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Pledging to Pay
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Cornell and TCAT sign an agreement that formalizes the University’s increased payments to the company. | Page 3
Hadiyah Chowdhury ’18 reflects on the Pixar summer blockbuster’s strengths and weaknesses. | Page 20
Julie Farlow ’97 takes over as head coach for Cornell’s softball team. | Page 32
GARRETT BEGINS TENURE AS 13TH PRESIDENT Former U.of Southern California provost becomes first woman to helm University
Cornell and to working with you on a shared quest: to make Cornell an even more distinguished and distinctive university with a deep commitment to A previous version of this story was published online the life of the mind that is expressed through discovery, creativity, intellectual and societal engagement on July 1. Elizabeth Garrett began her tenure as the 13th and impact that spans the globe,” she said in a letter sent to faculty and staff July 1. and first female president of Since being named president Cornell University on July 1, nine “Over the next few weeks of Cornell in September, Garrett months after she was first named and months, I look forward attended various University events to the position. She succeeds President to learning from you about including Homecoming, Charter Emeritus David J. Skorton, who the full breadth of Cornell.” Day Weekend and sesquicentennial celebrations in Los Angeles completed his presidency June 30 and San Francisco, according to a after nine years to lead the President Elizabeth Garrett University press release. She assistSmithsonian Institution in ed in the selection of the new vice Washington, D.C. Garrett will be officially inaugurated on Sept. 18, in a ceremony on president for student and campus life, Ryan the Arts Quad during Homecoming Weekend, Lombardi, and headed the search for Cornell’s new provost, Michael I. Kotlikoff. according to the University. “Over the next few weeks and months, I look forward to learning from you about the full breadth of See GARRETT page 4
By ANNIE BUI
Sun Managing Editor
COURTESY OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY
All smiles | Elizabeth Garrett will be officially inaugurated on Sept. 18 during Homecoming Weekend, according to the University.
Officials Celebrate Cornell Tech Campus Kotlikoff Groundbreaking, $100 Million Donation Appointed By TYLER ALICEA Sun Editor in Chief
A previous version of this story was published online on June 16. With a newly announced $100 million donation in
hand and construction underway, Cornell administrators and dignitaries descended on Roosevelt Island on June 16 for the groundbreaking ceremony of what they described as the “transformative” Cornell Tech, the University’s soon-to-
be applied sciences campus. Officials at the ceremony lauded former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg for his $100 million gift to the campus. The donation from Bloomberg Philanthropies, announced June 15, will go TYLER ALICEA / SUN EDITOR IN CHIEF
Transformative tech | Construction proceeds at the future site of Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island in June, when dignitaries and University officials gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of the campus.
towards the Bloomberg Center, an academic building in honor of his daughters Emma and Georgina. “New York City became the greatest city in the world because we dared to dream bigger than everyone else, and this project … is part of the tradition,” Bloomberg, 73, said at the ceremony held at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park adjacent to the tech campus site, expected to open in 2017. Bloomberg, whose administration oversaw the applied sciences competition that concluded with Cornell as the winner in December 2011, added that he could leave no greater inheritance for his daughters than the gift he said would support “a brighter future for them and New York City.” Officials throughout the ceremony spoke of how the offerings of Cornell Tech would be different than other graduate education programs See TECH page 4
As Provost By ANNIE BUI Sun Managing Editor
A previous version of this story was published online on July 18. Michael I. Kotlikoff, dean of the KOTLIKOFF College of Veterinary Medicine, will be the University’s 16th provost, President Elizabeth Garrett announced July 16. Chosen “among a pool of 125 initial prospects,” Kotlikoff assumed the position August 1, according to the University. He succeeds former provost Kent Fuchs, who departed Cornell in November to serve as president of the University of Florida. Kotlikoff received his bachelor’s and doctor of veterinary medicine degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and came to Cornell See PROVOST page 6
2 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, August 24, 2015
Today
Monday, August 24, 2015
weather FORECAST
Daybook
Today Walking Tours of Olin, Kroch and Uris Libraries 10 - 10:40 a.m., Upper Lobby, Uris Library Blood Drive 10:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Memorial Room, Willard Straight Hall Get Started With Library Research 11 a.m. - Noon, Uris Library Classroom Lemonade, Lanyards and Life Advice Noon - 4 p.m., Carol Tatkon Center New International Student Orientation 2:30 - 4:30 p.m., Memorial Room, Willard Straight Hall
The week ends on a mild, calm day. Enjoy the weekend, and welcome back, folks.
Fine Arts Library Tour for New Students 4:30 - 4:50 p.m., Fine Arts Library, Rand Hall Blood, Booze, Band-Aids and More 7 p.m., 3330 Carol Tatkon Center
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Welcome back to the Hill. In true Ithaca fashion, the first day of the week is downright humid and rainy. But fear not, because the weather probably only goes downhill from here — and we are not talking about Libe Slope, of course.
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THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, August 24, 2015 3
NEWS
$50M Gift Establishes Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering By DAVID TICZON Sun Staff Writer
A previous version of this story was published online on June 24. With a $50 million gift from Nancy Meinig ’62, Peter Meinig ’61 and family, the decade-old Department of Biomedical Engineering expanded to become the Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, the University announced on June 23. The gift is the “largest single philanthropic commitment by individual donors to one of [Cornell’s] colleges,” according to a University press release. College of Engineering Dean Lance Collins said in the release that the Meinig family’s donation marks a “pivotal moment” for engineering at Cornell. “The Meinig family’s gift is a game changer, in terms of both its size and the effect it will have,” he said. “To provide some historical context, the college’s only other named school is the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, which traces its roots to the 1800s.” University administrators also praised the Meinig family’s generosity. President David Skorton — who will depart Cornell next week to become secretary of the Smithsonian Institution — said the gift will “strengthen the University in countless ways.” “By its very nature, biomedical engineering bridges medicine, engineering and the basic sciences while addressing some of the most daunting health issues of our time,” Skorton said in the release. President-elect Elizabeth Garrett added that the new Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering will become a “powerhouse of teaching and research.” “The [Meinig family’s] new gift sets us on a course for increased impact in biomedical engineering and the convergent biosciences, an interdisciplinary effort that will drive advances in health and well-being over the next decades,” Garrett said. The $50 million gift will also help the new Meinig School to launch a “long-awaited” undergraduate major in biomedical engineering, which will begin taking sophomores in the fall, according to the University. The
BRITTNEY CHEW / SUN NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Engineering expansion | Weill Hall houses the new Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, which will include the long-awaited undergraduate major in biomedical engineering.
Department of Biomedical Engineering currently offers master’s and Ph.D. programs, as well as an undergraduate minor. “Launching our biomedical engineering undergraduate major is an initiative our faculty have been working on for a long time, and an opportunity our students have been eagerly anticipating,” said Prof. Marjolein van der Meulen, biomedical engineering, in a University press release. In fact, a survey administered to the incoming engineering freshman class indicated that 60 percent of students were interested in biological engineering, with 12 percent indicating that biomedical engineering was their top choice, according to the University.
The new biomedical engineering major will offer a core curriculum and options for a concentration in biomaterials and drug delivery; instrumentation and imaging; biomechanics; and molecular, cellular and tissue engineering, according to the University. Prof. Mike Shuler, biomedical engineering, said in the release that he hopes Cornell will become a leader in undergraduate biomedical engineering education. “We have worked for over 10 years to build a department with the diversity of expertise and number of faculty to successfully launch an undergraduate program,” he said. “I am pleased that we have reached that milestone.” David Ticzon can be reached at dticzon@cornellsun.com.
Cornell, TCAT Sign Agreement Lombardi Named Vice President Formalizing Increased Payments For Student and Campus Life Memorandum of understanding signed in late June By ANNIE BUI Sun Managing Editor
A previous version of this story was published online on July 8. Cornell has signed a memorandum of understanding with Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit that formalizes the University’s increased payments to the company over the next three years, according to a joint statement issued by the University and TCAT on July 7. The memorandum, signed in late June, also includes a pledge to begin discussion on a new agreement for payments to TCAT beyond the 2018 fiscal year, the statement
says. Negotiations on a new memorandum of understanding will begin next year and will be signed in 2017. President Emeritus David Skorton said in October that the University will increase its payments to TCAT by a total of $1.125 million over the next three years, The Sun previously reported. Cornell will pay TCAT an extra $250,000 in fiscal year 2016, an additional $125,000 in the 2017 fiscal year for a total increase of $375,000, and another $125,000 for a total increase of $500,000 in the 2018 fiscal year. By 2018, the University’s See TCAT page 6
BRITTNEY CHEW / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Payment pledge | The memorandum of understanding signed between Cornell and TCAT includes a pledge to begin talks on a new agreement for payments to TCAT beyond the 2018 fiscal year.
By SUN STAFF
Elizabeth Garrett said she believes his experience will help “propel the University’s mission forward.” “I am pleased to welcome Ryan Lombardi to Cornell’s leadership team,” she said in a statement. “Ryan is a creative thinker and educational innovated with a genuine regard and respect for students, and a track record of collaborations between student and campus life activities and faculty.”
A previous version of this story was published online on May 18. The University named Ryan T. Lombardi as Vice President for Student and Campus Life, replacing Susan Murphy ’73 Ph.D. ’94, who will retire from the post this summer. Lombardi began his term on Aug. 1. He has served as chief student affairs officer at Ohio University since 2012, overseeing the Office “I am delighted to be of the Dean of joining the Cornell Students, residential housing, Greek life, community.” student organizations and more. Before that, Ryan Lombardi he served as O.U.’s dean of students and Murphy has served over 20 years associate vice president for student affairs and as an assistant and associ- as vice president, having previously ate dean of students at Duke served as dean of admission and financial aid. She stepped down on University. “I am delighted to be joining the June 30, with Associate Vice Cornell community,” Lombardi said President Kellie Page serving as in a statement. “Throughout the interim vice president until search process it was evident that the Lombardi began his term, according students, faculty and staff are among to the University. During her time as an administhe very best in the nation and that trator, Murphy has presided over Cornell is a special institution. I numerous changes to campus, look forward to working alongside students and the dedicated team in including the construction of the Student and Campus Life to contin- North and West Campus housing ue facilitating a world-class learning systems. She has dealt with many campus issues ranging from sexual environment.” At Cornell, Lombardi will oversee violence to student protests and the nearly 4,000 staff and student implementation of the $350 student employees as leader of the Division health fee. Murphy will assist with alumni of Student and Campus Life, previously known as Student and See LOMBARDI page 6 Academic Services. President-Elect
4 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, August 24, 2015
NEWS
Garrett First Woman to Lead Cornell GARRETT
Continued from page 1
COURTESY OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY
Rising above | Earlier this summer, Cornell Tech unveiled plans for the world’s tallest passive house and a hub that will serve as a collaborative space.
Bloomberg:Gift Will Support‘Brighter Future’ TECH
Continued from page 1
and how the campus marked a diversification of the city’s economy to include technology. “Together we have set out to reinvent education for the digital age,” President David J. Skorton said. “There have been only a few events in [Cornell’s] history that I would describe as truly transformative. The creation of this campus is one of them,” added Board of Trustees Chair Robert Harrison ’76, thanking Bloomberg for his donation. Incumbent New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D), often a critic of Bloomberg, praised the former mayor for his work in making the tech campus a reality. “He doesn’t usually do things halfway,” de Blasio said. “He believed in this vision and this possibility for New York City. Largely due to his will and his sense of vision, we’re here today.” Skorton, who departed the University to helm the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., thanked Bloomberg, adding that his administration was responsible for proposing “the original idea that [set] all of this in motion.” “This gift holds special meaning because Mayor Bloomberg first envisioned the Applied Sciences initiative and has seen this project through since its inception in 2011,” Skorton said. Skorton and others also spoke of the buildings that will rise during the first phase of construction. Details regarding The Bridge, described as “the heart of Cornell Tech’s campus” in a press release, and a residential building — the first high-rise of its kind
built to the Passive House standards, a strict international standard for sustainable buildings — were announced within the last week. “Imagine not just the buildings that will be built here, but a new type of place that does not exist yet,” Skorton said. “Cornell Tech will be an open and collaborative place within each building and across buildings.” Also in attendance were Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.), Dan Huttenlocher, dean and vice provost of Cornell Tech, Chuck Feeney ’56, founder of Atlantic Philanthropies, and Lowell McAdam ’76, chair and CEO of Verizon, the latter two having both donated millions to the tech campus. Feeney’s gift of $350 million to the tech campus came just days before Cornell won the tech campus bid, after rival Stanford University unexpectedly dropped out in late 2011. Currently, Cornell Tech has received $685 million in gifts and aims to raise $1 billion by 2021 without pulling from the University’s endowment, according to Skorton. Nearly 100 students have graduated from Cornell Tech thus far since classes began in 2013, with 30 percent of graduates creating companies in New York City, according to Huttenlocher. Students enrolled at Cornell Tech are currently taking classes in temporary spaces donated by Google in its Chelsea headquarters. “I’m proud of what we’ve done so far at Cornell Tech,” Huttenlocher said. “But you ain’t seen nothing yet.” Tyler Alicea can be reached at editor-in-chief@cornellsun.com.
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Garrett also said in the letter that she plans to visit “parts of Cornell” that she had not explored during her time as president-elect, including Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City and the underconstruction Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island. The former provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of Southern California, Garrett has a background in law, having clerked for the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and served as a professor of law at the University of Chicago. At Cornell, she now serves as a tenured faculty member in the Law School with joint appointments in the College and Arts and Sciences and the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management. Annie Bui can be reached at managing-editor@cornellsun.com.
New York Stages Topless Parade NEW YORK (AP) — Broadway put on a very different kind of matinee on Sunday: dozens of bare-chested women and men parading down the Great White Way to Times Square. The GoTopless Pride Parade took to the streets of midtown Manhattan to counter critics complaining about topless tipseekers in Times Square. Appearing bare-breasted has been legal in New York since 1992. But Mayor Bill de Blasio and police Commissioner Bill Bratton say the body-painted women in the square who take photos with tourists are a nuisance. The mayor even suggested doing away with the pedestrian plaza at the “Crossroads of the World” — to control both the topless women trolling for tips and the costumed cartoon characters, some of whom were arrested last year for accosting non-tipping pedestrians. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the scene harkens to the pornographic “bad old Times Square” of the past.
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THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, August 24, 2015 5
NEWS
Cornell Rises to10th Place in Giffords MRP ’96 Urges Ranking of Best Universities Class of ’15 Graduates to By ANNIE BUI Sun Managing Editor
A previous version of this story was published online on July 19. Cornell was named the 10th best university in the world and eighth best in the United States by the Center for World University Rankings. The University’s ranking slightly rose from last year, when it was ranked 11th best university by the CWUR. Harvard University took the title of best world university this year for the fourth year in a row. The CWUR, based in Saudi Arabia, released
its annual list of the top 1,000 world universities on July 17. Schools are ranked based on a methodology involving eight criteria, including the quality of education, quality of faculty and alumni employment. American universities comprised 15 of the top 20 schools on the rankings list. Two Ivy League schools — Dartmouth College and Brown University — did not appear in the top 20. Annie Bui can be reached at managing-editor@cornellsun.com.
Ranking Criteria Quality of Education: 12 Publications: Alumni Employment: 18 Influence: 19 Citations: Quality of Faculty:
23 15 23
Broad Impact: Patents:
23 12
BRITTNEY CHEW / SUN NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Far above Cayuga’s waters | The Center for World University Rankings ranked Cornell University as the 10th best university in the world based on eight criteria including quality of faculty and alumni employment.
Cornell Establishes Skorton Center For Campus Health Initiatives create and implement programs to support the community’s A previous version of this story physical, mental and sociologiwas published online on May 26. cal health [and] will become a At a groundbreaking cere- model of integrated medical mony for the Gannett Health and mental health services Services expansion on May 22, where patients will be treated as Board of Trustees Chair Robert whole persons,” Harrison said Harrison ’76 announced the at the ceremony. Through the center, partnercreation of the Skorton Center ships across the University will for Campus Health Initiatives. The center — named after include faculty from the School of Industrial and Labor Re“[Skorton] has been visible and lations, College visionary in elevating student health of Human Ecology and the as a core element of the University’s Bronfenbrenner mission.” Center for Trans lational Robert Harrison ’76 Research, according to a University press David J. Skorton, Cornell’s release. “[Skorton] has been visible 12th president who departed Ithaca to head the Smithsonian and visionary in elevating stuInstitution on June 30 — will dent health as a core element of include research and evaluation the University’s mission,” programs “to support evidence- Harrison said, adding that the based institutional strategies to new center will recognize strengthen Cornell’s national Skorton as a cardiologist and reputation as a leader in student biomedical researcher. In response to the announcehealth,” Harrison said. “[The Skorton Center] will ment, Skorton said he was By SUN STAFF
speechless. “I am going to remember this day very fondly after I leave Cornell. I didn’t realize [naming the new center] was going to happen,” Skorton said. “We‘re on our way to matching the superb programs that make [University Health Services] what it is, with the facility it needs. Thank you for this humbling surprise.” Additionally, a floor of the health center expansion will be named the “Susan H. Murphy Administration and Health Promotion Floor,” after the retiring Murphy ’73 Ph.D. ’94, vice president for student and academic affairs, according to the University. Construction began on the health facility in late March, with the target of opening in Fall 2017. The $55 million project will involve construction of the addition, followed by renovation of the current Gannett Health Services facility. “This is a building of the campus and for the campus. The Sun’s news department can be reached at news@cornellsun.com.
‘Be Bold...BeYour Best’ By ANNIE BUI Sun Managing Editor
A previous version of this story was published online on May 23. Gabrielle Giffords MRP ’96 and Capt. Mark Kelly spoke of courage and determination to thousands at Schoellkopf Field during the 2015 Senior Convocation on May 23. Giffords, a former representative from Arizona’s eighth district, served from 2007 until January 2012, when she retired from her post to recover from injuries sustained after surviving an assassination attempt in January 2011. Kelly, her husband, is a retired U.S. astronaut and a U.S. Navy captain. “As you get ready to receive your degree tomorrow, you may be asking some questions,” Kelly said to graduates. “You may be asking yourself if it’s okay to take a pass on ambition for a while. You might be asking yourself, what are you going to do next? Or you may be asking if you’re willing to try and to fail.” However, Kelly said he and Giffords wanted students to “forget about all that.” “We want you to think about determination, courage and service,” he said. “And we want you to think about second chances.” Kelly went on to share his own story of determination, one that involved “working hard during [his] last years of high school,” attending the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and setting the “crazy goal” of becoming an astronaut. “We hear a lot of stories about astronauts. That they’re really smart; whiz kids,” Kelly said. “But my brother Scott and I, we weren’t like that. As a result of that, my dad did not see us going to college.” Kelly said when he joined the Navy and attended flight school upon graduating from college, it
did not take him long to realize that he was “kind of a crappy pilot.” “I really believe that how good you are at the beginning of anything that you try is not a good indicator of anything you can become,” he said. “Some of you might have struggled in organic chemistry, but you can get into med school and become a worldclass surgeon, like the surgeon who saved Gabby’s life. You may have gotten a beatdown in macroeconomics, but you can become the economist who helps change the policies that will rebuild our middle class.” Kelly then spoke about a pivotal moment in his life when “courage came in” — when Giffords was involved in an assassination attempt in front of a Tucson supermarket on Jan. 8, 2011. Giffords, who was meeting with her constituents, was shot in the head at point-blank range, along with 18 others. “The road ahead will bring you some unpredictable moments. And at times, it will challenge you beyond what you ever imagined,” he said. “So prepare yourself for tough times the best you can. And in those tough moments, I want you to think about my wife Gabby.” Giffords “has always been an adventurer,” Kelly said. After graduating from Scripps College, she lived in Mexico for a period of time as a Fulbright Scholar, then came to Cornell for two years to pursue a master’s degree in regional planning and development. “Her time here was intellectually stimulating, academically challenging and deeply rewarding. And she loved the Cornell traditions,” Kelly said. Returning to Arizona to run her family’s tire and automotive business, she then had an “equally adventurous” career in politics, See GIFFORDS page 7
MICHAELA BREW / SUN SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Congratulations | Gabrielle Giffords MRP ’96 waves to the crowd of graduating seniors and their families at Senior Convocation on May 23.
6 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, August 24, 2015
NEWS
Provost Will Supervise Cornell Tech Opening PROVOST
Continued from page 1
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in 2000 as professor of molecular physiology, according to a University press release. From 2000 to 2007, he also served as chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences. During his time as dean, Kotlikoff spearheaded initiatives that sought to improve various aspects of the veterinary college, including a comprehensive plan to “enhance the College of Veterinary Medicine’s programs in education,” according to the University. In a letter addressed to faculty and staff announcing Kotlikoff ’s appointment, Garrett praised his achievements in both the academic and administrative realms. “The breadth of his insight and vision, paired with skilled leadership, have been essential to the Veterinary College’s growth, record of innovation and collaboration and academic and clinical prominence during his eight years as dean,” Garrett said. Kotlikoff will lead “a strategic planning process” for the University that will commence in the fall, according to Garrett. As provost, he will also be responsible for recruiting and retaining faculty and supervising the opening of Cornell Tech’s Roosevelt Island campus. Garrett also thanked Harry Katz, former dean of the School of Industrial and Labor Relations, for his “service in the critical role of interim provost.” Katz will return as a faculty member after taking a leave this upcoming year, according to the University. Kotlikoff said in the release that he was “deeply honored” and “enormously excited” to be chosen for the position. “I look forward to collaborating with our talented faculty, students and staff as we work to continue developing the teaching, research and engagement missions that position Cornell among the world’s pre-eminent universities,” he said. Prof. Lorin Warnick, ambulatory and production medicine, will serve as interim dean of the veterinary college. The search for the next veterinary college dean is expected to begin in the coming weeks, according to the University. Annie Bui can be reached at managing-editor@cornellsun.com.
Ryan Lombardi Steps Into Vice Presidency Previously served at Ohio University LOMBARDI
Continued from page 3
engagement and fundraising activities in the Division of Alumni Affairs and Development through next June. Lombardi received a bachelor’s degree in music from West Chester University in 1997 and
his master’s in higher education administration from the University of Kansas two years later. He earned his doctorate in higher education administration in 2013 from North Carolina State University. The Sun’s news department can be reached at news@cornellsun.com.
Cornell,TCAT Sign Formal Agreement Over Payments TCAT
Continued from page 3
annual payment will amount to $3.1 million. Skorton’s announcement last fall came after months of activism from students and community members surrounding issues of TCAT funding and support for the continuation of free first-year bus passes. Joel Malina, vice president for university relations, said in Tuesday’s statement that TCAT’s services remain “essential” to members of the Cornell community. “Cornell welcomes this important agreement with TCAT,” Malina said. “Through this agreement, and the agree-
ment to follow in 2017, we are making clear our ongoing commitment to TCAT’s long-term viability,” he said. TCAT Chairman Frank Proto said the agreement for increased payments would help the organization “maintain a successful transit system.” “I am also pleased that both parties have agreed to continue to negotiate and finalize a method to cover Cornell’s fare payments after fiscal year 2018,” Proto said in the statement. “TCAT’s success depends on the ability to cover costs by collecting adequate fares, as well as on federal, state and local funding.” Annie Bui can be reached at managing-editor@cornellsun.com.
NEWS
Giffords, Kelly Urge Class Of 2015 Graduates to Embody Courage, Service GIFFORDS
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serving in the Arizona House of Representatives and Senate before being elected three times to Congress. “When politics got hot and angry, she stood by her principles and never backed away from her commitment to things,” Kelly said. “And when tough votes came along, like the one on healthcare reform, Gabby voted her values and what she truly believed was in the best interest of this country and her constituents. And she listened to them, and that’s why she was in that Safeway parking lot on that Saturday morning — to listen, and to serve.” Kelly also detailed Giffords’ path to recovery following the shooting, which involved “coming to terms with her own new limitations.” “She had to learn to walk again, to eat, to do everything with her left hand and to do the things in life that you and I take for granted, like speaking,” he said. Seven months after she was injured and still a member of Congress, Giffords “upped the ante” by choosing to go to Washington to vote on the debt ceiling. “Now I’ve seen some courageous things in my life, but I’ve never seen anything like Gabby, barely out of the hospital, to go to the floor of the House of Representatives to have her voice heard one more time,” Kelly said. “Gabby cast that vote that day because she had a responsibility to do so, and to serve her constituents.”
“[Gabby] was given another chance at life, and she was given another chance at service. She has seized that chance.” Mark Kelly Though Giffords decided to step down from Congress in January 2012 to focus full-time on her recovery, Kelly said this was not an easy decision because she had “chosen a career in public service.” “After Gabby resigned from Congress, I always knew that she would find another way to serve and help others succeed, and this is where second chances come in,” he said. “Nearly all people who experience the kind of injury that Gabby had — a bullet to the head at point-blank range — die. But Gabby lived. She was given another chance at life, and she was given another chance at service. She has seized that chance.” Closing his speech, Kelly encouraged graduates to “be the kind of person that makes things happen.” “We need leaders,” he said. “And as a graduate of this school, an educated and thoughtful person, we hope you continue its tradition of service, of serving others, of serving your community in whatever way you can.” Kelly then introduced his wife, the woman who “taught [him] to deny the acceptance of failure,” and helped her become situated at the podium. Giffords was in a wheelchair, due to a broken leg sustained from training for a bike race. “Greetings, I’m Gabby Giffords, and I used to be in Congress, but don’t hold that against me,” Giffords joked as she waved to the crowd. “Graduates, your future shines bright. Starting tomorrow, you can help change the world. The nation’s counting on you to create, to lead, to innovate. But today, we celebrate you. Be bold, be courageous, be your best.” Kelly and Giffords’ remarks were preceded by speeches from Senior Convocation Chair Rachel Gerber ’15, Class of 2015 President Don Muir ’15, Senior Class Campaign Chairs Morgan Miller ’15 and Syed Ali Khan ’15 as well as President Emeritus David J. Skorton. Annie Bui can be reached at managing-editor@cornellsun.com.
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THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, August 24, 2015 7
8 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, August 24, 2015
NEWS BRIEFS
Due to Global Fears, U.S. Stock Market Faces Biggest Drop in Years NEW YORK (AP) — Growing concerns about a slowdown in China shook markets around the world on Friday, driving the U.S. stock market to its biggest drop in nearly four years. The rout started in Asia and quickly spread to Europe, battering major markets in Germany and France. In the U.S., the selling started early and never let up. Investors ditched beaten-down oil companies, as well as Netflix, Apple and other technology darlings. Oil plunged below $40 for the first time since the financial crisis, and government bonds rallied as investors raced into hiding spots. “Investors are wondering if growth isn’t coming from the U.S. or China, where is it going to come from?” said Tim Courtney, CIO of Exencial Wealth Advisors. “This is about growth.” By the time it was over, the Standard and Poor’s 500 index had lost 5.8 percent for the week, its worst weekly slump since 2011. That leaves the main benchmark for U.S. investments 7.7 percent below its all-time high — within shooting range of what traders call a “correction,” a 10 percent drop from a peak. Markets began falling last week after China announced a surprise devaluation of its currency, the yuan. Investors have interpreted China’s move as a sign that flagging growth in world’s secondlargest economy could be worse
than government reports suggest. On Friday, they got more bad news: A private survey showed another drop in manufacturing on the mainland. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index dropped 64.84 points, or 3.2 percent, to close at 1,970.89. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 530.94 points, or 3.1 percent, to 16,459.75. That’s 10 percent off its high, a correction. The Nasdaq slid 171.45 points, or 3.5 percent, to 4,706.04. “Concerns about slowing growth in China are certainly valid,” said Jeremy Zirin, head of investment strategy at UBS Wealth Management. “But there doesn’t seem to be any signal that the weakness abroad is slipping into the U.S. economy.” Investors pointed to other reasons behind the recent sell-off, such as falling prices for oil and other commodities as well as the relatively high prices investors pay for U.S. stocks compared with corporate earnings. “All of this is coming at a time when we haven’t had a correction” in many years, Zirin said. The last time the market slipped into a correction was in October 2011. Until recently, investors seemed willing to shrug off any worrying news, confident that low interest rates from the Federal Reserve and rising corporate profits would help push stocks higher.
Legal Showdown Looms Over NCAA Ban on Paying Athletes ATLANTA (AP) — Fresh off a ruling that Northwestern University football players can’t form a union, the NCAA is about to face a more direct challenge to its longstanding policy of not letting schools pay athletes like they’re professionals. A federal judge who issued a landmark decision against the NCAA last year is considering whether to grant class-action status to lawsuits by current and former college athletes seeking to abolish the NCAA’s prohibition against competitively paying players. Taken together, the cases carry billion-dollar implications and hinge, essentially, on whether the concepts of amateur athleticism and economic competition can co-exist. The NCAA says its model sets a level playing field among schools and their teams. But its business model requires collusion, and critics have long decried it for hampering the competition normally considered healthy in a free market. “These are just educational institutions who have decided to go into a business,” said Jeffrey Kessler, an attorney representing former Clemson football player Martin Jenkins and two others. He has also represented labor unions for professional athletes. “That’s perfectly lawful, but you don't get to conspire not to pay your workers anything in that business.” The Jenkins case, by far the biggest threat to the status quo, aims to strike down any compensation limits for players and let a competitive market emerge. “I think that everyone sees this
is completely in opposition to any model of college sports as we’ve ever known,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said late last year. Another lawsuit brought by former West Virginia University running back Shawne Alston seeks to allow conferences to set their own rules for paying players, and then compete against rival conferences to recruit athletes. The lawsuits may already be having an effect. After years of debate and mounting legal pressure, the NCAA’s dominant conferences agreed to start paying their players the difference between what they receive in scholarships and what it actually costs to attend a school, one of the goals in both cases. Those payments begin this month. Big athletic conferences are already squeamish about even that change. The powerful Southeastern Conference proposed a rule that would force schools to inform the NCAA if their athletes get a stipend that’s bigger than the costs of attendance the schools report to the U.S. Department of Education. While SEC officials said the rule would help maintain transparency, economists critical of the NCAA saw it as a rule designed to deter market competition. The proposal was rejected. Outside of college athletics, economic competition is considered good for society. Prices drop when companies compete to sell laptops, coffee and cars. When firms compete to hire the best workers, wages rise.
NEWS BRIEFS
First Female Soldiers Graduate From Army Ranger School
FORT BENNING, Ga. (AP) — The first female soldiers to complete the Army’s rigorous Ranger School pinned on their black-and-gold Ranger tab at a raucous graduation ceremony Friday, capping their historymaking week and putting a spotlight on the debate over women in combat. With family members, friends, an unusually large media contingent and an all-star cast of former Rangers looking on, First Lt. Shaye Haver of Copperas Cove, Texas, and Capt. Kristen Griest of Orange, Connecticut, graduated alongside 94 male soldiers at a ceremony on the shore of “Victory Pond.” The women drew national attention for finishing the nineweek program designed to test young soldiers’ leadership abilities as the Pentagon approaches decisions on opening all combat positions to women who meet military standards. Their success casts new attention on the obstacles that remain to women who aspire to join allmale combat units, including the 75th Ranger Regiment. Although Haver and Griest are now Ranger-qualified, no
women are eligible for the elite regiment, although officials say it is among special operations units likely to be opened to women eventually. Griest, 26, is a military police officer and has served one tour in Afghanistan. Haver, 25, is a pilot of Apache helicopters. Both are graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Of 19 women who began the Ranger course, Haver and Griest are the only two to finish so far; one is repeating a prior phase of training in hopes of graduating soon. Addressing the graduates, Maj. Gen. Scott Miller said no one should doubt that all 96 graduates met Ranger standards, regardless of their sex, and he congratulated them on proving their mettle. “You’ll leave Victory Pond today with a small piece of cloth on your shoulder, but more importantly you carry the title of Ranger from here on out,” he said. Miller, who gained his Ranger tab 30 years ago this month, is commander of all Army infantry and armor training and education, including the Ranger School.
Jimmy Carter Puts Humanitarian Efforts
On Hold Due to Cancer Treatment
ATLANTA (AP) — Former President Jimmy Carter is stepping back from most of his humanitarian work and surrounding himself with family as doctors target the skin cancer that showed up in his liver and brain. Four generations of Carters are gathering in his tiny hometown of Plains, Georgia, to celebrate his wife Rosalynn’s 88th birthday. He plans to teach Sunday School at his church, as he often does. And on Oct. 1, Carter will turn 91. The former president was relentlessly upbeat Thursday, making jokes and flashing his wide smile during a detailed, 45minute news conference about his melanoma diagnosis and treatment. He said he feels “ready for a new adventure” and said his life’s work is not yet done. “Within the bounds of my physical and mental capability I’ll continue to do it,” Carter said.
“But I’m going to have to give the treatment regimen top priority.” His spirits seemed to dampen only when he expressed doubt about being able to participate in a home-building mission in Nepal this November with Habitat for Humanity. The trip would have been the 33rd such mission for Carter and his wife, Rosalynn. Instead, he said, family members may have to take his place. Carter received targeted radiation therapy Thursday, aimed at four small tumors in his brain. The day before, he received his first dose of a recently approved drug to help his immune system seek out and destroy cancer cells that may develop anywhere else in his body. He will have that treatment three more times at threeweek intervals, and there could be other radiation treatments, if needed.
Prep School to Examine Campus Culture After Senior Is Charged With Assault CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire prep school that has educated some of the nation’s elite for more than a century and a half is confronting a campus practice of sexual conquest after a senior was charged with raping a 15-year-old freshman girl. In a series of letters over the past year to students, parents and alumni, St. Paul’s School Rector Michael Hirschfeld candidly acknowledged the sexual assault charges and vowed to re-examine campus culture to see how a practice known as “Senior Salute” had been allowed to develop. “While the allegation and the people it involves will not be a topic of conversation at the school, the broader issues it raises — the use of social media to per-
petuate unhealthy relationships, the ‘hookup’ culture and unsanctioned student ‘traditions’ — will be,” Hirschfeld wrote on Aug. 7, 2014, a month after Owen Labrie was charged with rape and other felonies. Labrie is on trial in Concord, home to the Episcopal prep school founded in 1856. Set on a leafy, shaded campus on the hem of New Hampshire’s capital city, St. Paul’s looks more college than high school. Red brick buildings with soaring arches and columns dot rolling hills and athletic fields are emerald in mid-August heat. The school has seen future Nobel winners pass through its doors, along with Pulitzer Prize winners, senators, international business executives, bishops and diplomats.
THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, August 24, 2015 9
OPINION
Rubin Danberg Biggs | The Common Table
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AS STUDENTS RETURN TO THE HILL for yet another (or first) year, Cornell faces a wide range of changes. The most notable of them is Elizabeth Garrett beginning her term as the University’s 13th and first female president along other, new senior administrators. And while many students took the summer recess to take a break from academic rigor, we at The Sun have worked tirelessly during the past few months to improve our publication. As the semester moves forward, you will begin to see the progress of our work. We intend to bolster our social media presence with posts more relevant to our readers’ everyday lives and expand online content across a wide breadth of topics including sports, politics and Cornelliana. Later this semester, we will launch a revitalized cornellsun.com that we believe will rival some of the best college media outlets in the country. Through a stronger online presence, The Sun will continue its transformation from a print publication to a media organization that embraces the rapidly changing news industry. Earlier this month, The Princeton Review named The Cornell Daily Sun the number one college newspaper in the United States. While we are honored by this ranking (and continue to brag about it despite the vague criterion for the decision), our team of editors and managers will not be content. We will continue to strive for the highest standards of journalism and professionalism. And if you are interested in joining us in informing thousands of students, faculty, alumni and staff, please attend one of our two organizational meetings in the coming days. Times of change are often difficult, and The Sun will see many changes over the course of the school year. Yet above all else, one fact will remain the same: We will continue to prioritize student journalism that the Cornell community expects and deserves. — T.R.A.
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e are a campus that knows talk about any of the issues I have how to yell. We like to fight mentioned and at no point will I be health fees and save bus forced to deal with their weight on my passes. To be sure, it was easy to fight mind. But for those who do, my against the health fee, because as a stu- silence is deafening, and in aggregate, dent I knew that I would shoulder the silence of a campus can be overnone of the blame. I could get exhila- whelming. Though overt hate is mostratingly angry with someone who did ly absent from Cornell, there is an icy not know my name, or better yet, I apathy into which we can easily slip. It could curse a faceless, shapeless sys- is not an apathy that shows itself when tem. I would not be challenged in my confronted with the issue, but when daily life, nor would I have to con- the confrontation is over. Because front my peers. But in the year of Eric many of us have no reminder, we are Garner, Freddie Gray and the rest of not compelled to give constant attenthat somber, ever-growing list, when tion to the experiences of our classthe spotlight shone on us, we blinked. mates and our countrymen. As the Black Lives Matter moveThe other trap into which we often ment has garnered increasing support fall is to place the full responsibility of nationwide, demonstrations organized change on those who need it most. by students of color, particularly This is manifested in the ‘I agree with African American students, have them but they need to think about received a lot of attention. The their audience’ trope. In a perfect demonstrations themselves across the world every protest would be a comUnited States increased in frequency plete act of persuasion. From start to and size as the year progressed; howev- finish, the movement would need only er, with each passmake a good arguing month the ment in order to attention of the achieve its ends. We are a campus that student body here Unfortunately the at Cornell contin- knows how to yell. We like biggest battle is often ued to wane. It getting anyone to listo fight health fees and became clear that ten at all, meaning save bus passes. ... But in sometimes a good these demonstrations at our protest is just a sharp the year of Eric Garner, University were not knock on the door. protests of any- Freddie Gray and the rest of From there, for those thing abstract or of us that do take the somber, ever-growing notice, some of the distant, but of racial dynamics of burden needs to shift list, when the spotlight Cornell, the very to the backs of those shone on us, we blinked. not directly affected. community in which they took Otherwise, as anger place. and reaction set in, This was an opportunity for intro- many begin to push back from the spection and movement within our table. Rallies decrease in size and social and academic world. We were increase in ferocity. Therefore, we given a chance to show empathy and must choose to pay attention, learn support for a group of students seek- and speak. ing some sort of change, but instead Our knee-jerk reaction is a very we made the choice to be indifferent. strong one. We want to guard ourI do not carry any names. I do not selves from attacks on our character think about Tamir Rice when I see my and our morality, no matter where it 11-year-old cousin, and I do not think comes from. And when the source of about Sandra Bland when switching the criticism is loud and comes from lanes in my car. Clementa Pinckney within, we are all the more likely are could bring tears to my eyes and to strip it of any legitimacy. But we Dylan Roof surely brings hate to my need not make this callous mistake. heart, but at no point when I think of Before we begin this year, remember their story does fear cross my mind. that you will be see protests and they This is the exemption I experience. will be about you. It will not be a call Like many I’ve spoken to, my beliefs to act against a third party, but a are closest to those of the people who demand that you change the way you are picketing, but for me it is apoliti- act. The same will happen to me. This cal belief. I do not have to see police is not the mark of a dysfunctional reform as a matter of personal safety, campus. Rather, the way we respond so I say all the right things, but it will define the University we are a part remains distant. Often I don’t say any- of. We can respond with haste and thing at all. anger, or listen to those who know an Partially because of where I live and experience we do not, and choose to the way I look, it is possible for me to change. go a week without thinking about my race and even longer without talking about it. If I decide to skip a rally or a Rubin Danberg Biggs is a sophomore in the meeting for Black Lives Matter it is a College of Arts and Sciences. He may be reached just a scheduling decision and not one at red243@cornell.edu. The Common Table that requires much thought. I won’t appears alternate Mondays this semester.
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THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, August 24, 2015 11
OPINION
Emily Hardin | Free Lunch
I
Why Political Correctness Matters
t is no longer cool to be politically correct in America. In recent decades there has been a reversal of public opinion regarding the term “political correctness,” evidenced by the rise of the anti-P.C. movement and dramatized by the media. What was once a commendable action of rejecting bigoted language and behavior has come to be understood as pervasive societal oversensitivity. Americans have been combining the words “political” and “correct” for a very long time. As a phrase, it has no specific meaning, but rather a long history of different uses. For decades, both the right and the left have used claims of political correctness as a substance-less way to invalidate the other side’s attempt at maintaining a civil discussion. Instead of advancing a meaningful dialogue, the declaration of an argument as overly P.C. has become a way to shut down a conversation entirely. By the 60s, the phrase was already well established on college campuses around the country. In 1990, Newsweek compared political correctness to McCarthyism in a dreary, Orwellian article accompanied by cover art bearing the words “THOUGHT POLICE” stamped into concrete. The Atlantic recently published a widely-shared article titled “The Coddling of the American Mind,” in which co-authors Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt vilify proponents of political correctness by claiming that the movement is restricting speech and actually oppressing free thought. Jonathan Chait claimed “the language police are perverting liberalism” in a January article published by New York Magazine. They have a point: In a country that values
free speech so highly, it seems logical to position oneself as a fearless opponent of repressive orthodoxies that challenge how far that freedom should safely extend. Misinterpreted as an umbrella term for the self-righteous policing of actions and language, political correctness is nothing more than an effort to treat others with respect and dignity in an increasingly interconnected society. Technology and social media bring us into contact with other people’s diverse experiences more frequently than ever before. One cannot ignore what it’s like to be black or gay in America anymore — people are sharing the realities of discrimination on a daily basis. In many ways, speech is freer than it has ever been. But when the guise of free speech begins to encompass the protection of blatantly sexist, homophobic and racist words and actions, we must evaluate the implications of this unchecked freedom on a wider scale. The reality is that political correctness is an incredibly awkward but necessary way to foster inclusion in public spaces. Social justice terminology is clunky and inelegant, and terms like “trigger warning” and “microaggression” have become overused to the point of banality. The language is new and often comes off as nitpicky. It is difficult to understand the individual experiences of dynamic, complicated human beings through blanket terms such as “cissexism.” Political correctness and the new lexicon that defines it are challenging all people to evaluate the effects of their language and make deliberate, conscious changes to the way they speak, act and listen. This is not an easy transition.
However, by replacing substantial, important discussions with arguments over whether or not something falls into the ambiguous category of political correctness, we sideline the real problems and impede social progress. Using the cover of “P.C.” as a pejorative way to justify the dismissal of topics deemed inconsequential serves no reasonable goal. P.C. is an arbitrary qualification that depends on an individual’s point of view. Because of this subjectivity, the anti-P.C. argument is fundamentally flawed — to argue that offensive and bigoted language is only offensive when the victim chooses to take offense removes all coded meaning from language by asserting that language is neutral, which is simply not true. Furthermore, accusations of politically correct thought-policing most often come from people using their positions of privilege to suppress issues raised by marginalized groups. When employed as an accusation, the charge of political correctness threatens to rearrange our societal priorities by dismissing important issues as frivolous. When the term “political correctness” is used as a means to its own end as a way to write off the legitimacy of issues important to marginalized groups in our society, the accused becomes the accuser and “P.C.” quickly becomes synonymous with censorship. For example, when women report being harassed on the Internet, their claims are often dismissed as overly alarmist. Applying the logic of adherents to the “P.C.-gone-mad” creed reverses the scenario by framing these women as exploiting the culture of political correctness and positions the men who harass them as victims of a hypersensitive cultural environment.
The dogmatic avoidance of sensitive conversations is not without consequences for the oppressed. For example, consider the case of trans women challenging the definition of a woman as “having a vagina.” This is not a petty matter of semantics: Trans people are being murdered at an alarmingly high rate. Obviously, more inclusive language alone won’t solve this problem, but conscious language choices on an individual level are the first step in unraveling the structural biases that collectively permeate our society. Discrimination, mental health and personal safety are serious issues that can impede a person’s ability partake in discussions in public spaces. Consequently, since dialogues that are “politically correct” (or, in other words, respectful, tolerant and non-discriminatory) encourage voices that are typically silenced by the anti-P.C. brigade to participate, they actually represent an even greater freedom of speech than that which opponents of political correctness claim to protect. While people in positions of privilege will inevitably begin to hear more discussions they dislike, occasionally having to listen to the grievances of the oppressed takes far less of a toll than having to live under conditions of oppression. We must err on the side of respect, tolerance and inclusion. Having to think twice about what we say in public spaces is a small price to pay for greater equality. Emily Hardin is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at enh33@cornell.edu. Free Lunch appears alternate Mondays this semester.
Amiri Banks | Honest A.B.
I
used to spend impractical amounts of time trying not to start introductory sentences with any variations of the word “I” because older people told me to avoid doing so. They said that “I” removes the reader from the text and discourages her or him from feeling invested. They also told me not to use the words “is” or “it,” because they were vague and made my writing appear stale and unconfident. I trusted this advice for a long time. Eventually, though, I grew sick of all that nonsense. Every person exudes a unique literary aura while writing. But we often suppress our auras in an effort to follow certain writing “rules,” even when said rules don’t stand as immutable absolutes. This saddens me, because the purest form of writing is a manifestation of your most honest self. That being said, I will use “I” because I am honestly obsessed with my own thoughts and experiences. To some extent, all human beings are. Anyway, I felt compelled to start off in this way — a way that, admittedly, dives directly into everything without accomplishing much of anything — because I found myself growing frustrated with how stubbornly I resisted these exiled words, which seemed to flow effortlessly from brain to paper. After all, some stroke of hap-
For the Hatred of Elevators I hate elevators. I hate elevapenstance has gifted me with the chance to write one of the first tors, because they symbolize the columns published in The Sun ultimate paradox. You see, conthis year. In other words, what versation with a stranger ranks you’re reading now could possi- near the top of my hierarchy of bly dictate how you perceive “humanness” (topped only by both Honest A.B. and the the emotions we experience Opinion section of the Cornell when observing small children.) So, in that sense, these little Daily Sun. I’ve written at length about rooms offer an intimate setting love of all people, perception for two human beings to interact and some other heavy topics on the most human of levels. Yet dealing with social identity. Still, elevators have become a breedfor reasons I can’t explain, I’ve elected not to write about those things on today of all days. I’ve chosen to In trying to explore all trust a stream-of-conscious- that college has to offer, ness style today, and I doubt I’ll regret my deci- we sometimes completely ignore all that daily life sion. Now, look up from this has to offer. paper or away from this screen. Look around. Did you see it (or even look ing ground for an irrational and at all)? Your future just walked antisocial fear of other human past. A future spouse, perhaps. beings. They have been socially Or a future employer. A future constructed as hellholes of awkdream fulfilled, or a future pas- wardness. Elevators can transform a persion discovered. A future life changed or friend made. Oh fectly gregarious person into a wait, you were looking in the stoic entity, for whom even a feewrong place. You focused on the ble smile or barely-there head wrong thing. Now that image nod is taboo. I’ve seen loud groups of friends become sudhas already disappeared. Seriously though, what am I denly mute upon entering an referring to with all of these elevator, all simultaneously romanticized statements and whipping out those goddamn rhetorical questions? Well, in my smart phones. I’ve watched peoattempt to answer that question, ple try desperately to look anyI will begin by finally addressing where and everywhere but at each other. I’ve seen all kinds of the title.
absurdity in elevators. Anytime I go into an elevator, I feel like a masochist, because I take great pleasure in hoping (naively) that the people will behave differently — that someone will smile, or say something. I’m constantly disappointed. And it seems that elevators are only the beginning of society’s ever-increasing tendency to discourage this “humanness.” One place where I often see this fear of organic interactions is in the average college kid’s search for o p p o r t u n i t y. Career fairs, for example, allow students to pursue opportunity in the context of a professional networking event. Students dress up, put their game face on, and deliberately search for an internship or job. Yet these same students will gladly discard a Denice Cassaro event blast (Freshman, you’ll find out about them soon) or some email detailing a random talk that bears no relevance to their aspirations. To that end, meaningful and possibly life-altering opportunities may find themselves tossed aside. More often than not, we can actually convince ourselves that all opportunities are waiting for
us to seek them out in some structured way. Sure, we’ll go to that Q&A or help out with that volunteering club, but only if we see some personal, academic or professional value. Sometimes, you have to volunteer because “why not,” without an ulterior motive or even a demonstrated passion for the work. In trying to explore all that college has to offer, we sometimes completely ignore all that daily life has to offer. We forget that goals and activities can coexist, even when we didn’t do the former for the latter. Many times, opportunity arrives as a result of the mundane, the unorthodox, and the human. So as this year begins, appreciate the most normal parts of your daily life. Ask how the card swiper is doing today. Don’t deflect small tasks, embrace them. Pay attention to the subtleties of your surroundings. Smile relentlessly and vigorously at passersby. Use “I” and “it” and “is” and all other forbidden words. Go to an event that you know you’ll hate. And please, just once, strike up small talk with your fellow elevator passengers.
Amiri Banks is a junior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He may be reached at abanks@cornellsun.com. Honest A.B. appears alternate Mondays this semester.
12 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, August 24, 2015
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A&E
20 | The Corne¬ Daily Sun | Monday, August 24, 2015
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT An Inside Look at Inside Out BY HADIYAH CHOWDHURY Sun Staff Writer
For a long time, moviegoers (myself included) have been awaiting the next great Pixar film, and they were not disappointed by the studio’s summer hit, Inside Out. The amount of positive media attention Inside Out has received since its release is incredible. I have yet to hear anyone criticize the film; even the most cynical of my friends were forced to bow their heads and admit that the film was a masterpiece. Once again, Pixar has outdone itself and produced a movie that appeals to not only children and their parents, but to their greatgrandparents and pubescent teenage siblings too. Inside Out has ultimately been so successful due to its candid delivery of themes surrounding growing up and emotional responses. Even though Pixar films are marketed primarily towards children, they deal with human issues of surprising depth. Inside Out conveyed an extremely poignant message to its audience: Sadness may be very difficult to experience, and people may pressure you to repress the sadness you are feeling, but it is of the utmost importance that, sometimes, you feel sad. Inside Out uses a common childhood experience in order to illustrate this concept: a family moving across the country. My family and I moved to Europe when I was about the same age as Riley, the protagonist of the film, and I honestly wish this film had been around then so that I could have known that it was alright to be sad. I loved the concept that sadness is as important as any of the other emotions in Riley’s head (joy, anger, fear and disgust).The film delivered this idea beautifully by using a motif that everyone in the audience could understand. In a society where it sometimes feels as if a child can’t speak about feeling sad without being labelled “depressed” or as someone with a “negative attitude,” Inside Out breaks down these misconceptions and reveals the importance of being honest about your feelings not only with your family, but also with yourself. While the themes of Inside Out rendered it unforgettable, there were other aspects of the film that were very
effective. The cast was amazing: COURTESY OF WALT DISNEY PICTURES Amy Poehler (Joy) essentially channeled her inner Leslie Knope, and Phyllis Smith (Sadness) was absolutely hilarious with her mopey one-liners scattered throughout the dialogue. In addition, the animation, as per usual with Pixar films, was absolutely gorgeous. The cinematography of the scenes inside Riley’s brain were beautiful — like nothing I had ever seen before. In comparison, the dull palate used to illustrate San Franscisco placed Riley’s new home in stark contrast with her the upbeat tones of her old home. One of my favorite scenes was the trek into imagination land. As the characters travel through the surreal corners of Riley’s imaginaion, they are rendered two-dimensional and are almost reduced to nothing more than abstraction. I loved this part because it was not only a clever use of animation, but also incorporated philosophies surrounding abstraction and construction that I did not expect to see in a Pixar film. Another one of my favorite scenes was the one in which Riley’s perfect boyfriends (which are dispensed from an assembly line) stack on top of one another to save her. I enjoyed the disregard for traditional Disney romance and found the scene to be an accurate depiction of an eleven-year-old’s concept of romantic love. Finally, the scene which I thought had the most impact (and also made me cry) was that in which Bing Bong, Riley’s imaginary friend, essentially commits suicide to save her. Although I was touched by his dedication, I thought it would have been interesting for him to have aged as Riley grew up instead of being entirely forgotten. Were Bing Bong to have been incorporated into a new aspect of Riley’s consciousness, the film could have explored the way that imaginary friends are a manifestation of the way children perceive the world,
and how their perception changes drastically as they grow older. I felt that Riley forgetting Bing Bong entirely suggests that children’s brains are completely different from those of adults, while it seems to me that the thoughts and emotions of adults are deeply influenced by those they had as a child. One final concept I’d like to critique is the idea that growing up means creating memories that are composed of more than just one emotion. I think it would have been interesting to see more emotions added to her original crew of five as Riley grew older. Watching Riley become more emotionally complex made me empathize with her character, even though she’s half my age. However, I think that incorporating different animated emotions would have allowed for the possibility of better expressing Riley’s transition to greater emotional maturity. Regardless of these criticisms, watching Inside Out is among my favorite memories from this summer and, after seeing it, I feel like I approach my own emotions differently. If you haven’t seen it, grab a friend and watch it as soon as you can. Hadiyah Chowdhury is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at hchowdhury@cornellsun.com.
Less Than Magic Mike BY JAEL GOLDFINE Arts and Entertainment Editor
My philosophy about dance / gymnastics / cheerleading movies is that I am perfectly okay with their existence. I understand, and firmly believe that they ought to be built on the barest skeletons of formulaic plot devices, supported by ludicrous dialogue and designed strategically to deliver the maximum possible number of screen minutes of intense, flashy choreography in which beautiful people display incredible physical skills, all while meeting the minimum quota of character-development so that I root for the protagonists to win the climactic final dance-off/battle/championship. I don’t demand anything more of them, and they don’t disappoint me. It’s a healthy relationship. This doctrine is why I’ve seen Stomp The Yard, Fame, Bring It On and not two, three or four, but all five of the Step Up movies. I go to see these movies because I’m a glutton for athletic spectacle: I eat it up, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Movies serve all kinds of different purposes for viewers, and this is just another form of the catharsis we turn to cinema for. In the case of Magic Mike XXL, I’ll be transparent: I paid eleven dollars to watch Channing Tatum do cool flips and hump a catwalk floor. However, the strangely non-linear bros-reunion road-trip scheme of the movie, unsatisfying non-romance between Tatum and his Tumblr-princess photographer
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
love interest, and the grimmacingly awkward beautiful knuckleheads on a one crazy lasttangent scenes distracted from the film’s main shot road trip, which, I realize, sounds exactly attraction, rather than packaging it up nicely like what I’ve explained that I demand in a for viewing pleasure. movie like this one. So, I suppose my comAlthough my bar for such movies is out- plaint is that it was neither complex enough to standingly low, for me, XXL’s haphazard plot engage beyond the thongs and back flips, nor and dialogue failed to meet my rather high benign enough to let me enjoy them without standards of banal innocuity, distraction, falling flat somewhere in which is required for me to between with it’s confusing, enjoy the vital condeflated plot. tent of such films. Perhaps it’s more Perhaps my challenging than unfortunate it seems to experience achieve the with this perfect sequel alchemy of a c a m e solid dance from my movie: to inflated have a conexpectasistently tions due non-blunderto the first ing or awkMagic Mike ward, but elefilm’s offering of gantly uncomplisomething resemcated and low-mainteCOURTESY OF bling coherence (rather nance film structure. WARNER BROS. PICTURES than a glitter-coated, bodyI was taken aback by A.O. oiled hour long bachlorette party montage). Scott’s saccharinely gushing review. He found In the original Magic Mike, Tatum’s charac- it to “hum with campy energy” and full of ter’s anxiety actually managed to speak to the “exuberance and ingenuity.” However, as a tolls of deferred ambitions and the exploita- card-carrying member of it’s target audience, I tion inherent in entertainment industries found the cringey and slack plot, as well as the where success corresponds with sex appeal. tendency of Channing Tatum’s dance moves However, XXL abandoned any and all theme to mimic forced fellatio, ringing in someand attempted merely to present a bunch of where between awkward and distressing.
While cinematically XXL failed to offer what I came for, from a more political perspective, I have shockingly few complaints. It had a remarkably inclusive and diverse representation both of strippers and of the female desire they intend to satisfy. The guys don’t ridicule or demean the women they dance for. Rather, the greatest conflict in the movie involves their attempt to break out of their stripping cliches so as to better excite them; as Tatum’s character says their job is to “make women smile.” In a redemptive scene, Richie (Joe Manganiello) abandons all dignity, and attempts to get a convenience clerk to crack a smile with a stripping routine involving Cheetos and phallic gesturing of a water bottle. The clientele is not reduced to a crowd of blushing, naive virgins and desperate cougars, but seems to just be women, of all kinds, each with varied and specific desires, looking to have a good time. It feels somewhat counterintuitive to be left offended by the plot and dialogue of a movie about male stripping, rather than its heteronormative implications and problematic representations, but here we are. While Scott was delighted by Magic Mike XXL seemingly in spite of the “dozen gender-studies dissertations” it could fuel, I walked out of the theatre unperturbed, but merely disappointed. Jael Goldfine is the Arts and Entertainment Editor. She can be reached at arts-and-entertainment-editor@cornellsun.com.
A&E
Monday, August 24, 2015 | The Corne¬ Daily Sun | 21
In Defense of The Gallows BY GWEN AVILES Sun Staff Writer
Most of you probably hate me. Or at least you will when you hear the truth about my identity, which I am reluctantly disclosing in this article: I am that friend who is chronically, undoubtedly, always late. I know; I’m the worst — but sometimes I have my reasons. Like when a really intriguing Catfish episode comes on. I can’t just not watch! I have to find out whether the person that aspiring model Felipe thinks he has started an online relationship with is really the girl of his dreams or just a dog with a blog posing as a woman. And sometimes it really is the train’s fault! How was I supposed to account for the express train making all local stops or for me missing my stop because I was too busy daydreaming? That said, I was characteristically tardy meeting my friend at the Court Street movie theater this week, putting the kibosh on our plans to see Ted 2 (he’s back, by the way, in case you didn’t know). My friend’s second choice was The Gallows and when you’re late, the least you can do is let your friend pick the movie. Now, I had forgotten that I had seen the overproduced scary movie trailer months previously. Good thing, too, because it forced me to watch The Gallows without any preconceptions. The movie begins with a three minute clip of two parents talking behind the camera while they record their son, Charlie’s performance in his school play, which is also titled The Gallows (not a coincidence). During the play, Charlie’s character, August, is supposed to be executed. As such, Charlie is expected to pretend to be dead after a noose is put around his neck. However, when the prop malfunctions and Charlie falls through a stage door, not only is August the character killed, but Charlie the actor is killed as well. At this point, everyone sitting around me in the theater collectively gasped and I may or
may not have gripped my friend’s arm and held on for dear life. It was the first domino in the row to come crashing down. After this startling first scene, the plot fast-forwards 20 years at the same high school in Beatrice, Nebraska when the high school’s most talented actress Pfeifer, convinces the school board to allow her to assist staging another production of The Gallows, the same play that resulted in school tragedy 20 years beforehand. In addition to Pfeifer, there are three other main characters: Reese, the football player who can’t act but agrees to be the leading man in Pfeifer’s production of The Gallows because he has a crush on her, Ryan, the captain of the football team who half-heartedly works backstage for his school credit and Cassidy, Ryan’s beautiful cheerleader girlfriend. Given the ordinary, sometimes immature, nature of the characters, one might suppose The Gallows would have little innovation to offer the scary movie genre. At first I thought so too. Ryan is obnoxious and arrogant, which is apparent not only by the way he treats his best friend and girlfriend but by him taunting the ghost of Charlie to come and attack him. Moreover, one might further be deterred from enjoying The Gallows because it is a found footage movie, meaning all of the scenes are shown to viewers as if they were behind the camera lens. This presentation certainly discouraged Rotten Tomatoes critics, whose sum 83 votes earned The Gallows a 14 percent, with their consensus being “Narratively contrived and visually a mess, The Gallows sends viewers on a shaky tumble to the bottom of the found-footage horror barrel.” Perhaps The Gallows would have been more successful
COURTESY OF WARNER BROS. PICTURES
if it was shot using traditional filming techniques. Employing found footage in scary movies has become overused — The Blair Witch Project (1999), Paranormal Activity (2007) and The Last Exorcism (2010) are just a few examples of movies shot in this style. But while The Gallows did suffer from the unsophistication and unoriginality the found footage technique encumbered them with — it is after all, unlikely that students would record their plan to break into the school and destroy school property on camera — the critics have blatantly underestimated the virtues of this movie, especially the killer narrative twist that leaves viewers with the same shock as finding out that Amy in Gone Girl (2014) had been faking her own disappearance. You can only experience a twist like that once: the very first time you are viewing the narrative, and when you do, it feels as though your world has been thrown off-kilter and that the truth is relative and nuanced — very much in the same way movie reviews are. Gwen Aviles is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at gaviles@cornellsun.com.
Kander and Ebb and Flow: Revisiting The Visit
B
esides working 40 hour weeks for no pay and stuffing your sweaty sardine body onto the C train twice a day, the best part of an internship in New York City is the proximity to Broadway theatres. Sure, an internship is a handy way of staving off the existential dread of not having anything to do over the summer, but the real reason I wanted one was so that I would have an excuse to see as many musicals and plays in as little time as possible. So I got one. And I did. My very first priority was to see all of the Best Musical Tony Award nominees. An American in Paris, the balletic Gershwin rhapsody, is worth the price of admission for the dancing alone. While the melodies of George and Ira Gershwin get wearily trotted out in jukebox form every couple years on the Great White Way, the production is definitely the best use of the Gershwins’ classic tunes so far. As a musical theatre buff, it’s impossible not to fall in love with Something Rotten’s plethora of references and allusions. The show experiences some diminishing returns with giant showstopping numbers and the humor can be grating, but it rocks the strongest cast of the season. I may be biased though, Brian d’Arcy James is my hero. I’d see him in anything. Even if he played Carrie in Carrie: The Musical. Of course, my summer wasn’t complete until I saw Fun Home, the musical adaptation of Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel that swept the Tonys with 12 nominations and five wins. It’s really, really good. The music is beautiful, the acting is incredible, and the story is poignant and
meaningful. The production, which transferred from the Public Theater last year, loses something when performed in the round, but it’s not nearly enough to spoil the experience. You should really go see this. But do you recall the least famous nominee of all? Of the four shows nominated for Best Musical, only one failed to pick up a single award at the Tonys and only one has ended its Broadway run so far. That musical was The Visit, a macabre tale of vengeance and long-lost love with an unfortunately vague name. Did anyone else see this? Everytime I try to talk about this show, I see blank stares. “It was that weird one with the old lady,” is the closest I can get to recognition. It didn’t have a chance. What went wrong? The final Kander and Ebb collaboration to make it to Broadway seemed to have all the classic stylings of a hit. Kander and Ebb co-wrote Chicago. And Cabaret. And Fosse. And Kiss of the S p i d e r Woman. You couldn’t get m o r e Broadway if Pulp FictSean J e r o m e Robbins and Stephen Sondheim had a lovechild and named it Rodger Hammerstein. On top of that, the production starred Chita Rivera, a Broadway legend who needs no introduction, except to everyone who isn’t obsessed with theatre, so here’s a quick primer. She has originated some of the most iconic female roles in all of musical theatre, from Rose in Bye Bye Birdie and Anita in West Side Story to Velma Kelly in Chicago. Kind of a big deal.
Sean Doolittle
COURTESY OF NEW YORK POST
When lyricist Fred Ebb passed away in 2004, they had a few projects in the works, including The Visit and The Scottsboro Boys, which was completed posthumously and opened in 2010 against The Book of Mormon and now holds the record for the show that garnered the most nominations without winning a single award. An interesting bit of history: The Visit was originally staged in October, 2001 at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, with the hopes of transferring to New York. But after the September 11th attacks grounded flights across the country, Broadway producers couldn’t fly to Chicago to see the original production, so it closed without much fanfare. The musical gestated through rewrites and various regional productions until 2015, when it finally managed to make it to New York. Fourteen years too late, it seems. Or maybe 50 years too late. By the time The Visit finally arrived, it seemed démodé in comparison to shows like Fun Home, with its focus on the relationship between a
lesbian cartoonist and her closeted father (an unimaginable musical even a decade ago). The music is, as is to be expected from Kander and Ebb, great, infusing Appenzell sounds with the dark, classic Broadway style that the composers pioneered years ago. The story, however, is sentimental and dated. What may have pushed boundaries decades ago — murder, sexism, illegitimate pregnancy — today seems passé. Had this musical premiered in the 1970s, I do not doubt it would have been a hit. It fits right into the musical theatre canon with Chicago and Cabaret, but it simply does not have a place in the time of edgy, modern theatre like Avenue Q or Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The Visit has a place in my musical theatre playlist, sure, but I have a feeling I’ll forget all about it in a few years. Just like everyone else. Sean Doolittle is a senior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He can be reached at zzahos@cornellsun.com. Pulp FictSean appears alternate Mondays this semester.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
22 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, August 24, 2015 – Paid Advertisement –
COMICS AND PUZZLES
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 __ of Cleves 5 Ink, so to speak 9 Skin problem 13 Genuine 14 “How much wood __ a woodchuck chuck ...” 16 “__ Wood sawed wood”: tongue twister opening 17 Washington landmark 20 Hidden supply 21 Major installation? 22 Pianist Dame Myra __ 25 Site of South America’s westernmost mainland point 26 Fairy tale patriarch 30 Latin dances 34 Saccharide suffix 35 Legal write-up 37 Elizabethan strings 38 Escher’s “Relativity” is an example of it 42 Provided with an email dupe 43 Poke around 44 Many corp. logos 45 Apollo home 48 “The Wolf of Wall Street” director 50 Prominent theater sign 52 Suture securer 53 Impeded 57 Bandleader Shaw 61 9-Across treatments 64 NASCAR route 65 Incline 66 __ school 67 Use a blowtorch on 68 James of jazz 69 James portrayer DOWN 1 Hammer-throw trajectories 2 With 59-Down, “Very clever!”
3 Popular wine source 4 Prophet in 2 Kings 5 “Tea for __” 6 Former Time Warner division 7 Big wind 8 Drink noisily 9 Popular energy drinks 10 China setting 11 Comic __: typeface 12 Whopping 15 Places to see FDR 18 “Doctor Who” broadcaster 19 Constellation named for an instrument 23 Shot contents 24 Some voyages 26 Shelter resident 27 Shelter org. 28 Hero in a Prokofiev work 29 Rider’s handful 31 Hotel choice 32 Elemental bits 33 “Common” asset 36 Congregation
39 New York airport name until 1963 40 “On Golden Pond” bird 41 Big fuss 46 Suit 47 Mythical gold maker 49 Barbershop sharpeners 51 Bridal shop netting
53 Put in the overhead bin 54 “All you need,” in a Beatles song 55 Australian export 56 Hurdle for a jr. 58 Flag 59 See 2-Down 60 “World Series of Poker” channel 62 Explosive initials 63 Greek vowel
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
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Sun Sudoku
THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, August 24, 2015 23
Puzzle #1
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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24 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, August 24, 2015
SPORTS
Volleyball Recruiting Class Among Top-90 VOLLEYBALL
Continued from page 27
been ranked among the Top-90 recruiting classes in the country and includes two setters, two defensive specialists and four players at the net. These freshmen will join a team that has just three upperclassmen and are expected to make an impact right away. Kalepa sees the upside of having such a young group, noting that “the strength of having such a young team is that they come in with a fresh perspective.” She went on to add that, “they don’t have a history in the program, but want to be a part of a legacy. Having so many underclassmen just means that we’ll have less experience in the league, but that’s something that will come as our pre-season and season progresses and isn’t something of concern.” Head coach Vande Berg echoed Kalepa. “This class fills all holes that we have on our roster and I know they will have a huge impact on the future success of Big Red Volleyball,” she said. Since starting practice last Tuesday, the team has been focusing on forming a cohesive whole and acclimating the new freshmen that make up half the roster. “With so many freshmen to get to know, we want to be able to find how we best work together to make this program and our team successful.” Kalepa said. However, the youth of the team could turn out to be a blessing. “We’re the underdogs in that we’re not expected to dominate the league,” Sincox said. “I think this gives us an edge going into Ivies, where we have a chance to surprise everyone.” After only a week of practice it is hard to identify strengths and weaknesses, but so far the Red has been looking strong defensively, both with tall blockers at the net and defensive specialists in the back row. Junior Alyssa Phelps is expected to continue as setter and the Red has a wealth of strong, tall hitters to dominate offensively. “Our ball control will be much better,” Vande Berg said. “We also have returners who are focused and ready to lead a young team to success. … We will be very disciplined on defense and will have more fire power. I’m very excited to see this team play. I know they are excited and proud of the work they have done as well.” The 2015 schedule kicks off with a tournament at West Point on Sept. 5. The Red will take on Army at home, as well as Iona College and the College of William and Mary. The squad will have played three tournaments before beginning Ivy League play against Columbia at home on the 26th. Kalepa said her outlook on the season is optimistic, as she noted the team’s go-getter attitude and desire to come out on the top of the league. “We go into every game with the will to win,” she said. “The Ivy League is always unpredictable, but with our talent, commitment and coaching staff, I think this could be our year.” Olivia Mattyasovszky can be reached at omattyasovszky@cornellsun.com.
Texas Defeats Detroit at 5-3 After Wolf’s Return Saturday Texas takes lead for wild card over L.A. DETROIT (AP) — Yovani Gallardo has helped the Texas Rangers stay in the mix for a playoff spot in the American League, and he relishes the opportunity to pitch in meaningful games down the stretch. “This is when baseball gets fun,” he said. “It’s fun to go out there and compete and know the fact that it’s a must-win every time. It’s a must-win every day.” Gallardo took a shutout into the seventh inning, and the Rangers spoiled Randy Wolf’s return to the major leagues with a 5-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday night. Texas took the lead in the race for the AL’s second wild card, moving a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Angels. The Rangers have won eight of their last 10. “I think this is what you prepare yourself for,” Gallardo said. “Obviously, the last two months of the season are very important, especially in the situation that we’re in.” Texas scored four runs in the third, when the Rangers hit five straight singles. That was enough support for Gallardo (10-9), who allowed eight hits in six-plus innings. The Tigers didn’t score until Ian Kinsler’s three-run homer with two outs in the ninth. Wolf (0-1) allowed three earned runs and nine hits in seven innings, acquitting himself fairly well in his first major league start since June 2014. Wolf, who turned 39 on Saturday, was acquired by Detroit in a trade with Toronto on Thursday, as the Tigers tried to shore up a rotation that is missing injured starters Anibal Sanchez and Daniel Norris. “I bring up the average age a little bit,” Wolf joked. “I feel like I could give good innings, help this team with some stability. That’s really my goal. I’m not going to come in here and have a sub-1.00 ERA and be amazing, but I feel like if I give as many solid innings in a game as I possibly can, that helps out not only the rotation, but the bullpen as well.”
THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, August 24, 2015 25
26 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, August 24, 2015
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THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, August 24, 2015 27
SPORTS
Schaap’91 Receives Kennedy Award
for Humans Rights Watch, asked Schaap if he could cover the working conditions in Qatar, a topic which Worden said she believed was not Sports journalist and author Jeremy Schaap extensively covered by the media. “My reaction was that this was an important ’91 received the 2015 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award this month for his ESPN E:60 story,” Schaap said. “The World Cup is going to story on controversial working conditions in this country, but who is going to make it possible? I think our story helped change the discussion Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup. The awards, which are in their 47th year, cele- about Qatar, certainly in this country. For exambrate journalists who report on issues such as ple, it was heavily excerpted in John Oliver’s FIFA rant, which went viral.” human rights and social justice, With regards to the future of Qatar according to the Robert F. Kennedy hosting the World Cup in 2022, Center for Justice and Human Rights. Schaap said he believes it is not likely This also marks the first time that the World Cup will be moved someESPN has won the prestigious award. where else. Schaap said he found out he was a “The best outcome would be real recipient of the award through a perchange in Qatar, change for the worksonal phone call from Ethel Kennedy, ers who give their lives for meager pay Robert F. Kennedy’s widow. [and who] liv[e] in these squalid condi“It was a great thrill to hear from SCHAAP ’91 tions,” Schaap said. “The hope is that her,” Schaap said. “She’s done so much important work over the years and has safeguard- their lives are improved. That is the goal of joured her husband’s legacy. She knew my father a lit- nalism, I think, to expose wrongdoings or injustle bit, so it was really special for me to hear from tices, that are then corrected.” Schaap, who has worked in various roles at Ethel.” Schaap’s father is notable sports journalist ESPN since joining the network in 1996, has Dick Schaap ’55, who died in 2001. Schaap said the award “meant the most” to been featured in publications such as The New him and his co-workers at ESPN since it recog- York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Sports nized their efforts to bring greater attention to Illustrated and Time, according to his biography. Among his accolades include eight national “human rights and social issues.” “That has been the focus of so many of our Sports Emmy Awards and two Edward R. efforts here at E:60,” Schaap said. “It is the way Murrow Awards. Schaap, who was a former sports editor for that we as journalists can make a difference — by bringing attention to issues that are otherwise The Sun, said his experiences at the paper were ignored, to issues that our audience at ESPN the “most important part” of his Cornell education. might be unaware of.” “I was serious about The Sun — the stories I Schaap said his work on the Qatar piece occurred because of a Cornell connection. Sam got to cover and the reps I got were the most Zarifi ’90, a former associate editor for The Sun important part of my education,” Schaap said. “It and current regional director of Asia and the gave me the confidence to go straight into the Pacific for the International Commission of business without going to graduate school.” Jurists, introduced Schaap to his colleague at the David Ticzon can be reached at time, Minky Worden. Worden, who is director of global initiatives dticzon@cornellsun.com. By DAVID TICZON
Sun Staff Writer
MICHAELA BREW / SUN SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Seasoned vet | Junior setter Alyssa Phelps, pictured above, is one of only three upperclassmen on this year’s volleyball team.
VOLLEYBALL
Red Sees New Coach, Eight New Freshmen Prepares for upcoming 2015 season By OLIVIA MATTYASOVSZKY Sun Staff Writer
When a team enters a season with just one senior and two juniors, most people would call it a rebuilding year. For the Cornell volleyball team, the lack of upperclassmen is indeed going to be a chance for growth. The Red welcomes eight freshmen to the team, as well as a new head coach. Last spring, previous head coach Melissa Batie-Smoose was replaced by the head assistant, Trudy Vande Berg, who is joined on the 2015 coaching staff by returning assistant Caitlin Mahoney and newcomer Aaron Dekalb. Though Vande Berg may have a new office, the seasoned coach has been with the Red for three years already as an assistant and worked as the head coach during the entire offseason “We’re all really excited last spring. “Coach Trudy Vande Berg, about the direction the as well as both of the assisprogram is taking and tants, have already done a really great job this past their apparent leadership.” spring and this preseason,” Chelsea Sincox said sophomore libero Chelsea Sincox. “We’re all really excited about the direction the program is taking, and their apparent leadership and volleyball knowledge has gotten us really pumped up.” Vande Berg played volleyball for four years at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and spent time as an assistant coach at Duke, Iowa State and various premier club teams all around the country. She coached the Iowa Ice club team, which included current assistant Caitlin Mahoney. Mahoney graduated from Iowa State and played professionally in the United States and Austria. She has been with the Red as an assistant since 2013. “We are very excited to have Trudy as our head coach. She brings a strong coaching background into this program,” said senior libero Brittany Kalepa. “Her passion and commitment to this program has been driving us as a team to reach our full potential. With Caitlin returning as our assistant coach and Aaron [Dekalb] being added to our coaching staff, we are all very excited to get started and work hard under [their] direction.” While the staff has seen some newcomers, so has the roster of players for the Red. Eight freshmen will come to Ithaca from all over the country to play for Cornell. The groups of newbies has See VOLLEYBALL page 25
28 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, August 24, 2015
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SPORTS
Farlow’97 Takes Over Red Looks for Strong On-Field Leader Head Coach Position
during practice,” Archer said. “I can hear that it’s important to them, which is evidence of it becoming important.” With the new offensive scheme in place for understanding who we are reading, understandthe second straight season, Archer said he wants ing who we option.” The most significant physical difference with his players to “overlearn” the intricacies of the Jatis coming into this season, Archer said, is the playbook so that execution and assignments will be “down pat.” sophomore’s improved throwing motion. “We can focus on making that block, making “He’s throwing much better than he did a year ago,” Archer said. “He’s a kid that is very the catch, making the tackle [and] making the serious about his preparation. He knows our pick,” Archer said. “I want our scheme to be automatic.” offense very well and As the season approaches, checks, but I’ve seen evi“My hope is that we take Archer said he is confident that dence of his hard work motion paying off.” better care of the football someone will emerge as the starting quarterback. Having consistency The Red ranked last in and I can see upperclass- behind center will ultimately prove total passing in the Ivy to be one of the most important League last season with men coaching it.” factors in whether or not the team 1912 total passing yards, David Archer ’05 will be able to post its first winning 273 yards behind the winseasons since 2005. less Columbia Lions. “The most important thing is to Cornell also ranked No. 7 of eight in total yards per game, averaging 288 have a guy behind center that is going to execute yards per contest. While hoping to increase and run our show,” Archer said. “Someone that offensive production, Archer said the Red needs can move the team and score points. That’s the to improve on its solid performance in 2014, name of the game.” generating turnovers while minimizing fumbles and interceptions. “My hope is that we take better care of the Joon Lee can be reached at football and I can see upperclassmen coaching it joonlee@cornellsun.com. FOOTBALL
Continued from page 32
SOFTBALL
Continued from page 32
I’m so passionate about and I hope to spread that to our players now and in the future.” While Coach Farlow has seen a lot of change in the program throughout the years, she notes that one thing has remained the same during Cornell softball’s history. “The dedication and commitment of the players and the fundamental beliefs of the program are still so similar,” she said. Anna Fasman can be reached at sports-editor@cornellsun.com.
America’s Favorite Past Time Highs and lows of Mets summer baseball SCAZZERO
Continued from page 32
bly considered the least important aspect of the game, but no matter. I loved it. Being outside in the warm, summer air, surrounded by jovial fans and the weirdly comforting smell of beer and popcorn, I started to understand why baseball meant a lot to so many people. It was then that I decided to dip my toe into America’s favorite past time, choosing to follow the Cubs’ impressively mediocre season as well as the Mets’, whose games I attended a handful of times with my cousins. As luck would have it, a mere three weeks later, the Mets were making a splash in the sports world, and became the team to talk about this summer. The underdogs from New York started off the season with some pretty strong highs after an 11-game winning streak and a strong debut of their rookie Steven Matz. They entered the summer looking like a .500-ish team, but then came a week of drama. Jenrry Mejia, after only three weeks back from his previous performance enhancing drug suspension, received another PED suspension for 162 games. Drama. But it didn’t end there. On July 29, 23-year-old infielder Wilmer Flores discovered that he would be traded after a fan relayed the news to him as he ran out onto the field for the eighth inning. Flores had been a member of the Mets since he was 16 years old and found out he would be leaving his home team while he was literally still on the field playing for them. That’s insane. Understandably, he started to tear up during the game and the rest is media history. That kind of situation is one-in-a-million and seemed to
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just add to the craziness that the Mets were deal with. However, Flores (fortunately? I feel like it’s still probably kind of awkward) found out that his tears were all for naught as the trade fell through due to the other player’s injury status. While he gets to stay at home, he now has to deal with the haunting knowledge that he could so easily have been gone. On July 30, an ominous storm struck Citi Field, causing almost four hours of rain delay and a controversial loss that dropped the Mets two games behind the Nats, who led the division. However, the next day, the Mets ended their whirlwind week with an outstanding performance by Flores, who received three standing ovations for a diving stop in the first inning, his first at-bat since in two days and an RBI single. However, newly resigned batter Matt Harvey went 7.2 innings with one run, five hits, no walks, and nine strikeouts. Now the Mets lead their division by five games over the Nationals, and though I am not sure the coming weeks will be quite as dramatic as the last week of July, it looks promising that it will continue to be an interesting season. Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson summed up the roller coaster of a ride the team dealt with in July on Grantland.com when he said," It’s been a pretty tumultuous time in Mets Land. This could all come crashing down tonight or tomorrow. But so far, it’s all been crazy to watch.” What a time I chose to become a baseball fan! Sophia Scazzero is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be contacted at sscazzero@cornellsun.com. Instant Replay appears every Monday this semester.
30 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, August 24, 2015
SPORTS
NHL Kings Sign Lowry ’15 To Entry-Level Contract D
uring the offseason, three Cornell hockey players signed with the NHL including Joel Lowry ’15, who will be playing with the Los Angeles Kings for at least two years. Joakim Ryan ’15 and Cole Bardreau ’15 also signed contracts earlier this year during the offseason as well. Ryan will be playing with the San Jose Sharks and Bardreau with the Philadelphia Flyers. Lowry saw time in 111 games with the Red and finished his Cornell career with 29 goals and 48 assists. He was a consistant and reliable contributor to squad, however, he was unable to play for the Red after December 2014 due to injury. —Compiled by Anna Fasman
VICTOR FEI / SUN FILE PHOTO
King Lowry | Joel Lowry ’15, pictured above, was the most recent Cornell hockey graduate to sign with an NHl team.
Rowers Earn Top Spots at Royal Canadian Regatta F
ive Cornell rowers from both the heavyweight and lightweight men’s rowing teams earned medals at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in August. Junior heavyweights Christian DiGiocamo and Joel
Cooper, a Sun sports staff writer, along with sophomore heavyweight Rich Rosin and sophomore lightweights Joe Pinnola-Vizza and James McManus all competed and placed at the race.
The group of heavyweights was able to win two golds and a silver medal competing for the New York Athletic Club while the pair of lightweights earned gold as a pair rowing for the Conshohocken Rowing Center.
According to the Henley’s website, “the Regatta has grown to become one of the largest amateur rowing tournaments in North America,” with over 2,800 rowers competing. — Compiled by Anna Fasman
MICHAELA BREW / SUN SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Royal gold | Members of both the heavyweight and lightweight teams earned gold at the Henley Regatta in August.
Hall of Fame Sees 11 New Inductees T LOWELL GEORGE / SUN FILE PHOTO
Softball fame | Former head coach Dick Blood, pictured left, will be one of 11 people inducted into the Cornell Hall of Fame.
he Cornell University Athletics Hall of Fame will see 11 new athletes inducted in a ceremony Sept. 19. The ceremony, to take place on campus, will honor the three coaches and eight players who earned their spots among the 566 other Cornell athletes previously inducted. The list of new inductees includes softball coach Dick Blood, who retired just this spring, women’s track and field coach Lou Duesing and football coach Pete Noyes. The eight athletes come from both the classes of 2004 and 2005. While the official ceremony will be held the evening of the 19th, the athletes and coaches will also be recognized at a halftime ceremony during the Cornell-Bucknell football game to take place that afternoon. — Compiled by Anna Fasman
THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, August 24, 2015 31
Sports
The Corne¬ Daily Sun
MONDAY AUGUST 24, 2015
32
SOFTBALL
Farlow ’97 Takes Reins as Softball Coach
Replaces retired head coach Dick Blood for 2016 season By ANNA FASMAN Sun Sports Editor
Despite her recent transition into the head coach position, Cornell softball’s Julie Farlow ‘97 is no amateur. Farlow herself donned a Cornell uniform for all four of her years as a student in the College of Engineering and started playing softball for Cornell during the squad’s first year as a recognized varsity team. Since 2002, Farlow has been an integral part of the Red coaching staff under previous head coach Dick Blood, who retired after the 2015 season. However, as head coach, Farlow will find herself as the final decision maker, something she has watched Blood do during her decade with the team.
COURTESY OF JULIE FARLOW
Head red | After 13 years on the Cornell coaching staff, Farlow looks forward to taking over at the head position.
“Over the last 13 years, I’ve been exposed to all aspects of this program which will help make the transition a bit smoother,” she said. “The biggest change is that I’m now the final decision maker rather than bouncing ideas off the head coach.” Farlow started playing softball in fourth grade when her neighbor’s team needed more players. She enjoyed a decorated college career as a second baseman, earning All-Ivy second team status for two of her four years with the Red. During her senior season in 1997, Cornell won the ECAC Championship. Between her time as a player and returning to Cornell for a full time coaching gig, Farlow worked as a traffic engineer in Rochester, New York. Although she enjoyed a part-time coaching position with the University of Rochester for four seasons, Farlow said she was convinced to transition into a full time coaching career when she found out she could work under the tutelage of Coach Blood at Cornell. “I really enjoyed the engineering world and I was fortunate to balance that career with a part-time coaching position,” Farlow said. “The fact that the full time job was at Cornell and with Coach Blood is what convinced me to make the career change.” During her first year as head coach, Farlow said she anticipates running into the usual hurdles that face the coaching staff and team each season. “As head coach, I’ll be challenged by the same things that get us every year — unpredictable weather, injuries, Ivy League attrition, schedule changes and other things that are difficult to prepare for,” she said. “I’m most looking forward to getting the team back and working with them on the field. It was a busy summer of recruiting, office work and hiring an assistant. It’ll be good to break out the bats and balls again and play some softball.”
COURTESY OF JULIE FARLOW
Coaching Cornell | Coach Farlow played for the Red softball team from 1994 until 1997.
Coach Farlow, like Blood, has seen the program evolve since its early years, an advantage that will prove key in moving the program forward in the near future and beyond during her time as head coach. However, it is also a passion for softball and Cornell softball specifically that will allow Farlow to develop her full potential in the head coach position. “My goal is to help this current group of players continue to develop. We’re at a great starting point and each of them has the potential to blossom even more,” she said. “We grew a lot last season, even though our overall record was disappointing. Cornell softball is something See SOFTBALL page 29
Summer on Somborn Favorite toWin Starting Spot The Diamond I FOOTBALL
By JOON LEE
that Few will no longer play football because he is not “physically able to play.” For much of the Cornell football Unlike 2014, Archer said he hopes 2014 season, a lack of a consistent to name a starting quarterback who presence under will consistently execenter plagued the cute the team’s offenteam’s ability to “He’s come back with a sive scheme and proput together convide continuity rather sistent offensive different type of mentality than play a committee drives. Senior than I’ve seen in system, adding that James Few strugSomborn has been the past.” gled from the getamong the most go and later went impressive players so David Archer ’05 down with an far in training camp. injury that led to “I’ve seen a more current sophomore Jake Jatis becom- mature approach to being a quartering just the second Cornell freshman back [with Somborn],” Archer said. to start at quarterback, joining two- “He’s come in the best shape he’s ever time All-American Jeff Mathews ’13. been in. He’s come in with a higher When junior Robert Somborn knowledge of, not only football, but returned from injury against Brown, also our offense and I’ve seen a differthe Red offense began to find its ent demeanor from the 18-year-old groove and displayed untapped poten- freshman that I knew two years ago. tial for the remainder of the season. I’ve seen a more serious approach.” Somborn, who completed 57.86 Archer said Somborn’s preparation percent of his passes while throwing has impressed him in the early goings for nine touchdowns and three inter- in camp. ceptions during the 2014 season, now “He’s throwing the ball well. He’s comes into the 2015 season as the come back with a different type of favorite to win the starting quarter- mentality than I’ve seen in the past,” back job when the Red faces off Archer said. “He played last season against Bucknell during its first week. probably around 187 pounds and he’s Head coach David Archer ’05, howev- come back at 198 pounds with less er, is not ready to name Somborn the body fat. It’s just a whole new starting quarterback just yet. Archer approach from him from a year ago.” currently lists the depth chart at quarArcher said he has also seen signifterback as Somborn, Jatis, sophomore icant improvement in Jatis’ game on Kyle Gallagher and freshmen Dalton the field. With an added year of expeBanks and Garrett Cloer. Archer said rience, Jatis has displayed a different
Sun Assistant Sports Editor
’m not the biggest baseball fan. Growing up in Chicago, I was always asked the question, “Cubs or White Sox”, a question I usually answered with “White Sox” simply because of where I lived, but that was about the extent of my involvement with MLB baseball. I have been to a few games — some Cubs, some Sox and some
Sophia Scazzero Instant Replay Mets, but I can probably count the amount of games I have been to on one hand and I never really gained a deeper interest in the sport. But this summer, after going to a Washington Nationals and Mets game (which in retrospect is ironic now knowing the significance of those two teams and their standings) and actually enjoying it, I decided I’d give baseball a more invested try. The game I went to was fun, although I’ll admit it was mostly because I thoroughly enjoyed the songs that went along with player introductions when they walked up to bat, a part of baseball I’m sure is probaSee SCAZZERO page 29
demeanor commanding the offense. “It’s so night and day between being a freshman quarterback and not being a freshman quarterback,” Archer said. “It’s such a challenge to play that position, especially as a freshman. Everything — huddle command, recognition of defenses, See FOOTBALL page 29
MICHAELA BREW / SUN SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Finding their footing | Coach Archer has yet to choose his starting quarterback.