04 26 18 entire issue hi res

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Ex-Student Who Forged GPA Says Parental Pressure to Blame

By NICHOLAS BOGEL-BURROUGHS Sun City Editor

A former student who used fake grades and other application materials to gain admission to three colleges including Cornell, where she studied for three years said pressure from her parents had led her to deceive her family and the universities for

years

The former student, Cavya Chandra ’13, fraudulently took out more than $130,000 in federal loans in the process and pleaded guilty to federal student loan fraud in the fall On Monday, federal judge David E Peebles sentenced Chandra, 26, to five years of probation and ordered her to pay Cornell more than $70,000

her mother as “strained” and said Chandra “felt that her mother’s love was contingent” on her “good grades and good looks,” which led to her developing “ an unhealthy need to fulfill their high expectations at any cost ”

Zimmer said in a court filing that Chandra was born in India and later moved to Australia and settled in Carmel, Indiana, where she now lives, when she was 10 Chandra’s father is a software engineer, her mother is a mortgage banker and her brother studies at Harvard University, Zimmer said

“We are pleased with the outcome of this criminal investigation which culminated in [Chandra] taking responsibility ”

Chandra’s lawyer, Kimberly M Zimmer, said in a court filing that Chandra had “felt an enormous amount of pressure ” from her parents to succeed academically

Zimmer described Chandra’s relationship with

“Ms Chandra’s parents are very successful, and growing up, Ms Chandra acknowledges that her belief that she needed to be someone her parents would be proud of developed into an unhealthy need to fulfill their high expectations at any cost, ” Zimmer said in the memorandum

In a statement, the U S attorney for the Northern District of New York, Grant Jaquith

See SENTENCING page 4

Two Relationship Policies Divide Senate

By YUICHIRO KAKUTANI Sun News Editor

The Faculty Senate debated two different plans to regulate romantic and sexual relationship between faculty and students in a Wednesday meeting rife with sharp policy disagreements and rampant confusion about parliamentary procedure

Both proposed plans

Consensual Relationship PolicyA and CRP-B prohibit faculty members from pursuing relationships with undergraduates or exercising “academic and professional authority” over graduate

students and post-doctoral students that they are in a relationship with, and require faculty to disclose their relationship with non-undergraduate students to a proposed Policy 6 x office

Upon being notified of the relationship, the office would then craft a “recusal plan” that limits the faculty’s influence on “important decisions that affect the students,” according to a presentation prepared by Dean of Faculty Charles Van Loan, computer science

“Nobody wants a love police force,” Van Loan said “On the other hand, if you had a work-

place romance, it has to be managed It has to be disclosed There has to be a recusal plan People have to be informed ”

While the two policies are otherwise identical, CRP-A institutes a blanket ban on all faculty-subordinate relationships within the same field Meanwhile, CRP-B permits such relationships as long as faculty members disclose it to the Policy 6 x office and follow the recusal plan

After nearly an hour-long deliberation largely occupied by several accusations of failure to

Students Rally for Gazans

More than 50 attend pro-Palestine demonstration

By JULIA CURLEY Sun News Editor

More than 50 Cornell students answered the Cornell Collective for Justice in Palestine’s call to “stand with Gaza” on Wednesday by gathering on Ho Plaza in support of protests in the Gaza Strip

Speakers at the rally said that the recent clash between Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers is neither a geopolitical conflict nor a religious clash, but a

moral recognition of human rights violations

“We are standing here today to protest the systematic killing of innocents, of peaceful protesters, of children playing on the beach, of journalists who bring us the truth,” said Amal Aun grad, who is from Palestine “We are standing here today to support human rights and to recognize that while we ’ re all created equal, this war is not ”

See PROTEST page 4

Pollack Urges Students to

By ANNE SNABES Sun Assistant News Editor

President Martha E Pollack called on Cornell community members to report ethical concerns and highlighted a confidential hotline system in an email sent to the Cornell community on Wednesday morning John Carberry, a University spokesperson, said in an email to The Sun that Pollack’s message is a “routine announcement ” made each year Former Interim President Hunter Rawlings sent a similar email to the Cornell community in May 2016 In her email,

Pollack also brought up the “Standards of Ethical Conduct,” which ever y person acting on the University’s behalf must abide by

According to the policy, which was first issued in October of 1996 and last updated in June 2013, all student employees, faculty, staff, executive officers and trustees are bound by this policy

“This policy and other university policies and applicable laws require that all members of our community are aware of their responsibilities to report misconduct,” Pollack said in the email

The document includes “ a list of some of the areas where frequent ethical questions arise” and outlines principles for how to act ethically One of these principles is a call upon representatives to avoid the creation of an environment where abuse of power persists

“Support the creation and mainte-

Daybook

Current Events Roundtable: The Legacies of Chernobyl 12:15 - 1:30 p m , G08 Uris Hall

Film Screening: Riverblue 3 - 4:30 p m , 160 Mann Library The CAESAR Comet Sample Return Mission 4 - 5 p m , 105 Space Sciences Building

We Are All In the Image of God: Disability and the Jewish Question

4:30 - 6:30 p m , Kaufmann Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall

Sustainable Living: Practical, Affordable Ways To Reduce Your Environmental Footprint 4:30 - 7 p m , 700 Clark Hall

TRANS*forming Literature

4:30 p m , Hollis E Cornell Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall

A Journey Through The Metabolic Pathways to Plant Volatile Emission 12:20 p m , 404 Plant Science Building

2018 Cornell Organic Symposium 1 - 5 p m , 148 Stocking Hall

Ken Himmel ’70 Open Session 1:30 - 2:30 p m , Statler Hall Auditorium

The Most Burdensome Law of All: The Law of Unintended Consequences 2:15 - 3:45 p m , G87 Martha Van Rensselaer Hall

Film Screening and Discussion: The Past is Not Our Future 5:30 p m , Africana Studies and Research Center

Reaching Millenials: David Yarus Speaks 9:00 p m , Arts Quad Tent

Treatment Strategies for Organic Dairy Cows 5:00 - 7:00 p m , S1-165 Schurman Hall

New Bikeshare Program Enters Downtown Ithaca

By SOPHIA GAO Sun Contributor

Cornell students and Ithaca residents now have another option for transportation in the City of Ithaca: lime green bicycles scattered around downtown Ithaca

Bike Walk Tompkins, which is a project of Ithaca Carshare, and the City of Ithaca facilitated the selection process, choosing to partner with LimeBike instead of several other competing bike-sharing ser vices LimeBike will provide 200 bicycles for the new ser vice, which features a dock-free rental system and a discounted rate for students

“We have been thinking of bringing bike-share services here for many years now, ” said Hector Chang, active transportation and bike-share coordinator for Ithaca Carshare “And actually, because we work in close collaboration with the city and also people at Cornell University, it was a choice that was informed by people in both the city and people in the college ”

The first 200 bicycles are largely distributed in downtown Ithaca and other flat areas in Ithaca, Chang said He told The Sun in a phone interview that LimeBike may provide more bicycles and expand the covered region in the future

The Cornell campus already has its own bike-sharing program, which launched last year, and none of the LimeBike bicycles are in Collegetown yet, although that may change

“We hope that bike-share will expand to cover uphill areas like Collegetown and maybe even Cornell,” Chang said

Renting a bicycle will cost $1 for 30 minutes for the average user Students, faculty and staff with a valid college email address can use the bicycle from the service for 50 cents per 30 minutes

The new service also abandons the stationary docks used by traditional bike-sharing programs like Citi Bike in New

York, Chang said, in an effort to expand the places people can go with a rented bike and to provide greater convenience

“The main priority that we have is coverage, ” Chang said “We didn’t want to leave any neighbourhood in the Ithaca city behind ”

Users will need to download and register a smartphone application in order to use the service After picking up bicycle and scanning a code on the bike, they can use it and park it anywhere that public bicycle parking is allowed The locking mechanism on the bike will then lock the rear wheel, preventing unauthorized use, according to Bike Walk Tompkins

Each bike is also equipped with GPS and cellular con-

Club Performs to Raise ASL Awareness

By STACEY BLANSKY Sun Staff Writer

Cornell University’s Deaf Awareness Project performed interpretations of three popular songs in American Sign Language under the Balch Arch on Tuesday night to increase suppor t for a Cornell ASL program

The set list included “It’s Time,” “Shape of You” and “ The Cup Song,” all per formed in ASL, as a celebration of students finishing their prelim exams, said Mar y Grace Hager ’19, president of CUDAP

“ T h i s i s o

a t i o n , ” Hager said “ We thought it would be fun to do an Arch Sign when freshmen are coming back from prelims ” Juliet Remi ’20, outreach chair for CUDAP, said the per formance was a good way to show Cornell students what the members are currently working on and to bring exposure to their cause

has not yet responded to that resolution, which the Student Assembly passed unanimously in March

In a separate letter to President Pollack, Remi said, CUDAP wrote that Cornell is one of several schools among the Ivy League to not include an A S L p ro g r a m Brow n Un i ve r s i t y, Un i ve r s i t y o f Pennsylvania and Har vard University are the only Ivy schools to offer at least two introductor y ASL courses, The Sun previously repor ted She added that Ithaca College has a deaf studies minor and the Rochester Institute of Technology has a deaf studies program “ We are tr ying to catch up regionally, and then among other areas, too, ” Remi said “At Cornell, we pride ourselves on ‘Any person, [ ] any study,’ [which means] having a diverse campus ”

Remi said that ASL introduces cultural diversity to Cornell through deaf culture as well as increasing the accessibility of the University to deaf individuals

nections to help users locate the nearest bikes

“Ithaca is not a big place, and most of the trips people do by car in the city are so short,” Chang said “Those trips can be very easily done by bike ” Chang hopes that the new bikeshare service, as well as the Bike Walk Tompkins program, will encourage more people to consider biking as an alternative for short-distance driving

“Hopefully this will open up bicycling to more people [and] to the community, including students too, ” Chang said

Sophia Gao can be reached at xg243@cornell edu

TEDxCornell

to Host

‘Eclectic’ Conference

By MIGUEL SOTO Sun Staff Writer

Cornell will host its four th i n d e p e n d e n t Te c h n o l o g y, E n t e r t a i n m e n t a n d D e s i g n c o n f e r e n c e a t t h e St a t l e r

Auditorium on May 6, celebrating diverse achievements a n d i d e a s a m o n g C o r n e l l community members

Initiative,” which brings participants together across differences for a meal and conversation

Prof Itai Cohen, physics, w i l l f o c u s h i s t a l k o n

a t t e m p t i n g t o u n d e r s t a n d “ o u t - o f - e q u i l i b r i u m b e h a viors,” such as the coordination of dance movements at events from tango to heavy metal

With degrees in electrical e n g i n e e r i n g a n d c o m p u t e r science and several published b o o k s , Pr o f S h i m o n E d e l m e n , p

aring loss don’t just consider physical disability, they considof a cultural community based ucation,” Remi said “ We think ntroduce that sor t of cultural nell] ”

d incorporating an ASL class

e a more diverse space on the mpus, because it represents taness in the disability community

r e p e o p l e o n c a m p u s w e r e ASL, [a deaf person] would feel me here and less of an outsider,” We have an obligation to tr y to d as successful as we can and t forms of diversity in terms of d culture ” asized that knowing ASL can be at allows us to understand other h can help individuals in all

o be a day in your life when you o someone who is deaf and, if m, they are most likely going to t it,” Hager told the Sun “I am wn experience and it makes me w happy they were that I could

This will be the largest TEDxCornell event to date, a c c o r d i n g t o t h e T E D x C o r n e l l w e b s i t e Though previous years ’ conferences were built around a s i n g u l a r t h e m e , t h i s y e a r ’ s event assembles an “eclectic” g r o u p o f i n d i v i d u a l s f r o m w i t h i n t h e C o r n e l l f a c u l t y, the website said TE D is an organ ization t h a t h o l d s c o n f e r e n c e s focused on providing a platform for “ideas wor th spreadi n g ” S i n c e 1 9 8 4 , T E D events have garnered over a billion vie ws worldwide for their thousands of taped, 18m i n u t e t a l k s , a c c o rd i n g t o the TED website

The Cornell event ’ s lineup will feature seven speakers, h a i l i n g f r o m d e p a r t m e n t s across the University

Renee T Alexander ’74, a s s o c i a t e d e a n o f s t u d e n t s a n d s e n i o r a d v i s o r t o t h e dean, will speak about her work regarding campus clim a t e A l e x a n d e r w o r k s t o facilitate discussion across the spectr um of Cornell communities She won the Perkins Prize in 2017, a prize awarded by Cornell, for her work o n t h e “ B r e a k i n g B r e a d

the

that the

After Fraud Revealed, Student Will Pay Cornell $70,000

SENTENCING

Continued from page 1

said, “ Whatever pressure students feel to get into a particular school, it cannot justify fraud ” “ We m a x

s a i d

When Cornell denied Chandra’s application in the fall of 2008, she applied to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh using a forged letter of recommendation and was admitted

Then, in the spring of 2010, she applied to Cornell using a forged high school transcript, a forged Carnegie Mellon transcript and a forged letter of recommendation The former student claimed at the time that her freshman GPA was 4 0 when it was actually 2 79, prosecutors said

Cornell accepted Chandra based on the forged material, and she studied at Cornell for three years beginning in the fall of 2010, conducting research in the Cornell Infant Studies Laborator y, The Sun previously repor ted Chandra received more than $130,000 in financial aid while at Cornell, and Cornell has since repaid the debt to the Depar tment of Education Chandra has agreed to pay Cornell the $70,145 81 she owes Chandra’s fraudulent behavior was not discovered until 2013, when she used a forged Cornell transcript while applying to medical school, falsely claiming that her GPA was 4 0 when it was actually 1 98 At that

Ser vice aler ted Cornell to the possible fraud, spurring an investigation that led to Cornell expelling Chandra in November of 2013

It remains unclear if another student could dupe Cornell in the same way that Chandra did, as spokespeople for the University won ’ t say if Cornell has made any relevant changes to its admissions process since Chandra was admitted in 2010

Spokespeople also didn’t answer questions about how many people could be attending the University based on false applications, what the investigation of Chandra’s case entailed, and how Chandra managed to successfully trick Cornell until the medical college application service aler ted Cornell

In response to the questions, a Cornell spokesman, Jeff Tyson, provided a statement from Jason Locke, vice provost for enrollment

“ We are pleased with the outcome of this criminal investigation which culminated in the defendant’s plea agreement taking responsibility for her wrong ful acts, ” Locke said in the provided statement “Restitution of the financial aid she wrong fully received while at Cornell will enable deser ving students to continue to receive financial suppor t for education at Cornell ”

After being expelled from Cornell, Chandra applied to transfer to Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis again using forged transcripts and false grades and IUPUI admitted her, she said in the plea agreement last fall

Faculty Senate Considers 2 Relationship Policies

RELATIONSHIPS

Continued from page 1

follow parliamentar y procedures by faculty members, the senate shot down, by a 10 to 30 vote, a resolution amending CRP-B to allow faculty the option to have an “individual responsible for the academic workplace” craft a recusal

p l a n i n s t e a d o f t h e Po l i c y 6 x office

“[The] reason why many of us felt this was not an appropriate proposal plan was that it involves people who aren ’ t trained, not professionals, and not objective,” Prof Rhonda Gilmore, design and environmental sciences, said, arguing that the Policy 6 x office alone would have the expertise to consid-

e r f a c u l t y - s t u d e n t re l a t i o n s h i p s “ There is not a dean nor a chair

w h o h a s h a d training in this sensitive topic ” T h e h e a t e d d i s c u s s i o n o n t h e re s o l u t i o n left no time in t h e 9 0 - m i n u t e meeting for the senate to come to a consensus Faculty members, instead, voted individually on ballots that will be

studies

Prof Richard Miller, philosophy, supported CRP-B, arguing that the cost of a ban on all intradepartmental relationships far outweighs its professed benefits of preventing “bad actors ” from unfairly assisting the subordinate’s career prospects “Ithaca is a small city, in which extremely busy, unattached junior faculty find it hard to develop emotional attachment with those who share their intellectual interest broadly defined,” Miller said

Me

Cy

Grant Bowman, law, argued in favor of CRP-A, citing that faculty m

m b e r s a re “f i d u c i a r i e s ” w h o should be banned from romantic involvement with their beneficiaries, the students “ I ’ v e s p e n t my entire adult c a re e r s

“There is not a dean nor a chair who has had training in this sensitive topic ”

P r o f R h o n d a G i l m o r e

g i v e n t o Pre s i d e n t Ma r t h a E Pollack on May 1

Several faculty senators noted that the choice between the two policies divided their departments, leading many to believe that there may not be “ one good opinion ” “ Eq u a l n u m b e r s o f m y c o lleagues in feminist studies felt that a ban on any kind of relationship prevented our students from havi n g t h e a u t o n o m y o r r i g h t t o choose to have a relationship with a faculty member An equal number felt that preference for one student over another violated the terms of pedagogical engagement, ” said Prof Durba Ghosh, histor y and feminist, gender and sexuality

issues of sexual harassment, sex-

ships, and I ver y strongly support CRP-A,” Bowman said “Other f i d u c i a r i

d o c t o r s t

s

h e i r clients, lawyers to their clients All those professions have banned s e x u a l re l

clients ”

Prof Dan Brown, animal sciences, was “ ver y troubled” by both plans for breaching the privacy of the parties involved “ This policy is about consensu-

a l re l a t i o n s h i p e n t e re d i n t o by mature people,” Brown said “ We could be easily be talking about graduate students or post-docs at the age of 30 [CRP-B] demands disclosure even in situations where individuals prefer to keep things private I find this ver y offensive ”

Yuichiro Kakutani can be reached at ykakutani@cornellsun com

Vonderheit, told The Sun in the fall that the school had also employed Chandra In her job, Chandra conducted neonatal research from March 2014 to August 2015, and the University later awarded her a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience in May 2015, which she held for more than a year until the University rescinded it on Aug 12, 2016

Before Indiana University rescinded her bachelor’s degree, however, Chandra had enrolled in a graduate program at the University of South Florida A spokesperson for USF, Adam Freeman, told The Sun in the fall that Chandra had attended the school in the fall 2015 and spring 2016 semesters She later withdre w after her bachelor’s degree was rescinded, the government said Chandra’s Facebook profile and a resume posted online indicate that she studied at the USF Morsani College of Medicine, The Sun previously repor ted The resume also indicated that she had worked at the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research at Indiana as a research technician while studying there Zimmer, Chandra’s lawyer, said in a phone inter vie w on Tuesday that Peebles, the judge, had “recognized the pressure ” that Chandra had put herself under and told the former student in federal cour t in Syracuse that he sees her eventually accomplishing her dreams

Michael F Perr y, the assistant U S attorney who prosecuted the case, said in a cour t filing that, “Having come clean, finally, about her past, Chandra still plans to attend medical school at some point in the future ”

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs can be reached at nbogel-burroughs@cornellsun com

Students Rally for Gaza Protesters

PROTEST

Continued from page 1

Gazans organized a widespread protest against 70 years of “oppressive” Israeli policy on March 30, the CCJP said Mo r e t h a n 3 5 Pa l e s t i n i a n s have been killed by Israeli soldiers near the border and more than 1,000 injured since then, The Ne w York Times repor ted The Times also repor ted that H a m a s , t h e m i l i t a n t g r o u p that governs Gaza, suppor ts the protests, and the Israeli government has accused some of carr ying out attacks under the cover of the protests

“ You don’t have to know a b o u t w h a t ’ s g o i n g o n i n Palestine to join students for peace and to stand in solidarity w i t h Pa l e s t i n e , ” s a i d C C J P founder Prof Darlene Evans, creative writing

T h i s “ Gr e a t M a r c h o f Return” along the militarized border between the Gaza Strip and Israel has attracted protesters of all ages and armed Israeli soldiers to the Gaza border

“ T h i s d e m o n s t r a t i o n i s happening here at Cornell, but I can promise ever yone standing here that demonstrations like this are happening all over Israel and there are Israeli citizens who do not want these actions to go through,” said Nitzan Tal, grad, an Israeli cit-

izen

“ Yo u d o n ’ t h a v e t o b e Palestinian, you don’t have to be from one religion or another You don’t even have to be on one side of the political map, ” Tal continued “All you have to be is a person who sees the picture clearly and who sees children and people without guns being shot down ”

C C J P h a s s a i d t h a t t h e Israeli army has used tear gas, snipers, tank shelling and air strikes to quell the protesters

“It’s not a conflict between equal sides,” Aun said “It is not a dispute or a clash And as many people here at Cornell have asked me before, no, it is n o t a r e l i g i o u s c o n f l i c t between Muslims and Je ws ”

“It is an occupation, colon i z a t i o n a n d e r a s u re o f t h e people,” he continued “ There are no equal sides It is a war between an occupier and an occupied, an oppressor and an oppressed, the power ful and the powerless ”

T h e H a m a s - r u n h e a l t h ministr y in Gaza has repor ted that Israeli combatants have s h o t a n d k i l l e d a t l e a s t 3 9 Palestinians since the beginning of the march on March 30 Thousands more have been injured, the CCJP said at the rally No Israeli casualties have b e e n re p o r t e d , a c c o rd i n g t o the health ministr y Palestinians in Gaza, num-

bering nearly 1 5 million, have l i t t l e a c c e s s t o c l e a n w a t e r, f o o d o r e l e c t r i c i t y, b u t t h e Great March of Return calls not for the alleviation of suffering but for the freedom of movement, according to the CCJP The marchers want to r e t u r n t o t h e i r f o r m e r Palestinian homes, now inside Israel, club members said

Fo r 1 1 y e a r s , Is r a e l h a s enforced a complete land, air and sea blockade of the Gaza St r i p, p r o t e s t e r s a t C o r n e l l said Aun said the internationa l c o m m u n i t y s e e s Ga z a a s “the world’s largest open-air prison ” At the event, a CCJP representative collected signatures for a petition urging Ne w York s t a t e s e n a t o r s t o r e c o g n i z e what the group says are Israeli human rights violations The group also seeks the re-evaluation of American political dollars that suppor t Israeli militar y effor ts in Gaza, Tal said at the event

“ T h e A m e r i c a n g ov e r nment is complicit,” Tal said “I invite all of us to not only look a t A m e r i c a n d o l l a r s b u t t o look at Cornell’s dollars and to look at where those are invested and to star t make our voice heard within our small circle of influence ”

Julia Curley can be reached at jcurley@cornellsun com

T e d x C o r n e l l Ev e n t S l a t e d f o r Ma y 6

TED Continued from page 3

Prof Ifeoma Ajunwa, organizational behavior, whose work has been featured in the New York Times, the Har vard Business Review, The Atlantic, the Guardian and more, will speak on the “controversies of ethics and technology in modern workplace management ” Prof Susan Fleming M S ’08 Ph D ’10, hotel administration, will address the lack of women in U S leadership positions, drawing

from her experience on Wall Street She is an advocate for women ’ s advancement and has ser ved on the board of six public companies and both private and non-profit boards, according to the website

T h e e v e n t w i l l b e h e l d i n t h e St a t l e r Auditorium on May 6, and full-price and student-discount tickets can be purchased on the TEDxCornell website

Miguel Soto can be reached at msoto@cornellsun com

Pollack Encourages Violations Reporting

HOTLINE

Continued from page 1

nance of an environment in which abuse of power is not tolerated,” it states

Pollack stated that it is an “obligation” to report an incident, whether the ethical concern involves conflicts of interest, research, athletics or other areas

She said community members should first tell their concern to their units or to “the appropriate dean, vice provost, or vice president ”

Pollack also said that when community members have “ concerns about reporting within [their] unit,” they can use a confidential hotline to report issues The hotline system has both a telephone, with a number of 1-866-293-3077, and a website The system is run by EthicsPoint, an incident management software that is part of

Help us keep watch on Cornell. Ca

NAVEX Global, according to the EthicsPoint website Ithaca College and the University of California also use the same software

The hotline website also provides the link to a program that allows community members to report criminal actions that are not an emergency, which is called the Cornell University Police Silent Witness Program, Pollack said

“In addition, retaliation against persons who have made good faith reports of ethical or other standards violations is absolutely prohibited under Cornell policy and many applicable laws,” she stated in the email

“The integrity of the university depends on our collective efforts to maintain the highest standards of ethical conduct,” Pollack expressed

Anne Snabes can be reached at asnabes@cornellsun com

A & S S T U D E N T S

JOHN MCKIM MILLER 20 Business Manager

KATIE SIMS 20 Associate Editor

VARUN IYENGAR 21

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Independent Since 1880

136TH EDITORIAL BOARD

JACOB S KARASIK RUBASHKIN 19 Editor in Chief

GIRISHA ARORA 20

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MCDEVITT ’19

LI ’20

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WORKING ON TODAY’S SUN

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AD LAYOUT Sophie Smith 18

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Letter to the Editor

Romance studies grad students denounce proposed changes to arts college language requirements

To th e Ed itor:

We, the undersigned graduate students of the Romance Studies Department, emphatically denounce the recommendations of the Arts & Sciences Curriculum Committee We lend our support to the Romance Studies Faculty’s unanimous and unambiguous rejection of the current proposal

Beyond the committee’s hasty procedure and failure to adequately consult the many departments who will be affected, our principal concern is the reduction of the language requirement by almost half

The lower undergraduate enrollment in our courses will result in fewer faculty, fewer course offerings and fewer graduate assistantships This is a direct blow to our funding, our teaching opportunities and our competitiveness on the job market, and threatens the prestige of our program

Apart from our concern for the quality of post-graduate studies at this institution, we would like to emphasize the following: This proposal severely undermines the value of an undergraduate education at Cornell University It has been suggested that fulfilling the language requirement is difficult for pre-med and science students We have found our many students from the STEM and pre-med fields to be superb language learners If the goal is to ease course loads for pre-med students, the curriculum changes will harm those whose very burden they seek to alleviate Cornell’s own Weill Medical College website explicitly states “proficiency in a second language” in their selection criteria

The extant requirement is as follows: One course at the non-introductory level or 11 credits in a single language This provides students with the classroom time necessary for advanced engagement with the language and its historical, political and cultural contexts We speak in defense not only of the languages taught in our department, but the many languages offered at this institution At stake is a philosophy of learning that respects indepth engagement with a foreign language and culture, and its replacement with an approach that treats Cornell’s language courses as mere items on a menu This sabotages the very ideals upon which the committee’s recommendations are predicated: Cornell’s status as a “global university ” M ario Jime n e z C hac o n g rad , Span is h Ro main Pasq u er Broc h ard g rad , Fre n c h Jul ia Karc ze w s ki gr ad, Fre n c h Jac k qu e lin e Fros t gr ad, Fre n c h Mar y Jan e De mp se y g rad , Italian Vin c e n t Gu imio t gr ad, Fre n c h

A m an da Re c up ero g rad , Italian

Ke ll y C am ill e Mo ore g rad , Span is h

Cris tin a Hu n g g rad , Span is h

Matías Borg Ovie do g rad , Span is h

A n dy Leo n e l Barrie n tos -G óm ez g rad , Span is h & Por tug ue s e

L ia Tur tas g rad , Italian

Patric k Ko ze y g rad , Span is h

Á l varo Garrote Pas cu al g rad , Span is h

Emil y C Váz q u e z En r íqu e z , g rad , Span is h

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Letter to the Editor

DSOC students and alumni reject College of Social Sciences recommendation

To t h e E d i t o r :

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i n t o a n e w s o c i a l s c i e n c e s - s p e c i f i c c o l l e g e T h e w o rd “ s o c i o l o g y ” i n De ve l o p m e n t

o n ve n t i o n a l s o c i a l s c i e n c e i n t h e ve i n o f a n t h ro p o l o g y o r l i n g u i s t i c s T h e w o rd i n s t e a d s t e m s f ro m t h e d e p a r t m e n t ’ s c o m m i t m e n t t o r u r a l s o c i o l o g y a u n i q u e d i sc i p l i n e t h a t s t u d i e s a c c e s s t o n a t u r a l re s o u rc e s a n d s u s t a i n a b l e l i ve l i h o o d s , p a r t i c u l a rl y i n c o m m u n i t i e s o n t h e p e r i p h e r i e s o f g l o b a l c a p i t a l i s m D S O C i s a n a p p l i e d f o r m

o f s o c i o l o g y t h a t c o n c e r n s i t s e l f w i t h c r i t i c a l i s s u e s s u r ro u n d i n g a g r i c u l t u r a l a n d c o mm u n i t y d e ve l o p m e n t , m a k i n g t h e t h e C o l l e g e o f A g r i c u l t u re a n d L i f e S c i e n c e s i t s p e r -

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De p a r t m e n t s t h a t a l s o c e n t e r t h e e m p a t h e t i c s t u d y o f t h e Gl o b a l So u t h , i n c l u d i n g

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C A L S p ro g r a m s s u c h a s En v i ro n m e n t a l & Su s

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Sun

No, an Amtrak Station in Ithaca Is Not an Absurd Idea

In a recent meeting on connecting Cornell and Ne w York City, Prof Noliwe Rooks, Africana and feminist, gender and sexuality studies, asked, “How hard would it be to get Amtrak to let us have a stop here?” Largely ignored by our leaders, her idea was also noted by some commentators as unrealistic and a nearly impossible feat They are right; Professor Rooks’ idea is not easy to implement However, it is also worth a consideration In fact, a rail line from Ithaca to New York, via Binghamton and Scranton is the final key to connecting our bucolic campus and city to the financial and commercial center of this country

There used to be passenger rail trains in Ithaca, in fact Knowing how important a connection to New York was, Ithaca’s forebears had actually built and operated a train line to Penn Station for many decades The tracks are still there on Fulton Street, on which a freight train still runs through Ithaca An elegant, classical revival passenger station also remains, now ser ving as a branch office of the Chemung Canal Trust Company The groundwork is literally

there for a revival; it just needs to be rehabilitated

A simple Google Maps search shows further The current tracks, operated by private rail freight company Norfolk Southern, head down from Fulton Street to a junction in Waverly and end up going over to Binghamton and Scranton The tracks then head fur ther south to Allentown, Pennsylvania, however, without a current direct connection to the tri-state area Like Ithaca’s railway, there used to be a connection: an engineering feat, the Lackwanna Cut-Off railroad connected to New York and was abandoned in the 1970s, along with the demise of other railroad companies Fortunately, through lobbying efforts by senators and commuter advocacy groups alike, construction has already begun to restore the line, with service to Andover, New Jersey slated to begin in 2020 If the stars align in New Jersey, and New York State plays its role in reviving its portion of the tracks, then a physical connection is not impossible

I emphasize physical because the restora-

Narayan

My b a r b e r, w h o i s C a m b o d i a n , s a i d h e w o u l d g i v e m e t h e

“Indian cut ” After he was done, the other guy waiting said that I looked just like a doctor The unsolicited obser vation has led me to believe that we, of the South Asian Council, are actually getting ahead of ourselves if our front is asserting that our perspectives are not completely irrelevant, and that we should be able to take up space within spaces that are generally designated for students of color First of all, how the fuck are we going

t o c o n v i n c e p e o p l e t h a t o u r brownness does not itself qualify us to perform an emergency tracheotomy with a box cutter and a plastic straw? I mean, I’ll do my best with my knowledge of Asian American racial formation but no promises A few days later while I was tr ying to figure out my next dick, I remembered I’m gay as well as Tamil The fact that the queer identity itself is inherently politicized made me see it as a remedy My friend put it nail polish on me The color was a deep, peacock blue called “ m i d n i g h t ” a n d i t p o p p e d against my brown skin It truly did make me feel more relevant

tion is currently led by NJ Transit, a state agency that runs Jersey commuter trains to New York Amtrak, the federal quasi-public corporation that runs interstate long-distance lines and whose name promotes poor

having to stay mentally alert for five-plus hours or risk death, dealing with Jersey drivers, seedy rest stops, and burning gas and money

Being a public transit rider for most of

A rail line from Ithaca to New York is the final key to connecting our bucolic campus and city to the financial and commercial center of this country.

spelling, would have to wrestle for access

Operationally, this line would have to contend with competitors that originally killed it in 1961 the car and bus Service to New York would need to be reliable and under four-hour travel time from the tristate area to compete against the bus, which takes five or six hours, depending on traffic in the Lincoln Tunnel The passage should be seamless as well, with substantial connections to other parts of Ithaca from the train station Cornell, for example, should operate a shuttle from the station to Central Campus that runs on a complementary schedule to the train The trains themselves need not be gaudy and laden with “Millennial-friendly” expensive technology, but simply maintained, clean and comfortable

Since coming to Cornell, I have made the journey from home in New York to Ithaca at least twenty times, and I’m sure many of my fellow students have done so as well This five-hour trip, which is taken either by the bus or the car, is the single biggest competitive disadvantage that Cornell and the Southern Tier has compared to its peers Buses are plagued with late arrivals, disgusting bathrooms, smelly seats and haphazard driving While driving is a better alternative, I am personally exhausted, like many Cornell parents, of

Reddy | Reddy, Set, Go!

M i d n i g h t Tw i n k s

When I saw the teenage students at the afterschool program I work at with “midnight” on, I learned that I wasn ’ t shit One of the younger students didn’t talk to me that day, when he usually says something to me That hurt Even more so than the last time I painted my nails and a homeless Nepali man asked me if I was a faggot, to which I replied “ yes, sir!” as faggy as I could (we talked a little after that and got to know each other better, he then offered to “raise hell” on anyone that ever gave me shit, but I haven’t seen him since) Ever yone else said my nails were on point, but I think he was just too young to deal with the fact that the older male college volunteer he knew for several months just walked in with “midnight” on in broad daylight I would have been confused at his age too It begged the q u e s t i o n , w a s i t r e a l l y m o r e important for me to assert my own experiences and identities as an individual, rather than buildi n g m e a n i n g f u l r e l a t i o n s h i p s with others who had experiences a n d i d e n t i t i e s d i f f e r e n t t h a n mine?

I washed “midnight” off as soon as I could It’s probably not smart to

take something profound away from someone that called me a “faggot,” but I could have spared myself from déjà vu if I did Both times were attempts to “live my truth,” and the boys I’ve recently been on are the ones I’ve deemed ver y honest

On violence, I’ll push back if you push me But I won ’ t start it So, his offer to kick someone ’ s ass on my request goes against my

my life, I can tell you that transit experience is simple: just get me from A to B safely, quickly, comfortably and at a reasonable price In the Ithaca-to-New York transport market, none of the competitors are doing this, and that’s why new private bus companies keep popping up with band-aid solutions Even the University has entered the market with the Campus-to-Campus bus, which is the most comfortable but also with the most expensive price tag designed to capture the wealthy alumni and guests A train line, however, if well-executed, is the real, permanent answer that can unlock the economic potential of this University, city, and region The new Governor of New York, whoever it will be, needs to get on this This proposal is one that we absolutely can realize, and certainly not scoff off as an impossible It is not impossible our predecessors who literally dug and built railroads across this country from scratch more than 100 years ago proved it so And if we leave their groundwork to waste, while other countries are literally speeding past us with their own network expansions and reaping the economic benefits, we only have ourselves (and the car lobby) to blame

because I knew it would affect my ability to engage with people that are not as steeped in their ow n i d e n t i t y a s m e In f a c t , something I understood is that identity doesn’t necessarily even reside within ourselves

It’s in the meaningful relationships I have with others that may have grown up in and still live in a world different than mine Without diversity, there

Cutting yourself

from others for the sake of individual liberty only makes [social lines] more rigid.

values But it’s the thought that counts I really believe he saw that someone or something was hurting me on the inside over the course of our unlikely conversation and offered to provide support Which was already more than my friends at the time were willing to do That’s why I painted them, to break away from friends I was already isolating

m

would be no differences to perceive But real differences are deeper than skin, and fixating upon or asserting the physicality of brownness and/or queerness alone keeps intercommunity discussions and relations superficial and could undermine them altogether The effect of acknowledging them between and working with each other along the lines that mercilessly structure society blurs them Cutting yourself off

from others for the sake of individual liberty only makes them more rigid It’s not about car ving o u t s p a c e s w i t h i n s p a c e s , i t ’ s about undermining the need for those spaces themselves Before we insist that others accept us, we must address ourselves and think critically about the lines that separates South A s

n g Asian and Asian American students in general and other students of color The queer people living their truths and those that can ’ t identify as queer I understand that these binaries I set up as well as this entire column in general are reckless blur-

issues, but that’s kind of the point My new catchphrase is “I don’t have the answers ” but I can

Take

brown boy; it’s time we make a mess together Painting your fingernails doesn’t excuse anyone from getting them dirty

Dining Guide

Your source for good food

By RUTH PARK Sun Staff Writer

IA So Poong t o S o P o o n g

will preface this review by saying that I hold very high standards for Korean cuisine we ’ re literally talking about home food, folks! Despite the relatively plentiful options of classic Korean dishes in Ithaca, I have not really found a place that rises above mediocrity; Ithaca’s Korean selections have yet to elicit a blissful grin of satisfaction from me and my fellow Korean friends

Consequently, when SoPoong magically appeared in Collegetown, I just had to go check it out!

I first passed by the newly opened restaurant, which says it offers “Kimbap & Korean Snacks Take Out,” a few days before my official visit, when I tried to peer inside its large and intriguingly foggy windows I had been making a late trip to Kung Fu Tea with one of my friends, who not only informed me that SoPoong had sold out on its first night, but also encouraged me to give it a whirl

Due to its relative newness a business Facebook page was created just seven days ago SoPoong has not had much coverage A quick Google search for the restaurant amusingly reveals a single Google

review from a (presumably) Korean woman named Jinju Ock, who gave the place five stars but left no comment! The only other public Google review Ock has made is for an owl cafe in Tokyo, Japan, so I cannot testify to her credibility as a food critic More promisingly,

SoPoong’s Yelp page revealed two five-star reviews that both enthusiastically endorse its kimbap and udon, so I ultimately made the visit to C-Town with much excitement!

Located next to Kung Fu Tea, SoPoong occupies a fairly small space There is not much seating available, but the place was pretty empty during our early Monday lunch My companion, who had already been to SoPoong multiple times, later informed me that it is usually super packed

SoPoong is organized like an indoor street food stall; you wait in line, order, pay, pick up food at a booth and return to your table to lovingly devour it The set-up actually reminded me of the countless bunsik (a catch-all term for inexpensive Korean food) vendors that line the streets of Seoul Interestingly, the menu is only in English and romanized Korean, which was a bit confusing for me I was definitely not used to having to read or

as “yubu chobap” and “koma kimbap” but I eventually decided to order the C3 combo of dduk bokgi and two rolls of koma kimbap My friend chose to have a spicy tuna kimbap I wanted to order one of the strikingly vibrant fruit smoothies they had a gorgeous picture of, but SoPoong only offers free water (but it’s filtered!) and a few different kinds of canned soda Service was actually very quick; it felt as if I did not wait at all Although the dishes were not that visually appealing, I brought my tray back to our table with great anticipation My dduk bokgi, to be frank, was bad Although the rice cake and fish cake dduk and odeng were soft, the spicy dduk bokgi sauce did not stick to both, making every bite of the dish taste too bland A bit deflated, I proceeded to try my two koma kimbap rolls; koma, which is the word for “ tot, ” is an accurate descriptor for the rolls they were so tiny! Nevertheless, I really enjoyed them; I gobbled up everything in a handful of bites in the span of a few minutes The pickled radish, which I usually dislike due to its strong taste, was detectable but not overpowering; the rice soft; the sausage not too salty and the seaweed tasty, clearly adorned with lots of sesame

oil I also had some of my friend’s spicy tuna kimbap the main difference between the two dishes is the choice of the meat and although it also did taste good, the tuna was a bit dry

So poong ( ) is the Korean word for a trip, picnic, outing or excursion; it implies that you are taking a short trip the destination is often not far with someone else In Korean culture, so poong is usually associated with spending time with family or classmates, and a picnic outside is often accompanied by homemade kimbap rolls As someone who has never really loved kimbap, I peculiarly enjoyed SoPoong’s versions! And although I’m not so sure about the other menu items, and the seating and presentation leave much to be desired, I do think I will be going back often, especially due to its inexpensive prices and speedy service I truly hope the place is here to stay; more Korean options means a more satisfied Ruth Overall, I do recommend trying SoPoong out go on a so poong to SoPoong but maybe take the food outside instead! When the sun is out, Libe Slope looks like a beautiful place to be happily munching on some kimbap with friends Serves: limited selection of

Vibe:

Price:

Overall:

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Not-So-Marvelous LGBTQ Representation

Anyone who knows me knows me to be a huge Marvel fan, and knows that in the past few weeks I have not stopped talking about Avengers: Infinity War And while I’ve been marveling at how far the Marvel Cinematic Universe has come in terms of character development and universe-building in the past ten years, I also can ’ t stop thinking about the one thing they’ve made very little progress on: LGBTQ+ representation

To give it some context, in May of 2008, Iron Man brought about the beginning of what we know today as the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) In November of the same year, California passed Proposition 8, which reinstated the state ’ s ban on same-sex marriage Here we are, ten years later in 2018 And while there are still a multitude of sociopolitical issues facing the LGBTQ+ community today, the progress that’s been made in this country and around the world is undeniable In the MCU, however not so much

The MCU debuted its first queer character in Thor:

Ragnarok just this past November, and it’s likely you didn’t even find out from the movie itself A flashback scene in the movie hints at the reason the only remaining Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) left Asgard Hela had killed someone who appeared to be her lover, a fellow Valkyrie But a speculation is about as much as you can get from the movie, and unless you go do some digging and read Thompson’s tweets and interviews, you probably would not know that the Valkyrie is, in fact, bisexual Although Thompson had convinced director Taika Waititi to shoot a scene in which a woman walks out of her character’s bedroom, it never made the final cut because “it distracted from the scene ’ s vital exposition,” according to Rolling Stone

“KOD 3 meanings Kids on Drugs King Overdosed Kill Our Demons

The rest of the album I leave to your interpretation ”

J Cole tweeted this on April 19 prior to releasing his new album, KOD The rapper ’ s fifth L P features 12 songs, all of which fuse to tell a succinct story about what I believe is the culmination of addic-

Yet, Mar vel has never seemed to have problems with depictions of heterosexual romance that actually distracted from vital exposition which is basically all of them except that between Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter, and Tony Stark and Pepper Potts Thor and Jane Foster, for example, were so lacking in chemistry that I could not be more relieved when I found out Jane would not appear in Thor: Ragnarok The sudden romance between the Hulk and Black Widow that started in Avengers: Age of Ultron made less sense than had Widow and Cap gotten romantically involved in Captain America: The Winter Soldier And while the Russo brothers were smart enough to avoid that in Winter Soldier, they inevitably fell into the trap in Captain America: Civil War when they had Cap kiss Sharon Carter out of nowhere Even Vision and Scarlet Witch, whose romance might actually be vital for the plot development in Infinity War, have been quite a forgettable pair thus far

then went ahead with the aforementioned kiss between Cap and Sharon Carter in Civil War, a move that could only be interpreted as a way to reassert Cap’s heterosexuality and, in some ways, masculinity

In short, few of the heterosexual romances in the MCU have proven to be memorable, because they come from forced engineering instead of genuine chemistry and connection between the characters In contrast, many of the male characters have had more than enough of what we call “bromance,” yet the MCU hesitates to define any sort of non-platonic relationship between any of them (As for female characters, there really aren ’ t that many of them to begin with )

Of course, there’s the issue of countries that censor homosexuality in film, but that doesn’t mean Marvel can ’ t even leave room for the possibility For instance, despite describing Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes’ history to be “ a love story ” and encouraging people to interpret the subtext however they want after Winter Soldier, the Russo brothers

tion and pain through technology in 2018

What is most interesting about KOD is that it is an exploration of many types of relevant pain in 2018 “BRACKETS,” “Window Pain (Outro),’” and others do contain content surrounding pain in the context of the political climate, shadowing Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN , which just made Pulitzer Prize history, but J Cole’s definition of pain is not centered anywhere in particular His pain is dispersed within mundane objects like a “Photograph” or an “ATM ” J Cole plays on the idea that in 2018, mundanity, addiction and pain are all heavily intertwined through technology and this truly digital age In 2018, we treat addiction with more addiction

I strongly believe that this album should be listened to in chronological order, as the North Carolina rapper incorporates much relevant and detailed meaning within his intros and outro, as well as his “featured” sections

After my first run through of the album, I was left with questions, one of which: Who is kiLL edward, the entity featured on two tracks? J Cole went platinum with no features Will all of those memes go to waste? Eerily enough, a new Soundcloud artist page was created on Monday for the one and only kiLL edward, aka J Cole’s alter ego KiLL edward, or J Cole, or whoever you would like to call the rapper, posted a track called “tidal wave ( Just a little reference)” on Soundcloud, seemingly to introduce fans to the alter ego before KOD was released So the answer is yes, the memes are still relevant No features for J Cole

And perhaps that’s really the crux of the matter masculinity Perhaps the lack of LGBTQ+ characters in the MCU and superhero movies in general is less about queerness itself than about its conflict with the hypermasculinity still all too prevalent in superhero films Perhaps it’s why the MCU’s first queer character had to be a woman instead of a man

In the end, before there can be more queer superheroes, there must be a decoupling of heroism and hypermasculinity The MCU, which has developed complex heroes who are very much human underneath the suits, and has tackled difficult socio-political topics as those presented in Civil War and Black Panther, is more than capable only unwilling As Phase 3 nears its end and Phase 4 begins, with works such as Captain Marvel and Black Widow that promise more female superheroes, I dearly hope that, somewhere in the blueprints, there is room for queer heroic presence

Andrea Yang is a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences She can be reached at ayang@cornellsun com Five Minutes Till Places runs alternate Thursdays this semester

Along with kiLL e another new voice prese KOD It is a woman ’ s vo one, a voice that would on a hypnosis relaxa tape It appears in “Intro”: “A newborn baby has two primary modes of communication Laughter, which says, ‘I love this ’ Or cr ying, which sa ‘ This frightens me, I pain ’ Life can bring much pain

There are many ways to deal with this pain Choose wisely ” This verse sets the stage for the entirety of the album: J Cole’s exploration of pain, drugs and how God comes into play with all of this Later, in “Once an Addict (Interlude),” this hypnotic voice appears again: “Sometimes I think pain is just a lack of understanding If we could only understand it all, would we feel no pain? God must feel no pain ” J Cole’s decision to use this voice and not one of a different nature is interesting He prods his fans to fall into a sort of hypnotic state while listening He is encouraging his supporters and youth to refrain from drugs or other harmful ways of dealing with the pain that modernity has caused He is acknowledging the fact that pain in 2018 is different from pain in 2000, while questioning the role of God in all of this pain He confesses that technology causes pain, and yet it is a drug all on its own

This brings me to my fascination with “Photograph,” the third song on KOD In

this track, J Cole gives us his fully raw take on the social media selfie Unlike rappers before him such as Trey Songz or Drake, who have fetishized the Insta model, with lines like, “Gotta hit the club like you hit them angles” in Drake’s “Nice For What,” J Cole doesn’t sugarcoat it Let’s face it, in 2018, people post for likes and sex appeal People swipe left in hopes of finding the right one In “Photograph,” J Cole confirms what romanticism has become “Love today’s gone digital and it’s messing with my health ” In KOD, J Cole tells us that it is up to us how we cope with the often self-inflicted struggles and addictions of 2018, including loss of romanticism through technology, hyper-glorification of wealth on social media, lack of social change and drug abuse

It is up to us to “Choose Wisely ”

Juliette Rolnick is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences She can be reached at jr798@cornell edu

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Freshman Grappler Used Mental Grit to Win Title

been able to pull off what he a c c o

details of the injur y He didn’t care how his knee felt, or what was wrong with it He was going to keep wrestling for the title no matter what “ [ Tr a i n e r ] C h r i s [ S c a r l a t a ] did the ACL check and he just made this face, and I was like, ‘don’t tell me what’s wrong, I d o n ’ t w a n t t o k n ow I a m wrestling no matter what, so I rather not know,’” Diakomihalis said A year before winning the title, it was unclear whether or n o t Di a k o m

A s Coming to Cornell, the talent was cer tainly there “Just because he’s 18, 19 years old doesn’t mean he can ’ t beat a 22 or 23 year old; he will,” Koll said at the beginning of the season “ We know Yianni, although u n p r ov

[

level], he’s a proven commodity ” But still, there was something missing

“A f l a w o f m i n e i n h i g h school [was] I never had the full push,” Diakomihalis said “And you need the full push ”

O n a t e c h n i c

l e v e l , Diakomihalis was wrestling at a

ver y high level upon his arrival to East Hill But skill alone is not enough to win a national title He still had plenty of work to do mentally and physically in the months leading up to the star t of his first season as a collegiate wrestler “[A lot of my improvement] came from training my mind, because I always had good skills, but I was never really in great shape and I never was super tough, [I never] grinded people,”

D i a k o m i h a l i s s a i d “ I n e v e r broke people in high school I just won matches because I was a better wrestler ”

D i a k o

ready to improve as a wrestler, to obtain that ‘full push ’ He didn’t have to go at it alone

Two-time All-American Mike Grey ’11, now an assistant coach at Cornell, has been an integral p a r t o f h e l p i n g t h e f re s h m a n become a championship-caliber wrestler

“ When I got here, all the intangibles the ability to win c l o s e m a t c h

e a b i l i t y

o score when you need to all those things I had inside of me that I was not able to pull out, Mike was able to pull out of me, ” Diakomihalis said

“Mike’s the toughest dude I know,” he added “I kne w he could get that out of me I wasn ’ t tough, and he made me a lot tougher than I used to be ”

According to Diakomihalis, Grey has gone above and beyond in helping him rise to the top

“[Grey’s] done so much for me this year, ” Diakomihalis said “He’s put a lot of time and effor t into me Even though it’s his job, he didn’t have to do that; he doesn’t have to work out with me and help me cut weight, help me diet, way more than he needs to, way more than he should, some would say ” Ever y day, Grey would give Diakomihalis a mental test to complete Whether it be getting a cer tain number of takedowns in a practice, or hanging from a bar for a period of time, the tests i n v o l v e d p h y s i c a l a b i l i t y a n d tested Diakomihalis’ mental will

“ When he first got here, he obviously had a lot of accolades to his name, ” Grey said “[But] there was a lot of unknowns ” He either passed or he failed There was no in between, and failure was not an option at least not for a champion

“I just tr y to challenge him mentally ever y day,” Grey said “Ever y day there is an oppor tunity to expand his mental capacity and his mental toughness And that’s really what I tried to hammer home to him ” Grey put significant time and e f f o r t i n t o e n s u r i n g

D i a k o m i h a l i s w a s w h e r e h e needed to be by the time the postseason rolled around

“ I w o u l d n ’ t h a ve w o n t h i s year if he didn’t put so much t i m e i n t o m e , ” D i a k o m i h a l i s said “Bottom line, the odds of me winning go way down if I am just going through the regular season without [Mike] focusing on me ”

As a result of all this time spent together, Grey has become much more than just a coach or

trainer to Diakomihalis

“[Mike] is like family to me, ” he said “Mike’s done so much for me He’s given up a lot for me ” T h e u n w

D

mentally, to a place he wasn ’ t at when he first walked into the Friedman Wrestling Center But

A A Championship didn’t take him by surprise

“Not that I thought that I was better than ever ybody, but if you gave me a thousand dollars and said ‘bet’ I would have bet on myself,” Diakomihalis said “For me, I expect the best possible result for myself whether or not I can do it ”

Now, w

Diakomihalis is set to lead the charge over the next three years for the Red

“ What I see from him in the future is just continued success, ” Grey said “He knows what his goals are, we know what his goals are The goal is to just wrestle to the best of your ability

”

His goal is to win when he steps on the mat

‘Demand the best’

After winning a national title in his first year, the expectation f o r Di a k o m i h a l i s re m a i n s t h e same four championships

“I expect to win four [championships] because I demand the b e s t o f m y s e l f, ” Di a k o m i h a l i s said “So the fact I won my freshman year, the most I can get is four, so I am going for four ” Diakomihalis has shown he c a n w i n a n a t i o n a l c h a m p ionship, even in the toughest of situations And by returning the favor to Eierman in the national s e m i f i n a l , t h e r i s i n g s t a r h a s shown he can defeat ever yone he has faced thus far

Nonetheless, there isn’t a sliver of complacency surrounding his mindset

“ The goal is to continue to i m p rove , ” Di a k o m i h a l i s “ Yo u set these milestones for yourself, but really, you ’ re just looking to improve ” T h e t r u e g o a l f o r Diakomihalis is to become the best wrestler he can be And the national title is a result of this drive to improve another stop along the road to greatness

D y l a n M c D e v i t t ’ 1 9 c o ntributed repor ting to this stor y

Jack Kantor can be reached at jkantor@cornellsun com

Laxers Set for Regular Season Finale at Princeton

By JACK KANTOR Sun Assistant Sports Editor

Only one game remains before No 6 Cornell men ’ s lacrosse begins its postseason campaign While little will likely change before then, the Red will look to stay hot as it closes out the regular season against Princeton on the road

With a dominating 19-5 win over Brown, Cornell (10-3, 4-1 Ivy) locked up the second seed in the Ivy Tournament, which takes place May 4 and 6 in New York But before then, the Red will travel to take on the Tigers (7-5, 2-3) in the hopes of extending its winning streak to eight

“No matter what’s going on this year Princeton’s always that team that Cornell wants to beat,” said junior attack Colton Rupp “I think we have an added chip on our shoulder to play hard this week just based on that rivalry game We would love to come out victorious against them and obviously it would be huge for our momentum heading into the postseason ”

The Red’s only Ivy loss was in its first conference game against Yale, when it fell to the Bulldogs by a couple of goals Since then, both teams have been impressive Yale secured the Ivy League regular season title and was crowned the new No 1 team in the nation this week in the Inside Lacrosse poll

For Cornell’s part, the Red has been almost perfect in and out of the Ivy League, having piled up a seven-game winning streak

Over the course of the winning streak, the Red has had a pair of double-digit wins over Ivy opponents as well as victories against nationally ranked opponents, including thenNo 7 Syracuse

“It’s a great feeling to go out there and win a couple weeks in a row, but we try to take it game by game, ” said junior midfielder Jake McCulloch “Now we are just focused on Princeton; we aren ’ t worried about a winning streak at all ”

Last on the docket for the Red is a Princeton team struggling in the Ivy League, but with the chance to come out 500 in the conference Despite the record, the Tigers are a squad full of talent and grit

Interim head coach Peter Milliman was not available for comment Wednesday due to a personal conflict

“[Princeton has a] really talented team, ” said assistant coach Jordan Stevens ’15 “They’ve got a lot of good weapons, especially on offense They do a good job of scrap-

ping in the middle of the field Their defense has come together more as of late ”

While Cornell has the claim to the nation’s best offense, averaging 15 13 goals per game, the Tigers are not far behind, ranking fifth in the country with 13 58

‘[Princeton’s] got one of the better offenses in the country, ” Stevens said “They’ve got some good shooters on the inside and up top ” Phillip Robertson and Austin Sims have 2 58 goals per game thus far in 2018, leading the way for the Princeton offense The hope for Cornell is that sophomore Jeff Teat and junior Clarke Petterson, each averaging 2 69 and 2 54 respectively, can outdo the Tigers’ pair on the opposite side of the field, among other things

“Being smart with the ball in the middle of the field, making sure we can limit their possessions and just being tough on defense will hopefully get us a win,” Stevens said Another strong spot for the Princeton is in the cage with

goaltender Tyler Blaisdell The senior is currently tied for fourth in the nation with 12 42 saves per contest

“I think we ’ ve faced a lot of skilled goalies throughout the year, ” Rupp said “Specifically this goalie plays a higher arc, which could rely on trying to redirect the ball from one side of the field to the other to open things up ”

The home team will look to return the favor after Cornell defeated Princeton by a goal in the 2017 regular season finale in Ithaca However, this time around, the roles are reversed The teams ’ conference records are swapped, and the Red is ranked in the national polls

“We know this is a rivalry game, both for us and them, so we know [Princeton’s] going to be up for this one, ” Stevens said Cornell will square off against Princeton at 1 p m Saturday in New Jersey

Jack Kantor can be reached at jkantor@cornellsun com

Red Seeks Spot in Ivy Tournament

However, despite the Crimson’s losing record, Graap cautions against underestimating the host team

really earn this in a way that leaves no doubt that we belong in the top four teams in the conference ”

Not one to shy away from tough competition, the Red has been a team that has played some of its best lacrosse in challenging situations

Cornell has taken on six nationally ranked teams thus far this season holding one of those powerhouse teams, then-No 6 Syracuse, to only 14 goals, over three goals less than its average goals per game (17 5) at the time

The Red has also maintained its composure under pressure winning both its matches that extended into overtime so far this season

Women’s Lax Coach Continues Success

GRAAP Continued from page 16

Wi t h a c ove t e d s p o t i n t h e Iv y Tournament on the line, Cornell will head to Cambridge to take on Harvard this Saturday Cornell (7-7, 2-4 Ivy) will look to rebound from its most recent losses to keep its postseason dreams alive A win against Harvard (5-9, 1-5) would secure a berth in the Ivy Tournament and provide it with an opportunity to earn its way to the NCAA tournament

“ The challenge for us in playing [Harvard] in our last game is in the reality of Cornell needing to win this game to advance to the Ivy Tournament and that’s certainly one of our goals,” said head coach Jenny Graap ’86 “Our fate is still in our hands to win this game and get to the tournament in 2018 ”

“[Harvard’s] record is not necessarily a reflection of its ability, its talent, and how dangerous it is as a team, ” Graap said “Harvard’s offense is very impressive ”

Ha r va rd’s o f f e n s e i n c l u d e s Ju l i a Glynn, who is ranked No 1 nationally in goals per game (4 57) and No 2 in points per game (6 43), behind only Stony Brook’s Kylie Ohlmiller (7 48) who recently broke the all-time NCAA records for career points and career assists

In order to tame the Crimson’s prolific offense, Cornell will rely not only on the strength of the defensive unit, but also on the grit and determination of the team as a whole

“We have to want it more than they do,” Graap said “We frankly have to

Especially lethal from the eight meter, Cornell is currently ranked No 9 in the nation in free position shot percentage ( 505) in part because of sophomore attacker Caroline Allen, who is one goal shy of tying the school record in free position shots in one season

Even with the high stakes of the match, the Red will stick to the fundamentals and stay true to its motto as it “ comes to compete ”

“One way to say it is that it’s added pressure; another is that it’s added excitement, ” Graap said “It’s about embracing where we are in the season and definitely our strategy as Cornell Lacrosse is bringing our best and preparing to compete and that does not change ”

The battle for the opportunity to compete in the postseason begins this Saturday at 1 p m in Cambridge

by her favorite memory of her time as head coach Although she has herself garnered numerous coach of the year awards and has coached All-Americans, won Ivy tournaments, upset countless nationally ranked teams and earned multiple NCAA Tournament berths, Graap still cites her interactions with athletes as her most important memory

“It’s about the people and the relationships.”

“Leading strong women, being around strong women to have a venue or a lacrosse game where they can demonstrate that core strength that theme runs throughout all these years For me it’s about the people and the relationships those are the memories that mean the most to me ” 200 wins is an impressive feat for any coach, but the milestone is clearly born from a legacy Graap has created that extends far beyond wins and losses

Smita Nalluri can be reached at snalluri@cornellsun co m Gracie Todd can be reached at gtodd@cornellsun com

“Certainly winning Ivy titles and moments like that I’ll always cherish,” Graap said “But for me in 21 years in every season whether it’s a winning season or not, every season what I remember is the individual players those moments where people step up in a way that is so magnificent and so inspiring from strong women

Diakomihalis’ Toughness His Greatest Weapon

By JACK KANTOR

Sun Assistant Sports Editor

At the South Beach Duals last December, Cornell wrestling’s Yianni Diakomihalis lost by decision to Jaydin Eierman of Missouri A video review in the match’s waning moments gave Eierman a chance to come from behind, and the Tiger wrestler executed a six-point cradle in the

W O M E N ’ S L A C R O S S E

final seconds to stun then-No 1 Diakomihalis and hand the freshman his first career collegiate loss

The loss to Eierman turned out to be the only defeat that Diakomihalis suffered en route to a national championship But it was one loss too many, according to Diakomihalis

“That cost me a few nights of sleep,” he said “I [wanted] that back ”

Diakomihalis earned the chance to redeem himself against Eierman on the national stage at the NCAA Championships in Cleveland Except this time around, he was operating with a torn right ACL

But against all odds, the fearless grappler rose to the challenge Diakomihalis avenged his single loss and won in the national semifinal to advance to the title bout The

Graap ’86 Building Legacy as Coach

women ’ s lacrosse

Last week, Cornell women ’ s lacrosse beat out Binghamton to maintain its perfect record against the Bearcats While remaining undefeated against a single opponent is a noteworthy achievement of its own, the win also marked an important milestone in head

c o a c h Je n n y Gr a a p ’ s 2 1 - ye a r tenure her 200th win at the helm of the Cornell program Graap, who graduated from Cornell with a degree from the College of Human Ecology in 1986, returned to her alma mater in 1997 to lead the team she once played for

In her undergraduate time at Cornell, Graap was the captain of both the field hockey and lacrosse

t e a m s d u r i n g h e r j u n i o r a n d senior years She excelled in both sports earning varsity letters in all eight seasons she played

Up o n g r a d u a t i o n , Gr a a p accepted a job at Bloomingdale’s and while taking classes in sports administration at NYU, realized the void that the absence of athletics created in her life

So she decided to obtain her master ’ s degree in exercise and sports science from Penn State,

w h i

She then continued to coach at George Mason, where she was hired as the school’s first ever varsity women ’ s lacrosse coach

“ I w a s b u i l d i n g [ Ge o r g e Mason] up from scratch,” Graap said “I had a lot of pride in that ” However, when an open position for head coach of the Cornell women ’ s program popped up in 1997, Graap made the tough decision to relocate back to Ithaca to succeed Cher yl Wolf, who was

“The idea of coming back to my alma mater played a big part in my decision to apply for the job ”

J e n n y G r a a p ’ 8 6

her coach in both field hockey and lacrosse while she played for the Red

“It was a ver y emotional decision for me, ” Graap said “ The idea of coming back to my alma mater played a big part in my decision to apply for the job ”

Building the ‘Bricks’ of Cornell Women’s Lacrosse

In the 21 years since she began coaching the Red, Graap has led the team with a unique, yet sim-

ple, coaching style

“

assistant coach Bill Olin, a member of the Cornell program since 2016

Her consistency in coaching style has translated to consistency on the field, as well Since Graap has been head coach, Cornell has been mostly a winning team, with an overall record of 200-133

“ T h e p ro g r a m h a s g o n e through growth stages, ” Graap said “Certainly the program itself now is much more stable from a

We’ve put in a lot of ground work to establish tradition and precedent for the program ”

One of the reasons that the program has been successful is the foundation that Graap has laid both literally and metaphorically by conceptualizing the concepts of “hard work,” “positive attitude” and “ team first” as the “bricks” for the team

“Her decisions are rooted in these three ‘bricks’ of Cornell

w o m e n ’ s l a c ro s s e , ” Ol i n s a i d

“She uses these core values to lay the foundation to guide and educate the young women in our program ”

There is even an award in the form of a brick, aptly named the BRICK Award, which is given

weight of the latter achievement notwithstanding, the young wrestler was grateful to get a chance at redemption

“The Eierman match wasn ’ t about winning nationals or making the finals,” Diakomihalis said “That one was just for me ”

Not even the toughest of injuries was going to stop Diakomihalis from getting that loss back, illustrating the attitude and determination it takes to be a national champion

‘Full Push’

In the national quarterfinals against twotime national champion Dean Heil of Oklahoma State, Diakomihalis unknowingly tore his ACL The rookie would go on to win the match and then two more anyway to win the title at 141 pounds, joining Cornell wrestling legend Kyle Dake ’13 as the second true freshman in program history to win an NCAA Championship

Dake went on to win four national titles in his collegiate career

“If we expect anything like we did with Kyle, the next three years are going to be a heck of a lot of fun,” said head coach Rob Koll

To wrestle not one, not two, but three matches with a busted knee undoubtedly takes physical toughness to endure the pain But it also takes a mental grit that separates wrestlers from champions like Diakomihalis

After that quarterfinal match, the trainers examined his right knee But Diakomihalis insisted that he not know the

each season to the player who best embodies the character traits of each of the three bricks

“For women ’ s lacrosse, we ’ ve used the red brick as our symbol of hard work,” Graap said, “And ever y year we talk about it and renew our investment in what we want to be and who we are as a team ”

Building a Legacy

Beyond the Field

Graap’s impact on the team, though ver y evident in the competitive sphere, extends far past the lacrosse field, as she strives to help each individual on her team find their strengths in other areas of their lives “ There are two things that dis-

tinguish Coach Graap from her peers, ” Olin said “Her ability to s t a y c o m p o s e d a n d i n t h e moment during the heat of the game is something that is truly unique

“Secondly, and more importantly, she is committed to helping our student-athletes reach their potential as both lacrosse players and young women She is steadfast in her goals to help them find their strengths as individuals and provide them with the tools they need to be successful after their time at Cornell ” Her commitment to fostering the growth of strong, independent young women is evidenced

See GRAAP page 15