INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 142, No. 24
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2026 n ITHACA, NEW YORK
Science
Arts
Features
Backyard birds
Alt-rock anthem
Speedy swimming
This year’s Great Backyard Bird Count saw participation from citizen scientists across the globe. | Page 10
The Sun spoke to the Ithaca-based “osteological alt-rock” group Wise Bones. | Page 14
16 Pages – Free
Sophomore Josh Toothman broke the Red’s record for fastest 50-yard freestyle. | Page 12 -w
Asteri’s Aftermath: Displacement, Dangerous Conditions, ‘Predatory’ Cash for Keys Scheme By VALENCIA MASARRO Sun Senior Writer
March 27 — Asteri resident David Carter said he was told by Asteri building management that he “only had one day to get out” of his apartment on March 4. He packed his essentials into two Wegmans bags, he told The Sun, unsure where his next move would be and when he would return home again. Carter is one of the roughly 200 residents forced to leave their apartments on March 4 after the city ordered residents to vacate due to fire and safety concerns, which created an immediate hazard. He was also one of the residents offered $2,000 by the Vecino Group, Asteri’s owners, in exchange for his apartment. That cash-for-keys initiative, which pays residents to move out before their leases end, has been criticized as “predatory” by some, including the Ithaca Tenants’ Union, because residents would be released from current and future leases and are prohibited from pursuing legal action against Vecino, often without fully understanding what they are signing. Following the order to vacate, residents were displaced to hotels like Quality Inn, where their stays were funded by the Vecino Group. The order to vacate was lifted on March 20. While the order to vacate has been an immediate concern for the residents, the city of Ithaca and the Vecino Group, it is just the most recent development in a string of ongoing concerns related to the building. Asteri, a $96 million affordable housing development in the Ithaca Commons, opened in August 2024 with 181 apartments, including 40 with on-site support services for people struggling with homelessness. This project was funded both privately and publicly by Tompkins County, as well as state and federal partners like New York State Homes and Community Renewal, Empire State Development and Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency. “Ensuring the life safety of the building has been the City’s top priority,” acting City Manager Dominick Recckio said, according to a March 20 press release.
“Predatory” Cash-for-Keys Since February, The Vecino Group has been incentivizing residents moving out through a cash-for-keys initiative. According to agreements made by Asteri obtained by The Sun, the building owners offer $2,000 if residents “fully vacate and surrender possession of the premises” within five days. Signing this agreement releases both Asteri and the resident from any obligations associated with leases. Alan Karasin, director of the City of Ithaca’s Department of Information and Community Engagement, referred to the initiative as “predatory” toward residents, as it leads them to “forgo” their rights. Under Ithaca housing regulations, landlords are obligated to pay displaced residents double their monthly rent, prorated for each day they are displaced. “Vecino knows they owe more money than they are offering,” Karasin told The Sun. Jordan Berrios, an Asteri resident, told The Sun that this offer is still available. He declined when he was first offered cash for his apartment because he believes he has enough evidence
NATHAN ELLISON / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Residents relocated | Residents of the Asteri building were displaced after an Order to Vacate by the city of Ithaca.
against the Vecino Group to build a habitability lawsuit, where he could earn a payout far more than $2,000. “I wasted a whole year of my life … and we suffered greatly. ... A lot of bad things happen,” Berrios said. Berrios is not the only one considering litigation regarding Asteri. Another resident, Wytheria Harriet, filed a lawsuit against the City on March 5 due to her displacement during the order to vacate. This follows a different lawsuit initiated in May 2025, in which Harriet and eight other plaintiffs alleged Asteri failed to provide a place “fit for human habitation.” The Ithaca Downtown Conference Center, which shares the building with Asteri, sued the Vecino Group in 2025, claiming that Asteri’s building managers did not take action despite repeated concerns about unhygienic building conditions and safety issues. Ongoing “Dangerous Conditions” For residents like Carter, who has lived at Asteri for almost two years, while the order to vacate came as a surprise, the “dangerous” conditions which prompted it did not. He described Asteri as an unhygienic place to live, with dog feces scattered around hallways and broken windows. In video footage from 12 News, trash, needles and broken glass within stairwells are visible, along with soot from a fire from over a year prior. “Vecino hasn’t just failed to handle the situation at Asteri. Rather, Vecino’s failure to adequately staff and manage the Asteri residences actually created the situation at the building,” Legislator Deborah Dawson (Seventh District), who also serves as TCIDA Chair, told The Sun. Support services were available for residents who were displaced: many were housed in hotels, and the Tompkins County Public Library offered a warm place to stay during the day. Residents had access to free transportation through the Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit. Foodnet on Wheels and the City of Ithaca additionally provided two frozen meals to each returning resident to help ease the transition once the order was lifted. See ASTERI page 5
Cornell Accepts 5,776 Students to Class of 2030
The admits hail from all 50 states and 102 countries and plan to study nearly 80 different majors across Cornell’s eight colleges. Architecture students cobbled together their 125th wooden Dragon Day sculpture, and Cornellians began driving, flying, busing and biking away for a break March 26 — Ivy Day at Cornell was a typi- from campus. And, at approximately 7 p.m., applicants to Cornell cal early-spring Thursday in Ithaca, with a sunny start and a rainy end. opened their decision letters to the sound of Cornell’s alma mater, welcoming them to join the 5,776 students in Cornell’s admitted Class of 2030. The newly-minted admits to the Cornell community — hailing from all 50 states and 102 countries — will join a community of students studying nearly 80 majors across eight different colleges. From A.D. White Library’s study nooks to spikeball tournaments on the Arts Quad to checking boxes on the 161 Things list, the Cornellian experience awaits the newly admitted class. Admitted students can get a preview during Cornell Days on April 11, 12, 18 and 19 before joining the rest of the Cornell community for classes in August. The number of students admitted in the Class of 2030 decreased by 0.8% from the Class of 2029’s acceptances. Last year’s acceptances by Ivy Day totalled 5,824, 48 ANTHONY CORRALES / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER By CORAL PLATT and ATTICUS JOHNSON Sun News Editors
admits more than this year’s batch. There were several changes to the Cornell application process since the Class of 2029’s admission cycle. For the first time since 2020, Cornell applicants were required to submit their SAT and/or ACT test scores. Additionally, following the November settlement between Cornell and the Trump administration to restore over $250 million in federal funding to the University, Cornell is now required to provide “anonymized undergraduate admissions data” to the federal government, according to the settlement. The data will be broken down by “individual schools, race, grade point average and standardized test performance.” Early decision applicants were notified of their acceptances on Dec. 18, and are fully committed to attending Cornell with the exception of financial concerns. Students admitted on Thursday will have until May 1 to accept their offer.
Coral Platt and Atticus Johnson can be reached at cplatt@cornellsun.com and ajohnson@cornellsun.com.