11 11 15 entire issue hi res

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

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By ZACHARY SILVER Sun Staff Writer

Twelve students from Black Students United a student-run umbrella organization representing the interests of black Cornellians entered President Elizabeth Garrett’s office Tuesday to submit a letter outlining demands for the University to divest its endowment from interests based in prisons and mass incarceration

The letter launches the group ’ s public campaign to fight Cornell’s involvement with organizations related to the “violence of the prison industry and mass incarceration,” according to BSU

“Black students at Cornell and those on campuses across the world have a history of holding their universities accountable,” said Amber Aspinall ’17, political action chair of BSU “We will continue that tradition ”

In their letter, BSU outlined four major demands of the University They insist that the University cease investments in companies that include Corrections Corporation of America, GEO Group Inc and G4S USA Secure Solution; no longer use the G4S security system in the Herbert F Johnson Museum of Art; issue an official University statement on Cornell’s involvement with the private prison

“We very cordially invite President Garrett ... to help build this very important dialogue on campus regarding the private prison industry and the prison industrial complex ”

Taking action | Cornell’s Black Students United kicks off its movement for divestment from prison and mass incarceration-affiliated companies by dropping off a letter in President Elizabeth Garrett’s office yesterday

industry and grant organizers a meeting with the University’s Investment Committee

“We very cordially invite President Garrett, as well as the rest of the administration and any interested trustees to help build this very important dialogue on campus regarding the private prison industry and the prison industrial complex,” said Robert Johnson ’17, a BSU political action member

Highlighting Cornell’s prior involvement with apartheid South Africa and JanSport, the letter stated concerns that Cornell’s decision to invest in organizations related to pris-

IFC, Panhellenic Assoc. Elect New Leadership

By JENNA RUDOLFSKY Sun Staff Writer

The Panhellenic Association and the Interfraternity Council both chose new presidents in the past week, electing Natasha Wissmann ’17 and Blake Brown ’17 to helm their respective organizations Within the next week, the Multicultural Greek Letter Council will also conduct elections to choose their new executive board

Both Wissmann, of Sigma Delta Tau, and Brown, of Sigma Chi, ran on platforms to improve Greek life and to address sensitive issues within the community

spread out, it can lead to really dangerous situations ” Wissmann also said she plans on addressing sexual assault, as “it plays a role on every college campus, ” and diversity among Greek life

“ There are certain things I noticed from being president [of Sigma Delta Tau],” Wissmann said “Late night transportation is particularly horrendous The buses don’t go where they should, and because Greek life is so

As president of IFC, Brown said he plans to manage and implement the new policies he campaigned on

“During my time as President, I plan to focus on initiatives related to reducing negative stigmas about Greek life, making fraternities more inclusive and reforming judicial and recruitment policies to promote chapter success, safety and autonomy, ” Brown said

Candidates for both the Panhellenic Council and the MGLC are slated by members from each chapter, usually a president To complete the slating process, committees from each organization

ons and mass incarceration creates discomfort for students

“What we want to know and what many students, faculty and community members want to know is where our policymakers stand on this issue and what common ground we can find to ensure that Cornell’s relationship with the criminal justice system is one that truly reflects the values and spirit of this University,” Johnson said

The BSU movement at Cornell was inspired by a similar

Grant: New Role a‘Work in Progress’

Former J.A. Mary Beth Grant takes new position amidst controversy

By ANDREW LORD Sun Staff Writer

Nearly three months ago, Mary Beth Grant Cornell’s former Judicial Administrator assumed a new position as

community support, following criticism from student leaders last spring about the creation of

itself

In Ma

Assembly passed a resolution that opposed the creation of the new position, heeding to the concerns of students about the way it was being funded

“Time and time again we were told that the University has no money to give more support for the resource centers, and here they are creating a high paid position that would simply add to the bureaucracy,” said Karen Li ’15, former director of advocacy for the Cornell Pacific Islander Student Union, in March Grant who now oversees student organizations, resource centers and community engage-

Familiar face | Mary Beth Grant recently assumed the controversial role of senior dean of students for inclusion, engagement and community support

ment initiatives said she understood the concerns about the position when its creation was first announced

“I wanted to better understand the concerns about the position even before I was interviewed ” Grant said “I went to an S A meeting where students were talking about their concerns and I met with at least one student ” At one point, Grant said she c o n s i d e re d w i t h d r a w i n g

application because she shared the concerns that were raised by many students However, realiz-

ing the position would be filled regardless of whether she was a candidate, Grant said she knew she would be the candidate best e q u i p p e d t o s e r ve t h e University

“I thought, ‘well, if it’s going to be filled, it should be filled with me, ’” Grant said

Addressing the funding concerns Li raised, Grant said the University created the position

would spearhead three distinct campus initiatives, in order to

weather FORECAST

News of the

Man Chains Himself to Slide

CANDIA, N H (AP) The owner of a New Hampshire waterpark facing foreclosure has chained himself to the top of a slide tower and is hoping for a financial miracle

Kevin Dumont says on his Facebook page he’s not looking for a handout, just someone to help him prevent a Dec 2 auction of Liquid Planet in Candia He promises to stay atop the tower 24/7 and says it’s a “last ditch” effort to save the small business he created

Two 40-foot slides at the park were shuttered in August when regulators found high levels of bacteria and said Dumont opened the attractions without a required review In another Facebook post he thanks friends for pizza, beer and company and asks if anyone knows how to contact presidential candidates who’ve been blanketing the state

Alligator Removed From Shopping Center

SUGAR LAND, Texas (AP) An alligator dubbed Godzilla who tips the scales at more than 800 pounds is being taken to a gator reserve to live out its days, after being found wandering outside a Houston-area shopping center

Godzilla was discovered Saturday by people arriving for work at the center in Sugar Land It’s believed he wandered over to the plaza from a nearby creek

Christy Kroboth is licensed by the state as a “nuisance alligator trapper ” She was called to help subdue Godzilla and cart him away

She says once he was muzzled and restrained, a forklift was borrowed from Home Depot to load him onto a truck

Talk Focuses on Obama Foreign Policy

By BRIAN ENG Sun Staff Writer

Ne w York Times national security correspondent Prof David Sanger, government, Har vard University, discussed how President Barack Obama’s “light footp r i n

n

spurred unchecked cyber warfare in the Middle East at a talk in Uris Hall Tuesday

Obama’s “light footprint” strategy was implemented to “contain, if not change” the “chaos” in the Middle East

w

of seemingly familiar threats from the past fifteen years, ” Sanger said Jihadism has grown more violent, terrorists have become more empowered, and cyber technology has “ now resulted in more state-sponsored attacks than we thought possible in 2010,” Sanger added

“Cyber [weaponry] gives the least connected, the least powerful, the least rich countries and terror groups a weapon they can get cheaply ”

D a v i d S a n g e r

according to Sanger The strategy aimed to use drone strikes, special forces and cyber weapons to forgo “dumb wars of occupation ”

This strategy of using “ cover t power ” to control Middle Eastern conflicts worked in combating Iranian nuclear development during Obama’s first term

However, during the president’s second term, cyber technology was leaked, resulting in proliferation of cyber weapons After this leak, targets were better prepared for drone strikes and less vulnerable to cyber attacks, according to Sanger

Despite the proliferation of cyber weapons, Sanger said “ we have a lot to be thankful for We’re in better shape than we were in 2008 financially ”

“At the same time, we find ourselves facing an array

“Cyber [weaponr y] gives the least connected, the least power ful, the least rich countries and terror groups a

p

weapons, they can actually use, ” Sanger said

The threat of cyber weaponr y is rarely addressed by the government because it still treats cyber technology with such secrecy that it will not discuss the specifics of the United States’ cyber capacity, Sanger added

“Do we have a strategy for this? If we do I haven’t seen one yet, ” Sanger said “And as we legitimize this as a weapon of cover t conflict, if not more, others are going to be introducing it as well ”

Student Band Uses Kickstarter To Raise Funds for Recording

By JONATHAN LEVENFELD Sun Staff Writer

What started as a few freshmen playing together in the Just About Music program house will

c u l m i n a t e n e x t Januar y in a studio

a l b u m , d u e t o t h e over $2,000 student

b a n d K e n z i e k & Fr i e n d s r a i s e d through a kickstarter campaign last month

K e n z i e k & Friends, a self-styled

that’s where most of the donations came from,” Zhou said “At the same time, we were really surprised to see a lot of friends, not just good friends, but also a c q u a i n t a n c e s t h a t

“When you have all these different people coming from different backgrounds who can play unrestricted, the music becomes a melting pot ”

“ j a z z f u s i o n j a m band,” was formed in 2012 by Jaden Gladstone ’16, Skyler Gray ’16, Marshall Mucasey ’16, Rain Zhou ’16 and Josh Rollin ’16, who is no longer part of the group Over their careers at Cornell, the band members per formed several times at venues in the Ithaca area, including The Nines and the Bear’s Den, but decided at the start of this academic year that they wanted to consolidate their work in an album before graduation, according to Zhou I n o rd e r to cover costs of recording, mixing, edit-

i n g , C D p r o d u c t i o n and distribu-

t i o n r i g h t s , t h e g r o u p

R a i n Z h o u ’ 1 6

enough to donate to support our album ”

W i t h n i n e d a y s

e m a i n i n g before the campaign ends, the band is still hoping to raise additional funds to allow for professional mixing and mastering and to potentially record an additional song, according to their campaign page

With funding for the project

a n d s t u d i o s p a c e a t E l e c t r i c Wilburland in Newfield, N Y secure, the band will now look to find practice space on campus

“Making a record is kind of the goal of every musician Once you’ve achieved that level, you’ve kind of proven yourself ”

l a u n c h e d a K i c k s t a r t e r campaign on Oct 21 The campaign reached its initial goal of $2,000 quickly due to a strong push on social media and support from band

J a d e n G l a d s t o n e ’ 1 6

m e m b e r s ’ f a m i l i e s , a n d a s o f Tuesday has raised $2,427 “ We’re really, really thankful to all of our families because

n g date approaches, Zhou said The album w i l l f

u r e original music i n f l u

c

d b y j a z z , r o c k , funk and a little bit of pop In developing these songs, feeling and improvisation were essential, according to Zhou “ When you have all these different people coming from different backgrounds who can play unrestricted, the music becomes

a melting pot, ” Zhou said Zhou, who Gladstone called “the mastermind” of the group, came up with the album title, “ The Last Bow ” The album will be the band’s first album and r e p r e s e n t s a s i g n i f i c a n t milestone, the group said “I’ve never done anything on this large of a scale before,” Gladstone said “Making a record is kind of the goal of ever y m u s i c i a n O n c e y o u ’ v e achieved that level, you ’ ve kind of proven yourself So this will add a new

m o t i v a t i o n f o r t h e g r o u p a s s o m e t h i n g c o o l t o w o r k towards ”

Zhou said he views the album as Kenziek & Friends’ opportunity to make a significant contribution to the world of music

“I believe musicians are sort of like messengers, ” he said “ We as musicians want to bring music to ever ybody, as many people as possible, to share the love and joy So this album will be our first attempt to do that ”

A s t o w h e t h e r “ T h e L a s t Bow” will be the group ’ s final hurrah, the group said multiple factors, such as where they would all be living after graduating, will determine whether the band will reunite to record another album

“ W h o k n o w s ? ” Gr a y s a i d

“Maybe this [album] will inspire us to come together after college ” G l a d s t o n e a d d e d t h a t h e would not count out the possibility of a reunion yet

“ The world is small and life is big,” he said “So maybe something will happen ”

Jonathan Levenfeld can be reached at jlevenfeld@cornellsun com

Grant Says Lack of Resources Is Greatest Challenge to New Position

be more efficient

“One thing that I don’t think has been made clear is that this one position actually fills three vacant seats, ” Grant said “ While it’s expensive to hire an upper-level administrator, it was an efficient choice to hire one administrator rather than three ” Grant said that when she first

assumed the position, she conducted a sweeping reorganization to improve efficiency within her departments She also said she was able to reassign responsibilities and prioritize the goals of her staff

“I needed to ask: ‘what’s on people’s plates that need not be there?’” Grant said “I also reassigned some resources There are some parts of the community center programs that could be shifted so that resource centers could

receive more support This is a work in progress ”

Next, Grant said she outlined a workshop-like, collaborative brainstorming team she dubbed “working groups ” These ten working groups each with a specific area of focus will collaborate to achieve overarching goals such as inclusion, student development and wellness, according to Grant

“The goals of these working

groups are to increase the effectiveness of our efforts and to build synergies, so that we are doing things in a smarter way and that we ’ re doing things in a way that will better benefit our students,” she said

Grant said the biggest immediate challenge to her position is the shortage of resources However, she stressed that she wants to make sure she reduces all the inefficiencies within her domain before asking the University for more funding

“If I ask the University for more funding when I haven’t done everything in my power to shrink internal inefficiencies, then I feel like I’m just putting the burden on the students by essentially asking for more tuition,” Grant said “Asking for more funding should be our very last resort ”

Jevan Hutson ’16, the former president of Haven: The LGBTQ Student Union, who, like Li, vocally opposed the creation of the position in March, said that Grant has been a pivotal resource for students on campus However, Hutson said the University needs to dedicate more funds to her initiatives

“Mary Beth Grant has been an advocate for both students and staff,” Hutson said “Despite her

deep support for the community, the position she occupies is still hindered by the overall lack of financial resources dedicated to the Dean of Students Office ”

Over her tenure at Cornell, Grant said she wants to make her office as accessible as possible for students, and has already worked hard to “be present ” around campus

“I’ve been going to student meetings and learning about what people are doing around campus, ” she said “The students might not even know I’m there but this isn’t about me This is about the students and the staff that are directly working with them I’m just trying to learn what is going on and what resources the students can use ”

Grant said her long-term goal is to foster a more positive campus climate, which ultimately could lead to the elimination of her position

“At some point will we reach a world where the extra support for affinity groups is no longer necessary, ” she said “I would love to see that in our lifetime But, unfortunately, I don’t know if that’s realistic right now ”

IFC, Panhel Elect New Leadership

GREEK

Continued from page 1

pick an applicant for the position, and the chapters then vote on them

Often, the candidate slated for the Panhellenic Association is contested after their slating process is completed, according to Kendall Grant ’16, president of the Panhellenic Council

“Typically, there is contesting

o f s o m e d e g re e , ” Gr a n t s a i d

“Only applicants are able to contest a position, whereas no one can run off the floor if she did not formally apply ”

Candidates who wish to be slated by the committee must participate in a multi-step process

“ T h e a p p l i c a t i o n p ro c e s s requires a formal application, let-

ter of intent and behavioral interview, at which each of the slating delegates is present, ” Grant said

This process has also been a d a p t e d by t h e Mu l t i c u l t u r a l Greek Letter Council, which will h o l d e l e c t i o n s o n Nov 1 8 , according to Dan Kim ’17, vice president of communications

“ The multi-page application consists of letters of recommendation from his/her chapter president, one ’ s professional resume, fraternity/sorority resume and a personal statement, ” Kim said

Im p o r t a n t m e m b e r s o f t h e Greek community then staff the c o m m i t t e e s w h o c h o o s e f ro m among the available applicants Chapter presidents often serve for the Panhellenic Committee, while the MGLC reaches out to active members across Greek organizations, according to Grant and Kim IFC presidential elections, on the other hand, do not use the slating process, allowing candidates to run without writing letters of intent Once a candidate announces his desire to run, he can present himself to the chapter presidents, and they will vote on the position, according to Brown

“A l l c a n d i d a t e s h a ve t h e opportunity to deliver a speech to the chapter presidents and may invite up to two members of the Cornell community to speak on their behalf,” Brown said

While the slating process is not used by the IFC, Grant said she believes that it is essential for electing a candidate

“What stands out about this process is the thought and due diligence that slating merits,” Grant said “Ever y woman is assessed objectively, based on the role that suits her best We also assess how certain personality types will comp l e m e n t a n d s u p p l e m e n t

in a team dynamic

Jenna Rudolfsky can be reached at jrudolfsky@cornellsun com

BSU Urges Cornell to Divest From Prisons

BSU Continued from page 1

movement at Columbia University, where student activists successfully campaigned for the university to become the first college in the United States to divest from private prison companies, according to the letter

“We hope you join us in extending our sincerest congratulations to the student activists at Columbia for their dedication, passion and skilled organizing,” the letter reads

While Garrett was not on campus at the time of the letter drop, BSU activists cite her inauguration address as a positive indication that she will be open to working towards progress, according to the letter

“Among your most salient words, however, was your call on Cornell to be ‘radical and progressive,’” the letter says “We are prepared to answer that call We hope that you are as well ”

BSU is requesting a response from the University by Nov 23, and hopes that a response will increase transparency on the issue of private prison investments, according to Abraham Araya ’19, a BSU political action member

“Private prisons turn black lives into commodities,” said Delmar Fears ’19, a freshman representative “I don’t want to attend a university that says they support and welcome black students, while reaping the profits from a corrupt system that disproportionately disenfranchises the black community They can ’ t say and do both; something has to change ”

Silver can be reached at zsilver@cornellsun com

SCIENCE

Cor nell Under graduate Resear ch Boar d Hosts Fifth Annual Fall For um

By NOAH RANKIN Sun Science Editor

On Nov 4, more than 60 student presenters and 300 onlookers filled into the Physical Sciences Building’s Clark Atrium for the Cornell Undergraduate Research Board’s Fall Forum, sharing student research being performed on all corners of campus

This year ’ s event was the fifth ever and had the largest turnout yet, according to Jimmy Guo ’16, co-president of CURB

“We started the Fall Forum five years ago, as we saw that many students who conducted research over summer needed an outlet to share their work on campus, ” Guo said “It started off fairly small, but we ’ ve since grown it to be our second largest annual event ” Research subjects spanned across several colleges and majors, and students of various class years presented Nancy Jiang ’19 presented on her work in the Lab of Tissue Morphodynamics in the National Cancer Institute

“We looked at the role of the microenvironment in cancer cell development, focusing especially on the extracellular matrix, and examined cancer cell morphology in different conditions and with different models,” Jiang said Jiang’s research, performed under Dr Kandice Tanner, dealt with proteins tenascin-c and fibronectin both involved in cell migration, cell proliferation and wound healing and their relationship to cancer cells’ colonization of the brain

Two projects focused on building autonomous vehicles

“My group is trying to build the world’s best autonomous bicycle,” Arundathi Sharma ’17 said “Existing self-stabilizing

bicycles make use of gyroscopes or flywheels to stay upright Our goal is to build a bike that balances the way humans do: using steering manipulation ”

According to Sharma, others who have attempted this challenge have created bicycles that are not very stable and may only effectively balance while moving at certain high speeds

“If we ’ re successful, we will have developed a control algorithm that robustly keeps the bicycle upright even while stationary,” she said

Mukund Sudarshan ’17 is part of a group the Cornell Autonomous

The main goal of such a vessel would be to collect ocean data more efficiently and cheaply, according to Sudarshan

“The successful completion of CAST ’ s goals would mean there would be a cleaner, cheaper and more robust way to gather vital information about our planet’s oceans, ” Sudarshan said

There were also several representatives from the social sciences

Kelsey Sklar ’17 and Megan Szpak ’16 worked with Katherine Dickin, human ecology, in a Cornell Cooperative Extension internship last summer to study feeding practices among low-income fami-

“There aren’t many opportunities for students to see what’s new in departments outside of their own The Fall Forum was a great chance to see a variety of interesting research projects going on all over Cornell in a broad range of disciplines.”

Sailboat Team that seeks to build a selfsufficient boat that will be able to stay out on the ocean for long periods of time without returning back to land to renew energy

“Using sophisticated navigation algorithms and a base station for relaying weather information (storms, tsunamis, etc ), our boat will be survive on the rough seas despite its tiny propor tions,” Sudarshan said “Since it is only about a meter in length, we estimate the cost per useful data sample from such a boat to be 11 times cheaper than the next best alternative ”

lies in upstate New York

“We interviewed 12 low-income primary caregivers about how they feed their children, what goals and challenges arise around feeding practices, and how their habits have changed over their life course, ” Sklar said

Honore Johnson ’16 and her “Bargaining for Better Schools” project aims to gather information regarding teacher evaluation protocols, collective bargaining agreements and other labor-management relations in New York State schools

“By analyzing about 700 school district collective bargaining agreements, we are providing accurate and up to date information for policy makers, concerned citizens, teacher and school administration,” Johnson said

Participating in the forum was helpful for various reasons, including the fact that it prompted groups to create a poster of their findings

“The best part about designing a poster was that we were able to reflect on our work and focus our research analysis for the rest of the semester, ” Sklar said

Sharma said she believes the forum is a good way for researchers to interact with other departments

“There aren ’ t many opportunities for students to see what’s new in departments outside of their own, ” Sharma said “The Fall Forum was a great chance to see a variety of interesting research projects going on all over Cornell in a broad range of disciplines

Sudarshan agreed, saying the cross-discipline approach provided a perspective that allowed students to guage the impact of one ’ s own research in other fields

Jiang said she believes it was a good opportunity for underclassmen to get involved in the research community at Cornell

“Taking part in Fall Forum as a freshman was intimidating at first, but everyone I talked to seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say, ” Jiang said “I think it’s important to get exposed to the research environment at Cornell as early as possible, and I really enjoyed presenting and learning about the incredible research other students have done ”

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

B o n d 2 4 : Q u i t e t h e S p e c t r e - c a l

MARK DISTEFANO Sun Staff Writer

Put it away, naysayers I’m sick of people telling me there’s something wrong with liking pop entertainment It doesn’t have to have a fabulously deep agenda like Mad Max: Fury Road or dispense with traditional narrative or even refuse to follow formula to be entertaining Quit pointing out the plot holes in Interstellar and the corny dialogue in Gravity and just shut up and watch the movie, because you might have fun

A Bond movie, fans should know, requires strict suspension of disbelief, so check your intellect at the door and get ready to enjoy a long, lavish extravaganza that has everything you could possibly want from 007

It has an uber-cool villain in Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz), who is on screen for far too little time yet makes a strong impression It has the most luminous Bond woman since Vesper Lynd (Eva Green): Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux) And it has two pristine vintage automobiles one new, the other classic the sight of which is enough to make anyone drool Spectre cost between $250 million and $300 million to make, one of the most expensive motion pictures ever made but at least these filmmakers know how to spend it As Bond himself once put it, “I’ve never seen so much go out the door so quickly or quite so stylishly ”

which becomes either camp and goofy, or somber and serious when left in the wrong hands That was the problem in the last two installments they didn’t give us James Bond proper; they gave us James, the brooding avenger In both Quantum of Solace and Skyfall, the two follow-ups to the high watermark of Casino Royale, Bond was saddled first with the vengeance of a former love in a clumsy, incapably directed mess, then as a

And this time there’s killing to spare Bond is sent zig-zagging across the world, from Mexico to Tunisia to London to Rome, making his relatively few travel stops in Skyfall look pitiful by comparison The encumbrance of his dark past seems lifted off his shoulders as he commandeers planes, trains and automobiles in one exciting set piece after another Perhaps he’s finally come to terms with the traumas that come with this line of work after all, he was green to the secret agent business the time we first met him in Daniel Craig Craig is just as good now as he was when he started nine years ago, and he seems not to have aged a day This might be the last time we see Craig in the role, but if that’s the case, he’s gone out with a magnificent bang

Despite the newfound freedom in tone, the movie revisits many ghosts from the previous films, including one who shows up in the flesh, not as a reference or a likeness on a video screen There are nods to all the people who turned up dead good and bad in the prior films and how they have influenced Bond’s current trajectory Basically, it’s all part of a master plan by the evil syndicate Spectre, which has appeared in the series before, but not since the 1970s Bond’s job this time is simply to unearth their latest scheme In doing so, he learns many secrets and even gets it on with the daughter of an old villain

The filmmaking team behind Spectre is headed by Sam Mendes, back after the gargantuan performance of Skyfall Mendes is perhaps the first auteur to come in contact with the Bond franchise, and he brings a polished prestige to a series

frightened, devoted son to his mother figure Although Skyfall was artistically superior in every way to Quantum, it still left me hungry for the Bond who came before the third act of Casino Royale: the one who enjoys his job and is free of emotional trauma and bereavement to sleep with a few dozen women or settle back with a martini in between shootouts and explosions The trick with Bond, and the reason his adventures continue after 50-plus years, is that his killing is best when it isn’t personal

There’s a multitude of breathtaking chases and fights, all of which make time for a laugh and a pithy quip They feel more like substance rather than larded distraction; such stuff is integral to good 007 escapism However, Mendes wisely goes for restraint during the climax, rather than trying to oneup everything with more carnage, which leaves an even greater impact The film is too long and could have sat comfortably at two hours, but the added time is really only extra candy, unnecessary but never boring

Mark DiStefano is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences He can be reached at mdistefano@cornellsun com

Please Not Seventeen Again: I and You at the Kitchen Theatre

It’s hard to be 17 To be full of angst, uncertainty and covered in acne; to be stuck with some childlike tendencies; to desperately crave attention while simultaneously needing to be left alone Although teenage years are exhausting, however, they can be a fun age too full of excitement and possibilities Unfortunately, as it would turn out, it’s really just tiring to watch At least this was the case in Lauren Gunderson’s one-act I and You, opening this Thursday at the Kitchen Theatre

Directed by Emily Jackson, I and You tells the stor y of two high school seniors the chronically ill Caroline (Anna Stefanic) and the charming, athletic Anthony (Ian

Duff ) working on an English project the night before the deadline They have to discuss the use of pronouns in Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass a project that Anthony loves and Caroline resists Caroline’s reluctance is fair, because Anthony sprung the project on her only a day before the deadline, and she would have had no way of knowing about the assignment as she has been out of school for months due to her illness What is really not fair, however, is that the audience has to experience the dull conversation and the uninspired character of Caroline for the first 50 minutes of the play

The dialogue brings the unfortunate seventeen-year-old phenomenon of “ tr ying too hard” to the stage In telling the stor y of two high school seniors, I don’t understand why Caroline feels like such a tantrum-throwing sevenyear-old I don’t know who is to blame for her character because sometimes it is the fault of the poorly written dialogue but at other times, the portrayal was hammy Stefanic’s performance becomes monotone at times as she snaps almost ever y line for most of the play I don’t necessarily believe that her serious illness (she n e e d s a n o r g a n t r a n s p l a n t ) explains or excuses this and it would be nice to see more range in her character It causes a s l i g h t e y e - r o l l w h e n

Caroline’s favorite stuffed animal is a turtle, complete with a hard exterior to protect a fragile inside She also loves her phone, photography and her cat It makes you wish the play

either made her interesting or embraced that she was a painfully ordinar y girl Luckily, Stefanic salvages what there is towards the end of the play, giving her character more emotional subtlety in the final moments of the stor y On the positive side, Anthony comes across ver y well Ian Duff captures the seventeen-year-old ethos perfectly You feel how Anthony is confident, exceptionally so, for his age You get the sense he has an abundance of friends who probably shout his name in the halls Yet, despite all of this he embodies the contradictions of being that age as part of his charm is his awkward stance, and he is right on the cusp of growing up A lover of jazz, basketball and Walt Whitman, Anthony’s character is multilayered without feeling cliché

The discussions of Whitman’s work are pleasant but redundant Being fairly unfamiliar with his work, I immediately wanted to read Whitman’s poetr y when I left the theatre The show’s emphasis on the power of poetr y is a well-articulated theme and the most enjoyable moments throughout the first two thirds of the play are when the teenagers explore Whitman’s words and message It happens too much but at least it’s interesting Anthony repeats a line from one of Whitman’s poems throughout the play: “I and this myster y, here we stand ” And it is the unexpected mysteries of this play that ultimately save the stor y Twists and turns and secrets evolve, and when they do, it’s a great relief that there is more to this play than its mediocre dialogue It gives the show more meaning and almost makes sitting through the rest of this 95-minute play feel like a fair trade-off Is it worth it to sit through a whole play that is a bore for the first third, interesting enough in the middle and great for the remainder? Well “I and this myster y, here we stand.”

Emily Kling is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences She can be reached at eak243@cornell edu

EMMA LICHTENSTEIN ’16 Business Manager

SLOANE GRINSPOON 17

AMBER CHEN 16 Web

NATALIE TSAY 18

JAYNE ZUREK ’16

MICHAELA BREW ’18

GABRIELLA LEE ’16

MIKE SOSNICK 16

Arts & Entertainment Editor

EMILY JONES 18

Dining Editor

MADELINE COHEN 18

Assistant News Editor

PHOEBE KELLER 18

Assistant News Editor

ADAM BRONFIN 18

Assistant Sports Editor

SHANE LEWIS ’18

Assistant Sports Editor

Editorial

The Best Solution Against Food Insecurity?

SEEKING TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF FOOD INSECURITY ON CAMPUS, the Student Assembly voted Thursday to provide $320,000 towards Anabel’s Grocery, a proposed student-run grocery store While working towards the eradication of food insecurity is a noble goal, we are concerned that those behind the S A -supported project do not comprehensively address the issue at hand Investing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Students Helping Students Fund without research indicating that the store will find success on campus would be a risky decision for the Cornell community

The justification for Anabel’s Grocery is primarily the result of findings from the 2015 Perceptions of Undergraduate Life and Student Experiences Survey, in which approximately 20 percent of respondents expressed that they had skipped meals either “ very often,” “often” or “occasionally” due to financial constraints While this provides a stark portrait of the high costs of food on Cornell’s campus and in Collegetown, the PULSE survey provided only this much The survey was not designed to research how a on campus grocery store would help those in need, but rather Cornell’s overall campus culture Without further research on whether the store would be utilized by students and, more importantly, those students who are food insecure, one question remains: Is Anabel’s Grocery currently the best solution towards addressing this problem?

There is no question that any amount of food insecurity on campus must be addressed by the greater Cornell community Facing inaction from the administration, students took this issue into their own hands, prompting the development of Anabel’s Grocery, to be housed in a renovated basement in Anabel Taylor Hall While the studentrun grocery does make progress in bringing the issue of food insecurity to the forefront of conversation on campus, we are uncertain of the extent to which the store will adequately address the needs of food insecure students on campus

While Anabel’s Grocery would be closer to many students than Wegmans or other competitors and could potentially provide a number of benefits to the Cornell community, the current business plan lacks any evidence as to the potential success rate of the store Without an estimate of the number of students expected to utilize the space, the use of hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Students Helping Student Fund which was created with the purpose of assisting “registered Cornell undergraduate students with emergency funding and funding for summer internship expenses that they otherwise could not afford” is fiscally irresponsible

The proposal put forth by members of Anabel’s Grocery is a compelling strategy to address the issue of food insecurity on campus and one of the first of its kind According to the business plan for the store, “ a more holistic approach to address food insecurity [at Cornell] is needed ” There is no doubt that the plan at question is the best plan put forward thus far What remains unclear is whether this is the best plan for Cornellians and those who identify as food insecure

OGlobal Citizenship, Revisited

n H a n s B e t h e Ho u s e ’ s f i r s t f l o o r l i e s a c a rd b o a rd b o x re q u e s t i n g

c l o t h e s t o b e s e n t t o S y r i a n re f u g e e s T h i s d r i v e t o s e n d c l o t h e s t o re f u g e e s a b r o a d w o r k s t o f o r w a rd t h e

g e n e r a l “ t h i n k g l o b a l , a c t l o c a l” i n i t i a -

t i v e T h e q u e s t i o n t h a t w e m u s t a s k i s i s t h e f o l l ow i n g : A f t e r w e h a v e t h o u g h t

g l o b a l l y a n d a c t e d l o c a l l y, c a n w e t h e n

c a l l o u r s e l v e s “ g l o b a l c i t i z e n s ? ”

A c c o r d i n g t o s c h o l a r A p r i l B i c c u m , “ T h e g l o b a l c i t i z e n i s a s u b j e c t i v i t y

c o n v i n c e d o f t h e n e e d f o r d e v e l o p m e n t u n d e r f re e m a r k e t t e r m s a n d i s c a p a -

b l e a n d w i l l i n g t o a c t a s a n a g e n t o f

d e v e l o p m e n t ” My c o n t e n t i o n i s w i t h

Bi c c u m ’ s d e f i n i t i o n a s i t re l a t e s t o a s i n -

g l e w o rd : s u b j e c t i v i t y T h e i d e a t h a t

Bi c c u m p u t s f o r w a rd i s t h a t a g l o b a l l y m i n d e d c i t i z e n r y c a n b e c u l t i v a t e d t h r o u g h a s e l f - n a t u r a l i z a t i o n p r o c e s s i n w h i c h o n e c o m e s t o u n d e r s t a n d t h a t h e i s a n a g e n t w h o c a n c h a n g e t h e re a l i t y f o r o t h e r s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d My v i s i o n f o r t r u e g l o b a l c i t i z e n s h i p i n v o l v e s m a k i n g s u re e v e r y o n e ’ s v o i c e a n d s t o r i e s a re h e a rd It i n v o l v e s g r a n t i -

need to be careful to not herald global citizenship as a way to esca the problems inside countries. Rath it is instead a call to look outward

n g e v e r y o n e t h e p ow e r t o v o t e i n a s o c ie t y w h e re p e o p l e c a n a f f e c t c h a n g e It i n v o l v e s u s i n g a u n i v e r s a l c u r re n c y b y w h i c h e v e r y o n e c a n p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h e

e c o n o m y It i n v o l v e s t h e c u l t i v a t i o n o f a g l o b a l c o l l e c t i v e o f i n d i v i d u a l s n o t o n l y a s re s i d e n t s o f a n a t i o n , b u t r a t h e r a s a

c o l l e c t i v e b o d y t h a t i n c l u d e s i n d i v i d u a l s r e g a rd l e s s o f t h e i r s t a t e h o o d Sh o u l d g l o b a l c i t i z e n r y t r u l y b e a s u b j e c t i v e re a l i t y ? I f s u b j e c t i v i t y i s t h e i n d i v i d u a l’s u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h e w o r l d a r o u n d t h e m , t h e n t h e re c a n n o t b e a c o l l e c t i v e s u b j e c t i v e e x p e r i e n c e W h e n m u l t i p l e p e o p l e c o m e t o g e t h e r, t h e i r w o r l d i s o n e o f s h a re d o b j e c t i v i t y K e e p i n g t h a t i n m i n d , h ow w o u l d

o n e t e a c h g l o b a l c i t i z e n s h i p a n d w h a t k n ow l e d g e w o u l d b e t a u g h t ?

D e v e l o p i n g a g l o b a l c i t i z e n s h i p c u rr i c u l u m o f s o r t s w o u l d i n v o l v e u n d e rs t a n d i n g a n d c r i t i c a l l y a n a l y z i n g w h o s e v o i c e s a n d s t o r i e s a re v a l u e d m o re t h a n

o t h e r s In t h i s s y l l a b u s f o r t e a c h i n g g l o b -

a l c i t i z e n s h i p, w h a t i s d e e m e d n e c e s s a r y k n ow l e d g e a n d w h a t w o u l d b e d e e m e d

c l a r a t

n , a s e l f - b a p

t i s m i n t o t h e g l o b a l c o m m u n i t y We c a n n o t l e t g l o b a l c i t i z e n s h i p t u r n i n t o v oy e u r i s t i c t o u r i s m a n d c u l t u r a l s a mp l i n g I f o n e s e e s t h e w o r l d w i t h o u t b o rd e r s t h e n i t b e c o m e s i m p o s s i b l e t o d e n y a n i m m i g r a n t o r r e f u g e e c i t i z e n s h i p w h i l e a d v a n c i n g o n e ’ s ow n p o s i t i o n f o r a c c e p t a n c e i n t o t h e g l o b a l c o m m u n i t y Ac c o rd i n g t o N B C L a t i n o , “ t h e p r o c e s s t o g a i n l e g a l s t a t u s [ i n t h e Un i t e d St a t e s ] c a n t a k e u p t o 2 0 y e a r s ” How c a n w e d e n y c i t i z e n s h i p t o s o m e o n e e l s e a n d s t i l l c o n s i d e r o u r s e l v e s p r o d u c t i v e g l o b a l c i t i z e n s ? It i s i m p o s s i b l e t o b e a n t ii m m i g r a t i o n a n d p r o - g l o b a l c i t i z e n r y We n e e d t o b e c a re f u l t o n o t h e r a l d g l o b a l c i t i z e n s h i p a s a w a y t o e s c a p e t h e p r o b l e m s i n s i d e c o u n t r i e s R a t h e r, i t i s i n s t e a d a c a l l t o l o o k o u t w a rd It i s c o mi n g t o a n u n d e r s t a n d i n g t h a t o n e d o e s n o t f o r f e i t o n e ’ s p a s s p o r t a n d m a g i c a l l y re c e i v e t h e g l o b a l p a s s p o r t It i s n o t i g n o r i n g t h e p r o b l e m s g o i n g o n i n o n e ’ s ow n c o u n t r y i t i s w o r k i n

c o l l a t e r a l k n o w l e d g e ? Fo r e x a m p l e , w o u l d g l o b a l p u b l i c h e a l t h a n d m e d i c i n e i n c l u d e i n d i g e n o u s h e a l t h t re a t m e n t s ? Is t h e a g e n d a o f g l o b a l c i t i z e n s h i p a m ov e t o w a r d g l o b a l n a t i o n a l i s m , u n i v e r s a l h u m a n i s m ? Pe r h a p s t h e s t u d y o f i n t e rn a t i o n a l r e l a t i o n s f o c u s e s m o r e o n n a t i o n b u i l d i n g a n d e m p i re s t h a n o n s o c i a l m ov e m e n t s a c r o s s c u l t u re s W h a t d o e s a c r i t i c a l p e d a g o g y o f g l o b a l c i t iz e n s h i p i n v o l v e ? Do e s g i v i n g s o m e o n e a v o t e m a k e o n e a g l o b a l c i t i z e n ? O n e v o t e s w i t h h e r w a l l e t a s w e l l a s w i t h t h e b a l l o t So d o e s b e i n g a g l o b a l

Going Down the Rabbit Hole of Wu-Tang

Clan’s Once Upon a Time in Shaolin

Elevate myself to a higher point of energ y My supreme talent is to restore balance

Masta Killa

The Moroccan city of Marrakesh is one of those cities like Bangkok and Kiev that blends ancient world architecture and style with 21st centur y sensibilities The low-profile, red sandstone making up many of the city’s buildings hide riads with modern technologies and fashions It was founded officially in 1062, by Abu Bakr ibn Umar, a chieftain and cousin of a Almoravid dynasty king at the time In the millennium since then, Marrakesh has become potentially the most important city in Morocco Tourists flock from all across the globe to visit this North African metropolis, and many French celebrities own homes in the city Most of the tourism is from people taking an interest in the city’s religious histor y, beautiful gardens, glittering palaces and ancient mosques But the city also finds itself in the northern foothills of the Atlas Mountains, gateway to the enormous Sahara desert, providing stunning vistas for anyone exploring the city’s spice or textile markets

Weave your way through the narrow, winding passageways of the city markets to find wider avenues filled with old taxicabs and mopeds trailing streams of black exhaust behind them If you follow one in the right direction long enough, you will come across The Royal Mansour: a luxury hotel built by the King of Morocco for over a billion dollars with bedrooms running guests well over $2,500 for a night The entrance is guarded around the clock by a manned security hut and metal gate large enough for a submarine to pass through Hotel guests are commonly heads of state, royalty or the otherwise “stanky” rich And until recently, a vault in a riad at The Royal Mansour, tucked in the shadow of the Atlas Mountains, was also home to the only copy digital or physical of Wu-Tang Clan’s ultra-exclusive, two-disc, final album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, soon to be sold for millions of dollars

The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop collective from the housing projects of Staten Island that started in the early ’90s The founder of Wu-Tang, RZ A, bought a 4-track in 1987 and began to produce beats in his spare time After recording raps with eight of his relatives and friends for five years, the group was able to sell 7-inch vinyl presses of a 1992 single called “Protect Ya Neck” to record stores and radio stations in the area The members of the WuTang Clan are RZ A, Ghostface Killah, GZ A, Instpectah Deck, Masta Killa, Method Man, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Raekwon, U-God and Cappdonna who was formally made a member of the clan three years after Ol’ Dirty Bastard died of a heart attack in 2004

The group name came from a 1983 film directed by Hong Kong martial artist Gordon Lio called “Shaolin and Wu Tang ” The men took on the collective title WuTang Clan and called their home of Staten Island “Shaolin ” The first song off their debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang, opens with a sample from the dubbed version of the film:

Shaolin shadowboxing, and the Wu-Tang sword style If what you say is true, the Shaolin and the Wu Tang could be dangerous

The Wu-Tang were dangerous Their notoriety in the hip-hop underground allowed the group to become a commercial sensation and the music of choice for NBA superstar, Kobe Br yant Even though their rise to the top was rife with controversy like murder charges (acquitted), opening fire on a group of police officers (acquitted) and dealing marijuana, the group stayed tight and became one of the most influential hip-hop acts of all time

RZ A has produced all six of Wu-Tang’s albums, and frequently collaborates with Kanye West Other members of the group achieved clout and commercial success of their own In fact, GZ A’s first 35,000 lyrics contained more than 6,400 unique words As a measure of comparison, Shakespeare used 5,170 unique words in the equivalent number of lines and only one rapper, Aesop Rock (who most people do not listen to), has more at almost 7,400 Wu-Tang has helped the careers of artists like Nas, Redman and Busta Rhymes, and shades of Wu-Tang can be heard in music across the entire hip-hop genre possibly excluding Macklemore and this reinvented Bieber

More than just a rap group however, the Wu-Tang Clan considers themselves a group of artists and pioneers Above the raw, gritty beats, each member’s rapping showed a thoughtfulness not immediately clear through the curse words and violent criminal anecdotes Their lyrics also preach a love for Kung-Fu movies, metaphysics

and chess, and their albums included skits as nontraditional breaks in a usually continuous stream of music Their star-status in the early ’90s enabled the group to sign onto one record label while allowing the nine members of the group to sign contracts with different labels in order to diversify the group ’ s revenue streams In the words of RZ A, “ We reinvented the way hip-hop was structured, and what I mean is [ ] Wu-Tang was a financial movement ” They were also among the first groups to monetize a hip-hop clothing line, which is now a prerequisite for celebrity in the industr y

So why is there only one copy of the Wu-Tang’s final album, and why is it in Morocco? Once Upon a Time in Shaolin is a concept for an album from the mind of WuTang affiliate producer Cilvaringz, a Moroccan rapper and producer named Tarik Azzougarh Cilvaringz (pronounced: Silvah Rings) is not a true member of the WuTang Clan; he is closer to a pretty good high school freshman lacrosse player who might get to ride bench on the varsity team if they make playoffs In this metaphor the varsity lacrosse team is the Wu-Tang Clan The album is going to be the group ’ s final collective release, not unlike the playoffs, so Cilvaringz can be on the team It is set to be the balancing act to the group ’ s 2014 release A Better To m o r r ow , w

Internet

The group has seen the music industr y change since their debut in 1993 When a struggling musician started, he or she would sell his or her singles for hard-earned airtime on the radio or valuable shelf-space on someone ’ s

Shaolin is analogous to owning an original painting, and owning a painting does not mean you are entitled sell prints of it

The album itself is housed in a beautifully car ved nickel silver case and housing box made by British and Mo ro c c a n a r t i s t n a m e d Ya h y a It f e

Moroccan designs and the iconic Wu-Tang logo The 51seconds of the album available for public consumption feature a raw and gritty sound similar to early Wu-Tang and an appearance from Cher Select visitors to the Museum of Modern Art in New York City were able to hear the album in the spring of 2015, and more may be able to attend other museum listenings for a fee in the future Or someone may buy it and release it for free as a statement about creative democracy Or someone may buy the album and destroy it We just know we can ’ t afford it

A lot of fans are devastated by the fact they may never get to hear their favorite rap group ’ s final record and have attacked Cilvaringz and RZ A for spearheading what they view as an elitist project But those fans are focusing on the trees and not seeing the forest There are six Wu-Tang albums for ever yone to hear and dozens, if not hundreds, more from Wu-Tang members and the extended Wu family Once Upon a Time in Shaolin hopes to change the state of music, and return it to an era where it is the songs that are of value and not the touring, commercial licensing, film appearances and product endorsements WuTang wants to turn music back into an art form from a business by making a ver y bad business decision: selling

record shelf The musician was forced to work hard to make something he or she felt was worth putting on vinyl, hoping it would sell, thinking it was something of value To the Wu-Tang, each time “Protect Ya Neck” played on the radio meant someone appreciated their music The appreciation is what made their music art

In the words of RZ A, “I don't care if a child just finger paints and brings a painting home to his father All he can do is write C-A-T with finger paint The A is ugly, the T crooked, the C looks like a G He hands this to his father, this first piece of art His father takes that and he appreciates it ” With modern musical control like Spotify and iTunes, we don’t need the radio or to buy entire albums With the Internet, we don’t even need to pay for music at all anymore Now, we treat music less like art and more like a product we quickly consume and spit out like flavorless Juicy Fruit gum As a result, the quality of our music has gone down, and it is the little guy in the music business who has suffered most

Once Upon a Time in Shaolin may only ever be heard by one person It seems like this album is closer to Beck’s Song Reader, released only in sheet music form, than something more progressive like Radiohead’s pay-whatyou-want success, In Rainbows This album is not about art as something accessible, however; it is about art as something of value It savors of the Renaissance, where paintings and murals and songs would be commissioned by wealthy patrons A Duke or Lord may walk into Leonardo da Vinci’s studio and ask him for a beautiful painting or a painting that will make his wife weep with joy or impress his neighbors, but in the case of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, the Wu-Tang have flipped this script around They are saying to the buyer, “ This is us A 128minute long sonic sculpture, embodying a return to WuTang’s “Shaolin ” Who wants it, and what are you going to do with it?”

What can they do with it? Why wouldn’t a Richard Branson or the son of a Saudi oil tycoon purchase the album and commercialize it? Cilvaringz and RZ A worked put a clause in the purchase agreement where the album cannot be released for sale until 88 years after purchase as to not undermine its status as a work of art Even though the album is on two easily copied CD’s, the owner cannot burn more and sell them Owning Once Upon a Time in

only one copy of a highly anticipated release Even after understanding (or tr ying to understand) Wu-Tang’s motivation behind this album, does it matter? Does it matter a hip-hop album you ’ ve never heard and may never hear is going to be sold to some one-percenter? We probably won ’ t know until after the album is sold and it becomes clear what the buyer’s plans for it are Even then, we may not know until many years down the road and we can look back retrospectively and see its full impact At its core, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin is about producing something of value, and that is the motivation for art and almost anything else we do in our lives

When I started writing for The Sun I had hopes of it leading to me being introduced to a pool of pretty girls I didn’t know about I obviously know now that was pretty foolish, but I always tried to put words on the page to make people laugh, think or other wise get away from the thoughts that may be troubling them If someone offered me five million dollars for a signed collection of my columns, I would know I had created something of value Even if only a dozen people read my column (seems high), I know through the occasional text messages and comments mentioning a joke or insight I have received over the past four years All of us produce something of value It may not be of artistic value or creative value, but if you have ever made someone smile or taught somebody something, you have added value to their life A lot of the time it may not come with recognition like a “thank you ” or friendly text or seven-figure check, but it does not mean there is no value to what you ’ ve done

That said, I think RZ A’s diagnosis of the music business could be said of journalism as well In an effort to help bring value back to journalism, I will be auctioning off my column anthology, all 64,000 words and signed by me I know I don’t have the sway Wu-Tang does in the creative community, so bidding for this one-of-a-kind collector’s item will start at a much more reasonable $10,000 Please contact celiot@cornellsun com with any serious inquiries It has been a pleasure writing for whomever is still reading this

Christo Eliot is a graduate student in the College of Engineering He can be reached at celiot@cornellsun com Christo’s Largely Unmoderated Creative Space appears alternate Wednesdays this semester

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Men,Women Earn Weekend Victories

POLO

Continued from page 12

could not have predicted that the Red would lead 20-5 at halftime against UConn

“I was quite surprised,” Eldredge said

Junior captain Ignacio Masias has been emphasizing for the past few weeks that Cornell is a new team that is still learning the game and each other He said he is very proud of his team ’ s performance in the first two chukkers against UConn

“For the first time this season, for the first half of the game, we reached our potential,” he said “[Sophomore] Dan Shaw had a really good game [and sophomore] Ryan [Saul] was very solid Dan and I had the freedom to score ”

The Red, up by 15 at the half, was not able to extend its lead the rest of the game Eldredge and Masias believe being ahead by a large amount led to more conservative, reserved play in the second half

“It’s hard to maintain that aggressiveness,” Masias said Cornell finished out the weekend by playing at Skidmore, a venue unfamiliar to Masias and the other starters That being said, momentum from the UConn win the previous day allowed the Red to score the game ’ s first four goals and they never trailed in the contest

“We played really well overall,” Masias said “They gave us a really strong fight It was definitely a closer game than a couple of weeks ago ”

After two well-executed victories this weekend, Masias said he is “happily surprised” with Cornell’s development this season He has been embracing his newfound role as team leader

“I’ve been focusing a lot of my energy to help Dan and Ryan,” he said

Keith Bollt can be reached at kbollt@cornellsun com

Swimmers Take Meet

Divers seize top spots in 1- and 3-meters

SWIM AND DIVE

Continued from page 12

of its skill level, as it was a nonIvy League conference meet “I don’t necessarily think that our results against Binghamton [are] an indicator we will point to, ” Gallagher said “ We will use our league meets a little more towards that end, but we are taking a long view of the season, so the goal is to be ready for a peak per formance in Febr uar y ” Febr uar y is when the team will compete against the other Ancient Eight schools in the Ivy L e a g u e C h a m p i o n s h i p T h i s coming weekend, the Red will get its first oppor tunity to compete against other Ivy oppon e n t s w h e n H a r v a r d a n d Dar tmouth come to Teagle to compete on the 13th and 14th

NBA

908-635-8009

Ribot-Canales is ready to watch b o t h h e r m e n a n d w o m e n divers compete against Cornell’s rivals

“ Tr a d i t i o n a l l y, H a r v a rd ' s team has always been one of the strongest in our league,” she said “Dar tmouth has also had good talent over the years It will be fun to watch our women p e r f o r m i n g i n f r o n t o f o u r home crowd ” Gallagher is also optimistic about the meet, but said he is not making any special preparations for the competition

“Nothing special leading into this week,” he said “I am ver y confident this team will comp e t e h a rd t h i s w e e k e n d a n d expect great results ”

Jeff Asiedu can be reached at jasiedu@cornellsun com

Rappers and Why They Should Stay on the Court

DENSON

Continued from page 12

where she confesses her love for Bryant and promises to be with him forever, if he lets her Bryant lives for “basketball, beats and broads ” However, Bryant’s rap game is far from his actual game Released to dismal reviews, “K O B E , ” along with the rest of his album, instantly ended his music career This didn’t stop him from winning three consecutive championships, but it seems like the NBA should have some sort of penalty set up for players who release awful rap albums, much like the NFL has policies on personal conduct

Undoubtedly, Allen Iverson would have benefitted from such a

policy a few months later In June 2000 he released his single 40 Bars, during which he told people to stay fly and get money while sprinkling in some slurs towards pretty much e v e r y o n e

Although then-

c o m m i s s i o n e r David Stern didn’t specify an exact penalty, he demanded that Iverson change the offensive lyrics and that if he didn’t, “He, along with the 76ers and the NBA, will merit whatever criticism may be leveled at us ” It was a stunning blow to the entire music industry when Iverson decided not to release his album

due to the ensuing controversy At least Bryant was able to release an album Now remember not too long ago, when former Knicks combo guard Iman

Bryant’s rap game is far from his actual game. Released to dismal reviews, “K O B E ” instantly ended his music career.

S h u m p e r t released a surprisingly superb single that sounded like Shump’s vocals gifted with the smoothness of K e n d r i c k Lamar’s and the absurdity of Rick Ross He did all this with a torn ACL Imagine what he could do if he retired from basketball and rapped full time? The sky is the limit for Shump’s music career, while his basketball skills

seem stunted

Next time you see an elderly Bryant air balling an off-kilter fade away shot, next time you see Iverson kvetching over how he wasted all his money on blackjack and next time you feel sorry for a struggling NBA “has been,” just remember that you ’ re wasting your precious brain cells on them The AARP section of the NBA can always release a talentless, heavily produced rap album just to remind us that they are still relevant None are dropping any shots, so maybe they can still entertain us by dropping beats?

Ben Denson is a senior in the College of Industrial and Labor Relations He can be contacted at bdenson@cornellsun com The B D Report appears every Wednesday this semester

Spor ts

Swimmers Take Meet by Over 50 Points Against Binghamton Bearcats

By JEFF ASIEDU Sun Staff Writer

Cornell women ’ s swimming and diving just began its competitive season for the year this past weekend against Binghamton University The women representing the Red put in a dominant display in the pool to best the Binghamton competitors, winning the meet, 173-114 Both the diving team and swimmers put on excellent performances to open up their first season under new head coach Patrick Gallagher

The Cornell divers had quite the showing against the Binghamton Bearcats, earning the top four scores in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dive events Diving head coach Veronica Ribot-Canales said she is excited about the talent she is coaching this season

“My women did a fantastic job taking all four of the spots on both the 1 and 3-meter events, ” she said “My women ’ s squad has enough talent to to do a good job this season, however, a lot of work will need to be accomplished early in the year for them to reach their full potential at Ivy Championships ” Sophomore diver Victoria Chan earned first place honors in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives, followed on the podium by three freshman divers, Jackie Real, Kimmy Vitek and Alex Steelman While Chan’s performance was clearly the standout for the women, their coach is still optimistic about the development of the freshmen

“It is still early in the season with only one non-conference meet yet completed, so more opportunities are ahead for the women to garner stand out performances,” RibotCanales said “Freshmen are getting used to the collegiate

Men,Women Defeat Connecticut

By KEITH BOLLT Sun Staff Writer

In a world outside Cornell prelims, 80 percent is a pretty good showing, and the Cornell men ’ s and women ’ s polo teams now sport identical 4-1 records after winning their respective games this past weekend The women

dual meet model, so they are learning the ropes and need more consistency in their performances ”

Meanwhile, the women of the swim team showed their skills at Teagle as well In the 400 medley relay event, a quick team composed of freshman Helen Hsu, junior Billy Murch Elliot, junior Isabelle Cecere and senior Jenna Immormino posted a time of 3:52 72 to not only beat the closest Binghamton relay by almost a full 10 seconds, but also to set a new pool record

“I was happy with their swims,” Gallagher said “That time is the 10th fastest in school history and that’s pretty good for November ”

“My women did a fantastic job taking all four of the spots on both the 1 and 3-meter events ”

Some other impressive performances from the Cornell women came from junior Currie Murch Elliot, who had the quickest times in the 100 breast, 100 IM and the 1000 free events The Red managed to win 15 of the 16 events in the meet, with individual first place performances coming from sophomore Micaela Luders, freshman Maya Hiebert and senior Jennifer Zhang, among others

The meet against Binghamton was certainly an impressive outing for the Red, but not necessarily a major indicator of its skill level, as it was a non-Ivy League conference meet

“I don’t necessarily think that our results against

See SWIM AND DIVE page 11

N B A R a p p e r s

Te a r l i e r Se n i o r c a p t a i n A n n a Winslow said she believes being familiar with their rival’s game was an advantage coming in “I think it helped that we p l a ye d U C o n n l a s t we e k e n d , because we knew what to expect from them and how to be successful against them,” she said “The fact that we did well against them in their home arena gave us confidence in our ability to beat them at home ” Although enjoying home field

a d va n t a g e , C o r n e l l p l a ye d UConn to a 3-3 draw in the first chukker and led 8-6 at the half

h a n d e d t h e Un i ve r s i t y o f Connecticut (4-1) its first loss of the season, doubling up 22-11 in Ithaca on Friday The men defeated UConn (2-3), 28-13, at home on Saturday and Skidmore Polo Club, 21-14, in Saratoga Springs on Sunday Friday’s game was unusual for the women in that they had faced UConn in Storrs only five days

Head coach of both teams David Eldredge explained one of his players “ came out flat ” He said a late two-point goal by UConn made the 8-6 halftime score misleading

“We had started to pull away in the second chukker,” he said

As he has earlier this season, Eldredge used the halftime break to refocus and reinvigorate his team

“At halftime, we made a coup l e o f a d j u s t m e n t s t o h ow UConn was playing us, ” he said

Winslow said that during the second half, the team was able to foul less, which had an impact on the score and gameplay in general

“I think part of the reason the margin increased so much during the second half was because we really started to get a positive momentum going,” she said “We fouled a little more than we usually do in the first half and we played a bit cleaner in the second, allowing us to pull away from them ”

After Friday’s game, Eldredge turned his attention to the men ’ s team Last week he predicted that the men ’ s team would quickly rebound from its first loss of the season to Virginia However, he could not have predicted that the

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