INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 130, No. 38
MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013
!
ITHACA, NEW YORK
16 Pages – Free
Business
Arts
Sports
Weather
Business State of Mind
Modern Day Othello
Strong Comeback
Partly Cloudy HIGH: 64 LOW: 46
Cornell student entrepreneurs share their insights on entrepreneurial success. | Page 3
Madeleine Salinas ’16 reviews a modern take on Shakespeare’s Othello.
The men’s hockey co-captain scored twice Saturday after recovering from a neck fracture. | Page 16
| Page 8
Fraternities Adjust to Changing Guidelines
Bugging out
By DARA LEVY Sun Senior Writer
MANDY TENG SUN / SUN CONTRIBUTOR
Julie Miller grad, who studies neurobiology and behavior, shows insects to children at Insectapalooza, a oneday insect fair hosted by the Department of Entomology at Cornell University.
C.U.Ranked 15th Best Value College By JINJOO LEE Sun News Editor
Cornell University was ranked 15th in Kiplinger’s list of private colleges with the best value. The rankings, published this month, are based on a measure of both quality and affordability. The University rose three places in the rankings,
moving up from 18th last year. The ranking was based on comparisons of 600 private institutions that were compared on measures of competitiveness, graduation rates, academic support, cost of tuition and financial aid, as well as average student debt, according to Kiplinger’s website.
With the University imposing tighter restrictions on Greek houses in an effort to rein in hazing and dangerous behaviors, fraternity leaders say they have had to make adjustments to longstanding Greek traditions. After George Desdunes ’13 died in a fraternity hazing ritual in 2011, the University enacted a series of policies aimed to “end pledging as we know it,” The Sun previously reported. One of the biggest changes made to Greek life since then has been the shortening of the new member period, which used to be eight weeks but is now four, according to Felix Tabary ’14, IFC vice president One of the biggest changes for university and community to Greek life has been the relations. Tabary said that some aspects shortening of the new of fraternity life — including member period, according encouraging new members to to Felix Tabary ’14. properly clean the physical house and instilling a sense of respect for older brothers — are “harder to translate with the new new member education process.” Other fraternity brothers, like Timothy Lenardo ’14, president of the Sigma Phi fraternity, say they think it is probably too early to see any major effects of the shortened pledge period. “Many fear that people will be less committed to the house, as they have put little to nothing into being accepted. Additionally, our pledge classes are always diverse groups of guys from dramatically different parts of campus, and some argue that pledging is the ‘shared experience’ that bring them together,” Lenardo said. Tabary said his fraternity, Sigma Pi, received help in adapting its See GREEK page 4
See KIPLINGER page 5
‘Follow Your Heart,’ Says Former Student Convicted of Murder Re-Sentenced Cornellian-Antiquarian By JINJOO LEE
Sun News Editor
By ALISHA FOSTER Sun Contributor
Stephan Loewentheil J.D. ’75, an antiquarian, organic farm owner and rare book donor, is a Cornell alumnus whose passions have taken him all over the world. Besides having his pieces featured in exhibits both at Cornell and in museums worldwide, he has also worked with clients like the White House and the Dalai Lama. Loewentheil sells pieces from his collection in his rare antiques shop, called Luxury Catalogs. Loewentheil said he did not plan on making a career out of collecting rare books and photographs. “I graduated Cornell Law School in 1975, and I went to Baltimore, Maryland, and I did historic renovation. I didn’t enjoy it. I was always a book
lover,” he said. He said he began collecting rare books after talking to Jake Zeitlin, an elderly collector who lived in California. “He was such an interesting man, it struck me that I could do that. I began buying and selling books, particularly 19th century American books originally. I found them to be something that was very intellectually stimulating, and to my amazement, I was able to make a living out of it,” he said. Loewentheil has contributed to Cornell’s collection of rare manuscripts and photos with fellow collector Stephen Rudin, and said he hopes to continue doing so. At Cornell, Loewentheil worked on building collections of Civil War era history, helping Cornell put up exhibits such as “Dawn’s Early Light” and “The Lincoln See LOEWENTHEIL page 5
Former Cornell graduate student Blazej Kot, who was convicted of murdering his wife in 2010, was re-sentenced on charges of arson and tampering with evidence Friday, the Ithaca Journal reported. The 29-year-old was convicted of fatally stabbing his wife Caroline Coffey’s throat in June 2009, The Sun previously reported. Coffrey was found dead in Taughannock Falls State Park. Prosecutors successfully argued at the time that Kot set fire to the couple’s apartment to destroy the evidence. On April 20, 2010, a jury convicted Kot of three felony charges: a second-degree murder, thirddegree arson and tampering with physical evidence, The Sun previously reported. In June 2010, Kot received 25 years to life in prison. At the county court on Friday, Assistant District Attorney Andrew McElwee proposed maximum re-sentences, while Kot’s attorneys asked for the minimum sentence of one to three years,
according to The Ithaca Journal. Tompkins County Judge John C. Rowley ruled in favor of the lesser sentences on both of the charges, according to The Ithaca Journal. Kot will serve those sentences concurrently with his murder sentence at the maximumsecurity Sullivan Correctional Facility in Fallsburg.
“I am astounded at the pain and anguish I caused. ... I see [the murder] was because of my mental health concerns,” Kot said at Tompkins County Court on Friday, according to The Ithaca Journal. Jinjoo Lee can be reached at jinjoolee@cornellsun.com.
Sing your heart out
ALICE PHAM / SUN CONTRIBUTOR
Soloist Kim Sueoka sings during “The Land of Three Faiths” concert at Sage Chapel Saturday.