03-29-12

SAE Denies Fault in Brother’s 2011 Death

By HARRISON OKIN Sun Staff Wr ter

Sigma Alpha Epsilon argues that the death of George Desdunes ’13 was the result of his own “culpable conduct,” according to a defense brief filed by the national fraternity earlier this month Denying all charges in the $25 million wrongful death lawsuit brought by the mother of Desdunes, the SAE brother who died after a pledging event last February, the fraternity claims that it does not have a pledge process and that it does not require anything of pledges

SAE also demands that any damages awarded to the plaintiff Desdunes mother, Marie Lourdes Andres should be paid by the 20 former SAE brothers and pledges also named as defendants in the complaint In a separate, criminal lawsuit, three SAE pledges were indicted on charges of first-degree hazing and first-degree unlawfully dealing with a child

The fraternity denies liability for actions taken by individual brothers or pledges at specific chapters It argues in response to the suit that SAE did not directly exhibit “negligence carelessness and/or culpable conduct” and that Desdunes’ death was not the result of any direct action or negligence by the organization

In its response to the suit, SAE also argues that Desdunes was partly or wholly responsible for his own death

By JOSEPH NICZKY Sun Senior Writer By AKANE OTANI

Prof David Harris, sociology, and senior associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, has been appointed Tuft University’s next provost and senior vice president Harris who has served in several administrative positions since he first came to Cornell in 2003 will join Tufts leadership July 1

“It’s a very exciting opportunity,” Harris said “I will be able to take lots of what I learned here at Cornell doing everything from being a faculty member, being a provost and being an asso-

ciate dean to help lead Tufts to achieve its goal ” Harris said he was contacted about the Tufts position in November

At Cornell, Harris is currently completing his term as interim co-director of the Africana Studies and Research Center, an appointment that ignited backlash among students amid the transfer of Africana into the arts college Harris and Prof Elizabeth Adkins Regan, psychology and biology, were appointed to lead Africana in August after the arts college failed to find some-

By TAJWAR MAZHAR Sun Staff Writer

Students and community members with empty bellies and creamy cravings flocked to 40 College Ave on Wednesday afternoon for the opening of Yogurt Crazy, a LongIsland based, self-ser ve frozen yogurt store that has set up shop in the former home of Johnny O’s Similar in style to national chains Pinkberry and Red Mango, Yogurt Crazy sports a bright pastel interior and a wall lined with self-serve machines

Jim Brown, the manager of Yogurt Crazy, said that he was pleased by the level of business throughout the day

“So far, with all the customers we ’ ve had, we ’ ve been perceived really well,” Brown said I can t even tell you how

Responding to three accidental drownings in Ithaca’s iconic gorges last summer, the University announced Wednesday that it has committed $1 56 million to gorge safety efforts and, pending the approval of several projects, is considering devoting an additional $800,000 to these efforts

The $1 56 million is partially designated to fund efforts recommended in December by the Gorge Safety Steering Committee, an advisory committee that was formed in the fall, according to Vice President for Student and Academic Services Susan Murphy ’73

In accordance with the recommendations of the committee, the

Yogurt Cra zy O pening D raw s Fro-yo Fanatics

many people stopped by to ask if we were open even before we were ready ”

Despite the high volume of customers on Wednesday afternoon, Yogurt Crazy

employees said they faced setbacks that delayed the opening of the shop until later in the day When the shop opened at noon, cashiers were unable to accept credit cards due to technical issues

“It’s been crazy I was here past 12 last night and came back at eight getting things ready,” Brown said Brown said that the Yogurt Crazy

employees were still working out how best to arrange the new location to expedite the process of getting yogurt and checking out at the registers

“The flow seems to be okay for now, but we ll just have to wait and see after we get our big rush,” Brown said In addition to frozen yogur t, Yogur t Crazy is selling cookies, smoothies and bulk candy to give customers a wider variety of ways to satisfy their sweet tooth

“It’s nice to see a new business in Collegetown, especially something that could be popular with students as well as faculty and locals,” said Katie White ’14, who added that she planned to visit the store soon

While Jason’s Conveience Store, locatSAE

PUPIL POETRY

NYS Adopts Redistricting Plan

By MATTHEW ROSENSPIRE Sun Staff Wr ter

Judges ordered New York State to adopt a federally drafted congressional redistricting plan on March 19 The new plan will e l i

, including the New York 22nd District, w

To m p k i n s County

In order to bring the state into compliance with federal law, a panel of three federal judges ordered the state legislature to adopt a plan drafted by Magistrate Judge Roanne L Mann “in its entirety ” Judge Mann’s plan, according to documents released by the Federal District Court in Brooklyn, eliminates two of New York’s current 29 congressional districts by splitting the 9th District, currently represented by Rep Bob Turner (R – N Y 9), as well as breaking up the 22nd District which encompasses Tompkins County currently represented by Rep Maurice Hinchey (D – N Y 22)

After the 2010 Census, the United States Census Bureau determined that New York State would lose two seats in the House of Representatives due to smaller changes in population relative to the other 50 states, according to data from the Department of Commerce

The elimination of the 22nd District will put Tompkins County in a newly formed 23rd District, which will stretch to Chautauqua County on the shore of Lake Erie Most of this area is currently within the 29th District, which is represented by Rep Tom Reed (R – NY 29)

The three members of the panel, Judges

Oh, the places you’ll go

Reena Raggi and Gerard E Lynch of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Judge Dora L Irizarr y of Federal District Court in Brooklyn, stated in their decision that in previous years, the New York State legislature had been forced into action by the threat of federally created congressional districts

“In the past, judicial creation of a congressional redistricting plan has spurred the New York legislature to produce its own plan just in time to avoid implementation of the judicial plan,” the judges wrote in their decision to adopt Mann’s plan

In the decision, the judges noted that New York State was sued over redistricting after the 1980, 1990 and 2000 censuses and each time produced a satisfactor y plan just in time This year, however, according to Dan Lamb, district representative for Rep Maurice Hinchey (D – N Y 22), the state primar y elections have been moved to June 26, constricting the time available for political negotiations on redistricting as well as shortening the campaign season

In a previous inter view, Lamb told The Sun that “the delay [in redistricting] causes challenges for the candidates tr ying to get known in districts they hope to represent ”

The federal panel also noted that without a plan for new congressional districts candidates cannot effectively campaign, thereby undermining the voter s ability to select the best representative for their district

Matthew Rosenspire can be reached at mrosenspire@cornellsun com

Yale University, in a partnership with the National University of Singapore, plans to open its first international campus, Yale-NUS College, in Fall 2013, The Yale Daily News reported on Tuesday

In spite of an overall decrease in applicants this year, Harvard College could possibly admit as few as three percent of regular decision applicants this year, The Harvard Crimson reported on Wednesday

On March 21, the Brown Concert Agency announced that Childish Gambino will perform at Brown University’ s Spring Weekend April 20, along with Providencebased band What Cheer? Brigade and electronic duo Sepalcure, The Brown Daily Herald reported

Compiled by Caroline Flax

Open forum | Sohan Jain ’11 and Nick Fishman ’11 speak at Wednesday’s TEDx Conference, an event organized to share ideas

At TEDx Conference, C.U. Speakers

Emphasize Importance of Passion

By SYLVIA RUSNAK Sun Staff Writer

s t o r yt e l l i n g C o r n e l l’s T E D x c o n f e re n c e , o r g an i ze d by m e m b e r s o f t h e s t u d e n t o r g an i z a t i o n In n ov a t e , D e s i g n , E d u c a t e a n d Ac t , i s d e s i g n e d t o b r i n g c o m m un i t y m e m b e r s t o g e t h e r t o d i s c u s s “ i d e a s w o r t h s p re a d i n g ” t h e t h e m e o f t h e n a t i o n a l n o n - p ro f i t o r g a n i z at i o n T E D , a c c o rd i n g t o A n k u r Ba j a j ’ 1 3 , o n e o f t h e e ve n t ’ s o r g a n i ze r s T E D Te c h n o l o g y, E n t e r t a i n m e n t a n d D e s i g n w a s founded for “the techies, the enter tainers and the designers to present ne w projects and meet each other, Bajaj said

“ [ T E D i s ] a f o u n d a t i o n t h a t ’ s c o m -

m i t t e d t o t h e c a u s e o f s p r e a d i n g i d e a s , ” h e s a i d “ So a n y t h i n g , w h e t h e r i t ’ s p ro s t h e s e s , o r t h o p e d i c i m p l a n t s , w h a t e ve r, t h a t w i l l c h a n g e t h e n e x t

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

p e o p l e a re e xc i t e d a b o u t t h e m , a n d

p e o p l e a re w o rk i n g t o g e t h e r o n t h e m , ” “

We w a n t e d t o s h owc a s e t h e i n n ova t i o n , t h e d r i ve , t h e t e c h n o l o g y a n d s o f o r t h t h a t C o r n e l l h a s , ” h e a d d e d

To a c c o m p l i s h t h i s , I D E A b ro u g h t s t u d e n t s , f a c u l t y a n d It h a c a n s t o g e t h e r t o d i s c u s s t h i s ye a r ’ s c o n f e re n c e t h e m e , “ Pro g re s s w i t h Pa s s i o n , ” u r g i n g a u d ie n c e m e m b e r s t o t a k e h o m e t h e m e ss a g e t h a t “ yo u m u s t p u r s u e w h a t yo u l ove , ” a c c o rd i n g t o Ba j a j “ I t h o u g h t i t w a s a re a l l y e xc i t i n g e ve n t ” A n d re w Do b e r s t e i n ’ 1 3 s a i d “ Ta k i n g p a s s i o n a n d t a k i n g c o n t ro l o f w h e re yo u w a n t t o h e a d i s a re a l l y i n s p i r i n g m e s s a g e f o r c o l l e g e s t u d e n t s e s p e c i a l l y ” Pro f Ge o r g e Hu d l e r, p l a n t p a t h o lo g y, t o l d t h e a u d i e n c e t h a t “d i f f e re n t p e o p l e h a ve d i f f e re n t g i f t s ” Hu d l e r t o l d t h e s t o r y o f h i s t h i rdg r a d e t e a c h e r w h o o n c e i n s t r u c t e d t h e c l a s s t o d r a w p i c t u re s o f t h e i r f a vo r i t e a n i m a l s A f t e r d r a w i n g a w h i t e - t a i l e d d e e r, Hu d l e r t u r n e d t o h i s n e i g h b o r, Ga r y, t o s e e a p i c t u re o f a b i rd t h a t w a s “ s o re a l , I w a s a f r a i d t o m ove f o r f e a r t h a t i t w o u l d f l y o u t o f h i s p a p e r “ I s a i d ; ‘ Ga r y, h ow’d yo u d o t h a t ? ’ A n d h e s a i d , ‘ I d o n ’ t k n ow, I d i d n ’ t p l a n i t t h i s w a y, i t j u s t h a p p e n e d , ’ ” Hu d l e r s a i d

He we n t o n t o d i s c u s s h ow h e d i sc ove re d h i s p a s s i o n f o r f u n g i a n d h i s g i f t f o r t e a c h i n g “ I w a n t e d p e o p l e t o t h i n k t h a t e v e r y m u s h r o o m w a s m a g i c a l , a n d e ve r y m o l d m i g h t b e m i s c h i e vo u s , ” h e s a i d , re f e r r i n g t o a c o u r s e h e t e a c h e s a t C o r n e l l , c a l l e d Ma g i c a l Mu s h ro o m s , Mi s c h i e vo u s Mo l d s “ I d i d n ’ t p l a n i t t h i s w a y, i

t

t h i s w a s m y g i f t , f o r w h

t e ve r re a s o n ” A l e s s a n d r a Hi r s c h ’ 1 2 a l s o g a ve a t a l k o n w h a t i t s l i k e t o f a l l i n l ove Sh e s a i d t h a t h e r t w o l ove s i n l i f e a re n e u ro s c i e n c e a n d t h e a t e r Sh e s h a re d h e r e x p e r i e n c e s w i t h d i s c ove r i n g t h o s e p a s s i o n s Sh e a l s o d i s c u s s e d h ow s h e p l a n s t o a p p l y t h e s k i l l s s h e l e a r n s f r o m e a c h d i s c i p l i n e t o w h i c h e v e r c a re e r p a t h s h e c h o o s e s “ I c a n t a k e t h e t h i n g s I l e a r n e d i n e a c h o f t

we a l t h o f i d e a s t o p o n d e r “ I t h i n k f o r m e t h e b i g g e s t t h i n g a b o u t t h i s t a l k i

Sylvia Rusnak can be reached at srusnak@cornellsun com

Harris Will Ser ve as Provost of Tufts

one “both willing to ser ve and acceptable to a substantial majority of the Africana faculty,” Dean of the College of Ar ts and Sciences Peter Lepage told The Sun last year

Africana is currently conducting a search for a ne w director, a University press release stated

Prior to his term as senior associate dean, Harris also ser ved as Cornell s first vice provost for social sciences, deputy provost and interim senior vice provost for research, according to the press

r

focused on reducing racial disparities in college achievement, increasing faculty recr uitment and retention and improving learning for undergraduate and graduates, the press release stated

Additionally, Harris left Cornell in 2010 to ser ve as the deputy assistant secretar y for human ser vices policy at the U S Depar tment of Health and Human Ser vices, working under the Obama administration, The Sun repor ted in March

But when Harris first came to Cornell, after teaching at the University of Michigan as an assistant professor, he said he “didn’t expect to be an administrator ”

“Par t of the reason I left Michigan was because I didn t want to do administrative things; I wanted to do research and teaching,” Harris said, adding, “that’s why I was attracted to Cornell ”

Still, Harris said, “it didn’t work out that way ”

“I had cer tain talents that other people were aware of, and once I got here, I ended up getting

involved in administration,” he said “It was great ver y fulfilling, ver y challenging and wonderful

In a University press release, Lepage called Harris “ a spectacular asset to the college ” “

Cornell,” Lepage said “Although we ’ re thrilled for David, we ’ re sorr y to be losing him ”

Reflecting on his experiences at the University, Harris said he felt “really privileged to have had the chance to work at Cornell ” “ The thing I’m most proud of being a par t of at Cornell was being an individual who worked on the University’s financial aid initiatives in 2007,” Harris said, adding, “that, to me, was ver y impor tant ”

career, Harris said, was ser ving as the University’s interim provost in 2008 “when the financial crisis hit ”

It was on my watch when Cornell lost huge amounts of its endowment and faced significant financial challenges,” he said “As the interim provost, it fell on me to help lead the University through the period ”

Looking to the future, Harris said he is excited to bring his experiences from Cornell to Tufts University

“ They’re both really great universities,” he said “It’s a really great honor ”

Frat Faces S cr utiny For Hazing Reports

DESDUNES Continued from

SAE claims that Desdunes both “assumed the risk” and consented to the risk” of the actions that led to his alcohol poisoning, from which he died on Feb 25 2011 at Cayuga Medical Center shortly after he was found unresponsive on a couch in the fraternity house Shortly thereafter, Cornell revoked its recognition of the SAE fraternity

According to allegations made by Desundes’ mother in the wrongful death lawsuit, several SAE pledges kidnapped Desdunes, tied a noose around his neck and kept him bound and blindfolded while pledges quizzed him on fraternity histor y Each time Desdunes answered incorrectly, the pledges forced him to perform exercises or drink alcoholic substances, the suit alleges

The national SAE organization has faced scrutiny since hazing incidents have been reported at its chapters on several campuses in addition to Cornell

In March 2011, the SAE chapter at the University of Michigan was expelled from campus after allegations surfaced that brothers physically abused pledges, according to The Huffington Post One month later, Bucknell’s SAE chapter was suspended for four years for hazing incidents involving illegal alcohol and drug use, The Bucknellian reported

This month, 27 SAE brothers at Dartmouth College were charged with hazing by the university for allegedly forcing pledges to engage in dehumanizing behavior including swimming in and swallowing vomit, The Dartmouth reported

SAE’s response follows briefs filed by the defense attorneys of three pledges Max Haskin ’14, Ben Mann ’14 and Edward Williams ’14 who have been charged in criminal court

According to the defense lawyers, Desdunes voluntarily consumed a large amount of alcohol before consenting to take part in the “mock kidnapping” that preceded his death last year

While Andre, Desdunes’ mother, alleges in her suit that pledges “compelled [Desdunes] to consume alcohol until he lost consciousness,” the defense argues that the consumption of alcohol during the incidents leading up to his death was “wholly voluntary ” Andre’s suit says that after a hazing event in which he was tied up and given alcohol by pledge members, Desdunes became so intoxicated that he “required immediate medical treatment Instead, he was taken by the pledges, still bound at the wrists and ankles, and dumped on a couch in the SAE house where he was unattended and left to die ”

But according to the defendants’ lawyers, Desdunes voluntarily drank “ at least 10 to 12 ounces and perhaps as much as 15 to 20 ounces of alcohol (rum and whiskey)” one shot is approximately equivalent to 1 5 ounces at the SAE fraternity earlier in the night before the pledge event One former SAE brother reportedly saw Desdunes “with a virtually empty bottle of Captain Morgan rum ” and another later observed Desdunes in an “intoxicated condition, the defendants’ paper states

Harrison Okin can be reached at hokin@cornellsun com

C.U. Focuses on Fall Creek

GORGES

Continued from page 1

University will install more warning signs, produce an educational video to be shown during orientation and create a gorge ste wards program a student group that will help educate other students about which areas of the gorges, such as those in Treman State Park, are safe

The funding allocations come after three accidental deaths in the g

Nathaniel Rand ’12, who drowned in Fall Creek Gorge near Ithaca Falls Rand’s family has been publicly critical of the University for what they have said is its lack of urgency in tackling gorge safety effor ts since his death

Despite the increased funding, Rand s father Jacob Rand said he remains skeptical that the money the University has committed to gorge safety will be put to good use

“It’s great that money has been [allocated to gorge safety], but the funds need to be devoted to specific projects on the Cornell campus and in cooperation with the City of Ithaca that will achieve the goal of preventing future gorge deaths,” Jacob Rand said Rand expressed worr y that the committee’s recommendations will not be implemented

“ There is no doubt that the committee has made impor tant recommendations; however, there have been many previous committees over the years and these have not produced any substantive changes,” Rand said “ The University must avoid previous mistakes by objectively revie wing past actions and implementing a project management plan with clear accountability and timelines ”

In addition to the $1 56 million, the University will spend $150,000 on gorge trail maintenance annually and has already spent $1 2 million repairing the Cascadilla gorge trail, according to a University press release In 2009, the Cascadilla gorge trail was closed for maintenance The lower por tion of the gorge trail was reopened in 2010

Several individual projects that are not yet approved by the Board of Tr ustees will receive a total of $800,000 in funding Each individual project must have a plan detailing how money will be spent approved before money can be allocated

“Once you know what you want to do, you write a project plan and it eventually ends up with a group that approves all capital spending projects,” Opperman said “ You can ’ t do ever ything all at once ”

Funding has already been approved for key safety features such as railings, fences and signs

The University plans to spend additional money on improving the safety of both Cascadilla and Fall Creek Gorges

“Funding is always put toward the open gorges because you need to maintain them,” Opperman said

Joesph Niczky can be reached at jniczky@cornellsun com

Yogurt Crazy Will Have Late Night Hours

YOGURT

Continued from page 1

yogur t, Yogur t Crazy is currently the only place

i n C o l

desser t However, Brown said that there are other stores that plan to open frozen yogur t shops in downtown Ithaca in the next fe w months

But, he added, “ we ’ ve kind of beat them to the punch in opening ” Many students, who enjoyed flavors ranging from raspberr y pomegranate to cappuccino on the warm day, said they were happy to see the store open

“It’s nice that Collegetown now has a healthier option for desser t, ” Heather Murray law said

After settling into its ne w location, Yogur t Crazy is planning to have operating hours from 10 p m to two a m to allow students to quell their late-night cravings

Final decisions on evening store hours will be

weekend foot traffic, Brown said I’m really excited about the Yogur t Crazy

Collegetown, and I think it’ll be

Mehar y ’11 said

The store, is the fifth store to open in the

family-owned and -operated chain based out of Suffolk County, Long Island

Brendan Hackett, one of the store ’ s owners, told The Sun in November that he and his family decided to open their fifth shop in Ithaca in par t because of his family’s ties to the area and what he identified as the need for more diversified social options in Collegetown

“I love Ithaca I went to school at Ithaca College, and my father and sister went to Cornell,” Hackett said “ We were looking for a place to open a ne w store and decided Ithaca would be the per fect place ”

Hackett also noted that the recent string of b

closed this summer opened the door for Yogur t Crazy and other establishments to stake their claim in the area

“It seems like the bars keep disappearing and landlords don’t want to put bars back in there due to liability and noise,” Hackett said “ We wanted to give people a place to hang out that was upbeat but not too noisy

The site’s landlord, who would not be identified by name, added that as a result of the ne w yogur t store, Avramis Realty will likely raise the rents of its apar tments at 408 College Ave for the 2013 to 2014 year

Tajwar Mazhar can be reached at tmazhar@cornellsun com

Look to The Corne¬ Daily Sun for the latest in • News • Spor ts • Enter tainment at Cornell and around the world

In Trial, U.S. Soldier Claims ‘Depression’ After Iraq

OLYMPIA, Wash (AP) The U S soldier accused of killing 17 Afghan civilians suffered a traumatic incident during his second tour in Iraq that triggered “tremendous depression,” his lawyer said Wednesday

Lawyer John Henr y Browne said he could not discuss the details of the matter because it remains classified But he expects the issue to become a focal point in the case against Army Staff Sgt Rober t Bales

“It caused him tremendous depression and anxiety, Browne said The lawyer previously said Bales experienced other major dangers in his deployments, including a serious foot injur y and head trauma In addition, a fellow soldier’s leg had been blown off days before the Afghanistan massacre, he said Bales was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder and other crimes He is being held at a U S militar y prison at For t Leavenwor th, Kan

A defense team is now in Afghanistan to collect evidence and inter vie w other U S soldiers who kne w Bales

In Illinois, College Can Be Used as a Legislative Favor

SPRINGFIELD, Ill (AP) Politicians love to talk about the impor tance of education In Illinois, legislators go a step fur ther and personally award scholarships to state universities sometimes to friends, donors and political allies

For a centur y, each Illinois legislator has had the power to hand out a few scholarships ever y year without regard to students’ needs or qualifications, which fit comfor tably in the state ’ s tradition of favors for people with connections In recent years, a state lawmaker helped a political backer’s four children with $94,000 wor th of tuition waivers Another gave a scholarship to the son of a Chicago alderman Federal investigators are also looking into cases of recipients with suspicious addresses

Now, after the failure of repeated effor ts to end the $13 5 million-a-year program, opponents are making a new push to eliminate the waivers as Illinois officials tr y again to clean up the state ’ s image after two consecutive governors wound up in prison

Biden Calls Romney ‘Consistently Wrong’ on Jobs

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) Vice President Joe Biden said Wednesday that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is “consistently wrong ” on U S manufacturing, painting him as someone who doesn’t believe the sector is cr ucial to future U S economic success and as a proponent of outsourcing

Seeking to frame the choice that voters could face in November, Biden used a speech in politically impor tant Iowa to reject Romne s argument that his background as a business executive makes him better suited to turn around the economy than President Barack Obama

Biden mocked Romney for allowing state contractors to set up call centers in India while he was Massachusetts governor, and said the Bain Capital private equity firm Romney once headed had shipped jobs overseas after acquiring companies in the 1990s

“Mitt, thanks for the memories,” Biden said with a laugh, referring to a South Carolina

Capital bought it

under Obama, with 430,000 jobs added since Januar y 2010, and that Romney had spent his career in business and politics undermining American workers with policies that favor the wealthy

“Mitt Romney has been remarkably consistent as an individual investor a businessman as governor of Massachusetts, and now as a candidate for president, Biden told suppor ters at PCT Engineered Systems, a growing Davenpor t firm that makes equipment for manufacturers

“And I respectfully suggest: consistently wrong ” Biden fle w to western Iowa later Wednesday, stopping at the Boys Club of Sioux City to meet for about an hour with children during their after-school program He urged the 7- to 18year-old boys to go to college and told them, “ You can be anything you want to be ” Republican National Committee Chairman

Reince Priebus dismissed Biden as “the junior campaigner in chief ” and said the vice president’s rhetoric would not help families afford higher food, gasoline and health insurance costs

Priebus said Biden’s words also wouldn't change the fact that most Americans oppose the administration’s signature health care law, which was the subject of several hours of oral arguments in the Supreme Cour t this week

With team Obama s Iowa poll numbers in the tank, it’s clear why they are sending Vice President Biden to rally the troops, " Priebus said on a conference call with repor ters ” But after three years of failed policies, I don't think most Iowans will be impressed

Romney's campaign said Biden was on the attack to cover for an administration “that has done more to devastate the middle class than any in modern histor y ”

“Under President Obama's leadership, over 800,000 fe wer Americans have a job, home prices have plummeted, and gas prices have hit record highs With that kind of record, it's no surprise that the Obama White House has taken to attacking a proven job creator like Mitt Romney,” spokeswoman Amanda Hennenberg said

Biden’s speech was his third in recent weeks in his role as Obama’s chief surrogate, outlining the campaign's arguments for a possible general election fight against Romney In Ohio Biden chastised Republicans for opposing the auto bailout and in Florida he criticized GOP plans for changes to Social Security and Medicare Biden’s hard-hitting speeches allow Obama to appear to remain above the political fray

The Obama campaign has tried to shore up suppor t in Iowa, which it carried in 2008 and c o u l d n e e d a g a i n i n Nove m b e r Wi t h p o l l s showing Iowans split on the president and his policies, Obama's campaign has been reaching out to middle-class workers and touting manufacturing, the state ' s largest industr y

ursday, March 29th

165 White Hall

7:00PM – 8:30PM (Doors open at 6:45PM) Join us for a moderated cross-cultural discussion . . .

Students to Unite Cornell is committed to bringing students together, across race, ethnicity, religion, culture, sexual orientation – difference Our mission is narrow the inclusion gap by fostering positive interaction and discussion among our diverse student communities

N.Y. Schools, Taxpayers Wary

of Tax

Cap Budget Hits

ALBANY, N Y (AP) The proposed Ne w York state budget being voted on in Albany this week includes the biggest increase in school funding in years But the applause is muted in many local school districts where educators and taxpayers are headed into a dicey two months coping with a ne w proper ty tax cap as they prepare and vote on their own spending plans

Gov Andre w Cuomo and Senate and Assembly majorities dre w raves from some school advocates when they agreed to spend 4 percent more this year on schools an $805 million boost in aid that currently totals about $21 billion after three years of cuts or flat funding School boards and, on May 15, their voters will face the problem of tr ying to rebuild after tough recessionar y years They also face for the first time the 2 percent cap on proper ty tax rate growth passed in Albany last year School boards will have to decide if they need to risk raising taxes at a rate beyond the cap, which would require the suppor t of 60 percent of their voters to be approved under state law

School districts say the coming aid increase does not compensate for the $1 3 billion cut a year ago, or the $1 4 billion cut the year before that, or the flat budget the year before that, although temporar y federal stimulus funds softened those blows a bit

“ This budget does not keep up with the problem created by Albany’s policies,” said Billy Easton of the Alliance for Quality Education, a school aid lobbying group funded by education foundations and teachers unions “ We are moving in the wrong direction our schools are getting worse, not better ” Cuomo spokesman Josh Vlasto dismissed Easton’s comment as coming from a lobbyist for an organization funded by the teachers ’ union So what would you expect him to say?”

“ What about responding to the facts?” Easton responded in a separate inter vie w

Upstate N.Y. Dad Pleads Not Guilty to Kidnapping

SYRACUSE, N Y (AP) A non-custodial father accused of abducting his daughter nearly five years ago has pleaded not guilty to a single charge of international parental kidnapping

Je

Wednesday in federal cour t in Syracuse He was ordered held until a detention hearing scheduled for Monday

Deonna Shipman, now 8, was found a month ago by the FBI in Bangkok, Thailand She had been missing from the town of Salina since July 2007, when Shipman took her and fled the countr y The child and her mother have since been reunited

Authorities believe the 51-year-old Shipman acted after losing custody of Deonna If convicted, he faces a maximum prison term of three years, a fine of up to $250,000, and one year of super vised release

“I think it’s terrible It is subject to such political corr uption,” Finney said

JetBlue Captain Charged After Growing Increasingly Erratic on Plane

RICHMOND HILL, Ga (AP) JetBlue

unusually late to fly Flight 191 to Las Vegas The plane was in midair when he eerily told his copilot they wouldn't make it there

Osbon started rambling about religion He scolded air traffic controllers to quiet down, then turned off the radios altogether, and dimmed the monitors in the cockpit He said aloud that things just don t matter and encouraged his copilot that they take a leap of faith

“ We’re not going to Vegas,” Osbon said What unfolded next, according to court documents released Wednesday, was a dramatic chase and struggle in the cabin that ended with passengers tackling Osbon, 49, and holding him down until the co-pilot could make an emergency landi

He

Wednesday with interfering with a flight crew

A pilot with JetBlue since 2000, Osbon’s odd behavior on Tuesday became increasingly erratic after the flight departed New York, worr ying his fellow crew members so much that they locked him out after he abruptly left the cockpit, according to an affidavit Osbon then started yelling about Jesus, al-Qaida and a possible bomb on board, forcing passengers to tie him up with seat belt extenders and zip tie handcuffs for about 20 minutes until the plane landed

“ The (first officer) became really worried when Osbon said ‘ we need to take a leap of faith ’” according to the sworn affidavit given by FBI agent John Whitworth Osbon started tr ying to correlate completely unrelated numbers like different radio frequencies, and he talked about sins in Las Vegas ” Osbon left the cockpit soon after and tensions

on the plane began to escalate, according to witness accounts compiled by investigators Osbon, described by neighbors in Georgia as tall and muscular, “aggressively” grabbed the hands of a flight attendant who confronted him and later sprinted down the cabin while being chased

From inside the locked cockpit, which Osbon tried to re-enter by banging on the door, the copilot gave an order through the intercom to restrain Osbon, the affidavit said Passengers wrestled Osbon to the ground, and one female flight attendant's ribs were bruised during the struggle No one on board was seriously hurt

The federal charges against Osbon were filed in Te

Northwest Texas Healthcare System in Amarillo and remains under a medical evaluation

Under federal law, a conviction for interference with a flight crew or attendants can bring up to 20 years in prison The offense is defined as assaulting or intimidating the crew, interfering with its duties or diminishes its ability to do operate the plane

JetBlue spokeswoman Allison Steinberg said earlier Wednesday that Osbon had been suspended pending a review of the flight

JetBlue’s CEO and president Dave Barger told NBC’s Today” show that Osbon is a consummate professional” whom he has “personally known” for years He said there is nothing in the captain’s record to indicate he would be a risk on a flight

Fellow pilots, friends and Osbon s neighbors in Richmond Hill, Ga , a bedroom community on the coast just south of Savannah, said they were baffled by the midflight outburst None recalled any previous health or mental problems

NYC Relaunches Subway Poetry in Motion Program

NEW YORK (AP) Poetr y has returned to Ne w York City’s mass transit system

The Metropolitan Transpor tation Authority has relaunched its popular Poetr y in Motion program

The literar y campaign that filled thousands of subway cars with famed verses ended in 2008

The relaunch has a ne w component Poems will be accompanied with ar twork drawn from the transpor tation system ' s public-ar t installa-

tions

The Wall Street Journal says two poems, each with a different ar twork, will be featured ever y quar ter They will be displayed in posters at eye level, rather than in the overhead adver tising space, in about a quar ter of the fleet That’s roughly 1,500 subway cars In 2008, the program was replaced with Train of Thought, which excerpted works of prose That program ended in 2010

Independent Since 1880

130TH EDITORIAL BOARD

HELENE BEAUCHEMIN ’13

Business Manager

RUBY PERLMUTTER ’13

Associate Editor

JOSEPH STAEHLE ’13

PETER A JACOBS ’13

Associate Managing Editor

ESTHER HOFFMAN ’13

ELIZA LaJOIE 13

ZACHARY ZAHOS 15

KATHARINE CLOSE ’14

AKANE OTANI ’14

SCOTT CHIUSANO ’15

REBECCA COOMBES 14

NICHOLAS ST FLEUR 13

Editor

JOSEPH VOKT ’14 Assistant Web Editor

SEOJIN LEE 14

ERIKA G WHITESTONE 15

JESSICA YANG ’14

A Mad Lib Guide to Road Tripping Success

De p e n d i n g o n h ow i n t e n s e y o u r spring break was you might still be recovering from it like I am Thus, those of you reading this in print have a lovely Mad Lib to entertain you as you struggle through your Thursday To read the real road trip guide go to the opinion section of cornellsun com and read awaySD

Before spring break I had never been to the (n) Now I’ve been twice and I can indeed confirm that Minnesota (pl n) do exist Because I spent (#) hours of my break inside a moving vehicle (and also eight years in marching band), I now

consider myself a (n) guru and thus this column was born Inspired by my fossil-fueled spring break, I now present to you the Sam Dean Guide to (adj) Road Tripping

Do’s

1 DO bring (pl n) Being s t u c k i n a b o x o n w h e e l s w i t h o u t ( p l n ) i s t h e w o r s t

SE ND U S Y O U R FE ED B A CK

Continue the conversation by sending a lette to the editor or guest column to o p inio n@ corn ellsun c om

Letters should be in response to any recent Sun news article, column, arts piece or editorial They should be no longer than 250 words in length

Guest columns should be your wellreasoned opinion on any cur rent campus issue or controversy They should be no longer than 750 words in length

Remaining in a half-star ved state for an extended period of time can send your (n) over the edge quicker than Wile E Coyote chasing the Road Runner

2 DO make (pl n) with the bus driver Like your (n) , (n) and hairdresser your life is literally in their hands (V) them well

3 DO (adv) tweet the bus ride Not only is it fun for you, but it’s fun for ever yone else on the Internet to read all the crazy stuff you and your friends say

4 DO take pictures of your friends

( v - i n g ) a n d p o s t i t t o Facebook See who in the vehicle can get the most likes for their particular (ving) portrait Bonus points for (n)

5 DO bring your (pl n) and Scooby Doo slippers Except if you sleep in the nude, in which case you should bring your (n) for full coverage of the necessities

6 DO watch all (#) Star Wars movies in one sitting (seven, if you want to count Star Wars: The Clone Wars) Cheer extra loud when Admiral Ackbar tells you it s a (n)

7 DO bring Mad Libs DO make them overtly sexual

8 D O h a v e i m p r o m p t u

( p l n ) o f a n y a n d e ve r y (n) you could possibly think of Spice Girls? Pokérap? Party in the U S A ? The world is your DJ

9 DO watch (adj) Girls DO quote the entire movie DO continue quoting the entire movie for the duration of your trip until you make ‘fetch’ happen

1 0 D O p u r c h a s e a s m u t t y (n) novel at a sketchy gas station and stage a dramatic reading Bonus points for reenactments or for having the person with the (adj) voice read aloud

11 DO admit to farting if you let

one (v) DON’T be a Lying Larr y and tr y to pretend it wasn ’ t (person)

12 DO bring a (reusable) water bott l e Ju s t D O N ’ T d r i n k t o o m u c h , because the bus bathroom is something to be avoided at all costs Peeing in a bus bathroom is like the bull riding of urination: supremely difficult

13 DO bring a GPS Nowadays m a p s a re j u s t p o s t e r s f o r (pl n)

1 4 D O b r i n g a ( n ) DON’T panic

Don’ts

1 DON T (v) on the bus

Rule #1 is NO number 2 You can ’ t flush on a bus

2 DON’T plug more than three ( p l n ) i n t o a p owe r s t r i p plugged into the only outlet on the bus You will blow the fuse that controls the (n) and the T V and ever yone else on the bus will want to see you (pt v) and (pt v)

3 DON’T watch any Back to the Future movie after the first one DO c h o o s e h o r r i b l e - b u

( n ) K i l l e r s ( n ) C h e e rl e a d e r s Frankenfish and Oversexed Rugsuckers

From (n)

4 DON’T eat at (Pr n) more than once Your cardiovascular syst e m c a n o n l y t a k e s o m a n y McGangBangs

5 DON’T bring (n) and expect to actually do it Because I’m telling you, it won ’ t happen

6 DON T assume ever yone else in your hotel room brought (n) because it could turn out that nobody b r o u g h t t o o t h p a s t e a n d t h e

’ re screwed Have fun with that halitosis

7 DON’T forget (n) For the sake of all that is holy, DON T forget this

8 DON’T assume that the weather will be the same when you get back This is Ithaca If it’s 75 and sunny when you leave, make sure you bring a hoodie because it ll be (adj) and 45 when you return

9 DON’T be under the impression that you’ll be getting massive amounts of (n) on an overnight bus ride (or any bus ride for that matter) Having spent (#) of my spring break n

(n) is worse now than it was when spring break started Buses were not designed with catching Z’s in mind

10 DON’T be the (#) person to fall asleep, or else your sleeping baby face could end up on Facebook

And last but not least, DO email me your best and funniest mad libs about (pl n) , because I love being entertained

It ’ s that time of year again: the weather is getting warmer, the magnolias are blooming (though now they are all dead and brown and looking awful), the sun is making more frequent appearances and group projects are being assigned In the spirit of group projects, I thought about asking a fe w people to help me write this week’s column when I remembered that I hate group projects, so I scrapped that idea Besides, I couldn t find anyone who wanted to be associated with this column Group projects are almost always the worst thing that can happen in a class When a class star ts in the beginning of a semester and I see that there will be a group project, I sincerely consider dropping the class There are definitely ways in which group projects can go well, though they almost never seem to work out that way for me Why this is, I will never know Maybe there is a Tompkins County Triangle that makes all the good par tners disappear I’ve had nightmarish group projects, the kind where (hypothetically) a girl in your group tells you the night before the project is due that she can ’ t finish her por tion because she has to go to her sorority formal Then she sends you what she’s done which (again, hypothetically) is absolute garbage So you and your other dedicated par tner stay up until four in the morning and re write her por tion t r a c k i n g d o w n h e r u n d o c u m e n t e d sources The best par t about this whole (hypothetical) scenario is that the professor prohibits the assessment of group members, so you are not even allowed to put her on a direct flight to Fail Town and she is re warded for all her “hard work” with the 97 percent you (hypo-

thetically) got Of course, this situation (is all hypothetical and never) actually happened To do my best to ensure that no one else is forced to undergo such a horrendous (hypothetical) group project experience, I have drafted the Group Project Manifesto:

1) When selecting a group, do not pick people with busy schedules no matter how awesome, attractive or rich they are These people are too busy doing other things to put the necessar y effor t into the project A better choice is a person that has nothing going on and enjoys the smell of old books and the dim glow of lights in the Uris Librar y Fishbowl (instead of a fish bowl they stole from Level B and snuck into Uris) For example, do not pick the Editor in Chief of The Sun to be in your group (sorr y Juan) He has a lot of work to do preventing

inflammator y opinion columnists

2) This one should go without saying, but then again I am always surprised by what I actually need to explain to people Once you sign up to be in a group, you cannot drop the class Now that I have covered all the bases let’s move on

3) Do not tell your group that you will have your piece of the project to them the night before the project is due Send it to them in advance, because your por tion is probably awful and needs to be edited

4) Work by email as mush as possible

one needs to watch anyone else in the group while they work I don’t know about you, but I work much more slowly when I am being stared at, because being stared at is creepy

5) You must respond to your group w i t h i n a r e a s o n a b l e t i m e f r a m e

Obviously responding immediately is not necessar y, but you can ’ t go a week without responding That is just common

cour tesy If I don t hear back from a person after a week I assume they have been cr ushed under a pile of books in Mann and I go looking for them When I spot them sipping a non-fat caramel soy latte frappe in Starbucks, hitting on the barista instead of responding to my email, I go look for a pile of books to bur y them under

FHaving a 20 minute group meeting is a massive waste of ever yone ’ s time, especially when it takes at least 20 minutes to walk anywhere on this campus There are two times when it is appropriate to meet: to divide ever ything up in the beginning and put it back together at the end No

or the past two and a half years, the defining aspect of my Cornell Career has been Campus Information and Visitor Relations (CIVR) You may know the team better as simply tour guides I m pretty confident that if you ask people one thing about me it is that I am a tour guide because I am constantly spe wing facts at them, even when they don t want to hear it Other tour guides have the r unning joke that I have no other friends outside of CIVR, which is and isn’t tr ue I do have other friends, but I m sure they love me a little less because I usually bring up tour guiding and/or a specific tour guide

at some point during any conversation I mean I’m even writing a column about them But why should any of this matter to you, dear reader?

Because as of Monday, I am no longer a tour guide

Although management forced my hand, this decision was ultimately my own I have severed ties with an organization that has given me a sense of purpose and both literal and figurative direction for the past two years And

6) While it may not be okay to never respond to an email, it is also not okay to be completely overbearing If you find yourself sending your group members bihourly or daily reminders about their por tion of the project, stop If you are c a l l i n g t h e m e v e r y Mo n d a y a n d

Wednesday night to set up meetings for the weekend, stop If you feel the need to make them re write their pieces 12 different times so that it sounds like you wrote it stop If you find yourself stalking their

now I m going through a Cornellian identity crisis If I m not a tour guide then who am I? I am a member of a business fraternity (PSE), a social sorority (KD), an affiliate of the Student Assembly, an A&S Ambassador, the former announcer of the Big Red Marching Band but always a bandie at hear t, a former Mock Star and a former FemSexie But these were all activities that I included in my introduction of my tour

Last year when I ran for student tr ustee, my campaign platform was a stronger sense of community spirit When I campaigned, I would be sure to make the claim that it didn’t matter if you were a tour guide, or a Sunnie, or an ILRie or whatever you found best represented you on campus

I c a m p a i g n e d o n t h e idea that at the end of the day our extra curr i c u l a r a c t i v i t i e s w e r e just one feature of who we are on The Hill It was the shared experience of being on The Hill being a Cornellian, that should be the defining feature of our college experience

Now that I am not a tour guide, I am not sure if that’s tr ue, although I whole-hear tedly believed what I said at the time I by no means believe that the Greek letters I affiliate with define me, yet the title of Information Specialist has shaped so much of who I am ( That’s the

Facebook to tr y to figure out how much time they waste by the number and frequency of their status updates (when you haven t even friended them), stop If this is you just tell your group that you will send them the completed project once you have finished it yourself and they can look it over

7) Most impor tantly, if you are a pers o n t h a

chances are you are the leach of the group and no one else likes you The people that like group projects are the ones who don t know enough to do projects on their own

The world would be so much simpler if terrible par tners were not allowed to be members of group projects We would know we could tr ust our par tners to do their job well, and this would lead to less a n n o y a n c e f o r e v e r y o n e i n v o l v e d Unfor tunately, this is not the case But maybe this manifesto will help make the world just a little bit better Ma ni f e sti n g G re a t

Will Spencer is a senior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences He may be reached at wspencer@cornellsun com Tripping Up Stairs appears alternate Thursdays this semester

official title of a tour guide, for your reference ) I now have in my possession an excessive amount of Cornell knowledge and know this campus literally backwards and for wards The saddest par t about this all? I honestly think it’s easier to walk backwards but for now I will have to walk for wards

This still leaves me with the question of is just simply identifying myself as a Cornellian good enough? And I know the answer is yes Because for all of the extra curricular activities I have tried I pride myself on picking up something ne w each year the thing that doesn’t change is where I am On The Hill I had a swell of Big Red Pride when I first read my acceptance letter on December 11, 2008, and I know that it is a sense of pride that I will carr y with me to the grave; there is no doubt that “Cornellian” will be the highlight of my obituar y When I walk through campus now, I will continue to walk with a sense of pride to know that so many Cornellians have walked these paths before me and think of all those who have yet to walk them

And when I walk these paths I know that I am Kat Balram, Class of 2013, Histor y Major Brother of Pi Sigma Epsilon, sister of Kappa Delta Former Member of Campus Information and Visitor Relations Big Red Marching Band, Student Assembly, Mock Trial, Women’s Resource Center CORNELLIAN

Kat Balram is a junior in the College of Ar ts and Sciences She may be reached at kpb43@cor nell edu Guest Room appears periodically this semester

By ELIZABETH YOUNG Sun Contributor

The Fine Line

located a few blocks down from the

The Fine Line Bistro Is Better Than Fine

scene However, after a couple of missteps, my friend and I arrived at the Fine Line Bistro relatively unscathed and ready to eat

After we sat by the granite counter that revealed an open kitchen, the host set down a plate of pickled carrots and pearl onions to begin our meal This was a welcome departure from the customary bread-andbutter basket

Our appetizers, the black pepper seared scallops and the spinach crostini, were individually portioned, a refreshing change from the mega-sized meals of many restaurants The crostini were served as two long slices of French baguette topped with wilted spinach and herbed goat cheese, finished with a bal-

samic reduction The sweet balsamic reduction rounded out the savory spinach and the tangy goat cheese, although the sauce should have been drizzled on the crostini rather than beneath them

The scallops blew the crostini out of the water They were cooked perfectly, with a crunchy, golden exterior from the black pepper sear and a smooth, butter-like interior

The accompanying dill aioli and fried shallots breathed smokiness into the dish The dish even could have included one or two more scallops than the three on the plate

Both of the entrées had a spicy kick that permeated the flavors

The grilled escolar was paired with a warm red pepper coulis and accompanied by a red quinoa salad

The coolness of the quinoa salad was a nice temperature contrast with the warm coulis, but the peppers and red onions still echoed the heat of the overall dish

The escolar itself a fish with a meaty texture akin to swordfish had a delicious golden brown crust that crunched when pierced with a fork The portion was a bit small, which may explain why the fish was slightly overcooked

The other entrée, the vegan tofu curry, was also subtly spicy The mild heat of the curry was a nice

change from the more intense heat of the grilled escolar; however, it could have used a bit more salt to enhance its flavors The white rice was rather mushy; had the rice been cooked less, it would not have become soggy from the heat of the curry

Because the appetizers and entrées were not overwhelmingly large, there was definitely room for dessert Both desserts the flourless chocolate torte and the vanillaalmond bread pudding appeared to be nothing special, but each one contained unexpected accents that deepened the flavors

The torte also had a surprising spiciness as cinnamon and chipotle enhanced the dessert with pleasant warmth The dessert was delicious,

but incredibly rich; unless you ’ re a hardcore chocolate fanatic, I’d recommend splitting it with someone else

Our second dessert may have been advertised as a vanilla-almond bread pudding, but lemon zest flavor was so powerful that it completely dominated the intended flavors The overpowering presence of lemon flavor was perplexing

The Fine Line Bistro is certainly worth a repeat visit; the food was overall impressive, thanks to the surprising twists in the flavors of each dish I d even be able to tell you how to get to this tucked-away bistro on the outskirts of the Commons

Just don’t ask me how to get back to the bus stop

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

I’ve got this thing for breakup albums For some reason, there’s nothing I love more than walking to class on a bluster y spring morning with angr y, heartbroken Cursive raging through my headphones Sure, this probably makes me a shameless masochist, but hey Domestica is a fantastic album So when Katy Goodman announced she’d be releasing a breakup record under the moniker La Sera, I was more than willing to drop $9 99 Better known as the bassist of lo-fi pop outfit Vivian Girls, Goodman is recognized for her layered, honeysoaked vocals and breezy surf-pop melodies Sees the Light certainly showcases Goodman’s musical talents yet La Sera’s sophomore album is a bit lacking in lyrical and emotional complexity

Sees the Light opens with “Love That’s Gone,” a sugar y daydream that sets the tone for the rest of the album The opening line,“I love my life without you, ” drifts over a pleasant beachy guitar setting the stage for 30 minutes of melancholy lo-fi haze Next come two of her punkier tracks, “Please Be My Third Eye” and “I Can’t Keep You In My Mind ” The first is an u p b e a t p l e a f o r c o m p a n i o n s h i p t h a t h i g h l i g h t s Goodman’s candied voice, while the second laments lost love over an intoxicating bassline Both tracks are musically appealing, but their quality is some what lessened by La Sera’s dispassionate deliver y of bland lyrics like “Closed my eyes and all I saw was you / dis-

After a ver y long five years, The Shins are finally back with a ne w album; or better yet, lead singer James Mercer is back with a ne w album After all, he is the only remaining member of the original band Since the alternative rock group released their first album in 2000, it has gained considerable popularity by releasi n g t w o m o r e s t e l l a r a l b u m s I n 2 0 0 9 , Me r c e r announced his ne w project Broken Bells, a collaborat i o n w i t h p r o d u c e r Br i a n Bu r t o n ( a k a D a n g e r Mouse) While Broken Bells enjoyed sweet success, The Shins signed a ne w contract with Mercer’s own label and experienced a wide range of lineup changes due to “creative differences ” With ne w additions to the band like Modest Mouse dr ummer Joe Plummer and Yuuki Matthe ws of Cr ystal Skulls, one would expect the ne w album to be stylistically quite different However, Por t of Morrow makes it clear Mercer’s style has prevailed Por t of Morrow sounds quintessentially Shins, heavily driven by harmony and a plethora of different instr uments But while the album boasts the old style, it lacks the old passion It is understandable that despite the changes in lineup the music still sounds eerily similar The Shins have a bit of a formula going on: the unique spine tingling croon of James Mercer, ambitiously original instr umentals and bizarre, evocative lyrics Clearly it has w o r k e d i n t h e p a s t , s o w h y c h a n g e i t n o w ?

Never theless, some things have changed The sound has matured into something a lot cleaner In the band’s past work, the instr umentals have been known to over-

tant memories that all seem ne w ”

Sees the Light continues with the standout track “Break My Hear t, ” an infectious summer tune that somehow finds its roots in both SoCal skate punk and 60s girl groups From there, La Sera peels away the polyester for a series of sunny slow tunes As Sees the Light takes its foot off the gas, Goodman removes some of the vocal layers and her pain suddenly gets a lot more relatable Lyrics like “I don’t want you to be my man aren t anything to write home about, but the color ful, stripped-back melodies behind them make these songs all the more affecting Clocking in at a mere 30 minutes, Sees the Light concludes with a gorgeously distor ted “How Far We’ve Come” and “Don’t Stay,” a nostalgic acoustic tune and arguably La Sera’s best to date

La Sera has found a home in the increasingly popular valley between sur f punk and 60s doo-wop blending Agent Orange and the Ronettes for a unique and addictive sound How an ar tist based in Brooklyn produces such a Californian sound is a myster y, but La Sera achieves it flawlessly

Where Sees the Light falters, sadly, is in its emotional complexity Goodman’s melodies inspire visions of beer-drenched weekdays in Santa Monica, but the album’s lyrical mood is decidedly disparate Lyrics both miser y-laden and mundane some what lessen the

beachy effect, and prevent Sees the Light from becoming a successful breakup album

After all, the appeal of most breakup albums lies in their emotional content Many of the best breakup albums of all time feature just decent vocals and lessthan-per fect musicality Blood on the Tracks owes its success not to Dylan’s musical talent, but to his ability to convey the sadness, anger and fr ustration that follow a romantic split Similarly, Elliott Smith’s XO relies on his incredible lyricism and mood-building ability A great breakup album is not simply a collection of songs about the end of a relationship but a seamless combination of precise lyrics, relatable emotion and musical skill

Of these three, Sees the Light only truly perfects the last That s not to say we should discount the album it is mostly quite good but it does offer a distinct contradiction Summer y punk melodies and bland lo-fi lyrics will never mesh perfectly So while Sees the Light is certainly an enjoyable listen with a few excellent songs, it will eventually leave you wanting a little more Whether it s complexity, feeling or maybe just a nice cold Pilsner and a sunny day, something is definitely missing

whelm the vocals The guitars and synthesizers would happily rage away while the lyrics took the backseat and became a veritable mush Some of the lyrics in the older songs are vir tually impossible to understand This is not necessarily a criticism; the songs were so infectious and catchy belting along to in gibberish Understanding the lyrics is, however, not a problem in Por t of Morrow The instr umentals are calmer and not as overpowering as they used to be

But while the vocals get a long awaited focus in this album, the melodies are distinctly lackluster The album plays like one long, mellow and boring song This is the defining difference between Por t of Morrow and the past work of The Shins: there are no real standout tracks Oh, Inver ted World had “Ne w Slang Chutes Too Narrow had So Says I,” and Wincing the Night Away had “Australia” and “ Turn on Me ” While Por t of Morrow shows a clear maturity in production, it is devoid of the grittiness that made The Shins spectacular The ne w, crisper sound is a veritable symphony of meh

If there’s one song on the album that surpasses the rest, it’s the single “Simple Song ” “Simple Song” takes the cleaner style and makes it work It cleverly escalates so that it star ts with a calmer combination of instr umentals but evolves into an ebullient whirlwind of melody The song also repeatedly uses the same pleasantly tactile simile, “ you feel like an ocean made warm by the sun ” Seeing The Shins achieve lyrical success is a welcome change, as some of their older work (once

you look up the lyrics, as understanding them is a task in itself ) is a little nonsensical and kooky Maybe I’m just being dense, but does “Foals in winter coats / White girls of the Nor th / Fire past one, five and one / They are the fabled lambs of Sunday ham” mean anything to you?

Two other fairly effective tracks are “It’s Only Life” and “No Way Down ” “It’s Only Life” boasts a catchy bell riff and a stirring chor us “No Way Down similarly hooks musically (in an electronically infectious kind of way), but is decidedly more upbeat than the rest of the album Herein lies the problem; the album cannot qualify as melancholic or emotional, but is too placid to be considered upbeat This strange middle ground is what makes the album so average, and it s why I can safely say that no other songs are wor th mentioning They aren ’ t offensive, just nothing special

On a positive note, the album as a cohesive unit has a tranquil effect, almost like a white noise machine It is easy to imagine that a long series of consistently slow, interestingly coordinated noises would make good background music And that’s what this really is Good background music It isn’t bad, it’s just not part i c u l a r l y i n

Mercer Maybe you’ll wow us with the next Broken Bells album

While Cornell recovers from its collective Spring Break hangover, the campus ’ consciousness shifts from this requisite oasis of irresponsibility to the next: Slope Day Speculation about prospective Slope Day acts is typically reserved to either entirely unfounded, unrealistic guesses (“Kanye’s free on the last day of classes, right?”), halfremembered bits of drunken conversation with people tangentially related to the Slope Day Programming Board (“Todd’s roommate ’ s girlfriend is on the Slope Day Board, and Todd loves Sublime more than life itself, so obviously ”) and pessimistic suggestions proffered simply to lower expectations in anticipation of an especially disappointing musical guest ( Nickelback Definitely Nickelback And probably Rebecca Black opening”) For some, such guesswork is ultimately futile, as they will spend their Slope Day mornings drinking home-brewed 4Loko in an attempt to absolutely erase the day’s proceedings from their memories, all the while destroying any remaining shreds of dignity that had survived the preceding semester But for the rest of us, this guesswork is simply a prologue to the righteous indignation that swells up when the actual announcement is made I feel for the SDPB Not only are the logistical challenges of organizing our annual spring festival harrowing neon hats, frat pinnies and binge drinking, oh my! but even if they do manage to book an act, they are hanged in effigy on Ho Plaza regardless of who it is This year is looking to be especially challenging: noted fist-pump inducer Avicii apparently fell through and the rumor mill has been producing names of the gravest variety with Good Charlotte Pitbull and Rebecca Black being discussed as potential acts Furthermore, the type of popular artists for whom the college festival is not out of the question, such as Kid Cudi, Lupe Fiasco and the notoriously poor tipper B o B, have all been to Cornell in the past year College shows, particularly a daytime one to be held outdoors in the volatile weather patterns of Ithaca, are not an ideal gig for any big time artist They aren ’ t able to go through sound check, which is a struggle for many full bands, and it’s not a particularly dignified performance (thanks to the aforemen-

Ttioned 4Loko homebrew)

So, in general, booking an act for Slope Day and not disappointing the student body is a challenge that borders on Herculean Still, it’s fun to speculate and look at the rumors; here are some that I feel deserve some actual discussion

RUMOR #1: PITBULL

Pitbull is an interesting candidate He’s ubiquitous on modern pop radio, appearing in songs like “International Love,” “Give Me Everything” and “Hotel Room Service ” His primary concerns seem to be clubbing, dancing and having multiple sexual partners, all worthy subjects for a Slope Day guest s repertoire But is Cornell ready for an act that so readily associates himself with Chris Brown, that notable perpetrator of domestic violence? Despite his less-than-savory associates, Pitbull remains a reasonable, but somewhat unpopular, choice for this prime slot

Likelihood: Possible

RUMOR #2: KE$HA Ke$ha, more than any popular act today, embodies the beauty and splendor of Slope Day: unabashed alcoholism, female sexual empowerment and waking up in the morn-

ing feeling like P Diddy Ke$ha’s glitter-obsessed stage show would undoubtedly leave permanent reminders of the day’s mistakes (way better than that herpes outbreak from 2007) With several radio hits, she would be a godsend for the SDPB Unfortunately, it looks like her tour schedule is blank until August; she’s likely recuperating from the P R Blitzkrieg of her last album

General Reaction: Pants-wetting excitement Likelihood: Next to Impossible

RUMOR #3: ANY FORMER AMERICAN IDOL CONTESTANT

You are likely hearing such rumors from those pessimists looking to soften the blow of a disappointing decision, but any former contestant whose name doesn’t rhyme with Barrie Schmunderwood is not entirely unreasonable Kelly Clarkson

has some absolutely killer songs (“Since U Been Gone” kicks more ass than you will admit) and a throwback appeal similar to last year ’ s guest, Nelly Going deeper than her, though, will result in mass discontent Adam Lambert, while maintaining the flamboyant air of a decent pop star, lacks the memorable songs needed to back up his image; Jordin Sparks has a decent batch of songs (“Battlefield” and “No Air” were pretty huge), but wouldn’t fit into the revelrous context of Slope Day; and do we really want to have to call up Justin Guarini?

General Reaction: Could range from “cool-ish” to “Oh crap they got Dunkleman

Likelihood: Not Unlikely

RUMOR #4: CARLY RAE JEPSEN

We’ve just heard of her, and this is crazy, but Carly Rae Jepsen might play Slope Day (maybe!) Conjecture aside, she’s not the most ridiculous suggestion we ’ ve heard (that title may belong to a chap who heard that we might be getting this hip young group called Nirvana to play), but she’s definitely the most unproven With one immensely loveable, sorority girl baiting hit single under her belt, she would be a wildcard pick that would likely needed to be paired with another co-headliner to not completely incriminate the SDPB

General Reaction: Lots of eye-rolling, interspersed with spastic screams from girls who never outgrew Disney Channel

Likelihood: Definitely, like, a wildcard and a dark horse combined

RUMOR #5: CHUMBAWAMBA

The little-known anarcho-punk band would be the best selection for Slope Day if held to one tiny stipulation: They were forced to play their infamously repetitive ode to drunken resiliency, “Tubthumping,” for ninety minutes straight on Libe Slope While initial reactions would be negative, the weeks prior would lead to the campus-wide revelation that, “Oh my God this song is great to sing while hammered!”

General Reaction: Wild skepticism followed by ironic anticipation

Likelihood: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

James R ainis is a sophomore in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences He can be reached at jrainis@cor nellsun com Irresponsible Listening appears alternate Thursdays this semester

Stranded on the Right Beach

his album will change your life Six simple words and yet so much contained in them

A person ’ s first, or 50th, love affair with an album is a thing of pure beauty track

p a d s w o r n f ro m p re s s i n g re p e a t , C D s scratched and skipping Ah, that little wisp of gleeful anticipation during the half second before a song begins, the initial words of the opening line already forming on your lips Like any lasting love affair, our relationship with music can define who we are, change our beliefs and improve any and ever y circumstance And, unlike most romantic liaisons rarely does an album leave you heartbroken and worse for wear

A l t h o u g h Pl a s t i c Be a c h w a s n o t m y fi r s t g re a t romance in life, music or other wise, the album has to this day maintained a firm grasp on my heart that won ’ t be weakened anytime soon

Since traveling to London this semester, I have only felt more inclined to soak up this magnificent city with a most fitting soundtrack commanding white marble facades, vibrantly dressed locals and bustling crowds all seem to move to the spaced-out synthesizers and soothing drawl of Damon Albarn and Gorillaz

building with a shimmering aura of color as pastel clouds drfit to the tranquil harmonies of violins During the funky and strange hodgepodge of White Flag, people of ever y color and creed swirl around me as the track darts from the mesmerizing intro of the Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music to the dancehallinfluenced musings of Grime MCs Kano and Bashy This album transcends the hectic city sprawl, all the while incorporating enough industrial noise and gritty sentiment to also amplify the urban environment – ever y soaring riff somehow finds a skyscraper to glide across Damon Albarn, in all his various forms,

I have spent many an afternoon contentedly submerged in a recurring daydream: I walk, white headphones massaging my ears with the whimsical, pop-y melodies of “On Melancholy Hill,” the beat dictating my ever y step “Orchestral Intro,” in its fleeting glor y, surrounds each

shoe brand Converse Moonlighting on a handful of projects and contributing to so many more, I wonder if he ever gets a moment ’ s rest By God, the man even plays more instruments than I can count on my two hands That is some serious genius at work

My s l i g h t l y e m b a r r a s s i n g crush on Albarn aside, I love Plastic Beach primarily because it never fails to provide an hour’s w o r t h o f a u d i b l e p l e a s u re A wealth of brilliant guest appearances infuse the album with a fresh sound: Bobby Womack and Mos Def lend a chilled out, futuristic spin to Stylo, while Lou Reed’s throaty vocals elevate Some Kind of Nature” to the upper echelons of rock royalty Gorillaz may have found a true synthes i s i n Sw e d i s h e l e c t r o n i c g r o u p L i t t l e

Dragon though, collaborating with it on two magnificent tracks on the album On b o t h “ E m p i re A n t s ” a n d “ To Bi n g e ”

Swedish-Japanese singer Yukimi Nagano lends the perfect female compliment to Albarn s smooth, alluring vocals, while keyboardist Håkan Wirenstrand paints a titillating, electrified soundscape

LC D

is clearly a man after my own heart His lush vocals for Britpop titans Blur the farout animated conception of Gorillaz and the short-lived but excellent supergroup experiment with The Good, the Bad & The Queen all display his eclectic and refreshing talent This Februar y, Gorillaz even collabo r a t e d w i t h A n d re 3 0 0 0 a n d Ja m e s Mu r p h y, f o r m

Soundsystem (may they rest in peace) on the track “DoYathing”, part of the “ Three Artists, One Song” series devised by iconic

Whether largely providing the soundtrack for my 19-hour drive to the backroads of Tennessee for the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, or helping me acclimatize to the sometimes jarring sights and sounds of city life in New York or London, Plastic Beach has been a reliable friend for over two

years now, helping me through thick and thin Through its equally united yet diffuse sound Plastic Beach somehow manages to alter itself on a daily basis, perfect on grey or sunny days, in the grass or whilst navigating bustling city streets Although its effects seem both immediate and eternal, hard to grasp yet concrete, I can say with confidence that this album belongs to a select group that at some point in time have changed my life My only advice is that if some kind friend offers you the intimate and touching gift of their favorite album and manages to utter those six words, take them without hesitation You have ever ything to gain

Sarah Angell is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences She can be reached at sangell@cornellsun com

CORNELL CAMPUS

Kosher Dining Hall

Mac’s Café

Martha’s (MVR)

Mann Library

Myron Taylor Hall (Hughes Dining)

Noyes Main Lobby

Okenshields (Willard Straight Hall)

Physical Science Baker (Goldie’s)

Plantations

Welcome Center

Libe Café

Rhodes Hall

Risley Dining

Robert Purcell Community Center (RPCC)

Sage Hall Atrium

Sibley Hall (Green Dragon Café)

Statler Hall

Stocking Hall (front lobby)

Tatkon Center

Teagle Hall

Trillium & Trillium Express

Uris Hall

Vet Center (Shurman Hall)

Willard Straight Hall Lobby

William Keeton House

G O S O L A R ! W W W

2 A D OPTION

4 S ERVICES

Are you an athlete who would like to be interviewed for Ten Questions ?

If so, e-mail akb@cornellsun.com. Ten Questions runs every Thursday.

Do you have a teammate who might be interested?

Van Loon Gears Up To Take On UConn

POLO Continued from page 24

tage of anyone in the tournament because they’re not bringing horses,”

David Eldredge said

The Cornell players do not view playing on the other opponents ’ horses as a big challenge

“We’ve played on UConn’s horses a bunch of times, we know how they work said senior captain Ali Hoffman I m not really worried about it, we ’ re pretty adapted ”

Senior captain Branden Van Loon says that playing on other team ’ s horses can be a positive aspect to game play

I know the horses I m going to play pretty well, he said There are situations I like playing the other teams horses more because you don’t know them as well, so you ask them for everything that they will give you, whereas with our own horses, I personally go into some plays certain ways because I know that horse isn t going to have the bulk or turn to outmaneuver the horse I’m going up against I actually kind of look forward going into tournaments like that, because the new horses pose a challenge but it can also make the game a little bit better ”

Although the Huskies are the Red s biggest opponent, both squads are preparing themselves well for the first game against the Crimson and Skidmore

“Harvard is going to be a good game to calm down our nerves before playing UConn, Hoffman said “It will be an indicator of how sharp we start out We want to keep the game in our control and not let others dictate the game ”

The men ’ s team holds a similar view

“When we go out against Skidmore we want to make sure everything is as perfect as we can make it,” Van Loon said

Although the men are playing back-to-back games, this is not a cause of much concern, according to the senior captain

“If there’s any apprehension about having to play back to back games, it’s really overshadowed by the fact that we ’ re coming out with a chip on our shoulder ” Van Loon said “Right now the team is feeling pretty good about it ”

The women are also determined to come out with the right mindset and focus

“We know we need to put a specific amount of effort in to clinch that win,” Hoffman said “I think for us, we need the mindset to come out and make them play our game and play to our standard They have the tendency to foul a lot, which is good for us because we can capitalize on that opportunity and stick to our game ”

Eldredge mentioned the women may have slight edge over UConn because they have yet to see senior Amanda Stern play, who was studying abroad in the fall when Cornell last faced the Huskies

“We have seen the entirety of their team but they have not seen ours, ” he said “If there was any edge, maybe that’s a slight one ”

The men plan to keep up the game play they have all season, but make changes as necessary

“When we go out against UConn we ’ re going to leave everything on the field and hope for the best,” Van Loon said “We’re looking at keeping the field more open in terms of blocked passes and shots; how much we change is dependent on how the game is doing Obviously we ’ re going to go out there and play our game, but there’s a couple of variations that may come out of that ”

If Cornell does not win the regional, there is still a chance to make it to nationals through a wildcard spot, which is given to a team based on overall season and regional performance However, Eldredge does not want it to come to that

“Both teams feel like we can definitely achieve our goal, which is to win the region, and they re going to go out to try to do all the proper things necessary, ” he said “They’re going out with the mindset that we ’ re not looking for a bailout, we ’ re looking for the win to make sure we ’ re in ”

Andrea Sielicki can be reached at asielicki@cornellsun com

Red Prepares for Princeton Trip

By GINA CARGAS

The women s lacrosse team is set to travel to Princeton, N J to face the Tigers this weekend Still smar ting from the first two defeats of the season last week, the No 18ranked Red (6-2, 2-1 Ivy League) aims to step up its game against Princeton (4-2, 2-0) on Saturday

“Knowing that we did not bring our best per formance to the table against Notre Dame or Penn, I think the challenge for us as a team is to bring a higher level of per formance against a nationally ranked opponent, said head coach Jenny Graap ’86 “Princeton gives us that oppor tunity ”

The Red opened the season with a per fect 5-0 record before meeting mixed results during Spring Break After f a l l i n g t o No t r e D a m e , 1 7 - 1 3 , t h e R e d

d

Jacksonville 22-13 before giving up an early lead at Schoellkopff to lose 11-10 against Penn Graap said she hopes the Red will take last week’s defeats as motivation to boost its game

“I hope it’s lit a fire and that our players feel a sense that they need to raise their per formance and execution in order to win games against these top teams, ” she said

According to Graap, Princeton’s tough schedule packed with tight contests against strong teams may put the Red at a slight disadvantage Already this season, the Tigers defeated ACC powerhouse Virginia, 9-7, and are coming off a close 9-8 loss to Johns Hopkins

“ They’ve been a perennial power and are ver y confident,” she said “ They’re going to come in with a good amount of that experience being in tight and competitive games Saturday’s game will be another of these tight contests, according to Graap Though the Red lost to Princeton, 15-10, at home last year, she hopes her players will come in strong for a repeat of the teams 2010 contest

“ Two years ago when we played in New Jersey, Cornell was able to defeat the Tigers on their home field,” she said “Many of our upperclassmen remember how great it felt

to have such a huge win against Princeton on the road ”

This season, the Red has per formed well on the road

Defeating Rutgers, Har vard, Colgate and Jacksonville on their home fields, the squad currently holds a 4-0 away record that it hopes to continue at Princeton’s Class of 1952 Stadium The Tigers have only won one of their three home games, falling to both Rutgers and Duke before barely topping Virginia

Against Princeton, Graap plans to draw on the Red’s nine seniors, who she considers cr ucial in leading the team to victor y

“ We have a strong senior class and this year we ’ ve really relied on those nine women out of only 12 athletes on the field,” she said “ They’ve been really pivotal in all of our games this year ”

In par ticular Graap names senior attacker and captain Jessi Steinberg, who recently took over No 6 on Cornell’s

Red Kicks O ff Ivy League Season With Match Against Columbia

Evan McElwain “They’re ver y eager to get out there and compete against the other Ivies to tr y and defend our Ivy League title I think we ’ re tr ying to look for ward to and just really focus on the Ivy

|

captain Christine Ordway

matches ”

The men are confident that their opponents thus far have prepared them both going into this weekend and for the remainder of the season

“ I ’ m e xc i t e d ” s a i d m

n ’ s h e a d c o a c h Si l v i u Tanasoiu “I think we had a great schedule so far, one of the toughest in the Ivy League, and I think that definitely prepared us for the Ivy League season That was the idea all along to get us ready for this time of the year ”

The team ’ s schedule has included some unfamiliar opponents We ve played a ton of ranked teams and we ’ ve traveled a bunch,” McElwain said “ We played the Blue-Gray invitational down in Alabama; we ’ ve also played Ohio State and Notre Dame, [who are] really highly ranked teams I think that ll prepare us well for what we ’ re facing in the Ivies ”

Although some concerns have been raised regarding the health of the team sophomore number one Venkat Iyer returned to practice on Wednesday

Ta

o i u remains optimistic in his squad’s chances against Columbia (13-2)

We definitely need [Iyer] to play against any of the Ivy League teams, and we have a fe w other injuries [on our team], but ever y team out there has them too we ’ re not going to find excuses, ” he said “ We re ready to go; we re at a point in the season where we know exactly what people need to do ”

The team is focusing on more than just coming away from the match victorious

“My expectations are nothing else but to transition the system that we ’ re tr ying to implement in practice and to transition that into a competitive setting,” Tanasoiu added “ We’re not tr ying to reinvent the tennis game We’re just tr ying to keep it simple, stick with the basics and implement that into the regular season ”

Olivia Wittels can be reached at owittels@cornellsun com

all-time scoring list, as a critical player Seniors Cacki Helmer, Beth Halayko and Ali O Neil will also be key on Saturday, but the senior that really centers the team is goalkeeper Kyla Dambach, according to Graap “ When she plays well and when she per forms strongly in the net, we ve been able to win, Graap said “In games where Kyla hasn’t been able to play for the full sixty minutes, it’s changed the formula a bit ”

The caliber of the senior players is high, but Graap suggests the squad’s depth is the Red’s greatest advantage over Princeton

“Even beyond our senior class we have tremendous contributions coming from juniors, sophomores, and even some freshmen getting some time,” she said Gina Cargas can be reached at gcargas@cornellsun com

Pep Band Gets Fans Riled

team had been eliminated at the hands of Union earlier in the day

who traveled to the game from the south suburbs of Chicago, spoke to a MSU alumnus who appreciated the gesture

He said our band got a lot of points with them by playing the Michigan State fight song, but then we threw away a lot of those points away by playing t h e Mi c h i g a n f i g h t s o n g against Ferris State [in the N C A A M i d w e s t R e g i o n a l f

Kahn said

t e the lukewarm reaction at the rink, online reaction was much stronger The act was noticed

State fans alike

Some Michigan fans watch-

Mgoblog com, a Michigan fan site, did not react well to hearing their rival’s fight song “ T h a t w a s d e f i n i t e l y a t r o l l i n g a t t e m p t , ” o n e f a n wrote after Michigan tied the scoring goal “GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL-

L L L L L L L F YO U C O RN E L L A N D YO U R M S U TROLLING ” O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , Michigan fans were pleased to hear their school s fight song played in the NCAA tournament, despite the fact that their

C h a re n re c e i v e d e m a i l s from two Michigan State fans thanking him for the Cornell band playing the song

Despite not receiving much attention after the game, the Cornell band’s harassment of Ferris State fans by playing the Mi c h i g a n f i g h t s o n g d u r i n g Saturday’s loss garnered a better reaction during the game “ When we played it, [the Fe r r i s St a t e f a n s ] w e re c h a n t i n g o r singing some sort of altern a

C

re n said “ Though they don’t really have as big of a fan base as Michigan or Michigan State, so it didn’t get as much attention on their blogs ” Regardless of what effect the Michigan State fight song had on the game or the fans, some

established itself as the better band at the game

“All [the Michigan band] knew was how to play was ‘Hail to the Victors, Kahn said “A lot of neutral people commented on how our band w

n [Michigan’s] band because they only played one song ”

Joe Niczky can be reached at jniczky@cornellsun com

1 A N S W E R S

If you were on a deserted island and could only have one teammate with you, who would it be and why?

Sun Staff Photographer Tina Chou traveled with the women ’ s hockey team to the Frozen Four and back On the bus ride there, she put down her camera (but not really) and asked them all the same question

Well, I mean it’s pretty much going to be fun with anybody on our team to be trapped on an island, I mean, if I were in that position But I guess I’d have to say Jill Saulnier because, well, one: she’s my best friend so I think it d be pretty amazing to be stranded there with her and we’d have a ball anyways and we’d find a way to make the most of whatever situation we were in and probably find a way to survive hopefully and make our way out of it? I don’t know But yeah, she s a great friend of mine and we have a lot of good times together so I guess that’d be my answer to that one Jessica Campbell, Sophomore Forward

[laughs] Umm well [laughs] I feel like I would probably pick I don’t know Whitey (Catherine White) ‘ cause we would talk about everything and we have like [laughs] a lot of the same tastes, like good music, and I love to dance so we would dance and she loves to dance too And I feel like we would just chill on the beach in our bathing suits and our bikinis the whole time and dance and dance and eat, I don’t know And talk, talk a lot Yeah [pause] And she’s just sitting right there so I just thought of her [laughs] Olivia Cook Sophomore Forward

Um, I would choose [Brianne] Jenner Because I’m not really confident in any of our team ’ s like, survival skills I’m not sure if we have any like real hunter-gatherers so I figure like, if I m gonna die, I d rather just die with my best friend

Hayleigh Cudmore, Sophomore Defenseman

I would choose Chelsea Karpenko Uh just knowing her over a couple years we ’ ve really grown into being great friends and we know each other so well and I know with her there will never be a dull moment and no matter what we’d always find a way to survive and it’d just be a great time Laura Fortino, Junior Defenseman

Not sure [laughs] There’s like so many options I think I would have to pick either Kenny [Kendice Ogilvie] or [Monika] Leck because Kenny is a big farm girl so she could just like cook me up some animals or something and then Leck’s hilarious and there’s never a dull moment when you ’ re with that kid She’s really funny So one of those two, I can ’ t decide Emily Fulton Freshman Forward

[laughs] I’m gonna give a kind of encrypted answer here, um Jessica Campbell Because, um I could look into Jesse’s eyes everyday

Erin Barley-Maloney, Senior Forward

Mazz [Amanda Mazzotta] because she would definitely know how to get around and what she was doing and I would be completely lost so I would definitely choose her

Xandra Hompe, Junior Forward

I guess whoever would be the most resourceful but I don’t know if we’d be able to sur vive? So maybe Slobo [Slebodnick] ‘ cause it would be okay to die with her? I feel like she would be really chill and we could go out in style

Brianne Jenner Sophomore Forward

Oh jeez Um I’d probably say Whitey [Catherine White] I guess, because we ’ re probably the closest I’m really close to her on the team so it’d just be kind of a lot of fun just to get to hang out and that kind of thing ‘ cause I guess there’d be nothing else to do, right?

Rebecca Johnston, Senior Forward

If I was on a deserted island um I would probably have to go with Kenny [Kendice Ogilvie] She knows how to like, kill animals and stuff because she’s grown up on a farm and I feel like she’s done that for fun her whole life so we would never starve Um maybe I could take care of shelter or something, but I feel like food would be a big worry, but with Kenny around it probably, you know, it’d put me a little more at ease I’d feel like we’d be okay

Chelsea Karpenko, Senior Forward

I’ll pick Katelyn [Pippy] because she’s vegan and probably couldn’t eat anything on the island so I could eat it and I don’t really care for her so if I got really hungry I could probably kill her and eat her for food [bus erupts in laughter]

Monika Leck, Freshman Forward

Well I think I would bring Pratt

‘ cause she worked for P Diddy so I’m kind of hoping that he could come and get us off the island No but seriously, I’ve never seen Pratt not accomplish something that she needed to accomplish so [laughs] I would put my life in her hands to get me off the island

Amanda Mazzotta Senior Goaltender

Hmm [thoughtful pause] Okay, I would have Kenny [Kendice Ogilvie] because she knows how to hunt and she’s very resourceful in that way so I feel like she could provide food for us [laughs] Amanda Young, Senior Defenseman

[Lauren Slebodnick walking by “I can fish ] Can you, Slobes? Slobey can fish so I wait, I’m a vegetarian, um [laughter] so that’s kind of a problem I think that if I was on a deserted island maybe I would eat fish so I’d, you know, Slobes says she can fish, so I think that we’d have fun Um, we could do some goalie training you know and fish is so high in protein Yeah, and I think that Slobes’ Helga persona would come out and she would go get us some water or something and get us off the island, so yeah [bus bursts into laughter]

Katelyn Pippy, Freshman Goaltender

Um [pause] I’d feel like it might be Karps? Just because we get along together really well because sometimes we have fights but sometimes we get along It s just from working with her on all our schoolwork and everything, we ’ ve learned to tolerate slash annoy each other So I think together, we could pretty much conquer anything So, it’d be fun

Stephanie Pratt, Team Manager

Um I’m gonna have to say [long pause] Jess Campbell because she’s my best friend And I would know that we’d just be ridiculous and if you ’ re on a desert island you might as well be ridiculous and just dance like crazy and do absolutely wild things and that’s who I’m sure I would have such a good time with Jillian Saulnier Freshman Forward

Really? Um I don’t like to choose teammates, I would definitely bring everybody, but I would definitely have to go with my girl Tino [Laura Fortino] Because we just have a good bond, we ’ ve been friends since freshman year, with Xandra we were only three freshmen, so we have this special bond and we live together and we ’ re roommates so if we do something that we know annoys the other person, then we don’t do it so we know how to live well together And yeah that s probably why

Lauriane Rougeau, Junior Defenseman

Um, whenever I answered this question before, it would always be the Overguards [Amber and Karlee] ‘ cause they know like everything out in the wilderness that you would need to know but um, I don’t know Probably Becca [Rebecca Johnston] because then I could just we are best friends on the team and stuff so yeah [laughs]

Catherine White , Senior Forward

Um I think [laughs]

Cookie [Olivia Cook] Uh I don’t think many of the girls have good instincts but since I think Cookie is one with the Earth, she’s the closest person I have whose instincts would be key in helping us survive [laughs] so I would pick Cook And I enjoy her company [laughter]

Lauren Slebodnick, Sophomore Goaltender

[laughs] This is a good one Um yeah This is a hard one I think I would have to take someone that would really know like, how to survive I feel like [laughs] um I feel like Gags [Alyssa Gagliardi] would be a good person just because she really would, uh, put the work in and make a good shelter and I feel like I could go fishing with her and [laughs] she’s fast, so you know she could catch the rabbits and all the food and everything She’s agile, she can climb trees I’m assuming she can climb trees Um, yeah [laughs] I just think she would be a very good, uh Ally to be on an island with Yeah [laughs] Kendice Ogilvie Senior Forward

I would choose, uh, Emily Fulton because She She has crazy eyes so I feel like she’d be able to, I don’t know She has a little temper on her too, so I feel like she’d be able to fight all the wild animals or something for us and get us some food [laughs] And we wouldn’t go hungry at least [laughs] Alyssa Gagliardi, Sophomore Defenseman

For more questions and answers from the team, visit cornellsun com/sports

To read more about Tina Chouʼs experience traveling with the team, check out her blog at cornellsun com/blogs

See more pictures from the journey, go to cornellsun com/multimedia

If you want your team to be featured on 21 Answers, email sports@cornellsun com

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Rivals Confront

Unlikely Foe: C.U. Pep Band

By JOE NICZKY Sun Senior Writer

The needling act of the Cornell Pep Band has gotten attention in the world of college hockey after playing during the Michigan Cornell NCAA Tournament game A MetaCafe video of the Cornell band playing its fight song has received more than 18,000 views and has been featured on Guyism com and Brobible com

“It s kind of a band tradition to play the opponent s rival s fight songs to taunt them,” said Michael Brancato grad, a trumpet player in the band He discussed how when the team played Michigan, the band had to decide between the Michigan State fight song and the Ohio State fight song

Although Ohio State is traditionally Michigan’s rival, Michigan State is the bigger rival in hockey

According to Dan Charen ’12, who plays the alto sax, the band hopes that hearing a rival’s fight song will upset the opposing fans and team

“We do it to spite the other team or make their fans angry a little bit,” he said “It’s all in good fun We do it to get their attention a little bit ”

Even though the band regularly plays rival’s fight songs, it has never received significant attention before Charen said

Some players on the ice might have even recognized the song, the band members said

“If you look at the clip where we can be heard playing the MSU fight song, when they zoom in on [Michigan goalie Shawn] Hunwick it looks as if he’s listening to us, ” Brancato

Spor ts

said “He kind of rolls his eyes a little bit,” Charen added

Shortly after the band played the MSU fight song near the end of the third period, junior forward Kevin Lynch tied the score for Michigan to send the game into overtime After the goal, ESPNU’s cameras captured Lynch acting like a conductor While it was not clear if he was celebrating along with Michigan’s band, which was playing “Hail to the Victors” yet again, or mocking Cornell’s band, at least one fan thought the gesture was aimed at Cornell

“I thought he was mocking our band, but it doesn t really matter [if he was] Once you ’ ve gotten a player’s attention

Cornell Hosts Northeast Regional

By ANDREA SIELICKI Sun Staff Writer

Championship play is coming to Ithaca as Cornell hosts the men and women s NSPA Nor theast Regional Championship this weekend at Oxley Equestrian Center The women play Harvard tomorrow at 7:30 p m and University of Connecticut on Sunday at 3:30 p m The men begin the tournament on Saturday at 5:30 p m against Skidmore and finish on Sunday against UConn at 1:30 p m This year s regional championship has a round-robin bracket setup: each team plays each other once, and the team with the most wins qualifies for the national championship at the end of April

The Red’s most formidable opponent in the regional championship is UConn

The men and women have both fallen to

the Huskies earlier this season at away games, but came out on top when their opponents came to Ithaca However, the home field advantage may not matter as much in the tournament

“It’s going to be a very competitive game for both squads against UConn,” said head coach David Eldedge ’81

Home advantage becomes equalized because we ’ re riding half of their horses and half of ours, and that’s where it’s going to really tell which team is working harder

Because it is a tournament, UConn and Skidmore will be bringing their own horses for the players to ride in addition to Cornell’s horses Each game will be split between riding each team ’ s horses

Harvard will rely on Cornell’s horses

“Harvard is at the greatest disadvan-

off the ice and into the stands, you ’ ve accomplished your goal,” said Chris Spencer ’14, who watched the game on TV

The band, by playing MSU s fight song, got Michigan s attention off the ice ”

Since the game was in Green Bay, Wisc a long drive from both Ithaca and Ann Arbor, Mich most of the people in attendance were Wisconsin fans who did not recognize the song, according to Jeff Kahn ’70, an alumni who attended the game As a result, it did not register for most fans in the stands However, on Sunday

Red Begins Iv y League Play

By OLIVIA WITTELS Sun Staff Writer

The men ’ s and women ’ s tennis teams are kicking off their Ivy League seasons this Saturday, with Cornell set to face its first Ivy foe, Columbia The men will remain in Ithaca, while the women travel down to New York City for their battles with the Lions Both squads are eagerly anticipating the commencement of this part of the season

“Going into Ivies we got a lot of practice outside and I think the last few matches definitely showed that, said women ’ s captain junior Christine Ordway “I think ever yone seems pretty pumped and ready to go, so it should be a good four weeks ”

Though the Red (8-4) lost, 4-2, earlier in the season to the Lions (9-3), Ordway has high expectations for the match on Saturday

“I think if everyone competes well we have a really good shot ” she said “I want everyone to put one hundred percent out there, I mean really play their best tennis and give it their best effort Win or lose if everyone is giving it their best I’m

”

happy

As the men ’ s team is one of the youngest in its conference, with no seniors and eight freshmen added to the squad this year, the Red (711) is eager to prove it has what it takes to win another

Ivy League title

“We have so many freshmen who haven’t had this kind of experience before,” said sophomore co-captain Evan McElwain “ They’re