speaker series

In a March 17 interview with The Sun, conducted online on the UberConference platform, the two anonymous students and Auernheimer said they feel a need to secure the safety of white students on campus

“I am anonymous right now because I am afraid of my fellow students and the direction they are going,” said one of the two anonymous students, who identified himself during the interview with the username Billy Jessup “Some of these folks are a little too motivated to be aggressive towards white people ”

“We’re providing a small grant to the white students union at Cornell, and I provide logistical assistance and I’ll be a speaker ”

While the two students declined to provide their full names, citing concerns for their safety, they were joined on the phone call by “external supporter ” and white nationalist Andrew Auernheimer commonly known online as “Weev ” Auernheimer corroborated his identity by tweeting at The Sun from his account, upon request during the interview

The Union of White Cornell Students first received public attention after posting an open letter on its Facebook page on March 3 describing their group as “ a community of white students who wish to preserve and advance their race ”

They also said that part of the union’s mission is to combat the demands Black Students United delivered to the administration in November Those demands include renaming the Cornell Plantations and creating mandatory coursework for all students on systems of power and privilege

“Right now the administration has been receptive to BSU We want them to come back from their earlier statements, ” said one of the anonymous students, who said he was a sophomore in the School of Industrial Labor Relations and was identified during the interview only by a phone

Police Report Armed Robbery at Subway Restaurant

By JOSH GIRSKY Sun News Editor

Restaurant at 401 Elmira Road on Saturday evening after a store employee repor ted the crime

Officers spoke with a store employee, who said that at approximately at 8:45 p m , as he was preparing to close the store, a man entered wearing a gray hooded sweatshir t and black ski mask, according to a police repor t The clerk was forced towards the register and then to open it as the suspect held a handgun, according to the

repor t The suspect then repor tedly took

from the cash register before fleeing

towards Spencer Street, according to the repor t The suspect is described as a black male of average build with a dark complexion He wore a gray hooded

black ski mask during the robber y, according to the repor t No injuries were repor ted, according to the repor t

Police advise that anyone who has any additional information about the

Qatari Poet Released After Letter Drop

By JOSH GIRSKY Sun News Editor

Mohammed al-Ajami, a student at the University of Cairo who was arrested by Qatari security forces in 2011, was pardoned and released by the Emir of Qatar following a letter written by Amnesty International Cornell and Cornell Organization for Labor Action earlier this month

The letter was given to acting President Michael Kotlikoff, requesting that he pressure the Qatari government to release poet Ajami from prison

robber ty should contact the Ithaca Police Depar tment

Cleveland Avenue last week, when

between two individuals when one of the two suspects discharged a handgun

Police did not recover the weapon and did not identify either suspect at the time of the shooting Both individuals fled the scene, according to a police repor t

Josh Girsky can be reached at jgirsky@cornellsun com

Monday, March 21, 2016

weather FORECAST

Today

Cancer Cell Migration in 3-D

9 - 10 a m , 165 Olin Hall

Christian Portrayals of Muhammad’s Jewish Associates

12:10 - 1:10 p m , 410 White Hall

Sites of Extraction: Perspectives from a Japanese Coal Mine In Northeast China

3:30 - 5 p m , 374 Rockefeller Hall

Food and Identity in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

4:30 - 6 p m , 110 White Hall

Healthy and Disordered Eating

7:30 - 8:30 p m , International Lounge, Willard Straight Hall

SPARK Talks for Cornell Graduate Students

4 - 6 p m , 102 Mann Library

Hi: 40° F Lo: 24° F Cloudy

Fr om Reader’s Digest:

I overheard one of my cashiers tell a customer, “We haven’t had it for a while and I doubt we’ll be getting it soon ”

I then quickly assur ed the customer that we would have whatever she wanted by next week

Hi: 50° Lo: 41° Par tl y Cloudy

After she left, I r ead the cashier the riot act: “Never tell a customer that we ’ r e out of anything Tell ‘ em we’ll have it next week,” I instructed

Hi: 43° Lo: 37° Shower s

IceCube Neutrinos: From Oscillations to PeV Dark Matter

4 - 5 p m , 401 Physical Sciences Building

Data Documentation: An Introduction to Science Metadata 4:30 - 6 p m , 112 Mann Library

Melville’s Subversive Geometry

4:30 p m , Guerlac Room, A D White House

Islam and the American Common Good 5 p m , Kaufmann Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall Tomorrow

Professor Sherman Jackson University of Southern California

“Islam and the American Common Good”

Tuesday, March 22, 5:00 p.m. Kaufmann Auditorium Goldwin Smith Hall

“Now, what did she want?” I asked

Hi: 47° Lo: 40° Rain

”

Hi: 45° Lo: 40° Shower s

TUE WED THU FRI

Compiled by Max Dopsch

Local

Tompkins Assemblywoman Proposes Improved Lead Testing in Schools, Day Care Facilities

A s s e m b l y w o m a n Ba r b a r a

Lifton (D-N Y ), who represents Tompkins County and

p a r t s o f C o r t l a n d C

n t y, said in a statement Thursday that she is introducing new

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

t o improve the lead testing in the state ’ s water, according to the Ithaca Voice

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

w o u l d re q u i re s c h o o l s a n d daycares in a given water dis-

t r i c t t o u s e w a

l

e s t i n g experts in ensuring that lead

ov

acceptable quantites If any source were to test above 15

would be notified

This legislation follows a recent wave of lead detection

Se v e r a l To m p k i n s C o u n t y

Schools have tested positive for high lead in water sources

O n e s i n k i n C a r o l i n e

El e m e n t a r y S c h o o l h a d s o m u

A g e n c y c o n s i d e r s i t “ t o x i c waste, ” The Voice said

National

Obama Arrives in Cuba, Heralding New Era After Decades of Hostility

President Obama landed in Cuba on Sunday He is the first American leader to do so

i n a l m o s t n i n e d e c a d e s , according to The New York Times

Obama arrives with widespread support for his efforts to reunite the old enemies

f r o m b o t h Cu b a n s a n d Americans alike

He is accompanied by various members of Congress,

i n c l u d i n g D e m o c r a t s a n d Republicans, all of whom are eager to support his call to lift

t h e t r a d e e m b a r g o a g a i n s t Cuba, The Times reported

U.S. Establishes Firebase in Northern Iraq

The United States has established a firebase in Northern Iraq, according to CNN The the small base had not been made public until recently It is staffed with “ a couple of hundred” Marines living in tents near Makhmour

The Pentagon said that it inteded to make the base public this week The early disclosure follows the death of Staff

Se r g e a n t L o u i s F C a rd i n , U S M C o f Te m e c u l a , C a lifornia Cardin’s death was the result of a rocket attack by ISIS militants in the area

The Marines first moved into the area only two weeks

a

amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge, a defense official told CNN Compiled by Max Dopsch

Class Councils Host

By ELEANOR GOOD Sun Contributor

Over 1,000 students flocked to Barton Hall for Cornell’s first Big Red Carnival a fun-filled evening of games, food and performances on Friday night

The event, sponsored by the Cornell Class Councils, aimed to unite the Cornell community and foster a sense of school pride, according to Daniel Engelson ’18, a member of the planning committee

“We want people to feel that Cornell is their home, and the carnival is a step in that direction,” Engelson said

Attractions included games, a photo booth and student performances by Cayuga’s Waiters, Cornell Sitara, Cornell Juggling Team and The Hangovers

The event started out as a “battle of the classes,” in which students from different years and organizations would compete against one another, but was eventually transformed into a school-wide carnival, according to Engelson

Student attendee Dustin Liu ’19 expressed support for this move towards inclusivity

“I think it’s really great that we have events that bring together the entire Cornell community, not only the classes,” Liu said

Emily Lien ’19, attendee, said she participated in the carnival games in order to win the most tickets and walk away with the grand prize tickets to the Governor’s Ball in New York City in June

“We’re in it to win the [Governor’s Ball] tickets,” Lien said

The Class Councils also set up a fundraising table to collect donations for the President Elizabeth Garrett Fund for Colon Cancer Research

Each class council was originally meant to raise money for their own cause, but the Class Councils decided to focus all fundraising efforts on President Garrett’s prevention fund, according Taylor Christensen ’17, class council philanthropy chair

Christensen added that half of the donations will be given to Anabel’s Grovery, because it helped sponsor the carnival

The event was a success due to the high turnout and fun-filled atmosphere, according to Engelson

“When I looked around the gym floor and saw a lot of smiles and students running around laughing, I personally felt as if our job had been successfully done,” Engelson said “I'm excited to see half a year ’ s hard work finally come to fruition ”

The Class Councils hope to make Big Red Carnival an annual event, according to Engelson

Eleanor Good can be reached at ekg45@cornell edu

High Schoolers Attend Women’s STEM Outreach Event

By GRACE SANTARELLI Sun Contributor

Thirty-six female high school sophomores engaged in scientific inquiry and discovery at Cornell’s seventh annual Women’s Outreach in Materials, Energy and Nanobiotechnology event Saturday

The event, sponsored by the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering’s Graduate Women’s Group, aimed to encourage high school girls to go into STEM fields, according to Yaset Acevedo Ph D ’18, the group ’ s outreach coordinator

“Volunteers led hands-on laboratory exercises and student panels to introduce high school girls to engineering and science, inspiring them

to pursue a college education and career in these areas, ” Acevedo said

Acevedo added that there are proportionally less women, especially in rural New York, who go into STEM majors

“Here in Ithaca we ’ re uniquely placed with Cornell,” he said “10th grade is a good time to attract ladies to this field because they’re still figuring out what they want to do for college, and it’s still early enough in their high school career that they can take more science or math courses ”

The group started planning the event in October with several checkpoints along the way, including a laboratory safety check and event run-through

“In January, applications were sent out to

around thirty high schools in the surrounding area, ” Acevedo said “Guidance counselors were given the opportunity to invite two girls who they felt would benefit from the outreach program ”

Graduate students participated in the event in hopes of “inspiring the high school girls to make decisions similar to their own, ” according to Acevedo

There was also a parent portion of the event to help parents encourage their daughters to go into STEM fields

“[The parent portion] included a discussion about helping their daughters apply for college admission and financial aid, as well as a special

See OUTREACH page 4

Students Share Passion, Promote

S T E M S t u d i e s

OUTREACH

Continued from page 3

laboratory experiment set-up for the parents to help their daughters, ” Acevedo said

The lab activity had parents and students work together to investigate surface tension and density by attempting to float a paperclip on water They added soap and honey to water to make it more dense than the paperclip, so the paperclip would float, according to Stacy Knapp, who did the experiment with her daughter Matilda Meghan Kodd, a student attendee, called the volunteers who organized the biology lab “ amazing” and “energetic ” Meghan’s father agreed, saying the energy level at the student panel was “ great ”

“[The college students] seemed very focused and passionate about their majors,” he said

The event also included a panel of undergraduate and Ph D students who discussed topics ranging from their high school course load to Cornell’s role in shaping their designated career paths

Kodd, who said she is interested in a career in science, called the event a great experience ”

“I’m definitely going to apply to Cornell,” Kodd said

Grace Santarelli can be reached at gs539@cornell edu

White Student Union Promises March

UNION

Continued from page 1

number with a 603 area code “We want the Cornell Plantations name to stay as is We want BSU disbanded and more fair dialogue about the issue of race ”

The group also criticized what they called BSU’s attempt to promote a program of “racial reeducation,” pointing to BSU’s calls for a diversity course requirement and increased diversity in Gannett Health Service’s resource center staff

“They want to have black therapists at Gannett to ensure that they can understand minorities, because they don’t feel like they’re understood,” one of the anonymous students said “There are not just whites [at Gannett currently] We find this absolutely ludicrous Present me metrics on how [black therapists] would understand your plight in a different way ”

Responding to the claims made by the anonymous students, a representative from BSU said, “Until members of the Union of White Cornell Students reveal themselves, their opinions about our demands, our organization and our race are not of consequence ”

In response to questions regarding the group ’ s legitimacy and anonymity, the students said members of the union choose to remain anonymous and meet secretly in small groups because they are concerned for their safety

“Since we ’ ve started people have been trying to discredit us, ” one of the anonymous students said “They don’t want to believe that a voice like ours could exist on such a liberal campus with such a liberal bias ”

The anonymous students claimed that the union is made up of between 140 to 170 members, with 20 to 30 graduate students and undergraduates from at least six undergraduate colleges at Cornell While the group plans to deliver demands to the Cornell administration soon, the union has not had any contact with Cornell administration yet and is not officially registered with the University, according to the students

In November of last year, 31 other “White Student Union” Facebook pages appeared, claiming to represent groups from universities around the country While many of these pages received support the same white supremacist website, The Daily Stormer, that is sponsoring Cornell’s union, several were exposed to have no credible link to the campuses where they originated

Ad d re s s i n g t h e l e g i t i m a c y o f t h e s e g ro u p s , Auernheimer conceded that some of the White Students Unions had received little support from students on campus, but called others were “ very real,” adding that Cornell’s union has the support of many student members

The anonymous students also said that the Cornell campus will soon recognize the group ’ s legitimacy when the union organizes a “march of white students and white civil rights activists” with financial and logistical support from The Daily Stormer

Auernheimer said The Daily Stormer has provided the union with a $500 grant and said that he intends to be one of the speakers in the lecture series the group aims to initiate

“[The Daily Stormer] is involved in a number of outreaches to white students unions, a reporter posts on Daily Stormer forums, and after some sort of communication we provide financial support sometimes,” said Auernheimer, who has previously written for The Daily Stormer “So we ’ re providing a small grant to the white students union at Cornell, and I provide logistical assistance and I’ll be a speaker ”

The two anonymous students said that the union’s formation and open letter have received mixed reaction on campus, adding that despite significant criticism, many students have reached out to the group through their Facebook page to address the group ’ s aims and intentions

“A lot of people have reached out to us through the page and said this is a dialogue that we need to have,” one student said “Even if they don’t support white activism they do believe that the concerns that we have are legitimate ”

The students also said that the group originally tried to work with student organizations to organize a speaker series, claiming that they have previously a

International Students Union to sponsor journalist Milo Yiannopolous

ISU has refuted this claim, saying that the members of their executive board have not had any contact with the Union of White Cornell Students and the group does not plan to collaborate on a speaker series, according to an ISU executive board member

“ISU stands in strong solidarity with protecting and upholding the interests and representation of minority communities including the international students community at Cornell,” the representative said “We are strongly against any forces that threaten to hurt or undermine the pluralist fabric of this campus ”

The anonymous students on the call denounced being labeled as a “hate group ” and said the unions’ members are not racist Instead, they described themselves as “just very concerned white students ”

“We’re not considered minorities We’re considered privileged, and slowly there has been this dialogue of minorities that they need to have certain rights,” one anonymous student said “They don’t have rights already? I’m sorry, I must have misunderstood But when it comes to me it’s a different story, isn’t it?”

The students and their external supporter stressed that their group is legitimate and its proposed projects imminent

“This is coming, this is going to happen, there’s nothing you can do about it,” one student said “White people are fed up with being treated like a minority Do you understand that?”

Phoebe Keller can be reached at managing-editor@cornellsun com Sofia Hu can be reached at editor-in-chief@cornellsun com

COLA, AIC Celebrate Release of Poet

QATAR

Continued from page 1

A j a m i w a s a r r e s t e d f o r “inciting the over throw of the r uling regime” and “criticizing the Emir” through two poems he read in Cairo, according to a letter

“ The poems in question did, in fact, express sympathy for the Arab Spring uprisings that f a m o u s l y g r i p p e d n a t i o n s throughout Nor th Africa and the Middle East that year, ” the letter stated “As an ar tist and

m a n o f c o n s c i e n c e , M r a l -

Ajami used the spoken word to envision a more per fect and just future ”

Ajami was held in solitar y confinement less than ten miles from Cornell’s medical campus

i n Q a t a r T h e c a m p u s w a s formed with the help of the Qatar Foundation, chaired by

Q a t a r i r o y a l S h e i k h a Mo z a Bint Nasser, a member of the f

bars,” according to the letter H a n n a s a i d Ko t l i k o f f responded to a letter-drop from COL A and AIC before Ajami’s release, and he believes that Ko t l i k o f f d e f i n i t e l y h a d a n influence on the outcome

“ We think that Kotlikoff ’ s l e t

n a d m i s s

o n t h a t C o

l a n d o t h e r A m e r i c a n i n s t i t u t i o n s have a stake in Qatar’s human rights record, and also reveals a par ticular institutional mechanism through which Cornell could potentially place pressure on the regime,” Hanna said Kyle Friend ’17 added that Ajami’s release is great ne ws for all involved

“ We a t A m n e s t y I n t e rnational were delighted to hear

of Acting President Kotlikoff ’ s w i l l i n g n e s s t o s p e a k u p o n behalf of Mr al-Ajami, and his desire to use Cornell's influence in the region for the greater good,” Friend said “Even more i m p o r t a n t l y, t h o u g h , w e a r e overjoyed to hear that Mr alAjami is free from his unjust detention, and is able to return back to his family ” H a n n a c a l l e d Ko t l i k o f f ’ s response “encouraging,” saying that Ajami’s release was “the r e s u l t o f i n t e n s e c o l l e c t i v e a c t i o n a n d p r e s s u r e ” o n Cornell’s campus

“A m n e s t y [ I n t e r n a t i o n a l ] and COL A will definitely hold the University to a high standard going for ward, especially given the suppor tive rhetoric of the letter,” he said

Josh Girsky can be reached at jgirsky@cornellsun com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Years, It’s

I’ ve already gone through the seven stages of grief for Indiana Jones In the eight years since the lackluster reception and, if I may say, gratuitous backlash to Kingdom of the Cr ystal Skull, I h a d a c c e p t e d t h a t m y favorite cinematic character

w a s d e a d a n d b u r i e d , interred until the inevitable reboot resurrection returned the whip-cracking archaeol-

o g i s t t o t h e s i l ve r s c re e n

S h i a L a B e o u f p r e - n o t -

b e i n g - f a m o u s - a n y m o re h a d been set up as the likely standard bearer, or perhaps Chris Pratt would pick up the fedora, but someone had t o re p l a c e Ha r r i s o n Fo rd , who had long expressed a disdain for returning to popular roles

On Tuesday, Disney and Steven Spielberg announced that they were going ahead with the long-gestating fifth Indiana Jones movie, to be released in 2019 Of course,

t h i s w a s t o b e e x p e c t e d : When Disney bought out Lucasfilm in 2012, they acquired the entire Star Wars saga and the ability to print money, but also the rights to any future treks for the globetrotting acquirer of rare antiquities What came as a complete shock, however, was the revelation that Harrison Ford himself would be stepping into the boots at least one more time Moviegoers rejoice! With a clear production plan, we can safely assume that this glorious ne ws will actually come to fr uition One problem Harrison Ford is old A F

Seriously, this guy will be 76 when this movie is s c h e d u l e d t o release He doesn’t

s e e m t h a t o l d

b e c a u s e h e we a r s earrings and crash-

e s a i r p l a n e s i n t o golf courses ever y other week, but he is He gets crotch-

e t y w i t h teleprompters He broke his leg tr ying to get into the Millennium Falcon I hear he asks for the senior dis-

c o u n t a t m o v i e t h

n S e a n Conner y played Harrison Ford’s dad in The Last Cr usade? He’s only 12 years older than him granted, Sean Conner y looked 75 for 40 years and he retired 13 years ago! Ford’s not simply old, but terribly reckless and possibly thrifty Can we assume this movie will be

made even though, as former Ar ts Editor Kaitlyn Tiffany put it, “HF will definitely be dead by then”? Maybe Disney is doing this for the insurance policy, some femme-fatale in a modern-day Double Indemnity There comes a time in ever y actor ’ s life when they need to take a step back and ask, “Is it believable for my flabby old man hands to throw a Russian terrorist out of Air Force One?” I could never ask Harrison Ford to stop acting altogether, but to continue making action films exclusively seems like a bit

, no? Eventually

u m p y expression and

ships Harrison never made the leap to playing typical old guy par ts, and at this point I doubt he ever will, because he’s not really old, just his body

Hollywood believes that 73year-old men are still smugg l i n g r a t h t a r s a c r o s s t h e galaxy and getting nuked in f r i d

women are sitting around and slowly getting dementia or while the men in their life d o f a

things Actors have the luxur y of picking their roles to suit their interests; if Harr y

Pr unes, he can, for his starpower wills it to be so These roles simply don’t exist for older women I am reminded of the infamous comments Russell Crowe

when he told repor ters, “ To be honest, I think you’ll find that the woman who is saying that is the woman who at 40, 45, 48, still wants to play the ingénue, and can ’ t u n d e r s t a n d w h y s h e ’

n o t being cast as the 21-yearold ” Crowe, who you may r

a s t h e o n e mediocre singer in Les Misérables, has always strictly abided by his own age when it comes to casting, like when he played real-life boxer James J Braddock in Cinderella Man who, in 1935, became heavyweight champion at age 30 at the ver y a c c u r a t e a g

whether or not we’d even be having this conversation if Indiana Jones was a woman (and

be?!) Of course a 73year-old actress would be too old to play the

m o v i e , n o q u e s t i o n about it Older female actors are required to make the leap into typical old woman par ts m a i n c h a r a c t e r ’ s m o m , s t u f f

or face unemploy-

in Ricki and the Flash Fo r s o m e r e a s o n ,

o f 40 Or when he p l a y e d r e a l - l i f e m

h e m a t i c i a n John Nash from age 18 to 66 in A B

M

n d , all from the tender age of 36 It’s h o n

t h i n k that female actors s

arbitrar y age limitations based on,

, unabashed sexism

claims that leading men age while their female love interests seem to remain the same age, but I will anyway Harrison Ford is one of the worst offenders, consistently co-starring/making out with actresses 10 to 20 years his junior Sure, he had youthfulness during his Star Wars days, but even then he was 41 when Retur n of the Jedi came out and Carrie Fisher was only 27 That just makes the entire romance seem kinda weird now I’m just tired of seeing old men romp around with their wrinkles and have all the fun, Expendables-style, r e f u s i n

Hollywood by age 50 Honestly, I actually have some respect for Sly, who has let go of Rocky the boxing champion who beat Apollo Creed and the communists and embraced Rocky the sad old man who wears fedoras and has cancer That’s more akin to what actresses his age get to play, so it’s only fair

Sean Doolittle is a senior in the College of Agriculture and

He

Mustang: Looking for aWay Out

BY CATHERINE HWANG Sun Staff Writer

With heads of dark, rich, slightly wild and uncontrollable hair, the five orphaned sisters of Turkish-French film director Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s Mustang Lale (Güneş Şensoy), Nur (Doğa Doğuşlu), Ece (Elit İşcan), Selma (Tuğba Sunguroğlu) and Sonay (İlayda Akdoğan) seem to fly free in their rural Turkish village, independent, bright and happy But this sense of freedom only remains during the brief beginning prelude before their conservative relatives lock the girls away from the world and try to mold them into perfect wives when the girls are (wrongly) accused of indecent play with male classmates on the beach A story of female empowerment and of being jolted into adulthood, Mustang’ s sisterhood is both beautiful and tragic

We’re guided through the story by Lale, who is the youngest, and in some ways the most visibly rebellious, sister she seems too young to marry, she enjoys soccer and she sneaks out of her window like she was born to do it Seeing the world of Mustang through Lale’s eyes is essential Kept in the house the longest, Lale watches as the walls become higher and the windows become barred Seeing all of her older sisters quietly married off after awkward sessions of tea and biscuits with suitors and future in-laws, Lale grows increasingly spirited (and desperate) as she looks for ways to sabotage her relatives and ultimately free herself from the confines of her new prison

degree Though a feminist, progressive piece, the film doesn’t look to condemn a general group, such as men or older generations Instead, it creates a vivid and fleshed-out world, in which random individuals, like the truck-driver or one of the many aunts (enlisted to mold the girls into wives), help the girls out of kindness The film refrains creating flat, caricaturized characters though it does seem to roughly divide the cast of characters into the general “good” and “bad.” The same

goes for the girls They are not shown as damsels in distress nor as a band of inseparable and undefeatable girls They fail to obtain a perfect happy ending in many ways, and each sister deals with the imprisonment and loss in different and relatively extreme ways, giving their character greater dimension

film largely comes from the clash of unease and worry of the adults about societal expectation and sexuality, and the fierce independence and (relative) innocence of the sisters The fact that the natural growth and innocent liveliness of the girls are twisted into immoral and dirty behavior is a testament to that And the girls do their best to fight this, actively disobeying their grandmother and uncle as much as possible in order to stay themselves as much as possible. They sneak out, have premarital sex, spit in drinks and rip and toss restrictive dresses; they do their best to stay ahead of the patriarchal game, succeeding at times and resignedly failing at others

The film’s aesthetics mirrors this tension in a rather wistful smoke of light; bright colors of the sisters’ outfits versus the drab clothing they are forced to wear, a balance between the energetic movements of the sisters and the silent confines of the house Certainly, the film has its moments of unnecessary extremity at times, such as the extent to which nearly the entire village oppresses the girls, or the unrealistic way the television catches a clear shot of the girls at the soccer game they’re not supposed to be at But it doesn’t feel gratuitous It’s a film that gets your heart racing and makes you earnestly root for the five sisters, from their beautiful moments of courage to the moments filled with empty eyes and dejected frowns These ultimately come together to give a refreshing and evocative view on the objectification of women, through the eyes of women (rather than men, as it so often tends to be), and to probe into the question of individuality, projected sexuality, and loss through the energy, hope, and determination of Lale and her sisters

It’s also important to note that Lale, in her youth, lacks predefined judgments about groups in society to a certain

Young and beautiful, the sisters seem blissfully unaware of their growing attractiveness to society as objectified women and wives rather than actual human beings The tension in the

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From the Editor

Credibility, Anonymity And Legitimacy

On Friday, The Sun published a news stor y online titled “Aided by White Nationalist Groups, Union of White Cornell Students to Release Demands, Host March” detailing an inter view with two anonymous people claiming to be members of the Union of White Cornell Students and white nationalist Andrew Auernheimer

While the legitimacy and scope of the Union of White Cornell Students remains unclear, The Sun continues to actively investigate this organization Moving forward, The Sun refuses to continue reporting on this group until its members’ identities are verified

We feel that we cannot continue dignifying this group ’ s requests for anonymity as its members prepare to host a speaker series and a white students march, continue to share inflammator y and divisive aims and become more involved on-campus Especially as the Union of White Cornell Students plans to release a list of demands to the Cornell administration soon, it will become impossible for us to produce accurate reporting on the union’s intentions and motivations if its members refuse to provide us with their identities

Many readers have appropriately questioned whether the Union of White Cornell Students is a hoax, following a chain of 31 fake white student unions created in November These concerns are valid, especially since white supremacist website The Daily Stormer was involved in the creation of the hoax unions and appears to be providing logistical and financial support to the Union of White Cornell students However, several key differences distinguish the Cornell union from previous hoaxes

In a span of four days from Nov 19 to Nov 23, at least 30 Facebook pages surfaced, claiming to be white student unions at various college campuses On Nov 21, Andrew Anglin, editor of The Daily Stormer, encouraged readers to make Facebook pages even if they did not attend the colleges These pages shared identical statements of purpose, and several were taken down hours or days after creation In contrast to these short-lived hoaxes, the Union of White Cornell Students was created nearly three months after Anglin’s post, has been consistently active since March 2 and has shared Cornell-specific positions and demands

There remain many questions regarding this union We are committed to producing the strongest stories possible, and using anonymous sources risks the quality and credibility of our reporting We recognize the importance of taking a firm stance on the use of anonymous sources, which remains an important and contentious issue for all papers Just last week, The New York Times instituted a stricter policy on the use of anonymous sources Like The Times, we place utmost importance on maintaining our credibility and our reader’s trust, and we will continue doing so with our future coverage

Please do not hesitate to contact us with any concerns, comments and questions at editor@cornellsun com

Eric Schulman | Schulman’s Schtick

Saving Lives — No Chemistry Required

Do you feel like you have a disproportionate number of friends aspiring to be doctors? I do and hanging out with them is a struggle because I am really jealous Doctors are paid well and get to save lives Obviously not all doctors but generally, being a doctor is about healing people and doctors are generally in demand Not to say I wish I were a doctor My knowledge of chemistry extends as far as Breaking Bad I’m also incredibly squeamish I’m just jealous because medicine is one of the few professions where you are paid well to save lives You get to have your cake and eat it too

Luckily, as one of my medically focused friends pointed out, there are other professions that save lives Some of them are just as lucrative as being a doctor or certainly pay off sooner The profession my friend had in mind was farming: specifically, working as as scientist to engineer more robust crops

There are 800 million star ving people in the world right now Helping feed them would be an incredibly fulfilling job It’s also a pretty safe profession because companies like Monsanto pay top dollar to profit from the modified strains

cheap grain from abroad, instead of producing it expensively at home, intensified shortages The tangled mess of incentives created by biofuel subsidies also contributed in 2007, nearly a quarter of U S corn was being grown for fuel Additionally, demand for meat which is more resource-intensive than grain and high oil prices made fertilizer and agricultural equipment more expensive (which in turn made food more expensive) Macroeconomics theory and econometrics are key to understanding what happened

Not to say chemistry and biology didn’t prevent food shortages in 2007 Erratic weather patterns, disease and drought areas outside of economics certainly contributed to the food crisis in 2007 In 2006, drought in Australia, the world’s second largest wheat exporter, decimated crop yields Obviously, biology and chemistry are

Famine reared its ugly head a few years ago. The issue wasn’t plague or anything obviously connected w the natural world; it was price.

Unfortunately, I’m not qualified for that either my knowledge of chemistry, or lack thereof, disqualifies me You need an advanced degree in biological sciences to engineer better crops I study economics Economics may be lucrative but biology is the subject for healing the sick and feeding the hungry Right?

Not necessarily especially in the case of feeding the hungry An economist could do just as much, if not more After a decade of improvement, famine reared its ugly head a few years ago The issue wasn ’ t plague or anything obviously connected with the natural world; it was price

Wheat prices nearly doubled in 2007 Because of the price increases, famine struck many of the world’s poorest people Nations in North Africa and the Middle East were hit hardest These countries import most of their grains and are incredibly poor There were riots from Mexico to Morocco over the unavailability of basic staples If you shop at Wegman’s you probably didn’t notice (just like you probably don’t notice when produce goes out of season), but food banks in the U S were hit hard as well

The food shortages in 2007 are an economists’ puzzle Years of World Bank policy encouraging developing nations import

important Bigger wheat yields theoretically translate into lower prices

However, there is so much ground to be gained in solving hunger in the realm of economics We still don’t definitevely know what caused food prices to rise in 2007 We never figured how to lower prices The U S housing market crash and ensuing financial slowdown caused wheat prices to fall Many blamed Wall Street speculation on wheat futures contracts for the price increases However, the statistical evidence backing such claims is weak

Obviously, world hunger is a complicated issue It probably will not be solved for a while However, economics is gaining so much ground Over the past 20 years, roughly 200 million fewer people are starving because of economic development in Asia As rural countries industrialize, they consolidate subsistence farms and can afford to import more food There are four pounds of food per day for every person on the planet that’s a lot food If only we could distribute it more efficiently Economics can save lives no chemistry required That’s my schtick and I’m sticking to it Tune in Alternating Mondays for more

Eric Schulman is a junior in the College of Arts

Aditi Bhowmick | Abstruse Musings

TThe Rest Is Silence

he flipside of being aware and constantly thinking, questioning and critically analyzing everything we come across is the sheer anxiety it translates into As someone who has struggled with a mind that does not believe in quietude, I have been thinking deeply of silence of late Silence is powerful Yes, it makes us uncomfortable but embracing silence makes a world of a difference This is especially relevant in our microcosm on the Hill Personally, I have been trying to deal with my battle with silence It is hard especially at Cornell when we are constantly worrying about something or the other I am devoting this column to the power of silence because it is perhaps the most important takeaway for me in my final semester at Cornell As someone who is inherently garrulous, it does not come easily to me But, in several situations over the past few months, I have grasped the significance of silence

It is most tedious to silence my mind before going to bed On nights when I am able to ignore the deluge of thoughts that get unlocked as soon as the lights go out, silence has been therapeutic It has been soothing It has been like a homecoming where you close your eyes and know everything is bound to fall into place one way or the other

This semester, I am facilitating a dialogue on gender as part of the Intergroup Dialogue Project There has been a lot of emphasis on facilitating silence and allowing it to fill the room Silence, in this context, has been a form of communication When emotions run high and triggering situations emerge, silence gives you the time and space you need to absorb the experience Silence allows you to respect Silence makes feelings palpable

When you are spending time with someone you deeply care about, silence is comfort and an expression of love Being able to sit and let each other’s presence be enough is a meaningful elucidation in itself

During the times I have learned to silence my mind, I have become a

When emotions run high and triggering situations emerge, silence gives you the time and space you need to absorb the experience. Silence allows you to respect Silence makes feelings palpable

better listener I am always one to raise my hand in class These days I write down in my notebook “Don’t speak for the next twenty minutes,” and it has influenced my ability to learn When I consciously focus on silencing my mind, I listen not only to the words spoken by others but the stories hidden behind the words I pay attention to language, intonation, personalities and experiences

Silence can be a form of quiet revolution When words don’t suffice and only leave you feeling frustrated, silence is a marvel The mental ability to be silent is a privilege, one that I have only started acknowledging now

The silence that tied the Cornell community together on the Arts Quad when we were honoring President Elizabeth Garrett’s memory this past week was poignant, compassionate and stirring With all of the emphasis on speaking out that has been such a defining aspect of my life for the past 22 years, I had either not noticed or forgotten the importance of silence When a powerful speech is delivered, the efficacy lies in the silence that follows the final words spoken Silence marks the anticipation before one says “I do” at a wedding Silence is a treasure in a world where entire cities are dealing with drones, explosion and violence day after day, for years and decades Silence can be peace both comfortable and uncomfortable Silence is transformative and profound If we think about it, silence holds our lives together Silence is humility, unspoken understanding and in so many ways, life changing My dialogue about silence has only begun and it is a challenging one, but at the end of the day, when the night silently descends, it is rewarding

Aditi Bhowmick is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences Abstruse Musings appears alternate Mondays this semester She may be reached at ab738@cornell edu

Do you have strong opinions about University issues and events?

Che

Re: “Aided by White Nationalist Groups, Union of White Cornell Students to Release Demands, Host March,” News Pub March 19, 2016

Juliana Hong | Guest Room

A Mosaic of Responses to Germany’s Acceptance of Refugees Comm en t of the day

Si t t i n g i n a n a d va n c e d

English course in a German high school, Jane* blends into the crowd She is surrounded by white faces and occupies her place amidst the neat rows of off-white desks She reads the same textbooks, laughs at the same jokes and writes with the same pencils as her classmates Yet, her past is so starkly different from the peers she sits next to She is a refugee, who initially escaped to Greece and now lives in Germany with her mother She has slept in refugee camps and has been forced to live with strangers in crowded spaces She is one of the 1 1 million refugees who have come to Germany within the past year and are trying to integrate into German society

Over winter break, funded by t h e Me i n i g Fa m i l y C o r n e l l National Scholars program, I traveled to Germany to gain onthe-ground information about t h e i n f l u x o f re f u g e e s i n Germany and to hear the stories of people like Jane who have been affected by the greatest movement of refugees to Europe since World War II Currently, the primary issue of concern and goal for Germany is integration of these people In the next few years, what will Germany look like? How will Germany change?

By c o n ve r s i n g w i t h p e o p l e directly facing the effects of the situation, I caught a glimpse of the integration process that has just started to begin during the past year and a half

A re m a rk a b l e re s p o n s e through the Willkommenskultur (Welcoming culture) has been fostered by ordinar y German people who are motivated by a moral imperative to help and welcome new refugees Adrian, a high school student I spoke to, had just spent his winter break on the shores of Greece, distributing socks and warm clothes to refugees arriving on flimsy boats Maren, a full-time consultant, served as a grassroots organizer during the weekends, using food

a n d c o m m u n i t y d i n n e r s a s means to connect Germans and refugees Henoch, a biotech sci-

entist, expressed his belief that “it should be absolutely natural for Germans to provide any kind of help for the reason that they’re human beings ” As I looked into the eyes of person after person describing their commitment to creating an accepting culture, I couldn’t help but marvel at the inspiring acts of humanity displayed collectively through individual Germans And yet, there exists an apparent clash between moral desires and pragmatism The challenges have also overflown to various parts of society Some doctors are forced to work 2 a m shifts to a c c o m m o d a t e n e w l y a r r i ve d re f u g e e s C h r i s t i a n e , a l a b o r researcher, expressed her concern regarding the government ’ s mistake of letting in people without p ro p e r i d e n t i f i c a t i o n Eve n “ideal immigrants” young, university educated, and ready to work are stuck waiting and receiving government suppor t d u e t o t h e b u re a u c r a c y Furthermore, during my time in Germany, Cologne the very city in which I was staying and t h e f o u r t h l a r g e s t c i t y i n Germany captured international headlines for the attacks that occurred on New Year’s Eve There, hundreds of women were attacked, sexually assaulted and stolen from by hundreds of “ men o f No r t h A f r i c a n o r A r a b descent ” This incident of crime only bolstered the heightened tensions that permeated the conversations, news headlines, and street protests As a result, there was perhaps a noticeable shift in media sentiment, towards a more critical lens Initially, some Germans felt that there was a degree of social p re s s u re p e r p e t u a t e d by t h e media to fully support refugees without focusing attention on the challenges Gerit, a German graduate student, said, “I think the media in this year will be playing a very important role in how the society in Germany

t h i n k s ” Fo r m a n y, Ge r m a n m e d i a o u t l e t s a re i m m e n s e l y influential sources of informat i o n re g a rd i n g t h e s i t u a t i o n However, instead of the polar-

ized dichotomy depicted widely i n p o r t r a y a l s , t h e Ge r m a n responses appeared to represent more of a mosaic, comprised of var ying levels of concern and optimism and nuanced understandings People are clearly conflicted on how to proceed There e x i s t re a s o n a b l e p e o p l e w i t h valid, understandable apprehensions Surprisingly, one Iranian refugee expressed her opinion that Germany’s choice “ was the best decision for refugees, but the worst decision for Germany ” Ironically, some right-wing conservatives and immigrants share t h e s a m e s k e p t i c a l o p i n i o n s Many were very careful in articulating their thoughts, cautious not to offend or appear judgmental Still, others were genuinely fear ful of increases in crime As one university student said, “In this situation, the simple solutions are the wrong solutions ”

Not even a century has passed since the horrific events of the Ho l o c a u s t i n d e l i b l y s t a i n e d Germany’s history And yet, present-day Germany has demonstrated a striking shift in attitude As put by a German woman, “Only someone who has seen the w a l l t h ro u g h Be r l i n a n d t h e lethal fence of the Iron Curtain with their own eyes, can correctly assess what that means This year our country has had the historic opportunity to show that our hearts have really changed, from a country that wanted to wipe out a whole nation of people to a country that can take in a whole nation of people ” Their actions are not clouded by idealism, but they are fueled by clear and thoughtful motivations The c o m p l e x i t i e s o f t h e s i t u a t i o n demand flexibility, adaptation and a willingness to be uncomfortable As Germany wrestles its moral ideals with its pragmatism, the solutions cannot be reduced to simple answers

*Names have been changed for privacy reasons

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‘Passing on the Tradition’

Dean, Garrett Earn National Titles

Cornell takes seventh in NCAA Championship held at Madison Square Garden

from where we started to where we are now as a group, I remember coming into Cornell when I was a kid, getting the crap kicked out of me every day by Cam Simaz [’12] ”

Witherspoon when his knee gave out The junior entered the match seeded second in his weight class, and finished as the national runner-up last year Despite losing the match, Realbuto miraculously came back and decided to give his consolation match a go Despite working off one leg, he almost won, only losing a 6-5 decision to Chattanooga’s Sean Mappes after a last-second takedown was called off

“I don’t think people truly appreciate how frightening that experience is when you don't have the use of one of your legs and you ’ re out there in front of 18,000 people and you ’ re almost embarrassing yourself, but he fought his ass off and I was proud of how he wrestled,” Koll said “It was unfortunate that he didn’t win, but at the same time, I don’t think we would’ve put him out again ”

Beyond just Garrett, Dean and Realbuto, Koll said he was proud of the performance of all his wrestlers on the weekend, which included freshmen Dalton Macri, Joe Galasso and Jeramy Sweany, junior Dylan Palacio who placed fourth at 157-lb and seniors Duke Pickett and Owen Scott

NEW YORK, N Y With the lights at their brightest, senior Nahshon Garrett and junior Gabe Dean were at their best Garrett and Dean both won national titles as Cornell wrestling placed seventh in the nation, at the 2016 NCAA Wrestling National Championships held at Madison Square Garden over the weekend

Now a junior, Dean has become one of the leaders of the team and, unlike in his freshman season, is “ not getting [his] head shoved into the bleachers every day ”

“We didn’t have the perfect NCAA Tournament, but we’ve got a lot of fighters on our team ... I’m just happy to be a part of it.”

Head coach Rob Koll said the three leaders of his team Garrett, Dean and junior Brian Realbuto set the tone throughout the weekend, each in his own way

Garrett, the No 1 seeded wrestler at the 133-lb weight class, faced his last shot to win a National Championship, a milestone many expected him to achieve last year Dean, also seeded first, had a chance to repeat his championship in the 184-lb weight class, while also looking to avenge his loss in February against Oklahoma State’s Nolan Boyd, who had snapped Dean’s win streak at 52 matches Realbuto, on the other hand, needed to fought through a torn ACL and MCL sustained during his first match of the weekend

At the weekend’s conclusion, Garrett walked away from New York City with his first national championship, Dean secured his second with a victory over Boyd in Session III and Realbuto somehow fought on one leg to nearly win his match in Session II

Cornell walked out of Madison Square Garden with two of the 10 national champions Even with the team ’ s seventh-place finish, the Red took fifth

“The point was these kids, not just me but my whole class, we kept coming back and didn’t take no for an answer, ” Dean said “And you know what, we didn’t have the perfect NCAA Tournament, but we got a a lot of s be a par For the c onship match on Sunday sented both the emotional physical peak for his entire c career, and something he’s w towards his entire life

“Well, I was thinking ab calm myself in the midst of on I just really needed to show and express that I had a peaceless state when I was out there and that’s what I wrestled with and I wrestle with confidence,”

Garrett said “And I think I was just trying to portray that, express that to the best Garrett, whose victory thi his undefeated season, fini Cornell sporting a

“When you have two of your top kids go down like that, it seems to represent the whole team, which is unfair, because overall, they’re not scoring tons of points, but they’re wrestling,” Koll said of Realbuto and Pickett’s first round losses “When you look at the three freshmen we have here, our heavyweight gets caught and pinned late in the late period [on Friday], otherwise, they’re winning matches at the national championship and that really makes me feel good ”

Reacting to the show of support from many Cornellians who attended the tournament, Garrett found himself emotional speaking about finishing his collegiate wrestling career

“It’s easy to get caught up in it when they were singing the

down and had to get pped in the face a couple times before I actually went out re on the mat ”

The fight from the team, beyond just Garrett, Dean and lbuto, is what makes Cornell wrestling the storied prom that it is today, Koll said That tradition is what will p bringing competitive wrestlers into the program, year r year, according to Koll

“Every single prospective student athlete will be watchthis and when they see that giant white C, it’s iconic ke that,” Koll said “They get to hear the kids speak and e them on video and they are like, ‘I want to be like Gabe Dean ’ Well, you can ’ t be like Gabe Dean or Nahshon Garrett unless you come to Cornell And before them, we had Kyle Dake [’13] Those guys are just passing on the tradition ”