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The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 134, No. 65

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2018

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News

Arts

Sports

Weather

Penis Book

Midnight Comedy Troupe

Placid Bound

Snow Flurries

Dr. Aaron Spitz ’88 details his role as a urologist, comedian and author of a guide to the male organ. | Page 3

Icers hope to capture their 13th ECAC championship this weekend at Lake Placid.

Cornell’s first dark comedy sketch group put on a brilliant debut last Friday.

| Page 10

HIGH: 34º LOW: 22º

| Page 16

CAMERON POLLACK / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Signs of change | Students remember victims of the Feb. 14 high school shooting.

STUDENTS WALK OUT TO PROTEST GUN VIOLENCE Cornellians hold 17 minutes of silence on the Arts Quad

IHS students leave classes, join national protest

By ANNE SNABES Sun Assistant News Editor

At 10 a.m., students poured out of Ithaca High School’s classrooms and formed a line on the sidewalk outside.

The high-schoolers joined their peers across the country as they marched out of their classrooms to protest Congress’ lack of action on gun control.

The students, along with community members who came to witness the event, stood in silence for 17 minutes next to the school’s bus lane— “one for every victim of the Parkland shooting,” according to Megan Hay, an organizer of the walkout. A group of middle schoolers also walked to the high school to participate in the walkout.

The #ENOUGH: National School Walkout aims to “protest Congress’ refusal to take action on the gun violence epidemic plaguing our schools and neighborhoods,” according to the website for Women’s March Youth Empower, which created the national walkout. In particular, IHS and other schools are responding to the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 people in Parkland, Florida on February 14, according to NBC News.

Wren Kingsley, a co-host of the IHS walkout’s Facebook event, described the experience in her classroom before students walked out.

“My teacher was like, ‘Okay, so who’s gonna go?’” she said. “And See HIGH SCHOOL page 4

By MIGUEL SOTO Sun Staff Writer

MICHAEL WENYE LI / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

#ENOUGH | Cornell Dems president Natalie

Cornellians walked out of their classes and huddled in the snow on the Arts Quad on Wednesday morning to stand in solidarity with protests against gun violence, remembering the victims of the Parkland shooting.

During the 17 minutes of silence for each victim, members of the Cornell Democrats, who hosted the walkout, lined up along the entrance to Goldwin Smith Hall with signs made for each of those killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School one month ago on Feb. 14.

Natalie Brown, president of the Cornell Democrats, led the event. She said the walkout

Brown speaks in favor of stricter gun laws.

See CORNELL page 4

Hawking Called ’65 Trip to C.U. Planning Committee Mulls Nines Designation A ‘Mistake,’ But He Inspires Profs

By SARAH SKINNER

Sun Assistant News Editor

By MEREDITH LIU

Ithaca in 1965 with Sun Assistant News Editor his wife at the time, Jane, in the second When Stephen week of their honeyW. Hawking, the moon for summer famous British school. The trip to physicist who studCornell was “a misied black holes and take,” Hawking other cosmological recalled in a memoir, wonders, visited in part because the Ithaca more than 50 third floor of the dorHAWKING years ago, it didn’t mitory they stayed in go well. was designated for families.

Hawking, who died on See HAWKING page 5 Wednesday at 76, arrived in

The Ithaca Planning and Economic Development Committee voted Wednesday to send the proposal for historical designation of The Nines restaurant building back to the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission for re-examination.

Given the options of a backwards referral, referring the property to the Common Council with either a positive or negative recommendation and tabling the motion altogether, the committee elected

to allow further consideration or alternate paths to designation. This could include preserving only the front part of

“If you landmark this [property], you’re going to chain these people to it.”

Eric Lee the lot, allowing for some development on the land.

This decision came after a lengthy public hearing, where a parade of local supporters and

dissenters weighed in on a Collegetown staple.

Eric Lee, longtime friend of the owners and former Nines employee, said that the Nines had never been a “cash cow,” and that there was little to no hope of them selling the property as a restaurant.

“If you landmark this [property],” he said, “you’re going to chain these people to it.”

Landmark designation would mean that any development or renovation of the restaurant would have to be cleared by the landmarks comSee NINES page 5

2 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, March 15, 2018

Daybook

DAYBOOK

Thursday, March 15, 2018

A LISTING OF FREE CAMPUS EVENTS

Today Grape Disease Ecology and Epidemiology Candidate Research Seminar - Maggie Warner 9:00 - 10:00 a.m., A134 Barton Lab The Scholar as Human 10:30 - 11:30 a.m., Auditorium, Boyce Thompson Institute Joint Labor Economics, Public Economics & Development Workshop: Imran Rasul 11:40 a.m. - 1:10 p.m., 111 Ives Hall Harmful Anti-Sex-Selective Abortion Laws are Sweeping US State Legislatures: Why Do Some ProChoice People Support Them?

Noon - 1:00 p.m., 190 Rockefeller Hall SEAP Gatty Lecture Series Noon - 1:30 p.m., Kahin Center

COURTESY OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY

Asian authoritarianism | Claudio Sopranzetti, postdoc, Oxford University, will examine Thailand’s shift from a traditional democracy to a model of spreading authoritarianism at a lecture, Thursday.

Date-Driven, Outcome-Based Agrienvironmental Policy: A Critical Analysis of Institutional Change 12:20 - 1:10 p.m., 135 Emerson Hall

Soup and Hope with Grace Chuang Noon, Sage Chapel COURTESY OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY

Energy engineering | Tom O’Rourke will discuss key lessons from recent earthquakes and tsunamis.

The Age of Questions: On the Relationship Between Universal War and Federation 12:15 - 1:30 p.m., G08 Uris Hall

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Tomorrow What’s Going On at the Cockcroft Institute?

10:00 a.m., Wilson Synchrotron Lab Trumping Hate on Twitter?

12:15 - 1:45 p.m., 106 White Hall Exile at Home?

On the Troubles of Being Jewish in Israel 3:00 - 4:30 p.m., 215 McGraw Hall Subpixel Surface Detail in Realistic Rendering 3:30 p.m., 655 Frank H.T. Rhodes Hall

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, March 15, 2018 3

NEWS

Alum Pens ‘Complete Guide’ to Penis

By MATTHEW MCGOWEN

said.

During his second year, however, the academic coursework became too much to balance, and by A trip to the urologist might sound like the fur- fall he had to quit comedy. Yet both his medical thest thing from entertainment, but it may not be if experience and ability to perform for an audience your doctor is a former stand-up comedian, regular made Spitz an appealing candidate to be a guest on daytime television guest, health policy advocate and daytime television shows like Dr. Phil and CBS’s author of The Penis Book.

The Doctors.

Dr. Aaron Spitz ’88 M.D. ’92 is all of those and “[The producers for The Doctors] contacted me a practicing urologist to boot. and I ended up coming out and doing a segment on Spitz holds a degree from Weill Cornell Medical erectile dysfunction and it went great,” Spitz said. “I College, but his career path and public persona have threw some humor in it, and from that point on I’ve been anything but typical of a practicing doctor. been on that show every season.”

Spitz spoke to The Sun via phone from In addition to television appearances, Spitz has Washington, D.C. about how his Cornell education applied his humor and communication experience led to a wide variety of professional pursuits and to writing The Penis Book: A Doctor’s Complete projects.

Guide to the Penis - From Size to Function and “I come to Washington at least Everything in Between. annually for this kind of formal “There’s a fair amount of humor in lobbying process,” said Spitz, who it, but it’s really an instructive factual serves as the lead representative of book that’s got a lot of important, very the American Urological serious information,” Spitz said.

Association on the American So far it has been translated into six Medical Association’s policy-maklanguages, and is also available in audioing body, the House of Delegates. book format. Among the book’s variety Spitz traces his interest in policy of topics, pornography and its influence and advocacy work to his underon the brain and sexual health was one graduate education at Cornell, of the most surprising takeaways Spitz where he studied government. found.

SPITZ “I really enjoyed my major and I “When I was doing my research I really found that kind of stuff interesting, and this is was just really amazed to find out how very damagthat world,” Spitz told The Sun. ing pornography actually is to sexual function,” His experience with the Cornell Speech and Spitz said.

Debate Society also gave Spitz his first exposure to The impact is also disproportionate on high the multimedia entertainment forms he would school to college-aged men, Spitz noted. come to embrace later in his professional life.

Spitz also used the book to advocate for a vegan “The debate team, that’s really what launched diet, which he claims has numerous positive health my stand-up career,” Spitz said. effects, and encourages patients to move toward a After seeing the success of deploying humor in plant-based diet. oral argument, Spitz spent his first summer during “I learned of the health benefits of a plant-based medical school performing at open mics and work- diet probably eight or nine years ago, and I saw ing for a production company that made promo- some really good research out there on that specific tional videos for pharmaceuticals. to urology but also in general,” Spitz said.

Spitz’s undergraduate courses also foreshadowed Because of his reputation as a vegan diet advohis predilection for entertainment, as he opted for cate, experience on television and medical credenmultiple electives in theater arts. tials, Spitz was featured in From the Ground Up, a Even during his time at Weill, Spitz felt the pull documentary about vegan athletes, which is set to of comedy, and recalls thinking, “Hey man, if I get be released on Netflix in a few months, according to a big break … I’ll just do that, I’ll quit medical Spitz. school.”

In addition to his policy work, advocacy, authorWhile Spitz was in medical school, he saw the ship and TV appearances, Spitz is still a practicing movie Punchline, where Tom Hanks played a med- urologist in Orange County, California, where he ical student in New York who drops out to pursue lives with his wife and three sons. stand-up comedy. For Spitz, the parallels were obvious.

Matthew McGowen can be reached at “I thought, is the universe speaking to me?”, he mam688@cornell.edu.

Sun Staff Writer

BORIS TSANG / SUN ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Chemical danger | Asbestos was removed recently from Balch Hall, prompting the warning signs displayed in the building.

C.U. Removes Asbestos Process poses possible respiratory risk

By AMANDA CRONIN Sun Staff Writer

As seen in warning signs that have been posted on various buildings, Cornell has been working on a series of asbestos abatement projects on campus.

Recently, black and red signs on the exterior of Rand Hall and Balch Hall advised the entry of “authorized personnel only” and the wearing of “respiratory protection and protective clothing,” warning that asbestos can cause cancer and lung damage.

Since February, one Rand Hall sign was removed while signs on Balch Hall entry doorways remain.

Tim Fitzpatrick, director of occupational health and safety at Cornell, told The Sun in a statement on Wednesday that asbestos abatement projects “occur on an ongoing basis” at the University.

He said the only current active abatement project is occurring at the Cornell Dairy facility in Hartford, New York.

Asbestos has been used in many building materials since World War II, including in ceiling tiles, pipes, walls, thermal insulation and other structures, according to the National Cancer Institute.

However, asbestos is only harmful when the small fibers are airborne and can be breathed in and get stuck in the lung tissue. So even though many buildings contain it, the risk of coming into contact with it is low unless the building materials are disturbed.

It was not until the 1980s that health professionals identified its carcinogenic and lethal effects on the respiratory system. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act, passed in 1986, requires all schools and public facilities to routinely test asbestos levels and provide procedural guidelines for asbestos handling and removal.

When interviewed by The Sun in late February, some students expressed concern about the projects that are currently ongoing to tackle asbestos removal on campus.

See ASBESTOS page 5

Alumna Wins Award for Book on Bald Eagle With 3D-Printed Beak

By DENA BEHAR Sun Staff Writer

The American Association for the Advancement of Science awarded bestselling children’s author Deborah Lee Rose ’77 a prize for her book that tells the story of an injured bald eagle that gained a 3Dprinted beak.

Rose’s book, Beauty and the Beak, won the AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books. Rose worked with raptor biologist Jane Veltkamp, to write this story about Beauty, a bald eagle who was illegally shot and lost her top beak before Veltkamp and her team created a 3D-printed prosthetic beak to save her.

Learning what Veltkamp and her team had done to reconstruct the bird’s beak, Rose felt inspired to write her book, she told The Sun. “I was very inspired by Jane’s work and how she pulled together a team to accomplish something that had not been tried,” Rose said.

She said the most challenging aspects of writing her book were her lack of knowledge regarding bald eagles and the distance between her and Veltkamp, as she lives in California while Veltkamp lives in Idaho.

“I knew nothing about eagles when I started, but that never stops me because I am ready to learn whatever I need to learn

to write a book,” Rose said. “I’ve been a science writer for a very long time, covering all types of topics, so I am not afraid to take on new topics if they grab me. It’s endless learning.”

Rose said her and Veltkamp were constantly communicating while writing the book, even while Veltkamp was “busy rescuing raptors all the time.”

When asked what made Beauty and the Beak special in comparison to the 14 other books she has authored, Rose cited her collaboration with Veltkamp and with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology which, as an alumna, seemed “like an amazing full circle.”

The award, which is given by one of the largest scientific organizations in the world, “acknowledges the science of the book as well as the story,” she said.

Rose was influenced by the science classes she took at Cornell and her time on The Sun, where she said she wrote news articles and features.

“I recognized I could love the topic and understand it and communicate about it even if I weren’t a scientist,” Rose said. “I got to share my newfound knowledge with a very broad audience.”

The award is meant to “emphasize the importance of good science books and encourage children and young adults to turn to science books, not only for infor-

mation, but for enjoyment too,” according to the AAAS’ website.

Rose wanted to impart the importance of bald eagle protection and conservation to her readers through her work on the book.

“A huge part of the fact matter is about bald eagle conservation, and most children

don’t know that bald eagles almost went extinct,” Rose said. “This book educates kids about the bald eagle as a species and the challenges it faces, and there are still challenges it faces.”

Dena Behar can be reached at dbehar@cornellsun.com

R. I. P.

BEN SOLOMON / NEW YORK TIMES

Toys “R” Us said it is going to close its U.S. stores, which will threaten 30,000 U.S. jobs, according to The New York Times.

4 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, March 15, 2018

NEWS

Ithaca Youth Protest Lack of Action on Gun Control

They displayed signs saying “Hear Their Voices” and “Keep the Guns Out!” Kara Eaton, a parent, said she does not believe teachers should “be forced” to keep weapons with them. everyone raised their hands.”

“If teachers really feel they need to, that should be their Kingsley said that just before 10 a.m., she and her classmates saw people walking in the hallway, so her class then choice, I guess,” she told The Sun. “But I personally don’t feel that that’s a way to bring the message. I think we need “just stood up and walked out.” to provide better schools, more Kingsley also described how funding for schools, more fundshe was thankful that New York State has “strong” gun legisla- “I shouldn’t have to be lucky to not get ing for mental health, and stopping these … making these gun tion. shot during school. It laws stricter for underage peo“We’re really lucky to live in should be a given.” ple and people with mental a state that has strong gun laws, health and criminal backand I’m lucky that I don’t have Wren Kingsley grounds.” to worry about coming to Chelsea Kingsley, Wren school and getting shot or anyKingsley’s mother, said the government can do more to “prothing like that,” she said.

“I shouldn’t have to be lucky to not get shot during tect children in school.”

“I mean what it really boils down to is I think that legisschool. It should be a given,”she added.

Autum Niver, a ninth-grade student at IHS, said she lation allows for these kinds of tragedies to happen,” she said. believes “there needs to be a change.”

Chelsea said she was at the walkout because she wanted “I felt that me being there is showing that I support that we need to change the laws and that we need to change gun to “stand with the students and for the students.”

“I don’t want them to have to just stick up for themcontrol,” she said. “And we need to just show that we have the empathy for the kids that died, and that we can’t just selves,” she said. “I want the adults in this world to stand up blame it on mental illness and we can’t just blame it on peo- for them. And I want legislators to stick up for the children. ple of disabilities or of people of color, like, we have to show You know — all the way up. They shouldn’t have to be out here standing and trying to stand up for themselves.” that we need a change, and it needs to come now.”

Megan Hay, a co-host of the IHS walkout’s Facebook Community members also participated by standing in a event, told The Sun that the walkout is a reflection of what crowd near the end of the bus lane.

HIGH SCHOOL

Continued from page 1

Silent protest | Cornellians stand in solidarity on the Arts Quad as they participate in a national walkout on Wednesday morning.

she has learned at her school.

“At Ithaca High School, I feel like they do a really good job, for a public school, teaching us to use our voices and to be active in stuff that we feel passionate about,” she said. “It was a really good way for us to be like, ‘Hey, we’re using our voices, we’re advocating for something we believe in, and this is a cause that we feel strongly about.’”

Hay and Wren decided to create the walkout while the two were on spring break together in Florida.

They created a Facebook event page, and later met with IHS administrators to talk about the walkout. Hay told The Sun that the school said it cannot “condone anything” because it is a public school, and is not allowed to express “political views.”

“They basically told us that the school can’t condone anything, and that they’re not technically in support of it, but they weren’t going to do anything to discipline us,” Hay said. “We weren’t going to get suspended or anything.”

According to Hay, administrators said participation in the walkout would be considered an “unexcused absence for the period.”

Hay said the walkout allows student to show they have voices, despite their inability to vote.

“We are a school just like any of these other schools that have been subjected to this tragedy, and so, I feel like we as students wanted to say, just because we can’t vote doesn’t mean we don’t have a voice. Our safety matters, and we aren’t taking this laying down.”

Anne Snabes can be reached at asnabes@cornellsun.com.

MICHAEL WENYE LI / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Cornellians Unite Against Violence CORNELL

Continued from page 1

not only served to honor the victims of the Parkland shooting, but to “remember each and every victim of every school shooting, unnecessary death and murder that could have been prevented with stricter and common sense gun laws.”

Additionally, Brown said the walkout was also meant to show “our frustration, dissatisfaction and anger with our congressional representatives who are not doing their job and representing us,” mentioning representative Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) who Brown said has “ taken thousands of dollars of NRA money.”

“We have had enough,” Brown declared, which was met with applause from the protestors.

Gary Pudup, western New York regional director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, was the featured guest speaker. Calling “this region in New York” a “home of pro-

gressive liberal thought and action,” he focused on maintaining the momentum in instituting tougher gun laws.

Pudup said he hopes to achieve “a society free from the constant fear of gun violence.” He spoke about the “false arguments” that are used to “distract us from our goal,” pointing to the argument that the shooter was evil.

“Evil is an organization that holds the value of profits higher than the value of our children’s lives,” Pudup said.

He spoke out against a lack of initiative from President Donald Trump, Congress and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in instituting stricter gun laws.

“As I stand here in the midst of higher learning, of free thought and research, I ask why anyone would deny us a right to information and study [on gun violence],” Pudup said.

Pudup was a former member of

the NRA and a police officer in Rochester, NY. He said he was inspired to take action against gun violence after his work in law enforcement.

After the event, Pudup told The Sun about the “societal neglect” of failing to take action against gun violence.

“Gun violence is like cancer — there’s not one form of cancer,” he said, emphasizing that gun violence takes the form of crime, mass shooting and suicide — issues that he said must be kept in mind.

“I saw a lot of those things in my time as a police officer,” Pudup said.

Concluding the protest, Brown reminded the crowd not to forget the fight against gun violence.

“Unless we stay united in our resolve for this issue, it will fall flat,” she said. “So you can’t check out after walking away today.”

Miguel Soto can be reached at msoto@cornellsun.com.

MICHAEL WENYE LI / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Winter walkout | Cornell students stand in silence for 17 minutes to honor the victims of the shooting in Parkland, Fla.

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, March 8, 2018 5

NEWS

Asbestos Removal Taken Seriously Nines Designation May ASBESTOS

report and everything.”

The company even monitors the surrounding areas during removal so that in the case some partiCatherine Wei ’20, a resident advisor in Balch cles slip out, they can detect and address the probHall, told The Sun that she was concerned when she lem. was not alerted when in January, her unit vending Cornell has its own Asbestos Management machine room was undergoing asbestos removal.

Program that includes an annual abatement plan “As an RA, a main part of my job is making sure and steps to address incidental disturbance of that residents feel comfortable and safe living in asbestos-containing materials, according to their dorms,” Wei said. “I think there should be a Cornell’s Environmental Health and Safety website. better policy or notification system for RAs to be Regarding notification of building users or resiinformed about asbestos removal so that they are dents, Fitzpatrick told The Sun that signs can be able to address any concerns from residents or par- used for “larger jobs.” ents.”

“The NYS Savanna Lim ’21, Department of Labor is Student Assembly fresh- “Cornell takes this very seriously. Before notified prior to conman representative and a project begins, we do a thorough study ducting asbestos abateresident of Balch Hall, he wrote in a of the materials we will be touching.” ment,” shared her unease too. statement. “Larger jobs “It doesn’t surprise require notifying buildFrank Parish me that we have a probing occupants. lem like this, since Balch Notification to building was constructed almost 100 years ago, but I am sur- occupants is done by placing signage on building prised that I wasn’t informed of this in an email,” entrances.”

Lim said. “I am concerned for the health and safety Wei said she would prefer a different medium of of our residents.” notification.

Asbestos has been incorporated into construc“I think there should be a better policy or notifition materials on campus since workers broke cation system for RAs to be informed about asbestos ground on the first University buildings in the late removal,” Wei said. “That way, they are able to 1800s. address any concerns from residents or parents.”

However, according to Frank Parish, Rand Hall According to The Sun archive, Cornell has been Unit Facility Director, there is no reason for con- actively addressing asbestos-producing disturbances cern. for a long time. An article from Dec. 4, 1980 details “Cornell takes this very seriously.” Parish said. asbestos removal efforts in the A. D. White Library “Before a project begins, we do a thorough study of in Uris Library and on the sixth floor of Mary the materials that we will be touching and we have Donlon Hall. to test them to see if any of them are asbestos-conParish said asbestos abatement projects can take taining. If they are, we actually hire companies to a long time because the goal is to remove all asbestos abate the asbestos and lead paint.” from building materials.

Parish said that Sunstream, the contracted com“So basically asbestos is everywhere,” Parish said. pany in charge of asbestos removal in Rand Hall, “In the tiles you’re walking on, the walls … This follows a very careful procedure. takes forever because most of the buildings are old.”

“They come in and they encapsulate the room, know all the laws and testing procedures around Amanda Cronin can be reached at getting rid of it,” Parish said. “And they issue a acronin@cornellsun.com.

Continued from page 3

Professors Remember Stephen Hawking HAWKING

Continued from page 1

“Although some of the toddlers were undeniably appealing,” Jane later wrote, “a stay in a mammoth nursery was not what we had expected.”

“We stayed in a dormitory that was full of couples with noisy small children,” Hawking wrote in My Brief History, “and it put quite a strain on our marriage.”

Hawking, who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease, or ALS, at 21, also had a difficult time getting around Cornell, Jane wrote. She said Hawking’s struggles to get to lectures on time, which required her to accompany him nearly everywhere, forced her to realize for the first time how debilitated Hawking was by ALS. The couple had never discussed the disease, at Dr. Hawking’s request, until he suffered from a sudden choking fit during a chilly Ithaca night, according to Stephen Hawking: A Biography, by Prof. Kristine Larsen, astrophysics, Central Connecticut State University.

“The demonic nature of the illness had announced its presence much more dramatically than in lameness, difficulty of movement, and lack of coordination,” Jane recalled in Travelling to Infinity, a revision of her 1999 memoir, Music to Move the Stars: A Life with Stephen Hawking.

Jane said she was left “shocked and helpless.”

At one point, Jane wrote, the couple was left “wondering whether we were doomed to spend the whole period of the summer school confined to the campus of Cornell University and the third floor of the hall of residence.”

But while his brief stay at Cornell nearly 53 years ago was a rough, if critical, time in Hawking’s life, his vision and discoveries have inspired a younger generation of Cornellians to explore the unknown and disseminate what they learn.

On Wednesday, the day after Hawking died in Cambridge, professors remembered how his groundbreaking research had affected their careers.

The director of the Carl Sagan Institute, Prof. Lisa Kaltenegger, astronomy, joined Hawking among six speakers at a conference at The Pontifical Academy of Science in Vatican City in 2016. She said in an interview that while Hawking was not able to easily interact with people, it was a great honor to even be in the same room with him.

Kaltenegger said Hawking has inspired her since she was a young girl and that she quickly shared the 2016 experience with her mother.

“I texted my mom and said, ‘Mommy, you won’t believe this, I just gave a talk in the same session as Stephen Hawking!’”

Kaltenegger said, laughing. “It’s like giving a talk in the same [room] as Albert Einstein.”

She recalled being a student in

high school and presenting one of Hawking’s books to her physics class. Kaltenegger said it not only blew her 15-year-old mind with its discussion of the imaginary time theory, but also served as an important reminder to make scientific knowledge as accessible as possible.

“He made the cosmo something everybody could get a glimpse at … and be part of,” she said. “I think that is what we all strive for as researchers and professors, [and] that is also what Sagan pioneered here at Cornell.”

Prof. Mason Peck, mechanical and aerospace engineering, serves as an advisor to the Breakthrough Starshot initiative, which is overseen by a board on which Hawking — as well as Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg — served.

Peck said Dr. Hawking’s “spirited support of this audacious project” — which is working toward laying the foundation for a launch to Alpha Centauri, a neighboring star system — led Peck to admire Hawking even more.

“Stephen Hawking was brilliant, of course, but also innovative,” Peck said in an email to The Sun. “It was a tremendous honor for me to serve with him as an advisor to the … project.

“This project is an effort to send a probe to a nearby star, which would teach us so much about the universe that Hawking helped unravel,” he wrote.

A scientist all his life, Hawking will be remembered

Go Back to Commission NINES

Continued from page 1

mission.

Co-owners Mark Kielmann ’72 and Harold Schultz plan to retire regardless of the decision, they said at the meeting. According to Kielmann, the sale of the Nines to a developer was their “retirement plan.”

“I love this town,” Kielmann said. “[But] I don’t feel I’m being treated very fairly at this stage of the game.”

As the owners always planned to sell to a developer, they allowed sections of the building to fall into disrepair, some said. The committee recently toured the building in order to view the building first-hand, after which chair Seph Murtagh (D-2nd Ward) expressed concern.

Possible alternate plans, a major reason for further review, could include development of only the deteriorated back section of the building.

Prior to Wednesday’s meeting, the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Committee and the Planning and Development Board had both unanimously recommended designation of the entire property, as reported by The Sun. The Planning and Economic Development Committee, as opposed to other review boards, is permitted to take into account the owners’ personal stories and the practical, legislative and economic effects of designation.

“A designation of this property would have a very severe, real-world impact on the owners,” Murtagh said, urging the committee to consider all factors.

“We have contributed a lot to this community,” said Shirley Kielmann, wife of one of the owners. “We would like to end on a good note.”

The Nines building is currently valued at $775,000, according to review by Jay Franklin, county Department of Assessment. If it were permitted to be sold, the value of the property could be upwards of $8 million, said Brody Smith, attorney for Kielmann and Schultz. According to Smith, this could result in over $250,000 a year more for allowing the average person to understand complicated matters like black holes than for his advanced theories, which have inspired thousands of scientists, Kaltenegger said.

“Aside from all his scientific accomplishments, it is an incredible thing to do — [to] inspire people to be curious,” she said.

“I’m sure this is the biggest thing he’ll be known for.”

Shruti Juneja ’20 and Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs ’19 contributed research to this article.

Meredith Liu can be reached at meredithliu@cornellsun.com.

in tax revenue for the city.

The Nines building is nominated for designation on merit of its history as the No. 9 Fire Station in Collegetown, which served as an operating station in the early twentieth century before it was renovated as a restaurant in the seventies.

BETH SPERGEL / COURTESY CITY OF ITHACA

Designate? The Nines restaurant building stands on College Avenue.

John Schroeder ’74, alumni advisor for the Cornell Daily Sun Alumni Association, urged the preservation of at least part of the building as a necessary historical reference for future development.

“It’s matter of wisdom and balance,” Schroeder said, “and putting the community first.”

Schroeder, who served on the Planning and Development Board for more than 18 years but was speaking as a private citizen, was the first at the meeting to suggest preserving only part of the building.

Committee members showed interest in this plan, as it would preserve the streetfacing facade and open plaza of the Nines while allowing the owners to have “some sort of return” on their 40-year investment, Murtagh said.

“What we’re trying to do here is find a compromise that will allow us to move forward, that will allow the property owners to retire, and that will allow … the history to be protected,” Murtagh said.

The final decision on the Nines’ status will be made at the next Common Council meeting, slated for April 4.

Sarah Skinner can be reached at sskinner@cornellsun.com.

The Sun’s on Snap: It’s Still Cold Outside...

OPINION

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Lissie Elorza | Guest Room

Independent Since 1880 136TH EDITORIAL BOARD JACOB S. KARASIK RUBASHKIN ’19 Editor in Chief

JOHN MCKIM MILLER ’20

GIRISHA ARORA ’20

Business Manager

Managing Editor

HEIDI MYUNG ’19

KATIE SIMS ’20

Advertising Manager

Associate Editor

ALISHA GUPTA ’20

VARUN IYENGAR ’21

Assistant Managing Editor

Web Editor

DYLAN MCDEVITT ’19

MEGAN ROCHE ’19

Sports Editor

Projects Editor

MICHAEL LI ’20

EMMA WILLIAMS ’19

Photography Editor

Design Editor

GRIFFIN SMITH-NICHOLS ’19

JEREMIAH KIM ’19

Blogs Editor

Blogs Editor

JACQUELINE QUACH ’19

AMOL RAJESH ’20

Dining Editor

Science Editor

SHRUTI JUNEJA ’20

BREANNE FLEER ’20

News Editor

News Editor

ANU SUBRAMANIAM ’20

YUICHIRO KAKUTANI ’19

News Editor

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JUSTIN J. PARK ’19

NICHOLAS BOGEL-BURROUGHS ’19

Multimedia Editor

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PARIS GHAZI ’21

LEV AKABAS ’19

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ANNE SNABES ’19

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Assistant Photography Editor

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WORKING ON TODAY’S SUN AD LAYOUT PRODUCTION DESKERS NEWS DESKERS ARTS DESKER DINING DESKER SPORTS DESKER NIGHT DESKER DESIGN DESKERS PHOTOGRAPHY DESKER

Sophie Smith ’18 Brian LaPlaca ’18 Katie Reis ’21 BreAnne Fleer ’20 Anne Snabes ’19 Lev Akabas ’19 Jacqueline Quach ’19 Dylan McDevitt ’19 Maryam Zafar ’21 Emma Williams ’19 Krystal Yang ’21 Lei Lei Wu ’21 Michael Li ’20

Letter to the Editor

In support of more blue lights on and near campus To the Editor: I remember, way back during my freshman orientation at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, how amazed I was by the campus’s blue light system. At the time I was fairly ignorant regarding the sexual assault woes that plague university campuses nationwide. Nevertheless, the idea that I could, from virtually any point on campus, have a straight line of sight to one, and sometimes two or three, blue light boxes inspired a strong sense of safety. It was admittedly also somewhat fun checking out how many blue lights I could see from different points on campus.

Needless to say, I was a bit shocked when I came to Cornell two years later, as a junior transfer, and found that the blue lights on campus were, at best, scarce.

Finding out that there are, in fact, 950 emergency phones on campus, was an even greater surprise. They’re practically invisible at night! While I applaud Cornell for piloting a new blue light on Ho Plaza, I expect to see more than a publicity stunt going forward.

Specifically, I think Collegetown would greatly benefit from a mass deployment of blue lights. I, for one, am sick and tired of receiving crime alerts from areas of Collegetown that are, for starters, poorly lit and lack the exposure of the more open areas of the main campus. I feel strongly that deployment of blue lights near off-campus student housing across the Collegetown area can have a positive impact in deterring crime, especially sexual assault. I think men who otherwise have no moral compass might think twice after seeing a blue light close by before committing a sexual assault. I also hope that women might feel a little safer knowing that help is just a button press away.

The blue light system is a success at University of Connecticut. It should be deployed en masse at Cornell, ASAP. I look forward to the day that I could feel as safe traversing Cornell at night as I did at University of Connecticut.

Ryan Norton ’17 Cornell Law School, J.D. Candidate, 2020

Reforming the Greek System Before We Throw It Away I came to Cornell with no intention of joining Greek life. The majority of my high school class went on to universities that seemed more focus on football and frat parties than education.

I heard countless stories about Greek life that I wanted no part in.

After spending my first semester here I began to think, “Who am I to assert generalized preconceived notions on a group of thousands of people?” Is that not exactly why I claimed to despise the system?

I decided to go through the recruitment process before I placed any overarching judgment on the entire Cornell Greek community. Blocking out any commentary about reputations or tiersystems, I went through the process and actually found homes in which, to my surprise, I met other proud people of color, and homes where I met other LGBT students who felt accepted by their sisters.

When I received my bid, I made a promise to myself. If I was going to accept my letters and the history that came with them, I would dedicate my time in sorority life to help reform the Greek system for the better.

I knew I was joining a broken system which has a history of exclusive practices, and still carried on those practices to some extent. I did not join my sorority content with the current state of the entire Greek system. I joined with the motivation to change the institutional discrimination. I ultimately decided that this would be a more effective method of promoting diversity, than dismissing every member of the community as a bigoted elitist.

Believe it or not, there is another organization, of which we are all a part, that also has a parallel history to that of our Greek community. It’s called the United States.

I wear my letters as proudly as I would hold an American flag. I am appreciative of the community and the opportunity that the association provides for me, but I am not blind to the history and the current necessity for change.

Greek life serves so many purposes within our University. Cornell is a massive institution that can be incredibly overwhelming for any student, unlike other schools of about a few thousand students in which Greek life has been banned. Williams has a population of 2,000 students, Colby has 1,879 students, Middlebury has 2,532 students and Bowdoin has 1,816 students, but Cornell has a student population of 21,904.

To put that into perspective, Cornell’s student population can fit the combined populations of Williams, Colby, Middlebury and Bowdoin almost three times over.

On top of being a great outlet for public service, my sorority is a home for me. Unlike other types of organizations on campus, fraternities and sororities are not centered around one interest, one major or one belief-system. Rather, it is a place where students who might have otherwise never crossed paths can build lifelong friendships.

The fact of the matter is that issues like racism and heteronormativity are not a product of the system, they are a

product of society, they are a product of the state of our nation. Ending Greek life will not end discrimination; it will not stop classism, racism, homophobia or sexism. However, the Greek community of Cornell can serve as a starting point for reform policies to become more inclusive.

We have to permanently remove houses that practice discriminatory selection processes and cruel hazing rituals. We need to permanently remove the individuals who spew hate speech and assault others. These are rules that should be followed with absolutely no lenience. We are still here witnessing these incidences over and over again because zero-tolerance policies are not being enforced.

I am a member of the Greek community, but I refuse to be complicit in the exclusionary practices and discriminatory actions of others within my community. In the community, I have met a diverse array of passionate students and I hope, through efforts to change the system rather than dismantle it, this community can evolve to become a more diverse and inclusive space for students who might have never met otherwise.

The administration needs to stop brushing these incidents under the rug.

Instead, we all need to acknowledge the

If I was going to accept my letters and the history that came with them, I would dedicate my time in sorority life to help reform the Greek system. history and address the problems. We need to hear university administrators and Greek leadership say, yes this has happened, this is our problem, and now this is what we are doing to fix it.

As a first-generation American, I have similar sentiments towards my American citizenship as I do my Greek affiliation. I am ashamed of the hateful incidents that have occured. I may be disappointed by the leadership that has been chosen. I do not agree with every decision of every member of the Greek community just like I do not agree with every decision of every resident of our country. However, I am still here, and I am not giving up on our future. I am trying to help shape it.

I will be honest, I have considered leaving because I am so horrified by the detestable actions of others. Sometimes I wonder if enough reform can be accomplished to change the current campus climate. I am holding on in hope that the leadership of the University and the community can come together to not only stop Greek life from being harmful, but also make it helpful in promoting inclusion. I look at my letters and I am reminded of words my parents always tell me about my citizenship, “This is an opportunity, it is not perfect, but be grateful and if you see something broken, fix it yourself.”

Lissie Elorza is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences and a member of Kappa Delta Sorority.

Comments can be sent to opinion@cornellsun.com.

Guest Room runs periodically.

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, March 15, 2018 7

OPINION

Jade Pinero | Jaded and Confused

A

Overthrow Academia

cademia, at least in the social sciences, is the pursuit of knowledge by and for the elite. It’s a circle-jerk for nerds.

Joining a university faculty is like signing up to play a professional game of whack-a-mole. Institutions require scholars to publish in order to remain employed; specifically, they require regular original research written for peer-reviewed journals or discipline-specific books.

Behind each publication awaits the due date for the next.

The pursuit of knowledge has, unfortunately, always been the purview of the elite.

Academia’s mandated curiosity (“publish or perish”) is problematic, but its mandated stylistic orthodoxy is a bona fide tragedy. The only scholarship these institutions recognize is formally written with a lexicon too complex and a subject too specific for all but the most erudite audiences.

The bulk of scholars’ time and energy is spent on such research, leaving even those who would prefer to create more accessible content exhausted. Our most gifted, inquisitive minds exist in a vacuum. Their revelations are not endeavors in awakening the masses, but fancy accoutrement for privileged pedants.

The pursuit of knowledge has, unfortunately, always been the purview of the elite.

From the 18th to early 20th century, the Western world’s movers-and-shakers partook in exclusive ‘salons’ where VIP attendees discussed politics, philosophy and culture. Like those salons, the contemporary world of academic literature cultivates revolutionary ideas far away from those who most need the revolution.

Yiannis Gabriel, professor of sociology at the University of Bath, (ironically) co-authored a book for Oxford University Press on academia’s structural flaws and penned a peer-reviewed journal piece advocating potential solutions.

As a committed blogger, Gabriel puts his money where his mouth is, distilling complex concepts into simple summaries. Blogging about the flaws his book addresses, he argues, “Society at large is a loser, as most burning social issues fail to be addressed by researchers preoccupied with discovering tiny gaps in the literatures of their sub-specialisms and pretending to fill them.”

Academia’s explicit goal — original, meticulously-

researched work — reveals its driving implicit goal: the absolute aggregation of knowledge. This fundamental premise, upon which the entirety of academia rests, is patently absurd. The sum of the universe’s information is by definition infinite; its total mastery is a both all-consuming and totally futile pursuit. It is academia’s white whale.

Plato, the venerable daddy of Western academia and higher education, was interested in knowledge, justice and existential purpose. He explored these questions in The Republic, a collection of stories in which the characters philosophize cooperatively, arriving at answers battle-tested by the reciprocal exchange now known as the Socratic method.

Greek philosophers did not simply advocate the enlightened society in theory; they strove to make it reality by writing plainly and debating publicly. Plato, for instance, wrote “entertaining” narratives, within which he couched profound philosophical dialectic; Socrates, his mentor, was a dirty barefoot hippie who roamed the streets engaging regular-degular folks in conversation. Academia today bears no resemblance to its origins, but is instead individualized, elitist and entirely divorced from any notion of greater purpose.

Gabriel says the “more than 50 million [academic] articles in circulation… [and] more than two million added each year” generates a “black hole of meaning.” Why do we lock our greatest thinkers in a soundproof box? Why don’t we, instead, push them into the bully pulpit, as our forebears intended?

Plato’s Republic features a comparable black hole: the famous allegory of the cave, which critically examines the pursuit of knowledge, the ignorance of the masses and the obstacles to enlightenment.

The cave is home to prisoners who have never been in the outside world. They are chained up, unable to move or turn. Behind them, a fire burns. They face a wall where they watch the shadows of movement behind them cast by the fire. Having never seen what casts the shadows, they believe the shadows are beings unto themselves (rather than mere projections).

This metaphor teaches two lessons relevant to academia.

First, Plato posits that a caveperson dragged up to the surface would become enlightened, come to feel pity for those still in the cave, and recoil at the thought of returning to live amongst them. Second, Plato argues that should

this newly enlightened individual ever return, their eyes would struggle to re-adjust to the darkness, preventing them from accurately describing the shadows. The returned individual’s inability to comprehend the cavepeople’s reality convinces the prisoners that nothing is gained by ‘enlightenment.’

On the first lesson: Social science academia insulates its members from the ‘unenlightened’ world. It prohibits those who genuinely care about humanity from interacting with it in practice, confining their participation to theory. These limitations separate intellectuals from the characters and communities they study. Over time, the chasm widens, sharpening scholars’ macro view but simultaneously moving them out of earshot of those they left behind.

On the second: The elite academic bubble speaks a dialect difficult for most people to understand. PhDs often struggle to communicate their knowledge, even to the brightest undergrads in their own fields. Worse, when researchers write, they make no attempt at simplification; to the average person, it’s an entirely different language.

In academia, the terms ‘pop science’ and ‘pop history’ have a derogatory connotation. Rather than degrade those who attempt to make accessible the wealth of wisdom otherwise hoarded by institutions, academia should consider ‘pop’ content just as legitimate as conventional research.

Doing so would improve the access, quantity and sophistication of the education available to all people.

Social science academia insulates its members from the ‘unenlightened’ world.

Academic administrations must transform the role of the scholar from that of peer educator to that of public educator. Original research is incredibly important, but the vast majority of what is produced today is superfluous addition to an already-crowded bubble. Outside the bubble, however, reading is on the decline, anti-intellectualism is on the rise, and accepted ‘objective’ reality, while always manipulated and incomplete, is now completely subjective.

Universities can no longer hide their luminaries. Now more than ever, we need a guiding light.

Jade Pinero is a junior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She can be reached at jpinero@cornellsun.com. Jaded and Confused appears alternate Thursdays.

Sarah Lieberman | Blueberries for Sal

A

s a writer, I’m always fighting with myself, wrestling with the questions of “what stories are mine to tell?”

These questions get even more complicated when I bring my identity into the conversation.

I’m a white-passing Japanese-American, and I often feel uncomfortable claiming an identity that isn’t obvious to the outside world. I face no racism on the basis of my Japanese culture, and I don’t want to assume the experience of people who have. To avoid all this confusion, I usually stay quiet on topics related to East Asian culture, but, today, I took a different route.

Japanese culture is fetishized among white people in the United States. Whether it’s anime, Buddhism or sushi, Americans love to pick and choose the pieces of Japanese culture that best fit their desired aesthetic. Although I can’t speak for the entire community, it personally doesn’t bother me when I see thorough appreciation for Japanese culture and a sincere desire to be more understanding and inclusive.

Eat sushi! Watch anime! Learn about Buddhism! It doesn’t matter to me. But — and this is an absolutely crucial ‘but’ — half-hearted, exotifying attempts to assimilate to a culture, without acknowledging its history or context, is offensive, careless and

Fashion Faux Pas

dangerous.

There are blatant examples of cultural appropriation that certain communities face daily. Aspects of African culture, Native American culture and Latinx culture are frequently turned into “trends” by mainstream, white America. Using another’s culture for recreational purposes is never appropriate, and it feels as if almost every day, another celebrity needs to be called out for cultural appropriation.

This past week, multiple friends reached out to me, discussing the fallout from the Cornell Fashion Collective show. This is a student production that I admire a lot, so I was pretty disappointed to hear about some of the controversy. When I heard a non-Asian man presented a line of clothing with vaguely East Asian influences and instructed his models to hand out fortune cookies, I was a bit shocked. Perhaps this could have been executed effectively, but, instead, it was done coarsely, using Japanese and other

East Asian cultures as props. Handing out fortune cookies to the crowd showed a surface-level, anglicized understanding of the culture he was drawing from.

My 100-year-old great grandmother started her family in an internment camp on the West Coast. She and my great-

Culture, and race and ethnicity, are not masks to toss on and off. grandfather were held captive and had everything taken from them on account of their ethnicity. It might feel like a distant memory, but this is recent history. My great-grandmother carries this story with her every single day. I can’t understand how she is so forgiving, never holding any bitterness in her heart for what happened.

However, it’s still difficult for her, and for me, and for countless Japanese-Americans, to see white people today claiming aspects of Japanese culture for themselves, when

less than a lifetime ago, having anything to do with Japan was cause for imprisonment.

When talking about Japanese culture, there must be acknowledgment of America’s racist history. Without this, the conversation is incomplete. I am hurt that I have to watch my family’s culture become a costume due to the actions of appropriators.

Even if it is meant to honor East Asian people and their fashion, instead, it often feels exotifying, and I find myself extremely uncomfortable.

Like I said earlier, I am a white-passing woman. I, too, have the opportunity to pick and choose the pieces of Japanese culture that fit American ideals of what is “conventionally cool.” I could assimilate to my culture when it is convenient and abandon it when it is not; however, this is not a decision that most people can make. Culture, and race and ethnicity, are not masks to toss on and off. Asian cultures are not a homogenous. Treating a cultural piece so blasély, with neither care nor caution, is irresponsible, and I implore all of us who will have an opportunity to showcase a culture in their art, to do better.

Sarah Lieberman is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at slieberman@cornellsun.com. Blueberries for Sal appears alternate Thursdays this semester.

8 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, March 15, 2018

DINING GUIDE

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Dining Guide

Your source for good food

The Sweet Spot in Collegetown

By MIKAYLA KUYKENDALL Sun Staff Writer

I

like to consider myself a loyal customer to the dessert case at CTB, but I noticed a new place had opened, and how could I resist the flashing neon signs lighting up all of Eddy Street, boasting of sweet treats? I didn’t,

“I found myself in Sweet Spot, the brightest and most colorful dessert spot in Ithaca and perhaps the world.

When I first walked in, it felt like I had entered a bag of Skittles.” and that’s when I found myself in Sweet Spot, the brightest and most colorful dessert spot in

Ithaca and perhaps the world.

When I first walked in, it felt like I had entered a bag of Skittles. The walls were painted with rainbow stripes, and the stools at the tables were bright red. I was welcomed by three TV screens listing a multitude of options from ice cream to baklava to smoothies to freshly baked cookies. The owner (who also owns Oasis Halal Grill) was very friendly and allowed me to try a few treats, all of which I ate despite the protests from the Good Angel of Nutrition on my shoulder.

My first taste was a hefty slice of New York-style cheesecake that had a crumbly graham cracker crust and a smooth creamy cake. It had the perfect mildly sweet flavor with just a touch of tartness. There was a credit card minimum the cheesecake alone didn’t reach, and I didn’t have any cash on me, so a couple (four, actually) scoops of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream were added to the plate. I ended up picking out the cookie dough chunks and left the ice cream part for my food associate.

It tasted just like any other cook-

dessert was brought to us with a vanilla pudding filling topped with fresh blueberries and strawberry slices. I’m not the biggest fan of fruity desserts or pudding for that matter, but the combination of soft cake with the creamy pudding and the slight tang from the berries was an excellent combination.

While I loved every dessert we tasted and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun place to get dessert, the hours for Sweet Spot are unclear. There are no hours listed on the door, and I have only seen it open that one time. However, the cheesecake and small mountain of ice cream cost only $7, which is much cheaper than other dessert spots in Collegetown while still being equally delicious.

MIKAYLA KUYKENDALL / SUN STAFF WRITER

ie dough ice cream I’ve ever eaten.

Halfway through the cheesecake, the owner brought out a warm chocolate chip cookie that I devoured in no time. It was a little crisp around the edges with

a soft center and melty chocolate chips. I’m also a fiend for chocolate chip cookies, so I may have been biased.

Then, after the cookie was gone and my blood sugar started to spike, a small shortcake-like

Serves: Desserts Vibe: Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory Price: $ Overall: Mikayla Kuykendall is a senior in the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences.

She can be reached at mpk77@cornell.edu.

Food Porn Photo Contest Got food porn? Email your sexiest shots of food from Ithaca or Cornell to food@cornellsun.com.

Include your name and (if applicable) year of graduation. The Sun will pick the winner, whose photo and name will appear (1) in the Thursday, March 22 print edition and (2) on Instagram @cornellsundining.

The deadline for submission is 11:59 p.m. on Monday, March 19.

The CorneDaily Sun

since

1880

RESTAURANT

HOME OF THE

Pinesburger 1213 Taughannock Blvd.

(Route 89 - 3 miles north of Cass Park) Ithaca, NY 14850

(607)

273-3709

www.glenwoodpines.com

Voted BEST BU RGER in Ithaca!

– Ithaca Times Readers Choice

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, March 15, 2018 9

DINING GUIDE

Tian Jin Foods: Homey Hole-in-the-Wall

JACQUELINE QUACH / SUN DINING EDITOR

returned to the counter to check the hours and take a business card, but there was no information to be found about when it’d be open. I will mention, however, that Tian Jin Foods was the only open vendor in the food court this past Sunday. They also have a phone number listed on their business card, so calling before — rather, if — you head down there is a good idea.

JACQUELINE QUACH / SUN DINING EDITOR

Serves: cheap Chinese comestibles Vibe: homey hole-in-the-wall Price: $ Overall:

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WW W.CORN EL LS UN .CO

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UN.COM LS

Dining Editor Jacqueline Quach is a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached at food@cornellsun.com.

L E N

of my so-called kitchen masterpieces, I have to admit that a majority of what I make for myself is constrained by time and resources; I usually make salads, sandwiches and pasta dishes because they require no more than fifteen minutes each.

However, as a native San Franciscan and Asian American, I find myself craving Asian food!

While I do watch quite a few cooking shows that feature Asian cuisine, it can be hard to find the exact ingredients and supplies you need. For this reason, I usually eat out when it comes to Asian food and have become familiar with the Asian cuisine in Ithaca. This past weekend, I took the bus downtown to the food court in Center Ithaca and tried their latest addition — Tian Jin Foods.

As you may have surmised, Tian Jin Foods serves Chinese cuisine, and its name seems to originate from Tianjin, a coastal

thin skin, upon which that precious soup will leak onto the basket and my siblings will laugh at my shame. With the thicker skins (think potstickers) at Tian Jin Foods, I didn’t run into that problem at all, so I got to drink most of the delicious pork-flavored broth.

Furthermore, the size of each dumpling itself is larger than what I’m used to, so $8 for eight pieces is a cheap price.

I ate the Chinese egg pancake after the dumplings, just because you want to enjoy them while they’re still warm because they do contain soup. The egg pancake actually wasn’t my first choice, but they ran out of the beef Chinese sandwich (and its pork variant) that I originally wanted, which may be a testament to the establishment’s popularity. In fact, after I paid and as I waited for my food, a woman who said she lived in the building began to speak to another customer. She mentioned that whenever she passed by the food court, the Tian Jin Foods stand always had people standing around it, “so it must be ‘hoppin.’”

I’m not sure what the Chinese egg pancake at Tian Jin would be called in Mandarin, but it’s like a paper-thin, eggbased calzone with minced pork, leeks and chives inside.

The pancake itself is folded in half, giving it a semicircular shape. Like the soup dumplings, this was a little messy to eat because the exterior was greasy, but the minced pork had this strangely sweet flavor profile, with the occasional tinge of alcohol that must have come from the leeks. By itself, this wasn’t as filling as the order of soup dumplings, but the pancake-sandwich cost $4, which is still reasonable.

Before I even left the food court, I knew I’d return to Tian Jin Foods eventually, so I

R

“All I could focus on was the comforting combination of chewy skin, the pork within and the rich, body-warming soup that tied it all together.”

JACQUELINE QUACH / SUN DINING EDITOR

O

O

utside of the classroom, the college lifestyle has been a learning experience for me, and this year has been no exception. As a junior living off campus in Collegetown, I decided that instead of continuing to have a meal plan with Cornell Dining, I would try my hand at cooking for myself, especially because that’s what I’ll have to do upon graduation. While I am proud

city in Mainland China. Posted underneath the restaurant signpost but above the counter is the new establishment’s simple but tempting menu. About ten items comprise Tian Jin’s offerings, each with its own number, price and colorful close-ups of the food in case you’re not as familiar with Chinese cuisine.

From buns to noodle soup, there are a variety of dishes to be had, but I chose to order the soup dumplings and a Chinese egg pancake. Known as xiao long bao in Mandarin, soup dumplings are small steamed buns that can contain any type of filling that will determine the flavor of the broth within.

Because I chose to eat at the food court instead of getting take-out, my soup dumplings were actually served on a bamboo steamer basket, which is how a lot of dim sum is served.

Right off the bat, I gave Tian Jin points for authenticity and became increasingly confident that the Chinese owners knew what they were doing!

Although I took a cautious bite into the first of eight dumplings, the broth still got on my chin, but all I could focus on was the comforting combination of chewy skin, the pork within and the rich, bodywarming soup that tied it all together. This past Sunday was a particularly rough day for me, but eating those dumplings made me feel like I was back home and hanging out with family. As a result, I felt so much better — and fuller. This was due in part to the skin and portion of the xiao long bao. Most of the soup dumplings I’ve had come with a thinner skin than the ones at Tian Jin Foods did, not that I’m complaining.

Sometimes I dread eating soup dumplings in front of my relatives because either in the process of separating it from another dumpling or through picking up the dumpling itself with chopsticks, I’ll break the

W W .C

By JACQUELINE QUACH Sun Dining Editor

A&E

10 | The Corne¬ Daily Sun | Thursday, March 15, 2018

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Midnight Comedy Troupe Debuts Brilliantly

BY VARUN BELUR Sun Contrbutor

Weston Barker ’21 and the Midnight Comedy Troupe are deathly funny. The seven member outfit is Cornell’s newest and only dark humor sketch group that does its best to shock, awe and entertain.

They hit the mark, brilliantly. Judged on just their comedic chops, this group stands alone. But what really sets them apart is their secondary goal: to inspire (or incite) meaningful dialogue and bring people together with conversation and laughter.

Their inaugural show On Thin Ice at the Risley Theater last Friday night was a smash hit. The doors opened at 11:50p.m. to greet a huge crowd of comedy-lovers who poured in and packed the theater to fire-code capacity by the time the show started nine minutes later.

Dozens of latecomers were reluctantly turned away by the mustachioed Grady Owens ’21, a chutzpah-packing member of the troupe and one of the biggest standouts of the night.

The show began with a cold open sketch starring Barker, Owens and the equally delightful and dark Zvonimir Stojanovski ‘18. The audience quickly warmed up as Stojanovski’s bizarre and hilarious character plunged us into a zany world inhabited by fishmongers, Croatian sea captains and Weston Barker.

Following that and a provocative jingle (the best ones always are) introducing the troupe, Barker took the stage again with a brief statement about the mission behind the show. Specifically, that if the audience should find itself shocked or offended, it should use that moment as

L

ast year I took an elective that touched on the study of sound design, or the ways in which sound is organized — or unintentionally disorganized — in various settings. A big philosophical topic of interest in this field is the use of headphones by individuals in personal transit. By using headphones, are we effectively silencing the natural soundscape of a place? This initially seems like a rather pedantic point, one best mulled over in a musicology elective. Yet, shouldn’t we be worried about so many people dismantling the collective identity of a place, just as we are worried about climate change or the tearing down of the Nines?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. One time, as I was tearing across the Arts Quad, headphones blasting, I ran into the professor of this elective. “Forging your own soundscape, are we?” he said. I begrudgingly ripped the headphones out of my ears. I wanted to listen to music. Despite missing out on whatever track on Spotify I was enjoying, if I concentrated and listened attentively enough, I could hear music, almost as if it was pulled out of the air...

For the sake of transparency, I should mention that a friend and I

an opportunity to open up a dialogue and come together instead of apart. His message of community comes as something sorely needed in this polarizing era for our campus and country.

The next hour-half or so was pure comedy (and a little insanity). We got to see Barker as a funeral home employee, a role that seemed a little too natural. We were introduced to Aidan Blaser ’21 who gave hilariously cartoonish performances of gun-toting redneck-types that, once again, he seemed a little too good at playing. There was even a bit in which “rocks” (crumpled paper given shape by rubber bands) were handed out to the audience to be used in a mock stoning.

Running gags, such as an ABC crime show parody narrated by a prescient reporter who showed up uncannily at crime scenes (both in progress and before the fact), got funnier each time.

Political and social commentary were never too far from the surface, though. A sketch about an espresso machine powered by painfully sucking the life force from a captive was hilarious in its own right but was clearly a critique of the college students that made up its audience.

Specifically, of our collective complicity in the consumption of goods such as coffee, sneakers and iPhones, all of which are produced with no small amount of human suffering. Mental health was also addressed in a sketch in which a suicide hotline gets mixed up with the front desk of Happy Endings Funeral Home.

But the strongest political statement was made in the standout sketch of the night, which opened with a famous Benjamin Franklin quote: “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.” It featured Barker as

COURTESY OF THE MIDNIGHT COMEDY TROUPE

Weston Barker ‘21 performing in the Midnight Comedy Troupe’s On Thin Ice. the grim reaper — there’s a pattern here — competing with an IRS collector, Spencer Blumenberg ’21, for the immortal soul of a recently deceased person.

The sketch took jabs at the economic inequity of the law. The applause was wild; it was the perfect cocktail of ridiculousness and meaningful discourse — a brilliant piece of comedy and activism.

I spoke to Barker after the show and he elaborated a little on his ideas. “With dark comedy comes a responsibility for integrating dialogue,” he told me. He spoke about his hope that the audience

would take more than just a laugh away from the show. He envisions a unifying role for his troupe — bringing together people united by love of comedy and sending them away with fodder for discussion and debate.

The Midnight Comedy Troupe is a one of a kind experience run by amazing performers with energy, chemistry and chops. If I were you, I’d check them out while they’re still doing free shows.

Varun Belur is a junior in the College of Engineering.

He can be reached at vb239@cornell.edu.

Ithaca and Its Natural Waves have recently launched our own radio show on CornellRadio.com.

Our program is called Songs for Dads, and it airs every Wednesday night from 9-10p.m. Instead of adhering to a specific thematic format, we simply conduct some prior emotional research and play the songs we love the most on any given Hump Day. It is both a bless-

occasionally tuning in to a few classic rock shows that transmitted from Philadelphia, or cruising around in my car to the experimental noise which emanated from Princeton’s public station (not always the best driving music). Once I came to Cornell I essentially stopped listening to any radio whatsoever. Perhaps this is to

Nick Swan Swan’s Song ing and a wonder to be endowed with such a platform, and we greatly appreciate any of you who may have spent the hour enduring our angsty tunes and less-than-witty banter.

But enough with my shameless plug. Being involved with a radio program for the first time has made me realize how much I once took the radio, any radio, for granted.

Back in high school I would listen to a few local stations. I can recall

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

be expected. Of course, the radio as a source of music and entertainment has declined as we move further into the digital and streaming era. Entire parties are sustained by someone’s Spotify playlist, and it is difficult to imagine an era when people had to play cassettes or vinyl records for fun, let alone gather around a radio.

On the other side of the speakers, however, I am beginning to see the vibrant culture in which radio

DJs dwell. A significant amount of work goes into producing even the most innocuous shows. Curating a playlist and engaging in live dialogue are not merely functions that lead to some output, but rather they are modes of performance. In picking a song to play and discuss, a DJ is broadcasting something of personal significance and this is not so far off from performing an original piece of music written to convey some meaningful sentiment.

Nevertheless I push even further the profundity that I see in radio, for ultimately it transcends the more artificial act of programmatic performance. I assert that radio broadcasts are as natural as the physical climate from which they originate.

Really! Radio waves are all over, especially in Ithaca. We can not see them, but they are there, constantly, soaring at a blazing pace over the town, up East Hill and down South Hill. They penetrate the gorges and bounce around, and maybe they rush to Cayuga and mingle with the other waves on the shore for a while.

Through all of my metaphysical clamor, I mean to indicate that the physical traits of radio waves literally represent how significant radio

culture is to the identity of a local place. And what robust culture defines Ithaca! There is of course WVBR and CornellRadio.com.

While WVBR branded itself as a classic rock station for decades, it recently just expanded to a more alternative format to better represent the diverse environment it serves and reflect the wide variety of tastes and impressions that form the community. WICB, Ithaca College’s station, transmits a rather stunning mix of music and talk programs. Rewind 107.7 offers aural snapshots of what came before us, playing classic pop and running spots like “did you know a [dissolved chain business] used to be in Collegetown?”

I implore you to listen to the wide variety of Ithaca’s local radio stations. Sometimes, when driving around listening to the radio, I find my student anxiety quelled as I am welcomed into a part of Ithaca’s identity, like I am a part of the scenery, and I hope for you to find this ease as well.

Nick Swan is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at nswan@cornellsun.com. His column Swan’s Song runs alternate Thursdays this semester.

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, March 15, 2018 11

12 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, March 15, 2018

Sundoku

COMICS AND PUZZLES

Puzzle #65

SECRET MEETING

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)

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14 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, March 15, 2018

SPORTS

C.U. to Face Tigers Red looks to tame Princeton’s top line HOCKEY

Continued from page 16

make them play in their defensive zone.”

Princeton’s first line of Veronneau, Kuffner and Alex Richie has earned a healthy plus/minus rating of plus-57 combined, while the other Tiger forwards stack up to a lackluster minus-43.

Cornell, on the other hand, prides itself on its scoring depth.

The Red does not have a “top line” with multiple 50-plus point scorers. Instead, Cornell has no players with more than 26 points but 15 players with double-digit totals, while Princeton — a higher scoring team than the Red — has just nine.

“Our [whole] team is our secondary scoring,” Schafer said. “I love a team like that. It worries me when you have one line, and you rest your laurels on that line. If another team does a great job of shutting down that line … now where’s the offense?”

The Tigers are also owners of the nation’s best power play unit, sporting an eye-popping 29 percent success rate on extra-man opportunities.

“It goes back to being in shot lanes, having strong sticks,” Schafer said. “They have some great players, and if you give them time and space or you make a mistake, they’re going to make you pay.”

On the penalty kill, and on defense in general, one of the hallmarks of this Cornell squad has been key shot blocking — a point Schafer said he’s been emphasizing in practice all year long.

“Shot blocking isn’t the most popular thing to practice,” Schafer said. “But if you can block shots and keep pucks from getting to the net, your defense is going to be much better.”

Speaking of defense, Cornell’s is the best in the country and has been for months, allowing a stingy 1.45 goals per game on average.

The defensive unit believes its success has been primarily forged by its character and resilience.

“Guys are willing to sacrifice [themselves] for the greater good of the team,” said junior defenseman Alec McCrea, recently tabbed as the ECAC’s top defensive blue-

liner. “It’s showed when we’ve faced adversity too … guys are still laying out and blocking shots or getting the puck out and going to the dirty areas.”

On offense, the Red will look to duplicate its production from the last matchup against Princeton, a 7-1 thrashing of the Tigers at Lynah Rink on Jan. 5.

Cornell swept the season series, which also included a come-frombehind 5-4 victory on the road Nov. 4, 2017.

The Red has already secured a bid the NCAA tournament via its position in the PairWise rankings — used to determine seeding in the national playoffs — so regardless of the outcome this weekend, Cornell will still have some hockey to play.

“That actually takes pressure away from this weekend,” Schafer said. “It allows us to really focus on the weekend, because we know

“We’re excited to be back at Lake Placid. We have some unfinished business there.”

Junior Alec McCrea we’re in [the NCAAs].”

Last season, Cornell made it to this same point, where it defeated Union in the ECAC semifinal but fell short in the conference championship game against its archrival Harvard.

“We’re excited to be back at Lake Placid,” McCrea said. “We have some unfinished business there from last year, and we can’t wait for the opportunity.”

In a season that has already become the program’s best in more than a decade, the Red will look to cap it off with an ECAC Championship before taking its place on the national stage next weekend.

If Cornell defeats Princeton in the league semifinal at 1980 Herb Brooks Arena at 4 p.m. Friday, it will face the winner of the second semifinal between fourth-seeded Harvard and third-seeded No. 7 Clarkson in the championship game at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Dylan McDevitt can be reached at dmcdevitt@cornellsun.com.

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Thursday, March 15, 2018 15

SPORTS

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

Red to Take On UMass in Neutral-Site Matchup After knocking off Colgate and Columbia, Cornell will look to extend its winning streak to three games

By GRACIE TODD Sun Contributor

After earning its first Ivy win of the young 2018 season, Cornell women’s lacrosse will fight a non-conference tilt against Massachusetts this Saturday in Sparks, Maryland.

The Red (3-2, 1-1 Ivy) will enter the competition with a two game winning streak after beating Colgate and Columbia in last week’s games.

“These past two wins give us a lot of momentum going into this weekend’s competition,” said senior captain Ida Farinholt.

But UMass (4-2) has been winning too — it will enter the competition with a three game winning streak after beating Marist, Connecticut and Ohio State.

The Minutewomen averaged 15 points per game in the making of their winning streak, which makes the defensive aspect of the game especially essential, according to senior captain Taylor Reed. “[UMass] has a solid offensive presence, and we will need to work hard to shut down its scoring locks,” Reed said.

Junior captain Sarah Phillips said the Red’s offensive performances in the last two wins boosted its confidence — which it hopes to keep building this weekend.

“It’s going to be important to ride that wave,” Phillips said. “The focus will be on continuing to find our flow and our chemistry, and with that we will become more and more confident.”

The Red holds a 2-1 advantage over the Minutewomen in the overall series but was left with a bitter taste in its mouth when it last faced the team in 2016 at Schoellkopf Field. In that game, UMass earned a 7-6 victory in the second round of the NCAA tournament. This Saturday will lend the Red a shot at vindication.

“I think that some of the older players on our squad will have a bit of that memory from their last competition against UMass,” said head coach Jenny Graap ’86.

“So hopefully they’re fired up with the thought of that chance to avenge.”

This time around, the game will be played on neutral ground, at the U.S. Lacrosse Headquarters in Sparks, Maryland, which Graap says adds an extra element of excitement. Just last weekend, the Cornell men’s lacrosse team earned a victory over nationally ranked Penn State at the same site.

“We’re hoping to bring a good Cornell lacrosse crowd down to Maryland,” Graap said.

With no midweek game, the Red will spend all week preparing to face the Minutewomen.

“They are fast and gritty and scrappy and always come ready to fight,” Phillips said. “It’s important that we don’t look past that and that we focus this week on going hard and competing so we are ready to go come Saturday.”

Gracie Todd can be reached at gkt26@cornell.edu.

CAMERON POLLACK / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Streaking strong | The Red has a two-game winning streak that it will look to build on against UMass this weekend.

Cornell Looks to Hoopers Close Out Exciting Season Take Down Yale MEN’S BASKETBALL

By BENNETT GROSS

Sun Staff Writer

Despite a losing record in Ivy League play, this season Cornell men’s basketball was able to qualify for the Ivy League tournament and give its fans something to watch and cheer for in the playoffs.

Although the Red were bounced from the tournament in the semifinals by top-seeded Harvard, 74-55, the team feels that its experience this year leaves it with nowhere to go but up.

“To experience the Ivy League tournament this year was huge for our team,” said junior guard Matt Morgan.

“We are a very young team, and we are bringing almost everyone back next year, so just to get that experience is definitely going to be a building block going into next season.”

The Red came into the season ranked sixth in the Ivy League preseason media poll.

However, the squad exceeded expectations despite having to rely on one of the youngest rotations in the conference.

Morgan built on his impressive sophomore season by averaging 22.5 points per game and nearly 50 percent shooting from the field, earning first team All-Ivy recognition for his impressive play.

Junior forward Stone Gettings broke out in his third season in Ithaca, ending the year second on the

team in points and first in rebounding with just over six per game. He parlayed this success into a second team All-Ivy selection.

Newcomers such as freshman guard Terrance McBride and transfer junior forward Steven Julian helped the Red surpass last season’s sixthplace finish. McBride took over for senior guard Wil Bathurst in the starting lineup after Bathurst was injured just seven games into the year, and Julian brought energy and effort every game — attributes that the Red had sometimes lacked in previous years.

The Red did not get off to a strong start this season, dropping three of its first four games, but the team was able to rally and defeat two of its toughest opponents this season, Toledo and Duquesne, in back-to-back games.

Those games marked the first winning streak in the Brian Earl era.

Cornell entered league play at 6-8 and quickly lost its first three Ivy games, all of which were on the road. At that point, making the Ivy tournament seemed like a long shot, but as they had all year, the Red were able to right the ship.

The Red ended up winning three of its next four

matchups, re-establishing themselves as an Ivy League title contender. They were then able to win arguably their most important regular season game of the season, defeating Princeton at home 107-101 in a triple overtime thriller.

Heading into the final weekend of the year, the Red were on the bubble to make the Ivy League tournament.

There were a myriad of scenarios that could send Cornell to the league tournament.

After defeating Dartmouth, seeing Columbia lose to both Harvard and Dartmouth and Princeton lose to Yale, one of those scenarios was fulfilled and Cornell

BORIS TSANG / SUN ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

was sent to Philadelphia.

Next year, the Red will return its entire starting lineup and most of its key bench pieces. Additionally, Cornell will add incoming freshmen Matt Harshany and Kobe Dickson, as well as junior college transfer Chaz Mack.

“I don’t like to look too far into the future to determine what I think our goals for next season should be,” Earl said. “I am more worried about what our spring practices will look like and what our guys are going to be doing when they go home for the summer. The next few months will determine whether we are content being a fourth place team or if we want to outwork everybody else and finish atop the conference.”

While the Red appear to be trending upward, so does the Ivy League as a whole. There were no seniors on the entire first and second team All-Ivy selections. All eight members of the Ancient Eight will have a legitimate chance to qualify for the Ivy League tournament and earn the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA tournament in 2019.

Bennett Gross can be reached at bgross@cornellsun.com.

M. LACROSSE

Continued from page 16

with 11.2.

Additionally, in terms of team defense, the squads are both eighth in goals allowed per game, exactly at 8.40, with Cornell anchored by Knight in goal.

“I feel great, lighter, healthy, everything just seems to be coming together,” the Knight said. “A lot of my personal success comes down to the defense. We’ve been playing unbelievably on that side of the ball ... It’s just the whole team playing well.”

When it comes to these two main categories, it may seem that the Red has the edge statistically.

However, the team still has struggles which lie elsewhere.

With a dismal faceoff win percentage of .328, Cornell lags behind, failing to rank in the top 50. On the other hand, Yale is in the top-20 in faceoffs.

“We are going to continue to strategize with faceoffs,” Milliman said. “I think that was a big part of last weekend,

we threw a handful of different things at [Penn State]. I think that paid dividends … we won [faceoff battle in] the fourth quarter.”

The Bulldogs, like the Red, have been finding ways to win as of late. It will thus be a tall order to slow down this Ivy League stalwart come Saturday.

“We have to have our ducks in a row; we got to play well, be sharp and execute.”

Interim Head Coach Peter Milliman “We have to have our ducks in a row; we got to play well, be sharp and execute,” Milliman said. And if they do just that, this team will be one step closer to its ultimate goal.

Cornell and Yale will square off at 1 p.m. Saturday at Schoellkopf Field.

Jack Kantor can be reached at jkantor@cornellsun.com.

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Sports

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2018

16

MEN’S HOCKEY

No.2 Icers Hit Lake Placid on Quest for Title

Men’s Hockey Cornell

vs.

Princeton Friday, 4 p.m.

Lake Placid, N.Y.

CAMERON POLLACK / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

MICHAEL WENYE LI / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Men on a mission | After a dominant quarterfinal victory over Quinnipiac, the Red aim to conquer Lake Placid this weekend and secure its 13th ECAC Championship.

By DYLAN McDEVITT Sun Sports Editor

The rafters of Lynah Rink are donned with dozens of gleaming red banners — tokens of the accomplishments of Cornell men’s hockey across several decades. This weekend, the 2017-18 team will get another chance to add to that collection after it clinched the Ivy League title earlier this year.

The top seed in the conference, Cornell (25-4-2, 17-3-2 ECAC) travels to Lake Placid this weekend fresh

off a dominant quarterfinal series against Quinnipiac in which it outscored the Bobcats, 11-1, across two games. Its task is to capture a conference-best 13th ECAC Championship — its first since 2010.

“Our role is to put another banner in those rafters,” said head coach Mike Schafer ’86. “We want a championship banner. That’s the first and foremost in our mind: to win an ECAC championship.”

The first obstacle in Cornell’s path is seventh-seeded Princeton (17-12-

4, 10-10-2), a red-hot team that recently upset second-seeded Union on the road in a quarterfinal sweep of its own. The Tigers boast a high-powered offense that is ranked third in the nation, averaging a potent 3.73 goals per game.

“Princeton [has] some depth and obviously some very lethal threats offensively,” said freshman forward Kyle Betts. “It takes four lines to matchup … all four lines have to be responsible if we’re going to shut

those guys down.”

The Princeton offense is led by two of the nation’s top four scorers in Max Veronneau and Ryan Kuffner, who have 53 and 50 points on the year, respectively.

“They’re a very skilled team, so we need to take away their time and space,” said freshman defenseman Cody Haiskanen. “We just [need to] play our game, transition well and …

See HOCKEY page 14

Laxers Gear Up for 1st Ivy Contest

MEN’S LACROSSE

By JACK KANTOR Sun Assistant Sports Editor

BORIS TSANG / SUN ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Ready to win | Cornell is prepared to take the Ivy League by storm this year, and its journey to win the conference begins this weekend.

Fresh off a top-20 upset, Cornell lacrosse is ready to set itself apart this season as it begins its Ivy League schedule. Up first, No. 8 Yale — the three-time defending Ivy League champions — will come to town this Saturday for a conference showdown at Schoellkopf Field.

After finishing in the middle of the pack last season, the Red (3-2) will attempt to reestablish itself in the conference when it challenges the Bulldogs (4-1) this weekend at home.

“Our goal is not to show well in the Ivy League or maybe sneak into the Ivy League playoff,” Milliman said. “Our goal is to win the Ivy League.”

Cornell did not fare well against the Bulldogs last year, dropping the league-opener, 17-8. The Red would go on to finish fifth in the conference, an improvement over the year before when it finished sixth, but not where it wants to be.

The Bulldogs this season will be formidable opponents again — ranking as a top-10 team in the

nation with a record of 4-1 to start On offense, sophomore attack the year. In addition, Yale has found Jeff Teat continues to lead the way, itself at the top of the standings for totaling 28 points so far this season. three straight regular seasons.

Specifically in the goals department, “[Yale is] good at junior attack Clarke pretty much everyPetterson has greatly thing,” said interim contributed with 14 Men’s Lacrosse head coach Peter goals of his own. But Milliman. “I think our when it comes down to Cornell sharpness is going to it all, it’s a group effort, need to come through according to Milliman. at the beginning of the “I think the offengame. We can’t have a sive success in a lot of slow start.” ways is built off of vs.

The Red is coming chemistry,” he said. off a 9-7 win over then“Guys understand what No. 20 Penn State at we are doing, [work] U.S. Lacrosse’s Tierney well together reading Field in Maryland last each other and [have] a Yale weekend. The undergood sense of what dogs used a six-goal run we’re trying to accomin the fourth quarter to plish. System wise, we Saturday, 1 p.m. beat the Nittany Lions. keep things pretty simSchoellkopf Field.

While Yale will ple and let them play arguably be the toughand that’s why I think est Ivy foe in 2018, this Cornell chemistry is a big piece.” team is ready to win, and seems to Compared to the rest of the be finding its groove as of late. nation, the Red ranks 13th in goals “The Penn State game was huge per game, averaging 12.4 goals per for us,” said senior goaltender game while Yale comes in at 27th Christian Knight. “The momentum See M. LACROSSE page 15 definitely carries over.”