The Corne¬ Daily Sun
50 Years After Deadly Blaze, Questions Linger
By MEG GORDON Sun Staff Writer
Early in the morning on April 5, 1967, eight students and one professor lost their lives in a flash fire at the Cornell Heights R
The fire broke out stor y building, dubbe dents: 60 freshmen, s and three faculty advi
The freshmen were torate program at Co purchased the two-sto ing in 1964 and bega hall for the program
Described as “fire r president for busine addressed to a Corn building’s fire doors open allowing the and its six exits we able
Among the fallen w Beck, 18, a sophomor ye a r Ph D p ro g r a m Cheng, 22, a gradu tional sciences stude Cooch, 19, a sopho the six-year Ph D p C a r o l Ly n n Ku r t z , nutrition graduate st A n n e Mc C o r m i c , h o m e e c o n o m
Jeffrey William Smith a sophomore in the Ph program; Jennie ZuSu n , 2 1 , a p re - m junior in the College Arts and Sciences; an
Jo h a n n a C h r i s
i n Wallden, 25, a graduate fruit-culture stud
time
Jo h n A l b a n Fi n Assistant Professor of he ran back into the b
“ We woke to the sound of running feet in our hall,” Margaret Ferguson, a student in the first group of six-year Ph D students, told The Sun “ We opened the door and saw the awful smoke We
and first responders reported feeling dizzy and weak from the fumes
Man Accused of Commons
By NICHOLAS BOGEL-BURROUGHS Sun City Editor
The Ithaca man accused of shooting a Silky Jones patron on the Ithaca Commons early Sunday morning shot multiple rounds, fled the scene and ditched his jacket before confessing to police once authorities found him nearby, according to police and witness statements filed in court on Monday
Yakez D Cornett, 22, has been charged with attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the first degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree,
all felonies He is being held at Tompkins County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail
Police say Cornett used a 380 caliber, semi-automatic BERSA Firestorm handgun to shoot the victim multiple times in the leg and back area around 1:24 a m on Sunday morning
In a notice of intent to use Cornett’s statements, Ithaca Police Officer Lewis Morse quoted Cornett appearing to admit to the crime about 10 minutes after the shooting occurred
“I’m the person your (sic) looking for,” Morse said Cornett told him “You ain’t got to look for
nobody else I did it ”
Asked by another Ithaca Police officer where he was coming from, Cornett said “The bar,” according to another notice of intent
In statements to police, five witnesses all said they heard or saw at least five gunshots, with one saying he heard up to nine shots
One witness said a man wearing a gray jacket and red sweatshirt shoved him from behind outside of Silky Jones on the Commons
The witness said the shove in his lower back “felt very aggressive, and on purpose ”
Daybook
Characterizing and Improving Crop Stress Tolerance: Phenomics, Genomics and the Environment 12:20 - 1:10 p m , 135 Emerson Hall
“When the Past Is Not the Past: Slavery and the American Psyche” With Earl Lewis 4:30 p m , Rhodes-Rawlings Auditorium, Klarman 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
Heaven, Hell and Everything In-Between: Murals of the Colonial Andes 4:30 - 5:30 p m , 107 Olin Library To m o r r o w
Biology & Society and Science & Technology Studies Information Fair 9 a m - 3:45 p m , 303 Morrill Hall
C.U. Highlights Contingency Plans for Potential DACA Repeal
By ALISHA GUPTA Sun Assistant News Ed tor
Three Cornell administrators released a joint statement Monday, reaffirming support for undocumented students and unveiling contingency plans for potential changes in federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy
Barbara Knuth, senior vice provost and dean of the Graduate School, Ryan Lombardi, vice president for student and campus life and Laura Spitz, vice provost for international affairs, reassured currently enrolled undergraduate DACA students that they will “continue to be eligible for need-based financial aid, meeting full demonstrated need ”
Addressing the growing fear among undocumented students on financial aid, the administrators revealed policies that would be put in place for graduate students if DACA were discontinued
“[DACA] students will continue to receive funding for the complete length of time offered in their admissions letters, ” the statement read “If DACA were to be discontinued and graduate students were to lose federal work authorization, fellowship funding will be provided to these students ”
The administrators also reassured undocumented undergraduate students that, should the DACA program change, Cornell will implement policies to ensure they
qualify for financial aid
“If federal policy with respect to the DACA program changes, Cornell will examine how we can develop, administer and use a DACA-like set of criteria to enable undocumented students who meet the criteria, particularly having resided in the U S for a significant amount of time, to qualify for domestic financial aid and admissions policies,” the statement read
The statement also addressed concern that the Cornell University Policy Department would question students about their immigration status The administrators assured students this would not be an issue
“Cornell will continue to vigilantly protect the privacy of student information and records from any unauthorized or lawful intrusion,” the statement read “CUPD will not seek immigration status information of any individual in the course of its law enforcement activities unless necessary to investigate criminal activity by that individual or required by law ”
While the administrators conceded that arrested individuals are required to reveal their citizenship to police, they affirmed Cornell’s commitment to not “function as an agent of the federal government regarding enforcement of federal immigration laws ”
“CUPD will not honor a civil immigration detainer request from a federal agent unless accompanied by a judi-
GPSA Debates Relationship Ban
By AELYA EHTASHAM Sun Staff Writer
Graduate and professional students debated Resolution 14, which called for a ban on most student and faculty relationships and enforcement of this policy, in the first Graduate and Professional Student Assembly meeting since the union election Anna Waymack, grad, submitted the resolution in response to both a lack of adherence to a previous policy on student and staff sexual relations and a Faculty Senate decision in 2015 to vote against enforcement of that policy
Waymack argued that resources for a student in a relationship with a faculty member do not exist and advocated for “ a viable reporting option, where a point person checks in to ensure the relationship is consensual and that the student has resources, and if the relationship isn’t disclosed, then there is enforcement for that,” she said
According to the resolution, relationships “between students and individuals who might reasonably be expected to write them a letter of recommendation” and “who can directly control grades, academic progress or professional development” would be banned, with room for review in regards to gray areas
In response to questions about the resolution’s necessity, Waymack said there is a concern of coercion and explained that the original policy in place is vague and does not offer a policy of “checking in with the student to
ensure that there is no pressure ”
The resolution offered statistics as evidence of such coercion, such as a 2016 study which found that “57 1% of female law students have been sexually harassed by faculty or staff ”
Further statistics and cases at peer institutions indicated that “ contemporary studies showed no improvement” in matters of sexual harassment between faculty and graduate or professional students since Cornell’s Faculty Senate originally adopted a policy in 1996
This resolution differs from a similar one made last year However, the resolution presented last year never made it to the floor of the Faculty Senate, according to Waymack
Waymack said she wants to allow the Student Advocacy Committee to be able to present this new resolution to the Faculty Senate, ensuring graduate and professional students get a voice in an issue that pertains to them and the Faculty Senate does not avoid addressing the resolution indefinitely
“There’s a bit more accountability built into this and we get to speak for ourselves,” Waymack
explained
“I am uncomfortable with the way that the Faculty Senate felt comfortable speaking our behalf,” Waymack continued “I want to make sure GPSA is listening to our constituents and listening to the Student Assembly ”
Waymack also said that a policy regarding student and faculty relationships “should not be something where we ’ re behind ”
“It’s a little appalling that a lot of corporate workplaces have more stringent rules about romantic and sexual relationships as they pertain to office hierarchies than academia,” she said
In dissent to the resolution, Richard Walroth, Counsel, gave examples of faculty who are married to former students
“This is an indication that in some cases these relationships do work out well for students,” he said “A blanket ban seems to
ignore that fact ”
Walroth was also in agreement that “the issue here is coercion” and was concerned that “ a blanket ban would just drive these issues underground ”
Manisha Munasinghe, grad, argued that changes to the policy deserved a referendum, involving a larger body of people in making the decision
“We can ’ t say that we know how a graduate or a professional student feels about this ” Munasinghe said “We need to understand what the students want and come back with a strong policy change ”
Jesse Goldberg, grad, acknowledged how important it was that the resolution looked for ward towards individuals’ professional careers
“We should think about the ways in which our relationships follow us for years in ways that aren ’ t clear at the moment of a class,” he said “While it sounds like a very strong blanket ban, I think it’s very limited ”
At the end of the discussion, Resolution 14 was recommitted to the Student Advocacy Committee and will be on the floor again at the next GPSA meeting
cial warrant except in the narrow circumstances delineated in Tompkins County Resolution 2017-21,” the statement read
Immigration detainers allow local law enforcement agencies to detain individuals for an additional 48 hours so U S Immigration Customs and Enforcement agents can decide whether or not to take the individual into federal custody for deportation
Cornell also highlighted services available to undocumented students, including covering the cost of the DACA application fee through a university loan
For students who fear traveling abroad to return home due to changing federal immigration policy, Cornell will make on-campus housing options available this summer
Cornell Law School will also be providing assistance to undocumented students
“Cornell Law School has set up a new program to provide free legal advice to undocumented Cornell students who may wish to consult with a lawyer about the implications of national immigration policy shifts for their immigration status, ” the statement read
Law school faculty will also offer free legal assistance and represent DACA students
Cornell Wine Tasting Team Uncorks Big Win
By JENNY CHAN Sun Staff Writer
Lecturer and coach Cher yl Stanley ’00 and her Cuvee team took first place on Saturday at an international wine tasting competition, the ninth-annual Science Po International Tasting, held at the Champagne region of France
The Cuvee team included Sarah Dewitt ’17, Warner Hazel ’17 and Mathew Guarani ’18, all students in the Cornell School of Hotel Administration Cornell Cuvee, Cornell’s Wine Education and Blind Tasting Society, trained hard for the competition, meeting twice a week to participate in practice exercises
“This involves presentations so members of the different teams can become subject matter experts, ” Stanley said “We do blind tastings in practice so the students can practice and compare wines of the world in a blind tasting context ”
The members also work hard outside of practice, including attending special seminars and tastings when guest speakers
come to campus for Introduction to Wines and Beverage Management, Guarani said
“My team members and I met a few times outside of Cuvee to divide the content and make experts in certain topics so that we weren ’ t all studying the same content, ” Guarani said “We also had help from other cuvee members who held blind tastings outside of cuvee to prepare for their own competitions ”
Cornell Cuvee beat out Oxford University, Agro Paris Tech, Chinese University of Hong Kong, University of Saint Andrews and several other teams at SPIT
“The experience was surreal,” Dewitt said “I can ’ t imagine I'll do anything like it again in my life I just feel extremely fortunate to have had this opportunity, not only to study wine and compete internationally, but also to win against the French on their home turf
” Cornell University first competed at SPIT in 2015, finishing in ninth place
“The experience pulls not only
Ithaca Man Charged With Attempted Murder, More
SHOOTING
Continued from page 1
on purpose ”
The same man had “bumped
i n t o m e t w i c e b e f o r e w h i l e inside the bar,” the witness said “ There was no interaction the first two times inside the bar, I took it as a mistake ”
The man, who the witness later identified as the same man
p o l i c e h a d i n c u s t o d y, t h e n
b e g a n a r g u i n g w i t h t h e m a n
w h o w a s u l t i m a t e l y s h o t , according to the witness
“ While they were arguing the male began to walk backwards while reaching under his jacket and in his hoodie,” the witness said, adding later: “ The male
t o o k a b o u t f o u r s t e p s b a c kwards, he pulled out a gun with his right hand ”
“ The male aimed the gun down towards [the victim’s] legs
The male then shot one round
a n d s h o t [ t h e v i c t i m ] i n h i s legs ”
The witness said he was able to identify the victim because he “will never forget” his face and because the two were wearing the same pair of shoes white, red and black Jordan 13s
A n o t h e r w i t n e s s , L u k e
Ur b a n e k , s a i d h e h e a rd l o u d bangs on the Commons shor tly after leaving a pizza shop and,
d u e t o h i s s e r v i c e i n Afghanistan, recognized them as gunshots
Urbanek said in a statement to authorities that a police officer gave him r ubber gloves and he examined the victim, drawing on traumatic medical training he had received in the militar y “I obser ved a gunshot wound right below [the victim’s] right shoulder on his back,” he said “ I s a w b l o o d a l s o o n t h e ground ”
T h e v i c t i m t h e n t o l d Urbanek he had been shot in the right leg, the good samaritan told police
Another witness, a dishwasher at Simeon’s, said he saw a man looking “ ner vous ” walking out of the alley near American Craft
“I kne w it was the same male I had seen fire off the shots just a fe w minutes before,” the witness said “It was odd that he was coming out of the alley behind American Craft because no one ever walks out of that alley ”
Shown an array of photos by police, the witness said he did not recognize the shooter in any of the pictures
“Gun violence is a terrifying depar ture from the norm for our City,” Mayor Svante Myrick ‘09 said in a Facebook post “I want to thank IPD and all the f i r s t re s p o n d e r s f o r d o i n g s o much to return our sense of security ”
Cornell Wine Tasting Team Beats French ‘On Their Home Turf’
WINE
Continued from page 3
only on basic wine knowledge of grapes but also on world geography, method of production for both still and sparkling wine, vintages and their associated climatic conditions, food and wine pairing, and worldly producers, such as Chateau d’Yquem and Chateau de Beaucastel,” Stanley said
The first round of the competition consists of three sets of questions based on champagne, red wine and white wine
“First, we answered written theoretical questions and questions based on four wines that are poured blind,” Dewitt said “Scores are then calculated and the top three teams, traditionally, make it to the final round, which involves presenting two blind wines to the panel of judges The presentation has to
include sight, smell, taste and food pairing as well as an identification of the grape varietal, producer, region and vintage ”
This year, Cornell Cuvee tied for third place and had to complete a blind taste off with Essec, where they were expected to identify grape varietal, producer, region and vintage
“The coordinators hadn’t prepared for this, since it has never happened in SPIT history,” Dewitt explained
Because neither team got any portion correct, both were allowed into the finals
The final round consisted of two wines, one sparkling and one still Teams were expected to determine what the wines were, pair them with food and present the two blind wines to a panel of judges
Guarini was selected as Cornell’s presenter
“His presentation was eloquent and to the
point, which the judges appreciated,” Stanley said “ With his previous studies at The Culinary Institute of America, his wine pairings showed creativity and thoughtfulness in relation to the wines ”
So far, Cuvee has competed in the qualifying round for the Left Bank Bordeaux Cup and SPIT They will be competing at Cav’it another Champagne competition hosted by Ruinart and Millesime, a Swiss competition hosted by Lausanne, a hospitality school in Switzerland
“I’m incredibly thankful to Cornell and the School of Hotel Administration for supporting Cornell Cuvee and our competing teams, ” Guarani said, adding that the team ’ s coach serves as “ a role model” for the entire team
Jenny Chan can be reached at jc2764@cornell edu
Independent Since 1880
135TH EDITORIAL BOARD
SOPHIA DENG ’19
Editor in Chief
DAHLIA WILSON ’19
Business Manager
JACOB RUBASHKIN ’19
Associate Editor
PRAJJALITA DEY ’18
Web Editor
LEV AKABAS 19
Blogs Editor
BRIAN LAPLACA ’18
Design Editor
ANNA DELWICHE ’19
News Editor
RACHEL WHALEN ’19
News Editor
ARNAV GHOSH ’20
Science Editor
ANDREI KOZYREV ’20
Arts & Entertainment Editor
EMMA NEWBURGER ’18
Assistant News Editor
GIRISHA ARORA ’20
Assistant News Editor
JOSHUA GIRSKY ’19
Managing Editor
LYDIA KIM ’18
Advertising Manager
ZACHARY SILVER ’19
Sports Editor
CAMERON POLLACK ’18
Photography Editor
JUHWAN PARK ’18 Video Editor
STEPHANY KIM ’19 News Editor
NICHOLAS BOGEL-BURROUGHS ’19 City Editor
KATIE SIMS ’20 Arts & Entertainment Editor
OLIVIA LUTWAK ’18
Dining Editor
JANNA YU ’18
Dining Editor
ALISHA GUPTA 20
Assistant News Editor
WORKING ON TODAY’S SUN
DESKERS Alisha Gupta 19 Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs 19
DESKER Charles Cotton 19
DESKERS Andrei Kozyrev 20
DESKER Cameron Pollack 18
DESKER Sophie Smith ’18 Melody Li ’17
DESKER Arnav Ghosh ’20
DESKER Shruti Juneja 20
Letter to the Editor
Re: ‘Cornell’s Strangest Tradition’
To th e Ed itor:
I was the principal Cayuga Heights Police Investigator of the tragic Cornell Residential Club fire that occurred in the Village of Cayuga Heights, on April 5, 1967, and I am one of the few living persons with direct knowledge of the original investigation
As we approach the 50th anniversary of this tragic event, I believe it is important for me to make a statement relative to that investigation
First, this was one of the most tragic events that I have experienced in my long law enforcement career Although I have investigated many tragedies such as murders, fatal traffic accidents and other horrific events and crimes, the loss of nine people in this fire has often caused me to have a sleepless night
I spent more than one year of my law enforcement career totally dedicated to the investigation of this fire I was assisted in the investigation by numerous other competent law enforcement and fire officials including the New York State Police
On April 19, 1967, then-Tompkins County Coroner Dr Ralph Low issued a statement after an inquest that said:
“ The evidence presented at this inquest is such as to minimize the possibility of mechanical accident and makes the fire more probably the result of human carelessness or malice I conclude at this time that the fire is of undetermined origin I recommend that the investigation be continued by the District Attorney’s office Although there did exist a tragic combination of physical circumstances that could have contributed to these deaths, I did not find criminal negligence ” Unfortunately, a few weeks later two fires that occurred within the City of Ithaca were determined to be purposefully set fires and designated by the Ithaca City Police as arson
These fires were at locations where some of the former Cornell student survivors of the Cornell Residential Club fire were living This resulted in media stories that led some to conclude that the Cornell Residential Club fire was also an arson
Recent allegations (The Cornell Daily Sun, February 21, 2017) by Cornell graduate William Fogle, Jr ’70 that the Cornell Residential Club fire was an arson and the deaths should be declared murders is not supported by the facts as currently known The facts, as I personally know them, are that nine people tragically perished from asphyxia due to toxic smoke inhalation The ruling of the former Coroner in April 1967 “that the fire was more probably the result of human carelessness or malice” is as accurate today as it was then
Although I am retired from active law enforcement service, it is my understanding that the investigation, while not currently active due to a lack of new information, has never been closed
In addition, allegations by Mr Fogle that the investigation was hampered or covered up by interference from Cornell University are blatantly untrue, and his conclusions that The Cornell Daily Sun has not responsibly reported on the matter are without merit
A Restoration of Faith In Shared Governance
On Ap r i l 1 7 , C o r n e l l w i l l h a ve i t s 1 4 t h Pre s i d e n t , Ma r t h a Po l l a c k
A s we b e g i n t h e p ro c e s s t o we l -
c o m e a n e w l e a d e r, i t m a y a l s o b e a n a p p ro p r i a t e t i m e t o b e t h i n k i n g a b o u t
o u r i n t e r a c t i o n w i t h t h e p r e s i d e n t
t h ro u g h s h a re d g ove r n a n c e a t C o r n e l l
Sh a re d g ove r n a n c e i s t h e p r a c t i c e o f
h a v i n g d i f f e re n t c o n s t i t u e n c i e s w i t h i n
t h e Un i ve r s i t y h a ve a ro l e a n d vo i c e i n s h a p i n g t h e d e c i s i o n s t h a t i m p a c t t h e m
At C o r n e l l , s h a re d g ove r n a n c e t r a n s -
l a t e s t o o r g a n i z a t i o n s l i k e t h e Gr a d u a t e
a n d Pr o f e s s i o n a l St u d e n t A s s e m b l y,
St u d e n t A s s e m b l y, Un i ve r s i t y A s s e m b l y,
Fa c u l t y Se n a t e a n d t h e u n d e r g r a d u a t e ,
g r a d u a t e , f a c u l t y a n d e m p l oye e t r u s t e e s
T h e c h a n g i n g h a n d s o f t h e p re s i d e n -
c y a l s o c o i n c i d e s w i t h t h e c h a n g i n g
h a n d s o f t h e ro l e o f t h e u n d e r g r a d u a t e
s t u d e n t t r u s t e e T h i s m a rk s a n i m p o r -
t a n t t r a n s i t i o n b e c a u s e s t u d e n t t r u s t e e s , a l o n g w i t h t h e i r f a c u l t y a n d
e m p l o y e e c o u n t e r p a r t s , h a v e t h e
o p p o r t u n i t y t o t r u l y v o i c e s t u d e n t i s s u e s a n d c o n c e r n s w i t h t h e s h a re d g ove r n a n c e p ro c e s s W h i l e t h i s m a y b e
T h i s m a r k s a n i m p o r t a n t t r a n s i t i o n b e c a u s e s t u d e n t t r u s t e e s , a l o n g w i t h t h e i r f a c u l t y a n d
e m p l o y e e c o u n t e r p a r t
l e n g e s , b u t t h a t i s n o re a s o n t o s t o p s p e a k i n g u p A s we e x p e r i e n c e t h i s s h i f t i
o u r f a i t h i n t h e s h a r e d g o v e r n a n c
r o
a t i m e o f t r a n s i t i o n , i t i s i m p o r t a n t t o
re - e s t a b l i s h o u r f a i t h i n t h e s h a re d g ov -
e r n a n c e m o d e l a n d p ro p o s e m e a n s t o m a k e i t b e t t e r In a h i s t o r i c t i m e s u c h a s t h i s , we w o u l d b e w i s e t o t h i n k b a c k t o t h e ro o t s o f s h a re d g ove
r n a n c e a t C o r n e l l , w h i c h
d a t e s b a c k t o t h e m i d - 1 9 5 0 s St u d e n t i n vo l ve m e n t i n g ove r n a n c e w a s a p ro d -
u c t o f t h e Wi l l a rd St r a i g h t h a l l t a k e ove r o f 1 9 6 9 Fo l l ow i n g t h e t a k e ove r t h e
B o a r d o f Tr u s t e e s e s t a b l i s h e d t h e
Un i v e r s i t y S e n a t e ( n o w St u d e n t
A s s e m b l y ) a n d t h e Di v i s i o n o f C a m p u s
L i f e On e o f t h e o t h e r p ro d u c t s o f t h e s e
p ro t e s t s w a s t h e c re a t i o n o f t h e ro l e o f t h e s t u d e n t - e l e c t e d t r u s t e e s In b o t h o f o u r e x p e r i e n c e s , s h a re d g ove r n a n c e h a s re s u l t e d i n t h e o p p o r t un i t y t o s e r ve o n t h
Yamini Bhandari 17 is the current undergraduate student-elected tr ustee, having ser ved since 2015 Dustin Liu ’19 is the undergraduate student-elected tr ustee-elect and will take office this June
Priya Kankanhalli | Matters of Fact
Spring Break: As Told
By Cancun
a v e l e r s p a s t a n d p re s e n t I w o n d e r i f m y Ma y a n a n c e s t o r s w o u l d re v e l i n t h i s t i t l e ; I w o n d e r i f t h e y m i g h t p r a i s e
t h e h e a v e n s f o r t h i s f a m e I o f t e n m u s e a b o u t w h o I u s e d t o b e , a n d I a m s t i l l m a k i n g p e a c e w i t h w h o I ’ v e b e c o m e It w a s n o t a l w a y s t h i s w a y To d a y, I s e e o b l i g a t i o n s a n d re s p o n -
s i b i l i t i e s l a i d t o s l e e p o n m y w h i t e s a n d s It a p p e a r s t h e g re a t e s t
b u rd e n o n m e m b e r s o f t h e v i s i t i n g p o p u l a t i o n i s a q u e s t f o r re c o g -
n i t i o n o n In s t a g r a m , a r a c e t o a t t a i n p u b l i c a p p r ov a l Fo r t h i s a p p r ov a l , I p r ov i d e t h e b a c k d r o p, b u t I a s k f o r n o r oy a l t y, n o s h a re Ye t , i n i m m o r t a l i z i n g m y m e m o r y i n t o d e v i c e s a n d g a d g e t s , I f e e l t h a t I m a y b e l o s i n g m y s e l f Do t h o s e w h o j o u r n e y h e re k n ow a n yt h i n g o f m y h i s t o r y, o r d o e s t h e i r i n t e re s t o n l y e x t e n d a s f a r a s t h e p h o t o g e n i c c o a s t l i n e ?
L o n g b e f o re e n t e r i n g t h e 2 1 s t C e n t u r y, I w a s w i l d To u c a n s a n d t a p i r s w e re m y c o m p a n y, e x o t i c o r c h i d s w e re m y s p e c i a l t y, a j u n g l e w a s m y s e m b l a n c e So o n , t h e Ma y a n p e o p l e re a l i z e d m y i n h a b i ta b i l i t y T h e It z a e t r i b e , w a t e r w i z a rd s t h a t t h e y w e re , p o p u l a t e d m y
our ears grow familiar once e to the rhythm of footsteps ar instead of the hum of the waves, I pray you all will welcome the evolution that is hemmed onto the fabric of life.
l a n d w i t h c e re m o n i a l c e n t e r s a n d a s t r o n o m i c a l o b s e r v a t o r i e s T h e
1 5 0 0 s w i t n e s s e d t h e l u s t o f t h e Eu r o p e a n c o n q u e r o r In 1 7 7 6 ,
Sp a n i s h c a r t o g r a p h e r Ju a n d e Di o s G o n z a l e z f i r s t d o c u m e n t e d m y p re s e n c e Si n c e t h e n , n o t o n l y n a t i v e s , b u t a l s o e x p l o re r s , p i r a t e s a n d v a r i e t i e s o f c o l o n i s t s h a v e b e e n e n c h a n t e d b y m y t u r q u o i s e
b l u e w a t e r s O n c e h e re , t h e y r a re l y l e a v e My t r a n s i t i o n i n t o a t o u r i s t h o t s p o t b e g a n m u c h l a t e r, i n t h e 1 9 7 0 s T h e Ma y a n e m p i re h a v i n g d i s a p p e a re d a n d t h e Eu r o p e a n i n v e s t m e n t f a d i n g , m y n e w i n h a b i t a n t s s a w m e f i t f o r a t r a n s f o rm a t i o n Me x i c o e n a c t e d a “ Na t i o n a l P l a n f o r To u r i s m ” t o s t i m ul a t e i t s e c o n o m y, a n d I w a s t h e c a s h c ow In a h e a r t b e a t , I w a s s t r i p p e d o f t h e a b i l i t y t o h o s t p e o p l e f r o m a l l w a l k s o f l i f e I w a s n o l o n g e r t h e s a v i o r o f t h e f a t i g u e d o r t h e re l i e f o f t h e p r y i n g e y e , b u t i n s t e a d t h e h a v e n o f t h e w e a l t h y e l i t e w h o c o u l d a f f o rd t o e n j oy a n d e n h a n c e m y d i s t a n c e f r o m t i re s o m e re a l i t y T h o s e w h o c a n n o t s p a re t h e f u n d s f o r s u c h e x t r a v a g a n c e a re s i m p l y l e f t b e h i n d , a n d t h i s w a s n e v e r m y i n t e n t i o n
A s o t h e r s s e e m e , I a m a s o r t o f p a r a d i s e o n E a r t h , b u t i n t r o -
s p e c t i o n re p e a t e d l y l e a d s m e t o l o n g f o r b y g o n e t i m e s T h e m o d -
e r n g l i t z a n d t h e g l a m o u r h a v e d r ow n e d t h e r i c h n e s s o f m y h i s -
t o r y a n d t h e s i m p l i c i t y o f m y e c o s y s t e m E s p e c i a l l y i n a d o l e s c e n t c i r c l e s , I s e e a g re e d i e r d e f a u l t : u n d e r s t a n d a b l y, m a x i m i z a t i o n o f t h e v a c a t i o n e x p e r i e n c e i s t h e f o re m o s t o b j e c t i v e , b u t t h e l a c k o f p a s s i o n f o r t h e c h r o n i c l e o f e v e n t s t h a t b r o u g h t m e h e re i s o f f e ns i v e I a m s i m u l t a n e o u s l y i n f l a t e d t o a s y m b o l o f l u x u r y a n d s u p e r f l u i t y a n d d i m i n i s h e d t o a b a n a l c h a r a c t e r o f t h e m a s s m e d i a Ye a r s h a v e p a s s e d , a n d I h a v e s e e n g e n e r a t i o n s r i s e a n d f a l l t o t h e i r t e m p t a t i o n s I t h i n k , a t t h e r i s k o f s e e m i n g ov e r l y p i o u s , I m i g h t h a v e s e e n i t a l l A g a i n , a n o t h e r Sp r i n g Bre a k h a s t i d e d i n a n d o u t Cyc l i c a l a s t h e r o u t i n e i s , m y v i s i t o r s d o n o t l o s e t h e i r c a re f re e s p i r i t s a n d o p t i m i s m a l t h o u g h I a m n o t s u re i f t h i s i s a f a c e t o f m y ow n c h a r m T h e p l e a s u re s h e re a re a s p l e n t i f u l a s m y g r a i n s o f s a n d , b u t o u r t i m e i s n o t A s y o u r e a r s g r ow f a m i l i a r o n c e m o re t o t h e r h y t h m o f f o o t s t e p s o n t a r i n s t e a d o f t h e h u m o f t h e w a v e s , I p r a y
A quick & worthwhile reminder
To th e Ed itor:
To think that Spring Break has come and gone, final deadlines are quickly approaching, and we are finalizing yet another chapter of our college careers is quite startling Summer is right around the corner, and for many students, this comes with feelings of uncertainty, instability and anxiety
For many, including ourselves, this has been a year that challenged us academically, physically, emotionally, socially, and mentally Whether you are an international student concerned with the seemingly everchanging (or never-changing) foreign policy of the United States towards your own country, a student concerned with the potential revocation of rights you ’ ve relied on for all of your life, a student who feels afraid to express your views due to possible backlash, or a student affected by the loss of a fellow Cornellian or loved one, the majority of us can agree that the 2016-2017 school year has been extraordinarily taxing Similar to physical health awareness, regular reminders are necessary to keep our mental health and that of our loved ones at peak It’s crucial to remember that self-care does not make you weak nor does it label you something along the lines of a “special snowflake ” It symbolizes strength and love for oneself as you prepare to tackle a great challenge to your mind, body, and well-being
As we approach the last few weeks of the semester, we must remember to take time for ourselves It starts with self-care, continues with awareness, extends to reducing the stigma, and sparks a movement
Please remember the resources available to you both on and off campus Cornell EARS is a peer counseling service available on the 2nd floor of Willard Straight Hall, Cornell Health CAPS is available 24/7 by calling 607-255-5155 (put it in your contacts now!), Let’s Talk is available on various spots across campus Additionally, the Ithaca Crisis Line is available 24/7 for confidential counseling at 607-272-1616 You can visit the Cornell Caring Community site (caringcommunity cornell edu) for a comprehensive list Join us, and countless student organizations, for Lift Your Spirits Day on Friday April 28th from 1-4 p m on the Arts Quad
To Be Brown
South Asians have been living, working, and building families and communities in the US since as early as 1820 As our population swelled, the Immigration Acts of 1917 and 1924 directly targeted Asian communities The 1923 Supreme Court case of United States v Bhagat Singh Thind classified Indians as non-white, which led to Indian migrants who had already been naturalized to be retroactively stripped of their citizenship, after prosecutors argued that they had illegally become citizens We hereby affirm that our legal status and treatment in the U S today is linked to the work of Black activists from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s Their protests and civil disobedience removed barriers and burdens and led lawmakers to establish the Hart-Celler Act of 1965 which removed quotas, allowing South Asians to come to the United States much more easily
We wish for our oppressions to be recognized post-election, we are reminded of how our brownness defines our experiences as Americans We are affected by hate by the systems, institutions and policies of white supremacy, misogyny, racism, economic inequality, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia and xenophobia We are expected to speak perfect, unaccented English, even though for many of us it is not our first language Our cultures and religions are appropriated and disrespected Our cultures are considered “exotic” and “exciting,” though we fight to preserve them every day We thereby reject this commodification, objectification and tokenization of our cultures and our bodies
We are not all doctors, lawyers or engineers: the myth of the model minority hides the reality of our working-class communities holding menial, minimum wage jobs, especially when they are undocumented It also erases the very real issues of racial discrimination and poverty, with the outcome holding us to a standardized silence This myth also unfairly and dangerously pits minority against minority Our communities are very divided people come from many different backgrounds and heritages that influence whether or not they speak out Furthermore, a large population of South Asians are also Muslims, constantly targeted both personally and by the media With a recently revised travel ban, citizens of Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and Libya will still face a 90-day suspension of visa processing, and it remains explicitly tied to previous comments that relate Muslims to threats of terrorism In this vein, we would like to express our deepest sympathies to the families of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, Deep Rai and Harnish Patel These South Asian men were all murdered, with Srinivas and Deep’s murders being explicitly the results of xenophobia and racism, and the cause of Harnish’s still under investigation
One of the most unfortunate struggles that we face is how we are often viewed in POC spaces We
are held to unsubstantiated assumptions that unfairly ascribe to us a misattributed apathy, and so our struggles are minimized This is not, however, to invalidate the very real presence of members of our community who embrace and internalize the model minority myth and other toxic beliefs such as antiblackness and white supremacy There are also many who choose to remain neutral, and as a result oppress POCs who are struggling and fighting for their visibility, rights and equal treatment We hope to improve upon solidarity within our communities, which are divided across religious and national origin lines, contribute to dialogues and educate ourselves about actions and stances we can take to effectively support each other and other POC groups
Conclusively, we are not demanding free labor from other POCs on our behalf, but rather highlighting our frustrations within activism and coalition-building spaces, and instead are hoping to improve upon the relationships and bridges amongst us
This article was written as a call to action to address the silence that we face To our South Asian friends, please do not be afraid to speak out when you face discrimination or see others being discriminated against If we are not loud and vocal, especially given our current political climate, the struggles that we face will never be addressed It is time to mobilize, organize, and to stand up & fight back, regardless of faith, national origin, or ethnicity We cannot be divided, especially as we navigate a period in which we are in danger because of how we are perceived, and not because of the identities we may truly hold We must irrevocably stand up for one another
In addition, do not be afraid to enter POC spaces and advocate for their causes as well Many of us are privileged in our assets and cultural and social resources, and must remember how we can use these privileges to engage in transformational solidarity, in which we actively go beyond sympathy, and move towards asking how we can be of help Fighting for POC rights means fighting for our rights as well, and this includes fighting for issues that we never have and never will face
However, this call to action is not only to the South Asian community, but to others as well We ask that other POC leaders on campus begin to view us as members of a community that seeks to be a part of your coalitions Please do not overlook us or treat us as if we have no empathy for the issues that you face
The South Asian Council exists to advocate for South Asians specifically, but also to be in solidarity with all communities on campus Simply put: We are here, we are present and we are ready
opinion@cornellsun com
Guest Room | Samir Durvasula & Shivani Parikh
Cornell Researcher Explains Effect Of Human Illnesses on Environment
By ARNAV GHOSH Sun Staff Writer
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“ We l o o k e d a t a f i s h i n g c o m m u n i t y a n d s t u d i e d h o w i l l n e s s e s i n p e o p l e w e r e a f f e c t i n g f i s h i n g p r a c t i c e s A n d w h a t w e f o u n d w a s t h a t t h e r e w a s n ’ t m u c h o f a r e l a t i o n s h i p, a s w e e x p e c te d , b e t w e e n i l l n e s s a n d t h e a m o u n t o f t i m e t h a t p e o p l e s p e n t f i s h i n g b u t t h e r e w a s s o m e i m p a c t o n i f t h e y w e r e f i s h i n g a t a l l B u t f o r p e o p l e w h o w e r e f i s h i n g , t h e i l l n e s s d i d n ’ t a f f e c t t h e a m o u n t o f t i m e t h e y w e r e f i s h i n g s o m u c h a s t h e m e t h o d s t h a t t h e y w e r e u s i n g , ” Fi o r e l l a s a i d A c c o rd i n g t o Fi o r e l l a , s i c k f i s h e rm a n w e r e m o r e l i k e l y t o u s e m e t h o d s t h a t w e r e i l l e g a l o r d e s t r u c t i v e t o a v o i d p h y s i c a l e x e r t i o n Sp e c i f i c a l l y, Fi o r e l l a n o t i c e d t h a t f i s h e r m e n w e r e l e s s w i l l i n g t o f i s h ov e r n i g h t o r u s e
m e t h o d s t h a t r e q u i r e d t h e m t o e n t e r d e e p e r p a r t s o f t h e l a k e , f o c u s s i n g i n s t e a d o n f i s h i n g i n ‘ i n s h o r e ’ a r e a s
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H I V w a s s t a r ti n g t o s p r e a d a n d t h e r e w a sn ’ t m u c h k n o w n a b o u t i t , ” Fi o r e l l a s a i d “A l o t o f i n l a n d f i s he r i e s t h r o u g ho u t A f r i c a h a v e a h i g h H I V p r e v al e n c e I n t h e s e s e t t i n g s , p e op l e o f t e n f a c e a r a n g e o f o t h e r t r o p i c a l i l l n e s s e s a s w e l l , t h i n g s l i k e m a l a r i a a n d T B [ Tu b e r c u l o s i s ] S o i n t h a t s e n s e , t h r o u g h o u t t h e w o r l d , p e o p l e
“Throughout the world, people who are charged with managing natural resources and rely on them face a high burden of disease.”
Kathryn Fiorella
w h o a r e c h a r g e d w i t h m a n a g i n g n a tu r a l r e s o u r c e s a n d r e l y o n t h e m f a c e a h i g h b u rd e n o f d i s e a s e ” Fi o r e l l a e m p h a s i z e s s o m e i m p o rt a n t m e t h o d o l o g i c a l c h o i c e s m a d e o v e r t h e c o u r s e o f t h e s t u d y I n d i v i d u a l s w e r e c o m p a r e d t o t h e ms e l v e s ov e r d i f f e r e n t p o i n t s i n t i m e , i m p r ov i n g t h e i n f e r e n c e s t h a t c o u l d b e m a d e a b o u t t h e i r h e a l t h a n d f i s hi n g b e h a v i o r A s o p p o s e d t o o t h e r c o m m o n o c c u p a t i o n s , f i s h i n g w a s c h o s e n b e c a u s e f i s h e r m a n i n t h e c o mm u n i t y f r e q u e n t l y s h i f t e d t h e i r m e t ho d s o f f i s h i n g a n d s t u d y i n g t h e r o l e t h a t i l l n e s s e s p l a y e d i n t h e s e s h i f t s w a s t h u s , r e l a t i v e l y e a s y “ I l l n e s s e s m a y a f f e c t p e o p l e t h r o u g h t h e p h y s i c a l d i m e n s i o n s o f t h e i l l n e s s a n d t h e w a y i t a f f e c t s p e op l e ’ s o u t l o o k T h e r e a r e b o t h o f t h e s e p o s s i b l e p a t h w a y s a l t h o u g h w e w e r e n ’ t a b l e t o d i s t i n g u i s h b e t w e e n t h e m i n o u r r e s e a r c h , ” Fi o r e l l a s a i d Su c h e f f e c t s a r e n o t l i m i t e d t o f i s hi n g S i m i l a r o b s e r v a t i o n s h a v e b e e n m a d e i n a g r i c u l t u r e , w i t h a c r u c i a l d i ff e r e n c e I l l n e s s e s h a d a g r e a t e r i m p a c t o n t h e t i m e a n d e f f o r t p e o p l e p u t i n t h e i r a g r i c u l t u r a l l i v e l i h o o d s a s o p p o s e d t o t h e m e t h o d s t h e y u s e d “ P r e v i o u s s t u d i e s h a v e b e e n d o n e w i t h a g r i c u lt u r a l i s t s a n d h a v e s h o w n t h a t w h e n p e o p l e a r e s i c k t h e y r e d u c e t h e t i m e a n d e f f o r t t h e y p u t i n t o a g r i c u lt u r a l l i v e l ih o o d s We s t u d i e d f i s h e rm e n a n d s a w t h a t t h e t i m e t h e y s p e n d f i s h i n g i s m o d e r a t e d b y t h e m e t h o d t h e y c h o s e a n d t h a t i l l n e s s i s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h s w i t c h i n g f i s h i n g m e t h o d s T h e d i f f e re n t t i m e s c a l e s t o h a r v e s t i n a g r i c u l t u r e a n d f i s h i n g m i g h t b e a c o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r t o t h e s e p a t t e r n s , ” Fi o r e l l a s a i d Fi o r e l l a h o p e s t h a t t h e s t u d y w i l l f o r c e p e o p l e t o c o n s i d e r a n e w a n g l e i n t h e o n g o i n g d e b a t e a b o u t n a t u r a l r e s o u r c e s : t h e v u l n e r a b i l i t i e s o f t h o s e t a s k e d w i t h m a n a g i n g t h e m S h e h o p e s t h a t i t w i l l c a u s e t h o s e i n c h a r g e o f h e a l t h p o l i c y t o c a r e f u l l y s c r u t i n i z e t h e i r p o l i c i e s ’ b e n e f i t s a s w e l l a s p l a c e a h i g h e r p r i o r i t y o n p r ov i d i n g b e t t e r c a r e a n d t r e a t m e n t t o t h o s e m a n a g i n g c r u c i a l n a t u r a l r e s o u r c e s “ We’r
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By SAMUEL NADELL Sun Staff Wr ter
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a n ove r w h e l m i n g l y p o s i t i ve i m p a c t o n t h e t o w n , a l t h o u g h t h e p a n e l s t i l l p o i n t e d o u t s o m e m i n o r i s s u e s t h e y i n t e n d e d t o a d d re s s S LC AG f o r m e d i n 2 0 1 5 a s a w a y t o c o n s i d e r w a y s t o a d d re s s va r i o u s c l im a t e i s s u e s , i n c l u d i n g i n c re a s i n g c a rb o n d i ox i d e e m i s s i o n s In Ma rc h 2 0 1 6 , Pr o v o s t M i c h a e l K o t l i k o f f a s k e d
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b i o m o l e c u l a r e n g i n e e r i n g , d i re c t o r o f t h e C o r n e l l E n e r g y I n s t i t u t e , a c k n ow l e d g e d t h e a s s o c i a t e d r i s k s w i t h d r i l l i n g d e e p i n t o t h e E a r t h’s c r u s t , b u t n o t e d t h a t t h e i n t e n t o f t h i s s y s t e m w a s t o e n s u re e n v i ro nm e n t a l s a f e t y a n d l o n g e v i t y “ In a g a s f r a c k i n g s y s t e m , yo u ’ re
b a s i c a l l y d o n e w i t h t h a t s y s t e m f a i r l y q u i c k l y, ” Te s t e r s a i d , re f e r r i n g t o t h e we l l s c re a t e d f o r a c c e s s t o n a t u r a l g a s “ [ E S H ] i s b u i l t t o b e s u s t a i n a b l e , f ro m t h e p o i n t o f v i e w o f h e a t p ro d u c t i o n a s we l l a s t h e p o i n t o f v i e w o f we l l i n t e g r it y ”
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a n d d i m i n i s h i n g p ro p e r t y va l u e , re a f -
f i r m i n g t h a t t h i s p ro c e s s w o u l d b e s c r u -
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t r a l i t y b e c a m e a p ro m i n e n t t o p i c a s
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b e a b l e t o d o t h e s a m e . ”
L a n c e C o l l i n s , d e a n o f t h e c o l l e g e o f e n g i n e e r i n g
we l l , a s t h e q u e s t i o n o f s t u d e n t i n vo l ve -
m e n t w a s p r o p o s e d t o t h e g r o u p
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s t a t i n g h o w t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f
t h e s e e n e r g y s y s t e m s w o u l d c re a t e m u l -
t i p l e a p p l i e d re s e a rc h o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r
e p o s s i b i l i t y o f c re a ti n g a n e w e c o n o m i c a l l y f r i e n d l y e n e r g y i n d u s t r y b a s e d a ro u n d E S H T h e y a l s o e m p h a s i z e d t h e r o l e C o r n e l l Un i ve r s i t y c o u l d p l a y a s a m o d e l a n d s u c c e s s f u l p ro o f o f c o nc e p t f o r o t h e r c o l l e g e s a n d o r g a n i z at i o n s a ro u n d t h e w o r l d t o i n i t i a t e s i m i l a r p ro g r a m s “ We c o n s i d e r t h i s p a r t o f o u r l a n d g r a n t m i s s i o n , ” C o l l i n s s a i d “ If we ’ re a b l e t o e l i m i n a t e t h e u s e o f f o s s i l f u e l s o n c a m p u s , we ’ re d e m o ns t r a t i n g a p a t h w a y f o r m a n y o t h e r c o mm u n i t i e s t o b e a b l e t o d o t h e s a m e ”
u n d e r g r a d u a t e a n d g r a d u a t e s t u d e n t s a c ro s s d e p a r t m e n t s T h e y a l s o e m p h a -
Samuel Nadell can be reached at snadell@cornellsun com
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Horror in Discourse: Gun Violence in America
BY VARUN BIDDANDA Sun Staff Writer
In the turbulent times in which we find ourselves, ar t and its ar tists often find themselves thrown into a space of ambiguity and with it comes a host of questions regarding their purpose Ar tistic and political space inevitably intersect If so, is this by accident or by unbending intent? More broadly, what is the role of the ar tist? For Kadie Salfi, a local ar tist and active member of the Alice Cook House community, these questions are addressed through an invitation for dialogue Located in the Willard Straight Hall Ar t Galler y, Salfi’s exhibit Red Guns is par t of a poignant and enduring conversation about gun violence in America Already making ar t about American gun culture and deeply affected by the Sandy Hook shooting, she was compelled to begin SNAFU (Situation Normal all Fucked Up) This ongoing project constitutes the much larger body of work within which Red Guns resides
I begin to pace the circumference of the room along whose perimeter hang the pieces of Salfi’s exhibit. These life-size paintings of guns capture my gaze through the vivid, acr ylic reds Many pieces of visual ar t strive to explore the textural and str uctural intricacies that constitute the objects they depict In doing so, the mechanical complexities of the firearms while also integral to the function of the object would become, regardless of intention, the authors of the gun ’ s aesthetic Red Guns does precisely the opposite Each painting is realized in a technique that is unquestionably star tling; aside from the brilliant hue of the paint, the gun is transmitted as a silhouette divorced from the third dimension
There lies a cer tain elegance in restraint, but we see here that such aesthetic potential is amplified by constant reminders of ar tistic intention In spite of esche wing technical detail, or quite possibly because of it, Red Guns establishes a discursive space that acknowledges the terrifying capabilities of the weapons, and the intentions with which they are used The images are juxtaposed by the harrowing descriptions of the weapon ’ s effects On the first piece I come across, written in blue pencil, “ This gun was used to to kill 32 people at Virginia Tech ” This inscription is readily visible, even at a distance But, as one approaches the work, another inscription becomes visible, this time in white colored pencil, describing the gun ’ s model Almost as if receding
I reached out to the ar tist herself Removed from the noise of the nearby Temple of Zeus, Salfi and I chatted in an alcove in Klarman One of my questions regarded her choice of the wood medium for Red Guns She revealed that as an owner (along with her husband) of a local skateboard company, “Comet Skateboards,” there was already an abundance of wood at her disposal “Although the subject matter is ver y precious, I didn’t want to use precious material I didn’t want to have the work be coveted in any way because it was on a piece of marble”, she remarked “I loved the grain of the wood and the knots in the wood often look like bullet holes ” Red Guns is undeniably political, displaying a powerful symbolism of the red, white and blue paintings in the context of this nation’s pathological obsession with guns However, the commentar y engages the audience in a conversation about gun violence while abandoning the directional criticisms that polarize debates on the subject I was curious as to why this was such a central component of Salfi’s work
into the backdrop of the wood medium, the white writing eventually becomes the irrelevant; meanwhile, the blue confession that follows it becomes the focal point In other words, by reducing the visual impact of the gun ’ s make and model, and simultaneously emphasizing the firearm’s already realized capabilities, Salfi removes the euphemisms and derailments that often divest dial o g u e f r o m
remains is our unobstr ucted confrontation with this nationwide epidemic
Salfi was reminded of when she star ted making her ar t more political in 2007. Her work at the time was done in cr ude oil and inspired by the oil-fueled conflicts in the Middle East, as well as the environmental consequences of the petroleum industr y While the project was initially conceptualized as a denunciation of the
changed her intent “He talked about how he had been working for 35-40 years doing this six days a week, long days, and had so much pride and felt like he was doing the American people so much good because people thrive and need oil He hono
, ” s h e recounted to me Emphasizing that despite her personal feelings toward the subject, she realized there were alternatives to pointing fingers “Of course there are cer tain subjects where there is a wrong and there is a right and that there is someone who created the wrong But I also feel that as an ar tist, I want to present facts and information ” I find myself in the galler y for the second time and the silence which permeated my previous visit has now been superseded by the conversations of those gathered for the reception being held What was at first limited to my internal dialogue within that space now assumed the nuance and dimensions of an interpersonal exchange with the individuals in the room Some silently contemplated the works as I had done the first time, while others could not stay quiet about the subject Most, however, incorporated both types of discourse in their experience Red Guns’ presence in the Willard Straight Ar t Galler y is made possible through Salfi’s par tnership with
Reinhardt, grad, and Sadé Ayorinde, grad There are several elements of the exhibit which complement the ar tist’s original work To these members of the exhibit’s curating team, Salfi made a suggestion to deepen the interaction with the ar twork through the addition of other media There at the reception I spoke with Ayorinde about her role in the curation of the exhibit
Fa
Conversation,” she held the group ’ s weekly dialogue in the galler y alongside Salfi Emphasizing the significance of the ar tist’s attendance, Ayorinde notes that her presence, “Draws up a lot of questions: why would you make this work? What was the impetus? How did you use the materials to create it? There are always ways of thinking conceptually and not really thinking of the materials and the process ”
As I was seated at the discussion table, I got a sense of the ineffable feeling that permeated the conversation of Ayorinde’s discussion group “I think it was really beneficial having it [the dialogue] in this space, ” she reflects, citing the unsettling effects from both the life-sized scale of the images, as well as the contrast between the paintings of well-recognized handguns and those of less familiar shotguns, rifles and semi-automatics “Automatically there is a way in which you almost feel unsafe in the space, to some degree And then on top of that, when you add in what they’re supposed to be displaying, the fact that innocent people were killed ”
In response to Salfi’s suggestion, Reinhardt accompanied each painting with a series of QR codes that correspond to a video about a culturally impor tant event that occurred during the time of the shooting Some of the codes lead to ne ws footage and others show the cultural events; the code for the 2007 Virginia Tech Shooting, for example, leads to a trailer for the then-upcoming film “Harr y Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.”
“ We used QR codes because they have a codelike element and there is something about gun culture that s e e m s t o b e i n t h e D N A o f A m e r i c a , ” d e s c r i b e s Reinhardt, “[in a way, gun culture is] written into the political code ”
In the exhaustive acrobatics of political discourse, the victims of gun violence if recognized at all are often reduced to a statistic or a headline In such a situation, the individual victims are remembered by ver y fe w people, aside from those who personally kne w them The result is the flattening depersonalization of the individual, in the sense that in many ways they are dispossessed of their relevance to society The Q R code’s contribution to the exhibit memorializes the victims of mass shootings in an unconventional form It is a soul-piercing reconceptualization of the countless lives lost to guns As opposed to being reduced to one-dimensional consequences of this American epidemic, these lives can be understood in context of a broader cultural universe, in which they shared and shaped our space By authentically emphasizing their role as an active par ticipant in these events, the victim is immor talized not only in terms of their death, but also in terms of their life and the undeniable humanity which defined it
Varun Biddanda is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences He can be reached at vdb22@cornell edu
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26 A PARTMENT FOR R ENT
26 A PARTMENT FOR R ENT
26 A PARTMENT FOR R ENT
50 Years Later, No Arrests in ’67 Cornell Fire That Killed 9
Continued from page 1
Despite having fire doors and water-type fire extinguishers in place in all corridors, the building had no fire escapes on the second floor, no fire alarm and n o
Wa
mains had just been added to the building, and sprinkler installation had been scheduled for that morning, The New York Times reported after running a frontpage picture of the burnt building
“ The fire alarm did not seem to work,” Diego Benardete, a student in the program at the time, said in an email “I tried to set it off before exiting the building, but I couldn’t do it ” Benardete also remembered other lacking safety features “ There were no fire drills No sprinkler No fire escapes so that people could exit without going through the lobby I was struck by how unsafe the building was, certainly as compared to what I had been used to Someone had b l u n d e re d i n p re p a r i n g t h a t building for student occupancy ”
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27 H OUSE FOR R ENT
Several other buildings oncampus were found to not be properly retrofitted at the time, including Sheldon Court, McFadden Hall, Boldt Hall, Baker Tower, Lyon Hall, University Ha l l s , C l a r a Di c k s o n Ha l l , C o m s t o c k Ha l l , R i s l e y Ha l l , Mennen Hall, Cascadilla Hall, Hasbrouck Apartments, Phillips House, and Triphammer Coop, The Sun reported in the week after the fire
T h e Su n a l s o f o u n d t h a t Cornell had failed to file a 1966 fire inspection repor t on the C o r n e l l He i g h t s Re s i d e n t i a l Club, in direct violation of state law
A 1 9 6 5 re p o r t by f o r m e r University Inspector R Haner noted “there shall be at least two means of direct exit to the outside at ground level, remote from each other, leading from each floor of student occupancy ”
On the morning of the fire, only the first floor of the club met this condition Five students we re t r a p p e d o n t h e s e c o n d floor, unable to exit the building
A senior in the Res Club reported a conversation with the fire inspector a month before the fire, The Sun reported in 1967, in which he allegedly said “there won ’ t be any fire,” after being asked how students at the end of the halls would be able to escape
Fifty years later, the exact cause of the fire in the Res Club has never been determined Cornell University was ruled negligent in 1972 by the United States Northern District Court of New York in a lawsuit filed by the parents of Jeffrey W Smith, a victim of the fire
To read the rest of this story please visit cornellsun com
Meg Gordon can be reached at mgordon@cornellsun com
Ru s s e l l We s t b ro o k h a d q u i t e t h e w e e k e n d H e b r o k e O s c a r Ro b e r t s o n ’ s re c o rd f o r m o s t t r i p l e d o u b l e s i n a s e a s o n o n Su n d a y w h i l e s c o r i n g 5 0
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s o m e t h i n g s o r a r e s u r e l y q u a l i f i e s a p l a ye r t o w i n t h e a w a r d g e n e r a l l y b e s t o w e d u p o n t h e l e a g u e ’ s b e s t p l a ye r Bu t We s t b ro o k i s n o t t h e b e s t p l a ye r i n t h e l e a g u e , a n d h e i s n o t t h e m o s t va l ua b l e e i t h e r T h e M V P c o n v e r s a t i o n t h i s s e a s o n h a s b e e n d o m in a t e d b y t w o p l a y e r s : We s t b r o o k a n d H o u s t o n R o c k e t s g u a r d Ja m e s H a r d e n C l e v e l a n d C a v a l i e r s f o r w a r d L e B r o n Ja m e s i s n o t i c e a b l y a b s e n t f r o m t h e c o n v e r s a t i o n , d e s p i t e h a v i n g a n o t h e r i n c re d i b l e s e a s o n T h i s d o e s n o t s e e m t o m a k e s e n s e If t h e N B A h e l d a n o p e n d r a f t t o d a y t o b u i l d a t e a m t h a t c o u l d w i n a c h a m p i o n s h i p t h i s y e a r, n o b o d y i n t h e i r r i g h t m i n d w o u l d c h o o s e a n y p l a y e r o t h e r t h a n L e B r o n f i r s t ove r a l l In e va l u a t i n g w h o d e s e r ve s t h i s a w a rd , p e r h a p s we s h o u l d s t o p l o o k i n g f o r re a s o n s n o t t o g i ve i t t o t h e m a n w h o i s u n i v e r s a l l y a g re e d t o b e t h e b e s t p l a ye r i n t h e w o r l d Ye s , w h a t We s t b ro o k h a s d o n e i s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f re m a rk a b l e , b u t i t i s a b i t o f a d i s t r a c t i o n T h e t r i p l e d o u b l e i s a s t a t i s t i c a l l y a r b it r a r y c o n c e p t A r e w e t o b e l i e v e t h a t a v e r a g i n g 1 0 a s s i s t s i n s t e a d o f n i n e i s s o m e t h i n g s o i n c re d i b l e t h a t i t i s w o r t h y o f t h e g a m e ’ s h i g h e s t h o n o r, s i m p l y b e c a u s e i t i s a t w o d i g i t n u m b e r ? L e Bro n i s a ve r a g i n g 8 7 a s s i s t s a n d 8 6 r e b o u n d s e a c h g a m e , a n d h e i s d o i n g s o w h i l e s h o o t i n g 5 4 8 p e rc e n t We s t b ro o k s h o o t s 4 2 6 p e rc e n t Sh o u l d t h e d i s t a n c e b e t w e e n L e B r o n a n d t h e M V P a w a rd re a l l y b e b a s e d o n t w o f e we r a s s i s t s a n d t w o f e we r re b o u n d s e ve n t h o u g h h e i s s h o o t i n g we l l ove r 1 0 p e r c e n t a g e p o i n t s b e t t e r t h a n We s t b ro o k ? T h i s s e e m s i r r a t i o n a l W h e n t h e s e a s o n i s ove r o n Tu e s d a y, We s
Red Splits Ivy Doubleheaders on Road Trip
By JACK KANTOR Sun Assistant Sports Editor
In a pair of doubleheaders on the road, Cornell baseball split against both of its Ivy League opponents this weekend despite working with a depleted lineup The Red was able to return home with two more wins, taking one each from Har vard and Dartmouth Cornell (13-11, 3-5 Ivy) did not have its usual cast of characters on the field throughout the weekend Cornerstone players such as juniors Ellis Bitar and Dale Wickham were not healthy enough to play for the Red on the road Wickham leads Cornell in batting with a 383 average at the plate
Junior Trey Baur also left midway through Sunday’s contest with an injur y Baur had broken a program record
with six hits in last Wednesday’s game against Towson
“ We were missing the top four hitters in the order,” said head coach Dan Pepicelli “ We were really out of position once we lost that many guys ”
But the remaining Red sluggers dug their cleats in and held their ground against the interdivisional opponents
“I think we did a really good job of staying afloat and being competitive,” Pepicelli said “You go on the road to Dartmouth and Har vard and win two games, it’s not the worst thing We certainly would like to win a series, but considering who we were missing, I can ’ t say enough about the guts we showed ”
Cornell came out on Saturday and dropped its first game against Har vard, 7-5 The Red led three different times over the course of the game but failed to hang on in the waning moments
Nevertheless, the team came back and slathered on runs against the Crimson in a 9-5 victor y to close out Saturday
“ There were people who had not even traveled earlier in the year that were in the starting lineup,” Pepicelli said “It says so much about the kids we ’ ve got on this team Their minds were in it ”
Cornell continued its resilience and energy in its first game against Dartmouth Sunday The Green was silenced, 2-0, as junior Tommy Morris earned his first win of the season The right-handed pitcher tossed six innings and allowed no earned runs or walks, striking out just one batter along the way
“ We pitch a lot to contact, ” Pepicelli said “ We don’t have a lot that’s going to blow you away, but we can be successful Thomas Morris was fantastic To shut that team out, at that field, is really, really tough to do It’s only his third start for us, and he’s gotten better each time out ”
The offense was not flowing on Sunday as it has been at times for this squad so far, and the lack of run production caught up with the Red Dartmouth shutout Cornell, 5-0, in part two of Sunday’s action with only two hits tallied for the visitors
Action resumes on Wednesday when Cornell hosts Binghamton in a non-conference battle But Pepicelli knows that he must have his team in its best possible shape for the upcoming weekend’s Ivy League games against Columbia Pepicelli is not certain who is going to be in the lineup on Wednesday
“ The priority has to be getting ready for the weekend,” Pepicelli said “I’m going to have a better feel by [Tuesday], and if anybody is even on the bubble I am going to be conser vative with it ”
But this is by no means a meaningless game for the Red
“ We are going to compete like heck,” Pepicelli said “No matter what has happened we just get tough, it doesn’t make us fold I expect us to be ver y tough against Binghamton ”
Cornell will square off at home against Binghamton at 4 p m on Wednesday at Hoy Field
Women Swept at Dartmouth, Harvard Over Weekend
By CAITLIN STANTON Sun Staff Writer
The Red has been taking some hard hits this softball season and is now in the middle of an eight game losing streak This past weekend brought four more Ivy League losses, dropping the team ’ s record to 1-7 in the conference and 6-17 overall
According to head coach Julie Farlow ’97, the team ’ s current losing streak is not as unconquerable of an obstacle as one might think
“When you start to struggle, what you ’ re looking for is a good practice, and when we ’ re travelling all week, we didn’t really have that opportunity,” she said “We’re getting a couple days off I think that’s going to help us going into Thursday [against Siena College], that we just refocus, get refreshed and, I keep on saying, let’s get this W and get some momentum going ”
In terms of momentum, this past weekend did not help All four games against Dartmouth and Harvard were hard-fought, but relatively minor mistakes loomed large and left the Red winless
The women ’ s first game of the weekend came against the Dartmouth, and the team was on the brink of pulling off one of the greatest upsets in recent memory After trailing by seven through five innings, the Red rallied to score eight and take the lead Ultimately, the Green pulled ahead once more to win the game 9-8
Sophomore catcher Olivia Lam played a big role in Cornell’s comeback, hitting a grand slam that tied the game 7-7 before
the Red drove in one more run to pull ahead
“I’m really happy with how our team approached it,” she said “We really fought hard until the end so I think we handled it really well, and we showed that no matter how far behind we [were], we still pushed through to the end ”
While the effort may have been there, the same kind of offensive production was missing in the remaining games of the weekend
After the threat of rain pushed the second Dartmouth game back to Sunday, Cornell matched up against Harvard looking to get back on track
In the first game, Harvard raced ahead to take a 7-0 lead early on Even with solid h i t t i n g f ro m j u n i o r i n f i e l d e r Me g a n Murray, junior catcher Tori Tagashi and senior outfielder Jessica Bigbie, the women struggled to catch up to its opponent The game ended as an 8-3 Harvard victory
“We’re definitely capable hitters as a team, ” Bigbie said “I mean, everyone is definitely capable of doing great things, so it’s just about one person hitting and getting everyone else to jump on board and see that they can do it, too ”
T h e s e c o n d g a m e w a s h a rd e r f o r
Cornell to swallow, as the team held onto the lead for much of the game until two fielding errors led to a five-run inning for Harvard Cornell tied it up in the next inning, but Harvard rallied in the sixth with four runs, proving to be too much of a lead for the women to overcome
“It’s little plays that teams are building on, so it’s not like we ’ re really collaps-
ing,” Farlow said in reference to the two errors “It’s just that there’s a play that starts it, and the team gets momentum, and they keep riding it, and right now we ’ re just having a hard time saying ‘Okay that’s all you ’ re going to get ’ and shutting the door ”
The weekend came to a close with the rescheduled game against Dartmouth on Sunday a true pitcher's duel throughout It is during games like these that the smallest fielding errors or defensive gaffes can be exploited to win, and that is exactly what the Green managed to do after a C o r n e l l e r ro r i n t h e s i x t h i n n i n g Dartmouth capitalized by scoring three runs to go up 3-0
The last inning only featured one run from the Red a homer from Murray,
and the game ended in a 3-1 loss
However, Farlow is insistent that the team will not let this losing streak bring its morale down Historically, Cornell has been relatively successful against its next opponent, Siena College winning two against them in the 2015-16 season
“I like playing Siena; I think they’re a comparable opponent to get us prepared for what we see in conference games, ” Farlow said “They’re a team we can beat, and they’re a team that can beat us Hopefully we’ll be energized against them ” First pitch is set for this Thursday at 3 p m in Ithaca
Hanging in there | The Red overcame several injuries over the weekend and managed to split both of its doubleheaders
DANA DANIELS / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Laxers Top Harvard for Third Win in Last Four
By ADAM MASTERS
Sun Staff Writer
In its 91st meeting with longtime rival Harvard, the Cornell men ’ s lacrosse team used a strong fourth quarter to get the win, 12-9, for the first winning streak of the season
Harvard (5-5, 1-2 Ivy) was first to find the back of the net through Ryan Graff, only to see its advantage erased three minutes later The Red (3-6, 2-2) and the Crimson continued to trade goals, as Harvard took a 3-2 lead at the end of the first stanza
Harvard began to pull away early in the second as it scored three unanswered goals to pull away 5-2 But as soon as it looked as if the Crimson was taking control of the game, the Red fired in three unanswered of its own to enter the half tied
The Red came out flying, scoring two goals in the first five minutes of the second half and giving itself a two goal lead Harvard responded quickly with a goal of their own to cut it to 7-6
Yet the remainder of the quarter was goalless
“The guys responded really well coming out of halftime,” said head coach Matt Kerwick “We came out feeling confident that we could make a little bit of a run for ourselves because we felt like we were out playing them ”
The fourth quarter is what defined this game for the Red After trading goals in the first five minutes of the quarter, the Red went on a scoring frenzy, burying four unanswered goals for a resounding 12-7 lead
“We knew if we just kept doing what we were doing that we could run [Harvard] in the fourth quarter, and that is exactly what they did,” Kerwick said
The Red held off Harvard’s late push thanks to freshman Paul Rasimowicz, who won seven of eight of his faceoffs in the final period That included six straight wins, effectively keeping Harvard on the defensive for the final 10 minutes
The Crimson reduced the deficit to three goals, but the Red ultimately was victorious over its long time conference rival, 12-9 The win marked Kerwick’s first win over Harvard since taking over the head coaching role in 2014
Freshmen Connor Fletcher and Jeff Teat headed up Cornell’s offensive storm against Harvard Fletcher totaled four points on the night, while Teat, who ranks seventh in the country in assists per game (2 38), tallied five of his own
“We are starting to hit our stride right now, ” Kerwick said “That’s why we play the schedule we do, because we want to be playing our best when we hit our Ivy games ”
The Red will look to ride its momentum as it takes on No 2 Syracuse this upcoming Tuesday only a little more than 72 hours after the Harvard match
The turnaround for the team is much shorter than it is accustomed to, but Kerwick believes in his team and is ready for the players to show what it means to be a Cornell
men ’ s lacrosse player
“I can ’ t think of anything better to play against one of the best teams in the country year in and year out, ” he said “As a player, facing off against a top team with little prep time is something you truly have to embrace and enjoy ”
Facing Syracuse away will be one of the toughest matches for the Red this year While the young team is settling into the season, its must reduce all unforced errors if they intend to come out victorious
Play gets underway from the Carrier Dome Tuesday, April 11, at 7 p m
By SMITA NALLURI Sun Staff Writer
Ma i n t a i n i n g i t s p e r f e c t Iv y L e a g u e
r e c o r d , t h e No 8 C o r n e l l w o m e n ’ s lacrosse defeated the Brown Bears, 11-8, on Saturday at Schoellkopf Field Cornell was focused on star ting off
s t r o n g g o i n g i n t o t h e g a m e a n d t h e improvements paid off The Red (9-1, 40 Ivy) star ted the match off with a bang,
scoring two goals within the first two minutes of the game and had a 5-3 lead over the Bears (4-7, 0-4) at the half
“I think we just had to change our m i n d s e t a b o u t t h e b e g i n n i n g o f t h e games and we did that,” said senior tricaptain attacker Catherine Ellis “Energy is a big par t and we really emphasized warming up well with a lot of energy so that would then translate on the the field for the beginning of the game ”
Head coach Jenny Graap ’86 credits t h e w i n t o i n c r e a s e d p o s s e s s i o n a n d sharper play all around “ The improvement in our draw control unit has allowed us to gain more possessions at the star t of the game which has benefitted our offense,” Graap said “I also think our [defense] unit deser ves a lot of credit for their clearing ability Fe wer turnovers in transition has also resulted in more offensive oppor tunities ”
Highlights from the game include four goals from Ellis and two goals each from s e n i o r m i d f i e l d e r A m i e D i c k s o n a n d s o p h o m o r e a t t a c k e r S a r a h P h i l
Sophomore attacker Tomasina Leska and junior tri-captain midfielder Ida Farinholt both found the back of the net once
On the defensive side, senior goalie Re n e e Po u l l o t t m a d e e i g h t s a ve
senior tri-captain defender Catie Smith forced two turnovers and fielded two ground balls
Never content to rest on its laurels, the Red looks to continue finessing its game before taking on the Great Danes of Albany (7-4, 3-1 America East) Tuesday
“A big takeaway from Brown offensively is that we need to shoot better,” Ellis said “ We were five for 20 in the first half which is not ver y good I think as attackers we just need to be more patient and make better decisions ” Graap echoed that her team must keep
improving despite their success
“[ We can] not take our foot off the gas after scoring easily at the outset of the game, ” Graap said “[ We will be] playing a full 60 minutes that includes good team
[ d e f e n s e ] t o n e u t r a l i z e t h e i r s c o r i n g threats and oppor tunistic and high powered offense no matter what kind of defense the Great Danes throw at us ” The match against the Great Danes was originally slated to occur on March 15, but was postponed due to inclement weather The overall series with Albany is tied, 2-2, and the Great Danes will be a challenging opponent as they are ranked in the top 30 in the nation according to the Inside Lacrosse Poll
At about the halfway point in the season, the Red continues to look within itself to continue building on its eightgame winning streak
“ O u r m
halfway through is to continue with our theme of getting better ever yday,” Ellis s
We’re
stretch of our season and this is where you see great teams star t to separate themselves from the rest We’re looking to do that ” Cornell will face Albany on Tuesday at 5 p m at home
Hot streak| Although the Red’s winning streak is just two games, the team has shown considerable signs of improvement since its 0-5 start to the season
MICHAEL WENYE LI / SUN ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR