INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 142, No. 5
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2025 n ITHACA, NEW YORK
News
Science
Cause Continues
Transformed Turf
The Ithaca Common Council voted 8-0 on Sept to advance the process for ‘just cause’ legislation. | Page 4
16 Pages – Free
A look at the Cornell Turfgrass program at the 2025 Ryder Cup. | Page 12
University Leaders Mourn ‘Beloved by His Colleagues’: Death of First Year Student Michael Lenetsky Dies After By ZEINAB FARAJ Sun Features Editor
Sept. 19 — Joselyn Guadalupe Garcia ’29 was found dead in her campus residence hall on Friday morning, according to a Friday afternoon email from Dean of Students Marla Love and Peter Loewen, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Guadalupe Garcia was a student enrolled in arts and sciences who intended to study biological sciences, according to Loewen and Love’s email. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Guadalupe Garcia was a first-generation student and participated in the Pre-Collegiate Summer Scholars Program and First at Cornell: First Generation Student PreOrientation. She was an aspiring dentist and “a leader” in numerous community service, athletics and student government groups in high school,
according to the email. “Our deepest sympathy goes to Joselyn’s family, friends, instructors, and classmates,” Loewen and Love wrote in the email. Guadalupe Garcia is survived by her parents and three younger siblings. The news comes amid the passing of Michael Lenetsky, senior department manager for the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, which was also announced on Friday. The University plans to hold a support meeting at 5 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22, in G28 Lewis Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall for the arts and sciences community. A full Cornell community support meeting is scheduled at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22, in 404 Willard Straight Hall, the Browsing Library. Loewen and Love urged the campus community to
take advantage of available resources in their statement, acknowledging the emotional difficulty surrounding the two losses. “As our community struggles with these losses, we encourage everyone to care for one another and seek support when you need it,” Loewen and Love wrote. “We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Joselyn and Michael and ask that you keep them in your thoughts as they grieve these losses.” Students in need of professional support can email Student Support and Advocacy Services at studentsupport@cornell.edu or call Counseling and Psychological Services at 607-255-5155. Employees can call the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program at 607-255-2673.
Zeinab Faraj can be reached at zfaraj@cornellsun.
25 Years As Baker Lab Manger By ZEINAB FARAJ Sun Features Editor
Sept. 19 — Michael Lenetsky, chemistry, died Friday morning in Baker Laboratory “during a medical emergency,” according to an email sent to the College of Arts and Sciences faculty and staff members from Peter Loewen, dean of arts and sciences. Lenetsky served as a senior department manager for the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology for over 14 years and has spent 25 total years at Cornell. He was a key part of organizing research initiatives and served as a strategic advisor to the Abruña Energy Initiative. Lenetsky also played a crucial role in the department’s administrative responsibilities, including budget planning and research funding. Additionally, Lenetsky was the academic advisor for Sigma Alpha Mu, also known as “Sammy”. “A natural problem-solver and a stalwart in the college, he was beloved by his colleagues,” Loewen wrote in the Friday email. “He was also an avid fly fisherman and loved the Grateful Dead.” Lenetsky is survived by his partner, Rebekah Puhlman, and his three children.
The news comes amid the death of Joselyn Guadalupe Garcia ’29, a student enrolled in arts and sciences, which was also announced on Friday. The University plans to hold a support meeting at 5 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22, in G28 Lewis Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall for the arts and sciences community. A full Cornell community support meeting is scheduled at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22, in 404 Willard Straight Hall, the Browsing Library. “Everyone grieves differently and we urge all members of our community to care for yourselves and each other,” Loewen wrote in an email statement. Individuals can have a diverse range of feelings, needs and reactions when facing loss. This information about Grief and Loss may be helpful to you or a friend. The Ithacabased crisisline can be reached at 607-2721616, and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available throughout the U.S. Additional support resources are listed at mentalhealth. cornell.edu Zeinab Faraj can be reached at zfaraj@cornellsun.
SUN EXCLUSIVE: Sit-down With Lombardi and Love
Lombardi and Love Discuss Housing Selection, Student Code of Conduct Revision By DOROTHY FRANCE-MILLER and MATTHEW KIVIAT Sun Managing and Assistant Managing Editors
Sept. 23 — The Sun sat down with Vice President for Student and Campus Life Ryan Lombardi and Dean of Students Mara Love in a 35-minute exclusive interview to discuss the upcoming housing selection process with the Class of 2029 being the largest in University history. The Sun also questioned the administrators on the controversial Student Code of Conduct revision process. Lombardi is back at Cornell following a one semester sabbatical. He is hoping to continue to “enrich” the student experience throughout Cornellians’ time in Ithaca. Below is the transcript of The Sun’s wide-ranging, exclusive interview with Lombardi and Love. The transcript has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity Lombardi: Before I get started, I do want to just say Friday was a really tough day for our campus, and obviously, we know you all are aware of that. Appreciate your coverage, your thoughtful coverage on that, but [it was a] really tough day, and a lot of kudos to Marla and her team for trying to support our community. … That impacted students, families, all those types
of things. So I just wanted to acknowledge that before we got started, Marla, I don’t know if you want to say anything, you’ve been very close to this. Love: Yeah, I would just say, like … Friday [was] hard for everyone, and we recognize that challenge for students, and while also doing our best to absolutely be in the space to support families who are getting the worst news of their lives. [We] appreciate how you covered both deaths, recognizing that the staff member that passed also had a relationship and worked closely with a student population and the student community as well. So they’re reeling from that experience as well. And so yeah, I’m just wanting to acknowledge that and to put that out into the space, just recognizing that it’s a hard place. It’s been a hard weekend for some students. Housing Selection The Sun: Thank you. So starting off with housing. You already mentioned it, but yes, it’s a concern for a lot of students, especially rising juniors and seniors who do not have off-campus offerings so far. So what can students expect for the [2025-2026] implementation of [the] housing lottery system? What does that entail for students? Lombardi: So I don’t know that this system is fundamentally changing. What we’re trying to do is a couple years ago, we started offering
the continuing occupancy in the fall semester. That was really intentional, because in the past it had happened in the spring, and if we waited till then, and a student waited until then to go and then they weren’t able to get housing, they were way behind the game in terms of trying to get an off campus apartment. in terms of trying to get an off campus . .
apartment. So we moved it [from] the spring so that sophomores, who would be rising juniors a year later, if we don’t have enough housing, they aren’t able to get a spot that then they still have the whole academic year to go try to find an off campus living. See ADMIN page 5
KARLIE MCGANN / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Love and Lombardi | The Sun sat down with the two admnistrators on Monday to discuss student issues.