INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 136, No. 71
MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2020
n
8 Pages – Free
ITHACA, NEW YORK
Silver seats to spare
COVID-19 NEWS ROUND-UP
Cuomo: Non-Essential Businesses Must Close
Calls for New York enterprises to take ‘pause’ By OLIVIA WEINBERG Sun Assistant News Editor
After ordering 75 percent of the New York workforce to stay at home on Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) has “closed the valve,” ordering all nonessential workers to stay at home in a press release Friday morning. The executive order, titled NYS on P.A.U.S.E.,
aims to reduce population density. Only essential businesses — which include grocery stores, pharmacies and internet providers — “can have workers commuting to the job or on the job,” the governor said. Cuomo said that his team was continuing to assess a list of what qualifies as an essential worker. As the novel coronavirus continues to spread in See PAUSE page 3
First C.U. Community Members Test Positive By SARAH SKINNER Sun Senior Editor
Cornell President Martha E. Pollack informed students in a mass email on Friday afternoon that two members of the Cornell community in Ithaca tested positive for COVID-19. These individuals are among
Cornell’s “faculty, staff and students,” Pollack wrote. Both are currently in isolation and receiving care, and the health department has contacted people known to have been in their close proximity. The announcement comes after Friday afternoon’s Tompkins County Health Department update that 11 total cases of the
coronavirus have been identified in Tompkins County. Pollack also called upon the community to respect the privacy of individuals who have tested positive for the coronavirus. “I appreciate that the news is difficult,” Pollack wrote, “though See TESTING page 3
BORIS TSANG / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
A lone student eats in the Physical Sciences Building atrium on March 22, surrounded by rows of empty tables and chairs.
‘We will have a commencement – and it will be a joyous one!’
2020 Graduation Ceremony Delayed, Not Cancelled By ALEX HALE Sun News Editor
COVID-19 cancelled much of Cornell’s spring semester activities, such as
in-person classes, and even Slope Day. However, one annual tradition withstood the historic pandemic: senior commencement. In an email sent to Cornell students
— and addressed to “seniors and other graduating students” — President Martha E. Pollack promised that a graduation ceremony will occur, although admitted that the logistics are
BORIS TSANG / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Celebration and protection | Five students have graduation portraits taken on Ho Plaza as a woman wearing an N95 respirator walks past on March 18.
still uncertain at this time. Pollack opened the email emphasizing the “intense years of study” that spring graduates completed while at Cornell, and said that “in normal times” a celebration on Memorial Day would occur. That will not happen this year, Pollack said in the email. The president wrote that the University is “not yet able to announce a date or location” of commencement ceremonies due to uncertainty of the impact COVID-19 will have, but she did state that “we will have your commencement.” Although the location has not yet been announced, Pollack said it will occur in Ithaca, and that the University “will find creative ways for those who are unable to attend in person to be able to fully participate virtually.” Cornell’s pledge to eventually hold an in-person commencement event contrasts with that of many peer colleges. Emory University and Washington University in St. Louis opted to cancel their annual send-offs completely, while the University of Pennsylvania said it would hold a “virtual event.” Degrees will still be granted in May, before the commencement ceremony. Please turn to Page 3 to see the text of Pollack’s full e-mail. See COMMENCEMENT page 3