INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 131, No. 118
MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2015
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ITHACA, NEW YORK
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Acclaimed soprano singer Prof. Judith Kellock, performance, died last month at the age of 64. | Page 3
Melis Schildkraut ’17 sits down with Cornell Fashion Collective senior designer Toi Bly ’15. | Page 6
The women’s lacrosse team played three games over break, winning its first two and dropping the third. | Page 12
14.9 Percent of Applicants Accepted to Class of ’19 6,234 admitted students come from all 50 states,80 countries
University, compared to 31,235 from last year. Echoing the geographic diversity of previous years, those who were admitted represent all 50 U.S. states, The University notified 14.9 percent of its nearly Washington D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. 42,000 applicants that they were accepted to the Class of Virgin Islands, the University said. Seventy-nine countries outside of the United States are also represented 2019 at 5 p.m Tuesday. The overall acceptance rate for this year’s admissions within this year’s admitted pool. The number of admitted students who self-identify cycle — which accounts for both early and regular deciwith an underrepresented sion acceptances — slightly increased from the Class “I am heartened to know that minority group reached a record high of 1,607, or of 2018’s admit rate of 14 we are admitting a percent. This figure 25.8 percent. community of scholars that last year was 24.9 percent. The number of total exemplifies Ezra Cornell’s Additionally, the proporapplicants for freshman founding principle of ‘any tion of admits who are admission dropped 2.6 women rose to 53.1 perpercent from last year. person, any study.’” cent this year, versus 52.6 While 41,907 applications Jason Locke percent last year. — the second-highest figWhile the median SAT ure in University history — were received this year, a record high of 43,041 appli- I math score for this year’s admitted pool remained constant in comparison to previous years, the median critications were submitted for the Class of 2018. A total of 6,234 students were offered a place in the cal reading score slightly rose. Admits for both the Class of 2019 and Class of 2018 Class of 2019, compared to 6,014 for the Class of 2018. Additionally, Cornell offered 3,589 students a place had an average SAT I math score of 750, while the Class on the waitlist for the Class of 2019, compared to 3,133 of 2019 had an average SAT I critical reading score of for the Class of 2018, according to a University press 730 — 10 points higher than last year. Jason Locke, associate vice provost for enrollment, release. 29,661 applicants were denied admission to the By ANNIE BUI
Sun Managing Editor
SOFIA HU / SUN NEWS EDITOR
Dipping down | Nearly 42,000 students applied to be in the Class of 2019 this year, a 2.6 percent decrease from last year.
said in a University press release that the “extraordinary talent and diversity” found within the Class of 2019 is an indication that Cornell is “attracting the best students” globally. “In this year of sesquicentennial celebrations, I am heartened to know that we are admitting a community of scholars that exemplifies Ezra Cornell’s founding principle ‘any person, any study,’” he said. Annie Bui can be reached at managing-editor@cornellsun.com.
Gorge Death Lawsuit No Tompkins Trust Proposes Downtown HQ Longer Includes Cornell By STEPHANIE YAN
Sun Staff Writer
By ANNIE BUI Sun Managing Editor
The family of an alumnus, who died in a gorge accident more than two years ago, dropped a portion of its lawsuit this week to no longer include Cornell, according to court documents. A lawsuit filed last October alleges the University and City of Ithaca were negligent in maintaining the Cascadilla Gorge Trail along the north upper gorge rim, from which Alan Young-Bryant M.A. ’07 Ph.D. ’11 fell to his
death in December 2012. Young-Bryant, 32, visited Ithaca to see his girlfriend and celebrated with her and colleagues at the Chapter House on Dec. 4, 2012. He was found to be “highly intoxicated” before his death, police records state. His body was found the next morning “laying on the slate stone trail [at the bottom of the gorge] with his feet hanging over a foot ledge above the creek,” according to police reports. He had reportedSee LAWSUIT page 4
COURTESY OF NADAAA
Near the site | Alan Young-Bryant M.A. ’07 Ph.D. ’11 fell to his death from the Cascadilla Gorge Trail that runs along the north upper gorge rim (west of the Stewart Avenue bridge, shown above) in December 2012.
The Tompkins Trust Company is aiming to build a seven-story building for its headquarters in downtown Ithaca, according to JoAnn Cornish, director of the City of Ithaca’s COURTESY OF THE CITY OF ITHACA
Seven stories tall | The proposed Tompkins Trust Company headquarters (diagrammically depicted here in blue) will be located at 118 East Seneca St. downtown.
Planning, Building, Zoning, and Economic Development Department. The proposed 61,000 square-foot development will be located on 118 East Seneca St., next to DeWitt Mall, where the company currently has a drive-through and walk-up office, according to Cornish. Tompkins Financial, the parent company of the Tompkins Trust Company, proposed the new development See FINANCIAL page 4
Mesko’13 Sentenced to Five Years in Prison By SUN STAFF
Former Cornell wrestler Peter Mesko ’13 was sentenced to five years in prison last week after being convicted of firstdegree sexual abuse and seconddegree burglary earlier this year. Mesko broke into a Collegetown residence, where he allegedly raped a female student while she was asleep on March 30, 2013. In addition to the five-year sentence, Judge Joseph Cassidy granted an order of protection — a court order that directs a person not to harm or harass someone — for the next 13 years, The Ithaca Voice report-
ed.
mum sentences for a first-degree A Tompkins County jury sexual assault conviction is two failed to reach a consensus on a to seven years. It is three-and-afirst-degree rape count that half to fifteen years for a secondMesko was also degree burglary concharged with, viction. prompting Cassidy Franklin had asked to declare a mistrial Cassidy to sentence on the charge in Mesko to 12 years, February. Assistant according to The District Attorney Voice. Mesko, who Wendy Franklin had will have to register as until Feb. 20 to a sex offender, rejectdecide whether to ed a plea deal and MESKO ’13 pursue a second trial plead not guilty to his on the rape charge, but it rape charge prior to his trial remains unclear whether prose- which began Jan. 20. cutors plan to retry Mesko, The The Sun’s News Department can be Voice reported. The minimum and maxi- reached at news@cornellsun.com.