3-7-2023 entire issue hi res

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Co-Op Housing Students join co-op houses for more affordable, community-centered living options.

Faculty Senate Condemns Hubs

Newly-passed Resolution 184 promotes academic freedom

By SOFIA RUBINSON Sun Managing Editor

A resolution condemning the political, social and cultural repression in the People’s Republic of China amid the University’s expanding Global Hubs programs in the country was passed by the Faculty Senate on March 2.

Resolution 184: Academic Freedom in Cornell Programs in China and Other Parts of the Global Hubs System passed with 58.56 percent of the vote on Thursday, with 22.52 percent voting against the resolution and 18.92 percent abstaining from voting.

The Resolution points specifically to the Global Hubs system. China’s Global Hub consists of two partners: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Cornell China Center. However, Cornell has 26 active partnerships in China according to Director of Media Relations Rebecca Valli, including the Cornell-Peking MMH/MBA program, a partnership between the Nolan School of Hotel Administration and the Guanghua School of Management at Peking University in Beijing.

In April 2021, the Faculty Senate voted against the partnership with Peking University, though the University continued with the partnership nonetheless. The Faculty Senate has also passed other resolutions that require the University to consult with the Faculty Senate on international partnerships, but these have also been ignored by the central administration according to Prof. Richard Bensel, government.

“The Faculty Senate has consistently expressed doubts concerning Cornell’s involvement with China, and in some cases, outright rejected that involvement,” Bensel said. “The central administration’s response has been a deafening silence.”

The State Department determined in January 2021 that the Chinese government is committing genocide and crimes against humanity through its wide-scale repression of Uighurs and other predominately Muslim ethnic minorities in its northwest region of Xinjiang. The United States accused China of using internment camps and forced sterilization.

Airport Holds First Town Hall

By SOFIA RUBINSON Sun Managing Editor

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, airline travel demand is back — but airports are still recovering. Like many airports across the country, the Ithaca Tompkins International Airport is facing widespread issues, like the national pilot shortage, in addition to regional problems.

On Wednesday, airport leadership hosted the first-ever Ithaca airport town hall to discuss these problems and implementation of potential solutions.

“In the United States, passengers fell 97 percent from 2.5 million to under 100,000. So we’re trying to build that back,” said ITH Airport Director Roxan Noble. “This is hard. This isn’t going to be easy. It’s

not something that can happen overnight. We’re working to not only increase our relationships with our current airline partners, but talk to new airlines, getting the information out of why [to fly] Ithaca.”

Despite the loss of American Airlines in September, airport leaders said at Wednesday’s town hall that their plan for 2023 is to keep pushing forward and encourage the local community to fly Ithaca.

Matthew Colbert ’09, ITH’s air service development consultant and the founder and principal consultant of Empire Aviation Services, said the Ithaca airport was able to recover from the surge in passenger demand in 2020 due to the structure of Ithaca’s market.

Claire Saftz Shares Journey to Celebrity Chef Career

By BREANNA MASCI Sun Staff Writer

Claire Saffitz, a recipe developer and cookbook author visited, Cornell this past Friday, March 3 for a signing at The Cornell Store of her latest recipe book, “What’s for Dessert: Simple Recipes for Dessert People,” followed by a question and answer session in Statler Auditorium.

Hosted by Matthew Merril ’26, a chef influencer and Kids Baking Championship competitor, the sold-out Q&A offered Cornellians a chance to hear how Saffitz started her journey as a food lover and built her passion into a career as a food writer.

Having majored in history as an undergraduate at Harvard, Saffitz did not immediately pursue her interests in food culture. Only years after graduating did she realize cooking was where her true passion lied.

“All I wanted to do was cook all the time,” Saffitz said. “I would read about cookbooks, I would go buy the cookbooks and I would cook from the cookbooks. And I realized, at a certain point, that [food culture] was the only thing I had a really sustained interest in.”

Raised in a tight-knit family where cooking was a means of bonding, Saffitz’s passion for making meals and creating recipes stemmed from her childhood.

“Food was always a big part of my family and the time we spent together and how we

socialized and related to one another,” Saffitz said.

After one year at École Supérieure de Cuisine Française and graduate school at McGill University, Saffitz began focusing on her passion and has since been featured on Bon Apppétit’s “Gourmet Makes” series on YouTube, along with being a contributing editor of Bon Apppétit magazine and publishing two of her own cookbooks.

Saffitz said inspiration for creating a recipe starts as an idea and then, from there, testing reveals whether the dish is actually feasible and worthwhile to prepare.

Sky's the limit | Ithaca Tompkins International Airport, which is struggling with low passenger numbers and a pilot shortage after COVID-19.

JASON WU / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Across the globe | Cornell has partnerships around the world, including 26 in China.

COURTESY OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY

Sweet speech | Claire Saffitz talks with Matthew Merril '26, who hosted the event.

COURTESY OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY PROGRAM BOARD

Daybook

Tuesday,

March 7, 2023

A LISTING OF FREE CAMPUS EVENTS

Today

Stretch With Wellness

9 a.m. - 9:30 a.m., Virtual Event

Behavioral Economics Workshop: Emanuel Vespa

11:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m., 141 Sage Hall

Get Set Course Design Institute — Backward Course Design: Developing Learning Outcomes

Noon, Virtual Event

The Perfection of Imperfection: Why and How to Lean In to Chilling Out

3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., Virtual Event

Topics in Public and Ecosystem Health: Laura Goodman

4 p.m. - 5 p.m., John D. Murray Lecture Hall, Schurman Hall

Living with Borders: A Trans-Asian Ethnography of Mobility Across Myanmar’s Borderlands with India and China

4:30 p.m., 374 Rockefeller Hall

Tomorrow

Asian American Studies Program Wednesday Lunch Series With Ray Kim Noon, 429 Rockefeller Hall

Improving US Farm Viability by Tackling the Organic Waste Problem

12:25 p.m - 1:15 p.m., 135 Emerson Hall

What is My Problem? The Science (and Art) of Procrastination

2 p.m. - 3 p.m., Virtual Event

Microeconomic Theory Workshop: Vasiliki Skreta

4:15 p.m. - 5:45 p.m., 498 Uris Hall

Preparing for Baby Series: The Labor Process and Birth Planning With Kate Dimpfl

5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., Virtual Event

The Cornell Daily Sun

Independent

Co-Ops Provide Sense of Belonging and Support

By DUNIA MATTA Sun Contributor

Students at Cornell can live in a variety of housing arrangements on campus. Although freshmen are required to live in dorms, sophomores are also able to live in fraternity and sorority houses, while upperclassmen can also rent off-campus apartments or houses with friends — and students entering their sophomore years or older can apply for cooperative housing.

Living off campus may not be accessible to all students, especially those with limited financial stability, given the marked increase in rent. From 2021 to 2022, there was a 7.6 percent increase in Ithaca rental rates. Cornell has some living options — particularly for low-income, minority and LGBTQ+ students — including program houses that provide close-knit communities as an alternative to living in the dorms or Greek housing.

Co-ops provide a more affordable housing alternative. Each unique house, scattered around North and West Campus, is completely student-run and has its own executive board. These committees handle house repairs, cleaning routines and general house rules. According to Cornell’s student and campus life webpage, co-ops are among the least expensive housing options on campus. The average cost ranges from three to four thousand dollars per semester.

Students who currently live in the co-op system praised it heavily, often saying it was one of the best decisions they

made during their time at Cornell. While each house has its own unique quirks to the “moseying” process — the co-ops’ analogue to rushing in Greek life — most houses follow a relatively similar procedure.

Information about co-ops often spreads by word-ofmouth or on social media. Nnenna Ochuru ’25 moseyed during the Spring 2022 semester and has been living in the Wari Cooperative since August. After filling out an online application, Ochuru attended a few Zoom information sessions and was able to get a sense of the Wari community.

“[It is important to] make sure you vibe with the peo-

Chef Claire Saftz Reflects Upon Her Culinary Career

COOKING

Continued from page 1

“There’s some kind of spark, whether it’s an ingredient, flavor combination, something you see at the farmer’s market or something you taste in a restaurant or see in a bakery,” Saffitz said.

Saffitz also admitted that though she prefers to create her own recipes rather than following trends, no ideas — including her own — are entirely new. Many people try to invent food ideas or recipes from scratch, she said, but no dish is entirely original.

“It’s a general idea in recipe development and food that there’s really nothing new. I’m not going to invent a totally new idea,” Saffitz said.

As a food writer with a large fan base, Saffitz strives to be transparent in her cookbooks, offering instructions that clearly indicate the difficulty of each recipe. Saffitz said she wants novices and home bakers to be able to enjoy preparing desserts for their family and friends — expertise is not required to bake from her cookbooks.

“A big part of approachability is just being truthful about what the recipe is and what it requires,” Saffitz said. “I’m not going to tell you that something is going to be quick and easy if it’s not going to actually be quick and easy. And I think it helps to build trust between the homemaker and me as the author of the recipe.”

Saffitz also discussed how she aligned her passions with her work. Though writing recipe books does require hard work, she is pursuing her hobby as a career, thus making the work enjoyable.

“One anxiety I had when I decided to pursue cooking and baking as a career was — since it was my passion

— if I did it for work, I worried it might no longer be my passion and extinguish the passion I had for it,” Saffitz said.

Saffitz also remarked that she understands how confusing and challenging the process of choosing a career path can be for college students. Students are often conflicted about how best to pursue their interests and obtain jobs that align with them. However, Saffitz also said she believes that a job does not necessarily need to be related to someone’s passion.

“I think there is an inappropriate amount of pressure placed on people your age to pursue your passion,” Saffitz said. “It’s okay to go to a job and to go home, and to then pursue your hobbies.”

When asked how she deals with the anxiety of messing up new recipes, Saffitz opened up about how she navigates failures and uses them to assist her rather than hinder her.

“I think one of the most important lessons that I’ve learned from recipe development that is sort of a metaphor for life, is that sometimes it’s helpful to approach something with a nonrigid idea of what you want the end result to be, because if you go into a creative project with such a specific idea of what you want the outcome to be, then you might never be satisfied,” Saffitz said. “And you might miss the opportunity to realize that the thing you’ve created — that isn’t the thing you want it to be — is actually very valuable in and of itself.

To continue reading this story, please visit www.cornellsun.com

ple and you’re not just using it as a place just to have a house,” Ochuru said. “That’s what I really was looking for, and I feel like I got it. I’m really grateful for that.”

Wari is one of the few co-ops that offers a meal plan, with a maximum of 10 students who can live in the house. Wari has a rich history in the Black community at Cornell — it was founded by a group of Black women who wanted to foster an environment for other Black women to expand their self-confidence and grow academically together.

660 Stewart Avenue and Watermargin co-ops cater to LGBTQ+ students looking for a safe space on campus. Brook Diamond ’25, a 660 Stewart resident, said that they enjoyed the mosey process and how it valued diversity and inclusion in the prospective residents. They attended numerous events at the house, including a garlic naan night and a ‘mattress down the stairs’ night.

“The events are silly [activities]. We have a ‘mattress down the stairs’ night where we take our mattresses and you just jump down the stairs,” Diamond said.

The mosey processes for 660 Stewart and Watermargin are nearly identical. Both require prospective residents to attend three events in order to meet live-in members and get a feel for the house. After completing the initial application and attending a few events, interested students are placed in a lottery system, which is used to determine each applicant’s need for cheaper housing options.

B.J. Novak To Speak at Cornell

By JULIA SENZON Sun News Editor

B.J. Novak, executive producer, writer and star of NBC’s The Office, is coming to Cornell as part of the Cornell University Program Board and Cornell Hillel’s event, “An Evening with B.J. Novak.”

The event will take place on Sunday, March 19 at 7 p.m. in Barton Hall and will consist of a question and answer session.

Novak is a Jewish-American actor, writer and director best known for his role as Ryan Howard in “The Office.” His acting career also includes roles in Saving Mr. Banks, Knocked Up, Punk’d, The Internship, Inglourious Basterds and Reign Over Me. In 2022, Novak made his directorial debut with the film Vengeance, a comedy-thriller that he also wrote and starred in.

Novak is also an accomplished comedian, performing on Comedy Central and Late Night with Conan O’Brien and placed on Variety’s “Ten Comics to Watch.” In addition to Cornell, Novak has performed at several colleges, theaters and comedy clubs.

Novak noted the influence of his Jewish upbringing on his comedy.

“I think looking at things with an outsider’s

eye is very Jewish,” Novak told the Jewish Boston in 2022. “I think, ‘How can I somehow outsmart this bad hand I’ve been dealt?’ is the root of a lot of Jewish humor, and I think my favorite type of Jewish humor.”

According to Novak, his connection to Jewish humor stemmed from his father, who co-edited The Big Book of Jewish Humor. Published in 1985, the iconic novel poked fun at the Jewish experience while commemorating Jewish ancestry.

“I think it was just that [Jewish humor] became even more a part of my language,” Novak told the Jewish Boston. “The Jewish humor was just around us all the time.”

When reflecting on his career success, Novak said that establishing a career as an actor is attainable, but that it takes luck.

“A ton of creative people, myself included, came [to Los Angeles] to make their dreams come true,” Novak told GQ in 2022. “How can you fault the city you go to for that to happen? It does happen! Maybe that sounds like I’m praising the lottery because sometimes there’s a winner.”

Student-run | Students living in the Redbud cooperative house, the largest co-op on campus, govern house rules and duties.

JULIA NAGEL / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Julia Senzon can be reached at jsenzon@cornellsun.com.

Ryan Howard | Jewish-American actor B.J. Novak, famous for his role as Ryan Howard in ‘The Office’, will host a Q&A session at Cornell on March 19.

JAKE MICHAEL / THE NEW YORK TIMES

Breanna Masci can be reached at bmasci@cornellsun.com.

“Ithaca is blessed by the strength of its economy,” Colbert said. “Having two anchors of the educational institutions helps a lot because they are very resilient. When they came back, that helped.”

But the return in passenger demand resulted in a dire nationwide pilot shortage. Training to become a pilot costs around $100,000 when starting with no prior experience, while the starting airline pilot salary was around $25,000 prior to the pandemic, according to Colbert. Training also became more extensive in 2013, decreasing the overall desirability of becoming an airline pilot.

“When COVID happened, airlines got billions and billions of government money and they didn’t know how long COVID — that real intense drop off in demand — would last, so they cut costs,” Colbert said. “They couldn’t do layoffs legally, so they offered the most senior pilots, the most highly paid pilots… buyouts.”

Fewer pilots have been entering the industry over the past few decades, and most senior pilots retired during the pandemic, exacerbating the pilot shortage. Airlines took measures to increase pilot pay and make the career choice more attractive, but according to Colbert, airlines are prioritizing large planes since there aren’t enough pilots to fly smaller jets. This is where the effect on Ithaca is felt the most.

Colbert noted that American Airlines left Ithaca — despite being profitable here — because they didn’t have the pilots to operate smaller flights, like the popular Charlotte route. However, he assured the public that they shouldn’t expect to see more airline losses in the near future.

“Because of the strength of the economy in Ithaca, Delta and United are committed to the market,” Colbert said about the remaining two airlines that service ITH. “As long as it maintains profitability, it’s

appealing to them.”

Airport Deputy Director Josh Nalley said that leadership is working each day to secure more airline service to the Ithaca airport.

ITH Addresses Challenges Co-Op Houses Build Community, Support Among Residents

“We need to expand what we have,” Nalley said. “The goal is, of course, more frequency, more seats in the market, [which] brings our prices down, we fill them up, and then everything grows at that point.”

Nalley assured community members that the airport is aware of the public demand for bringing back the Washington Dulles flights, in addition to Florida and more West Coast travel options.

“We want to let everybody know that [in] 2023, our focus is to keep pushing this forward with the airlines, taking them to the table,” Nalley said.

To help assist the airport, the Tompkins County Legislature allocated $2.7 million over three years in its 2023 budget. According to Nalley, this was the first time in the history of the airport that leadership was put in the position to ask the county for financial support — the airport had always been self-sufficient.

Legislator Michael Lane of District 14 told community members at the town hall that the county is committed to the Ithaca airport.

“We need this airport because we are a global community,” Lane said. “We have to support this and we have to help them build up again. And you should all help… think about flying here instead of flying in Syracuse, and think about the extra money and the extra time and the extra lousy road up to Interstate 81 on cold, wintry nights.”

Airport leadership stressed that the convenience of the Ithaca airport is what community members need to consider most. According to Colbert, Ithaca residents can save over an hour and a half by flying out of Ithaca instead of Syracuse in drive and wait time.

“You may not be able to fly out of Ithaca, you might not be able to get a price to fly out of Ithaca, but try Ithaca,” Noble said. “Always try Ithaca first.”

CO-OPS

Continued from page 3

Not only do co-ops offer opportunities for students struggling to find affordable housing after their freshman year, but they also allow students to work on their time management skills and leadership roles, since the house is run by live-in members. Once prospective residents receive a spot in the house, they have the option to live in for their remaining academic years, but it is not a requirement.

The mosey process considers diversity factors including race and disclosed LGBTQ+ identity along with need-based financial aid. Students who have financial need and do not receive an acceptance to their first-choice co-op house are more likely to receive spots in other co-op houses. Nonetheless, given the low number of available beds, the application process is quite competitive.

“It’s a lottery process based on equity,” Diamond said. “So it’s not like you’ll have no housing option [if you do not get admission to one co-op house]… Especially if you

need [co-op housing], then [you’ll move to] the top [of the waitlist].”

Diamond only wanted to mosey 660 Stewart because they already knew some people who lived there. Regardless of their internal connections, Diamond was still placed on the waitlist before being selected.

Despite the competitive nature of the mosey process, many students who went through the mosey process highlighted the strong, inclusive community atmosphere that the co-ops provide, whether or not they were ultimately accepted into a co-op. Although Vera Kelly ’25 did not get into a co-op in Spring 2022, she loved getting to know live-in members at the events and understands the fair process students go through to find a community they can call home.

“It’s all about inclusivity and making the people inside the co-op feel as comfortable as possible,” Kelly said. “I do think they do a really good job of prioritizing people with financial difficulties.”

Faculty Senate Vote Criticizes Chinese Global Hub

abroad exchanges and support collaborative faculty-led international research opportunities.”

The State Department also states the citizens of China cannot openly express their beliefs without fear of harassment, arrest or retribution.

“For years now, as China has become more repressive — establishing and running concentration camps in Xinjiang and jailing political dissenters in the rest of the People’s Republic — Cornell has said nothing,” Bensel said.

Resolution 184 states that the Faculty Senate affirms the Cornell Policy Statement on Academic Freedom and Freedom of Speech and Expression, which requires that the University protect freedom of speech and academic freedom, be guaranteed to all who study and teach in classes and programs sponsored by Cornell University.

“The central administration of Cornell University should take all necessary steps to ensure that academic freedom and freedom of speech is protected throughout the Global Hubs system,” the resolution reads.

According to Bensel, who introduced the resolution to the Faculty Senate, the University has not released any statements on what he views as repressive and authoritarian actions by the People’s Republic of China. He believes that the programs within China lend legitimacy to the People’s Republic.

“Cornell’s involvement in China is so deep and has become so financially vulnerable that the central administration finds it difficult, in fact often finds it impossible, to express any reservations about the regime with which they’re collaborating,” Bensel said. “As China continually becomes more repressive, Cornell has even increased its involvement with China.”

According to Wendy Wolford, vice provost for international affairs, academic freedom is a foundational principle and value at Cornell and agreement on academic freedom is required in all programming in the United States and abroad.

“International engagement is essential to understanding and appreciating other contexts, cultures and perspectives. Without this connectivity, we cannot address the growing number of global challenges we face, such as climate change, inequality and political authoritarianism,” Wolford wrote in a statement to The Sun. “The Global Hub initiative was created in this spirit: to expand well-designed student study

Bensel said that he has colleagues who conduct work in China and that their ability to freely express themselves is restricted.

“Many of my colleagues who do work in China have told me that their Chinese partners in these institutions are so vulnerable that they cannot condemn China because they’re afraid that their partners will suffer,” Bensel said. “They also tell me that they themselves are afraid to speak out in Ithaca about China because they won’t be able to conduct research in the People’s Republic.”

The final resolution had nine co-sponsors, one of whom was Prof. Courtney Ann Roby, classics. In a statement to The Sun, Roby said this resolution is valuable because it promotes discussion as Cornell continues to shape and invest in its Global Hubs system.

“As Cornell enhances its international footprint, I think it’s incumbent on the administration and the faculty involved to consider what exactly we intend to ‘export’ through those collaborations,” Roby wrote. “Are educational collaborations abroad just about conveying technical and scientific knowledge, or are they also about communicating the spirit of free exchange of ideas and critique that fosters academic discovery at Cornell and elsewhere?”

Prof. Michael Nussbaum, mathematics, said he co-sponsored this resolution because he knows firsthand what living in an authoritarian regime with limited freedom of expression is like. He grew up in East Germany and experienced stark academic suppression throughout his education.

“I know what repression means, and that’s the reason why I am personally engaged very much in the sense of democracy, political freedom, academic freedom and freedom of opinion,” Nussbaum said.

Another point raised by senators, both at the Feb. 15 Faculty Senate meeting where discussion over this resolution was held and between colleagues, was why the University should be taking an international stance at all, and if it does, why it should specifically call out one country by name when there are many authoritarian countries where academic freedom can be viewed as being restricted.

To address that concern, Bensel pointed specifically to the University’s condemnation of Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.

“Over the last week, the world has watched Russia’s

deplorable and unprovoked invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine, an attack that is both devastating for the people of Ukraine and has deeply impacted countless others,” President Martha Pollack wrote on March 2, 2022. “We have confirmed that no Cornell students, faculty or staff are registered to be in Ukraine or Russia at this time. Nor do we have any academic programs currently operating in Ukraine or Russia.”

Bensel said it is hypocritical for the University to condemn Russia and point that there are no partnerships with the country and in the same token not mention atrocities that are occurring in China, which has many partnerships with Cornell. Some senators raised the point that Cornell shouldn’t be taking stances on international affairs, but Bensel feels the condemnation of China is appropriate given the precedent that Pollack’s comments on Russia set.

Other senators, like Prof. Louis Longchamps, soil and crop sciences — who was ultimately a co-sponsor of the resolution — said while the overwhelming majority of his department supported the resolution, some were concerned that the focus on China was inappropriate because there are many other countries that have authoritarian rule and suppression of academic freedom.

“We named China a lot. But what about Iran? What about Turkey? There’s a lot of regimes around the world that would fit the bill. So why China? So I was not super comfortable with it, but at the same time, they are probably 50 percent of the problem to be addressed,” Longchamps said. “They are a formidable example of what we are trying to avoid.”

Bensel said that portions of the Global Hubs in Singapore and India — which have both also been accused of speech suppression and other human rights violations — are not as financially important to Cornell as China.

“Because China is the heart of the Global Hubs system, we focused the resolution on the People’s Republic,” Bensel said. “We also wanted to juxtapose the central administration’s silence on China against the president’s public condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”

To continue reading this story, please visit www.cornellsun.com.

Sofa Rubinson can be reached at srubinson@cornellsun.com.

Dunia Matta can be reached at dm674@cornell.edu.

&

“Left Behind” Recap: Te Last of Us

LENA THAKOR STAFF WRITER

Last Sunday’s episode of The Last of Us titled “Left Behind” served mainly to give the viewer insight into Ellie’s mysterious past. The viewer knows Ellie is different, not just because of the antibodies coursing through her blood, but because of her ability to find joy amidst the surrounding shrapnel.

“Left Behind” takes us to the quarant ine zone, where some normal aspects of life like school take place — albeit more militantly than normal — even with the threat of impending infection. The viewer finds Ellie to be almost as bold in the past as she is in the show’s main timeline.

Her classmate Bethany learns this when she berates Ellie for her slow running pace and reminds her that her missing best friend Riley (Storm Reid) is no longer around to fight for her. Upon mention of her bestie, Ellie clocks Bethany squarely in the face without much thought. The message? Don’t mess with the people Ellie cares about.

That night, Riley returns after weeks of being MIA to inform Ellie that she has joined the Fireflies, an opposition group to the post-Cordyceps government FEDRA. Ellie’s initial incredulity regarding this claim is resolved when Riley flashes a gun at her, proving that she is what she says she is. Riley recruits Ellie to a late-night adventure by promising to give Ellie the best night of her

life and to tell Ellie the full story regarding her absence.

Most of the episode takes place in a ramshackle mall

à la Stranger Things Season

Three, hidden from the QZ in a depression in the ground. Throughout the episode, Riley takes Ellie through five handpicked wonders of the mall. It is from these moments in the mall that viewers get a sense of what the Cordyceps outbreak has taken from Riley and Ellie.

Ellie ogles an escalator and gapes at a thong in the window of an old Victoria’s Secret store. To Ellie, a spinning carousel is a spectacle. Ellie and Riley give the carousel a few whirls while passing a handle of liquor back and forth. The fourth wonder of the mall is a photobooth that spits out only foggy frames of the two girls which Ellie pockets all the same.

To most of the show’s

viewers, such “wonders” aren’t wonders at all. They are commonplace in our lives. Yet these “wonders” serve to show the deficits both girls have suffered. The garish rides most youngsters are over by their pre-teens still excite Ellie and Riley because there is so much novelty yet antiquity associated with them. Emotions intensify as Ellie and Riley traverse the mall. Ellie steals more than a few longing glances at Riley along the way, and even preens herself in the reflection of the Victoria’s Secret window, giving viewers the sense that Ellie sees Riley as more than a friend.

Amidst the joy, excitement and nostalgia this episode evokes, it can be easy to let your guard down. Yet, once again, the viewer is advised not to do this. If a completely evacuated fun-filled structure in the middle of an

apocalypse seems too good to be true, it’s because it is.

The shifting camera perspectives throughout the episode remind the viewer of this. The camera often settles on the two girls while the adventure unfolds. Other times, the camera aligns itself with the girls’ perspective. Sometimes, though, the camera adopts another perspective: That of a stalker. The disappearance of the camera behind columns in the mall alludes to this third presence.

Whilst Ellie and Riley explore the arcade, the final wonder of the mall, the viewer meets the third presence. A Clicker at a different end of the mall is awakened by Riley and Ellie’s voices.

This eerie insight inevitably initiates a tonal shift.

The viewer no longer wants the girls to linger amongst all the gadgets and games.

Ellie and Riley’s carefree

nature is now a cause for concern and irritation. The girls’ desire to prolong the moment and push their luck is now a source of aggravation. Part of the tragedy of The Last of Us is that good moments are punctuated prematurely, and unpleasant ones seem to go on interminably.

In a Halloween store after a quickly resolved falling out between the two girls, Ellie finds an opportunity for romance and takes it. Ellie plants a kiss on Riley, after which she promptly apologizes to Riley. Riley smiles and responds “For what?”, signaling that the feelings are mutual.

The aforementioned Clicker ends up third wheeling this date, and ruins the mood by giving both girls a bite. The viewer, gifted with the knowledge of Ellie’s present situation, knows Ellie’s fate after the attack, while Riley’s fate is pretty determined.

Choiced with jumping the gun or waiting until the infection fully takes hold, Riley decides not to abbreviate the romantic moment by ruling out the former option. The girls prolong this spurt of romance and excitement as much as they can, clutching hands and averting their thoughts from looming death. It seems one of the few ways the girls can exert control over their own lives is to somewhat decide how they end.

Hippo Campus’ Best Days Behind?

On Feb. 21, Hippo Campus released their new single “Kick in the Teeth,” a quick bite of a song that is less than three minutes, yet feels too long. The single comes in anticipation of the indie rock band’s new EP Wasteland, which will be released on April 14. “Kick in the Teeth” feels lazier than the band’s usual summer sound; could it be Hippo Campus ready to try a new style, or a sign that they’ve run out of creative steam?

“Kick in the Teeth” sounds like it was written in a class on how to write a song — I got sick of it after only getting through the first half of this article. The chord progression is

overdone, strung together with a simple “AABB” rhyme scheme, where each pair of lines predictably rhymes with itself. The lyrics themselves are playful yet plain, as the singer sings about throwing back beers and his lover dancing in his sweatshirt, throwing simple imagery into the acoustic mix.

There are some remnants of the band’s experimental guitar style toward the end of the song. The guitar parts don’t revive the song, however, but rather make me wish I was listening to a different Hippo Campus song. The horns in the second half similarly do little for the song’s energy, and nobody would notice if the melody was replaced with that of a campfire song.

That being said, I typically love the music that Hippo Campus puts out. “Kick in the

Teeth” is an exception to the band’s usual upbeat indie feel and unique sound. The group has a hefty discography, with five albums and four EPs since their first EP Bashful Creatures in 2015. Their most recognizable songs might be “Buttercup” from Landmark (2017) and “Bambi” from the album of the same name (2018). Although these songs may not be musically groundbreaking, they are fresh and electric staples of late 2010s indie rock. Other highlights and favorites of mine by the band are “warm glow” off warm glow (2017) and “Ease Up KidDemo” off Demos II (2019). Looking at the years each of those albums were released, you might think that Hippo Campus’s best works are behind them, but even their Feb. 2022 album LP3 is fresher and meat-

ier than their new single. At Hippo Campus’s best, they produce the ideal summer driving songs, songs for blue-sky days in Ithaca and “just got an A on my paper” songs. Even their slower moments are often thoughtful and romantic. Each previous album has been a hit, ranging from softer, pensive pieces to faster upbeat rock songs perfect for an indie movie soundtrack.

Hopefully, “Kick in the Teeth” will be a standalone flop for Hippo Campus’s new EP. The band has carved out a signature sound that has garnered a successful following, with over 2.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify. The single’s message is fun yet shallow, as the chorus plays, “So when you go home could you think about me? / I’m about as lonely as a cowboy can be / And a night without you’s

a kick in the teeth / So when you go home could you think about me?” The lyrics may not be deep, but they are reminiscent of Hippo Campus’s feel-good style, which gives me a sliver of hope for the upcoming EP.

Even if Hippo Campus returns to their electric roots with the remaining four tracks in the EP, four out of five hits is still only a B-. But, the decision is yet to be made if Hippo Campus has left its best creative days in the past. I’ll still be listening to Wasteland when it comes out and praying for fresher musical developments.

KIKI PLOWE STAFF WRITER

Lena Thakor is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at lt476@cornell.edu.

Kiki Plowe is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at kplowe@cornellsun.com.

The Corne¬ Daily Sun Independent

Since 1880

141st Editorial Board

ANGELA BUNAY ’24

Staten Island, N.Y. Editor in Chief

Noah

Te Cornell Daily Sun Welcomes Its 141st Editorial Board

KATIE CHEN ’25

San Jose, Calif.

Business Manager

NOAH DO ’24

Virginia Beach, Va.

Associate Editor

HUGO AMADOR ’24

Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Opinion Editor

EMILY VO ‘25

Margate, Fla.

Multimedia Editor

JONATHAN MONG ’25

Manhattan, N.Y.

News Editor

JULIA SENZON ’26

Bridgewater, N.J.

News Editor

JIWOOK JUNG ’25

Seoul, South Korea City Editor

JULIA NAGEL ’24

Bethesda, Md.

Photography Editor

GRAYSON RUHL ’24

Manhattan, N.Y.

Sports Editor

TENZIN KUNSANG ’25

Chicago, Ill.

Science Editor

JOANNE HU ’24

Nanjing, China

Assistant News Editor

MARISA CEFOLA ’26

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Assistant News Editor

MAX FATTAL ’25

Los Angeles, Calif.

Assistant Arts & Culture Editor

KYLE ROTH ’25

Santa Clarita, Calif.

Assistant Dining Editor

MING DEMERS ’25

Rochester, N.Y.

Assistant Photography Editor

KATE KIM ’24

Demarest, N.J.

Layout Editor

From the Editor

SOFIA RUBINSON ’24

Islip, N.Y.

Managing Editor

ELISE SONG ’24

Portland, Ore.

Web Editor

AIMÉE EICHER ’24

Manhattan, N.Y.

Assistant Managing Editor

GABRIELLA PACITTO ’24

Bronxville, N.Y.

News Editor

ERIC REILLY ’25

Dedham, Mass.

News Editor

NIHAR HEGDE ’24

San Jose, Calif.

Arts & Culture Editor

JAMES CAWLEY ’25

Ithaca, N.Y.

Dining Editor

RUTH ABRAHAM ’24

Syosset, N.Y.

Sports Editor

MEHER BHATIA ’24

Edison, N.J.

Science Editor

STELLA WANG ’24

Shanghai, China

Production Editor

MARIAN CABALLO ’26

Queens, N.Y.

Assistant News Editor

GABRIEL MUÑOZ ’26

Miami, Fla.

Assistant News Editor

KIKI PLOWE ’25

Nyack, N.Y.

Assistant Arts & Culture Editor

CLAIRE LI ’24

Palo Alto, Calif.

Assistant Photography Editor

DAVID SUGARMANN ’24

Woodbridge, Conn.

Assistant Sports Editor

KASSANDRA ROBLEDO ’25

Bar Harbor, Maine Newsletter Editor

Te Steady Blaze

THIS PAST SATURDAY, THE SUN gathered to elect a new batch of editors to the 141st editorial board. Bursting with energy, passion and new ideas, it is clear that this new board will make The Sun shine brighter than ever. It brings me great honor to work with and for all of you.

We live in a time where American distrust in media is high, and the landscape of media and journalism is constantly evolving evermore. And while The Sun also continues to evolve and adapt to new challenges every year, we remain steadfast in our duty to provide you with the most accurate and relevant information possible. Most importantly, we remain true to our mission since 1880: To hold our institutions accountable, from the University and beyond.

Just as the editors of the first issue of The Sun realized, “there are many obstacles in the path of a college daily.” We understand this sentiment now more than ever. After weathering a global pandemic alongside the general decline of print media, our predecessors of the 140th editorial board laid a solid foundation for The Sun to grow by revitalizing the community while continuing to report on important matters. Throughout my nearly three years at The Sun, I have witnessed the strength of independent, student-run journalism, and as the new editorial board emerges, that strength will continue to build.

And while The Sun is brought to you by the daily work of our fervent student journalists and creatives, we could not do it without all of you, our readers. With that being said, if you feel that we come up short, please reach out or get involved: Help us build The Sun that you want to see. This board will bring new and transformative projects to your independent campus newspaper, and I hope you will stick with us as we continue to make The Sun rise every day.

— A.B.

After the day-long affair of elections and a gauntlet of long missed in-person speeches charged with an electrifying fervor for student journalism, The Cornell Daily Sun has elected its 141st editorial board. This year’s group of shining Sunnies is poised to create a board that is as vibrant and zealous as its namesake number is palindromic.

Steering the ship is our new editor in chief, Angela Bunay ’24, who will spend most of her energy sifting through a stuffed Google Calendar and writing captions for the Sunnies’ most fashionable outfits. As a long-time member of The Sun, Angela has proven to be a committed and indispensable part of the paper.

Helming the objective side, Sofia Rubinson ’24 will serve as managing editor, The Sun’s honorary Uber driver and ambassador for Shortstop Deli. When she’s not fulfilling her duties as an editor, Sofia can be found waiting on the phone for Towanda Printing. Stepping into the role of assistant managing editor is Aimée Eicher ’24, who promises to buy a new, ground-shaking alarm clock to prevent oversleeping.

As the new associate editor, Noah Do ’24 will be stepping away from his opinion column to give the editorial side of the paper a try, although ideas for new columns have certainly not stopped coming. The same can be said for Hugo Amador ’24, the new opinion editor and former columnist whose GIF-filled emails are sure to bring a smile to any Sunnie lucky enough to receive them.

Elise Song ’24 serves as web editor, ready to handle the rest of the editors’ Wordpress complaints and always prepared to whip up some crème brûlée.

New to the editorial board to organize the business end of The Sun is Katie Chen ’25 , who is serving as the business manager for the 141st board.

Next up is the board’s new batch of news editors. Coming from the sports section, Gabby Pacitto ’24 will bring a rugged efficiency to news, much like her trusty high ponytail. Julia Senzon ’26 can be found assigning stories and covering breaking news like a seasoned veteran. Also in news is Eric Reilly ’25 , The Sun’s foremost fashionista and lover of print desking. If you ever find yourself at the Sun office in need of a little heartfelt, poetic serenading, Jonathan Mong ’25 is the news editor to call.

Moving on to our assistant news editors, Marian Caballo ’26 will work to combine multimedia with news, all in the comfort of her trendy headphones. Joanne Hu ’24 is always donning a smile and a positive attitude. Fun fact: She skipped Sun election day to meet Hillary Clinton. In case you were reading through the descriptions of our editors and were concerned about the lack of groove, don’t worry — Gabriel Muñoz ’26 has enough dancing prowess to slay for all of The Sun. Rounding out the assistant news editors is Marisa Cefola ’26 , whose positive outlook always brings sunshine to the board.

City editor Jiwook Jung ’25 is sure

to cover all the most enthusiastic, stellar, amazing, splendid, stupendous and beautiful stories that Ithaca has to offer. He hopes you have a beautiful day.

Nihar Hegde ’24 leads the Arts & Culture section as editor and The Sun’s resident hip-hop enthusiast. Kiki Plowe ’25, who loves electric guitar and covering live music for The Sun, joins him as assistant arts editor. Also joining the section as assistant arts editor is Max Fattal ’25, who is sure to serve up quality articles and thought-provoking movie takes. If you ever feel like traveling through a time machine, Max has a collection of over 250 Blu-rays that can help you do just that.

For our sports section, we have two committed editors who both made the jump from assistant to co-head sports editors. Grayson Ruhl ’24 will bring a devoted passion to sports, covering men’s lacrosse games on the edge of his seat. Ruth Abraham ’24 will be keeping Grayson in check, all while reporting on women’s hockey with grace. Assistant sports editor David Sugarmann ’24 joins them and plans to make the 141st board electric.

If you’re in the mood for a feast, the dining section has you covered. Dining editor and longtime Ithaca resident Jimmy Cawley ’25 promises to burst onto the scene with aplomb, much like the volcano he visited this past summer. Joining him is assistant dining editor Kyle Roth ’25 , whose love for dining is matched only by his love for cooking.

Returning to lead the science section are our two astute science editors. Meher Bhatia ’24 loves Radiohead and is ready to emerge from her selfish era to take on the science section. Joining her is Tenzin Kunsang ’25 , the only member of the editorial board who can rock a buzzcut and look mysterious doing it.

Julia Nagel ’24 heads the photo department for the 141st board as photo editor. If you’re ever in desperate need of a photography expert or are craving some chia pudding, Julia is the editor to turn to. Ming DeMers ’25 , who rides his trusty bike to get only the best shots for The Sun, and Claire Li ’24 join Julia as assistant photo editors.

Equipped with a passion for film and enthusiasm for The Sun’s creative future, Emily Vo ’25 serves as multimedia editor. She’s excited to spearhead new projects at The Sun, in addition to judging your Letterboxd page.

Stella Wang ’24 will work to bring the paper together as production editor. She hopes to develop the paper’s comics and crossword puzzle sections and incorporate more of students’ creativity into the prints.

Serving as layout editor is Kate Kim ‘24 , who hates fun facts but was willing to share that when she finds a song she likes, she listens to it on repeat for weeks until she’s sick of it. She’s sorry she couldn’t think of a better fun fact.

In the role of newsletter editor is Kassandra Robledo ’25 , who has spent perhaps a few too many late nights working on the newsletter (but never at the expense of her homework, of course).

Working on Today’s Sun

Ad Desker Ariel Zheng ’24

Layout Desker Kate Kim ’24

Managing Desker Aimée Eicher ’24

Associate Desker Noah Do ’24

Arts Desker Kiki Plowe ’25

News Deskers Julia Senzon ’26 Marisa Cefola ’26

Sports Desker Grayson Ruhl ’24

Photography Desker Ming DeMers ’25

Production Desker Stella Wang ’24

Joyce Nichols Lewis

Sundoku Puzzle 243970

OOPS

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

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)

Explore it

3 Bedroom Apartment Available for the 2023-2024 School Year beginning June 1st. Located in Sapsucker Woods near the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The apartment includes heat, water & sewer, off street parking and snow removal. Tenants are responsible for electric and the internet. Coin operated laudry is available on site. Rent is $2,000/mo. If you have any questions or would like to schedule a tour contact us by email: renting@ithacaLS.com.

Girl Problem

Mini Goldendoodles ready to go home at the end of March. 4 boys 6 girls available. Family raised, dewormed, first shots, vet checked. AKC registered lines. $1800-$2000 585-626-8409

1 Bedroom Apartment Downtown Available Aug. 1 (or as early as June 1)

Ideal for grad, staff or working professional. Upstairs apartment with full bath, living room, kitchen, bedroom and porch overlooking street. Quiet downtown area on Cascadila St. Bus stop in front of house to Commons, then CU campus. No undergrads, no smokers, no pets. References required. $1025/mo plus util. Info or appointment: email gm27@cornell.edu

cornellsun.com

Girl Problem 2

Girl Problem 3

Wrestling

Wrestling Wins 27th EIWA Title

Te Red had six individual champions in its second consecutive title

By NATE KRACKELER

Six wrestlers took home individual EIWA titles last weekend, en route to a second straight team championship for No. 8 Cornell (12-3, 8-0 EIWA). It was the 27th title in the Red’s storied history and was one of its most impressive triumphs. The six individual titles are tied for the most in program history, in tournament runs that varied from the improbable to the seemingly inevitable.

focusing on their own performances is the best way to achieve success.

“It’s obviously great to see your teammates doing well,” Cornella said. “However, I try to just focus on my own task at hand because that’s the best way I can help the team as a whole.”

year’s EIWA title at 125 pounds, continued his strong season at 133 with two technical fall wins followed by two major decisions. Foca added a fall, technical fall and two decision wins on the way to the 174 pound championship.

While Diakomihalis, Arujau, Foca and Cornella were all seen as heavy fa-

Facing off against Bucknell’s Dylan Chappell, Diakomihalis curised to a 15-3 major victory and his fourth conference title

The Red came into the tournament with five wrestlers holding number one seeds, and two — including threetime EIWA champion senior Yianni Diakomihalis — at number two. Each of these competitors had the ability to secure an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament by making the finals in their respective brackets, while also looking to win points for Cornell.

This duality of goals led to an interesting strategic dilemma for the grapplers. Some used the energy from their teammates’ victories to fuel their own game, while others, like No. 17 freshman Vince Cornella, argued that

This approach paid off, as Cornella rolled through the 141-pound bracket, winning his first three matches with pins, including a convincing win over No. 22 Matt Kazimir of Columbia, his main rival throughout the season. In the finals, Cornella squared off against Bucknell’s Carmen Ferrante, who had been on fire all tournament, and nearly secured a technical fall, ultimately taking home the title with a 13-3 major decision. This individual success certainly helped the team, with Cornella’s wins earning Cornell bonus points.

Diakomihalis, whose light regular season schedule bumped him down to the two seed, was dominant throughout the tournament. Demonstrating why he is often talked about as one of the greatest to ever compete for the Red, Diakomihalis won his opening match by a first round pin, before two straight technical falls to make the finals. Facing off against Bucknell’s Dylan Chappell, Diakomihalis cruised to a 15-3 major victory and his fourth conference title. No. 3 senior Vito Arujau and No. 4 junior Chris Foca, who are both national title contenders, also showed off their talents. Arujau, who won last

vorites heading into the tournament, Cornell’s other two champions, No. 8 sophomore Julian Ramirez and No. 16 junior Jacob Cardenas, were more unexpected. Cardenas, the number two seed at 197, had an easy route to the finals, winning two major decisions and an 8-1 decision, before a marquee matchup versus No. 2 Michael Beard of Lehigh.

Cardenas fell behind early and trailed 7-5 leading into round three, but took control from there. After Cardenas closed the gap to one halfway through the third, a tiring Beard was penalized for stalling and backing out before Cardenas took him down with 20 seconds left to secure a 10-9 win and his first EIWA title.

Ramirez, who held the number one seed at 165 due to a head-to-head win over former national finalist Quincy Monday, had a tougher time with the early rounds than his teammates. After a pin in the round of 16, Ramirez took each of his next two matches 3-1, including an overtime win, to set up a much anticipated rematch with Monday.

After an even first two rounds, the score was tied 5-5 going into the third where Ramirez quickly earned an escape point to lead, 6-5. Ramirez was able to defend for the rest of the third, handing Monday his second loss of the year and taking home the title.

Despite the gravity of this win, Ramirez echoed a sentiment shared by many of his teammates: the upcoming national championships are the major goal.

“Honestly it’s nothing special, it’s just a stepping stone for nationals,” Ramirez said. “It felt like way more of an achievement because my whole team performed well.”

Cornell’s six conference champions and No. 21 freshman Brett Ungar, runner up at 125 pounds, take the mat next at the NCAA Championships from Thursday, March 16 to Saturday, March 18 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They can be watched on ESPN, ESPNU and ESPN+.

Sun Staff Writer

“Honestly it’s nothing special, it’s just a stepping stone for nationals. It felt like way more of an achievement because my whole team performed well.”

Julian Ramirez ’23

Nate Krackeler can be reached at nkrackeler@ cornellsun.com.

Title town | Sophomore Julian Ramirez was one of six individual champions for the Red, winning a thrilling 6-5 decision at 165 pounds.

JULIA NAGEL / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR