10 24 14 entire issue lo res

Cornell Staff Member

Implicated in UNC

Bogus Class Scandal

By TYLER ALICEA Sun Managing Editor

A Cornell employee who previously worked at the University of Nor th Carolina was allegedly involved in a scandal involving thousands of students taking illegitimate classes over nearly two decades Cynthia Reynolds who is currently the academic programs coordinator in the School of Applied

“If these guys’ papers are not in I would expect D’s or C’s at best Most need better than that.”

C y n t h i a R e y n o l d s

being implicated for her involvement in a scandal where thousands of students, many of whom were athletes, took illegitimate “ paper classes,” where students would only have to write a paper that would

Rising Number of Graduates Choose to Stay in Ithaca

By ZOE FERGUSON Sun Senior Writer

h t p e rc e n t o f t h e C l a s s o f 2 0 1 3 f ro m t h e

It h a c a c a m p u s re m a i n e d i n Ne w Yo rk St a t e , a c c o rd i n g

t o t h e re p o r t Of t h e s e , 1 , 1 3 5 a l u m n i 1 7 p e rc e n t s t a ye d i n To m p k i n s C o u n t y T h i s n u m b e r re p re s e n t s a l m o s t t w i c e a s m a n y a s t h e m e m b e r s o f t h e g r a d u a t i n g

c l a s s o f 2 0 0 7 w h o c h o s e t o s t a y i n It h a c a

In a d d i t i o n , 1 4 p e rc e n t o f i n t e r n a t i o n a l s t u d e n t s s t a y

i n It h a c a p o s t - g r a d u a t i o n , T h e Su n p re v i o u s l y re p o r t e d

Ac c o rd i n g t o t h e re p o r t , C o r n e l l h a s a c t e d a s a b u f f e r f o r It h a c a a n d To m p k i n s C o u n t y a g a i n s t t h e n a t i o n a l

re c e s s i o n s i n c e 2 0 0 8 Jo e l Ma l i n a , v i c e p re s i d e n t o f u n i ve r s i t y re l a t i o n s , s a i d C o r n e l l’s p o s i t i ve re l a t i o n s h i p w i t h t h e To m p k i n

“It can instruct other states ... that an institute of higher education [can] be an element of a recovery or insulation ”

J o e l M a l i n a

s t h a t a n i n s

re s e a rc h Un i ve r s i t y c a n b e a n e l e m e n t o f a re c ove r y o r i n s u l a t i o n f ro m e c o n o m i c d i s r u p t i o n , ” Ma l i n a s a i d “ I t h i n k i t s p e a k s t o t h e a b i l i t y o f a l a r g e , v i b r a n t i n s t it u t i o n s u c h a s C o r n e l l t o p rov i d e t h a t i n s u l a t i o n ” Ma l i n a a l s o e m p h a s i ze d t h e re p o r t ’ s i m p l i c a t i o n s o f a p ro d u c t i ve re l a t i o n s h i p b e t we e n t h e Un i ve r s i t y a n d t h e l o c a l c o m m u n i t y, b o t h i n t h e s o c i a l a n d e c o n o m i c s p h e re s “ T h e C o r n e l l e d u c a t i o n w i l l n e ve r b e l i m i t e d , g o i n g f o r w a rd , t o j u s t a c l a s s ro o m s e t t i n g , ” Ma l i n a s a i d

In s t e a d , h e s a i d , t h e re i s a n “ i m p o r t a n t c o n n e c t i o n ” w i t h re s i d e n t s o f To m p k i n s C o u n t y a n

Gannett: University ‘Proactive’ in

Educating Community About Ebola

By ANDREW LEE Sun Staff Writer

Dr Janet Corson-Rikert, associate vice president for campus health and director of Gannett Health Services, said Gannett has been taking a “proactive” approach to educating the Cornell community about the ebola virus at the Center for Intercultural Dialogue Thursday Gannett faculty members are trained to follow strict protocol to minimize the risk of infection in the event the Ebola virus arrives at Cornell, according to Corson-Rikert

“While we have limited facilities on campus

to care for a person with Ebola, Gannett staff members are following protocols established by leading medical and health organizations in order safely screen people for possible Ebola risk and connect them to higher levels of care should that be necessary, ” Corson-Rikert said She added that Gannett has been working hard to keep up-to-date information about the Ebola outbreak, the low risk to the general public and Cornell initiatives to protect the community

“As part of a national public health network, we are taking pains to make sure we

See EBOLA page 5

Friday, October 24, 2014

weather FORECAST

Control of Cell-Type Patterning: How the Arabidopsis Root Gets Its Stripes 11:15 a m , 404 Plant Science Building

The Impact of Austerity on Local Public Services in Europe 12:20 p m , Kaufmann Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall

Recognition and Realism in Euripides’ Electra 4:30 p m , 122 Goldwin Smith Hall

Puzzle Palooza

6 - 9 p m , Appel Commons

Coalition of Pan-African Scholars Kickback

7 - 9 p m , Bear’s Den, Willard Straight Hall

Tomorrow

Insectapalooza

9 a m - 3 p m , Comstock Hall

Layering Watercolors With Peggy Macnamara

10 a m - 4 p m , Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Surrealism and Magic

10 a m - 5 p m , Johnson Museum of Art

Cornell Health International: Transforming Knowledge Into Action

11 a m , G73 Martha Van Rensselaer Hall

Cornell Jazz Jam Session

5:30 - 7 p m , Jansen’s Dining Room, Hans Bethe House

Q u o t e s o f t h e W

e e k

News, “At Final State of University Address, Skorton Talks Cornell’s Challenges,” Monday

Speaking about the importance of making the cost of a college education affordable “In addition to continuing our robust program of need-based financial aid, we need to work to attenuate the rate of rise of tuition by controlling the costs of operating this University ”

President David Skorton

News, “At Friday Rally, Cornellians Urge Trustees to Divest,” Tuesday

Speaking about the need for the University to fully divest its endoment from the fossil fuel industry It s time to push for full divestment from fossil fuels to being our endowment in line with this mission Issuing a publicly disclosed independent feasibility study on divestment impact by the end of the calendar year would be a great step towards this goal

Cole Norgaarden ’17

Opinion, “Back to Basics,” Wednesday

Speaking about how it is okay to not venture out of one ’ s comfort zone

While getting a plain bagel might seem lame or boring to some, to me it represents comfort and reliability And it may be silly but when faced with a risk every now and then sticking with your version of a bagel and cream cheese might be all you really need ”

Samantha Weisman ’15

News, “Student Remembered for Contributions to Jewish Community,” Thursday

Speaking about the ways in which Ilan Rasooly ’15 reached out to others in his community He wasn t just a president he wanted to engage people in our Jewish community, especially prospective students and parents by contacting new students and transfers and making sure they felt welcome He felt very responsible for how the community was running

Nicole Barel ’16

‘Bit of News’ Keeps

Students Updated

By SCOTT GARTENBERG Sun Staff Writer

Students have a new way to stay informed with “Bit of News” a daily, Cornellian-developed service that summarizes news content and sends to one ’ s email inbox

Xiao Xu ’15, founder and chief executive officer of Bit of News, said he created the service to help students keep up with the news in a “quick and painless manner ”

“In August 2013, I thought to myself, ‘It would be great if someone summarized the news every day and sent it to me, ’” said Xu, who is a computer science major

According to Xu, he and Curtis Wang ’16 who is head of business development for Bit of News research the the most important daily news from leading publications such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal before they send a summarized list of news to subscribers around 7:30 a m

Xu said that with the service, users will be able to “consistently read” about the most important news stories happening that day

“I think this is a great time for a company like Bit of News,” Xu said “The traditional newspaper industry is dying, but I do not think the interest in news is decreasing ”

Xu also emphasized that one of Bit of News’ goals is to bring out the daily consistency of the old-fashioned newspaper in an email format

In its initial stages, Bit of News was only available to Ivy League students, according to Xu Focusing on a small piece of the market allowed the team to perfect the service while ensuring that there was a sizeable subscription base of highly motivated students, he said

“It started out just being open to Ivy League students,” Xu said “But we were receiving a lot of emails from other college students who wanted to join Bit of News, too ”

Xu added that there are many professionals in the fields

of finance and technology who are also subscribed to Bit of News

Bit of News which has over 2 1 million reads and about 20,000 subscribers to date is trying to expand to colleges and areas that have a dense market, according to Wang The service already has college ambassadors who are spreading the word about Bit of News at universities such as Columbia University and Virginia Tech

“We want to hit 100,000 subscribers by January,” Wang said “We are really focused on growth at the moment, not making money ”

Xu and Wang who said they are excited about the future of Bit of News also said they are working tirelessly to expand the service so that it can reach as many college students as possible

“My academics has taken a hit, but it is fine because I am doing something that I really love,” Xu said “College students should subscribe to Bit of News if they have no time to read the news like me, but don’t want to seem ignorant ”

Sorority Hosts First-Ever ‘Pink Week’ for Breast Cancer Awareness

By SAMANTHA ACRICHE

Sun Contributor

This week, the Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority hosted its first-ever “Pink Week” a week-long series of fundraising events in an effort to promote breast cancer awareness and support their national philanthropy, Sharshret

Lauren Goldman ’16, vice president of philanthropy, said the idea arose when she came in contact with other Alpha Epsilon Phi chapters and saw that many held their own versions of Pink Week Looking at these other Pink Weeks and online for event ideas, she said she wanted to put a twist on what was already out there

“Since this is the first year, we can see which ideas most made an impact and were the most enjoyable to par ticipate in,”

Goldman said “The events that underperform and do not work for our chapter can be changed in the future until we find a

suitable combination ”

Goldman said she began preparing and coordinating for the weeklong event as early as July

The series of events began Sunday with a Pink 5K Run, according to Goldman Participants dressed in pink apparel and ran with pink balloons, hats and feather boas

The next sponsored event was Bra Pong, held Monday on Ho Plaza, Goldman said

“I discovered the idea of Bra Pong when I was researching fun breast cancer-themed events, ” Goldman said “I liked the creativity and uniqueness of this idea and thought that it was a fundraiser idea many people have not seen yet would make it stand out ”

Kimberly Bernstein ’15, a member of the sorority, said she “loved” the event not only because it raised a substantial amount of donations for their philanthropy, but also because it “directly correlated” with the cause they are supporting

“Using actual bras in our event was a

very tangible way to associate college students with breast cancer awareness, ” she said Wednesday’s event was a Smart Yogurt Fundraiser at both the Elmira Road and Ithaca Mall locations, according to the event ’ s Facebook page Pink Week concluded with a “Jewelerry” Sale on Thursday and a Collegetown Grilled Cheese Fundraiser on Friday

Members of the sorority said that so far, the turnout at events have been “ very successful ”

“I think Pink Week has been a very suc-

c e s s f u l p h i l a n t h ro p y e ve n t , ” Sa b r i n a Perlman ’15 said “Each of the events so far have gotten a lot of support from sisters and from other members of the Cornell community ”

Due to the great response and number of attendees, Goldman said the sorority has raised a substantial amount of money for their national philanthropy

“Through the 5K, Bra Pong and online donations, we have successfully raised over half our goal,” she said

In past years, the sorority held individual philanthropy events, which did not have as big of an impact on students, according to Bernstein

“I believe creating an entire week of breast cancer awareness gives us even more opportunities to talk about our cause and encourage our fellow students to support Sharsheret,” Bernstein said Manuela Rios ’16, vice president of operations, said she hopes that students will gain more knowledge and understanding of the cause through the sorority’s efforts

“I hope that they will gain an insight on the dangers of breast cancer and thus donate to fund further research,” she said

Report: 38 Percent of Class of 2013 Remained in NYS

First 10 years following graduation are most important for alumni generating revenue

for New York State

the community at large It helps frame what the realities are in a ver y pragmatic light ”

Stewart added that the report ’ s focus on quantifiable data makes it especially valuable

“ We’re glad we have this now as a resource so that when people ask questions, we have something handy,” he said “ We can point to real data and get beyond sound bites ”

Yo u n g a l u m n i a re c o n s i s t e n t l y more likely to stay local in the years following their graduation, according to the report After that, they tend to leave the state until the number living in New York “levels off ” to a steady rate

as they establish their personal and professional lives These young alumni also contribute to the economy in another important way through their talents and knowledge helping fuel innovation and entrepreneurship in New York State ”

Malina said he thinks a greater alumni presence is beneficial to the local community

“I think it adds to the richness of the community to have people who aren ’ t just living here because it’s the town their parents chose for them,” Malina said “ This is, over the long term, part of what will ensure that To m p k i n s

“Sometimes graduates feel pressure to move on and go elsewhere, but there’s a vibrant community here beyond Cornell.”

vibrant surprise in the middle of the state ”

ates local is not a priority for Cornell “ We start from the premise of it being important that, during the years a student will be at Cornell, we enable them to be a fully engaged citizen of the community,” Malina said “As to what they do after wards, it’s wonderful if they stay, but if they move to Tioga County and do great things there, that’s good too We’re not going to be deemed a failure if people leave New York ”

Malina also said that the new Engaged Cornell initiative and its initial gift of $50 million from the Einhorn Family Charitable Trust is promising for future engagement between the University and the surrounding area

7

Minakshi Amundsen, director of capital budget and integrated planning in Cornell’s Division of Budget and Planning, said lumni impact on the local area decreases with the age of the graduates

“I think as the alumni graduate, they tend to have a greater presence in the county, ” Amundsen said “As they age gracefully, there is a smaller presence ”

According to the report, “the farther alumni are from their graduating year, the more likely they are to live outside New York State ”

The report said that the first 10 years after graduation are the most important to alumni for creating revenue for New York State

“In that first decade after graduation,” the report said, “alumni become active consumers in the state ’ s economy

Malina added that the increased numbers of Cornell alumni choosing to live local speak to a high quality of life in Ithaca

“I think these numbers are a testament to what the entire county is able to provide in terms of quality of life,” he said “ This is going to become a part of the state which, because of the focus on higher education, will always be a fountain of greater opportunity ”

Amundsen said that the increased alumni retention rate is consistent with Ezra Cornell’s original goals in founding the University

“ When Cornell was founded, Ezra Cornell ver y much wanted the students to be a part of the community and have that living in the community be a part of their education,” Amundsen said

Though Malina said the larger population of alumni staying in Ithaca is “ great, ” he added that keeping gradu-

“[The initiative is] really about ensuring over the next number of years that ever y student who graduates from Cornell has, as part of his or her education, actual handson, inside the community engagement experience,” he said “I think we’ll see enormous increases in opportunities for students and faculty to engage directly with local organizations, loc al leaders and, importantly, the people ” Corey Earle ’07, associate director of student programs in the Office of Alumni Affairs, said he thinks the increased rate of Cornell alumni remaining local is “ great ”

“As a young alumnus who chose to stay in Ithaca after graduation, I think it’s great to see Cornellians remaining in the area, ” Earle said “Sometimes graduates feel pressure to move on and go elsewhere, but there’s a vibrant community here beyond Cornell ”

Earle added that the city of Ithaca has many valuable career opportunities for recent Cornell graduates

“Ithaca is a wonderful place to live and work,” he said “Just ask Mayor Svante Myrick ’09 ”

Zoe Ferguson can be reached at zferguson@cornellsun com

C.U. Employee Part Of UNC Scandal

would only have to write a paper that would receive a high grade regardless of the content

A report released Wednesday followed an eight-monthlong investigation conducted by former federal prosecutor

Kenneth Wainstein, who was hired by UNC Investigators found that Reynolds pushed athletes into taking classes in the Department of African and Afro-American Studies, which housed the paper classes

“In football, for example, [Reynolds] and her staff sent [Departmental Administrator Deborah] Crowder lists of players to be enrolled in paper classes each term, and in some cases apparently even indicated for Crowder the grade or grade range the player would need to earn in the class to maintain eligibility,” the report stated

The report added that Crowder ignored the grade suggestions from Reynolds, “knowing full well that she [Crowder] would award any student who submitted a paper with a fairly high grade ”

Following the retirement of Crowder in 2009, Reynolds and her colleagues “ were also painfully aware that Crowder’s retirement would require the whole football program to adjust to a new reality of having to meet academic requirements with real academic work,” according to the report

“Ms Crowder is retiring at the end of July If these guys ’ papers are not in I would expect D’s or C’s at best Most need better than that,” she wrote in an email to a colleague

Reynolds who served as a member of the academic support program for student athletes between 2002 and 2012 was one employee who refused to cooperate with the investigation, which the Wainstein said he “regretted” in

the report because she was a “critical witness to [the] investigation ”

In April, investigators emailed Reynolds regarding her time at Chapel Hill, but she refused to comment, according to the report

“I am now almost four years removed from my last appointment at UNC and not inclined to revisit my experiences at this time,” she wrote in an email to the investigators

After future attempts to reach out to Reynolds, she threatened to take legal action against the investigators

“On May 21, 2014, we received a letter from Reynolds’ attorney stating that any further attempts by Cadwalader to contact Reynolds would be ‘construed as harassment and reported to the police accordingly,’” the report stated Although Cornell encouraged Reynolds to be involved in

the investigation, she refused, according to Joel Malina, vice president for University relations, who added that the matter is between Reynolds and the University of North Carolina

“Whatever information Ms Reynolds may have pertinent to this inquiry relates to her prior employment at the University of North Carolina and does not pertain to her position at Cornell,” Malina said in a statement “Although Cornell offered Ms Reynolds paid release time to speak with Mr Wainstein if she chose to do so, this was her decision to make Cornell has had no involvement previously or currently in the matter, and, as such, has no additional comment ” Reynolds could not be reached for comment Thursday

Tyler Alicea can be reached at me@cornellsun com

Gannett: Risk of Ebola Infection Remains ‘Very Low’ for Cornellians

have protocols in place for identifying anyone who is traveling to the U S specifically to Cornell from Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, the three countries in West Africa experiencing an Ebola epidemic,” she said “The goal is to assess their risk of exposure to the virus and ensure early intervention for those who develop dis-

ease ” The University requires students, faculty, and staff to consult with Gannett staff if they have recently traveled to a country in West Africa that has been affected by the virus, she added

“Our biggest challenge has been trying to manage the community’s misperceptions about the potential risk of infection,” Corson-Rikert said “There are mixed messages out there that need to be clarified To be clear, the risk to Cornell community

members continues to be very low ” Gannett has also been reaching out to the broader Ithaca community to ensure safety in light of the global outbreak, she said

“We have been working routinely with the local health department and local hospitals, which makes it a lot easier to coordinate a response to the Ebola outbreak in Africa, which has been more urban in character, ” Corson-Rikert said

However, Corson-Rikert stressed that the risk of infection remained very low for members of the Cornell community

“One of the things we need to think about as a community is in what ways we can help clarify and educate folks about where there is risk and where there isn’t,” she said

Andrew Lee can be reached at alee@cornellsun com

VELASCO

CATHERINE CHEN ’15

Business Manager

CAROLINE FLAX ’15

Associate Editor

NICK DE TULLIO 15 Web Editor

RACHEL ELLICOTT 15 Blogs Editor

ELIZABETH SOWERS 15

CONNOR ARCHARD ’15

ANNIE BUI ’16

KAITLYN TIFFANY ’15

KATHLEEN BITTER 15

CHARDAE VARLACK 15

EMILY BERMAN 16 Assistant Sports Editor

NICOLE HAMILTON 16 Graphic Design Editor

EMMA LICHTENSTEIN ’16 Marketing Manager

LUISE YANG ’15 Human Resources Manager

ARIELLE CRUZ ’15 Senior Editor

MICHELLE FELDMAN ’15

ALICEA ’16

STEELE ’15

15

16

JAYNE ZUREK ’16

WORKING

Mak grad

Hernandez ’15

Kaitlyn Tiffany ’15

Annie Bui 16

Mehrotra ’16

DESKER Anna Fasman 16

Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling

Ez ra ’ s O ra c l e we l c o m e s i n q u i r i e s f r o m a l l m e m b e r s o f t h e C o r n e l l c o m m u n i t y a b o u t a n y t h i n g a n d e v e r y t h i n g re l a t e d t o t h e Un i v e r s i t y We s e e k o u t a n s we r s t o c a m p u s m y s t e r i e s , re s e a rc h r u m o r s a n d i n v e s t i g a t e i s s u e s o f re l e v a n c e t o C o r n e l l i a n s Q u e s t i o n s c a n b e s u b m i t t e d v i a e m a i l t o e z ra s o ra c l e @ c o r n e l l s u n c o m O r w h i s p e r t h e m i n t h e e a r o f t h e Ez ra C o r n e l l s t a t u e o n t h e Ar t s Q u a d

Q : A r e t h e r e a n y H a l l ow e e n t r a d i t i o n s o r l e g e n d s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h C o r n e l l ?

E z r a ’ s Gh o s t ’ 1 4

A : Mo s t C o r n e l l i a n s q u i c k l y r e a l i z e t h a t t h e s c a r i e s t t h i n g a b o u t C o r n e l l i s t h e p r el i m s Po p u l a r H a l l ow e e n t r a d i t i o n s l i k e c o s t u m e s a n d t r i c k o r t r e a t i n g d i d n ’ t c a t c h o n u n t i l t h e e a r l y t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y, a r o u n d 5 0 y e a r s a f t e r C o r n e l l’s f o u n d i n g T h e f i r s t c l a s s e s a t C o r n e l l c e l e b r a t e d “ G a t e Ev e ” i n l a t e O c t o b e r, w h e n u n r u l y s t u d e n t s w o u l d p i l l a g e t h e t ow n b y s t e a l i n g s i g n s , g a t e s a n d f e n c e s H a l l ow e e n c e l e b r a t i o n s o f t e n f o c u s e d o n v a n d a l i s m a n d p r a n k s , l e a d i n g t o o c c a s i o n a l s t u d e n t s u s p e n s i o n s Pr e s i d e n t A n d r e w Di c k s o n W h i t e e v e n f e l t i t n e c e s s a r y t o g i v e a n a d d r e s s t o a l l s t ud e n t s o n t h e i s s u e i n O c t o b e r 1 8 8 4 : “ In r e g a rd t o a n y a t t e m p t t o m a k e y o u r s e l v e s i m m o r t a l o r f a m o u s b y s o m e c o l l e g e p r a n k , r e m e m b e r y o u a r e h e r e a s m e n a s l o n g a s y o u c o n s i d e r y o u r s e l v e s a s s u c h y o u w i l l b e s o c o n s i d e r e d ” So m e n o t a b l e H a l l ow e e n p r a n k s i n t h e e a r l y y e a r s i n c l u d e d m ov i n g t h e z o o l o g y p r o f e s s o r ’ s p e t b e a r f r o m t h e b a s e m e n t o f Mc Gr a w H a l l t o t h e Un i v e r s i t y c h a p e l , w h i c h w a s l o c a t e d o n t h e t h i rd f l o o r o f Mo r r i l l H a l l a t t h e t i m e T h e b e a r w a s t h e n r e p l a c e d w i t h a c ow i n i t s c a g e In 1 8 8 2 , s t u d e n t s d e s t r oy e d a w o o d e n b r i d g e ov e r a s m a l l r a v i n e o n t h e s o u t h s i d e o f c a m p u s , m a k i n g t h e t r e k t o c l a s s c h a l l e n g i n g In 1 9 2 7 , a f o o l i s h H a l l ow e e n p r a n k s t e r g r e a s e d t h e t r o l l e y t r a c k s , s e n d i n g a t r o l l e y c a r c a r e e n i n g f r o m C o l l e g e t ow n t o d ow n t ow n w h e r e i t c r a s h e d i n t o a n o t h e r t r o l l e y a n d i n j u r e d t h r e e p e o p l e T h e t w o m o s t f a m o u s H a l l ow e e n i n c i d e n t s i n C o r n e l l h i s t o r y h a v e b e c o m e p e r m an e n t p a r t s o f c a m p u s c u l t u r e O n H a l l ow e e n n i g h t i n 1 9 3 6 , t h e f o o t p r i n t s b e t w e e n t h e E z r a C o r n e l l a n d A D W h i t e s t a t u e s o n t h e A r t s Q u a d w e r e f i r s t p a i n t e d T h e

C o r n e l l A l u m n i Ne w s n o t e d t h e i n c i d e n t w i t h a m u s e m e n t , a d d i n g t h a t “ h ow t h e t w o g o t b a c k t o t h e i r p e d e s t a l s i s n o t r e v e a l e d ” T h e f o o t p r i n t s , w h i c h p u r p o r t e d l y i m m o r t a l i z e d a w e l l - k n ow n c a m p u s l e g e n d , h a v e b e e n r e p a i n t e d r e g u l a r l y e v e r s i n c e Mo r e r e c e n t l y, t h e i n f a m o u s c l o c k t ow e r p u m p k i n a p p e a r e d o n t h e t ow e r ’ s p e a k a f e w d a y s b e f o r e H a l l ow e e n i n O c t o b e r 1 9 9 7 , r e m a i n i n g t h e r e f o r m o n t h s o f s p e c u l a t i o n u n t i l t h e Un i v e r s i t y i n t e r v e n e d t o r e m ov e i t i n Ma r c h 1 9 9 8

Cu r r e n t H a l l ow e e n t r a d i t i o n s a r e a b i t m o r e b e n i g n t h a n t h e p r a n k s o f e a r l y y e a r s

Do n ’ t m i s s t h e o r a n g e j a c k - o - l a n t e r n g l ow c o m i n g f r o m t h e Mc Gr a w Tow e r c l o c k f a c e s a s y o u c l i m b a l l 1 6 1 s t e p s f o r t h e 5 0 t h a n n u a l H a l l ow e e n c o n c e r t n e x t Fr i d a y

St o p b y Sa g e C h a p e l o n T h u r s d a y f o r t h e a n n u a l H a l l ow e e n O r g a n E x t r a v a g a n z a , w h i c h w i l l a c c o m p a n y a s h ow i n g o f t h e 1 9 2 0 s i l e n t h o r r o r f i l m , T h e C a b i n e t o f D r

C a l i g a r i O r v i s i t R i s l e y H a l l t o m o r r ow f o r t h e a n n u a l Ma s q u e R AV E

Q : W h a t’s t h e b e s t C o r n e l l g h o s t s t o r y ?

C o l l e g e t ow n Gh o u l ’ 1 5

A : T h i s c o l u m n a d d r e s s e d a f e w p o p u l a r c a m p u s g h o s t s l a s t y e a r, b u t w e l e f t o u t p e r h a p s t h e m o s t f a m o u s o f t h e l o c a l a p p a r i t i o n s : E d w a rd H R u l l o f f He’s e v e n m o r e r e l e v a n t n o w, g i v e n t h a t h i s n a m e s a k e b a r a n d r e s t a u r a n t h a s n o w p a s s e d i n t o t h e a f t e r l i f e a s w e l l ( m a y i t r e s t i n p e a c e ) T h e s t o r y o f “ r o g u e s c h o l a r ” R u l l o f f h a s b e e n t o l d m a n y t i m e s A t a l e n t e d l o c a l l i n g u i s t a n d p h i l o l o g i s t , R u l l o f f w a s a c c u s e d o f a v a r i e t y o f c r i m e s , i n c l u d i n g t h e m u rd e r o f h i s w i f e a n d c h i l d A f t e r a n u m b e r o f b r i e f p r i s o n s e n t e n c e s , h e e v e n t u a l l y w a s s e n t e n c e d t o d e a t h f o r m u rd e r i n g a B i n g h a m t o n s h o p k e e p e r, l e a d i n g t o h i s e x e c u t i o n i n 1 8 7 1 i n t h e l a s t p u b l i c h a n g i n g i n Ne w Yo r k I n h i s l a s t n e w s p a p e r i n t e r v i e w, R u l l o f f c r e a t e d t h e g h o s t l y l e g e n d t h a t h a s l a s t e d t o t h i s d a y : “ Yo u c a n n o t k i l l a n u n q u i e t s p i r i t , a n d I k n o w t h a t m y i m p e n d i n g d e a t h w i l l n o t m e a n t h e e n d o f R u l l o f f I n t h e d e a d o f n i g h t , w a l k i n g a l o n g C a y u g a St r e e t , y o u w i l l s e n s e m y p r e s e n c e W h e n y o u w a k e t o a s u d d e n c h i l l , I w i l l b e i n t h e r o o m A n d w h e n y o u f i n d y o u r s e l f a l o n e a t t h e l a k e s h o r e , g a z i n g a t g r a y C a y u g a , k n o w t h a t I w a s c u t s h o r t a n d y o u r a n c e s t o r s k i l l e d m e ” B o t h R u l l o f f a n d h i s a l l e g e d l y m u rd e r e d w i f e a r e r u m o r e d

Alec Stranahan | What’s Up, Doc?

Keeping Tabs

On our Biometrics

Personal fitness trackers love them or hate them, they are popping up ever ywhere From wearables on the wrist, to belt clips, to sensors embedded in our cellphones, it seems that electronics increasingly want to know us at a more intimate level While this allows for an unprecedented amount of information about our movements, vitals and sleep patterns, it is unclear how this information will actually affect our daily lives In this column, I will take a look at the technologies currently available and weigh the pros and cons of the quantified self

Fitness tracking devices can be roughly segregated into two categories: 1) Clips and wristbands that track the users steps, distance, altitude and sleep cycle and 2) Smartwatches that track activity plus synchronize with the user ’ s phone to glean additional information such as emails, phone calls and make payments As a whole, adoption rates of personal fitness trackers have grown by nearly 500 percent in the past year This constitutes 3 3 million devices sold between April 2013 and March 2014, with revenues from fitness trackers expected to exceed $1 billion by the end of 2014 This may sound impressive, but compared to other portable devices such as smartphones this number is quite small For example Motorola, which holds only four percent of the U S smartphone market, sold 4 8 million handsets for the year This means out of all the people you know who have a Motorola device, there are even fewer who have a personal fitness tracker Regardless, the fitness tracker market is growing and will only continue to expand as new devices hit the market

The leading line of fitness clips and wristbands is Fitbit (accounting for 67 percent of sales), with Jawbone (18 percent) and Nike (11 percent) a distant second and third Market shares are expected to shift as larger companies like Apple enter the ring with their respective smartwatches, which may offer added value to consumers Indeed, a study conducted by the Consumer Electronics Association indicates that the largest barrier for adoption of fitness trackers is questioning the need to continuously monitor one ’ s activity, a fear that could be alleviated by compounding fitness tracking with many of the other functions offered by smartwatches

So this brings us to the main question: Why should we monitor our activity in the first place? Let’s face it, most of us would like to exercise more than we currently do Fitness trackers provide motivation through quantifying and displaying exercise trends, as well as setting milestones and making sure they are reached Want to lose five pounds? Your fitness tracker can track your weight and offer suggestions in terms of calorie intake and exercise duration to help you reach your goal Fitbit will even send notifications as cumulative distances such as 3,000 miles (distance to run across America) are reached Competitions can also be set up amongst friends It is small reinforcements like this that can insure New Year’s resolutions are fulfilled Beyond exercise, fitness trackers also monitor sleep quality and resting heart rate However, this is just about the extent of their usefulness currently

There are other features on the horizon, though In a pilot study completed at Stanford University, pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes tracked their blood sugar using Apple HealthKit, which was then sent directly to their physicians for monitoring Their physician could then analyze blood sugar trends and the frequency of hypoglycemia to make decisions on how to better inter vene to maintain blood sugar levels Physicians then had the ability to communicate their assessments to patients directly through the app By streamlining blood glucose monitoring and patient-physician interaction, several hurdles that adversely affect patient quality of life are overcome If innovations like this are any indication, it may not be long before fitness trackers move from a purely recreational device into the healthcare space

Yet the potential for third party access raises a range of privacy concerns

Currently, any data gathered by fitness trackers is stored on that company ’ s ser vers This means your name, height, weight, times you exercise and how long you sleep are not as private as you may think Reassuringly, Apple restricts all apps that share information with HealthKit from selling any health information or utilizing health data for purposes other than providing health and fitness ser vices Fitbit states that they will never sell data that could be linked back to the user However this does not exclude selling de-identified or aggregated data such as trends for marketing and promotional use This also does not restrict fitness trackers from adding ‘ ser vices’ in the future based on personal information For example, suggesting places to rehydrate during your daily run It is also not a stretch to imagine activity, weight and sleep quality being adapted for personalized product suggestions as well It remains to be seen whether this kind of advertising will be regarded as useful or invasive

In an age of big data, it seems natural that technology would progress to quantifying our biometrics as well However, the devices currently available only offer a superficial glimpse into our activity As additional sensors are added, such as blood pressure and glucose monitors, the utility of fitness trackers will undoubtedly increase This, combined with physician access, will take fitness trackers from novelty into the realm of preventative medicine Moving for ward, it will be important to insure that the biometric data being gathered is kept private and only used in ways that will positively affect the wearer We live in a time of unprecedented access to information about ourselves as well as the world around us Fitness trackers add another layer of depth to this equation, but still have a long way to go

Web

W(

hen I was 16 years old, I read Richard Pr e s t o n ’ s T h e Ho t Zone in one day straight I

ously in awe and terrified, and there are passages from that book that have stuck with me to this day The Hot Zone is about the origins of the Ebola virus, and ever y time I read about Ebola in the news these days I feel a little bit of a chill down my spine A large part of me was reluctant to contribute to the media hype I find it a little disheartening that the U S media is focus-

f people in West Africa during t h

c u r r e n

u t b r e a k o n l y because it has finally entered the United States That being said, I think

t h e re ’ s a l s o a lot of con-

f l i c t i n g i n f o r m at i o n o u t there about Eb o l a a n d

d

Alum

Re: “In Response to Skorton Column, GPSA Discusses University’s Effect on Free Speech,” News, published October 21, 2014

Ebola and Pets 101

that dogs play a role in disease transmission The presence of antibodies just means that the d o g s w e r e e x p o s e d t o t h e virus, it does not mean that the virus itself was able to actively replicate in the dog

So far, there have been no reports of dogs or cats becoming sick from the virus and no pieces of the virus itself (viral antigen or DNA) have been isolated from dogs or cats

To r e v i e w b a s i c d i s e a s e t r a n s m i s s i o n Eb o l a i s transmitted by direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids ( o r o b j e c t s t h a t h a ve b e e n contaminated by these substances) of an infected person t o t h e m u c o u s m e m b r a n e s (eyes, nose, mouth, etc ) of an uninfected person In Africa, there have been reports of it

I hope that I haven’t lost you in the technicalities yet, but I think that the highly technical nature of this explanation is the reason why there’s so much confusion about it in the media

n t ’ s ) s t a n d p o i n t w i t h y o u , g a t h e r e d f r o m research and discussion with professors

Re c e n t l y i n Sp a i n , t h e

r e g i o n a l g ov e r n m e n t o f Madrid euthanized a dog that belonged to a woman affected with the Ebola virus, which

r a i s e d a h o s t o f q u e s t i o n s about dogs and their ability to contract and spread the virus

Many news sources reference a paper that was published in 2005 that documented that dogs in Gabon, Africa, had circulating antibodies to the virus during an Ebola outbreak, and suggested that they could possibly play a role in

t r a n s m i s s i o n o f d i s e a s e

However, these dogs were not documented to have shown symptoms of illness and also

s i n c e t h a t t i m e t h e re h a v e been several additional Ebola outbreaks with no evidence

also being transmitted by people handling infected “bush meat, ” contact with infected fruit bats (bats in the United States have not been shown to be associated with the disease) and contact with infected primates (monkeys and apes)

The dogs that were documented as having antibodies to Ebola probably developed them after eating the infected meat of non-human primates, infected fruit bats or human bodily fluids Again, the presence of antibodies only indic a t e s t h a t t h e d o g s w e r e exposed to the disease at some p o i n t , n o t t h a t t h e y w e r e a c t i v e l y i n f e c t e d b y i t In o rd e r t o u s e a n t i b o d i e s t o show that the dogs were actua l l y i n f e c t e d , t w o s a m p l e s would have to be taken roughly two to three weeks apart, and a significant increase in

antibody titer (or number) in the second sample or presence o f a n t i b o d y i n t h e s e c o n d sample with absence of antibody in the first sample would have to be documented to my knowledge a study like this has not been conducted I hope I haven’t lost you in the technicalities yet, but I think that the highly technical nature of this explanation is t h e r e a s o n w h y t h e r e ’ s s o much confusion about it in the media In summar y, dogs a n d c a t s ( a n d m a n y o t h e r d o m e s t i c s p e c i e s w i t h t h e exception of pigs) are currentl y t h o u g h t t o n o t b e c o m e infected with the Ebola virus, a l t h o u g h t h e y c a n d e v e l o p antibodies after being exposed to it This means that we do not think that they can directly transmit the disease themselves The proper protocol if a pet were t o b e exposed to t

y fluids of

way they would be exposed to the virus in the United States) would be to contact local public health officials and veterinarians who would be able to devise a plan to quarantine a n d m o n i t o r t h e a n i m a l i f they decided it was necessar y T h e re a re n o c o m m e rc i a l

available “Ebola tests, ” so the involvement of professionals is essential Clearly, there is still a lot that is not known about the disease and its transmission if you ’ re interested in updates about Ebola and pets I would recommend referencing the CDC’s website

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

What’s in a War Movie?

BY JESSE WEISSMAN Sun Staff Writer

In Fury, Brad Pitt once again plays a Nazi-killing macho man whose self-confidence is his defining trait However, unlike in Inglourious Basterds, the deaths in this film aren ’ t for laughs or cinematic revisionism They’re to show war at its most base and horrifying sense: innards, intestines, heads vaporized by tank fire What is perhaps best about Fury is its serious attention to detail when it comes to these grisly matters We hear the whirring as turrets turn; we feel and see the absolute grayness of the war-torn German countryside A particularly haunting image is when Pitt’s tank rolls over a body that has clearly been rolled over so many times that it basically has been flattened into the mud The film also goes beyond just a depiction of general war, for its tank scenes feel wonderfully specific and give the viewer the intense feelings of claustrophobia and camaraderie that come from being in these compact, beautiful killing machines

The main plot of the film follows Pitt’s character, Don Collier (nicknamed “Wardaddy”), as he leads a tank crew into the last American advance through Nazi Germany It is often mentioned that the Americans are clearly going to win, but that Hitler out of desperation has waged total war, refusing to surrender and using every last woman and child to fight an already-lost war When the gunner dies at the beginning of the film, the innocent Norman (Logan Lerman) who has just been transferred from being a typist, is the gunner ’ s replacement Lerman’s character, and his moral (de)evolution as Pitt brutalizes him and teaches him how to wage war, is certainly clichéd And the various characters in the crew are clichéd as well: Shia LaBeouf is a Bible-quoting enigma; Jon Bernthal is a pure brute, etc But the film is very effective at extracting mindfulness from these seemingly mindless scenes or characters When the Americans capture a German who surrenders and pleads for them not to kill him because he has a family, and Collier forces Norman to shoot the man, we know we ’ ve seen this before But its uncompromising real-

ness, and refusal to adopt the air of “isn’t this just awful,” makes the scene extremely effective

Perhaps the most interesting scene in the film, and the one that least conventionally belongs to a “ war movie,” occurs in the middle when the American battalion takes over a small German town Pitt and Lerman’s characters barge into an apartment where two women are hiding They ask that food be made for them and Norman flirts with the younger, pretty one The possibility of sexual assault permeates the air, and while we know Norman’s reluctance to harm, it is much less clear for Collier The scene excellently portrays the immense power men have over women in these situations When the other drunken soldiers barge in, and make the scene more threatening, we feel the tension between civilization and savagery

Fury

Directed by David Ayer

Starring Brad Pitt, Logan Lerman, Shia LaBeouf

But even this is a simplistic reading of the scene The ease of being brutal in these scenarios is tempting, especially for soldiers who have been going through years of hell And both the soldiers and women here are victims of larger forces But it doesn ’ t change that one side has the power, and there is a correct choice to be made

As you can probably tell, I really liked Fury, which makes the finale of the film more disappointing than it would have been if the previous stuff hadn’t been so good Without giving much away, the film ends in a “last stand” type battle, with the crew fighting an entire S S battalion from inside their broken down tank While this choice is not inherently indefensible, the logic behind it is The film before this moment had given an ultra-realistic (or at least certainly uncompromising, I know nothing about what war is like) and thoughtful depiction of war But it throws it all away so there can be a big moment where the sol-

diers decide to stay and fight the Germans, as if they’re a sports team massively down in a game but is going to keep trying anyway for glory

Moreover, all the innovative filmmaking used for the battle scenes is also lost (a scene where the tank takes on a German Tiger task is the battle highlight of the film) Gone are the shots where we follow the churning of the threading of the truck’s tires and the shots where we see the gunners ’ extremely limited POV perspectives Now we ’ re treated to the crew just firing machine guns like Rambo

However, the last scene doesn’t negate Fury’ s overall excellence Nothing new will be learned from seeing this film; you already know that war sucks in your brain But Fury hits you in your gut and soul

Jesse Weissman is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences He can be reached at jweissman@cornellsun com

Lonely Planet at Kitchen Theatre

BY ANNA BRENNER Sun Staff Writer

Ask any Cornell student to namedrop a show about AIDS in the ’90s, and the first one that probably comes to mind is RENT, or perhaps Angels in America or, if they’re theatrically inclined (or just really into HBO movies), then they might even mention Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart But Steven Dietz’s Lonely Planet? Probably not so much at least, not within the 18-22 year-old demographic Which begs the question: Why?

While the AIDS epidemic is far from over a 2011 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that over 1,155,792 people in the United States alone have been diagnosed with AIDS, and, in 2012, the World Health Organization found that there are approximately 35 3 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide it does, somehow, seem to feel like a thing of the past After all, the real “crisis” part of the AIDS crisis when nobody knew what this mysterious disease was, or how to prevent or mitigate it happened in the ’80s and ’90s, either just before, or right at the same time as, most of us college students were born And, of course, since we ’ re all lucky enough to be attending an Ivy League university, it is unlikely that many of us have any firsthand, or even secondhand, experience with HIV/AIDS

and Director Rachel Lampert, who is also the Kitchen’s Artistic Director, lived through the crisis’ worst years and lost friends to the disease herself But I wondered if and, in fact, hoped that the play would provide some insight to the people who weren ’ t around so as to not only have a better understanding of what happened in the past, but also to connect Jody and Carl s struggles to those suffering from AIDS right now, in the present day

So why would the Kitchen Theatre choose to produce Lonely Planet, an existentialist AIDS drama heavily influenced by Ianesco’s The Chairs which follows two gay men in an unspecified American city as they attempt to cope with the epidemic and memorialize their friends who have succumbed to the disease by taking in chairs owned by all who passed away? Granted, Ithaca’s theatre-going demographic is a bit older at least half of the people in the audience seemed to be over the age of 50 (although that might be attributed to the fact that I saw a Sunday matinee)

And the production did sort of Both Jody (Nat DeWolf ) and Carl (Karl Gregory) are clearly affected by the crisis, but they respond in different ways: Jody, by attempting to avoid the epidemic by shutting himself into his map store; Carl, by attempting to immortalize those lost in the epidemic by continuously bringing chairs into the map store So although Carl is still sheltering himself from the disease by seeking refuge in the store, he at least chooses to confront the reality of the deaths While it was interesting to watch a play so predicated on two different people’s reactions to crisis, and how those different reactions affect their conversations about themselves and the world around them a concept made tangible by the abundance of maps of varying sizes, shapes, and styles hung on the metal pipes representing the walls of the store in Kent Goetz’s gorgeous set and I did get a sense of the emotional and psychological toll it must ’ ve taken on people, I couldn ’ t fully grasp why the play was relevant right here, in Ithaca, New York, right now, in 2014 The production seemed firmly rooted in the early ’90s, from Jody’s oldschool cash register, to Carl’s ’90s jeans-and-jean-shirt outfit This, in and of itself, is not a problem; The Normal Heart, for example, is entirely rooted in history and in the exploration and presentation of events surrounding the AIDS crisis and movement for protection and, ideally, a cure But, somehow, I still found myself questioning what the point of the piece was that is, beyond an illustration of the sense of helplessness and desire to escape during the crisis

This feeling that the piece lacked a “point,” or desired end goal

can be attributed to the fact that there was little interpersonal conflict written into the script Sure, Lonely Planet presents conflict in the sense of Man vs Society (Jody and Carl are fighting against the AIDS epidemic), as well as Man vs Himself (they feel the need to both escape from and cope with disaster), but almost no tension between one man and the other, which made the play prone to long, rambling discussions about the meaning of life, particularly in Act I, stagnating the little plot that actually existed (pretty much the only thing of note that actually happens when Jody finds a chair in his shop at top of show) Act II fared better, with a much-needed dose of action occurring in Carl’s attempt to get Jody to leave the store and go get tested While there is nothing inherently wrong about writing a play that is heavily based on the discussions between characters, I did wonder if there was a directorial way to make those conversations more active, rather than a wash of dialogue

Which brings me to the acting and direction While Gregory and DeWolf both seemed to inhabit their characters with honesty, I never really felt a sense of their friendship just how close they are, how much they mean to one another until Act II, which could, in part, also explain the dialogue’s seeming pointlessness And, although, again, part of the distance in their relationship can be attributed to the script Carl seems to come out of nowhere as this odd, charismatic man who’s stuck a chair in Jody’s store, rather than as one of Jody’s best friends the issue also appeared to be one of chemistry Since the play is so based on dialogue and character, and is so bereft of much in the way of a traditional plot, it truly is up to the actors and the director to create an interesting, believable relationship that makes the audience invest in their banter, and, thus, in the show itself

Ultimately, although the Kitchen’s production of Lonely Planet did provide me with a better sense of the AIDS crisis and the response within the gay community, I left the show feeling like I had seen something interesting, but not particularly emotionally evocative and it is precisely that emotional evocativeness that makes audiences love shows such as RENT, Angels in America, and even The Normal Heart, thereby allowing them to continue to be relevant 20 years after the heat of the crisis In that respect, Lonely Planet was a lot of talk, and almost no action

Anna Brenner is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences She can be reached at abrenner@cornellsun com

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Cornell’s Defense First in the League

M SOCCER

Continued from page 16

generate chances through its tight defense Senior goalkeeper Zach Zagorski has maintained a clean sheet in nine games so far this year, which is a new Cornell program record He has high praise for the defensive unit with whom he is working

“These are team records we are setting The back line has come together so well this season and its been great to see them be so effective up to this point,” Zagorski said

Zagorski also noted that the entire Cornell squad deserves credit for its ability to keep constant pressure on its opponents

“We play good team defense From the forwards on back, we try to keep constant pressure on our opponents, and it’s been great to play with such a solid back line,” he said

Despite having the second highest overall winning percentage in the league, the Red still sit in seventh place After beating Yale, the squad has built its confidence heading into Saturday It will look to return from Providence with a victory, hopefully carrying that momentum throughout the remainder of the Ivy League season

Amir Patel can be reached at ap644@cornell edu

A+’s for the Athletes

Continued from page 16

where only a single paper was required, and it usually received an A or B According to the report and The Times, “ counselors in the Academic Support Pro g r a m f o r St u d e n t At h l e t e s explicitly told [the two employees] what grades students needed to ‘remain academically or athletically eligible ’” An email from the academic counselor for the w o m e n ’ s b a s k e t b a l l t e a m t o Deborah Crowder one of the employees in question read: “Yes, a D will be fine; that’s all she needs Thanks for whatever you can do ” The story is dripping w i t h i ro n y c o u n s e l o r, Ja n Boxill, is currently the director of the UNC’s Parr Center for Ethics Nor th Carolina is cer tainly not the only school involved in t h i s k i n d o f s h a d y b u s i n e s s Schools across the country have subtle ways of helping their athletes get by, even through classes with a stigma of being perennially easy (take a class that has garnered the infamous name “Rocks for Jo c k s ” a s a n e x a m p l e ) T h i s doesn’t seem to be the problem, though Ever y college student looks for a shortcut at some point in their four years; this isn’t just limited to student-athletes A premed student forced to take a humanities course tends to look for an easy one An English major forced to take a science class might find him or herself in “Rocks for Jocks” as well

A l i n e n e e d s t o b e d r a w n s o m e w h e re , t h o u g h , a n d t h a t starts in the relationships between an academic counselor and a professor (or in the UNC case, an administrator) Once a studenta t h l e t e ’ s a c a d e m i c c o u n s e l o r begins contacting a professor or a d m i n i s t r a t o r, s o m e t h i n g h a s gone wrong There should be no i n t e rc h a n g e b e t we e n t h e t w o , because their jobs are inherently separate These counselors should be helping student-athletes pick classes They should be helping them to manage their schedules T h e y s h o u l d b e t e l l i n g t h e m when it’s necessary to go speak with their professors And professors as most do should have enough integrity in the subject they are teaching not to entertain

the idea of an academic counselor meddling in the progress of one of their students

Mu c h l i k e C o r n e l l , No r t h Carolina is a university of high a

l’s football coach, a former player w h o g r a d u a t e d i n 2 0 0 5

d worked for Teach For America after college, has stressed from his first press conferences that the student in student-athlete comes first The Sun’s sports section featured last year ’ s men ’ s track and field captains, all of them engineers Two female runners were n a m e d Ma r

spring Many of our teams boast collective GPAs well above 3 0

Though there are most certainly exceptions to this, it seems like our athletic program is cultivating the right atmosphere in which s

h l e t e s c a n a n d a re expected to thrive academically

So what is preventing UNC, also a prestigious university, from doing the same? UNC and some of its counterparts like Duke, No t re Da m e a n d Wi s c o n s i n , despite being strong academic schools, are still factories for players trying to make it professionally These athletic programs generate important revenue for the school, so if athletes can ’ t keep up academically to remain eligible, that revenue takes a hit

With a school like UNC, that for years has been a contender for that championship, it’s inevitable that the team will gather a cultish following from both students and administrators Crowder was an avid UNC basketball fan and, according to CNN, “she would sometimes miss work after a loss ” Clearly the line between fan and administrator was blurred for Ms Crowder This sort of intermingling becomes possible at universities where athletics transcend simple school spirit and border on an obsessive drive to be the best

Maybe when the NCAA figures out how collegiate athletes o n t h e b r i n k o f p ro

o n a l careers fit into an actual college setting, schools like UNC can put the student back in student-athlete

Scott Chiusano is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences He can be reached at sportseditor@cornellsun com Who’s on First appears alternate Fridays this semester

Spor ts

Red Hopes to Snag Second Ivy Win

By AMIR PATEL Sun Staff Writer

After securing a well fought-for victor y against Yale this past week, Cornell (8-4-1) looks to move back into league contention this Saturday with a midseason showdown at Brown (3-4-5) The win against Yale was the Red’s first in the Ivy League

T h e g a m e w i n n e r a g a i n s t Ya l e came, once again, at the foot of Conor Goepel, who now has six goals so far this season The Red played a technically sound game, with players in constant motion and the ball moving flu-

idly around the field This allowed the team to generate chances throughout the game, including one from freshman Jonathan Cullom that resulted in a one-on-one oppor tunity with the goalie in the 38th minute Cullom’s s h o t w a s s a ve d by Ya l e g o

k e e p e r Blake Brown, but it was yet another example of a strong transition play generated by the Red defense The sequence was star ted by a long pass from senior defender Peter Chodas, who has played a pivotal role on both defense and offense for the Red this season Chodas, who also leads the team in

assists and is second only to Goepel in shots, has proven to be an all-around asset to the Red His ability to be successful on each side of the field gives the Red yet another playmaker to rely on However, at his core, Chodas is still a defender, and has praise for the Red’s over all defensive ability

“Defense is a crucial part of our game As a team, we do a great job of condensing the field and maintaining pressure We have also been able to gene

chances off of turnovers, ” he said Saturday’s showdown in Providence will be a matchup of the Ivy League’s two top defensive units The Red leads the league in both goals allowed (six) and shutouts (nine) Brown remains in second in both categories, with 13 goals a

Furthermore, both teams sit in the middle of the pack for the league when it comes to offensive production

Despite a lack of top tier offensive ability, Brown still fields an energetic team, with freshman defender Louis Zingas Last week, the newcomer was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week, helping the Bears secure double

Boston College Along with Zingas, junior Jack Gorab has registered a point in four straight games for the Bears, who haven’t won since the game against Columbia during the first week of the league season

The Red is looking to continue to play tough soccer on the back line and

Student Or Athlete?

he University of North Carolina is in

Ne w Yo rk Times reported on Wednesday that “ two employees in the university’s AfroAmerican studies department presided over what was essentially a ‘shadow curriculum’ designed to help struggling students many of them Tar Heel athletes stay afloat ”

These accusations originally sur faced three years ago, but the report that came out on Wednesday gave detailed information about the scandal, including the fact that this was all happening from 1993-2011 without anyone doing anything about it The NCAA initially decided that the scandal was far removed from the athletics program, but it has now “reopened an investigation into the matter, ” according to the Times

Essentially, the two employees involved created fake classes designed to help struggling athletes get by They were widely acknowledged on campus as “ paper classes,”