INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 139, No. 3
TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2022 n ITHACA, NEW YORK
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Charlee Mandy ’24 pens an ode to archaeology.
It might be a long season ahead for Cornell's bottom and mid-standing sports teams. | Page 8
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Students Show Solidarity With University Workers By SOFIA RUBINSON Sun News Editor
Outside a United Auto Workers union vote on a tentative agreement with the University for wage increases and benefits on Monday, over 30 students were present with signs, rallying for a fair contract for Cornell’s full-time employees. “Workers deserve to be recognized and formally thanked,” said Javed Jokhai ’24, Sun columnist, Cornell Democrats president and a student organizer for the rally. “They supported the student body for so long, it’s time that the student body supports them back.” Students stood outside Bailey Hall at the start of the meeting, shouting various chants, including ‘Stand up, fight back,’ ‘If you strike, we strike with you’ and ‘Cornell Cornell you can’t hide, we can see your greedy side.’ Ralliers then sang a song in solidarity and entered the meeting, making their presence known by holding up signs and gathering in one section of the auditorium. Participating in the rally included members of Cornell Democrats, Cornell Progressives, Starbucks Workers United, the Working Families Party, Ithaca Democratic Socialist of America and People’s Organizing Collective, as well as independent students and local community members passionate about the cause. "I am out here today because our full time workers deserve to have a living wage,” Cornell Progressives member Adele Williams ’24 said. “They are going to the food banks in order to keep up with their low salaries and support their families.” Negotiations for wage increases started in May, and this is the second tentative agreement that union representatives presented to UAW members in this round of bargaining. Before this round, UAW negotiated an extension on its contract with Cornell due to the pandemic. “Part of the term of the extension was we took a lower pay increase, and Cornell promised that the next contract would be significantly better,” said Chauncey Bennett IV,
JULIA NAGEL / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Rally | Students hold signs inside United Auto Workers union vote to demand a fair contract for Cornell University employees.
a University employee whose job is primarily to coordinate and receive food orders for the dining hall Okenshields. “That’s not what we got.” Inside the meeting, many union members expressed concern to the UAW bargaining team about the wage increase offers they received from the University. Many cited the high inflation rate — the annual rate was reported at 8.5 percent in July — and argued that the See UNION page 3
Biden Admin’s Debt Forgiveness Draws Positive Reactions By CARLIN REYEN Sun Staff Writer
LENNOX CAO / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Abortion | Cornell organizations gather on the Arts Quad in response to recent Roe v. Wade overturn, educating students on campus resources for reproductive health.
Abortion Rights on Arts Quad By AIMÉE EICHER
Sun Assistant News Editor
On Saturday, representatives from reproductive health and justice organizations across Cornell’s campus and beyond gathered on the Arts Quad for the kickoff of Our Bodies, Their Laws — an event series aiming to foster engagement and education on reproductive rights. The organizations tabling at the event included the Cornell chapter of Planned Parenthood Generation Action, the department of Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies, End Abortion Stigma, Advocacy Center, Gender Justice Advocacy Coalition, Cornell Health and the Women’s Resource Center. The event also featured a tent where attendees could vent frustrations regarding the current state of reproductive rights. The tables
distributed snacks, informational pamphlets and free condoms to attendees. Following the decision of Dobbs v. Jackson in June 2022, which overturned the federal right to abortion established by Roe v. Wade, several faculty and staff members began to plan the event series, with a focus on engaging the Cornell community in conversation regarding reproductive rights. “We just want people to be able to have a more complete, contextualized conversation than is often possible given the way that abortion is talked about,” said Prof. Jess Marie Newman, feminist, gender and sexuality studies, one of the event’s primary organizers. Rachel Jacob ’23, co-president of PPGA, echoed See ABORTION page 3
Every semester, Cornell students take out loans to pay University tuition and fees, which have continually risen over the past several years. Total estimated cost of attendance this academic year was $83,296 for endowed colleges, and $62,798 for state contract colleges. As of Aug. 24, a program announced by the Biden administration may help defray some costs for current Cornell students and graduates with student loans to pay back. According to the Federal Student Aid division of the U.S. Department of Education, for borrowers with an individual income of less than $125,000 or or a household income less than $250,000, the U.S. Department of Education plans to cancel up to $20,000 in student debt for Pell Grant recipients and those with loans from the Department of Education. Up to $10,000 in student debt is proposed to be canceled for non-Pell Grant recipients. Delilah Hernandez ’22 is one of the cofounders of the Basic Needs Coalition, an organization that aids first generation and low income students on campus. Hernandez said that while she is disappointed that private loans have not been forgiven in any capacity by Cornell University and the U.S. government, she believes that the policy is a first step towards eradicating the issue of student loan debt. “This means so much to students and alumni who have taken out federal loans and have had to juggle with the different ways to make payments on time,” Hernandez said. “The policy has helped relieve so many Cornellians from the financial strain of thousands of dollars in debt.” P.J. Brown ’25 is one student who believes that the information released by the Biden administration on the loan forgiveness program See LOANS page 3