INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 140, No. 50
8 Pages — Free
TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 2024 n ITHACA, NEW YORK
News
Arts
Sports
Weather
Assembly Antics
Wendy's Woes
Irish Goodbye
Cloudy
Rachel Cannata '25 laments the insensitive invaion into Wendy William's personal struggles in her new reality show.
No. 10 men's lacrosse dropped its contest against No. 1 Notre Dame, falling 18-17 after allowing a goal with six seconds left.
HIGH: 62° LOW: 36°
The Student Assembly Elections Committee is initiating an investigation into S.A Executive Vice President Claire Ting '25.
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Inside the Ethics Report on Top S.A. Leaders By SOFIA RUBINSON Sun Senior Writer
The Student Assembly Office of Ethics on Sunday, April 14 released a 38-page investigatory report on allegations against several high-ranking S.A. members. The Sun broke down the report to summarize the ethical violations against Vice President of Finance George Rocco DeLorenzo ’24, Vice President of Internal Operations Clyde Lederman ’26 and President Patrick Kuehl ’24. The Student Assembly will vote on whether to hold a recall vote on DeLorenzo and Lederman at its Thursday, April 18 meeting at the recommendation of the Office of Ethics. What’s Included in the Report? The Office of Ethics’ report outlined several violations of the Student Assembly’s Code of Ethics by current S.A. leaders alongside findings that were not direct violations but give an unprecedented look into how power is divvied up behind the scenes among undergraduate representatives.
The Office of Ethics defines an ethical violation to constitute “the improper or unauthorized use of Student Assembly name, reputation, resources or channels for personal gain or advantage within the bounds of the
Student Assembly to obtain special treatment, access to resources and opportunities or favorable treatment.” Here are the report’s findings broken down by each Student Assembly member investigated by the Office of Ethics. Findings for Vice President of Finance Rocco DeLorenzo ’24 As reported in The Sun on March 21, the Office of Ethics found that DeLorenzo coordinated with then-pres-
idential candidate Pedro Da Silveira ’25 during the Spring 2023 election to protect Greek life, “primarily through the suppression of information related to Greek life and/ or considered to be ‘controversial’ within that context,” though this was not officially deemed an ethical violation. In February 2023, DeLorenzo — then the Interfraternity Council president — messaged Da Silveira that a “machine greek
JASON WU / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
MING DEMERS / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Ethics in question | The Office of Ethics recommended that Vice Presidents Clyde Lederman '26 and Rocco DeLorenzo '24 face a recall vote in light of their ethical violations.
life sweep” was coming that would work to prevent changes to the Greek life system from being considered by the Assembly. When asked what the “mandate of the machine” would be for the upcoming year, DeLorenzo wrote: “Probably two rules – 1. Don’t do anything controversial 2. Leave greek life alone.” The pair messaged about the influence of Greek life on the Student Assembly several times throughout the campaign period. DeLorenzo was also found to have coordinated with Da Silveira during the Spring 2023 election to block specific candidates or influences on the Student Assembly, which also was found to not be a violation of the Code of Ethics. The report points to a dinner between DeLorenzo and Da Silveira on Feb. 16, 2023, during which the pair discussed the possibility of running together to oppose the presidential run of Sanvi Bhardwaj ’24, who was previously the top sponsor of a resolution condemning Greek life. See ETHICS page 3
Theta Tau Suspended for Cocaine Use, Hazing By BEN LEYNSE Sun Staff Writer
ANUSHKA SHOREWALA / SUN ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Rally resistance | A pro-divestment banner hangs in the background of the Jewish Unity.
Jewish Groups Hold Rally as CML Marches for Divestment By CHRISTINA MacCORKLE and ANUSHKA SHOREWALA Sun News Editor and Sun Assistant News Editor
Hundreds of students, alumni, parents and community members came together on the Arts Quad for a “Jewish Unity Rally” at 1 p.m. on April 14 that aimed to combat antisemitism at Cornell and nationwide. Hosted by the End Jewish Hatred movement in partnership with Cornellians for Israel and numerous other organizations, the event featured speakers including Amanda Silberstein ’26; entrepreneur David Litman ’82; activist Mandana Dayani; Prof.
William Jacobson, law; Columbia Assistant Professor Shai Davidai Ph.D. ’15; political analyst Bassem Eid and Congressmen Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) and Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.). Hung from the roof of Goldswin Smith Hall by pro-Palestine activists, a large banner reading “Jews for Divestment, No Genocide in our name” created a black, green and red backdrop to the pro-Israel event. The attendees, waving Israeli flags and posters that read #EndJewHatred, cheered when the sign was removed at around 2:15 p.m. See RALLY page 4
Cornell’s Kappa Delta Chapter of Theta Tau was recently suspended by the Theta Tau Central Office after an investigation by the office revealed alcohol and drug use violations and hazing within the fraternity. Documents obtained by The Sun detail a timeline of events, a culture of drug use and an indifferent response from club leadership. The University has been investigating the co-educational engineering fraternity since November. According to a current Theta Tau member, who spoke to The Sun on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, the investigation began after potential new members expressed concerns about reportedly being forced to do cocaine by one member of CORE — the executive student leadership team. According to the brother, an anonymous report about the incident — which occurred at an afterparty for the fraternity’s big/little reveal ceremony last semester — was submitted to Cornell’s Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards. Shortly after, CORE emailed potential new members, apologizing for “a number of circumstances that
occurred that may have led to some discomfort.” According to a copy of Theta Tau Central Office’s internal investigation report obtained by The Sun, three members of CORE went on to meet with the PNM class to apologize for the cocaine use at the afterparty. The investigation notes that the CORE member who took responsibility for bringing cocaine to the event did not attend the meeting. On Nov. 30, OSCCS issued a pause on interaction with new members, an interim order prohibiting members from contacting PNMs as OSCCS investigated the allegations, according to an email obtained by The Sun. Over the next few months, the OSCCS conducted 20 interviews with organization members, according to the Theta Tau Central Office report. Jennifer Kreiman, director of chapter services in the Theta Tau Central Office, filed an internal investigation report after sitting in on those 20 interviews and independently conducting eight more. On March 1, Theta Tau Central Office concluded its investigation determining multiple drug, alcohol and hazing violations. The University’s investigation remains ongoing. See HAZING page 4