INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 135, No. 13
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2018
n
12 Pages – Free
ITHACA, NEW YORK
News
Arts
Sports
Weather
Out of Prison
Girlfriend
Road Woes
Mostly Cloudy HIGH: 78º LOW: 60º
Harvard Prof. Bruce Western shared his research on reintegration of formerly incarcerated persons. | Page 3
Kitchen Theatre Company’s new musical is “a delight,” writes Andrea Yang ’20.
Field hockey lost a pair of weekend contests to Maine and Vermont.
| Page 8
| Page 12
Sophie Fund Repeats Call for Mental Health Task Force In letter to President Pollack, fund’s founders critique ‘insufficient’ JED Foundation review results By SHRUTI JUNEJA Sun News Editor
After President Martha E. Pollack rejected non-profit The Sophie Fund’s call for an independent mental health review of the University in January, its founders penned a second letter to Pollack urging her to reconsider their request following the JED Foundation’s review of Cornell’s mental health policies. In January, Pollack stated that internal reviews along with an assessment from the JED Foundation were occurring and that an independent task force would not be neces-
sary, The Sun previously reported. letter publicly last week. However, Susan Hack and Scott MacLeod “We have examined what Cornell has — the parents of Sophie made public about JED’s Hack MacLeod ’14, who ‘external assessment,’” “It is not the died by suicide in March MacLeod and Hack 2016 while on leave from independent, transparent, wrote, according to a Cornell — were dissatcopy of the letter shared and robust review that isfied with the 55-page with The Sun. “We have we sought ...” report of JED recommenconcluded that it is plaindations and four pages Susan Hack and Scott MacLeod ly insufficient; it is not the of Cornell responses to independent, transparent, the recommendation. and robust review that we Claiming that these results were “insuffi- sought and that we believe Cornell’s students cient,” Hack and MacLeod wrote a second deserve; and it does not adequately address letter to Pollack in August. They posted the many of the concerns we raised in our April
Florence floods
19, 2017 letter.” In a statement to The Sun, Ryan Lombardi, vice president for student and campus life, said that Cornell Health is in the early stages of planning a comprehensive review of student mental health that will bring together “internal and external partners” and begin “as soon as early 2019.” The University did not clarify whether this was directly in response to The Sophie Fund’s letter. “While for many years the university has engaged in regular assessment of student mental health needs and evaluation of services See TASK FORCE page 4
Beyoncé’s Father Mathew Knowles To Speak at Panel By SAMANTHA STERN Sun Staff Writer
to improve campus safety, with some singling out a desire to improve Cornell’s response to sexual assault on campus. “I believe response and awareness for sexual assault is grossly underperformed on campus, and though administration has taken good steps in the right direction, it simply isn’t enough,” George Defendini ’22, freshman representative candidate, wrote, calling for the implementation of a “student-led sexual assault support group.”
A member of the famed Knowles family is coming to campus this month, but sorry Beyhive, it’s not Beyoncé. On Sept. 27, Mathew Knowles, renowned music industry entrepreneur, public speaker and former manager to his daughters Beyoncé and Solange Knowles, will visit Cornell to discuss his books in a panel discussion at the Africana Studies and Research Center. A visiting professor at Texas Southern University, Knowles is the author of the best-selling book The DNA of Achievers: 10 Traits of Highly Successful Professionals as well as Racism From the Eyes of a Child. He is also the founder, president and CEO of Music World Entertainment, “one of the world’s leading music and entertainment conglomerates” with global sales of records totaling over $300 million, according to his website. “His impact as a professional in corporate America and on the music industry are well known,” Prof. Riché Richardson, African American literature, who will also participate in the panel, said in an email to The Sun. “His origins in the segregated South make such achievements all the more interesting for reflection.” KNOWLES The panel will also include Prof. Marla Frederick, a professor of African and American studies and religion at Harvard University. Prof. Gerard Aching, Africana and Romance studies, will moderate. The panel grew out of Richardson’s popular class American Studies 3355: Beyoncé Nation, which 68
See S.A. page 4
See KNOWLES page 4
JOHNNY MILANO / THE NEW YORK TIMES
Charlie Wright, a resident of Dillon, S.C., digs a trench in his backyard and pumps out water in the aftermath of Tropical Depression Florence.
Freshmen, Transfer Students Run for S.A. Candidates hail from diverse backgrounds, emphasize safety and mental health By YUICHIRO KAKUTANI Sun News Editor
A former intern for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, a self-described “walking meme” and 18 other new Cornellians are running in the upcoming Student Assembly fall election that will decide the next freshman and transfer student representatives. Sixteen freshmen and four transfer students are competing for four freshman representative positions and one transfer student representative position,
respectively. Seventeen of the total 20 candidates responded before publication to The Sun’s request for an email interview — below is a summary and select highlights of their responses. Of the candidates who answered The Sun’s survey, all except one came from various parts of the United States, with eight of them hailing from within New York State. They come from a variety of cultural backgrounds, including Ethiopian, Chinese and Puerto Rican backgrounds. Several candidates promised to work