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The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 131, No. 131
THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2015
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ITHACA, NEW YORK
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Alex Strauch ’18 talks about his own granola brand, Cayuga Crunch.
Jack Jones ’18 says Villagers’ new album is “good background music for a downer dinner party.” | Page 9
| Page 8
The Ivy League title is on the line for the men’s lacrosse team this weekend. | Page 16
C.U. English Prof, Renowned Scholar Abrams Dies at 102 By PHOEBE KELLER Sun Assistant News Editor
freshman representative, women’s representative and vice president for outreach on the Student Assembly. “I think [that] given my experience being on the S.A. for the past two years, I have what it takes to advocate for students, make structural changes and look at Cornell beyond just as a business and make it more about the experiences of students,” she said. Brown said he is running for the position because as a campus tour guide, he sees prospective students “with a great deal of optimism” but that he finds such hope fading away once the students arrive on campus.
M.H. “Mike” Abrams, a beloved English professor at Cornell and renowned literary critic who created the prestigious Norton Anthology of English Literature, died Tuesday at the age of 102. Abrams, the Class of 1916 Professor Emeritus of English, came to Cornell in 1945 as an assistant professor and retired nearly 40 years later in 1983, according to a University press release. His students over the years included literary critics Harold Bloom ’51 and E.D. Hirsch ’50, in addition to novelist Thomas Pynchon ’59, the University said. Abrams was born in Long Branch, New Jersey in 1912 and majored in English at Harvard University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1934. He also studied philosophy at Cambridge on a fellowship, according to the release. He came back to Harvard a year PROF. ABRAMS later, earning a master’s degree in English in 1937 and a Ph.D. three years later. It was there that he met his wife of 71 years, Ruth Claire Gaynes. Once he arrived at Cornell, Abrams helped found the A.D. White Center for the Humanities, known today as the Society for the Humanities. He was also a supporter of the Cornell University Library, the University said. One of Abrams’ foremost contributions to the study of literature is The Norton Anthology of English Literature, which he edited through seven editions from 1962 to 2000. Abrams also penned and edited more than a dozen widely read and
See DEBATE page 4
See ABRAMS page 4
MICHAELA BREW / SUN SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Face off | Undergraduate student trustee candidates Yamini Bhandari ’17, Blake Brown ’17 and Sam Morrison ’17 speak about their platforms at a debate hosted by The Cornell Daily Sun in Willard Straight Hall Wednesday.
Trustee Hopefuls Talk Platforms By MADELINE COHEN Sun Assistant News Editor
Three candidates vying for the position of undergraduate student trustee spoke about their platforms and stances on campus issues at a debate in Willard Straight Hall Wednesday. Trustee candidates Yamini Bhandari ’17, Blake Brown ’17 and Sam Morrison ’17 spoke about what they hope to achieve on the Board of Trustees if elected during the event, sponsored by The Cornell Daily Sun and moderated by Editor in Chief Tyler Alicea ’16. Bhandari said she believes she could be a “strong voice” for students as a member of the Board of Trustees, given her previous experience as
Charter Day Organizers Prepare for Celebrations By OLIVIA LUTWAK Sun Staff Writer
After five years of preparation, the Charter Day celebrations will arrive this weekend, full of events, performances and lectures to celebrate the University’s 150th birthday. Festival of Ideas and Imagination
Charter Day Weekend will feature a host of discussions, musical events, literary readings and films, according to Prof. Isaac Kramnick, government, a member of the sesquicentennial steering committee. He called the weekend “an academic festival.” “We did not want to duplicate the centennial of 1965, when there were only a series of panel discussions with distinguished scholars, many foreign, and none of whom had any connection to Cornell,” Kramnick said. “We wanted a different
kind of weekend … and we wanted the people participating to be, as much as possible, important graduates of Cornell.” Planning for the festival began five years ago, and all of the guests are coming “to honor their university,” Kramnick said. Prof. Glenn Altschuler Ph.D. ’67, American studies, said the festival is a result of the work of hundreds of faculty, staff, students and alumni volunteers. According to Altschuler, who is chair of the sesquicentennial steering committee, some of the events have already sold out, including a presentation by Bill Nye ’77 and Prof. Steve Squyres, physical sciences, a baroque organ performance and a Saturday evening concert featuring the Cornell Chorus and Glee Club. “It is not easy for me to choose a favorite,” Altschuler said. “[Still], I encourage everyone to attend the Charter Day convocation on Monday morning,
when classes are cancelled. It will begin with the world premier of a video which has some of the most stunningly beautiful views of the campus I have ever seen.” EzRoots Performance Festival
The student group EzRoots will host a performance festival this Saturday and Sunday, from 1 to 4 p.m. each day on Ho Plaza, according to Bridgette Aumand ’15, one of the festival organizers. “We will have spoken word artists, instrumental groups and the Big Red Pep Band as well,” Aumand said. “We are so excited to be involved in this project and get to show alumni just how talented, interesting and passionate our campus artists and performers are.” EzRoots began as an idea by a group of students “as a way of providing a venue for See CHARTER DAY page 4
CAMERON POLLACK / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER