INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 140, No. 18
8 Pages – Free
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2023 n ITHACA, NEW YORK
News
Dining
Science
Weather
Arsonists Run Amok
Eatery Evolves
Receptor Research
Partly Cloudy
Despite an abundance of fire-related incidents in North Campus dorms, students remain unfazed. | Page 3
Just as Eatery guides users through dining choices, Daniela Rojas '25 navigates the app's latest update. | Page 5
A Weill Cornell study on ion channels could impact how drugs are administered to patients. | Page 8
HIGH: 62º LOW: 42º
Cornellians Rally in Solidarity With Palestine By ESTEE YI and LUCAS SANTIAGO Sun Senior Editor and Sun Staff Writer
“Free, free Palestine;” “From the river to the sea” and “No justice, no peace” were just a few of the chants that rang through Ho Plaza on Wednesday, Oct. 18. At 5 p.m., students, faculty and staff gathered at a rally hosted by Students for Justice in Palestine in solidarity with Palestinians impacted by the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Participants gathered at the entrance to Willard Straight Hall, carrying signs with phrases like “We know occupation” and “End Apartheid, Free Palestine.” Some wore a Palestinian keffiyeh, a traditional scarf that has become a key cultural symbol of Palestinian identity. Before the rally began, an SJP member urged participants to beware of doxxing — the release of one’s personal information to the public without consent, which has been occurring among university students and activists that openly condemn Israel, including at Harvard University. Many participants donned blue surgical masks to protect their identities. The rally began with a reading of a revised statement from SJP which addressed President Martha Pollack’s updated statements on the war and Tuesday’s strike on Al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza that killed at least 500 people, many of which were seeking treatment following the start of Israeli air strikes on the Gaza strip, among other issues. Israeli and Palestinian officials are blaming each other for the strike. Following the reading came various speeches from current and retired faculty members and students that condemned Israel’s occupation of Palestine and expressed disappointment with the University’s response. “Right now the focus should and must be on peace and liberation. Ongoing genocidal tactics are antithetical to human rights and international law,” one professor stated. “The rally calls for migrants' right to stay home.” In their speeches, in addition to the Gaza hospital bombing, speakers also addressed the death of a six-year-old Muslim child in Illinois, fatally stabbed by his landlord who was upset over the Israel-Hamas war. Despite the nature of unity from the rally, many par-
MING DEMERS / SUN ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Seeking solidarity | Community members gather at Ho Plaza on Oct. 18 at a rally for Palestine. ticipants of various backgrounds had different reasons for recent days, and expressed her desire for her son to develop his attending. political voice and engage in the community. Many students pointed to the lack of support from the “I want political action to be part of his life, even though University administration, particularly regarding Pollack’s he’s so little right now,” Blanchfield said. “It’s important to be statements. They pointed to how, of the three statements, here with him for the children of Muslim backgrounds who Palestinians were only briefly mentioned, with no mention of have been targeted in the last days.” the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Blanchfield also emphasized how the presence of the comMany rally-goers also shared accounts of threats and harass- munity at the rally provided a sense of safety and solidarity, ment that they have encountered on campus and online. They and she hoped that the momentum would continue to grow stressed an increased fear of violence for supporting Palestine or in urging the University to speak out against ongoing issues. for their ethnic and religious identities. A full version of this article will be available at www.corCaitlin Blanchfield, a visiting faculty member in the architecture department, attended the rally with her young son, nellsun.com on Thursday. who is Iranian-American, in a stroller. Between the giggles and sneezes of the small infant, she emphasized the importance of Estee Yi can be reached at jyi@cornellsun.com. being there for Muslim children who have been targeted in Lucas Santiago can be reached at lsantiago@cornellsun.
Cascadilla Rape Spurs Security Upgrades By SOFIA PRINCIPE Sun Staff Writer
JULIA NAGEL / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Cascadilla crimes | A student walks out of Cascadilla Hall, where a Sept. 14 rape has provoked new security measures.
Editor’s Note: This story discusses rape on campus. When Bridget Sisk ’26 found out about the rape that occurred in Cascadilla Hall, her residence hall, she had an uneasy feeling she couldn’t shake. Since then, she has become hyperaware of her residential surroundings, constantly feeling uncomfortable in her own home. “Every time I hear a loud door slam outside my room or people in the halls at night, I get nervous,” Sisk said. The Cornell student community received a Crime Alert about an on-campus rape on Thursday, Sept. 14, which resulted in several students telling The Sun they feel unsafe in their residence hall and prompted a series of security renovations to quell resident fears. “A victim reported to a
University official that she was forcibly raped by an unknown person, in an unknown residence hall, sometime on Sept. 14,” the alert stated. “The victim described the suspect as a male, six feet tall and weighing approximately 160 pounds. The victim was able to escape after kicking the suspect.” Cascadilla Hall residents received a subsequent email on Sept. 15 informing them that the event occurred in their residence hall, without further information regarding the identity of the offender or specific details about the location. In a follow-up email on Sept. 19, Housing and Residential Life encouraged students to report any helpful information and “take steps to maximize the current safety and security measures already in place.” “I feel like they didn’t do a good job of communicating what really happened,” said Isha Patel ’26. See CASCADILLA page 4
PROF. RICKFORD:
A Statement Regarding My Actions From Oct. 15
I
apologize for the horrible choice of words that I used in a portion of a speech that was intended to stress grassroots African American, Jewish and Palestinian traditions of resistance to oppression. I recognize that some of the language I used was reprehensible and did not reflect my values. As I said in the speech, I abhor violence and the violent targeting of civilians. I am sorry for the pain that my reckless remarks have caused my family, my students, my colleagues and many others in this time of suffering. As a scholar, a teacher, an activist and a father, I strive to uphold the values of human dignity, peace and justice. I want to make it clear that I unequivocally oppose and denounce racism, anti-semitism, Islamophobia, militarism, fundamentalism and all systems that dehumanize, divide and oppress people.