INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 139 No. 54
8 Pages – Free
TUESDAY, APRIL 25, 2023 n ITHACA, NEW YORK
News
Arts
Sports
Weather
Undocumented in Academia
Love or Limerence
Last-Second Success
Partly cloudy
Prof. Monica Cornejo, communication, an undocumented tenure-track faculty member, shared experience in academia. | Page 3
Nika Makoviak '25 discusses the idea of "limerence," which refers to imaginary love, in the film "Ruby Sparks." | Page 5
Men's lacrosse defeated Army, scoring the winning goal in the last nine seconds of the game. | Page 8
HIGH: 53º LOW: 38º
Homeless Encampments Located a Mile From Campus
The "Jungle" has generated tension over Tompkins County's role in aiding the homeless population By JIWOOK JUNG Sun City Editor
Commonly referred to as the “Jungle” by local residents, it is difficult to take more than 10 steps before spotting orange needle caps in Ithaca’s hub for homeless encampments. Graffiti, stolen items and a confederate flag haunt the region as many Ithaca residents who find work in the area voiced serious safety concerns. “[The first responders] had to pull the dead body out of the river,” said Budd Dickson, who works at Ithaca Agway, located less than 100 feet from one of the many encampments. “The guy overdosed and rolled himself down the river last year.” Less than two miles away from Cornell’s
main campus, where the median family income of a student is $151,600 and more than 10 percent of its student body comes from America’s wealthiest one percent, homeless encampments stretch along a tucked-away rail track. The encampments extend for many blocks, reaching the backdoors of popular stores including Wegmans, Walmart and Lowe’s. According to Mike Boynton, who works at Walmart, there are frequent sounds of explosions coming from the encampments. Boynton stated that along with several other stores in the area, Walmart is a frequent victim of property theft, including prevalent stealing of shopping carts. “[The sound] is from cooking meth[amphetamine],” Boynton said. “It happens frequently in the summertime.”
JIMMY CAWLEY / SUN DINING EDITOR
Opposite worlds | The "Jungle" sports a confederate flag, located on City of Ithaca land.
JASON WU / SUN SENIOR EDITOR
Stealing surge | Local businesses report being regular victims of property theft.
According to George McGonigal, first ward alderperson of Ithaca, the city’s homeless population is rapidly increasing, with there now being roughly 60 homeless people in the city. “People are getting robbed,” McGonigal said. “Wegmans loses food, shopping carts and people are harassed when going to their cars, particularly in the evening.” The “Jungle” has existed since as early as 1926, according to various officials in the Tompkins County government. Today, tension arises in discussing how much the city and the county should help the unhoused population, as some residents fear that the current policies — including providing showers and bathrooms — are functioning as enablers of homeless presence in Ithaca.
See THE JUNGLE page 3
JASON WU / SUN SENIOR EDITOR
Drug debris | Substance abuse is a prominent issue in the "Jungle."
Clyde Lederman '26 Vies for Mary Salton Describes Journey Ithaca Common Council Seat as a Youth in Nazi Europe
University when he launched his campaign for Ithaca Common Council Sun Contributor alderperson. Lederman — who is running as a Still acclimating to college life, Democrat — has his eyes on a twothere are many priorities that might year seat representing Ithaca’s fifth be top-of-mind for a Cornell first-year ward, first announcing his plans last student. Running for elected office is December. On campus, Lederman not usually one of them. is involved with the Cornell Prison However, this is exactly what Clyde Education Program and is the clerk Lederman ’26, a first-year student in for the Office of the Assemblies. the School of Industrial and Labor “I decided to run [for a seat on Relations, is pursuing. Lederman had Ithaca Common Council] because just finished his first semester at the students in Ithaca deserve an alderperson who will fight for affordable housing and quality public transportation,” Lederman wrote in a December Facebook post announcing his candidacy. The fifth ward represents North Campus and the Cornell Heights area, along with much of University Hill. If elected, Lederman would become the youngest member of the Common Council at just 19 years JASON WU / SUN SENIOR EDITOR old. Fresh ideas | Clyde Lederman '26 launched Lederman officially launched his By ISKANDER KHAN
By CARLIN REYEN
his campaign for Ithaca Common Council alderperson after his first semester at Cornell.
Walking along the Arts Quad the week of April 17 to April 21, a thousand small white flags peppered the grass. Upon closer inspection, these flags are an installation in remembrance of Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust SIMON JACOBS / SUN CONTRIBUTOR Remembrance Day, which occurred from the evening of April 17 to the Lives lost | Cornell Hillel displayed 1,000 evening of April 18. flags, with each flag representing 6,000 As part of the memorial, Cornell Jews that were murdered in the Holocaust. Hillel brought about a poignant and memorable event on Wednesday, as Salton lost a grandfather and several Mary Salton, who was born in Vienna aunts, uncles and cousins during the in 1929 and escaped Nazi Austria as a war, the large majority of whom were child, visited to share her experience killed in concentration camps. Only one with a packed auditorium in Phillips of her mother’s four siblings survived Hall 101. the Holocaust. Salton said she does not The event featured an interview video refer to herself as a Holocaust survivor between Salton and Howard Urlich, a due to the fact that she herself was not former professor and administrator at imprisoned in a concentration camp. Ithaca College, who facilitated Salton’s retelling of her childhood memories To continue reading this article, please during the Second World War. After the visit www.cornellsun.com. video, Salton answered questions from Cornell community members about her Carlin Reyen can be reached at creyen@cornellsun.com. experiences.
See CAMPAIGN page 4
Sun Staff Writer