04 25 16 entire issue hi res

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

C.U. Police Promotes Blue Light Escort Service

Discusses underutilization, timeliness of program

By ELEANOR GOOD Sun Staff Writer

Members of the Cornell University Police Department and the Cornell community urged improvements to Corn e l l’s Bl u e L i g h t Escort service a program that allows students to request chaperones to destinations on or near campus at a town hall on Saturday

“[CUPD]

should promote the escort service under the motto:

‘Any

underage students who are intoxicated fear escorts will report them for drinking and others are deterred by the program ’ s long response time as escorts can sometimes take 15 to 20 minutes to reach their student, according to Toomey “In this context, it’s clear how many yo u n g e r

person, any circumstance.’” J a m e s T o o m e y ’ 1 6

The program ’ s greatest weakness is that it is underutilized, according to James Toomey ’16, Cornell Police Auxiliary Toomey said

t u d e n t s would choose to walk home by themselves in circumstances that a re n o t ve

y s a f e rather than call for an escort, ” he said However, escorts can only call for a medical evaluation if the student appears to be dangerously intoxicated and the Good

Drug discourse | HeeJin Cheon ’16 speaks in favor of the Ithaca Plan at a public debate last week

Samaritan protocol typically protects these situations, Toomey said

He added that the best way to address this issue is through public relations promotion

“The department should promote the escort service

President Emeritus Rawlings Assumes Interim Role

President Emeritus Hunter R Rawlings III begins his term as Cornell’s interim president today, after being unanimously appointed by the Board of Trustees on March 24

Succeeding Presi d e n t El i z a b e t h Garrett, who died of colon cancer on March 6, Rawlings will assume office until the appointment of the University’s 14th president

Rawlings was previously Cornell’s president from 1995 to 2003 and also ser ved as interim president between 2005 and 2006, after President Emeritus Jeffrey Lehman ’77 resigned

During his term, Rawlings launched Cornell’s Residential Initiative which moved freshmen to North Campus and created the West Campus house system and Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar

Compiled by Stephanie Yan

The committee searching for a new president is headed by Jan Rock, a member of the Board of Trustees and will be composed of members from different parts of the Cornell community including faculty, students and staff, according to Provost Michael Kotlikoff

Students Debate the Ithaca Plan Discuss effects of

By MOLLY KLUGER Sun Contributor

heroin epidemic, policy components of proposal

In a public debate, four students from the student organization Debate in Science and Health argued the case for and against the Ithaca Plan which includes the proposed c re a t i o n o f a h e ro i n injection clinics to treat addicts

prevent overdose deaths and the spread of diseases such as HIV and AIDS Prof Harris Warrick, biological sciences, provided background

“Heroin is about twice as potent as morphine, because of the way it gets into the brain ” P r o f H a r r i s W a r r i c k

The plan, proposed by Mayor Svante Myrick ’09, proposes that addicts be given clean

drug consumption in order to

affects the brain at the forum

potent as morphine, because of

the way it gets into the brain,” he said “Once it’s in the brain, its effects are the same as those of morphine ” Warrick stressed that heroin usage is serious, saying nearly 10,000 users die from the drug every year in the United States

A f t e r Wa

cluded his discussion on

h e c o n s

n c e s o f using heroin, students began the debate

HeeJin Cheon ’16 said she believes heroin is a significant

Of Panopticons, Pannomions and the Corpo-Real: Bentham, Blasphemy and the Indian Penal Code 12:15 - 1:10 p m , G08 Uris Hall

Science-iness: The Challenge of Communicating Science To Diverse Audiences

12:20 - 1:10 p m , 404 Plant Science Building

The Fukushima Nuclear Accident: Is Nuclear Energy Still A Viable Choice for a Carbon-Constrained World?

3:30 p m , 700 Clark Hall

Manipulation and the Counter Manipulation By the Food Industry and Public Health

4 p m , 100 Savage Hall

Business-to-Business Pricing Using Logistic Demand Curves: Optimal Learning and Stochastic Gradients 4:15 p m , 253 Rhodes Hall

Voices and Visions in Black Cinema Speaker Series: Jacqueline Najuma Stewart

4:30 p m , Film Forum, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts

Town Hall: Embracing a Shared Community 5 - 6:30 p m , Klarman Hall Atrium

The U S Election and the Middle East With House Fellow Ross Brann 6 - 7 p m , 106 Alice Cook House

Battle Over Foreign Policy

By GRACE SANTARELLI Sun Staff Writer

u l d a l l ow l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a u t h o r it i e s t o a c c e s s t h e p h o n e ’ s d a t a a n d m e ss a g e s Wi l l i a m Br i s t ow ’ 1 6 , p r e s i d e n t o f

w h i c h f o re i g n g ove r n m e n t s a

“The back door will ... make it easier for techsavvy terrorists to spy on American citizens.”

W i l l i a m B r i s t o w ’ 1 6

C o r n e l l D e m o c r a t s , a r g u e d t h a t t h i s k i n d o f e n c r y p t i o n i s a d a n g e ro u s p r a c t i c e “ T h e b a c k d o o r w i l l a l l ow t h e g ove r nm e n t t o e a s i l y s e a rc h t h e m o b i l e d e v i c e s o f s u s p e c t e d c r i m i n a l s , b u t a l s o m a k e i t e a s i e r f o r t e c h - s a v v y t e r ro r i s t s t o s p y o n a n d s t e a l i n f o r m a t i o n f ro m A m e r i c a n c i ti ze n s , ” Br i s t ow s a i d Ir v i n Mc Cu l l o u g h ’ 1 8 , a m e m b e r o f t h e C o r n e l l Re p u b l i c a n s , a r g u e d t h a t h i ri n g t h i rd - p a r t y c o m p a n i e s t o h a c k i n t o s y s t e m s i n t h e n a m e o f n a t i o n a l s e c u r i t y s e t s a p re c e d e n t t h a t s h o u l d b e a vo i d e d “ [ In s t e a d ] , t h e c o m p a n y i t s e l f c o u l d a l l ow u s t o a c c e s s t h e i n f o r m a t i o n o n a s m a r t p h o n e , ” h e s a i d

Na t e Ja

r a ’ 1 6 , v i c e p r e s i d e n t o f

C o r n e l l D e m o c r a t s , d i s a g r e e d w i t h Mc Cu l l o u g h , i n s i s t i n g t h a t t h e b a c k d o o r c o u l d p o t e n

battle | Members of the Cornell Republicans discuss U.S. encryption, immigration and policies in the Middle East in a debate Thursday

Community clean up | Fraternity members help clean up Cornell’s

‘Greeks Give Back’ event.

‘Greeks Give Back’ to C.U., Ithaca

Hundreds participate in philanthropy efforts

By REBECCA EVEN Sun Staff Writer

Almost 400 members of the Cornell’s Greek community traveled around Ithaca t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n vo l u n t e e r w o rk o n Saturday as part of the ‘Greeks Give Back’ event, according to Shelby Holland ’18, vice president of community service for t h e Mu l t i c u l t u r a l Greek Letter Council

“ The main goal for Greeks Give Back was to give Greek students

t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o give back to our local c o m m u n i t y w h i l e bonding with students from different organizations and councils,” she said Holland ’18 said volunteers who were sent to organizations from Habitat for Humanity to the YMCA interacte d w i t h It h a c a n s a n d C o r n e l l i a n s throughout the day

cent greater than in the fall semester, according to Holland Ling added that the influx of signups led to organizational problems that she hopes event planners will address in future years

“We’re looking forward to [Greeks Give Back] being a household name in the Greek community ” M a d e l i n e L i n g ’ 1 7

“Because we had a record number of signups, we didn’t have enough Ithaca agencies to hold all the volunteers that signed up, ” she said “ We s e n t t e a m s t o clean up Collegetown and the Cornell camp u s a n d we a re looking to the future to explore new local organizations ” The event saw participation from almost every chapter, according to Ling, and had its own hashtag, #CornellGreeksGiveBack, to spread the word

The event was previously named ‘Day of Demeter,’ but organizers changed it to ‘Greeks Give Back’ this year to encourage a more focused message, according to Madeline Ling ’17, vice president of University and community relations for the Panhellenic Council

“Our rebranding of the name really caught on, ” Ling said “We’re looking forward to it being a household name in the Greek community and hopefully the Ithaca community ”

Participation in the event was 20 per-

“We definitely feel like it was a great success, both in participation and also in the re-creation or rebranding of the event, ” Ling said

Both Holland and Ling said the event achieved its goal of highlighting one of the Greek community’s core principles

“The most important aspect of Greek life to me is ser vice,” Holland said “Greeks Give Back, at its core, was about various organizations uniting together over a common goal to care for our surrounding community ”

Lecturer Explores Fluctuating Tensions Between U.S.

By ALEXANDER CHAKRIN

s a n t a s t h e y we re d u r i n g t h e C o l d Wa r, t e n s i o n i s s t i l l p a l p a b l e , a c c o r d i n g t o R a t h k e “ We a re a t a p e r i o d o f h e i g h te n e d c o n f r o n t a t i o n b e t w e e n Ru s s i a a n d t h e We s t a n d w h e n m a n y o f t h e c o r n e r s t o n e s o f p e a c e a n d s t a b i l i t y i n Eu ro p e h a ve b e c o m e m o re u n c e r t a i n , ” h e s a i d R a t h k e s a i d h e b e l i e ve s t h e d e t e r i o r a t i o n i n t h e re l a t i o n s h i p f r o m b o t h s i d e s re s u l t s f r o m We s t e r n f o re i g n p o l i c y d e c i s i o n s a n d h ow t h e y a re p e rc e i ve d i n Ru s s i a “ T h e re i s w i d e s p re a d d i s s a t i sf a c t i o n i n Ru s s i a w i t h t h e p o l ic i e s o f t h e i r n e i g h b o r s a f t e r t h e C o l d Wa r, ” h e s a i d “ It a l l owe d f o r t h e d e ve l o p m e n t o f p o l i t i c a l f r e e d o m s i n E a s t e r n E u r o p e , w i t h o u t w h i c h we w o u l d f a c e a m o re d e s t a b i l i z e d re g i o n , b u t t h e re i s d e e p d i s s a t i s f a c t i o n w i t h t h e c h o i c e s t h a t Ru s s i a ’ s n e i g hb o r s h a ve m a d e a n d w i t h t h e s e

In c re a s e d t e n s i o n s b e t w e e n t h e c o u n t r y a n d t h e We s t h a ve a l s o re s u l t e d f ro m a n b u i l d u p i n R u s s i a ’ s c o n v e n t i o n a l a r m e d f o r c e s , a c c o r d i n g t o R a t h k e

“There is widespread dissatisfaction in Russia with the policies of their neighbors after the Cold War.”

J e f f r e y R a t h e ’ 9 1

and Russia

d e d t h a t , d u e t o u n d e s i r a b l e re s u l t s f ro m W e s t e r n f o re i g n p o li c y i n t e rv e n t i o n s s u c h a s t h e 2 0 1 1 N A T O i n t e r ve n t i o n i n L i by a , Ru s s i a i s a t t e m p t i n g t o i n c re a s e i t s i n f l ue n c e i n i n t e r n a t i o n a l a f f a i r s “ T h e y w a n t t o b e a t t h e t a b l e d e c i d i n g e ve n t s r a t h e r t h a n h a vi n g t o re a c t t o t h e m , ” h e s a i d

T h e s e f o rc e s p e r f o r m e d p o o r l y i n t h e c o u n t r y ’ s 2 0 0 8 w a r a g a i n s t G e o r g i a , a n d Ru s s i a n l e a d e r s h a ve p e rc e i ve d a d i s p a r it y b e t we e n t h e i r c a p a b i l i t i e s a n d N ATO ’ s “ T h i s m a k e s s e n s e a s i n t e r m s o f t e c h n o l o g i c a l s o p h i s t i c a t i o n a n d i n s u re n u m b e r s w h i c h i s a c t u a l l y d i f f e re n t f ro m t h e s i t u at i o n d u r i n g t h e C o l d Wa r w h e re Ru s s i a h a d c o n ve n t i o n a l m i l it a r y s u p e r i o r i t y f ro m t h e We s t , ” h e s a i d A s a re s u l t , Ru

See DEBATE page 5 See RUSSIA page 5 Rebecca Even can be reached at reven@cornellsun com

CUPD Pushes Blue Light Service

amount of time it takes for them to get home,” he said

under the motto: ‘Any person, any circumstance,’” Toomey said “Whoever you are, whatever you ’ re doing, we’ll get you home safely ”

St u d e n t s f r o m C a y u g a ’ s Watchers said they have addressed similar misconceptions using publicity and collaboration with the Gre e k c o m m unity

“ We’ve gotten the opportunity to answer questions where p e o p l e h a v e misconceptions, and that’s really had a positive impact,” said Lauren Clay ’17, a member of Cayuga’s Watchers

One possible solution to this issue is guaranteeing a feasible r e s p o n s e t

l ensure that students are willing to use the ser vice, he said

“My guess is that anything over 10 minutes would be too long,”

Toomey said, adding that making

“People aren’t going to use the service if it doubles the amount of time it takes to get home ”

y could prove difficult

not want to use vehicles to trans-

people taking advantage of it as a free taxi ser vice,”

Students Weigh Potential Advantages, Drawbacks Posed by the Ithaca Plan

ITHACA PLAN

Continued from page 1

problem in Ithaca and that “the war on drugs has failed ”

“Harm reduction should be our overall goal,” Cheon said

Canada has successfully implemented policies similar to the one proposed in the Ithaca Plan, according to Mario Velado ’17

“In a study out of Vancouver, 800 per day go to these facilities,” Velado said “Several overdose, [but] nobody dies The facts are that these facilities work ”

Richard Chen ’18 argued that more people will begin to use heroin if they believe there is a safe place to use it

“ You increase the chance that people will tr y drugs in the first place because they believe there is a cure, ” Chen said

Alex Chakrin ’17, who is a staff writer for The Sun, added that the injection clinic might shift government funds away from rehabilitation clinics

“ We think that the optimal goal should be rehab,” Chakrin said

Molly Kluger can be reached at mdk245@cornell edu

The length of response time is impor tant in ensuring that students use the blue light program, but will be more difficult to address, according to Toomey

“People simply aren ’ t going to use the ser vice if it doubles the

Toomey said However, the ser vice has considered implementing text messaging or an app that will allow students to schedule their escort in advance and gauge response time, according to Toomey

Eleanor Good can be reached at egood@cornellsun com

One Dead After Shooting in Church

NORTH

WALES, Pa (AP)

Authorities say a dispute between two members of a suburban Philadelphia church during a Sunday worship service ended with one person shooting and killing the other

Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said the disagreement escalated from an 11 a m “disturbance” at Keystone Fellowship Church in North Wales Authorities didn't say what the disturbance was or

describe the crux of the disagreement at the evangelical church Police were called and found Robert Braxton, 27, of Montgomeryville, with a gunshot wound to the chest He was rushed to Abington Lansdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after noon An autopsy was scheduled for Monday

Steele said the other man involved, who was treated at a hospital and released, was cooperating with police but was not in custody as investigators determine whether charges are warranted

“We’re going to have to determine whether the shooting was justified under the law,” he said

The man had a concealed carry permit for his semiautomatic handgun, he said Braxton was unarmed as far as investigators know, but that was still under investigation, Steele said

“We don’t know what the relationship is between the two of them,” Steele said Keystone Fellowship Montgomeryville issued a statement saying officials were “saddened” by the shooting “Our congregation is in prayer for everyone involved,” the statement said No video exists of the shooting, which occurred in between two seating areas, Steele said He said investigators were still trying to determine what kind of disturbance led to the shooting, interviewing “hundreds” who were in the church

“We’ve got a lot of interviews to do,” Steele said “That’s ongoing, that’s going to take some time to do ”

The church earlier posted a notice on its Facebook page that appearing as a special guest speaker would be an unnamed “ pastor ser ving in a countr y that is extremely hostile to the Christian faith ” The post said photos or videotaping would be forbidden “for our guest ’ s safety,” but Steele said the shooting appeared unrelated to any such speaker

“I believe there was music playing while this went on, so I don’t think this was during a sermon portion of this or anything,” he said

Breeana Somers, 24, of Lansdale, told The Philadelphia Inquirer that she heard some kind of fight going on between two men, and then three gunshots that sounded like champagne corks popping

Urge careful consideration of international policy

Students Assess Terrorist Threat Lecturer Describes Russian Militarization in East Europe

b

DEBATE Continued from page 3

Re p u b l i c a n a r g u m e n t a g a i n s t i m m i g r at i o n ” F i n a l l y , d e b a t e r s d i sc u s s e d t h e g o v e r nm e n t ’ s r o l e i n c o m b a t

“National security [is an issue] that the average Cornell student might know a little about.”

I S I S , i n c l u d i n g a i r s t r i k e s a n d t h e u s e o f

s p e c i a l f o rc e s , ” Brow n s a i d “ It s h o u l d

b e a c a l c u l a t e d a n d s t ro n g re s p o n s e ,

Illinois Seeks to Limit Confnement

SPRINGFIELD, Ill (AP)

Brian Nelson’s years in solitary confinement left him terrified of other people, and he says he can still taste the concrete dust from his cell, even though he’s been free since 2010

The 51-year-old is afraid to ride the bus, he takes five psychotropic drugs and sees a psychiatrist every week Even when he’s at a park surrounded by grass, he says everything starts turning gray and he remembers how tiny air pockets in the walls kicked up dust whenever he would clean his cell at a now-shuttered maximum security prison in Tamms, in Illinois’ southern tip There he was confined for the final 12 years of a 26-year sentence for murder and armed robbery

“ Those four walls beat me down so bad,” he told members of an Illinois House committee during a recent emotional hearing on the state ’ s solitar y confinement practices

Stories like Nelson’s have led Illinois lawmakers to push prisons to restrict the use of solitary confinement, joining a national movement that has policymakers rethinking the longstanding form of punishment that critics say has a profound psychological impact on inmates

Legislation sponsored by Democratic Rep La Shawn Ford, of Chicago, would limit solitary confinement to no more than five consecutive days and five total days during a 150-day period That would be a dramatic change from the current r ules, which allow prisons to isolate inmates for weeks or years at a time

The bill, which received the House committee’s initial approval on Wednesday, would also require prisons to allow inmates in solitary to spend four hours per day outside of their cells

The measure awaits a vote by the full chamber

“If a bill like this passed, it would be a real milestone in solitary reform,” said Jean Casella, the co-director of Solitary Watch, a Washington, D C -based group that monitors the use of solitary confinement nationally

Grace Santarelli can be reached at gs539@cornell edu

Continued from page 3

e t o p u t 1 0 0 , 0 0 0

t r o o p s i n y o u r n e a r v i c i n i t y w i t h o u t m u c h w a r n i n g , ” h e s a i d “ T h i s i s a s i t ua t i o n t h a t c r e a t e s n o t o n l y a n x i e t y, b u t r e g i o n a l i n s t a b i l i -

“If Russia decides to intervene in Eastern Europe, forces are on alert.”

t y ” R a t h k e a d d e d t h a t a n u p c o m i n g

ATO c o n f e r e n c e w i l l e n s u r e t h a t t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n h a s t h

Prof. Allison M. Macfarlane

Professor

“The Fukushima Nuclear Accident: Is Nuclear Energy Still a Viable Choice for a Carbon-Constrained World?”

Monday, April 25

3:30 p.m.

700 Clark Hall

LOUIS LIU ’18

Business Manager

PAULINA GLASS ’18

Associate Editor

RYAN TORRIE ’17

Web Editor

SOPHIA DENG ’19

Blogs Editor

DENNIS FEDORKO 17

Design Editor

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News Editor

TROY SHERMAN ’18

Arts & Entertainment Editor

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Science Editor

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Assistant News Editor

SHAN DHALIWAL ’18

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Assistant Sports Editor

BRITTNEY CHEW ’17

Assistant Photography Editor

SIERRA RINALDI ’18

Human Resources Manager

Independent Since 1880

SOFIA

HU ’17

Editor in Chief

PHOEBE KELLER ’18

Managing Editor

JORDAN EPSTEIN ’18

Advertising Manager

ADAM BRONFIN ’18

Sports Editor

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Marketing Manager

WORKING ON TODAY’S SUN

DESIGN DESKERS Dennis Fedorko 17 Megan Roche ’19

PHOTO NIGHT EDITOR Cameron Pollack ’18

NEWS DESKERS Yun Soo Kim ’17 Stephanie Yan 18 NIGHT DESKER Max Dopsch 18 SPORTS DESKER Adam Bronfin 18 ARTS DESKER Shay Collins 18

Letter to the Editor

A hyperbolic article

To th e Ed itor:

I read the article “Is Stevia the sweetener ” in Cornell Sun and must confess my disappointment on comparing between the contents of the said article and of the actual technical paper in which the findings were published [S MUDGAL, I KERESZTES, GW FEIGENSON and SSH RIZVI, “Controlling the taste receptor ” Food Chemistry 197, 84-91 (2016)] In the article you [Mugdal] mention that you et al proved that “stevia could be ridden of its bitterness while retaining its sweetness ” For starters, this is misleading it implies that a chemical reaction can be performed which nullifies the bitter taste of the stevia On the other hand, the technical paper describes an attempt to selectively present the sweetness of stevia to the taste buds while masking the bitterness a significantly different objective in my opinion Further confusion is created by your confident proclamations in the Sun article regarding “glorious success ” and “dream being finally accomplished ” This led me to first search for your paper in ‘Nature’ and ‘Science’ only when this search proved futile I found it in the pages of ‘Food Chemistry ’ In the journal article you mention that “ current study highlights the relevance of [a mechanism] which MAY ULTIMATELY lead to [stevia]’s taste modification ” You further go on to say that your work “is LIMITED to the understanding of chemical parameters associated with [something] and further studies especially [something] are necessary to conclude the effectiveness of [your] model ” These statements seem to imply that your studies are still at a preliminary stage how can you be so confident about its success before the research has even been completed? Further, in the Sun article you mention successful commercialization surely you too must be aware that before even thinking in terms of mass production there are so many more steps which are required, to name just a few, (a) extensive clinical testing of the reagent BSA which you use, to evaluate potentially harmful effects at the expected dosage levels, (b) if such testing is cleared, actual experiments on human subjects to verify the effectivity of the proposed bitterness masking scheme, (c) shelf life and long time stability of the chemicals involved etc Since none of this has been performed, your sentences about commercialization appear premature and misleading On the basis of the above, I feel that you have deliberately exaggerated and misrepresented scientific facts in your Sun article

Apart from these major criticisms, I also have a few minor points For one, your work is obviously collaborative there are four authors in the paper Yet you imply that the work is entirely yours Is it really true that all the other authors including professors were just duds coming along for the ride? Somehow I cannot believe that You also describe what-you-say-is-your-own idea as ‘brilliant’ surely that looks a little weird? Finally, the long introduction about saccharin is unrelated to the point at hand

If you have any response to my above queries, then I will be pleased to hear them Else I will request you not to publish factually inaccurate and self-glorifying articles in the newspaper in future Such articles constitute an embarrassment to the entire community Shay ak Bhattac h arj e e g rad

Eric Schulman | Schulman’s Schtick

Sexism in Computer Science Is Never Okay

What I have to say isn’t novel or u n i q u e , b u t i t i s i n c r e d i b l y

impor tant: we need need to stop tolerating sexism in computer science and technology related fields Like I said before, other people have written this (and have done a better job), but it’s time I stepped off the sidelines about something I see ever yday that I find unequivocally wrong

Computer science is unapologetically misogynistic Some 70 to 80 percent of the field is men That number has gone up over time, not down There are fe wer women in computer science than any other type of engineering and almost any o t h

s t i c s c

s k e w e d t o match your agenda, but clearly computer science is doing something to scare away women It's pretty obvious what it is: sexism

You hear horror stor y after horror

s t o r y t h e

C E O o f

Microsoft telling an employee that s h e s h o u l d n ’ t n e g o t i a

Q&A (obviously,

z e d ) , female engineers

they think it’s funny I’m not going to comment whether things like things like C+= (a satirical feminist programming language made by hateful people with a lot of free time on their hands) and the old CS undergraduate group cover photo (which sparked a huge debate a fe w weeks ago), are funny It doesn’t matter They make people feel uncomfor table; they make me feel uncomfor table Call me a buzzkill I am a buzzkill You don’t need to contribute to institutional sexism if you want to laugh There are plenty of other funny things out there like 30 Rock, Stephen Colber t (before he sold out to C B S ) o r S c i

h o s e things if you want to laugh And yes, women have succeeded and continue to succeed in computer science I wouldn’t deser ve my degree if I didn't point out that despite ever ything stacked against them there are some pretty influential women in the field; I’ve been lucky

Statistics can be skewed to mat your agenda, but clearly comput science is doing something to scare away women

g e t t i n g h a r a s s e d at tech conferences, etc Obviously, no one wants to be sexist or suppor t sexism y e t n o t h i n g s e e m s t o b e c h a n g i n g

Sometimes, people don’t even realize that they’re being sexist There aren ’ t strong incentives that encourage people to be aware of their behavior or change things

For these reasons, we need to have zero tolerance for discrimination Computer science is a lot of fun In my opinion, it will define the next centur y It would be pretty awful if it remained as some exclusive, bro-gramming club We’re deterring a lot of people a lot of smar t people Things need to change

To be fair, much of this is out of our

c o n t r o l S e x i s m i n c o m p u t e r s c i e n c e star ts really early For a while, personal

c o m p u t e r s w e r e m a r k e t e d t o b o y s

Apparently, conventional wisdom holds that targeting boys or girls is more effective marketing (although I am ver y skeptical of this) Guys star ted dominating the field because they were being sold

c o m p u t e r s s o o n e r B u t , j u s t b e c a u s e Apple’s marketing practices were sexist in the ’80s and ’90s doesn’t mean I have to be Sexism needs to stop It’s just wrong

And yes, today this is changing; big p r o p r i e t a r y s o f t w a r e c o m p a n i e s a r e spending a lot of money to immerse young women in programming sooner But, it hasn’t changed yet And, until it does we need to have zero tolerance for discrimination

A lot of people defend sexism because

enough to have some of them as teachers

But, looking at the demographics of their classes, you realize they are the exception to the r ule Either way, the fact that women can succeed and do in computer s

against them

I’ll also be the first to admit that I am the last person who should be writing this There are people who are better at computer science and people who are more involved with the community I find computer science compelling, but not for its own sake Answering economic questions with computer science is what really gets me going I also star ted programming freshman year and was welcomed into the depar tment I’ve never had the mispleasure of being discriminated against in computer science

But, I am a CS major and I write for the student ne wspaper And it’s about time I said something considering this problem is so widespread and apathy only contributes to the problem We have a system built against women succeeding All this to say, we need to have zero tolerance for sexism in computer science (and, really just period) That’s my schtick this week Stay tuned two weeks from now for my final column of the semester

Eric Schulman is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences He may be reached at eschulman@cornellsun com Schulman’s

Aditi

Bhowmick | Abstruse Musings

#HeforShe:

This

One’s

for My Father

Iwonder how my father would react if I informed him that he is an inspiring feminist I wonder if he would buy that I write this column both to let him and the world know how he has enabled me to challenge gender norms I am an international student from India At times, in my government classes at Cornell, professors show statistics about how my country is not necessarily the sanctum of gender equality There are grim statistics about gender violence and recalcitrant gender discrimination norms which are very prevalent today But then, I think about how I ended up coming to Cornell, got through four years of outstanding education and survived the various pressures young women face, especially in college

I remember when I joined my all-girls boarding school, I was the weird girl for always raising my hand in class The same thing happened in college Throughout my freshman year at Cornell, people recognized me at parties as the international girl who would always raise her hand in a 100-person Introduction to International Relations lecture Of course, it was embarrassing, and detracted from my social capital towards the beginning I am very aware that I come across as intimidating and odd But here’s the thing, I don’t know any other way to navigate life at Cornell and I am convinced it has a lot to do with how my father socialized me

Growing up, I had a hideous haircut which made me look like a boy My father used to take me to the same barber who used to do his hair I laugh

b o u n c e b a c k e v e r y t i m e I c a m e

c

o s

about it now but I used to be miserable about not having pretty ponytails and not fitting the mold that was perpetuated by everything that surrounded me in fairytales, books, my friend-circles and on the media that I was exposed to He would always spend generously on books and I would get tired of those gifts I wanted the fancy accessories all other girls seemed to always have in abundance He would take me to the port office and explain the difference between limestone and iron ore to me as any fervent engineer would to his son The intellectual curiosity that marked our father-daughter conversations has only augmented over the years

He pushed me to work very hard in math and physics, not so much history or English because I inherited a flair for writing and literature from my mother He did not want me to fit the norm that math / science / economics / engineering is not for girls At every stage of my education, he pushed our financial limits to make space for my magnanimous dreams I went to an elite boarding school for girls where I did not necessarily fit the socio-economic status bracket towards the initial years I found role models at this boarding school but the stereotypes and expectations caught on as my friends started socializing with the boys’ boarding school I tried to “fit in” and be a “cool” girl but being ambitious and dorky had become second nature to me thanks to my father It paid off when I got into Cornell

I came to Cornell and then was faced with a whole new set of genderbased expectations and norms I decoded Greek Life, went through rush week and tried my best to figure out my way around make-up and navigating the social system However, I am glad that these were the things I had to teach myself because the important things had become second nature considering how my father raised me

He always tells me “the sky is the limit ” College has been fraught with numerous personal and professional successes and failures My father rebuked me every time I doubted myself academically He helped me bounce back every time I came close to underestimating myself He cannot prevent me from browsing the fat-shaming, appearance-oriented body politic on social media or from being disappointed by the double-standard of sexism Nevertheless, he reminds me that the adage that “behind every successful man, there is a woman ” is only half of the story

My boat still sinks at times Being a 22 year old in a high-achieving environment is not easy, to the say the least I have started appreciating my father even more especially because I have been reflecting so much about gender as my social identity this semester I hear a lot of men at college talk about how they would be terrified if they had a daughter, because they are aware of the insidious sexual objectification of women through their college experience It could not be easy for my father either but I must say he did the women ’ s movement of my generation a favor He raised a feminist and he challenged gender norms in a society where gender issues are ostensibly so bleak and tenuous The most heartening part, however, is how he has started incorporating my mother in his subconscious “he for she” project He has no issues with doing the laundry and is almost obsessive with household chores I have heard a lot of talk about how women need role models My father is my role model He is an ardent feminist and I really wonder if he knows it Well, now he does, and I hope he is proud of it, because I sure am

Com

men

t

of the day

The Caucasian Double Standard

Twoweeks ago, Bomani Jones filled in on ESPN’s morning talk show Mike & Mike Jones, an ESPN host (as well as an evocative Twitter commentator), snuck the opportunity to steer the morning conversation with a pointed political outfit His navy t-shirt, emblazoned with a near mirror of the Cleveland Indians’ logo, spelled out “Caucasians,” and replaced the controversial Chief Wahoo’s face with a leering white man, adorned by a beryl dollar sign in place of the typical feather The closely copied imagery and typography on Jones’ shirt contorted only to displace the customary racial objectification in the logo drove a clear point: if we ’ re destabilized by the deployment of a miserly white man as a logo, but comfortable with the grossly stereotyped depiction of Chief Wahoo, we ’ re overlooking some racist hypocrisy

when Twitter trolls say turn down, I’ll make the abundantly evident proposition that a national tradition of white supremacy does not induce anyone to cry over a mockery of whiteness Centuries of deep reinforcement of the myth of white superiority, from which a swarm of colonists punctured preexisting nations, established a slave-based economy and concentrated control in a limited-access “democracy,” has generated a socially, legally and politically safeguarded acceptance of whiteness The comfy, unchallenged and normalized security of whiteness does not predispose anyone to prickle at

own assertion of impervious selfesteem As Jones explained, “So to have a problem with the logo of this [Caucasian shirt], would be to have a problem with the Indians, but if you ' re quiet about the Indians, and you got something to say about my shirt, I think it's time for introspection ” The swell of people who had something to say about the white man logo even if it was just to defend the fortitude of their feelings but who have nothing to say about Native American mascots implicates the double standard of critical thought regarding racism in sports imagery

Why did so many people feel obliged to e that Jones knew his prank didn’t touch th Why did ESPN tell Jones that he “had ma his point” and should cover the shirt up half-way through the show?

A mellow media trickle covered the eddy of social media feedback, much of which applauded Jones for his overt indictment of the commercialization of racist tropes within U S athletics Journalists reported that sales of the “Caucasian” t-shirts spiked after Jones’ appearance on Mike & Mike, evidencing a popular puddle of support for tackling bigoted logos and mascots However, a divergent wave of reportage and social media respondents implied that Jones’ “prank” fell flat; white people weren ’ t offended, the anticipated affect flopped and thus, they reasoned, no double standard exists A pool of Twitter exchanges argued that if Caucasian folks feel no offense over Jones’ t-shirt, then a reductive, crimson-faced Chief Wahoo does not infringe on any Native Americans’ sense of dignity, inclusion or personhood White commentators suggested that Jones’ political move was a waste of time, and that anyone who bothered with it ought to “ get a life ” Taking the precarious gamble of illuminating my predilection to ignore conservative commentators ’ counsel and, generally, to heat up

a derisive portrayal of profiteering white men, because a momentary slap from an ESPN commentator does not stab a leaky wound of racial suppression, nor does it threaten to topple the safely fastened racial dynamics in the U S So while white commentators implored Jones’ to recognize that his jig was futile because he failed to insult them, race-based stereotypes clearly do not elicit equivalent responses to populations with differing histories of racial violence How could white people feel as sensitively about a reductive representation of whiteness as people of color who have undergone centuries’ of distinct, corrosive and perpetual dehumanization might feel when bombarded with monolithic diminutions of their race?

Furthermore, the effort that Twitter users exhausted to evidence the ineffectiveness of Jones’ political satire seems to signal some wound to the white ego Why did so many people feel obliged to ensure that Jones knew his prank didn’t touch them? Why did ESPN tell Jones that he “had made his point” and should cover the shirt up half-way through the show? In overstating the absence of any affected discomfort, white commentators undermined their

Therefore, as Jones affirms in his pointed commentary, what we need is an affective, mobilized and wide-ranging response to profitmongering racism in athletics a reaction that transcends intercessions at the jabs made at white people Where is the Twitter storm of angry white folks agitating against the Redskins’ persistent attachment to a derogatory name and mascot? How many sports commentators are offering a platform to the indigenous resistance against imagery like the Cleveland Indians’ Chief Wahoo? And why did ESPN discourage one of their hosts from prompting a conversation about racism in professional sports uniforms? In light of the continual displacement, economic depression and violence inflicted on Native populations, compounded by hackneyed stereotypes in the media and Hollywood, empathy for and accountability to the indigenous people, who have been urging teams to concede that red-faced, feather-wearing caricatures are degrading, is the very least we, as sports fans, can start with

Beltane Paradise

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Spor ts

By JEFF ASIEDU Sun Staff Writer

This Saturday, Cornell women ’ s lacrosse (11-3, 5-1 Ivy) traveled to Cambridge and earned another Ivy League win, remaining in contention for the regular season Ivy title The Red dominated Har vard (7-6, 3-3 Ivy) in both halves to earn an 11-3 victor y

“ O u r d e f e n s e re a l l y p l a y e d s p e c t a c u l a r l y a g a i n s t

Har vard It really came down to great team defense,” said co-captain Brittany Marriott “ We knew they were a high-driving team and so our focus was solid one versus one defense and sending doubles early We followed through on our game plan, playing sound team defense, with great slides and communication ” Marriott also spoke highly of the Red’s goalie, junior Renee Poullott

“Of course a huge, huge par t of holding Har vard to three goals was the outstanding per formance of Renee in the net, ” Marriott said “She made incredible saves that anchored our defense ”

Poullott had ten saves in the game, her third time achieving this feat this season While Har vard was the first to get on the scoreboard in the first half, Cornell’s defense then shut the Crimson down, holding Har vard to just one goal until the second half

Partially thanks to the stellar defensive effort, the Red began to heat up offensively, scoring four goals in the first half to finish with a strong 4-1 lead going into halftime

Tough Defense Helps Cornell Down Harvard Bears

“I am so proud to be a part of an offense that shares the ball so equally.”

As has been the case all throughout the season, the Red’s offense was driven by balanced scoring from multiple Cornell players Today it was junior Amie Dickson, sophomore Joey Coffy, junior Catherine Ellis and junior

By SHAN DHALIWAL Sun Assistant Sports Editor

In a critical game to remain in contention for postseason play, Cornell wilted against the most potent offensive attack in the country and limped to a 22-5 defeat at the hands of Brown

The Bears never trailed in the victory over the Red this past Saturday, scoring the most goals at Schoellkopf since 1998 Brown established a 6-1 lead after the first quarter and used that positive momentum to build a lead that Cornell (6-6, 1-4 Ivy) was never able to overcome

“Brown was making plays all over the field,” said head coach Matt Kerwick “They put us on our heels early, and unfortunately we couldn’t dig out of it ”

The Bears (12-1, 5-0 Ivy) took 53 shots, 39 of which were on goal and continued its surgical precision on offense and forceful aggression on defense

“Instead of backing off, they would come flying at us, ” said senior midfielder John Edmonds “They’d throw crazy checks that you don’t see every day I think in terms of aggression, they were a much more aggressive bunch than what we ’ ve seen ”

This relentless offense meant that senior goalkeeper Brennan Donville faced a very

It cer tainly was a power ful showing for the Red, who before this matchup had lost two games in a row for the first time this season, against Ivy rival No 1

y ranked No 5 Syracuse

The matchup against Princeton in New Jersey was a particularly tough loss, as Princeton and Cornell are currently the top two teams in the Ivy League going into the last week of the season

difficult task Yet despite score, Kerwick praised Donville’s efforts

“He was outstanding,” Kerwick said of Donville “[Brown] just put so much pressure on [us], and we knew that coming in,

The Tigers (10-4, 5-1 Ivy) recently lost their first game against an Ivy opponent, losing 12-7 to Penn on April 20 Now, Cornell, Penn and Princeton all have the same conference record of 5-1, and are tied for first in the league The Red’s last game of the regular season will be on Saturday against Penn (11-3, 5-1 Ivy) at Schoellkopf, and with Ivy standings in limbo and Cornell celebrating senior day, the environment is sure to be exhilarating, according to Marriott

“Saturday is by far the biggest game of our season, ” said Marriott “ Whoever wins this game will likely share the Ivy title with Princeton We are so incredibly grateful and excited to have the opportunity to play in this high stakes game Our team has had an incredible season so far, and we want nothing more than to finish off the regular season on a ver y high note with a win and a share of that title ”

The Red will face off against the Quakers on Saturday, April 30, at 1 p m

Jeff Asiedu can be reached at jasiedu@cornellsun com

but it’s hard to simulate in practice They’re the number one scoring offense in the country for a reason ” Donville finished the day with a careerhigh 16 saves

This was the fourth time the Bears have scored at least 20 points in a game this season and the tenth time they have scored at least 15

“It’s a different style,” Kerwick said “They cross the midline, and they’re going ” He also mentioned how it is difficult to prepare for this style of play in practice

“[You have] to tip your cap to those guys because they were earning those goals and putting them in good spots, ” Kerwick said Outside of Donville’s effort, there were some other positives in the game, although few and far between

The Red’s ground ball play was solid in the first half, when the team picked up 26 ground balls compared to Brown’s 20 Additionally, junior midfielder Domenic Massimilian won 13-of-27 face-offs to become the third player in Cornell history with at least 400 career face-off wins

“I thought the ground ball play for us was good in the first half, but unfortunately we couldn’t cash in and finish plays on the offensive end [and] we weren ’ t getting stops on the defensive end,” Kerwick said “In the second half, they out-worked us off the ground as well ”

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