INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 140, No. 14
8 Pages – Free
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2023 n ITHACA, NEW YORK
News
Dining
Science
Weather
Discrimination Compensation
Foodie Fuel
Digital Viticulture
Cloudy
Maia Mehring '27 explores what Cornellians have to say about controversial foods.
USDA program aims to distribute $2.2 billion to minority farmers in New York State. | Page 3
Cornell Lab uses rovers to inspect grapevines for disease using imaging spectroscopy.
| Page 5
HIGH: 77º LOW: 59º
| Page 8
Mayor's Budget Proposal Requires Cornell Contribution By JONATHAN MONG Sun News Editor
Mayor Laura Lewis’s (D) $101,058,360 budget proposal for 2024 featured no layoffs and full funding for all new and vacant positions requested by the city government’s departments. Lewis, however, stressed that the budget would have to be reworked should the Common Council fail to pass the memorandum of understanding between Ithaca and Cornell on Wednesday, Oct. 11, in which Cornell agreed to pay $4.08 million to the city in lieu of property
taxes. “We had to build a budget and, as has been pointed out, it is not responsible to wait until we are in the first quarter of our next budget year, January, to build the budget,” Lewis said. “We must build a 2024 budget now and I fully understand and recognize that Council will be voting on the [memorandum of understanding] next week, but it is important for Council to see the impact of that voluntary contribution.” Property taxes will make up 43.1 percent of this revenue. The current tax rate, which sits at 11.98
percent, will not change. The tax levy will increase by five percent from 9.74 percent in 2023, while the 2024 tax cap is 2.2 percent. This means that an owner of a property at the median value in Ithaca — $302,000 — would owe $3,295 in taxes. The total revenue is projected to equal $30,690,864. Of the property within the city, 56.94 percent — 79 percent of which Cornell owns — is tax-exempt. This is a decrease from 2023, when 57.3 percent of property in the city was tax-exempt. See BUDGET page 3
JONATHAN MONG / SUN NEWS EDITOR
Budget | Mayor Laura Lewis (D) presented the 2024 budget proposal for the City of Ithaca, which requires $4 million in PILOT contributions from the University.
"Dog Meat" Startles Students McGraw Residents Satirical pro-veganism event yields mixed student reactions By ANTHONY NAGLE Sun Contributor
Elwood’s Organic Dog Meat, a satirical brand created by vegan Molly Elwood to spread awareness about veganism, arrived on campus on Monday Oct. 2 — where they stressed their believed hypocrisy of meat-eating and virtues of veganism to students passing by the entrance of Willard Straight Hall. Elwood’s does not sell dog meat nor other products of any kind. The satirical brand made it a point to challenge many students’ views on veganism and the consumption of animals by using dog meat, a sensitive topic, as a vocal point for discussion on these topics. Monday’s event was sponsored by Allied Scholars for Animal Protection, an organization that aims to produce student activists for animal protection.
“I like to take the joke as far as I possibly can,” said Natalie Fulton — a YouTuber and animal rights activist who participated in the event — in an interview with The Sun. “Because one thing we’ve realized is that people don’t change unless they’re a little uncomfortable.” The Frequently Asked Questions page on Elwood’s website states its concept is not meant to evoke or be connected with a specific country — despite the consumption of dog meat being a documented pejorative stereotype for East and Southeast Asians, particularly for Chinese and Koreans. The brand claims that the goal is to correct what they believe to be hypocritical actions by those who justify eating animals but still believe in animal rights. See VEGAN page 4
JULIA NAGEL / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
All bark, no bite? | Animal protection activists from the satirical brand Elwood's Organic Dog Meat tabled on Ho Plaza Monday, conversing with students about views on veganism and the consumption of animals.
Voice Security, Pest, Hygiene Concerns By SOFIA PRINCIPE Sun Staff Writer
Off the beaten path of West Campus’s charming residence halls sits the neglected fraternity house-turned residence hall of McGraw Place. Located on Southwest Campus, 109 McGraw Place is the former house of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, whose recognition was revoked by the University in 2019, and now houses students who most likely had bad housing timeslots or pure bad luck. 122 and 118 McGraw Place were also residence halls until this fall, when they reverted back into fraternity houses for Sigma Alpha Epsilon — which returned to Cornell last year after a decadelong suspension — and Phi Gamma Delta — of which the University withdrew recognition for two years, starting in 2020 — respectively. Former and current residents across all McGraw halls said they have experienced a lack of communication, care and responsiveness to security and infrastructure issues. Marco Xerri ’26, a current resident of 109 McGraw Place, chose to live in McGraw as a last resort when his poor housing time slot left few options for his suite. According to Xerri, he has experienced troubling encounters with non-Cornell students around the McGraws.
“There are sometimes homeless people walking past my window, and one of them waved to me,” Xerri said. McGraw 109 Place houses the Cornell Food Pantry, which is open to all undergraduate and graduate students, as well as Cornell staff and faculty. Xerri expressed belief that a food pantry has no place in a resident hall, because it poses potential security threats. “I feel like you shouldn't have a food pantry in the same spot
“I don't think they are fit to be residence halls.” Marco Xerri '26
that you have a dorm,” Xerri said. “When it is open, there is usually a line outside the door, and I’ve heard of people trying to get in [to the residence hall].” Joe Siguencia ’26, a current resident of 109 McGraw Place, has also observed homeless people loitering around the residence hall and attempting to enter the building. See McGRAW page 4