03-30-12

By DAVEEN KOH and ZACHARY ZAHOS Sun Arts and Entertainment Ed tors

umors ended with two radio-friendly picks that have been

“A lot of people wanted a pop artist who is on the radio all the time someone you could sing along to ” S am B

heard, well, ever ywhere Taio Cr uz and Neon Trees are probably as crowd-pleasing as you can (viably) get “ We know you ’ ve been wanting big name headliners; we also did understand a lot of students were getting tired of rap and hip-hop ar tists,” said Sam Breslin ’12, selections director of SDPB “A lot of people wanted a pop ar tist who is on the radio all the time someone you could sing along to ”

While it is arguable how different Cr uz tr uly is in his musical approach from the Slope Day headliners of recent years, he does command a similar, broad base of fans that guarantees a bustling day on Libe Slope Cr uz narrowly missed the chance to sing on Rihanna’s 2007

hit “Umbrella, but that snub did not stop him from finding an immediate fanbase upon the release of his self-produced 2008 debut, Depar ture He has become nearly omnipresent since his 2010 album Rokstarr

It’s hard to think of a more appropriate anthem for the last day of classes than Cr uz ’ s number one single, “Dynamite,” which, of course, exhor ts ever yone to “throw (their) hands up in the air sometimes” and “celebrate and live life ” Cr uz has an expansive catalogue of equally commanding and suitable songs Leading among those is “Break Your Hear t ” ; repeat “break break your ” in your head over and over again if you have trouble remembering it These songs, as well as other hits such as “ Telling the World” (from last year ’ s a n i m

“Hangover,” will slide per fectly into the Slope Day vibe especially that latter hit Cr uz s style may not be

but, for the mass of sham-

Libe Slope, the man is about per fect as it gets Neon Trees is simi-

almost cer tainly heard the band before “Animal,” the lead single off its debut album Habits,

Past Slope Day Artists

2011: Nelly

2010: Drake

2009: The Pussycat Dolls

2008: Gym Class Heroes

2007: T I

By JOEY ANDERSON Sun Senior Writer

Cornell Accepts Lowest Percentage Of Applicants Yet Castaways to Close by May 1

By HARRISON OKIN Sun Staff Writer

The Class of 2016 faced the most competitive admissions cycle yet, the University announced as 4,943 students received their regular admission decisions on Thursday Only 16 2 percent of applicants to Cornell were admitted this year

Cornell’s newly admitted students are part of a record high pool of 37,812 applications As the acceptance rate decreased this year, the number of applications for the Class of 2016 rose four percent, to the highest number of applications in Cornell’s history

In addition to the students accepted for regu-

lar decision, 1,180 students were accepted early decision in December, bringing the total number of admitted students to 6,123 There will be fewer students in the Class of 2016 than in the Class of 2015, according to the University 18 percent of applicants to the Class of 2015 were accepted

The percentage of accepted students that are female increased from 49 8 to 52 percent this year

Nearly 2,000 more students this year were denied admission than applicants for the Class of 2015 Further, 132 more students were waitlisted compared to last year ’ s applicants

See 2016 page 4

Castaways, the local bar and music venue known for its intimate concerts, charity benefit events and community-friendly environment, plans to close its doors by May 1 after 40 years on the West End waterfront

On Wednesday, Castaways’ owners Kimberly Hemphill, Phil Aubin and Debra Wilson announced on their Facebook page that ongoing attempts to renegotiate the building’s lease with their current landlord had failed They conceded that, although the fight to maintain their space wasn ’ t over yet, as negotiations between the owners and landlorders are still ongoing, April would likely be their last month in business at their current location

Over the years, artists like The Hold Steady, Mac Miller, St Vincent, Sufjan Stevens and Dar Williams have passed through Castaways on tour stops in Ithaca Local acts, like The Gunpoets and John

Brown’s Body, have played shows regularly at the venue which has become an institution for local music in the Ithaca community

Hoyt Benjamin opened

Dog,” a reference to an album by the band Procol Harum It has since been called Captain

Today Daybook

CRP Q&A Session: Andrew Rumbach Noon, 208W Sibley Hall

HTML Style Sheets

Softball vs Harvard 2 p m , Berman Field

Grist and Mills: On the Cultural Inheritance of Cultural Learning 4 p m , Kaufmann Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall

Rhythm and Rhyme

8 - 11 p m , New Wing, Johnson Museum Baseball vs Harvard Noon, Hoy Field

Men’s Tennis vs Columbia 1 p m , Reis Tennis Center Latino Leaders Workshop

2 - 3:30 p m , Latino Living Center, Anna Comstock Hall Kids Science Day at the Big Red Barn

2 - 4 p m , Main Room, Big Red Barn

Quotes of the Week

News, “University Allocates $1.56 Million to Gorge Safety Efforts,” Thursday

Speaking about gorge safety efforts in response to the death of his son Nathaniel Rand 12 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”

Science, “‘Wee Stinky’: The (Not So) Sweet Smell of Success,” Wednesday

Speaking about Cornell's rare " corpse plant" that bloomed to a crowd of over after a decade of cultivation “It smells like rotting flesh, but there’s this sickeningly sweet overtone to it and it’s just nasty it’s just plain nasty ”

plant biology

Opinion, “Remembering, at Cornell, the War Abroad, Wednesday

Speaking about the War in Afghanistan

Today any campus discussion or debate over America’s engagement in foreign conflicts is far less visible Whatever opposition to the war in Afghanistan exists is marginal at best

News, “Hoping to Meet Demand, Jack’s Grill Opens Sports Bar,” Wednesday

Speaking about the opening of his new bar on Wednesday

We ll subscribe to all the good packages and all that stuff I know we have some soccer fans; we ll keep them happy We re looking at doing a big projector too

www.CornelLsun.cOm

Board Members: Law School Annex Should Respect Existing Building

By CAROLINE FLAX

The City of Ithaca’s Planning and Development Board discussed the aesthetic details of the University’s proposed expansion of the Cornell Law School at a meeting Tuesday, with some board members raising concern that certain aspects of the design could better respect Myron Taylor Hall’s existing exterior

The first phase of changes lined up for Myron Taylor Hall include adding a new, accessible entrance to the building on College Avenue and adding two underground classrooms and an auditorium under the lawn between Myron Taylor Hall and College Avenue In phase two of the expansion, the University will reconfigure the interior space of the lower levels of the hall at the south end of the Myron Taylor courtyard

Scott Aquilina, senior associate at Ann Beha Architects one of the groups working on the project said his firm tried to incorporate modern aspects into the building’s Gothic architecture in the proposed designs

“Our practice is engaged in that conversation [between contemporary and traditional] ” Aquilina said

However, John Schroeder ’74, a member of planning board and The Sun s production manager, said that certain details of the proposed exterior design including its modern front door “could be more sympathetic with” the gothic architecture of Myron Taylor Hall

“[The design] just feels weak to me It just doesn’t match the power of the building,” Schroeder said “There is not a problem with a modern idea, but do it in a powerful way ”

Aquilina disagreed, saying he believes the proposal’s modern elements complement the existing design of the building

“This is a modern law school, and it is a law school that is trying to attract new students ” Aquilina said “The front door wants

to have a certain level of transparency so people feel welcomed into the building

Tessa Rudan ’89, another member of the planning board, said that the proposed design for the front entrance is not consistent with her image of the building

“[Myron Taylor Hall] is absolutely a gem, and to say that it somehow is not accessible to people or that it’s not welcoming to people from the outside I can ’ t agree with that,” Rudan said

Ithaca resident Mary Tomlan ’71 echoed the planning board members’ sentiments that the renovations should respect the original architecture of the building

“I hope that this board will respect the integrity of this hall,” Tomlan said

In its designs for the expansion the University proposes lowering portions of the courtyard between Anabel Taylor Hall and Myron Taylor Hall by 30 inches This, Aquilina said, would allow the University to avoid building a ramp from the new classrooms to the courtyard for disabled students

“The school was trying to find places to expand without expanding footprint,” Aquilina said “The courtyard is beautiful, but the courtyard is not used ”

Due to the changes to the courtyard, Aquilina said the University will also modify the stairway connecting College Avenue to the courtyard

We’re trying to integrate the bottom of the stair into the courtyard,” Aquilina said “It’s lighter; it’s more streamlined ”

The new designs also include the construction of new windows that look onto the courtyard However, some board members said these new windows compromise ideas inherent in the original design

“[The University] somehow needs to keep the original intent there,” Rudan said

Although there was disagreement with specific details of the design, the board largely approves of the general plans for the law school’s expansion, Schroeder said

“I think everyone on the board, to my knowledge, including myself, thinks that the

Taio Cruz will perform at Slope Day 2012 Really?

“All I can say is that this year ’ s Slope Day is going to break-break-break-break-break my heart

Lyrical Lamenter ’14

“Who cares? If this Slope Day is anything like last year ’ s, I won ’ t make it to the Slope to see him perform anyway Blackout Biddy ’14

“Pitbull was the other rumor, right? Yeah, this is much better ” Sincere or Sarcastic? ’15

“There better be a special performance from the Maccabeats ” Expecting a Spoof ’13

“My boyfriend and I used to make out to ‘Break Your Heart ’ Slope Day is going to be so romantic Sheltered Freshman Girl ’15

“I’m sure it will be a Dynamite performance ” Punny Guy ’14

“I really had my heart set on Avicii Anything less is unacceptable ” Every Sorority Girl ’13

Compiled by Dan Temel

basic idea of the project is very good and very positive, Schroeder said

After board members expressed their concerns, the architects agreed on compromises to their original design For instance, the University will reincorporate some existing architectural components such as stone finials into the rebuilt stairs and sets of small arches into the rebuilt courtyard wall to better maintain the law school’s architectural cohesion, according to Schroeder

“The architectural elements to be rein-

corporated are a sort of aesthetic glue helping to hold the whole law school complex together,” Schroeder said

Despite the board’s criticism, Aquilina said he appreciated receiving feedback from community members

“There is more than one way to look at a project,” Aquilina said “It was a good exchange ”

Alumnus Creates App to Match Compatible Pairs

By UTSAV RAI Sun Staff Writer

As more and more college students spending hours bouncing Facebook chats and messages off each other interact with others online, Rob Fishman ’08 has recently developed a Facebook application, Yoke, that pairs users with potential dates based on the compatibility of their Facebook profiles

“If Facebook is about keeping you connected to the people you already know, Yoke exists to introduce you to new people,” Fishman said Fishman’s interest in Facebook can be traced back to his time at Cornell, where, as a columnist for The Sun, he covered topics such as Facebook’s expansion into high schools and interviewed people such as Chris Hughes, the co-founder of Facebook

Fishman who previously worked as The Huffington Post’s social media editor began working with Facebook during the company ’ s hunt for a media partner to collaborate with This journey led him to start Kingfish Labs, Inc , a company that builds Facebook applications, including Yoke, last summer

Yoke targets people of all ages who want to find new companions who share the same interests as they do, Fishman said

“One thing we ’ re finding out is that people at all stages of life are looking to meet someone new, he said On college campuses, Yoke will be useful for

breaking out of the social circles you ' ve traveled in since freshman year For recent grads, the app can help cast a wider net ”

In addition to matching users through characteristics they list on Facebook, Yoke determines the compatibility between two people by using third-party services like Amazon and Netflix to compare their tastes and interests

application, Brandon Huang ’15 said it was “ a good idea ”

The app uses information that has already been entered on Facebook instead of creating a new profile,” Huang said

“It’s just an easy way to meet new people using Facebook ” R ob Fis hman ’ 0 8

What differentiates Yoke from other applications, Fishman said, is that it is built for the mainstream

“There are no laborious questionnaires or awkward usernames, and there’s no stigma attached to using the app, ” he said “It’s just an easy way to meet new people using Facebook ” Looking forward to seeing Yoke grow in the future and increasing its number of users Fishman plans to expand the application, giving users the ability to add interests to their Yoke profile without liking things on Facebook and [allowing] them to search for certain characteristics ” Fishman also said that he sees many possible opportunities for Yoke to generate revenue in the future

“I think there are plenty of cool opportunities for revenue growth suggesting dates based on the things you ‘like’ [on Facebook], offering deals and discounts and sending virtual gifts,” Fishman said After being asked to try out the

Michael Young ’13 agreed, saying, “I think it can be a pretty useful and popular app ”

Young also said the application is easy to use Additionally, he said that because the application allows you to anonymously interact with potential matches, it helps reduce the awkwardness of online matchmaking

While Young and Huang said that, overall, they liked using Yoke, they also raised some concerns with the application

“If I was looking to use this website to find a possible spouse, I’d have to choose someone younger, and I might seem pedophilic,” Huang said Students also suggested some improvements that would make the app more useful and applicable

“Perhaps they could add a function to display your own preferences and allow for more matches,” Young said

Utsav Rai can be reached at urai@cornellsun com

Accepted Students ‘Grateful,’ ‘Proud’

The admitted students represent all 50 states, as well as 68 nations Most of the students accepted from the U S hail from Ne w York, California and Ne w Jersey

The median SAT scores a Critical Reading score of 710 and a Math score of 740 did not change dramatically from last year

Ne w

was my mistake ” Andre w Ng, a high school student from Marlboro, N J , expressed his excitement about being accepted to the University

“My inter vie wer was really passion-

“When I saw the decision, the first thing I did was print it out to make sure this was actually

dents demonstrated pride and exuberance to be a par t of the University’s most selective class yet “

school student from Ne w Hyde Park, N Y “Cornell has been my top choice since junior year I never saw acceptance as a possible reality because I didn’t want to let myself down That

Psychotherap y and Psychophar macolog y

Specializing in Psychiat r y for :

ADD and ADHD

Anxiet y Disorders

Mood Disorders and Depression

W ill Wittlin MD, P hD (607) 257-5925 visit: www.dr wittlin.com

atmosphere and sense of community from the students and faculty,” he said “I kne w it would be a challenge

good

He said he was in disbelief when he got the acceptance

“I couldn’t get home until 5:30 after decisions were already released,

so I didn’t have to go through the tense situation of waiting,” he said When I saw the decision, the first thing I did was print it out to make sure this was actually real ” Ja k

m

Washington D C , said he came from a family of Cornellians, so he felt especially proud to continue the tradition

“It’s a per fect fit for me, and it’s an amazing school,” he said “I m really lucky to have this oppor tunity ” Salinas said it was a privilege to be par t of such a highly competitive class of students

“I’m grateful for having made my teachers proud, for having made my parents proud, and most impor tantly, for having made myself proud,” she said

Harrison Okin can be reached

Castaways Hopes to Find New Home

Jo e ’ s Re e f, ” “ Ma xe s ” a n d “ Ke y

We s t ” b e f o re b e c o m i n g

Castaways in the early 2000s Aubin, Wilson and Hemphill have run Castaways since 2005

In a s t a t e m e n t o n Fa c e b o o k

released Wednesday, they cap-

t u re d t h e n o s t a l g i a t h a t t h e departure of a beloved community fixture invites “ We l o o k b a c k with pride at what we have done to clean up

t h i s p l a c e , a t t h e money we raised over

t h e ye a r s f o r t h e Finger Lakes Cancer

we can stay, ” Hemphill said “ We want to stay here and continue what is an awesome Ithaca tradition ” The news that Castaways will close raises questions about the future of the music scene in Ithaca Hip-hop artist Dan Lisbe,

w h o s e b a n d T h e Gu n p o e t s played its first show at Castaways four years ago, said that the loss will create a temporar y void in the music scene

“It’s surreal seeing it go. We all picture Castaways as our home.”

D an Lis be

Re s o u rc e C e n t e r and at all of the incredible, won-

d e r f u l m u s i c we h a ve s h a re d together over the years as a community,” they wrote

The announcement has sent

w a ve s o f g r i e f re ve r b e r a t i n g through Ithaca’s music community Within hours of the release,

c o m m u n i t y m e m b e r s h a d already inundated the page with c o m m e n t s e x p re s s i n g s h o c k frustration and sadness Many of the comments reflected on memories of concerts or friendships formed at Castaways, while oth-

e r s s h a re d t h e h o p e t h a t C a s t a w a y s c o u l d f i n d a n e w home an option that the owners are currently exploring “ We definitely hope to find

a n o t h e r s p a c e a n d re o p e n Castaways in another location, but we ’ re still tr ying to find out if

David Savran

“Life goes on, and we’ll find other places to play, but since it’s [been] such a big part of the Ithaca music scene for so long, its absence is going to change things as far as live music in Ithaca,” he said Lisbe said he is particularly c l o s e

Gunpoets, and likened the bar’s closing to the loss of a family member

“It’s surreal seeing it go, ” he said “ We all picture Castaways as our home We’ve been playing there for so long and it’s our favorite place to play It’s really a big loss on a lot of levels ” Eliot Rich, the booking and event manager at Castaways and a m

o f T h e Gu

Distinguished Professor and Vera Mowry Roberts Chair in American Theatre, CUNY Graduate Center

THE QUEER BRAND ON BROADWAY: THE AMERICAN MUSICAL FROM PORTER TO THE BOOK OF MORMON

Friday March 30, 2012

4:30-6:00 p m Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts

The Public is Invited

bemoaned the loss of a breeding ground for local talent, but was optimistic that the vibrancy of

generate new spaces to play

“ We saw many great bands grow under our roof and we took pride in nurturing the bands that played our room, giving them the tools they needed to grow, ” he said in an email Dan Smalls ’92, the local concert promoter who is responsible

the closing of a “local neighborhood hang”

Castaway’s not find a new home,

would not decrease

community fixture goes away, ” he said “ They and that location have been an institution for live music in Ithaca My job is to put the right show in the right venue and give the patron the best possible experience, and losing

desired ”

Echoing Smalls, Rich said, “Ithaca has such a strong musical community [that] I think that places to play will appear and musicians will find rooms to play in ”

Joey Anderson can be reached at janderson@cornellsun com

,

VOKT 14

SEOJIN LEE 14

ERIKA G WHITESTONE ’15

Independent Since 1880

130TH EDITORIAL BOARD

YANG 14

The campus is blowing up with the news that Taio Cruz, famed artist behind the song “Dynamite,” will headline Slope Day this year The Sun thought it best to sit down with the spirits of Ezra Cornell and A D White to talk about the choice

THE SUN: Hey A D , Ezra How are you guys doing? We’re excited as always to talk to you about what’s going on at Cornell these days In recent news, Taio Cruz is the Slope Day headliner Thoughts?

EZRA: Definitely beats what we had in 1865 I think we had an equally hard time finding a Slope Day artist All the good violinists were out touring in Australia or something

A D : Ah, yes, I remember We had to settle for Theodore Cruise that year, a terrible violinist I remember students just got hammered and passed out on the Slope before they listened to that garbage

EZRA: Yeah, dancing respectfully to violin music can also be a little bit challenging It was basically the worst Slope Day ever

SUN: It doesn t sound like much has changed They are still trying to curb student drinking The Interfraternity Council even offered fraternities a chance to get free food on Slope Day if they stay “socially responsible

EZRA: That sounds like a great motivator

A D : Yeah, the IFC really dialed it back to what worked in elementary school “If you ’ re on your very best behaviour, you’ll get this delicious cookie ” The next step is to put fraternities in “time out ” if they break the rules

EZRA: Someone needs to talk to those IFC kids about changing that policy

A D : It doesn’t seem like it’s really going to work, but maybe if you offer them some pizza, they’ll rethink the whole thing

EZRA: Although I do hope they take our founding principles to heart and make decisions based on their intellectual appetites

A D : If we founded Cornell only because of the food we got in return, it basically wouldn’t be here Don’t get me wrong I love eating snow but let’s face it there wasn ’ t much here in 1865

SUN: Come on, A D Ithaca has some great food They just opened up a delicious froyo place on College Ave

A D : Fro-yo? Are you crazy? That’s basically eating milk-flavored snow

EZRA: I for one love the sweet but tangy taste of freshly-churned self-serve frozen yogurt, with plenty of Oreo topping The new joint in Collegetown is sure to be a draw for prospective students and their families when we turn on the Weather Machine in mid-April

A D : I don’t really know, Ezra This incoming class seems like a bunch of nerds I doubt they’ll be venturing too far beyond the libraries 710 average on math SAT scores? Do the math

EZRA: Yeah, if by nerds you mean the fruity, delicious candy that I like to sprinkle on my frozen yogurt, then yes, you are one hundred percent correct They are a bunch of Nerds

SUN: Alright Ezra, that sounds a little weird I think you should go back to the grave Same with you, A D

EZRA: Oh, alright, alright Best of luck with getting through the last few weeks before Slope Day

SUN: Yeah this semester just goes on and on and on

A D : Hey-oh Ezra let’s go

EZRA: Fro-yo?

ITHACA’S COLD SHOULDER

It dropped 40 degrees in a day I can ’ t think of any better way to take away happiness than to go from shorts to winter coats in a day I had almost forgotten that winter was a thing here after such a nice and lovely spring break, but then the cruel reality came back all at once Thanks for the nice little reminder, Ithaca A N

GOING OLD-SCHOOL WITH COURSE ENROLLMENT

De a r C o r n e l l s o f tware purchasers: W h y d o e s St u d e n t C e n t e r g i ve u s t h e option of enrolling in classes from the fall of 1 9 5 2 ? A s m u c h a s I w o u l d l i k e t o k n ow what I could have taken if I went here 60 years ago, I just don t unders t a n d w h y s o f t w a re would even go that far back I mean that predates the Internet by, like, a long time J F

INTRO TO ICE HOCKEY

It s o u t r a g e o u s t h a t my P E ice hockey class does not count for an academic credit I now

am forced to take a onecredit six-week seminar c a l l e d In t ro t o En t re p re n e u r s h i p t o remain in good academic standing There’s a H-edouble-hockey-sticks of a lot more to learn about the rules of ice hockey than “entrepreneurship ” J S

GIVE THAT MAN A HAND

Why does Taio Cruz need so much space for both his hands? I have

h a n d s t o o m a n I ’ m gonna put them in the air sometimes, but you don’t see me making a big deal about it B K

DISGRUNTLED LOCAVORE

S c u m b a g It h a c a : warms up enough for the fruit trees to blossom PROMPTLY FREEZES T H E M A L L TO DEATH All I wanted we re s o m e # * $ ^ # % @ local peaches is that too much to ask for?! D M

DISGRUNTLED HUMANITIES STUDENT

A l t e r

i s Forget it!

D M

SLOPE DAY ISN’T PITCHFORK

I m i n d l e s s l y c o nv in c e d e ve r yon e I live with that this year s Slope Day artist was going to b e C h i l d i s h Ga m b i n o , and then had to suffer t h e i r w r a t h w h e n I walked into the kitchen and found that they were not only less than thrilled with the selection choice, but were ready to come at me with pitchforks for getting their hopes up L C

LOOKS LIKE A SOLO TONIGHT W h e re ’ s a f o r m e r m a n a g i n g e d i t o r w h e n you need him? I want to relive the glor y days and belt out Newsies in the newsroom I m carr ying the banner all alone here, man!

D N K

For a Fe w Hundred Buck s

Iwent to an affluent prep school in the suburbs, the kind of place where the parking lot was like a scene from a bad movie about rich kids A friend of mine got an Audi S8 for his bir thday; another got a BMW Z4; and another got a BMW 3-series conver tible hardtop until she got bored of it and requested a 550 You get the point

Yes, I went to a private school, so make fun of me if you will The education was

great so I’ll make no apologies I loved my fellow students too We had some tr uly brilliant people math geniuses, great writers, ar tists; in some ways it was like a mini-Cornell Yet it was even more of a bubble, because most of us came from similar backgrounds

Our parents were doctors, lawyers and businessmen The one thing that kids at my school all had in common, then, was that they were incredibly lucky They were blessed with oppor tunities, financially and academically, that most people in this countr y, let alone the world, will never

experience And yet, so many of them just kept scre wing up

Take Chris, one of my friends senior year He was pretty damn smar t, the sor t of guy who even though he acted like a moron, could have an insightful political d

school, and even in school

Last time I saw him, he was working behind the counter of a CVS even

Jonathan Panter

The Storyteller

though the kid probably had an IQ above

130 Then there was Matt who came from a well-to-do family He wasn ’ t the brightest, but I gre w up with the kid and he was just a nice, some what mischievous, curious boy Matt left my school for another, and got hooked on methamphetamine Yeah, meth

Or how about Scott, who graduated a fe w years before me He was one of the

, excelling in ever ything from math to the humanities and beloved by his teachers

Then he took the SATs for some other kid, u s i n g a f a k e I D , a n d w a s p r o m p t l y expelled from school and lost his spot at Princeton, where he had gotten in earlydecision He did it for a couple hundred bucks

But the greatest scre w-up stor y has to be the stor y of Dave, who graduated back in the early 2000s Dave’s father founded one of the largest toy companies in the United States, with revenues in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and he was a noted philanthropist as well Dave, like a lot of other bored rich kids liked cocaine One night just after graduation, Dave is at home, drinking a n d b l o w i n g l i n e s o f c o k e w i t h h i s friends He gets a call from a friend who happens to be the daughter of a teacher at my school and she’s screaming hysterically She and two others had been buying coke in a nearby town, when they were robbed at gunpoint and locked in a basement

Dave and his friends organize a rescue mission by which I mean they grab a shotgun and get in Dave’s car Sometime later they stop at a red light at which point Dave turns to talk to his friend, who’s out cold in the passenger seat So is the other guy in the back Dave panics, gets out of the car, opens all its doors, and flees the scene on foot

When the cops arrived, they found a late-model Mercedes-Benz with the following contents: cash cocaine alcohol two dr ugged-out teenagers and a shot-

gun

Another full disclosure I told that stor y because I think it’s hilarious But it also raises questions

I’m not sure how I feel about kids like Dave, Chris, Matt or Scott On one hand, I find them pathetic they were given ever ything, oppor tunities that others will never enjoy, and they thre w it all away

Maybe they were bored, because life was too easy for them I suppose that s one, rather uncharitable, way of seeing it

But I don’t think that’s it, just boredom Because if you scratch below the surface of all that bling those fancy cars and designer clothes, there’s more than just some stuck-up kid Sure, I went to a prep school, and sure, those kids benefited f

some of them had alcoholic parents, some witnessed domestic abuse, some were just ignored by their moms and dads

Scratch below the sur face, and you star t to realize that wealth is no insulator, that money really can ’ t buy protection from the less-benign aspects of human nature You might cure ever y patient, or captivate a cour troom or predict ever y stock value but it doesn’t mean you ’ re a good person, or can raise a kid No BMW or Mercedes is a substitute for that

Jonathan Panter is a senior in the College of Ar ts and Sciences He may be reached at jpanter@cornellsun com The Stor yteller appears alter nate Fridays this semester

The R evolution Will Not Be Televi sed: Should the Supreme Court Allow Video Coverage?

The recent Supreme Court oral arguments on the Affordable Care Act reignited a long-running debate about television cameras in courtrooms Commentators have called the ACA the case of a generation, but only 400 spectators mostly politicians and Washington insiders were there to see it Does the Court’s camera ban preserve the integrity of our government ’ s nonpolitical third branch, or shield the conduct of public business from the public eye?

Every state allows cameras in at least some trials, but filming federal trials is prohibited outside of a small a pilot program involving civil trials, and cameras are forbidden in federal criminal cases Federal appellate courts take a similar tack: Only the Second and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeals allow cameras at oral argument The Supreme Court has never allowed cameras despite frequent pressure from major media outlets and prominent lawmakers from both parties

Prior to oral arguments in the landmark ACA case news organizations, along with lawmakers including Senators Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Charles Grassley (RIA), asked the Court to allow video coverage Not only did the Court not grant the request, its response ignored the issue of video altogether and merely announced that audio would be available the same day, rather than the customary release at the end of the week Written transcripts are already available the same day

Those who wanted the Court to broadcast the ACA proceedings made familiar arguments Because courts decide matters of significant public interest, their processes should be widely accessible to the public In addition to making it easier for the public to follow and understand the case, video coverage of oral arguments would make the justices more accountable Unlike exchanges between politicians concerned with getting reelected, Supreme Court proceedings involve what Justice Kagan has described as government functioning on a very high level The implication is that broadcasting oral arguments would improve public trust in the Court and in government

While the Court did not explain its unwillingness to permit cameras at the ACA oral arguments, opponents of televised proceedings have often cited concerns about process integrity If oral arguments are televised, lawyers will be tempted to deviate from the substance of the case and use the Supreme Court as political theater Similarly, in the era of the sound bite, televised reporting would feature the most provocative quotes, making the justices more self-conscious and risking incomplete or out of context coverage

Therefore, given the risk of undermining the process and the fact that life-tenured judges already write written opinions, televising proceedings would jeopardize the judicial process without adding any meaningful accountability Finally because transcripts and audio recordings are already public, proceedings are sufficiently accessible to the public as it is

The issue is ultimately about the relationship between the Supreme Court and the public On the one hand, our system of separated powers deliberately shields judicial actors from public pressure Judges have to be able to make unpopular decisions, and televising Supreme Court oral arguments would arguably undermine the insulation implicit in a branch whose members deliberate in private and serve for life In an era where people follow current events on television however, a robust democracy would seem to benefit from making the Court’s work even more accessible

The average citizen probably has a limited grasp of what happens at the Supreme Court For example a well-educated highlyinformed friend of mine was surprised to learn that oral argument at the Supreme Court consists of contentious questioning, rather than a one-sided presentation by lawyers to a patient panel of justices Judicial actors are supposed to be checked, in part, by citizens’ ability to elect the officials that pick judges and pass the laws that come before the Supreme Court Televised oral argument, therefore, would facilitate that check

rather than comprehensive coverage of abstract, technical cases While our democracy would certainly benefit from an electorate that knew more about the judicial process, it is hard to be compelled by an argument that We the People care enough to want to know what the Court is doing, but not quite enough to overcome our compulsive need for moving pictures

That being said, the Court could take steps to make its processes more accessible For one thing, there is simply no good reason not to make audio immediately available in every case Given the real concern that many people don t really know what happens inside the Supreme Court, the

Given this balance of interests, the question comes down to whether the Court’s camera ban renders it insufficiently accessible to the electorate I believe the answer is no

Citizens interested in what actually goes on at the Court can already read transcripts and listen to oral arguments on their iPods Therefore, the argument that camera-free Supreme Court proceedings are undemocratically opaque turns on people’s expectation that information be visually interesting Most citizens, including most lawyers, are much more likely to read summarized, subjective news coverage of Supreme Court cases than read an entire transcript Similarly, rather than watching an entire televised argument, most citizens would follow Supreme Court cases via ratingsdriven video coverage featuring visually attractive exchanges

Court could also produce a video of an oral argument in a fictional case, featuring the actual justices and real Supreme Court advocates The video could be shown in government classes in high schools across the country And when a landmark case like the ACA challenge comes along, the Court could even authorize free, public broadcasts in federal courts across the country, eliminating the risk of sensational video coverage by ratings-driven media outlets and reducing the incentive for sound bite-friendly, politically-theatrical advocacy

The next generation of Supreme Court justices will have been raised on video journalism, and the Court may well change course in our lifetime But unlike politicians with five hundred dollar haircuts and soaring oratory, judges have the difficult job of applying the law, which is fundamentally written, not visual I think American citizens are more than capable of informing themselves without ever turning on a television

Andy Orr

ARTS ENTERTAINMENT

BY ZACHARY ZAHOS Arts and Entertainment Editor

bad until Monday They know its bad by the next feature time now, the same day

Legendary filmmaker John Waters will deliver the keynote speech at the Schwartz Center’s Resoundingly Queer Conference on Saturday Waters is famous for such films as Cry Baby and Hairspray, both of which were adapted into Broadway hits, and infamous for the perverse cult classic Pink Flamingos, starring drag queen Divine The Sun chatted via phone with Waters on Tuesday for his take on the shifting landscapes of film, politics and sex

THE SUN: I want to start with your impact on independent film You were sort of the John Cassavetes of Crass What motivated you to make films, and through such an unorthodox approach for the time?

JOHN WATERS: It wasn ’ t called independent film when I started I was lucky enough that, around that time, underground film had just started I wanted to be a beatnik: I read The Village Voice, I read Variety I was just encouraged by all types of movies, never just one certainly by Warhol and all the underground movies but at the same time the films that broke the censorship laws were the foreign movies, from Ingmar Bergman to Fellini I also went to see the exploitation films at that time that no one besides Variety ever wrote about; they were unmentionable, and I embraced them, too So, I embraced all these kinds of movies and tried to put them together

SUN: Did you ever imagine that Pink Flamingos would transcend its obscene subject matter to become a symbol of lowbrow art, 40 years later?

J W : No, I did not! It’s on television now, that shocks me When I was making that movie, I was hoping to make a hit midnight movie When I started out it was underground movies, then it was midnight movies, then it was independent movies, then it was Hollywood movies, then it was Hollywoodindependents, then I guess I went back to NC-17 exploitation [laughs] I think I have made every genre of movie there is in a way every business plan of a movie, every kind

SUN: Would you say political correctness is overrated?

J W : I think all my films actually are politically correct

SUN: Really?

J W : Yeah, because the right person wins morally Women are strong usually the rich people are punished although there are some good rich people I think the one-percent isn’t all bad for they buy art and back movies [laughs] I know that sounds ridiculous, but I think that is part of why [my films] have lasted, because they actually are weirdly politically correct They aren t ever condescending, they never look down or make the viewer feel superior to the subject matter as reality TV does, for instance I think they ask you to come into a world and not judge it, and observe and try to understand why people have all kinds of behavior So, that is politically correct

SUN: I stand corrected If you started your career today, how do you think you would do?

J W : I think I would do the same thing I think I would be making it on my cellphone The main difference would be that it is all through streaming video and computers now, and when I got to start making movies you only got to see them once You did not get to rewind, you never got to see Divine eating shit in slow-motion You had to go to a theater, sometimes every week, and you got high to go That ritual is now very rare I’d say The Human Centipede repeated that But in those days, we let [Pink Flamingos] build through word of mouth Today, word of mouth is one second, like Twitter Bad exploitation films used to survive the weekend because no one heard it was

SUN: Well, Jackass has thrived in this environment You directed Johnny Knoxville in A Dirty Shame Are the folks from Jackass contemporaries to your style?

J W : I love Jackass I think not only are they my “ type, ” they have the spirit of Pink Flamingos more than anybody that has ever been since then They also know how to make money from that spirit Good for them I think that Johnny Knoxville deserves every bit of success he has It was an incredibly original idea; it was anarchy and it spoke to bluecollar families in middle America So yeah, I think that if Divine had not eaten dog shit, Johnny Knoxville would have

SUN: Hairspray was arguably the biggest Broadway hit of the last decade Was theater ever a field you expected to conquer?

J W : The moment I heard the very first

J W : Yeah I do all those kind of things I continue to try to reach all audiences in different ways

SUN: How has this exposure to a young audience been?

J W : I go to colleges I went to six last week and my audience gets younger each year, not older, which is great, for that is something you can ’ t buy

SUN: You are speaking at the Resoundingly Queer Conference on Saturday What message do you have for the LGBT community during this exciting time?

J W : Well, certainly that gay is not enough anymore, but it is a good start I am going to talk about the progress of being gay, like why is it fine at rich kid schools and at poor schools, it’s not? We don’t need everyone to be gay, like women who pretend to be lesbians to turn on straight men I think those men should be forced to give blowjobs if the

A Chat With John Waters

divorced the next? What is the sanctity of Larry King’s marriages? I am for heterosexual divorce to be illegal, I have always said that That would make everyone shut up It is hard enough to find anyone to fall in love with; I think I should be able to marry myself if I want to I am amazed that people feel it is a kind of attack on their own marriage if other people are allowed to That is unbelievably baffling to me

But, do I believe it is the most important issue? If it was between peace in Iraq and gay marriage, I’d take peace in Iraq That is why I believe in this election that Obama may not be able to do that until he wins People need to realize this is politics, about winning

SUN: [Obama] made a video for Dan Savage’s “It Gets Better” project, [where celebrities post videos reassuring bullied LGBT youth that their lives will get better] I can picture few others doing the same I’m surprised you have not contributed a video yourself, yet J W : Well I think that I have already said that, always, and I am also doing an anti-bullying campaign for this Divine organization I think I do speak out on that But then I think: Why do people ask me what gay people should do? I am mentally ill, I am crazy! Why ask me?

SUN: You could film a video for this campaign in the vein of your famous “Don’t smoke” PSA back in the 80s

notes of the [Hairspray] music, I knew it would be giant hit I didn’t say it aloud, I didn’t want to curse it, but everybody felt that way It has continued to be wonderful throughout my life Hairspray bought me my San Francisco apartment Hairspray has now reached a new level because it is playing in every public school You know they can ’ t cast by race or color, and recently a production got a lot of heat because a cast had all white people playing the black roles because they couldn ’ t find any which is ludicrous, by the way and what is equally as bad was that they had a skinny girl in a fat suit It was racist and fatist But then, I did see a version of it where a skinny black girl played Tracy and no one ever complained So, I am for all of it, just change all of the races and sexes and we will have the most politically correct Hairspray ever and it will still work

SUN: With the successful 2007 Hairspray movie adaptation, basically everyone knows your work You are a behind-the-scenes guy, yet you were featured in The Lonely Island s The Creep ”

women have to do it I am for equal opportunity of all minorities I am completely against separatism I think one day there won t be gay bars, and maybe there shouldn t be, because if it is no big deal then why doesn ’ t everyone hang around together? Most young people I know do hang around with straight people and gay people and every other kind of people To me, that is the society that is way more important to me

SUN: On a diverse campus like Cornell, you see that

J W : It s a class issue Of course, I am progay movement, I have been forever But I never made a big deal about coming out or anything I am a filmmaker who is gay and I don’t really care if I go to see a movie where the filmmaker is gay or straight I think progress is saying that there are bad gay movies I say that in a humorous way, in that gay is not enough anymore For many people, it is hard to imagine what the problems are Everyone should be able to get married; what is the sanctity of straight marriage when Britney Spears can get married one night and

J W : [laughs] I already did [the Think Big campaign] like that, you can find it online They asked me all about gay rights, and I am all for it Parents give me their kids nowadays and ask me what to do with them, which is amazing to me I think I do counsel well to young people, but nobody gets better There is no better There is learning to understand who you are and deal with your neuroses in the proper way and everyone has neuroses Freud said that psychotherapy is turning “ your hysterical misery into common unhappiness What a brilliant line

SUN: Your work is so notoriously transgressive; do you think it contributed to the increasing visibility of the gay community over the years?

J W : I guess I never want to brag They used to put me on the covers of gay magazines and didn’t even ask me if I was gay because they were afraid it was something worse [laughs] If you enter the world of my films, I guess being gay is easy compared to the other problems I honor, like being electrocuted But I am for anyone who is happy with him or herself I like straight people too; I sometimes think straight people have it hard too try to be in Provincetown for the summer and be straight

SUN: Did you ever think that, after closing your most infamous movie, Pink Flamingos, with Divine eating dog feces, you would end up being one of the most respected voices in your field?

J W : Respected, with a little bit of irony I’m now an elder I do feel respected, I feel that the public has been incredibly understanding of my career and I am incredibly thankful for that Even in the beginning, the people that came to see my work were minorities that didn ’ t even get along within their own minority I am still a little like that any rules for any society rub me the wrong way, and I kind of want to violate them I always joke that I am “gaily incorrect ” Each issue is different on each different person I am sometimes not swallowing party lines, but at the same time I think all politics needs to be made fun of, including gay politics and straight politics If you can never laugh at yourself, you’ll never convince anyone you ’ re right

Zachary Zahos is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences He can be reached at arts-and-entertainment-editor@cornellsun com

Words With Seth Meyers

BY JULIA MOSER Sun Staff Writer

Seth Meyers is currently the head writer of Saturday Night Live and host of The Weekend Update He delivered a hilarious performance Tuesday at Bailey Hall, where he joked about everything from unsexy futons to his Words With Friends addiction The Sun sat down with Meyers after the show to talk about SNL laughing at politics and the intensity of Martha Stewart

THE SUN: Have you always wanted to do this, or was there one moment when you realized you could get paid for being funny?

SETH MEYERS: As a kid, what we did as a family was watch comedy My parents introduced us to Monty Python and SNL probably way younger than they should have But yeah, that was always the thing I wanted to do I went to Northwestern and studied radio, TV and film, but I always thought I would be in the comedy realm and kind of figured out by senior year that I wanted to try and be a performer for at least a while

SUN: Your background is more in improv, so was it difficult to transition from something very group-based to doing something all on your own like stand-up?

S M : Well, you know it was weird because I was doing a two person sketch improv group that got me on SNL, and that’s a pretty collaborative place as well, but then it was weird because if you want to do college stuff, it seems like stand-up is the way I found that doing improv stuff on college campuses was a really hard sell, and I’d always loved stand-up as well You know when you do SNL, so many people are depending on your performance, it’s nice to go out and have an hour where you ’ re only responsible for yourself

SUN: What s your favorite thing you ve written for SNL?

S M : I have a lot of things I m really happy with I really enjoy every time we write one of those “Really?”s with Amy I like those a lot I really enjoyed writing the Sarah Palin stuff with Tina, but there are other silly sketches that I’m really proud of My favorite sketch I wrote this year was with Steve Buschemi, where he played a basketball coach and everyone thinks he’s a pedophile, but he’s not, which I just enjoyed

SUN: You did the White House Correspondents dinner last year, but you ’ ve also done a number of episodes of Martha Stewart s show Who is more intimidating: the president, or Martha Stewart?

S M : That’s a fair question Martha Stewart’s probably more intimidating in person, but the room at the Correspondents dinner was way more intimidating It’s the friendliest room when you do Martha Stewart Show I mean you just look out and it’s all pastels But it’s fun I went to Martha Stewart’s house to film a thing with her once and my family got to have lunch with her, and I have never been

so aware of my table manners than I was when I was eating in front of Martha Stewart It was really intense

SUN: You host Weekend Update, and you played John Kerry in 2004, so has politics always been part of your humor, or more something that came with the job?

S M : It’s funny; I grew up in New Hampshire, so when I was in high school I graduated in ’92 and all the candidates would come and talk at our school It’s just funny how that primary season rolling around every four years makes you really aware of it at a slightly younger age

SUN: With this election, are you ever just tempted to transcribe entire debates or some of the more ridiculous things candidates say?

S M : This year we found it really interesting because we went into the year so excited about who the Republican candidates were but they’re almost so silly that it feels mean when you write sketches about them Whereas a lot of the time, we ’ re just sort of repeating what they said Because, if you wrote a sketch about Rick Perry not being able to remember three out of three things it would be mean, but then when it happens you kind of have to

SUN: Have you had any weird comments or negative reactions from political figures because of sketches?

S M : There haven’t really been any weird things, but the nice thing for me is that Lorne instills in us to try and never write a joke that you would be embarrassed to see the person So it’s funny when you do the Correspondents Dinner and I’ll run into Sarah Palin and say hello, because we met when she did the show and John McCain’s such a friend of the show I feel like the weird thing is when you make a joke about a liberal, they’re probably more sensitive about it because they assume it s a safer place for them

SUN: What do you do, now that you ’ re the head-writer, when a writer has something that they think is really funny, but no one else does?

S M : We have this nice process where we have a table read on Wednesday, so the writer gets to hear their work read for a room full of about 50 people; it’s very hard to argue it’s funny if it hasn’t played for that many people who are especially comedy people, so usually you don’t have to give people really bad news There are times where something will play well at drafts, but may be the thing the host doesn t like, and so that doesn t make air, and sometimes people are disappointed or upset about that, but more often than not there’s a pretty good reason

SUN: Has that ever happened to you?

S M : It did a lot more in my first half of the time I’ve been on the show, but I’ve been a lot more practical with age, like anyone does, and now if I have a thing that I feel is a B-, I’d rather it get pulled Some of my least favorite things are ones

that made the show that I had hoped wouldn’t

SUN: You’re writing a screenplay is that a lot different than writing sketches?

S M : So much different, so much harder It’s like the hardest thing I’ve ever done But it’s fun

SUN: Is that kind of the direction you think you ’ re moving in, career-wise?

S M : I like to try and keep as many options open as possible and that s a fun one as well

SUN: I hear Paul Simon is backstage a lot; how do you react to that as a fan?

S M : He’s there every so often he’s a friend of Lorne’s so he’ll show up every now and then It’s weird I can ’ t even express to Paul Simon how much of a fan I am of his Like if I told him how much his music meant to me, we wouldn’t be able to interact Graceland is one of my favorite albums of all time, and it’s so weird to meet him and not be able to go like, I just want you to know, meeting you is just The amazing thing was when Paul McCartney did the show I’ve never seen anyone be better at handling those people, especially because everybody has a story about Paul McCartney, where the moment was more important to them than it was to Paul McCartney, and he makes them feel like it was just as important to him Which is great

com

a d y n a m i t e s l o p e d a y s e t

invaded all analog frequencies and lossy file types back in early 2010 and is the best-known of the band’s vociferous dance-rock tunes This synth-pop band from Utah sure has some killer instinct Since winning over alternative rock titans The Killers, Neon Trees has gone from opening act (most memorably for the North American leg of The Killers’ 2008 Day and Age tour) to full-fledged new wave revivalists Neon Trees sounds like a mix of The Killers, Duran Duran, Jason Mraz and Foster the People, with frequent throwbacks to 60s doo-wop The band’s sun-

by

melodies, would be perfect for a day out on the slope Its laidback vibe might present a happier, and still danceable, alternative for those who do not quite take to Cruz’s pounding numbers

After failing to become the

, Neon Trees has car ved its own home on DJ sets and our little sisters’ iPods (an arguably larger and

louder contingent) Besides the Pitchfork loyalists have their own Neon Indian to illuminate them in its plasmaglow

At any rate, Neon Trees deser ves boundless respect for its startling ability to channel the crooners of old whenever the occasion calls for it In a 2010 Billboard performance, the band rendered fellow label mate Justin Bieber’s smash hit “Baby” unrecognizable, then smoothly segued into Ben E King’s classic “Stand By Me ” Bobby Darin and Buddy Holly would have been proud

The road to the Slope Day artist announcement bumps into few optimists over its treacherous length, and seemingly none right after Fans of Weezer, Avicii and Flo Rida the three artists who were fruitlessly pursued by the SPDB in the selections process were disappointed Both Taio Cruz and Neon Trees lean heavily on past and present influences and may not represent the highest artistic heights of their genre But they are certainly heard Think back to a recent Collegetown memor y Among the clip-clop of stilettos, shatters of beer bottles, guttural hurls and random ambulance siren, there is that distant echo of “Ayo! Baby let’s go!” It seems to loop ad infinitum And it will return, louder than ever and amplified by your peers, along with the rest of the that aural sampler, on May 4

Daveen Koh and Zachary Zahos are the Arts and Entertainment Editors of The Sun They can be reached at arts-and-entertainment-editor@cornellsun com

Green Poses Threat to Cornell

M LACROSSE

Continued from page 16

offensive players, who have the ability to score They have a tough defense It s a home game for them and they’re in a desperate position in the Ivy League and they’re going to be ready to give us their best shot and deliver a knockout punch right away in Hanover on Saturday ”

Some of the Green’s players that Daugherty warned about include senior attackman Drew Tunney, who has tallied 23 points on the season, and junior midfielder Chris Costabile, who leads the team with 12 goals Dartmouth also gains support from senior midfielder Alex Del Balso who has won 60 face-offs and nabbed 33 ground balls

Even though some members of the Red say they are not completely satisfied with the way things have been going Cornell remains in the company of the elite teams in the NCAA as it moves past the

half-way point in the regular season “ The season is a work in progress, Austin said “ We’re always tr ying to get better in ever y phase of the game We’ve been tr ying to play smarter Mostly during the week we ’ re working on improving our own game ” While the Red busied itself over the past week, preparing for the matchup in Hanover the Ivy League handed out weekly awards naming junior attacker Steve Mock the Ivy League Player of the Week and freshman attacker Matt Donovan a Co-Rookie of the Week his second of the season

A win over Dartmouth on Saturday would leave the Red undefeated in Ivy play and continue the team ’ s best start since head coach Ben DeLuca started at Cornell

Zach Waller can be reached at zwaller@cornellsun com

Watts Hopes P ieces Come Together for Red

SOFTBALL

Continued from page 16

Blood Dar tmouth has hard hitting and a solid pitching staff

K

Fr

“We are going to be tested in every ballgame, but our main focus should be shoring up our defense ”

D ic k B lood

Rumley won Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors this past week

“ We are going to be tested in

“But our main focus should be shoring up our defense as we have had a fe w errors in the past couple of games ” The head coach highlighted a fe w players to look for ward to t h i s

captain Erin Keene The captain is batting 281, with 2 HR and 8 R B I S

r Jenny Edwards leads the team in

Onyon could pose additional problems for the opposing batters as she boasts a 4-2 record

g throwing three complete games

Our record does not reflect w h e r e w e s h o u l d b e , ” Wa t t s said “ The problem so far has been the inability to put all the

pitching] together in one game Ho

and stress that the Ivy League season brings, we will be able to do it ”

Scott Eckl can be reached at seckl@cornellsun com

The 11th hour | The Red’s last minute heroics in its ninth-inning win over Albany, 5-2, helped improve the team to 13-4-1 for the season

Red

Set for Doubleheaders With Har vard, Dartmouth

BASEBALL Continued from page 16

five-r un inning, junior leadoff hitter Brenton Peters singled to center to bring in Hall

The Red’s productive offense carried into the second game of the doubleheader against the Great Danes, as it jumped to a 1-0 lead in the second inning Sophomore Chris Cr uz star ted off the inning with a single, and after advancing to third on a bunt and an infield single, Cr uz scored on a groundout to give the Red the lead

Going into the fifth inning, the score was tied, 1-1 However, senior outfielder Brian Billigen kicked off another rally with an RBI triple extending his hitting streak to 16 games He then scored on Cr uz ’ s sacrifice fly

The Great Danes came right back with two r uns of their own off freshman reliever Nick Busto With the score once again tied, 3-3, the game was called due to darkness

“It’s unfor tunate because we had momentum, ” Lee said

Despite only picking up one win on the day, the victor y was the Red’s thir teenth of the season already three more than the team had at the end of last season

“It’s not really something we ’ ve thought of but looking back we ’ re for tunate to be doing better than last year, ” Lee said “But you can ’ t really live in the past in baseball, we ’ ve kind of just flushed out what happened last season ”

With the woes of a disappointing season now a distant memor y the Red prepares to kick off Ivy play this weekend, with two doubleheaders against Har vard and Dar tmouth

Last year, the Red dropped two games to Dar tmouth, the eventual Ivy League r unners up One loss came in extra innings off a walkoff single after a lengthy pitcher’s duel

“Dar tmouth comes with a solid club year in and year out, but they lost some pitchers that have been in their rotation for a fe w years now, ” Lee said

The Green (3-10) lost ace Kyle Hendricks, who was 5-3 last season with a 2 47 ERA However, a large par t of the explosive offense that is characteristic of Dar tmouth s team is returning Ennis Coble returns as a junior and has continued to put up big numbers As a sophomore, Coble hit 361 and drove in 40 r uns This year he is leading the team at 326 Senior Joe Sclafani, who hit 349 with 34 RBI’s last season, also returns

“ They’re a team that is always tough and always competitive,” Lee said

Har vard (2-16) has played some tough competition already this season, including No 7 Arizona and No 19 Stetson The Crimson offense is led by infielder Carlton Bailey, who is batting 346, and Brent Suter and Joey Novak are at the heads of the staff with 3 47 and 2 55 ERA’s, respectively

According to Lee, though, the Crimson is an unpredictable team

“Har vard’s a team that you ’ re not always sure what you ’ re going to see, ” he said “But we expect to go in and take two wins from them ”

Scott Chiusano can be reached at schiusano@cornellsun com

Team Set to Race First Double Dual Match of Season

By ALEX GATTO Sun Staff Wr ter

After a long fall season of training and preparation the women ’ s rowing team will begin its spring season at Syracuse on Saturday

Cornell will have to face two opponents in this weekend’s meet Beginning at 9 a m , Cornell will take to the water against Rutgers, while Syracuse will race Boston University

“The winners from each of those races will race each other in the afternoon and the losers will race the losers,” said head coach Hilary Gehman “That’s kind of the double dual system ”

“In terms of being ‘the winner’ of the Ivy League that’s going to be challenging ”

Hilar y G ehman

While Cornell will face off against Syracuse’s perennially strong team if it hopes to pull away with a win this weekend, the team is confident in its ability to perform well

“I think we ’ re in a really good position this year to be fast and win our races this weekend,” Gehman said “We’re looking to race our best and go for a good race time ”

According to Gehman, this year s schedule will contain mostly dual and tri meets Additionally, most of this season ’ s races will be in the “double” format, so the Cornell team will race more than once on any given race day

“This year almost every race is the double race format, which is new, ” Gehman said “I’m really happy that it’s come together that way because it’s great preparation for the Ivy League Championships ”

This is the first year that there will be an Ivy League championship for women ' s rowing It was created after a change in the system that qualifies teams for the NCAA tournament Previously, the Ivy League belonged to the Eastern Sprints Rowing League, which included teams like Syracuse In 2013, a conference qualifier system will be put into place for half of the NCAA championship teams, with the winning schools advancing automatically to the NCAA tournament and the remaining schools competing via atlarge invitations The shift from a regional qualifier system

to a conference automatic qualifier system allowed the Ivy League to have its first ever Ivy League championships, which is scheduled for later this spring

According to Gehman, Cornell will continue to face stiff competition in the Ivy League, as the other Ancient Eight schools have historically had strong women ’ s rowing programs

“Cornell has never won the Ivy League We’ve only beaten Princeton once in 1983 and we began racing them in 1976,” the head coach said “In terms of being ‘the winner ’ of the Ivy League that’s going to be challenging ” Gehman remained optimistic about Cornell s chances of garnering an invitation to the NCAA tournament, citing the team ’ s endurance, dedication to hard work and depth as the its greatest assets An invitation to last year ’ s

NCAA tournament eluded the 2010-2011 team something Gehman does not want to happen to this year ’ s team

“We had a great spring season last year, our best spring season that we ’ ve had since I’ve been here,” Gehman said “We were not invited to NCAAs, and as a result I think that’s fired up the team to work harder and to really dig in and push themselves as hard as possible ”

According to the head coach, the team looks forward to competing and being able to showcase the amount of work everyone has put in over the fall and winter

“I think everyone is really excited,” Gehman said This is what we train for

Alex Gatto can be reached at agatto@cornellsun com

Collins Signs Two-Year NHL Contract

By DANI ABADA Sun Assistant Sports Editor

Although the men ’ s hockey season is over,

n

s

Collins recently received news that his hockey

Columbus Blue Jackets announced that they were signing Collins to a two-year contract

Before coming to play at Cornell, Collins a Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native was selected by the Blue Jackets in the seventh round of the 2008 NHL Draft Just yesterday, however, he became the first of the four graduating Red hockey seniors to sign a professional contract

As a Cornellian Collins played 136 games total with the Red As a freshman, he immediately earned a regular spot on the line-up, and scored his only goal of the season against Bemidji State in the NCAA Midwest Regional final After switching from wing to center, Collins continued to rack up more points with each passing season

According to head coach Mike Schafer ’86, a key aspect of Collins’ game that has improved over the past four years is his consistency

“He’s done a great job becoming more of a physical player, a more consistent player and just mentally tougher,” he said “He’s improved ever y aspect of his game He’s faster and he’s stronger I don’t think there’s an area of his game that he hasn’t improved ”

This year as a senior, Collins posted 13 goals and 26 points a career high In all 35 of the Red’s games this season, he played exclusively on a line with freshmen Joel Lowr y and John McCarron Ending his Cornell career on a positive note, Collins notched two assists in the NCAA Midwest Regional semifinal against No 2 Michigan on March 23, contributing to the Red s 3-2 overtime victor y

“It’s great to see because he’s worked so hard

to develop his game, ” Schafer said “From his freshman to senior year, with all the time he’s put in during the summer here, before practice and after practice, he’s been fully committed to achieving that goal of signing a pro contract I’m really excited for him It was great to see him this morning with the smile on his face when he said he signed an NHL contract ”

Heavyweights Kick Off Spring Season

The men ’ s heavyweight rowing team opens up its spring season with split squad meets on Saturday, March 31 and Sunday, April 1

The Red will send two varsity boats to compete in the two-day San Diego Crew Classic, while the freshman and third varsity boats will remain in Ithaca to b a t t l e a g a i n s

H

v a rd o n Saturday at 9 a m

emerged victorious in regattas with Navy; however, they will most likely provide Cornell a welcome challenge Leading the team this season are senior Commodores Brian Searle and Jim Voter, who will be competing in the first varsity boat for the Red If Cornell advances in its heat on Saturday, it will race in the finals on Sunday

Compiled by Lauren Ritter

The two boats that travel to San Diego, Calif to par ticipate in the thir ty-ninth annual Crew Classic will also compete against the Crimson in their respective heats on Saturday The first varsity boat will battle against the l i k e s o f H a

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

S quad Sees Room For Improvement In Future Games

Following a three-win Spring Break, the men ’ s lacrosse team hits the road this weekend for a showdown with Ancient Eight foe Dartmouth The Red takes to the turf at Scully-Fahey Field in Hanover, N H on Saturday for a 1 p m match-up with the Green

The No 4/5 Red (6-1, 2-0 Ivy League) currently sits atop the Ivy League, sharing the spot with No 11 Princeton and Harvard Following a tough overtime loss at the hands of current-No 2 Virginia at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium in the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic, the Red was able to regroup and claim three wins over break, including its first two Ivy League wins of the season, as it took down Yale, No 10 Denver and Penn

While the Red appears to enter the contest on a strong note, Dartmouth (2-4, 0-1 Ivy League) enters Saturday’s tilt in desperate need of an Ivy win

The Green began its season strong, earning two close victories; however, the team has not been able to claim a win since March 3, going on a four-game los-

Spor ts

ing streak, including losing to No 8 Duke in a 20-9 blowout on March 18

While results might suggest that the Red has played well in recent weeks, the team is not happy with the way things have been going in the past few games, according to senior midfielder Scott Austin

“While we ’ re happy that we got three wins over our spring break we didn’t necessarily play our best lacrosse,” he said “We played really sloppy offense and we had missed assignments on defense [But ] we ’ re happy with our resiliency and being able to come out on top in the end ” Though Dartmouth has been struggling this season,

Team Hopes to Add Wins to Split Record

By SCOTT ECKL Sun Staff Writer

Kicking off its Ivy League schedule on Friday, the softball team faces the daunting task of playing a doubleheader against Harvard the Red’s chief rival for the past two years The Crimson (12-7) defeated the Red in last year ’ s Ivy League championship series, after falling to the Red the previous year Cornell also has a doubleheader against Dar tmouth on Saturday

The Red begins Ivy play at noon at home on NiemandRobison Field, entering the contest with a 9-10 record after going 5-6 over Spring Break However, Cornell starts the most important part of its schedule, since Ivy League opponents count for one point each in the standings that determine who plays in the championship

season with such a big rival ”

Watts noted that the Crimson’s main strength is its pitching staff, pointing to the standout talent of senior Rachel Brown

“We have had such a long history with Harvard,” said senior captain Katie Watts “So it is very exciting for us to open our

Head coach Dick Blood echoed Watts’ worr y over Harvard’s pitching

“ The main question will be can we hit Brown in the first game, while silencing their bats,” he said

“Our main focus is going to be on playing solid defense, Watts said “We have had a lot of experience over this past break, so I do not think that should be a problem ” Despite the excitement and focus on Har vard, Blood and Watts noted the equally important doubleheader against Dartmouth

“We have to focus on each opponent because they all count the same at the end ” Watts said

“We just have to take it game by game, out by out ” The Green (7-8) is very similar to the Red according to

Austin said the Red knows that it is not a team that can be taken lightly as is the case with every Ivy League opponent

“In the Ivy League, every game you throw records out the window,” he said “Two years ago we lost to them, 8-5, when we were going in the more talented team ”

According to senior midfielder Chip Daugherty, the Green brings more to the table than people might suspect “Dartmouth is a much better team than their record reflects ” he said “They’ve got a number of really talented Keep going | Senior midfielder Scott Austin said that despite the success Cornell experienced in its three games over Spring Break, the Red felt it did not necessarily play its best brand of lacrosse and there is room for improvement in the upcoming weeks

By SCOTT CHIUSANO Sun Assistant Sports Editor

It took eight innings, but the Red was finally able to plate four runs in the top of the ninth against Albany (5-16-1) on Tuesday, propelling the team to its fourth consecutive victory, 52 After being held to just one run until the final inning, the Red’s offense came alive at just the right time “It all started with one guy

getting a base knock, and then hits started going our way, said senior captain and catcher Brandon Lee “Hitting is contagious ” Albany ace Aaron Chase left the Red (13-4-1) offense silent for eight innings before running into trouble in the ninth

“By that time we were used to what he threw and how he threw it since we had already seen him three or four times,” Lee said Senior infielder Frank Hager

started off the rally with a hit by pitch and a stolen base Freshman infielder Kevin Tatum then drove him in with a single up the middle, and another single by Lee put him safely on third With the bases loaded after freshman catcher Matt Hall drew a walk, sophomore infielder Tom D’Alessandro came up big with a single down the left field line that plated two more To cap off the