INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 131, No. 97
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2015
News
Arts
‘Excursions to Africa’
The Kenyan ambassador visits C.U. to talk about Chinese investment in Africa. | Page 3
The Sun interviews Calvin Kim on his new exhibit at the Johnson.
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ITHACA, NEW YORK
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Sports
Weather
Major Score
Partly Cloudy HIGH: 34º LOW: 10º
The men’s lacrosse team scores a 17-10 victory over Binghamton. | Page 12
| Page 6
Cornell Proposes 3.9 Percent Tuition Hike Students express frustration,call for greater transparency
By ZOE FERGUSON Sun Senior Writer
The University announced Thursday that the cost of attending Cornell will increase by at least three percent for most undergraduate students in the 2015-16 academic year. According to Paul Streeter, vice president for budget and planning, the 3.9 percent proposed cost increase represents the first time in 50 years of annual tuition hikes that endowed tuition will go up by less than four percent. Last year, undergraduate tuition was increased by $1,920, a 4.25 percent increase, the Sun Previously reported. The proposed budget will increase tuition by $1,830 for all undergraduates, representing a 3.9 percent tuition increased for the endowed colleges — schools that receive funding through the Morrill Land Grant Act — and out-of-state contract college students, according to a University press release. The additional tuition will amount to a 5.9 percent increase for in-state resident contract college students. Graduate research tuition will not increase. See TUITION page 4
By ANDREW LORD Sun Staff Writer
Students expressed varied reactions to the University’s Thursday announcement that the proposed budget for the 2015-16 academic year will bear a three to six percent tuition increase for most undergraduates. The proposed University budget, which will raise undergraduate tuition by $1,830 for the 2014-15 academic year, will be presented to the Board of Trustees for approval in May, according to t h e University. News of the tuition increase ear y t s comes la e s a re inc
4.2 5%
FCC Votes for Protection Of Internet Neutrality
3. 9 %
less than a month after the announcement of a $350 student health fee, to be implemented increase next fall, for stuthis year dents not enrolled in the Cornell Student Health Insurance Plan. Susan Murphy ’73 Ph.D. ’94, vice president for student and academic services, said she expected these tuition increases at a town hall meeting on Feb. 13. “Yes, there will be a tuition increase,” Murphy said at the meeting. “In my 45 years [at this] University, I have never seen [a year] that there has not been one.”
See REACTIONS page 4
Stories of hope
In 3-2 vote, Dems triumph over providers By REBECCA BLAIR Sun Staff Writer
The Federal Communications Commission decided Thursday to protect net neutrality by ensuring that Internet access is regulated as a public utility. This new rule “represents the biggest regulatory shake-up to telecommuni-
cations providers in almost two decades,” according to The Associated Press. Because of Thursday’s vote, Internet service providers will be prohibited from using “unjust or unreasonable” business practices in regards to the proliferation of Internet acces. The proposal was approved 3-2 by the
Ice, ice baby
MICHAEL APPLETON / THE NEW YORK TIMES
Ice forms yesterday in the Hudson River along the west side of Manhattan.
FCC, with all votes in favor coming from Democratic committee members, and all votes opposed coming from Republicans, The New York Times reported. Thursday’s decision means that service providers will be barred from reducing or increasing access speeds to certain websites due to business considerations. This is significant because some providers had expressed interest in offering popular websites, like Facebook or Netflix, increased access speeds in exchange for monetary payments, The AP reported. Conversely, without net neutrality, providers could slow down access to certain sites as a way of pressuring those sites into accepting corporate deals. Shelby Rokito ’15, who is majoring in communications, said she believes Thursday’s decision could set a valuable precedent in ensuring the Internet remains an open marketplace of ideas. “Today’s decision is
CONNOR ARCHARD / SUN SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Prof. Ella Diaz, English, shares her story about her battle with alcoholism at the weekly Soup and Hope series in Sage Chapel Thursday.
important because it will ensure that the Internet remains an open market where startups and established internet corporations are on an equal playing field,” Rokito said. However, the decision was harshly opposed by prominent Internet service providers, including Verizon Wireless and AT&T, according to The AP. Both companies publicly accused the FCC of partisanship following the decision. The exact implications of this decision will be determined partly by details which have not yet been worked out and will not be published for a
couple days, The Times reported. Brandon Giraldo ’17, an information science major, said he applauds the FCC’s decision, stating that the Internet’s broad accessibility should be preserved. “The Internet is an open platform [which] any person or organization should be able to use … freely as a tool to transmit and receive information,” Giraldo said. Thursday’s vote followed several days of heated clash between the proposal’s proponents and opponents. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler refused a request to speak before the House
Committee on Oversight about net neutrality on Wednesday, the day before the FCC’s scheduled vote. Hornell, New Yorkbased WLEA News subsequently reported that Congressman Tom Reed (R-N.Y.), who represents Ithaca and serves on the Oversight Committee, expressed dismay with Wheeler’s decision not to appear before the committee. “It is serious when any administration official refuses to speak to Congress,” Reed said to WLEA. “The FCC’s new rules on regulating the Internet affect See NET NEUTRALITY page 5