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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2014 ! ITHACA, NEW YORK
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Climbing for a Cause
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Thirteen Cornell students climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro last month to raise money to fund surgeries. | Page 3
Yana Lysenko talks to filmmaker Ken Brown, whose silent film will be shown at Cornell Cinema Friday. | Page 9
John Zakour catches up with the men’s track and field’s Sebastian Roemer ’15. | Page 15
Panhel Welcomes Sorority to Campus Phi Mu will begin recruiting new members in Fall 2014, dean says Panhellenic Association voted in favor of inviting currently unrepresented organizations in the With recruitment beginning National Panhellenic Conference in Fall 2014, Phi Mu will be the to apply to colonize at Cornell, next sorority to colonize on cam- according to Katherine-Rae pus, the Cornell Panhellenic Cianciotto, assistant dean of stuAssociation announced Wed- dents. Panhellenic selected Phi Mu nesday. Phi Mu, a women’s organiza- because of the organization’s “passion for tion founded growth, sisterin 1852, aims “As chapters continue hood, and to provide to grow, forming ... philanthropy,” “personal and Pa n h e l l e n i c academic relationships amongst development, members becomes more President Erika Whitestone ’15 service to othchallenging.” said in an ers, commitemail. ment to excelKatherine-Rae Cianciotto Panhellenic lence and lifesaw “record long friendship through a shared tradition,” numbers” of women participate according to the organization’s in formal recruitment, with 871 women signing up for formal mission statement. In April 2013, after reviewing recruitment this year — an recruitment statistics and campus increase from last year’s 823 registrends, members of an extension See SORORITY page 4 committee of the Cornell By RACHEL WEBER
Sun Staff Writer
JIALI WANG / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Center stage | Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, an online forum, speaks about his career and gives advice to current students at Barnes Hall Wednesday.
Reddit Creator Talks Web,Career Co-founder Ohanian speaks on university book tour
Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of online forum Reddit, advised Cornell students to take advantage of what the Internet offers during a speech Wednesday. Ohanian said his first step toward the creation of Reddit happened when he skipped his LSAT practice course during his senior year of college to get waffles with his friends. Ohanian said it was in that moment he knew he needed to do something different.
“I realized in between those syrupy bites that if I wanted waffles more than practicing for the LSAT, then I probably shouldn’t be a lawyer,” Ohanian said. Ohanian and his best friend, Steve Huffman, ended up applying to Y Combinator, a program for start-ups where the idea for Reddit was formed. According to Ohanian, the two initially
Group Connects New C.U. Students With Mentors demic interests. Sun Staff Writer Upperclassmen choose new students to mentor after both Nearly 400 Cornell stu- parties complete a poll on the dents have signed up for organization’s website, accordCampusConnection, a stu- ing to Praiss. “Rather than us taking on dent-led initiative that connects new students to upper- the Herculean task of matching new students to upperclassmen mentors. classmen, we The proallow uppergram, which “I believe it truly classmen to aims to ease strengthens our select their the transition campus as a whole.” new stuto Cornell dent,” Praiss connected Nabiha Kashwani ’17 said. “We over 260 parhope that by ticipants in its first semester last fall, being able to handpick their according to Zach Praiss ’16, new student, upperclassmen co-founder of the initiative, are eager to help their new stuwho is also a Sun layout dent excel in their college designer. As of Tuesday, more experience.” Praiss and Blake Barr ’16, than 100 students had signed who said their introduction to up this semester. CampusConnection assists campus was eased by the guidinterested upperclassmen find mentees based on mutual acaSee CONNECTION page 5 By CHRISTOPHER YATES
See REDDIT page 4
Snowstorm Causes Rare Univ.Delay By ANNIE BUI Sun Senior Writer
Cornell’s Ithaca campus was closed early Wednesday morning from 3 to 9:30 a.m. due to inclement weather conditions caused by a snowstorm, according to the University. The closure affected classes scheduled before 10 a.m., with classes after that
time remaining in session. The decision to close the campus was made around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to University Spokesperson John Carberry. Carberry said the closure was implemented to protect the welfare of both students on campus and employees of the University, who live throughout Central New York and Northern Pennsylvania.
“These members of our community leave home for work very early in the morning and some have long drives to campus,” Carberry said. “If there’s a chance the roads will be bad and we won’t be able to keep the parking lots reasonably clear, we err on the side of caution.” See SNOW page 4
CONNOR ARCHARD / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Polar vortex | Students walk down icy walkways of Libe Slope Wednesday. The University announced a delayed opening early Wednesday morning.
2 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, February 6, 2014
Today
DAYBOOK
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Daybook
Today Blood Drive 11:30 a.m. - 4:15 p.m., G10 Biotechnology Building SEAP Brown Bag Talk Noon - 1:30 p.m., Kahin Center College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Study Abroad 101 2 - 2:30 p.m., 170 Roberts Hall Introduction to Bloomberg 4 - 5 p.m., Stone Classroom, Mann Library Senator Scott Brown: Beyond Labels, the Problem With Partisanship 6 - 7 p.m., 115 Kennedy Hall
Tomorrow
“Snow day” Yesterday was sad My 4 a.m. class cancelled Snow days are the worst ~ Woeful Wendy ’17
Manage Citations with RefWorks 10 - 11 a.m., B05 Uris Library CLASSE Seminar: Steve Wang 1- 2 p.m., 3rd Floor Wilson Commons,Wilson Synchrotron Lab English Department Roundtable 2 - 4 p.m., 258 Goldwin Smith Hall Water and Land Panel 3 - 5 p.m., 225 Industrial and Labor Relations Conference Center
PUPIL POETRY cornellians write verse
Documentary: Prince Among Slaves 8 - 9:30 p.m., 245 Olin Hall
Students may send poetry submissions to news@cornellsun.com.
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THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, February 6, 2014 3
NEWS
FSAD Major Wins $30,000 for Line By ZOE FERGUSON Sun Staff Writer
Fiber science and apparel design major Justine Lee ’14 received $30,000 in January for her “unique” collection of convertible womenswear. Lee was the recipient of a scholarship from the Geoffrey Beene Foundation and the Young Menswear Association Fashion Scholarship Fund, which provides “outstanding” fashion students with scholarships presented annually at an awards dinner, according to the Fashion Scholarship Fund website. At the awards dinner, four “outstanding” fashion students were awarded the Geoffrey Beene National Scholarship for their own design projects. Lee described her clothing line, American Design & Detail, as inspired by the case study theme of “Made in America.” She started the nearly nine-month process of creating and refining her line last spring. Lee said the most distinguishing feature of her brand is that it is a “clothing system,” which means its products can be worn in multiple capacities. “Convertibility and multi-functionality” are features of the line: a product can function as a belt, a purse strap and a bracelet, according to Lee. Lee said that after graduating, the scholarship money she won would help her live and work in New York City, which she called “one of the world’s biggest fashion capitals.” “Winning the [scholarship] has opened up a lot of doors for my career,” Lee said. “I’ve always wanted to move to New York City, and this money will help me pay for housing so that I can live out my dream.” “Americanism” is an important component of the
KELLY YU / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Model behavior | Various clothing exhibits are displayed in the Human Ecology building as part of the University’s Fiber Science and Apparel Design program.
brand, according to Lee. The collection’s clothing is made for Americans, by Americans, she said. “It’s a brand of transformable, convertible apparel and accessories that are made possible by domestic manufacturing,” Lee said. “The brand redefines how female American millennials can dress.” The manufacturing plan that Lee created utilizes cutting-edge technologies such as three-dimensional printing and laser cutting, she said. According to Lee, the brand is centered on the autonomy of women to invent their own design concepts. Lee added that customers “co-create” their looks because they can decide how to wear each piece. “They can get really creative with how they dress,” she
said. Lee said that she was inspired by Beene himself and that she incorporates his “themes of architecture and geometry” in her design work. Though Lee said she will not continue designing clothing for American Design & Detail in the spring semester, she hopes to keep developing the concept. Lee also said that she learned a lot about herself in creating the brand. “This was my most challenging undertaking at Cornell, but without a doubt the most rewarding,” Lee said. Zoe Ferguson can be reached at zferguson@cornellsun.com.
C.U. Students Climb Mt.Kilimanjaro for Charity By KEVIN MILIAN Sun Staff Writer
A team of 13 Cornell students raised over $15,000 by climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro over winter break with Mountains for Moms, an organization that funds surgeries for obstetric fistula. The group of students has raised funds to provide free surgeries for the medical condition, which occurs after obstructed childbirth and is most common in poor countries such as Tanzania that lack access to sufficient medical care, according to the Mountain for Moms website.
Online donations to Mountains for Moms support Operation FISTULA, a non-profit organization founded by Seth Cochran ’00 that funds obstetric fistula surgery in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, according to Barnett. The surgeries performed by Operation FISTULA cost around $200, according to Madison Gratsy ’14, vice president of Mountains for Moms. Gratsy added that the group is currently about $4,000 short of its $19,341 goal. Obstetric fistulas — though not common in developed nations — are abnormal connections made between a woman’s
COURTESY OF KRISTEN BARNETT
Mountain climbers | Thirteen students representing Cornell’s chapter of Mountains for Moms traveled to Tanzania over winter break to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.
reproductive and excretory systems after still faced symptoms like vomiting and prolonged labor, causing “leaks,” Gratsy dizziness, according to Barnett. said. “I have never been so physically and “It’s a condition that we never have to mentally depleted of energy, and I never face in developed nations, but the situa- could have predicted how tough it would tion is drastically different for women in be at the top of the mountain, when the many developing nations that do not have air is extremely thin, your water is frozen, access to quality obstetric care, or are giv- you’re delirious from the altitude and ing birth at far too you’re so tired that two kilometers seems like an young of an age,” disKristen Barnett ’15, “No amount of physical insurmountable tance,” she said. president of Mountains training could have Although the trip had for Moms, said. prepared us.” its difficulties, it was still To prepare for the a bonding experience for fundraising climb, the Carleen Altinok ’16 the 13 students due to the students had weekly large amount of time they training sessions on Libe Slope and hikes to Buttermilk Falls in all spent together, Altinok said. The trip was completely self-funded by addition to individual fitness regimens, the students, but Cornell Tradition, a proaccording to Barnett. “The climb was certainly the hardest gram that awards 500 fellowships a year to thing I have ever done in my life and undergraduates, assisted some students with the cost, according to Barnett. probably ever will do,” Barnett said. The trip ran from December 30 to Previous members of the organization, January 16, but the climb took a total of including former president Ilya Brotzky six days, with four-and-a-half spent climb- ’10, also assisted in planning the trip. “By challenging ourselves and doing ing to the top of Uhuru Peak and oneand-a-half days spent getting down, something completely out of the box, we were able to capture people’s attention, according to Barnett. “Every member of the group agreed … and successfully convince our friends and that no amount of physical training could families that this was a worthwhile cause have prepared us for what the final day of that needed their attention and donathe climb was like,” said Carleen Altinok tions," Barnett said. ’16, one of the climbers. Despite using medication to prevent acute mountain sickness, malaria and Kevin Milian can be reached at cerebral and pulmonary edema, the group kmilian@cornellsun.com.
Around the Ivies Columbia Prof Joins Times As Chief Data Scientist Prof. Chris Wiggins, applied mathematics, Columbia University, is now working as the New York Times’ chief data scientist, the Columbia Daily Spectator reported Wednesday. He works for the research and development
department. Program House Provides Community at Brown This semester at Brown University, the Harambee program house had 41 residents, the greatest number of members in recent history. The Harambee house is an African culture stu-
dent interest residence. House leaders are hoping conduct renovations on the house to attract new members, according to the Brown Daily Herald. —Compiled by Sloane Grinspoon
4 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, February 6, 2014
NEWS
Univ. Closes Phi Mu Sorority Will Colonize at C.U. Due to Snow SORORITY
Continued from page 1
Other factors such as the “duration and intensity of the forecasted storm” were carefully considered, according to Carberry. He said that campus-wide closures are not common. “Factors like these are weighed very carefully against the potential disruption of critical campus activities, especially academic activities,” he said. “Cornell does not cancel classes lightly.” Though the cancellation spared many students an early-morning trek through the snowy conditions, others found the cancellation to be more of a burden than a relief. “Not having to go to my 8 a.m. lab on my busiest day was a treat, but overall the cancellation has been more of an annoyance than walking through the snow would have been,” Kyle Bullis ’16 said. “I now have to make up a lab that cannot be missed on a day where I’ll have to stay on campus an extra two hours.” Eric Holmes ’16 also said the cancellation was inconvenient for students and faculty. “The little kid in me hoped for a snow day, but in reality even canceling a portion of the day only burdens students and faculty as all work must inevitably be done,” he said. “In my opinion, I saw nothing the facilities staff couldn’t handle and make safe for traveling students and staff.” Arun Chakravorty ’16, however, welcomed the cancellation of his 9 a.m. class. “Being from California, I guess today was my first snow day,” he said. “It was relaxing to skip my morning class, but it would be nice to have a full snow day in the future.” The frigid weather conditions that impacted the area yesterday also affected operations within Ithaca, according to a media alert issued by the City. Mayor Svante Myrick ’09 closed all City facilities Wednesday and excused “all non-essential personnel for the day” due to the worsening road conditions, the alert said. By Wednesday afternoon, the University along with Facilities Services and Environmental Health and Safety were continuing to monitor the local weather conditions, according to the University’s special conditions page. Annie Bui can be reached at abui@cornellsun.com.
Rachel Weber can be reached at rweber@cornellsun.com.
Reddit Co-Founder Speaks at Cornell REDDIT
Continued from page 1
received a lot of negative feedback. “There will be haters. Haters gonna hate. Be the honey badger,” Ohanian said, referencing a popular expression, “Honey badger don’t care.” According to Ohanian, Reddit started with 100 users in June 2005. The website has grown significantly since then, with over 100 million documented users last month. “The first version of everything is janky,” he said. “Sucking is the first step to being kind of good at something. It is okay to suck.” Ohanian then introduced Michael Horn J.D. ’05, who quit his job at a law firm to become an entrepreneur, to the audience. Horn said that being a lawyer was ultimately unsatisfying and that he had a hunger for something more. “I needed to learn how to code because I wanted to build companies and I didn’t want to go back to being a lawyer,” Horn said. Horn founded Craft Coffee, a
subscription service that delivers cof- Piracy Act and the Preventing Real fee to people’s doorsteps on a month- Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual ly basis. He advised Cornell students to Property Act. “These two bills, SOPA and deviate from expectations and pursue PIPA, were going to become law. It their passions. would’ve been “You have a lot devasting to of freedom now,” “Sucking is the first the open he said “Make Internet … [stuff ] happen,” he step to being kind of This stuff said. means a lot to According to good at something. It is me. This is Ohanian, the pur- okay to suck.” my industry, pose of his tour is this is my to help students Alexis Ohanian livelihood; the find the right Internet in a career early. “I wish I had this talk in school. lot of ways is my life and I want to That’s why I’m doing this,” he preserve it,” Ohanian said. Ohanian’s advice for student explained. Ohanian is also involved with entrepreneurs is to start doing things other start-ups, including HipMunk and fixing problems instead of com— a travel search website — and plaining about them. “Ideas are worthless, absolutely Breadpig — a company that helps artists run crowd-funding cam- worthless. Execution is everything,” he said. paigns. Aside from start-ups, Ohanian is also involved with Internet activism, and has led grass-roots efforts against Helen Donnelly can be reached at legislation such as the Stop Online hdonnelly@cornellsun.com.
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SNOW
Continued from page 1
trants, the Sun previously reported. 676 of the female students who registered for formal recruitment received bids. New member class sizes have seen a steady increase over the past several years and are the largest they have been in the past decade, according Cianciotto. “As chapters continue to grow, forming meaningful and close relationships amongst members becomes more challenging,” Cianciotto said in an email to the Panhellenic community. “By adding a new chapter, we hope to provide an opportunity for more women to join Cornell’s Panhellenic and Greek communities.” Members of the Panhellenic community are eager about the addition of a new sorority to the University. “I’m excited that we’re getting the chance to expand our Cornell Panhellenic community. I firmly believe that Greek life is a positive influence on the lives of Cornell women and I'm thrilled that it's growing on this campus,” Corey Matthews ’16, president of Kappa Kappa Gamma
sorority, said. Other Panhellenic women said they feel adding another chapter on campus will be helpful in reducing growing new member class sizes. Elysha Rothenberg ’15, panhellenic vice president of recruitment, publicity and extension, said she will be working closely with Phi Mu representatives to “acquaint them with Cornell Greek life campus norms.” Phi Mu consultants intend to raise awareness of the recruitment on campus before conducting interviews to select women for their primary class, according to Rothernberg. Phi Mu plans to start recruiting new members in Fall 2014 and will participate in formal Panhellenic recruitment in January 2015. According to Cianciotto, Phi Mu is currently researching housing options and will likely have a house beginning in Fall 2015.
NEWS
Initiative Connects Students With Mentors CONNECTION
Continued from page 1
ance of upperclassmen, conceived the idea for the initiative during their freshman year, according to Barr. “Both Zach and I were incredibly fortunate to have upperclassmen help with our transition into Cornell as
“We wanted to ensure that every new student at Cornell could connect to a like-minded upperclassman for guidance and advice.” Blake Barr ’16 freshmen last year,” Barr said. “ T h r o u g h CampusConnection, we wanted to ensure that every new student at Cornell could connect to a like-minded upperclassman for guidance and advice like we did.” For many freshmen, being mentored by upperclassmen has helped them explore campus and learn about resources available to them, according to Nabiha Keshwani ’17, who
participated in the program last fall. “I had an amazing experience. Cornell can seem extremely intimidating and big — especially as a freshman — so I was really grateful that an initiative like CampusConnection exists,” Keshwani, who is also a Sun contributor, said. Keshwani said that the program provides a “perfect medium” to connect people that would probably not meet under other circumstances. “I believe it truly strengthens our campus as a whole,” she said. As CampusConnection moves into its second semester, Praiss said he hopes to continue expanding the program and ultimately have it become a permanent fixture of Cornell’s new student orientation. “We hope to continue increasing awareness and participation of the initiative,” Praiss said. “After the successful launch of our new website, we really feel we have a sustainable structure going forward and right now we want to make sure that every student has the opportunity to take part in this exciting initiative.” Christopher Yates can be reached at cyates@cornellsun.com.
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THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, February 6, 2014 5
OPINION
Emad Masroor | Guest Column
The Corne¬ Daily Sun
A Call to Boycott
Independent Since 1880 131ST EDITORIAL BOARD REBECCA HARRIS ’14 Editor in Chief
HANK BAO ’14
AKANE OTANI ’14
LIZ CAMUTI ’14
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ANDY LEVINE ’14
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Editorial
A Call to Clarify the Intention of MOOCs
ON MONDAY, CORNELL LAUNCHED ITS FIRST Massive Open Online Course — Astronomy 2290x: Relativity and Astrophysics — for several hundred viewers. Cornell initially announced MOOC offerings with the intention of providing everyone with the chance to learn from an Ivy League institution for free. However, Cornell has never articulated a set plan to attract, retain and maintain the quality of education for these virtual students. The University continuously markets MOOCs as a step toward accessible education, but in light of criticism from some national experts and the debate over the initial success, we ask Cornell to concretely define the proposed plan for the future sustainability of the program and to identify how this program will benefit Cornell students. One of the main concerns with MOOCs, as highlighted by Prof. David Chernoff, astronomy, who is teaching Cornell’s first MOOC, is that the online platform the University uses to host the MOOCs, edX, does not allow for face-to-face interaction between professors and students. He noted that the “give-and-take” of a normal class is harder to simulate in an online session. This one-way communication remains a concern for the future success of the MOOCs program, as many students cite that interactions with professors are one aspect that they enjoy about classroom learning. We are concerned about the number of viewers who will continue to watch the MOOCs once the novelty wears off and the professor has no way to motivate them to stay. In an editorial from Oct. 3, 2012, we acknowledged that, “MOOCs simply allow more people to engage with higher education.” We still believe this is a valid reason to implement MOOCs. However, given the fact that only 10 percent of those who enroll in a course usually earn a certificate of completion, we believe that the University still has a ways to go before it is truly able to provide learning to the general public that is Cornell-caliber. We believe that it is necessary for the University to make sure that MOOCs will advance the mission of Cornell without diminishing the experience in Ithaca. While the University has noted how MOOCs will benefit non-Cornellians, the administration has not yet outlined how MOOCs will benefit Cornell students. Skorton has previously said that he believes that these MOOCs will “enhance pedagogy on our campuses,” but has not given a concrete plan as to how this will occur. We wonder, are MOOCs created for the general public who are interested in learning for learning’s sake? Or are they meant for the students who pay to attend the University itself? The answer is currently unclear. It seems that without these major clarifications, the University is using these MOOCs to boost its reputation, not to benefit the students who attend it. We think that offering MOOCs is a worthwhile experiment for the University, and that supplying professors to teach non-Cornellians is a noble cause in the quest to make education more accessible. However, given the concerns about the success and sustainability of the program, we are reserving judgement on the benefits of MOOCs. We question how comprehensive the University’s plan to educate both Cornellians and those taking MOOCS is, and request more information from Cornell regarding their long-term vision for these online courses.
R
ecently, this paper published a column that seriously misrepresents the Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions campaign. This is part of wider misinformation about the BDS movement — including its motivation, strategies and objectives — that has been going on for quite some time. For those who haven’t heard of it, the BDS campaign is a call by Palestinian civil society to do exactly those three things to compel Israel to rethink its inhumane and atrocious policies towards the Palestinian people. The column by Julius Kairey raises three key arguments against the campaign, each of which lack a factual basis. First, Kairey questions why Israel is singled out, and contends that in this way several other countries, too, should be the target of boycotts. What the writer fails to point out, though, is that Israel carries out its actions with the full blessing and support of the United States in particular, and the Western world in general. Israel receives $3 billion in aid annually from the U.S., a fact that in and of itself is enough to justify singling out Israel as the target of BDS. More significantly, to say that Israel “is among the most protective of civil liberties in the region” is rather ironic when discussing a country that was founded on the ethnic cleansing and mass expulsion of its indigenous people, and refuses to recognize the legitimate claim of the refugees it is responsible for. Israel also does not recognize the rights of free movement (vis-à-vis the separation barrier), the rights to land (by refusing to grant building permits to Palestinians in Area C, the vast majority of 1967 Palestine), the rights to fair trial (Israel runs the only juvenile military court in the world, detaining minors — some even as young as five years old — without trial for throwing stones at check posts) and the right to life for the 1.5 million residents of the open-air prison in Gaza. The tagline, “only democracy in the Middle East” belies the fact that Israel has no intention of giving the four million residents of occupied Palestinian territories the right to vote. Not only does Israel refuse to accept responsibility for the Palestinians — which it must, for its government has done everything in its power to sabotage the two-state solution — it also continues to maintain military control over these stateless people.
The second argument, namely that the BDS movement unnecessarily creates antagonism by isolating individual Israeli scholars, is as spurious as it is weak. The resolution passed by and voted upon by the American Studies Association clearly states that it is opposed in principle to interactions with Israeli institutions, not individuals. And while individuals certainly do voice their oppositions to Israeli government policies in meaningful ways, institutions cannot be so easily exonerated. Because the ASA does not make Israeli individuals the target of its boycott, which, frankly, would be downright racist, it does not harm academic freedom. Universities, as beacons of progressive thought and harbingers of social change, have a positive responsibility to divest from systems of oppression, as universities that did so from companies in the apartheid state of South Africa so remarkably proved. Thirdly, Julius Kairey claims that calling for the boycott of institutions in other countries is inherently hypocritical. Perhaps he is unaware that the various campaigns for divestment from corporations that profit from Israeli occupation — such as those at Hampshire College, Arizona State, University of California, Berkeley and University of California, San Diego — are indeed forms of “principled activism that actually affects one’s own life.” The campaign for BDS has drawn in activists who have stood up to their own institutions, by demanding, through grassroots mobilization and representation in student senates, that they change their endowment investment policies. In the pattern of the fossil fuels divestment resolution passed by Cornell’s Student Assembly, students at these colleges have demanded that their institutions’ funds be removed from companies that profit from the Israeli occupation. The Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions movement is a growing one. Efforts to malign and misrepresent it serve no cause; if anything, opponents of the boycott should examine whether they really want our institutions to be complicit in 21st century apartheid. Emad Masroor is a freshman in the College of Engineering. Feedback may be sent to opinion@cornellsun.com. Guest Columns appear periodically throughout the semester.
Letter
The truth behind tenure To the Editor: In response to the news article that appeared on Feb. 3, “University: Non-Tenured Faculty Bring ‘Different’ Skills Set,” your story rather spectacularly misses the point of the study it cites and, as a result, erases the work of a sizeable part of Cornell’s academic workforce. The study of Northwestern University’s 15,000 students and what they learned compared outcomes from two groups of teachers: tenure-track faculty (those eligible for tenure plus those enjoying it) and “non-tenure-line” faculty (those ineligible for tenure). The Sun’s story maps these on different groups at Cornell: already-tenured faculty and tenurable (but not tenured) faculty. So, there’s a mismatch here. Are there “non-tenure-line” faculty at Cornell? In the College of Arts and Sciences faculty listings alone, I count 98 lecturers and senior lecturers. (In 2002 there were 124.) They are prevailingly full-time professionals eligible for renewal, some (like me) well along in years and renewed many times. They are not to be confused with, to quote Vice-Provost Laura Brown in The Sun’s story, “Newer faculty who have recently been trained as graduate students” hired on tenurable lines. Why does this matter? American academia is shedding tenurable jobs right and left, often making up the difference with faculty described as “adjunct” or “parttime” or “temporary” — many of them spot-market hires. Cornell has chosen to build — although not always to sustain (124 minus 98 equals 26 ) — a corps of renewable lecturers and senior lecturers to teach in certain labor-intensive areas. That’s a significant and considered commitment on the institution’s part. Students can ask: Who teaches me math or music or writing or theater arts or a foreign language — or trains and supervises graduate student instructors who do? Who teaches me dance or Spanish or Arabic or introductory economics? Is my professor perhaps a lecturer? And should Cornell disclaim these people (by comparing New York State apples with Northwestern oranges), or recognize their existence? In this as in other ways, Cornell is just as strong as its labor force. Identifying that workforce accurately is a matter of institutional honesty and full disclosure. Prof. Stuart Davis, English
THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, February, 6, 2014 7
OPINION
Eric Pesner | Dems Discuss
A Return to Good Government E
arlier this week, Congress passed the long-awaited farm bill and sent it to President Barack Obama for his signature. The bill authorizes nearly one trillion dollars of spending over the next decade on such programs as crop insurance, subsidies to farmers growing certain crops like rice and soybeans and assistance to dairy farmers. While these programs are key to keeping food prices low and stable, they serve primarily to benefit agricultural interests. However, this agricultural spending is not the most important part of the story. For decades, farm bills have passed easily in Congress because of an alliance between rural and urban interests. To secure the votes of urban representatives, the funding of agricultural subsidies has long been tied to the funding of food stamps. Therefore, rural districts get the benefits of the agricultural subsidies, and urban districts get the benefits of food stamps. This alliance held until last summer, when the Tea Party representatives stalled negotiations on the new farm bill as they opposed keeping food stamp funding at the same levels. The Tea Party wanted cuts, the Democrats refused and the bill failed to pass. The farm bill saw new life, however, when, in the wake of the government shutdown in October, Congress finally passed a budget for the following year. This budget cut food stamp funding by five billion dol-
lars, or about $36 per family of four each picture gets even starker. In the past five month. The food stamps were cut and work years, 47 million Americans have used food began again to pass the farm bill. stamps to ensure that their families had However, the cuts weren’t over yet. Tea enough to eat. Over 75 percent of all houseParty Republicans still demanded billions holds receiving food stamps include a child, more in cuts, which would have forced mil- elderly person or disabled person. About 15 lions of Americans out of the system alto- percent of Americans are food insecure. gether. Eventually, the party leaders reached a Nearly one in four American children live compromise to cut “only” $8.55 billion more in poverty. And Congress just made it hardfrom the program over the next decade. And er for their parents to buy food. immediately, the spin began, with the Republicans say that the cuts are necesRepublicans blasting sary to reduce the deficit and to ensure that wasteful governthe next ment spending generation and the As Americans, we must realize does not Democrats gloatthat we have a collective suffer from ing that they beat overwhelmresponsibility to care for the most ing back the most debt. vulnerable among us. But, the egregious of the far right’s demands. next generThe cuts to ation is food stamps in the farm bill amount to already suffering, and it’s not because of the another $90 reduction in benefits per fami- deficit. It’s because Republicans have creatly per month. While Democrats managed ed an image of government as a wasteful to prevent anyone from losing benefits mess that can do nothing but screw up. entirely, the harm inflicted on poor families They’ve turned the government into a is significant. To make up the lost $126, a demon that can only be defeated through family must work over 17 more hours per cutting taxes and spending. month at minimum wage. This puts famiGovernment used to be a force for good. lies in the impossible position of deciding Social Security has lifted millions of elderly how to spend their limited funds. And the Americans out of poverty. Civil rights legisgovernment is not making it any easier. lation ended segregation laws and secured When you delve into the statistics, the the rights of all Americans to vote for their
representatives. Presidents have led us through great hardships and inspired us to climb to great heights. And there’s no reason that government can’t do all these things again. As Americans, we must realize that we have a collective responsibility to care for the most vulnerable among us. Elderly and disabled Americans benefit from far-reaching social programs such as Social Security, but no comparable program exists to protect children. Nearly 17 million American children live in poverty, and we can do something about it. We can stand up and say that these Americans, these children, deserve our support. We can say that no child should go hungry at night. We can say this and we must say this because some things transcend any debate over the proper role of government. Some things have to force us to come together and say that the status quo will not suffice. If anything can do that, it is the common goal of reducing child poverty. Congress just ensured that farmers will be able to grow and sell their crops. Now we just have to ensure that that food reaches the plates of America’s children. Eric Pesner is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He may be reached at erp55@cornell.edu. Dems Discuss appears alternate Thursdays this semester.
THROWDOWN THURSDAYS Julius Kairey | Always Right
D
Time to Talk Inequality
uring the 2012 Presidential election, Democrats we mean when we discuss equality, in all of its different decided to thrust the question of inequality back forms, are a recurring occurrence in American life, and into the political spotlight. And why not? With a cannot just be ignored. wealthy, seemingly out-of-touch candidate like Mitt Republicans should not argue that inequality is good in Romney as the Republican nominee, Democrats all of its forms. In fact, they too should aggressively attack undoubtedly saw an opportunity to portray Republicans inequality. But rather than attacking the wealth or income as protectors of the undeserving rich. The Democrats, of gap per se, they ought to attack what Senator Mike Lee course, proposed larger government as the solution to ris- (R- Utah) calls “government-driven inequality.” ing economic inequality. Among other things, they Government-driven inequality consists of the many promised a higher minimum wage to the working poor public policies that limit the ability of the middle-class to and higher taxation on the wealthy. All costs associated thrive and prevent the less fortunate from moving up the with any such programs would be paid for by the wealthy. socioeconomic ladder. Government-driven Why did this strategy work so well? After all, these proposals have been part of the Democratic Party platform for years. The differDisputes about what we mean when we ence now, however, is that these policies are jus- discuss equality, in all of its different forms, tified as the only way of reducing the gap between rich and poor. By convincing the coun- are a recurring occurrence in American life, try that the defining goal of our era is reducing and cannot just be ignored. economic inequality, Democrats make Republican promises of job creation and economic growth sound hollow, while making themselves inequality can be found in our nation’s poorest cities, seem like the protectors of the middle class. What good is where children are denied the opportunity to succeed by a a rising GDP, Democrats ask, when all the gains go to the school system that privileges the job security of adults over rich? Amazingly, despite the large increase in inequality the needs of students. It is found in this administration’s over the course of his presidency, President Obama won refusal to approve projects like the Keystone Pipeline, reelection on the promise of solving the very inequality which would provide much needed jobs to communities problem that he proved incapable of dealing with during around the country. It is found in Obamacare, which his first term. openly aims to redistribute wealth from the young to the Establishment Republicans are determined to ignore old by hiking the price of health care for those “low-risk” the inequality issue. Indeed, the Republican response to individuals under 30, exacerbating the rapidly growing the State of the Union explained how Obama’s policies, wealth inequality between young and old. It is found in though well-intentioned, were either not working, or were the bailouts of large corporations that we saw at the beginharming, the American people. That’s a good start in com- ning of the economic crisis. And it is found in the giving bating liberal policies. But if Republicans are to increase of corporate welfare, something that both Democrats and their electoral competitiveness, they must go a step fur- Republicans are complicit in, which results in boondogther. They must win the war of ideas. Disputes about what gles like Solyndra where companies are handed taxpayers’
money but produce nothing for the taxpayer. Republicans ought to vigorously defend inequality of income and wealth that is the result of the voluntary exchange of money for goods, services or labor. In a free country, if I create value for the society, I should be able to reap most, not some, of the rewards. But Republicans should also stand firmly on the principle that money earned through special privileges bestowed by the government ought to be aggressively fought. Public dissatisfaction with the decline of social mobility in America gives Republicans the chance to be the party of opportunity by showing how conservative policy can limit inequality. School choice and voucher programs can introduce much-needed competition into the school system, enabling parents to move their children to a school that best suits their needs. A balanced budget would limit the amount of money that already wealthy corporations could glean from the public trough. And a repeal of Obamacare would save young people from the expense of buying the particular health insurance products that the government says they need, at a price imposed by insurance companies who know that you will be fined if you do not buy their product. While Democrats focus on enlarging the social safety net, Republicans should focus on the more important goal of making sure as few people as possible need to rely on public assistance. Inequality will only be a winning issue for Democrats if Republicans fail to counter the Democratic message. By regaining its reputation as the party of opportunity, Republicans can sate the public’s desire for an attack on inequality, promote common-sense conservative policies and prevent the imposition of new taxes and regulations, all at the same time. Julius Kairey is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He may be reached at jkairey@cornellsun.com. Always Right appears alternate Thursdays this semester.
8 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, February 6, 2014
DINING GUIDE
The Corne¬ Daily Sun
Dining Guide
Your source for good food
Chef Profile: Becker House Food‘Inspired’ By Students By CASEY CARR Sun Staff Writer
W ATCH THE VIDEO AT CORNELLSUN . COM
If you’re reading this while eating in a dining hall or at an à la carte location on campus, do you know who made what you’re eating? The sad truth is, probably not. To put at least one name to the faces of Cornell Dining –– to those that keep this campus fueled from class to class and prelim to prelim –– I introduce Tony
Kveragas, chef manager of Becker House. Not only is Kveragas –– who goes by Chef Tony –– responsible for some of the most creative and authentic meals on campus, but he also has an interesting personal backstory and culinary philosophy. From his professional journey to chef manager, to his love for Cornell students and culture, Kveragas brings more than just meals to the table. Despite his current culinary passions, Kveragas didn’t always
ALEX HERNANDEZ / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Cornell Maple Vinaigrette Ingredients Ground Black Pepper Salt Cornell Maple Syrup Lemon Juice Apple Cider Vinegar Walnut Oil Shallots
Yields 2 Cups To Taste To Taste 2 Tbsp 2 Tbsp 1/2 Cup 1 Cup 1/4 Cup
ALEX HERNANDEZ / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Good eats | Head to cornellsun.com to watch Chef Tony Kveragas teach Sun Staff Writer Casey Carr ’14 to make Cornell Maple Vinaigrette for a pomegranate and arugula salad.
want to be a chef. With interests in history and anthropology, he enjoyed all fields and disciplines that involved people and what makes them happy. However, while working a catering job at Harvard University, Kveragas found the underlying commonality: food. “I saw how appreciative people were of the food that I brought to them,” Kveragas said. “Food is the common denominator that unites everyone. It means different things to different people, but it always takes on a special meaning.” But rather than pursue his newfound love of food, Kveragas did what most twentysomethings feel obligated to do: he sought out a secure job. After working for the research department for Gulf Oil, Kveragas quickly became bored of the structured work environment. So, again, Kveragas did what almost every twentysomething desires to do, though few have the courage: He quit his job with Gulf Oil to begin his culinary adventures. Kveragas left for France with no
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connections and no money –– following his heart to where he knew food, history, anthropology and wine would be waiting. For three years, he lived in France studying at culinary school and working as an au pair. He later left France for Cornell to pursue a degree specializing in Food Industry Management at
variety makes them feel grateful to contribute to the Cornell community –– and also helps bring authentic, delicious food to the dining halls where students can get a taste of home even if they live thousands of miles away. Kveragas says without hesitation that the best part about working for Cornell Dining is “the students, for sure. It gets desolate when the students aren’t here: They bring the energy and the excitement.” He added that one of the best aspects of the Becker House kitchen is that he and his staff get to see the reaction of the students they serve. “You can see the smiles on the kids faces. That has to be the best part of the pay. The happiness you bring to people by the quality of food you serve is what makes cooking great –– it’s contagious.” Yes, we all attend a high-stress school. And yes, many of us are insanely busy. Whenever we can, we squeeze in a quick bite to eat between studying or while walking to class. But I’d like to challenge you to think about who prepared your meal, just for a second, the next time you grab a sandwich to go or sit down at a dining hall. Think about the effort, collaboration and thought behind the meal –– you may have even provided the inspiration for it. So if you’re ever on West Campus, stop into the Becker House Dining Room, and you too can put a name to one of the many faces of Cornell Dining and chat with Kveragas. You’ll find that behind the scenes of Cornell Dining, there’s both quality food and quality people.
“You can see the smiles
on the kids faces. That has to be the best part of the pay. The happiness you bring to people by the quality of the food you serve is what makes cooking great — it’s contagious. –– Tony Kveragas
”
the Charles H. Dyson School for Applied Economics and Management, and he has yet to leave. According to Kveragas, his permanent stay at Cornell is the result of the unique and “inspiring” cultural diversity of the University’s students and staff. Kveragas is constantly searching for new ideas and recipes for authentic cultural dishes to bring to Becker House, and he often gets his inspiration for his dishes from students and the staff that work in the Becker House Dining Room. “I learn so much from everyone I work with at Cornell,” Kveragas said. “In the Becker kitchen alone, eight to nine different languages are spoken. I ask my staff to show me an authentic recipe from their homeland and produce it on a large scale for the students.” Kveragas is passionate about connecting himself and his staff to the students, saying that utilizing their cultural diversity as a means for culinary creativity and
Casey Carr can be reached at celsaesser@cornellsun.com.
A&E
Thursday, February 6, 2014 | The Corne¬ Daily Sun | 9
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT From Haight-Ashbury to Willard Straight:
BY YANA LYSENKO Sun Staff Writer
Sun Staff Writer Yana Lysenko recently spoke over the phone with Ken Brown, New York-based artist and filmmaker who left his own legacy on the ’60s cultural movement with his collection of experimental vignettes, now compiled into one 55-minute film, Psychedelic Cinema. The film is a medley of handmade clip art animation, hazy kaleidoscopic shapes and — in case you forgot this was the ’60s — plenty of vivid drug imagery. Unwatched for more than 30 years, Brown’s self-described “time capsule” is shown around the world as a nostalgic look at the thrilling nature of the time. THE SUN: How did you find yourself making this film? KEN BROWN: My main job was to come up with new material for the Boston Tea Party, the premier rock club in New England at the time. As a filmmaker, Psychedelic Cinema was kind of my crash-course in filmmaking. I had a Super 8 movie camera, and when I was in Boston University, my assignments were just to go out and shoot the kinds of stuff you see in the film. But a lot of it was really experimentation: finding out how different things worked, and having the kind of youthful passion in discovering a new medium. SUN: Considering the experimental nature of the film, how did you determine what to include and what you felt was important to show? K.B.: Most of the rock venues of the late ’60s used a visual accompaniment, so my job was to come up with new material. The films played between sets, and during the concert itself they would be mixed with slides and liquid projections and color wheels and all of the psychedelic paraphernalia that made a light show. SUN: What inspired you about the psychedelic movement? K.B.: It probably happens to a lot of artists that while they’re out exploring the periphery, they stumble upon something that’s different and kind of cool, and they see the light. It was a great time to be young and involved in everything going on. Making the film was a really different experience, wandering around the counterculture with a movie camera. SUN: Psychedelic Cinema is a silent film, but in the ’60s it was featured alongside major rock acts in concert. Can you talk about the relationship between music and the film itself? K.B.: It’s always been a silent film for me, but it played to all of the major groups at the time — the Velvet Underground, the Grateful Dead, even Jimi Hendrix. I’ve always thought of it as a silent film that becomes a visual experience when played with a wide variety of music. It mutates to
Psychedelic Cinema at Cornell SUN: And the film is mostly a collection of the original shorter films that you made back then? K.B.: Exactly. I was also experimenting with animation, and there are parts throughout the film where I wind up doing some long animation sequences reflecting the graphic style of the era. [Laughs] When I think back on making those films, they were rather crude but effective. I would literally stay up all night, just moving things around in a basic animation setup, and it worked. SUN: How have experimental supplements like yours influenced the spectacle of modern live shows? K.B.: I think that in a way the ’60s light shows carried on to what you see nowadays, with the DJs and their light shows. Even rock concerts now use fireworks and flashing lights. It’s all part of the spectacle with the music and the lights, and that’s what we were doing then. All of the music groups recognized the light show as being a part of the performance. It was interplay between the performer and the background, and these visual shows really enhanced the experience. SUN: What do you think of the film as you watch it now, almost fifty years later? K.B.: When I see [the film] now, I still feel like it has a raw vitality to it; a raw energy that reflects the era, as well as my own youthful ambitions of the time. SUN: You must feel pretty nostalgic watching it. K.B.: I know all of the locations that are in it. I grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts but lived in Boston. A lot of the more lyrical, nature parts of the footage were part of who I was then. The time I spent between Cape Cod and Western Massachusetts were my escapes from living in Boston. They’re
Broken Bells After the Disco Columbia
Paul Blank Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll is dead. It got neutered by the indie kids in the 2000s, and by 2013 had no more than one or two worthwhile releases to its name. There are many totems one could ascribe as the final nail in rock’s coffin; Oracular Spectacular, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix and the Vampire Weekend debut. All of these are valid, but I would contend that it was with the 2010 debut of Broken Bells, the pairing of Shins auteur James Mercer and famed producer Danger Mouse, that marked a turn in pop music’s conventional wisdom, leaving guitars as just another hot key on a D.J.’s iPad and teenage angst wrung out of a disappointing night at the disco. Robyn, eat your heart out. This would seem to put James Mercer in the unique and not particularly enviable position of being the most important figure in rock music of the past decade. He demonstrated indie rock’s commercial viability with The Shins’ “New Slang,” which was used to sell Big Macs and soundtrack Natalie Portman’s smile in Garden State. Mercer further fudged the lines between indie and all-out pop with Broken Bells’ “The High Road” and “The Ghost Inside.” Broken Bells has subtly set the tone for mainstream
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
COURTESY OF KEN BROWN
the sound accompanying it. The beauty of the film is that you could play it at slower rates or speed it up as much as you wanted. There was that special spontaneity or synchronization of the music with the visuals.
a collection of memory moments for me; a little bit of my own personal nostalgia that goes with the film. SUN: What kind of legacy has the film left in recent years? K.B.: Well, I did a show in Boston a couple of years ago at a local cinema, and it was really a wonderful moment for me, because they had packed a full house of old and new people who experienced or wanted to experience what it was all about and young people grinning mischievously as they were coming in [laughs]. It’ll be fun in the same sense in Ithaca, for people who remember the original light shows and for the young people who want to know about the culture of the time. SUN: Any final words about the film, or suggestions to the viewers? K.B.: Obviously, I want viewers to enjoy the film, and bask in the glow of the psychedelic era. I feel so fortunate to have been alive and thrashing about in the wild mix of the 1960s with a movie camera. I’m glad I lived at a point in pop culture history which allowed me access to making the kind of films that I do, and to share Psychedelic Cinema with a contemporary audience. Psychedelic Cinema will be playing at Cornell Cinema Friday, Feb 7. Tickets are $10 for students. Yana Lysenko is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at ylysenko@cornellsun.com.
TE S T S P I N S O O new and notable O music in review O O O O O OO O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
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rock in the years since its release; groups like Imagine Dragons and Capital Cities have their careers to thank for it. After the Disco, the album’s follow-up, feels about as inconsequential as Zach Braff’s planned sequel to Garden State. You’ve already defined an era. Why follow it up with more of the same? Curiosity is one reason, and, truth be told, After the Disco is not actually as bad as I am making it out to seem. Its arrangements are agreeable, Mercer’s falsetto has hardly aged a bit, and the album’s singles — “Holding on for Life” and the title track — are pleasant one-offs one might imagine would come about from two talented musicians showing each other their record collections. At worst, the album is bland, with Mercer’s deprecating lyrics drifting from track to track and Danger Mouse drawing from the same toolbox as the band’s debut; a little acoustic strumming here, a few bleeps and bloops there. Close to the album’s end, “Medicine” and “No Matter What You’re Told” are the only two songs that cause genuine perks of the ears, the latter in the string stabs placed after each line, and the former in the light, stylish funk reminiscent of Broken Bells’
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debut. But then you’re left with the stale balladry of final track “The Remains of Rock & Roll”, and you sigh at both what it presents and what its title implies. Mouse and Mercer have been hesitant to acknowledge the Bee Gees’ influence on After the Disco in interviews, which is ridiculous on its face, but understandable. Despite some strong attempts at historical revisionism — Random Access Memories did just win a Grammy after all — to many, disco still symbolizes creative stagnation, where shortcomings in songwriting were compensated with production excess. Although Broken Bells seem to want to place themselves above this fray, they are neither distinctive enough to be authoritative nor hooky enough to raise attention. Rather, After the Disco is unobjectionable baroque synth pop, perfect for the background and maybe to sell you something. And because of forces that have been at least partially set in motion by themselves, Broken Bells are not the first nor will they be the last to do this. Paul Blank is a senior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He can be reached at pblank@cornellsun.com.
A&E
10 | The Corne¬ Daily Sun | Thursday, February 6, 2014
Hospitality Trouble Merge Records
Sam Bromer
COURTESY OF MERGE RECORDS
Like many promising bands, Hospitality, the Brooklyn-based, Ivy League-educated pop outfit, faced an age-old conundrum while recording their sophomore album. As you probably gathered from a few choice words in the previous sentence — “Brooklyn,” “Ivy League,” “Hospitality” — their eponymous debut is a quirky, catchy and oh-so-clever affair. Not quite gentle, the album packs its fair share of bite and plenty of ’tude. However, the album never offends either: its shimmering guitars and carefree harmonies evoke a stroll through Battery Park, while its subject matter remains, with a few exceptions, squarely within the confines of 20something ennui. None of this is meant negatively, of course. The album deservedly received its fair share of praise and placed the group on several “bands to watch” lists. And yet, there was no shaking the feeling that Hospitality had more to offer and that behind their pretty facade was the potential to make an album with more heft. To a large extent, Trouble delivers on the promise of Hospitality’s debut. It is certainly darker — and uglier. Like their indie-pop compadres Cults, the album abandons some of the whimsy that marked their freshman effort. The tracks feel more fully baked while simultaneously exuding imperfection. Opener “Nightingale” starts off with a taste of the familiar, welcoming
I
the listener with a pop-friendly riff and charming vocals. However, the lyrics immediately hint at the danger that lurks within: “If you go to sleep, here you’ll see / Silence and bumps, silence and bumps, silence and bumps,” warns frontwoman Amber Papini before the track awakes, transitioning into a contemplative arrangement itself full of silences and anger. Drifting into the chorus, it is clear that Papini and her groupmates are no longer trying to charm. The album’s lead single, “I Miss Your Bones,” soon greets us with muted bass-lines and sharp, staccato lead vocals. The track moves like nothing on Hospitality, and presents a rawness the group had been afraid to breach. Built around a simple, punky riff, the track simmers as Papini croons unhappily, “The black on me will ever seem lost like abyss / And maybe after, when I return / I get what I miss.” The source of this dissatisfaction soon becomes clear, as she repeats, over and over again, “I miss your bones.” This is no innocent crush — it is lust, anger and sadness thrown into one potent, primal mix. More present on Trouble than on its predecessor, or at least more obvious, is the synth. Ever the boon of groups looking to capitalize on nostalgia for the vintage, here, as on “Inaugaration” and “Rockets and Jets,” the Moog sounds absolutely fresh, contributing a layer of other-
worldly mystery to the buzzing strum patterns and the four-count drum beats. As the album progresses, its arrangements become simpler and more drawn out as it builds toward its centerpiece, “Last Words.” This track, number eight of ten, plays like Arcade Fire’s Reflektor without the hopefulness. In an album full of songs whose lengths are carefully monitored, it is refreshing that the band allows “Last Words” to develop its synth patterns — and thankfully, even with a classic rock-reminiscent solo from Papini, the song never overstays its welcome in the ear canal. Trouble’s final two tracks find Hospitality near where they started two years ago, on their debut. Abandoning distortion and speed in favor of acoustics, horns and splashing cymbals, these tracks are a welcome reminder that, when prompted, Hospitality can make truly beautiful tunes. That these closers come in the wake of such a tough album make them all the more satisfying, like pulling up to a rest stop after a long drive (without the sketchy truckers). When all is said and done, then, Hospitality succeed in shedding their pretty sheen for something more mature — and more profound. Sam Bromer is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at sbromer@cornellsun.com.
MetLife Stadium Arcadium
n the middle of that snuff film that passed for a Super Bowl, there was a halftime show. Like all Super Bowl halftime shows, it was quite the technical spectacle. Over the course of a forty-fiveminute interlude from Peyton Manning and co.’s collective breakdown at the hands of a group of grown men who call themselves the Legion of Boom (for which the aliens from Space Jam are likely to blame), a stage was erected, lights affixed, instruments prepared, microphones connected, audience members escorted onto the field and electrical systems double-checked (Roger Goodell’s special request), and then the entire contraption was undone, all without damaging the playing surface. At some point in the interim, Bruno Mars performed. And it was a delightful performance, I guess. He and his band were dressed in gold Temptations-style jackets and played the Police-ripping “Locked Out of Heaven,” the Michael Jackson-tribute “Treasure” and a handful of other tunes that couldn’t really live up to the raucousness and fun of the first two. I’ll admit it: he’s no Beyoncé, but Bruno Mars has got some seriously fancy footwork and some decent tunes to back up his impressive range. Then a group of shirtless middle-age men emerged from the upper-stage — reportedly, famed rock and roll quartet the
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Red Hot Chili Peppers — and exhibited the sort of forcible masculine posing and preening most masterfully performed by bands 20 years their junior. Aside from Anthony Kiedis’s genuinely perplexing leggings, the most egregious moment of the performance was guitarist Josh Klinghoffer’s ecstatic floundering about during the “Give It Away” guitar solo. The guitar looked like it would fly off in any direction, and that, combined with Klinghoffer’s metallic-looking jacket and my eternal affection for former RHCP gui-
James Rainis Irresponsible Listening tarist John Frusciante, made me question his admittance into the band even more. Who was he trying to impress, flailing about like a kindergartener breaking into a reserve of Fun Dip? Despite my misgivings with the band for continuing on without their best asset (save the uber-talented bassist, Flea), I was generally happy that they somehow integrated themselves into a performance with pretty boy pop prince Bruno Mars without looking like a bunch of out-of-touch misfits. Then the Internet intelligentsia came
down with a vengeance. Someone with way too much time on their hands and, consequently, way too much personal investment in the integrity of a Super Bowl halftime show, slowed the footage down and realized that RHCP’s instruments were not plugged in. This led to what I’ve learned is called a “public relations shitshow.” Publications were aghast; how could the Chili Peppers, an authentic group of “real artists,” betray their fans like this? While Flea made a logical and grounded statement that basically boiled down to “the NFL didn’t want things to get screwed up, so we went along with it so we could be a part of a huge cultural thing and get rewarded handsomely for it,” fans asked why RHCP couldn’t pull a Nirvana or Oasis and mock the whole premise of miming a performance by completely phoning it in (Kurt Cobain’s absurd lounge-singer delivery of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on Britain’s Top of the Pops is one for the ages). As one writer put it, “I remember a crazy funk/punk rock band from LA that would have told them to suck their kiss.” Fan disappointment is reasonable. After all, they believed in bands like the Chili Peppers in the first place because they somehow represented something “more real” than the pop stars being paraded on MTV in the late ’80s/late ’90s. However, the Super Bowl halftime show is such an intricately timed extravaganza that it would be hard to defy the wishes of its showrunners. If a television broadcast performance is like making a soufflé, the
Super Bowl halftime show is like making a soufflé out of your dog’s sense of humor. The clock is ticking as advertisers hope that nothing too scandalous happens, none of the acts can possibly sound check and the entire thing has to live up to its billing as “the biggest concert of the year.” Sounds like a nightmare for anyone, but the Chili Peppers are professionals and tried to make it work. After all, they were just there to hedge the NFL’s bets on Bruno Mars; they ought to be thankful for the opportunity. While a “statement-making” moment of rebellion sounds cool in principle, if done by a bunch of dads it would be neutered of all its credibility and come off as lame and immature. Fans treating this situation as a musical tragedy need some goddamn perspective. If the game hadn’t been so damned depressing, I’d argue that the entire incident would have gone unreported (or, realistically, would have been drowned out by post-game analysis of some indelible moment of athletic triumph tragically absent from Sunday’s game). This is an accepted reality in the modern age of live performance. For a band as reliably satisfying (and, in Anthony Kiedis’s case, reliably nonsensical), we should forgive the Chili Peppers for their impropriety and consider this all water under the bridge. James Rainis is a senior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He can be reached at jrainis@cornellsun.com. Irresponsible Listening appears alternate Thursdays this semester.
COMICS AND PUZZLES
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Easter season: Abbr. 4 62-Across coat 7 Interest fig. 10 Long, on Molokai 11 Experience with enthusiasm 13 Pi follower 14 “Out” crier 15 Chic “Bye” 16 Charged particle 17 Detox place 19 Bridal emanations 21 Reminiscent of venison 22 Dweeb 23 Red state? 26 Easy gaits 29 Given a hand 30 Annabella of “The Sopranos” 31 Chased (after) 32 Whirling 34 Farm feed 35 Computer that once came in “flavors” 37 Biscuit, maybe 38 Strokes a 62Across 39 Greek cheese 40 First name in one-liners 41 Actress Charlotte et al. 42 Fountain near the Spanish Steps 44 Buddy 45 __’acte 48 Flute part 50 Big enchilada 57 Babysitter’s handful 58 New evidence may lead to one 59 Fawn spawner 60 With 62-Across, a hint to the starts of this puzzle’s four longest Down answers
61 Slogan sites 62 See 60-Across DOWN 1 Bit of mudslinging 2 Fruit of ancient Persia 3 Vatican Palace painter 4 Pet rocks, e.g. 5 News agcy. since 1958 6 Regret bitterly 7 Preceding 8 Numbskull 9 Bunches 11 Daedalus’ creation 12 Combativeness 18 Cremona artisan 20 Red Square honoree 23 Lacking purpose 24 Juice extractor 25 Grab, as a line drive 26 D.C. network
27 Like most bawdy films 28 Lays down the law 33 Fig. on 26Down 36 Gave in 38 Groom with care 43 Unmoving 44 Hull stabilizers 46 “__ bien!”
Sun Sudoku
Come on Down
47 Big name in IRAs 48 Rustle 49 “Take __!” 50 Aflame 51 Angst-filled genre 52 Killer Birds, e.g. 53 Calendar abbr. 54 Recipe instruction 55 Soft murmur 56 Barrel at a bash
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
xwordeditor@aol.com
02/06/14
THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, February 6, 2014 11
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Doonesbury
02/06/14
The Corne¬ Daily Sun
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DINING GUIDE
ZAKOUR
Continued from page 16
Patriots’ defense declined when the likes of Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Richard Seymour, Asante Samuel and Rodney Harrison all shipped off or retired, Brady and his offense were able to pick up the slack. However, Brady has lost the last two Super Bowls and AFC Championship games he has played in, yet is still perceived as the most clutch player in the NFL. It would not surprise me if Wilson followed a similar career path. Wilson has already had a few game winning drives to his name, and quickly garnered a reputation as a clutch quarterback and a great leader. Like Brady, Wilson manages to perform at a high level while not turning the
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ball over. When the day comes that the Legion of Boom just is not the same, Wilson will step up. No pressure. Now that the Super Bowl is over, it is time for the Pro Bowl. At least it should be. Moving the Pro Bowl to the week before the big game was a very transparent attempt to avoid a football absent weekend and it is disappointing. All the players in the Super Bowl cannot attend, and it feels strange. It is not dramatic enough and is too celebratory to be a precursor to the Super Bowl. The Pro Bowl will never be a marquee event, but it is a much more natural fit after the season is over than before its crescendo. John Zakour can be reached at jzakour@cornellsun.com.
Red Draws on All Lines to Score; Defense Finds the Net Schafer mixes lines to optimize success M. HOCKEY
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Seahawks’ Russel Wilson Ranks Among the Best QBs
Continued from page 16
Rookie of the Week award for his goaland-two-assist effort. In particular, Saturday’s 2-1 win over Brown captured just how deep this year’s team is. The Red’s opening goal came from the newly red-hot freshman line, while the winning mark was unleashed from the stick of Bardreau. Senior goaltender Andy Iles said of the team’s depth, “I think that’s what has been fueling our success as of late.” He added, “We are getting contributions throughout the lineup, whether that be a fifth or sixth defenseman or third or fourth line. We’re getting just as much contributions from them as we are the guys from our top lines.” Eleven different Cornell players have scored goals during the Red’s nine-game winning streak, with defenseman pitching in as well. While junior defenseman Joakim Ryan continued to solidify his place as one of the top-scoring defenseman in the country, other blue-liners found their way onto the scoresheet too. In the 3-2 come-frombehind win over Clarkson in late January, junior defenseman Jake MacDonald — who had come within inches of scoring the
night before — finally nabbed his first career goal. The other two goals in that game came from two different lines, with Hilbrich and Buckles each finding the net. “It has just been a constant process throughout the year,” MacDonald said after the Clarkson game. “Coach Schafer has done a good job mixing lines, matching them. We had a different lineup tonight and we did a good job with it.” The spread of scoring has meant that even though the Bardreau-McCarronLowry line is not as present on the scoresheet recently, it has not hindered the team’s record. According to Iles, the emergence of the younger players in recent weeks has taken some pressure off of the veteran players, who produced a significant portion of the team’s goals in the beginning of the season. “Any time you have more depth than the other team, you’re usually going to have success, and that’s something we’ve been striving for all year,” he said. “Some of the first and second line forwards had to carry a little bit more of the load than they could really handle earlier in the year, but now some of our younger guys are coming around and it’s great to see.” Head Coach Mike Schafer, ’86, said that
his rotation of the younger players in and out of the lineup increased their level of attention to detail and general effort. He also added that the freshman line has begun to adjust to college hockey and is making valuable contributions. “I think they’re really starting to ‘get it.’ How hard they need to compete, how hard they have got to practice, how prepared they have to be and how consistent they have to be,” he said. “The last four games, the guys have been able to put up some points for us, and that’s huge.” Kubiak, a player that has cycled through several different forward positions, agreed that the newer players have settled down, which adds to their increasingly important presence in the lineup. “We’re getting more offensive chances and playing a lot more in the other team’s zone,” he said. “I think now that we’re halfway through the season and past Christmas, we’re just a lot more comfortable with the league and holding the puck a little longer and trying to make a couple more plays than we would be in October and November. I think that’s a huge part of it.” Emily Berman can be reached at eberman@cornellsun.com.
THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, February 6, 2014 13
14 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, February 6, 2014
SPORTS
Men‘Expect toWin’ This Weekend TENNIS
Continued from page 16
area where they had some trouble in preseason matchups. Women’s senior captain Ryann Young, who had to retire from her doubles match with an injury, had high praise for her team’s performance and for the freshman duo in particular. “It was really exciting to get the first two wins of the season. They were two really tough matches so I was really proud of how everyone played and competed,” she said. “[Cusick and D’Ascenzo] are playing great. We’re really lucky to have them on the team. They’re really strong players and I know that the more experience they get in college, the better they’re going to be.” Speaking about the men’s doubles performances, Sidney emphasized that it had been a point of focus leading up to this weekend’s matches. “There was certainly a lot more energy between the courts during the match for singles and doubles, but you could really feel it during doubles. That was something that we planned and something that we knew we needed to work on from the first couple of matches,” he said. “It’s something that we hopefully can continue on with for the rest of the season.” Looking forward to the rest of the season, both the men’s and women’s teams will have to play away from home for the first time. The men travel to Evanston, Illinois to take on Rice (0-3) and No. 30 Northwestern (4-2) this weekend.
The women will head to the ECAC Indoor Championships in New York City where they will play three games against mainly Ivy League competition. The ECAC Indoors will be a step up in competition for the women and will be a good measuring stick for their standing in the Ivy League. Brown is going into its match on a three-game win streak and, should the Red meet No. 36 Yale in its second game, it will be going up against the top ranked squad in the Ivy League. The No. 30 Northwestern Wildcats will be the toughest competition that the men have seen thus far. Even Rice, who is winless this season, has only played teams ranked in the Top-30. However, Sidney believes that his team is not lacking in confidence. “It’s really fun, going on the road, especially going to Chicago, to play both of those teams,” he said. “They’re definitely solid teams, but I certainly think that we can hold our own against them, and we expect to win both of them.” On the women’s side, Young will likely be sidelined again for the ECAC Championships, but she is still looking forward to scouting the competition. “I think the team feels pretty good about [the upcoming ECAC indoor games],” she said. “It’s a great way to see how the other Ivies are doing. Ryan Quinn can be reached at sports@cornellsun.com.
THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, February 6, 2014 15
SPORTS
WITH
T E N
Q U E S T I O N S
SEBASTIAN ROEMER M E N’S TR A C K & F IE L D
CONNOR ARCHARD / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Building on success | Junior Sebastian Roemer left behind his football career at Macalester to come to Cornell and run with the finest.
Staff Writer and 10 Questions columnist John Zakour sat down with men’s track and field junior Sebastian Roemer to talk about transferring to Cornell and his experience with the track team. 1) You’ve been running for a while now, and now you’re a transfer at Cornell. What has running brought to your life? Well, probably the main reason I wanted to transfer to Cornell specifically is the track program here. Right now it’s ranked No. 14 in the nation. Our head coach has been around for a really long time and has a great track record of success, no pun intended. I just wanted to have a chance to train with some elite guys. I thought that would make me better as well. 2) I think a lot of people don’t know how the transfer process works as an athlete. It’s one thing to have the grades, but is it different from being recruited? Yeah, I transferred from Macalester [College]. There are a lot of NCAA rules about recruiting transfers. So it’s not really much of a recruiting process. It was more about me taking the initiative and reaching out. Almost the opposite of recruitment. And you still had to maintain the grades and everything else? Yeah, that was the main thing. 3) And you played more than one sport at Macalester? Or just high school? I played football at Macalester, [I was a] wide receive, freshman year. Then sophomore year I focused more on track. If I had continued to do football, I wouldn’t have wanted to transfer to Cornell. When my focus turned to
track, I wanted to be at a school with a stronger track program. So what made you choose track then? I was just not that great at football. So it was chosen for you? Yeah [laughs]. The sport chose me. 4) When did you start running, competitively? I started running junior year [of ] high school. Before that I played basketball, point guard. Seems like you played a lot fast positions. Receiver and point guard. Yeah, [but] it’s a different kind of speed now. I started out doing sprints. Then I changed; I liked middle distance more because it’s more strategic. You could beat me in a race, right? Beat you? Yeah I think so. You sure? Yeah, I’m pretty sure. Sorry. Just wanted to make sure the confidence was there. 5) So the track team is really big. Do you associate with your distance group more? The different event groups train together, so they spend a lot of time together and get to know each other really well. The middle distance group is about 10 people. Distance has a lot of people, the whole cross country team pretty much. They hang out together. The throwers hang out together. So it’s like a bunch of different teams within a team. 6) Do you have any nicknames? Me in particular? People just call me Seb or Sebass. 7) You’re a transfer but you’re also a junior. What was that like, being a new guy, but also an upperclassman?
Yeah, that was challenging because different classes stick together. Freshmen kind of stick together, upperclassmen stick together. [Even though] I was new, I didn’t feel like part of the freshman class. And the junior class already had their own friend group. So that was the hardest part. Integrating was tough at first. But the team is really nice and very welcoming. That was the hardest part, but it’s getting better. For sure. You’ve had guys try to make the Olympics? Yeah, that’s pretty cool. Bruno Hortelano hit the qualifying mark for the 2012 Olympics. [He’s a] Spanish record holder. And then we had a thrower [Stephen Mozia] throw a shot put and rank No. 1 in [the NCAA]. There’s some pretty elite athletes. Bruno is definitely trying to make 2016, and he probably will. So I take it you’re not setting your sights on the Olympics? I’m not really competing with them. I’m more of a spectator at times [laughs]. You think it’s cool too, right? Like, ‘Oh my god, these guys are going to the Olympics.’ Yeah, it’s cool to see how motivated they are. That makes me more motivated too. Even though I’m not going to be as good as them, it makes me better relative to my ability. 8) You have any favorite places on campus? I like hanging out and eating on West. And studying. Studying in the cafeteria. Studying and eating a lot. So you’re on West. Do you ever get Hot Truck? Oh yeah. Hot Truck is great. Especially on a late Friday night. I have to watch what I eat and drink pretty closely, but sometimes you just gotta
have fun. 9) Any favorite memories of being on the team here? Doing the team cheer at the beginning of every meeting always fires me up. Everyone really likes it. Does anyone get to lead it? The captains lead it. What music do you listen to before meets? “Gotta Have It” by Jay Z. Get you pumped up? Yeah. And “Forgot About Dre” by Eminem. Jay Z is my favorite. 10) Usain Bolt. Has he brought brought popularity and, for lack of a better word, glamour, to track? He’s the name everyone knows. So it’s good in that sense for the sport. But at the college level, it’s also about the team aspect. Everyone coming together and excelling at his [or her] own events. It might not seem like a team sport, but it can be a really fun team sport. So Bolt doesn’t really represent that aspect. But he’s fun to watch. You like him just as much as we do? Yeah. He’s pretty inspiring. Like you said, it’s a track team, but also an individual sport. What’s that like? If you have your whole team cheering for you, it makes a huge difference. That gives you a big competitive edge. Last year we won the indoor Ivy League championship by two or three points. And a lot of the guys said that wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t been such a supportive team. And that’s what makes it fun too. If you just run a good time and no one is cheering you on or no one cares, it’s not that fun. John Zakour can be reached at jzakour@cornellsun.com.
The Corne¬ Daily Sun
Sports
MEN’S HOCKEY
BRIAN STERN / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Red Finds Success in Freshmen, Looks to Improve Win Streak By EMILY BERMAN
On Nov. 15, the Cornell men’s ice hockey team skated off the ice at Clarkson’s Cheel Arena after giving up a goal in the last 38 seconds of the game, leaving the Red defeated with a final score of 3-2 . Since then, the Red has not lost a league game, and only has two overall losses in the past 15 games. For a team that struggled to win during the middle stretch of last season, this winning streak — currently at nine games — is particularly notable, but even more so for the way it has built on contributions from all sides of the Red’s lineup. In late November and early December, the team enjoyed the added offensive boost of junior Cole Bardreau’s return to the lineup. The Red finished off its first semester league schedule in a 2-2 tie with Colgate, in which the top line of Bardreau, captain
John McCarron and fellow junior Joel Lowry were all on the ice for both goals. As that line struggled to find the net in the following weeks despite aggressive offensive play, leadership shifted to the trio of senior Dustin Mowrey, junior Brian Ferlin and sophomore Christian Hilbrich, one that single-handedly carried the Red to its 4-4 tie with St. Lawrence on January 24, in a game that saw all three linemates finish plus-four. Last weekend’s road victories against Yale and Brown highlighted a new interesting quartet: freshmen Matt Buckles, Jake Weidner and Jeff Kubiak and sophomore John Knisley. Knisley formed a line with Buckles and Kubiak Friday, while Weidner joined those two the following night. Three of the four players notched goals in those games, while all four recorded points and Kubiak earned ECAC Hockey See M. HOCKEY page 12
TENNIS
Cornell Earns Wins Last Weekend Men and women sweep matches in non-conference showdowns By RYAN QUINN
weekend with a lead in his unfinished last game. On the women’s side, freshmen The Reis Tennis Center was Marika Cusick and Alexandra busy this past weekend with the D’Ascenzo continued their hot Cornell men’s and women’s tennis starts in their season-openers. After teams each playing two matches in winning three combined titles at a span of three days. The No. 62 the Cornell Winter Invitational men (3-1) defeated both Radford last week, the doubles partners also and Georgia State in 4-0 and 4-1 compiled an unblemished 6-0 wins. The women (2-0), mean- record in their two contests. while, notched victories over both However, they were not the only Buffalo and Maryland Baltimore players to record perfect weekends as sophomore Dena Tanenbaum County, 4-3 and 5-2. After getting its first win won all four of her doubles and singles matches against George as well. Washington last “I certainly think that Both the week, the men’s and team saw stand- we can hold our own.” men’s women’s teams out performances have improved in from doubles Alex Sidney areas where they partners junior have faltered in Quoc-Daniel the past few Nguyen and sophomore Stefan Vinti this week- weeks. The doubles matches, a end. Nguyen and Vinti combined point of trouble for the men’s team for a perfect 6-0 record over the through its first two games, became two contests, winning both of one of its strengths over the weektheir doubles matches as well as end as the Red won the doubles two singles matches apiece. Junior points against both Radford and Alex Sidney also turned in a strong Georgia State. Similarly, the performance, going 2-1 over the women’s strength at the top of their Sun Contributor
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Seattle Wins a One Sided Super Bowl I
Skating even | Sophomore Christian Hilbrich was one of three players who helped the Red tie St. Lawrence on January 24.
Sun Assistant Sports Editor
THURSDAYY FEBRUARY 6, 2014
lineup showed when Tanenbaum, Cusick and D’Ascenzo were able to sweep all six games in straight sets, an See TENNIS page 14
CONNOR ARCHARD / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Serving a win | Junior Lauren Frazier was one of many who helped contribute to the win over UMBC Sunday.
know I am not exactly breaking new ground by saying I think the Super Bowl is too commercialized. Yet, the best example I can give of this, besides four-million dollar 30-second ads, is the new Super Bowl logo. For the last five years, the logo has simply been the Lombardi trophy superimposed on the background of the host stadium, above Roman numerals. The logos used to vary wildly and had an actual colorful design. Some were better than others, but they gave the Super Bowl a little more personality. It used
remembered as a legendary unit. They might not be the 2000 Ravens or the ‘85 Bears, but they are closer to a modern day version of the Giants teams of the late 80’s that won two Super Bowls. The Legion of Boom is still young and, more importantly, it feels like a historic unit. Not only is it great, it is different. The members of the Legion of Boom are big: they talk big and they hit big. Peyton Manning, however, was sad. Very sad. Despite all of the hype and celebration, the Super Bowl provided the most pathetic scene of the whole sea-
John Zakour Point Blank to be that you could browse son. Late in the fourth, with the through the logos and associate reality of the situation creeping it with the game. Now they are in, the camera found Peyton all the same. Oh well. I am sure Manning slumping on the Roger Goodell likes it. bench. His helmet was still on Part of the reason commer- and he was silent and unmovcial talk bothers me is because it ing. And for those tempted to seems most relevant to those say Peyton Manning’s legacy who do not watch football. It was hurt by this game, don’t. concerns the type of people Peyton did not play his best. who only watch one game a But his team was suffocated. year. And there is nothing And now Peyton is 1-2 in the wrong with being those people, biggest game, but Brady also but it just feels intrusive when features two losses and Elway they are part of the national started 0-2. Peyton was a surediscussion. I guess I am just not a nice person. But there was still a Part of the reason football game on Sunday. The Broncos did not commercial talk bothers me exactly start well. Or finis because it seems most ish. The Seahawks raced relevant to those who do out to a 5-0 lead, and not watch football. never let go. Before the Broncos could touch the ball in the second half, it was 29-0 Seattle. The Super fire first round Hall of Famer Bowl had turned into a laugh- before this year, and during the ing-stock. The only question regular season, he put up the was whether Denver would greatest statistics of anyone who score. has played the position. Do not Although Denver would let one or two games outweigh pass its most basic offensive lit- his whole body of work. This eracy test and save themselves year was an amazing success for from total embarrassment by him, and we should not lose putting up eight, it was one of track of that with talk about his the most one-sided Super legacy. Bowls in recent memory. It was On the other side of the supposed to be the greatest ball, Russell Wilson reminds quarterback of his generation me of a young Tom Brady. against the Legion of Boom, Brady established his great repthe brash and bold star-studded utation as a quarterback by Seattle secondary. But the bat- steering some extremely talenttle never materialized, and as a ed teams to glory, often relying result, the Legion of Boom has on the Patriots’ defense early in likely etched itself in the lore of his career. Brady was always a the NFL. great signal caller, but he earned After holding the highest his 3-0 record in the Super scoring team in NFL history to Bowl and clutch status before one touchdown, we need to ask his best seasons. And as the whether the 2013 Seattle Seahawks’ defense should be See ZAKOUR page 12