INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 134, No. 72
MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018
!
ITHACA, NEW YORK
12 Pages – Free
News
Arts
Sports
Weather
30 Under 30
Unexpected Humor
Early Departure
Cloudy
A Cornell alum was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 - Asia for founding a financial analysis startup. | Page 3
Junior Anthony Angello leaves Cornell to play professional hockey.
David Gouldthorpe ’18 describes the well-written humor in the film The Death of Stalin. | Page 8
HIGH: 40º LOW: 25º
| Page 12
S.A. Presidential Candidate Disqualified for Meme Student is appealing; final ruling in race expected within 2 days By NICHOLAS BOGEL-BURROUGHS and YUICHIRO KAKUTANI Sun City Editor and Sun News Editor
A committee is expected to make a final decision in the next two days on whether a Cornell student kicked out of the race for Student Assembly president — because of a meme posted by one of his supporters — should be reinstated, a ruling that could bring an end to a wild election marred by procedural questions.
EDEM DZODZOMENYO / SUN ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Disqualified? | Devatha ’19 (above) is appealing his disqualification following a supporter’s use of Cornell logos in a meme.
The Student Assembly Elections Committee disqualified Varun Devatha ’19 from the race on March 28, hours after the voting period had ended. The committee said a meme posted by a supporter of his campaign in a Facebook group had violated election rules, according to two people familiar with the matter and internal elections committee documents obtained by The Sun. The meme in question was posted in the Facebook group, “Cornell: Any Person, Any Meme,” by Rachel Wells ’18, a supporter of Devatha’s campaign, who could not be reached for comment late on Sunday night. The meme group is popular among students and boasts a membership of more than 27,000 users, a fact cited by the student who reported the meme to the elections committee. The final results remain unknown as Devatha’s appeal continues. If Devatha’s disqualification is upheld, then Dale Barbaria ’19, the only other person running for the position, will assume the S.A. presidency. Barbaria and Devatha both declined to comment on Sunday night on the revelation that a meme was at the center of the disqualification. “I can't comment on whether or not [Devatha] should be disqualified for that action,” Barbaria said. “It's not my place as a candidate, and especially as the candidate running against him.” “I think it'd be inappropriate for me to comment at this
BORIS TSANG / SUN ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Dale wins? | Barbaria ’19 (above) will be the next S.A. president by default if Devatha’s disqualification is upheld.
time,” Devatha said in a text message. The meme said "STEAL HIS LOOK!" and included a series of items and their cost next to a picture of Devatha. It also included logos of the Cornell School of Hotel Administration and the Hans Bethe House, which are the sources of the dispute, according to a copy of the challenge submitted to the elections committee, which was obtained See ELECTION page 4
23 Law Professors Express Support For Student Suing the University
Police Officers Assaulted and Injured While Trying to Transport Man to Local Hospital
By MARYAM ZAFAR
Sun News Editor
Sun Staff Writer
Twenty-three Cornell Law School professors filed a motion to submit an amici curiae brief in the appeals case of John Doe v. Cornell University on March 25. In the motion, the professors said the University failed to guarantee the accused student his right to have his questions asked to his accuser and expressed their concern about the way Cornell carried out its procedural protections under Title
IX policies. In 2016, a student, referred to in court documents as Sally Roe, filed a sexual assault complaint against another student, referred to as John Doe. In May 2017, Doe was found responsible by the University and was suspended for two years, The Sun previously reported. Doe subsequently filed an appeal to the Third Department of the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court. See BRIEF page 4
SUN FILE PHOTO
Amici curiae | Law professors filed a motion to submit an amici curiae brief explaining concerns over Cornell’s enforcement of Title IX policies.
another, causing the officers to fall, the release said. Officers “repeatedly” told the subject to put his hands behind his back and used a taser multiple times, but the subject “continued to punch and kick and scream at the officers to kill him.”
and the two IPD officers went to a local hospital for their injuries. IPD did not release the Two Ithaca Police name of the subject Department officers were because “he has not been assaulted by a male subject charged with a crime at at 100 East Seneca St. this time,” according to while assisting in serving a the release, and IPD is mental health order on working with the Friday afternoon, accordTo m p k i n s ing to a C o u n t y m e d i a “It is no secret that police officers District release by have a dangerous job ... A t t o r n e y ’s IPD. Office to After a I’m very proud of determine request by a [the officers’] actions.” charges. local mental Chief of h e a l t h Police Chief Pete Tyler Police Pete provider to Tyler emphalocate the At one point, the sub- sized in the media release subject so he could be taken to a local hospital, ject grabbed the butt of that officers must be preofficers found him in a one officer’s holstered pared to handle situations business lobby, the release handgun and said the offi- like Friday’s assault. “It is no secret that said. There, officers tried cers would have to kill to talk to the subject, but him or he would kill police officers have a danhe was “disruptive and them, according to the gerous job,” he said. “Officers have to prepare hostile” toward them and release. The subject was hand- to effectively deal with the “repeatedly threatened to kill the police officers and cuffed “after several min- unknown and the unexcontinuously begged the utes” of the struggle, the pected, and to do so with professionalism and withpolice officers to kill him,” release said. According to the in the confines of the laws according to the release. When officers attempt- release, an ambulance took that govern use of force ed to handcuff the subject, the subject to a local hos- and subject control.” he “punched one officer in pital to fulfill the mental See ASSAULT page 4 the face” and attacked health order’s mandate,
By BREANNE FLEER