INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2024 n ITHACA, NEW YORK
Vol. 140, No. 49
8 Pages — Free
News
Dining
Science
Weather
Police Programming
Getting That Bread
Mighty MicroRNA
Chance of Rain
The Ithaca Police Department's new training program features procedural justice and implicit bias, two critical concepts.
The Mystery Shopper Program offers students the dream job — to eat at cafes and dining halls on an hourly salary.
Cornell researchers discovered a connection between miR29, a microRNA, and pediatric Chrohn's disease.
HIGH: 68º LOW: 54º
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Cornell Grad Students Rally for Protections
By ERIC LECHPAMMER Sun Senior Writer
ANGELA BUNAY / SUN SENIOR REPORTER
Court case | Patrick Dai awaits sentencing after accepting a plea deal at the Northern District of New York courthouse on April 10.
Dai Pleads Guilty, Awaits Sentence By SOFIA RUBINSON, ANGELA BUNAY and GABRIEL MUÑOZ Sun Senior Reporters and Sun City Editor
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Patrick Dai ’24, the 21-year-old who wrote a series of antisemitic threats on the Cornell section of the anonymous discussion forum Greekrank in October, accepted a plea deal on the felony charge of posting threats to kill or injure another using interstate communications. Appearing on Wednesday, April 10 at the Northern District of New York courthouse, Dai waived his right to an indictment and accepted a plea offer from the prosecution, pleading guilty to one felony count for his October threats. While the charge holds a maximum of five years in prison or a $250,000 fine, the federal prosecutors recommended anywhere from 15 to 21 months following the plea. Federal prosecutors are advocating for maximizing Dai’s sentencing, citing a hate crime motivation. Dai admitted to sending messages on Greekrank with the knowledge that they would be perceived as threats and acting in a reckless regard while knowing the posts would be perceived as “true threats.” Dai’s attorney Lisa Peebles stated to the court that his motivation to commit this crime was driven by a desire to “expose Hamas as evil” and not to make genuine threats. Peebles also noted that the apology Dai posted to Greekrank shortly before his arrest indicated his remorse. The final sen-
tencing will be determined by the judge at Dai’s forthcoming sentencing hearing on Aug. 12. Dai, who has been held in Broome County Jail since Oct. 31, faced prevalent mental health issues that contributed to his October threats, according to Peebles. Dai’s posts threatened a mass shooting at the Center for Jewish Living and called for others to commit violence against Jewish students. Attending the hearing were Dai’s mother, Bing Liu, and two unidentified individuals. Dai’s father continues to work as a professor in China and was not present at the hearing. Dai’s mother did not make eye contact with Dai, who avoided the gaze of the courtroom. In a press conference after the hearing, Peebles discussed Dai’s mental state and provided updates to his experience at the Broome County Jail following previous claims of inaccessibility from his mother and a complaint that he was not provided with prescription glasses. Peebles affirmed that his mother has been in contact with Dai and that he has his glasses. It was revealed that Dai was formally diagnosed with autism, a claim that was previously questioned by the court. To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com. Sofia Rubinson, Angela Bunay and Gabriel Muñoz can be reached at srubinson@cornellsun.com, abunay@cornellsun. com and gmunoz@cornellsun.com.
Over 100 graduate students rallied outside of Day Hall demanding that Cornell bargain a fair contract with the graduate student union on April 10. The union, Cornell Graduate Students United – Union for Everyone, represents graduate workers across the University. CGSU-UE was formed in November after an overwhelmingly positive 1,873 to 80 vote in the unionization election. In March, the CGSU-UE’s bargaining committee drafted a contract to the University demanding key protections for graduate student employment, exercising their right to collectively bargain their conditions of employment under the National Labor Relations Act. The contract demanded fair discipline and discharge procedures; non-discrimination and non-harassment and academic freedom, health and safety protections. During the rally, graduate student speakers called on Cornell to “meet [them] at the bargaining table” and seriously consider their demands. Momodou Taal grad, a Ph.D. student in the Africana studies department, emphasized the importance of discrimination protections. He cited instances of being harassed on campus for attending pro-Palestinian rallies. He also said that despite the administration’s statements condemning discrimination, they have still failed to protect the student body and graduate workers. Taal said that the CGSU-UE has stepped up where the administration’s actions have failed. "The collective bargaining committee has already drafted language that will protect me and other graduate workers from discrimination and harassment,” Taal said. “A strong union contract is the only way we can ensure a safe environment.” See PROTEST page 4
Cloudy Skies, Bright Spirits: Students Enjoy Solar Eclipse By JONATHAN BRAND and DALTON MULLINS Sun Senior Writers
Cloudy skies on Monday, April 8 did not deter Cornellians from quitting their books to gather on the slope or road trip northwards to view a rare solar eclipse, escaping the stresses of school to take in a celestial wonder. This eclipse marked the first time since 1925 that New York fell in the path of totality. From campus, students were able to experience an eclipse with 98.8 percent magnitude through overcast skies. Ithaca’s close proximity to the path of totality also gave many Cornell students the opportunity to travel to see the full total eclipse. On campus, classes were paused from 3 p.m. until 4 p.m. to offer students the opportunity to view the rare solar event. Student and Campus Life also hosted an eclipse
viewing party from 2:30 p.m. until 4 p.m. on Ho Plaza. Min Kwon ’27 stayed on campus for the celestial event, watching the eclipse from the slope. He said that the overcast skies made viewing the eclipse difficult, with the eclipse only being visible for a few brief moments. “We went to the slope at 2:30 p.m. — it was packed with people,” Kwon said. “We waited for 30 to 40 minutes, and then someone yelled when the eclipse came for just a few seconds. We were all taking pictures and then a few seconds later, it disappeared again. We were very disappointed.” Though he said many students were disappointed by the cloud cover, Kwon said the experience was worth it because it allowed everyone to meet with their friends and enjoy the warm weather together. MING DEMERS / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
See ECLIPSE page 4
Slope scenes | Cornellians peek through the clouds to catch a glimpse of the April 8 solar eclipse.