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The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 131, No. 115
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Megan Hill ’15 researches a compound that could replace silicon in the electronics industry. | Page 8
Anita Alur ’17 dissects Brandy Burre’s decline into domesticity in Actress, which played at Cornell Cinema. | Page 10
Cornell’s polo teams claimed victories at regionals over the weekend. | Page 16
University Seeks to Hire New Inclusion Dean
Students decry funding for new position as ‘inappropriate,’ argue money should directly support programs
By ANDREW LORD Sun Staff Writer
Student leaders are criticizing the University’s creation of a new administrative position — called the “Associate Dean of Students for Inclusion, Engagement and Community Support” — which is set to oversee many minority organizations around campus. The associate dean will “work closely with the Division of Student and Academic Services to create cocurricular learning and activities for undergraduate and graduate students” in addition to overseeing organizations such as the Women’s Resource Center and Student Development Diversity Initiatives, according to the job listing on the Division of Human Resource’s website. Dean of Students Kent Hubbell ’67 said he expects the new associate dean will help foster collaborations and help existing programs increase their reach on campus.
“This leader will bring together several areas of the department to work collaboratively to deliver better student support within the financial and human resources available,” Hubbell said. “In times of restricted budget resources, it’s very important that we empower all of our staff to be conver-
“The funds that are going towards this new senior associate dean would be better spent on support for our resource centers.” Karen Li ’15 sant in multiple issues, so there are multiple avenues available for students to get help and support.” The decision to allocate funding to the creation of this new position was made so that more time could be spent
Hot Truck Owner Asks For Collegetown Relocation By TOM SCHREFFLER Sun Staff Writer
After years of standing behind West Campus on Stewart Avenue, the Hot Truck might move to Collegetown due to insufficient business at its current location. In a letter to the City of Ithaca Board of Public Works, franchise owner Albert Smith said the truck’s current location “no longer works for the Hot Truck” and requested that the board consider a new location on Eddy Street. “To keep the 50 plus year Hot Truck tradition going will require us to replace the truck in the next few years,” wrote Smith, who is also the owner of Shortstop Deli. “Operating on Stewart Avenue does not begin to generate enough business to
finance a new food truck.” The Board of Public Works discussed a potential Hot Truck relocation and change to its street vending permit rights — called the Heritage Permit — at a meeting in City Hall Monday. Members of the Board of Public Works asked Smith about the technical aspects of a move, including how the truck would be able to access electricity and what restaurants the truck would be next to at its potential location in Collegetown. Additionally, Board member Bill Goldsmith asked who would oversee the potential move. In response, Smith — who has owned Hot Truck since 2000 and Shortstop Deli since 1978 — See HOT TRUCK page 4
ALEJANDRO HERNANDEZ / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
DARIEN KIM / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
’16, vice chair for the University Assembly, poses a question for President David Skorton during a Tuesday U.A. meeting.
Skorton Speaks to U.A.for Final Time By CHRISTOPHER BYRNS Sun Staff Writer
In his final appearance before the University Assembly Tuesday, President David Skorton reflected on his previous visits to the group and suggested ways to improve communication between
the shared governance groups and the administration. Skorton suggested that the U.A., along with the other shared governances groups, monitor the effectiveness of the dialogue between the administration and the different groups. He cited a database
— created by the Office of the Assemblies — which displays the progress of various resolutions as a sign of progress in maintaining the dialogue created by resolutions. “The database that Gina [Giambattista, assistant See SKORTON page 14
Lawsuit Against City of Ithaca Dismissed
Former police sergeant filed suit for $10.5 million in 2012 By REBECCA BLAIR
West Campus.
See DEAN page 5
Question and answer | Matthew Battaglia
Sun Assistant News Editor
Late night snackin’| The Hot Truck stands on Stewart Avenue behind Cornell’s
“supporting students directly,” according to Hubbell. “Regarding the budget impact of this position, every unit in the division and at the University has stewardship responsibility over both financial and human resources,” Hubbell said. “Part of that responsibility is to direct these resources to critical activities. In this case, the decision was made to use resources from open positions to create one position to focus on the needs of our students.” However, student leaders of minority organizations said they do not support the creation of a new associate dean position, and instead believe funds for the position’s salary could directly benefit support programs and minority organizations. The yearly salary for the newly created position is expected to range between $78,000 and $116,000, according to Jevan Hutson ’16, president of Haven: The LGBTQ Student
A federal district court dismissed a 2012 lawsuit accusing the Ithaca Police Department of discriminatory employment practices Tuesday. Former Ithaca Police Department Sergeant Douglas Wright filed the $10.5 million lawsuit
after he was passed over for a 2009 promotion to lieutenant, according to court documents. Wright, who is a caucasian male, claimed that fellow sergeant Myron Byrd, who is black, received the promotion due to racial discrimination. In his decision, Chief Judge Gary Sharpe said that, following a 2009
civil service examination, Wright was one of three candidates to qualify to be considered for the position. While Byrd did not initially qualify, he came under consideration after another potential candidate withdrew his name. According to Sharpe’s decision, after a committee interviewed all three candidates,
then-Police Chief Ed Vallely chose to promote Byrd. Wright’s complaint said IPD failed to investigate “serious criminal allegations” against Byrd. However, Vallely responded that his decision to promote Byrd was due to Byrd’s skilled community policing, superviSee IPD page 5
2 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, March 25, 2015
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SAN DIEGO (AP) — A Southern California doughnut shop has come up with yet another guilty pleasure gone viral: a gigantic doughnut stuffed with a Pop Tart filling. Donut Bar, with outlets in Fountain Valley and San Diego, calls the 1-pound creation the “Big Poppa Tart Donut.” It has appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Steve Harvey Show, BuzzFeed and TV news. The 2-inch-thick square is stuffed with strawberry jam and a strawberry Pop Tart, then topped with diced Pop Tart, sprinkles and drizzled jam. There is also a second flavor: S’mores. Donut Bar sells about 150 of the doughnuts daily, at $4 each. Owner-baker Santiago Campa tells the Orange County Register that the doughnut was supposed to be a one-week special, but it has become so popular he could not pull it off the menu.
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Man Stung by Hundreds of Bees
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Umpteen speedy televisions perused two sheep, then umpteen tickets towed Jupiter, and Dan untangles five progressive orifices. Umpteen quixotic aardvarks annoyingly bought two Macintoshes. Umpteen bureaux tickled two extremely putrid botulisms. Paul sacrificed one lampstand, then Jupiter marries the very quixotic pawnbroker. Five purple poisons laughed, yet umpteen chrysanthemums kisses five aardvarks. Batman noisily untangles one Jabberwocky. Two Macintoshes laughed, then one extremely schizophrenic Jabberwocky drunkenly untangles two sheep, however Quark telephoned umpteen obese Jabberwockies. Five irascible botulisms slightly lamely auctioned off the subway, and five chrysanthemums easily untangles one mostly speedy Klingon. Five dogs drunkenly perused Minnesota, however the mats ran away cleverly, although one partly progressive subway quite comfortably sacrificed
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ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) — A bee attack during a
baseball game in St. George forced players and spectators to flee and sent one man to the hospital. St. George Fire Capt. Robert Hooper says the man was stung between 200 and 300 times late Friday morning at Elk’s Field. But he told the Deseret News the man did not exhibit any signs of a severe reaction, and was alert and talking to emergency responders. His name was not immediately released. Several other people were treated for stings at the scene. Lone Peak High School baseball coach Matt Bezzant told The Spectrum newspaper of St. George that the bees came from a dugout and players were chased by as many as 70 bees at one point.
Cow Gives Birth to Quadruplets LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — A cow in Northeast Texas has apparently defied great odds and given birth to four calves that have been named Eeny, Meeny, Miny and Moo. Jimmy Barling said Monday that DNA tests will be done on tissue samples from the three bull calves and the one heifer calf to satisfy those who may question the births from one mother. “We knew she was pregnant, but we didn’t know she was going to do this,” the 76-year-old Barling said. “This was a shock. This blew our minds.”
THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, March 25, 2015 3
NEWS
Prof. Land: The Engineer With the Hawaiian Shirts By HELEN DONNELLY Sun Staff Writer
Before he started his 30-year Cornell teaching career, Prof. Bruce Land Ph.D. ’76, electrical and computer engineering, spent a summer in Ames, Iowa, as an atomic energy commission intern at Ames Laboratory. This experience, he said, started him on the path to a career as a teacher known for his personal approach towards teaching through open-ended projects, dedicated mentoring and colorful, patterned shirts. Land said his interest in computing was sparked by the work of a Cornell professor and alumnus. “There was nothing to do in Ames when you weren’t working except go to the library,” he said. “I came across a book on neural nets … by a Cornell faculty member, Frank Rosenblatt [’50 Ph.D. ’65], who invented the Perceptron, [and I thought,] ‘Wow this is really cool.’” For his undergraduate education, Land majored in physics at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California. However, after graduating, he said his focus shifted to computing. “It was the Cold War. The Feds were trying to make nuclear physicists out of us all,” Land said. “It seemed like a better thing to do, to go into artificial intelligence.” Now, Land teaches classes in fields such as parallel computing, biomedical engineering and design. He said he emphasizes the use of the laboratory in all of his classes. “In my mind, everything useful that the students learn is in the lab,” Land said. “In lecture, we talk about the labs, talk about the pitfalls and the things that are likely to go right and wrong, but the truth is, until stu-
PHOTOS BY CONNOR ARCHARD / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
dents see it themselves, they don’t learn it. They’ve got to feel it with their own hands.” One of Land’s classes focuses on using microcontrollers — small computers — in projects. These small computers can be found in everyday appliances such as microwaves and cars, according to Land. He said he even once used a microcontroller to build a music box for his granddaughter. Land said he believes open-ended projects enhance the learning process.
“We have students build a whole manner of strange creations,” he said. “[One course I teach] throw[s] away the commodity microcontroller and says, ‘Ok folks, build your own microcontroller, build your own computer, then program it to do something useful.’” While Land said he conducts independent research, he chose to pursue a career that primarily revolved around his work in the classroom. “I like to teach. I find it endlessly entertaining,” Land said. “I didn’t think I had the rights skill set to become a faculty member. I found it difficult and boring to write grant proposals and it seemed to me that the assistant professors I saw around me were doing a lot of stuff I wasn’t interested in, a lot of paperwork. So, I decided to go to a non-tenure track ... and I am glad I did.” Land said he finds teaching exciting because his stu-
dents never fail to impress him. “I’m privileged to be able to teach such good students, and to be able to give them extremely difficult, hard things to do and they just say, ‘OK’ and then they do it,” Land said. “So, I feel in some ways the greatest accomplishment is being in a position where I have the luxury to teach these courses, and interact with so many clever, energetic students. That is what I like to do.” In addition to teaching, Land said he has also been involved in a variety of research projects, including one on how fish produce noise, mechanically and neurologically. Land said his research goals are not concretely defined, and are continually inspired by his students and colleagues. “The stuff I’ve been involved with is mostly collaborative,” Land said. “People come up with strange stuff, we talk about it, and if there is a role for me, I get involved.” Land explained that his wife, Laurie, is the reason he shows up to work every day in brightly colored shirts. “I’ve always liked bright shirts,” he said. “I had a limited supply until I married Laurie, who used to support herself as a seamstress. She makes these shirts for me. She does a beautiful job. Since then, I’ve had a much larger supply of interesting shirts.” When Land is not in lab or teaching, he can usually be found outside. Land said he loves farming and forestry, and his residence has over twenty acres of land. He and his wife keep many animals, including honey bees, goats, chickens, cats and dogs. “Goats are hilarious. Goats are so much fun. They’re really nice,” Land said. “They’re nice even when they burp in your face.” On the subject of what advice he would give to his students, Land said he believes people should strive to read as much as possible. “You know, general principle, read as much as you possibly can, because otherwise you won’t be able to keep up when times change,” he said. However, Land ultimately said that people should not take themselves too seriously. “You should be able to get up in the morning and laugh at yourself in the mirror ...” he said. “Life is serious, and decisions matter, but you have to remember that everything changes.” Helen Donnelly can be reached at hdonnelly@cornellsun.com.
‘Fight the Fee’Holds Teach-In, Protests C.U.Financial Decisions By DANIEL ZIMMERMAN Sun Staff Writer
In preparation for a rally on Thursday, the Fight the Fee coalition hosted a teachin, titled #WelcomeTheTrustees, during which the group hoped to inform students on issues concerning the University’s finances. The teach-in, which was held in Malott Hall, revolved around three issues brought up by the group: conflict of interests with the Board of Trustees, the new $350 health fee and rising tuition costs. The group has also listed four demands for the upcoming protest, according to Daniel Marshall ’15. He said the rally will be the most effective way to have the group’s message heard, and while there is a “shared governance system” for students to voice their opinions, it only has the power to make recommendations to the administration, which may not translate into action. “One of the reasons we’re trying to get everyone together to the action on
Thursday is because that’s one of the ways it’s been demonstrated that we can actually have power at this university,” Marshall said, citing the Save the Pass Coalition’s role in protesting the revocation of the free firstyear TCAT bus passes as an example. Marshall said he believes some members of the Board of Trustees may have conflicts of interest with Cornell’s finances, showing the profiles of some members and their affiliations with investment banking and large corporations. “If these are the people who are on the Board of Trustees — look what they’ve done with the rest of the country, look what they do in their business practices. What do you expect them to do with Cornell?” Marshall said. “Do you expect them to run Cornell in a transparent democratic fashion that takes into account the need of students, workers, faculty … and the local community?” Additionally, Marshall discussed the University’s debt and loans, saying he believes that fees and tuition act as “stable sources of income” for Cornell.
“What that means is that if there’s some non-profit working in the public interest.” “If you think about the amount of debt sort of crisis, and the endowment collapses, returns on the endowment are going to go that we have, I would argue that ... we have way down. It wavers quite a bit,” Marshall investors who have interests which routinely trump those said. “But no matter what, “We have investors who have interests of students, faculty, workers and they’re going to get a certain which routinely trump those of students.” the community,” Marshall said. amount of Daniel Marshall ’15 money from Near the students closing of the through tuition and costs.” presentation, Marshall said that one of Marshall said he believes the rise in the ways to address issues concerning tuition is only necessary because the University finances is by conducting University is “reorganiz[ing] revenue more research into Cornell’s financial sitsources.” uation. “I’m going to argue that tuition is actu“We’ve been doing a lot of research and ally not just increasing because costs are this is a call for more research — research going up exponentially, but tuition is partly that isn’t just using the administration’s figincreasing, because Cornell wants to change ures, research that isn’t supposed to just the places that they get their money from,” confirm [the administration’s] interests at Marshall said. the end of the day,” Marshall said. Marshall contended that the University is “functioning as if it were a private corpo- Daniel Zimmerman can be reached at ration,” and that it should instead be “a dzimmerman@cornellsun.com.
4 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, March 25, 2015
NEWS
Cornellians Debate Fossil Fuel Divestment By STEPHANIE YAN Sun Staff Writer
Students, faculty and University Assembly members gathered Monday to debate whether the University should divest its endowment from the fossil fuel industry. The eight debaters, composed of students and professors, raised questions as to
whether the University should use its endowment to make a political gesture and whether divestment would be hypocritical. The U.A. — opposing resolutions in support of divestment from the Faculty Senate, Student Assembly and Graduate and Professional Student Assembly — voted to recommend not divesting from fossil
fuels in May, but revisited the issue Tuesday following a resolution passed by the S.A. this semester asking the University not to reinvest in the coal industry. According to Emma Johnston ’16, arts and sciences representative for the S.A., Monday’s debate was intended to precede the U.A.’s review. “We’re introducing a resolu-
tion in the U.A. that will advocate for divestment, after a resolution passed last year arguing for us to not divest. It’s reevaluating that decision,” Johnston said. Debaters opposing divestment expressed concern that doing so would make the endowment appear biased. “[The resolution to divest] undermines the most precious asset a university has in addressing any controversial issue: its reputation as an unbiased source of scientific knowledge,” said Prof. Larry Brown, earth and atmospheric sciences. Brown also said he believes divestment would alienate the fossil fuel industry, whose support the University needs in order make innovations in renewable energy. “[Divestment] only serves to reduce the incentive of the fossil fuel industry to engage with Cornell faculty in any meaningful way,” he said. Debaters also said they believed it would be hypocritical to divest from an industry that the University relies on heavily. “We all owe our current standard of living and likely our very existence to the inexpensive energy that the fossil fuel industry has provided over the past century,” Brown said. However, supporters of divestment pointed out that Cornell has divested for ethical reasons in the past with successful results. Audree Keurajian ’15 cited the University’s divestment from oil companies in Sudan in 2006 following the Darfur genocide as evidence that the investment portfolio
can be “guided by moral leanings.” Prof. Robert Howarth, ecology and evolutionary biology, argued for the use of divestment as a symbolic gesture. He said he believes doing so would create social pressure for action against climate change and motivate fossil fuel companies to invest in renewable energy. “As a university, we have an obligation to provide intellectual and ethical leadership [and] to communicate what we know about fossil fuels,” Howarth said. “Divestment is a powerful tool for doing that.” According to Amanda Vargo ’16, on of the event’s planners, the debate’s main purpose was to educate students in the history of divestment at Cornell and expose them to both sides of the argument over divestment. The debate was held by Environmental Subcommittee of the S.A. Community Life Committee and moderated by the Cornell Speech and Debate Union (formerly the Cornell Forensics Soceity), according to Johnston. Johnston added that she wanted the debate to serve as “a starting point” for further discussion. “A lot of times, people will default to being either for divestment or against divestment, but they’re not checking their own views of the topic,” Johnston said. “Getting everyone in the same room and making them discuss why they have certain beliefs is really crucial.” Stephanie Yan can be reached at syan@cornellsun.com.
SIMON LI / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Debating divestment | Patrick Lynch ’18 and Paul Monoghan ’18 debate whether Cornell should divest its endowment from fossil fuels Monday.
Hot Truck May Relocate HOT TRUCK
Continued from page 1
said, “I will be the President of Shortstop Deli until they put me in the ground.” Mayor Svante Myrick ’09 said he appreciates the Hot Truck for its historical significance and would support its move to Collegetown. “Hot Truck is an institution not because of where it is, but because of what it is,” Myrick
said. “It’s historically significant.” Myrick added that many Cornell students appreciate the truck and that during Cornell alumni reunions in the summer, the line to the Hot Truck is always long. He said the Board will ask Smith to work with City Attorney Aaron Lavine to amend the Hot Truck’s permit to allow it to move to Collegetown. The popular food truck— known for
its pizza subs and its “Poor Man’s Pizza” dish — was founded in 1960 by Bob Petrillose. After decades at its current location below West Campus, its relocation may occur as soon as this summer, according to Smith. “My hope is that we can do this by this summer,” Smith said. “July would be perfect.” Tom Schreffler can be reached at tschreffler @cornellsun.com.
NEWS
Students Raise Concerns Over New Dean Position DEAN
Continued from page 1
Union. Given the amount of funds that will pay the salary for the new associate dean position, Hutson said he finds the continual lack of funding to his organization “appalling.” “The allocation of funds towards this position is inappropriate and not the current priority for staff and students who directly work with and in all of these student services organizations,” Hutson said. “[These organizations] are greatly underfunded when compared to other Ivy League institutions or larger schools comparable to Cornell.” Karen Li ’15, director of advocacy for Cornell Asian Pacific Islander Student Union, said she disagrees with the University’s decision to create the position and deems the allocation of funds for the dean’s salary inappropriate. “Time and time again we were told that the University has no money to give more support for the resource centers, and here they are creating a high paid position that would simply add to the bureaucracy,” she said. Li said she believes the money could be more effectively allocated to directly support programs “on the ground” level. “The funds that are going to this new senior associate dean would be better spent on support for our resource centers [which] are … underfunded, understaffed and tirelessly work to run programming that benefit our communities,” she said. Additionally, Hutson said he believes the University’s effort to combine these organizations under a central administrator creates additional problems beyond funding. “Essentially, this position merges a number of different student services units of the university that have never been merged before,” Hutson said. “The University has created this position to try to fill a supposed void of administrative leadership surrounding these groups … [but] there are a lot of fundamental differences between these groups.” Hutson and Li said they believe the associate dean position was created without any direct engagement with the students or student leaders. “Students were not consulted on this creation,” Li said. “A long term solution to advance our community interests must require the active engagement from those whom it’s supposed to impact.” Huton said he believes Cornell has continually “[prioritized] its administrative bureaucracy over actual tangible support” for its students. “We feel like a lot of the work that we do is being taken advantage of by the University,” Hutson said. “[The administration] isn’t actively putting its money where its mouth is — it wants to bring the diversity here, but it doesn’t give a damn about supporting those diverse identities and their experiences on campus.” The new position will provide oversight to several organizations, including the Asian Asian-American Center; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center; Women’s Resource Center; Student Development Diversity Initiatives; Student and Community Support; and Student Leadership, Engagement and Campus Activities, according to the job posting. Candidates for the position will visit campus beginning April 6 and will make a presentation open to the entire Cornell community, followed by an open discussion, according to Hubbell. Andrew Lord can be reached at dlord@cornellsun.com.
IPD Lawsuit Dismissed
Court: IPD’s 2009 action not discriminatory IPD
Continued from page 1
sory experience and demonstrated commitment to leadership. Sharpe justified the dismissal, because Wright did not file the lawsuit until February 2012, which was beyond the threeyear statute of limitations applied to such inquiries. The court ruled that this three-year period began when the promotion decision was announced — not when Byrd assumed the role of lieutenant. “Although Wright attempts to create a question of fact as to when Byrd’s promotion became official or took effect, this is of no moment, as ‘the limitations period begins to run when the plaintiff receives notice of the adverse action,’ and not when such decision is ‘officially announced,’” Sharpe said. The court also ruled that Wright’s claims failed on their merits, saying Vallely’s reasons
for promoting Byrd “constitute a legitimate basis for the promotion decision.” In his opinion, Sharpe dismissed Wright’s argument that promoting Byrd was racially motivated, saying the claims were unsupported by evidence. “The court finds that Wright has offered nothing more than mere innuendo that his race must have played a role in this particular promotion decision, and points to no evidence from which a rational jury could reasonably conclude that defendant’s’ stated reasons were pretextual,” Sharpe said. Following the court’s decision, Mayor Svante Myrick ’09 described the dismissal as “vindication” for the City of Ithaca and for Byrd. “It’s also vindication for our stance to fight hard against all illegitimate claims of discrimination,” he added. Rebecca Blair can be reached at rblair@cornellsun.com.
THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, March 25, 2015 5
OPINION
Philip Susser | An Ithaca State of Mind
The Corne¬ Daily Sun
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Letter to the Editor
Prudent and fair reporting on sexual assault issues To the Editor: Re: “Former Student Sues Cornell Over Sexual Assault Investigation,” News, March 20
Good journalism has a responsibility to inform the community it serves about important events that happen within it and to increase clarity about controversial issues. We don’t disagree that it was important to cover a lawsuit brought against Cornell by a former student who claims his rights were violated during the course of the University’s investigation into a sexual assault. This particular lawsuit raises important, contentious questions about the degree to which Cornell and other universities can protect student safety while balancing the rights of the accused. Cornell is not one of the nearly 100 universities being investigated for Title IX violations. However, that does not, by any means, imply that ours is a perfect process. Students continue to get sexually assaulted at Cornell, as much as people would like to believe that they do not. We agree with a recent editorial by The Sun that implored the University to ensure investigations into sexual assaults take no longer than the 60 day period mandated by changes to 6.4. Their attention to this aspect of sexual assault policy at Cornell does not however, excuse The Sun from the egregious, irresponsible way in which it reported this lawsuit. This article ignored relevant issues in favor of an overly sordid, soap-opera narrative. The article in its original form was not journalism — it was tabloid coverage. Furthermore, and more importantly, The Sun provided extensive details — the article has since been appended — that effectively allowed for the identification of the survivor. This is not the first time that The Sun has made this error, but we hope it is the last. The impact of this kind of reporting is harmful and very real, especially for the survivor herself, who has already endured the physical and psychological trauma of sexual assault. Her account is pronouncedly absent from the article, leaving her quite literally voiceless and lending the illusion that there were no facts in support of her allegation, even though the male student had his diploma withheld for two years. Instead of focusing on the legal issues raised by the lawsuit, The Sun provided a biased, unfair and incomplete account of the night in question. Court documents do make a lot of this information public, but the reality is that most people are getting their news from newspapers. As a result, media must exercise prudence over what to publicize. The lack of judgment exercised here could result in several potential harms. Survivors of sexual assault often face retaliation or alienation as a result of details of their trauma becoming public. Fewer survivors could come forward and press charges against their rapists as a result of these fears due to careless reporting. These are high stakes that should always be considered when reporting on sensitive stories like this one. The news that The Sun should have covered here is the lawsuit, the ongoing issue of sexual assault on college campuses and continuing problems with policy 6.4. The piece focuses infinitely less on that –– and what each means in the bigger picture –– and more on probing students’ personal lives to tell a story. This isn’t a story. It’s not meant to entertain. The details of the sexual history of any student should never be published in the school paper without their consent, for public consumption. The Sun’s role is to inform –– and it has done a poor job at that. Emma Court ’15, president of the Every1 Campaign Shuangyi Hou ’15 Leah Salgado ’12
R
arely do we find an individual whose complete existence hinges upon a singular passion. It’s enviable. To become so committed to a particular pursuit that one not only becomes an expert, but an icon of sorts. Malcolm Gladwell proposed in his novel “Outliers” that it takes approximately 10,000 hours of practice to assume the role of expert in any field. The Gladwellian notion of expertise is certainly overworked — it seems that those who state this fact feel empowered in the knowledge of understanding what differentiates the point one percent from them. Yet, there is a nice ring to it. The simplicity of knowing that it only takes time and energy to become the best. Recently, I watched the 2012 documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, which takes an interesting look at perfection. Jiro, an elderly Japanese man, runs a world-renowned sushi restaurant in
he loses sight of the value of friends, family and practically everything outside of sushi. His sons look at their father’s extreme work ethic with a mixture of respect and fear, as their relationship with their father has largely been limited to the kitchen, and a mutually understood expectation to carry on his legacy of sushi preparation. Rarely does he take vacations. Most of his apprentices quit after a few hours because of the grueling work environment. Some sushi aficionados even avoid his restaurant out of sheer intimidation of his stern presence. The role of the perfectionist has its perks. If successful, one can find meaning in what they have worked towards and a rationale for the time devoted to their goals. Jiro has seen enormous success, and in that success, he found fuel for further growth in his passion. Yet, his fiendish commitment to achieving this illusory perfect sushi was isolating,
The role of the perfectionist has its perks. If successful, on can find meaning in what they have worked towards and rationalize the time devoted to their goals. Tokyo. He argues that in any craft, in order to be successful, you must completely devote yourself to becoming better, no matter how many accolades received along the way. Making sushi, he argues, is a unique craft, which takes years to master. It’s refreshing to think about perfection as something that is sought after in a specialty as obscure as sushi making. While the extent of the average Cornellian’s culinary expertise comes from a two credit wines course — and sushi exposure a boozy trip to Miyake — anybody can recognize that the documentary is talking about more than just sushi and food production. It’s about personal commitment to expertise and perfection. In Jiro’s lifelong commitment to the craft of sushi, he strives for perfection, but knows that he may very well never attain it. With each tuna sliced, he inches closer to this goal. Yet in this pursuit,
creating a distance between all those close to him who couldn’t keep up with — or even comprehend — his professional and personal desires. In looking at the successes of others, it is easy to focus on the end result and neglect the sacrifices made along the way. When we look at someone such as Jiro, or experts in any field, we want to know how they got there, yet have trouble truly comprehending the path they took. The 10,000 hour rule gives a reassuring theory of success, but it doesn’t seem to cover the idiosyncracies of each individual path. Jiro gives not just a case study of a path to success but also projects a greater lesson: The glamour of expertise can be spoiled by a myopic lifestyle. Philip Susser is a junior in the College of Human Ecology. He can be reached at pss226@cornell.edu. An Ithaca State of Mind appears on alternate Wednesdays this semester.
CORRECTION A March 24 guest column, “Constitutional Literacy and Youth Education,” stated that the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project began on March 20. In fact, the program began on March 13.
Letters to the editor and guest columns may be sent to associate-editor @cornellsun.com.
THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, March 25, 2015 7
OPINION
Web
Sarah Byrne | Let It Byrne
T
Spring Break Comment of the day Woo-Hoo
here is an episode of Friends in which Ross is dating one of his students, and she goes to Daytona for spring break, which Ross condescendingly calls “Spring Break WooHoo.” Spring Break Woo-Hoo refers to the iconic college spring break experience, where everyone wears bathing suits and is completely wasted for a whole week. While this may sound like incredible fun that you’ll never forget (or never remember), after seeing pictures from these types of spring breaks on Facebook for the past three weeks (thanks, Cornell, for the latest spring break known to man), I’ve noticed that very few of my Cornell friends go on these types of alcohol-fueled vacations. My friends who are seniors basically fall into two categories: Those who are taking no real classes and spend every day drinking on the CTB patio, soaking up the last dregs of college frivolity during this last year, and those who pretend they are still doing work and are “so over” college parties, while still secretly soaking up those same dregs. Undoubtedly, life has changed since I was a freshman. Four years ago, people were still freaking out about Obama’s birthplace, but now apparently we’re letting some random Canadian run for President. America has grown up, and so have we. As a 21-year-old, legal drinker, I no longer feel any want or need to consume any alcohol other than wine, in any place other than my living room. Just the thought of vodka now makes me want to vomit, and I physically cannot take a shot without making a gross face. To me, the absolute least appealing thing in the world right now is spending a week in Cabo drinking pineapple rum with thousands of American college stu-
The absolute least appealing thing in the world right now is spending a week in Cabo drinking pineapple rum with thousands of American college students
dents, although the sun does sound like it would do good things to my skin in the midst of this late-March resurgence of winter. Freshman year, we were all crazy overachievers, and thought we were better, smarter and more hard-working than everyone else — both at Cornell and elsewhere. Now, four years later, we know we are better, smarter and more hard-working than everyone around us. That is not to say that it’s been easy, but rather to suggest that the struggle has only led us to truly believe that we have struggled harder than all of our fellow students, and have come out on the other side more equipped for the world, more hardened, than anyone else. Personally, I think this is all part of Cornell’s grand plan to nudge us out of the nest with the most confidence possible, but it genuinely could be the case that we have gotten smarter and more skilled. Along with the acquisition of all of our applicable workplace skills, we have learned some more social ones. Cornell taught us all how to respond to the situations that we face for the first time during college. Did you just fail a prelim that you spent hours studying for? Get drunk! Did you get an A on a project that you stayed up all night finishing? Get drunk! Did you have an especially good or bad day? Get drunk! Is the temperature above freezing? Get drunk! The stress of Cornell fosters unhealthy extremes in both directions, be it excessive alcohol consumption or all-nighters in A.D. White studying for a genetics prelim. It’s a vicious cycle: We go out Friday and Saturday as a destressor and are then hungover enough to justify sitting in bed all weekend, doing no work. Then, we stress out all week because we have to do all of the work we should have done over the weekend. We are so stressed out that we need to go out on Friday of the next weekend to relax and have some fun, starting the whole cycle over again. As Cornell students, we want to have it all: drinking every weekend while still attaining a 4.5 GPA. I am here to tell you: It’s okay if you can’t. With spring break looming so imminently on the horizon, the last thing I, and I’m guessing many of you, want to do is drink even more. In fact, just the thought of five days of drunkenness makes me want to curl up in a ball and eat ice cream in bed. So, happy spring break everyone, and I’ll see you all after a week of Netflix and cuddling with my dog at home. Sarah Byrne is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She be reached at sbyrne@cornellsun.com. Let It Byrne appears alternate Wednesdays this semester.
“Larry Brown, the only coach to win an NCAA and NBA championship, arguably one of the top 5 basketball coaches ever to live. He’s roughly 20th in terms of pay out of all division 1 college basketball coaches and for a man of his stature, that’s a bargain for a school like SMU.” Billy Re: “SHATZMAN | What Brown Didn’t Do,” Sports published March 23, 2015
Teresa Kim | Her Meneutics
I
The Thing About The Savior Complex
t’s easy for me to disagree preferable way to illustrate with things. I disagree with social politics. We, as zombies, the rising cost of movie have been living in a dark cave tickets. I disagree with Wes for quite some time, hibernatAnderson’s color schemes. I ing because human flesh is disagree with starting a dia- scarce in this imagined postlogue about race over apocalyptic world. More time Starbucks countertops ( #race- passes and we have forgotten together). I disagree with the what light is and how it felt. Kardashians in almost every Someone, a human perhaps particular way, and I disagree (or maybe even I Am Legend’s with the way I sadomasochisti- Will Smith), opens the cally continue to watch reality entrance to the cave, and light television. I disagree with my slowly seeps into the cave. The lactose-intolerance. I disagree light reveals who we truly are with the socioeconomic privi- — displaying every facial lege that is ironically needed imperfection, every skin color, to become a vegetarian (I can’t every missing limb, every eye. afford to love animals as much It’s impossible to think that as you vegans do). This is a list just because we receive the that I can add to indefinitely. same light that we would all And because most of us respond to it similarly too. Oftentimes, we assume the here are conditioned to think critically about all the incon- position of the light, that is, sistencies and hypocrisies of life here at Cornell, I We all have our political platforms naturally presume that and causes, but that is no reason every one of for me to get angry when someone you must disagrees with me. have one or a million issues that you care we try to get those in the dark about. And if you don’t, well, you’re too to see the light ourselves, the complacent for me and not truth, in its entirety. But in all worth my time, because I want honesty, none of us really have to make a difference in this the answer. Those who are less ignorant about an issue are world. I’m forced to consider closer to the truth than our where I stand on the spectrum more ignorant counterparts. of worldly engagement on the And our more ignorant counissues that I care about — with terparts might understand tenacious, self-righteousness at other truths more clearly than one end and downright igno- we do right now. We all have our political rance at the other. And when I respond to people’s ignorance platforms and causes, but that with infuriation, I am forced is no reason for me to get to determine whether my angry when someone disagrees tenacity will really produce an with me. Not to say that I vilawakening in my ignorant ify righteous anger. I become friend — let me tell you now, angry when people physically distance themselves from it won’t. What will, however, is a homosexuals. I become angry quiet acknowledgement that when asinine individuals both you and your friend are incorrectly toss around the in the dark; neither of us have label “retard,” not only the right prescriptions for because I have people in my global solidarity. But we can family who are, in some ways, start by rationalizing why such mentally deferred, but also because it is unjust. But my an awakening is needed. Let’s make an illustration anger is only incorrect if I with zombies — because zom- don’t temper it with the bies are clearly the most understanding that we all
respond to light differently, which produces many flawed perspectives. We are all mentally deferred in this way. Today, the politically correct and fashionable thing to do is to be a proponent for many causes, but we get mixed up in them. We buy vegan leather jackets to wear to a gay rights rally and obsessively count calories while leading a body image campaign. And above all, we marginalize those who don’t “care” about these causes as much as we do. But there is no way to know that we are correct, as there is no quantifiable standard by which we can measure our “correctness.” I find myself to be right in a lot of ways, but I, as I have been told by my some of my state univ e r s i t y friends, also have an elitist subconsciousness that makes me narrowminded in a lot of ways. And likewise, I cannot justify the anger and distrust towards the Japanese that my grandparents have. But I also haven’t lived in under the thrust of Japanese imperialism as they have. We all don’t know the best answer, but we know that there are better answers. Even as I end this column, I still feel inclined to justify my infuriation; to emphasize that my infuriation is more “correct” than the ignorance of others. But my infuriation simmers down when I know that others have been more misled than I have been. Many of us have a savior complex but don’t own up to it. I’m thankful for my education and to those who have helped me think broadly — but I’m no savior. All you and I can really do is make sure other people aren’t misled any further. Teresa Kim is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at tkim@cornellsun.com. Her Meneutics appears alternate Wednesdays this semester.
8 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, November 19, 2014
SCIENCE
NANOLithography
MATERIALS SCIENCE
Science ArounD Ithaca
Megan Hill ’15 Optimizes Alternative Semiconductor JIM WILSON / THE NEW YORK TIMES
By DEANNA LYE Sun Contributor
Silicon lies at the heart of every electronic device, its unique structure of four outer electrons allowing it to form four covalent bonds with other silicon atoms to create a stable crystal lattice. This makes it an ideal semiconductor — a material that responds to varying input in temperature, light or heat by increasing in electrical
conductivity. Ask Megan Hill ’15, however, and she will tell you that a new compound is on the rise — one that may be shortly taking the electronics industry by storm. That compound is indium gallium arsenide — InGaAs for short — and it has been found to provide higher electron mobility than silicon, according to Hill. Since her sophomore year, Hill has
worked at the lab of Prof. Michael Thompson, materials science and engineering, to test the limits of semiconductors.
use of a technique called Raman spectroscopy to determine the temperature threshold for damage of InGaAs. “Raman spectroscopy is a less invasive
“[Indium gallium arsenide] may be the potential semiconductor material to replace silicon in the electronics industry.” Megan Hill ’15 “After my first year at Cornell, I wanted to pursue an activity outside of my academic classes, and research was one of the things that came to mind,” Hill said. Hill’s research centers around the idea of “doping,” or the manipulation of the material properties of a semiconductor. In particular, Hill said she and Thompson worked on a process known as Laser Spike Annealing, or LSA. Prior research lacked knowledge on the thermal behavior of InGaAs under LSA, and Hill’s research topic greatly contributed to the knowledge pool about the capabilities of InGaAs. By collaborating with IBM, Hill said she had access to the
technique for determining the thermal properties of InGaAs, which is more fragile than silicon.” Hill said. She added that the technique provided Hill a successful prediction of the onset of temperatures that activate or damage the InGaAs sample. The adoption of LSA over standard annealing would allow for rapid thermal annealing, where semiconductor materials can be “heated and quenched in under two seconds” by utilizing a high-powered laser, according to Hill. “As current studies show that InGaAs has difficulty in reaching the same activation levels as silicon, the speed of the LSA technique alleviates some of these issues,” Hill said. According to Hill, the use of the LSA method may have wide effects on the electronics industry, as it can lower nanofabrication costs and chip performance can be improved. According to Hill, large compaines such as IBM, Texas Instruments, Inc. and Intel Corporation have all set their eyes on adopting the LSA technique for InGaAs semiconductors. “InGaAs may be the potential semiconductor material to replace Silicon in the electronics industry,” Hill said. Hill’s research topic earned her first prize at the TechCon 2014 science and engineering conference in Austin, Texas in September. The TechCon conference was a three-day event funded by the Semiconductor Research Corporation that provided a professional meeting opportunity between industrial representatives and consultants who judged the research posters prepared by undergraduate students.
COURTESY OF MEGAN HILL ’15
Fire the laser | Above: The laser spike annealing process utilizes a laser source to transfer lithographic patterns onto the semiconductor material. Below: Germanium and indium gallium arsenide metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors.
Deanna Lye can be reached at dsl235@cornell.edu.
THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, March 25, 2015 9
SCIENCE
Science Around Ithaca Liu ’15 and Chettiar ’15 Win BioExpo Symposium With Epilepsy Treatment Technique Lena Liu ’15 and Shiva Chettiar ’15 took home first prize at the 13th annual BioExpo Research Symposium Wednesday for their project highlighting a surgical technique to be used as a therapy for focal epilepsy. The symposium consisted of a showcase of posters created by undergraduates and M.Eng. students followed by dinner and lectures by guest speakers. Liu and Chettiar’s poster, which earned them a monetary award of $500, depicted a surgical technique that the two have worked on developing in the Schaffer-Nishimura lab. “Our surgical technique is less invasive than the methods currently used in humans since it utilizes sub-surface, femtosecond laser pulses as a light scalpel around the cortical focus tissue,” Liu said. “In our rodent model of focal epilepsy, we have shown that a single wall of sub-surface, femtosecond laser incisions can reduce the propagation of seizures by about 38 percent.” According to Liu and Chettiar, the event was a good opportunity to share their work with “other motivated and talented student researchers.” “The event was set up very nicely, with poster presentations followed by dinner and fascinating talks given by guest speakers,” Liu said. “At the event, I was amazed by all of the posters that I saw, and it just reminded me of how much talent we are surrounded by on a daily basis at Cornell.” The BioExpo Research Symposium was presented by the Cornell Institute of Biological Engineering, and featured Richard Montagna of Rheonix, Inc. and Prof. Brian Kirby, mechanical and aerospace engineering, as guest speakers. — Noah Rankin
The Corne¬ Daily Sun
Wake up with The Sun every morning.
BOOM 2015: Bits on Our Minds Wednesday, March 25, at 4 to 6 p.m. Duffield Hall Atrium Cornell Computing and Information Science and the College of Engineering present the 18th annual BOOM showcase, in which students show off projects featuring video games, robotics, autonomous vehicles and smart phone apps. — Noah Rankin
Spring Field Ornithology Kickoff Wednesday, March 25, at 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Fuertes Auditorium, Lab of Ornithology This first lecture of the eight-week Spring Field Ornithology course is open to the public and delivered by Steve Kress, the vice president of bird conservation for the National Audobon Society. — Noah Rankin
Special Species Symposium 2015 Friday, March 27, to Sunday, March 29 College of Veterinary Medicine, Varying Locations A weekend-long event put on by Cornell’s Zoo and Wildlife Society, this symposium aims to bring together students, professionals and technicians interested in veterinary medicine and animal management. Species include zoo animals, wildlife, exotics and pocket pets, and lectures begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. — Noah Rankin
w w w. c o r n e l l s u n . c o m
A&E
10 | The Corne¬ Daily Sun | Wednesday, March 25, 2015
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Decayed and Domestic:
Robert Greene’s Actress at Cornell Cinema BY ANITA ALUR Sun Staff Writer
ing her relationship with her partner, Tim Reinke. Burre longs for freedom, and we see this manifest as the camera folRobert Greene’s documentary, Actress, takes us lows her attempt to resuscitate through the domestic life of Brandy Burre, a one-hit her acting career through star of HBO’s The Wire. Burre took a break from act- phone calls, auditions and, ing following her television success to focus on moth- finally, an escape to New York erhood, and Greene captures Burre’s disenchantment City. with her domesticity. Though the film presents itself as Greene’s cinematography is an observational documentary, it possesses elements of one of the most noteworthy fiction as we watch Brandy’s deliberate attempts to elements of the film. He perform for her audience. We never hear Greene employs a multitude of techspeaking to Burre, though there are several scenes in niques that could make the film which she addresses the camera and her audience feel at home in a number of directly. The film feels intrusive at times, but alterna- genres. The movie begins to tively offers Burre opportunities to display her artistic resemble a high-quality home abilities and intimate experiences. video, capturing events as they The film offers a negative perspective on feminine unfold naturally. Through domesticity. Greene focuses his camera on Burre, cen- these shots, we see Burre’s disapplies makeup to her face and stares in the tering on her ideas, emotions and interactions. solving relationship with her mirror or at old photographs of herself. She Though she seems to appear satisfied with her children partner and her exhaustion looks through casting calls and reads aloud and the plight of being a mother, we quickly see with raising her children. We the desired female types, noting the physical through her façade. She speaks directly about her watch her perform the munCornell characteristics she possesses and those that desires to return back to acting and her feelings of dane tasks of a homemaker: she lacks. As Burre begins her journey, she Cinema tries entrapment. Burre idealizes the world of the actress — cleaning up the kitchen sink to reconcile with her age and distance seeing fame, self-sufficiency and artistic expression as and placing her children’s toys from fame and unintentionally returns to a the inevitable benefits of her professional pursuit. She into carefully labeled compartments. Alternatively, state of vanity and self-consciousness. Greene allows us expresses dissatisfaction with her life at home, includ- Greene includes contrived cinematography, creating a to critique Burre’s perspective, leaving us to evaluate fictionalized portrayal of her daily which lifestyle enhances her life more. This critically acclaimed film gives us a multitude life. He gives slow-motion shots of Burre playing with her chil- of viewpoints on fame and motherhood. As Burre dren or strolling across the side struggles to decide which life is better for her, we simof a subway stop. Somber ilarly ask ourselves questions about these various paths. orchestrated tracks play over Burre represents the everyday woman in more ways these moments to produce a than one, and the film becomes less about fame and more melodramatic landscape more about femininity. She longs for an escape from than a documentarian one. The the confines of her home, but her desire to return to a camera takes on a number of fame-filled lifestyle is conflicted and complicated. She roles, at moments capturing repeatedly discusses her desire to become self-suffiBurre’s life as it appears to be, cient and to be her own “breadwinner;” yet, we still see and at other instances portraying her journey as somewhat corrupted. Through Brandy her as a symbol of domesticity Burre we see the continual constraints placed on women, and how, despite feminist efforts, women still and decayed fame. Though Greene portrays feel obligated to choose a single path for themselves. Burre’s return to acting in a posiActress will be screened at Cornell Cinema on tive light, he paradoxically Wednesday, March 25 at 7 p.m. and Thursday, March 26 encourages us to see the flaws in at 9:40 p.m. her perception of fame. He includes a number of shots Anita Alur is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CINEMA GUILD focused on her vanity; in these can be reached at moments, Burre does her hair, aalur@cornellsun.com.
Anita Alur
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
A&E
Wednesday, March 25, 2015 | The Corne¬ Daily Sun | 11
Geronimo! “Fires of Hell” Exploding in Sound
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SPINNING SINGLES O O new and notable music in review
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— Mike Sosnick
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After this Saturday, the music world will get a little emptier. Geronimo!, a Chicago staple, will play their last ever show on March 28 for a passionate hometown crowd. At the end of this stellar seven-year run, we’re left with a post-breakup E.P., Buzz Yr Girlfriend Vol. 4 — Why Did You Leave Me?, due March 31. As the last track on said E.P., the recently released “Fires of Hell” will likely be the final curtain on Geronimo!’s career — and they’re going out with a cosmic bang. Propelled out the gate by Matt Schwerin’s industrially static drums and driven by a pulsing bassline brought to us by keyboardist Ben Griggs, “Fires of Hell” builds, with loud distorted guitar solos wailing over even louder ones. Edged on by Kelly Johnson’s dark, resigned vocals, the track crescendos for almost two thirds of its runtime, building not to a head but rather to an abrupt stop. While “Fires of Hell” may have spelled Geronimo!’s own abrupt stop, the band’s death will enshrine them in rock heaven.
National Park & Television Service
n the recent series finale of Parks and Recreation, Ron Swanson tells his workplace acquaintance Leslie Knope, “Establishing this National Park right next to Pawnee was quite an accomplishment. This is a fine piece of land you saved.” Next year, the National Park Service will celebrate its 100th anniversary, and with it a century of preservation of the United States’ most important natural and cultural landmarks. Although television shows don’t preserve history in exactly the same way that Ellis Island does, there are more similarities than one might expect. This train of thought was sparked by a recent day trip to Seneca Falls to visit the Women’s Rights National Historical Park and fueled whilst re-watching Season seven, Part one of Mad Men in preparation for the series’ final installment (read: procrastinating working on my thesis). Physically being able to walk down the same street that Elizabeth Cady Stanton did made me feel the history in the same way that the thoroughly researched set design, costumes and dialogue of Mad Men did. There’s something about fiction that allows you to understand the emotions of events that seem far-removed and the impact of those events on individuals. And even though Mad Men preserves the ’60s in a very deliberate way, Parks and Recreation, Gilmore Girls, 30 Rock, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and other
COURTESY OF AMC
shows with frequent cultural references do the same thing inadvertently by rooting themselves in their time period. Parks and Recreation, by referencing Ginuwine and the new J.J. Abrams Star Wars, roots itself in the 2010s. The Mindy Project’s line saying Kris Jenner’s womb is a national treasure, Girls giving Shoshannah a chance to embrace her “Lean In Moment” and House of Cards featurCOURTESY OF NBC ing the members Pussy Riot as themselves all do the same. The practice of including numerous references to contemporary cultural or political figures is a relatively new pattern in television shows. If you watch Friends now, you’ll find a surprisingly few number of references, especially when you compare it to something like 30 Rock, which began only two years after Friends ended and is chock-full of allusions to Lost, Precious and Mad Men among others. This is because Friends was made to appeal to a global audience, and more importantly for reruns. TV shows used
to be purposefully timeless; you could watch an episode of Frasier now or 10 years ago, and besides the high-waisted pants, the show wouldn’t seem different or old fashioned — the jokes still hold up. And come to think of it, high-waisted pants are back in. But the model of television is ever changing, and shows are no longer made for syndication. A byproduct of that development is the creation of rich primary source documents for future historians looking back on right now. And moreover, they are the kind of document that allows one to actually feel the impact of the moon landing on teenagers in 1969 and of Pussy Riot and Russia’s domestic and foreign policy right now — not just know what the facts are. (I apologize for the House of Cards spoilers for those of you who haven’t gotten there yet — but actually, not really. What’s taking you so long?) By the time that the National Park Service was established, much of the nation’s wilderness had already been devastated by industrialization. When the National Historic Preservation Act was passed in
1966, many historical landmarks were in the process of being demolished. The parks were an attempt to hold that destruction at bay. Through the act of preservation, one can see change but also the lack thereof. Even though the United States has 401 National Parks, the destruction of historical landmarks and the environment is still very much alive. The world of Mad Men is gone, but many aspects of that time linger on: the glass ceiling Peggy
Julia Moser Carrot Top Confessions attempts to break through, the racism that Dawn encounters, the homophobia that forces Salvatore out of the advertising business. Basically, this is all to say that change is scary, and that fear often drives people to preserve things: buildings, pieces of land or moments in time. Yet, those preservations often illustrate how little has actually changed. And all the while new parks, like Pawnee National Park, are constantly being created. That’s a fine piece of culture they saved. Julia Moser is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at jmoser@cornellsun.com. Carrot Top Confessions runs alternate Wednesdays this semester.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
12 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, March 25, 2015
COMICS AND PUZZLES
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Visits 8 Legal test, familiarly 14 Reporter’s needs 15 Punk rock surname 16 Like some watches 18 Cost-of-living fig. 19 Feed in a bag 20 “Am __ the right track?” 22 Bath floater 26 Gumbo veggie 27 Nylons, fishnets, etc. 28 Petty squabbles 29 Penny-__ 30 “I’ll have another” responder 34 Neon, or fuel for a Neon 35 Patchwork plaything 36 Public image, briefly 39 Freaked out 40 One-eighties 41 Freak out 44 Shows proof of 46 Player with a record 14 100RBI seasons 47 Running a marathon may be on it 50 ’90s “SNL” regular Meadows 51 “__ Jim” 52 Knack for snappy comebacks 53 Project suggested by the starts of 16-, 22-, 35- and 47-Across 59 River through Toledo 60 Hall who won on “Celebrity Apprentice” in 2012 61 Linen closet stack 62 Jones with a diary DOWN 1 Cincinnati-toNashville dir. 2 Shelley’s “__ Skylark” 3 Pariahs 4 Private school student
5 Parchment user 6 Atmo- kin 7 “Ash Wednesday” poet’s monogram 8 __ by fire 9 Speed 10 Ambulance VIPs 11 Fluffy scarf 12 Golfer Sorenstam, who was among the first women to become honorary members of St Andrews golf club in February 2015 13 Comeback 17 More than sniffle 21 “One Mic” rapper 22 Carpet type 23 The last Mrs. Chaplin 24 __ renewal 25 How some wines are sorted 26 Facing: Abbr. 28 Pommes frites sprinkling 31 Nutritional stat 32 Coin for Putin 33 …cole attendee 35 Korean soldier
36 Speaking from memory 37 Spud sprouts 38 Furtive attentiongetter 39 Saturn, for one 40 Like sketchbook paper 41 Collected dust 42 Rainbow makers 43 Big brass output 45 Formal admission
47 Lisa of “Enemy of the State” 48 They can be hard to fight 49 Atlanta-based health agcy. 51 Sherbet flavor 54 Repent 55 Photo __ 56 Throw too low, say 57 Merkel’s “never” 58 Captured
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
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03/25/15
Sun Sudoku #13: Be a Star
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)
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14 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, March 25, 2015
NEWS
Skorton Reflects on Improving Communication in Shared Governance System
In last visit to U.A., Skorton says representatives should consider making actions ‘more local’ SKORTON
Continued from page 1
director of the Office of the
Assemblies] and her colleagues have developed will also allow us to look at the time course [of shared governance resolutions],”
Skorton said. “One potential suggestion … is to consider the U.A., perhaps of all the shared governance groups, of keeping
track of how the administration is doing in that dialogue developed by the resolutions.” Skorton said he believes the administration could improve the sharing of information with shared governance groups during their early stages of creating resolutions. “I know I could do a lot better and the administration could do a lot better on sharing things that are being considered before they are finally decided,” Skorton said. “At least it is conceivable that the shared governance leaders could do better of sharing with the administration things that you are thinking about.” Also, Skorton recommended
Cornell,] I wondered whether it might be helpful for certain issues at certain times to have more of a local element of discussion.” In addition to his suggestions to improve communication between the shared governance system and the University, Skorton said the leaders of the different shared governance groups should reach out to one another. “I think what would be very productive is for the leaders of the shared governance groups to talk directly to each other,” Skorton said. “In addition to [the U.A.], it would be good to foster, I think, more direct conversation among the chairmen of the
“I think what would be very productive is for the leaders of the shared governance groups to talk directly to each other.” President David Skorton that the U.A. examine the frequency of its meetings with the president and to what extent such visits further the communication between the two and help the shared governance system. “It is an important thing to think about what communication could occur between visits and separate of resolutions,” he said. Skorton also suggested that those in the shared governance system consider looking for ways to move some actions away from the central, administrative level of the University to more local levels. “The shared governance input is all at the central level of the university, or very predominantly at the central level if not entirely,” Skorton said. “Both at the University of Iowa, when I was an administrator there, and here [at
shared governance groups, depending on the issue involved.” While Skorton called on the U.A. to work with him on issues nearing completion, he said important new resolutions that might have lasting impacts on the University should also be considered by President-elect Elizabeth Garrett. “To the extent that we can wrap up things that we know are pending between us, we should do that,” Skorton said. “If there are issues that are going to have very important long term ramifications for the University, I think it is very important to take into consideration Beth Garret’s opinion on those, even though she is not here right now.” Christopher Byrns can be reached at cbyrns@cornellsun.edu.
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THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, March 25, 2015 15
SPORTS
Red Claims17th in Nation Expect Tight NBA Cornell ends 2014-15 season with a record of 16-8 MVP Race to Go Down to the Wire FENCING
Continued from page 16
“In the semi-final bout, I was a few points down rather quickly,” Wines said. “When I fence I try not to focus on the score but on the fencing itself. Even when I am losing, I never stop trying to out fence my opponent.” Wines started chipping away at Garcia’s lead with a great run of fencing, including three consecutive touches at the end of the second period and a double-touch at the start of the third, to make the score 8-6 in favor of Garcia. The Cornell fencer then closed to within one point through a skillful counterattack. However, after trading touches, Garcia went on a 41 run to go up by four with the clock running low in the final period. Despite once again closing the gap to 13-11, Wines was able to complete the comeback eventually losing 15-11. With such an impressive performance as only a sophomore, Wines said she is confident she can keep improving and come back next year even stronger. “After this weekend, I can say I am looking forward to next season and pushing myself even more,” Wines said. “The NCAA Championship is a great tournament and I would love another chance at the title. I am just trying to be the best fencer I can be and I am constantly trying to improve myself.” Sera and Gangemi both put in good performances in their round robin competition, with Sera recording victories and Gangemi four, to finish 22nd and 24th. The NCAA tournament marks the end of the Red’s fencing season, with Cornell finishing with a strong 16-8 record. “As a captain I am really proud of how the team has worked really hard throughout the season, there was not really a moment where people were slacking,” Gangemi said. “It is a long season and a lot of hard work and I think that really showed.”
Joel Cooper can be reached at jcooper@cornellsun.com.
A Father and Son Affair
KEVIN LILES / THE NEW YORK TIMES
R.J. Hunter embraces his father and coach Ron Hunter after a game earlier this season. Last week, Hunter, a 6’5” junior, helped lead his 14th seeded Georgia State Panthers to an upset over third seeded Notre Dame.
Red Dominant at Regionals Again POLO
sophomore Emma Eldredge. “They are incredibly nice and the game was really fun to play in. The final game was against Throughout the third and fourth chukker, UConn. UConn is always a difficult and the Red kept up its lead, and ended the physical team to play. We came out strong match with the win. The match ended with and were winning most of the game by five or six points until the fourth chukker. We an overall score of 25-5. won 16-14 in a well-fought game. Overall, Cornell’s final we are happy match against with how we did UConn proved to “We are very optimistic going into in regionals.” be a bit tougher Nationals this year, we’re hoping to Both teams are than its first. The looking forward first chukker was bring the title back to Cornell.” to the USPA full of back-andNick Steig N a t i o n a l forth play and the In t e r c o l l e g i a t e teams went into Championships. the second chukker with a 3-3 tie. However, by the end Steig said both teams feel good about their of the second chukker, Cornell pushed the chances to win the National Championship. “We are very optimistic going into Huskies and built a five-point advantage. UConn put up a fight during the third and Nationals this year, we’re hoping to bring the fourth chukkers, cutting the Red’s lead to title back to Cornell,” he said. “We have just two points. But the late rally came up been playing extremely well as a team, we’ve short and UConn could not stop Cornell found a way to incorporate all of our indifrom being victorious. The Red won the vidual skills. Given the strength and depth of our team, we’re very confident this year.” match by a final score of 16-14. “Our regional tournament went very well. Our first game was against Skidmore, a Elani Cohen can be reached at ecohen@cornellteam who we always love to play,” said sun.com. Continued from page 16
ZAKOUR
Continued from page 16
matter only for other equally arbitrary and nebulous comparisons. This current MVP race in the Association is the closest I can remember. It’s a five player race in my mind, that has been trimmed to four players in the all-important national narrative. Those four are guards Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, along with forward and all-time great LeBron James. I believe Pelicans forward Anthony Davis should be right up there with them — but some combination of missed playing time and his team being on the outside of a playoff berth has kept him out of consideration. It’s a shame, because the first overall pick in the 2012 draft has been unstoppable defensively, leading the league in blocks. Not to mention Davis is averaging a highly efficient 24.6 points on 54 percent shooting, good for a league leading 31.4 PER, to go with over 10 boards a game. No one can change a game in more ways than Anthony Davis. But it just isn’t his year. LeBron James is still probably the best player in basketball, all things considered. Despite that, I can see how he’s not in the MVP lead. James is not leading the league in any major categories, and has missed some time. Even if James is playing at an MVP level now, he started the season slow as his Cavs limped out to a 19-20 start. In the horse race of the MVP, LeBron just turned on the jets as his team solidifies itself as the second best in the East. Combined with voter fatigue (they’d always rather inscribe a new name on the trophy), it seems LeBron won’t be claiming a fifth MVP this year. Which I can live with. As for the trio of Curry, Westbrook, and Harden — I have no idea how you can pick one of the three. Yet, there can only be one MVP. All three guards are dynamic (mainly just offensively) and can go the length of the court, get a bucket, foul and make something out of nothing instantly. Every day, one or all three of them will have an insane highlight. Sometimes it’s Harden making an impossible step back jumper while quintuple teamed, or Curry making an equally impossible pinpoint pass through traffic or Westbrook shredding an entire defense and punctuating it with a ferocious dunk. To complicate things further, each member of the three is carrying out a slightly different task for their team. Curry is the best player on the Warriors (57-13) league leading juggernaut. He keeps Golden State’s offense humming along and running over teams. He always seems to get the best out of his teammates. Curry is the best shooter in the NBA, shooting over 41 percent from range and over 91 percent at the stripe, and does things no one else can while averaging 23 and 8 assists. With Dwight Howard battling injuries all season, James Harden has been carrying the Rockets,
putting up just under 27 a game while handing out seven assists. Harden has always been a force offensively. But the difference this season is that he’s become a more complete player, going from a train wreck defensively to just average and the Rockets are the beneficiaries. If Harden is carrying the Rockets, then Westbrook has been putting the Thunder on his back and singlehandedly willing them to a playoff berth. Westbrook is on a war path, stopping at nothing until his team has secured a spot in the
“Westbrook is on a war path, stopping at nothing until his team has secured a spot in the hyper-competive West playoffs.” hyper-competitive West playoffs. Even though he’s been the least efficient player of the three, no one has had more asked of them. Westbrook is doing it all without the reigning MVP Kevin Durant, who has only been in action for 27 games. I would give my MVP vote to Westbrook (actually Anthony Davis, but that’s not happening. That’d be the basketball equivalent of voting for Ralph Nader or Ron Paul). Westbrook has had an astounding nine triple-doubles. Nine. Westbrook has just been the embodiment of of carrying his team. Since February, he’s basically averaging a triple-double (31.5, 10.7 assists, and 9.4 rebounds). Westbrook is also clearly the best defender of three, and a pretty stout perimeter defender at that. I’m guessing the voters give the award to Curry based on recent history. Voters like a winner, and Curry’s Warriors are the best team in the league. In fact, I’d say who anyone tabs as the MVP is a reflection of what they value in a player. Curry is the winner, Westbrook is Mr. Everything for his team, Harden is somewhere in between. Even if he can’t take home an MVP for his efforts, I’m glad Russell Westbrook is getting his due. Westbrook has certainly not been immune to criticism in his career. After last year’s playoff loss to another superior team, people questioned Westbrook’s ability play a supporting role to Durant. To many, he was a point guard who took too many of shots away from Durant. Westbrook is a dynamic scorer capable of the spectacular, and now everyone can see it plainly. He turns the ball over a little too much (or a lot too much at times), which probably doesn’t make him a *perfect* fit for the Thunder when Durant is in full force. But he’s a great player and special talent, an MVP-caliber player. John Zakour can be reached at jzakour@cornellsun.com.
Sports
The Corne¬ Daily Sun
WEDNESDAY MARCH 25, 2015
16
FENCING
WinesTakesThird Nationally; Sera and Gangemi Rank inTop 25 By JOEL COOPER Sun Staff Writer
The women’s fencing team rounded off its season with three athletes competing at the NCAA Fencing Championship over the weekend. Cornell had a strong perfor“Bout after bout is really mance, with sophomore mentally and physically Victoria Wines earning a bronze challenging and you medal in the epee event. Her need to stay focused.” strong showing Sera Gangemi was the highestever finish by a Cornell fencer at the NCAA Tournament. Cornell’s other fencers, junior Ediona Sera and junior captain Angelica Gangemi, both competed in the foil event, finishing 22nd and 24th, respectfively. These combined results gave the Red a team finish of 17th. Cornell was coming off of a successful NCAA Regional Tournament where Wines finished first out of the 58 epee fencers and Sera and Gangemi
secured qualification for the national competition. According to Gangemi, the three athletes spent the practices before the national competition fine tuning their skills and mentally preparing for the challenge ahead. “We wanted to make sure we just stayed sharp throughout the weeks leading to the NCAA [Tournament] and didn’t lose any technique, especially point control,” Gangemi said. “It is a very high level of competition. Bout after bout is really mentally and physically challenging and you need to make sure you stayed focused.” The NCAA Tournament starts with a roundrobin between all 24 fencers in each division, with the highest four finishers progressing to the semifinals. Wines’ confidence showed as she got off to a flying start, winning the round-robin with a record of 17-6. This performance qualified Wines for the semi-finals where she faced off against NJIT fencer Julia Garcia in the semi-finals. Garcia jumped out to an early 3-0 advantage over Wines who, despite responding with a touch of her own, was quickly down 6-1. Despite the daunting lead, Wines said she tried to stay positive and started to mount a comeback. See FENCING page 15
Wonderful Wines | Sophomore Victoria Wines claimed third place at the NCAA Fencing Championship this weekend.
COURTESY OF VICTORIA WINES
POLO
Westbrook C.U. Polo Teams Cruise to Nationals For MVP Men and women earn victories, continue dominance at Regionals L By ELANI COHEN
ast time I wrote about the NFL when the NBA was in season. I have to write about basketball now. I won’t even mention the NFL’s sad veteran combine, the Colts’ amazing proposal about a three point conversion, or the fact there could be *two* teams in the City of Angels soon. I’ll just
John Zakour Point Blank keep it to basketball. The MVP and I have a love-hate relationship. It’s an award, and awards are given arbitrarily. The MVP campaign is a horse race — who’s ahead, who’s lost ground and who’s gained it. It’s not really a holistic picture at the end of the season. But the MVP does matter. When Hall of Fame worthiness is debated and careers are compared, MVP awards are the first thing to come to mind. Steve Nash retired, not just as a great point guard, but as one of the few back-to-back MVP award winners. It puts his career in a different echelon. So when people say MVP awards don’t matter, they do — even if they See ZAKOUR page 15
Sun Staff Writer
Both of Cornell’s polo teams were victorious in the USPA Northeast Intercollegiate Regional Tournament this past weekend. The men’s team has earned the Regional title a total of 21 times, including 12 of the last 13 years. The women’s team has earned the Regional crown 22 times. In the tournament, the men’s team played against Harvard and Skidmore, while the women’s team also versed Skidmore as well as the home team, UConn. The Regional Tournament took place in Storrs, Connecticut. Next week is the USPA National Intercollegiate tournament, which will also be played in Storrs. The men’s team started the tournament with a match against Harvard. The Red began the match with sophomore Ignacio
Masias and seniors Alex Langlois and Nick Steig on the field. Cornell didn’t waste any time, and ended the first chukker with an 11-0 lead over the Crimson. As the second chukker began, senior Hakan Karabey replaced Langlois, helping the Red increase its lead. Cornell went into the half with a 19-2 advantage. Steig was replaced by freshman Kimran Pirasteh during the third chukker. The match ended in the Red’s favor with a final score of 31-6. This was Cornell’s second highest scoring match of the season. Masias led the scoring with nine goals, followed closely behind by Steig and Pirasteh, who both had seven. Langlois and Karabey each chipped in four. Masias and Steig were also voted to the all-star team.
MICHELLE FELDMAN / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
“This weekend was another successful weekend for both the men’s and women’s teams, with both teams winning the northeast region for the third year in a row,” Steig said. “Our first game against Harvard was a good victory. We held a comfortable lead all game, which allowed us to focus on ironing out any kinks in our strategy. We had been playing very strong polo going into this weekend, and the results this weekend only showed that we’re continuing our form.” The Red was supposed to play Skidmore in its championship match, but injuries derailed Skidmore from fielding a full team and the Thoroughbreds were forced to forfeit the game. Because of the forfeit, the Red got an automatic bid to the National Championship. “Coming out on top showed that we have great potential as a team for Nationals,” Karabey said. “We are very excited to see all our hard work pay off as we have come together very well as a team. I feel very confident for this year’s tournament.” Like the men’s team, the women’s team was also successful at the Regional Tournament. Cornell started out the tournament with a match against Skidmore. During the first chukker, the Red jumped to a 4-0 lead and continued to build on it all game. Cornell went into half with a ten-point advantage.
Horsing around | The men’s polo team won its 21st Regional title and the women’s team claimed its 22nd this past weekend.
See POLO page 15