INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 143, No. 21 News
Arts
Sports
Asteri vacates
Mitski melancholy
Dartmouth defeated
The City of Ithaca orders residents of the 181-unit Asteri building to vacate due to an “immediate threat” to their safety. | Page 4
16 Pages – Free
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2026 n ITHACA, NEW YORK
Mitski’s eighth studio album released this past February, arguably her most emotionally devastating project yet. | Page 14
After securing the No. 4 seed in Ivy Madness, men’s basketball defeats Dartmouth 111-90 on March 7. | Page 16
Palantir Hosts ‘Invite-Only’ Recruitment Event on Campus
The defense and data analytics company, criticized over its contracts with ICE, required attendees to provide IDs and sign NDAs By EVERETT CHAMBALA Sun Assistant News Editor
March 10 — Palantir Technologies, a data analytics and defense software company that has been criticized for its ties with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, hosted an invite-only recruiting event in Upson Hall on March 2. The event required every participant to sign a non-disclosure agreement, present identification and leave their backpack at the front of the room in order to attend. The private event was “coordinated with specific project teams,” according to a University spokesperson, and comprised approximately 30 students, according to a student attendee who was granted anonymity by The Sun due to legal concerns. More than five Cornell University Police Department officers were stationed in the hallway, moving in and out of a private room separate from the event. Palantir Technologies is a Denver-based software company that specializes in data analytics for government and commercial clients. The company holds federal contracts worth billions of dollars, including a 10-year enterprise agreement with the U.S. Army valued at up to $10 billion. Palantir holds a $30 million contract with ICE to develop a surveillance platform to assist with deportations, called ImmigrationOS. ImmigrationOS works toward “streamlining selection and apprehension operations of illegal aliens,” according to a report from the ICE Office of Acquisition Management. This software utilizes artificial intelligence and data mining to target, track and manage deportations with data from government databases.
wrote in separate email statements to The Sun. “Whether The company’s flagship product, Gotham, which or not [our] members were invited and attended on their it describes as a “global decision-making” defense sys- own accord we cannot comment on.” tem, integrates data to identify patterns and connections Cornell Autonomous Drone redirected The Sun’s quesbetween people, places and events, and is used across the tions to the Cornell Engineering Project Team director, U.S. intelligence community and Department of Defense who did not immediately respond to a request for comfor surveillance and monitoring. Palantir’s ICE contracts ment. Cornell Custom Silicon Systems and Cornell Data Science did not immediately respond to The Sun’s request have drawn criticism from civil liberties organizations. for comment. The Event According to the attendee, the event showcased Palantir’s The attendee told The Sun that there were no disruptions during the event and described the session as a “cou- Gaia map interface, a part of the Gotham operating system, ple engineers talking about their product.” The student which allows teams to communicate with each other while also added that the event had “swag,” a slideshow about the out in the field, according to its website. company and a subsequent Q&A session. The attendee also mentioned that during the event, During the event, students were split into groups based “one of the recruiters said how he got an … email from a on which project teams they were a part of, according to soldier in Afghanistan talking about how … one of their the attendee. There were a “few” attendees who were not Palantir products saved them time or effort.” affiliated with project teams, the attendee added. The attendee told The Sun that there was no mention The attendee recalled hearing Cornell Custom Silicon of Palantir’s contracts with ICE during the event. Systems, Cornell Autonomous Drone, Cornell Data Cornell alumni who now work at Palantir attended Science, Cornell Mars Rover and Cornell Rocketry as the event in addition to the recruiters, which the attendee teams mentioned during the grouping. described as the “only Cornell-specific part of it.” The When asked about the extent of coordination between alumni shared stories, answered questions about their work Palantir and themselves for this event, Cornell Rocketry and discussed how they joined Palantir, according to the and Cornell Mars Rover separately responded with the attendee. same message. “We were not contacted about this event nor have any To continue reading this article, please visit www.corinformation regarding other project teams’ involvement with this event,” Cornell Rocketry and Cornell Mars Rover Everett Chambala can be reached at echambala@cornellsun.com.
Cornell Student Arrested for Possessing Cornell Political Union Hosts Guest Firearm on Syracuse University Campus Speaker Curtis Sliwa For Debate By ZEINAB FARAJ Sun Senior Writer
March 9 — Mateu Healey-Parera ’26 was arrested on Saturday after the Syracuse Police Department found him carrying a firearm at Syracuse University, according to a Sunday SPD information release. Healey-Parera was waiting for a bus back to Ithaca when he was arrested, according to a statement by Syracuse University’s Department of Public Safety. Healey-Parera has no affiliation with Syracuse University and was found at approximately 4 p.m. in possession of the firearm at Syracuse University’s Schine Student Center on Saturday. In a press conference on Monday, SPD’s Chief of Police Mark Rusin stated that the firearm was a “bolt action rifle” that was “carried in a case,” and that Healey-Parera was found with 40 rounds of ammunition. Healey-Parera is from Mansfield Center, Connecticut and enrolled in the College of Art, Architecture and Planning. Healey-Parera was charged with criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds, a felony under New York State law. He was arraigned Sunday morning, and his bail was set at $50,000 cash or $100,000 bond. When asked during the press conference if Healey-Parera had a history of threats or mental illness as a student at Cornell, Rusin said that it is “too early on in the investigation” to address these questions, and that SPD is investigating the case with the Cornell University Department of Safety.
“We are asking the same question that you are asking,” Rusin said. An extreme risk protection order, which is a court order issued when a person may be dangerous to themselves or others that prohibits the purchase or possession of firearms, was secured by the Syracuse University Police Department, Syracuse University DPS, the Onondaga County District Attorney Office and Tompkins County District Attorney Office, which contained a search provision for Healey-Parera’s residence, according to Rusin. Rusin also stated that the reason why the rifle was purchased and why HealeyParera was traveling between Syracuse and Ithaca are a part of an “ongoing investigation.” In a statement to the Cornell community released on Monday, Vice President for University Relations Kyle Kimball confirmed that Healey-Parera was a Cornell student and thanked the “swift action” of the Syracuse University DPS and SPD. “We are deeply concerned by this incident and extend our support to the entire Syracuse University community,” Kimball wrote. “We encourage Cornell community members impacted by this news to access university resources.” SPD information release stated that there is “no ongoing threat to the public.” To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com. Zeinab Faraj can be reached at zfaraj@cornellsun.com.
By MARY CAITLIN CRONIN Sun News Editor
March 4 — The Cornell Political Union hosted a debate which featured Curtis Sliwa, two-time Republican nominee for mayor of New York City and founder of the Guardian Angels on Tuesday evening. Over 125 students attended the event at Anabel Taylor Hall Chapel to hear Sliwa and the debaters speak. Debaters were given the resolution “community over government” to address. Sliwa, who CPU invited as a guest speaker, provided opening remarks before the debate in agreement with the resolution. The debate was open to all students to attend, and the debate floor was open to CPU members only. Sliwa, donning his staple red beret, was greeted by a thunderous applause upon entering the chapel and giving his opening speech. “First off, let’s get the rules straight,” Sliwa said to the crowd. “You can’t be glazing me tonight.” Going on to voice his support for the resolution, Sliwa emphasized the importance of community organization, which he regarded as more proactive than government involvement. “If you’re just
going to wait for the government, they’re going to be a dollar short and a day late,” Sliwa said. He then called on the audience to take action to improve their communities. “I’m a doer, not just a talker, and that is what each and every one of you should be,” Sliwa said. He also implored the audience to question authority and the government, saying “We need to be curious. First and foremost curious.” Sliwa, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, founded the Guardian Angels, a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to crime prevention, in 1979 in response to rising crime and violence rates in New York City, according to its website. The organization now spans 14 countries and over 130 cities, specializing in safety-patrols, self-defense training and homeless outreach. He continued his community outreach efforts by running for mayor of New York City in 2021 and again in 2025. Although Sliwa received only 7% of the vote, his campaign received a wave of support from Gen-Z on social media.
NATHAN ELLISON / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com. Mary Caitlin Cronin can be reached at mcronin@cornellsun. com.