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A panel of professors voiced their opinions on C.U.’s additon of massive open online courses. | Page 3
Women’s lacrosse fell to No. 1 Syracuse Orange on Tuesday, holding their opponent to 7. | Page 16
Marissa Tranquilli ’15 relives her childhood through the watercolor tale Ernest & Celestine. | Page 9
City Aims to Improve Myrick ’09, C.U.Forensics Society Emergency Access Debate Marijuana Legalization With Jungle Cleanup By ANUSHKA MEHROTRA
Sun News Editor
Jungle resident found dead Wednesday; sixth‘recent’area death,City official says By AIMEE CHO
Over 100 Cornellians and Ithacans filled Ives Hall Wednesday to listen to Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick ’09 debate the legalization of marijuana against members of the Cornell Forensics society. During the debate, titled “This House Would Legalize Marijuana,” Myrick defended
Sun Staff Writer
marijuana legalization, while forensics society debaters Srinath Reddy ’14 and Enting Lee ’17 argued against it. At the end of the debate, audience members voted in support of Myrick’s stance. According to Myrick, there are three primary arguments against criminalizing marijuana — racism and classism, inefficiency and costliness and the promotion of a dangerous underground drug market.
ALEJANDRO HERNANDEZ / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Cleanup efforts at the Jungle, a homeless encampment in Ithaca on South Fulton Street, have continued over the past week in order to increase emergency vehicle access, according to Kevin Sutherland, chief of staff of the City of Ithaca. Due to being flanked on its three sides by creeks and railroad tracks, the Jungle is largely inaccessible by vehicles, Sutherland said. This issue resurfaced Wednesday around 5:20 p.m. when a dead body was discovered in the Jungle. Police officers who arrived on the scene had a difficult time accessing the area where the body lay, due no road existing to provide vehicle access. The body was identified as Russell Kellogg, a resident of the Jungle. Witnesses said that Kellogg had been drinking and possibly using intravenous drugs before he collapsed on the railroad tracks that run through the Jungle. Another Jungle resident dragged Kellogg’s body off the tracks onto the gravel nearby, where it remained for about 10 minutes before the police were called to the scene. Sutherland was one of the first to discover the body.
See DEBATE page 4
Make it legal | Mayor Svante Myrick ’09 argues in favor of marijuana legalization at Ives Hall yesterday.
See JUNGLE page 5
Krauthammer: Obamacare Is‘Wasteful’ Teresa Danso-Danquah’15 By RIE SEU Sun Contributor
Pulitzer Prize winner, political commentator and physician Charles Krauthammer spoke at Cornell Thursday about the future of health care and bioethics in the United States. Krauthammer began the lecture by introducing
some ethical issues he said were “interesting” — including questions that surround stem cell research and in vitro fertilization. “The big question is whether life begins with conception,” he said. “Does the embryo gradually accrue or does life start at conception?” According to
Krauthammer, a controversy exists over stem cell research because even though it may hold “promise” in finding cures for diseases, some may consider these actions as violating human rights. During the Bush Administration, according to Krauthammer, there was “hype and partisanship” surrounding
“[Obama] got Obamacare through without any support from the other side … therefore, they own it.” Charles Krauthammer
DIANA MAK / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Doctor doctor | Dr. Charles Krauthammer speaks about the future of health care in Statler Auditorium Wednesday.
stem cell research — with the notion that it was a step away from relieving the suffering of many and that those labeled “antiscience” were holding this movement back. Krauthammer also introduced his position on another highly-debated bioethical issue — assisted suicide. In the United States, each state can decide whether to legalize assisted suicide, he said. Krauthammer contrasted this with Holland, which legally allows assisted suicide throughout the country, something he called “a moral disaster.” The debate with this legalization is similar to that of marijuana in the United States, according to Krauthammer. He said the United States has yet to see whether the effects of marijuana See KRAUTHAMMER page 4
Named Truman Scholar for Disabilities Service Work rounds of interviews and applications before being named as a scholar. “The preparation process Teresa Danso-Danquah ’15 has been named one of has been a true reward for 59 scholars selected by the me, for it has been during Harry S. Truman this time that I’ve been able Scholarship Foundation — to reflect on all that I have been blessed to an organization have and been a that seeks to suppart of in my time port young at Cornell and Americans comprior to,” she said. mitted to public According to service. Danso-Danquah, D a n s o her Cornell experDanquah, an ience has aligned Industrial and greatly with her preLabor Relations DANSO-DANQUAH paration for being a student, is the Truman scholar. 25th Truman “Many of my ILR classes Scholar from Cornell and the first from Cornell to rep- discussed topics relevant to resent Virginia. According to issues to my field; it was durDanso-Danquah, after being ing this time that I really initially endorsed by the appreciated the home I had University in December, she See SCHOLAR page 5 had to go through several
By NOAH RANKIN Sun City Editor
2 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, April 17, 2014
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By LISA FRIED ’95
Playboy photographer David Mecey’s trip to Ithaca [to photograph Cornellians for a women of the Ivy League photo spread] has sparked a University-wide debate that is nebulous in nature and swirls around such topics as pornography, misogyny and the fragmented state of Cornell’s feminist community. It has also occasioned the planning of a Collegetown party that was scheduled to feature a former Playboy Playmate-of-the-Month. At a meeting organized by the Cornell Womens’ Resource Center Tuesday night, about 15 female students planned how they would protest the magazine’s upcoming photo spread. Yesterday, they handed out flyers with statistics on pornography and quotations by female students. Downtown, several women stood in front of the Holiday Inn where Mecey is staying, holding posters which read, “Stop Playboy at Cornell” and “Protest Violence Against Women.” But Playboy is only part of the problem for women
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at Cornell, according to Sabra Brown ’95, a co-director of the Women’s Resource Center. Women at Tuesday’s meeting expressed outrage over what they see as a consistently anti-feminist sentiment on campus. They pointed to several events in the past semester, ranging from a recent suimsuit pictorial in The Campus Globe newspaper to Phyllis Schlafly’s upcoming lecture. They also discussed the lack of a well-established womens’ resource center at Cornell, such as can be fount at many other universities. The existing Womens’ Resource Center, Brown explained, is little more than an office space in the Straight with reading materials on current women’s issues. A major problem, those at Tuesday night’s meeting concluded, is a lack of cohesion among the University’s 30 different women’s groups, all of which represent a slightly different agenda concerning women’s issues. The Collegetown party, scheduled to occur last night, originally was organized by five campus fraternitites as a philanthropy event co-sponsored by Playboy.
THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, April 17, 2014 3
NEWS
‘Broad Range of Students’ Participate in MOOCs Professors hope classes will supplement classroom experience, enhance in-person teaching By ASHLEY COLLIS-BURGESS Sun Staff Writer
A panel of Cornell faculty shared their experiences and perspectives from their involvement with the first launch of massive open online courses, or MOOCs, at Cornell Wednesday. Prof. David Chernoff, astronomy, who taught Cornell’s first MOOC course, said he was surprised that there turned out to be a broad range of students from all over the world in his class, rather than just science, technology, engineering and mathematics and high school students, as predicted. “The actual enrollment was pretty concentrated at the age of about 21 with a distribution in both directions.” Chernoff said. “It was amazing that students that signed up in a range from literally an 11year-old in elementary school to retired professors.” In terms of the participants of MOOCs, Prof. Louis Hyman, industrial and labor relations, said he was “stunned” to see so many people from different backgrounds “serious” about his class, which he said was evident by their discussions of complex questions online. “We have about three to four thousand people arguing about slavery and capitalism in the 19th century, engaging in such a serious fashion,” Hyman said. “It has been incredibly [rewarding to see these] conversations going on online.” Prof. David Easley, economics and information science, also said that the students of MOOCs are serious, especially about their grades, and can even be described as more
KELLY YU / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Massive discussion | Prof. Edward Baptist, Prof. David Chernoff and Prof. David Easley speak in Goldwin Smith Hall to discuss issues relevant to the C.U. community and academics yesterday.
“aggressive” than Cornell students when pointing out problems. “The students of MOOCs, who are doing this for free, are really serious about their grades,” he said. “They jump on quickly and get really unhappy if they don’t get a problem right because you weren’t as straight as you should have been.” Prof. Edward Baptist, history, said having an international audience is “interesting” because of the different perspectives they bring from all over the world — from a small class in Spain to another in Brazil,
for example. “It is hard for me to imagine a context in which I would have these conversations with [such] a wide range and group of people on professional topics,” he said. Easley said that by teaching a MOOC he became a better teacher, adding that the course impressed on him the importance of presenting sharp messages in a small time period. “When you teach in a seven- or eightminute segment, you really have to focus on the message you want to deliver to make it
sharp and quick.” he said. “I think it is going to carry on in campus for what I do in the future.” Easley said he also plans to apply what he has learned by assigning students MOOC videos to watch. Easley said he hopes that this will give his class a more interactive experience. Baptist said that in the future MOOCs will supplement the classroom experience. He compared MOOCs to a textbook, saying they will enhance the in-person teaching experience through additional regulated content. “The way we really should think about MOOCs is not as a replacement for the classroom but as a really great set of possibilities for delivering content in a way we can control,” Baptist said. Although Chernoff said that he had not felt fully prepared for his first lesson teaching a MOOC, he said he believed the second time he teaches the class be an improvement with “incremental changes,” as a result of putting in more time and effort into understanding the system. According to Hyman, there needs to be more of a focus on promoting the program and forming relationships with professional associations -— like A.P. Physics teachers — who will find it useful. “Thinking through how we can partner through American education and global education through this, I think it’s an opportunity for Cornell to be a leader,” he said. Ashley Collis-Burgess can be reached at acollisburgess@cornellsun.com.
Six Cornellians Inducted Into Bouchet Honor Society By EMMA IANNI Sun Staff Writer
One postdoctoral and five doctoral candidates were inducted into the Cornell chapter of the Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society at the annual Yale Bouchet Conference on Diversity and Graduate Education, held March 28-29. The 2014 Bouchet fellows are: Florencia Ardón grad, Victor Bucklew grad, Erin Johnson grad, Juan Carlos Gomez grad, Cassandravictoria Innocent grad and Dexter Thomas grad. The scholars worked on a variety of projects, ranging from electrical and computer engineering to Asian literature, religion and culture. Other disciplines included mechanical and aerospace engineering, molecular biology and genetics and neurobiology and behavior, according to the University press release. According to Ardòn, her research focuses on how sperm interacts with the female reproductive tract, using the bovine as a model species. She said she has conducted her research for her Ph.D. thesis in Germany, was granted a Young Investigator Award and has been published in several peerreviewed article. Ardón said she was surprised when she found out she has been nominated to the Bouchet Honor Society, describing it as a humbling experience. “All of [the candidates] are working in challenging areas of research and [are trying] to help
their colleagues and other members of the community, advocating and mentoring according to the needs they perceive,” she said. “Being accepted was a great honor and it also represents a commitment to continue working for the well-being of the community.” Johnson said her research focuses on system neuroscience with an emphasis on behavior neurobiology and the mechanisms of learning and memory. “My current research focuses on the role of neurogenesis in perceptual learning by examining how past experiences with olfactory information modulates the survival and integration of adult-born granule cells into the olfactory bulb to produce long-lasting changes in odor representation and behavior,” she said. Johnson is also an active member of the Cornell community, especially as a member of the Ithaca Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. According to Bucklew, the goal of his research is to identify a route for generating compact, cost efficient, high-energy, ultrafast sources. “These sources would provide important tools for biomedical imaging, micromachining and basic research efforts aimed at exploring the nature of nonlinear interactions,” she said. According to Gomez, his dissertation project in the Laboratory for Intelligent Machine Systems of Prof. Ephraim Garcia, mechanical and aerospace engineering,
focuses on studying the unsteady aerodynamics in flapping wing flight. Gomez received the Alfred P. Sloan and provost Graduate Fellowships. Innocent said she researches in the field of molecular biology and genetics. Thomas, currently studying in Japan, is interested in Asian literature, religion and culture, according to a University press release. The honor society not only recognizes the students’ outstanding academic achievement but also recognizes their commitment in social fields, according to Sheri Notaro, associate dean for inclusion and profeso-
sional development for the Graduate School and coordinator for the Cornell chapter of the Bouchet Society. Ardón also highlighted the value of candidates utilizing their academic skills in the social arena. “We were all proposed as candidates for induction to the Bouchet Honor Society by our advisors or mentors,” she said. “They emphasize that in order to belong to the Society, a candidate has to show that [he or she] not only has a very good academic record, but also a commitment to help members of communities that have been
traditionally underrepresented in academia.” Notaro said she was impressed by the scholars and their work. “I am greatly impressed with the achievements, accomplishments, and service of the Cornell Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society Fellows. Through their hard work and dedication to excellence, they exemplify Dr. Edward A. Bouchet's legacy,” Notaro said. Emma Ianni can be reached at eianni@cornellsun.com.
Language lessons
JASMINE CURTIS / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Prof. Reiko Mazuka Ph.D. ’90, psychology and neuroscience, Duke University, discusses her research in phonology of the Japanese language and how it differs from other languages Wednesday.
4 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, April 17, 2014
NEWS
Myrick Wins Debate Over Marijuana Legalization DEBATE
Continued from page 1
He said that poor and minority users of marijuana are disproportionately arrested for its use. “We have two separate criminal justice systems for people who abuse drugs,” Myrick said. “If you are black or poor and you are smoking marijuana, you will be arrested and given a criminal
record. If you are white or rich and you are caught smoking marijuana, your parents will send you to rehab … and you will never have a criminal record.” Myrick added that the repercussions of using marijuana are not nearly as bad as other social problems — such as drunk driving. “The truth is marijuana is bad for you, but it is not that bad for
you… We lose zero people from marijuana overdoses,” he said. “We have 18-year-olds who get drunk — they think they’re invincible and drive 80 miles an hour , [and] we have 18-year-olds who get stoned, they get paranoid and drive 15 miles an hour to Taco Bell.” Additionally, Myrick argued that criminalizing marijuana is ineffective due to the large propor-
tion of Americans — approximately one in three — that have reported using it. “After arresting more people for marijuana use than for all other violent crimes combined, marijuana is still the most popular drug in the entire country,” he said. Myrick also said that criminalization leads to the creation of a multitude of illegal drug dealers and cartels that police themselves through “violent intimidation.” Reddy, in response, argued that marijuana is not as “rosy” as Myrick depicted, saying that it is physically harmful, serves as a gateway drug for harder drugs and should not be legalized. He said it is likely corporations, which have a profit incentive to keep people addicted, would monopolize marijuana distribution upon its legalization. “Corporations have a profit motive to not only get people addicted, but to keep people addicted,” Reddy said. Reddy and Lee both argued that legalization would increase marijuana usage as a result of a decrease in its price. “[Upon legalization], the price of marijuana may plummet by up to 80 percent,” Reddy said. “If the price of a thing plummets by 80 percent, it is likely that thing will be purchased by more people.” Additionally, Reddy said the taxation of marijuana is only beneficial when tax revenues from marijuana sales “exceed the social costs” of its legalization. Marijuana usage serves as a gateway to “harder drugs” that have more dramatic health conse-
quences, according to Reddy. “Innocuous early experiences with certain kinds of drugs — as is often the case with marijuana — [lead you to] believing or convincing yourself that the exact same thing is true with harder drugs,” he said. However, Myrick said that marijuana is considered a gateway drug mainly because marijuana dealers tend to also distribute harder drugs. “Cigarettes are not considered a gateway drug because you don’t buy cigarettes from a drug dealer that [sells harder drugs],” he said. “The last three presidents of the United States have reported using marijuana — maybe it’s a gateway to the White House.” Lee addressed the dangers of psychological addiction — particularly amongst college students — that arise from marijuana usage. “Even if [marijuana] does not get your body physically addicted, you get psychologically addicted to the high it gives you,” she said. “[It] is a sensation that is very easy to get used to — especially for overly stressed college students like all of us.” However, both Myrick and the Forensics Society debaters agreed that marijuana usage is harmful to one’s health. “Marijuana is carcinogenic. It has a developmental consequence on people’s IQs, which is particularly concerning in a world where marijuana users that begin between 12 and 17 are not only large, but also growing,” Reddy said. Anushka Mehrotra can be reached at amehrotra@cornellsun.com.
Speaker: Regulations Have Ripple Effect KRAUTHAMMER Continued from page 1
and assisted suicide will be deleterious in the near future. “These arguments are endly theoretical, but we can see the practical,” Krauthammer said. He also addressed the issue of national health care, which he says is what has most profoundly “changed the trajectory of medicine.” “We have rarely had a time when the issue [of health care has] covered two [elections],” he said. He added that health care especially affects the individual and causes “a profound social change.” Krauthammer said he believes the Affordable Care Act will determine the “future ideological direction” of the United States for at least a decade or more. “[Obama] got Obamacare through without any support from the other side … therefore, they own it,” he said. “Now, they are victims of anything that happens in health care, because the regulations are so gargantuan.” Krauthammer said it is important to understand that passing a single regulation has a ripple effect on the whole health care system. “[Obama] expected to know
the outcome [of the regulation] … and the unintended side effects,” Krauthammer said. “These problems will carry through the elections.” With reference to the Affordable Care Act, Krauthammer said he would not be able to create a set of standards every health care plan in the United States has to meet — or reform health care itself — using only one-sixth of the gross domestic product which currently goes toward health care spending. “Many people do not need the requirements, [which] inflates the cost of healthcare unnecessarily,” he said. “I really don’t need lactation services, [or] pediatric dental care.” Krauthammer said he believes the Affordable Care Act “will not survive” because it is unsustainable and supported by the federal government. Rather, he said he supports an alternative that is “rational, simple and less complicated.” “Obamacare is not a good solution,” he said. “The government needs to help people without health care, but it is a wasteful payer.” Rie Seu can be reached at rjs468@cornell.edu.
NEWS
Jungle Resident Found Dead JUNGLE
Continued from page 1
“I knew Russell,” Sutherland said. “I used to talk him about three times a week, when I was coming to the Jungle to talk to the residents about what the City was going to be doing around there.” Last December, the lack of emergency access to the Jungle proved a problem when 53-year-old resident Richard Sherman died in a fire, The Sun previously reported. Jungle resident Gavin M. said he witnessed the difficulties emergency responders faced in December. “One firefighter tried to come in over the fence, but he stumbled and fell,” Gavin said. Earlier this week, the City asked for student volunteers from Cornell to help with the Jungle cleanup efforts, The Sun previously reported. Gavin, who has called the Jungle home since 1997, said he dislikes that the City has been getting involved with the Jungle, but is relieved that they have been helping clean the trash. “It’s saved my back. I’ve been collecting trash to haul to the dumpster. People burn their garbage and leave needles lying around here all the time. I’ve put up signs asking people to not leave their [garbage] lying around,” he said. “At one point I even tacked old flip-flops that I found lying around to a tree.” In December after Sherman’s death, Mayor Svante Myrick ’09 issued a statement calling for the
Student Is 25th C.U. Truman Scholar SCHOLAR
Continued from page 1
created here at Cornell — the classes, clubs, and professors that all fit into the puzzle of my disability passion,” she said. “Preparing simply became remembering and defending what I love so much.” According to DansoDanquah, her service and helping individuals with disabilities is not a passing interest. “I’m a firm believer that service is not something you do on the weekend or for one day or as a quick side project,” Danso-Danquah said. “Instead service is a way of living, being willing and ready to help others, knowing that investing in others in reflection of an investment that has been made in yourself. This is what my faith and my family has taught me to believe. And my passion and work with the disability community starts within my family.” Along with the other 2014 Truman Scholars, DansoDonquah will receive “up to $30,000” in scholarship funds to go toward graduate study. According to the Foundation website, any U.S. college juniors with plans to attend graduate or professional school to prepare for careers in government or the nonprofit and advocacy sectors may be eligible for the scholarship. Noah Rankin can be reached at nrankin@cornellsun.com.
Jungle to be completely cleared of residents. So far, city workers have cleared trash and built a road over the railroad tracks that run through the Jungle, according to Sutherland. According to Sutherland, city attorney Aaron Lavine has helped negotiate with the Norfolk Southern Railroad Company, which owns part of the Jungle, in order to gain permission to build the road over the tracks. Sutherland said that there is still work left to do in cleaning the Jungle. “New York State Electric and Gas is going to clear the brush underneath the power lines,” Sutherland said. “And there’s still a lot of loose trash.” Christina Culver, executive director of Loaves and Fishes, a Christian ministry that provides free food and companionship to Ithacans, said that community leaders are doing their best to link the Jungle residents to existing housing service agencies. The leaders hope that permanent, adequate housing will “be eventually enjoyed” by all Jungle residents, Culver said. Gavin, however, said he has no desire to leave the Jungle. “I’m here every day, and I always have been. I don’t have to pay taxes and it’s a comfortable, waterfront property,” he said. Aimee Cho can be reached at acho@cornellsun.com.
THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, April 17, 2014 5
AIMEE CHO / SUN STAFF WRITER
‘Mayor of the Jungle’ | A memorial stands in the Ithaca Jungle for George E. Bowlsby, who died at age 60 in May 2010. Bowsby had been interviewed in a 2007 documentary, The Jungle’s Edge.
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Letter
Addressing our imperfections To the Editor: Re: “Student Assembly Tables Resolution to Divest from Pro-Israeli Companies,” News, April 11. Disclaimer: The following letter reflects our personal opinions, not those of the entire Student Assembly. At last Thursday's meeting, the Student Assembly voted to table Resolution 72 indefinitely. Ultimately, we did not feel that the setting of an S.A. meeting was the appropriate forum for this type of legislation. Our job, as the leadership of the S.A., is to uphold our processes and the principles upon which the Student Assembly was founded. Many people forget that the Assembly system itself came out of strife and struggle. It was born in the wake of the Willard Straight Hall takeover because Black students felt that there was no forum for them to have a say in the governance of the University. That is the history that we pushed aside on Thursday. We have an obligation to divorce ourselves from the content of any resolution or issue and allow our processes to prevail. These processes dictate that we provide the opportunity for students to have their concerns heard and addressed. This does not mean that our processes are perfect, but at the very least they do protect the rights of every undergraduate student to speak, be heard and to listen. It does not matter if we are talking about trash cans on North Campus or fossil fuel divestment. If students say it is an issue, we have a duty to hear it. Tabling a resolution indefinitely means that the resolution cannot be brought forward again unless a majority of the members vote to do so. As “New Business,” R. 72 was only open for comments and questions, not debate or voting. We acknowledge that the sponsors of R. 72 should have had the opportunity to speak before it was tabled. We also stand firm in our belief that bringing this resolution to a vote would not have benefitted our members or the community as a whole. When we do bring legislation to a vote, we are charged with the task of voting in a way that represents the best interests of all students, something that would have been impossible to achieve in this instance, without creating an overly divisive atmosphere on campus. Alternatively, the S.A. could have voted to bring this discussion to a different venue after hearing from the sponsors. This was not done. The S.A. members did, however, follow all parliamentary procedure during that meeting, and though it may have seemed rushed, all of the correct procedures were followed for bringing the resolution to the Assembly. It is unfortunate that in this case our procedure was used to not allow discussion. In that sense, we did cast aside the principles of fairness and democracy. We applaud the number of students who attended the meeting and took an interest in the matter, and welcome all students to utilize the S.A. as a venue for sharing all perspectives. In fact, we were elected to represent you and all of your opinions, and we hope that we can find a forum for all students to talk about R. 72 that feels safe, open and honest. We will not always agree and discussion may be uncomfortable, but we can certainly start somewhere. Ulysses Smith ’14 President of the Student Assembly Sarah Balik ’15 Executive Vice President of the Student Assembly
L
ast Thursday, Student Assembly could discuss and decide whether they wanted Resolution 72, which urged Cornell to to be complicit in the occupation — this disdivest from companies profiting from cussion would have actual consequences. So Israeli occupation and human rights viola- long as we prevent ourselves from having this tions, was tabled indefinitely. As a Cornellian discussion, Palestinians will continue to be evictand a member of Students for Justice in ed, forced to go through checkpoints and Palestine, I find the events surrounding the denied a say in the occupation they face. tabling of the resolution to be incredibly trouWhen the S.A. succumbed to the misinforbling. The resolution, as well as the diverse mation which surrounded Resolution 72 and group of students who came together to bring tabled the motion indefinitely, it made clear that forward the resolution, has been subject to a no serious discussion would be had. The sponwell-coordinated smear campaign by student sors of the resolution were prepared to introduce groups such as Hillel, CIPAC and J Street. the resolution and respond to clarifying quesS.A. members received emails from CIPAC tions and comments. We were prepared for a which claimed that the resolution was part of vigorous discussion during the following weeks, a broader Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions when we expected the resolution to at least see a effort “which seeks the elimination of Israel.” vote by members of the Student Assembly. The This, of course, is patently false — the resolu- Student Assembly, similarly to the calls of tion simply aims to end Cornell’s complicity CIPAC, Hillel and J Street U Cornell, refused to in the illegal occupation of the Palestinian let that discussion take place. Territories, an occupation which involves vioWe were under the impression, when we lations of human rights and international law. brought this resolution forward, that the S.A. I will not stand being would have the power to called anti-semitic and racist enact change once student (which I have personally This issue isn’t isolated voices were heard. We were been called) for fighting to to students calling for under the impression that, have this resolution be heard had they passed Resolution Cornell to divest from 72, they would at least have by the S.A. It is not antisemitic to be concerned with some power to see that the occupation. the destruction of Palestinian University makes moves homes, the imprisonment of towards divestment from Palestinian children and the construction of ille- occupation. Apparently, according to Geoffrey gal settlements. It is not racist to believe that Block ’14, vice president of finance for the S.A. occupied Palestinians should have the same — who made the motion to table the resolution rights and privileges as Jewish settlers. indefinitely — “Cornell will never divest from The leaders of CIPAC, Hillel and J Street Israel … divestment is just not something that is U Cornell claim that they are fighting against going to actually occur.” While I would encour“divisive speech” on campus. For them, it is age Mr. Block to read the resolution and recogdivisive and harmful to advocate that we end nize that we are not proposing “divestment from our complicity in illegal occupation. Instead, Israel,” I do think he makes a salient point — the they call for “productive dialogue.” Absent S.A. is subject to the willingness of the adminisfrom their dialogue is any means to pressure tration to allow students’ demands to be not just Israel to stop its actions in occupied Palestine. heard, but acted upon. That absence makes plain the substance of the This issue isn’t isolated to students calling dialogue they desire: A dialogue which does for Cornell to divest from occupation. The not lead to action to end the occupation, but S.A. has failed to address the recent tuition rather prevents action by insisting that we increase, refused to condemn the offensive need to discuss the ongoing peace process and “Cinco de Octubre” event sponsored by the its supposed end point, the two-state solution. administration and demonstrated incredibly Cornell students having abstract “dialogues” poor judgment in its unfair funding cuts about the peace process has nothing to do with aimed at ALANA. Even when the S.A. does the material conditions of Palestinians, condi- voice the concerns of students, as it did when tions which include poverty, statelessness and a it called for Cornell to divest from fossil fuels, racist militarized occupation. Indeed, the “peace it is routinely dismissed by the administration. process” has done nothing but to serve as a cover If the Student Assembly is unwilling to to hide an ongoing settlement project as well as address these concerns and unable to ensure a diplomatic device to distract from and nor- that the University seriously addresses these malize exactly that occupation. Discussions concerns, then I have to question: What is the should be had, but they should have direct con- point in having a Student Assembly? sequences on our role as Cornellians in the Michael Mintz is a freshman in the School of Industrial ongoing occupation. The resolution was meant and Labor Relations. He can be reached at mgm273@corto serve as a platform where Cornell students nell.edu. Guest Room appears periodically this semester.
Letter
Keep the free TCAT passes To the Editor: Re: “Cornell Considers Cutting Free TCAT Bus Passes,” News, March 26. The University Assembly’s recently introduced a measure to cut free bus passes is another blow to the student body. This came on the heels of a nearly $2,000 tuition increase. Despite ever-increased spending on administrative fees and satellite campuses, students in Ithaca continue to receive worse student services for less money. The bus passes for first year students are an important way to help new students assimilate to campus and Ithaca. Taking the bus to Target or Collegetown is an important part of the new student experience, and allows students to feel comfortable in their new surroundings without any added expense. Indeed, charging students for taking the bus will further stratify the gap between rich and poor students on campus. People unwilling to spend the additional money to take the bus will remain confined to campus, unable to explore their new community or become involved in offcampus activities. Off-campus community service events will become inaccessible for budgetminded students. Even working for this paper will become an expensive privilege, as The Sun’s offices in the commons is too out of the way for most freshmen without taking the bus. Bus passes and the ability to travel around campuses are standard at most of Cornell’s peer institutions. Every other Ivy League school have some sort of free public transportation for students, despite Cornell having the largest campus. Even urban school like Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania offer students free access to local public transportation. Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit’s financial issues are certainly pressing, but is cutting ever more student services the only way for Cornell to pay off its debt to the local government? Students already have to pay for gym passes, as well as ever-increasing rent. Cornell should prioritize services for students and preserve free bus passes for its students. Timothy McGraw ’16
THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, April 17, 2014 7
OPINION
Eric Pesner | Dems Discuss
T
Once We Were Slaves
his week, I, along with Jewish people across the globe, began to celebrate the holiday of Passover. One of the most important ways in which Jewish people mark Passover is through the retelling of the Biblical story of the Exodus from Egypt. As I read the story in the Haggadah, one sentence stuck with me this year — “Once we were slaves in Egypt, and now we are free.” Pondering the implications of this line, I could not help to be drawn to the controversy of the past week about the Student Assembly’s tabling of Resolution 72. When Moses led the Jewish people out of bondage in Egypt, it wasn’t into a freedom destined to last. Since that time, the Jewish people have faced captivities and expulsions, violence and injustices, pogroms and a Holocaust. We were a people wandering in the wilderness, a nation without a state, with no country to call our own. That is, until 1948 with the creation of the State of Israel. The hope of Israel is that the Jewish people can have a place — a home — to fulfill that line in the Haggadah and be free. But that hope is not exclusive to the Jewish people. It is a hope shared by the Palestinian people as well. The Palestinians are still a nation wandering in the wilderness and they also long for a state of their own. And far too often, Israel and its supporters are the ones standing in the way. When the Student Assembly tabled Resolution 72, its supporters reacted with
fury in their defeat and its opponents rev- favor of peace, yet all they seem to do is eled in their victory. They all then began to fight. claw their way to the moral high ground for Continuing to think about that line the next battle. The resolution’s supporters from the Haggadah also reminded me of proclaimed again their fight against oppres- something else – not everyone is free yet. In sion and the resolution’s opponents lauded a Pew poll last year, a majority of American themselves for being so pro-peace. The Jews said that working for justice and opponents also claimed to be in favor of equality is essential to being Jewish. I am dialogue and criticized the supporters for immensely proud of the long history of the being divisive and unproductive — even Jewish people fighting for social justice — though it was the opponents of the resolu- from standing with Martin Luther King Jr. tion who blocked debate. If we at Cornell in favor of civil rights to fighting with cannot sit down Nelson and talk to each Mandela other about this, against If we are truly to fulfill the hope apartheid. how can we of Israel ... and create a world in But expect those in the Israel and fight is not which everyone can be free, Palestine to do done. then we must be willing to yet W the same? hile listen to each other. we at CorThe two sides on this issue nell have seem to be at war been arguwith each other. They seem to do every- ing about what is a good dialogue to have thing in their power to lambaste each other, on campus, injustices have been claiming which accomplishes nothing. The support- victories around the world. The Sultanate ers of Palestine pursue harmful actions such of Brunei in Southeast Asia decided last as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions week to make being stoned to death the movement and Resolution 72 which do lit- new punishment for being gay. Antitle but alienate many potential allies of the Western militants attacked a school in Palestinians within the pro-Israel commu- Nigeria and kidnapped over 100 schoolnity. And the supporters of Israel have girls. And people across the globe are conshown little willingness to listen to the tinuing their struggles against oppressive legitimate grievances from the other side as governments. we saw in the Student Assembly last week. For me, being Jewish is in part about Everyone on both sides claims to be in standing up against injustice everywhere.
And this struggle for justice is in part what led me to become a Democrat. From the intersection of these two communities, I can see courageous people in both groups standing up for the rights of people in the United States and around the world, for the rights of women, of LGBT people and of racial and religious minorities. However, in both communities, voices for justice often remain quiet when faced with the issue of Israel and Palestine. These voices either seek some safe middle ground or seek to hide from the issue altogether. But if we are truly to fulfill the hope of Israel echoed in the Haggadah, and create a world in which everyone can be free, then we must be willing to listen to each other. We cannot hide from this problem like the Student Assembly tried to do. I think Resolution 72 was a bad idea, but it couldn’t have hurt to listen to both sides. Once we were slaves in Egypt, and now we are free. But a free and secure Israel can only exist in a free and secure world. Just because we are free now doesn’t mean we can’t be slaves again. If there’s one thing that I’ve taken away from this Passover, it’s that my freedom is bound to everyone else’s, and we all have to work together to make sure that freedom lasts. Eric Pesner is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He may be reached at erp55@cornell.edu. Dems Discuss appears alternate Thursdays this semester.
THROWDOWN THURSDAYS Julius Kairey | Always Right
The Truth About‘Rape Culture’ W
e hear a lot about “rape culture” on college of rape to be accepted as true, and not scrutinized in a fair campuses nowadays. The basic idea behind the legal proceeding. Just two years ago, Cornell stripped concept is that there is a widespread tolerance those accused of sexual offenses of the right to retain an of rape at Cornell and other universities, largely because attorney in University proceedings and the right to crosssociety teaches men to disregard the importance of the examine their accusers. A student accused of a sexual consent of women in sexual encounters. To those who offense at Cornell is now not able to directly ask the perbelieve in “rape culture,” rape is not the result of a few son who is making a potentially life-ruining accusation a bad actors, but is tolerated, even encouraged, in our col- single question about the incident. This is an inexcusable lege culture. Few people seem willing to challenge this narrative for fear of being called insensitive to the suffering of those who have experienced sexual If stripping away the rights of students is violence. But a respect for the truth requires that the fol- not the answer, what can be done about lowing question be asked: Is rape so widespread on sexual violence on campus? The best hope campuses as to be an epidemic? The oft-cited figure that one-in-four women will be raped at least once for change lies in real dialogue about over the course of her time at college is of dubious the importance of consent. accuracy. In fact, more reliable statistics from the Bureau of Justice Statistics show that one-in-forty women will be raped over four years of college. Even erasure of the fundamental right to confront one’s these lower statistics indicate that there is still much work accuser, a right that has existed for all of our country’s histo be done in reducing sexual violence on campus, and all tory. Such rights are not superfluous. They protect us decent people share the goal of a campus free of sexual against arbitrary action by those who hold the levers of violence. But the truth is that the overwhelming majori- power. To make matters worse, the University has dropped ty of people on this and other campuses do not condone the standard of proof in sexual assault cases from “clear or engage in rape. I would be less concerned about the exaggerated sta- and convincing evidence” to “preponderance of the evitistics about “rape culture,” and thus less inclined to crit- dence.” This means that a Cornell student accused of a icize it, if it were not causing concrete harm to students. violent offense that is sexual in nature will not have the But the belief that rape must be prevented by “any means legal safeguards given to others whose alleged offenses necessary” has been used to justify the elimination of key were non-sexual. With the punishment being so severe protections for students accused of rape in campus judi- and so much on the line for the accused, how can we cial systems. Some want the claims of the alleged victims accept such a low standard of proof?
Given that this university has a tremendous power to punish students, we have an obligation to make sure that the innocent do not get hurt. Whenever the University makes the scales of justice unequal, the safeguards of due process and equal protection are put in jeopardy. We must always be presumed to be innocent until proven guilty and be allowed the basic tools needed to defend ourselves. Do not assume that you will never be accused of something you did not do. If stripping away the rights of students is not the answer, what can be done about sexual violence on campus? The best hope for change lies in real dialogue about the importance of consent and what it means to consent to sex. This dialogue must come with the understanding that sexual relationships are often complex and that consent is not always clearly given or withheld. What one person sees as rape is not the same as what another sees as rape. As a community, we must form a consensus on what, exactly, constitutes rape and what constitutes consent. Our paramount goal must be to protect both the innocent and the accused; we must do both. When we do, the Cornell community can have greater confidence that justice is being done for all parties. Our campus would be safer for everyone if the rhetoric of “rape culture” were replaced with an open-minded and inclusive conversation about these matters.
Julius Kairey is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He may be reached at jkairey@cornellsun.com. Always Right appears alternate Thursdays this semester.
8 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, April 17, 2014
DINING GUIDE
The Corne¬ Daily Sun
Dining Guide
Your source for good food
‘Fro-Down’at Yogurtland: Cornell vs.Ithaca College
Cornell students compete in three challenges in order to win discounted frozen yogurt in May for the entire university By ALICE ANICHKIN Sun Contributer
Sorority girls (and the rest of Cornell) rejoice! Yogurtland is hosting a three-week long competition called ‘ Fr o - D o w n , ’ that began April 14, between Ithaca College and Cornell students. Hoping to motivate students to come out, Yo g u r t l a n d offered three ounces off froyo for the first two days of the competition. Each week, a new challenge is hosted at Yogurtland, located on South Meadow St. for the grand prize of 20 percent off students of the w i n n i n g school’s purchase for the entire month of May. “So far it’s great,” said m a n a g e r George Oliver. “We actually ran out of yogurt the other day, but we’re making sure that doesn’t happen again.” Ithaca College and Cornell
students alike are buzzing about the competition, packing into the Ithaca hotspot daily. Week One, which began this past Monday and continues through Sunday, April 20, calls for students to present their best ‘School Pride Pix’. Fo l l ow i n g that, Week Two calls for and I.C. Cornell students to participate in a ‘Spinthe-Wheel’ g a m e between M o n d a y, April 21 and Sunday April 27. The final week, worth double the first two challenges and the most enticing-sounding, asks the Big Red community and Ithaca Bombers to go head to head in ‘Pimp-MyFr o - Yo’ between April 28 and May 4. The school that wins the most challenged is hailed the winner. In the event of a tie, the
“I think this contest is a great way to spark up a healthy competition between Ithaca College and us,” says sophomore Rohan Bhatia ’16, “and I can’t think of a better victory treat.”
COURTESY OF YOGURTLAND
schools with the most active participants win. Thus, it is encouraged that all students must present their school IDs in order to participate in the challenges. “I think this contest is a great way to spark up a healthy competition between Ithaca College and us,” Rohan Bhatia ’16 said, “and I can’t think of a better victory treat.” Frozen yogurt has a growing presence in the Ithaca commu-
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nity, with the wildly popular Smart Yogurt located on Elmira Road and the host, Yogurtland, just outside campus. Both locations are common hangouts for both I.C. and Cornell students. “Fro-yo is the classic go to after dinner, so it’s great that we could possibly get a discount for an entire month,” Melissa Kowalski ’16 said. With fro-yo being a popular staple of many Cornellians diets, a month long, 20 percent discount is quite enticing. This year’s ‘Fro-Down’ is the first one in history. When asked who the brainchild of the idea was, Oliver responded, “I would love to take credit for that. It’s actually Kelsey Lynch ’14 who came up with the idea to put everything together.” Lynch has been a Brand Marketing Intern for Ithaca’s Yogurtland since January. “I think the main inspiration was school rivalry. Despite the fact that Cornell and I.C. are so nearby, we did not think either school really viewed the other as a rival. We wanted to generate some friendly competition between the two at a local level where each school has real incentive to participate,” Lynch said. Indeed, despite the close proximity of the two institutions,
there is a rarely a battleground for competition. ‘Fro-Down’ provides a friendly way for the two schools to duke it out. Further, the contest comes just in time for the tiny slice of the sunny Ithaca weather we receive. “We figured since Ithaca will finally have nice weather (fingers crossed) this would be a great way to reward the winning school,” Lynch said. Undeniably, fro-yo is the ideal dessert on a (rare) hot, Ithaca day. “Predictions?” ponderered Oliver, “that is tough. I think I’ll leave that up to the schools. We think both people have advantages and disadvantages. Cornell trumps I.C. in terms of people, but I.C. really wants it.” While manager George Oliver is confident in the abilities of both schools, it’s up to Cornell students to take the prize. Students are encouraged to flock to 740 South Meadow Street now until May 4 to participate in the festivities. Information about the ‘Fro-Down’ is available on twitter and Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Yog urtlandIthaca or http://www.twit ter.com/yogurtlandITHAC. Alice Anichkin can be reached at iaa652@cornell.edu.
A&E
Thursday, April 17, 2014 | The Corne¬ Daily Sun | 9
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT O TE S T S P I N S Nas Illmatic XX Columbia Records
O Calvin Patten “I don’t know how to start this shit, yo,” Nas famously mumbles before tearing into the first verse of “N.Y. State of Mind” — a surprising claim from a rapper who proceeded to change the course of hip-hop over the course of the following nine tracks. Twenty years after its initial release, Illmatic has maintained its place in the hip-hop canon, frequently being cited as one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever released. Even as Nas’ dense, verbose style has faded from popularity, Illmatic has deservedly received a reverence reserved for few albums. Subsequently, while the release of Illmatic XX is little more than a money grab as the anniversary approaches (the album was first released April 19, 1994), it is a delightful reminder of the stark beauty of the poetic, smooth hip-hop that sprung one of rap’s longest serving statesmen to the forefront of the game. Only 20 years old at the time of the release, Nas made a shockingly dark album. Growing up insulated in the the Queensbridge projects, Nas had seen it all firsthand: The drugs, violence and gangs that defined the post-crack inner city, smothering too many of his friends and family members. Most recently, Chance the Rapper came from a somewhat similar place and age to make Acid Rain, but it went the other way, with Chance’s bubbling enthusiasm popping through, even as he details the horrors of living in Chiraq. “I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death” Nas famously rapped, his paranoid metaphorical insomnia all too justified by his experiences within Queensbridge’s gritty six blocks. The quintessential New York City album, Illmatic relies on the setting as a character in and of itself, a god alternatively vengeful and generous. “Niggas I used to run with is rich or doing years in the
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hundreds,” Nas explains, all too aware that the margin for error is small. As you listen to Illmatic over and over (it has incredible replay value, helping keep it fresh 20 years later), you begin to recognize the names and people — from Ill Will to Shorty Wop to Fat Cat — that repeatedly appear. It is a fascinatingly insular approach to an album, made possible by the naïveté and arrogance of a youthful rapper armed with nothing but a book of rhymes and some stories. Twenty years later, I cannot help but wonder where they all ended up, how many of them are dudes still living in Queens talking about how they were once shouted out on Illmatic. Like a classic movie, Illmatic’s production is notably dated, but it endures as one of the greatest collections of songs ever produced by D.J. Premier and Large Professor. Incorporating a significant amount of jazz-influenced beats alongside samples from an abundant variety of artists, the loops and surprisingly minimalist atmosphere offered a perfect perch for Nas. And of course that is what ultimately perseveres about Illmatic: Nas’s wordplay, rhymes and vivid storytelling are rightfully held up as shining examples of the poetic nature of truly great rap. Stringing together lyrics like “It's real, grew up in trife life, the times of white lines / The hype pipes, murderous night times and knife fights invite crimes,” the eighth-grade-dropoutturned-street-sentry stole back hip-hop from the G-Funk styling’s championed by the West Coast. Ultimately though, I wonder if Nas feels that he got a raw deal. Even to start with, he struggled to find a record contract. Then, despite universal acclaim, Illmatic did not reach platinum status until 2001, hurt by rampant bootlegging. Nas has
had a variety of popular albums and songs, but has not maintained the extreme popularity (and wealth) enjoyed by some of his peers. Most notably, his old nemesis Jay Z borrowed much more than “a hot line,” invigorating his career around a sound very similar to that of Nas. Hov however, with his wealth, wife and protégés, has approached something close to modern royalty. Meanwhile, Nas has become a living cultural artifact, forever largely defined by his youthful ponderings. Even his city has let him down — when Kendrick claimed to be King of New York in “Control,” the lack of serious rebuttal was a striking reminder that the New York rap scene has largely been abandoned. Harlem native A$AP Rocky is probably the most promising native New Yorker, but has notably pursued a style that is more reflective of Houston than his home city. This two-disk reissue, Illmatic XX, fails to add much of value to its eponymous source. Only one new song, “I’m a Villain,” is included, and it fails to match the quality of Illmatic. We also get a 1993 radio freestyle that features Grand Wizard, Jungle, Six Nine & Sudan and eight remixed tracks. The remixes just sound wrong — Illmatic was impeccably produced, why do I want to hear a lesser version of the songs? Still, as an excuse to celebrate one of the most impactful hip-hop records ever released, it fulfills its purpose. “I woke up early on my born day; I'm 20, it's a blessing,” Nas appreciated, bemused, as he opened his verse on “Life’s a Bitch.” Twenty years later, it is Illmatic’s multiple generations of listeners that can call themselves blessed. Calvin Patten is a junior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He can be reached at cpatten@cornellsun.com.
A Picture Book Come to Life MARISSA TRANQUILLI Sun Staff Writer
There is something incredible about picture books. I continued to read them well after I had started picking up Magic Tree House, Because of Winn-Dixie and even Jurassic Park. No matter what level of reading you currently stand at, picture books are a completely unique form of art which is able to combine a short story, often with a sweet message, to beautiful, unique images. It is not important what age you are. I think that is why when I went to see Ernest & Celestine on Tuesday, the audience was made up of teens and adults: This beautiful, handdrawn film is a picture book come to life. The film never seeks to hide from its hand-crafted nature; characters and sets emerge line by line from the blank white page to create the beautiful watercolor world of Ernest & Celestine. Based on a long-running picture book series by Belgium born author Gabreille Vincent, Ernest & Celestine is a French film (now playing at Cinemapolis as the English dub version) depicting the unlikely friendship of a bear and a mouse. The world borrows from human reality as well as nature’s reality to create a world with its own unique rules. In a very H.G. Wells manner, the mice live below and the bears live above. Both exist at human level intelligence, crafting cities in their own domain. The mice live in their own multilayered Venice, with beautiful canals and deep caverns. They tell the tale of the “Big Bad Bear” which will eat them if they are noticed in the upper world. However, their entire empire is
absolutely breathtaking. The artistry of the characters and well as the creators plays a huge role in the film. Ernest, as a musician, lends to the moving classical soundtrack. In her own meta way, Celestine takes up watercolors, using them to mimic her own drawn and watercolored world. Ernest & Celestine The film Directed by Stépane Aubier, doesn’t try for an outBenjamin Renner and Vincent Patar landish resStarring Forest Whitaker olution or forceful COURTESY OF STUDIOCANAL moral, it allows its Enter Ernest (Forest sweetness and understanding to wash Whitaker), a street musician over the audience. Every aspect of the who is starving and grumpy, film is art, in every definition of the wanting to do anything for word, and the plot is engaging, funny food. Rummaging through the and adorable. Watching the watercolors of a childand they behave much as humans to: trash for something to eat, he discovers With traps, poison, glue. Each confined Celestine asleep. After the two engage in hood picture book wash off the page and to their own prejudices, the mice and the a heated debate as to whether or not onto the screen hit me, as they say, “right bears live separately and happily. Ernest will be eating Celestine, the two in the childhood.” It was a breathtaking Celestine (Mackenzie Foy), however, aid each other in feats of robbery: adventure and for that brief hour and 20 even in the orphanage as a young mouse, Celestine helps Ernest break into minutes the real world washed away in a dreams of being friends with a bear and George’s candy shop and Ernest breaks sea of colors and music. Whether you see disregards the stories of the “Big Bad into Lucienne’s tooth shop for Celestine. the English dub or the French with subBear.” She spends her free time drawing Their lawless ways catch up with them, titles, Ernest & Celestine is not a film to in her notebook: Pictures of bears — of however, and through perhaps the most be missed. their worlds and lives. She takes an entertaining scene of the film, the mice apprenticeship with the dentist, collect- and bear police chase the fugitives and Marissa Tranquilli a junior in the College of Arts ing teeth from the bear world and using issue warrants for their arrests. and Sciences. She can be reached at mtranquilErnest & Celestine is, above all else, li@cornellsun.com. her time “above” to practice drawing. crafted by their teeth, which they used to dig and sculpt. Dentistry, of course, is the greatest profession they possess, and for replacement teeth nothing is stronger or better than the teeth little bears put under their pillows at night for the Mouse Fairy. Bears live above in villages and towns, operating shops and driving cars. They operate under the assumption: If you let one mouse in, more will follow. Their women shriek at the site of the little mice
When she is discovered by George and Lucienne (real life husband and wife Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally) in their son’s bedroom, she is accidentally trapped within a garbage can.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
10 | The Corne¬ Daily Sun | Thursday, April 17, 2014
A&E
It’s All in the Name: Hip-Hop and the Internet A genre that knows the age it lives in
I
’ve been working on a theory that the best American music tends to come out when Democrats are in power. Not necessarily because liberal music is good music, but because — let’s be honest — most musicians are liberal, and the music industry being just as much a part of society’s Superstructure as anything else, tends to work best when it and the political establishment are in tandem. This is why the ’60s are generally regarded as a better decade for music than the ’70s, the ’90s better than the ’80s and, with each passing year, the ’10s better than the ’00s. As we move farther from it, it gets harder to grasp just what statement American music was trying to make in the 2000s, because the U.S. itself was experiencing an identity crisis — start-
should he have. I doubt any flowery language could turn words like “Kickstarter” or “Tinder” into remotely credible messages. The Future’s Void, the newest album by singersongwriter EMA, is an example of how naming names can undercut the commentary. The album overall is good enough, but its tracks that attempt to comment on Internet culture fall particularly flat. “Making a living off taking selfies / Is that the way you want to be,” she sings on “Neuromancer.” “It’s such a narcissistic baby / It’s such a millennial baby.” When I first heard that line, I cringed immediately, taking me out of the song. The phenomenon of the selfie is undoubtedly a reflection of the narcissism EMA describes, but “selfie” is such a stupid word, it’s hard to take anything after its utterance seriously. It’s like how it’s an unspoken rule not to talk about Facebook posts in person; it feels so inconsequential, yet it’s undoubtedly having an impact on society as a whole. Music that uses Internet lingo seems to be best when the artist acknowledges the triviality of it all and has fun with it, and no genre does this better than hiphop. This is probably why hiphop has become the genre with the most cultural cache this decade; its explicit references to social media connect to our generation better than any long-winded metaphor could. Take for example, Strange Journey Volume Three, the newest album from Kentucky hip-hop trio Cunninlynguists. It has the opposite problem of The Future’s Void in that its best tracks are the ones that feel most timely. “Drunk Dial”’s playful subject matter is pretty clear from its title, but the group owns it by doubling down, rapper Grieves telling a story of accidentally sending a dick pic to his male friend. “I hope you black out before you do anymore damage,” Murs, the friend, responds. “I checked your Timeline, homie why you tweeting in Spanish?” On paper, this exchange doesn’t look too natural, but in the song, with loping tubas leading the beat, name dropping the social media terms only enhances the comedy of errors. The high frequency of hip-hop releases also complements the swift development of Internet culture well, so that could be a reason why the genre has a leg up on the competition. An artist like Lil B, who releases over ten albums a year on average, can afford to take glee in sounding dated, because his music’s more about the journey of his career rather than any one specific work. The thing is Lil B has never released a definitive album, nor will he probably ever given the nature of his work ethic. And Arcade Fire nurses albums for over three years at a time, and a lot of shit can fall in and out of fashion in that time to risk singling out any one specific product. Maybe the right middle ground is something akin to early-00’s Eminem, whose screeds against Chris Kirkpatrick and Moby sound downright ancient now, but are so ridiculous they’re enjoyable for some realm beyond timelessness. I don’t see Arcade Fire writing five-minute diss tracks anytime soon, but heretofore unheard of artists of the second half of the decade may want to take note: For optimal cultural relevance, lighten up and release music faster. Also, vote Hillary in 2016. Just kidding, do what you want.
Paul Blank Check Your Mode ing two wars based on questionable pretenses and violating international law on an unprecedented scale while only doubling down on American exceptionalism. I don’t know, maybe it’s a dumb theory. The point is that, for whatever reason, the aughts were a decade of stagnation and the 2010s seem to get it. We as a society understand what issues are worth addressing, and the best albums produced so far have reacted to them and have then fed back into the culture. The issue is technology: Its ability to make our voices more pervasive than ever before but to also isolate and reinforce our own little bubbles. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, good kid m.A.A.d. city, Modern Vampires of the City, these albums all comment on this, but they also have another thing in common: They don’t name names. When we hear Kanye West openly describe his romantic travails, or Ezra Koenig rattle off disparate references, we know what products facilitated this: Twitter and Wikipedia. But with the exception of references to Instagram in West’s “Blood on the Leaves” and Boost Mobile in Kendrick Lamar’s “The Art of Peer Pressure,” this decade’s classics never call out the elephants in the room that almost all music consumers would recognize. Why is this? One might suspect this is because the music industry’s collusion with technology companies subtly deters artists from directly criticizing them, or that artists just dislike product placement. I think, however, that the reason is simpler: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the like are really silly words. You see, sites like Twitter and Tumblr are named as cutesy as they are to target an adolescent audience. A product name like Foursquare conjures images of recess and harmless play, which implicitly tells the public that it is not to be taken too seriously and subtly protects it from criticism. That’s why many artists need to take a roundabout approach to social commentary to not sound hokey. Arcade Fire’s Reflektor does a fantastic job of turning criticism of technology into art, but does so using the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice as a metaphor, mapping Orpheus’ struggle not to look at Eurydice while leading her out of the Underworld onto our fight to quell our need for instant gratification. Butler doesn’t reference a single company over the entire album, nor
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Paul Blank is a senior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He can be reached at pblank@cornellsun.com. Check Your Mode appears alternate Thursdays this semester.
THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, April 7, 2014 11 Know what’s up in C-Town.
The Corne¬ Daily Sun
Cornell Faculty In Support of the Cornell Chapter of Students For Justice In Palestine (SJP) and Their Resolution Calling for Cornell to Divest from Israeli Institutions Involved in the Occupation of the Palestinian Territories. On April 10, 2014, the Cornell chapter of SJP presented a resolution to the Student Assembly, which calls for Cornell University to divest its stock portfolio of Israeli companies profiting from the occupation of the Palestinian Territories. Without discussion of the resolution, the Assembly voted to table it “indefinitely.” We, the undersigned Cornell faculty, regret this decision, but express our solidarity with SJP and support its resolution for the following reasons: • In its occupation of the territories since 1967 and its ongoing construction of settlements therein, Israel is in clear violation of international law, as determined by the United Nations and the International Court of Justice at The Hague. • Israel’s occupation has in effect established an apartheid system of governance, operating under military law, in which the basic human rights of the Palestinian people have been abrogated and their economic and social well being have been undermined. • In its partnership with the Technion University of Israel, which is deeply involved in the militarization of the West Bank, including the separation Wall, Cornell, while not engaging in the production of military systems, is implicitly implicated in supporting Israeli apartheid. • The repeated attempts at negotiations for a two-state solution undertaken by the United States have never been and cannot be conducted in good faith precisely because the US government has been and remains an uncritical supporter of Israel, to which it contributes three billion dollars a year in what is largely military aid. • It is because of the ongoing occupation and the failure of the US diplomatic mission that the call by Palestinian civil society for a Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS) has been heeded by significant groups in the international community, including organizations in the US, just as such a movement was effectively heeded in helping to bring to an end the apartheid regime in South Africa. (Note: departmental affiliations for purposes of identification only) Eric Cheyfitz, English Risa Lieberwitz, ILR, Labor Relations, Law, and History Anna Marie Smith, Government Mary Pat Brady, English Paul Sawyer, English Matthew Evangelista, Government Kate McCullough, English; Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Richard W. Miller, Philosophy Sofia Villenas, Anthropology Vilma Santiago-Irizarry, Anthropology Barry Maxwell, Comparative Literature; American Studies James E. Turner, Africana Studies and Research Center Cynthia Chase, English and Comparative Literature Shelley Feldman, Development Sociology; Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies Charles C. Geisler, Development Sociology Jane Mt. Pleasant, Horticulture Lourdes Beneria, City and Regional Planning Neil Saccamano, English; Comparative Literature Anette Schwarz, German Studies Stuart Davis, English Brett de Bary, Asian Studies; Comparative Literature Bruno Bosteels, Romance Studies
Darlene Evans, The John S. Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines James Gross, ILR, Labor Relations, Law, and History David Levitsky, Nutrition and Psychology Raymond Craib, History Dagmawi Woubshet, English William W. Goldsmith, City and Regional Planning Pierre Clavel, City and Regional Planning George Hutchinson, English Elizabeth Sanders, Government Satya Mohanty, English Shelley Wong, English Paul Nadasdy, Anthropology; American Indian Program Barbara Strupp, Nutritional Sciences; Psychology Suman Seth, Science & Technology Studies Tracy McNulty, Romance Studies; Comparative Literature Salah Hassan, Africana Studies and Research Center; History of Art David L. Brown, Development Sociology Cynthia Grant Bowman, Law School Troy Richardson, Education; American Indian and Indigenous Studies Richard F. Bensel, Government Simone Pinet, Romance Studies María Antonia Garcés, Romance Studies Lois Levitan, Communication
12 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, April 16, 2014
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 59-Across role in 27-Across 5 Yenta 11 Sneaky chuckle 14 Fish found in a film 15 Finger-shaped dessert 16 __ pro nobis 17 1978 film cowritten by 59Across 19 Ross musical, with “The” 20 Reached, as goals 21 Zapped 22 Sly 24 Server’s warning 26 1997 Home Run Derby winner Martinez 27 1984 film cowritten and costarring 59Across 33 “__ la vista, baby!” 36 Stout sleuth, in more ways than one 37 Drench 38 Pacers, e.g. 39 “That’s enough!” 40 “Smiling, petite ball of fire,” to Philbin 41 Not paleo42 Arrive 43 Assuages to the max 44 1993 film cowritten and directed by 59Across 47 Skye slope 48 Medicinal syrup 52 Pastoral poems 54 5th Dimension vocalist Marilyn 57 Horseplayer’s hangout, for short 58 Turkey 59 This puzzle’s honoree (19442014) 62 Funny Philips 63 “Lost” actress de Ravin 64 Fade 65 GI’s address 66 Bulletin board admins
49 “Cathy,” for one 67 59-Across was its 32 Cruise ship conveniences 50 Skewed original head 33 Chill out 51 “The Amazing writer 34 AMA member?: Race” network Abbr. 52 Flash, perhaps DOWN 1 As a friend, to Fifi 35 “Ruh-roh!” pooch 53 Get rid of 39 Give up 54 3-D images 2 “The Balcony” 40 Comedic Martha 55 USAF Academy playwright 42 Grinds in anger, home 3 Neglects to maybe 56 Swindle, in mention 43 Flavor slang 4 2-Down, par 45 Modern address 60 March girl exemple 46 Some are light61 Baby-viewing 5 Italian dessert emitting responses 6 Protest singer Phil ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: 7 Gin fizz fruit 8 King Faisal’s brother 9 “__ for Innocent”: Grafton novel 10 On the nose 11 “‘Sup?” 12 Scary-sounding lake 13 Not clear 18 Don Ho “Yo” 23 Aardvark snack 25 5’10” and 6’3”: Abbr. 26 Titmouse topper, perhaps 28 Mown strip 29 “Pagliacci” clown 30 Showy jewelry 31 Clue weapon 04/17/14 xwordeditor@aol.com
Sun Sudoku
COMICS AND PUZZLES
Puzzle #626
OUTSMARTING COYOTES
CLASSIFIED AD RATES Ads are accepted at The Sun‘s office at 139 W. State Street downtown, by phone or e-mail. Deadline: 3:30 p.m. at The Sun‘s office on the day preceding publication. Monday’s deadline: Friday, 3:30 p.m. at The Sun office.
Standard Rate: $3.40 per day for first 15 words, 32 cents per day per word thereafter. 5 or more consecutive insertions, $3.15 per day for first 15 words, 30 cents per day per word thereafter. Fill in the empty cells, one number in each, so that each column, row, and region contains the numbers 1-9 exactly once. Each number in the solution therefore occurs only once in each of the three “directions,” hence the “single numbers” implied by the puzzle’s name. (Rules from wikipedia.org/wiki /Sudoku)
Commercial Rate: $5.20 per day for first
15 words, 33 cents per day per word thereafter. 5 or more consecutive insertions, $5.00 per day for first 15 words, 31 cents per day per word thereafter. The Sun is responsible for only one day make good on ads.
273-3606 classifieds@cornelldailysun.com
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3 N OTICES ECK Worship Service 1020 Ellis Hollow Rd. Ithaca (Best Western)
Sunday, April 20 11:00 a.m. to noon
By Stu Ockman (c)2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
Topic: Living in the Spirit of God’s Love Join others seeking to bring more insight and divine love into their lives at this special celebration of the Light and Sound of God. For more information call 1-800-630-3546 or visit www.eckankar-ny.org/southern.htm Presented by New York Satsang Society, Inc. A Charted Affiliate of ECKANKAR
04/17/14
Doonesbury
by Garry Trudeau
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6 G RADUATION H OUSING Graduation Weekend It’s not too late to rent this beautiful, comtemporary, modern Cayuga Heights home overlooking Cayuga Lake. Only 3 miles from Cornell campus, this 3 bedroom house is fully furnished and sleeps 6. Rent 3 nights get a fourth for free. For more information contact Shane or view on our website. Certified Properties of TC Inc 273-1669 certifiedpropertiesinc.com
Mr. Gnu (The Johnny Woodruff series will resume tomorrow.)
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THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, April 17, 2014 13
26 A PARTMENT FOR R ENT
26 A PARTMENT FOR R ENT
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Arts and Crafts Style House on North Campus. Two bedroom with hardwood floors, fireplace, dining area with built- ins, and upstairs attic loft $1270. Available 8/16/14 Two bedroom (one room is converted porch) with large living room with high beamed ceilings and hardwood floors $1200. Available 8/6/14. Three Bedroom Lower level with spacious living room and fireplace $1350 ($450/3) Available 6/7/14. Heat included. Call to view 257-0313 Carriage House Apartments Studios/1Bedrooms. $980-$1150. Available now for short term/long term. Free gas heat, roadrunner internet, standard cable, water, parking and dumpster. Furniture option. Close to North Campus and shopping. Bus stops at door. www.kimballrentals.com/CarriageHouse/ 190 Pleasant Grove Rd. Call to view, 257-0313
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L www.cornellsun.com
14 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, April 17, 2014
SPORTS
A Boston Marathon Runner’s Reflections
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Just one tiny misstep at mile 15 of the Boston Marathon last spring ruined any chance of amputee runner Jeff Glasbrenner breaking four hours. He stumbled over a pothole, opening a cut where his running blade attached below his right knee. Glasbrenner cursed his luck as he stopped every mile to clean the wound. That bump in the road just may have kept the 41-year-old from being in the midst of the chaos. He was three blocks from the finish when the marathon was halted by the two bomb explosions. “A pothole,” Glasbrenner said, “just may have saved me.” This year, he’s one of 4,781 runners taking the iconic race up on its offer to return — an opportunity to settle some unfinished business when they line up at the start again. For many, it’s a chance to finally make good on their months of training — dozens of workouts and hundreds of miles logged — and achieve that finish line. For Glasbrenner, his journey back to Boston became much more than simply finishing. He’s bringing some company as he trained right-leg amputees Andre Slay and Chris Madison, both whom had never even imagined running a marathon before. “This is going to be a day filled with lots of joy and tears,” said Glasbrenner, a motivational speaker and three-time Paralympian in wheelchair basketball. “But we’re going to get to that finish line together.” Glasbrenner has always been a “bucket list” sort of athlete — finish one adventure and move on to the next. He has completed 13 marathons and 22 Ironman triathlons. So Glasbrenner just had to go back to Boston, to conclude this quest. For himself and for those injured when the twin pressure cooker bombs exploded, killing three and injuring 260. At least 16 people lost a limb or limbs. He could understand the devastation, having lost part of his leg in a farming accident when he was 8 years old. “I had a hard time watching the news for a few days after Boston,” said Glasbrenner, who was at 25.9 miles — according to his GPS tracker — when police stopped runners. “I’m not going to let a couple of bad guys steal my finish line.” He talked Slay and Madison into joining him at the starting line. It wasn’t easy: Neither had even run as much as a 5-kilometer race. And first, they had to run a qualifying event (to get into the field for Boston, a mobility-impaired participant has to finish a marathon in less than eight hours). The trio began training together late last June on paths around Little Rock. At least once a week, they met for a run. On those other days, Glasbrenner gave them a training schedule to follow. He was always a phone call or text away for questions, too. Slay, 32, and Madison, 39, had plenty: How many socks to wear on their stump? How often to stop and clean the sweat from their prosthetic leg? And the biggest one: Could they really run a marathon? “Sure, I had doubt,” Slay said, laughing. Slay worked at an airline ticket counter when he met Glasbrenner, who frequently travels to give lectures and check items off his sports bucket list. Slay was 24 and finishing flight school when he lost part of his right leg in a motorcycle accident.
Yankees Honor Mandela During Jackie Robinson Celebration Wednesday NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees honored Nelson Mandela on Wednesday night during their rain-delayed celebration of the legacy of Jackie Robinson, another icon of social change. The grandson of South Africa’s first black president, Zondwa Mandela, and Robinson’s widow, Rachel, helped unveil a plaque commemorating Mandela’s 1990 speech at the old Yankee Stadium. It hangs next to the tribute to Jackie Robinson in Monument Park beyond center field at the current ballpark. Robinson broke the color barrier in the major leagues in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The ceremony was pushed back a day to Wednesday because the game between New
York and the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday — Jackie Robinson Day around baseball — was postponed by rain. The plaque features a portrait of Mandela and a dedication. “Able to fill the shoes of our grandfather. That is not why we are here. It’s simply symbolic to the fact that we all make up a piece of his magnificent work. I and family, just like all of you who are here, are just a custodian of his legacy,” Zondwa Mandela said before the ceremony. “The efforts of the Robinson family, the efforts of our grandfather, should continue to give us a sense that the efforts of today are not supposed to reflect on our experience today,” he continued, “but rather that they are for the lives to follow, the generations to come.”
THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, April 17, 2014 15
SPORTS
BRIAN STERN / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Staying on top | The Quakers remain at the top of the Gehrig Division, while the Bulldogs hold the number one spot in the Rolfe Division.
Striking Double-Headers Mark Ivy Baseball Week A
fter last week in Ivy League baseball, Yale remains in the first place in the Rolfe Division, while the Penn Quakers remain at the top of the Gehrig Division. The Quakers were able to earn another win to tack onto their now 19-12 record against our very own Red, while Yale actually lost three of its four games to Dartmouth this past weekend. The Bulldogs struggled to earn a win against the Big Green until Sunday, when they were able to earn a 6-0 shutout. However, shortly after, they fell once again to the team 4-2 on the same day. Penn dominated Cornell, winning three of its four games against the Red. The Quakers swept the Red on Sunday and split its games on Saturday. Although Penn still remains on top of the Gehrig Division, Cornell handed the team its first Ivy loss of the season. Additionally, in the Gehrig Division, Columbia was able to sweep all four of its games against Princeton on Saturday and Sunday. The Lions now hold second place, only two games behind first place Penn.
BASEBALL 2014 SEASON STANDINGS
— Compiled by Anna Fasman
Looking Back
Looking Back
Saturday, April 12
Sunday, April 13
Penn
0
Cornell
9
Penn
Penn
11 Cornell
2
Pennl
4 Cornell 9 Cornell
2 2
Penn Princeton CORNELL Columbia Yale Dartmouth Harvard Brown
W
L
11
1
5
7
6
6
9
3
6
6
5
7
4
8
2
10
MVP and Other Award Predictions Lacrosse Looks to ZAKOUR
Continued from page 16
player he has been the last three years, a ruthlessly efficient scorer capable of rebounding and setting up his teammates at an elite level. The only part of his game that might have dropped off lately was his defense, ever so hard to quantify. So what has Kevin Durant done this year? He has played with ruthless efficiency for scoring and bares a slightly heavier scoring load than James, who has learned to set up and rebound at an elite level. Durant will win the scoring title, shooting at over 50 percent from the field with a true shooting percentage (which takes into account free throws and the value of a three) of over 63 percent. Durant, even if he has not quite surpassed LeBron, has pulled level with him. And that is good enough to earn him his first MVP award. I am still not sure if Durant is the best player in the league, but he played like it and will be rewarded for it. Defensive Player of the Year will go to Joakim Noah. This should not be a surprise. What is a surprise, however, is how much Roy Hibbert, the presumptive DPOY midway through the season, fell off. Much like the Pacers as a whole, Hibbert was brilliant in last year’s playoffs and picked up the year how he left off, anchoring the Pacers to the best defense in the league. Hibbert made use of his new found cache with
the referees to gain more calls in his favor and reaping the rewards. But Hibbert has not been the same lately and the Pacers have followed suit. Joakim Noah, anchoring a somehow still very afloat Bulls team, has closed the gap. Noah is a higher energy defender, a better overall defender than Hibbert and may even earn a few MVP votes. Hibbert is still the best tower in the league and you cannot teach height, but I prefer Noah at the helm
Hibbert is still the best tower in the league, and you cannot teach height. of my defense. Offensive Player of the Year will go to Kevin Durant. He is simply the best offensive player in the league. Wait a minute, there is no “offensive player of the year” award. Why not? Offense is the most prized aspect of NBA award voting, yet it does not even get its own award. Maybe if we singled out the ‘Offensive Player of the Year,’ the MVP would not become a de facto choice. Just a suggestion. Rookie of the Year will go to Michael Carter-Williams, who was the best rookie in a down rookie class. His 76ers team only won 18 games, but whatever. He is not exactly getting
any MVP votes yet. But CarterWilliams has consistently been the best rookie all year long, starting with a near triple double during his first NBA game, a surprising win over the Heat. As a digression, it is also worth noting the 76ers started out 3-0 and still finished XX, unlike the consistently awful Bucks. I do not really like how Coach of the Year has devolved into the “coach of the most surprising team” award, and I would not be surprised to see Suns coach Jeff Hornacek come away with the honor. But for my money, Gregg Popovich has been the best coach in the NBA, guiding his team to the top of Western Conference and the best record in the league. After narrowly missing out on a championship and maybe mismanaging a few steps along the way, the Spurs head man has not missed a beat. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard, are showing no ill effects of a heart wrenching finals loss, in part thanks to the ever steady Pop. He deserves credit for increasing the shelf life of an old core, as he has been ever careful in rationing minutes. But if any team was equipped to deal with last season’s ultimate disappointment, it is Popovich, the ultimate testament to his coaching abilities. John Zakour can be reached at jzakour@cornellsun.com.
Carry Momentum W. LAX
Continued from page 16
DeVito has also shown an ability to put up big numbers, as she too has three games with six or more points. Given those offensive threats, stopping the Yale attackers will be key for the Red going into Saturday. Senior Jessie Smith emphasized the importance of defensive takeaways from the Syracuse game.
“I think our defense can take confidence into the next game because they did an awesome job,” she said. “They held the top team in the country to their lowest scoring game all season. I think [the key] is just bringing our confidence into our next games and knowing how good we are.” Ryan Quinn can be reached at rquinn@cornellsun.com.
More than just the news.
The Corne¬ Daily Sun
The Corne¬ Daily Sun
Sports
THURSDAY APRIL 17, 2014
16
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
Women Lose to No.1 Syracuse The Red comes within two goals of the Orange, holding it to 7
minutes left in the contest. Cornell had pulled to within one goal of the No. 1 team in the nation near the late stages of the game; however, the When the No. 1 team in the nation visited Schoellkopf Red’s deficiencies in the draw control were once again Field Tuesday, the Red faced its most difficult test of the sea- exposed immediately after Moody tallied her second goal. son in equally difficult playing conditions. With wind and Syracuse controlled the draw and scored just 19 seconds snow bothering both teams throughout the contest, Cornell after Moody had, and once again made it a one-goal game. The defensive battle continued with the Orange locking had its second half run fall just short of unseating Syracuse down any Cornell opportunities for the from atop the NCAA rankings. rest of the game and taking drawn out Although Cornell came close to an SYRACUSE @ CORNELL possessions when it got the ball. The Red upset late in the game, the Red started out did not even get a shot off in the last six slow, falling behind the Orange, 4-0, in 7 5 minutes and ended the game with a 7-5 the opening half. Coming off of an over2ND FINAL 1ST loss. time victory against Brown just three days Game: Syracuse 3 7 While the Red did not achieve the prior, where they scored six first half goals, Cornell 40 5 5 upset it hoped for, the defensive effort the Red could not get a shot past that it displayed was notable given how Syracuse’s goalkeeper, Alyssa Constantino. Constantino turned away four first-half shots, including two prolific Syracuse’s offense has been this season. Going into from the Red’s leading scorer, junior co-captain Lindsay Tuesday, Syracuse had the nation’s second best scoring offense at 15.8 goals per game, and the Orange had not been Toppe. After halftime, the Red weathered a brief stretch in which held under less than 10 goals all season. Senior midfielder its own goalkeeper, junior Carly Gniewek, made two key Jessie Smith was excited by what the team showed against saves to keep Cornell in the game. Then came a furious run such an elite squad. “I think this was our chance to prove that we can comof three straight goals from Toppe that brought the Red to within one and put pressure on the Orange. The last goal of pete with the top teams in the country,” she said. “With the that stretch, Toppe’s 40th of the season, made the score 4-3 tournament coming up and the Ivy’s coming up and all of the Ivy League teams being so close, I think that our big offwith just over 15 minutes left. Syracuse responded to the pressure with a goal from its season games were really important.” Now, as the season hits the final stretch, competing with own standout attacker, sophomore Kayla Treanor, who pushed the lead back to two. Four minutes later, senior the top teams is what the Red will have to do. Seven out of Rachel Moody brought the Red within a goal again, capital- the eight teams in the Ivy League are still in contention for a playoff spot, with just a few games left on the schedule. For izing off of an assist from sophomore Emily Tripodi. With the score at 5-4, the teams traded goals one more Cornell, their penultimate game on Schoellkopf this season time as Syracuse pulled ahead only to have another of will come on Saturday against Yale. While the Bulldogs started the season 5-0, including a Moody’s shots find the back of the net with just over six By RYAN QUINN
Sun Staff Writer
KERN SHARMA / SUN CONTRIBUTOR
Hats off | Junior co-captain Lindsay Toppe contributed a hat trick for the Red in Tuesday’s game against Syracuse.
victory over Ivy League rival Dartmouth, they have since struggled, suffering losses to Penn, Harvard and Princeton. That is not to say, however, that this team lacks talent. Its leading goal scorer, sophomore attacker Nicole Daniggellis has proven such, with three separate performances in which she has tallied seven or more points. Senior attacker Jen See W. LAX page 15
NBA Award Men and Women Hope to Succeed in Season Larry Ellis Invitational This Weekend I TRACK AND FIELD
t seems like voting on awards comes down to whether you want to go with the crowd or against the tides. You either accept the narrative or go against it, but it is never a truly democratic process where you can effectively campaign for your candidate. I cannot remember the last time I did not know who was going to win the Most Valuable Player
John Zakour
By JOEL COOPER
Sun Staff Writer
The Cornell men’s and women’s track teams will be back in action this weekend, with both squads competing in the Larry Ellis Invitational. The Red are coming off of strong performances over Spring Break and more recently at the Bucknell invitational and George Mason
Invitational. For the men’s team, junior Rob Robbins provided the highlight of the weekend at the Bucknell Invitational, setting a new school record of 248’11” in the javelin. Freshman Jordan Sherwood also performed well winning the 400m hurdles. The women’s team also had a successful meet, winning three events. First, freshman Kacie Hargett won the
Point Blank well before the voting. So, I am going to do my best to block out the the narratives and maybe even create one of my own. MVP will go to LeBron James, who has deserved the last five MVP awards and actually won four of them. James was robbed of his third consecutive award in 2011 during his relocation to Miami and Derrick Rose’s very good — but by no means MVP worthy — season. James had the force of powerful narrative behind him (he was the best scorer on an offensively challenged juggernaut). So do not take it lightly when I say Kevin Durant deserves to be the MVP of the league, even as LeBron has been roughly the same
javelin on the Friday, followed by senior Zaakirah Daniels winning the 100m hurdles the following day. Freshman Adrian Jones broke 12 seconds to win the 100m sprint to round off the event. The men also sent a small contingent to the George Mason Invitational with senior Bruno Hortelano-Roig crushing the field in the 400m. Freshman Grant Sisserson also had a strong meet, winning the pole vault, while senior Dan Scott won the triple jump. After positive results and successful performances in both Invitationals, the Cornell squad looks to carry its momentum into this upcoming weekend. Certain individuals hope to capitalize on their season’s earlier successes and provide the highlights. Junior Stephen Mozia has had a season of setting and breaking records, having set a school record most recently in the shot put over Spring Break. In addition, senior Rachel Sorna will be back in action after taking a week off. Over Spring Break Sorna broke the schools 5000m record. The Larry Ellis Invitational will take place at Princeton this weekend on both Friday and Saturday.
CONNOR ARCHARD / SUN SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
See ZAKOUR page 15
Hurdling on | Senior Zaakirah Daniels found success at the Bucknell Invitational, winning the 100m hurdle.
Joel Cooper can be reached at jcooper@cornellsun.com.