INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 138, No. 62
THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2022
n
8 Pages – Free
ITHACA, NEW YORK
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Abs Begin in Kitchen
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Thunderstorms And Wind
In its first runway show in three years, CFC showcased student designs, models and new ways of organizing the runway space. | Page 3
Learn how Cornell students and athletes snack according to their fitness goals.
As universities across the country release admissions decisions, learn about the limitations of the SAT. | Page 8
| Page 5
HIGH: 66º LOW: 36º
CIPA Confronts Backlash After Event Walkout By SURITA BASU and PAREESAY AFZAL Sun Assistant Managing Editor and Sun Assistant News Editor
Following a March 10 event where a group of Chinese international students enrolled in Cornell’s Masters in Public Administration program walked out after their Uyghur classmate, Rizwangul NurMuhammad grad, “If we cannot discuss spoke about her brothgenocide at universities, er’s detention by the where else are we Chinese government, supposed to discuss it?” the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs commuGuled Farah Mire grad nity has continued to respond to the incident and its handling by the Brooks School administration. Many of NurMuhammad’s fellow students expressed frustration regarding the administrative action that was taken following the walkout, noting the lack of support extended to NurMuhammad while students were publically urged by a
professor to reconcile with the protestors. Carrie Spanton grad, a first year MPA student, attended the event, which featured a Q&A with Rep. Elissa Slotkin ’98 (D-MI). Spanton noted that not all of the protestors walked out quietly. “Some of them were laughing and some of them were taunting,” Spanton said. “Many of them were saying things that were directed at [NurMuhammad]” Spanton said that after the event concluded, Prof. Dan Lamb, policy analysis and management, stood up and urged the remaining MPA students to reach out to the students who had walked out and make them feel included. “Nothing was mentioned about [Rizwangul] at all, and I thought that was a huge vacuum,” Spanton said. NurMuhammad is a refugee and current citizen of New Zealand studying on a Fulbright scholarship at Cornell, and has been an outspoken advocate for Uyghur rights for years. Guled Farah Mire grad is a second-year MPA candidate, and like NurMuhammad, is a Fulbright scholar from New Zealand. “[Rizwangul] is a prominent Uyghur advocate in that part
Students Reflect on Spring Break COVID-19 Testing Policy
of the world,” Mire said. “She’s very widely known in New Zealand and Australia because of the work that she’s done…. [Cornell] knew about the vulnerability of having somebody like her on campus.” Mire noted that educational institutions should be spaces that are conducive to discussions of human rights issues, which he believes the walkout and immediate administrative reaction failed to reflect. “If we cannot discuss genocide at universities, where else are we supposed to discuss it?” Mire said. Following the dissatisfaction expressed by students at the school’s initial response, the director of CIPA, Prof. Matthew Hall, policy analysis and management, sent another email to the CIPA community on March 17, which was obtained by the Sun. “I was not at the event, but I have spent the days since watching and re-watching the video, and talking to many who attended,” Hall wrote in his email. “I now have a clearer understanding of the behavior exhibited by a small number See CIPA page 3
Spring fling
University declines to reinstate mandatory testing By ALLY FERTIG Sun Staff Writer
With 329 active COVID-19 cases on campus — among the highest totals of active cases since December 2021 —- as of March 29, students are asking themselves who is getting still tested, will it stop, and why. According to a March 23 University statement, the majority of current positives come from symptomatic individuals getting tested, but there are even more asymptomatic students on campus, and therefore more positives than those counted by the University. The University attributed the unexpected rise in cases to a variety of factors, including reduced mask requirements on campus, increased social activities and the emergence of the BA.2 variant despite 92% of students and employees having
received a vaccine booster shot. Some students who were experiencing COVID-19 symptoms reported choosing to get tested because of concerns over their academic performance. “I ended up testing because I was feeling symptomatic and, while my symptoms were not extreme, I felt like I couldn’t effectively do my best work under those conditions,” said Ella Benjamin ’24, who tested positive for COVID-19 on March 22. For Benjamin, testing positive for COVID-19 — as opposed to being sick with a different illness — was a benefit, allowing her to get more accommodating deadlines from her professors and miss class without losing credit for attendance or missing important lecture content since one of her professors offered her a Zoom
DANIEL RA / SUN FILE PHOTO
See COVID page 3
JASON WU / SUN ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Enjoying the early spring weather, two students lounge on a rocking bench in front of Sibley Hall, home to Cornell’s Department of Architecture, Art and Planning, as well as the Green Dragon Café.
Student Workers Call for $15 Minimum Wage By KATHERINE ESTERL Sun Staff Writer
It’s a living | A student employee at a Starbucks on campus makes a drink. Workers like these are often paid less than $15 per hour.
Nine students gathered on Friday, March 25 for a town hall supporting student workers. Part of a campaign to raise minimum wage to $15 per hour for student workers, the People’s Organizing Collective Cornell hoped the meeting would give space to air grievances and connect with peers. After handing out 150 quarter cards and canvass-
ing from Ives Hall to Hollister Hall, the turnout reflected students’ hectic schedules –– and a need for more solidarity. “Being a student worker, you’re always busy, you’re always tired, your schedule is always packed,” POCC Member José Pérez-Zetune ’24 said. And some student workers worry what a campaign could mean for their own financial security. “We’re so reliant on Cornell and these jobs, be it our own having
money, or be it work study,” said POCC member Annie Stetz ’23. “There’s a fear [that] if I talk out, I’ll lose that job –– and I need that money.” Cornell adheres to the New York state minimum wage of $13.20 per hour –– up from $12.50 the year prior. The rise in the previous year’s minimum wage was part of the state’s plan to phase-in an eventual $15 See WAGES page 4