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The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Hundreds Fill Commons At Ithaca Climate March

By

Hundreds of demonstrators demanded action on climate change from the Trump administration as they filled the downtown Ithaca Commons Saturday morning in Ithaca’s Climate March in tandem with climate marches across the country

Cornellians added their voices to the mix, both in Ithaca and in Washington, D C

The march, occurring one week after Earth Day, was held on Trump’s 100th day in office to protest “his

attacks on our climate, our air, and our water, ” according to the group ’ s page

Chants of “This is what democracy looks like” and “Hey, hey, ho, ho climate change has got to go ” rang out from demonstrators of all ages as they marched down the Commons from the rally to The Space at GreenStar

During those first 100 days, the Environmental Protection Agency has moved to roll back Obama-era regulations on fossil fuels, seeming to many that the Trump administration is prior-

Johnson Museum Gala Raises Awareness for Refugee Crisis

Mayor

Myrick ’09, founder of Ithaca Welcomes Refugees, speaks at event

By JEANETTE SI Sun Staff Writer

Over 300 attendees from Cornell and the Ithaca community put on their finest and headed to the Johnson Museum on Saturday for an evening of performances, student art and speeches made to raise awareness for the plight of refugees worldwide at the Cornell Welcomes Refugees Gala

“I am so glad to see that there are so many of you [here], who could be anywhere tonight, who could be at Delta Chi is that still a thing?” said Mayor Svante Myrick ‘09, praising the audience that had come out to support the cause

Ithaca’s Climate March occurred concurrently with the Washington, D C People’s Climate March, seen here in progress Call for action

“There are people who are literally weeks from coming to Ithaca, out of harm’s way ”

The event, organized by Cornell Welcomes Refugees, was modeled after a similar gala that CWR President Salma Shitia ’18 hosted last year with the Arab Student Association Last year, Shitia was able to raise over $4,000 to help with the resettlement of refugees in Ithaca CWR arranged a lineup of speakers for the night, two of

which were Myrick and Walaa Maharem-Horan, a founding member of Ithaca Welcomes Refugees

Myrick expressed optimism for the activist efforts he has seen in Ithaca and across the nation against President Donald Trump’s executive orders on immigration and refugees

“I am far more hopeful than I was 100 days ago, when this man, who rode a wave of hatred and xenophobia to the White House, took the reins of power, ” he said “A combination of his own incompetence and your energy and action meant that he’s been the least productive president in modern American history ”

He also urged attendees to continue making their voices heard in their communities “[W]e can keep that up We have to Because there are people who are literally weeks from coming to Ithaca, out of harm’s way, ” Myrick said But the journey to Ithaca is a difficult one, as Maharem-Horan

attested Maharem-Horan told many stories of the immigrant families she has helped resettle, from a farmer who was most thankful for America’s tap water to an Afghani family that was moved by the home-cooked, volunteer-prepared

By SHRUTI JUNEJA Sun Staff Writer

In the stacks of Olin Library last October, Steve Kussin ’69 whose father was a hostage in the Willard Straight takeover of 1969 put the finishing touches on a novel that weaved together a narrative about what it was like to be at Cornell during the turbulent 1960s as well as confront issues ranging from the Vietnam War to civil rights to women ’ s liberation

“We went from calm to absolute turmoil by the end of my four years, ” Kussin told The Sun “I was there for the four years of this evolution, this revolution, that changed things completely We went from one Cornell to a completely different Cornell ” The book, titled Five

Freshman: A Story of the Sixties, highlights the different perspectives of five students at Cornell, following their journeys from orientation to graduation on the eve of the Vietnam War Four of the characters are fictional, while the fifth is Kussin himself Kussin is currently a professor in the School of Communication at Hofstra University, where he teaches an introductory course about radio, TV and film At the end of this course, he talks about the 60s, and the Vietnam War in particular Kussin said that one day he had a “eureka” moment about how it would all make a great story, which inspired him to undertake the task of writing the book KUSSIN ’69

L I S T I N G O F F R E E C A M P U S E V E N T S

North Korean Defector Details Path to Freedom

By HNIN WAI LWIN Sun Staff Writer

At a crucial time in North Korea’s political climate and humanitarian crisis, JungHoon Lee, the South Korean Ambassador for North Korean Human Rights, and Yosep Paek, North Korean refugee, spoke to Cornell students on Friday drawing from their expertise to stress the escalating tensions between North Korea and the world

“[North Korea] is a country whose economy has collapsed a long time ago People are suffering from hunger, famine, and yet the government is developing weapons of mass destruction and the international community must interject,” Lee said

Considering a recent propaganda film released by the North Korean government with its mocked-up scenes of a nuclear bomb striking a city in the United States, Lee said that he believes “they are preparing for World War III ”

“Everything is government controlled and government oriented,” he said “It’s as tough as it can get They are threatening nuclear attacks It sounds surreal but it’s escalating ”

In addition to the current rising tensions between North Korea and the United States, Lee also addressed diplomatic relations between the countries in the present and past The occasion of President Donald Trump’s 100th day in office did not escape his notice

“Strategic patience is over This has been said over and over by the President, the Secretary of State, the Vice President, and the Secretary of Defense Today marks the 100th day of the presidency ” Lee said “Only yesterday, President Trump invited every single member of the senators to the White House for a detailed briefing on North Korea That’s pretty unusual ”

Lee believes that secondary boycott and sanctions are some of the possible actions that can be taken regarding North Korea

“[A] secondary boycott, which is not targeting North Korean businessmen or individuals but those who deal with those people, redesignation of North Korea as a state sponsoring terrorism, and redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea are possible ways of tackling the issue,” Lee said

According to Lee, North Korea is “armed to its teeth” with not only “nuclear weapons but chemical weapons and biological weapons ”

“North Korea has said multiple times it has no intention whatsoever to denuclearize,” he said “Last year, they had two nuclear tests North Korea is no doubt, proceeding with the development of the ICBM [Intercontinental Ballistic Missile] We don’t know if it can carry a nuclear warhead but it’s certainly trying ”

Lee also brought up the definition of communism as opposed to the current political regime in North Korea which he said was rather a “totalitarian state ”

“All the corpses that we had to pass by while crossing the border, they live on within us.” Y o s e p P a e k

“Kim Jong Un wants to be left alone and he wants his son to rule next This will be one century of the Kim regime North Korea is not communist Communism does not practice hereditary succession This is a unique, totalitarian state, ” Lee said

Beyond military action by the country, Lee also stressed the major violations of human rights by North Korea To address these violations, Lee explained the role of defectors moving forward

“ These are crimes against humanity North Korea is violating every single article

in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” he said “I’m trying to encourage the defectors to pull together and coordinate their efforts to fight Just like the North Korean nuclear issue, it’s not going away It really is going to take a monumental effort to make a difference ”

Yosep Paek provided a first-hand account of such human rights violations from his own experience as a North Korean defector and as a soldier in Pyonyang, North Korea for two years

“I was only 41 kilograms when I was first in the military, when I left after 2 years, I was 31 kilograms I ate everything, except stone and wood I ate mice, snakes, raccoons, frogs Many friends died so I ran away, ” Paek said

Paek also said that while the international community believed it was helping,reality was relatively unchanging

“Between 1998 to 2008, the international community donated a lot of money to North Korea,” he said “3 million people died during this time Interestingly enough, the more amount that is sent in, the more people died ”

To escape these conditions, Paek’s journey from North Korea to his eventual freedom was across six different countries that was over “35,000 km and took more than 2,090 days ”

“I repeated the process of running away, getting caught, running away, getting caught,” he said

Paek, who currently works as a journalist in South Korea, explained that only 30,000 out of 300,000 people survive when escaping North Korea

“It’s only 10 percent success rate We have a big responsibility to speak up, ” Paek said “All the corpses that we had to pass by while crossing the border, they live on within us I am not alive alone, but those who died are also standing behind me ”

With his woeful account of the atrocities that he had suffered, Paek’s presentation held important emotional resonance for the audience

“We sink in the sea every night with no lights Why do we have to suffer? What we call freedom, that’s everyday for you, ” Paek said

While concluding, Paek addressed what he felt being in front of Americans, who are meant to be his “enemies ”

“While it’s very frightening to be here, in front of my ‘enemies,’ Americans, I’m very appreciative to be here,” he said “Someone is listening Thank you so much for this opportunity ”

Acclaimed Psychoanalyst Explores Intersections of Literature, Trauma

By ZOE FERGUSON Sun Senior Writer

m a t h e o r y

t u rd a y m o r n i n g Fro m T h u r s d a y t o Sa t u rd a y e ve n i n g , n e a r l y 2 0 w r i t e r s , p rof e s s o r s a n d a r t i s t s i n c l u d i n g s e v e r a l C o r n e l l g r a d u a t e s

g a ve l e c t u re s i n h o n o r o f Pro f

C a t h y C a r u t h , c o m p a r a t i ve l i t -

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

2 0 t h a n n i ve r s a r y o f h e r b o o k Un c l a i m e d Ex p e r i e n c e : Tr a u m a , Na r r a t i ve , a n d Hi s t o r y Citing examples from 16th

a n d e a r l y 1 7 t h - c e n t u r y l i t e r ature, including Tasso’s Jer usalem Delivered, Miguel de Cer vantes

S a a v e d r a ’ s D o n Q u i x o t e , a n d P i e r r e d e R o n s a r d ’ s p o e m “Contre les bucherons de la foret de Gastine,” Davoine described the therapeutic qualities of literature for individuals who may have experienced traumas

D a v o i n e e m p h a s i z e d t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f s t o r y t e l l i n g a s a m e t h o d o f c o n f ro n t i n g h a u n ti n g m e

Da vo i n e s a i

“ It g o e s w i t h w h a t C a t h y [ C a r u t h ] s a y s , t h a t i t i s a p ro c e s s o f a d m i t t i n g w h a t w e h a v e i n h e r i t e d , c a t a s t r o p h e s b e f o r e u s , t h a t we re n o t i n s c r i b e d a s p a s t T h e y c o m e i n t h e p re s e n t t i m e ” Du r i n g h e r l e c t u re , Da vo i n e e m p h a s i z e d h e r p e r s o n a l a n d p r o f e s s i o n a l r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h

C a r u t h , re f e r r i n g j o k i n g l y t o a t i m e w h e n s h e h a d s t o l e n t w o o f

C a r u t h’s b o o k s f ro m h e r o f f i c e Sp e a k e r s a n d v i s i t o r s t h ro u g ho u t t h e c o n f e re n c e re f e r re d t o s u c h re l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h C a r u t h , w h o m t h e y l a u d e d a s a “ w a r r i o r w o m a n ”

Da vo i n e d e s c r i b e d h e r ow n p o l i t i c a l t r a u m a f ro m h e r c h i l dh o o d i n Fr a n c e i n t h e 1 9 4 0 s , “ i n t h e m i d d l e o f t h e t u r m o i l , t h e [ Fre n c h ] Re s i s t a n c e ” Sh e s a i d t h e e x p e r i e n c e o f w a r d rove h e r t o i n ve s t i g a t e t r a u m a , “ w h i c h i s t h e f i e l d w h e re l i t e r a t u re c o m e s , s i n c e a n t i q u i t y ” De f i n i n g l i t e r a t u re a s “ t o o l o f s u r v i va l , ” t h a t i n c l u d e s o r a l h i st o r i e s , s o n g s a n d c e re m o n i e s ,

“Literature is there, often as a healing process to bury the dead My office is full of ghosts.”

Da vo i n e e x p l a i n e d t h a t m y t h ic a l f i g u re s a n d a rc h e t y p e s c a n e n a b l e b o t h re a d e r s a n d w r i t e r s t o c o n f ro n t re a l s i t u a t i o n s t h a t e va d e d e s c r i p t i o n “ T h e m o n s t e r s , t h e f a i r i e s , a l l t h a t , a r e t h e p l a c e f r o m w h e re yo u c a n re t r i e ve t h i n g s t h a t yo u c a n n o t t e l l i n t h e o rd in a r y l a n g u a g e , ” s h e s a i d C a r u t h p r a i s e d D a v o i n e ’ s w o r k , e m p h a s i z i n g D a v o i n e ’ s c l i n i c a l w o rk a s a p r a c t i c i n g p s yc h o a n a l y s t “ W h e n s h e s a y s l i t e r a t u re i s a p l a c e o f h e a l i n g o r i t ’ s t h e s i t e w h e re t r a u m a t i c s t o r i e s a re t o l d a n d h e a l i n g t a k e s p l a c e , s h e ’ s n o t d o i n g a t h e o r y o f t r a u m a Sh e ’ s t a l k i n g a b o u t w h a t h a pp e n s i n t h e s e s s i o n s , t h e c l i n i c a l s e s s i o n s , a n d i n h e r l i f e , ” C a r u t h s a i d “ It’s q u i t e re m a rk a b l e ” C a r u t h

Gala Raises More Than $3,000 to Aid Refugees

Continued from page 1

Afghani meals that they were met with upon their arrival

“America has the most secure vet[ting] system in the world,” Maharem-Horan said “This is a two-to-three-year process These people are fingerprinted three to four times It’s not like somebody goes, ‘ you know where you should go? America ’”

She also detailed Ithaca’s history as a sanctuary for refugees, and emphasized that attendees should think of the refugee crisis as an ongoing issue

“Refugees aren ’ t just Syrian and Iraqi and Afghani you ’ re talking people from the Congo and [Myanmar] [Myanmar] has had refugees since the 1970s This is not just a hot-button issue, this is not something that just happened to pop up Ithaca Welcomes Refugees didn’t exist because of Trump; we ’ ve been around since December of 2015,” she said

The issue of taking refugees, Maharem-Horan said, should not be seen as a political debate, but rather as one of humanity

“Right now there’s over 60 million refugees worldwide These are people that have been displaced from their homes, and I just want people to take a step back and put [them] in [the refugees’] shoes,” she said

The gala additionally featured work by student artists, a decision that Shitia explained was to prompt heightened

awareness “After the executive order and immigration ban it was really important not to just raise funds, but to raise awareness, ” she said “We contacted many artists to display their work on refugees here ”

Two of these artists, Calga Sokullu ’20 and Chryssanthi Barris ’20, cited their own experiences as inspiration behind their collaboration, “Stigma” a collection of photographed faces viewed through a black canvas with cutouts “ Through the placement of the cut-outs, we wanted to highlight the similarities and differences between the facial features of our subjects " Barris said "Our piece explores the idea that we may be different people from different places, different backgrounds, different races, different everything, but at our core we are all still human ”

udice can be on a society

“I come from a place that has been in political crisis since I’ve been aware of the situation of the world I don’t think we ’ ve seen peace that was actual peace; there was always some underlying commotion,” she said “Where we are now in the U S I think we all see the political situation, where it’s so tense between people I think we just need to take a step back and see that we are all the same ”

Barris drew upon her experiences as an immigrant from Greece, stressing that she hopes people can hope to embrace diversity

“Ithaca Welcomes Refugees didn’t exist because of Trump; we’ve been around since December of 2015.”

W a l a a M a h a r e m -

“At the end of the shoot, when we looked at all 15 [shots,] they’re all really the same, ” Sokullu added "For us, the black canvas was a barrier between the viewer and the subject The canvas can hide parts of the face But still, we know what is behind it, we know that it is a person and we accept them as they are even with the presence of that barrier "

Originally from Istanbul, Sokullu said that her experiences have shown her just how powerful the effects of prej-

Alumnus Recounts Infamous

Willard Straight

ALUMNUS

Continued from page 1

“But I didn’t want to write a textbook, I didn’t want to write nonfiction,” he said “I wanted to write a novel, I wanted to personalize it ”

Kussin described that his experience as an undergraduate was profoundly shaped by political movements, starting with the Vietnam War

“We started off totally carefree, not a care in txhe world in 1965,” he said “It was wonderful back then, we didn’t worry And the war in Vietnam gradually began to creep in closer and closer It was a delayed reaction, because we weren ’ t near one of the big cities ”

He said that being a Cornell student was a very different experience than being a student at another university

With Cornell like an isolated “Garden of Eden” in upstate New York, Kussin said that world events had different impacts on the students, unlike the experience of other Ivy students with their schools located closer to larger cities

However, world events eventually did creep their way up to the hills of Ithaca

“Just imagine this, you ’ re sitting in Goldwin Smith Hall in a large lecture class talking to your friends before the class starts, and you say, ‘Hey, by the way where’s Joe?’ and you suddenly get a look from the three others, ‘You didn’t hear? He got a call from his draft board He’s going home, he’s on his way to Vietnam,’” Kussin recounted

“And that’s how we lived, we didn’t know when the next letter or call would be,” he added “It was a scary time as the war got closer and closer and closer ”

Not only was the ongoing war ever-present for students, but the effect of the Civil Rights Movement added tensions on campus

Even though Kussin was a senior in 1969, his dad still wanted to come up for Parents’ Weekend Because Kussin procrastinated and forgot to make a reservation for his father, he ended up getting him a room on the top floor of

Takeover in Book

Willard Straight Hall a location that put him directly in the thick of the ensuing events

On the morning of the fateful Willard Straight Takeover in April 1969, Kussin got a call from his father at 5 a m , but hung up the phone and fell back asleep It wasn ’ t until Kussin woke up a few hours later and turned on radio that he realized what was going on

“I put two and two together, I raced from Cayuga Heights, where I lived, across campus in minutes and fortunately he had been released by then,” he said “I still see him standing outside in his tweed coat and beret, shivering ”

What made the Cornell takeover different from all the other ones occurring around the country, according to Kussin, was that it was the first instance in which weapons were present

“Thank god they weren ’ t used,” he said “But the campus was in a state of siege for about a week ”

One of Kussin’s most vivid memories from this time, which he details in his book, is witnessing two professors, with students gathered around them, screaming at each other on the Arts Quad about whether or not to give in to the demands of the students

“I respected both points of view,” he said “I don’t know what I would have done if I had been president [of Cornell] In retrospect, I think Perkins, who was then the president, did the right thing Human life comes first, and we’ll deal with stuff later on ”

Kussin said that witnessing such events and being a student during this time emphasized the importance of speaking up a significant lesson he has carried from college This lesson bears significance for college students in today’s turbulent political climate, Kussin said

“If you think something is environmentally wrong, if you think something is socially wrong, if you think something is politically wrong, you should speak your mind, but not violently,” he said

Shruti Juneja can be reached at sjuneja@cornellsun com

“When I moved back [to the U S ] from Greece, I was made fun of for my heritage,” Barris said “For me, this [piece] is a way to remind people to be kind, to love one another, and celebrate each other’s differences ”

The gala was able to raise over $3,000 for refugees, but Shitia hopes that attendees of the gala will also leave with a better understanding of the potential consequences of American legislation on these refugees

“[G]arnering support for the movement to accept refugees within our borders is the most important thing right now, especially with the current geopolitical climate,” Shitia said

Jeanette Si can be reached at jsi@cornellsun com

Cornellians Travel to D.C. for Climate March

MARCH

itizing economic growth over environmental concerns, according to CNN

The event began with a statement by Gay Nicholson, president of Sustainable Tompkins

“We are here to fight grave injustices,” she said “We can ’ t just leave it all to a few reps and activists This problem is just too big We need an immense movement that stays engaged ”

Nicholson was joined by Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton (D-125), who voiced her concerns for environmental action and past legislation action that she said has not addressed the issues effectively

“I was going to start by saying we need to stop meeting like this, but then I thought, no, we have to keep meeting like this,” she said, laughing

“I think it’s important that we all get together, and see that we are not alone, we are all still very concerned, we are all still very energized, and we are all going to keep fighting together,” Lifton added

Lifton discussed policy like New York’s ban on fracking, a process that produces enormous amounts of fugitive methane, an extremely powerful greenhouse gases, which Lifton said is 86 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in a twenty-year window

She argued that this policy does not go far enough, since fossil fuel emissions still contribute to environmental decay For Lifton, this ban ultimately shifted the problem to other states rather than finding a permanent solution

“ When we allow major pipelines and other major infrastructure to be built in New York, we are de facto encouraging fracking in Pennsylvania and West Virginia and other states, ” she

said

“We must switch off fossil fuels We must bring down methane and bring it down quickly because that fugitive methane goes into the atmosphere that we all share, and it doesn’t respect state boundaries

”

While the speakers made such statements during the rally, Ithacans waved protest signs reading “There is no Planet B,” “Pro Green, Anti Orange,” and “ Warming Warning!” in the crowd

Lifton added that immediate action is required not only on the national level, but the local as well

“There will be no businesses, no jobs on a dead planet,” Lifton said “Mother nature is not negotiating with us on this Action here at the local level is especially important today This is not hightech, this is simply stopping the harm ”

One demonstrator in the crowd, Mary Woodsen, a science writer for Cornell’s New York State Integrated Pest Management Program, said that she was protesting because “the new normal isn’t normal ”

“There are so many people living in areas directly affected by climate change, and I feel like we ’ re going to see climate refugees someday,” Woodsen said “I don’t know if I’ll still be alive, but chances are I will, and it horrifies me ”

Spirit of Protest Travels

To Washington D C

While Ithacans flooded the Commons downtown, some Cornellians traveled to the nation’s capital to protest the Trump administration on its home turf

Maya Chang Matunis ’20 described participating in the event as “invigorating ”

Continued from page 1 Meg Gordon can

“I feel honored to have participated in the People’s Climate March in D C with my friends, fellow Cornell students, and hundreds of other Americans concerned

about the future,” she said “Marching on Saturday made me feel powerful and useful, like part of a tide that, as so many signs at the march read, is steadily rising ” Matunis said she observed that the ambiguity of climate change escalates when studied from an “ivor y tower ” inspiring her to take to the streets of the nation’s capital “ The issues are intertwined and tangled and messy, systemic and racialized, politicized and overwhelming,” she said “However, it is more important than ever that we stay aware and alert, even when it seems difficult It is more important than ever that we hold up the people around us, listen to and love them, and walk with them metaphorically and physically until we find solutions ” Matija Jankovic ’20, who has been an active protester in Boston, agreed with Matunis’ sentiments, saying that he saw Saturday’s march as an opportunity to “contribute to political demonstrations in the spaces where they are most relevant ”

“Saturday’s march definitely stands out, in that it was actually taking place at the capital where so many of these environmentally destructive policies and initiatives are originating” he said “I think it's important that progressively-minded people maintain a political presence in public spaces, and even though events like Saturday’s march generally don’t result in immediate changes, they make the moods of the public visible ”

“Climate change is an incredibly impor tant issue that needs to be addressed as soon as possible, so I’m glad that some of us from Cornell were able to make it down to D C to join the effort,” he added

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Who’s Laughing Now?

As an adolescent I had a habit of watching too much stand-up comedy Every Friday night, when there were football games and dances I was too anxious to attend, I would fall asleep to whatever performer I could find on Comedy Central Presents, and all was right with my life as long as I could laugh

I think I inherited this habit from my family, whose core philosophy if they were to c h o o s e o n e w o u l d c e n t e r humor as a way to communicate with and understand others My little brother used to tell me he could make anyone laugh once he got to know them My mother told me how she laughed at her brother’s funeral, only because crying would have been too difficult Not to mention she remembered how much my late uncle made her smile

But in these long, cold days of Netflix Originals, all the former specialists seem to fall short of making me chuckle This year has seen the return of Dave Chappelle to the public eye Louis CK and Amy Schumer and Bill Burr are all alive and well, putting out new material Yet I’m wondering why each of these comedians plus the many others that have decorated our video players and TV screens feel so hell-bent on making audiences gasp with stale jokes and pseudo-edgy punchlines

Moreover, I’m also curious as to why so many of these funny folks market themselves against the grain of “political correctness ” and the “overly sensitive” public, which still provides a demand for their material, ironically I guess I can answer my own question when I realize that we love breaking rules as much as we love making them Comedy, like many forms of art, deals with topics we ’ re often too afraid to discuss It provides a textbook form of

catharsis that relieves us of our worry

Still, I don’t feel out of line when responding to older comedians who, saying audiences have become too uptight, refuse to play college campuses anymore Maybe it’s not that young people have regressed into a bubble that no humor can pop Maybe it’s that we ’ ve heard all these damn jokes before, and we want new ones

I ’ ve h e a rd p l e n t y o f dark jokes I could tell you 20 racist and sexist bits that have planted themselves in my head due to h ow t e r r i b l e t h e y we re (each one of them told to me as if they were God’s gift to the world) And I can guarantee that all the people those jokes target have heard them in spades

“Well,” I always hear, “it’s not comedians’ fault you can ’ t take a joke ” But is there any value in holding jokes sacred above all else? What good does it do to believe that everyone loves a joke when it seems more the case that only a specific group does?

The free speech defense is a complete con, too When you ’ re arguing for someone ’ s right to make a joke versus someone ’ s right to protest that joke, you ’ re in the wrong camp, especially because the world of comedy is a wasteland for any sort of politics Plenty of comedians will be the first to tell you they don’t care if their jokes hurt or anger people I suppose the sobriety of younger audiences can also cause some frustrations to comedians who thought they had discovered universal methods to cheer everyone up Overall, though, I feel little sympathy I love laughing, especially to cope with pain and death I love making others laugh I know plenty of people who have no trouble getting

Shay Collins

Kurt Riley ’16 is, first and foremost, an optimist Riley’s imaginative blend of rock, blues and theatricality always gazes forward, hoping for a more enthusiastic and less cynical future While Riley took on the persona of an alien king to critique humanity from the outside on his 2016 release Kismet, Riley and his band have come back to earth on 2017’s Tabula Rasa

With his distinctive style of “21st century rock,” Riley turns to problems that have been all too pertinent throughout the past few years: a sense of helplessness in a massive political system, a news cycle filled with depressing stories and growing malaise Yet, Tabula Rasa, with all of its forward-looking anthems, begins on a decidedly somber note

Over an earworm of a guitar riff, Riley bemoans, “Nothing I can say, nothing I can do, same as the day before/and I don’t know if I can make it anymore ” The track crescendos at the chorus as Riley makes the cry that underscores much of Tabula Rasa: “I don’t need a million/Just a life worth living for ” Good news (and people’s desperate desire for it) appears as a theme throughout the album

“Screwing up the World,” the album’s second track, feels far more like a call to arms than a pained lament: “I don’t want to hear about it/I’m tired of the news ” In the second verse, Riley sings, “The television told me fables/of Cadillacs and girls ” Just as Kismet fixated on sci-fi technology to critique society, Tabula Rasa turns to the spectacle and ennui of current technology, evidenced in trends like the 24-hour news cycles and slacktivism

Tabula Rasa’ s one fault, however, is the fact that some of Riley’s societal critiques are stated in strokes far too broad to

people to laugh without reverting to boring clichés and stereotypes of which we ’ re supposedly too afraid to speak It’s not that we ’ ve never encountered any sort of “real world” where everything is not how we want it to be, and therefore we must shut our eyes and cover our ears and drown out dissent It’s that we ’ re used to trolls, provocateurs and shock-value I can go online and see police shootings, suicides or beheadings with a single mouseclick Every single teenager with a sense of curiosity can follow suit

Trauma invades our daily life every chance it gets Yes, there are many people out there who need laughter because of this fact It is an intuitive yet unconfirmed truth that those with the most difficult lives often laugh the loudest

If, however, you crack jokes not to make them feel better but to fulfill your need for controversy and attention, or if you judge the quality of joke by how much it pisses people off, you ’ re distancing yourself from what you wanted in the first place: to make others laugh, to make them happy

Comedy involves empathy My little brother had it right when he said that getting to know someone made it easier to get a laugh My mother had it right when she had the courage to mourn her brother in a way that helped her survive, a way in which I’m sure he would have approved

The lesson I learned from them is that humor is personal Like all types of expression, it involves reaching out to others in a way that forms a connection When you tell a joke, you make yourself vulnerable You ask others to laugh

So why use comedy to dig our heads further into the sand, to enforce old ideas and lazy thought? Sooner or later this shallow kind of comedy will stop working Then, God forbid, comedians might actually have to stop and listen instead of locking themselves in

Stephen Meisel is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences He can be reached at smeisel@cornellsun com His column Appearances appears alternate Mondays this semester

T E S T S P I N

really hit home In “Century,” for example, Riley laments that a “precious little snowflake is exploring her identity/while her sister in the Middle East/gets stoned ‘ cause she wants to be free ” The line seems jarringly combative in a song that is otherwise focused on bringing back productive conversation in an atmosphere of extreme political division

But Kurt Riley’s music is more often focused on joy and memory, and Riley and his band guitarist Sam Packer, bassist Rick Kline, keyboardist Rob Romano and drummer Olivia Dawd consistently knock it out of the park with action-packed arrangements and pristine technical chops Riley and his band faithfully emulate the camp, glitz and grunge of artists like David Bowie (may he rest in peace) and T Rex Tabula Rasa’ s most full-hearted and exuberant tracks, namely “All Night Long” and “Human 101,” evidence a safe return to Earth for Riley, one that finds him once again reviving the sounds and grooves of past decades

While Riley’s most recent album Kismet was, and sounded like, a largely DIY project (much of the album was recorded in Cornell’s Lincoln Hall studios), Tabula Rasa has a noticeable, and welcome, step up in production quality Riley and his band worked with producer Alex Caminiti at his Ithaca-based Studio Zoot to craft a warm, visceral sound on Tabula Rasa While the DIY sound of Kismet matched the camp and sci-fi dreaminess of the album’s story, Tabula Rasa’ s songs greatly benefit from Caminiti’s touch The artful production makes itself in the details: the reverberant phaser on the guitars in “Century,” the theatrical, humorous “tick tock/tick tock” in the background of “Do It Again ”

Yet, despite the talent of Riley’s full band, I can ’ t help but

be drawn to the moments when the arrangements are sparse “Shadow,” a track that is both at the album’s center and feels like the emotional heart of the Tabula Rasa, almost seems to harken back to another excellent creation steeped in rock history: John Cameron Mitchell’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch “Some things,” Riley sings, “ some things should last forever ” As a track, it’s graceful and delicate, a critical counterbalance to the all-engines-go grooves that fill out Tabula Rasa

Musically, Tabula Rasa has two sides to its story On one hand, the album is polished, distilled and perfectly arranged The sleek, tight rock ‘ n ’ roll that Riley was seeking to create on Kismet is actualized in Tabula Rasa On the other hand, with Riley’s laser focus on emulating past artists whom he admires, there is a limit to how innovative Tabula Rasa feels The album certainly sounds like an improved and excellently written permutation on Kismet, but it still feels like a variation on the same material all the same

For an artist who is focused on channeling long-standing American musical traditions, the title Tabula Rasa (Latin for “blank slate”) is a curious choice For Riley, expression is firmly tied to nostalgia and memory; Tabula Rasa certainly does not seem like it came from an artistic blank slate But perhaps the album’s title is not an assertion but rather a hope, a wish for a future that is more understanding, more joyful, more passionate If that’s the case, then Riley and his band are undoubtedly already doing their part to bring it to fruition

Shay Collins is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences He can be reached at scollins@cornellsun com

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Letter to the Editor

On

credulity and union politics: a response from a CGSU offcer to Prof. Jacobson, law

To th e Ed itor:

The response from Prof William Jacobson, law, to a letter to the editor that criticizes David Collum, the Betty R Miller Professor and Chair of the Chemistr y Department, states at its outset that the letter to the editor “ appears to be payback” for Prof Collum's anti-union views Prof Jacobson seems to have based this accusation solely on the fact that the writers are supporters of Cornell Graduate Students United This union retaliation claim has since been picked up by right-wing media outlets with enthusiasm, and the graduate students are now subjects of online abuse

I write to point out two related issues One, the claim of “payback” for Prof Collum’s views on unions is unsubstantiated Two, the methods promoting this claim seem hypocritical As Prof Jacobson lambasts the accuracy of the grad students' opinions based on public statements made by Prof Collum and demands their retraction, he avoids supplying a basis for this overarching scheme of union retaliation In defense of free speech and truth, he puts whole plots in the mouths of others, relying on nothing, apparently, but conjecture

Prof Collum’s anti-union views are not the issue It is true that he holds them Students and faculty have raised complaints about not his held opinions, but his attempts to interfere in the campaign against the rules of the CGSU-University election agreement The complaints were taken care of through CGSU-University channels: in a bilateral committee called the Union Management Committee (on which I sit), and in arbitration He was treated professionally throughout the process A colleague and I even reached out to him, politely asking if he would be willing to have a clarifying discussion His terse response was clear: he did not want to talk to us One union member tweeted an email Prof Collum sent to hundreds of faculty encouraging them to interfere in the vote, and he was again approached about the rules Again, he was not treated badly He was simply stopped from breaking rules

There are hundreds of individual union supporters They have opinions, and do and say things But there is no “Dave Collum Payback Committee ” If the fact that the letter writers are also union supporters is relevant here, it is for a clear reason Grad unions have been instrumental in helping fix broken grievance processes by various means, including through collective bargaining It has become common to negotiate for robust grievance procedures in contracts, including third-party neutral arbitration

So, yes Questions about whether harassment reporting systems work, and how grievance procedures operate generally, are questions unionization does tend to raise Creating equitable, adequate and accessible grievance procedures in the university is, and will continue to be, a task for CGSU, GPSA and graduate organizations all over

Drawing a line between Collum's past acts related to the union and a letter to the editor regarding his published statements that reflect attitudes about other things is guesswork, at best But Prof Jacobson’s union retaliation narrative checks one big political box It stokes conser vatives’ fears that they are silenced and persecuted for their beliefs by vengeful “SJWs” (short for social justice warriors) on campuses, all part of a stealth left-wing plan to usher in tyranny Press and others eager to bolster their confirmation biases took up Prof Jacobson’s narrative hook, line and sinker The initial claim of “payback” frames Prof Jacobson’s entire analysis, pressing the “right” buttons sneaky liberals! oppressive unions! and causing a minor media feeding frenzy This distracts away from the issue of Prof Collum's public statements and whether opinions on his likely views regarding campus sexual misconduct and gender discrimination might be reasonably drawn by a student or faculty member

That, of course, is the only relevant issue I guess it isn’t bloody enough

I won ’ t ask Prof Jacobson or Red State, or The Federalist for an apology and retraction, as he demands for others’ opinions Conflicts around free speech, grievance policies and sexual misconduct on campus are real and fraught as it is, and we all have to struggle through them somehow, together They don’t need conspiratorial chimeras grafted onto them by professors, who should be taking the intellectual lead on campus, not stoking fear It is unbecoming, and pollutes our shared discourse

William Wang | Willpower

The Royal Bank Of Canada Presents:

A quant, a prankster and a banker

It ’ s Spring at Cornell, which really only means two things: the weather has dramatically improved in time for Cornell Days (How convenient! Tell President Pollack I know she’s concealing a weather machine in the Ivory Tower) and banks are on campus to inform rising sophomore and juniors about internships for next summer Hey, it’s never too early to make money It’s why teens and twenty-somethings, each carrying a binder and their resumes, dressed in business attire, waddle around a room in Statler Hotel for a networking session hosted by the Royal Bank of Canada And because I’m a business major and I have one more column due for The Sun, I decide to pull double duty and join in on the fun

At one end of the room, a blonde strawhaired boy stares absentmindedly at the sign in sheet He’s dressed in the quintessential eff-you outfit sneakers, khakis, and a striped shirt A banker might see that and figure him a troublemaker I figure that only the coolest person in the room would dress so casually Well, either that or he’s blind I approach

“Nice to meet you ” I bend sideways

in his field, and because she’s sure that of the two reps standing alone in the corner, one of them is the guy that she wants to meet But she’s hesitant She needs someone to keep the other guy occupied namely, me

So I’m stuck with the guy on the right, who seems particularly inspired to finally have someone with whom to talk He’s a recent graduate of Cornell who’s starting soon in his new job of healthcare finance, and he’s excited I pepper him with a few questions (Why RBC? What made you choose your area? What did you do at Cornell?) Each time, before he answers, he takes a deep breath and unleashes a dazzling smile and says: “That’s a very good question; I’m glad you asked that ” He might not be a banker yet, but he’s got the act nailed down airtight Turns out, he didn’t come to Cornell for business He came here wanting to be a doctor, but after the first year, he decided to double major with business Pre-med was stressful, and he decided he needed something healthier But the passion for the sciences never waned When looking for a job on Wall Street, he stuck by looking specifically

His surprised expression slides into a playful smile, he lower his voice and leans in: “Let me tell you a secret. Er isn’t my real name. I’m just here to troll the people here.”

to peer at his name tag “Eric!” I say, reaching out my hand, a bit nervous “Oh!” He looks up, surprised He cocks his head, left to right, trying to gauge if I’m the type of person to call him out on his outfit After a few seconds, he decides he likes what he sees His surprised expression slides into a playful smile, he lower his voice and leans in: “Let me tell you a secret Eric isn’t my real name I’m just here to troll the people here ”

Oh

Networking is a game of Reverse Russian Roulette: the person you run into might be the one that gives you the one crucial connection for your first job But you have to sell yourself first, tell a little story, make an “elevator pitch,” as my Communications Professor would say, which is a 30 second personal story that can fit snugly within an elevator ride from floor 1 to floor 5 But as I watch “Eric” walk away, I realize I’m down one bullet

That’s okay I’m a freshman who’s in way over his head, and frankly, I’m not that interested in banking or telling a story about myself In fact, the people in the room prove to be far more compelling

Next up is a “ quant, ” short for quantitative His name is Edmund, and he’s starting an internship this summer doing something with equities at RBC He’s pretty excited, too He majored in operations research, and he hints that it may have been too theoretical for his taste He’s glad to be doing something more applicable, which I realize now is code for “employable ” He regales me with tales of his interview, which was filled with grueling statistical questions I’m impressed After a few rounds, I realize that a banking session isn’t just for hotelies and AEM students engineers abound here as well

After Edmund, I run into one of my friends She wants to talk to one of representatives from RBC because she’s interested

for a job related to the health care market

The good part of this strategy was that he knew exactly what he wanted, and it showed in the interviews The bad news was that it left him an awfully thin margin of error But when he got the offer from RBC for their healthcare markets division, he was ecstatic The bank was on the rise, and the people were awfully nice (This happened to be a common theme throughout my interviews When mentioned that this wasn ’ t helping the Canadian stereotype of being too nice, one rep threw back his head and laughed ) Ultimately, I left a bit shaken from the whole event Maybe it was the Canadian hospitality, or the prankster at the beginning, but the event was awfully casual and loose I liked that One of the assumptions I’ve made from banking is that it’s too strict, intensive, and only for type As But frankly, I didn’t see much of that at the event

Does that mean I would ever consider a career in banking? I’m not sure I’m not opposed to it, but I’m not sure that’s what I want to pursue in life Looking back on this year, while I did enjoy my time with the eclectic people at Dyson, my happiest memories were for The Sun Commenting on the fashion show (and being ripped in the comments section), covering the Gingrich event (and being ripped in the comments section) and doing a piece on Roombas (not being ripped in the comments section, but only because nobody read it) I liked what I learned from the guy who was initially pre-med He took dual interest, combined it, and learned a lesson along the way: it’s not where you start, but where you end up In other words, the first letter doesn’t matter Only the last one does

William Wang is a freshman in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences He may be reached at wwang@cornellsun com Willpower appears alternate Mondays this semester

IAre We Coddled?

read a Letter to the Editor on The Sun’s website last November Written by Cornell alumna Me g a n Tu b b ’ 1 3 , t h e l e t t e r c r i t i c i z e d t h e Cornell student body for its actions following the presidential election In response to a “ cr y-in” that was held on Ho Plaza, she writes “ The day after the election, you responded by literally sitting on the ground and cr ying What is worse is that student funds were used to provide said students with hot chocolate and coloring supplies This is not what adulthood looks like ”

The above quote touches on a narrative that’s popular these days College students are coddled We’re sheltered from the harsh reality of the real world We’re snowflakes (Life lesson; the key is to render pejoratives meaningless by making them your own Obama did it with “Obamacare,” Trump did it with “fake news ” I’m a special snowflake and proud of it ) I am a firm believer in answering questions with questions, both because it is a sign of intellectual maturity and because it is an effective means of hiding that one hasn’t done the assigned reading Instead of saying “ no, we aren ’ t coddled and here’s why,” I feel compelled to ask what is meant by the term “coddling” and why it is at the forefront of modern consciousness

To move this column along, another question How should people take positions on issues and thereby shape their value system? A great deal of contemporar y political discourse takes the form of invective “How could those idiots on the left/right believe x? Only an idiot would believe x here’s 10 reasons why ” Talking heads tr y their hardest to win arguments, but arguments shouldn’t be things to be won All systems contain disadvantages The choice of one system over another, then, must i n v o l v e w e i g h i n g d i s a d v a n t a g e s a n d d e c i d i n g which set of them is more acceptable For example, I believe that ever yone should be entitled to legal counsel Such a policy might allow some guilty people with good lawyers to go free But if legal defense were not a right, more innocent people would go to prison The relative statistical likelihood of one vs the other is not important; I would rather have the former occur a thousand times than have the latter happen once

T h e s a m e l o g i c a p p l i e s t o t h e “ c o l l e g e snowflakes” debate I was coddled by my mother early in life When I showed her my YMCA basketball medal and said I wanted to play in the NBA someday, her reply was something to the effect of “that’s great honey You can do anything you set your mind to ” Needless to say, I felt somewhat betrayed when I didn’t make my high school basketball team Coming to grips with your own shortcomings is never easy, especially if you ’ ve been led to believe that you ’ re special

I admit that being coddled gave me an inflated sense of self But the point is, I experienced the real world and I got over it The world’s still plenty competitive capitalism still eats people up and spits them out just like it always has And participation trophies teach other valuable lessons They teach that tr ying new things and seeing them to completion leads to good things They teach that all members of a team make valuable contributions If it weren ’ t for the confidence my mother gave me, I would never have had the courage to apply to an Ivy League school It was a little tough when I went out into the real world and not ever yone treated me the way she did, but I got used to it I’d rather go through that than have the crushing weight of my own insignificance dumped on me at eight years old After a weighing of disadvantages, I choose coddling

I don’t live by ver y many rules To quote Harold and Maude, “it’s not wise to be too moral, you cheat yourself out of too much life ” But one rule I do have is this no one should ever be criticized for tr ying to do good, even if you don’t agree with their methods or even their cause Would you criticize someone for raising money for ALS because heart disease kills more people? No? Then don’t criticize people who hold cr y-ins because there are “bigger problems” in the “real” world

Ara Hagopian is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences He can be reached at ahagopian@cornellsun com Whiny Liberal will appear alternating Fridays this semester

Letter to the Editor

Finding common ground: a Republican and a Democrat on The Sun’s comment section

To th e Ed itor:

Last week created a strange moment of unity a pizza party among several deeply divided groups on campus as we observed Mitch McBride’s ’17 hearing This was the first opportunity recently for any number of conversations that have not been happening: we have observed Cornell’s campus fracturing along sharper lines this past year We’d like to address how this has been particularly visible in, and amplified by, trolling and hate speech in the Cornell Daily Sun’s comments section

Although primarily driven by alt-right ideology, the ad hominem, vituperative and intellectually void rhetoric has not been limited to any one group within the Cornell Daily Sun commentariat These comments are extreme enough to expose the contradiction within free speech: that speech of this sort can itself have a chilling effect on speech While we don’t wish to recite a litany of insults, we offer the following examples to capture the scope of this problem In an article about Dustin Liu winning the election for undergraduate student trustee, an anonymous commenter named “Hideki Tojo Lives!” sneered, “that feeling when you try to look like Imperial Japanese war criminal Hideki Tojo but you don’t have the Testosterone level to pull it off ” In an article covering Ann Coulter’s inflammatory remarks, “Bob” antagonized conservative commentators with delightful sobriquets like “toilet bowl,” “drooling moron ” and “unamerican Shitheel ” Most recently, in an article by Jason Jeong, commenters felt it necessary to accuse a student of being an Asian supremacist, called him “yellow,” and sniped that he contributes to the fact that America has become a cultural “dumping ground ” We fail to find value to these contributions

National discourse may have sunk equally low, but we need not replicate our surroundings We can, as the Cornell community, collectively demand a minimum level of sincerity in our interactions We’re asking our peers to reopen avenues for dialogue and to primarily debate ideas rather than shred individuals Condemn these racist, sexist, homophobic and other vile insults that we have come to expect

We ask that The Cornell Daily Sun take certain measures to alleviate the problem The first and most important request is that the Sun require individual commenters to publish under their authenticated names We want honest conversations as well as accountability Cornell students should be willing to own their words

As a handful of trolls are willing to attach their real names to bile, our second request of The Sun’s staff is that they consider some method of moderating the online comments at their discretion, including on their Facebook posts This could entail compromises like requiring that a reader click to view abusive comments Should the staff at The Sun be unwilling to moderate online comments, we ask that they justify to their readers why they choose not to draw a line between earnest discourse and unnecessary and irrelevant ad hominem attacks

We acknowledge that there are times when it is worth expressing anger, hurt, fear and other very intense personal reactions We are not asking for politeness, dispassionate reason, mock-neutrality or false civility We ask instead that the community take this moment to reflect on whether we are even managing open discussion at the moment, and whether we are missing alternatives as we drift towards normalizing this kind of invective in our responses

Narayan Reddy | Reddy, Set, Go!

God Is an Ocean

Iwas obsessed with gods when I was a kid I was raised detachedly as a Hindu, in which we had our own inhouse puja every few months, went to the temple even less often and still ate beef when we had a hankering I viewed my participation in Hinduism as an infrequent chore, but entertained a curious fascination with Hindu mythology

I devoured every edition of a comic book series that transformed the timeless and boundless sagas into picturized, bite-sized narratives I took to the task of printing out pictures of gods, framing them and placing them somewhere in the house to bolster the divinity of our family

Loosely, each god symbolizes something: destruction, creation, wealth, wisdom I felt the more I ‘had,’ the more I learnt about them, the better off I would be Basically, I treated them like Pokémon There was little to nothing spiritual about it, but I let my parents assume that there was since it was a useful assumption

My grandma, an ardent devotee, also conflated my interest in mythology with a strong spiritual sense and gifted me a book of Hindu ponderings It provided my first insights about religion, and ironically, what I took away from it undermined the very notion of religion

It was a small poem that said God is the ocean Every single person is a droplet, and each one made it to the ocean Whether it fell into a stream, a creek or a river, it eventually made its way to the oneness that is the ocean Hindus may have many gods, but they also believe that each one is just a representation of one god and apply this same understanding to other religions

The prospect stirred something in me, something like the comfort of unity, which became more meaningful to me later More specifically, whenever someone tried to “ save ” me This has happened to me numerous times growing up, as I’m sure it’s happened to most brown kids growing up in America

They all had good intentions and were just trying to protect me However, I struggled with the implications of these well-meaning individuals I didn’t want to be damned, and I was not attached to Hinduism in the way they were to their religion I thought, ‘why don’t I just convert to be safe?’ Then I thought, ‘well, which one?’

More than one member of a religion shared with me their truth, and I didn’t know which one was the truth Merely picturing an ocean quieted these internal dialogues and allowed me to politely decline conversion

My faith developed further when I cried for months because I was gay Before I struggled with my sexuality, I knew I had my whole life to change my mind if need be Now, however, I was destined to burn in hell for eternity since I already screwed up or was already screwed up I was doubly conflicted with the question of whether God existed in the first place, an uncertainty I still contemplate

What saved me was the conclusion that if God did exist, he would certainly care about how good of a person I was rather than who I blushed at or whether I even believed in him I figured that choosing a single set of rules out of many to express belief or disbelief was void, precisely because everyone would reach him I also had some sense that doing the right thing was a kind of prayer in its own way Consequently, goodness (in context, I later clarified) must be the sole criteria for final judgments because it could be the only standardized criteria if there was one

This is my self-assuring belief system I respect everyone else’s beliefs, however, I also believe that accepting some extent of overlap among religions would go a long way in solving religious conflicts and dismantling the means to abuse religion Religious competition creates a monarchical atmosphere, and it’s upsetting that many take advantage of this environment and think it’s okay

to do bad things as long as they are in their God’s good graces It’s more upsetting that some anoint themselves their God’s trusted advisors and bargain with others in exchange for putting them in his good graces Is it so radical to suggest that the differences among the popular world religions in which the fundamental tenet is to be decent, are largely contextual and, to a much lesser, extent spiritual? Perhaps not, especially when radicals of any religion are those who wish to both force their spiritual beliefs and punish diversion through any means necessary I’m not naïve enough to insist this mantra of interfaith unity be universally received The very idea of it may be offensive to an inmate that fell on their faith to survive long stretches of incarceration Religious conviction enables life-sustaining hope during the hardest of times for many, but this message should resonate more with others those who don’t need it for strength but wear it as a mask of self-righteous immunity or employ it as a perverse strategy to accrue wealth and power and carry out violence without shame

No one should be judged based on whether they are an atheist or an evangelical, or whether religion is their livelihood People should, however, be judged for their actions Unfortunately, we still live in a world where someone can exploit religious zeal and the divisions it produces to move billions Is it any wonder why politicians must constantly flaunt the faith and appeal to the faith leaders of their constituents? Why it figures so deeply in their decisions for better or for worse? Maybe someday we’ll live in a world where this column wouldn’t tank a hypothetical political career Or at least one that still has an ocean

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Continued from page 12

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1 2 p o i n t s i n t h e g a m e ,

t y i n g h i m f o r t h i r d

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Red Grabs No. 1 Seed in Ivy Tournament

Looks to open Ivy play on Friday against Harvard

W LACROSSE

Continued from page 12

To u r n a m e n t “ Fa c i n g Ha r va rd t w i c e i n a we e k i s c e r t a i n l y a c h a l l e n g e , ” El l i s s a i d “ I

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C h a m p i o n s h i p a n d f i r s t t i t l e s i n c e

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a m o n g t h e b e s t i n p ro g r a m h i s t o r y a n d i t s c o n f e re n c e re c o rd t i e s t h e re c o rd s o f t h e 2 0 0 2 a n d 2 0 0 6 t e a m s , b o t h o f w h i c h c o m p e t e d i n t h e N C A A t o u r n am e n t In a d d i t i o n t o t h e h i s t o r i c a l w i n o n

Undrafted C.U. Punter to Work Out With Bears and 49ers

FRASER Continued from page 12

and workouts with team around the league

“[It’s] just making sure t at my peak physical perform ing fun, enjoying it and st said in March “And making my best for the draft ”

Though invited to camp, Fraser is not guaranteed a spot on the opening day roster An invitation to a rookie minicamp is a chance for him to show that he has what it takes to be on the roster, so between now and the end of the camp, Fraser kn plenty to prove

“My next step is really one punt at a time, not wo results, just making sure having fun and letting thing may, ” he said “[I have to] k

Zach Silver can be reached at sports-editor@cornellsun com

“ G o i n g i n t o t h e t o u r n a m e n t o u r f o c u s re m a i n s t h e s a m e o f g e t t i n g b e t t e r e ve r yd a y, ” El l i s s a i d “ T h a t ' s b e e n o u r

t h e m e a l l s e a s o n a n d a s we a p p ro a c h t h e

p o s t s e a s o n t h a t ' s n o t g o i n g t o c h a n g e

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I t h i n k we w i l l e xe c u t e a n d w i n a l o t o f g a m e s t h i s m o n t h ”

Smita Nalluri can be reached at snalluri@cornellsun com

Spor ts

L A C R O S S E

Laxers Honor Seniors in Final Games

Cornell secures second ever Ivy League regular season championship

T h e C o r n e l l w o m e n ’ s l a c r o s s e

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p re v i o u s g a m e a g a i n s t Pr i n c e t o n , t h e No 1 1 Re d ( 1 1 - 4 , 6 - 1 Iv y ) l e d w i re t o w i re a g a i n s t t h e Cr i m s o n ( 8 -

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t re a t e d t h e g a m e l i k e a n y o t h e r g a m e t h i s s e a s o n , ” s a i d s e n i o r a t t a c k e r C a t h e r i n e El l i s “ We h a d t h e s a m e m i n d s e t a l l we e k w h i c h w a s t o k n ow t h e g a m e p l a n , p r a c t i c e i t , a n d t h e n e xe c u t e i t o n Sa t u rd a y

We d e f i n i t e l y d i d t h a t a n d d i d n ' t l e t t h e m a g n i t u d e o f t h e g a m e c h a n g e t h e w a y we p re p a re d ” T h e Re d w a s a b l e t o m a i n t a i n i t s c o m p o s u re a n d g o t o f f t o a n i m p re s -

s i ve s t a r t , f i n d i n g t h e b a c k o f t h e n e t s e ve n t i m e s i n t h e f i r s t 1 0 m i n u t e s

o f a c t i o n , w h i l e h o l d i n g i t s o p p o -

n e n t s t o j u s t a s i n g l e g o a l C o r n e l l h e a d e d i n t o t h e h a l f l e a d i n g 8 - 3 , a n d t h e n we n t o n t o o u t s c o re t h e Cr i m s o n a g a i n i n t h e s e c o n d h a l f t o e x t e n d i t s w i n n i n g m a r g i n t o s e ve n p o i n t s a n d f i n i s h w i t h a 1 3 - 6 v i c t or y El l i s l e d t h e t e a m i n g o a l s w i t h f i ve g o a l s , w h i l e s e n i o r m i d f i e l d e r

“We stayed calm because we treated this game like any other game this season.”

By

Tw o h u n d re d a n d f i f t y - t h re e n a m e s we re c a l l e d d u r i n g t h e 2 0 1 7 N F L Dr a f t , b u t n o t o n e w a s o f f o rm e r C o r n e l l f o o t b a l l p

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g a m e , t y i n g a c a re e r - h i g h re c o rd w i t h 1 5 s a ve s T h o u g h t h e Re d o u t p l a ye d t h e

Cr i m s o n f ro m a l l a n g l e s m a i n -

t a i n i n g t h e e d g e i n s h o t s t a k e n ,

c a u s e d t u r n o v e r s , d r a w c o n t r o l s ,

f re e - p o s i t i o n s h o t s a n d g ro u n d b a l l s t h e re a re s t i l l a s p e c t s o f i t s g a m e

t h a t n e e d t o b e h o n e d b e f o re h e a d -

i n g i n t o t h e Iv y L e a g u e

K i r s t y G i l b e r t s c o r e d a r e c o r db re a k i n g f o u r f re e - p o s i t i o n g o a l s S e n i o r a t t a c k e r A m i e D i c k s o n , j u n i o r m i d f i e l d e r Id a Fa r i n h o l t , a n d s o p h o m o re a t t a c k e r s Sa r a h Ph i l l i p s a n d To m a s i n a L e s k a e a c h a d d e d a g o a l o f t h e i r ow n O n t h e d e f e n s i v e e n d , s e n i o r d e f e n d e r C a t i e Sm i t h , a n o m i n e e f o r t h e p r e s t i g i o u s Te w a a r a t o n Aw a rd , o n c e a g a i n p rove d h e r a t hl e t i c p r o w e s s b y f o r c i n g f i v e t u r n ove r s a n d f i e l d i n g t h re e g ro u n d

“As a coach, you always want to get better throughout the course of the year, and this team without question did that ” H e a d C o a c h M a t t K e r w i c k

c k e r Je f f Te a t a n d Pr i n c e t o n ’ s M i c h a e l S o w e r s , a n d w h i l e t h e m a t c h u p l i ve d u p t o t h e h y p e , i t w a s Te a t w h o w o u l d s t e a l t h e s h ow T h e f i r s t q u a r t e r s t a r te d o f f w i t h C o r n e l l a n d

T h a t ’ s a l l , f o l k s Fo r o n e f i n a l t i m e t h i s s e a s o n , t h e C o r n e l l m e n ’ s l a c r o s s e t e a m s u i t e d u p a n d we n t i n t o b a t t l e A n d e ve n t h o u g h t h e Re d w a s g u a r a n t e e d t o f i n i s h w i t h a l o s i n g re c o rd a n d m i s s o u t o n p o s t s e a s o n p l a y f o r t h e s e c o n d s e a s o n i n a row, t h e t e a m p u t i n i t s a l l o n t o t h e f i e l d w h e n i t h o s t e d a rc h r i va l No 1 3 Pr i n c e t o n A l l we e k l o n g t h e t e a m t a l k e d a b o u t s e n d i n g t h e s e n i o r s o u t t h e r i g h t w a y, a n d C o r n e l l d i d e x a c t l y t h a t w i t h a n 1 8 - 1 7 w i n “ Obv i o u s l y we w i s h we w e r e s t i l l p l a y i n g , b u t t h e re ' s n o b e t t e r f e e l i n g t h a n g e t t i n g t h a t w i n , e s p e c i a l l y a g a i n s t Pr i n c e t o n , ” s a i d s e n i o r Wa l t Ga h a g a n “ It’s o n e o f t h e b e s t r i va l r i e s i n c o l l e g e l a c ro s s e , i f n o t t h e b e s t , s o i t f e e l s re a l l y g o o d ” T h e h i s t o r y b e t w e e n t h e t w o w i n n i n g e s t p rog r a m s i n Iv y L e a g u e h i s t or y, C o r n e l l ( 5 - 8 , 3 - 3 Iv y ) a n d Pr i n c e t o n ( 9 - 5 , 4 - 2 ) , i s a s t o r i e d o n e , a n d Sa t u rd a y ’ s m a t c h u p c o nt i n u e d t h e t r e n d T h e m a t c h u p b ro u g h t t o g e t h e r t h e t w o h i g h e s t - p e r f o r mi n g f re s h m e n i n t h e c o u nt r y i n C o r n e l l’s f re s h m a n a t

Pr i n c e t o n t r a d i n g g o a l s T h e Re d o p e n e d

“

“They don’t accept mediocrity. You always have to be improving and at a very high level.”

t h e a s i g h o f re l i e f n ow ” W h i l e n o t c o m p l e t e l y s u r p r i s i n g t h a t Fr a s e r d i d n o t h e a r h i s n a m e c a l l e d i n t h e d r a f t , i t w a s a n e s p ec i a l l y o f f ye a r f o r t h e p u n t e r p o s i t i o n a s a w h o l e No n e we re s e l e c t e d i n 2 0 1 7 , w h i l e t h re e we re t a k e n i n 2 0 1 6 T h e a b s e n c e o f p u n t e r s i n t h i s ye a r ’ s d r a f t m a k e s f o r a “ c r a z y f re n z y ” h e a d i n g i n t o t h e u n d r a f te d f re e a g e n c y p e r i o d , a c c o rd i n g t o Fr a s e r T h e c a l l s f ro m t h e Be a r s a n d 4 9 e r s we re a b i t u n e x p e c t e d f o r Fr a s e r He w a s i n v i t e d t o w o rk o u t s w i t h s e ve r a l t e a m s , s u c h a s h i s h o m e t ow n R a ve n s , b u t h e s a i d C h i c a g o g o t a g o o d l o o k a t h i m a t a Ma rc h p ro d a y a t Fo rd h a m Un i ve r s i t y T h e 4 9 e r s we n t t h ro u g h h i s a g e n t “ I w a s k i n d o f s u r p r i s e d , ” Fr a s e r s a i d a b o u t t h e Be a r s ’ c a l l “ I w a s re a l l y l u c k y [ t h e i r s c o u t ] h a d s e e n m e t h e re b e c a u s e h e m e n t i o n e d h e h a d n ’ t b e e n a b l e t o s e e m e a t C o r n e l l , b u t I w a s f o r t u n a t e t h a t h e s a w m e a t t h e p ro d a y ” Pu n t i n g a b i l i t i e s a s i d e , Fr a s e r ’ s c a r e e r t o t h i s m o m e n t t o o k o f f w i t h a n o t e A f e w ye a r s a g o , h i s p e r s o n a l p u n t i n g c o a c h t o l d h i m t o p u t a c l e a r l y v i si b l e re m i n d e r i n h i s l o c k e r t e l l i n g h i m s e l f “ I a m a n N F L p u n t e r ” Fo r Fr a s e r, t h a t re p e a t e d re m i n d e r w a s s o m e t h i n g t h a t p u s h e d h i m t o h i s e x t re m e , w o rk i n g e ve r yd a y t o g e t t h e c a l l t h a t c a m e Su n d a y m o r n i n g “ I [ h a d ] t h a t t h e re t o re m i n d m e t h a t w h a t e ve r h a p p e n s , j u s t t o b e l i e ve i n yo u r s e l f a n d k n ow t o yo u r c o re t h a t yo u h a ve t h a t a b i l i t y i n yo u , ” Fr a s e r s a i d “A n d i f yo u s e e s o m e t h i n g l o n g e n o u g h , yo u ’ re g o i n g t o i n g r a i n t h a t i n yo u r h e a d , a n d yo u ’ re g o i n g t o t r u l y b e l i e ve t h a t a n d I d o t r u l y b e l i e ve t h a t ” A De c e m b e r g r a d u a t e , Fr a s e r l e f t C o r n e l l a n d t h e Iv y L e a g u e a s o n e o f i t s m o s t d e c o r a t e d a t h l e t e s o f a l l t i m e w i t h a f i r s t - t e a m a l l - Iv y s e l e c t i o n i n e a c h o f h i s f o u r ye a r s , a l o n g w i t h a l l - A m e r i c a n h o n o r s He w a s j u s t t h e t h i rd e ve r t o a c c u m u l a t e f o u r f i r s t - t e a m a l lIv y n o d s O ve r h i s c a re e r, t h e Ma r y l a n d n a t i ve a ve r a g e d 4 2 8 y a rd s p e r p u n t , a t o t a l o f 4 8 t h a t we n t ove r 6 0 y a rd s a n d 6 9 t h a t p i n n e d h i s o p p o n e n t i n s i d e t h e i r ow n 2 0 Hi s c a re e r l o n g o f 7 2 y a rd s c a m e i n h i s s o p h o m o re s e a s o n , b u t a p u n t ove r 6 0 y a rd s w a s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f e x p e c t e d f o r Fr a s e r No t o n e o f h i s p u n t s w a s b l o c k e d Be f o re t h e d r a f t , Fr a s e r t o l d T h e Su n a b o u t t h e h i g h l e ve l o f c o m p e t i t i o n t h a t h o p e f u l N F L p u n t e r s we re p r i v y t o , a s n o t a t o n o f t e a m s a re l o o k i n g t o re p l a c e t h e i r p u n t e r “ T h e y d o n ’ t a c c e p t m e d i o c r i t y, a t l e a s t n o t ve r y l o n g , ” Fr a s

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i n t h e E a s t - We s t Sh r i n e Ga m e , a s we l l a s p ro d a y s