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The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 138, No. 61
TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2022
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Not Just Any Album
‘Destructive Failure’
Rain And Snow
Freya Nangle ’25 shares her personal connection with Olivia Rodrigo’s album SOUR. | Page 5
Cornell pools are nearing the end of their lifespan, resulting in multiple current problems. | Page 8
HIGH: 46º LOW: 19º
Arson Incidents Rock Ganedago Students Share Mental Health Service Concerns
JASON WU / SUN ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Health | Some students are expressing their frustration that Cornell Health fails to provide adequate support. By ANANTHI JAYASUNDERA
Students speak out after series of fire alarms By CARLIN REYEN
Following this incident, Area Coordinator Amadou Fofana sent out an email to On March 19, the Ganedago Hall residencGanedago Hall residents, es later that day to address including Mika Finkman the situation and keep the ’25, were forced out of community informed. their beds in their pajaAccording to Fofana, mas when the fire alarm several measures have been was triggered at 4:42 a.m. taken to prevent further When her friend noticed fire-related incidents from water pouring out of the occurring. Microwaves trash room, Finkman knew have been removed from something was amiss. all residence floor kitchens “We smelled something and stovetops were shut off MING DEMERS / SUN CONTRIBUTOR burning from inside the in these kitchens. trash room and decided Site of arson reports | Ganedago Hall (above) has been The trash and recycling to hop across the pool of the site of multiple arson incidents recently. rooms in Ganedago Hall water,” Finkman said. have been closed as a result The fire triggered the building’s sprinkler system, of the incident to allow for further investigation and causing water damage to nearby dorm rooms. repairs, according to Fofana’s email. “It was the most concerned I have been during Jack Letendre ’25 believes that the campus and student a fire alarm because after seeing the pool of water, I body need to do their part in calling out activity that seems quickly realized there was an actual fire,” Finkman said. suspicious. He also suggested offering incentives to students “My friends also were concerned about our Residential to hold each other to a higher standard. James Kelly ’25 Advisor, whose room was right next to the fire and was commented that he thought students might be willing to now getting flooded by the sprinklers.” sacrifice certain privacies in exchange for a peace of mind. The Cornell University Police Department classified “I feel like people don’t mind if there is a camera in Saturday’s fire as a case of arson, which followed a series of three other arson cases that occurred in December. See ALARM page 3 Sun Staff Writer
Sun Contributor
The recent death of three Cornellians during this spring semester sparked campus-wide discussion regarding student mental health. While Cornell provides its undergraduate and graduate students with professional mental health care through Cornell Health’s Counseling and Psychological Services, many students say that Cornell’s current initiatives are not enough. From fall 2019 to spring 2020, Cornell conducted a Mental Health Review of its students. The review found that 42 percent of Cornell undergraduates were “unable to function for at least a week due to depression, stress or anxiety.” In comparison, the figure was 33 percent in 2015. Some students feel that the University does not provide adequate measures to help students with mental health support services. “Before I knew much about Cornell, I knew Cornell was known as ‘the school with the nets [under bridges].’ You can tell there is something tangibly different on this campus,” said Gracie Gallen ’24. “You can tell that people here are in pain, and their needs are not being met to the extent that they should be.” Many students who use the University’s counseling services have voiced their dissatisfaction with Cornell Health’s response. Roberts ’23 called CAPS for an appointment about a week into the fall 2020 semester after experiencing feelings of depression. “They told me they had no availability until after Thanksgiving Break — so until December,” Roberts said. “So, I just decided to find someone in the local Ithaca area.” Violet ‘23 also experienced a long wait through CAPS, despite her pressing need for an anxiety medication. “I remember I tried to get an appointment with a psychiatrist in June, but I was told the first appointment available was in October. That is just for the initial screening,” Violet said. See COUNSELING page 2
Cornellians Aim to Help Melissa Lucio By ELI PALLRAND
Halstead and other Lucio supporters have also argued that, after more than As part of the Cornell 100 assertions of her innoCenter on the Death Penalty cence, Lucio’s interrogators Worldwide’s Her Whole obtained a false confession Truth project — which aims through excessive coercion. to tell the stories of women Only two hours after the on death row around the death of her daughter, Lucio world — Cornell students was interrogated by armed are raising awareness about officers from around 10 the case of Melissa Lucio, p.m. to 3 a.m. without food, the only Latina currently on rest or sleep for roughly 16 Texas’ death row. hours, all while pregnant In 2008, Lucio was with twins. convicted of the murder of Lucio’s supporters, as her two-year-old daughter, well as experts in false conMariah Alvarez. Prosecutors fessions, also find her only used a grueling confession interrogation in suspect. After “It's so egregious what’s which Melissa repeated Lucio confessed to been done to her, and it’s so interrogation biting her daughon a bite mark ter as evidence of clear that she’s innocent...” on Mariah severe child abuse, Lucio’s back, Chelsea Halstead MPA ’21 but Lucio’s supMelissa Lucio porters contend said, “What that the evidence do you want of bite marks used to con- made more likely by Mariah me to say? I’m responsible vict Melissa Lucio is factu- Lucio’s deformed foot and for it.” ally unsupported based on history of falls, as well as her “Those words are what recent scientific consensus. undiagnosed blood coagula- land[ed] her on death row,” Other evidence used by the tion disorder, which could Halstead said. “There’s no prosecution, such as scratch have been the source of physical evidence linking marks and bruising on bruises that looked like signs her to Mariah’s death.” Mariah Lucio’s body, are of abuse. As a parent with no hisSun News Editor
also being questioned, as Lucio supporters point to falsehoods in key sections of the testimony of the State’s Medical Examiner, Norma Jean Farley. Chelsea Halstead MPA ’21, associate director of the Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide, said she believes Mariah Lucio died from an unnoticed brain bleed two days after falling down the stairs of her family’s apartment — the same cause of death Melissa Lucio gave paramedics. Halstead said this cause of death was
LUCIO
tory of violence or abuse against children at the time of her arrest, Lucio supporters say she never should have been treated as a killer. Although Lucio faced frequent poverty-related Child Protective Services visits, no evidence of violence or abuse by Melissa Lucio against her children was ever documented. Based on her history as a victim of rape and abuse since she was six years old, Lucio supporters also say that she was particularly vulnerable to police manipulation and violent threats. “With armed male police See DEATH ROW page 3