INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 132, No. 42
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2015
!
ITHACA, NEW YORK
12 Pages – Free
News
Arts
Sports
Weather
Order in the Court
Some Renoir-vations
In the Lion’s Den
Mostly Sunny HIGH: 49º LOW: 32º
A lawyer instrumental in a victory for same-sex marriage in California speaks about social change. | Page 3
Shay Collins ’18 explores the rising anti-Renoir movement.
Women’s volleyball will face off against Columbia Saturday.
| Page 7
| Page 12
Cayea Found Guilty Trustees Defend Fossil Fuel In Jones ’15 Murder Involvement,Labor Policies Will face 15 years to life sentence
By GABRIELLA LEE Sun News Editor
Jurors found Benjamin Cayea guilty Wednesday of second-degree murder for the strangling of his girlfriend Shannon Jones ’15. He will face a sentence of 15 years to life and will be sentenced in December. The verdict, which came before 10 a.m. Wednesday and after hours of deliberation from the jury Tuesday, follows a four-day trial, in which the jury heard testimonials from 15 witnesses. Cayea had initially confessed to the murder of Jones in an interview with law enforcement hours after Jones’ death on Thanksgiving Day in 2014. However, Today’s verdict meant Cayea presented a different story when he took to the stand Tuesday, testifying that the jurors that the death was accidental and a result unanimously concluded of a sexual encounter where Jones had asked him to choke her. that there was intent While Cayea’s attorney Matthew Van behind Cayea’s actions Houten argued in his closing statement that the jury’s decision hinged on last November. Cayea’s state of mind and could not be proven beyond a reasonable double, today’s verdict meant that the jurors unanimously concluded that there was intent behind Cayea’s actions last November, according to The Ithaca Journal. Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse following the verdict, Van Houten said that he will appeal the verdict after the Dec. 7 sentencing.
By MELVIN LI
Sun Staff Writer
The Board of Trustees defended the University’s financial involvement with the fossil fuel industry and rejected calls for an independent investigation of possible labor abuses at Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar at a panel with students on Wednesday evening. The discussion, hosted by the Student Assembly and the Graduate and Professional
Student Assembly, was intended to be an opportunity for students to engage with trustees about their concerns with the University’s policies. Students were able to submit their questions online as well as directly address the trustees during the event. Robert Harrison ’76, chair of the Board of Trustees, responded to concerns over the University’s refusal to divest from fossil fuel companies and private prisons by stating that See TRUSTEES page 4
Facing the music | The Board of Trustees respond to student concerns at a panel hosted by the Student Assembly and GPSA Wednesday. DAVID TICZON / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Gabriella Lee can be reached at glee@cornellsun.com.
Police Make Arrest in Risley Chemical Case Relations Committee Confronts Funding Needs By PHOEBE KELLER
Sun Assistant News Editor
Cornell Police arrested Sean Lee — a former Cornell student — on Thursday, concluding a 10-month-long investigation into the discovery of suspicious chemicals in Risley Hall in January. Lee, who is currently a New York City resident, appeared in Ithaca City Court Wednesday and was charged with secondJASON BEN NATHAN / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
degree reckless endangerment and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, both class A misdemeanors, according to a University press release. Lee was released without any posted bail and his case was adjourned until December. The investigation began on Jan. 20 when police responded to a report of a suspicious backpack — which appeared to contain a variety of household chemicals — in the north campus residence hall. A more extensive inves-
tigation revealed that the chemicals in the backpack were commonly associated with the manufacture of methamphetamine, according to the release. Cornell Environmental Health and Safety and the New York State Police also responded, and the contents of the backpack were confiscated by the state police, the release said. Lee came forward the same day claiming ownership of the materials. The state’s investigative team determined that Lee
was manufacturing dimethyltryptamine, also known as “DMT” and a Schedule I hallucinogenic substance under NYS Public Health law. The University attributed the lengthy leg between finding the substances and Lee’s arrest to a need to test and process all the confiscated materials so that accurate charges could be filed in court. Phoebe Keller can be reached at pkeller@ cornellsun.com.
By BRIAN ENG Sun Staff Writer
The University Relations Committee of the Board of Trustees discussed how cooperation with policy makers could increase the University’s state and federal funding in a committee meeting Thursday. Charles Kruzansky, director of state government relations, and Zoe Nelson ’04, associate director of state government relations, presented to the committee a briefing about the University’s financial goals and potential sources of funding this year. “Our capital needs are really quite serious, as you might remember [from our meeting] last year,” Kruzansky said. “The [State Universities of New York] overall got about $200 million in capital. Our share was just about $10 million of that. We need much more than that. Martha Van Rensselaer Hall is a big priority for us. [Cornell’s campus in] Geneva still needs more money.” Kruzansky also said there is a “critical need” to rebuild and modernize the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source, a highenergy physics lab. Modernizing the lab through state funding could convince the federal government to invest in the lab, he added. “We really need something in the order of $10 million from the state for a big upgrade just to get the Fed’s attention,” See FUNDING page 5