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The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 131, No. 67
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2014
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ITHACA, NEW YORK
16 Pages – Free
News
Science
Arts
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Mad About Math
Billions and Billions
Crosstown Rivals
Cloudy HIGH: 43° LOW: 29°
Prof. Cindy van Es speaks about her former students and the importance of diversity. | Page 3
A Cornell professor has helped discover galaxies billions of light years away. | Page 8
The Red will perform at the Ithaca College Invitational this weekend. | Page 16
Cayea Makes Court Appearance
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Skorton Issues Statement Man accused of murdering Cornellian will face grand jury this month Following Tragedies By TYLER ALICEA
Sun Managing Editor
Editor’s Note: On Tuesday, President David Skorton issued a statement to the Cornell community following a series of incidents affecting Cornellians over Thanksgiving Break. ◆◆◆◆
A man charged with murdering a Cornell undergraduate on Thanksgiving Day appeared at the Village of Cayuga Heights Court in shackles and an orange jumpsuit Tuesday evening. Benjamin Cayea, 32, has been accused of choking to DARIEN KIM / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Dear Members of the Cornell Community, As a community we have had a difficult Thanksgiving Break, and our feelings of sadness and loss extend across our campus and beyond. I write to update you on the events of the past several days and to remind you of the resources that are available to help us through difficult times. We lost a member of our community on Thanksgiving evening when Shannon Jones, an undergraduate in the College of Engineering, was killed during an apparent domestic dispute at her
death his 23-year-old girlfriend Shannon Jones ’15, an engineering student at Cornell, following a “domestic incident” in Cayuga Heights. He was arrested Thursday evening. Just days later, approximately three dozen people packed the Cayuga Heights courtroom for a preliminary hearing as Cayea was CAYEA escorted into the room by police. Sitting in front of Cayuga Heights Judge Glenn Galbreath with his defense attorney Matthew Van Houten, Cayea waived his right to the initial hearing. He was then sent to the Tompkins County Jail without bail. “I’m not setting bail,” Galbreath said. “If you’re going See CAYEA page 4
Scene of the crime | Authorities found Shannon Jones ’15 dead at 400 Triphammer Rd. Thursday evening.
See SKORTON page 4
Four Undergrads Hospitalized After Crash Jessica Williams By SOFIA HU Sun Senior Writer
Four undergraduates were hospitalized following a car crash on Route 13 in Chemung County as they were returning to campus after Thanksgiving Break Sunday, according to police. Only the identity of one student, Quoc-Daniel Hung Nguyen ’15, a member of the tennis team, has been released.
Nguyen was driving in the northbound lane of Route 13 when he hit a deer at approximately 4:30 p.m., according to the Chemung County Sheriff ’s Office. Nguyen then lost control of the car and drifted into the southbound lane, where his vehicle was hit by a car driven by Daryl Denning, a 65-year-old man from Corning. One passenger in Nguyen’s car was airlifted from the scene to Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, Pennsylvania, with “life-threatening injuries,” said
Chemung County Sheriff Christopher Moss in a press release. Nguyen and the passengers in his vehicle were also hospitalized with “what were thought at the time to be critical injuries.” Denning was in “critical condition” at the scene of the accident, according to Moss. He is also being treated at Robert Packer Hospital as of Tuesday morning, according to WHCU Radio. “We are hopeful as [those involved] See CRASH page 5
U.A. Continues Dialogue on Sexual Assault Prevention By ASHLEY COLLIS-BURGESS Sun Staff Writer
KERN SHARMA / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Campus culture | At a University Assembly meeting Tuesday, Susan Murphy ’73 Ph.D. ’94, vice president for student and academic services and other community members speak about ways to shape the culture surrounding sexual violence on campus.
At a University Assembly meeting Tuesday, members of the Cornell community discussed possible strategies to prevent sexual violence on campus, as well as ways to continue the campus dialogue on how to target such issues. Susan Murphy ’73 Ph.D. ’94, vice president for student and academic services, said the entire Cornell community should be collectively involved in an open dialogue regarding issues of sexual violence. “As vice president, I know that if I am the one crafting messages to the students, there is going to be a disconnect, so we have to find a way to have the students take [on] more leadership roles,” she said. See U.A. page 5
Will Perform Next Semester By ANNIE BUI Sun News Editor
Jessica Williams, an actress and comedian best known for her work as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, will perform in Statler Auditorium on Jan. 30, the Cornell University Program Board announced. The 25-year-old California native made her television debut in 2006, appearing on the Nickelodeon series Just for Kicks as Vida Atwood, according to her IMDb biography. She joined The Daily Show in 2012. Williams has also WILLIAMS guest starred in the third season of the HBO series Girls as the role of Karen. She has appeared in the CollegeHumor shorts “Official Spoiler Rules” and “Wings of a Dragon.” The board’s general body members prioritized bringing Williams to campus at the beginning of the semester and have worked since then to book her appearance, according to Zachary Zahos ’15, president of CUPB. “We were in talks with her agent back See CUPB page 5