4-16-24 entire issue hi res

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Inside the Ethics Report on Top S.A. Leaders

By SOFIA RUBINSON Sun Senior Writer

The Student Assembly Office of Ethics on Sunday, April 14 released a 38-page investigatory report on allegations against several high-ranking S.A. members. The Sun broke down the report to summarize the ethical violations against Vice President of Finance George Rocco DeLorenzo ’24, Vice President of Internal Operations Clyde Lederman ’26 and President Patrick Kuehl ’24.

The Student Assembly will vote on whether to hold a recall vote on DeLorenzo and Lederman at its Thursday, April 18 meeting at the recommendation of the Office of Ethics.

What’s Included in the Report?

The Office of Ethics’ report outlined several violations of the Student Assembly’s Code of Ethics by current S.A. leaders alongside findings that were not direct violations but give an unprecedented look into how power is divvied up behind the scenes among undergraduate representatives.

The Office of Ethics defines an ethical violation to constitute “the improper or unauthorized use of Student name, tion, resourc es or channels for personal gain or advan tage within the bounds of the

Student Assembly to obtain special treatment, access to resources and opportunities or favorable treatment.”

idential candidate Pedro Da Silveira ’25 during the Spring 2023 election to protect Greek life, “primarily through the suppression of inforor considered to be ‘controversial’ within that context,” though this was not officially deemed an ethical

life sweep” was coming that would work to prevent changes to the Greek life system from being considered by the Assembly.

Jewish Groups Hold Rally as CML Marches for Divestment

By CHRISTINA MacCORKLE and ANUSHKA SHOREWALA

Assistant

Hundreds of students, alumni, parents and community members came together on the Arts Quad for a “Jewish Unity Rally” at 1 p.m. on April 14 that aimed to combat antisemitism at Cornell and nationwide.

Hosted by the End Jewish Hatred movement in partnership with Cornellians for Israel and numerous other organizations, the event featured speakers including Amanda Silberstein ’26; entrepreneur David Litman ’82; activist Mandana Dayani; Prof.

William Jacobson, law; Columbia Assistant Professor Shai Davidai Ph.D. ’15; political analyst Bassem Eid and Congressmen Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) and Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.).

Hung from the roof of Goldswin Smith Hall by pro-Palestine activists, a large banner reading “Jews for Divestment, No Genocide in our name” created a black, green and red backdrop to the pro-Israel event. The attendees, waving Israeli flags and posters that read #EndJewHatred, cheered when the sign was removed at around 2:15 p.m.

In February 2023, DeLorenzo — then the Interfraternity saged Da Silveira that a “machine greek

When asked what the “mandate of the machine” would be for the upcoming year, DeLorenzo wrote: “Probably two rules – 1. Don’t do anything controversial 2. Leave greek life alone.” The pair messaged about the influence of Greek life on the Student Assembly several times throughout the campaign period.

DeLorenzo was also found to have coordinated with Da Silveira during the Spring 2023 election to block specific candidates or influences on the Student Assembly, which also was found to not be a violation of the Code of Ethics. The report points to a dinner between DeLorenzo and Da Silveira on Feb. 16, 2023, during which the pair discussed the possibility of running together to oppose the presidential run of Sanvi Bhardwaj ’24, who was previously the top sponsor of a resolution condemning Greek life.

Teta Tau Suspended for Cocaine Use, Hazing

By BEN LEYNSE Sun Staff Writer

Cornell’s Kappa Delta Chapter of Theta Tau was recently suspended by the Theta Tau Central Office after an investigation by the office revealed alcohol and drug use violations and hazing within the fraternity.

Documents obtained by The Sun detail a timeline of events, a culture of drug use and an indifferent response from club leadership.

The University has been investigating the co-educational engineering fraternity since November.

According to a current Theta Tau member, who spoke to The Sun on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, the investigation began after potential new members expressed concerns about reportedly being forced to do cocaine by one member of CORE — the executive student leadership team.

According to the brother, an anonymous report about the incident — which occurred at an afterparty for the fraternity’s big/little reveal ceremony last semester — was submitted to Cornell’s Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards.

Shortly after, CORE emailed potential new members, apologizing for “a number of circumstances that

occurred that may have led to some discomfort.”

According to a copy of Theta Tau Central Office’s internal investigation report obtained by The Sun, three members of CORE went on to meet with the PNM class to apologize for the cocaine use at the afterparty. The investigation notes that the CORE member who took responsibility for bringing cocaine to the event did not attend the meeting.

On Nov. 30, OSCCS issued a pause on interaction with new members, an interim order prohibiting members from contacting PNMs as OSCCS investigated the allegations, according to an email obtained by The Sun.

Over the next few months, the OSCCS conducted 20 interviews with organization members, according to the Theta Tau Central Office report.

Jennifer Kreiman, director of chapter services in the Theta Tau Central Office, filed an internal investigation report after sitting in on those 20 interviews and independently conducting eight more. On March 1, Theta Tau Central Office concluded its investigation determining multiple drug, alcohol and hazing violations.

The University’s investigation remains ongoing.

Rally resistance | A pro-divestment banner hangs in the background of the Jewish Unity.

ANUSHKA SHOREWALA / SUN ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Ethics in question | The Office of Ethics recommended that Vice Presidents Clyde Lederman '26 and Rocco DeLorenzo '24 face a recall vote in light of their ethical violations.

JASON WU / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER MING DEMERS / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Elections Committee Begins Investigation on V.P. Claire Ting ’25

By SOFIA RUBINSON Sun Senior Writer

The Student Assembly Elections Committee is initiating an investigation into Executive Vice President Claire Ting ’25 for allegedly leaking documents to the Cornell Dispatch, a progressive student publication, that may have impacted the fairness of this year’s S.A. elections.

Ting is currently running as a candidate for president of the Student Assembly. In an article published on March 22, The Dispatch included multiple screenshots of text messages from the S.A. Executive Board group chat. Two people with close knowledge of the matter told The Sun that Ting is believed to have leaked the messages.

The messages implicate Vice President of Internal Operations Clyde Lederman ’26 for fielding votes from fraternities. Lederman was at the center of the Dispatch story and stated at Sunday’s Assembly meeting that he has decided to forego running for president due to threats he and his girlfriend have received following the release of the Dispatch article.

“I worked with student journalists as a whistleblower, testifying what I had witnessed IFC and Cornell Dem-affiliated representatives collude in during their involvement with the Student Assembly leading back all the way since Spring 2023,”

Ting wrote in a statement to The Sun. “I had felt intimidated due to the IFC/Democrats coalition holding a sizable influence over the Assembly (since before our members were officially sworn in), and I did not feel empowered to speak up about what I had witnessed until I was approached by the Dispatch.”

The investigation will examine whether Ting leaked Student Assembly communications “for personal or political purposes.” The report will center on whether the leaked messages led to the intimidation of candidates who were considering running for the Assembly and whether the leak created an “unfair advantage and undermined the fairness of the Spring 2024 elections.”

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

S.A. Leaders Face Multiple Ethical Violations, Report Finds

Te ofce evaulates high-ranking Student Assembly members and their potential ethics violations

Continued from page 1

The resolution — written in the wake of the suspension of all Cornell fraternity parties over sexual assault and drugging allegations in November 2022 — called fraternities “misogynistic, racist and transphobic institutions that perpetuate sexual assault and harassment.”

In a special Student Assembly meeting on Sunday, DeLorenzo publicly spoke about his allegations for the first time. “When [the Condemning Greek Life] resolution was approved, I felt as if I failed my community. The demeaning remarks about my community felt targeted,” he said.

The Office of Ethics found evidence that DeLorenzo solicited and compiled candidates to run together in a Greek life slate. Inspired by the University of Alabama’s Theta Nu Epsilon — an underground Greek life society referred to as ‘The Machine’ that influenced how members of Greek life vote in student government elections — DeLorenzo compiled a small list of “Student Assembly TNE Candidates” in a Google Sheet and an Apple Notes document on March 22, 2023, though this was determined to not violate ethical rules as slating was permitted during that time.

“Some of the friendships that I have formed on the Assembly have been misinterpreted to be evidence of a fully coordinated machine that can directly exert control throughout this organization,” DeLorenzo said. “This preconceived notion is entirely false. I can confirm to the best of my knowledge that a machine-style organization does not exist and has not existed.”

Despite his Sunday statement, DeLorenzo, along with Da Silveira and their allies on the Student Assembly, belonged to a group chat in March 2023 titled “The Machine (Theta Nu Epsilon).”

The report further found that DeLorenzo was aware of a Title IX allegation against Da Silveira during the election cycle as first reported in The Sun, though he waited until Da Silveira was elected president to make this knowledge public. This did not constitute an ethical violation, but the Office of Ethics stressed that failing to report this allegation to them “weakens the Assembly’s ability to form a proper response to potential misconduct or ethical breaches.”

“Between February and early April, [Da Silveira] contacted me multiple times to provide details

about an ongoing interpersonal relationship,” DeLorenzo said. “Due to the frequency of the communication and communication from [Da Silveira] indicating his intent to file a counterclaim against one of the initial complaints, I attempted to fur-

“I can confirm to the best of my knowledge that a machine-style organization does not exist and has not existed.”

George Rocco DeLorenzo ’24

ther distance myself from [Da Silveira] starting in late March and throughout April.”

DeLorenzo further stated that the proper University channels were investigating the allegation against Da Silveira and that he “did not need to take any additional action at that time.”

However, DeLorenzo was found to have violated the S.A. Code of Ethics for mobilizing Cornell Democrats-endorsed candidates to form a coalition to discuss concerns about Da Silveira prior to his swearing in as president.

Hours after it was announced

that Da Silveira won the presidential election on May 9, 2023, DeLorenzo played a part in organizing a meeting in which a script was developed on how to remove Da Silveira from his position, citing the pending Title IX allegation. During the swearing-in ceremony an hour after this meeting, DeLorenzo introduced a motion to expel Da Silveira from his seat, which ultimately passed.

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

Assembly audit | The Student Assembly is investigating Claire Ting ’25 due to allegations of her leaking group chat messages.

MING DEMERS / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

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

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

Teta Tau Investigation Reveals Drug Peer Pressure

Continued from page 1

Drug and Alcohol Use

In an interview with The Sun, the anonymous brother explained that throughout the investigation process, internal conversations within the organization gradually shifted regarding the nature of the cocaine use.

The brother said that when the fraternity came under official scrutiny, CORE claimed that while cocaine was brought to the afterparty, PNMs were not pressured into taking it. The brother asserted that with this shift in narrative, PNMs came to see themselves implicated in the drug use, understanding that speaking up “would not be beneficial for any side.”

The brother believed that to avoid self-incrimination, PNMs felt compelled to lie to investigators about both cocaine and alcohol use.

The Theta Tau Central Office investigation report stated that 13 out of 15 PNMs lied about alcohol use at fraternity events. This was determined after members in later interviews confessed to alcohol use at events. The report also detailed how alcohol was routinely present at new member education activities as well as in a PNM event.

A second brother, who also spoke to The Sun on the condition of anonymity for fear of backlash within the organization, described a close-knit community that valued loyalty to the club and selected for it above merit in the application process.

“The whole interview process and application process [was geared] toward making sure [new members] would be a good fit and that they aren’t willing to give the whole fraternity up … under any circumstances,” the brother said.

The brother believed that the emphasis on a member’s ability to fit in with the group throughout the recruitment process enabled a culture of cocaine use.

According to the brother, the reported big/ little afterparty reflected a greater trend within the fraternity of common cocaine use at social gatherings.

From the second brother’s experience, cocaine use was not explicitly part of any PNM hazing ritual. Still, they felt members were pressured to use the drug during social events.

www.cornellsun.com

“I think some part of [the repeated cocaine offers] could be considered pressure, because I was definitely offered two or three times by the same people. … I know that they definitely would offer more than once, rather than accepting your first no,” the brother said.

In one particular instance at a fraternity social gathering, the brother described how they were approached several times by more than one member to partake in the drug after having originally refused, including twice by a senior member of CORE.

“I think [this insistence] is how people pick up the habit,” the brother said. “They get invited a few times and say no, and then eventually they give in on one night.”

The brother explained that Theta Tau had a reputation among members for “having done more coke than all of the social fraternities combined.”

Response to the Investigation

Despite active investigations, the club remained active.

On Feb. 7, Theta Tau Central Office issued chapter members a cease and desist order for potentially being “in violation of Fraternal Law and Policy.” The order prohibited brothers from interacting with PNMs in a fraternity context.

In Slack messages obtained by The Sun, the brotherhood chair for the chapter addressed the email in a general channel of 75 members.

“We want to assure you there has been NO further escalation,” the message read. “Today’s email was a formal bookkeeping.”

On Feb. 28, another brother messaged in the chat explaining that fraternity dues were sent out and a social event was scheduled for the coming weekend, despite the cease and desist order. The message did not specify whether new members were to be involved in this event.

It was not until mid-March, after an email detailing the chapter’s ordered suspension by the Theta Tau Central Office was sent to members, that the first anonymous source noticed chapter leadership begin to take the issue more seriously.

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

Jewish Orgs Rally on Quad

Pro-Palestine students marched simultaneously

Continued from page 1

The rally began with an electronic musical set by Fitche Benshimon that had the crowd dancing and singing along. Howard Erlich, an Ithaca resident and parent of an alumnus, explained that the songs Benshimon was playing were “well-known, patriotic songs,” setting an uplifting spirit for the rally.

The rally follows the rise of antisemitic incidents on campus since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war in October, such as former student Patrick Dai’s antisemitic posts on the anonymous discussion forum Greekrank that threatened Jewish students on campus. Dai pleaded guilty to a felony charge on April 10.

In Silberstein’s opening remarks, she contextualized the event amid rising antisemitism she has felt at Cornell.

“We have confronted incessant and pervasive hateful rhetoric from professors and students alike who have been attempting to terrorize and intimidate Jewish students,” Silberstein said. “Today we send a clear message to the world — antisemitism has no place on any campus.”

Following Silberstein’s remarks, Litman described the history of Hamas’ presence in Gaza and detailed the terrorist organization’s violence against Israeli civilians.

“They came for civilians with a brutality and savagery rarely seen since the medieval world,” Litman said.

In light of this violence, Litman said that “Hamas

stated on TV that they want to repeat October 7 again and again until there are no more Jews left. Israel has no choice but to extirpate Hamas.”

Litman also compared the Israeli response to Hamas’ attacks to the American response to the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.

“Israel did not seek this war, but when attacked, they responded with virtues like patriotism and self-sacrifice,” Litman said. “These are American values, too. After September 11, we all stood together against terror. Americans should do the same now for Israel.”

Litman said that those who “stand against Israel and the Jewish people support terror.” Audience members murmured in agreement. Litman also addressed the presence of these anti-Israel advocates on Cornell’s campus specifically.

“Those exhilarated and excited by the massacres, including those on campus who try to disrupt this university, are perhaps resentful of the 3,000 Jews on campus and their achievements,” Litman said. Litman’s comment comes after Prof. Russell Rickford, history, said that he was “exhilarated” by Hamas’s attack on Israel during a pro-Palestine protest on Oct. 15.

Jacobson discussed the upcoming Student Assembly referendum during which the student body will be polled on their opinions on Cornell’s potential divestment from weapons manufacturers “supporting the ongoing war in Gaza,” a topic of recent rallies held by the Coalition for Mutual Liberation.

“You have coming up on this campus a [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions referendum]. They can call it whatever they want, but that’s what it is,” Prof. Jacobson said when discussing the calls for divestment. “It’s the anti-Jewish boycott repackaged in the language of social justice to fool innocent Westerners who are used to that language and get them to create the historical perversion that the people who are actually for justice, the Israeli people, are against it.”

According to the BDS movement’s mission statement, BDS is a non-violent movement that began in 2005 with the goal of boycotting Israel until “Israel [complies] with international law.” The BDS movement emphasizes boycotts against companies accused of supporting the Israeli government. The movement has become increasingly popular in recent months. However, many have condemned BDS boycotts as antisemitic.

When discussing the referendum, Davidai, an Israeli-born Columbia University professor, shared similar sentiments on the upcoming divestment referendum.

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

Christina MacCorkle can be reached at cmaccorkle@cornellsun.com.

Anushka Shorewala can be reached at ashorewala@cornellsun.com.

Benjamin Leynse can be reached at bleynse@ cornellsun.com.

Where is Wendy Williams? It’s None of our Business.

By RACHEL CANNATA Arts Staff Writer

Wendy Williams is a former daytime talk show host, infamous for being unabashedly controversial. Her show ran for almost 14 years before abruptly ending in June 2022 due to concerns about her health, leaving fans of the show with many questions about Wendy’s wellbeing, whereabouts and the future of her career. In February, Lifetime released a four-part docuseries called Where is Wendy Williams? which attempts to answer some of these questions.

Wendy seems to believe that the purpose of the documentary is to follow the journey of her return to TV. The docuseries shows her repeatedly struggle with memory, choices and impulse control to a degree that significantly impacts her life. Despite this, she is deeply in denial that her health is declining. She is in no state to return to television. These underlying truths are obvious, but they are tiptoed around and poorly disguised. Many around her encourage this false hope and play into the idea that she will make a comeback to TV.

The docuseries shows a side of Wendy Williams that dramatically contrasts her talk show persona. She is suffering physically, having lost a considerable amount of weight and unable to feel in her feet due to lymphedema. She’s extremely blunt and arguably abusive to her staff, which seems to be a result of her poor mental health. She is often incoherent and unable to clearly articulate her thoughts. In the first three episodes, her health is a topic of conversation, but it seems to be up for debate whether or not Wendy is acting any differently than she has in the past, despite her clearly uncharacteristic behavior. There is no mention of a mental health diagnosis until the final episode, when her son reveals that she has been diagnosed with alcohol-induced dementia.

There were many scenes that made me question whether I should be watching the show. It often seemed to encourage us to laugh at her; for example, the show featured a compilation of her yelling at her staff and making absurd requests such as: “Don’t talk to me, I’m famous!” There was one scene that was particularly hard to watch, showing Wendy with her driver and

her assistant, Shawn, on a mission to find a vape. Wendy incoherently provides directions to a smoke shop and gets so upset when they’re unable to find the correct brand that they have to stop filming and go home.

Another scene that made me question the ethics of watching was one showing Wendy in the mirror, crying because she’s overjoyed about her “thigh gap.” Her thinner body is a result of her poor health and the theme of her relationship to her body was never brought up again. I think such a scene was unnecessary and unhelpful to have included, and demonstrates a disregard for Wendy’s dignity.

The filming style resembled that of a reality show, following her daily life in a luxurious NYC apartment. We saw her struggles through getting out of bed, drinking liquor in excess, attending meetings with her numerous employees and reality TV-style interviews with her many visitors. Watching it felt like prying into something I wasn’t supposed to see: invasive footage of Wendy Williams’s fall from grace. This show felt like an icky blend of reality TV and documentary that revealed moments which should have been kept private, doing so under the guise of something helpful and educational.

Wendy, shortly before the show started filming, against her wishes, was placed under a financial guardianship by a private, non-relative guardian. I suspect that the family agreed to this invasive documentary hoping that it will strengthen their case to take control of Wendy’s guardianship. The ethics of conservatorship are interesting and important to discuss, but I don’t think this docuseries succeeded at facilitating this conversation and I don’t think it should have

been made at all.

There are two layers to Wendy’s being exploited. The first of those layers is those around her exploiting her for money. Some of her employees have it in their own best interest to tell Wendy what she wants to hear rather than attempt to preserve her health. It is sad to see people enable her alcoholism and encourage her delusions of a return

to the screen so they can maintain a presumably high salary.

The second layer of this exploitation is the documentary itself, which exposes this first layer but, in doing so, is airing out the private matters of Wendy, a person who is not necessarily in a mental place to be able to consent to this show. The documentary crew follows Wendy through extremely vulnerable, intimate moments.

I don’t think the Wendy Williams of a few years ago would be happy to see these shots of herself being open to public viewing. In the final moments of

the last episode, her sister Wanda tells us: “I hope people walk away from this seeing the challenges [Wendy’s] been through and realizing we all go through our challenges, and we all make choices in life, and she’s still a person.” Throughout watching the show I was confused about why it was created. I thought the documentary did a terrible job of masking the exploitative nature by making the central purpose very unclear. Was it to provide more information about the effects of dementia? If so, why did they reveal the diagnosis only at the very end of the show? Was it to keep her on TV, as she wanted? Was it simply to tell Wendy’s story? What does this say about what we are willing to consume purely out of nosiness?

Rachel Cannata is a junior in the Hotel School. She can be reached at rgc96@cornell.edu

COURTESY OF LIFETIME

The Corne¬ Daily Sun Independent Since 1880

GABRIEL LEVIN 26 Editor in Chief

Cornell, It's Past Time to Say No to Student Loans

Six out of eight of the Ivy League colleges have eliminated student loans from their financial aid packages. The two missing? Columbia and, predictably, Cornell. Duke, Northwestern, M.I.T. and a whole host of other high-ranking non-Ivies around the country have already decided to do the right thing and meet 100 percent of their students’ calculated financial need without loans.

Increasingly, elite institutions of higher learning are realizing what we students have been saying all along: Student loans are not only a barrier to entry but a burden that can weigh on us long after graduation.

Cornell’s promotional materials deceptively paint a rosy picture of the University’s financial aid offerings. Staring down the barrel of a $92,000 annual price tag before aid, students are nonetheless told that the school ensures accessibility and affordability to all who are eligible. But that’s really just an empty promise. Time and again, Cornell has disadvantaged its undergraduates, except, of course, the most privileged few.

As the University’s endowment balloons, the decision to keep students out of crippling debt should be easier than ever. So why is Cornell still forcing us to choose between an Ivy League education and future financial stability?

The answer is greed — the best word to describe Cornell’s business model. An ongoing lawsuit charges Cornell and other top universities with colluding with one another “in a price-fixing cartel” to limit financial aid for admitted students. So much for need-blind admissions. To date, the majority of those 17 universities implicated in the legal case have paid up: The total settlement is now well over $280 million. Unsurprisingly, Cornell hasn’t given back a penny and remains a defendant.

Not only does our University stand accused of illegally conspiring to cut down on the financial aid it provides to students — Cornell is also among the last of a dying breed of elite colleges that refuse to stop offering student loans, despite having the wherewithal to easily do so.

Cornell has lost sight of its founding commitment to “any person, any study” in favor of a couple more zeroes on an administrator’s paycheck. Whether it’s meting out loans that will come back to bite us or allegedly colluding with other wealthy colleges to nickel and dime us, Cornell is sending a message that if you can’t afford tuition, you have no place on this campus.

Cornell, we students can all agree, is a better place when we aren’t doomed to a life of never-ending debt.

The Sun firmly believes that the University should take a lesson from many of its competitors and provide grants to students in need rather than pile education debt on them. At a time when Cornell clearly favors the rich in admissions, with students from the top one percent vastly overrepresented, the administration has a duty to level the playing field. So Cornell, it's time to stop working against the economic interests of students and finally adopt a no-loan policy.

— The Editorial Board

It’s ironic that Shira Goodman, the ADL’s senior director of advocacy, compares her organization’s Campus Antisemitism Report Card to the national college rankings by U.S. News and World Report.

For as long as I can remember, the annual U.S. News and World Report survey has been criticized for using methodologies that do not adequately or accurately reflect the actual conditions at the different universities and colleges.

My immediate initial reaction to the D grade given to Cornell by the ADL was — and remains — that it is unwarranted and decidedly does not correspond to what I have seen and have experienced on campus. Cornell. Break-out groups will brainstorm about mobilizing in support of academic freedom and free expression for all faculty, students and staff.

By way of introduction, I am an adjunct professor of law at Cornell Law School and have taught a course on the law of genocide and war crimes trials since 2008. This semester, I am teaching about antisemitism in the courts and in jurisprudence to both law school students and undergraduates. I am also the general counsel emeritus of the World Jewish Congress, an international Jewish human rights organization that represents more than 100 Jewish communities across the globe. Fighting against all manifestations of antisemitism was a central part of my day job until I stepped down as the WJC’s general counsel and associate executive vice president at the end of August 2023.

We all know that antisemitism is alive and fomenting at Cornell, just as it is on university and college campuses throughout the U.S. and elsewhere. This was the case long before Oct. 7 of last year,

Prof. Risa L. Lieberwitz

when Hamas terrorists perpetrated a largescale pogrom against Jews alongside the Israel-Gaza border, brutally murdering approximately 1,200 Israeli Jews, including women, children, infants and the elderly, raping Jewish women and girls and violently taking more than 200 hostages, again including women, children, infants and the elderly, into Gaza. Tragically, it appears that many if not most of these hostages have died under horrific circumstances.

I emphasize that the victims of the Oct. 7 carnage were Jews because Hamas, in accordance with its explicitly and virulently antisemitic founding Covenant, targeted and attacked Israeli Jews. The Covenant equates the State of Israel with Judaism and with all Jews — “Israel, Judaism and Jews challenge Islam and the Moslem people” — and makes clear that Hamas’ war is “against the Jews” and with the “warmongering Jews.” A refusal to acknowledge this basic root of the Israel-Hamas war is in and of itself antisemitism on steroids.

Since Oct. 7, antisemitism has surged exponentially at Cornell, as it has on other campuses. Far too often, legitimate support for the Palestinians in Gaza and equally legitimate opposition to the policies of the present Israeli government have morphed into expressed desires for the eradication of Israel as a nation state and the vilification of its supporters.

But the ADL Report Card isn’t meant to — and doesn’t — catalog antisemitic incidents — it purports to evaluate how the respective universities and colleges have addressed and handled antisemitism since Oct. 7. And this is where, in my considered opinion, the report card falls far short of the mark, certainly as it relates to Cornell.

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

Written by the Executive Committee of the Cornell University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors: Prof. Risa L. Lieberwitz, industrial labor relations; Prof. David A. Bateman, government; Prof. Ian Greer '05, Director of ILR-Ithaca Co-Lab; Darlene Evans, senior lecturer (retired); Prof. Suman Seth, Marie Underhill Professor of the History of Science

Organizing for Academic Freedom

On April 10, it was announced that the Cornell Faculty Senate overwhelmingly passed, by a vote of 81-22, a resolution critical of the new Cornell University Interim Expressive Activity Policy, which the Cornell Administration announced immediately after winter break with minimal consultation. The interim policy contains new restrictions that curb freedoms of expression that have been accorded to non-violent protests throughout Cornell’s history. The Faculty Senate resolution calls for the administration to suspend the new restrictions, and for the Faculty Senate to fully consider and vote on amendments to the entire interim policy.

In the face of widespread protests by faculty, students and staff against the interim policy, the Cornell Administration has rescinded several of the stranger restrictions (such as the banning of candles that are normally used for vigils), and eased some of the more onerous registration requirements for outdoor protests and demonstrations. But restrictions in the policy on time, place and manner of expressive activities remain vague and overly broad, and students and faculty are being disciplined for alleged infractions according to ill-defined procedures.

As the Cornell University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors has stated, “It is not enough [for the University] to profess commitment to a policy of academic freedom. What is needed is full and deep adherence to the

values, principles and tenets of academic freedom.” The administration has declined to discuss why the interim policy was implemented without the consultation of major faculty, student and employee governance bodies, calling the existing policies insufficient, and, without explanation or evidence, citing a sudden need to balance safety with freedom of speech. We do know that the interim policy appeared as a wave of crackdowns on dissent has spread on campuses across the country reflecting the pressure and threats of forces outside the academy. As faculty, students and staff, we must come together to ensure that Cornell stands up against this pressure and protects the university as a free space for thinking, learning and expression. We need to do more to save academic freedom and free expression at Cornell! At this critical moment, the Cornell AAUP Chapter invites all faculty, students and staff to a teach-in on “Organizing for Academic Freedom,” to be held Wednesday, April 17 from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in 700 Clark Hall. The event has been planned in solidarity with the April 17 National Day of Action for Higher Education. Activities will include speakers about the meaning of academic freedom and successful approaches to protect it as a fundamental condition for work and study at Cornell. Break-out groups will brainstorm about mobilizing in support of academic freedom and free expression for all faculty, students and staff.

The

A Tribute to Former Managing Editor Cathy Panagoulias '75

She was a whirlwind in blue-tinted glasses, long, curly dark hair and scarlet lipstick. And before Baker Tower in 1971, I had never met anyone like Catherine A. Panagoulias, ’75. I met her during freshman move-in, and we lived in the same dorm, the same house and the same apartment throughout our four years at Cornell.

We also lived at The Sun — then at 109 E. State St.. Cathy stood out in our compet class instantly. You just knew she was going to be a star. She was assigned the marquee beat — the University Senate. I covered housing and dining, a slightly less prestigious enterprise, but one which interested students. We often shared the front page.

She rose quickly at The Sun, and by the time we ran against each other for Managing Editor in 1974, it was a rivalry born in late nights and reams of copy together. That closed-door ME election took hours. We sat outside Kaufman Auditorium in Goldwin Smith Hall, waiting. When it was clear she had won, I was disappointed, but cheered by the fact that I had been elected News Editor,, which was that year set up to be her number two. We ran the news side of the paper, two young women atop a masthead of young women: Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Sprague, Assistant ME Barbara Linder, Features Editor Sharon Kaufman. It was a remarkable achievement for the 1970s,

even if it did inspire tasteless jokes that would not be acceptable today. We literally lived at The Sun. Cathy and I shared a Collegetown apartment with Sharon and Barbara. It was home, Sun, home and oh, yeah, school.

There was no one tougher than Cathy. She demonstrated her toughness with The Sun Sports Department, which was notoriously late with their copy. In an era when we were charged overtime by the Ithaca Journal’s printing pressroom for every minute we were late, this was not acceptable to Cathy. She threatened the Sports Editor that if the copy was late again, she would run white space. On one watershed night, the pressroom called to say the sports copy was late — again. Cathy gave the go-ahead for the white space. The next day’s paper had two blank pages, but for the tag: “This space reserved for sports.” The campus sports fans howled in protest. Sports was never again late with its copy.

Then there was the “Cranch Report” caper. In 1972, the University issued the “Cranch Report on Long-Range Planning,” which called for, among other things, a tuition hike and a vast increase in the number of students on campus. Then-Managing Editor Dan Margulis, ‘73 obtained a copy of the

report before the University released it. He never said how he got it, but the scoop was the talk of campus. The next year, a faculty/student committee was to issue a response.

Cathy wrote in “The Cornell Daily Sun’s A Century at Cornell,” a coffee-table book edited by Margulis and designed by John Schroeder, ’74, that as the University Senate reporter, she knew which committee members had draft copies of the report and she was determined to get one, even if by theft.

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

— Elaine S. Povich '75

Men’s Lacrosse Drops Heartbreaker to Notre Dame

By JANE McNALLY Sun Sports Editor

7,373 fans packed the stands at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium in Brookville, N.Y., to see a top-10 matchup between two storied programs and rabid fanbases.

And boy, were they rewarded.

A classic lacrosse game between No. 10 men’s lacrosse and No. 1 Notre Dame took place on the campus of Long Island University. Head coach Connor Buczek ’15’s squad did what it does best — coming from behind — and performed well at the faceoff X.

But it wasn’t enough.

Looking to upend its first No. 1 team since 2019, Cornell lost narrowly to Notre Dame on Sunday, 18-17. After a back-and-forth final frame, an Irish goal with six seconds left ultimately dealt Cornell a heartbreaking defeat.

Cornell trailed for the majority of the game but retook the lead twice in the fourth quarter. However, a late offensive zone push by the defending national champions cemented their No. 1 status and sent the Red back to Ithaca at 7-4.

The question of whether the scrappy, high-energy Cornell style could hold up against the polished, execution offense of Notre Dame was evident from the first whistle.

Cornell got on the board first when freshman attackman Ryan Goldstein beat Notre Dame goalkeeper Liam Entenmann on the first shot he saw, just 30 seconds into the game. But Entenmann would hold strong after that, forcing Cornell to get creative with its offense and take stronger, contested shots.

Both goalkeepers were tested frequently, facing two of the top three offenses in the nation. Knust made 14 saves for a 43.8 save percentage in the game, while Entenmann made 11

saves for a 39.3 percent clip.

Notre Dame (8-1, 2-0 ACC) scored three quick goals after Goldstein’s opening tally, including a wicked shot by Pat Kavanagh that tied the game at one goal apiece. Kavanagh finished with a 2-2-6 stat line.

Cornell (7-4, 3-1 Ivy) cut into the 3-1 lead on a goal from freshman attackman Willem Firth, who was found all alone to the left of Entenmann and buried it uncontested. From there, though, Notre Dame went on a 3-0 run, before a goal from senior attackman CJ Kirst iced the first quarter.

Down by three, Cornell looked to cut the lead in the second, but Notre Dame’s Jordan Faison converted at the 12:20 mark to make it 7-3.

The Red assembled a little run of its own on a couple of elongated possessions in its offensive half. First, fifthyear attackman Michael Long fired

a low shot that Entenmann missed, before Kirst posted his second of the game to make it a two-goal contest.

Cornell got within striking distance multiple times, but the high-powered Irish offense had an answer for almost everything. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the game — and a crucial part of Cornell’s consistent almost-comebacks — was at the faceoff X. Notre Dame’s Will Lynch entered the game with the country’s seventh-best faceoff percentage, but the combination of senior faceoff/midfield Marc Pysllos and fifth-year faceoff Angelo Petrakis stood tall and gave Cornell much needed offensive possession.

With the 7-5 score, both teams traded goals, as Notre Dame converted twice in between two goals by freshman attackman/midfielder AJ Nikolic — on the man up — and Kirst’s hattrick-clinching tally.

The end of the second quarter dis-

played Notre Dame’s uncanny ability to blow the game wide open. The Irish tacked on two goals in the final two minutes to make it a four-goal deficit for Cornell to overcome at the half.

An extra-man opportunity late in the second quarter bled into the third, and Kirst made no mistakes, firing a rocket into the top left corner to make it 11-8 just 32 seconds into the second half.

After yet another faceoff win by Psyllos, Long created a nice setup from behind the net that found fifth-year attackman Spencer Wirtheim, who had no hesitation in his shot to make it a two-goal game.

Cornell showcased its usual third-quarter dominance, looking confident and poised in both halves of the field. Knust came up big the few times Notre Dame entered Cornell’s D, making five saves in the third quarter, many of them point-blank.

Notre Dame’s Jeffery Ricciardelli broke up the initial Cornell run, but a 4-0 stretch by the Red — including two goals from Goldstein to secure the hattrick and a tally each from Kirst and senior midfielder Hugh Kelleher (both of which were assisted by Goldstein) — tied the game at 13-all.

Notre Dame closed out the third with a goal from Pat Kavanagh, giving it the edge entering the final frame.

Kelleher made Cornell’s first possession of the fourth quarter worthwhile, firing a rising shot that beat Entenmann high to make it 14-14. Notre Dame got it right back 1:14 later, but a strong offensive possession led to Firth’s second of the game to square the game at 15-all.

After a few defensive stands by both teams — and a handful of clutch saves by Knust on Notre Dame second-chance opportunities — Cornell took its first lead since 1-0 on a beautiful shot from Long. Yet the Red had little time to celebrate, as Notre Dame’s Jake Taylor completed his hattrick and tied the game at 16-16 with 4:01 to play.

The teams traded goals once more, the first being Kelleher’s rocket to make it 17-16 before Chris Kavanagh evened the score for Notre Dame.

A late offensive stay by Notre Dame ultimately proved costly for Cornell, as a long shift resulted in a goal by Ben Ramsey — only his second of the year — with just six seconds left. Cornell lost the ensuing faceoff and watched the final seconds tick down as hopes of upsetting the nation’s top team dwindled away.

The Red will next take the field on Saturday, when it will host No. 15 Harvard in a crucial Ivy League battle. The opening faceoff is slated for noon at Schoellkopf Field.

Jon Jaques ’10 Ofcially Introduced as New Head Coach of Men’s Basketball

By SAM KIMBALL Sun Staff Writer

In a press conference on Friday afternoon at Newman Arena, Jon Jaques ’10 was introduced as the new head coach of men’s basketball.

Jaques, who was a team captain on Cornell’s 2009-10 Sweet Sixteen team, first worked as a graduate assistant coach for Stevens Institute of Technology and Columbia University for two years. Jaques returned to his alma mater in 2013, holding roles as an assistant coach and associate head coach over his tenure.

“It’s not going to be so earth-shattering and different than it has been,” Jaques said in the press conference. “No one will play harder than us on the court. … Special things happen here, and we have all worked really hard to build this [program] where it is.”

The introduction comes following the resignation of former head coach Brian Earl, who led the team for eight years, including a 2023-24 season that marked Cornell’s best season since its NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen run in 2009-10.

“As an associate head coach, you always have the thought [about being head coach] in the back of your mind,” Jaques said. “You go through seasons

and wonder how you would run your own program. After the news of [Earl] leaving, we obviously had to pivot, but it wasn’t totally sudden, as I had been thinking about [the situation] if the moment came.”

According to Director of Athletics Nicki Moore, 52 candidates were evaluated by a search committee which included current and former players, as well as Cornell athletics alumni.

“I think the first conversation that Jon and I had when we knew we would have a basketball [coach] search was, ‘there is no one that cares more about Cornell basketball than I do,’” Moore said.

As for the identity of the team, Jaques hopes to continue to foster special bonds between his players, emphasizing effort and resilience.

“[I want our team] to be a group that plays without question for each other. I think if you’d asked people in the last few years, that was part of what I want to continue — just incredibly unselfish, hard-playing people,” Jaques said.

As a former student athlete at Cornell, Jaques believes his understanding of balancing athletics and academics allows him to better relate to his players’ lives on and off the court.

After a highly successful season in which the Red saw themselves in the Ivy

Madness Tournament, Jaques will work to sustain the success of the team.

“No matter how we play going forward, if it’s exactly how we played or some combination of a few different things, you have players that have won a little bit in Division I basketball,” Jaques said. “Now we have some people who are competitive and used to success, and then obviously you have to keep recruiting good fits — guys who play extremely

hard, are unselfish people and care about people outside of themselves.”

With the departures of Earl and assistant coach Max Ginsburg ’18, who will join Earl at William and Mary, Jaques will work to form his coaching staff over the next few weeks and gear up for a highly anticipated 2024-25 season.

Jane McNally can be reached at jmcnally@cornellsun.com.

Sam Kimball can be reached at skimball@ cornellsun.com.

Heavy heartbreak | Cornell played a close match against Notre Dame, but lost its momentum at the end.

TIMMY XI / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

COURTESY OF CORNELL ATHLETICS

Joyful Jon | Jaques was promoted to head coach following Brian Earl’s resignation.