INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 141, No. 53
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THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2024 n ITHACA, NEW YORK
ASSEMBLY CONTROVERSY
First-Year Women Accuse Candidate of Misconduct S.A. presidential candidate Getulio Gonzalez-Mulattieri '25 denies harassment allegations By SOFIA RUBINSON Sun Senior Reporter
Editor’s Note: The freshman women interviewed for this article have been given pseudonyms to protect their identities. In requesting anonymity for this story, they cited a fear of retaliation. He’s a well-known community activist and U.S. Air Force veteran attending Cornell as an undergraduate in his mid-thirties — and he’s a real contender to win his bid for Student Assembly president. His name is Getulio Gonzalez-Mulattieri ’25, and he’s running to build “a more just, compassionate campus,” according to his candidate profile. But his campaign promise contrasts with his history of alleged harassment, according to four first-year women. The young women told The Sun that he has made a series of unwanted and inappropriate advances at them — often in intimate, isolated settings — including making suggestive comments and, in one instance, showing up at a place of work to confront one of them after she had attempted to distance herself from him. In some cases, he was persistent even after being rebuffed, the women said. The women, who all come from minority backgrounds, said that Gonzalez-Mulattieri has demonstrated a pattern of targeting women of color in particular. One first-year woman said that if Gonzalez-Mulattieri, who turns 36 on Friday, wins the Student Assembly presidency, she would feel “sick.” In response to these allegations, Gonzalez-Mulattieri said that he is “extremely friendly” and that his “intention was never to make anyone feel uncomfortable.” “I apologize for any misinterpretation of my actions,” he added. Naomi’s Story Last semester, a newly turned 18-year-old in the Brooks School of Public Policy was enrolled in two classes with Gonzalez-Mulattieri. This article, for reasons of privacy and security, will refer to her by the pseudonym Naomi. Naomi told The Sun that she generally tries to maintain a friendly demeanor and, at first, extended that to Gonzalez-Mulattieri. She would talk to him and others in her class cordially, she said, and once gave him a fist-bump while
parting ways. After an evening academic event on Sept. 7, days after the fist-bump, she said, Gonzalez-Mulattieri offered her a ride back to her dorm on North Campus. It was dark and raining outside, so she agreed, “against my better judgment.” Before he began to drive, Gonzalez-Mulattieri allegedly turned to Naomi and asked if she “felt something between us” during the fist-bump days earlier. Naomi, who said she was deeply uncomfortable in that one-on-one situation, told Gonzalez-Mulattieri that she had a partner. She remembered that a tense, awkward silence ensued. When Gonzalez-Mulattieri took two wrong turns on the way to North Campus, “my heart dropped,” she said. “I don’t know what his intentions were in that moment.” GonzalezMulattieri eventually brought her back to her dorm, she said. GonzalezMulattieri said he did not recall this interaction. Naomi said that she was so put off by the car ride that, to the extent possible, she cut GonzalezMulattieri out of her life (they are in the same college and are enrolled in two classes together this semes-
ter). Months after the incident, on Feb. 1, Gonzalez-Mulattieri sent Naomi text messages unexpectedly. “Hey, I honestly don’t know what I did to warrant any animosity from you last semester,” one of the messages from Gonzalez-Mulattieri obtained by The Sun reads. In another he said, “If I wronged you in some way I’m open to hearing how and I’d like to apologize pre-emptively. But beyond that I have a clear conscience and will continue acting as such.” Naomi responded to the message, which she said was sent after she avoided talking to him the day before. “[Y]our inappropriate behavior towards the girls at brooks has caused us ALL to naturally distance ourselves from you,” an excerpt of Naomi’s message read. “I’d like to remind you we are newly turned 18 year olds and your advances are very unnerving.” “To my knowledge, I haven’t said or done anything inappropriate. Either way, I’ve gotten the message loud and clear, and I apologize for anything I may have done that’s escaped my notice,” an excerpt of Gonzalez-Mulattieri’s response read. “I won’t be interacting with you all any further.” Two days later, on Feb. 3, Gonzalez-Mulattieri allegedly approached another first-year student, referred to in this piece as Sarah, at her place of work, a campus coffee shop. Sarah said she had never seen Gonzalez-Mulattieri there before, despite having often worked the same shift. Gonzalez-Mulattieri approached Sarah and asked if she was mad at him, she said. Immediately following the interaction, Sarah texted her friends that she was “scared.” Gonzalez-Mulattieri said it was a “possibility” that this interaction occurred. Sarah’s Story Sarah, then an 18-year-old in the Brooks School, also met Gonzalez-Mulattieri in a policy class. In the beginning of the fall semester, Sarah said, Gonzalez-Mulattieri glanced at her computer screensaver and caught sight of a photograph of Rihanna in a bra and underwear. Sarah said he asked if the photo was of her. After Sarah told him that it was the pop singer, GonzalezMulattieri allegedly said the photo “could be” her, looking her up and down “in a way that seemed sexual, like it was implying something,” she said. Gonzalez-Mulattieri continued on, saying he “thought that was you,” Sarah alleged. GonzalezMulattieri denied comparing a student to a revealing photograph of Rihanna.
MING DEMERS / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
See MISCONDUCT page 4
Ting Appeal Rejected, Pinard Appeal Approved, D'Angelo Disqualified By DOROTHY FRANCE-MILLER Sun Senior Writer
In what was once a five-candidate race for Student Assembly president, only three candidates remain — Zora deRham ’27, Audrey Pinard ’25 and Getulio GonzalezMulattieri ’25. Student Assembly presidential candidate Claire Ting ’25’s disqualification appeal has been denied in a 7-1-0 vote, and candidate Emily D’Angelo ’25 has been disqualified from the S.A. elections. Pinard was previously disqualified due to her campaigning before the start of the voting and campaign period, but her appeal was approved in a unanimous vote, reinstating
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her candidacy. Ting’s appeal came in response to her April 15 disqualification from the presidential race due to violating election rules by leaking personal documents with the alleged goal of intimidating other potential candidates. Her disqualification ends her final attempt to be considered for president. Pinard began campaigning on Instagram on April 5, which was 10 days before the designated campaign and voting period began. This is a violation of the election rules, which do not permit the promotion of a candidate “through email, social media or other digital media” prior to the start of this period. She was disqualified by the S.A.
Elections Committee in a unanimous vote. However, after informing the Elections Committee in her appeal that she archived the campaign posts immediately after their publication and unarchived them during the campaign period, Pinard’s candidacy was reinstated in a unanimous vote. Before approving Pinard’s appeal, Director of Elections Luke Thomas ’27 told The Sun that “Audrey’s appeal certainly provides context
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which we were not aware of when the Elections Committee originally made the decision to disqualify her.” D’Angelo was disqualified due to her inability to complete mandatory tabling hours by the required date. S.A. presi-
dential candidates are required to complete 2.5 hours of tabling, during which candidates sit at a location determined by the elections committee to answer questions and engage with students. According to the report, D’Angelo had completed zero hours of tabling. She was disqualified in a unanimous vote. Sources close to the elections committee stated that the committee attempted to contact D’Angelo multiple times, but she failed to complete the requirements properly regardless. Dorothy France-Miller can be reached at dfrancemiller@cornellsun.com.
COURTESY OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY
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