03-08-12

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The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 128, No. 105 News No Boys Allowed

C.U. eliminates gender-neutral housing options on West Campus after a three year pilot program indicated low demand. | Page 3

THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2012 ! ITHACA, NEW YORK

Defense Attorneys Say Desdunes ’13 Drank Heavily Before‘Kidnapping’ By JEFF STEIN

Opinion

Haskin ’14, Ben Mann ’14 and Edward Williams ’14 — on charges of first-degree hazing and first-degree unlawfully dealing with a George Desdunes ’13 voluntarily consumed child. All three, as well as a fourth whose identia large amount of alcohol before consenting to ty was not released because of his age, pleaded take part in the “mock kidnapping” that preced- not guilty to the charges in May. ed his death last year, according to court papers Their lawyers’ explanation for Desdunes’ filed by the defense lawyers representing three death diverges from the one outlined in a sepaformer Sigma Alpha Epsilon pledges charged in rate, $25 million wrongful death lawsuit filed by connection with Desdunes’ death. Desdunes’ mother in civil court against SAE. It However, a woman who was with Desdunes also outlines a different account of the night that night said that he expressed concern about than the one presented by the Tompkins County District Attorney. “The vast quantity of alcohol ... consumed While Marie Lourdes Andre, by Desdunes prior to the mock kidnapping Desdunes’ mother, alleges in her suit that pledges “compelled [Desdunes] to conwas the cause of any physical injury he sume alcohol until he lost consciousness,” the defense argues that the consustained.” sumption of alcohol during the incidents Raymond Schlather J.D. ’76 leading up to his death was ”wholly voluntary.” the event and appeared relatively sober shortly Andre’s suit alleges that after a hazing event before he was taken by the pledges, a police in which he was tied up and given alcohol by report recently obtained by The Sun indicates. pledge members, Desdunes became so intoxicatAfter Desdunes, a brother in SAE, died the ed that he “required immediate medical treatmorning of Feb. 25, 2011, a Tompkins County grand jury indicted three SAE pledges — Max See DESDUNES page 5 Sun Managing Editor

Sexual Media

Morgan B. ’13 explains how Facebook has helped her get laid. | Page 9

Arts The Boss Is Back

Jason Goldberg ’14 reviews the latest album, Wrecking Ball, from rock legend, Bruce Springsteen. | Page 12

Sports Sharpening Swords

The men and women’s fencing teams prepare for regionals, to be held this weekend. | Page 20

Weather Showers HIGH: 56 LOW: 41

Federal Judge Releases State Redistricting Plans By MATTHEW ROSENSPIRE Sun Staff Writer

Congressional redistricting plans released by federal magistrate judge Roanne Mann on Monday would put Tompkins County in a district stretching to Chautauqua County on the shore of Lake Erie, according to documents released by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The new plans are the result of a lawsuit against the state legislature by a group of voter advocates for not completing the redistricting process in a timely manner. Unless the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly are able to reconcile their conflicting plans, Mann’s new map will be binding, according to the documents. If the Senate and Assembly fail to reach an agreement before the June primaries, Mann’s redistricting plan will place Tompkins County in a newly formed 23rd District. Mann’s plan, however, along with the rest of the redistricting process, has been met with strong disapproval from Congressional candidates such as Dan Lamb. Lamb, worked for Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y. 22) for 14 years, is running to

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replace Hinchey, who is retiring, in November. “Most states have completed this process by now; New York has not,” Lamb said. “This is causing problems because Congressional primaries are on June 26 and we don’t have district maps.” Lamb also said that such a delay is not unusual for New York’s state legislature. “New York has a history of waiting until the very last moment; we’ve seen this in past years, and I’m not surprised,” he said. “I thought the impending earlier primary — they’re normally in September — would encourage the legislature to act quicker, though.” According to Lamb, the drawn-out process causes serious problems for all candidates, especially those who are trying to become more known in the districts they hope to represent. For Lamb, however, the delay is a much less serious issue than Mann’s new map. Unlike the plans from the State Senate and Assembly, which propose merging Tompkins County with Onondaga County, and therefore the Democratic stronghold of Syracuse, Mann’s plan puts Tompkins County in See REDISTRICTING page 4

TIMELINE OF FEB. 24-25, 2011 • EARLIER IN THE NIGHT: Desdunes ’13 reportedly seen with nearly empty bottle of Captain Morgan.

• ABOUT 12 A.M.: Desdunes arrives at Dino’s bar.

• 1 - 2 A.M.: Desdunes returns to residence of female friend. 2 A.M.: Pledges transport Desdunes to North Campus. 5 A.M.: Pledges return Desdunes to SAE house and leave him on a couch because his room was locked. • 7 A.M.: Desdunes found unresponsive in SAE. He is transported to Cayuga Medical Center, where he later died.

Colorful cookies

FIONA MODRAK / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Risa Vlinski and Laura Morgan sell Girl Scout cookies on Ho Plaza on Wednesday afternoon. Members of the Girl Scouts have been selling their cookies to Cornell students throughout the week.

New Student Assembly Reps.Elected By SYLVIA RUSNAK Sun Staff Writer

With a record voter turnout of 5,425 students, the Student Assembly announced its newly elected officials online Wednesday night. John Mueller ’13 won the contested position of executive vice president of the S.A. by a margin of 20 votes. “I think we all knew going in that it was going to be a tight race,” Mueller who is currently an undesignated at-large representative said. “There were a lot

of contested races, not because though he said the challenge was people were necessarily unhappy withdrawn. with what the S.A. had done this year, but more “I think we all knew in that it because they realized that the S.A. was going to be a tight race.” has really become John Mueller ’13 a true voice of the students and an effective group on campus. People “Everything was withdrawn — really wanted to be a part of it.” there was essentially no chalAdam Raveret ’12, director of lenge,” Raveret said. “All the elections for the S.A. confirmed results that are posted online now Wednesday night that there was a are all official.” challenge to one of the contested positions after the polls closed, See S.A. page 6

2 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday March 8, 2012

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C.U. Ends Gender-Neutral Housing, Citing Low Demand for Option

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, March 8, 2012 3

Show and tell

By CAROLYN KRUPSKI

movement gaining ground in favor of genderneutral housing and restroom facilities,” Smith said. Ending a three-year pilot program to deterHowever, the on-campus multi-gender mine demand for gender-neutral housing on options that currently exist “are not being campus, the University has decided to no sought out by many students,” he said. “This longer offer gender-neutral housing options could be attributed to the fact that the for on-campus residence halls starting last [opportunities are] just not well-known.” semester, according to Carlos Gonzalez, assisThe University’s decision to discontinue tant director of residential and event services. the pilot program contrasts with national The pilot program — which designated trends. More than 160 college campuses in approximately 100 suites on West Campus as the U.S., including every Ivy League universigener-neutral — was implemented in fall ty besides Cornell, have on-campus options, 2008 to assess student demand for housing The Princetonian reported. In February, options that permitted a mix of men and Princeton University announced that it will women. expand its gender-neutral housing program by “Students of the opposite sex were allowed about 200 beds. to live in the same suite, but not share a The Transgender Advocacy Committee, room,” Gonzalez said. part of Cornell’s LGBT Resource Center, is Yet demand for multi-gender suites in currently re-examining gender-neutral houscampus dorm buildings was too low to sustain ing options for students who want to live in program, the mixed-gender to “The few multi-gender suites ... ended up suites on-campus. according Gonzalez. “Gender-neu“The findings yielding far more roommate issues and tral housing does of the pilot were complaints than single-gender suites.” enter the spotlight that … the few when we as an m u l t i - g e n d e r Carlos Gonzalez institution begin suites that were to understand that reserved ended there are more genup yielding far more roommate issues and der identities than just ‘man’ and ‘woman,’” complaints than single-gender suites,” said Matt Carcella, associate dean of students Gonzalez said in an email. and director of the LGBT Resource Center. While there is no official gender-neutral “Many campuses offer themed living opporhousing option on campus, students may tunities like LGBTQ floors in residence halls. petition their residence hall for a multi-gender Cornell doesn’t have a precedent for that type suite during the Continued Occupancy peri- of residential housing, but it could be valuable od — a period in which West Campus resi- to the community.” dents are given priority in housing selection Although Cornell Housing does not curfor the following year. rently offer multi-gender suites as a regular “Requests are considered by each [West housing option, Smith said that the S.A. Campus] house on a case-by-case basis, and Residential Life Committee has acknowlare only granted under exceptional circum- edged that multi-gender housing opportunistances,” Gonzalez said. ties should be continued and eventually While Cornell’s Housing Lottery and expanded. Room Selection guide provides the option for “I think the first priority is for the students to petition for a multi-gender suite, University to first work with students to the University does not advertise this option define exactly what gender-neutral housing extensively due to the infrequency of means,” Smith said. “Then, gauge just how approved requests, according to Gonzalez. many students would be willing to sign up for According to Ulysses Smith ’13, former this type of housing. Advertisement needs to chair of the Student Assembly Residential Life be improved, without question.” Committee, said the absence of publicity may account for the apparent lack of demand. Carolyn Krupski can be reached at “There is a pretty significant student cek92@cornell.edu. Sun Contributor

ANDY JOHNSON / SUN CONTRIBUTOR

Min Joon Lee ’13 shows his research to Prof. Beth Ahner, biological and environmental engineering, a judge at the BioExpo in Duffield Atrium on Wednesday.

United Auto Workers Local 2110 demonstrated at Columbia University in protest of the university administration’s proposed cutbacks in healthcare benefits and pensions, The Columbia Daily Spectator reported. About 600 union members marched down to Broadway and 120th Street Wednesday. Yale University announced that freshmen will be prohibited from participating in fall rush for fraternities and sororities beginning next year to give freshmen adequate time to evaluate extra-curricular opportunities and finish freshmen orientation, following a recommendation by the school’s Committee on Hazing and Initiations, The Yale Daily News reported. — Compiled by Manu Rathore

COE Proposes New Trail in Mulholland Wildflower Preserve By WESLEY ROGERS Sun Contributor

Cornell Outdoor Education is seeking approval from the Ithaca Natural Areas Commission to create a new trail in the Mulholland Wildflower Preserve in the Six Mile Creek Gorge. The commission will vote at a meeting on March 12, and, if approved, COE will begin work on the trail on May 18. The proposed trail will be an eighth of a mile long and will connect two existing trails in the preserve, according to Todd Miner, executive director of COE. Currently, there is only one connection between the two existing trails, and “because of that, people have created their own trails, and in places that aren’t environmentally appropriate,” Miner said. According to Miner, the trails that the public have been creating are “doing damage to the trees” and are not “accessible to Ma and Pa.”

the park service or the city or the If approved, the new trail will he said. Ethan Joseph ’14 said that he state that makes the trails, it’s volascend almost 200 vertical feet and will include one set of steps as had confidence in Cornell unteers.” Many visitors to the Six Mile well as water bars — a construc- Outdoor Education’s ability to tion tool used to reduce erosion complete the project. Joseph said Creek Gorge Trail have responded on woodland paths — Miner that he had spent some time trail- positively to the proposed plan. Joe McMahon, chair of Ithaca’s said. Volunteers will also add signs building with Outdoor Odyssey and cover makeshift trails that and that the group was always Natural Areas Commission said had been made by visitors to the productive and had the right tools the project was “a great idea” and for the job. that the area is “a beautiful spot preserve. Six Mile Creek divides Ithaca's for a trail.” Miner said he believes 90 perCharlotte Ambrozek ’13, a cent of the project can be com- East Hill and South Hill neighpleted in one day. He cited a rainy borhoods, and its proximity to Cornell Outdoor Education instructor who said day in November when she has run on the 20 people from COE, “We’re hoping to have students, staff and Six Mile Creek the Cayuga Trails Club Gorge Trail many and the Natural Areas alumni ... all working together side-byexpressed times, Commission came out to side to improve our backyard resources.” enthusiasm for the help work on another Todd Miner project and said that trail project. she was looking forAlthough many students will have left campus by the Ithaca College, Cornell and ward to having a new trail. However, McMahon said the time work on the new trail com- downtown Ithaca makes the mences in May, Miner said that gorge’s trails a popular hiking spot project has encountered resistance from some members of the seniors and Outdoor Odyssey for students and locals. Miner said that he thinks the Natural Areas Commission who guides will still be on-campus. “We’re hoping to have stu- trails might get 100 people a day have argued that, as a result of the dents, staff and alumni … all on the weekends. However, plan, more people might begin working together side by side to Miner said that “what most peo- using parts of the existing trails improve our backyard resources,” ple don’t know is that … it’s not and damage them through

overuse. Supporters of the project agree that building the new trail may increase the number of users, but counter that having hikers and runners on a proper trail is better for the environment than having them on unauthorized trails. The wildflower preserve gets “way more use than it can accommodate,” and people going off trail are doing damage to the enviaccording ronment, to McMahon. McMahon said he was surprised that the project was not wholeheartedly embraced at the commission’s last meeting on Feb. 13 and that he had not expected people to raise as many concerns as they did. Miner was cautiously optimistic that the project would get approved, while McMahon said he was not sure he could predict the outcome of the commission’s vote. Wesley Rogers can be reached at wsr35@cornell.edu.

4 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, March 8, 2012

NEWS

Unsettled Redistricting Leaves Races Uncertain REDISTRICTING Continued from page 1

a heavily Republican district. “The magistrate judge’s maps are drawn to favor Republican incumbents right now,” Lamb said. “I had hoped that any map drawn would actually create competitive districts.” Lamb said he was also pessimistic about the Senate and Assembly’s plans. “I don’t think the Senate and Assembly plans can be reconciled right now; they were just statements to begin negotiations on,” he said. Depending on which redistricting plan becomes law, Lamb’s potential opponents for the Tompkins County seat would be Rep. Ann Buerkle (R-N.Y. 25) or Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y. 29). Tompkins County Democratic Committee Chair Irene Stein told The Sun last week that she believes Buerkle will face a difficult campaign for re-election against any Democratic candidate, calling Buerkle’s policies “anti-middle class.” Ithaca attorney Leslie Danks Burke, also seeking the Democratic nomination to the Tompkins County seat, said in a press release Tuesday that uncertainty about redistricting has not dissuaded her from pursuing her candidacy. “I am pleased that the redistricting process is moving toward a conclusion,” Burke said. “While there is still uncertainty regarding the final district lines, there is not uncertainty about my commitment to run for the people of New York. This region can’t afford to lose a Democratic seat at the table.” Matthew Rosenspire can be reached at mrosenspire@cornellsun.com.

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THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, March 8, 2012 5

NEWS

Pledging Event ‘Wholly Voluntary’ for Desdunes ’13, Defense Says DESDUNES

Continued from page 1

ment. Instead, he was taken by the pledges, still bound at the wrists and ankles, and dumped on a couch in the SAE house where he was unattended and left to die.” But according to the defendants’ lawyers, Desdunes voluntarily drank “at least 10 to 12 ounces and perhaps as much as 15 to 20 ounces of alcohol (rum and whiskey)” at the SAE fraternity earlier in the night, before the pledge event. One former SAE brother reportedly saw Desdunes “with a virtually empty bottle of Captain Morgan rum” and another later observed Desdunes in an “intoxicated condition,” the defendants’ paper states. Desdunes then went to at least one Collegetown bar, the documents say, before he agreed to be “kidnapped” by the pledges. Pledge members took Desdunes and another SAE brother to the townhouse apartments on North Campus, where they engaged in a “time-honored reverse custodial arrangement whereby the pledges took custody of a fraternity member, loosely restrained and blindfolded the member and engaged in mock questioning about fraternity history and related information.” In contrast to the lawsuit filed by Desdunes’ mother, the lawyers for the defendants maintain that any alcohol consumption by Desdunes during the pledging event was, as Williams’ lawyer writes in the documents, “wholly voluntary.” “There is no claim or statement supplied which indicates that there was any force, coercion, duress or trickery employed by defendant or anyone else to have Mr. Desdunes, or someone else, consume what is purported to have been alcohol,” Mann’s lawyer, for instance, says in court documents. Contrary to prior reports, there “were no marks, injuries or other indicia of physical injury having been sustained by

Desdunes,” according to a motion filed in court by Haskin’s lawyer. Additionally, Haskin’s lawyer says Desdunes may have had a flu-like illness at the time of his death. “According to some of his fraternity brothers, Desdunes had not been feeling well during the days leading up to this incident and was believed to be suffering from a pneumonia-type lung congestion,” the defense brief states. It notes that the pathologist evaluating Desdunes’ body determined that he “‘died of acute respiratory failure (pulmonary edema) secondary to acute ethanol toxicity.’” The defense says it is more likely that the alcohol Desdunes had consumed throughout the rest of the night — as opposed to what he might have had during the “kidnapping” event — led to his death. “Any alcohol that Desdunes may have consumed during the incident involving these four individually named defendants was relatively insignificant compared to what Desdunes apparently had consumed voluntarily over several hours in different venues earlier in the evening,” Haskin’s lawyer argues. “The vast quantity of alcohol … consumed by Desdunes prior to the mock kidnapping was the cause of any physical injury he sustained.” But an Ithaca Police report recently obtained by The Sun provides evidence that complicates the defense’s narrative. Although the document confirms that Desdunes attended a bar in Collegetown before his “kidnapping,” it suggests that Desdunes was essentially sober and in good condition before being taken into custody by the pledges. Ready to leave Dino’s bar at 12:57 a.m. on Feb. 25, Desdunes sent a text message to a female friend of his, a recent Cornell graduate who had been communicating with him throughout the evening. That woman,

whose identity has been redacted from the police report, agreed to meet Desdunes in front of Collegetown Pizza. Though “slightly” inebriated herself, the woman “did not believe that Desdunes appeared intoxicated” upon meeting him and some of his friends outside of CTP shortly after 1 a.m. The two then went back to her residence, according to the IPD report. Before departing, Desdunes told her about his fraternity and expressed “concern about being ‘kidnapped’ by the ‘pledges,’” the woman later told police. Yet regardless of Desdunes’ condition prior to the “kidnapping,” the defense lawyers contend that it will be clear that their clients are not guilty during the trial, which is set to begin May 21. Haskin’s lawyer, for instance, says that none of the defendants named in the criminal case provided the alcohol purportedly consumed by Desdunes and Gregory Wyler ’12, who also consented to being restrained and quizzed about SAE traditions and folklore, according to the court documents. “As the event was in progress, another pledge — who has not been indicted — apparently brought alcohol to the event,” the documents state. “None of the four individually named defendants herein brought alcohol to the event, or even anticipated that alcohol would be involved in the event.” Raymond Schlather J.D. ’76, Haskin’s lawyer, also argues that either Wyler or Desdunes could have ended the questioning at any point. Douglas Fierberg, a lawyer for Desdunes’ mother in the civil lawsuit, said he did not wish to comment on the criminal case. Additionally, the office of the Tompkins County District Attorney did not respond to a request for comment. “Although they were loosely restrained with zip ties and blindfolds, Wyler and Desdunes freely consented to the incident and remained in control with respect to ter-

minating the event,” Schlather argues in the documents. His description of the pledging event contradicts previous accounts of the evening, which have portrayed Desdunes’ involvement in the pledging event as nonvoluntary. The suit filed by Desdunes’ mother argues that, in addition to the zip ties and duct tape, a “noose” was tied around Desdunes’ neck so tightly that it left “ligature marks.” This account of the evening has been widely disseminated throughout the national media. ABC News, citing Andre’s lawsuit, reported that the pledges “forced [Desdunes] to drink so much alcohol that he passed out and died.” The Root reported that Desdunes “was forced to guzzle liquor after he made a mistake reciting fraternity history.” The University has also recounted the narrative of Andre’s lawsuit. President Skorton, for instance, wrote in a New York Times editorial on Aug. 23 that Desdunes “died in a fraternity house while participating in a hazing episode that included mock kidnapping, ritualized humiliation and coerced drinking.” But the prevalence of this understanding of the events of Feb. 25, 2011, does not mean it is accurate, Schlather said. “The plaintiff’s lawyers, those representing the family of Mr. Desdunes, were very active in getting into the national limelight and turning the case into something that it isn’t simply by saying what they claimed it to be,” Schlather said. “There’s been incredible damage done to these young men simply because of the drumbeat raised by a tragic death … to paint [the pledges] as the causes of Desdunes’ death is not only unfair, it is grossly inaccurate and almost malicious.” Jeff Stein can be reached at managing-editor@cornellsun.com.

6 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, March 8, 2012

NEWS

New S.A. Reps Outline Priorities for Year Ahead ELECTIONS

Continued from page 1

A challenge could disqualify a candidate if the allegations were found to be substantiated, according to S.A. election guidelines. Raveret called this “a great election” due to the high number of voters and what he called the fairness of the process. Enrico Bonatti ’14 won the position of international liaison at-large, Dean Iwaoka ’13 secured LGBTQ liaision at-large and Cameron Pritchett ’15 and Roneal Desai ’13 will fill the two minority liaison at-large seats. Narda Terrones ’14, who ran uncontested for the women’s issues liaison at-large seat, is the first student to hold the position since her seat was created last year. “I am excited about this new opportunity for all women to have a firm and loud voice in the decisions made at Cornell,” Terrones said in an email Wednesday. “This is the victory of a huge group of students on campus who are extremely passionate about women’s issues. They inspired me to run for this.” According to Terrones, there are several issues “salient to the women’s community at Cornell.” She cited the creation of a mandatory sexual assault workshop during orientation week as one of her

priorities in the seat. Mueller said he is excited to begin working with the newly elected assembly members in the role of executive vice president. “There’s so much passion and so much excitement in the people who will be on the assembly,” he said. Mueller said that he and Adam Gitlin ’13, who ran uncontested for S.A. president, plan to continue to focus on student health and safety over the next year. “We’ll definitely be looking at a lot of the same alcohol initiatives that we’ve been working on this year,” Mueller said. In addition, Mueller said he and Gitlin plan to work on mending relations between student residents and landlords in Collegetown. “We really do want to start creating an open line of communication between the city and between the students,” Mueller said, citing the need to make sure that “students are appropriately represented.” Reforming Student Assembly Finance Commission funding procedures is also one of the S.A.’s upcoming initiatives, according to Mueller. “A change to SAFC funding is definitely on the slate,” he said. Sylvia Rusnak can be reached at srusnak@cornellsun.com.

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THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, March 8, 2012 7

OPINION

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Where All the Nice Guys Are

Independent Since 1880 130TH EDITORIAL BOARD JUAN FORRER ’13 Editor in Chief

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I

’m no feminazi, but as a woman, players disgust me. They lie, cheat and womanize, leaving a trail of broken ladies behind them with no qualms about any of it. That being said, as a human being, players impress me. They lie, cheat and womanize like their lives depend on it and yet they have a seemingly endless supply of women at their disposal. You have to admit, that takes some skill. On second thought, that takes a lot of skill. I’m not particularly interested in discussing players or their tactics though. What I want to talk about are the complaints I have to endure in a player’s wake. I have yet to succumb to a player’s various charms but, unfortunately, many of my girlfriends regularly do. Due to this lamentable occurrence, I have found myself, more than once, on the receiving end of rants that start with phrases like, “I just don’t understand why he doesn’t

lowing phrases to define you or your relationship, head for the hills: 1) He’s such a nice guy: A girl will incessantly whine about how she can’t find a nice guy as soon as Joe Sixpack breaks up with her. Oddly enough, this does not help your case. You’re screwed if she actually thinks you’re a nice guy because that means she doesn’t think of you in any sexual capacity. Being a “nice guy” gives you the overall sex appeal of a physics major passed out in Duffield. Scratch that, I actually love nerds. No, seriously, I do. But you get the idea. 2) We’re just friends: This is synonymous with her completely disregarding your genitalia. You might as well have a vagina. You’re just another one of the girls if this is how your crush describes you. Sorry, but someone was bound to break the news to you. 3) He’s my BFF: This is worse than being “just friends.” This is worse than castration.

JESSICA YANG ’14

Human Resources Manager

Hazel Gunapala

WORKING ON TODAY ’S SUN ASSISTAN DESIGN EDITOR DESIGN DESKER PHOTO NIGHT EDITOR NEWS DESKERS SPORTS DESKER ARTS DESKER DINING DESDKER NEWS NIGHT EDITORS

Rebecca Coombes ’14 Amanda Stefanik ’13 Elizabeth Sowers ’15 Fiona Modrak ’13 Zac Peterson ’14 Liz Camuti ’14 Rebecca Harris ’14 Danielle A. Abada ’14 Daveen Koh ’14 Sydney Ramsden ’14 Danielle Sochaczevski ’15 Manu Rathore ’15

Editorial

Maintaining Opportunities For Teaching Careers ON JAN. 1, THE UNIVERSITY BEGAN A PARTNERSHIP that allows Cornellians pursuing teaching careers in certain fields to more easily articulate to Ithaca College after graduation. At Ithaca College, these students would be able to obtain certification through I.C.’s Master of Arts in Teaching program. While this partnership is mutually beneficial for Cornell and Ithaca College and helps students maintain access to a broad range of fields, Cornell should also strive to maintain its commitment to its own M.A.T. program and ensure that future partnerships only supplement the offerings at Cornell, not replace them. While Cornell’s M.A.T. program allows students interested in teaching in several science fields to obtain certification, Cornell does not offer certification in humanities fields. Now, with this partnership with Ithaca College, undergraduates who complete an education minor at Cornell and a major in the field they wish to teach, while maintaining a 3.0 GPA will automatically be accepted into Ithaca College’s M.A.T. program to obtain their certification. This partnership benefits both Cornell and Ithaca College. It allows Cornell to open up all teaching fields to the students in its education minor and eliminate a stressful application process for students while strengthening Ithaca College’s ability to recruit talented applicants for its program. By making it easier for students to teach in a variety of fields, Cornell is holding true to its land grant mission, helping to direct its education, applied research and outreach to benefit the citizens of New York State. By allowing Cornellians to more easily pursue careers in teaching humanities, they can help to improve the quantity and quality of teachers in New York State schools. While Cornell embarks on this partnership, however, it must continue to maintain a focus on the certifications it does provide: in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. Cornell recently cut its entire Department of Education, eliminating two graduate degree programs: Adult and Extension Education as well as Learning, Teaching and Social Policy. While it has maintained the minor in education and the Master of Arts in Teaching program, Cornell’s willingness to cut funding to this area of study is concerning. While this particular partnership only supplements the options available to Cornellians, the University must ensure that partnerships with other institutions do not simply replace existing programs at Cornell. Cornell has embarked on several partnerships with other universities to accomplish similar ends: expand the breadth of programs available to Cornellians. These have included collaborations with other peer institutions to offer instruction in less common languages. These partnerships are all backed by good intentions. However, it is important that the University realize that the purpose of these partnerships was expansion, and not replacement. Otherwise, good intentions in the short term could lead programs to be cut down the road.

Appropriately Cynical want to date me” or “it’s like all he wants from me is sex.” Um, obvi. At times like these, I want to put my caps lock voice on and tell my friends that I could smell the eau d’ouche Johnny Jerkface was wearing from my apartment. But I don’t. I wait it out. I sit and listen like any good friend would. I offer consoling words; mostly “it’s his loss,” followed up with a “you’re going to bounce back from this. C’mon, let’s get schwasted tonight! You can be the designated drunk!” I almost always regret suggesting booze since it leads to a lot of beer tears but I’m pretty sure “patiently tolerating drunken sobs” is an obligatory evil detailed in The Girl Code. By now, I’m accustomed to most of the banal whines of my lady friends who have been slighted by callous men. However, there is one whine I cannot stand. I go apeshit when I hear this particular complaint: “Why can’t I find a nice guy?” Well, my dear douche baguettes, it should be pretty easy to find a nice guy because they’re all right where you put them — in the hellhole we refer to as “the friend zone.” Listen up, girls — if you’re wondering where the nice guys are (the Cory Matthews of the world, if you will), you’re actually an ignoranus. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this particular colloquialism, that’s someone who is not only ignorant, but also an asshole. Women have been throwing worthy men into the friend zone for far too long. Boys, if a girl you like has ever used any of the fol-

This is the bottom of the barrel. Find yourself someone else because there’s no way you’re making a comeback from being her BFF. It’s the kiss of the death. The obvious question to ask now is “how do I get out of the friend zone?” That’s pretty tough. Girls are often oblivious to the sexual advances of men they’ve friend zoned. My best advice is to make your intentions clear from the get-go. If you like her, tell her. If you’re too shy to tell her, ask her to do something super casual — watch a movie, grab coffee, etc. — but make it obvious that this is more than two friends hanging out. Put your arm around her during the movie or something. And pay for her ticket. Always pay. Chivalry may be dead, but paying (or offering to pay) is not. You don’t have to be made of money, but come on ... you did just ask her out. Plus, it’s your first date and you are trying to impress her, aren’t you? There are two main take-aways from my column today. First and foremost, don’t let yourself become a platonic friend — there’s a very low survival rate for anyone who ends up in the notorious friend zone. Second, if you get friend zoned by a crush, file her under “who gives a shit?” and move on because it just ain’t gonna happen.

Hazel Gunapala is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She may be reached at hgunapala@cornellsun.com. Appropriately Cynical appears alternate Thursdays this semester.

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THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, March 8, 2012 9

OPINION

It’s Complicated: Facebook and Our Sex Lives

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’m not alone when I attest that I have a love-hate relationship with Facebook. I spend way too much time scrolling through lame stories on my newsfeed when I should be studying, but at the same time I love having the freedom to stalk almost all the people my age I’ve ever met … and hooked up with. Facebook and other social media have transformed our generation’s culture in so many ways, and our sex lives are not an exception. It all started with AOL Instant Messenger. Remember the days? Our middle school years were different than those of others before us, because instead of picking up the phone and calling the classmates we had a crush on, we IMed them. When “caligirlxox02” messaged you “wuts up” you knew you were in. If I had a quarter for every time I was told someone “like-liked” me over AIM, I’d actually be able to do laundry this week. Back then, when our sexuality was just a twinkle in our — well, you know — these conversations laid the foundation for our later interactions over a much more complicated medium. Between AIM and Facebook there were a myriad of rather un-sexy sites. Xanga, Myspace, LiveJournal, etc. When Facebook came along, it asserted itself as the sexiest thing to happen to social media since Youporn. In those early days of Facebook, poking was the ultimate

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flirtation. I mean, it’s literally called “poking.” We all know what that means, Mark. Now poking has evolved into some sort of Internet battling weapon that is not fully understood. So now we’re living in two worlds, which means we need to keep up our sex lives in both real life and on Facebook. Our interactions online translate to the real world in a meaningful way. Think about when you have a crush on someone you’ve actually met. You Facebook friend them, then inevitably you work your way through at least the profile pictures. Maybe scroll down their wall a little bit. Might as well check out their music taste. How about their TV shows? Wow they like Arrested Development too? Soul mates! In real life, you casually act like you haven’t stalked the shit out of them when you run into each other at Pixel. Now you have a leg up in the conversation because of your careful studies of their profile. Cunningly you slip in how excited you are for the Arrested Development movie. From this point, you’re set! Pants haven’t come off that quickly since the invention of the naked lap. What do you do after you have a one night stand? To friend or not to friend, that is the question. Freshman year, I friended everyone I even made out with, even if it was a ten minute dance-floormake-out. So now I’m left with a handful of fellas who I’m FB friends with because of one random sexual encounter freshman year, despite the fact that I’ll never talk to them again.

Why don’t I just unfriend them, you ask? Well, it’s not that easy. One does not simply unfriend a past hookup. Call me creepy, but sometimes I stumble upon a fine gentleman I hooked up with a while back and take a minute to stalk. What are they up to? Did they ever get that job they wanted? Do they have a girlfriend? Is she hotter than me? It’s always good to check

took their relationship status off after a while, I was at first disappointed, but then I realized how smart it was. They didn’t want me, the random girl from their high school, following the ebbs and flows of their relationship. So now I’ve decided that I’m not putting up a relationship status until I’m engaged, if Facebook is for some reason still in exis-

Morgan T. After Midnight in.

So past hookups usually stay on the list. But there are definitely some caveats to this rule. For instance, if I take a gander at your profile pictures and decide that I’m actually ashamed I hooked up with you, you’re out. If you lied about your identity and I find out, it’s also not looking good. If you request me to change my relationship status, there is no recovering from that. That brings me to my next point: relationship statuses. I personally haven’t had a relationship status since high school. Back then, I would consistently check the status of this one couple from my high school who had graduated. When they

tence. I guess my main point is that social media is weird. Sure, the knowledge that you may gain from Facebook might get you laid. But reciprocally, do we want our profiles stalked? Do we want our relationships advertised and categorized next to our profile pictures? What’s next, a favorite sexual position category next to “Favorite Quotes” and “People who inspire you?” These are the questions of our generation. Morgan T. is a junior in the College of Human Ecology. She may be reached at morgant@cornellsun.com. After Midnight appears alternate Thursdays this semester.

Biting: How I Found My First Fetish

hen I signed up to work in a nature reserve on the border of China and Russia, I was told to expect biting Siberian wind … not biting Siberian women. But let me back up first. I'll be honest, when I first took off my pants and entered into the world of sexcapadery, I was really quite vanilla. If you could do it with your eyes closed, without moving and could finish in the time it took for your dad to go the grocery story and back, that was for me. I didn't

Jimothy Singh One Night Stand have a fetish or a kink — and to be honest, I didn't want one. In my head I thought that simple was good. Then one winter break I had the opportunity to shadow a nature reservist working on the Russian border with China. They even gave me my own drafty apartment and that’s where things got interesting. I had a coworker, Sveta, who, while not the most seductive of women, to this poor, sex-starved lad, was the hottest thing since that afternoon’s borscht. Needless to say, I wasn’t the only one who was sex-starved on the borders

of the Siberian wasteland and I soon found that out. Three weeks of well executed flirtatious Russian and one night of too much vodka and Sveta and I were stumbling back to my apartment from the bar. However, not even vodka could erase the last vestiges of my overwhelming awkwardness in this type of situation. We talked and looked away a lot doing the pre-hook-up-between-co-workers dance (similar to the Fox Trot) and then her hand brushed up against my pants and she said what would be loosely translated as “I’m going to fucking tear you apart.” My drunken brain and limited Russian was momentarily distracted by trying to figure out what she just said and what exactly it meant — but both of those questions were soon answered for me. When we first started doing the bump and grind (do people still say that?) I was definitely hoping for something quick and painless — I needed time to practice composing my face the next time I saw her sober. However, it was mere moments after my parka, sweatshirt, t-shirt and long johns were removed that I found out that, hey, fetishes are kind of a great thing. Sveta was the kind of girl who Iooked like she always ate her fill, but that night it seemed (and felt) like she hadn’t

eaten in years — and I don’t mean we were making out in the kitchen (though, that is also a fetish of mine, but for another column). Yes, that’s right, biting’s my thing. At first it was just playful biting of the ear or lips — things that weren’t too far removed from the most vanilla of the vanilla, but it quickly moved into “your arms look like chicken wings.” Up, down, all around, back forth, fingers, toes, I never said stop and she never stopped. Unfortunately, like scratching or precoital tattoo work, biting can leave marks … in a fair number of potentially visible places. The next Monday at work, I’m lucky that the biting Siberian wind (contrary to the biting Siberian woman) forced me to stay all bundled up. Moral of the story, kids? Siberia is damned cold. But seriously — if you’re just starting your sexual adventures, don’t worry; everybody (except perhaps my fellow sex columnists) had to start somewhere. However, unless you’ve got a thing for missionaries, don’t let your acceptance of the vanilla keep you from finding that little niche of sexual pleasure that really makes you feel it. Also, for those of you who read the sex column and actually take what we have to say to heart: If this is your first time, ask your partner first. Also, if you’re a girl, he’s probably not going to react too kindly to you biting his dick (but you never know). Jimothy Singh is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. One Night Stand appears periodically this semester. Feedback and submissions may be sent to opinion@cornellsun.com.

10 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, March 8, 2012

DINING GUIDE

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Dining Guide

Your source for good food

Critic’s Picks: Ithaca’s Most Delectable Sandwiches By CAROLYN SCHEINBERG Sun Contributor

end of the meal, you can more fully appreciate the deep satisfaction of a pulled pork taco within a pulled pork sandwich, accompanied by a hot dog topped with pulled pork (also technically a sandwich). The fact that this sandwich consists of three shouldn’t dissuade you at all. Disregard the concern for those last few, potentially painful bites because each of the “little pigs” is portioned appropriately and I promise you’ll leave the table happy. However, be warned: You will be completely full and completely content. You can also feel good about your meal because The Piggery cures their own meat and uses pork only from organic, farm-raised pigs. So please, enjoy your sandwich in the pleasant community of The Piggery with its friendly staff, and don’t forget the napkins! 2. NICK’S HALF N’ HALF (PO’BOY ) AT MAXIE’S A Po’boy is a traditional sandwich from Louisiana, seen typically with fried seafood and on fluffy, crispy French bread. Nick’s Half n’ Half at Maxie’s is no different from this prototype. This po’boy has both fried oysters and fried shrimp tucked away alongside lettuce, tomato and remoulade (traditional French sauce simlar to tartar sauce). This seemingly simple sandwich, with its ingredients resting pleasantly on the luxuriously downy bread, stands as a totem for hunger

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The sandwich: our favorite foods and sauces stacked up on each other in a compact, portable and delicious unit. Truly wonderful and an integral part of my food world, the sandwich comes in many forms and flavors. The following are my favorites in Ithaca. 5. PASTRAMI SANDWICH AT SHORTSTOP This sandwich is like most traditional deli sandwiches, except that it is stunningly delicious and definitely worth mentioning. In my experience, most exceptional pastrami is thick and juicy, flopped messily on rye with mustard (thank you, Katz’s in New York). At Shortstop, the pastrami is thin and layered high between two bread slices. Tender, salty and not too chewy, this delectable pastrami can be paired with your own personal sandwich preferences. To me, my sandwich looks best with dollops of sauerkraut and spicy mustard, hot peppers adorning the delectable midsection of meat. I like my pastrami more traditional, but if you want to add Shortstop’s “truck sauce,” the hot sauce that is both tangy and sweet, I wouldn’t dare stop you.

4. MEATBALL SUB AT WEGMANS As Cornell students, Wegmans seems to provide everything for our needs and desires. I can get lost marveling at the many aisles, the endless rows of “necessities.” However, it is worth snapping out of that dreamlike trance to spend some serious time in the prepared foods section. True, there is an abundance of delicious offerings, but the sandwich stop is one particularly worth visiting. The meatball sub is a cornerstone of sandwich selections — I believe everyone should have one in their repertoire of deliciousness. Wegmans’ meatball sub makes satisfaction easy, using only a few key ingredients. The bread of the sub itself is baked and fluffy, resisting complete drenching from the marinara sauce and mozzarella. Majestically melted cheese (that always complements marinara sauce better than anything else) doesn’t distract you from the main event: perfectly round meatballs marinating in an abundant pool of sauce. Wegmans gives us a delightful version of this staple — tasty, hearty and filling. 3. THREE LITTLE PIGS AT THE PIGGERY This trio of pork provides the perfect amount of savor to your day. Sitting back from the table at the

RESTAURANT

HOME OF THE

Pinesburger 1213 Taughannock Blvd.

(Route 89 - 3 miles north of Cass Park) Ithaca, NY 14850

(607) 273-3709

www.glenwoodpines.com

Voted BEST BURGER in Ithaca!

SHORTSTOP’S PASTRAMI SANDWICH EMILY BURKE / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

fulfillment. The bread isn’t so dense that the starch combined with crispy, fried goodness becomes too much to handle; it is just right. Shrimp or oysters alone would never suffice, and their combined flavors and crunchy exteriors leave you feeling almost sinful. Ask for an assortment of their tasty sauces, ranging in flavor, spice and sweetness. My personal favorite, creamy mignonette, goes perfectly with the Cajun waffle fries sitting next to your po’boy. Maxie’s serves an extremely gratifying and indulgent sandwich; I strongly suggest you get there as soon as you can. 1. SOUTHWEST CHICKEN SANDWICH AT GREENSTAR Walk into GreenStar Natural Foods Market and you will be immediately absorbed into the refreshing and wholesome ambience. The hippies of Ithaca have brought local farming to a commercialized consumer industry, creating a bright and clean grocery stocked with little-known labels and healthy, hearty food. All of the items are organically produced and the prepared foods and fresh produce are locally sourced from sus-

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tainable environments; GreenStar truly works to promote healthy living. Wander over to the deli and you will be pleased with your options. Of all the inviting prospects, the Southwest Chicken sandwich truly gets first place — chicken, avocado, lettuce, tomato, onions and southwest chipotle-aioli sauce, divinely savory and combined into a crisp and crunchy panini. It is the perfect size and the right amount of heat, all with little mess. I personally do not love onions, but their spice and crispiness is enough reason for me to feast on them. If onions aren’t your thing and the spice becomes overwhelming, feel free to ask for the sandwich without them. I guarantee you will still thoroughly enjoy your money’s worth of the Southwest Chicken sandwich. Add a shot of wheatgrass to your order, scoring five pounds worth of vegetable nutrition and the ultimate rejuvenation — your body will thank you. Go to GreenStar; few experiences will be the same. Carolyn Scheinberg can be reached at cms363@cornell.edu.

THE HEIGHTS CAFÉ and GRILL

– Ithaca Times Readers Choice

Join us Friday, March 30th at 7:00 p.m. for our

Sierra Nevada Beer Dinner $60ºº

Please Call for Reservations 3 generations of Lucatellis serving the community

The Heights Café & Grill

205 elmira rd. • 273-0777 www.lucatellis.com

Bar opens at 4 p.m. Dinner served Tuesday-Sunday from 5 p.m. Dine inside or outside on our patio Closed Mondays

Live entertainment in our PIANO LOUNGE Thurs.-Sat. at 6 p.m.

Community Corners • 903 Hanshaw Road, Ithaca, NY 14850 257-4144 • www.heightscafe.com Cocktails, Lunch, Dinner • Private dining room available Reservations suggested

A&E

Thursday, March 8 2012 | The Corne¬ Daily Sun | 11

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Bruce Springsteen Wrecking Ball

Columbia Records

B+ Jason Goldberg When I was 10, my parents drove me down to New Jersey to see Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. As a young, musically inexperienced kid, my only experiences with Springsteen’s music were second rate karaoke renditions of “Born in the U.S.A” and “Dancing in the Dark.” I was quite simply unprepared for what would be the best concert I’d ever seen in my life. Still fresh from the shock and disillusion caused by 9/11, Springsteen sang almost the entirety of his 2002 album The Rising in his hometown New Jersey. I have never seen a crowd so emotional; people were crying, holding strangers hands and singing with Springsteen at the top of their lungs. It was indescribable. Fast forward almost a decade and here I am with Wrecking Ball, Springsteen’s 17th studio album and his first album in three years. Inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protests and the global economic downturn, this album features Springsteen telling the tales of the downand-out American trying to make it in a world full of corporate corruption and greed. It is impossible not to compare this new piece to The Rising, Springsteen’s other commentary on an American crisis in the last decade. But unlike The Rising, in which Springsteen found a few places for songs of inspiration and hope, most of these songs are just downright sad. The general solemnity of the album may also have to do with some recent upsetting events in Springsteen’s

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personal life, namely the death of his band member and close friend, saxophonist Clarence Clemons. Clemons contributes to the title track and “Land of Hope and Dreams.” On this album, Springsteen is at his most angry and most serious. Loaded with so many the political and emotionally charged messages, how does the album actually sound? Mostly pretty great. Most of the lyrics and themes are typical storyteller-Springsteen — the broken heroes, the girls in red dresses, the small town dreams. Sonically, however, The Boss heads towards some interesting places. The opening track and lead single, “We Take Care of Our Own,” is Springsteen at his finest — empowering, defiant and inspirational. It’s the kind of song that will sound awesome in a stadium venue. The title track is another standout, a song apparently written years ago but still relevant in the zeitgeist of 2012. The rock legend also impresses on his extensive use of Irish folk, which might prove controversial among his most loyal fans. The Gaelic sounds actually work quite well for the most part. They recall the early 20th century immigrant experience, enhancing the proworker message. Springsteen also experiments with different types of sounds, albeit with mixed results. For the first time, he incorporates hip-hop into his traditional folk-rock genre. On the one hand, the urban-influenced beats

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present in parts of “Land of Hope and Dreams” and “Shackled and Drawn” contrast the opposing Irish-folk sounds very well, richly expressing the culture of city life. The sudden rap in “Rocky Ground” is the most alarming segment on the album. While Springsteen should be lauded for his ambition, the rap feels wildly out of place in the otherwise pretty great song. Springsteen even throws some mariachi into the mix, as on the closing song “American Land.” The result is slightly amusing and silly, but at least it ends the mostly depressing album on a positive note. The songs that most people will choose to skip will be the slower and sadder ones, such as “Jack of All Trades,” “This Depression” and “Swallowed Up (In the Belly of the Whale).” This is not to say that these songs are bad (they are beautiful, really). Springsteen is, however, at his best and most listenable when he is getting America back up on its feet, which made The Rising such an enormous success and a monumental point in American music. On Wrecking Ball, Springsteen seriously contemplates the state of American affairs, and doesn’t offer much room for inspiring songs. The result is an album that’s mostly good, but also mostly grim. Jason Goldberg is a sophomore in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He can be reached at jgg57@cornell.edu.

Andrew Bird Break It Yourself

Bella Union / Mom and Pop

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Clio Chang With Break It Yourself, Andrew Bird, who performed at Bailey Hall last spring, again demonstrates his prowess at being Andrew Bird. In other words, what sets this once obscure folk violinist apart from the rest is simply, well, everything. Bird’s music is always refreshing and original and his new album is proof that this architect of sound is still dreaming up innovative ways to captivate his audience. The album kicks off with the track, “Desperation Breeds,” which strikes a happy balance between Bird’s experimental and mainstream styles. The track is slower than most of his other songs, but it features both the plucking and soothing voice for which Bird is famous. The lyrics are few and far between but one line that stands out is, “This peculiar incantation / I’m sure you’ve heard it before,” a line that ironically emphasizes the singularity of Bird’s style — in fact, you’ve probably never heard anything like it before. Suzuki-trained from the age of four, Bird is known for both his unique creative outlook on music composition and traditional skill in the violin. All of this can be heard in Break It Yourself, an album that was far more experimental than his past work. You might say that throughout his new album, Andrew Bird has become more comfortable with being Bird-esque; he dedicates two whole instrumental tracks, “Polynation” and “Behind the Barn” to the violin. “Behind the Barn” is hauntingly beautiful, featuring a single melody on top of very few layers, by Bird’s standard. The song demonstrates his classical skill and faithfulness to

effortless sound. Unsurprisingly, it stands out as one of his more captivating songs. The song “Hole in the Ocean Floor” also contains a long instrumental interlude, which ends up being a massive layering of string instruments. It gets to the point that the sound resembles that of an orchestra tuning before a concert. Once again, Bird is not afraid to let his strings speak for themselves, whether it is through a tightly executed track or a free unorganized composition. Although he shies more and more away from the classic indie rock genre, the album is still full of upbeat songs with catchy melodies and beats. Many tracks still follow a more classic melodical and lyrical structure that are easier to listen to. The lead single “Eyeoneye” features a strong drum beat and the lyrical hook, “No one can break your heart / so you break it yourself.” This line is more straightforward than most of Bird’s stanzas, which often include neologisms, or made up words, contributing to his daydream-like inventive personality. For example, he uses words like “re-eyeoneyeze” and “pacifizers” which blend in seamlessly with the fantastical, free-flowing, creationist nature of his music. The song “Lustansia” which is a duet with St. Vincent, also follows a more structured lead and prominently features Bird’s famous haunting whistle. The back-and-forth vocals between male and female singers are not overdone or cheesy, as it so often is on other artists’ work. Instead, St. Vincent merges into Bird’s track as if she is merely another instrument he is

COURTESY OF PITCHFORK AND THE GUARDIAN

layering on to the others. Something that Andrew Bird lacks in his recorded albums is the vibrant improvised creativity found in his live music. Watching Bird live is a completely different experience than listening to him through headphones. During his live shows, Bird composes songs on the spot, or reworks the ones with which his audience is familiar. Through live looping, he layers sounds on stage, one track after another, from stringing and whistling melody to plucking beats, whether it is on a violin, guitar, or playing the violin like a guitar. Live, he is the definition of a one-man band. This effect is almost impossible to recreate, but on his new album, the track “Orpheo Looks Back” stands out as being one of the truest renditions of Bird’s live energy. There is no build up, as in his live performances, but the complex layering is very much the same. The album closes with the song “Belles” perhaps so homophonically named because it prominently features the sound of wind chimes. The track itself is extremely laid back and with crickets chirping continuously in the background, we are reminded of the end of a summer’s day. Like the opening, which starts off as a lamentation of the imminent extinction of bees, the last track stays within the album’s theme. It leaves the listener with a sense of resigned calm, as if to say that all good things, including this album, must end. Clio Chang is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at cc757@cornell.edu.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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12 | The Corne¬ Daily Sun | Thursday, March 8, 2012

‘Super Bass’ Versus ‘Starships’ N

Why Nicki Minaj’s best has yet to come

icki Minaj is one of those artists I can remember the first time I heard. Like many people, I discovered her through Kanye West’s epic “Monster.” Originally released as a free track through his G.O.O.D. Friday project, “Monster” was a constantly shifting and enigmatic masterpiece that pieced together distinct parts from musicians spanning the gauntlet of genres. Minaj was the standout, stealing the show from West, Jay-Z and many other rap stalwarts. The productive multiple personality disorder she displays on “Monster” remains her strength. That helps her rise above the rest of the pack. She’s good, she’s bad, she’s mean and she’s sweet. Mostly though, she’s just kind of weird. But in a good way. Her introductory trademark in “Monster” was a feminine aggressiveness that colored and nuanced her words past a typical gangster rapper’s. Although Minaj establishes herself as a badass, she breaks character at times and acts the good girl. But she is always on the attack. Lines like “just killed another career it’s a mild day” are said with sweetness and innocence. Although “Monster” itself gained a lot of play, Minaj at this point remained a pseudo-fringe figure, riding in on a track from one of rap’s biggest stars, but too aggressive and off kilter to completely enter the mainstream herself. Close to a year later, Minaj took the next big step in her career with a smash hit that rewrote the rules for her. “Super Bass” demonstrated that she was more than just a bit player on other rappers’ tracks; she was a fully formed

artist who could hold her own on the charts. By the end of the year, she was validated, with over 3,500,000 digital copies of the single sold. The Village Voice’s 2011 Pazz & Jop Poll, a conglomerate of critics’ year-end lists, placed the single at number three. Indie powerhouse Pitchfork named the song their fourth favorite of the year. And Entertainment Weekly, Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter all named “Super Bass” the number one single of 2011. Both commercially and critically, the track did very well for itself. However, the track is intrinsically flawed, straddling the middle ground between Minaj’s well-received fierce rapper persona and her wannabe pop star in the making. Unfortunately, the sugar sweet chorus of Big Talk “Super Bass” subverts the rebellious introduction and buildup of the single and ultimately takes its knees out from under it. The beginning of “Super Bass” sets expectations for a single that would elevate the female voice from stereotypical virtue and can-do-no-wrongness to something more. Minaj’s voice has character and flavor, moving up and down to convey the range of meaning in her well-written phrases. Once the chorus hits though, any sort of conflict goes away. It is pure sugar, an ode to a boy and the traditional feelings associated with love. It should be ironic … but it’s not. It ruins any chance “Super Bass” had of being more than just a pop single and reduces what could and

Peter Jacobs

should have been a boundary-pushing track in a radio friendly shell to just another Top 40 hit. Instead of complimenting each other, Minaj’s dual assertive and syrupy voices contrast and cancel each other out. Where “Super Bass” fails, Minaj’s newest single “Starships” succeeds. Like “Super Bass” it is catchy, trendy and radio-friendly. Unlike “Super Bass” it links Minaj’s various voices in a succinct and complimentary manner, creating a party anthem by blending a bad-girl intro, a strongly song chorus and a breakdown beat that could be in any club track. The combination shows the various sides of Minaj’s personality without one overpowering the others. It’s a perfect fusion of rapper and pop star. But even the most random parts of the single are a little insurgent; they play to Minaj’s strengths. Her voice at the opening is more exaggerated than anything seen in “Super Bass”. The subject matter is drinking and promiscuity. Before the drop, a manufactured voice tells us, “we higher than a motherfucker.” The end, an overwhelming cacophony of all the song’s elements, that engulfs the listener in a way that “Super Bass” simply didn’t have the substance to do. It is her strongest single to date and one of the overall top songs of the year so far. If this is the direction in which Minaj continues to take her work, we can expect greater things than we have seen. Her voices so far have been distinct and explicitly separate, but “Starships” is the perfect mix of all of Minaj’s best qualities. It is fun, aggressive, rebellious and just the right amount of weird.

Peter Jacobs is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at pjacobs@cornellsun.com. Big Talk appears some Thursdays this semester.

Mechanical Musings

G

How I wish I’d learned about Bee Thousand

uided by Voices’ Bee Thousand is my favorite album of all time. I found out about it by several “best of ” lists on the internet, but if I had it my way, a small time inventor named Professor Randy Lardlop would have suggested it to me. Randy would be a jovial man with a workshop in his basement, like most small time inventors are. As he worked, meticulously screwing springs and gears together with tiny tools, he would consult notebooks of scribbled plans and reach around into piles of unfinished machines for components to spruce up his inventions. The contraptions that he completed would make it out of his basement and be put to use around his house, which would be like any other house on the inside. However, on the outside, the building would be strewn with noticeable arrangements of pinwheels, windsocks, chimes and miniature windmills. Miniature windmills are the perfect things to adorn the exterior of a small time inventor’s house, aren’t they? Anyway, enough about decorations, let me get back to Professor Lardlop. As I’ve said, he would be one of the most jovial men on the planet; so jovial that he would spend all of his time during the day loving his family. He would retire to his basement workshop to toil over his inventions, only when he was sure that his wife and children were peacefully asleep. Roughly once a week he’d get frustrated with his work and awaken his wife with the clang of metal being bashed with a hammer or with the

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

crashes of small machines being flung into the wall. He’d scream, cry and cover himself with his tiny machines, but the very sight of his supportive wife coming downstairs with her arms open would always be enough to get him to crawl out of the corner and persist with his inventing. Before she went back upstairs to bed, his wife would give him a kiss, wipe the dust from around his eyes and mouth and say in her Midwest accent something like, “Oh, Randy, I’m terribly sorry about your big toy spider there. Just know that me and the girls think you’re a super inventor, so no need to cry and throw these little machines everywhere, okay?” “What a lovely and supportive wife I

Cody Ernst This Album Will Change Your Life have,” Professor Lardlop would think to himself, even though his invention was not a toy spider and but a robot codenamed “The Librarian” that he was programming to organize his record collection. So, this inventor, Professor Randy Lardlop, is a great guy who bounces back from the tantrums he throws because he loves his family and they love him too. They even put up with his big piles of trash in the basement. How do I, the author, play into this whole thing. How does

Lardlop get around to telling me about Bee Thousand, the album I love so much? Well, ideally, I’d be the Professor’s neighbor and help him in his workshop throughout my teenage years, and on the summer night before I went off to college he would invite me over for dinner to thank me for all the help I had given him. I’d walk over to his house and follow the smell of charcoal around the back to the patio, where in the blue light of the summer evening I’d see the Professor standing behind the grill mixing potato salad with his real arms while a robotic arm protruding from his left rib tended to the hamburgers. He’d smile and wave to me with the glistening spatula hand of his robotic third arm. When he had finished grilling and his wife had set the table, the professor would replace his spatula hand with a hand that was a salt and pepper shaker and serve his family and me loads of hamburgers, hotdogs, potato salad, and corn on the cob. It would be delicious and once we finished and scraped our corn cobs into his incinerator, he would tell me over the whirring and flapping of his wind ornaments that I should come inside because he had something that he wanted to give me. “Here,” He’d say, “Before you go away

to college, I want you to have a record to remember me by… Librarian! Fetch Bee Thousand for the boy!” The Librarian, fully operational at this point, would then prance down the stairs with her eight long legs and grab Bee Thousand off the shelf. “This album,” He’d say, “is really, really good. Each of the 20 songs are pure gold and more fun than my favorite windsock. If you listen to it a lot, you will learn something you never realized about music.” Professor Lardlop, The Librarian and I would then all share a group hug. Then I would run home to listen to the album for the first time. Cody Ersnt is a senior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He can be reached at cernst@cornellsun.com.

COMICS AND PUZZLES

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis 67 Tachometer part

DOWN 1 Household chore 2 Healthy smoothie ingredient 3 2000 Ben Kingsley crime drama 4 __-appropriate 5 “Who shot J.R.?” e.g. 6 __ dixit: unfounded claim 7 Hosp. area for heart patients 8 Alsatian dadaist 9 People, for one 10 Male people 11 Needing nourishment 12 Marsh of mysteries 13 Squabble 15 Piquant sushi choice 20 Google success 23 Hair very apparent? 25 Zenith 26 Field for a fold 28 Infinitesimal division of a min. 29 Middle harmony part

33 Easily angered, or what the answers to 3-, 5-, 9- and 15-Down appear to be? 34 Stink 35 “Ghost Hunters” network 37 Dog in Kansas 39 Sports analyst Hershiser 42 River project 45 Mystery writer Josephine

47 Iraqi seaport 48 Go through the page 49 Techspeak, e.g. 53 Cup-a-Soup direction 55 Abba of Israel 57 Lug 58 Publicist’s job 60 L.A.-to-Helena dir. 61 Kernel holder 63 Merged comm. giant

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

xwordeditor@aol.com

Puzzle # 0812

Fill in the empty cells, one number in each, so that each column, row, and region contains the numbers 1-9 exactly once. Each number in the solution therefore occurs only once in each of the three “directions,” hence the “single numbers” implied by the puzzle’s name. (Rules from wikipedia.org/wiki /Sudoku)

• www.cor nellsun.com

03/08/12

•

March 14, 2012 By Julian Lim (c)2012 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

Doonesbury

03/08/12

by Garry Trudeau

www.cor nellsun.com

ACROSS 1 Condiment often mixed with soy sauce 7 Cowboys-andIndians toys 14 Help, metaphorically 15 Scrape together 16 Bobby __: ’40s’50s adolescent girls 17 Teen dieter’s target, perhaps 18 “Stop right there!” 19 Classic pop 21 Start of a personal trainer’s motto 22 ASCAP competitor 24 Phrase from one who sees 27 __-wop music 28 Song of thanksgiving 30 Workaholic’s personality pattern 31 Talk on the street? 32 Zoom 33 Santa’s laughs 36 And the following, in a bibliog. 37 James Bond’s outfit 38 Given to gloom 40 Spot for a snooze 41 Asian soup noodle 43 Trump’s “The __ the Deal” 44 Vex supremely 46 Guggenheim Museum Bilbao architect 47 OPEC measure 50 Campfire treat 51 Dogfish Head product 52 Sought-after group 54 Courtroom cry 56 “That’s the spot!” 59 Watchman 62 Much-anticipated time 64 Like Little League World Series qualifying games 65 Dealer’s demand 66 One who decks the halls, say

Sun Sudoku

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, March 8, 2012 13

•

Travis Dandro

Piled Higher and Deeper

by Jorge Cham

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Mr. Gnu

14 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, March 8, 2012

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Carmelo’s Secret Identity BENCOMO

Continued from page 20

Gasol, Manu Ginobili and Ricky Rubio. Interestingly, it also includes J.J. Barea despite the fact that Puerto-Ricans born on the island are technically native-born Americans. The 27 may not be as lonely as the one and only Asian-American in the league, but it is still a small number compared to the number of black and white Americans playing in the NBA. So why aren’t there more Latinos in the NBA? Is it that, like white men, Latinos can’t jump? Are we not tall enough? (I can certainly attest to that.) The answer is probably fairly complicated, involving numerous factors beyond physical attributes — the most significant of which is, I believe, culture. The fact that most of the Latinos in the NBA are foreign-born seems to support this theory. Whereas native-born Latinos do not see fellow Latinos like them playing in the NBA, Latinos in other countries (who, by the way, do not generally self-identify as Latinos) — although naturally exposed to the NBA — do not face the same sort of lack of cultural models within their own countries. It explains why the few foreign-born Asians in the league in recent years — Wang Zhizhi, Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian among others — outnumber the one American-born Asian who has played in the league in recent memory. Not many Americans were even aware that foreigners played basketball too until the past decade when foreign national teams such as Argentina, Spain and Greece started beating the Americans in the Olympics and other international basketball competitions. Foreign leagues have gotten so good that many NBA stars considered playing in Europe or China when the NBA lockout threatened to foreclose on the season. The success of national teams from other countries, including countries where we would consider the players Latino or Hispanic such as Spain and Argentina, against American teams often replete with black players shatters the conceptions that we tend to have about who is good at basketball. After the “Dream Team” of 1992 and Michael Jordan, people around the world wanted to be like Mike and the Americans, and they have made great strides in realizing this. The truth is that basketball is a very democratic sport. Like soccer, it does not require much equipment. It is why so many black kids in poor inner-cities play basketball and not other sports. Many Latinos come from similarly poor backgrounds and play basketball, but I believe the lack of Latino cultural models in the NBA or even collegiate level prevent them from looking at the sport as anything more than recreation. Furthermore, Latino kids may not necessarily focus their skills on basketball like black kids because there is also the allure of soccer — that other democratic sport which is ever-popular among Latinos. It is an established sport among many Latinos in a similar fashion that basketball is for blacks. The consequence of these tendencies is to harden stereotypes about who is good at what sport, and this consequently influences the perceptions of scouts. Basketball scouts looking for the next Michael Jordan might underestimate the abilities of non-black players. It is part of the reason why people are so surprised by Jeremy Lin’s success. According to my basketball savvy roommate, it also explains why a kid playing on the basketball team at my old high school is not getting as much attention for his game as perhaps he should be getting. He averaged over 30 points per game this season and had 49 and 50 point games in the playoffs. He also happens to be a Mexican immigrant which is what the media attention seems to focus on. From my experience, it also seems that there is not an expectation among Latino families that their kids could or even should grow up to be professional athletes. Of course, I speak from my experiences within a Mexican family and community. Latinos are not a monolithic group. Whereas Mexican families may not see any sport — except maybe soccer — as a viable career option, perhaps baseball is seen differently among Dominican and Puerto-Rican families. And as the ethnic origins of Latino NBA players seem to indicate, perhaps playing basketball is something that Dominicans and Puerto-Ricans might aspire to more than Mexicans. Ultimately, these expectations would derive from the presence or lack of cultural models. Perhaps the current trend of more Latinos — although mostly foreigner-born — in the NBA points the way to a future where we might see a more significant presence of native-born Latinos playing professionally. Pau Gasol, Manu Ginobili and Ricky Rubio inspire heightened coverage of the NBA on Spanish-language television, which adds greatly to their perception as models. So like the Asian community, the Latino community can indeed find a source of pride in the league — in fact, it can find many of them. But this is precisely the reason that the Latino community will probably never witness its own version of Linsanity. The fact that there are already successful Latinos in the league eliminates the possibility that some phenomenal Latino basketball player would burst onto the scene and capture as much attention as Lin has. One is just a special kind of number. Brian Bencomo is a Sun Staff Writer. He can be contacted at bbencomo@cornellsun.com. Out of Left Field appears alternate Thursdays this semester.

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, March 8, 2012 17

18 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, March 8, 2012

SPORTS

Groebe Talks Green Tea and Broken Windows GROEBE

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teammates have picked up on the trend. What gave you this idea to make your own jerseys? I think I’m a decent drawer, so I make them look pretty good I feel like. I just made a Lin jersey ... when Jeff Foote came to visit he ripped it off my body and threw it in the garbage because he was upset about that. But Tebow jersey, all that stuff. I feel like it looks kind of cool, you know — homemade jerseys. Do you have a particular favorite? I did like my Lin jersey, to be honest with you — just because he’s on my Fantasy team. I don’t really like him personally, but he’s on my Fantasy team. On that note, I have to ask the obligatory Jeremy Lin question. Obviously you’ve played against him, so what do you think of him and his becoming this cultural phenomenon? I’m just going to say exactly what Foote said: he doesn’t have any Ivy League rings, so we have that over him. I mean, he’s helping me win Fantasy games, so I guess I kind of like him for that, but other than that I’m kind of mad because I feel like Foote and Witt and Lou are all better players than him. But I mean, it’ s good for him that he’s made it that far. How would you describe your Fantasy Basketball skills? I’m going to win both leagues this year. I know somebody probably said I’m the worst owner in history, but I’m going to win both leagues this year. 100 percent. What about the time you told Witt that you would give him LeBron James in exchange for Danny Granger — who was injured at the time — and Jose Calderon? The thing is, WItt always tricks me. So every day after practice he would just say their stats and I’d be like “Wow, I really want them” — and that was probably the worst trade I ever made in my life. It was just retarded, but I did it, unfortunately. Apparently everyone thought he was trying to swindle you, so would you say that was the case? Yeah, I did. I was actually tied for top-four and then I ended up not making the playoffs that year after that trade, so it didn’t work out. Now whenever someone is trying to make an unfair trade, your teammates say they’re trying to “Max” the person. How does that make you feel? I got to take it. I mean, that was a bad trade, so I get upset, but I guess that’s what happens now. You get Maxed.

But then I also understand that the verb “Max” has a lot of different connotations. I’m told it’s also used when someone attempts to throw something in the trash, for instance, but they miss — à la you in beer pong? [laughing] Ahh Aro ... yeah, there are different meanings to the word “Max” I guess. It could be used for multiple things. 6. I’ve been wondering this for a while actually — how did you get your Dog Pound softball nickname? [laughing] That is ... long story short: I would just Urban Dictionary “BJ Bandit.” We were just hanging around one day and a bunch of stories were being told, and I thought it would be a good idea — I just liked that name, you know, it sounded cool. No real story behind it ... but kind of little, small story behind it. 7. What’s this I hear about a green tea drink you once prepared for a preseason conditioning session during your junior year? Oh man, so on Fridays we usually do a conditioning circuit and then we have the weekend to go out, have some fun. So one day I decided to bring a Snapple bottle and mix it with half vodka, and just shake it up. I’d been doing it for a few weeks, I didn’t really tell anybody. I just did it to start a little earlier than everybody else. And then one day we were driving and I think Ryan called me out saying “Hey Max, what are you doing over there, you going out tonight or something?” and I told him “Hey, I already started Witt.” And he was like, “Yeah, what are you sipping on — Snapple?” And I gave him the bottle and he took the biggest gulp ever, and he almost threw up. Then it became a tradition for a while, and then I stopped, but it was a tradition for a while. So would you drink this during your conditioning? No, I’m not that crazy — I don’t think I would have made it. Just right after, on the way to the dining hall to get dinner. Just starting early. 8. Not to bring up unpleasant times, but one of your friends mentioned a night that you and your girlfriend were arguing, and she locked you out so you couldn’t talk to her ... Oh my gosh. ... so you had to find an alternative way to communicate with her, that ultimately involved a broken window? Oh man. She’s not going to like this at all, but yeah, sometimes it gets a little heated and passionate, and I really wanted to see her that night for some reason — just to tell her I’m sorry for whatever I did, and for some reason I

C.U.Sends 10 Fencers to Regionals FENCING

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had not been able to reach the 14 win mark until this year. The 10 fencers who are going to compete at the NCAA regional tournament are: Foil: Senior Rebecca Hirschfeld (46-17), sophomore Christie McIntosh (46-17), sophomore April Whitney (41-16) and freshman Allison

Berdichevsky (16-6) Saber: Juniors Beverly Yang (41-23), Audrey Speer (37-30) and McKellen Rattray (17-41) Epee: Sophomore Jenn Lee(35-29), junior Christie Robinson (26-30) and freshman Olivia Weller (28-28). Zach Gayner can be reached at zgayner@cornellsun.com.

www.cornellsun.com

found this huge brick outside her window. I don’t know why there’s bricks outside of there anyway. And I threw it at her window ... it shattered, but there was a double-sided window and then after I threw it I realized “What am I doing right now?” I just sprinted home because I thought it was retarded that I did that. It seems like it was a romantic gesture, except instead of throwing a pebble ... ? Yeah, it just didn’t work. I tried to knock but then I guess the brick got her attention. We’re still together, thankfully. So your heart was in the right place. My heart was in the right place at the time. My mind was not in the right place, but my heart was in the right place. Did she at least appreciate the gesture at all? No, she was pretty mad at me for quite awhile. She’s probably still mad at me for it. 9. Are you still banned from every bar in Collegetown? Not that there are many left to be banned from. Yeah, that’s a good thing. Well, I’m allowed back to most bars now. I think after last spring — after the whole summer, people cool down and are like “Alright, we’ll let you back in.” I made my amends with Pep from Dunbars. And Rulloffs, they got new bouncers so they don’t remember me. The Palms closing, Dinos closed, so yeah, I think I’m allowed in to most bars now. 10. In the battle of Titans versus demigods, who comes out on top? Probably Ski and me, most of the time. I think we have the endurance to beat out Aro and Wire on most nights. Beat out in what, exactly? Anything. Dancing, drinking, beer pong, destroying things — anything. So I don’t remember — you are ... ? Ski and me are Titans, Aro and Wire are demigods, for some reason. Where did this come from? I don’t know ... 238, where we live, is Mt. Olympus. It’s where we all reside, or where we all used to reside. Aro just came back and he was happy to be home and hang out with us for a night. I don’t know where it came from, honestly. After Spring Break last year we just started using it all the time. Alex Kuczynski-Brown can be reached at akuczynskibrown@cornellsun.com.

NCAA Wrestling Brackets And Seeds Released Nine Cornell wrestlers qualified for the 2012 NCAA tournament, according to brackets released by the NCAA Wednesday night. Senior Maciej Jochym received an at-large bid for the heavyweight division. Seniors Cam Simaz (197), Steve Bosak (184) and Frank Perrelli (125), earned No. 1, No. 4 and No. 6 seeds, respectively. Junior Kyle Dake earned the top seed in the 157-pound division. Cornell’s nine qualifiers tie the program’s best, as the Red sent nine athletes to the NCAAs in 1964, 2005, 2009 and 2011. The Red placed second overall in 2010 and 2011.

Sophomores Nick Arujau (133), Mike Nevinger (141), Chris Villalonga (149) and Marshall Peppelman (165) earned bids for the first round as well. Both Villalonga and and Bosak will take on opponents they have faced earlier in the season. In January, Villalonga was defeated by Penn State’s No. 1 Frank Molinaro. Bosack came out victoriuos against Purdue’s Braden Atwood in February at the National Duals. The NCAA championships begin Thursday, March 15 and will run through Saturday, March 17. — Compiled by Lauren Ritter

TINA CHOU / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Taking the next step | Senior Steve Bosak was announced the No. 4 seed at 184 pounds on Wednesday.

SPORTS

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T E N

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, March 8, 2012 19

Q U E S T I O N S

M A X

By ALEX KUCZYNSKI-BROWN Sun Senior Writer

On a 61-degree March day that would have actually been perfect for rocking the Newman Nation jersey and jorts, men’s basketball player Max Groebe ’12 showed up for his interview with 10 Questions columnist Alex Kuczynski-Brown ’12 not wearing either. They discussed his trademark red Hummer (which he’s still allowed to drive on campus), why 238 Linden (or rather “Mt. Olympus”) will not be getting its security deposit back, Jeremy Lin (obviously) — and the numerous ways his name has been turned into a verb. 1. Starting off on a fairly sentimental note, what are you going to miss most about your Cornell basketball career? I guess the camaraderie, basically — just the guys on the team. Just doing everything together, going to dinner, hanging out, going out ... just being crazy. Now you transferred to Cornell as a sophomore, so how would you characterize your experience at Cornell versus your experience at UMass? I would say pretty similar. I mean, both very team-oriented, very family-oriented ... basketball focus ... just a lot of fun, both places. 2. A lot of people — myself included — know you by your red Hummer, but I understand it’s been through a lot since you’ve been here, has it not? [laughing] It’s been through more than a lot. The first week I

OLIVER KLIEWE / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Titan | According to senior guard Max Groebe, the residents of 238 Linden — affectionately known as “Mt. Olympus” — will not be getting their security deposit back for the second straight year.

G R O E B E

got it I actually hit a person. She wasn’t really hurt, she just kind of scraped off the window. For some reason I freaked out, I thought she was going to freak out at me and maybe kill me, I don’t know ... she was more worried about the car for some reason. I was relieved that she was fine and everything, but Jeff Foote ’10 and Adam Wire ’11 just freaked out, I didn’t see her ... it wasn’t at a fast speed or anything. “She came out of nowhere,” right? She came out of nowhere. You know those crosswalks where everyone just walks, whatever? I was going ... — it wasn’t too fast. How many other accidents have you been in since you’ve been here? Towards the end of my junior year here I backed out and Monster trucked this girl’s car. My wheels were on top of her hood ... I was lucky my insurance covered it, so it was fine. And you’re still allowed to drive on this campus? Yeah, I’m still allowed to drive on this campus, luckily. 3. I’m told you’re quite the trash-talker — especially when it comes to beer pong — but apparently you don’t have the skills to back up the trash talk? I think people are going to say that, but I think I’m the best beer pong player on this campus, and you can — it’s being quoted, so: I think I’m the best beer pong player on this campus. But your friends claim otherwise, and say you have a one cup quota per game, so what do you

MEN’S BASKETBALL

have to say for yourself? Sometimes you’re not playing well, you know — you just don’t make shots, but I think in general I’m not that bad. I’m not that bad. So you went from being “the best beer pong player on this campus” to you’re “not that bad”? Yeah, I mean, it depends on the night, but I think on any given night I could beat anybody. What is this “dunk shot” that you made famous? I was actually going to do that for the photo shoot, but I decided not to because I thought it was a little too much. It’s just basically when there’s one cup left on the other side and you guys have been going back and forth [and] you can’t hit it, you just take the ball and just jump from your side of the table and just throw it into their cup, and just shatter the table basically. And that’s a legal move? That’s a legal move if you do it, yeah. I mean, you’re sacrificing your body, your clothes and everything. You’re just getting soaked. So how often do you bring out the dunk shot? Depends if there’s a lot of trash talk, and it’s Jeff Foote and Ryan Wittman ’10 on the other side and they’re just talking a lot — then yeah, it will come out more than once a night. Everyone says you have a propensity to become a wrecking ball when you’re in a certain state, so what exactly have you destroyed at 238 Linden?

Oh man ... well I would say my other wrecking ball brother is Adam Wire, and when we’re together it’s usually a lot of trouble. We had a little fire extinguisher war in the past, where we just fire-extinguished each other. It was stupid, but it was fun I guess. I guess cabinets, tables, people — almost anything that you can break, probably — windows. So you guys aren’t getting your security deposit back, are you? No, I’m pretty sure that’s gone for sure. I know the guys last year didn’t get it, and this year’s probably — it’s been bad, it might get a little worse, so we’ll see. Apparently earlier this year you kicked a hole through Eitan’s [Chemerinski] ’13 wall to try to get into his room. Were you trying to steal his orange juice? [laughing] No, we took his orange juice for mixers and stuff, and he got mad and we haven’t returned it yet. He wouldn’t open the door to us, so Ski [Chris Wroblewski ’12] and me — we just wanted to talk and hang out with him. So for some reason I thought it would be a good idea to go through the wall, so I just kicked the wall a little bit, and our house is probably the worst house in Ithaca, so it was really easy to get out. Just [touching] it broke it, and I was able to see right into his room and have a conversation, so I guess it worked. We fixed it, so he wasn’t that mad after. He sent us a nice long email the next morning being like “I’m going to move out if you guys keep doing

that.” I was supposed to ask about the email — so that’s all it said? He was ... I felt like my mom was chastising me, just reprimanding me. And Ski and me read it and we were just so shocked that he would send that. We felt really bad after the fact, but we still heckle him. I heckled him last night. So you’re all good — no one’s moving out? No one’s moving out — Eitan loves us. 4. None of your teammates seem to know what your ethnicity is, so if you could clear that up for them? I’m 1/52nd everything, basically, so what that means is — in reality I’m like Spanish, white, and a little bit of Asian. And a little bit of Eskimo, basically, so all that. Most of the guys call me “Pitbull” — they think I look Cuban — or “Eskimo.” I don’t know, they call me a lot of different stuff. 5. Now I would like to talk about your wardrobe — namely, are jorts a Miami thing? [laughing] No, I guess that’s our thing. I guess we’re just trying to bring it back, you know. Anytime it’s over 57 degrees it’s Newman Nation jersey and jorts weather. I’m not wearing it today, unfortunately, but that’s usually what we go. I understand you enjoy making your own sports jerseys out of plain white tee shirts, and that your See GROEBE page 18

Sports

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

THURSDAY MARCH 8, 2012

20

FENCING

Red Takes On NCAA Regionals By ZACH GAYNER

OLIEVER KLIEWE / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Looking to repeat | Sophomore foilists Christine McIntosh and April Whitney posted impressive scores last year in the national tournament.

Linsanity for the Latino Community D id you know that Carmelo Anthony is Latino? Neither did I until a few days ago. Actually, if you found out that he is of mixed descent — PuertoRican through his father and African-American through his mother — you might say to yourself that he isn’t “really” Latino. It might be because you think that Latinos, who can be any race, are not really black, or that anybody who is even partially of black descent is unequivocally “black.” For

Lin, I wanted to find a similar source of ethnic pride for myself and mi gente Latina. My search was not in vain as I found Carmelo as well as Trevor Ariza and Charlie Villanueva, both men of Dominican descent. I also found that the Lopez brothers — Brook and Robin — are of Cuban descent. And I might as well name the only other two native-born Latinos currently in the NBA, according to the NBA’s Spanish-language website, “enebea.com.” Udonis

Brian Bencomo Out of Left Field instance, President Obama is of mixed heritage, yet he is almost always viewed as unequivocally black. It might also be that because of the sport Anthony plays, the black portion of his heritage unconsciously takes precedence. As a result of the excitement among Asian-Americans sparked by the rise of Jeremy

Haslem and Renaldo Balkman are both of Puerto-Rican descent. There are also an additional 20 foreign-born players categorized as Latino or Hispanic, including Spaniards, in the league, according to the website. Here you will notice Pau See BENCOMO page 17

10 players, the maximum number of players it can send to the tournament. Three fencers from each weapon will compete at Vassar and the extra spot was awarded to the foilists, who had the best regular season record over their 23 matches. To prepare for the tournament, Hirschfeld said something the team needs to improve the

moving in the right direction after going 0-6 in the Ivy League championship tournament. This weekend, the Cornell “Every competition is differwomen’s fencing team will try ent,” Hirschfeld said. “You have and rebound from a disappointsome ups and downs but you just ing Ivy League performance to have to learn that it is a process. It showcase its individual talents at is always a learning process. the NCAA regional tournament, Everyone learns from their miswhich will be held at Vassar. In takes to fix them. You can’t think this tournament, the fencers will about one competition that have a chance to display its might not have turned out individual talent against “Even though it isn’t a team the way you want; you have some of the top fencers in to think about the whole the region, with the hopes competition, we are still picture, all the good things of qualifying for the nation- together as a team.” that were done as a team, al tournament. and try and stay strong Hirschfeld Rebecca “In the NCAA tournamentally and physically.” ment everyone has to qualiWhile the season may fy individually,” said senior foilist most is its mental toughness. not have ended in the way that the and team captain Rebecca “After Ivies we got together Red had hoped, the team has a lot Hirschfeld. “At the same time and talked as a team, thinking of successes to look back upon this you are representing Cornell, you about how we could be better season. In the Ivy League Chamare fencing for your team. Even prepared, not only for regionals, pionship the foil team had a histhough it isn’t a team competi- but in the future as well,” she toric performance by placing 2nd tion, we are still together as a said. “Our issues were mental. in its weapon, winning over very team and are still supportive. It’s a We were physically prepared, but strong Columbia, Harvard, Penn little different, but the team effort mentally not as prepared as we Brown and Princeton squads. All is still on our minds.” could have been. So we are focus- three weapons provided winning The Red has already seen suc- ing on that — getting in the right records this season: Foil went 18cess in the NCAA tournament in mind set to compete with all 5, Saber went 13-10 and Epee the past and is looking to repeat kinds of different fencers. went 12-11. this year. Last year, sophomore Basically, we are trying to work These performances spread foilists Christine McIntosh and on tactics and technique, focus- throughout the squads allowed the April Whitney finished in 14th ing on specific actions or exercis- Red to set the record for most team and 18th in the national tourna- es. We are also bouting quite a victories in a season, at 14. Cornell ment, which helped the Red to bit. We are just trying to keep our had reached 13 wins five times but finish 17th overall. preparation level where it was.” This year, the team is sending The team is trying to keep See FENCING page 18

Sun Staff Writer

Cornell Gymnastics Travels to Providence For Dual Meet Against Brown Last Saturday, the Red gymnastics team hosted Senior Day at Teagle. Rutgers, Eastern Michigan and Temple made the trip to Ithaca for an afternoon meet, where Cornell posted a strong 191.275 — the team’s second consecutive score over 190.000. These high scores came after six straight meets where Cornell scored between 188.675 and 189.900. The Red is hoping to keep climbing in the regional rankings as it gets closer to the championships. This weekend, the team travels to Providence, R.I. to face Brown in a dual meet. The showdown begins on Sunday at 1 p.m. Two weeks ago, Cornell and Brown faced off at the Ivy Classic, hosted at Newman Arena. While the Red came out ahead with a score of 191.875, the Bears were not far behind at 191.075. — Compiled by Dani Abada

KYLE KULAS / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Up top | On Saturday, enior Melanie Standridge had a 9.625 on beam.