n c e s Gre t c h e n R i t t e r ’ 8 3 “ By a l l a c c o u n t s , s h e w a s a k i n d , d y n a m i c , a n d w o n d e r f u l p e r s o n , w h o w a s o p e n a n d i n t e re s t e d i n m a n y d i f f e r e n t p a t h s , ” R i t t e r w ro t e i n t h e e m a i l “ On b e h a l f o f
t h e C o l l e g e o f A r t s a n d S c i e n c e s , I w a n t t o e x t e n d m y d e e p e s t c o nd o l e n c e s t o Joyc e ’ s f a m il y, f r i e n d s , t e a c h e r s , a d v i s o r s a n d c l a s s m a t e s ” A l t h o u g h S h i h a d p l a n n e d t o m a j o r i n p h y s i c s , s h e t o o k m a n y c o u r s e s o u t s i d e o f h e r i n t e n d e d m a j o r, i n c l u di n g Ja p a n e s e , Ko re a n
One man was injured after shots were fired on the Ithaca Commons on Sunday morning, police said The shooting occurred shortly after 1 a m in front of the bar Silky Jones
Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick ’09 announced via Facebook a few hours after the shooting that “thanks to incredible work by the Ithaca Police Department” the suspect was caught within 10 minutes of the shooting The
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p h a Ep s i l o n Ph i w a s p l a c e d o n s u s p e n s i o n T h a t ye a r, A l p h a Ep s i l o n Ph i w a s p l a c e d o n p rov i s i o n a l re c o g n i t i o n
n a n y a c t i v i t i e s o t h e r
suspect, identified Sunday evening as Yakez Cornett, is being charged with attempted murder, assault in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, according to Ithaca Police
The suspect allegedly shot several times into the crowd, injuring one man, a witness near the scene told The Sun The witness said the injured man was taken away on a stretcher The victim is in serious but stable condition, according to Myrick
Police used yellow crime scene tape to close off a large portion of the Commons Ithaca Police, New York State Police and the Tompkins County Sheriff ’ s Department were on the scene The Ithaca Voice cited a witness saying a man fired a gun at another man after an argument before running away from the Commons The victim was airlifted to a hospital, The Voice reported
By ANNA DELWICHE and JOSH GIRSKY Sun News Editor and Managing Ed tor
Daybook
To d a y
Soccer Chants, Heteronormativity and Participatory Sounding-in-Synchrony
12:15 p m , 206 Stimson Hall
In the Shadow of Feminism: Men’s Movements in India Imagine Family, Violence and Action 12:15 - 1:15 p m , G08 Uris Hall
Fiction and Its Emotions in Empathy and Understanding: Implications for Health and Other Practical Issues
1:30 - 2:45 p m , 102 Mann Library
What Can Plant Metabolic Engineering Do for Human Health? 4 p m , 135 Emerson Hall
Department of Physics Colloquium: Terzian Lectures
4 - 5 p m , Schwartz Auditorium, Rockefeller Hall
China’s Encounter With Global Hollywood: Cultural Policy, Film Industry and Soft Power, 1994-2016 4:30 - 6 p m , G64 Goldwin Smith Hall
Characterizing and Improving Crop Stress Tolerance: Phenomics, Genomics and the Environment 12:20 - 1:10 p m , 135 Emerson Hall
Aggrecan Nanomechanics: Relevance to Cartilage Function, Drug Discovery and Drug Delivery 4 p m , B11 Kimball Hall
When the Past Is Not the Past: Slavery and the American Psyche 4:30 p m , Klarman Auditorium, Klarman Hall
Christianity and /or / Versus Homosexuality
4:30 - 6 p m , G76 Goldwin Smith Hall
Marketing Professional Services: The Perfect Job for a Liberal Arts Degree 4:45 - 6 p m , 365 McGraw Hall
C U Music: Harpsichordist Matthew Hall
8 - 9:30 p m , Barnes Hall Auditorium To m o r r o w
CPU to Host Debate With Mayor Svante
By YUICHIRO KAKUTANI Sun Staff Writer
a
C o r n e l l Po l i t i
Mayor Svante Myrick ’0 his Ithaca Plan a anti-dr ug policy propo CPU’s spring debate
At t h e e
address the question: “C injection site help comba epidemic?” Following M
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agree or disagree with the mayor ’
position, p
e style
T h e u n
s e Myrick for their spring debate because of the attention drawn to hi “forward thinking” dru
policy, according to a press release from CPU “The union entertains various policy discussions ranging from the environmental protection to international affairs,” Jackson Cherner ’19, vice president of
Myrick’s proposal stirred uncertainty and controversy Prof William Jacobson, law, called the proposed site a “ government-run heroin shooting gallery ”
The union, a newly formed organization, has been notable for bringing controversial speakers to campus In its most recent event in February, CPU hosted a debate with Tea Party co-founder Michael Johns
Facing potential security threats and concerns, CPU made the event private to avoid paying $2,000 in security fees, Troy LeCaire ’17, president of CPU, previously told The Sun
However, CPU does not expect a confrontational atmosphere for Myrick’s debate
“Mayor Myrick is well-respected in the Cornell and Ithaca Communities, so we don’t see any issues,” Cherner said “We have not paid for security for the event, and predict we will not need to ”
The event will be held Tuesday, April, 11 at 7:30 p m in the Rhodes-Rawlings Auditorium in Klarman Hall
Attendees must RSVP for the event via Facebook
Univeristy Finds No Misconduct in Cornell Food Researcher’s Errors
Internal investigation: Wansink handled data inappropriately, but 150 inconsistencies are not misconduct
By NICHOLAS BOGELBURROUGHS Sun City Editor
C o r n e l l h a s d e t e r m i n e d t h a t a p ro m i n e n t f o o d re s e a rc h e r
a c c u s e d e a r l i e r t h i s ye a r o f u s i n g p o o r m e t h o d s o f d a t a a n a l y s i s ,
a u t h o r i n g p a p e r s w i t h s c o re s o f d a t a i n c o n s i s t e n c i e s a n d re u s i n g t e x t i n m u l t i p l e p u b l i c a t i o n s h a n d l e d d a t a i n a p p r o p r i a t e l y b u t t h a t h i s e r ro r s “d i d n o t c o ns t i t u t e s c i e n t i f i c m i s c o n d u c t ” Br i a n Wa n s i n k , t h e p o p u l a r f o u n d e r a n d d i r e c t o r o f t h e C o r n e l l Fo o d a n d Br a n d L a b, h a s f a c e d a w a ve o f c r i t i c i s m s i n c e a u t h o r i n g a b l o g p o s t i n Nove m b e r, i n w h i c h , a c c o rd i n g t o h i s c r i t i c s , h e e n d o r s e d s h o d -
“That review indicated that, while numerous instances of inappropriate data handling ... were alleged, such errors did not constitute scientific misconduct ”
Wa n s i n k , i n a re c e n t n o t e o n
t h e Fo o d a n d Br a n d L a b we bs i t e , s a i d t h e e r ro r s c i t e d by t h e t h re e re s e a rc h e r s c o u l d l a r g e l y b e a t t r i b u t e d t o “ s i m p l e b u t m e a n i n g f u l d a t a r e p o r t i n g e r ro r s ” a n d o t h e r s t o “ i n c o r re c t a s s u m p t i o n s by t h e c r i t i c s t h e m -
d y re s e a rc h p r a c t i c e s In Ja n u a r y, t h re e re s e a rc h e r s p u b l i s h e d a p a p e r “ St a t i s t i c a l H e a r t b u r n : A n A t t e m p t t o Di g e s t Fo u r Pi z z a Pu b l i c a t i o n s f r o m t h e C o r n e l l Fo o d a n d B r a n d L a b " i n v e s t i g a t i n g f o u r p a p e r s Wa n s i n k c oa u t h o re d o n p i z z a - e a t i n g h a b i t s T h e r e s e a r c h e r s l i s t e d 1 5 0 d a t a i n c o n s i s t e n c i e s a c r o s s Wa n s i n k’s f o u r p a p e r s , T h e Su n p r e v i o u s l y r e p o r t e d Wa n s i n k s a i d i n Ma rc h t h a t h i s l a b w o u l d c o n d u c t a n “ i n t e r n a l a n d i n d ep e n d e n t ” re v i e w o f h i s s t u d i e s Jo h n C a r b e r r y, d i r e c t o r o f m e d i a re l a t i o n s , s a i d l a s t we e k t h a t C o r n e l l c o n d u c t e d t h e i n t e r n a l i n ve s t i g a t i o n “ t o d e t e rm i n e t h e e x t e n t t o w h i c h a f o rm a l i n v e s t i g a t i o n o f r e s e a r c h i n t e g r i t y w a s a p p ro p r i a t e ” “ T h a t re v i e w i n d i c a t e d t h a t , w h i l e n u m e r o u s i n s t a n c e s o f i n a p p ro p r i a t e d a t a h a n d l i n g a n d s t a t i s t i c a l a n a l y s i s i n f o u r p u bl i s h e d p a p e r s we re a l l e g e d , s u c h e r ro r s d i d n o t c o n s t i t u t e s c i e nt i f i c m i s c o n d u c t , ” C a r b e r r y w ro t e
s e l ve s ” No n e o f t h e f i n d i n g s o f t h e i n t e r n a l re v i e w, Wa n s i n k s a i d , c h a n g e d t h e “ c o re c o n c l u s i o n s ” o f t h e s t u d i e s A n o u t s i d e f i r m w a s p a i d t o v e r i f y t h e d a t a a n a l y s i s o f t h e s t u d i e s i n q u e st i o n , a l t h o u g h i t i s n o t c l e a r w h e t h e r Wa n s i n k o r C o r n e l l p a i d f o r t h e v e r i f i c at i o n Wa n s i n k a d d i t i o n a ll y s a i d t h a t h e d i s c ov -
e re d t h re e i n s t a n c e s i n w h i c h h e h a d “ r e w o r k e d ” h i s o w n p r e v i o u s l y p u b l i s h e d p a p e r s a n d s u b m i t t e d t h e m t o j o u r n a l s , “ re s u l t i n g i n t h e re p u b l i c a t i o n o f a s i g n i f i c a n t p o r t i o n o f m y p re v i o u s l y p u bl i s h e d w o rk ” T h e f o o d re s e a rc h e r h a d p rev i o u s l y b r u s h e d o f f c l a i m s o f “ s e l f - p l a g i a r i s m , ” b u t i n t h e re c e n t s t a t e m e n t , Wa n s i n k s a i d h e h a s re a c h e d o u t t o s i x j o u rn a l s i n vo l ve d , re s u l t i n g i n o n e re t r a c t i o n Wa n s i n k a l s o r e s p o n d e d d i r e c t l y t o t h
l a n g u a g e a n d i n s o m e c a s e s d u a l p u b l i c a t i o n o f m a t e r i a l s ” a n d “ w i l l e v a l u a t e t h e s e c a s e s t o d e t e r m i n e w h e t h e r o r n o t a d d it i o n a l a c t i o n s a re w a r r a n t e d ” T h e C h r o n i c l e o f H i g h e r Ed u c a t i o n re p o r t e d t h o ro u g h l y i n Ma rc h o n t h e f a l l o u t s t e mm i n g f ro m Wa n s i n k’s b l o g p o s t
Ma n y o f t h e b l o g p o s t s o n Wa n s i n k’s p e r s o n a l p a g e h a ve n ow b e e n d e l e t e d , i n c l u d i n g t h e
Nove m b e r p o s t t h a t i n s t i g a t e d c r i t i c i s m o f h i s w o rk In a n ow - d e l e t e d Fe b r u a r y p o s t “ St a t i s t i c a l He a r t b u r n a n d L o n g - t e r m L e s s o n s ” Wa n s i n k m e n t i o n e d m a n y p rof e s s i o n a l a n d p e r s o n a l t r i b u l a t i o n s , a p o l o g i ze d p ro f u s e l y f o r t h e n e g at i v e a t t e n t i o n h e h a d b ro u g h t o n h i s l a b a n
“I’m so, so sorry this happened Something like this can tarnish the impact many of us would like our work to have on others.”
a n d t h e i n ve s t i g a t i o n s t h a t f o ll owe d “ S c i e n c e i s m e s s y i n a l o t o f w a y s , ” h e t o l d t h e m a g a z i n e d u r i n g a n i n t e r v i e w a t Mc Do n a l d’s “ I s t i l l t h i n k t h a t m o s t o f o u r s t u f f i s re a l l y, re a l l y r i g o ro u s , ”
Wa n s i n k s a i d “ W h a t I ’ m u p s e t w i t h i s t h a t i t m a y n o t b e s e e n a s s u c h a n y m o re T h a t ’ s m y d i s a pp o i n t m e n t : T h a t a l l m y a m a z i n g w o r k , n o w p e o p l e w i l l s a y, ‘ Ye a h , b u t I w o n d e r ’”
m s o f d a t
i n c o n s i s t e n c i e s Mo re t h a n a t h i rd o f t h e 1 5 1 i n c o n s i s t e n c i e s , Wa n s i n k s a i d , c a n b e a t t r i b u t e d t o p e o p l e s k i pp i n g q u e s t i o n s o n s u r ve y s w h i l e t h e y we re d i n i n g a t t h e b u f f e t w h e re t h e re s e a rc h e r c o n d u c t e d h i s s t u d y Wa n s i n k a t t r i b u t e s a d d i t i o n a l i n c o n s i s t e n c i e s t o r o u n d i n g e r r o r s , t r a n s c r i p t i o n m i s t a k e s a n d c r i t i c s ' i n c o r re c t a s s u m p t i o n s r e l a t i n g t o t h e a r i t h m e t i c p ro c e s s Wa n s i n k r e l e a s e d a n o n y m i ze d d a t a f ro m t h e p i z z a s t u d y, re s p o n d i n g t o a n i n i t i a l r e q u e s t f r o m t h e r e s e a r c h e r s i n ve s t i g a t i n g h i s d a t a , a n d a l s o re l e a s e d a re v i s e d s e t o f s t a n d a rd o p e r a t i n g p ro c e d u re s C a r b e r r y s a i d i n h i s s t a t em e n t t h a t C o r n e l l w i l l b e e va l ua t i n g a d d i t i o n a l i n s t a n c e s o f “ t h e re p e a t e d u s e o f i d e n t i c a l
Cornell Student Remembered for ‘Passion for Inclusivity’
Members of Japan-United States Association recall Shi’s dedication and ‘infectious’ warmth
a
many different things, academically and also outside,” Amog said “Because then it makes me feel a lot less weird And a lot less crazy, and a lot less insane for doing what I’m doing ”
A m o g a
Sh i “inspired [her] by how much she
math and Japanese all at the same time ”
Amog to pursue a physics class that Shi took last year a class she said she is “taking because of how much [Shi] loved it ” Amog explained that as suitemates, Shi was eager to teach concepts that s
Amog, even going through her notes from a month before Shi’s careful teaching highlighted just one example of her
Amog As suitemates, living next to Shi was “like having a sister in the suite,” Amog said “I'm grateful to have known
Joyce, that somehow the university put us in the same suite freshman year, ” she said “She made Mews and subsequently Cornell feel like home for me ”
For Alex Hutchins ’19, Shi’s warmth and compassion made an impact not only on her closest friends but also to the community
“Even if you were only introduced to Joyce through a mutual friend, she would make a point to wave hello if she saw you walking around,” Hutchins said “Joyce was one of those special people that was warmhearted to her ver y core, who greeted others with an easy smile with your eyes met and who was full of laughter and mirth ”
Outside of her academic interests, Shi brought her passions to
ties on campus, particularly as an active
Association
Togo Tamura ’19,
by her friendliness She loved and was passionate to all that she was a part of ” For Tamura, Shi’s openness a n d f r
e d greatly to the inclusive environment JUSA strives to build
“JUSA strives on the goal of establishing a community that embraces cultural diversity And she was ver y dedicated towards that same goal,” he said “Her passion for inclusivity and positive outlook on the world made a great impact to all members of J U S A I re m
d friendliness spoke much louder ”
Hutchins, culture chair for J U S A
always eager to get to know other members of JUSA and took it
“Joyce was one of those special peole that was warmhearted to her very core, who greeted others with an easy smile with yours eyes met ” A l e x H u t c h i n s ’ 1 9
“Her passion for inclusivity and positive outlook on the world made a great impact to all members of JUSA ”
U S A , emphasized Shi’s dedication not only in club meetings but also in event planning as well as interactions with club members
“She always made time for
A
” Tamura said “I remember feeling
what I brought to JUSA simply
To g o Ta m u r a ’19
upon herself to ask other members of her Japanese class and JUSA members alike about their interest in Japanese culture and language ”
“I had the feeling that she would go places in life because s
optimism and excitement that was infectious to all those around her,” Hutchins added “In JUSA and in many other places, Joyce's passing leaves a hole that her bright persona had so graciously filled ” A memorial ser vice has been scheduled for Monday, April 10 at 11 a m in Sage Chapel
Cornell support ser vices include counselors from Gannett Couns e l i n g a n d Ps y c hological Ser vices, who can be reached at 6072 5 5 - 5 1 5 5 St u d e n t s may also speak with a peer counselor by calling EARS at 607-2553277 Employees may call the Faculty Staff Assistance Program at 607-2552673 The Ithaca-based Crisisline is available at 607-272-1616 For a full list of resources, visit caringcommunity cornell edu
Anna Delwiche can be reached at adelwiche@cornellsun com Josh Girksy can be reached at managing-editor@cornellsun com
Jaqueline Groskaufmanis | The Dissent
Flagging What Is Important
Ioriginally wrote an entire column on the Pepsi commercial that had premiered (and was promptly pulled) over Spring Break If you don’t know what I’m talking about, Google “Pepsi commercial” and I’m sure you’ll find the ad itself, along with a thousand think-pieces and Pepsi’s official apology And now, an SNL skit In short, the commercial features Kendall Jenner leaving a photoshoot to join protesters as they pass by Then, for some reason she hands a police officer a can of Pepsi and everyone cheers
I don’t know if Pepsi set out to get political, but I definitely don't think they intended to minimize the complexity of activism I’d like to think that their advertising team just thought the ad would resonate, that people might find it cool and progressive Obviously they were wrong, because the commercial was met by so much criticism that they stopped running it and released an official statement
Many people who chose to analyze the ad thought it was tone deaf and insensitive One of the more generous reviews simply called it harmless My take, like many others’, was that it was a failed attempt to capitalize on current events But, to
many, an ad in which Kendall Jenner somehow “solves” citizen-police relations by handing a model-esque officer a can of soda was not just harmless, it was insulting Among the critics was Bernice King, Martin Luther King Jr ’ s daughter, who tweeted “If only Daddy would have known about the power of #Pepsi” with a picture of her father being held by a police officer
After sifting through a number of articles about the ad, I figured that just about everything had already been said, and I scrapped the one I wrote But before that, I was given a chance to think about why I had even written it in the first place
When a friend of mine first asked me what I was thinking of talking about in my column this week, I mentioned the commercial Her response was something along the lines of, “Do you really think that matters?” It wasn ’ t rude or judgmental, it was just an earnest question The conversation, I’ll add, took place Thursday, as President Trump was addressing the nation regarding action in Syria, people all over the world were reacting, and I was editing my thoughts on whether or not Kendall Jenner was complicit in a politically problematic soda ad I understood what my friend meant, and yet I don’t think that I have the authority to dictate what “ matters, ” regardless of the political climate which sometimes makes writing these columns kind of challenging
If you determine that one thing doesn’t matter, you risk closing the door on consideration for other things If it’s deemed frivolous to discuss an advertisement from a major corporation that botches the portrayal of important topics, what else do we risk writing off? Does it matter when President Trump’s son compares refugees to skittles, or when the Academy Awards showcases predominantly white artists? Does it matter when hate speech is graffitied on walls, or when Airbnb hosts send racist messages to their tenants? And if we stop paying attention to these so-called “minor” issues, where should we redirect our attention?
In a world where every breaking news alert seems to be another addition to the garbage fire that is our political climate, I think it’s impossible to delegate our attention perfectly Pay attention to things that matter to you, pay attention to things that matter to other people, and pay attention to as many things as you possibly can I think that if you watched the commercial and it made you think critically about activism, about the relationship between citizens and police, or about anything else, it mattered If you watched the commercial and it offended you personally, it mattered If you watched the commercial and you think the backlash was unwarranted, believe it or not, I still think it mattered Fortunately there isn't a cap on how many things we can deem important, relevant or interesting; we don't have to choose between focusing on “small” issues and focusing on larger issues We can do both I think we just need more practice
IEric Schulman | Schulman’s Schtick
Showing Empathy
Better late than never
saw Newt Gingrich speak before break This was my first real political event at Cornell (technically I saw Jeb Bush, but I only went for a class) and I’ve been meaning to write about it Better late than never right? Listening to Gingrich speak said a lot about American politics these days It made you feel like so many different life styles in this country are out of touch with each other
The divisiveness of the event was palpable There were a handful of protesters outside; a ton of police presence; and you had to get tickets two days in advance (because of the heckling we gave Rick Santorum this fall) You could tell a fe w people came out to see a confrontation rather than what was in Gingrich’s speech
Gingrich and his supporters ’ lack of empathy towards the things this campus seems to value caused that tension It’s related to the growing gaps between rural and urban; old and young; and educated and non-educated The lack of empathy between different demographics comes from an ignorance about how the other half lives Maybe it’s a willful ignorance, but I have faith in people
Gingrich and his supporters made me question that faith a little bit Their lack of empathy towards gender equality shocked me In the most confrontational part of the event, someone asked whether women get respect in Washington (considering the current president’s record on respecting women) He wrote off the concern with a joke about locker room talk to which the audience chuckled It was uncomfortable
The ignorance displayed between Gingrich and his supporters and the majority of campus goes both ways though He came to sell a book and talked about American rust belt workers’ frustration with politics as usual It’s a tired narrative and nothing you couldn’t see on
Bill O'Reilly But, I wonder if it sunk in, considering how this fall’s election blindsided so many people at Cornell A lot of people on campus don’t empathize with Gingrich’s points about American manufacturing’s struggle I think there’s hope though, because the people who came for a confrontation were disappointed Gingrich hung out an extra half-an-hour because we were so welcoming I can ’ t tell why we were so calm Maybe it’s because Gingrich doesn’t wear his more radical attitudes on his sleeve More likely it was the police presence, limited entry and lower political tensions compared to the fall I think our campus tried to empathize with Gingrich, and he tried to empathize with us A surprising number of liberals came out to hear him talk (I know because the crowd went wild when he pointed out that that Bernie almost won the Democratic nomination) More importantly, Gingrich acknowledged the criticisms of the welfare reforms he pushed through in the 90s His policy was pretty devastating for America’s inner cities After 30 years later, Gingrich seemed to admit it
All this to say there’s hope we teach each other about the things we find important so we can empathize with each other Although the tension when Gingrich spoke was palpable, I think he learned from us and we learned from him I think it says a lot about politics these days Perhaps the election wouldn’t have ended so regrettably if liberals showed more empathy towards the things that made Trump so attractive to the rust belt That’s my schtick this week Tune in next for more
Eric Schulman is a senior in the College of Ar ts and Sciences He
Schtick appears alter nate Mondays this semester
Pegah Moradi | All Jokes Aside
Halfway House
Back at home, there used to be this house right off of where the highway kissed the interstate It was small maybe 1,000 square feet total and architecturally simple, almost like a cartoon It had this lovely stone exterior, the kind that the newer Virginia estates try to clone for hundreds of thousands of dollars extra, sometimes beautifully, but usually awkwardly The house sat contently in the least-residential-friendly area with an un-shingled roof and an A C unit dangling out the front window like a bored teenager A wire fence hugged the house, punctuated by haphazardly sized wooden posts The house is interesting, I guess, in the way that if you describe any building idyllically it becomes interesting Let’s be clear here: it was a rather unremarkable house
The house glistened as you drove by, a result of the sun beating down on several swirling silver windmills and brass chimes There were a gaggle of ceramic baby cows circling a decorative wooden well, enough birdbaths
depending on your taste My best friend from middle school and I effectively live in the same house, only hers is on the other side of the street It makes it easy to find the bathroom and hard to feel special about the place where you live
Except almost everyone in town knows that house If you live in my zip code, you know the house. If you’ve driven through my zip code, you probably know the house, because it used to be absurdly ornamented.
for every bird in the mid-Atlantic and banners welcoming spring, welcoming fall, welcoming the holidays, welcoming goodness knows what
Except almost everyone in town knows that house If you live in my zip code, you know the house If you ’ ve driven through my zip code, you probably know the house, because it used to be absurdly ornamented The entire property was peppered with antiques and lawn decorations that were different every time you drove by, yet always maintained a constant visage of busyness
Our town, which used to be a just a handful of farms and was once entirely burned down by Union troops, has been suburbanizing since the turn of the millennium In 1995, the population was around 500 Today, it’s quadruple that, with every patch of grass being sold as a lot for a new cookie-cutter house The cookie cutter is such a fitting analogy for those semi-suburban developments; they are all, in essence, the same house, decorated ever-so-slightly differently Different developers give you different cutters,
The house on the highway had always been here longer than I had Probably longer than I had been on Earth It’s seen a hospital erected just across the street and a controversial Walmart built just down the freeway The house has seen the roads expand so much that it could nibble on the highway asphalt It’s old Old, absurd and memorable
Several years ago, there was buzz of expanding the interstate and fixing the janky ramp that had been cause for countless accidents The connection never quite hit me, but afterwards the house began to strip itself of its ornaments As I grew older, it grew increasingly naked Last week, I finally noticed it was gone Torn down to make room for the ramp
The Decembrists at the State Theatre ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
BY ISABELLA YORK Sun Staff Writer
The Decemberists kicked off their tour with a performance at Ithaca’s State Theatre this Friday Despite having a couple of kinks to work out, the band produced a beautiful sound that involved a variety of instruments The Decemberists delighted the audience with songs old and new, and great energy that filled the entirety of the theatre
The Decemberists were introduced by Julien Baker, a young songwriter out of Memphis Her soft but slightly haunting vocals were perfect for the night’s setting and tone: captivating and emotive Baker’s tone was subdued and the crowd welcomed it
When the Decemberists came on stage, they opened with a marching interlude for the song “The Infanta ” The audience only grew more eager when John Moen, the drummer, performed and laughed as the audience clapped along with the beat The song served as a perfect opening, filled with vivacity and exuberance Each of the band’s members seemed sincerely happy to be performing in Ithaca
Following the opening song, the band performed one of my favorites: “We Both Go Down Together ” Before performing the song, the lead vocalist, Colin Meloy, stated, “This song is about a joint suicide ” He jumped up and down, provoking the audience to do the same The song described a tragic love affair ending on the cliffs of Dover ” Although the lyrics were heart-rending, the band’s lighthearted energy reduced the song ’ s emotional intensity
Around the fifth song, the band transitioned to a more mysterious, darker sound The lights dimmed for the song
“Till the Water’s All Gone ” The lyrics “ my sweet flower, and how you grew more sweet by the hour, and loathe was I, loathe was I to lose you ” stuck with me Meloy closed his eyes as he sang the words, tapping his foot to the beat His coarse voice echoed through the theatre The band also introduced a new instrument: the double bass Later on, Meloy took on a harmonica in addition to the guitar and lead vocals The abundance of instruments that The Decembrists utilize add exceptional texture to the overall sound
Towards the end of the set, Meloy introduced a song as a message for the ages, proclaiming that “ we all die young ” What followed was a more folky sound, though with the same exciting energy as the other songs I was impressed by The Decemberists ability to perform songs that each had a unique sound At one point, after making a reference to the Smiths, Meloy told the audience he was about to play some “dad rock The variety kept me engaged throughout the night, I never felt like I was listening to the same type of songs, as something new came up each time they started a song
The Decemberists also introduced new songs from their upcoming album Meloy joked about remembering the words to new songs and butchering them “But how does that differentiate from the old songs?” he joked The band’s carefree vibe was definitely one of the highlights It really seemed like The
Decemberists and the audience had an unspoken connection full of mutual affection Although the sounds varied between folk, “dad rock” and alternative rock, the set seemed consistent and carefully planned I was impressed by The Decemberists and was glad to see so much passion for the Ithaca audience
A l e c B a l d w i n I s T h e B o s s B a b y – A n d T h a t ’ s A b o u t I t
BY DAVID GOULDTHORPE Sun Columnist
Imagine sitting down for your favorite meal It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, maybe just some homemade mac and cheese
Sounds good, right? Now, imagine sitting down for your favorite meal, but it comes with sides of ketchup, soy sauce and malt
bering back to when he got a baby brother
vinegar, while a clown casts candy sprinkles all over your food and a mariachi band plays trumpets into your ear You may like some of those elements, but I m willing to bet that it may be a bit overwhelming when you just want your dinner That’s essentially how I felt watching DreamWorks’ The Boss Baby, directed by Tom McGrath The core idea is solid enough, but the film ultimately gets weighed down with far too many trappings
The plot centers around a young man named Tim (Tobey Maguire), who is remem-
The child Tim, voiced by Miles Bakshi, had a ver y close relationship with his parents Everything changed though when Boss Baby arrived, played by Alec Baldwin When Boss Baby (yes, that is literally his name) comes into the house, the family order gets upended Tim begins to compete with the baby for their parents ’ affection, trying to expose him as more than an ordinary infant However, it is revealed that Boss Baby doesn’t wish to stay in the house either: you see, he’s with Baby Corp on a special mission to investigate Puppy Co Puppies are apparently taking up too much love and are pushing babies off the market, and with a new development coming up it could spell the end of love for babies If Boss Baby manages to get the information he needs, then he will leave to take on a new promotion Since this will let Tim have his old life back, they agree to work together to uncover Puppy Co’s conspiracy
If you think it sounds like an overly complex plot, especially for something based on a board book, then you ’ ve found the heat of the problem for the movie I didn’t even mention the fact Tim admits to us that he had an overactive imagination as a kid, meaning that most of what we see didn’t happen exactly as he describes The unreliable narrator trope could have been a clever idea, but it gets executed in a way that leaves more questions than answers When we get only a metaphor of
reality, there should still be a connection between the fantasy we see and the reality behind it; that allows us to continue following the story Marla Frazee did that well in The Boss Baby, the original board book that she wrote and illustrated Infants in the real world end up dictating schedules and get their every whim served When it comes to our bosses, it can often feel the same way, leading to the joke behind the whole book When the film tries to translate it to an hour and a half long script, though, things get off track If all of Tim’s interactions with Boss Baby take place in his head, then when he teaches the baby to use his imagination, is he having a fantasy within a fantasy? Did they actually go on a plane across the country to Las Vegas to have a showdown with Puppy Co?
This is one of the biggest problems with The Boss Baby: while trying to be a comedy, it also tries to be a drama playing out from a child’s subjective viewpoint, similar to The LEGO Movie taking place entirely from a child’s imagination However, while LEGO Movie managed to keep its framing device relatively simple by reserving it for the end, and making sure it actually worked for the story it was telling, Boss Baby insists on throwing it in our face constantly while not having it make any sense In the end it honestly feels lazy
On top of this device making us run everything we see through additional brainpower, the plot takes far too many twists and turns for something titled The Boss Baby I feel like two or three movie scripts got welded together to come up with the madcap story we got It went dizzyingly fast at some parts, while dragging on at others And on top of that, the consistent insistence that “there’s only so much love to go around” just doesn’t really sit well with me Sure, they try to refute the idea in the last five minutes, but it feels half-hearted Altogether, the plot just feels like a wreck
However, I can forgive a lackluster plot if the movie made me laugh or other wise brought me enjoyment The movie manages to do that sometimes Alec Baldwin does a
fantastic job as Boss Baby between Baldwin s performance and the character animation, Boss Baby himself is a very fun focal point for the movie Tim is also a solid enough character, if a bit generic Miles Bakshi delivers a solid performance considering he went through puberty in production He’s also the grandson of famous animator Ralph Bakshi, so that’s a cool Easter egg to catch there As for the humor, some of it works well There is genuine wit at multiple points of the movie, and I got a good chuckle
That being said, butt jokes are the crutch of this film So Many Butts I counted no less than ten “Haha, there’s a baby butt!” moments on screen, some of these moments dragging on for a whole minute at a time Another major drawback is the animation itself, which often resorts to gimmicks to justify a 3-D ticket, because who doesn’t want to see a baby drool down into their face in 3-D?
The screen bursts with directionless energy to the film’s detriment There are times where there’s so much motion going on, and at such a frantic pace, that I felt overwhelmed and dizzied trying to keep up!
In the end, I can ’ t recommend strongly either for or against seeing the movie I just give it a great big “meh ” It might be worth seeing once for Alec Baldwin’s performance, but you could get the same thing from a BestOf compilation on YouTube I feel like it could have been better if DreamWorks had simply done what Warner Animation is doing acknowledging the ridiculousness of their premises and rolling with them instead of trying to somehow justify their weirdness with an unreliable narrator device It’s not the worst movie from DreamWorks, though, so if it’s playing on a flight or in a waiting room it won ’ t hurt to catch some snippets here and there In the end, though, this baby won ’ t be boss in the animation field this year
David Gouldthorpe is a junior in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations He can be reached at dgouldthorpe@cornellsun com
CAMERON POLLACK / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Isabella York is a member of the Class of 2020 in the College of Ar ts and Sciences She can be reached at ly43@cornell edu
COURTESY OF DREAMWORKS
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Former Red Punter
‘All In’ on Career in Professional Football
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o t h e 6 2 h e s a w s o p h o m o r e y e a r F r a s e r a n d M a t h e w s l a s t r e u n i t e d i n p e r s o n w h e n C o r n e l l a n d Pe n n b a t t l e d i n t h e 2 0 1 6 s e a s o n f i n a l e , a n d Pe n n w a l k e d a w a y w i t h a 4 22 0 v i c t o r y a n d a s h a r e o f t h e Iv y L e a g u e t i t l e It w a s a l o w p o i n t i n a s e a s o n t h a t h a d
b r o u g h t a b o u t m a n y h i g h s B u t o f t h e 6 , 3 3 3 i n a t t e nd a n c e t h a t g a m e , M a t h e w s w a s t h e o n e p e r f e c t p a t r o n t o s e e h i s f o r m e r t e a m m a t e j o i n h i m i n t h e r a n k s o f f o r m e r C o r n e l l f o o t b a l l e r s I t s i g n a l e d t h e p a s s i n g o f t h e t o r c h f r o m o n e
p o t e n t i a l N F L p r o s p e c t t o a n o t h e r “ [ Hi s a d v i c e ] r e a l l y w o r k e d o u t w e l l b e c a u s e I g o t t o f o c u s o n e n j o y i n g t h e s e a s o n a n d f o c u s i n g o n e v e r y d a y o f p r a ct i c e a n d h a n g i n g o u t w i t h m y f r i e n d s a n d r i d e t h e w a v e t h a t w e b e g a n t h e s e a s o n o n , ” Fr a s e r s a i d “ J e f f w a s r e a l l y i m p o r t a n t f o r t h a t ”
“[Mathews] said to focus on your senior year, do everything you can for your team ... [then] start opening it up to agents”
C h r i s F r a s e r ’ 1 6
‘ 1 0 0 P e r c e n t A l l - I n ’ Pe r h a p s t h e m o s t h a r r o w i n g c o m p o n e n t o f t h i s e n t i r e p r o c e s s i s t h a t i t c o u l d a l l b e f o r n a u g h t A l l t h e l i f t i n g , a l l t h e r e f i n i n g , a l l t h e y e a r s o f t r a i n i n g c o u l d o n e d a y j u s t s e e m p o i n t l e s s Un t i l t h e n , a l l Fr a s e r c a n d o i s f i g h t e v e r y d a y t o m a k e s u r e t h a t p o s s i b i l i t y i s j u s t a b a d d r e a m a n d n e v e r b e c o m e s r e a li t y “ T h e r e a r e s o m e g r o w i n
“It’s a really cool thing to be watching these guys on TV and then the next year you are playing alongside them.” C
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“ I t h i n k t h a t ’ s t h e t h i n g t h a t g e t s l o s t i n t h i s a n d I t h i n k I ' v e g o t t e n b a c k t o t h a t w h i c h i s g r e a t ” O n t h e f l i p s i d e , b r i n g i n g y o u r b e s t e v e r y d a y c a n m a k e g o o d t h i n g s c a n c o m e y o u r w a y Fr a s e r h a s d r e a m e d a b o u t c h a r g i n g o n t h e f i e l d c o m e o p e n i n g k i c k o f f c e r e m o n i e s A n d i n a w a y, t h a t i s w h a t d r iv e s h i m m o s t t h e k i d i n h i m i s s i m p l y e x c i t e d a t t h e c h a n c e o f l i v i n g o u t h i s d r e a m “ Yo u s e e t h o s e g u y s a n d f o r a l l y o u k n o w y o u c o u l d b e w e a r i n g t h e s a m e j e r s e y s a s t h e y w e r e o r t h e y a r e , ” h e s a i d “ It’s a r e a l l y c o o l t h i n g t o b e w a t c h i n g t h e s e g u y s o n T V w h e n y o u a r e e i g h t , 1 2 , 1 5 y e a r s o l d a n d t h e n t h e n e x t y e a r y o u a r e p l a y i n g a l o n g s i d e t h e m ” F r a s e r a c k n o w l e d g e s t h a t o n e d a y h e m i g h t w a k e u p a n d n o t h a v e a f o o t b a l l c a r e e r t o l o o k f o r w a r d t o , s a y i n g t h a t C o r n e l l w a s t h e p e r f e c t p l a c e t o p r e p a r e f o r t h e l i f e a f t e r f o o t b a l l “ R i g h t n o w, I ’ m 1 0 0 p e rc e n t a l l - i n o n f o o t b a l l , ” h e s a i d “ T h e g r e a t t h i n g a b o u t h a v i n g a d e g r e e f r o m C o r n e l l a n d t h a t ' s a b i g r e a s o n w h y
I w e n t t o C o r n e l l r e g a r d l e s s o f w h e n m y f o o t b a l l c a r e e r e n d s , w h e t h e r t h a t b e t o m o rr o w o r 2 0 y e a r s f r o m n o w, I h a v e a g r e a t e d u c a t i o n , s o I ' m n o t w o r r i e d a b o u t t h e o p p o rt u n i t i e s t h a t w o u l d p r e s e n t t h e m s e l v e s a f t e r w a r d s ” Ho p e f u l l y f o r Fr a s e r, t h o s e o p p o r t u n i t i e s c o m e f o l l o w i n g t h e g o a l h e i s c u r r
Spor ts
In Quest for NFL, Fraser ’16 Relies on Pro Mentors
Former Cornell punter looks to enter League with upcoming draft
By ZACH SILVER Sun Sports Editor
T h o u s a n d s h a ve c o m e a n d g o n e p l a yi n g t o t h e l a s t w h i s t l e w h i l e d o n n i n g t h e
c a r n e l i a n a n d w h i t e C o r n e l l f o o t b a l l j e r -
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m a k e a n a m e f o r t h e m s e l ve s a t t h e n e x t l e ve l Wi t h t h e 2 0 1 7 N F L Dr a f t j u s t we e k s a w a y, f o r m e r C o r n e l l p u n t e r C h r i s Fr a s e r ’ 1 6 i s l o o k i n g t o a d d h i s n a m e t o t h e e xc l u s i ve l i s t o f C o r n e l l a l u m n i i n t h e p ro s “ [ It w o u l d ] g i ve a s e n s e o f l e g i t i m a c y n o t o n l y t o C o r n e l l b u t t o t o t h e w h o l e Iv y L e a g u e , ” Fr a s e r s a i d o f t h e i m p l i c at i o n s h i s d r a f t i n g m i g h t b r i n g “ Pe o p l e d o n ' t t h i n k o f t h e Iv y L e a g u e a s a f o o tb a l l p o w e r h o u s e a n d I t h i n k [ i t w o u l d ] j u s t b e a n o t h e r t h i n g t h a t s h ow s h ow C o r n e l l f o o t b a l l i s m a k i n g t h e r i g h t s t e p s t o b e c o m e e x t re m e l y c o m p e t i t i ve ye a r i n a n d ye a r o u t ” Bu t b e f o re h e c a n a c c o m p l i s h t h a t , Fr a s e r m u s t u n d e r g o t h e m o s t i n t e n s i ve , e xc r u c i a t i n g a n d m e t i c u l o u s p re p a r a t i o n o f h i s l e n g t h y c a re e r Si n c e h i s g r a d u at i o n i n De c e m b e r, t h e re c e n t a l u m n u s h a s c o n t i n u o u s l y u n d e r g o n e f i ve - d a y - awe e k w o rk o u t s , p ro d a y s i n c l u d i n g
o n e i n Bu f f a l o h e h a d t o c a l l o f f d u e t o t h e Ma rc h No
r ’ e a s t e r c o n d i t i o n i n g , d e a l i n g w i t h a n a g e n t , p r i va t e w o rk o u t s a n d t r a ve l i n g a c ro s s t h e c o u n t r y A n d o n t o p o f a l l t h a t , h e h a s t o m a k e s u re t o g e t h i s e i g h t h o u r s o f s l e e p e ve r y n i g h t “ [ It’s ] j u s t m a k i n g s u re t h a t I ’ m a t m y p e a k p h y s i c a l p e r f o r m a n c e l e ve l , h a v i n g f u n , e n j oy i n g i t a n d s t a y i n g a c t i ve , ” h e s a y s “A n d m a k i n g s u re t h a t I a m a t m y b e s t f o r t h e d r a f t ” Eve n w i t h h i s d e c e p t i ve l y h u l k i s h l e g s t h a t e f f o r t l e s s l y s e n t p u n t s ove r 6 0 y a rd s , i t i s a n e s p e c i a l l y s t e e p h i l l f o r Fr a s e r t o c l i m b Fo r a s p i r i n g p ro f e s s i o n a l s a t m o s t p o s i t i o n s , t h e y c a n s l e e p k n ow i n g t e a m s
c a r r y a n y w h e re f ro m t w o t o s i x p l a ye r s o f t h e i r b re e d Pu n t e r s a n d k i c k e r s a re n o t p r i v y t o t h a t s a m e d e g re e o f c o m f o r t Mo s t t e a m s a re n o t u s u a l l y l o o k i n g t o re p l a c e t h e i r p u n t e r, Fr a s e r s a i d , a n d i n re a l i t y, o n l y a s m a l l p o rt i o n o f t l y s h o p p o n a g i v h i c c u p m a n c e , d re a m s c b e m u f f e “ T h e y m e d i o c r n o t v Fr a s e r s a i n g i n t h a l w a y s i m p r o v i ve r y h i g h o f t h a t , o n l y o n e a l l t h a t , yo u h a ve
“ He h a s d e f i n i t e l y f o u g h t h i s w a y a n d h e ' s b e e n re a l l y re s i l i e n t t h ro u g h o u t h i s w h o l e p ro c e s s , a n d i t ’ s n o t l i k e h e w a s s o m e h i g h l y - t o u t e d r e c r u i t , c l e a r - c u t
d r a f t e d p l a ye r, ” Fr a s e r s a i d “ He f o u g h t
h i s w a y o n t o t h o s e ro s t e r s p o t s a n d I
d o n ’ t t h i n k a l o t o f g u y s h a v e t h a t [ re s i l i e n c y ] “ [ It’s ] re a l l y i m p re s s i ve t o s e e a g u y w h o h a s m a d e a l i v i n g i n t h e l e a g u e f i g h t i n g e a c h a n d e ve r y d a y ”
Fr a s e r a n d Wa l t e r s n e ve r ove r l a p p e d
o n E a s t Hi l l , b u t Fr a s e r n o t e s t h a t t h e
c o n n e c t i o n b e t we e n Wa l t e r s a n d h i m s e l f h a s b e e n i n c r e d i b l y s t r o n g t h r o u g h o u t t h e e n t i r e p r o c e s s Wi t h o u t a t e a m m a t e re l a t i o n s h i p, t h e c o m m o n c o nn e c t i o n o f o n c e w e a r i n g t h e
u t g e t t i n g a g o o d a m o u n g o f p l a y i n g t i m e , a s Wa l t e r s h a s d o n e , i s a n o t h e r
C o r n e l l j e r s e y h a s b e e n a b o n d s t ro n g e n o u g h Wa l t e r s h a s s e r v e d a s a t e a c h e r f o r Fr a s e r o n t h e m o s t c o m m o n i s s u e s s u c h a s h ow t o s t a y i n s h a p e b u t a l s o o n t h i n g s m o s t p e o p l e i n Fr a s e r ’ s l i f e p ro b a b l y w o u l d n o t b e a b l e t o o f f e r w i s d o m o n , l i k e t h e m i n i s c u l e d e t a i l s s c o u t s k e e p a k e e n e ye o u t f o r
T h e w o rk e t h i c t h a t Wa l t e r s t o u t s i s o n e t h a t Fr a s e r h o p e s t o e m u l a t e Eve n f ro m a d i s t a n c e , Fr a s e r i s i n a we o f h ow
m u c h Wa l t e r s h a s d o n e t o p ro p e l h i m s e l f t o t h e n e x t l e ve l “ T h e t h i n g t h a t s t u c k w i t h m e t h e
s e c o n d a l u m n u s , o n e w i t h w h o m Fr a s e r h a s s p e n t c o u n t l e s s h o u r s o f p r a c t i c e
i n g y a rd s a n d t o u c h d ow n s i n p ro g r a m h i s t o r y Hi s 1 1 , 2 8 4 y a rd s i n t h e a i r h a ve c re a t e d a n e a r l y 4 , 0 0 0 - y a rd g a p b e t we e n h i m s e l f a n d s e c o n d p l a c e Si n c e t h e n Ma t h e w s h a s s e e n s t i n t s o n p ro f e s s i o n a l t e a m s , b u t n e ve r q u i t e s a w t h e f i e l d o n g a m
“They don’t accept mediocrity, at least not very long. You always have to be improving and at a very high level.”
m o s t i s t h a t yo u h a ve t o g o t o w o rk e ve r y d a y e s p e c i a l l y t h o s e d a y s w h e re yo u g e t o u t o f b e d , yo u d o n ’ t w a n t t o w o rk o u t , b u t yo u h a ve t o , ” Fr a s e r s a i d “ Yo u d o a l l t h e s m a l l t h i n g s e s p e c i a l l y w h e n yo u d o n ’ t w a n t t o b e c a u s e t h a t ’ s w h a t m a k e s yo u m e n t a l l y s t ro n g a n d t h a t ’ s w h a t g e t s yo u t o w h e re yo u w a n t t o b e b e c a u s e t h a t ’ s w h a t n o o n e e l s e w a n t s t o d o ” W
