INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 131, No. 88
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
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ITHACA, NEW YORK
16 Pages – Free
Dining
Arts
Sports
Weather
Sweet Treats
Dancehall Domine
First Face Off
Snow HIGH: 28º LOW: 0º
Rachael Cusick ’17 becomes a “groupie” for Felicia’s Atomic Lounge and Cupcakery’s vegan fare. | Page 8
Jack Jones ’18 enjoys The New Pornographers’ show at The Haunt. | Page 9
The women’s lacrosse team looks to to kick off season with hop into “national limelight.” | Page 16
Faculty Discuss Attorney: Student Charged With Murder Provost Search, From Family With History of Abuse Inauguration Day By ANNIE BUI
Sun News Editor
Classes will be held Inauguration Day By JONATHAN SWARTZ Sun Senior Writer
Topics related to the transition period of several senior-level administrators at Cornell were the primary focus of Wednesday’s Faculty Senate meeting, where members discussed the ongoing search for the next provost and the class schedule during presidentelect Elizabeth Garrett’s inauguration. Dean of Faculty Joseph Burns Ph.D. ’66, astronomy, said the University Faculty Committee decided to withdraw its resolution that asked for the cancellation “[Our provost of classes from 10 a.m. to should be] 12:15 p.m. during the someone who is inauguration of Garrett on Sept. 18, breaking tradifocused on tion. “Just a couple of days academic ago, the president-elect excellence.” said that she did not want the classes cancelled, even Alan Mathios though it has been traditional in the past,” he said. “And the interim provost [Harry Katz] also said he did not want the classes cancelled, so we are withdrawing the resolution. There are times when you should fight the administration, I don’t think this is one of them.” In light of Susan Murphy ’73 Ph.D. ’94, vice president of student and academic services, and President David Skorton’s concurrent departures from the administration, some faculty said they believe it was important to consider hiring someone from within the University as provost in order to maintain a sense of continuity of institutional memory. Prof. Abby Cohn, linguistics, said she hopes the selection committee will concern itself with selecting See FACULTY page 4
The attorney of Charles Tan ’17 confirmed at a press conference Wednesday that there was a “longstanding” history of violence and domestic abuse in the household of the student charged with killing his father. Tan, a student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, was arraigned Tuesday morning on a second-degree murder charge for the alleged shooting of his 49-year-old father, Ling Tan. Police responded to a report of a domestic incident at the Pittsford, New York, home Monday night where Ling Tan was found dead. The house was searched the following morning, where police said they found a shotgun in the garage.
Ling Tan was the president and neighbors, according to Nobles. He chief executive officer of added that these friends and neighbors Dynamax have also witnessed events over the Canandaigua-based Imaging, which develops image sen- years that led them to suspect a history of abuse in the Tan household. sors, according to its website. James Nobles, Charles Tan’s de- “They’ve asked for some privacy during fense attorney, said this time ... but they’re doing okay.” he has seen police reports “going back James Nobles to 2008 to 2009” where authorities “We have significant, credible, spehave been called to the Tan residence on several occasions “for instances of cific evidence to support that there was a longstanding abusive relationdomestic violence.” Nobles added that he was aware of ship in that house towards [Qing] Tan a recent proceeding in family court as well as both sons for a period of where Qing Tan, Charles’ mother and years,” Nobles said. Nobles said this abusive relationLing’s wife, obtained an order of proship may have gone as far back to tection against her husband. The family has seen an “outpourSee TAN page 4 ing of support” from friends and
February freeze MICHAELA BREW / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
The Amita Bhatia Libe Café in Olin Library on the Arts Quad decorates its windows in preparation for Valentine’s Day.
Edmund Cranch’45 Ph.D.’51,Former Engineering Dean,Dies at 91 By PAULINA GLASS Sun Staff Writer
Former College of Engineering Dean Edmund Cranch ’45 Ph.D. ’51 died Feb. 4. He was 91. Cranch was the dean of the engineering college from 1972 to 1978. He had been a faculty member at Cornell for 20 years, first becoming an assistant professor in 1951, according to the University. Cranch was an undergraduate at Cornell, graduating in 1945 with a bachelor’s degree in
mechanical engineering. During his four years as an undergraduate, he was involved in many organizations on campus such as the Tau Beta Pi honors fraternity, Sigma Xi and the American Society of Engineers. Additionally, he played hockey and continued to support the team after graduating, according to the University. Throughout his graduate and professional years at Cornell, Cranch served in a number of positions ranging from chair of the department of theoretical and
applied mechanics to for the Cornell holding a seat on the nanoscale research – Board of Trustees. the Knight Laboratory. Additionally, he A d d i t i o n a l l y, chaired the Advisory Cranch helped author Committee on the textbook, EnFinancial Planning and gineering Mathematics, the Committee on which played a large Special Education role in shaping the Projects. engineering program One of Cranch’s CRANCH ’45 Ph.D. ’51 in place today, accordmost notable contributions to ing to an interview with Cranch Cornell, according to the from 2012. Prof. Francis C. University, was his and Lester B. Moon Ph.D. ’67, mechanical Knight’s ’29 spearheading of what and aerospace engineering would become the primary place Cranch’s colleague who conduct-
ed the interview, described Cranch as “open, attentive and kind.” Cranch left Cornell in 1978 and became the president of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where he served for seven years. After leaving WPI, he served as president for the Wang Institute of Graduate Studies in Massachusetts before his retirement. He is survived by his wife, Virginia Cranch and two sons. Paulina Glass can be reached at pglass@cornellsun.com.