INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 131, No. 42
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2014
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ITHACA, NEW YORK
12 Pages – Free
Opinion
Arts
Sports
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What’s Up Doc?
End of the World
Ivy Rivals
Showers HIGH: 57° LOW: 39º
Alec Stranahan grad discusses the positives and negatives of personal fitness trackers. | Page 3
Mark DiStefano ’16 describes every minute of movie Apocalypse Now: Redux as “hallucinatory.” | Page 9
Cornell Staff Member Implicated in UNC Bogus Class Scandal
The Cornell men’s soccer team will travel to Providence on Saturday to play Brown. | Page 12
Life is sweet
By TYLER ALICEA Sun Managing Editor
A Cornell employee who previously worked at the University of North Carolina was allegedly involved in a scandal involving thousands of students taking illegitimate classes over nearly two decades. Cynthia Reynolds — who is currently the academic programs coordinator in the School of Applied and Engineering Physics — is “If these guys’ papers are being implicated for her involvement in a scandal where thousands not in ... I would expect of students, many of whom were D’s or C’s at best. Most athletes, took illegitimate “paper classes,” where students would only need better than that.” have to write a paper that would
Cynthia Reynolds
See SCANDAL page 5
DIANA MAK / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Madison Stevens ’18 peruses varieties of honey at the Food Day celebration on the Agriculture Quad Thursday.
Rising Number of Graduates Choose to Stay in Ithaca By ZOE FERGUSON Sun Senior Writer
The number of Cornell graduates who stay in Ithaca after graduation — either for further degrees or careers — has nearly doubled since 2007, according to the Economic Impact Report released by the Office of Budget and Planning earlier this month. Thirty-eight percent of the Class of 2013 from the Ithaca campus remained in New York State, according to the report. Of these, 1,135 alumni — 17 percent — stayed in Tompkins County. This number represents almost twice as many as the members of the graduating class of 2007 who chose to stay in Ithaca. In addition, 14 percent of international students stay in Ithaca post-graduation, The Sun previously reported. According to the report, Cornell has acted as a buffer for Ithaca and Tompkins County against the national
recession since 2008. Joel Malina, vice president of university relations, said Cornell’s positive relationship with the Tompkins County economy is “instructive” for other universities across the country. “I think it can instruct other states and other locali-
“It can instruct other states ... that an institute of higher education [can] be an element of a recovery or insulation.” Joel Malina ties that an institute of higher education — a major research University — can be an element of a recovery or insulation from economic disruption,” Malina said. “I think it speaks to the ability of a large, vibrant insti-
ALEJANDRO HERNANDEZ / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Going viral | Dr. Janet CorsonRickert, associate vice president for campus health, speaks about taking precautions against the Ebola virus at 626 Thurston Ave. Thursday.
tution such as Cornell to provide that insulation.” Malina also emphasized the report’s implications of a productive relationship between the University and the local community, both in the social and economic spheres. “The Cornell education will never be limited, going forward, to just a classroom setting,” Malina said. Instead, he said, there is an “important connection” with residents of Tompkins County and New York State in general. Gary Stewart, director of community relations, said the report is an important resource to consult in sharing the story of the relationship between Ithaca and Cornell. “I was thrilled we could do this project,” Stewart said. “It’s a good resource for not just Cornell, but for See ITHACA page 4
Gannett: University ‘Proactive’in Educating Community About Ebola By ANDREW LEE Sun Staff Writer
Dr. Janet Corson-Rikert, associate vice president for campus health and director of Gannett Health Services, said Gannett has been taking a “proactive” approach to educating the Cornell community about the ebola virus at the Center for Intercultural Dialogue Thursday. Gannett faculty members are trained to follow strict protocol to minimize the risk of infection in the event the Ebola virus arrives at Cornell, according to Corson-Rikert. “While we have limited facilities on campus
to care for a person with Ebola, Gannett staff members are following protocols established by leading medical and health organizations in order safely screen people for possible Ebola risk and connect them to higher levels of care should that be necessary,” Corson-Rikert said. She added that Gannett has been working hard to keep up-to-date information about the Ebola outbreak, the low risk to the general public and Cornell initiatives to protect the community. “As part of a national public health network, we are taking pains to make sure we See EBOLA page 5