11-05-12 by The Cornell Daily Sun

The Corne¬ Daily Sun E G LECTION

UIDE

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2012

Four Years Later,Obama Euphoria Fades By KERRY CLOSE Sun News Editor

As the contentious and divisive 2012 presidential campaign draws to a close, Cornell students and professors say that this year’s election has not generated nearly the same level of excitement on campus as the one in 2008. During the 2008 campaign, Cornell’s campus was “abuzz,” said Prof. Theodore Lowi,

government. “There was a lot of talk, a lot of chatter, among both faculty and students, on the issues,” he said. But this year, Lowi said, he has seen far less enthusiasm about the upcoming presidential election. “Walking around campus, I’ve seen no excitement, nothing energizing. I see it as a typical fall term. I don’t see that students are eager to get involved in spats with each other or talk about what has happened lately in politics,” he said. Prof. Isaac Kramnick, government, said campus interest in the 2008 presidential race was in large part due to the state of the economy. “The election in 2008 occurred with the economy in absolute shambles,” he said. “Students were just as worried and concerned as their parents were about the possibility … of revisiting the Great Depression.” Still, citing the number of issues at stake in the 2012 election, Kramnick said he was surprised by the “general lack of enthusiasm” among students. Kramnick said that the 2012 election also differs from the 2008 election because President Obama faced a particularly challenging campaign for re-election. He quoted former HAILEY WILMER / SUN FILE PHOTO

Obama-mania | Cornell students take to Dino’s to celebrate President Barack Obama winning the 2008 election. If Obama wins, will they this year?

THE SUN’S GUIDE TO TOMORROW’S VOTE Coverage of:

• Campaign $$$ • Alumni candidates • Polls

New York Governor Mario Cuomo, who in 1985 wrote: “You campaign in poetry. You govern in prose.” “I think the real issue with Obama is that four years ago, he was campaigning in poetry — the poetry of hope, change and the drama of an African American running for president,” Kramnick said. “This time around, he is running in prose, because he has been governing for four years and no one sounds as exciting, as thrilling, after they had their hands tarnished by having to govern.” Max Schechter ’14, chair of public relations for the Cornell Democrats, agreed that Obama’s campaign has lost much of the novelty that made him so appealing in 2008. “It’s the difference between an ideal presidency and a reality,” he said. Still, Schechter said Obama’s record as an incumbent could also work in his favor. “I think we have more concrete things to be happy about, like the repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ and the saving of the auto industry,” Schechter said. “The difference [in this election] is that we’ve gotten to see [Obama’s] ideas put into practice.” Jess Reif ’14, chair of the Cornell Republicans, countered that it is Obama’s performance during his first term — not the fact that he is running for re-election — that explains why Cornellians are not as excited about this election as they were in 2008. “I think in his 2008 campaign, [Obama] seemed like a bold leader,” she said. “In the last four years, he has proven that he’s incompetent.” Reif said that she expects this lack of enthusiasm to be reflected in a decrease in youth voter turnout this season. See ENTHUSIASM page E3

Rep.Hinchey Leaves Liberal Legacy y t n o e n w e T toOne After Decades of Public Service By AKANE OTANI

Sun News Editor

In Cornell government department, Dems outnumber GOP by huge margin By REBECCA HARRIS Sun News Editor

The Democratic affiliation of an overwhelming number of Cornell’s government professors is neither evidence of bias nor inherently disadvantageous to students, according to the department’s chair. After all, he says, Cornell’s government professors are academics who study politics from a primarily theoretical standpoint. “We’re professional political scientists, so we study political science as an empirical science,” department chair Prof. Nicholas van der Walle, government, said. “We’re trying to render a more scientific study of politics, so we all have a kind of distance that means we don’t have very engaged conversations about politics. Maybe that’s curious, but that’s true.” Of those registered to vote in Tompkins County, only one Cornell government professor is registered as a Republican, compared to 21 Democrats, according to the Tompkins County Board of Elections. But that disparity is not a problem, according to van der

Walle. “I don’t feel like [Cornell’s government professors are] particularly engaged in the election. I think we could be criticized for not being engaged in civil exercise rather than for being overly engaged in it in a partisan way,” van der Walle said. “I would suspect you have much more overt political conversations in the math department than in the government department.” But Raj Kannappan ’13, a government major and former chair of the Cornell Republicans, said the liberal slant of the department’s faculty is clear. It is obvious, he said, that the majority of professors in the department lean to the left of the political spectrum — and he can usually tell “right off the bat” within the first few days of a course where the professor stands on most issues, whether or not the professor intended to disclose their politics to the class. “Obviously, I don’t expect them to be robots — they have their own views and that’s completely fine. Sometimes I almost wish they’d See GOVERNMENT page E3

Outgoing Rep. Maurice Hinchey’s (D-N.Y.) 38-year career in politics had a humble beginning: collecting tolls on the New York Thruway at night to pay his way through college. The Manhattan native, who served in the U.S. Navy and worked in a cement factory before attending college, said he was steered toward politics by a “natural calling” to help others. “I had a strong desire to make life better for people in my community, my state and my country,” Hinchey said. Hinchey got his chance in 1975, when he w a s elected to the N e w Yo r k State

Assembly — becoming the first Democrat from Ulster County to win a seat in the legislature since 1912. After being elected to represent the former 22nd Congressional District, which includes Ithaca and Binghamton, Hinchey established himself as a staunch supporter of federal student aid programs and research funding. Visiting Cornell in 2011, Hinchey decried a G.O.P. proposal to cut Pell Grant funding, calling it a “huge, huge mistake.” H e

also slammed a proposal in the House of Representative to slash federal investments in research, saying that Cornell, along with other universities, used government funds to advance medicine, clean energy and agricultural technologies. These fights to preserve federal resources, he recalled, remain “some of the greatest victories” of his political career. “From money for research projects at Cornell to expanded student aid, I’ve always focused on making strategic investments that will help ensure a brighter future for individuals and our communities,” he said. As a member of several committees in the House of Representatives, Hinchey continued to push progressive agendas — voting against a proposed ban to prohibit gay couples from adopting children in D.C., advocating replacing the death penalty with life imprisonment and pushing the Environmental Protection Agency to study the environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing. See HINCHEY page E3

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

PAGE E2

Monday, November 5, 2012

ELECTION GUIDE

C.U.Alumni Vie for Congressional Seats Joe Rooney ’80

Jim Bridenstine MBA ’09

Joe Rooney ’80 (R-Penn.) is hoping to topple four-term incumbent Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-Penn.) in Tuesday’s election for Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District seat, which includes the southeast portion of the state and parts of north Philadelphia. Rooney attended Cornell on a Navy ROTC scholarship and received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. A self-proclaimed fiscal conservative, he has called for a balanced budget amendment, the simplification of the national tax code and the elimination of the national deficit, according to The Wall Street Journal. “Living within our means should be a key tenet of Pennsylvania 13th our economic policy,” Rooney said. Rooney, who has a family history of military service, is calling for more efficient military spending. He has also strongly criticized President Obama and the Democratic Party for what he says is their opposition to the military. “The current Democrat administration proposes cuts in our Army and Marine Corps as a way to transfer money for their far left pet projects,” he said on his website. “There is waste in the Department of Defense and it must be weeded out, but manpower cuts to our fighting forces are unwise.” Rooney served for 23 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring from the Marine Corps Reserve in 2003 as a lieutenant colonel.

After defeating a six-term incumbent in the Republican primary, Lt. Cmdr. Jim Bridenstine M.B.A. ‘09 (R-Okla.) stands poised to become the Congressional representative for the 1st District in Oklahoma. Still serving in the U.S. Navy as a reserve pilot, Bridenstine hopes to beat another politician with ties to the military: former Sgt. John Olson (D-Okla.), a small-business owner from Tulsa. Bridenstine served in Afghanistan and Iraq. After leaving active duty, he completed his M.B.A. at Cornell before returning to Tulsa to serve as executive director for the Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium. Bridenstine also works various consulting firms. Strongly backed by the Tea Party, Bridenstine defeated John Sullivan in the Republican primary by a margine of 54 to 46. The district includes all of Tulsa County, Washington County, Wagoner County and parts of Rogers County and Creek County. Bridenstine is opposed to some abortion laws and believes “that a man should marry a woman and that a woman should marry a man,” according to the website for his campaign. “I would vote to repeal and replace Obamacare with a more competitive and cost reducing system,” he said. “Healthcare reform should allow families and businesses to buy insurance across state lines and end frivolous lawsuits that result in defensive Oklahoma 1st medicine and exorbitant malpractice insurance premiums.” According to the Oklahoma State Election Board, Republicans nearly have a 38 percent registration advantage in the district.

Rob Andrews J.D. ’82 Rob Andrews J.D. ’82 (D-N.J.), the incumbent for New Jersey’s 1st Congressional District, has served since 1990. He won a record-breaking number of votes in 2008, with 206,453 ballots cast in his favor. That was more than any other Congressional candidate from New Jersey has received in history, breaking his own record. This year, Andrews is fight allegations that he spent campaign funds for personal use. According to the publication N.J. Spotlight, “[Andrews] is being forced to divert part of his attention in the weeks leading up to Election Day to defending his actions instead of campaigning.” Andrews has defended his actions, saying, “In the course of my service, I have always followed every rule and standard ... These accusations are totally and categorically false.” While at Cornell Law School, Andrews was selected for the Board of Editors of the Cornell Law Review. Additionally, Andrews helped write the health care bill, according to Courier Post Online. He also voted in favor of the stimulus bill and TARP. New Jersey 1st

Nan Hayworth M.D. ’85 Nan Hayworth M.D. ’85 (R-N.Y.) is running for re-election in New York’s 18th Congressional district, which includes several counties in the suburbs north of New York City. She is running against Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), who served as an aide under President Bill Clinton and former New York governors David Paterson and Eliot Spitzer. A retired ophthalmologist, Hayworth’s platform calls for cutting government spending, decreasing energy costs and repairing the nation’s infrastructure to generate job growth. “The most important challenge facing our district is a troubled economy that impacts our daily lives and threatens the durability of our long-term entitlement programs, like Medicare and Social Security,” Hayworth told The Bedford Daily Voice. “My priorities are your priorities — creating jobs, protecting Medicare and Social Security and keeping more of your tax dollars here in the Hudson Valley, rather than sending endlessly more to Washington, D.C.” New York 18th Hayworth graduated top of her class from Cornell University Medical College, where she was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honors Society. The district includes parts of Westchester, Putnam, Orange and Dutchess counties. According to the Hudson Valley Magazine, pundits in Washington have identified Hayworth as one of the Republicans in the House of Representatives most vulnerable to defeat this year, although polling showed she began this fall with a lead over Maloney.

Kurt Schrader ’73 Rep. Kurt Schrader ’73 (D-Ore.), a self-proclaimed budget hawk, is running for reelection against Fred Thompson (R-Ore.), a business owner from Salem, Oregon. Schrader graduated from Cornell in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts in government. Since his election in 2008, Schrader has worked on legislation regarding agriculture and natural resources — two issues key for Oregon, which boasts a sizeable farmers’ voting bloc. Schrader, whose district is considered fairly conservative, has a reputation as a political moderate and has voted with the Democratic party only 63 percent of the time. according to an analysis conducted by The Washington Post. Before being elected to Congress, Schrader — who now represents Oregon’s northwestern Fifth District — was a farmer and veterinarian for more than 30 years. He established and managed a veterinary clinic in Oregon City while running a farm, for which he grew and sold organic fruit and organic vegetables. Despite moderate leanings, he supported President Obama’s stimulus package as well as his healthcare law, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Oregon 5th

Gibson M.A. ’96 Ph.D. ’98 Rep. Chris Gibson Ph.D. ’98 (R-N.Y.), who also received two masters’ degrees from Cornell, is running as the incumbent for New York’s 19th Congressional District. In 2010, Gibson was elected to represent the 20th district, which includes Washington County and the city of Saratoga Springs. A former Army colonel and recipient of military decorations such as the Legions of Merit, four Bronze Stars and the Purple Heart, Gibson ran successfully for Congress in 2010, beating incumbent Scott Murphy (D-N.Y.) with 55 percent of the vote. Gibson also served in the First Gulf War before teaching American politics at West Point. Though the district is traditionally conservative, Gibson’s race is believed to be closely contested. According to a survey by the Siena Research Institute, Gibson’s lead over Democratic challenger Julian Schreibman (DN.Y.) has shrunk to five points. Gibson led 52 to 36 in September, according to a previous poll. According to Oneonta News, Gibson has often voted with the conservative wing of his party on New York 20th many issues, supporting the Ryan Budget and voting to defund Planned Parenthood. He received his Ph.D. from Cornell in government.

Monday, November 5, 2012

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

PAGE E3

ELECTION GUIDE

C.U. Students Lament Hinchey Reflects on Years of Public Service Low Number of GOP Professors on Campus

Hinchey, then 73 years old, said he would retire after the November elections. After being diagnosed with and treated for colon cancer throughout 2011 and “I’m also proud of my work on the environment, 2012, Hinchey said he would not seek re-election once including strong investments in solar and other sources his term ended. of clean energy,” he said. “Those fields will continue to Ulster County Executive Mike Hein — who told steadily grow and will provide quality jobs for future the Associated Press that Hinchey was a long-time graduates and expand our economy.” mentor and friend — said “there’s no question that not But the measures Hinchey advocated were not having Congressman Hinchey there is a loss for our always easily accepted. He recalled most of his years in community.” Congress as being fraught with conflict: Partisan agenMonths later, the 22nd district Hinchey served was das put the House in a gridlock, making it hard for divided into four new districts through New York either political party to advance legislation, he said. State’s redistricting. As Congressional hopefuls battle “The greatest challenge [of my career] has been serv- for seats in the districts, Hinchey articulated his hopes ing as a part of the minority party in the House for 14 for incoming Congressional representatives. of my 20 years in Congress. “I hope that my sucWith Republicans leading cessors take the time to the House for so long, it's “I feel very good about all of the meet all of the wonderbeen hard to get as much things we’ve accomplished.” ful people who live in done as I think many people their district and to would have liked,” he said. Maurice Hinchey learn their stories,” he “Nevertheless, we still accomsaid. “All of my accomplished a lot.” plishments in Congress have come from listening to the With a reputation for being, in the words of concerns of my constituents and taking the appropriate Politico, “one of the most liberal members of the House action in Washington to respond to those concerns and Democratic Caucus,” Hinchey was not without critics. make a difference.” Roger Rascoe, chair of the Ulster County With election day approaching, Hinchey thanked Republican Committee, said that Hinchey’s “free- the constituents he represented throughout his time in spending” policies piled up debt over the years. Albany and on Capitol Hill. “I certainly respect Congressman Hinchey for his “As I reflect back on 38 years in public office — 18 many years of public service in Congress, but his voting in the NYS Assembly and 20 in Congress — I am record is the exact opposite from what I would have extremely grateful to the people I've represented for chosen,” Rascoe said. “His legacy is that our grandchil- affording me the opportunity to serve them,” he said. dren will have to pay for the measures he voted for.” “I woke up each day ready to fight hard for them. I feel Nevertheless, the Congressman found supporters very good about all of the things we've accomplished.” from the left who were disappointed when, in January, Hinchey made an announcement at a press conference: Akane Otani can be reached “It’s time for someone else.” at aotani@cornellsun.com. HINCHEY

Continued from page E1

GOVERNMENT

Continued from page E1

just be more open about it,” he said. “It becomes very hard for me to take the professor credibly as a fair and impartial scholar.” Van der Walle and others maintained that government faculty are careful to ensure that their personal opinions do not color their conduct in the classroom. “No doubt that political biases may come out, but it’s a pretty strong professional norm that you wouldn’t impose your views on students,” he said. “I’ve been here for a little over a year, and … I’m aware of no [formal] complaints [of bias] that have been registered to the Dean’s office or to my office as chair.” Catherine Reyes-Householder grad echoed van der Walle, saying that while she would be very surprised to hear a government professor say he or she would vote for Gov. Mitt Romney — “it’s sort of understood that people [in the department] vote for Obama” — those views are not imposed on students and do not undercut the quality of education faculty members provide. Reyes-Householder said she understood how it might be difficult for a student coming from a Republican background to arrive at Cornell and get the sense that the overwhelming majority of faculty lean to the left. But learning to agree to disagree is part of the undergraduate experience, she said. Kannappan conceded that engaging in intellectual debate with professors can be educational — “but sometimes it’s nice to have someone who agrees with you,” he added with a laugh. Kannappan added that what he sees as a uniformity of perspectives within the department manifests itself in more indirect consequences for students. For one, a lack of conservative viewpoints among University faculty can be a detriment if it restricts the opportunity for students to hear all possible ideas about a particular topic, he said. For instance, Kannappan said that based on his personal observations, the majority of government professors would agree that some degree of redistribution of wealth benefits society. While they might differ on the level and application of redistribution, none are likely to disavow the idea entirely, he said. “There are not going to be professors who think redistribution is bad for society,” Kannappan said. “The disagreements [between Cornell professors] on these issues is marginal — they’re not fundamental differences.” For government majors seeking an academic mentor, then, the dearth of Republican professors can be limiting, Kannappan said. “Students from a particular race, ethnicity, background, if they have a professor with that same background, they have someone to talk to. For many conservative students, that can be hard to find,” he said. Recruiting intellectually diverse faculty has come up in conversation within the government department, van der Walle said. But he added that there is no formal mechanism for it in the hiring process. “In a regular [faculty hire] search, any kind of diversity is not discussed formally … It would be considered really inappropriate at a job interview to ask someone what their politics were,” van der Walle said. “We’re interviewing someone this week and I have no idea how they’re voting in this election. It just would be considered inappropriate to talk about.” Prof. Isaac Kramnick, government, added that potential hires are evaluated on the “analytical” rather than “ideological” merits of their research and writings. The lack of Republican professors in the department is the result, more often than not, of a paucity of conservative candidates applying for academic positions, he said. “There are no Republicans not because we are biased against conservatives and turn them down when they apply for a job in the department. In fact, at job interviews, the politics of the applicant never comes up,” Kramnick said. “The reason we have no Republicans is that young Republican men and women are less likely to go into academic life than liberals.” Still, Kramnick lamented the disparity in political party affiliation among the department’s faculty. Although he too emphasized that professors at Cornell make every attempt to keep their personal biases out of the classroom, he added that students and the University at large do “suffer from the absence of conservative perspectives on campus.” Rebecca Harris can be reached at rharris@cornellsun.com.

Prof: Students’ Lack of Enthusiasm ‘Disturbing’ ENTHUSIASM

the economy,” Reif said. “[But] others take the view that we can’t afford another four years of “Voter turnout, particularly Obama.” among young people, is going to be Kramnick, however, said a lack a lot lower than in 2008,” Reif said. of enthusiasm for President Obama “Then, we saw record numbers. I on campus may not necessarily don’t see the enthusiasm that existreflect perceptions of his shortcomed in 2008 for either ings as a leader. Rather, he candidate.” said, Obama simply is not “I don’t see the enthusiasm that Schechter agreed, the fresh face he was four adding that the dimin- existed in 2008 for either candidate.” years ago. ished excitement among “Obama’s now a known young Americans has Jess Reif ’14 quantity,” Kramnick said. been noticeable on “I don’t think it reflects disCornell’s campus. desire to see one candidate lose — illusionment in the sense that stu“People at Cornell aren’t as excit- rather than by a passion for the per- dents feel he didn’t perform.” ed for either candidate or about son they are voting for. politics in general,” he said. “A lot of people see Romney as a Lowi said he finds students’ lack capable business leader and see his Kerry Close can be reached of interest in the election “disturb- election as a chance to turn around at kclose@cornellsun.com. Continued from page E1

ing.” “There’s so much at stake in this election and a lot to talk about,” he said. “It would be nice to see more engagement.” Students and professors also suggested that Cornellians’ decisions to vote Tuesday may be driven by a

DAMON WINTERS / THE NEW YORK TIMES

We can do it? | President Barack Obama speaks at a campaign event in Concord, N.H., just days before the presidential election draws to a close.

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

PAGE E4 | OPINION

Monday, November 5, 2012

ELECTION GUIDE

Prof.Polenberg: History Has Good News for Obama Citing rarity of presidential incumbent losses, Polenberg foresees ‘bad news’ for Romney on election day

ere’s some good news for President Barack Obama. Since 1900, presidents who have run for re-election have usually won, even when the incumbent was not himself elected but was vice-president and assumed office because the president had died. The list includes Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George Bush. Only five times in more than 100 years has an incumbent failed to win re-election, but two of those five cases were out of the ordinary. In 1912, the Republican incumbent, William Howard Taft, lost — but largely because former President Theodore Roosevelt came out of retirement, ran on the 3rd party Bull Moose ticket and split the Republican vote, thereby making Wilson’s election possible. Gerald Ford’s defeat in 1976 was also atypical because he had never been elected president or even

43 percent — was the lowest of any victorious candidate since 1912. This election, like the other ones in which incumbents have lost, is being held during a time of relatively high unemployment. But this one, unlike the others, is being held as the unemployment rate is falling, and the policies of the administration have done much to bring it down. Two years ago, in November 2010, the unemployment rate was 9.8 percent. By November 2011, it had fallen to 8.7 percent. By November 2012, it had fallen again to 7.9 percent — still a high figure, but from a political standpoint what matters most is the trend, the direction, rather than the absolute number. All other economic indicators have also been showing steady improvement. Early in October, the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a four-year high and came close to its pre-recession peak; Gross Domestic Product has been rising — by two percent in the third quarter of 2012 — and is above its pre-recession peak; and the

Consumer Confidence Index rose from 61.3 in August to 70.3 in September, and has been higher nearly every month this year than in comparable months in 2010 and 2011. Even more important, the high inflation rate, which did so much to defeat Presidents Carter and George H. W. Bush, has not recurred under President Obama. Since last May, the rate has fluctuated between 1.4 and 2.0 percent. Consequently, the ‘misery index’ is now 9.5 percent — less than half what it was during President Carter’s last year in office. For more than 50 years — going back to 1956 — no incumbent president has lost when unemployment declined and the economy improved during the two years leading up to the election. And that is bad news for Mitt Romney. Prof. Emeritus Richard Polenberg, history, gave his last lecture at Cornell in December 2011. Polenberg, who joined the faculty in 1966, taught at the University for 45 years before retiring.

Prof. Richard Polenberg Guest Room vice-president, but had been appointed to the vicepresidency after Watergate. Ford actually carried more states than Carter, but lost by a narrow popular-vote and Electoral College margin. If we turn to the three instances in which an elected incumbent was defeated, what is most striking is that the economy in each case was in dreadful shape and the president seemed to offer no solution. The classic example is, of course, 1932, when Franklin Roosevelt defeated Herbert Hoover. The Great Depression had gone from bad to worse for more than three years, unemployment had reached a staggering 25 percent and industrial production had fallen by nearly 50 percent, but President Hoover seemed blind to the severity of the crisis. In 1928, Hoover had received 58 percent of the vote, but in 1932 the depression led to an almost exact reversal, and FDR received 57 percent of the vote. The next time an incumbent lost was nearly a halfcentury later, in 1980, when Ronald Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter. That was largely because of the economic crisis that emerged in Carter’s last two years: “stagflation” — high unemployment coupled with a high rate of inflation. The rate of inflation, about five percent when Carter took office, more than doubled — to 12 percent — by the time he left, and it reached 14.8 percent in March. The unemployment rate toward the end of his administration stood at 7.5 percent, about as high as when he took office. The misery index — inflation plus unemployment — soared to more than 20 percent by the election, and that proved the Georgian’s undoing. The last time an incumbent president was defeated was in 1992, when Bill Clinton beat George Herbert Walker Bush. Again, the unemployment rate on the eve of the election was high — 7.4 percent — as was the inflation rate, which stood at 7.3 percent. Polls showed that more than three-quarters of respondents said that the country was on the wrong track, with 40 percent saying the state of the economy was “poor’” and 47 percent saying, “not so good.” Ross Perot’s third party won 19 percent of the popular vote, but that did not change the outcome — although it probably took more votes from Bush than from Clinton. Perot’s candidacy simply ensured that Bush’s vote — 37 percent — was the lowest for any major party candidate since 1936, while Clinton’s —

(Don’t forget to)

Back in the day | Prof. Richard Polenberg, history, speaking to an audience of about 600 people in Bailey Hall in November 1980, forecast that Ronald Reagan (R) would defeat incumbent Jimmy Carter (D) in that year’s presidential race, according to The Sun’s coverage of the event (above). Reagan beat Carter decisively.

VOTE

(for your candidate!)

INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880

The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 129, No. 53

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2012 ! ITHACA, NEW YORK

Veteran pride

16 Pages – Free

In Sandy’s Wake, Students Recount Fear for Loved Ones By NOAH RANKIN Sun Staff Writer

ment. The conference call enabled the PSC to “get a general sense of what our response could be and should be,” according to Joyce Muchan ’96, assistant director of student programs for the PSC. PSC has not made definite plans regarding its response, Muchan said. “So that’s preliminary ... everything is in the beginning stages,” Muchan said. Muchan added that, as the University plans its relief efforts, “it’s important for us to take

At a University-organized support meeting Friday, students whose families were affected by Hurricane Sandy recalled the fear and stress they experienced trying to check in on their families over the week. Christian de Laszlo ’13 said his hometown of Rumson, N.J., became so flooded during the storm Monday night that boats ended up in trees and parking lots became sandbars. “The water stopped a foot before my house,” he said. “The house down the street was destroyed.” As Sandy’s destruction unfolded, de Laszlo said he kept in close contact with family and friends, calling when possible and seeing pictures on Facebook showing the hurricane’s damage. “I didn’t sleep at all Monday night,” he said, referring to the night when the superstorm “The water stopped a foot before touched down in New Jersey, my house. The house down the bringing 80 street was destroyed.” m.p.h. winds massive and Christian de Laszlo ’13 flooding to the area. Having lost heat and electricity, de Laszlo’s family had to seek amenities from neighbors with a generator, he said. Many people in his town had no television or Internet service, so de Laszlo sent information and photographs to his family via cell phone. “I was giving them updates about things happening less than a mile from where they were,” he said. “It was just crazy.” Vanesa Lauradin’s ’13 family was also affected by Hurricane Sandy. Lauradin, who hails from Brooklyn, N.Y., said that she had trouble in getting in touch with of her family over the past week. Lauradin said that trying to check in with her family while staying on top of her academic work over the past week has been especially difficult. “I’ve been up to six in the morning doing work,” Lauradin

See SANDY page 5

See STUDENTS page 4

AKANE OTANI / SUN NEWS EDITOR

Tompkins County residents celebrate Veterans Day in a parade honoring members of the United States military on State Street Sunday.

News Festival of Lights

More than 300 people celebrated the Indian festival of Diwali at the Johnson School Saturday. | Page 3

Cornell, Ithaca Plan Relief Efforts for Storm Victims By MANU RATHORE Sun Senior Writer

and LIANNE BORNFELD

News

Sun Staff Writer

A Trailblazing Makeover

The City of Ithaca becomes even more ‘gorges’ as Cornell renovates the Fall Creek Gorge trails to improve their safety. | Page 3

Opinion Bubble Wrap

Aditi Bhowmick ’16 argues that Cornellians have become indifferent to political musings and used the Cornell bubble as a scapegoat. | Page 7

Arts Kerry Close ’14 says that acoustic band Citizen Cope exuded a vibe that was not quite folk and not quite rock in a performance at the State Street Theatre. | Page 9

Sports Glad Times Soccer

Cornell’s men’s soccer team beat Dartmouth to claim the top spot in the Ivy League in a game Saturday. | Page 16

Partly Cloudy HIGH: 36 LOW: 22

Fire Prompts Evacuation of North Campus Apartments By JEFF STEIN

More Than Coping

Weather

In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, the Cornell and Ithaca communities are organizing relief efforts to assist people hurt by the storm. After the storm slammed much of the East Coast, the Cornell Public Service Center joined a conference call with northeastern schools of Campus Compact — a national coalition of college and university presidents committed to civic engage-

Sun Managing Editor

A fire in the bottom floor of a North Campus apartment complex caused the building to be evacuated Sunday morning, leaving dozens of Cornellians out in the cold but nobody seriously injured, according to emergency responders. The fire appeared to have been started in one of the dryers at the Highland House Apartments, located at 312 Thurston Ave., Ithaca Fire Chief Tom Parsons ’82 said. Although building residents reported that heavy smoke reached the second and third floors of the apartment complex, Parsons said he believes the fire was contained to the laundry room. “When we arrived on scene we saw heavy smoke coming from the first front door ... it appears everyone got out, everybody’s okay, but there appears to be a lot of damage to the laundry room area,” Parsons said. “I think [the fire] stayed in and around See FIRE page 5

AKANE OTANI / SUN NEWS EDITOR

IFD on the scene | Ithaca Fire Department responders prepare to go into the Highland House Apartments after a fire broke out in the building Sunday.

2 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, November 5, 2012

Today

DAYBOOK

Monday, November 5, 2012

CORNELL DAILY SUN VIDEOS

Daybook

Today Hello Big Red! Book Signing With Heather Little Noon - 3 p.m., Cornell Store Discovery! How We Did It and What We Know So Far 4 p.m., Schwartz Auditorium, Rockefeller Hall Brown Eyed Soul: Popular Music, Civil Rights and the Politics of the Possible 4:30 p.m., 258 Goldwin Smith Hall Jane Benson Lecture: The Splits 5:15 - 6:30 p.m., Abby and Howard Milstein Auditorium, Milstein Hall The Wisdom of Birds: How We Know What We Know About Birds 7:30 - 9 p.m., Auditorium, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Tomorrow Determining What Students Know: Question Design and Testing 3 - 4:15 p.m., 225 ILR Conference Center Practicing Islamic Finance in the Global Economy 4:15 - 5:55 p.m., 276 Myron Taylor Hall “A Crisis High and Low, or, the ‘Great Devalorization’ seen from Brazil” 4:30 - 6 p.m., Ruth Woolsey Findley History of Art Gallery Transition to an International Career: A Panel Discussion 5 - 7 p.m., 102 Mann Library

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The Ithaca Public Art Commission hosted Oct. 21 a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of their 21 Boxes project, which invited 21 local artists to paint electrical boxes around the city.

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, November 5, 2012 3

NEWS

Graduate Students Celebrate Indian Festival of Lights

By ALEXA DAVIS Sun Staff Writer

A week before millions of firecrackers are set to burst throughout India and parts of Southeast Asia, hundreds of twinkling lights illuminated the Dyson Atrium, where more than 325 people celebrated Diwali –– the Indian festival of lights –– with food, music and dancing. The annual event brought people of differing nationalities and religions together to celebrate the holiday and promote a greater understanding of Hindu and Jain culture, according to organizers. “[Diwali] actually symbolizes the victory of good over evil,” said Lakshmi Raj grad, president of the South Asian Business Club. “Every year during Diwali, people worship goddess Lakshmi, who is the goddess of wealth. It’s one of the most celebrated festivals of India.” The celebration began with a traditional Indian dinner catered by local restaurant New Delhi Diamond’s and a speech by Johnson School Dean Soumitra Dutta. The night continued with Indian dances, performances from a live band and a skit. The skit told the story of a traditional arranged marriage and how the couple fell in love over the Internet. The event’s finale consisted of a fashion show in which students and faculty modeled traditional Indian garb while performing Bollywood-style dance moves. According to Moulika Atluri grad, who participated in all of the night’s events, Diwali is typically spent enjoying the company of family, being thankful for the blessings in one’s life and spreading positive feelings. It is a holiday that is similar to Christmas in the U.S., Atluri said. “Diwali is one of the biggest Indian festivals: all the

JOY CHUA / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Bust a move | Anupama Umachandar grad dances in the Johnson Diwali Festival, which was held in the Dyson Atrium Saturday and drew more than 325 people.

families, all around the world come together,” Atluri said. “We give sweets and clothes to our loved ones and also we try to share and give food to the poor and needy. It’s all about giving and taking.” Niru Prakash-Kumar grad, who choreographed dances for the celebration, said the event helped her connect to memories of celebrating Diwali in India. “Back in India, we do everything as a community, including Diwali, I missed that for a long time,” Prakash-Kumar said. “Seeing 200 people come together to celebrate something is making me both nostalgic about India and very happy.” Although the night did not exactly follow the traditional celebration of Diwali, which is customarily a fiveday festival, some attendees said the event helped them gain a better understanding of Indian culture. “I knew nothing about [Diwali] until I joined this

faculty, and learning about it has been one of the great privileges of being here,” said Risa Mish ’85 J.D. ’88, faculty director of the accelerated MBA and Johnson Leadership Fellows programs. Jamie Hunt grad, who had never celebrated Diwali before enrolling in the Johnson School, said he has begun to grasp the importance of the holiday through his experiences at the Johnson School’s annual Diwali celebration. “For me, Diwali has meant celebrating with other friends and learning what is important to them,” Hunt said. “It doesn’t have any grander meaning yet, but maybe that will change tonight.” Alexa Davis can be reached at adavis@cornellsun.com.

C.U.Completes Initial Repairs of Gorge Trails By NOAH TULSKY Sun Staff Writer

Cornellians visiting the Fall Creek Gorge trails will notice that they have undergone a makeover, as the first phase of a University plan to improve the safety of the trails was completed in late October. The latest wave of major renovations –– which began in May 2012 –– include the installation of more lighting, the repair of a historic stone staircase that runs beneath the suspension bridge, the creation of additional railings and the removal of hazardous trees along 2,200 feet of trails, according to Todd Bittner, director of natural areas for Cornell Plantations. In addition to renovating trails, Cornell Plantations staff assisted with constructing nets, putting nets on the bridges and adding electrical lines beneath the trail. According to Bittner, these electrical lines will eventually provide power for security cameras on the bridges and

increased trail lighting, which will be installed during the second phase of the gorge refurbishment. All of these repairs follow recommendations from a report released by the Gorge Safety Steering Committee. According to Bittner, these recommendations, which were accepted by President

“[The gorges are] places that are part of that iconic landscape of Cornell University.” Todd Bittner David Skorton in December, focused primarily on improving gorge safety education, providing safe alternative recreation areas in the gorges, increasing enforcement of safety measures and repairing the gorge trails. The University has given the project $360,000 to renovate the trails, Bittner

KYLE KULAS / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Makeover | In an effort to improve safety in the gorge trails, the University is renovating pathways, increasing lighting and building seating areas in the Fall Creek Gorge trails.

said. A major part of the project is the upcoming development of four “destinations,” or designated seating areas which the University hopes will prevent trail users away from seeking out dangerous areas. “Those destinations are places where we envision having seating [and that have] magnificent views of the lake [and] the gorge. [These are] places that are part of that iconic landscape of Cornell University ... making them all that much more enjoyable to experience,” Bittner said. Additionally, a new trail feature allows hikers to use their smartphones to scan QR codes that will connect them to the Cornell Plantations’ website and load trail maps. “[The maps] can take you to all of those trails and show you all of those great places to explore within the gorges and beyond,” Bittner said. Bittner said that past gorge refurbishment projects were “narrow in scope,” focusing only on specific sections of the trail. The current repairs are part of “a comprehensive project to repair [the trail] to the extent that it is safe by our standards today,” he said. But the project was not without its challenges, Bittner said. “The gorges themselves are inherently a challenging place to do infrastructure improvement projects due to the steep topography, so it required a lot of additional planning to get this type of construction project where we are,” Bittner said. Bittner said he hopes that the refurbishments will increase student use of the Fall Creek Gorge trails as well as the entire Cornell Plantations trail network, which includes 3,400 acres of land on and around campus. Noah Tulsky can be reached at nst42@cornell.edu.

Cornell Student Reportedly Harassed, Grabbed By Masked Man

A female student was reportedly grabbed and terrorized by a masked man behind 111 Dryden Rd early Oct. 27. Cornell Police Chief Kathy Zoner said the investigation is ongoing. Ithaca Resident Arrested for Possession of Illegal Weapons, Controlled Substances

Following a lengthy narcotics investigation, Ithaca resident Mbusi Ntombela was arrested and arraigned Oct. 26 for allegedly possessing illegal weapons and controlled substances, according to a report released by the Ithaca Police Department. Shinagawa ’05, M.A. ’09 Debates Cornell Republicans

In a debate at Cornell Oct. 30, Nate Shinagawa ’05 M.A. ’09, Democratic nominee for Congress in New York’s 23rd District, sparred with two members of the Cornell Republicans on policy issues. Cornell, Ithaca Spared Wrath of Sandy

Although Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc upon much of the East Coast as it swept through the region early this week, Ithaca remained relatively untouched by the storm. — Compiled by Lianne Bornfeld

NEWS

Two Cornell Students Say Univ.’s Response Did Not Abate Stress STUDENTS

Continued from page 1

said. De Laszlo said that Cornell should have done more to reach out to students whose families were affected by the storm, saying that President Skorton’s email to the community Wednesday came too late and offered little relief to students. Laszlo said he would have liked to see the University send out a message about flexibility with academic deadlines to affected students during or immediately following the hurricane. “If someone emailed me on Monday night, saying, ‘just worry about yourself,’ I wouldn’t be this exhausted right now,” de Laszlo said. “Cornell students aren’t ones to ask for pressure relief.” De Laszlo said that, because Cornell is a “high-pressure school,” it is not easy to reach out to professors to ask for flexibility with deadlines. “If things are piling up, there needs to be some vent,” he said. “There needs to be a release that is accessible to students, that they don’t need to “If someone emailed me ... saying, ‘just write a worry about yourself,’ I wouldn’t be this mercy letter to their proexhausted right now.” fessor, which Christian de Laszlo ’13 is not easy to do for a lot o f Cornellians. That’s not how people got here.” Janet Shortall, assistant dean of students and director of the Empathy, Assistance and Referral Service — a peer-counseling program — agreed that there needs to be better communication between students and professors. She said that she hopes the University can “provide and support advocacy of academic consideration” for students who are struggling. “I would just hope that if there are students who are continuing to struggle with their course work because of the stress of what is happening for their family at home ... that they will reach out to their academic advising offices,” Shortall said. Shortall also said she hopes that students who have not been directly affected by the storm will “remain mindful that there remain Cornell students who remain very worried for their families and can’t travel home because of the devastating aftermath of the storm on their communities.” Noah Rankin can be reached at nrankin@cornellsun.com.

c . o n m u s l l e corn

4 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, November 5, 2012

NEWS

Residents Transported From Bldg. FIRE

Continued from page 1

the dryer.” A TCAT bus arrived on scene at about 11:15 a.m. to transport students away from the building, but Parsons was optimistic the residents would be able to move back in on Sunday. Sarah Liscia ’14 said she was studying when she heard the fire alarm go off this morning. “I thought it was the apartment next door

cooking, and then I started getting nervous,” said Liscia, who added she went to wake up her friend Abigail Brown ’14. “I started to hear smoke so I opened the door and it was billowing in …. I ran and said Abbie, wake up, there’s a fire!” Brown was grateful. “She didn’t let me die; she’s amazing; she’s my hero,” Brown said of Liscia. Jeff Stein can be reached at managing-editor@cornellsun.com.

Univ.,City Prepare to Aid Victims Local restaurants organize donation drive to provide relief SANDY

On Sunday, two local restaurants, The BoatYard Grill and Ciao, organized a donation drive direction from other communities called Fill The Truck. The drive as well.” aims to assist areas in New York “We’re gathering all the inforand New Jersey affected by the mation, and we’ll disseminate it as hurricane, according to Brian quickly and efficiently as possiJardin, manager at The Grill and ble,” she said. Ciao. The PSC plans to work with “We felt that we as a commuthe American Red Cross, United nity weren’t really making a lot of Way and other aid efforts to help the victims organizations to help “It’s incomprehensible what has of the hurricane, so we victims of the disaster. started the drive,” he said. For now, however, transpired in some of these communities.” Ithaca’s response to the efforts are largely in Joyce Muchan ’96 drive was “overwhelmthe planning stages as ing,” Jardin said. More the University collects than 250 people donated information about the help victims of Hurricane Sandy, to the drive in the 24 hours after scale of the damage, Muchan said. according to a post on the blog. it was announced on Facebook. “With what we do know, it’s “We had a lot of families come “Many of you have generously incomprehensible what has tran- offered to help in the recovery. in who donated to the drive. The spired in some of these communi- Some of you need assistance,” children gave their Halloween ties … Because Cornell is an Skorton said. “I can report that candy,” he said. “We have filled engaged community, we will work relief plans are underway and the truck and are now attaching a to meet the needs of the commu- information will be shared as trailer. We are [currently] at overnities that are impacted,” Muchan available.” capacity.” said. The blog also listed counseling After the storm, the University and emotional support services also started a blog “to facilitate for students, faculty and employ- The Sun’s news department can be communication among students, ees. reached at news@cornellsun.com. Continued from page 1

faculty, staff, and our larger Cornell family,” President David Skorton said in an email sent to the Cornell community Wednesday. The PSC will connect the Cornell community to other relief organizations such as the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster and the Salvation Army for volunteer opportunities to

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THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, November 5, 2012 5

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

OPINION

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Editorial

Obama for President

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Editorial

Shinagawa’05 for Congress THE NATURE OF THE RACE FOR NEW YORK’S 23RD congressional district is a product of recent redistricting. The 23rd district is expansive, encompassing most of the Southern Tier of New York. The winner of this election will represent both the rural countryside, dotted with staunch conservatives, and cities such as Ithaca and Geneva, populated primarily by devout liberals. As such, this race is a choice between two stark opposites. While Nate Shinagawa’s ’05 M.A. ’09 campaign seems to be based more on talking points than substance, we feel that he would make a better representative than incumbent Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y. 29), the republican nominee. Reed is far too uncompromising in his fiscal policy to be reelected to the House of Representatives. Representatives should engage in rational bipartisanship, not overt partisanship, and for this reason, we cannot support Reed’s candidacy. Reed is representative of exactly what was wrong with the 112th Congress: a refusal to compromise. Instead of pursuing an economic policy that balanced cuts with reasonable tax increases for those who could afford it, he refused even the most moderate of proposals. Reed was part of the contingent that held the American economy hostage as we barrelled toward the debt ceiling. Though Reed eventually voted in favor of a compromise, he played political brinksmanship in the lead up to the vote, saying that he would under no circumstances vote to raise the debt ceiling. While tackling the national debt is of critical importance, debt reduction must be approached in a responsible way. Reed’s methods in this situation were irresponsible. Shinagawa’s economic approach is more reasonable. The candidate supports cutting military spending by ending the war in Afghanistan and reducing the number of U.S. military bases abroad. He also supports letting the Bush tax cuts for those who earn more than $250,000 a year expire. Though the opposition believes these tax increases would harm small businesses, Shinagawa has moderated this position by saying he would make loans more accessible to small business owners, as well as offer them federal tax credits. Shinagawa’s approach takes action toward addressing the deficit without blindly cutting government services necessary for the well-being of citizens. While Reed has been uncompromising in his positions on the economy, Shinagawa has been equally uncompromising in his views on fracking. As a Tompkins County Legislator, Shinagawa has voted repeatedly to ban fracking — the drilling process in which chemically engineered fluid is pumped into the ground at high pressure to break apart rock and extract gas — in Tompkins County, the Finger Lakes Watershed and the State of New York. A more reasoned approach to fracking that we would support would call for further research on the practice and consider stricter regulations — not necessarily an outright ban. Still, we err on the side of caution and support Shinagawa, as Reed has not supported the important regulations that would seek to make the process safer. Reed has advocated against regulating fracking at the federal level, refusing to support the FRAC Act, which would require the disclosure of the chemicals that are pumped into the ground and regulate fracking under the Environmental Protection Agency. This race is unfortunately symptomatic of what is wrong with American politics: two uncompromising politicians spouting partisan rhetoric instead of independent analysis and thought. This race has been broken down into talking points that simplify political realities even beyond those used in the presidential campaign. We feel that Shinagawa, however, has taken positions that will more responsibly get our economy back on track.

CORNELL’S FATE IS CLOSELY TIED to the fate of national politics. The composition of our student body depends in large part on who can afford to go here, and the government plays a large role in determining college affordability. The quality of research that happens at Cornell is directly dependent on the $492 million the government spends on research here each year. The fate of Cornell students depends on responsible foreign policy and a strong job market. Both candidates have pledged to strengthen higher education and the economy, but only one has the consistency and record to make this more than just a pledge. Throughout this campaign, it became increasingly clear that President Barack Obama is the better candidate to lead this country for the next four years. President Obama’s economic plan focuses on more than just short-term cuts but represents a long-term strategy for economic growth. Education is an essential investment that can strengthen the economy. However, Mitt Romney has misplaced priorities when it comes to economic growth. Governor Romney’s proposal to increase military spending by $2 trillion — and 20 percent across the board tax cuts — represents what we see as a frustrating lack of vision on the Governor’s part. Taxes, as a share of GDP, are at 60-year lows. Lower than at any point during Ronald Reagan’s presidency. On defense, the United States spends more than the next 19 highest spending countries combined. At a time when our militaristic superiority is only questioned by the foolhardy and the paranoid, do we really need 2 trillion more dollars of defense spending, in addition to 5 trillion dollars of proposed tax cuts? We believe we do not, especially when that money could be far better spent investing in education. President Obama understands the importance of a college education and has implemented policies that make it easier for students to pay for college. President Obama created the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which gives families who are paying college tuition $2,500 off their tax bill. Additionally, President Obama has fought for maintaining low interest rates on Stafford student loans and maintaining funding for the Pell Grant program that legislators in Washington, like Romney’s running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, have worked hard to cut. Ryan’s budget would have severely cut back funding for higher education by lowering the income level at which students qualify for an automatic maximum grant and freezing the maximum Pell Grant at the fiscal year 2012 level of $5,550. This freeze would make it progressively harder for families to pay for college as inflation decreases the real value of each dollar. While Romney claims that he will expand the Pell Grant program, his position continues to shift. Earlier in the election, he called for cutting funding to the program. College students are understandably disheartened by the economy. Spending four years at Cornell only to be turned away by businesses that are not hiring is frustrating. However, we feel that the job market would be much worse were it not for the interventions that President Obama championed, including the $787 billion stimulus bill. In the long run, President Obama has taken steps that will strengthen our economy by closing the deficit through a combination of spending cuts and revenue increases. Reducing our national debt is of vital importance, but tax cuts and spending cuts alone will not fix the economy. Beyond these direct impacts on college education, Governor Romney’s plan will have long term implications for our generation. Governor Romney has promised that he will repeal Obamacare if he is elected. Obamacare’s repeal will not just doom the 30 million Americans without health insurance to continue to live at their own peril, it will diminish our generation’s economic freedom as we venture out into the job market. Those of us with preexisting conditions will find insurance hard to come by and will make accepting any job that does not already provide health care impossible. Repeal will also remove a provision that allows us to remain on our parents’ health insurance until age 26. Remaining on our parents’ plans keeps our premiums low, saving us money. While Romney says health care should be reformed, he and his Republican allies have yet to outline with what they would replace Obamacare. Additionally, in the next four years, it is overwhelmingly likely that whoever sits in the Oval Office will be forced to confront an Iranian regime perched on the edge of nuclear capability. President Obama’s past opposition to war in Iraq, as well as his successful record of handling international disputes, leads us to the conclusion that he will handle a difficult situation in the Middle East far better than Governor Romney. A war with Iran would be catastrophic, with consequences that would be felt not only by enlisted members of the military and their families, but also by our entire generation. Governor Romney’s tendency to fluctuate positions — a liability during a crisis — as well as President Obama’s successful record of international intervention, inform our belief that President Obama ought to remain the Commander In Chief. Nevertheless, reservations linger about a potential second-term for President Obama. Last week’s hurricane brought to the fore one vital issue on which both candidates have been woefully silent: The existence of man-made climate change can no longer be rationally denied, and it is increasingly clear that global warming will be one of the main challenges facing our generation. With that in mind, it is disheartening that neither President Obama nor Governor Romney has chosen to take a strong stand to protect the world we will soon inherit, or to affirm the inextricable connection between environmental stability and all other types of national and international progress. The dearth of discussion about climate change in this campaign is a depressing reminder that both candidates are beholden to corporate interests and only affirms the dangerous fallacy that protecting the environment is a goal at odds with economic growth — Romney has repeatedly implied this when pressed to discuss the issue. Though Romney’s persistence in burying his head in the proverbial sand on this and many other issues makes Obama the clear choice, the President’s silence is also very troubling. Though admittedly hampered by Republican resistance, Obama failed to pursue meaningful environmental legislation during his first term. We, his constituency, must continue pressuring him to take action and not to forget in the pragmatism and mudslinging of politics that it is our future at stake. We demand that he do everything in his power to protect it. Though the President has been hesitant to enter the political fray on several important issues like the environment and immigration, we support President Obama for reelection and hope he will fight more aggressively for the issues that matter to our generation.

CORRECTION The headline of a news story Friday, “Breach in CIT Exposes Personal Data,” incorrectly stated that a breach in CIT caused the personal information of up to 2,000 people to be exposed. While it is true that information technology at Cornell was responsible for the breach, “Cornell Information Technology” is also the name of a department at the University that did not oversee the computer from which the information was leaked.

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, November 5, 2012 7

OPINION

Don’t Vote for Obama T

his election I will do what every progressive voter should and cast my ballot for a third-party candidate. I will not perpetuate the tragicomedy that is our two-party system. I understand people want to ensure that Willard Mitt Romney is not elected, but I disagree with their decision to achieve this by unenthusiastically voting for President Obama. Crisis, whether economic or ideological, is not the time to sacrifice principle in favor of pseudo-pragmatism. Many see voting for a candidate other than President Obama as a vote for Willard Mitt Romney. This is myopic. To encourage the Democratic Party to adopt truly progressive stances on issues that affect students

I rarely agree with Fox News contributor Judge Andrew Napolitano, but on this issue he showed insight that many of his doltish colleagues (I’m looking at you Megyn Kelly) would do well to imitate, when he said, “I reject the idea that a principled vote is wasted. Your vote is yours, and so long as your vote is consistent with your conscience, it is impossible to waste your vote.” In a democratic system there is no such thing as a spoiler candidate or a wasted vote. If a mainstream candidate’s ideas are not representative of enough of the electorate to win a majority of its votes, then the candidate must change her or his policies. Voters do not have to sacrifice their principles in support of a lesser evil. We hold the power. Politicians cannot be elected without our votes. Don’t allow the two-party amalgamation to scare you into perpetuating policies Letters From that conflict with own interests. A Young Curmudgeon yourThis has largely been the case with our current President. I openly defend the President’s achievements — among them, the auto bailout and increased credit card company restraints — but I will not let my appreciation of these accomplishments muzzle my critique of President Obama’s dangerous shortcomings. We have allowed President Obama to get away with things over which students, liberals, progressives and Democrats would be outraged had they happened during a Republican administration. To name a few: Obama’s drone strikes that consistently kill kids, the killing of American citizens without trial (Anwar alAwlaki), the continuation of the war on drugs, record numbers of deportations, the appointment of big bank employees as cabinet secretaries after a financial meltdown triggered by those same banks, the mismanagement of weapons that the government sold to murderous drug cartels in Mexico (Fast and Furious), the resigning of the Patriot Act, the exclusion of a single-payer

S.D. Seppinni

such as student debt, health care and climate change in the future, we must vote for third-party candidates now to show our distaste for the options the two parties provide. Doing so will force mainstream candidates to amend their platforms in an attempt to regain disaffected voters. This has happened before, as I will explain, and is sure to happen again if we turn out for lesserknown candidates on November 6. I understand that both Rocky Anderson and Jill Stein have almost no chance of winning next week. I realize neither is particularly charismatic and I disagree with their stances on a number of issues, most notably their unwillingness to prevent the armageddon-hungry Ayatollahs in Iran from developing apocalyptic nuclear weaponry. However, I want to combat the idea that voting for a candidate with whom one mostly agrees but knows will lose is a “waste of your vote.” This, in addition to being platitudinous, is untrue.

healthcare system from the national discourse, re-signing the Bush Tax Cuts and, my personal favorite, the signing of the National Defense Authorization Act, a bill that allows indefinite detention of American citizens without trial and, in so doing, obliterates the underpinnings of the constitutional rule of law. One way to hold President Obama accountable for all of this is to show our distaste by voting for a thirdparty candidate that advocates the positions we believe Obama should take, whether it be Jill Stein of the Green Party, Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party or, the candidate for whom I will vote, Rocky Anderson of the Justice Party. If a third-party candidate draws support from the Party’s base, Democrats will eventually adopt some of these policies as a way to woo back voters, as they have in the past. In 1936, for example, before he was assassinated, Senator Huey Long of Louisiana, with his “Every Man a King” motto and his “Share Our Wealth” platform, which included an old age pension program, a public works agency and free textbooks, had over 7.5 million supporters and posed a threat to Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s reelection. In response, FDR adopted many of Long’s proposals in his Second New Deal to attract the senator’s base. It is to Long and his supporters that we owe our thanks for bringing programs such as Social Security into the mainstream. Today’s third-party candidates can play a similar role on issues such as climate change and the cost of higher education. Most of us vote in solidly red or blue states such as New York, California, Texas or that golden bastion of beauty, California, all of which receive almost no attention from mainstream candidates. Why give your allegiance to a candidate who has the resources, but not enough interest to make more than a perfunctory effort to earn your vote? Why not, instead, vote your conscience and show that your support is far from assured? Make your vote count. Do not vote for President Barack Obama or Willard Mitt Romney.

S.D. Seppinni is a senior in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He may be reached at s.d.seppinni@cornellsun.com. Letters from a Young Curmudgeon appears alternate Mondays this semester.

Frankly, My Dear, I Don’t Give a Damn S

o when I listen to the most unimaginative series of debates which are ostensibly the hallmark of the truest of all democracies, I look around at the bored faces which are putting up with the drama in the RPCC lounge, and I say, “Something is rotten in the State.” I am not alluding to Shakespearean Denmark in Hamlet which was very evidently crumbling, I am talking about the United States of America. To my mind, it is a polity which is withering. It is a slow, painful death that the enlightened American citizenry is going through, and the worst part is that they are not even entirely aware of it. But we were not conceived this way. There used to be a time when people were very much stirred by what was happening outside their living rooms (I’m not talking about Baseball!). The State was not some fancy, pompous entity steeped in political and economic jargon which the layman could not make head or tail of. The State was one of the people. Today, it is like watching a show simply because we have been watching it for ages. It’s almost as if the electorate consists of hapless bystanders who are watching a bunch of whippersnappers trying to prove that one is not as bad as the other. Our political lives and our “normal” lives have been divorced by this terrible complacency that has set in, which intellectuals condemn as “indifference.”

This trend is more than a figment of my imagination. One can see repercussions within Cornell itself. Our unassailable alibi is that we live on a hill nestled in the trees and rolling fields of Ithaca. We think we live in a bubble which really does not figure as a formidable force in international politics. It is true that Ithaca began as a White, Republican, self-contained town, of sorts. But the unrestrained passion of students and professors revolutionized this place. It’s hard to believe that it is the same Willard Straight Hall I am referring to when I cite the famous Willard Straight takeover by African-American students in the 1960s. It was an expression of deep resentment of racial prejudice. The campus was consumed by antiwar sentiment during L.B.J.’s killing spree in Vietnam. Imagine being drafted by lottery to serve in a country which exists in a part of the world you cannot even picture in your head for a cause which you never fully understood and later, actually rallied against. Cornell closed down for a week, yes it did, I am not lying!! It closed down not because of some freak superstorm but to facilitate impassioned discussion among students and professors regarding democratization and diversification of the University. Women dated men who said “no” to warfare. Cornell grads and dropouts took over the administration of civic needs from incompetent private companies. There was the feeling of carpe diem

in the air. Those were our glory days and today, the picture we paint is diabolically different. People will say there is nothing to protest about. I say, everything is wrong around you and you can’t find a single thing to protest about? You have escalating instances of sexual assault on and around campus. You have a homophobic Vice-Presidential

temological center of the social milieu and therefore, you are in a position to influence the world like no one else can. Universities in the past have taken Presidents down and meanwhile, at Cornell, we don’t give a damn! All I am saying is that it is all right to “sacrifice” a party or two to think about what’s happening in the world and formulate

Aditi Bhowmick Abstruse Musings Candidate and a prominent man in the same party who claims that, “Rape is nevertheless a gift in a very broken way and victims should make the best of it.” You have the incumbent President who is bleeding Afghanistan and the process of ending massacre is on hold simply to bolster brownie points for his election. You have a Presidential election which might redefine your life this Tuesday, but you probably won’t vote because your “vote does not matter” and you are too disillusioned. You have a superstorm trying to wake you up from your slumber of indifference and complacency! Moreover, you are a member of a university which is supposed to be the epis-

an opinion, to at least prove to yourself that you have not forgotten how to think. I am tempted to stretch this just a little more by reasserting Ellie Weisel, “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.” The rest, as always, is silence.

Aditi Bhowmick is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. She may be reached at abhowmick@cornellsun.com. Abstruse Musings appears alternate Mondays this semester.

8 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, November 5, 2012

CU Tonight Commission Attention registered undergraduate student organizations:

Need money for a great late night on-campus event? Apply to CUTonight

Funding Applications now available at rso.cornell.edu/cutonight/ For events on: Nov. 24, 29, 30 and Dec. 1 and/or between Jan. 24th and Mar. 14th Application Deadline is: Nov. 7th @ 3 p.m. Funding up to $5,000 available to put on late night events. For more information contact:

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A&E

Monday, November 5, 2012 | The Corne¬ Daily Sun | 9

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

At Long Last Love BY KERRY CLOSE Sun News Editor

If Citizen Cope’s performance at the State Theatre on Thursday could be described in one word, that word would be “long.” Citizen Cope –– a Washington, D.C.-based acoustic band, as well as the stage name of lead singer Clarence Greenwood –– took to the stage for almost two hours. The diversity of the band’s set left little to be desired, pulling almost equally from earlier albums like Citizen Cope as from the most recent, and significantly less-well known, One Lovely Day. Toward the end, he even gifted the audience with a cover of Radiohead’s “Karma Police.” It wasn’t the length of the performance that was the problem; it was Greenwood as a performer. As the band played the first few songs of the set, Greenwood seemed disoriented and disconnected from the MICHELLE FELDMAN / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER audience, only acknowledging their enthusiasm with a vague “thank you” at the end of every few songs. The ambience didn’t pick up until “Bullet and A Target,” from his 2003 album The Clarence Greenwood Recordings, brought the audience to its feet –– creating a strange mosh pit of college students and middle-aged parents in front of the stage, swaying and clapping to the beat. It was then that Greenwood cracked his first smile of the night and started to dance along with his fans. Such would be the rest of the show –– a string of slow

and similar-sounding melodies, barely distinguishable from one another in lyrics or style, until Greenwood would decide to snap out of the lull and play a more upbeat song, bringing back the energy in the theater. Still, it seemed as though Greenwood wasn’t mentally present for most of his own concert, at times closing his eyes while playing and almost never appearing to channel the complex emotions inherent in many of his lyrics. The night felt sluggish and Greenwood did little to pick up the pace. Citizen Cope attracted an eclectic crowd that filled about half of the State Theatre, but almost all of them seemed bored –– checking phones and talking about leaving –– by the

end of the first hour. It was then that Greenwood bade the audience good night and the band left the stage for over 15 minutes. Still, most of the crowd clamored for more and Greenwood eventually delivered. He returned to the stage alone, presumably for an encore, but that turned out to

be a set that lasted well over 45 minutes. As he played one slow melody after another, the quickly-drifting crowd became increasingly insistent that Greenwood play “Sideways,” a hit from The Clarence Greenwood Recordings. Hearing their demands halfway through the set, Greenwood laughed and said, “You guys don’t understand the art of foreplay.” But the foreplay in the theater did not build the anticipation Greenwood perhaps had hoped for. The crowd —which had spent the majority of the band’s first set on its feet — had largely returned to their seats and some were even trickling out of the theater. Still, when the band finally did play “Sideways,” the second-to-last song of the set, it was everything fans could have hoped for and more. I could say it was an experience or just a great performance, but both of those would be wrong. As Greenwood himself could say, “There’s no words to describe it.” There’s something about Citizen Cope, not quite folk or blues or rock, something indefinable yet distinctly recognizable. Whatever it is, Greenwood finally captured it in that last song. The crowd, forgiving him his past transgressions, sang along to the popular love ballad, and the band ended the night on a high note. Kerry Close is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at news-editor@cornellsun.com.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

A&E

10 | The Corne¬ Daily Sun | Monday, November 5, 2012

I’ M A CREEP W H C

COURTESY OF OSCILLOSCOPE PICTURES

UTHERING EIGHTS AT INEMAPOLIS

that transcends time and the plane of existence. Catherine Earnshaw (Shannon Beer and Kaya Scodelario) and Heathcliff (Solomon Glave and James Howson) are the authors of this Viewing Wuthering Heights filled me with an overwhelming passion — they destroy the lives of those around them in their envy — envy for all the lucky bastards who were able to walk quest to possess each other and wreak vengeance upon themout of the theater midway through and didn’t have to finish the selves. This interpretation degrades this into a creepy obsession movie. Lest you think this is simply a figure of speech, I took — an animalistic horror. This revulsion within the relationship the trouble to count them as they left. Less than 50 percent of is mirrored through the continual slaughtering of animals. the audience remained for the duration of the film. Why? You Though an attempt at a metaphor, these killings are taken too may ask. Because director Andrea Arnold managed to include far: sheep are bled out, dogs are hung and rabbits are clobthe tedious and disturbing aspects of the novel while eradicat- bered. ing the passion and haunting beauty that makes it worthwhile. The first hour and a half of the film is tedium and debaseWhat makes Wuthering Heights (the ment. Their home is no book) beautiful? The answer lies in quotes Wuthering Heights; it is a dirty Wuthering Heights such as: “He is more myself than I am. farm without sophistication or Whatever our souls are made of, his and class. The entire film was miniDirected by Andrea Arnold mine are the same. If all else perished and malistic. There is no soundtrack Starring Kaya he remained, I should still continue to be, and hardly any dialogue. While and if all else remained, and we were Scodelario, James this captures the underlying feel annihilated, the universe would turn to a of the novel, it is boring. Nothing Howson, Solomon mighty stranger … He’s always, always in happens — it is dark, people lick Glave, Shannon Beer my mind; not as a pleasure to myself, but blood, the wind blows. While the as my own being.” Or scenes like director may have been striving Heathcliff leaning out the window to call for superior shots and powerful to the ghost of Cathy as the tree branch taps on the window. emotions, what she produces is instead a dull film shrouded in Arnold takes these beautiful moments and destroys them. darkness. Cathy begins the quote above, but her voice fades out and if Arnold tries too hard to incorporate metaphors into the you had never read the book you wouldn’t have the faintest film. As a result, if I see another bird or feather I may scream. idea of what she was saying. The tree branch taps from the It is one thing to subtly lace a beautiful metaphor through a beginning, long before Cathy’s death, ruining the final effect movie and let it speak to the audience as it will. It is another and making it unnecessary and confusing. thing entirely to constantly thrust it in our faces: LOOK AT Wuthering Heights is the story of a dark unnatural passion THIS BIRD! LOOK AT THE FEATHER FALLING! THIS BY MARISSA TRANQUILLI Sun Staff Writer

IS IMPORTANT! ALERT! ALERT! ALERT! The novel, though a story of unlikable characters and innate aversion, ends on a redeeming note. The children of the wrongdoers seem to rectify the crimes of their parents and leave the audience with characters who have the potential to do right and with a feeling of the hope of tomorrow. This film does no such thing. In fact, one of the final images of the film is of necrophilia. The screenplay writers (Andrea Arnold and Olivia Hetreed) seem to want their audience leaving with feelings of revulsion and hopelessness. Though I cannot speak for her, I don’t think this is exactly what Emily Brontë was going for when she wrote the novel. I don’t want to be disparaging about the actors — they were actually quite good. The attempt at a revolution of the film incorporating a black Heathcliff was an interesting take and the themes were not completely out of place. The revised view and decent performances were not enough to save the film, however. I spent my time in the theater guessing who would walk out next. By the time the film looked like it could possibly redeem itself, there were only five people left in the theater and it had gone too far to save anything. Whenever things started to look possibly interesting, more death, tedium and all around creepiness overpowered. Whether you’ve read the book or not, don’t see this movie. When I first read the book I was repulsed but I adored the hauntingly beautiful overlay and could neither hate nor forget it. After seeing the movie my only thoughts were that I needed to take a few showers and watch How I Met Your Mother until I could forget everything that I had just seen. Marissa Tranquill is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at mmt62@cornell.edu.

Competing Narratives W

ith the election tomorrow, I feel compelled to write about the candidates, although I’m anxious that I’ll be influenced by the endless spin across the air waves and the deluge of ink already spilled. To me, though, the wonky policy preferences of the candidates underlie a larger cultural choice we are being asked to make. As far as I’m concerned, the 2012 election is about the difference between cosmopolitanism and conservatism as essential principles, rather than the differing opinions on policy that come with them. In one corner, we have Mitt Romney, silver-spoon fed Governor’s child, whose boot straps were prenatally lifted up for him by his father’s success. The Romneys have been power-players in the regressive Church of Latter Day Saints, a deeply conservative institution that, despite its outsider status to some, represents a purely American type of orthodoxy, a revisionist ideology founded upon coopting biblical history for the narrative of American exceptionalism. Yet, Romney rarely discusses his faith — like his tax returns, personal life or personality, he is intensely private and hoitytoity, preferring country-club banter, witticisms directed at the President and unobjectionable political banalities to real candor. At the debates, Romney appears uncomfortable when flustered, preferring to avoid any discussion of unsavory issues. Romney has proved unable to leave his comfort zone — a man who avoided the cultural upheaval of the 1960’s by fleeing to serve on mission in France (where he presumably went two years without

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

touching a drop of French wine) and then by isolating himself further as a married 22-yearold at Brigham Young University and as a family-man while at Harvard. Obama, on the other hand, embraces his own eclectic background. A child of a Kenyan exchange student and a white Kansan living in Hawaii, young Obama lived in Indonesia where he learned to speak passable Bahasa Indonesia. Later, he grew up in Hawaii, experimented with drugs like many high-schoolers do and left to attend college on both coasts of the continental U.S. After graduating from college, he worked in some of the poorest parts of Chicago as a community organizer and then went to Harvard where he became the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. Sure, the President has been successful in most of his pursuits, but moreover his background seems indicative of humble beginnings, an open mind, and, most importantly, compassion. In 1995, before he entered politics, he wrote Dreams from My Father, an impressive

Adam Lerner Slow Lerner narrative about his multicultural background, praised by Philip Roth and Toni Morrison as an astounding literary work and by Time Magazine’s Joel Klein as the “best-written memoir ever produced by an American politician.” As a student of literature I have always believed that it is impossible to write good characters without empathy — Obama passes

this test with flying colors. According to what we have seen during this campaign cycle, from the now notorious 47 percent comments to stories about childhood bullying, finding the same quality in Governor Romney is more difficult. Perhaps this simply stems from Romney’s poor communication skills, or maybe it comes from the cultural myopia that has kept the former Governor from ever walking a mile outside of his own designer loafers. The same dynamic comes through in the candidates’ speaking styles. Obama is cool, calm, and collected, always willing to share his thoughts on difficult issues, preferring to address things head on in speeches and take responsibility for decisions. Romney, on the other hand, is rigid, robotic, uncomfortable and gaffe-prone. He reeks of arrogance, a wily disingenuous sycophant perpetually caught with his pants-down. In response to direct questions, Romney demurs with circuitous harangues about his history in business or plans to create 12 million jobs (a number that most experts estimate will likely come with recovery, regardless of who is in the Oval Office). For those of you unwilling to follow the increasingly opaque issues and proposals of the candidates, I offer you an alternative interpretation, a competing narrative for explaining the election: In 2008, when we elected Barack Obama, we told the world that we were done with the days of brutish imperialism. The Bush years showed how Americans are all too willing to accept an unholy marriage between big business and small minds, greedy capitalism and antiquated ignorance. By electing Obama, we said that we’re no

RACHAEL SINGER / SUN CONTRIBUTOR

longer going to chase our tails with our deplorable education system, third-world economic inequality and foreign policy that resembles a sociopath playing Risk. And though things have only gotten slightly better in terms of raw statistics (mostly due to Republican obstinacy and poor economic circumstances), the symbolism of having a worldly President who would never dream of cutting off stem-cell research and PBS in an effort to appeal to dogmatic anti-intellectuals is huge. By electing Barack Obama, for the first time Americans said that we will not allow the fear-mongering Old Guard to ride atop the backs of the ignorant and manipulate the government to their liking. Electing Mitt Romney and the coalition of birthers, evangelicals, and Gordon Geckos, we would effectively be saying, “never mind!” Hopefully demographic shifts have made us better than this, but only the Electoral College will tell.

Adam Lerner is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at alerner@cornellsun.com. Slow Lerner runs alternate Mondays this semester.

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, November 5, 2012 11

12 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, November 5, 2012

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Chinese temple instrument 5 Nestling noises 10 Leave at the altar 14 Diva’s showpiece 15 Group of experts 16 Pierre’s possessive 17 Return on one’s investment, in slang 20 Replay technique, briefly 21 Relaxing time in the chalet 22 “There oughta be __” 25 Hi-fi spinners 26 Plain dessert 30 Playing decks 35 Diplomatic bldg. 36 Juanita’s aunt 37 Yukon’s country 38 Prada imitation, perhaps 42 More greasy 43 Extended family 44 “Bon voyage!” 45 Fruity-smelling compound 46 Jay-Z, for one 49 L.A. bus-and-rail org. 51 Speak indistinctly 52 Begin 57 Gate-hanging hardware 61 Announce one’s arrival gently ... as opposed to words that start 17-, 26-, 38- and 46Across 64 Voting no 65 In an unusual way 66 Student’s stressor 67 Very familiar note recipient? 68 “Fetch my smelling salts!” 69 Avg. levels DOWN 1 Goes on and on 2 Unwritten 3 Barcelona boy 4 Joke writer 5 HMO alternative 6 Musical sensitivity 7 One-named Irish folk singer

8 Magazine with a Stylewatch spinoff 9 Eat noisily, as soup 10 Elbows rudely 11 “In the morning” radio host 12 Security device 13 __ torch: patio light 18 Finish the laundry 19 Perform another MRI on 23 Oldman or Newman 24 Ragamuffin 26 Orange __ tea 27 Old Dodge autos 28 Horseshoeshaped fastener 29 “The Trial” writer Franz 31 Furthermore 32 Synagogue scholar 33 Times to send in the troops 34 “Full House” co-star Bob 37 Panama crosser 39 Co. in Paris 40 “Sesame Street News Flash” reporter

41 Hula swivelers 46 Family-friendly, filmwise 47 German coal valley 48 Native American groups 50 Sierra Nevada resort 52 Tax-sheltered accts. 53 Store opening time

54 The “I” in IHOP: Abbr. 55 End-of-the-week letters 56 Scandinavian literary collection 58 Bakery call 59 Happy 60 Spreading trees 62 Ancient 63 Yiddish cries of dismay

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

xwordeditor@aol.com

11/05/12

COMICS AND PUZZLES

Sun Sudoku

Puzzle #14853

First Snowfall

Standard Rate: $3.40 per day for first 15 words, 32 cents per day per word thereafter. 5 or more consecutive insertions, $3.15 per day for first 15 words, 30 cents per day per word thereafter. Commercial Rate: $5.20 per day for first

Fill in the empty cells, one number in each, so that each column, row, and region contains the numbers 1-9 exactly once. Each number in the solution therefore occurs only once in each of the three “directions,” hence the “single numbers” implied by the puzzle’s name. (Rules from wikipedia.org/wiki /Sudoku)

15 words, 33 cents per day per word thereafter. 5 or more consecutive insertions, $5.00 per day for first 15 words, 31 cents per day per word thereafter. The Sun is responsible for only one day make good on ads.

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extremely exciting obviously, but most importantly I wanted to win,” Regan said. “Being the one who scored, I’m not going to lie is really cool on Senior Night, but the win means everything. We’re in a position now where we control our destiny and we can win Ivies.” Paired with Cornell’s crucial win over Dartmouth came the news that Brown ― who handed the Red its only loss of the year on Oct. 20 — tied Yale, 1-1. Saturday’s win gave Cornell three points, which were enough to bump the Red past the Brown by one point in the standings. Cornell has sole possession of the conference now, with only Columbia remaining on the regular season schedule. While the end result was favorable for the Red, the contest against Dartmouth did not begin on a positive note. After a few repossessions in the Red’s box and a hand-ball call, the Green earned a corner. An expertly executed free kick from the right of the box by Green senior midfielder and captain Kevin Dzierzawski found the head of sophomore midfielder Colin Heffron, who was able to beat Pflasterer to the punch. Dartmouth was on the board at just under 29 minutes and Cornell was left empty handed. “We were pissed after the goal. We knew that losing was not going to be an option and we need to get that goal back,” Reisert said. “So 90 seconds after that we decided to take the game back into our hands and really just drive at them.” Reisert ― who tallied an assist on Regan’s goal ― retaliated a minute and a half later. The sequence began when Reisert caught a long ball from junior midfielder Ben Williams on the left side of the box and fired it off towards the top of the net, where the ball flew in just over Cohen’s extended fingertips. “I got a great ball from Ben Williams at the top of the eighteen and put it in,” Reisert said. “It was really great for us to come back from being scored on so quickly just because it gives us momentum and restores hope again. It was a really great game and the pace was really high and intense.” The Red ended the night doubling all of Dartmouth’s statistics, outshooting the Green, 28-14, and earning more corners, 10-5. Pflasterer recorded a season-high seven saves, with two of them coming in the first overtime. Throughout the entire 102 minutes of play, the Red continued to remain in the game and not become complacent. “Through the whole season, our players not only focus on the next game, but especially in particular on the next play,” Zawislan said. “When you go into sudden death overtime it is so much more important just to focus on the next play no matter what you are facing. It is very important that you are defensively solid and you do a very good job of it, so you get yourself another chance to attack and score a goal.” With the win, Cornell has regained control of its destiny, as well as the top spot in the Ivy League. The Red’s chances of winning the conference title are no longer a far-off dream because as the week nears Saturday’s contest against Columbia the dream could become a reality. “Of all years to win the Ivy League, I think this is our year,” Reisert said. “We’ve been playing so hard and putting so much energy and effort into this season and into this team that it feels really great to be on top and we are expecting nothing less than a win against Columbia. It’s not going to be easy and it’s going to be away, but there is only one thing on our mind and that is winning the Ivy League Championship.” Cornell will have the chance to claim the title, as well as the NCAA Tournament berth that goes with it, when the team travels to New York City to face Columbia on Nov.10. Lauren Ritter can be reached at lritter@cornellsun.com.

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14 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, November 5, 2012

SPORTS

Despite Loss, Mathews Sets Passing Yard Record FOOTBALL

Continued from page 16

utes came up short as Mathews could not find any of his receivers open in the end zone, throwing three incomplete passes and eventually turning the ball over on downs. “We’ve definitely struggled in the red zone this year,” Tretter said. “It’s tough with a team that passes so much, the coverage tightens up there and it takes a lot of the passing game away. Knowing the type of team we are, they drop so many guys back.” After forcing Dartmouth to punt the ball on the next play, the Red began its first successful offensive set with a 12-yard pass to senior wide receiver Kurt Ondash for a first down. Hagy then ran for six yards, bringing the ball to Dartmouth’s sixteen, and Mathews connected with Gellatly for the squad’s first points of the day. A comeback was still a possibility for the Red, down 21-7 with just over a minute left in the half. But the Green all but crushed those hopes with a timely 7play, 75-yard drive that ended with a

touchdown pass to Michael Reilly with one second left on the clock, sending the Red into the locker room trailing by 21. The start of the second half was more of the same for the Red, with the Green taking just under four minutes to score another touchdown and go up 35-7. The Red fought back hard, scoring two straight touchdowns on a reception by Hagy and a two-yard run into the endzone by Gellatly. However, the Green answered with a field goal on the ensuing drive, and the Red was unable to keep the ball in its hands, as Mathews threw his third interception of the day. The Green once again converted on his mistake, this time on a 51-yard touchdown run by Greg Patton. The Red would score one more time, but it was not enough to overcome the early deficit. After a disappointing loss, Tretter spoke about how the team needs to improve for its final two games of the season. “Speaking from an offensive line perspective, we have to increase protection. We’ve made steps forward and then some-

CONNOR ARCHARD / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Go, go Gallatly | Junior wide receiver Grant Gellatly combined with junior quarterback Jeff Mathews for two touchdowns; however, the efforts were not enough to dig Cornell out of a hole.

times we’ve taken steps back,” he said. “But we can’t start pressing, we just need to buckle down and find the things we need to get better on. ... And a lot of that is self-reflection, which is something we all need to do individually.” The Red will take on Columbia next weekend in the Empire State Bowl and the final road game of the season. According to Tretter, the team will have to push this

loss out of its mind in order to come better prepared for the Lions. “A great opportunity slipped through our hands [on Saturday], but we have two more games to refocus and forget about Dartmouth because we can’t change anything now,” he said. Scott Chiusano can be reached at schiusano@cornellsun.com.

stay informed

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Monday, November 5, 2012 15

SPORTS

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

Icers Dominate ECAC Foes, Gain Four Points “We limited [Princeton] to very minimal shots. I think the key for us was moving the puck up [the] ice and keeping it The women’s hockey team continued simple,” Fortino said. “[Head coach its hot start and remain tied with Harvard Doug Derraugh ’91] always emphasizes atop the ECAC standings, following vic- [that] a shot on net is never a bad thing tories against conference rivals Princeton and he also emphasizes ... getting pucks to the net and creating rebounds and and Quinnipiac this past weekend. On Friday at Lynah Rink, the No. 2 goals that way. And I think we really Red (6-1-0, 4-0-0 ECAC) dominated the focused on that ... Whenever we had the Tigers (2-3-1, 0-3-1) en route to a 4-0 opportunity in the offensive zone to get a win and followed it up with a 4-3 come- shot ... we always put in on net, and that back on Saturday afternoon against the created a lot of opportunities for us in [the Princeton] game.” Bobcats (5-4-1, 2-2-0). Quinnipiac posed a greater challenge “I think the key to [the Princeton game] was that we came out pretty strong for the Red on Saturday. Goals by freshand we set the tempo pretty high,” said man forward Jess Brown and sophomore forward Emily Fulton put senior defenseman Cornell 2-0, at the and alternate captain PRINCETON 0 end of theahead, first period; howLaura Fortino. “We 4 ever, the Bobcats scored CORNELL played pretty well in 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL three quick goals in the seceach aspect of the Game: 0 0 0 ond period to chase freshgame and we scored Princeton 0 0 4 3 man goalie Stefanie Moak pretty quick and we Cornell 1 from the game and take a 3scored often and that 2 advantage. was the key for us.” QUINNIPIAC 3 “They got their two goals The Red struck fast in the first period 4 very quick, off the opening CORNELL with a goal from Game: 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL draw in the second period,” Fortino said. “I think that sophomore forward Quinnipiac 0 3 0 3 goes to show us against a Jillian Saulnier. She Cornell 2 0 2 4 good, skilled team like followed it up with another quick strike to open the second Quinnipiac — any skilled team — you’ve period, and freshman defenseman got to be ready at the drop of every faceCassandra Poudrier added a third goal to off and it’s so key [that] at the start of stretch the lead. Soon after, freshman every period you’ve got to be ready to go, defenseman Morgan Richardson scored to reset the tempo of the game ... I think her first career goal for the Red on an we had a mental lapse. We weren’t ready for the start of the second period and it assist from Fortino. “I think [Poudrier] was really excited,” resulted in two goals.” After the momentum shift out of the Fortino said, as she described the goal. “She’s very humble. I was so excited for Red’s end into Quinnipiac’s favor, her when she scored. I think I was the Cornell needed to regroup and find a new first one who skated over to her, with my plan of attack for overcoming the arms up in the air. She had a big smile on Bobcats. “Before we [headed] out for the third her face and she told me ‘good pass’ and I told her it was a great shot she put on that period, we [had] to really reevaluate what — it went top corner. I was so proud of we were doing out there,” Fortino said. “Coach just came in and we went over her.” Cornell gave a strong offensive perfor- our systems again — a couple things we mance throughout the entire game, over- had to change up.” The Red responded well in the final whelming Princeton with 45 shots compared to the Tigers’ 10. Fortino attributed period of play with goals by Poudrier and a strong defensive game to the Red’s junior defenseman Alyssa Gagliardi that gave the Red a decisive 4-3 advantage. handily beating the Ivy rival. By CHRIS MILLS

Sun Staff Writer

OLIVER KLIEWE / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Advantage, Alyssa | Junior defenseman and alternate captain Alyssa Gagliardi gave the Red a decisive 4-3 advantage over Quinnipiac on Saturday afternoon with her third period goal.

The major story of the third period, however, was freshman goaltender Katelyn Pippy, who made 11 saves in her first action this season. “[Pippy’s] been working hard,” Fortino said. “She’s been fighting for that spot, and we were all so proud of her the way she went in there. In a game like that, especially a close game like that, she went in and she played with confidence and I was so proud of her. We believed in her as a team and she proved us right. ... She really showed that she wanted to be in there and we were all so proud of her [and] the way she performed.” For the Red, the weekend slate ended with similar outcomes — but very different games. When asked which contest, the 4-0 shutout over Princeton or the 4-3 comeback against Quinnipiac, was more important for the squad, Fortino immediately answered Quinnipiac. “Both games were great, but I think the Quinnipiac game was a big eye-opener for us — especially for the freshmen.

Quinnipiac was a very skilled team and they are one of the top teams in the ECAC this year,” she said. “It just shows how quickly we need to make decisions, move the puck and how aggressive we need to be in that you need to be focused every minute of the game because skilled teams like [Quinnipiac], they will capitalize on every mistake we make and I think we learned that.” Finishing the weekend with four more points in the ECAC, the Red experienced how to win in an overwhelming fashion, as well as how to win in a hard-fought battle. Achieving positive results every week will continue to be a challenge for Cornell; however, the team has a better understanding of the character needed to secure the win. The Red has a two-week break before its next match at home against Colgate on November 16. Chris Mills can be reached at cmills@cornellsun.com.

Iles in Net Gives Red Confidence Boost to Not Hesitate lessness and without hesitation, according to McCarron. “[Having Iles in net is] a huge scoring in the game’s opening confidence boost,” he said. minute. Senior forward Greg “Hockey is a game of mistakes. Miller and sophomore forward Joel When we make that mistake, he’s Lowry followed up with two more there to back us up every time. It’s goals in the later periods to give the that confidence ... to make plays on Red a 3-1 advantage. the forward and not be hesitant The story of and be scared that COLGATE 2 the of the week[the opponent] end, however, could go down and CORNELL 2 was junior goalget one right away. 1ST 2ND 3RD OT Total tender Andy Game: I love him back 2 2 0 0 0 Iles, who saved Colgate there. It’s huge.” 2 0 0 2 0 44 shots on Cornell The crowd of Friday and made fans in Lynah several saves on breakaways on repeatedly chanted Iles’ name on Saturday night. Saturday night, even as Colgate put “He was our MVP for this the Red in a two-goal deficit in the weekend,” said head coach Mike first period. Schafer ’86. “[Iles] gives you confi“[Colgate] just had a point shot, dence that you know that you can it hit someone and it went right press.” through my legs,” Iles said. “They Iles’ standout efforts in net put a lot of pressure on us early; we could be felt across the ice and on got ourselves in a little bit of trouthe Red bench, as his performance ble. We put ourselves in a hole and gave his teammates the encourage- we had to dig ourselves out of it.” ment to play with a sense of fearAfter a slow start, the Red

M. HOCKEY

Continued from page 16

roared back in the third period played really, really well. However, while the Red did not with goals from sophomore forward Cole Bardreau and senior achieve the result that it had wantdefenseman Nick D’Agostino with ed, there were a few positives to be fewer than 10 minutes remaining. taken away from the team’s overall Unable to convert several close performance, according to Schafer. “[Iles] made a couple huge saves scoring opportunities in overtime, the game ended in a 2-2 draw — on breakaways to keep us in it, and with both sides throwing a few then we just kept plugging away in punches in a b e n c h - c l e a r i n g “[Colgate] put a lot of pressure on us brawl after the early; we got ourselves in a little bit of final whistle. It was a hard- trouble.” fought comeback for the Red, who is Andy Iles now third in the ECAC standings, after battling the Raiders and the the third,” he said. “We had some refs en route to staving off a glorious chances even in overtime — three-on-two right at the very Colgate victory. “I don’t know where the penal- end. ... I’m really proud of the fact ties came from,” Schafer said. “Our that last year, when we got down guys got distracted by the officiat- two-nothing and it was in January, ing in the first period, and I think I don’t think we would have had a that distracted us in general. But shot for the third period, and I after the first we got going, and I thought this year we played much think we had a ton of chances in better.” Iles echoed Schafer’s assessments the second period. Their [goalie]

of the team’s performance over the weekend.. “You’re never going to play a perfect hockey game,” Iles said. “As a goalie you just have to try to turn those away and give your team a chance ... Whether it’s breakaways or whether it’s shots from outside, you take it one shot at a time and try to turn it away.” The Red looks to use the weekend series with Colgate as a learning experience and a building block for future weeks, according to McCarron. “I think it was a huge learning step for us,” he said. “We’re not going to quit. We’re down 2-0 going into the third. We all believe in the locker room, we come out flying there. [We] capitalize halfway through the period — we know we’re coming back … That’s huge for us, to have the confidence to just come out and dominate a period whenever we want.” Chris Mills can be reached at cmills@cornellsun.com.

Sports

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

MONDAY NOVEMBER 5, 2012

MEN’S SOCCER

Regan Scores in Double Overtime Cornell clinches crucial conference win, regains lead in Ivy League By LAUREN RITTER Sun Sports Editor

“When we scored [the game-winning, overtime] goal I thought my head was going to explode,” said senior goalkeeper and tri-captain Rick Pflasterer. “I just started sprinting to the fans and the corner flag with everyone else.” With sole possession of second place in the Ivy League on the line, Cornell and Dartmouth prepared themselves for an intense level of competition on Berman Field Saturday night. Battling against not only each other, but also freezing temperatures, gusting winds and misting rain, the teams played an entire 90 minutes of soccer; however, after coming up tied at one-all at the end of regulation play, sudden death overtime was the only solution for determining a winner. “At the end of the final whistle, everyone who was on the field was absolutely dead; [it was] complete exhaustion but you have to kick it into the next gear and you just have to raise the level because you have to get the job done,” said junior midfielder Stephen Reisert. “We just knew that

we worked too hard this season to let the game slip away. We knew that we were controlling pretty much our fate in the Ivy League. We knew that we had to remain composed, but go out there and stay focused.” With a chance of regaining the lead in the conference rankings a possibility, the No. 15 Red was determined to find a positive result. With the vision

Dartmouth’s defensive third and execute the play. Senior forward and tricaptain Tyler Regan scored the gamewinner after the Red experienced a brief back-and-forth with the Green’s defense. Reisert played the ball into the box and took a shot on goal, but a Dartmouth defender blocked it. Regan scooped up a rebound, but junior keeper Noah Cohen dove for the ball and knocked it away. Regan was right there once more, but this time he put the shot away and helped the Red secure the win. “I took a shot that got blocked and then as I was falling, the ball came back to me and I shot it,’ the senior said. “I just knew the goalie was down because he reacted to my first shot, so he dove to his left, which made me know that I had the entire right side open.” This marked Regan’s fourth goal of the season, which gives him 14 points this year. Scoring the game winner was a fitting end for the senior to end his Cornell home career playing at Berman Field. “[Scoring the goal in overtime] was

DARTMOUTH 1 2 CORNELL

Game: 1ST 2ND 1OT 2OT TOTAL Dartmouth 1 0 0 0 1 Cornell 1 0 0 1 2

of winning the Ivy League Championship secured in their minds, the players took to the pitch for the extra time and brought the intensity of the game up another notch. “Our players stay focused on the game and that is a credit to them,” said head coach Jaro Zawislan. “It doesn’t matter the conditions they are playing in, they stay focused on the matter at hand.” It took Cornell 12:37 into overtime to find an opening in

See M. SOCCER page 15

ENOCH NEWKIRK / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Shining on Senior Night | Senior forward and tri-captain Tyler Regan scored Cornell’s game winner at 12:37 in double overtime on Saturday night against Dartmouth at Berman Field.

FOOTBALL

MEN’S HOCKEY

Red Brawls With Raiders at Lynah Squad Fails to Rebound By CHRIS MILLS Sun Staff Writer

Fans were treated to quite a show Saturday night in Lynah Rink, as the rivalry between Cornell and neighboring Colgate fully manifested on the ice. The final whistle blew for the game; however, the competition between the two New York

schools was far from over as a brawl broke out and the benches cleared as each player hoped to get in on a piece of the action. “You had a lot of pushing and shoving at the end,” Schafer said. “Something happened in the handshake line, and that was my fault, but as a coach you stay out of the handshake line for a reason. … It’s never a good thing

when coaches are in the middle of things.” Despite the rough ending and being outshot by a combined 7041 against Colgate during an intense weekend doubleheader, the Red came away with three points in the ECAC standings. Cornell defeated the Raiders, 31, on Friday night on their home ice in Hamilton, N.Y., before returning to Ithaca to play the second game in the home-home series, which resulted in a 2-2 overtime tie on Saturday night at Lynah Rink. No love was lost between the physical Red (3-0-1, 1-0-1 ECAC) and the speedy Raiders (4-4-1, 0-1-1), who battled

CORNELL COLGATE

Game: Cornell Colgate

CONNOR ARCHARD / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Rivalries run deep | According to sophomore forward John McCarron, the Red underestimated how quick Colgate would be on Friday night, as the Raiders engaged the Red from the first puck drop.

1ST 1 0

3 1

2ND 3RD TOTAL 1 1 3 1 0 1

through the end of Saturday’s overtime climax. “We wanted to get after them,” said sophomore forward John McCarron. “[Friday] we were a little hesitant — we didn’t realize how fast they’d be coming for us. This time we were ready for it, and we wanted to get into them. They’re a smaller team. They’re fast, so we wanted to play the body a little more there.” No. 5 Cornell capitalized on its opportunities Friday, with junior forward Dustin Mowrey See M. HOCKEY page 15

From 21-Point Deficit

thrown by junior quarterback Jeff Mathews. Both times, the Green was able to convert for touchThe Red was unable to bounce downs. While uncharacteristically back from a 21-0 deficit in the first half on Saturday afternoon throwing three interceptions, against Dartmouth. After turning Mathews still did connect with the ball over three times in the junior wide receiver Grant first 15 minutes, the Red found Gellatly for two touchdowns and itself in a deep hole, and the con- freshman running back Luke sistently efficient offense was Hagy for one. His 315 passing yards on the unable to dig itself out, DARTMOUTH 44 game put him yards eventually 28 inat 7,746 CORNELL his career, falling 44-28. 1ST 2ND 3RD OT TOTAL making him The offen- Game: Dartmouth 14 14 7 9 44 Cornell’s career sive woes Cornell 0 7 7 14 28 passing leader. began early for However, the Red (4-4, 2-3 Ivy League), with a fumble by according to Tretter, this feat did freshman running back Silas not mean nearly as much to Nacita that was recovered by the Mathews as a victory would have. “Knowing Jeff, that record Green (5-3, 3-2) only two minutes into the game. Dartmouth doesn’t matter so much,” he said. then worked its way downfield to “Winning is more important to Cornell’s one-yard line, where everyone on this team than any junior running back Dominick record anyone could set.” The second quarter did not Pierre converted to put the Green start off any better for the Red, as up 7-0. “The fumble was a tough way the Green took the ball 68 yards to start off the game,” said senior up the field for an eventual short offensive lineman JC Tretter. touchdown pass, making the “Even when we went down 21-0, score 21-0. It looked like the Red offense we still thought we could bounce back because of our explosive might have gotten back on track, offense, but yesterday we just though, after slowly working its couldn’t do it. ... It’s always tough way to Dartmouth’s two-yard to crawl back from a hole like line. However, the 16-play drive that lasted just under eight minthat.” The next two offensive sets by See FOOTBALL page 14 the Red ended in interceptions

By SCOTT CHIUSANO

Sun Assistant Sports Editor

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Monday, November 5, 2012

OPINION | PAGE E5

ELECTION GUIDE

AND THE WINNER IS ...

Barack Obama

ear the end of the second presidential debate, a friend who was watching the festivities with me turned around and declared, “Obama killed it.” By the next morning, however, he had revised his opinion to “it was fairly close, but Obama had a slight edge.” In less than 12 hours, my friend personified the title of one of the Onion’s best satires this election cycle, “Millions Head to Internet to Figure Out Their Own Opinions About the Debate.” The Onion is not too far off; if you follow the debate polls, you’ll likely believe that Romney won the first debate by a landslide, Obama won by a small margin in the second, and by a larger margin in the last. The answer is terribly unsatisfying, but I’m here to tell you that Obama did “kill it,” and here’s why.

Obama appeared more likable and presidential. One of my debate coaches once told me that “winning hearts and minds is the most important thing you can do in a debate.” In close debate rounds, being someone the judges have deemed likable enough to vote for is a huge plus. In this category, Obama clearly came out on top. The two candidates had different objectives on the likability front. Romney, who was often characterized as robotic and out-of-touch, had to demonstrate that he was personable and in-tune with the needs of regular Americans. In addition to the number of awkward memes he generated (binders full of women, anyone?), he spent considerable energy in the second debate arguing with the moderator over his speaking time. This is anything but presidential. What’s worse, however, is that it reinforces Romney’s persona as a cutthroat businessman who is out to get every last crumb he can find. On the other hand, Obama is under pressure to mobilize the democratic base by showing conviction in his leadership. Obama accomplished precisely that in one of the best exchanges in the second debate, in which he took responsibility for the failures in the Libyan embassy attacks. Afterwards, Obama angrily criticized the suggestion that he used the attacks for political leverage. In what was the closest debate equivalent to “how dare you,” Obama showed genuine passion, giving many the “fire” that they wanted to see in their Commander in Chief. Obama won the reality check. One of the key criteria for successful debate arguments is “external validity,” which is simply a fancy phrase for “does your logic only exist in la-la land?” Here, Obama deserves credit for pushing (and winning) the reality check on Romney’s tax policies. As Obama noted throughout all three debates, Romney’s claim to provide a a five trillion dollar cut, while increasing military spending by two trillion dollars, is simply inconsistent with his promise to control the deficit. Obama’s appeal of the top two percent paying a bit more so that

the middle class can pay a bit less, passed the logic test more easily than Romney’s plan. The President was winning on the intuitive logic, he knew it, and he didn’t let it pass. Obama also won the reality check in the final debate on foreign policy. When forced to defend his two trillion dollar increase in military spending, the most concrete explanation Romney could garner was that the Navy had fewer ships than it did in 1916. To which Obama replied, “Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets.” Besides how many Facebook statuses this phrase adorned, its genius resides in how effectively it exposed Romney’s ignorance. Obama showed that Romney’s military proposals are out-of-touch with the modern needs of the American military. Some might say

Mitt Romney

ix weeks ago, the claim that Mitt Romney had a chance at winning the election was laughable. Obama was polling several points ahead and the pundits predicted he would win by a landslide. The debates marked a turning point for Mitt Romney. While Obama is recognized as one of the world’s most eloquent orators, Mitt Romney is not known for his ability to wow a crowd. And sure, Mitt let a few awkwardly-phrased comments slip (“binders full of women,” for example), but he managed to turn the election into an incredibly close race by winning the debate series. I’m here to tell you why he won and how he pulled it off. Romney won the blame game. Obama tried to shift the blame of his four

calm executive style trumped Obama’s disengaged stupor. During the second debate, Romney was forceful and confrontational as he articulated the failures of Obama’s economic policies. Additionally, he called Obama out on his lack of honesty with the American people regarding the recent terrorist attack on the U.S. Embassy in Libya. Even when the moderator jumped to Obama’s defense, Romney remained calm despite an audience outcry. A morning factcheck showed that the President had indeed been unclear about the tragedy. In the third debate, Obama was aggressive and enraged. His demeanor was anything but presidential. Conversely, Romney was in control and refused to let Obama drag him into an angry quarrel. Romney

Ryan Yeh

Jessica Reif

Guest Room

that Obama trivialized Romney’s argument. The harsh reality is that for the rest of the debate, Romney didn’t provide any more specifics on why the Navy needs to have more ships or why the military needs two trillion dollars. Romney walked into the “bayonets” line all by himself and Obama capitalized. Obama framed the debate and fought the issues on his “turf.” One of the most cited facts in this election is that no President has won re-election with unemployment this high since FDR. If this election became solely focused on Obama’s economic record, the Obama family could start buying their plane tickets back to Chicago. Obama used the debate to make this election about 1) personal credibility and 2) social justice. He successfully used every single sound bite to go after Romney’s flip-flopping and inconsistent claims. While his attacks might have been ineffective in the first debate, they were livid by the last. Obama used the same strategy on the economy. Every discussion about economic policies pivoted from the unemployment rate to whether there is a social responsibility to support the vulnerable and the middle class. Why did this work? I once had a disgruntled novice debater approach me after a debate round, claiming that the judge ignored all of his major points. And here’s what I told him: “You didn’t give the judge a reason to pay attention.” People don’t care about what was said, they care why it was said. Obama’s response to why he wants a second term is not “I want to improve the economy” but rather “I want to make America a more just place to live.” He made that answer extremely salient and fought the debate on his own turf. This election is a nail-biter, but regardless of what some pundits will tell you, if Obama loses, it is not because he lost the debates. Ryan Yeh is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is the current President of the Cornell Forensics Society, the University-sponsored speech and debate team. He may be reached at ry58@cornell.edu.

failed years to his predecessor and has insisted that Mitt Romney’s election will mean a return to the failed policies of the Bush administration. Mitt Romney won this blame game by 1) holding Obama accountable for the policy failures of his administration and 2) differentiating himself from President Bush. To hold the President accountable for the state of the economy, Mitt Romney emphasized that, four years ago, the sitting President promised recovery and failed to deliver. And what made this even easier for Mitt is that Obama didn’t defend himself! He didn’t even attempt to prove why his economic policies were effective or lay out any concrete plans for how he will address the economic woes the American people face today. A little tax hike for the top two percent is not going to magically employ 23 million people. Romney knows this and offered an articulate five-point plan for real economic recovery. While many Americans are unhappy about the direction of the country over the past four years, there is very little nostalgia for the Bush days. Voters fear electing another Republican means a return to aggressive foreign policy and reckless spending — Obama knows this and has consistently tried to align Romney with Bush. Romney distinguished himself from Bush through his emphasis on peace through strength and bringing home the troops. Additionally, he shed light on the difference between Bush’s big business focus and his own small business focus. While Obama tried to pin Romney down as another Bush, Romney successfully dodged this attempt. Romney won the audience. You can’t win a debate without winning the audience. While Romney’s likability ratings shot up above Obama’s following the debates, what is more important is that Romney used the debate series to show his passion for restoring America. In the first debate, a prepared and energetic Romney faced a disinterested and exhausted Obama. Romney’s sense of humor appealed to voters who may have previously labeled him as robotic, and his

demonstrated a clear contrast between the last four years and his plan for the next four years. He reflected on his bipartisanship in Massachusetts and the need for Republicans and Democrats to work together. Most importantly, he showed optimism for a better tomorrow. Romney framed the election around the economy. Obama constantly tried to run from his economic record, and Romney didn’t let him get away with it. While Obama may have good intentions for fairness and justice in the workplace, it doesn’t change the fact that 23 million Americans are unable to find work. The underperforming economy is the leading cause of the woes Americans face today. A recent Gallup poll showed that 72 percent of voters see the economy as the biggest issue of the election — so why did Obama keep changing the subject in the debates? Romney is, first and foremost, a business leader with deep knowledge of how companies work. He stressed the need for a tax code that incentivizes job creation. By highlighting the similarities between his foreign policy and Obama’s foreign policy objectives in the third debate, Romney framed the election around the economy and played to his own strengths. He demonstrated how he will apply his own knowledge of the private sector in a five-point plan that will create 12 million new jobs, and emphasized that the failed policies of the Obama administration have left 7.9 percent of people out of work. That should give the 23 million unemployed Americans a reason to head to the polls on Tuesday. The polling gap between Obama and Romney has essentially vanished after the debates. The debate series completely changed the political landscape for the election. If Mitt Romney wins this Tuesday, it is because he won the debates.

Jessica Reif is a junior in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. She is the Chair of the Cornell University College Republicans and a member of the Cornell Forensic Society. She may be reached at jar453@cornell.edu.

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ELECTION GUIDE

From Rafalca to Big Bird... With gaffes, satire and Saturday Night Live skits, the 2012 presidential campaign season was one for the history books … especially when it comes to comedy. By DAVID MARTEN Sun Senior Editor

Political commentators and insiders across the ideological spectrum have often decried this year’s presidential campaign as a drawn-out, boring and intensively negative exercise in democracy. But despite the endless attack ads, debates and political rallies, the campaign season was filled with plenty of moments of laughs and levity. With the election (thankfully) nearly upon us, The Sun is here to recap the best comedic moments of the campaign.

An Election Full of Laughs Rafalca Romney During the summer doldrums of the campaign, the star of the Romney family often wasn’t the candidate himself. Instead, it was Rafalca, a horse co-owned by Ann Romney, that stole the show. The horse, which competed in dressage in the Summer Olympic Games in London, was used by Obama supporters to illustrate Romney’s wealth and to paint him as being out of touch with average Americans. It also led us to ask important questions, among them: “What the heck is dressage?” Unfortunately, Rafalca’s celebrity was cut short after she failed to qualify for the final round of the Olympics and led the U.S. to a sixth-place finish. Still, her cultural influence persists: We did, for instance, notice an above-average number of horse costumes this Halloween. COURTESY OF KEN BRADDICK

COURTESY OF NBC.COM

The Undecided Voter This election is often described as a choice between two candidates that offer starkly different visions for the future. With such a big contrast between Obama and Romney, this leads us to wonder who, exactly, are these undecided voters people keep talking about? This election has droned on for nearly two years, so how have some people still not figured out who they’re going to vote for? Saturday Night Live attempted to answer this question in perhaps its best sketch of the 2012 election season. In the skit, the show’s actors portray voters that say they need the candidates to answer some pretty tough questions before they can earn their vote. Such questions include: What are the names of the two people running? Who is the president right now? And can women vote? Having never actually met an undecided voter in person, we can only assume that these are some pretty accurate portrayals.

Herman Cain’s Pokémon Speech

Big Bird

A Tea Party favorite with no political background, Herman Cain entered the race as a likable outsider brimming with conservative ideas. Among them was his ubiquitous 9-9-9 tax plan, which we’re pretty sure he got from Sim City. Despite some bizarre political positions and campaign tactics, Cain’s performance in the debates (which, by the 20th time around, seemed like way too many) and a series of straw poll victories vaulted him to front runner status. However, America was denied a Hermain Cain presidency after a series of allegations of sexual misconduct and a perceived lack of understanding of foreign policy took the Cain Train off the rails. But Cain didn’t leave the race with a whimper, choosing instead to go out with a bang. In his final speech in his hometown of Atlanta, Cain quoted lines from Pokémon: The Movie 2000 that he had featured throughout his campaign. “I believe these words came from the Pokémon movie. ‘Life can be a challenge. Life can seem impossible. It’s never easy when there’s so much on the line. But you and I can make a difference. There’s a mission just for you and me.’” While Cain may not have been able to name the leader of “Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan,” the former pizza executive wasn’t without wisdom, either.

COURTESY OF DOUG KLINE

Invisible Obama If you give Clint Eastwood a microphone, his gravelly voice is bound to give gravitas to whatever he’s saying. But if you give Eastwood a microphone and a chair, then you get his speech at the Republican National Convention. Speaking just before Mitt Romney, the Dirty Harry star stole the spotlight with a rambling, often incoherent conversation between him and a stool intended to serve a stand-in for President Obama. Delivered in prime time on the final night of the convention, the speech immediately generated puzzlement, then incredulousness and finally laughter from the millions watching on TV. It spawned — what else? — a parody Twitter account and was mocked by late night hosts. Eastwood was unapologetic, and there’s no doubt his speech will be one of mostremembered parts of the campaign. Really, you just need to watch it yourself in its entirety.

COURTESY OF DONKEYHOTEY

Like in most election years, this Halloween’s top costume is rooted in one of the 2012 election’s most humorous moments. In the first presidential debate on Oct. 3, Romney said he would work to cut the federal deficit by shrinking the budget wherever possible — including cutting the federal subsidy to PBS. ”I’m going to stop the subsidy to PBS. I’m going to stop other things. I like PBS,” Romney said. “I love Big Bird … But I’m not going to … keep on spending money on things to borrow money from China to pay for it.” The comments sparked an immediate backlash online from supporters of the children’s show character, leading to the creation of a parody Twitter account and becoming a talking point of the Obama campaign.

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ELECTION GUIDE

Big Oil Finances Reed Campaign Shinagawa ’05 Slammed REED

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money, Reed has pulled in $1,068,280 — more than 10 times that received by Shinagawa, who received about $80,000 in PAC money, according to data compiled by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Justice. Whereas Reed has benefited from $747,841 in what the Center for Responsive Politics calls “Outside Spending” — funding that is given by outside interest groups that cannot always be traced to any individual donor — Shinagawa has received just $423. Reed, who did not return multiple requests for comment, has positioned himself as a champion of the private sector, excoriating the federal government for inhibiting the free market. No allegations of foul play have been made against Reed, and there is no evidence that big businesses’ support for Reed is anything but an overlap in ideology. Additionally, though more reliant on PAC donations than most, Reed is hardly alone among Congressional representatives who have benefited from massive corporate spending this year. In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled in Citizens v. United that the government could not restrict corporations and unions from independent political expenditures, and, two years later, the results have been striking nationwide. A recent series in Politico, “The Billion-Dollar Buy,” has detailed the surging role money has played at all levels of electoral politics. In a story Sunday, Politico noted that “to stay relevant in the new landscape, Congressional candidates and their party committees are trying to raise more cash from larger donors, including special interest political action committees.” “This is the new normal in Congressional politics, where money, power and control have shifted away from party committees and candidates to deep-pocketed outside groups that — thanks to Citizens United and other recent court decisions — aren’t restricted by contribution limits,” the Politico story states.

That Reed is not alone in receiving significant corporate backing has not stopped many of his opponents, including Shinagawa, from saying the donation totals are evidence that Reed is beholden to moneyed interests. Reed’s disclosures with the Federal Election Commission, at least, indicate that the Congressman has put considerable time and money into events, like the Giants game, to elicit donations from the wealthiest Americans. Reed, for instance, has spent tens of thousands of dollars on what the FEC classifies as “Fundraising Dinners” — a significant portion of which were held at glitzy venues outside of upstate New York. On April 2, 2011, for instance, Reed spent $1,526 on a dinner at Masraff’s — a high-end restaurant in Houston, Texas, where steaks run up to $50 a pop. Then, a few months later, he spent $1,061 on a fundraising dinner at Carmine’s, an Italian restaurant in Washington, D.C. Those efforts have translated into big advertising dollars for Reed, who is outspending Shinagawa by a margin of $1.6 million to about $600,000. While at least $30,000 has gone to the campaign’s catering fees, much of it has also been funnelled to advertisements. And there is no indication that the tap is running dry. As election day approaches, representatives of oil and gas companies have dumped thousands of dollars into Reed’s campaign in a lastminute buy. On Oct. 26, Quinin Little Company, Oil and Gas donated $1,000 to Reed; on Wednesday, the Chesapeake Energy Company donated $5,000; on Thursday, the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association PAC, a lobbying association of oil and gas companies, donated an additional $5,000. According to Oil Change International, Reed has sided with the oil and gas companies on every vote he has taken in Congress. Jeff Stein can be reached at managing-editor@cornellsun.com.

For Attendance Record SHINAGAWA

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excused early from four. By comparison, every one of the other 14 legislators attended at least 19 of the 27 meetings in full. Only two completely missed as many meetings as Shinagawa did, and the vast majority were late to one or two meetings at most. Shinagawa’s attendance record was better in 2011, but still significantly worse than those of the vast majority of legislators. Of the 27 meetings in 2011, Shinagawa did not attend three and was late to or excused early from at least seven. Only two of the 15 other legislators had records that could be considered as incomplete as Shinagawa’s. In the years immediately following his election to the legislature in 2005, Shinagawa’s attendance record was better. He almost never missed a meeting in 2007, for instance. Still, even those who like Shinagawa, such as Tompkins County Legislator Frank Proto (RDistrict 7), said his absences over the last few years have proved frustrating. “Prior to this year, his attendance was affected by his job; this year, his attendance is affected by his campaign,” Proto said of Shinagawa, who works as an administrator at Robert Packer

Hospital. “I find him to be a good, decent young man, but has his attendance affected some things? To be candid with you: Yes.” Proto chairs the legislature’s committee of health and human services, of which Shinagawa is a member. “It’s tough when you don’t have an individual attend,” Proto said. “There’s a lot of people who like [Shinagawa’s] youthful perspective ... If he’s not there, you don’t get that perspective.” At the debate, Shinagawa defended himself, noting that unlike Reed, he does not earn a substantial income from a government salary. “I can’t work 100 days a year and get paid 175 thousand dollars a year to do that,” Shinagawa said. “I have to work; I’m also running for an office; I’m not independently wealthy.” Still, Reed persisted in pointing to Shinagawa’s record. “Nate, I just have a simple question for you. You’re fond of saying past behavior is the best predictor of future action,” Reed said. “I looked at your voting record for the last year: There were 204 votes in the Tompkins County Legislature. You missed 94 of them.” Jeff Stein can be reached at managing-editor@cornellsun.com.

Polling Locations Near Cornell’s Campus City of Ithaca:

Town of Ithaca:

Lehman Alternative Community School, 111 Chestnut St.

Museum of the Earth, 1259 Trumansburg Rd.

Titus Towers II, 798 S. Plain St.

Town of Ithaca Public Works, 106 Seven Mile Dr.

South Hill School, 520 Hudson St.

College Circle Community Center, 1033 Danby Rd.

GIAC, 301 W. Court St.

Ellis Hollow Apartments, 1028 Ellis Hollow Rd., East entrance

TC Public Library, 101 E. Green St.

Hasbrouck Apartments, Community Center, 121 Pleasant Grove Rd.

RPCC, North Campus, Jessup Rd. Belle Sherman Annex, Cornell St.

BOCES, 555 Warren Rd. First Congregational Church, 309 Highland Rd.

Alice Cook House, West Campus, Stewart & University Ave.

Linderman Creek II Community Building, 201 Cypress Ct.

St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, 109 Oak Ave.

Kendal at Ithaca, 2230 N. Triphammer Rd.

Fall Creek School, King & Aurora St.

Polling will be open tomorrow from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

LOCAL ELECTIONS Running for the U.S. House of Representatives to represent the newly formed 23rd District of New York, which includes the City of Ithaca, are Nate Shinagawa ’05 M.A. ’09 (D) and Tom Reed (R). Congressman Reed was elected to represent New York’s 29th District in 2010, before the state underwent redistricting this year. Shinagawa is Vice Chair of the Tompkins County Legislature, to which he was elected in 2005, shortly after completing his undergraduate degree at Cornell. Misha Checkovich ’13 (R) and Stephen Smith (D) are competing for the Collegetown seat on Ithaca’s Common Council. Smith, a recent

graduate of SUNY Geneseo, was appointed to fill the 4th Ward seat in the interim after it was abruptly vacated by Eddie Rooker ’09 in September. Checkovich, currently a student at Cornell, has been involved on campus with the Cornell Republicans and has written for The Cornell Review. Barbara Lifton (D) is running unopposed for reelection to the New York State Assembly, representing District 125. Lifton has represented District 125, which includes all of Tompkins County, since 2003. In the 1980s, before running for public office, Lifton was a teacher in the Ithaca public school system.

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ELECTION GUIDE

CHOOSE YOUR CANDIDATE: Guide to the 23rd Congressional District Election Nate Shinagawa ’05 (D-N.Y.)

Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) The Military

Supports decreasing defense spending through reforms like closing or downsizing military bases that have not been used in decades. Shinagawa also believes that “military force should only be used as a last resort ... not just when it’s politically popular.”

Has supported funding for military operations in the Middle East, including the war in Afghanistan and Libya. Reed has, however, supported reducing Navy and Air Force appropriations.

The Economy Supports small businesses because he believes they are a large source of job creation. If elected, Shinagawa promises to help small business owners acquire loans and start-up funds and aid in reducing their health insurance costs. He also advocates free trade over fair trade.

Advocates paying down the national debt to create economical stability. Reed has also opposed heavy federal and state regulations on businesses of all sizes.

Healthcare Supports the Affordable Care Act’s protection for individuals with preexisting conditions and diabetes. He also is focused on reducing health care costs for all Americans.

Has opposed the Affordable Care Act and has promised to repeal it if reelected. Reed believes the law will negatively affect job creation and widen the national deficit.

Energy Supports renewable energy initiatives and opposes “irresponsible speculation” on oil and gas. Shinagawa hopes to provide entrepreneurs with funding and incentives to develop domestic energy solutions.

Supports using domestic energy resources to reduce short-term dependence on Middle East oil. Reed also hopes to cease policies that are driving up energy policies.

Abortion Supports a woman’s right to choose. Shinagawa promises to stand against attempts to defund Planned Parenthood and restrict women’s access to prescription drug coverage.

Supports a ban of federal health coverage that includes abortion because he believes that tax dollars should not be spent on what he views as a controversial practice.

Records of Congressional Candidates Scrutinized PAC money, secret donations fuel Reed’s re-election push By JEFF STEIN Sun Managing Editor

COURTESY OF THE TOMPKINS COUNTY LEGISLATURE

Local lawmakers | Pictured above are the current members of the Tompkins County Legislature, who are serving terms from 2010-13. Congressional candidate Nate Shinagawa ’05 M.A. ’09 is shown in the back left.

Grading Shinagawa’s ’05 attendance record By JEFF STEIN Sun Managing Editor

When Congressional candidate Nate Shinagawa ’05 M.A. ’09 was slammed at a recent debate for missing votes in the Tompkins County Legislature, he was ready with a response. He has only been absent, Shinagawa told the crowd in Elmira, because he was busy running for Congress. “I’ve missed votes, and I’m sorry about that,” Shinagawa said. “But I’ve missed those votes to campaign across this district and talk to voters … I’ve been campaigning for this seat.”

But there is more to the accusation leveled by Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.), Shinagawa’s opponent, than can be explained by his involvement in the fiercely contested contest for New York’s 23rd Congressional seat. Shinagawa’s habit of missing legislative meetings appears to predate this year’s campaign, according to a survey of attendance records conducted by The Sun. Take 2010. Of the Tompkins County Legislature’s 27 meetings that year, Shinagawa only sat through the entirety of about 14 since he did not show up to two, arrived late to at least seven and was See SHINAGAWA page E7

Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y. 29) often talks about the town hall forums he has held across upstate New York, citing them as evidence of grassroots support for his reelection. However, his opponent has accused him of funding his campaign through corporate interests. For instance, on Oct. 21, with about two weeks until election day, Reed traveled south to attend a New York Giants football game. His purpose was not just to root on New York — after all, Giants offensive lineman Kevin Boothe ’06 has donated to Reed opponent Nate Shinagawa ’05 M.A. ’09 (D-N.Y.) — but also to raise money. At the football game turned fundraiser, guests could sit with Reed in exchange for a “suggested contribution” of $500 per person, according to a flyer for the event obtained by The Sunlight Foundation from “anonymous lobbyist sources.” Moreover, if the individual was there representing a Political Action Committee, he or she was expected to fork over $1,500. The top of the flyer notes that Reed is a member of the House

Committee on Ways and Means — the group primarily responsible for writing taxes in the House, and thus one of the most powerful bodies in all of Washington, D.C. Its members rake in far more in campaign contributions than other Congressional representatives, and Reed is no exception. Only five points separate Shinagawa from Reed in the closely contested race to become Ithaca’s next Congressional representative, according to a recent poll released by Shinagawa’s campaign team. But huge donations from multinational companies and undisclosed Political Action Committees have given Reed a massive fundraising advantage that could prove decisive on Tuesday. In interviews with the press, Reed’s campaign has emphasized that it has received more money in total individual donations than Shinagawa. Since January, however, Shinagawa has received more money from individuals than Reed, and the overwhelming source of Reed’s fundraising advantage stems from PAC gifts. Whereas the average Congressional candidate has received $191,669 in PAC See REED page E7