04 15 14 entire issue lo res

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Cornellians Question S.A. P rocedures in

Tabling

of Resolution

By GABRIELLA LEE Sun Staff Writer

Following the Student Assembly’s decision to table a resolution that urged the University to divest from pro-Israeli companies Thursday, Cornellians said they are still questioning the decision to table the resolution before it was fully presented before the assembly Resolution 72 which was brought to the S A by Students for Justice in Palestine proposed that the University divest from companies that “profit from the Israeli militar y occupation of the Palestinian territories” and was tabled indefinitely by a 15-8-1 vote

According to Vice President of Finance Geoffrey Block ’14, when the resolution was brought for ward by co-sponsor Nicholas Vasko ’14, Block immediately motioned to table the resolution S A President Ulysses Smith ’14 vetoed the motion, but in another motion that

C.U. Establishes Council On Hazing P revention Commons Work to

By ANIKA SETHY Sun Staff Writer

In an effort to expand hazing prevention efforts on campus, the University formed a new Council on Hazing Prevention to prevent and address hazing on campus

Although the prevalence of hazing at Cornell is significantly lower than the national average, hazing still can have a “devastating” effect on students, according to Travis Apgar, associate dean of students for fraternities, sororities and independent living

goal is to prevent and address hazing not only in Greek organizations, but other campus groups such as academic groups, athletic teams and clubs according to the release

“Prevent[ing hazing] is the responsibility of all members of the community ” Ti m M a r c h e l l ’ 8 2

“The work of this council is incredibly important in terms of protecting the health and safety of all students,” Apgar said in a University press release “We want to make sure we ’ re taking good care of our students and providing the best atmosphere for them to succeed ” Tim Marchell ’82, director of mental health initiatives at Gannett Health Services and council co-chair, said concerns related to hazing-related issues were not only limited to the Greek system The council’s

“Its prevention is the responsibility of all members of the campus community,” he said Consisting of students, faculty, staff and alumni, the council will work to change the entire culture of the University to a hazing free environment, the release said The council plans to do so by using an a p p r o a c h focused on education of the community and consistent interventions of hazing incidents

Additionally, the council will use the University’s framework for addressing hazing to “review current Cornell policies,” assess the perceptions and attitudes toward hazing and guide the formation of education initiatives, according to the release

The council aims to promote non-hazing activities that will encourage group bonding

COUNCIL page 4

End in July

$10 million redesign to bring better amenities, aesthetics

By SARAH CUTLER Sun Sen or Writer

Despite facing budgetary problems in February, a redesign of the Ithaca Commons is on track for completion in July after a break in construction over the winter, according to Project Manager

Michael Kuo

The $10 million redesign project which will bring improved amenities and aesthetics to the Commons, along with repaired infrastructure received bids that came in over its budget and required an additional $2 million in funding, which the Common

Council has since granted, according to Kuo

Still, Kuo said the project team has had to cut costs by eliminating certain elements of the new design, including a playground, fountain and two gateway arches at the

computer rendering shows what the redesigned Commons will look like when its rebuilding is complete.

American Psycho S creenwriter, LGBT Actress Lectures About E xperiences

Guinevere Turner an actress, stor y editor and writer known for her work in American Psycho, Chasing Amy and The L Word spoke about her experiences in the entertainment industr y as a lesbian Monday

The main portion of the presentation, which was sponsored by Haven: the LGBTQ Student Union, focused on her experiences in what she calls the “first lesbian show” The L Word in a question-and-answer format

Turner said her involvement with The L Word began after her friend recommended that she tr y to become a writer after she unsuccessfully auditioned twice to play the character Tina

“My friend Rose who worked on the show said you should fill in as a writer,” Turner said “ There is nothing more humiliating than going in and meeting with someone to be a writer, when they didn’t just reject you once but twice ”

However, Turner said she received

the job as the show’s writer only to later be asked to also play the role of Gabby

Turner said the show’s tagline showtime, no limits allows her to “have fun” by including controversial subject matter She added that some claim the show’s lesbian sex scenes are exploitative of women since “straight guys are just watching to see the sex ”

“If there is a straight guy sitting through all of that talking just to see one or two sex scenes, they really don’t know how the Internet works,”

Turner said

Turner described her experience as both a writer and an actress as being difficult and “schizophrenic,” though she added that she is lucky to do both

“As a writer, I’m constantly downplaying the actor side,” Turner said “As an actor, people are telling me to ‘feel free to rewrite the scene if you want ’”

Turner said she completed college intending to write novels and only got

industr y to create films for the lesbian

audience

“I’m only a screenwriter because I wanted to create a lesbian film,” she said “I would rather be in the film because I’m not sure if anyone is as committed as I am ”

Turner added she became involved with creating films after wanting to portray a more accurate version of lesbians

“ We f e l

Turner said “ We needed to make a movie representing regular old lesbians being regular old people ”

Turner said the cast of The L Word is comprised of members from both the LGBT and straight communities and said they share the same expectations and “awkward times” regardless of their sexual orientation

“ Whether or not they were gay, they had to do sex scenes, and some of them didn’t like each other,” she said “Imagine having to do sex scenes with someone you don’t even like ”

Vietnam Memor ial D esigner Maya Lin S peak s of A rt Career

Artist, architect and designer Maya Lin who rose to international prominence for her design

o f t h e Vi e t n a m Ve t e r a n s Memorial spoke about her career and work on display at the Jo h n s o n Mu s e u m o f A r t Thursday

Now focusing on environmental themes, Lin’s recent work

i n c l u d i n g t h e E m p t y Ro o m

i n s t a l l a t i o n f ro m h e r W h a t Is

Mi s s i n g ? p r o j e c t h a s b e e n included in the beyond earth art

e x h i b i t , c u r a t e d b y A n d re a Inselmann and currently on display at the Johnson Museum,

a c c o rd i n g t o C a t h y Klimaszewski, associate director and the Harriett Ames Charitable Trust curator of education at the museum

“Her last memorial What Is Missing? pays tribute to the natural world, biodiversity and all we have lost or are in danger of losing,” Klimaszewski said “ We knew early on that we wanted Maya to speak about this compelling project on campus ” Lin described her work as utilizing both art and science as tools that can change the way one perceives the surrounding landscape “I use science and data to show the natural world,” Lin said “Maybe I’m no different than an eighteenth or nineteenth centur y landscape painter, but we now have different ways of looking at the world around us with science ” Ha v i n g re s e a rc h e d e n v i ro nmental issues for seven years in p re p a r a t i o n f o r t h e W h a t Is Missing? project, Lin said she

aims to raise awareness of the human impact on Earth’s ecosystems, species and habitats “ We have basically diminished the entire planet our reach as a species has been enormous, ” Lin

“I use science and data to show the natural world ” M a y a L i n

said “I always knew that my true love and concern has been the environment since I was a little kid, and I always knew I would e n d t h e m e m o r i a l s w i t h t h i s piece ”

Despite the “critical” nature of environmental threats includ-

ing species extinction, pollution and habitat loss Lin said she describes herself as “optimistic” that patterns of ecological degradation can be reversed “ Na t u re i s a c t u a l l y p re t t y resilient,” Lin explained “ We’ve just beaten it down ”

Lin’s talk was successful in attracting a wide cross-section of Cornell campus and challenging the ways in which attendees “view a n d u s e t h e e n v i r o n m e n t , ” according to Prof Renate Ferro, art “ T h e a u d i t o r i u m w a s absolutely filled with community members, students and faculty from across disciplines,” Ferro said “Lin mesmerized the audience with the modernist beauty of her architecture and monuments for the first part of the lec-

ture, and then made an overtly political turn by engaging the public in educational consciousness in regards to extinction "

Garrett Craig-Lucas ’16 said Lin’s artwork goes “ way beyond a s t a n d a rd p re s e n t a t i o n ” i n i t s capacity to establish an emotional connection to threatened landscapes and animals

“Lin, as an artist and an advocate, is able to link emotion and fact to create a powerful unders t a n d i n g o f e n v i r o n m e n t a l issues,” Craig-Lucas said “Her work and her presentation portrayed environmental issues with a sense of urgency while maintaining a necessar y level of optimism ”

Christopher Yates can be reached at cyates@cornellsun com

Police R eport

n l a w f u l P o s s e s s i o n O f M a r i j u a n a A n i n d i v i d u a l w a s re f e r re d t o t h e Ju d i c i a l Ad m i n i s t r a t o r T h u r s d a y f o r u n l a w f u l p o ss e s s i o n o f m a r i j u a n a i n t h e A - L o t , a c c o rd i n g t o C U P D

B u r g l a r y O n N o r t h C a m p u s A n o f f i c e r w a s d i s p a t c h e d t o t a k e a re p o r t f ro m a s t ud e n t re g a rd i n g a n u n k n ow n i n d i v i d u a l e n t e r i n g t h e i r r o o m i n L ow R i s e 9 a n d g o i n g t h ro u g h t h e i r p e r s o n a l b e l o n g i n g s Fr i d a y, C U P D s a i d G r a n d L a r c e n y A t S t a t l e r H a l l A n o f f i c e r w a s d i s p a t c h e d t o t a k e a re p o r t f ro m

Professor José David Saldívar

Depar tment of Comparative Literature, Directo r, Center for Comparative Studies on Race and Ethnicity (CCSRE), Stanford University

“Junot

Díaz’s Search for Decolonial Aesthetics and Love”

Wednesday, April 16, 2014, 4:30 p.m.

258 English Faculty Lounge

Goldwin Smith Hall

The Public is Invited

Council to Address Univ. Policies

COUNCIL Continued from page 1

“We want to make sure we’re taking good care of our students.”

Tr a v i s A p g a r

such as the d e ve l o p m e n t o f l e a d e r s h i p s k i l l s a n d “d e m o n s t r a t i n g m e m b e r c o m m i t m e n t ” M a r c h e l l s a i d t h a t w i t h t h e f o rm a t i o n o f t h e c o u n c i l , t h e Un i v e r s i t y w i l l t a k e i t s e f f o r t s t o a d d re s s h a z i n g “ t o t h e n e x t l e ve l ” “ We h a ve h a d a l o n g s t a n d i n g c o m m i t m e n t t o t h i s i s s u e , ye t t h e re i s a l o t o f w o rk t o b e d o n e , ” h e s a i d Ap g a r s a i d h e b e l i e ve s t h a t t h e c o u n c i l’s g o

l s a n d w o rk w o u l d b e i n s t r u m e n t a l i n “ p ro t e c t i n g t h e h e a l t h a n d s a f e t y

Anika Sethy can be reached at asethy@cornellsun com

Suspected Islamic Militants Strike Nigerian Bus Station With Bomb

str uck in the hear t of Nigeria on Monday with a massive r ushhour bomb blast at a bus station that killed at least 72 people and wounded 164 in the deadliest attack ever on the nation’s capital

Su r v i v o r s s c r e a m e d i n anguish and the stench of burning fuel and flesh hung over the a

l a c k smoke rose as firefighters worked t

l i c e g a t h e r e d body par ts as ambulances r ushed the wounded to hospitals

V i s i t i n g t h e b l a s t s c e n e , Pr e s i d e n t G o o d l u c k Jo n

t h a n blamed Boko Haram, the homegrown terrorist network that has t a r g e t e d s c h o o l s , c h u r c h e s , m o s q u e s , v i l l a g e s a n d g ove r nment facilities, killing thousands in its five-year campaign to make Nigeria an Islamic state Authorities said at least 72 p e o p l e w e r e k i l l e d a n d 1 6 4 wounded, though the death toll was sure to climb because it did not include victims whose bodi e s w e r e d i s m e m b e r e d , t h e health ministr y said It was the deadliest attack yet in Abuja, the centrally located capital that is hundreds of miles from Boko Haram’s stronghold in Nigeria’s nor theast

“I can ’ t count the number of p e o p l e t h a t d i e d T h e y t o o k them in open vehicles People were r unning and there was confusion,” said civil ser vant Ben Nwachukwu

A c o u n t e r - t e r r o r i s m e x p e r t said the bomb appeared to have been buried underground, while t h e e m e r g e n c y m a n a g e m e n t agency said the explosives were apparently hidden in a vehicle

B u s d r i v e r Tu n j i A d e n i r a n said he was about to leave the bus terminal when the explosion str uck “ The bomb shattered my vehicle,” he said “One vehicle was in front of me As he star ted his car, I heard a loud noise I t h o u g h t i t w a s h i s c a r t h a t exploded ” Ad e n i r a n s a i d h i s b ro t h e r, bank worker Mohammed Ochai, was fatally injured in the blast and died on the way to the hospital

The explosion, which str uck at 6:45 a m in the poor satellite neighborhood of Nyanya, left a 4-foot-deep crater and destroyed 16 luxur y buses and 24 minibuses and cars, police spokesman Frank Mba said

Security personnel battled to cordon off the area as a bomb detonation team combed it for secondar y explosives amid fier y blasts from exploding car tanks ignited by the blaze Thousands of bystanders gathered, ignoring warnings to stay away

While Jonathan blamed Boko Haram, there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, though bus stations are a favored Boko Haram target In March 2013, the extremists drove a car bomb into the m a i n b u s s t a t i o n i n K a n o , Ni g e r i a ’ s s e c o n d - b i g g e s t c i t y,

killing at least 25 people

To u r i n g t h e b l a s t s i t e Mo n d a y, Jo n a

downplay the terrorist network’s reach, saying, “the issue of Boko Haram is temporar y Surely, we will get over it ”

In Wa s h i n

, U S St a t e De par tment s poke swoman Je n Psaki said the Obama administration was “outraged by these senseless acts of violence against innocent civilians ” “ We encourage the government of Nigeria to conduct a full

i d

n

i f y a n d bring justice to the perpetrators of these attacks We continue to stand with the Nigerian government and people as they grapple with violent extremism ” I n t e r p o l s e c r e t a r y g e n e r a

deploy a special response team to h

w h a t h e deplored as “this mass murder ” Boko Haram’s campaign to make Nigeria an Islamic state poses the greatest threat to its c

a n d imperils nearby countries where its fighters have gone to train Fighters from Chad, Cameroon a n

whose 170 million people are divided almost equally between Muslims living mainly in the

south

While the capital of Africa’s m o s t p o p u l o u s c o u n t r y h a d remained relatively peaceful even as Boko Haram attacks in nor the a s t Ni g e r i a

there have been notable excep-

bombing of the local U N headquar ters that killed 21 people and wounded 60

In Ma y

declared a state of emergency and deployed thousands of troops to the northeast after the extremists took control of entire towns and villages Security forces quickly f o r c e d t h

urban areas but have been battling to dislodge them from hideouts, despite near-daily air bombardments and ground assaults this year on forests and mountain

Cameroon

The militar y has claimed it has the upper hand in the war against the Islamic militants, but governors in the nor theast con-

armed and motivated

Commons Construction Is ‘ on Track’

e n t r a n c e s t o t h e C o m m o n s

C o n s t r u c t i o n re s u m e d i n t h e t h i rd we e k o f Ma rc h w i t h t h e s e c o n d o f t h re e p a r t s o f t h e c o n -

s t r u c t i o n p ro c e s s , w h i c h w i l l i n c l u d e l a y i n g d ow n

c o n c re t e b a s e s l a b s a n d b e g i n n i n g t o p l a c e b r i c k s Ku o s a i d h e o r i g i n a l l y h a d h o p e d t o m ov e

a h e a d w i t h t h e p r o j e c t e a r l i e r i n t h e s p r i n g , b u t

e xc e p t i o n a l l y c o l d w e a t h e r m a d e t h a t i m p o s s i -

b l e “ W h e n yo u ’ re d o i n g w o rk i n vo l v i n g f i l l i n g a n d

d i g g i n g h o l e s , i c e i s yo u r e n e m y, ” Ku o s a i d

Du e t o t h e s c o p e o f t h e p ro j e c t , w h i c h b e g a n

l a s t Ap r i l , t h e re d e s i g n i s t a k i n g p l a c e ove r t h e

s p a n o f t w o c o n s t r u c t i o n ye a r s ,

Cornellians Split O ver S .A. Decision

assembly would choose to censor data rather than “ promote it ”

passed, the assembly overturned Smith’s veto 14-10 and then subsequently tabled the resolution indefinitely

After the vote passed, the floor opened for discussion, but many dissenting parties left before they could speak, The Sun reported

Many students said they were angered that the resolution was tabled before any discussion was able to take place

Christopher Habib ’15, a member of SJP, said the decision was a continuation of “completely silencing and marginalizing” those who speak out against Israeli policies, “especially” Palestinian voices

“I thought it did a lot to delegitimize the S A as a representative body of students at Cornell, and that there definitely should have been a discussion before they motioned to table,” he said Daniel Sinykin grad, a member of the Ithaca organization Jewish Voices for Peace, said he believed there was widespread “surprise” and “disappointment” from different sectors of both the Ithaca and Cornell communities that the

Sinykin also said he believed this decision would start “ a dangerous precedent” that would discourage other students from bring controversial topics to the S A

“The S A has the power to choose when it thinks a topic is worthy of their attention, when a topic is of genuine student concern, and when it it not, ” he said

In an email, Smith said he believed the S A had “erred” in choosing to table the resolution without debate

“My job as the chair and as President is not to take sides or a stance or any particular matter, despite what many may think,” Smith said “Our processes dictate that we provide the arena and the opportunity for students to have their concerns heard and addressed If students say it is an issue, we are obligated to hear it ”

However, Block who initially motioned to table the resolution defended the S A ’ s decision

“We’re not saying we ’ re going to ignore all discussion on this,”

Block said “It’s just that inherently, we ’ re not here as a political body to vote and speak on behalf

of the students on these types of international issues

”

Block said he believed that no constr uctive discussion would have occurred if the resolution had been presented

“I think the SJP recognizes that Cornell will never divest from Israel divestment is just not something that is going to actually occur, ” he said “And so at that point, we ’ re simply having a political debate on whether or not divestment from Israeli companies is actually good ”

While Block said that he did not believe it was appropriate for the S A to have a political stance on international issues, Habib and Sinykin argue that by investing in and profiting from pro-Israeli companies, the University has already taken a stance on the issue and politically implicated students

Moving forward, Habib said that SJP is still deciding how best to respond to the S A decision, but that the resolution was a project to which they are still “ completely dedicated ”

Gabriella Lee can be reached at glee@cornellsun com

CATHERINE CHEN ’15

Business Manager

CAROLINE FLAX 15 Associate Editor

SCOTT CHIUSANO 15 Sports Editor

ALEX REHBERG 16 Multimedia Editor

KELLY YANG ’15

Photography Editor

NOAH RANKIN ’16

Editor

ANUSHKA MEHROTRA 16

SEAN DOOLITTLE 16 Arts & Entertainment Editor

KAY XIAO 16

Dining Editor

SYDNEY ALTSCHULER 16

Assistant Sports Editor

ANNA FASMAN ’16

Assistant Sports Editor

MANU RATHORE ’15

Outreach Coordinator

ZACH STEELE 15 Online Advertising Manager

Independent Since 1880

132ND EDITORIAL BOARD

HALEY VELASCO 15 Editor in Chief TYLER ALICEA ’16 Managing Editor NICK DE TULLIO 15 Web Editor

RACHEL ELLICOTT 15

ELIZABETH SOWERS 15

CONNOR ARCHARD ’15

BUI ’16

KAITLYN TIFFANY 15

KATHLEEN BITTER 15

CHARDAE VARLACK 15

BERMAN 16

NICOLE HAMILTON ’16

EMMA LICHTENSTEIN ’16

SHIM 15

LUISE YANG 15 Human Resources Manager

WORKING ON TODAY ’ S SUN

PHOTO NIGHT DESKERS

Ryan Landvater ’14

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ARTS DESKER Sam Bromer 16

NEWS DESKERS

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ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Emily Berman 16

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Hannah Kim 14

Madeline Salinas ’16

A partnership for peace

To the Editor:

D ebunking the Case Against Resolution 72

Resolution 72 was tabled at the Student Assembly on Thursday yet another example of the ongoing marginalization of Palestinian voices and of any opposition to Israeli policies on Cornell’s campus By tabling the resolution without giving students the opportunity to present and defend it, the S A made it clear that there is no democratic outlet for students to express their opposition to Cornell’s policy of supporting the Israeli occupation As one of R 72’s community sponsors, I will address some of the fear-mongering and incendiary claims being leveled against it

One accusation was that of William Jacobson of the Legal Insurrection blog suggesting that SJP strategically planned the resolution to coincide with Passover as a personal attack against Jewish students He ignores the reality that Jewish Americans and Israelis were among the writers of the resolution and its advocates at the S A on Thursday The most ironic part of his accusation, however, is that it posits that the Jewish people are a monolithic entity who share just one opinion on the Israeli occupation, which is certainly not the case on Cornell’s campus, in Israel, or anywhere else

Israeli security is a baseless one Increasing evidence that Israel has no intention of changing course is what has historically pushed some bereft and desperate Palestinians to take up armed resistance Increasingly, however, BDS is presenting itself as an alternative means for Palestinians and their supporters around the world to nonviolently encourage Israel to abide by international law A similar divestment movement played a crucial role in bringing about the end of apartheid in South Africa when the government of that countr y refused to listen to the rest of the world This is exactly why we should respond to the 2005 Palestinian Civil Society Call for BDS which explicitly asks the international community to boycott, divest and sanction institutions of the Israeli state until it 1) ends the occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, 2) grants the refugees’ right of return as stipulated in U N Resolution 194, and 3) recognizes the fundamental right of Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality

Re: “Student Assembly Tables Resolution to Divest from Pro-Israeli Companies,” News, April 11

On Thursday, the Student Assembly voted to table indefinitely Resolution 72, which called on Cornell University to divest from companies that allegedly profit from Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip Following this decision, members of Students for Justice in Palestine, the group that brought the resolution before the S A , stormed out of the Memorial Room, cursing and offering strong disapproval

Members of Cornell Hillel, the center for Jewish life on campus; J Street U Cornell, a pro-Israel, pro-peace group; as well as the Cornell Israel Public Affairs Committee all stood in solidarity opposing Resolution 72 We did not oppose this resolution because we believed it to be anti-Semitic, racist, or beyond the pale of acceptable speech We did so because the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement whose language was mirrored in Resolution 72 circumvents U S diplomatic efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a negotiated two-state solution, and too often delegitimizes the Jewish state

At a time when Secretary of State John Kerry is calling for the creation of a “ great constituency for peace, ” we as Americans Jews and non-Jews alike need to take a stand in support of two states living side-by-side in peace and security While we do not question the motives behind Resolution 72, we do know that its effect dividing communities across campus, shutting down productive dialogue did not bring us closer to peace

We, as the leaders of Cornell Hillel, CIPAC and J Street U Cornell are deeply committed to securing Israel’s future, and our partnership can be seen across the country Over the past two months, Hillel has provided financial support for students to attend both the J Street U national town hall in Baltimore, as well as the AIPAC conference in Washington Students heard from a broad array of speakers, from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to Rabbi Rick Jacobs, to Secretary Kerry, all highlighting the importance of a two-state solution

This commitment to two states can be seen on Cornell’s campus, as well A few months ago, Cornell Hillel sponsored a screening of the PBS documentary “Shattered Dreams of Peace,” which highlights the collapse of the peace process following the Oslo Accords Similarly, J Street U Cornell has run discussion programs based on the film series Is Peace Possible?” which explores the core parameters of a negotiated peace agreement: border disputes, refugee concerns, security arrangements, and control of Jerusalem

In the years ahead, the leadership of J Street U Cornell, CIPAC and Cornell Hillel will stand firmly together as we fight divisive speech on the Cornell campus and work to further our message of peace We will stand up for Israel and the Jewish community just as we tackle the most challenging questions facing the Jewish world today In doing so, we hope to bring together students from all walks of life, because we believe strongly that a peaceful campus is the natural predecessor of a peaceful world

Jess Coleman ’16, co-chair, J Street U Cornell

Katherine Muller ’16, co-chair, J Street U Cornell Alicia Glick ’17, Israel awareness chair, Cornell Hillel

Rachel Minton ’15, executive vice president, Cornell Hillel Rachel Medin ’14, co-president, Cornell Israel Public Affairs Committee

Claire Blumenthal ’14, co-president, Cornell Israel Public Affairs Committee Letter

The “Jewish people” are not necessarily responsible for the policies of the state of Israel nor are most Israeli citizens However, organizations like CIPAC and Hillel shamelessly perpetuate and defend those policies, while also rejecting the voices of Jews who are against the Occupation

Opponents of the resolution emphasize its ties to the growing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement They claim that BDS is racist, inflammatory and divisive that it will alienate Israelis and drive them further from peace They fail to consider how inflammatory and divisive 47 years of occupation, land grabs and settlement expansion have been for Palestinians living under these conditions By continuing to expand settlements and dispossess Palestinians, Israel demonstrates that it has no intention of ending the occupation or reaching an agreement that recognizes the humanity of Palestinians and their right to live in peace and security within their own country a right which they share with their Israeli counterparts, but which is being denied to both parties (to unequal degrees) by the policies of the Israeli state

As American citizens, many of us lack awareness of what it means to live under a racialized military occupation Palestinians have restricted freedom of movement as a result of the checkpoint and road system which maintains the contiguity of the Israeli settlements in the West Bank with Israel proper Palestinians are prevented from building infrastructure and expanding their own communities, and are routinely subjected to home demolitions, the uprooting of olive trees, the confiscation of land by armed and militant Israeli settlers, in addition to humiliation and brutalization by 18-yearold Israeli soldiers who think they’re defending their country

The idea that the occupation enhances

Another charge is that the resolution is not relevant to the S A because it asks Cornell to take a political stance on a divisive issue The truth is that Cornell has already been taking a political stance for the last 47 years by investing in corporations that are perpetuating the occupation IngersollRand, for example, “ creates and produces the technology used at Israeli checkpoints across the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” as stated in Resolution 72 As students at Cornell, we are complicit in our university’s investment in the Israeli occupation The resolution simply asks Cornell to end that complicity by divesting from these companies

Some opponents of Resolution 72 have also argued that we should encourage investment in Palestinian companies instead of divestment from companies that profit from Israeli occupation While I certainly appreciate the good intentions behind these suggestions, the problem is that 47 years of destructive military occupation fraught with land confiscations, home demolitions, the burning of farms, the destruction of roads, and the exploitation of natural resources have ensured that there is no viable economic infrastructure in Palestine to invest in Regardless of whether or not one agrees with the points I’ve made here, students have the right to raise these concerns before their Student Assembly By denying us the right to challenge the university’s already political stance on the occupation, the S A has delegitimized itself as a representative body of students at Cornell I am not demanding that the S A vote yes on the resolution; I am demanding that it give us an opportunity to discuss it openly and freely in a democratic setting

Christopher (Abu Yusif ) Habib Daniel is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences He can be reached at chd46@cornell edu Guest Room appears periodically this semester

CORRECTION

An April 14 Opinion column, “CASTLE | Why I Walked Out,” incorrectly said that the Cornell Israel Public Affairs Committee is a branch of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee In fact, CIPAC is not affiliated with the AIPAC

CLARIFICATION

An April 14 Opinion column, “CASTLE | Why I Walked Out,” stated that Resolution 72 enumerates six companies In addition to these six companies, the resolution also states that the resolved divestment should include any companies that “profit directly from Israeli military occupation in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip ” Had the resolution been passed by the Student Assembly and accepted by the administration, any additional companies would be determined by Cornell’s investment professionals through the development of a negative screen to reflect their interpretation of the resolution

Darrick Nighthawk Evensen | Trustee Viewpoint

The Big Issues

After four years of ser ving as your student-elected trustee, it’s time for me to step down This is my last Daily Sun column; at the end of this month, the entire student body of the Ithaca campus will elect one of two ver y able young women to replace me on Cornell’s highest governing body This article is to the entire university community, but is targeted particularly at my two potential successors I end my term by highlighting the major issues that will face Cornell over the next two years over the term of the next student trustee

First, and far above all else, the next student trustee will be one of the 19 people tasked with selecting the thirteenth president of Cornell University What an honor and what a responsibility! Talk about getting thrown in on the deep end Before my successor officially takes office, she will attend several meetings to prepare for this major national and international search She has her work cut out for her I must warn the entire campus in advance, you will not find a president as qualified, dedicated, caring or humorous as President Skorton It just won ’ t happen Unless, of course, Provost Fuchs decides to apply for the position Then, you just might find such a candidate Not better, but as good

In the midst of replacing perhaps Cornell’s best president ever, my successor will also be readying the campus to celebrate 150 years of Cornell educating the world’s best minds Why did I need to retire now? The partying next year will be outrageous! As part of the Sesquicentennial, we are concluding the massively successful capital campaign that the trustees have overseen The outreach to alumni will be as never seen before My successor will be the face of graduate and professional students in many high-profile events that not only recognize Cornell’s past but also gaze for ward into our distant future

While the Sesquicentennial will be a joyous time, the work of a Cornell trustee is far from a continuous party We are in the midst of making transformative decisions about online learning that could have a massive effect on the way education occurs at Cornell and even on the definition of a “ campus, ” in the decades to come We are

A good student trustee is like a goo sociologist. You need to be able to perceive how social structures ope ate and to identify factors affecti beliefs and understanding within th student community at Cornell

considering the structure of departments, programs and colleges throughout the entire University Will some units grow? Will others shrink? Will some programs and departments combine to realize greater synergies? I will not answer any of these questions, but my successor will likely have to

And what about the new Cornell Tech campus in NYC? I cherish being a member of the Board of Trustees that approved our bid in the contest that created this Cornell treasure But I have only seen the most incipient stages of this quickly-growing game changer Cornell Tech is a campus for graduate and professional students My successor will be the direct representative at the highest level for all the students on this campus How will she ensure these students are included as members of the Cornell community? How will she create opportunities for Ithaca students to benefit from the new opportunities that this innovative campus on Roosevelt Island affords?

Cornell will continue to discuss divestment from fossil fuels I have had my say on this issue; we now need a fresh graduate/professional student perspective We need someone who can listen diligently to all student views and then act in the best interest of the entire University The conversation on this topic is far from over Divestment could be a huge symbolic message that labels Cornell as a forerunner in the sustainability movement, but it is not clear this is the best way to pursue our sustainability goals What is clear is that if Cornell does not divest, it needs to needs to take some other major action to communicate nationally our commitment to sustainability

To my successor: Identifying what that action is may be your job

In the last few months, several issues related to graduate student compensation and benefits have arisen I have even heard the whispers, here and there, of interest in graduate students organizing with the intent of pursuing collective bargaining rights While I will not request that my successor take an activist role on these issues, she will need to work assiduously to understand how a broad range of students feel about these topics and then communicate that information to the Board of Trustees

A good student trustee is like a good sociologist You need to be able to perceive how social structures operate, to understand individual and collective perceptions and to identify factors affecting beliefs and understanding within the student community at Cornell You need to summarize this data well and convey it to the other trustees

To my potential successors, Annie and Ann, this is a busy and exciting time for Cornell One of you is about to take on massive responsibility I know you will do well

Comm en t of the day

“It is widely acknowledged that settlements need to end and that the occupation needs to end before there can be peace. The question is how to do that. ... The resolution would have been an opportunity for Cornell ... to discuss this dynamic and these questions, which need not be taboo ” a student

IRe: “Student Assembly Tables Resolution to Divest from Pro-Israeli Companies,” News published April 11, 2014

Jacob Glick | Glickin’ It

Why the Student A ssembly Was Right to Table Resolution 72

f there is any issue

ov e r - d i s c u s s e d a t

C o r n e l l , i t i s t h e ongoing crisis between Israel and Palestine Last

T h u r s d a y, t h i s o f t e n -

t i m e s - h e a t e d c a m p u s conversation reached a climax as hundreds of

p e o p l e w a t c h e d t h e Student Assembly vote

t o i n d e f i n i t e l y t a b l e Re s o l u t i o n 7 2 , w h i c h called for the University, c u r re n t l y “ a c o m p l i c i t

t h i rd p a r t y i n h u m a n rights abuses and viola-

t i o n s o f i n t e r n a t i o n a l law, to divest from certain companies profiting

f r o m t h e a f o re m e ntioned offenses as they relate to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank

a n d G a z a St r i p T h e result, as you have surely heard, was pandemoniu m A m i d e x p l e t i v efilled accusations of stifled free speech, supporters of the Resolution 72

s t o r m e d o u t o f t h e Me m o r i a l Ro o m a n d disengaged physically and metaphorically

f r o m a d i s c u s s i o n i n which they ought to be involved

I u n d e r s t a n d t h e i r frustration I also understand the op-ed written

y e s t e rd a y b y m y e

4

But I fundamentally disagree with her arguments, just as I disagree in part with yesterday’s

Su n e d i t o r i a l , w h i c h

c h a s t i s e d t h e S A f o r contradicting its “democ r a t i c p u r p o s e ” T h e re should have been more leeway for interested parties (myself included) to speak on Resolution 72, but the ultimate action taken by the S A that is, tabling the resolution was a courageous and f a r - s i g h t e d e xe r c i s e o f the Assembly’s ability to shape student discourse

T h i s i s i n n o w a y “ u n p re c e d e n t e d ; ” e v e n the U S Senate has procedural checks to distin-

g u i s h b e t w e e n d e m agoguer y and governance For an Assembly whose

power is far more symbolic than executive, this voluntar y restriction of d e b a t e i s e v e n m o re important And yet, the S A has been granted imaginar y policymaking clout by both Castle’s column and the Sun’s editorial The approval of Resolution 72 would have made little impact o n Un i v e r s i t y p o l i c y Students for Justice in Palestine, the organization that sponsored the resolution, surely knew t h a t f o rc e s w i t h i n t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n w o u l d never have truly divested from companies benefitting from Israel’s presence in the West Bank The power of the resolution was thus symbolic; it was meant to insert

Both supporters and oppo Resolution 72 agree that i important implications lay its legislative dictates, but ability to plunge Cornell in an ideological wasteland.

i n t o o u r c a m p u s d i alogue an Assembly-sanctioned premise that support of Israel is contrar y to Cornell’s “legacy of advocating for justice ” W h e n C a s t l e m a k e s t e c h n i c a l a r g u m e n t s a b o u t t h e re s o l u t i o n ’ s relatively narrow scope, she fails to admit that t h e s i g n i f i c a n c e o f Resolution 72 was not its specifics, but its spirit T h e w o r l d v i e w endorsed by Resolution 7 2 ( a n d re s o u n d i n g l y rejected by the S A ) presented a heinous, false choice for Cornellians; w h e t h e r i t s u p p o r t e d divesting from six companies or six thousand, the resolution pitted the prized progressivism of o u r Un i v e r s i t y a g a i n s t the actions of Israel As a Cornellian who is deeply committed to long-term e n g a g e m e n t Is r a e l b u t who also believes that Israel must end its occu-

pation the West Bank in order to secure its future as a democratic, Jewish state, I find this polarity d e e p l y o f f e n s i v e I understand that the text of the resolution made no direct reference to the broader Israeli boycott m ov e m e n t ( c o m m o n l y referred to as BDS), but it would have lent credibility to those who seek to more wholly disengage from the University a n d t h e We s t e r n world’s relationship w i t h Is r a e l To m a k e p r o g re s s t ow a rd s t h i s d i g n i f i e d , t w o - s t a t e f u t u re , t h e p r o - p e a c e community needs dialogue It needs discussion rather than discord, civility rather than animosity, and understand-

ing rather than namec a l l i n g It n e e d s d i alogue It is clear to me that those who stormed out of the Memorial Room are not ready for serious dialogue Instead of taking the rejection of their resolution as a signal to c h a n g e c o u r s e t o attempt to understand that not ever yone who s u p p o r t s Is r a e l a n d C o r n e l l s c o n n e c t i o n with Israel is not a serflike ideologue held in t h r a l l t o B e n j a m i n Netanyahu and Sheldon Adelson the rhetoric from its supporters has only intensified When t h e e n t i re p r o - Is r a e l community is smeared as enablers of “settler colonialism” (Castle’s words, not mine), it is difficult to imagine any conciliat o r y ov e r t u re s o n t h e h o r i zo n A s re s o l u t i o n s u p p o r t e r s l a u n c h e

undermined their legitim a c y a s p a r t n e r s f o

peace, and ensured that, o n t h a

a f t e

noon, no one truly won The S A has a duty not simply to give voice to students, but to guard against vitriol and rancor that seeks to penetrate campus discourse Both

nents of Resolution 72

lay not in its legislative dictates, but in its ability to plunge Cornell into an ideological wasteland where one is either proboycott or pro-occupat i o n A s I w r o t

w o months ago, this would force students to choose sides rather than choose peace The S A chose not to accede to the con-

72, and instead sent

that this was not an issue it deemed productive to campus discourse To achieve peace and true justice in Palestine, Cornell must engage in

vigorous debates needed

stunts in front of the student assemblies prove to

push for peace, but that we have given up on finding consensus on one of the thorniest geopolitical issues of the modern era I applaud the S A for saying that Cornellians, perhaps, are still serious about peace I only hope we can prove them correct

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Par tial Recall

A n i n t e r v i e w w i t h Pa u l Ve r h o e ve n

BY ZACH ZAHOS AND MARK DISTEFANO Sun Senior Writers

This weekend, internationally famed director Paul Verhoeven, responsible for cult classics of the 80s and 90s such as Basic Instinct, RoboCop and Starship Troopers, visited Cornell Cinema to present his film Total Recall Sun staff writers Mark DiStefano and Zachary Zahos sat down with Verhoeven for a conversation about his making the transition from his native Holland to mainstream Hollywood movies his opinions on the perceptions of his film and the strong choices he’s made with his filmmaking style

THE SUN: So first off, what was the crossover like from working in Holland to working in Hollywood, and did you always aspire to make that transition?

PAUL VERHOEVEN: No Basically, there were other people in Holland that always wanted [that] when they were younger My friend, film director Jan de Bont for example And I never had that feeling really, it was more that the situation in Holland in the ’80s these films in Holland cannot be made like in France or Germany Most investments in European movies cannot be made without help from the government, and these subsidies are, especially in France very high

You needed money from the government to make your movies, but then they have these committees that read your treatment or script, and tell you if it’s good enough for them And that was a time in Holland where we had a very left-wing government, and they accused me that my movies were too popular and were too commercial, and too many people flock to them, but [in] real art of course it would be impossible to have success That was the general tone at that time

were perhaps not so heroic as you might think SUN: Aside from heroes, do you also consider it important that your villains be very detestable, and how do you get the audience to respond in a very negative way towards them?

P V : To a large degree, that has to do with the fact that I found that American film culture [leaned] a little bit in that direction There is not so much sympathy for people that are not that sympathetic I mean, if you look at the Dutch movies, for example in Black Book There is much more gray, nobody is really good And the main mean guy in Black Book, plays piano very well and can whistle and sing So I thought, this is the ultra Nazi and is mean and tortures, but at the same time he is very charming, and he’s funny, and he’s very musical So I felt that I could do that there Here, it’s much more difficult So I would say normally, if I would have total freedom, I would make these characters all a bit more gray And not so that the bad guys are really bad and the good guys are really good, but the bad guys would have something good, and the good guys would have something, not so good

P V : I think most people have a great time with Robocop! SUN: But I mean most action movies today, and before your time and of your time (though not yours), they don’t have that subtext to them

P V : And that’s worse I’m a Dutch realist, of course, I don’t know if you know Dutch painters The Golden Age of Dutch painting is the 17th century, and if you compare it with Italian, French or even English painting of the same time, you see that the Dutch really, really go for reality All the time That is sexually, with peeing and pooping and violence It is very detailed I think I grew up that way That is really true! If somebody falls, it’s not just “bang” and he’s dead I always thought it was so bad to die, and it’s part of my, let’s say, criticism of this universe, that it is so extremely violent

To a large degree, it is me roaring against the creation That is what happens to us ultimately, the body is like [makes sweeping gesture] I feel that this universe shouldn’t have been created or if you want to follow modern thinking as it comes out of nowhere, I think you would wish it to be different

It got nearly impossible; only by begging or humiliating yourself, [could you] get the 40, 50, 60 percent of government investment needed to finance your movies And so, it got so difficult that, as there were continuously offers from the United States anyhow, mostly based on the movie that I made there which was called Soldier of Orange Even Spielberg called me at a certain moment, I think not realizing that it was nine hours’ [time] difference [laughs] and said, I saw your movie Soldier of Orange and you should come immediately over here because your country is too small and you should work for the American market

SUN: You have a preoccupation in your movies with talking about the government, and it’s often a critique about militarism, or it’s about a police state

P V : It’s mostly my American movies

SUN: Yes Why the American movies?

P V : Basically that was offered to me Because all the Dutch movies I did were choices of me and my scriptwriter And so we did things that we found And here in the United States it was always given to me All the things that you see had been given to me by producers when the script was already there, and in the case of Total Recall, Arnold was there already too

SUN: Were you attracted to those scripts though, because they offered that sort of critique?

P.V.: Yeah, I thought that was interesting because it was what you would call more political, or social It had to do with also, my feeling that if I would do something that would be really American culturally, I wouldn’t know anything about that

At the same time, it gave me the opportunity to look in a critical way at the United States Mostly with my friend [screenwriter] Ed Neumeier we had the same kind of critical look Mostly, this criticism is never [saying], “Now we are going to criticize the United States ” It’s always done in a kind of relaxed atmosphere, it’s kind of playful, it’s not hammering it in

Even in Starship Troopers, probably the most political [of my films], it was more my resistance to the original novel, which is kind of military, militaristic or fascistic if you want We were struggling with this fascist idiom and deciding at a certain moment that we should take it in an ironic way We’d say, “Yes, these are the heroes, but by the way they might also be fascists ” [laughs] So that was of course also the criticism of the movie when it came out, that it was not ironic at all it was fascist It was by purpose that we basically copied images of Leni Riefenstahl So it was nice to play with that idea, so that you would give the audience some clue that your heroes

“I feel that this universe shouldn’t have been created you would wish it to be different.”

P a u l Ve r h o e v e n

SUN: There is one moment in Total Recall that I would like to look at It’s when Quaid is on the escalator and that guy gets shot and he uses his body as a human shield I saw that when I was younger and that was jarring and violent to me

P V : It was much more violent when I cut it I had to cut it down because the MPAA said it was too violent It went on much longer, there were fountains of blood [Laughs] So what you saw was a nice version of that, but still violent

SUN: What’s the deal behind it, though? It’s so much, and it’s just this civilian, some dude who didn’t do anything

P.V.: It is basically showing man ’ s nature “He’s dead; why should I die?” If he’s dead, he’s just a piece of meat, isn’t he? So, basically, you don’t do anything wrong anymore You just mutilate the body That’s the argument: If you mutilate the body, you ’ re being dead yourself But that’s his character You also root, to a certain degree, for Arnold when he is Terminator, even in the first one But I would say the violence was certainly mean, true

SUN: That guy was anonymous in Total Recall, but in Starship Troopers you do similar things to the main characters, except we sympathize with them, maybe because they are really good-looking But they get their arms chopped off or an alien spear through their chest

P V : Yeah, that was the idea, to make them all looking good and energetic and wanting to die Well, not wanting to die, of course, but basically I thought that use had to be destroyed It shows what it’s about, doesn’t it? It’s very violent

SUN: At the end of the escalator scene, when [Richter] steps on the body, that got a laugh out of me I found that unexpectedly funny

P.V.: It was the same thinking It was the reduction of a human being to meat When the soul or whatever it is that makes us alive is taken out It’s true, of course

SUN: It was funny And in Robocop, when the robot riddles the executive with gunfire, that is strangely funny

P V : I’m trying to get the audience to participate in bad things Yeah It’s my suspicion that humankind is not so great And I basically think the audience might realize later what they have enjoyed

SUN: What if someone leaves the movie and just says, “That was a great time ”

SUN: I think a good way to get the audience to think about that is to get them to laugh at something really deplorable

P V : Yeah, sure, but it also might be kind of mean-thinking of me Growing up in the German occupation and being forced to pass the dead bodies of resistance fighters Germans shot on the streets they forced the public to pass [these corpses] To grow up with that, with your windows blocked and you flying under the table because there is a bomb in the next house, that makes you a different kind of child And sometimes I think of the people in Syria or Palestine or Israel or wherever it is, where children are growing up with all that If you don’t become an artist, how do you deal with that? Because it is so confronting to see your family and friends torn to pieces It’s not for nothing that a lot of American soldiers returning from overseas are traumatized It’s one thing to prepare for it and quite another to sit there and see your best friend’s head blown off The discussion is more complicated than saying, “You show too much violence,” which is perhaps true, too, but also: Are we not protesting against violence?

SUN: Did you see the recent remakes of your movies?

P V : I didn’t see Robocop yet; I saw Total Recall, yeah

SUN: What did you think of those?

P V : I cannot speak for both but I don’t think these projects really work if you make them completely serious

SUN: Exactly

P V : If you don’t wink Because they are silly stories I mean they are nonsense, though Robocop is less nonsense, but still If you take that very seriously like, Iron Man worked so well because Robert Downey Jr plays it with a wink You don’t have to take that so seriously But they took [the new Total Recall and Robocop] very seriously The new Robocop is an Iraq War amputee with a family and child and that adds a lot of, what you call, melodrama To put that into that formula, to give it that sense of reality, is destroying itself It’s like a bomb You put something serious there and then the whole building explodes, because it’s built to be taken not seriously

SUN: And the room for metaphor is gone

P V : It’s gone! Totally Irony gone, metaphor gone, and the smiles are gone

And now they’re going to do Starship Troopers They bought the rights to Starship Troopers, and they’re going to do that And again, I read in an interview with the producer, they were going to be really [faithful] to the book And I said, “Okay, that’s fine ” [laughs] Let’s see what you get there

SUN: Well the irony worked I think that element is probably the best thing about RoboCop or Starship Troopers

P.V.: Yeah But we fell nearly into a trap because [at the time], we were accused of basically that we were promoting fascism [in Starship Troopers]; instead of making fun of it But I think it’s better understood now It has a second life That’s nice

SUN: It’s aged well I think the satire is part of the reason they embrace your films in America

P V : Yeah [The reception] it’s better now than it was 10 years ago

Zach Zahos is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences He can be reached at zzahos@cornellsun com Mark Distefano is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences He can be reached at mdistefano@cornelsun com

Hail to the King, Baby: Game of Thrones’ Fourth Season Is Killing It

BY SEAN DOOLITTLE Sun Arts and Entertainment Editor

Obviously, spoilers through the first two episodes of Season Four below Don’t say I didn’t warn you So, that happened Folks, the reign of Joffrey Baratheon, First of His Name, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm has come to a longawaited end Going into the fourth season, Game of Thrones seems to have reached the critical mass of hype and popularity The season premiere on April 6 drew more than 6 6 million viewers, HBO’s largest audience since The Sopranos decided to call it quits by re-popularizing Journey for a new generation (Thanks, I guess) That number does not even include the vast number of viewers that flocked to the premium cable network’s online streaming website, HBO GO, appropriating their second cousin, twice removed’s account to make the journey to Westeros In fact, and as I’m sure many of you are only too well aware, the HBO GO site crashed that night, preventing overeager viewers (Read: Me) from enjoying the show before the Twittersphere consumed itself in fanboy spoilerdom HBO seems to have gotten its act together for the second episode, thankfully, as the show will only increase in popularity and viewership as the season progresses

The first episode was nothing compared to the absolute shit show of emotion that the second episode, “The Lion and the Rose,” would bring I feel confident in saying that this episode, penned for television by author George R R Martin himself, is one of the very best episodes we have seen so far, perhaps behind Season Two’s “Blackwater ” We finally caught up with some characters that hadn’t gotten the spotlight in the first episode

At Dragonstone, we see that Stannis the Mannis is still brooding away and Melisandre and his wife Selyse are still pretty bonkers, but we don’t learn much else North of the Wall, Bran touches a weirwood tree and we see some vague visions and flashbacks that didn’t really reveal anything More

interestingly, we get a Bolton family reunion for the ages at the Dreadfort I absolutely loved every moment between Ramsay and Theon sorry, Reek as they brought us up to date and, thankfully, leave the gratuitous torture behind The conversations between Roose and Ramsay really threw me for a loop for the simple reason that I couldn’t figure out who to root for Sure, they don’t exactly love each other, but the audience absolutely despises both of them I guess I can relate more to Ramsay than the cold, calculating Roose Ramsay may be a sadist and a passionate serial murderer, but everyone needs a hobby, right?

None of these stories, however, could compare to the main focus of the episode: The royal marriage of Houses Baratheon (*cough Lannister cough*) and Tyrell Much like “Blackwater” in Season Two, the episode had a very clear and extended focus on the denizens of King’s Landing While this means we don’t get to see some other characters, like Daenerys or Jon Snow, we get a much more direct and comprehensive episode Ever y character in the capital including Lannisters, Tyrells, Martells, and otherwise had their moment to shine, landing zingers and experiencing great character moments one after another

The marriage feast sequence is the longest single scene we

Lena, Make Me a Pop Star

Threeof the biggest people to know and impress in the music industry are, suddenly, three people who are not really members of the music industry Lena Dunham, writer, director and star of HBO’s Girls, her best friend and executive producer, Jenni Konner and her musical supervisor Manish Raval have been dubbed new leaders of the Millennial musical zeitgeist by publications ranging from Billboard to Pitchfork to Radio com

Raval got his start soundtracking childhood friend Jake Kasden’s films (Orange County Walk Hard Bad Teacher), saw some success in the indie film market (Donnie Darko, Fruitvale Station) and eventually transitioned to television (Community, New Girl, The Crazy Ones), but calls Girls his full time job He reportedly sent weekly mixtapes to Dunham and Konner throughout the writing of Girls’ third season, and said that 60 to 70 percent of the show’s soundtrack was written directly into the screenplay “The end credit spot is for our prized possessions,” he told Radio com, “because that’s where we leave the vie wer with a musical thought or message or emotion ” Which is all fine and dandy and a little self-lauding, but also more than a little bit prescient turns out that the music intertwined into the plot of Girls not only has a habit of being really, really good, but also of becoming really, really successful

Rhimes Joe Muggs for The Guardian, writes, “Hit TV show meet transcendental pop song Placing the right music in the right places has become a big earner in the 21st-century music industry ”

But Girls goes a step further than feeding the merch-buying masses the Top 40 they want to hear (a la Glee), shelling out the big bucks for decades old classics designed to make your dad weep (see Mad Men’ s $250,000 Beatles purchase), or hiring washed-up popstars to pen plot-specific moments of pandering (here’s looking at you, Andy McMahon) Girls caters to every whim of its Millennial audience’s musical palette, with an undeniably diverse and expert range The show has featured music by Belle & Sebastian, Fleet Foxes, Santigold, Angel Haze, Azealia Banks and Lily Allen, in true Generation Y fashion But they’ve also spotlighted well-known hits from the mainstream (Beyonce’s “Halo,” and Maroon 5’s “One More Night”),

It’s not entirely a Girls phenomenon, as the music industry has slowly been coming around to the idea of supplementing declining album returns with licensing profits on high-profile spots like Fox’s Glee, ABC’s Nashville and of course, such key ladydemo-drawing fare as is cyclically put out by modern-soap powerhouse Shonda

kitschy ’90s throwbacks like Oasis and Duncan Sheik, classics like The Smiths, Jackson Browne and Judy Collins (who played herself in a Season Two episode) and tons of new music that either capitalized on existing name-dropping credo or created a name for those involved Par ticipating early and often, Jack Antonoff (Dunham’s boyfriend since 2012)

have had to date, clocking in at 24 minutes, just short of half the episode At the very beginning, Joffrey seemed almost changed maybe marriage and his grandfather had finally whipped some sense into him Approximately two minutes later, however, he was up to his usual awful tricks (slicing priceless books, insulting the dead, spilling a particularly fine vintage of Dornish Red), humiliating and offending everyone imaginable at the feast Pretty much everyone there had some reason or another for hating the little jerk That made it so much more intriguing when the twerp began to cough, and then gurgle, and then bleed, and then turn purple and yeah it was really gross In that moment, as Cersei cried out and looked into his young, helpless eyes as they glazed over, I did not feel the relief I thought I would In fact, I felt just awful

For all the evil that the boy king committed, for all the atrocities of war undertaken by the Lannisters the Red Wedding not the least of which he was still just that, a boy

To see him go in such a gruesome and violent way delighted some, especially on Twitter, were fans of the show expressed their overwhelming glee that this boy was brutally murdered at his own wedding in front of his family I distinctly remember a similar situation occurring last season The popular opinion was not the same, needless to say I don’t mean to protect Joffrey his crimes are unforgivable but I find it disturbing that so many people would wish that kind of death on anyone

The victory, if you could call it that, was short-lived, as Tyrion was immediately and unjustly accused of the murder Sharp-eyed viewers can likely deduce the real killer by rewatching the sequence trust me, it’s all there While this episode provided us with the long awaited karmic rebalance audiences have been yearning for, it doesn’t bode well for the future of Westeros’ inhabitants So, heed this Thrones fans: Enjoy this episode, you have earned it But, don’t forget, a Lannister always pays his debts, and this one will not be forgotten

Sean Doolittle is a sophomore in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences He can be reached at arts-editor@cornellsun com

snagged an end credits feature for Fun ’ s unreleased track “Sight of the Sun” in Season One, and was enlisted to write “the best worst folk song ever ” for Allison Williams to perform at an open mic night in Season

Three It was also his friendship with Canadian indie-pop duo Tegan and Sara that led to the placement of their “Fool to Cry” cover in the end credits of a Season Two episode (more on that later)

The show repeatedly snags new work from big names, including Jenny Lewis’ first new track since rkives, “Completely Not Me,” in the closing credits of the Season Two premiere and “Blue Moon” in the closing credits of the season ’ s tenth episode, the same week as the release of Beck’s muchanticipated Morning Phase

Girls’ patented Millennial audience went all but crazy for the unreleased Springsteen cover by Vampire Weekend, featured in the same episode as an Ezra Koenig cameo, as well as for back-to-back Warren Zevon covers the Jackson Browne version of “Don’t Let us Get Sick” surfaces in episode eight of the most recent season and the Jill Sobule version closes out episode nine

The most significant and genuine discovery credited to Girls’ musical taste is, of course, Swedish duo Icona Pop Reportedly, Rihanna turned down the team ’ s request to use her song “Talk That Talk” in the Season

Two episode about Hannah’s (Dunham) foray into party drugs Icona Pop’s previously unheard-in-the-U S track “I Love It,” was swapped in, and the rest is history Raval, interviewed at Radio com, refers to “the Icona Pop scene ” as something the show creators were exceptionally proud of, saying, “It was going to be an inherently

original moment Even when I hear the song now I think of the scene ” This was exemplified again in Season Two Oasis’ 1995 hit “Wonderwall,” returned to the Top 100 for several weeks after it scored the ending credits of episode four, seguing out of a scene in which Hannah comforts a grieving Jessa ( Jemima Kirke) by splashing her snot rocket back across the bathtub at her and yelling “I’m sorry that you ’ re sad, but that’s really gross ” The key then, isn’t just smart selection, but smart selection and smart storytelling the Icona Pop scene is a masterfully-handled non-lecturing confrontation of the gross glamorization of club drugs, Tegan & Sara’s “Fool to Cry” packs a one-two punch in tandem with the emotional climax of Ray (Alex Karpovsky) realizing that his love for Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet) is more paternal than romantic (“It’s like I’m her fucking father!”) and “Don’t Let Us Get Sick” closes out the surprisingly simple and poignant portrayal of a family of women in crisis, confronting death, aging and neglected filial obligation Girls has a patchy track record with narrative competence, but the most successful moments of its soundtrack are the most successful moments of its story generating an ekphrasis that commits itself to memory as well as to chart-topping

Kaitlyn Tiffany is a junior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences She can be reached at arts-editor@cornellsun com Guest Room appears alternate Tuesdays this semester

Am Going to Be Small by Jeffrey Brown

Watson Wins Masters

in the tournament field after winning his first PGA Tour event last July Several players who made the cut following Friday’s second round had played in more Masters than Jordan Spieth had lived years, like Fred Couples and Bernhard Langer, each of whom had been teeing up at Augusta more than a decade before Spieth had trekked into the ole’ womb

But Spieth had proven himself to be unfazed by the “big moments ” He won the 2013 John Deere Classic following a threeman playoff, defeating David Hearn and 2007 Masters’ champion Zach Johnson after five extra holes (as well as 100-plus of the best golfers in the world who finished behind the three leaders)

The victory, highlighted by three consecutive rounds firing sixunder 65, established the 19-yearold as a force to be reckoned with on tour, far removing Spieth from being just another budding young golfer with a bright future His distinct knack for the game of golf, combined with his veteran-like poise in crunch-time has reminded golf pundits of the young superstars who did it before him specifically that guy Woods, who did that thing in 1997

So it came as little surprise to those familiar with Spieth that the only professional in the field who could not legally purchase a Miller Lite sat atop the leaderboard after three rounds at Augusta, chasing the sacred Green Jacket while, simultaneously ‘Tiger Hunting ’

But as the sun began to set over Augusta, Georgia late-afternoon Sunday, Bubba Watson tapped in for par on the eighteenth green, completing a masterful final round and securing his second Masters’ victory in the last three years The emotional, deser ving Watson embraced his caddy, as well as his playing-partner, Jordan Spieth, who, just seconds before Watson, made his short par putt, leaving the Texas-native three strokes off the lead, in a tie for second place Tiger Woods’ record remained intact, for that moment, at least Should Jordan Spieth win the tournament next April, he would lay claim to the title by a handful of months

The 2014 Masters did not feature the dramatic ending of previous years Frankly, the final nine holes on Sunday were fairly uneventful: Bubba Watson knew what it felt like to wear the Green Jacket, and he combined his experience with a solid, steady round that left him basically unthreatened when he hit the final stretch He knew what he had to do to win the tournament, and he executed, becoming the 17th player to win multiple Green Jackets

The lack of “excitement” drama is a more proper word as well as the absence of Tiger Woods led to television viewership being historically low It makes sense People want to see the face of the sport in action, and people want to see a 15-footer drop for the win I certainly do

This 2014 Masters did not include these thrilling aspects of the game, but these past four days at Augusta had plenty to offer Fans were introduced to the next star of Tiger Woods proportions, Jordan Spieth, and although he was unable to win his first major, he made a name for himself on the global golf spectrum Spieth, like today’s top players, will be a favorite to win every PGA tournament he enters for decades to come

We watched Bubba Watson, a self-taught, all-around good-guy, win his second Masters this time, though, he was met on the 18th green by his adopted toddler Caleb Watson and his wife Angie, whom he met in college, adopted their son in 2012 Bubba Watson has endured plenty of hardship over the past few years, and there may be no more deserving professional athlete to win as prestigious an event as any in sports two times Here’s to many more years of success for Bubba Watson and his family

As for Jordan Spieth? One can only imagine the heartbreak that comes with coming so close to winning the Masters at age 20, but Spieth figures to be around for another try or two

But for now, that $792,000 second place prize isn’t too shabby of a consolation for a 20-year-old, either

an RB I dou b le by senior Ben Swinford that scored Tatum, b u t t h e Q u a k e r s r e s p o n d e d w i t h another r un to push the deficit back to two Karl then led off the four th with his sixth home r un of the season, bringing the Red within one, a n d i t s e e m e d a s though the visitors h a d g a i n e d t h e m o m e n t u m W i n a w e r l e d t h e fifth off with a single and advanced to second on a sac bunt Junior outfielder JD

Whetsel then hit a single to center, but Winawer was cut off a t t h e p l a t e , attempting to score the tying r un The Q u a k e r s s c o r e d another in the bottom of the sixth, and C o r n e l l w a s n e v e r a b l e t o m o u n t another comeback I n t h e s e r i e s f i n a l e , f r e s h m a n p i t c h e r Pa u l Balestrieri str uggled in two and a third i n n i n g s , a l l o w i n g e i g h t h i t s a n

Red had eight hits, the squad could only p i e c e t o g e t h e r t w o r uns in the top of the ninth and fell, 9-

2 W i n a w e

to

after just his fifth star t of the

Red Nine Hands Quakers First Ivy Defeat of Season

Wins opening game of series, falls in remaining three

The baseball team faced a tough challenge in its first four-game series of Ivy League divisional play this weekend, taking on Penn, who was undefeated in conference play coming into the series The Red got off to a hot start, though, handing the Quakers their first loss, a 9-0 rout on the back of sophomore starter Michael Byrne’s six shutout innings of work

Byrne took the hill looking for his third win of the season against a Penn team that led all major offensive categories coming into the weekend The sophomore was brilliant once again, allowing just four hits and striking out eight

“Michael Byrne is a bulldog on the mound,” said junior infielder Kevin Tatum “He challenges hitters and is a dominant force every single time he steps foot on the mound ”

Only one Penn hitter had multiple hits on the day, and Byrne was able to shut down the Ivy League’s leader in slugging percentage, RBIs and home runs Rick Brebner striking him out three times

“Mike’s a tough kid who just goes out and attacks hitters,” said sophomore out-

fielder Jordan Winawer “We know that he’s going to put us in a great position to win every time he takes the mound, and that’s exactly what he did in game one ”

Though Byrne did not need much support, the Red’s offense put up 11 hits in the opener, three of them coming off the bat of junior catcher Matt Hall Junior designated hitter Ryan Karl had two hits and three RBIs on the day, and Winawer continued his hot streak with two hits and an RBI on the day

“It took the full effort of the entire team to win the game, ” Byrne said “From the game plan set forth by the coaching staff, to the execution by the position players and the pitching staff, to the energy brought by guys in the dugout, it was a team effort ”

Freshman Tim Willittes came in to close things out for Byrne, pitching a scoreless bottom of the seventh, while striking out one

“The bullpen has been great this year, ” Byrne said “We’ve had a lot of guys, both young and old, come in and pitch very effectively this year ”

Though stunned after their first loss of the conference season, the Quakers were able to bounce back, sweeping the next three games of the series According to

Winawer, the win in the series opener nevertheless showed the Red its ability to compete with top competition

“The team has been confident in our ability to win games all season, ” Winawer said “Handing Penn their first loss in Ivy play showed us that we can compete with any team in our league ”

The Red got off to another strong start in the second game of the series, putting up one run in the top of the first off an RBI d o u b l e by s e n i o r f i r s t b a s e m a n Ry a n

Plantier Two men were left on base in the inning, though, and Penn came right back in the bottom of the frame to score their first run of the series Junior leftie Nick Busto gave the Red three innings of work, allowing two runs on four hits, but Penn’s offense finally broke through against the Red’s relief pitchers, putting up four-spots in the bottom of the fifth and the bottom of the seventh to effectively put Cornell

Results Var y for Red Boats Against Iv y Rivals

With competitive races at hand, the men ’ s lightweight

r ow i n g t e a m a n d t h e women ’ s team took to the water for the second weekend of their spring seasons

The lightweight team took on two Ivy League opponents in Yale and Penn The w o m e n a l s o t e s t e d t h e i r s p e e d a g a i n s t Iv y L

g u e foes Princeton and Har vardRadcliffe

On Saturday, the No 3

C o r n e l l l i g h t w e i g h t m e n ’ s t e a m c o m p e t e d a g a

Princeton in New Jersey, and won most of the day’s races

The first varsity eight boat defeated the Tigers by over

f o u r s e c o n d s T h e s e c o n d varsity eight race was the l o n e v i c t o r y f o r No 5

Pr i n c e t o n , w h o t h e Re d additionally bested in the t h i rd a n d f o u r t h v a r s i t y races

T h e l i g h t w e i g h t t e a m ’ s s u c c e s s a g a i n s t Pr i n c e t o n carried over to Sunday’s race against No 1 Yale The Red dominated the races, completing the four-race sweep

In the varsity eight race, the Red managed to defeat the Bulldogs by just under four seconds The closest finish of the day was the second varsi-

ty race, in which the Cornell boat edged out the Yale boat by a 10th of a second The freshman eight boat and the third varsity boat also picked up wins, with the third varsity boat defeating Yale by a

them early in the season ” St a r t i n g t h e i n - w a t e r training late due to weather c o n d i t i o n s , t

team looked to find its seas

n Saturday, but failed to over-

c o m m a n d i n g 1 3 - s e c o n d margin

Senior Bert Harney, who rowed in the varsity eight boat, said he was pleased w i t h t h e p e r f o r m a n c e a g a i n s t Iv y L e a g u e o p p onents

“It was a really strong performance by the entire squad both at Princeton and Yale,” he said “ They are always top competitors in the league and so it was great to be able to run ‘hot’ with

take Har vard and Princeton’s boats in many of the races D e s p i t e t h e r e s u l t s , s o p h o m o r e Ly d i a Pe r k i n s said she was happy with the weekend

“Although our boats didn ’ t get quite the results they were hoping for, we all had solid races and definitely left it all on the course, ” she said The varsity eight race saw t h e Re

Har vard-Radcliffe by three seconds

T h e f i r s t v a r s i t y r a c e s t a r t e d w e l l f o r t h e Re d , Perkins recalled

“In the first varsity race vs Yale, we had a really solid first half of the race, but failed respond soon enough when they walked back up on us, ” she said After falling behind early, s e n i o r Vi r g i n i a Na v a w a s pleased with the response of the boat

“ We were not where we wanted to be, so the whole

b o a t c a m e t o g e t h e r a n d make a big push to change our boat speed,” she said “It was exciting to walk through the Radcliffe boat in the last 500m ”

W h i l e t h e Re d’s o t h e r boats struggled to keep pace with the other teams, Nava was optimistic about future competitions

“ We are using ever y race as an opportunity to learn how to go even faster We will continue, as always, to w o r k o n t e c h n i q u e , ” s h e said “ We have an instinct to pull hard, but are constantly working to make each stroke and boat more effective ”

Tucker Maggio Hucek can be reached at thucek@cornellsun com

away The Red mustered up only five hits in the game, two of them coming off the bat of Plantier

Heading into the second day of competition with the chance to still win the series, the Red sent junior Brent Jones to the mound Jones pitched well enough to win, allowing just four hits and four runs only two of them earned but some defensive miscues plagued the squad

“In order to win games, we have to play better defensively,” Winawer said “ We can ’ t dwell on the errors from this past weekend, we just have to learn from them and improve our focus in our upcoming games ”

The Red had its share of chances in the 4-2 loss, even after Penn took a 2-0 lead after the first two innings Cornell countered with a run in the top of the third off

As night turned to morning prior to Sunday’s fourth and final round at Augusta National Golf Club, the 2014 Masters appeared to be headed towards an ultra-dramatic finish the type that has made the tournament the face of the sport around the globe The storylines were, in typ-

ical Masters fashion, manifold Tiger Woods, recovering from back surgery, would be spectating the major for the first time since 1994 By the time play concluded on Saturday afternoon, Woods was on the verge of losing claim t o o n e o f h i s m a n y g o l f

youngest Masters champion Woods seized hold of his first Green Jacket in 1997, when he finished an astonishing twelve shots of ahead of second place He did so at the ripe age of 21 Thus, even in a Woods-less Masters’ field, Tiger managed to be at the center of attention Sunday morning Sitting atop the leaderboard heading into Sunday was an intriguing pair: 2012 Masters’ champ, 35-year-old Bubba Watson, and 20year-old Jordan Spieth, who secured his spot