8-27-18 entire issue hi res

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Rachel Doran ’19, Fashion Enthusiast and Loving Friend, Dies At 21

By MEREDITH LIU Sun Assistant News Editor

Rachel Doran ’19, a rising senior in the College of Human Ecology, died Aug. 17 after battling against several rare and life-threatening syndromes for five weeks. She was 21 years old.

Doran died with family and friends by her side, according to a statement from Ryan Lombardi, vice president for student and campus life. She is survived by her parents, Lisa and Alan, and her 15-year-old sister Ellie Doran.

“She’s the most kind and considerate person there ever was,” said Prof. Denise N. Green ’07, fiber science and apparel design, under whom Doran served as a research assistant in the Cornell Costume and Textile Collection for five semesters.

“She is passionate, determinant and thoughtful. She would never push someone out of the way to get things done,” Green told The Sun. “Rachel taught me so much about life and about being a good person.”

Doran was diagnosed on July 13 with both StevensJohnson Syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis, serious skin disorders usually caused by a drug reaction, according to the webpage of a GoFundMe campaign created by Doran’s family friends to raise money for her treatment. The SJS resulted in severe burns to 95 percent of Rachel’s body, the fundraisers said.

The GoFundMe had raised more than $100,000 out of a $150,000 goal as of Sunday afternoon to help Doran’s parents, including many donations made after the announcement of Doran’s death.

Doran was treated at The Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital for two weeks before she was transferred to New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center for the treatment of adult respiratory distress

syndrome, where she spent her last days, according to the same page.

“True to Rachel’s spirit and with the same fervor she had for everything she took on, she fought the most difficult health issues with tenacity and grace,” Kathy Coon and Elaine Daignault, the GoFundMe campaign organizers, wrote after her death.

Originally from Westport, Connecticut, Doran was a fashion management design major at Cornell and was completing a minor in business. Aside from doing research for the Cornell Costume and Textile Collection, she was also the vice president of public relations for the Pi Sigma Epsilon professional fraternity and a member of the Cornell Fashion Industry Network.

Doran, who was interested in the modern business side of the fashion industry according to Green, was called an “old soul” by Coon in an interview with Westport News. In a class assignment during her sophomore year, Doran said her music tastes were shaped by classic rock artists.

“One of my earliest memories is singing along to Eric Clapton on the way to preschool,” she wrote, adding: “Instead of lullabies, [my dad] sang Led Zeppelin’s ‘Going to California’ and Elton John’s ‘Tiny Dancer’ to put me to sleep at night,” she wrote in spring 2017 for a group project for COMM 1300: Visual Communication. “His music taste has been a big influence on me.”

Doran was remembered by her friends as a strong and genuine person.

“She was the most mature, independent person I’ve ever known,” Abby Lustig ’19, a friend of Doran’s since nursery school, told Westport News. “She was driving highways before I could drive Post Road, running errands for her family, and bringing her sister Ellie around.”

Pi Sigma Epsilon president Noah Burgett ’19 first met Doran in the fall of 2016 at the new member interview for

Emmy Winner Promotes Anti-Fracking

By MATTHEW McGOWEN

Sun Senior Editor

Nearly 1,000 Cornellians, Ithacans and activists converged on Bailey Hall Friday night for The Truth Has Changed, a monologue performance by Emmy-winning, Oscar-nominated director of Gasland and prominent anti-fracking activist Josh Fox.

The roughly two and a half hour performance was filmed as part of Fox’s upcoming feature film by the same title originally commissioned by HBO, to be released next year. It was also one of many stops on a nationwide tour of politically focused events.

“We’re touring this piece all across the nation in support of progressive candidates in the 2018 midterm elections. When I go on tour with a new piece, whether that’s a film or something like this, what we do is we put out an email to our list, which is 250,000 people, and we say, ‘who wants us to come?’” Fox said.

Fox’s performance was a potpourri of political activism, climate advocacy and entertainment organized by Cornell Environmental Collaborative and Climate Justice Cornell and sponsored by 39 groups from Cornell and the local community.

the fraternity. As they walked out of the Dairy Bar, where the interview took place, it started pouring and they had to run all the way to their next classes.

“I didn’t know it was that far from Central Campus, and

3 Profs. Support NYU Prof. Ronnell

By AMINA KILPATRICK Sun Staff Writer

Three Cornell professors are among dozens of scholars defending a New York University professor who was found by NYU to have sexually harassed her former student in a unique #MeToo case that has garnered widespread attention in academia and elsewhere.

In the letter to NYU’s president and provost, 51 scholars including Profs. Jonathan Culler, Cathy Caruth and Cynthia Chase, all English and comparative literature, testified to

the character of NYU Prof. Avital Ronell, German studies and comparative literature, and highlighted her standing within academia. NYU has suspended Ronell for the academic year after finding that she had sexually harassed a former graduate student.

Nimrod Reitman, the former student, said Ronell had kissed and touched him, slept in his bed, and constantly sent him messages. Ronell was reportedly cleared by NYU of Reitman’s allegations of sexual assault, stalking and retaliation.

Caruth and Chase declined to be interviewed by The Sun, but Culler defended his signing of the letter, saying the language Ronell used in emails with her former student -in which she called him “cock-er spaniel” and “my most adored one” -- was commonplace in her style of correspondence.

“I certainly don’t regret signing Judith Butler’s letter in support of Avital Ronell, at a time when, we were told, NYU was trying to fire her,” Culler wrote

NYU page 5

Daybook

Monday, August 27, 2018

A LISTING OF FREE CAMPUS EVENTS

Today

David Dorn: The Fall of the Labor Share And the Rise of Superstar Firms 11:40 a.m. - 1:10 p.m., 115 Ives Hall

Citi Networking Lunch 11:40 a.m. - 1:15 p.m., 401 Warren Hall

Miles Schwartz Sax: Developing Clonally Propagated Stress Tolerant Oaks For the Urban Environment 12:20 p.m., 404 Plant Science Building

C.U. Jazz on the Quad 4 - 5:30 p.m., Cornell Arts Quad

Tidewrack: Reading the Modernist Beach 4:30 - 6 p.m., G42 Klarman Hall

Physics Colloquium: Forgotten Gems of Calculus 4 - 5 p.m., Schwartz Auditorium, Rockefeller Hall

Nydia Blas: We the Girls Who Spun Gold 5:15 p.m., Abby and Howard Milstein Auditorium

BBQ: American Association of Bovine Practitioner 5:30 p.m., Cornell Teaching Dairy Barn

Call 2 7 3 -3 6 0 6 Mon -Fri 9 -5 for information ab out placing your ad in the DINING GUIDE

Tuesday

BEDR Workshop: David Wooten, Marlen Gonzalez, Vicki Bogan, Nicolas Bottan and David Pizarro 11:40 a.m. - 1:10 p.m., 141 Sage Hall

LASSP and AEP Seminar: Nanoscale Dynamics in Quasi-periodic Complex Materials 12:20 - 1:45 p.m., 700 Clark Hall

Dead in the Water: the World Bank’s Model Hydropower Project in Laos 3:30 - 4:30 p.m., G24 Fernow Hall

Joint Stem Cell Program/Biomedical Sciences Seminar: Microenvironmental Regulatory Factors Impacting on Decreased Human Skin Regeneration and Aging 4 p.m., Lecture Hall 3, Vet Research Tower

5th Annual BEAR Walk

5:30 - 7:30 p.m., Frank E. Gannett Plaza, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts

Audition for Cornell Performing and Media Arts Fall Productions 7 p.m., Flex Theatre, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts

Cornell Tech/Law Colloquium: Bias In, Bias Out 7 p.m., 182 Myron Taylor Hall

Info Session: Exploring Fitness Options 7 p.m., Fitness Center, Helen Newman Hall

Professor Carol Warrior Dies

Warrior, who taught Native American literature, was a ‘fghter for indigenous rights’

By EMILY YANG Sun Staff Writer

Prof. Carol Edelman Warrior, English, died on July 4 at the age of 56, surrounded by her family and Sundance community in Montana.

A memorial event held by the department of English and American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program will take place on Thursday, August 30 from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. in the Africana Center Multi-Purpose Room.

Prof. Lisa Kahaleole Hall, women and gender studies, Wells College, who is currently a visiting professor at Cornell, described Warrior as a “cherished teacher, student mentor, and valued colleague” who “gave generously of her time, insights and compassion to all” in an email to all English department students.

“Carol carried the name Warrior in every aspect of her life,” her obituary reads. She was an “indigenous literature scholar, fighter for indigenous rights, and lover of family, community and students.”

Born on March 19, 1962, Warrior was enrolled with the Ninilchik Village Tribe and was of Alutiiq (Sugpiaq), Dena’ina Athabascan and A’aniiih (Gros Ventre) descent.

At Cornell, her research focused on Native American, First Nations and Alaska Native literatures, indigenous

philosophies, worldviews and critical theory, Native American women’s literature, indigenous futurisms and indigenous land-based practices. She also served as the residential faculty advisor for Awe:kon.

Skye Hart ’18 grad took Warrior’s ENGL 3560 Thinking from a Different Place: Indigenous Philosophies course, and later worked with Warrior for her senior honors thesis.

“She was just so dynamic and so challenging at the same time, and she was so kind.”

Prof. Masha Raskolnikov

“She was like a mom away from home,” Hart said, naming Warrior as one of the reasons she returned to Cornell for her master’s degree.

Hart recalled a chance encounter in Seattle, where Warrior gave her a ride and made sure she had a safe place to stay, as well as Warrior taking time out of class to discuss students’ feelings after the 2016 presidential election.

“She was always looking out for us,” Hart said. “She noticed things going on in our lives outside the classroom, and making sure

people were getting the help they needed. She supported us academically and personally, and helped us connect with our cultures.”

Warrior earned her B.A. in English and American Indian studies in 2008 from the University of Washington. She completed an M.A. and a Ph.D. in English language and literature in 2010 and 2015, respectively, both also from the University of Washington.

She served as an English and American Indian Studies instructor at the University of Washington before coming to Cornell in 2016 as a postdoctoral fellow. In 2017, she became an assistant professor in the department of English and an Affiliate Faculty in American Studies and the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program.

Prof. Masha Raskolnikov, English, described Warrior as “a promising scholar who was making a difference for students and everyone here.”

“She was just so dynamic and so challenging at the same time, and she was so kind,” Raskolnikov said. “That combination of being smart, rigorous and good at what she did, and also really generous and open and willing to be a real person — she’s going to be impossible to replace.”

Warrior enjoyed crafting, glassblowing, hiking and playing Dungeons and Dragons, according to a University press release.

She is survived by her husband, Shaawano Chad Uran, a visiting postdoctoral associ-

Much-loved | Warrior, a “promising scholar” who researched indigenous literature, died in July surrounded by family.

ate in the department of anthropology at Cornell, and her children Bryce (Christy) Stevenson, Lacey Stevenson Warrior, Brett Stevenson Warrior, Sage (Mika) Warrior, Cleo Keahna, Della Keahna Uran, Ike Keahna Uran and Smokii Sumac.

A GoFundMe fundraiser to help her family pay for funeral costs has raised over $22,000 of its $20,000 goal as of Sunday evening.

Emily Yang can be reached at eyang@cornellsun.com.

Residents Rally for Reproductive Rights Alumnus David Dufeld

Roughly 130 Ithaca residents gathered at the Bernie Milton Pavillion in the Commons on Sunday afternoon to rally for female reproductive rights and protest the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

Demanding pro-choice rights in light of Kavanaugh’s upcoming Senate confirmation hearings, protestors emphasized the need to protect Roe v. Wade (1973), a landmark Supreme Court case that ruled that abortion was legal under a woman’s right to privacy.

Kavanaugh’s nomination has raised concerns that a 5-4 conservative-leaning Supreme Court may overturn Roe v. Wade in the near future, according to The Washington Post.

An Ithaca resident for 36 years, Sue Perlgut helped plan the rally in only nine days. Perlgut serves as a committee member of Eliminating Abortion Stigma, an Ithaca-based organization founded in 2015 by local women, which advocates for greater access to safe and legal abortions.

As one of the principal orga-

nizers of the rally, Perlgut opened the rally with a speech, inspiring chants including “We say no to Kavanaugh!” and “We will not go back!”

Perlgut, who makes movies that attempt to decrease “the stigma surrounding abortion,” received an illegal abortion in 1965, an incident that motivated her to rally for women’s reproductive rights.

“I was one of the lucky ones — I survived. I actually went to an MD. It cost me a third of my salary, but that’s what I did. Because it was illegal, and there was ‘hush hush’ around it, there was a lot shame around it,” Perlgut told The Sun.

“There’s no shame to having [an] abortion — it’s part of our right as women to do what we want with our bodies,” Perlgut continued. “I never never want to see women have to go through what I went through — the shame, the hiding, the not knowing. I was lucky I went to a doctor, not knowing if I would live. It’s a really horrible thing, and no man should tell us what our rights are ever.”

Roz Kenworthy, one of the protestors and an EAS member, worked on the staff of Cornell

Health for over 30 years.

“For 30 years, I talked to Cornell students about their sexual needs, and if there was a simple thing to say about all this is that people are uncomfortable with the phrase ‘Abortion is a method of birth control,’” Kenworthy said.

“[Abortion] works. Contraceptives don’t always work. People have used abortion for centuries, millennia even,” Kenworthy added. “People need birth control, and that’s why it keeps happening. It would be a terrible shame to appoint this guy to the Supreme Court if his vote is going to be used to eviscerate Roe v. Wade.”

Following Perlgut’s opening words, Ashley Maguire, director of public affairs at Planned Parenthood in the Finger Lakes Region, urged the crowd to rally against the New York State Legislature law that restricts abortion to within a 24-week threshold.

“Our laws are out of date with Roe v. Wade,” Maguire said.

The attendees of the rally responded to impassioned statements with snaps and yells of agreement, chanting “Stand up and fight back!” and “Hey ho ho Kavanaugh has come to go!”

Taf Squires, another one of the speakers and an Ithaca resident since 1975, said she was especially moved to help plan an “Day of Action” in Ithaca to supplement national fervor on the issue.

“Our wildest hope is that lots of young women come out and rally. It’s your lives. It’s not going to be me who needs an abortion,” Squires said. “As [Perlgut] always says, ‘We ain’t going back there — we will lie down in the streets before we go back to pre-Roe v. Wade.’”

Shivani Sanghani can be reached at ssanghani@cornellsun.com.

To Recieve New Award

By VALE LEWIS Sun Staff Writer

David Duffield ’62, MBA ’64, namesake of Duffield Hall and founder of six tech companies, will return to campus on Sept. 4 to receive the Cornell Engineering Distinguished Alumnus Award and speak to students about his experiences in the tech industry.

This award, in its inaugural year, aims to recognize “individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership and vision” in their field and “whose professional accomplishments brings pride and distinction to the College,” according to the award’s webpage.

Duffield, “one of Cornell Engineering’s most successful and influential alumni,” will be the first ever recipient of the award because of the strides he has made in the business management and software fields as well as his global philanthropy, according to a University press release.

Duffield founded and

led PeopleSoft, a successful global enterprise software company, until it was acquired by Oracle for $10.3 billion in 2005.

Workday, Duffield’s current tech venture, manages “cloud-based applications for finance and HR,” according to the company’s website.

Cornell currently uses Workday as a human resources and employee management tool, which allows employees to view and keep track of personal information, such as payslips and hours worked.

A “deeply devoted Cornellian,” Duffield currently serves as a Presidential Councillor and was the primary donor for Duffield Hall and several Workday spaces across campus, according to the press release.

Following the inaugural award ceremony, Duffield will discuss his experiences creating and running tech companies, as well as share ideas for how students can break into the competitive industry.

The award ceremony and following conversation, which is open to the Cornell community, will be held in 101 Phillips Hall at 4 p.m. on Sept. 4. Lance Collins, the Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering, will moderate with President Martha Pollack providing the introduction.

Vale Lewis can be reached at vlewis@cornellsun.com.

Award-Winning Fashion Student and ‘True Cornellian’ Dies at 21

OBITUARY

Continued from page 1

I felt bad for making her trek all the way up there,” Burgett told The Sun. “We were soaking wet, not that she didn’t care, but she had the best attitude with it just as with everything.”

“She just has this warmest laugh that always makes you smile,” he added.

Even before college, Doran demonstrated her entrepreneurial spirit and talent for fashion design. She founded her own company, Rachel’s Rags, at the age of 11, which sold homemade pajamas on Etsy.com and across Westport and Greenwich, Connecticut, according to Green.

Doran also made her own prom dresses and produced costumes for the plays at Staples High School, which she graduated from in 2015. Her work — which later became part of her portfolio — greatly impressed Green when she was reviewing applications to the fashion design management program.

“Right away, we were like, ‘yes, this is exactly the kind of

students we want,’” Green recalled. “She was such an impressive person even before I met her at school.”

Green, who is the director of the CCTC, also saw Doran as “one of [the] most dedicated and prolific” research assistants and blog writers she ever had.

Doran curated her exhibition “Go Figure: The Fashion Silhouette & The Female Form” in November 2017, for which she received the Charlotte A. Jirousek Undergraduate Research Fellowship, a $1,000 prize awarded to one student every year to set up their exhibitions, according to Green. The exhibition looked at the “perceptions and representations of Euro-American ideals of beauty through the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries,” Doran told the Cornell Chronicle, which is run by the University.

“Body image is something I’ve always been very interested in and this exhibit allowed me to explore the intersection of body image and fashion, and so I looked at ways women control their bodies in how they look,” Doran said.

Activist Blasts Fracking

FOX

Continued from page 1

According to Fox, one of the primary drivers behind the visit to Cornell was to support local efforts by No Fracked Gas Cayuga, a recently formed group that opposes the burning of fracked gas from Pennsylvania in the Cayuga Power Plant.

The monologue covered a diverse range of topics, with Fox unfolding the narrative from a plain wooden desk strewn with papers at the front of the stage, controlling a wire-tangled, antique-looking amplifier with his left hand.

Fox’s story was as unmoored to chronological order as it was to any single topic. From family history to 9/11 to his adversarial relationship with the fracking industry, Fox discussed his work and subsequent media efforts to discredit him.

“All of a sudden I’m no longer ‘PA’s favorite son come to save the water,’ but the bespectacled New York Jew liberal come to tear apart your lottery ticket. For the very first time I gained the moniker ‘Hollywood Director,’” Fox said in reference to coverage by industry outlets like naturalgasnow.org and energyindepth.org.

Fox, born in Pennsylvania and a student of theater at Columbia University, made his ancestry a key part of the narrative, weaving the holocaust and gas chambers thematically with the story of America and natural gas extraction.

Taylor Brorby, a writer and English teacher from Iowa State, sat in the front row as a special guest invited to the event by organizer Sandra Steingraber. Much of Brorby’s writing is concerned with natural gas drilling and fracking, and he was arrested while protesting the Dakota Access pipeline in 2016.

“This [monologue] is different [from Gasland] in really articulating how [Fox is] getting followed, getting harassed, but also this link to the Twin Towers, the link to his personal family history, that hasn’t really come up in his work before,” Brorby said.

Aidan Kolodziej ’21 said the talk inspired him to action and that he hoped that the message would reach other Cornell students.

“This talk tonight with Josh Fox was an inspiring and eye-opening performance, which I think really calls to anyone to engage locally with what’s going on and not let issues like global climate change go unknown,” Kolodziej told The Sun.

While some in the audience were new to Fox’s work, some veterans in the fight to restrict fracking in New York State were also in attendance.

Buzz Lavine, an anti-fracking activist from Dryden, spoke with The Sun at a reception at the Big Red Barn following the show. Lavine said that he, along with eight other people, were the original creators of the Dryden Resource Awareness Coalition, which worked to ban fracking in Dryden.

The town of less than 1,500 provided a template for others to follow that would eventually prove instrumental in Governor Andrew Cuomo’s statewide ban issued in late 2014.

“Really, what we started here in Dryden and Ulysses ahead of us was the foundation for the state’s eventually banning fracking. So that was just a small group of people working with the town board,” Lavine said.

Anti-fracking in upstate New York initially provided the grassroots support for a now mainstream environmental cause. Parts of Gasland were even filmed in Ithaca, and Fox, recognized as a central figure in the anti-fracking world, proved a magnet for like-minded activists with his performance Friday night.

Matthew McGowen can be reached at mmcgowen@cornellsun.com.

To prepare for the exhibition, Doran single-handedly inventoried every gown from the 19th and 20th centuries that the collection owned.

“She probably knew more about 19th century gowns than I did,” Green said, laughing.

Doran also “radically changed” how exhibitions were held: instead of putting the details of the garments on the showroom glass — as usually done — she designed an exhibition guide that featured “beautiful writings” of the history and explanation of each piece of clothes, according to Green.

“I’m just grateful that she had her exhibition last year, through which she was able to share her knowledge, her expertise and her passion to the community,” Green said.

“I hear this signature giggle of hers in my head all the time,” Green continued. “She was a true Cornellian in all senses of the word. She maximized her tenure, she lived her life to the fullest.”

Meredith Liu can be reached at meredithliu@cornellsun.com.

Faculty Defend Accused NYU Professor

in an email. “While Professor Ronell’s emails are clearly unprofessional and call for action by NYU, I don’t believe the accusations of sexual misconduct. Professor Ronell certainly does write over-the-top emails, as all her correspondents know.”

Culler pointed out what he said was a lack of evidence surrounding certain claims and the importance of exercising caution when dealing with accusations of sexual misconduct in the #MeToo era.

“The lengthy NYU investigation found her guilty of sexual harassment solely on the basis of the inappropriate emails,” Culler said. “If any of the sexual contact alleged by the complainant had taken place, there would doubtless have been references to it in the emails, which are scarcely reticent. For me it is a worrying feature of the #MeToo era that any questioning of the accusations or defending the accused seems to be considered culpable in itself.”

The 51 scholars wrote in the letter: “We testify to the grace, the keen wit and the intellectual commitment of Professor Ronell and ask that she be accorded the dignity rightly deserved by someone of her interna-

tional standing and reputation.”

Caruth said she understands “the general interest in this letter, but I feel it is too complex to be handled adequately through an interview for an article.”

Chase also declined to be interviewed but sent an unpublished letter written by Ronell’s lawyer, Mary D. Dorman, to The New York Times in response to an August article about the controversy following the findings against Ronell, who is a lesbian and feminist scholar.

“This heavily-biased article is deeply skewed to deprecate my client. It highlighted as fact Reitman’s allegations of unwanted sexual contact, even though they had been determined to be unfounded after an eleven-month Title IX investigation,” Dorman wrote. “This was irresponsible, gratuitous and unethical. As a result, Ronell and anyone who dares support her has been subjected to widespread and vicious criticism.”

In the scholars’ letter, the professors wrote about the damage the case could have on Ronell’s reputation, which critics saw as mirroring language used to discount women’s accounts of sexual abuse.

Amina Kilpatrick can be reached at akilpatrick@cornellsun.com. NYU Continued from page

The professors wrote of their “profound and enduring admiration for Professor Ronell” and said it would be an injustice should she be

“terminated or relieved of her duties” and the loss that academia would experience as a result.

“She deserves a fair hearing, one that expresses respect, dignity and human solicitude in addition to our enduring admiration,” the authors wrote.

Ronell has denied harassing Reitman.

“Our communications — which Reitman now claims constituted sexual harassment — were between two adults, a gay man and a queer woman, who share an Israeli heritage, as well as a penchant for florid and campy communications arising from our common academic backgrounds and sensibilities,” she wrote in a statement to The New York Times. “These communications were repeatedly invited, responded to and encouraged by him over a period of three years.”

Reitman launched a 56-page lawsuit earlier this month against NYU and Ronell, stating that “Reitman’s dreams of working with a worldclass scholar … turned into more than three years of continuous and unabated sexual harassment, sexual assault and stalking.”

Crazy Rich Asians Reintroduces A Revolutionary Leading Lady

BY WIILIAM WANG Sun Opinion Columnist

It’s been a long way back for Michelle Yeoh. The Malaysian Chinese action star who gained renown for her stunt work on a string of popular Hong Kong action films in the 1980s entered a new pantheon when she played the main love interest in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 1997. It was a movie where people glided through the landscapes of China and spun proverbs. It was as if David Lean directed The Matrix, but instead of a frumpy, aged man and heavy CGI, it was the work of an unknown director named Ang Lee and the female leads that carried the film. But it was Michelle Yeoh’s performance, filled with manic restlessness and fierce action work, that redefined what an Asian actress could accomplish on the silver screen.

Now, 21 years later, she’s reintroduced to a new generation of American audiences as the mother of the protagonist’s (Rachel, played by Constance Wu) love interest in Crazy Rich Asians. Once again, she steals the show.

Truthfully, Crazy Rich Asians is an overblown movie. It panders too much to the most trodden of movie clichés. There’s a last-minute proposal on an airplane. The plot points are telegraphed from the first 20 minutes from the movie. There’s a side plot that is dropped in halfway through only to be punted later. You could walk halfway out of the movie and still reasonably guess where the rest of the story crawls too. It’s predictable; it’s boring.

“The biggest knock against Travis [Scott] early in his career (and today) was his tendency to be an expert cipher, but rarely innovator. Besides his help behind the boards on 2013’s landmark Yeezus, Scott seldom introduced music that didn’t sound indebted to his own influences,” writes Charles Holmes in a recent Rolling Stone article preceding the release of ASTROWORLD.

As a Scott fan, this initially irked me. However, as I kept reading, I realized Holmes was entirely correct in his analysis of Scott’s career. Scott undoubtedly has the best live performance currently in music. His energy, showmanship and stage presence are unique and found maybe once in a generation; Holmes gives credit to Scott for this. But looking back over Scott’s catalog, although there are a few notable exceptions such as “Drugs You Should Try It” and “Maria I’m Drunk,” it is a struggle to find a

However, Yeoh is anything but. She plays the mother of the Young family, who swims in old money. As a lead, she’s imposing, and grips the movie from the get go with a darkly funny opening sequence (the best set piece in the entire movie, really) when she and her family arrive at a prestigious London hotel, dragging mud and rain through the lobby, only to be turned away by a trio of plainly prejudiced staff members. The act continues in its familiar arc, until news arrives that their hotel is now under the ownership of the family they just turned back. Horrified, they look to make amends.

Instead, Yeoh’s character is already halfway to the elevator. She flippantly gazes back at the hotel manager, and gives a triumphant smirk. It’s vengeful, but it’s vengeance well earned.

And if there’s anything the movie does well, it’s that it knows what it wants to say. It notes the cultural gap between Asian Americans and Asians, something every first generation Asian American can relate to. It twists the idea that Asian men are merely background characters, using Henry Golding as a charming, if a bit empty, leading man. And more than anything, it’s a film that embraces the contemporary and proclaims its superiority.

In this sense, Crazy Rich Asians is a movie of its time, with a smug Oriental twist. As a foreigner, Rachel is greeted with brooding hostility from the proud nationals. She’s scolded for pursuing her happiness, “An American concept,” snorts Yeoh’s character. She’s treated suspiciously by hawking people and receives subtle hints her kind isn’t welcome here. It’s a movie that comments on the current race relations in America, but

cut that sounds truly distinct. Towards the end of Holmes’ article, he points out that Scott has perfected the art of recreating the rage that his idol Kid Cudi brought to his audiences — finding proof in tracks like “Skyfall” and “Through the Late Night” (on which Scott literally reimagines the lyrics to Cudi’s breakthrough track “Day ‘N’ Nite”). But he asks a key question: “So, what happens next?” And in the context of Holmes’ thesis, this question can be reinterpreted as, “can Scott prove he is an innovator?” On Friday, ASTROWORLD answered this question.

I remember the day Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight (Scott’s second studio album) was released. I tuned into Scott’s Beats 1 Radio show, .Wav, while in my high school English class and was subsequently glued to my phone for the rest of the day. This process repeated itself in the early morning hours last Friday — listening twice before finally deciding Mac Miller’s Swimming deserved some of my time.

ASTROWORLD impresses sonically; its moody sequences and dark melodies create the carnival-esque atmosphere for which Scott seems to have been shooting. Beat changes highlight this album, as if the listener is walking through, as Scott describes perfectly, an amusement park taken back by the ragers. But given the hype that was generated around this album and the fact that it has theoretically been in the works for nearly three years (Scott claims that ASTROWORLD was supposed to be his second release), it simply does not bring with it the expected lyrical and emotional complexity.

This is not saying ASTROWORLD is not enjoyable or perhaps even the best release of the year to this date. Songs like “STARGAZING,” “SICKO MODE,” “WAKE UP” and “HOUSTONFORNICATION” are rage anthems that will generate countless mosh pits (I personally look forward to losing my mind during the upcoming tour). But the reality is, nothing is said that we haven’t heard before on ASTROWORLD; most of lyrics have to do with sex, xans or

covers it up in dazzling production designs and bawdy romcom humor.

And between Yeoh’s icy performance and the over the top flamboyant settings of the movie, it makes the phrase “Make America Great Again” seem more insecure than fiery. During a luncheon at a sickeningly ostentatious mansion, the wealthy hosts chidingly tell their kids to be economical. “Don’t waste your food, there are kids starving in America.” It’s a moment of recognition that the movies pounces on: Something special is happening in Asia, and not enough people are noticing.

So for Yeoh, she’s once again at the forefront of a rethinking that can redefine Hollywood. With Crouching Tiger, it was the belief that an Asian actress could lead a successful action film. With Crazy Rich Asians, it’s the belief that an all Asian cast can lead a #1 box office hit.

And while the movie isn’t as crazy as it wants to be, it certainly cozies up to its “rich” pronouncement — it’s expected to top the box office for the second straight weekend with a decline of only 6 percent in second weekend sales, an astonishing achievement for any film. Thanks to the success of the film, there are already talks of a planned sequel with Mama Young once again in the centerfold. Expect her to be back, airborne and above it all, ready to draw blood as Asia’s re-anointed leading lady.

William Wang is a junior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He can be reached at wwang@cornellsun.com.

Kylie Jenner’s Forbes cover. That being said, there are some deep cuts on the album — including “COFFEE BEAN,” “STOP TRYING TO BE GOD” and “WAKE UP,” which show a more personal side of Scott.

For Travis Scott fans,

ASTROWORLD is everything you have been waiting for and more. It combines rage, fire features and production credits that you will not be able to find anywhere but an album of this caliber. But for those who haven’t immersed themselves in the Travis Scott hype or simply fail to see his musical importance, ASTROWORLD won’t sway their opinion.

ASTROWORLD is not what it is advertised to be, but it will most likely earn itself a Grammy nod, claim several top ten song spots and potentially top the Billboard 200. Furthermore, it has clearly overshadowed Mac Miller’s Swimming, an inspirational album to say the least. We saw the same effect present with the release of Drake’s Scorpion Scorpion was below average at best, yet it destroyed streaming records worldwide and remained at the top of every chart. The music industry has become more about branding and less about the weight or importance of the music.

I think there is a lot to be said in general about albums like ASTROWORLD. For one, they are fun and make for a special vibe in a concert or party setting. And it’s okay to enjoy these albums and appreciate them for the art that they are. In the case of

RACHAEL STERNLICHT/ SUN GRAPHIC DESIGNER

neglecting the lyr ical aspect, we are left with one of the greatest hip hop instrumental albums of all time — maybe second only to Kanye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy ASTROWORLD evokes the emotional response for which Scott worked; it’s just a matter of being able to immerse oneself in the music and take the lyrics as what they largely are: placeholders. The production value of the album alone reflects the near three years that it took Scott to conceptualize it.

Lyrically, if that’s what you are looking for, ASTROWORLD is a let-down. But to answer Holmes’ question, I think it is fair to say that although Scott may never reach the level of genius of those to whom he is compared, he is certainly an innovator. ASTROWORLD has a fresh sound and will create a unique atmosphere every time it is played. If you are able to accept that lyrical transcendence is simply not the goal of ASTROWORLD, buckle up and crank the volume up; this album is a wild ride.

Peter Buonanno is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at arts@ cornellsun.com.

It’s been two years since Mitski graced us with Puberty 2, a deep, thoughtful and powerful album that was so mesmerizing words will never do it justice. The Japanese-American artist has grown increasingly louder over the years, and now with her newest album, Be the Cowboy, she is louder than ever, making listeners feel emotions they didn’t know they were capable of.

In the past, Mitski has consistently kept a rather slow, mostly acoustic and melancholic sound (save for the few bursts of lyrical and emotional impacts, i.e. the chorus in “Your Best American Girl”). In addition to keeping a consistent sound, Mitski keeps her lyrical style the same: emotional, deeply sad and lonesome lyrics that very often hit home and have listeners in tears just one song into her albums.

Mitski has never been scared to bare it all and be vulnerable, because it’s human. Women are too often told that being powerful and independent means that we have to meet certain superhuman expectations, such as immunity to negative emotions and heartbreak, as well as coldheartedness, all while being sexy. The truth is that no one meets these expectations, and Mitstki has been telling us all that this is unrealistic. We will get rejected, cry, feel lonely, miss people, miss places, feel inadequate and lost and we will want to go back to the familiar, safe feelings of childhood when everything was soft and simple. Mitski beautifully preaches that these are all perfectly normal

emotions and accepting ourselves at our most vulnerable is what being powerful means.

Back in May, Mitski released the first single and music video off Be the Cowboy, “Geyser.” The sudden opening organ chord in the song was enough to give me chills. Already, I knew this album would not disappoint. When Mitski began to sing the words in the first verse “You’re my number one/ You’re the one I want/ and I’ve turned down every hand that has beckoned me to come,” my goosebumps intensified. Mitski has a way to make seemingly common experiences into something beautiful, intimate and personal. We know everyone experiences heartbreak and rejection, but nobody reminds us how we feel it as well as Mitski consistently does.

The “Geyser” music video is simple yet hypnotizingly well done. Truly, all Mistki does is run on the beach then roll around in the mud and sand. What gives the music video life and meaning, however, lies in the music and lyrics. It’s sad. We’re all sad, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Mitski shows us that it’s actually beautiful but it is still sadness.

The second single and music video off Be the Cowboy was “Nobody,” received far more attention than “Geyser” and was named “Best New Track” by Pitchfork. “Nobody” is a bittersweet, beautifully written love letter to loneliness. Mitski acknowledges that loneliness is one of the worst emotions that we can possibly feel, but also the most absurd because the one person that is always with us is

Mitski is all alone and yearns for someone to spend time with. Immediately, the opening words of the song have an unexplainable impact: “My God, I’m so lonely/ so I open the window/ to hear sounds of people.” Throughout the video, we see Mitski trying to find someone else to be with besides herself. Eventually, she notices writing on her hand but it is so small she needs a magnifying glass to read it. Upon looking closely, she finds that the word “You” is written on it seven times. “Nobody” is perhaps the boldest track on Be the Cowboy, for Mitski breaks away from slow, sad, melancholic harmonies and explores a more energetic, danceable beat that’s perfect to dance to alone.

“Pink in the Night,” the 10th track in the album, is very similar to some of the songs found in some of Mitski’s previous albums. It features the most familiar sounds in the whole album and features Mitski’s trademark themes, unrequited love and regret. The lyrics “I hear my heart breaking tonight/ Do you hear it too?/ It’s like a summer shower/ With every drop of rain singing/ ‘I love you,

RACHAEL STERNLICHT/ SUN GRAPHIC DESIGNER

I love you, I love you’” present an emotional climax in the chorus-less song capable of bringing listeners to tears, even if they are not experiencing heartbreak at that very moment. “Pink in the Night” immerses listeners in a heartbreaking experience. Mitski really had me crying over a breakup that I didn’t experience, which goes to show how powerful her music is.

To say that the main theme of Be The Cowboy is summarized by the three singles released before the album — “Geyser, ” “Nobody” and “Two Slow Dancers” — is accurate. “Geyser” introduces yearning and unrequited love, “Nobody” is all about loneliness and learning to find oneself in melancholy and “Two Slow Dancers” is about feelings of nostalgia for better, sweeter and younger times we thought to have forgotten. The slow, exposed song is the last track on the album. The isolated chords and Miski’s sad voice make the song the perfect track with thich to end the album. I knew before the release of Be the Cowboy that “Two Slow Dancers” would be the perfect last track on the album: the

one that leaves you in tears when you listen to the album late at night and makes you think about all the mistakes you ever made — the one that absolutely destroys you. However, once the song is over, along with theries, as painful as they may be, are worth hanging on to and that he only only consistent element of those memories is you.

Overall, Mitski explored out of her comfort zone of sad heartbreak ballads. In Be the Cowboy, she made upbeat songs that still rang true with her signature empowering themes, and it was beautifully done. I didn’t think that she would ever be able to top her 2016 album Puberty 2, but she did. She is selling out shows faster than ever (her Brooklyn release show sold out within five minutes) and is delivering her message now more than ever. She’s not singing about being a powerful woman the way Beyonce or other female artists do. She isn’t saying that to be powerful one must be completely immune to sadness and loneliness and “glow up.” It’s okay to be messy and sad, but since nobody will stay by your side the way you do, accept everything you feel because it’s normal. That’s what being powerful is.

Viri Garcia is a junior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She can be reached at arts@cornellsun.com

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

136th Editorial Board

JACOB S.

KARASIK RUBASHKIN

’19

Editor in Chief

JOHN McKIM MILLER ’20

Business Manager

KATIE SIMS ’20

Associate Editor

VARUN IYENGAR ’21

Web Editor

MEGAN ROCHE ’19

Projects Editor

EMMA WILLIAMS ’19

Design Editor

JEREMIAH KIM ’19

Blogs Editor

AMOL RAJESH ’20

Science Editor

BREANNE FLEER ’20

News Editor

YUICHIRO KAKUTANI ’19

News Editor

NICHOLAS BOGEL-BURROUGHS ’19

City Editor

LEV AKABAS ’19

Arts & Entertainment Editor

SARAH SKINNER ’21

Assistant News Editor

ANNE SNABES ’19

Assistant News Editor

JOHNATHAN STIMPSON ’21

Assistant Sports Editor

EDEM DZODZOMENYO ’20

Assistant Photography Editor

PETER BUONANNO ’21

Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor

CHENAB KHAKH ’20

Assistant Science Editor

JULIAN ROBISON ’20

Layout Editor

HELEN HU ’21

Graphics Editor

DUSTIN LIU ’19

Human Resources Manager

ANNA DELWICHE ’19

Senior Editor

GIRISHA ARORA ’20

Managing Editor

HEIDI MYUNG ’19

Advertising Manager

ALISHA GUPTA ’20

Assistant Managing Editor

DYLAN McDEVITT ’19

Sports Editor

MICHAEL LI ’20

Photography Editor

GRIFFIN SMITH-NICHOLS ’19

Blogs Editor

JACQUELINE QUACH ’19

Dining Editor

SHRUTI JUNEJA ’20

News Editor

ANU SUBRAMANIAM ’20

News Editor

JUSTIN J. PARK ’19

Multimedia Editor

PARIS GHAZI ’21

Assistant News Editor

MEREDITH LIU ’20

Assistant News Editor

JACK KANTOR ’19

Assistant Sports Editor

RAPHY GENDLER ’21

Assistant Sports Editor

BORIS TSANG ’21

Assistant Photography Editor

VIRI GARCIA ’20

Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor

CATHERINE HORNG ’21

Assistant Dining Editor

LIZ CANTLEBARY ’21

Snapchat Editor

ALICIA WANG ’21

Sketch Editor

JOSH GIRSKY ’19 Senior Editor

ZACHARY SILVER ’19 Senior Editor

MATTHEW McGOWEN ’19 Senior Editor

Working on Today’s Sun

Ad Layout Emma Williams ’19

Krystal Yang ’21

Design Deskers Jamie Lai ’20

Greta Reis ’21

News Deskers Shruti Juneja ’20

Sarah Skinner ’21

Night Desker Yuichiro Kakutani ’19

Arts Desker Viri Garcia ’20

Sports Desker Johnathan Stimpson ’21

Photography Desker Edem Dzodzomenyo ’20

Production Deskers Megan Roche ’19

Jamie Lai ’20

Editorial

Remembering Prof. Carol Warrior And Rachel Doran ’19

IT IS ALWAYS A SAD DAY WHEN THE SUN FINDS ITSELF RUNNING AN OBITUARY. Today, we are running two, in memory of Prof. Carol Warrior, English, and Rachel Doran ’19. Both were taken from us far too soon, and their passing is a loss for Cornell.

Prof. Warrior’s peers and students remember her as the consummate scholar and educator. She carried forth her passion not just in her study of Indigenous literature, but in her commitment to community as well. As a faculty fellow at Akwe:kon Residential Hall and an adviser for indigenous graduate students, Prof. Warrior ensured that her knowledge, experience and wisdom spread far beyond the confines of her classroom. In doing so, she serves as a model for professors everywhere. At a time when it is easier than ever to conduct education in a detached, virtual way, Prof. Warrior — who was recognized this year as an “inspirational mentor” by 2018 Merrill Presidential Scholar Qiuwei Yang ’18 — showed how personal and uplifting scholarship can be.

Rachel Doran exemplified Cornell in her academic pursuits and in her spirit. A fashion major in the College of Human Ecology, Rachel founded a handmade pajama business at age 11 from her home in Connecticut. She flourished at Cornell, curating an award-winning exhibition on “perceptions and representations of Euro-American ideals of beauty” that, according to Prof. Denise N. Green ’07, fiber science and apparel design, “radically changed” how such exhibitions were held. We can learn much from Rachel’s lifelong dedication to her craft, and her ability to turn vision into reality.

Please remember that there are resources at Cornell to help in trying times like these. Students in need may consult with counselors from Counseling & Psychological Services by calling 607-255-5155, and employees may contact the Faculty Staff Assistance Program at 607-255-2673. There are also additional resources available at caringcommunity.cornell.edu.

Letters to the Editor

In support of Tracy Mitrano J.D. ’95 for Congress

To the Editor:

“America can no longer afford to keep playing partisan politics. We need problem solvers not partisan hacks to ‘Break the Gridlock’ in Washington.”

This is one of Tom Reed’s favorite lines, as he points to his role on the so-called Problem Solvers Caucus, comprised of equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats. But for Tom Reed the caucus is a smokescreen. He says he is “standing for our values” but then he votes against them. Just look at how he voted for the tax scam that really only benefits the wealthiest 5%, supported various other measures that gut health care, and continued to support Big Oil when there is overwhelming evidence that fossil fuels are contributing to global warming and the increasing instability of the planet. Reed says that he is working hard as our representative but there is little evidence to support that claim.

Most of all, he’s a name-calling bully, just like his hero, Donald Trump.

Ithaca is the largest city in our 23rd Congressional District. The district’s second biggest employer — Cornell University — is also in Ithaca. Last year Ithaca was named the 14th best place to live in the entire United States — no other New York city came close. Our unemployment rate is consistently the lowest in the state and job numbers here continue to go up.

So, with all that going for us, why does Congressman Reed continue to put down Ithaca?

He claims to want to move away from partisan politics, but he dismisses everyone in Ithaca and anyone who moves to replace him as Extreme Ithaca Liberals. He claims to be working against the polarization of our country. But if he bad-mouths the biggest and most economically viable city in his district and fails to give credit for our achievements, what does that tell you about his real values and hopes for everyone in the 23rd?

The increase in jobs and population in Ithaca, and our enviable quality of life are a tribute to the Democratic principles that underlie life in this and many other corners of NY’s 23rd district. And they owe nothing to Congressman Reed.

Tom Reed’s public record, there for anyone to see, exposes him as a hypocrite – saying one thing and doing another. It’s time for a change: vote Tracy Mitrano November 6.

Bob Nicholas

To the Editor:

New York is a fairly blue state, blue enough that in past presidential election years, we’ve often counseled Democratic students to vote in their home districts to make their votes count. This year is different. This year we have a chance to flip the House. We live in a congressional district that is represented by a Trump-supporting Republican who thinks that Ithaca, a thriving part of his constituency, is crawling with “extreme liberals.”

So we encourage students to register to vote based on their current Ithaca address and to make absolutely sure to vote on November 6.

There are many pluses to voting where you currently live.

1) Your time in Ithaca will be more authentic and interesting if you know your community. Voting locally connects you to what’s going on here right now.

2) Voting locally means voting on issues that affect you directly, from bike lanes and Pell Grants to solar power and social justice.

3) The median age in the city of Ithaca is 21.8, and we have a young mayor, but until students start voting locally in larger numbers, policies will largely be dictated by the older population.

Our candidate for Congress, Tracy Mitrano J.D. ’95, is a cybersecurity expert who has taught both at Ithaca College and Cornell and once co-directed Cornell’s Institute for Internet Culture, Policy, and Law. Although she lives in Penn Yan now, she knows and loves Ithaca.

To register to vote in Ithaca, start at the county Board of Elections website, http://tompkinscountyny.gov/boe, and click “How Do I Register to Vote?” Follow instruction 1, 2 or 3. Even if your hometown is in New York State, you need to re-register each time you move. Do this before OCTOBER 12.

Once you register, the Board of Elections will mail you a postcard telling you where to vote. After that, it’s all about showing up.

Summertime polling indicates that only about a quarter of young adults plan to vote in 2018. Let’s prove those polls wrong and #FlipTheHouse.

Kathy Zahler ’76 Director of Communications, Tompkins County Democratic Committee

Te Unintended Consequences of Impeachment

Iget it. You want Trump out of office. You find him despicable, a security threat, the embodiment of racism and most of all unfit for the presidency. But even in light of last week’s political firestorm that found two members of the president’s staff guilty on criminal charges, we should put faith in democracy and wait before passing judgement.

Presidents can be impeached and removed for “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors,” according to Article II, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution. Any member of the House of Representatives may begin the impeachment process. The House then votes on the charges. If a simple majority votes for impeachment, the case is tried in the Senate. Finally, two-thirds of the Senate must vote for removal.

Clause of the Constitution that prohibits public officials from maintaining foreign business holdings. He allegedly disclosed sensitive national security information about ISIL to Russian officials, possibly breaching his Oath of Office.The ongoing investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into Russian interference in the 2016 Election could dredge up more material for Democrats to exploit. Then, we have new information about the president from last week.

Impeaching President Trump would be an uphill battle and removing him from office would be even more difficult.

Given that the Justice Department has ruled (for good reason) that sitting presidents cannot be indicted or criminally prosecuted, the House must determine whether President Trump’s actions warrant the astronomical fallout of impeachment. There is some support among Democrats: six House Democrats filed to begin impeachment proceedings in November 2017, alleging obstruction of justice after the president fired FBI Director James Comey.

On the whole, few favor impeachment, although this could change depending on the public reaction to the Manafort verdict and Cohen plea. The latest polls from June 2018 indicate 51 percent do not feel the president should be impeached. Representatives and Senators ultimately answer to their constituents. So far, they have put faith in congressional and judicial authority to structurally tamp the executive’s power. They are working on bipartisan bills that return jurisdiction over trade to Congress and decrease the regulatory ability of executive agencies. There are several legal pathways to impeachment. President Trump may have violated the Emoluments

For the most part, Paul Manafort’s conviction on eight counts of bank fraud and tax evasion mean very little for the president, because the charges are personal in nature.

If the president pardons Manafort (which isn’t all that absurd), the act would be labeled as an illegal obstruction of justice. Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws and paying off Playboy model Stormy Daniels with Trump’s direction, a more serious problem for the president’s credibility and legitimacy. Moreover, the Cohen plea counters the White House’s disinformation campaign against the Mueller investigation.

But successfully impeaching President Trump would be an uphill battle and removing him from office would be even more difficult. Historically, only Presidents Clinton and Johnson have been impeached, and neither president was removed. The current Republican control of Congress makes impeachment very unlikely, even with more scandalous catastrophes. With that being said, the Cohen and Manafort convictions fuel the possibility of Democrats flipping enough seats in the Midterms for impeachment. Democrats should

Lorenzo

Tcoalesce around that talking point instead of spending valuable energy on contemplating impeachment.

If the Senate removes President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence becomes the president. For everyone except the staunchest conservatives, that’s a problem. Pence would efficiently rubber stamp the conservative agenda. He would institute very hawkish foreign policy, cut entitlement program spending and restrict LGBTQ+ marriage. As a native Hoosier, I would usually be proud to see a former governor in national office, but the prospect of Pence as president scares me. There’s something about conversion therapy that doesn’t sit well with my stomach.

As Lawfares’ editors argue, “major investigations that touch the president directly are always dangerous.” Impeachment talk will likely distract the president, but the office requires constant diligence to respond to new developments. The risk of President Trump lashing out is too high. We simply don’t know how he may react. It is better to wait to impeach until there is an airtight case (if there is an airtight case). If not, the president may be tempted to launch diversionary tactics (usually wars) in a triedand-true method to increase his popularity.

If you hate Trump so much, vote in 2018. Vote in 2020.

Impeaching President Trump undermines our democracy’s legitimacy. Politicians are taken down by clever reporting and elections, not by acting on regret. As Tufts Professor Daniel Drezner notes, “For Trump to lose properly, it has to be at the ballot box.” Any other way would framed as a coup in our hyperpolarized polity. Breitbart and Fox would blow a gasket even as CNN celebrated.

If you hate Trump so much, vote in 2018. Vote in 2020. For now, let our system of checks and balances do its job before crying for impeachment.

Darren Chang is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. Swamp Snorkeling runs every other Monday this semester. He can be reached at dchang@cornellsun.com.

Benitez | Not A Narc

Te Solipsism of Identity Politics

o fully understand marginalization, one needs to have experienced said marginalization first-hand. This assumption is increasingly fundamental to today’s practice of identity politics, evident in the higher credence many claim ought to be afforded to those who experience racism, sexism, transphobia and whatever other forms of exclusion we can theorize about. In philosophical language, this notion asserts that there is certain phenomenal knowledge — or knowledge about the subjective, firsthand experience of a phenomenon by a conscious entity — that cannot be a priori deduced from full physical knowledge of that conscious entity. Fully knowing everything about, say, a person’s neurobiology down to the most fundamental, subatomic level will fail to yield insight into what it is like for them to have experienced marginalization. This is particularly evident in leftist attitudes within the United States, where people of a marginalized identity often invoke it – for example, “as a gay person of color, I believe ...” – to pontificate from a more authoritative position.

Indeed, identity politics, throughout much of its history, has been an important rectifier of hermeneutical injustice, conceptualized by philosopher Miranda Fricker as the social disadvantage that prevents the oppressed from interpreting the realities of their oppression. For instance, before the word “racism” entered the English lan-

guage, it is difficult to conceive how its victims would have been able to make sense of their particular suffering. The Civil Rights Movement is a great example of how identity politics can render an epistemic justice, providing the social recourse for people of a shared racial identity. However, while many well-intentioned opponents of injustice invoke this notion to buttress its victims, one must question the inadvertent consequences of taking

or raised by a nuclear, Catholic family, I cannot possibly speak on behalf of what it is like to be bisexual with an otherwise different background. We must therefore conclude that each of us are relegated to our own separate corners, lonely with knowledge about our experiences that we can never fully share.

Being able to theorize about racism shouldn’t depend on one’s

such a view to its logical extreme.

It’s admittedly important, considering each of our own epistemic limits, to remain alert to the subjective biases that could possibly cloud our reasoning. But overemphasizing the importance of knowledge of “what it is like” to experience marginalization precludes the capacity for empathy when taken to its logical extreme, encouraging a phenomenal solipsism. Despite their recent questionable hiring, the New York Times at least ran an encouraging article by NYU Professor Kwame Anthony Appiah, who explains how each of us can never truly act as the token spokesperson of a given minority. For instance, I may be afforded credence on the question of what it is like to be bisexual because I identify as such, but as a person-of-col-

racial identity.

Admittedly, this phenomenal solipsism is a sound philosophical view that is difficult to rebut. However, as humans, we have a unique, inductive capacity that has allowed us to shape our material world: the empirical sciences are entirely built on our ability to isolate variables and project their causal relationship to subsequent phenomena. Even beyond the sciences, our capacities as an inferential species allow us to communicate deeper, emotional experiences. For instance, psychology argues that literature broadens empathy, which anyone who has ever cried at the end of the book can attest. Even something as rudimentary as words on a page can offer significant insight into the phenomenal quality of a character’s subjective experience.

Leftists, or at least those motivated by the humanism of Marx’s earlier theories, therefore ought to query the phenomenal solipsism implied by identity politics at its most rabid. It’s a fundamental assumption that can

sew disunity between people based on the arbitrary nature of identity, stifling progressive visions for a fairer and more united world. Another example is that I’ve had racial expletives hurled at me, but I know that every person in their life has been excluded because of characteristics arbitrary to their personal identity. I can invoke such similar experiences to ensure even my white friends aren’t beyond empathy. Hence, being able to theorize about racism shouldn’t depend on one’s racial identity.

So, while it may have some logical merit, so too do claims of our inductive, empathic abilities. And when the limits to our knowledge suggest that two opposing attitudes are of equal logical strength, whichever one ought to favor can be informed by their varying social merit. It often seems like there is just as much psychological literature emphasizing our selfish tendencies as there are emphasizing our altruistic capacities. One could therefore favor either a right or left wing worldview, but I personally favor the latter because it invites me to envision a better world that I would much rather inhabit. Similarly, on the question of what it is like to experience marginalization, one could either favor a view that further divides us into our epistemic cubicles, or that which holds such boundaries can be transcended.

Lorenzo Benitez is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. Not A Narc runs every other Monday this semester. He can be reached at lbenitez@cornellsun.com

in the empty cells, one number in each, so that each column, row, and region contains the numbers 1-9 exactly once. Each number in the solution therefore occurs only once in each of the three “directions,” hence the “single numbers” implied by the puzzle’s name. (Rules from wikipedia.org/wiki/ Sudoku)

SWIMMING AND DIVING

18 New Swimmers and Divers Join Cornell

By BENJAMIN SHI Sun Staff Writer

Cornell swimming and diving announced the newest members of their 2022 class last Wednesday, ushering in a new wave of youth to a program that has been slowly building momentum in the past three years. The men’s team will welcome nine new swimmers and one diver, while women’s will receive seven swimmers and a diver.

Of those 18 swimmers, eight previously swam in California — arguably the sport’s most competitive region in the United States — signaling the program’s increasing caliber.

Ethan Bachert

Niskayuna, New York — Niskayuna High School

A sophomore transfer from the University of Buffalo, while swimming for his hometime high school he was twice named to the all-region team. He was also a three-time member of the Section II All-star team, and set the school record in the 100 fly event. Primarily a butterfly swimmer, he will add to the Red’s existing strength in that event.

Jordan Blitz

San Diego, California — Torrey Pines High School

Blitz is a highly decorated freestyler who captured 12 California Interscholastic Federation San Diego titles while being named a U.S.A. Swimming Scholastic All-American for three consecutive years.

Matthew Chang Holmdel, New Jersey — Ranney School

Chang graduated high school with nine school records and a conference title under his belt. He was a seven-time state medalist and a five-time national medalist. He is the sixth of his family to attend Cornell.

Jameson Crandell

Frisco, Texas — Rick Reedy High School

The sole freshman diver of the 2022 class, Crandell was an all-state diver for three consecutive years at his high school. Crandell was also a two-time TISCA state champion and a member of the senior U.S.A. Diving national team in 2018.

Matt Hales

Laguna Hills, California — Laguna Hills High School

Hales is a two-time Junior National Championships qualifier, and was named to the U.S.A. Swimming Scholastic All-American team for three consecutive years. He has also made a lasting contribution outside the pool: he is the president and co-founder of Goggles for guppies, an organization that has delivered over one million dollars worth of swim gear for at-risk children. For his charitable work, he received a Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from Barack Obama.

Hunter Hitchens Irvine, California — Northwood High School

A freestyle and butterfly swimmer, Hitchens graduated with three school records and was named to the USA

Swimming Scholastic All-American team for three consecutive years. In a testament to his leadership skills, he captained his team to a state championship during his senior year.

Jake Lawson

Salem, Virginia — Salem High School

Lawson is an all-state swimmer and was named a member of the USA Gold Medal Club in 2018. Showing impressive versatility, he swims the freestyle, backstroke, and IM events.

Ian Mackey

Potomac, Maryland — Winston Churchill High School

A freestyler from Potomac, Maryland, Mackey captained an undefeated season for his Winston Churchill High School. He also set the 50m long course freestyle and 200m short course freestyle relay records for his club swimming team.

Ricardo Martinez

St. Petersburg, Florida — Osceola Fundamental High School

Martinez is a Florida state champion in the 200 IM, and has qualified for the state championship in each year of his high school career. On top of that, he qualified for junior nationals in an impressive six events.

Ziad Mosalam

Pinole, California — Bentley Upper School

During his time in high school, Mosalam set nine school records for Bentley Upper School. Also a cross country runner, Mosalam was elected the team MVP for three straight seasons.

Chris Ruhnke

Bridgewater, New Jersey — Bridgewater-Raritan High School

A freshman breaststroker from Bridgewater, New Jersey, Ruhnke is an All-American swimmer and a third team all-state honoree in the 100m breaststroke event. At the YMCA nationals championships, Ruhnke placed third overall.

Ryan Schildwachter

Newport Coast, California — Corona Del Mar High School

A freshman breaststroker from Newport Coast, California, Schildwachter not only is a two-time NISCA All-American in breaststroke, but has also twice earned All-American awards in water polo. Both Ruhnke and Schildwachter look to fill in a large hole left behind by Alex Evdokimov, who graduated last year as arguably the best breaststroker in Ivy League history.

Gillian Caverly

Pacific Palisades, California — Palisades Charter High

A freestyle and backstroke swimmer, Caverly is a 100m and 200m backstroke champion in the summer junior Olympics. She has additionally qualified for Junior Nationals

Laxers Receive Fresh Talent

LACROSSE Continued from page 12

also named Yorktown’s Outstanding Female Athlete, where she also competed in soccer and indoor track.

Attack/Defense

Ashleigh Gundy Southampton, NY The Shipley School

as a member of her high school team.

Allison Chang

Plano, Texas — Plano Senior High School

In her junior and senior seasons, Chang earned Academic All-State honors while captaining her team. In 2016 and 2017, she qualified for the USA Swimming Winter Junior National Championships. In 2018, Chang was named NISCA Academic All-American.

Amilla Dlakic

Austin, Texas — Westlake High School

A breaststroker, Dlakic finished third overall in the 100m breaststroke event in Texas’ state championships. She was also a part of a 200 IM relay team that finished runner-up during the state competition.

Lavona Harper

La Habra, California — Sonora High School

A long-distance freestyle and backstroke swimmer, Harper won three league championships with her high school team and was a CIF finalist four times in 500m freestyle.

To continue reading this story, go to www.cornellsun.com.

Benjamin Shi can be reached at bshi@cornellsun.com.

Overtime Goal Hands Soccer Season Opener

SOCCER

Continued from page 12

team culture.

“Team expectations are to establish a standard of excellence and accountability that will result in a higher level of commitment to playing at a high level,” Hornibrook said. “Our culture is significantly different than it has been in the past.”

The Red added seven newcomers to the roster, three of whom saw gameplay against the Bonnies.

“We have a great group of freshmen, all very hard workers, coming in with the right intensity and grit,” Kennedy said. “They all bring something unique to the team.”

Cornell will continue testing its newly arrived athletes and elevated team expectations when it returns to Berman field this Friday for its home opener, where the team will face the University of Buffalo.

Gracie Todd can be reached at gtodd@cornellsun.com.

Head Coach, Olympians to be Inducted

Attack

Olivia Tuma Villanova, PA The Episcopal Academy

Following the Red’s loss of three of its top five scorers (Farinholt ’18, Reed ’18 and Coffy ’18), Tuma joins the Cornell team hoping to fill a part of that large void. A Lacrosse All-American who also enjoyed success with field hockey and indoor track, she seems particularly primed to do so.

Yet another multisport talent, Gundy arrives at Cornell hoping to utilize her versatility and athleticism. The four-year starter at The Shipley School, where she also played field hockey, was awarded the White Blazer Award, an honor given to the senior athlete who demonstrates sportsmanship in multiple sports.

Smita Nalluri can be reached at snalluri@cornellsun.com.

FAME Continued from page 12

played a short stint with the Vancouver Canucks, Ratushny competed on behalf of his native Canada, captaining a gold medal winning team at the IIHF World Junior Championship in 1990 and earned a silver medal in the 1992 Winter Olympics.

Center-fielder Jenna Campagnolo ’08, softball, was a four-time All-Ivy Leaguer. Campagnolo played 200 games for the Big Red, posting a career .342 average with 19 home runs including a .423 average her senior year.

Keith Ferguson ’03, football, registered more catches (202) and receiving yards (2,569) than any Cornelian before him. By the

time he graduated, Ferguson was just the seventh player in IvyLeague history with more than 200 total catches. A testament to his gridiron triumphs, in his senior year he earned the Pop Warner Award as his team’s most valuable player.

David McKechnie ’07, men’s swimming, was a three-time Ivy champion, graduating with the Ivy-League record in the 100 meter breaststroke, along with a slew of school records. With McKechnie’s help, Cornell swimming was able to break a twenty-plus-year losing streak against Harvard and Princeton.

Richard Stimpson ’01, men’s soccer, earned first-team All-Ivy honors three times in the four years he started. Stimpson holds the school record for assists (25)

and games started (65). His 69 career points rank third in the Red’s history.

Joanna Weiss ’07, volleyball, was a part of three Ivy championship teams. Weiss maintains the school career record for hit percentage (.384) and a single season record for block-assists (120) and attack percentage (.406)

The induction ceremony will take place the evening of Saturday, Sept. 22, bringing the Hall’s total membership to 608. The new members will also be honored at halftime of the Cornell-Yale homecoming game earlier that day.

Miles Henshaw can be reached at mhenshaw@cornellsun.com.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Cornell Opens Season With Overtime Victory

By GRACIE TODD Sun Staff Writer

Cornell women’s soccer narrowly secured a season opening victory, beating out St. Bonaventure 2-1 in an overtime nailbiter.

The Bonnies grasped the lead with a goal late in the first quarter, but the Red responded in the second half with a goal by sophomore midfielder Naomi Jaffe.

On defense, senior goalkeeper Meghan Kennedy, a team captain, made three crucial saves throughout regulation time, affording the Red a chance to advance into overtime.

“In the huddle before overtime the team atmosphere was confident and composed,” said junior defender Kaili Gregory. “We knew that we could win if we played like we did in the first 90 minutes, so all we had to do was go out and execute.”

And execute they did.

Gregory managed to score on a free kick in the 100th minute of overtime, a play that clinched the game for Cornell.

“Seeing everyone run onto the field after the goal was surreal,” Gregory said. “Our midfield and forwards played great soccer all game and winning was a huge reflection on our team as a whole.”

The victory moves Cornell’s historical record to 21-115, and its record against St. Bonaventure to 11-4-1.

The Red aims to use this early win as a foundation for future successes.

“The emotion we felt after we won will definitely help us throughout the season,” Gregory said. “It will serve as a reminder of what can result when you work your hardest in training and play as a team.”

Head coach Dwight Hornibrook says the team has major ambitions for the 2018 season, which eagerly looks to put last year’s 2-9-3 season in the rearview mirror.

“In terms of performance goals, we want to win every time we play, of course, and be Ivy Champions,” Hornibrook said.

To make that goal a reality, Hornibrook stressed that this season will be defined by a refreshed, more determined

Laxers Welcome 8 Newcomers

By SMITA NALLURI

Sun Staff Writer

A perennial stalwart at the Ivy League and national levels, Cornell women’s lacrosse will usher in eight newcomers — seven freshman and one transfer — to round out what already promises to be a stellar roster.

After graduating a standout senior class of seven last season, this year’s incoming class will have big cleats to fill. In midfield, the trio of Joey Coffy ’18, Taylor Reed ’18 and Ida Farinholt ’18 proved lethal, garnering multiple all-Ivy accolades among the three of them. On defense, Cait Callahan ’18 and Anna Baumeister ’18 comprised critical components of a tight defensive unit that regularly held powerhouse opponents to their lowest scoring games of the season.

But head coach Jenny Graap ’86 is confident that the incoming athletes will not only be able to fill those gaps on the field — but continue cultivating a winning team culture.

“[The coaching staff and I] believe this group brings an impressive collection of strength and talent to our Big Red program,” Graap said in a recent press release. “Our newest members

will be both challenged and supported as they strive to be the best in the classroom and on the field.”

Midfield

Shannon Brazier

Stony Brook, NY

Ward Melville HS

Brazier comes to Cornell as one of Long Island’s top high school lacrosse talents. A three-time letter winner in both lacrosse and basketball, the versatile athlete also earned the prestigious Ward Melville Fortitude and Courage Award.

Reilly Fletcher

Newton, PA

The Lawrenceville School

A transfer from Boston University, Fletcher was sidelined by an injury her freshman year, forcing the twice named high school Lacrosse All-American to medical redshirt. Like many of her fellow teammates, Fletcher also played field hockey and ice hockey during her prep school days and was felicitated with Lawrenceville’s Best Female Athlete Award as a senior.

Natalie Hughes Malvern, PA Academy of Notre Dame de Namur

A recipient of University of Rochester’s George Eastman Young Leaders Award, Hughes brings a strong leadership presence to the Red’s clubhouse. During high school, Hughes also excelled at tennis and indoor track.

Jen Rogers Stratham, NH Exeter High School

Rogers enters Cornell with a laundry list of accolades, including having been named a Lacrosse All-American and appointed to New Hampshire’s Division 1 All-State First Team twice during her high school career. The Seacoast Media Group also named Rogers its 2018 Lacrosse Player of the Year. Balancing her triumphs on the lacrosse field, Rogers has also found success in basketball, skiing, and indoor track and field.

Midfield/Attack

Genevieve DeWinter Greenwich, CT Greenwich HS

A two-time Lacrosse All-American and gifted runner, DeWinter hopes to bring her lethal speed to the Red. At Greenwich High School, DeWinter ran indoor track, where she was not only a state champion in the 600m contest, but set a Connecticut state record in the 4x800m relay.

Midfield/Defense

Ciara Frawley Yorktown Heights, NY

Yorktown HS

Another Lacrosse All-American, Frawley helped lead her high school to the state semifinals in 2017. She was

Athletic Hall of Fame to Induct 10 New Members

By MILES HENSHAW Sun Staff Writer

This September will see 10 new faces inducted into Cornell’s Athletic Hall of Fame, a vaunted roster that will include four AllAmericans and one lifetime Cornell Athletic Department employee.

The employee, Andrea Dutcher, has worked in various capacities for Cornell Athletics over her storied 42 year career. Immediately after graduating from Penn State, where she played golf and basketball, Dutcher first became the head coach of Cornell’s women’s volleyball team.

Under her leadership, the team went 346-158-7 (.687) from 1974 to 1988 — a record so impressive that the trophy awarded to the Ivy League women’s volleyball champions bears her name. By the end of her coaching career, Dutcher moved to the athletics administration, where she held positions as director of Helen Newman Hall and Intramural Sports, director of Physical Education, and, finally, senior associate director of athletics for Physical Education. Dutcher has been credited as playing a pivotal role in shaping Cornell’s intramurals into the renowned program it has become today.

Along with Dutcher, an additional nine Cornell alumni, each representing a different sport, are set to be inducted.

Courtney Farrell ’08 was named thirdteam All-American her senior season, when she led Cornell women’s lacrosse in points (54), assists (26), game-winning goals (3) and ground balls (25). Farrell graduated holding the school record in both points (213) and assists (91).

Muhammad Halim ’08, a four-time AllAmerican and 2008 NCAA Outdoor national champion, holds the school men’s track and field record for triple jump. Halim also competed in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics for the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Tyler Baier ’05, a wrestler, earned AllAmerican honors as part of a senior effort in which he went 40-4 and was the 184-pound NCAA runner-up. He earned first-team All-Ivy three times.

Two-time AllAmerican defenseman Dan Ratushny ’92 finished his three year career at Cornell having amassed 65 points across 80 games. Ratushny was also selected 25th overall in the 1989 NHL draft, following his freshman year. While he only