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The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Graduation Issue Contents

Four Years at Cornell

2022-2026: TAKING A PAUSE TO REFLECT

The Sun takes you back to some of the most momentous events of the last four years, tracing back headlines from this semester to the fall of freshman year. Re-read coverage of events that undeniably changed the Hill — from a once-in-a-generation campus protest movement to a historic settlement with the federal government.

Ithaca, though miles away from the metropolitan music haven of New York City, has nevertheless attracted quite the lineup of stars to come entertain the Cornell masses. Reminisce over Dead and Company revisiting campus in 2023, Ken Carson lighting up Barton Hall and other crowd-pleasers from the last four years.

Live From The Field

Whether you counted yourself a Lynah Faithful or the friend who had to be dragged to games by Big Red fanatics, relive the biggest headlines in The Sun’s sports archives from 2022-26. The wins and heartbreaking losses alike await you.

Graduate Columns 11-14, 47-48, 50-53

Senior Send-Offs 15-27,

Cover: Isabelle Jung / Senior Graphics Staffer

Graduation Issue Staff Sophia Dasser ’28, Varsha Bhargava ’27, Sophia Romanov Imber ’28, Kate Turk ’27, Dorothy FranceMiller ’27, Benjamin Leynse ’27, Rayen Zhou ’29, Zara Cheek ’28, Julia Senzon 26 and Jane McNally ’26

IFC Temporarily Suspends All Social Events

TimeLine

9.12.22 U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT RANKS CORNELL #1 IN N.Y., SURPASSING COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Cornell was named the best university in all of New York state, according to the 2023 Best National Universities rankings published by U.S. News and World Report. While still remaining the 17th best university in the nation, Cornell has now surpassed Columbia University, which saw a significant drop this year in rank, falling from No. 2 to No. 18. Columbia’s downfall came after Columbia University Prof. Michael Thaddeus, mathematics, started questioning the program’s soaring ranking, which in 2021 tied in second along Harvard and MIT.

11.9.22 SEVEN CORNELLIANS SET TO SERVE IN 118th CONGRESS: Seven Cornellians — mostly incumbents — won their elections to serve in the 118th Congress. In addition, one candidate lost the general election. The seven congress members-elect as well as Jamie McLeod-Skinner, M.R.P. ’95, whose race is too close to call, represent several parts of Cornell: Reps. Katherine Clark J.D. ’89 (D-Mass.) and Sharice Davids J.D. ’10 (D-Kan.) are graduates from Cornell Law School, Rep.

Elissa Slotkin ’98 (D-Mich.) majored in rural sociology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, while Rep. Dan Heuser ’88 (R.Pa.) was a government major in the College of Arts and Sciences. Katherine Clark J.D. ’89 (D-Mass.) won re-election handily over Republican challenger Caroline Colarusso (R-Mass.) with nearly 75 percent of the vote. This is Clark’s fifth full term since entering office in a 2013 special election to replace then-Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) following his successful election to the Senate. She also serves as Assistant Speaker of the House.

11.30.22 NICKI MOORE FIRST WOMAN NAMED DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS: Nicki Webber Moore was named Cornell’s ﬁrst female Meakem Smith Director of Athletics and Physical Education.

12.6.22 EARLY MORNING COLLEGETOWN CENTER FIRE LEAVES STUDENTS DISPLACED AMID FINAL EXAMS: On Dec. 6, a ﬁre began at Collegetown Center, an apartment complex on Dryden Road that many students reside in. Residents of the building were safely evacuated. The University gave affected students temporary support through campus housing and dining.

As a response to the release of a crime report on Nov. 4, 2022, alerting the Cornell community to at least four drugging incidents and a sexual assault allegation, the Interfraternity Council has temporarily suspended all fraternity parties and social events.

In a University-wide email, President Martha Pollack and Vice President for Student and Campus Life Ryan Lombardi issued a joint statement condemning the reported incidents and calling for solidarity.

“We are outraged and saddened … we strongly condemn the actions of all individuals responsible for these criminal violations,” Pollack and Lombardi wrote. “Crime is never the fault of those who are victimized. The University is providing support services to the victims … our campus community is stronger together.”

According to the C.U. police crime report log, within the past two months at least four students have reported being exposed to Rohypnol, a depressant and benzodiazepine also referred to as “rooﬁes” or a “date-rape” drug. According to the report, the incident occurred between Oct. 28 and Nov. 3 at 800 University Avenue.

“Students reported to have consumed little to no alcohol at an off-campus location but became incapacitated while attending parties,” the police report said.

On Nov. 6, 2022, at approximately 4:45 a.m., the C.U. police crime report log shows that another student reported being sexually assaulted while attending an event at 140 Thurston Avenue. There has not been a release of further details, as the investigations are ongoing.

Given the recent chain of events and past rumored incidents of drugging allegedly involving needles being used, students voiced increased safety concerns.

“Day to day, I feel safe going to Cornell,” said Zoe Yao ’23. “However, given everything that has happened and everything from last year as well, similar drugging rumors, I would say I do not necessarily feel safe going to certain fraternities.”

In response to the rising concerns, the IFC, which governs more than 30 IFC-recognized fraternities at Cornell, is working with the University to implement stronger health and safety plans for students. As its ﬁrst step, IFC

voluntarily made a decision Sunday evening to suspend all fraternity social events.

“The IFC Executive Board and current IFC Chapter Presidents made the decision to suspend all fraternity functions on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022,” wrote the IFC executive board in an email to The Sun. “The IFC is currently working toward enhancing plans to keep the community and students safe and will use subject matter experts and available resources to promote health and safety.”

In the past, Cornell fraternities have been implicated in the deaths of two students. In 2011, Sigma Alpha Epsilon was temporarily suspended and returned this year after hazing George Desdunes ’13 to death, and in 2019, Antonio Tsialas ’23 was found dead at the Fall Creek Gorge after attending a “dirty rush” event at Phi Kappa Psi. The last ban on Inter-Fraternity Council social events was put into place in 2019 following the death of Tsialas.

“My freshman year Antonio Tsialas passed away,” Yao said. “From there, Martha Pollack, our president, made a good move and reformed Greek life in the spring of that year. It has deﬁnitely had implications on the social scene and Greek life for the past couple of years since then.”

However, despite the changes, Yao said that more incidents of laced drinks and drugging have recently surfaced.

“We already have regulations on alcohol at the parties: registering parties, having bands and sober monitors,” Yao said. “[They] all feel like bandages to the fundamental problem.”

The IFC wrote to The Sun that it is looking into “current practices” to ensure a safe and welcoming community.

“We take these reports extremely seriously as this directly infringes upon the principles that the IFC stands for,” the IFC executive board wrote. “The IFC strives to create a safe and welcoming community on campus and we plan to take a hard look at our current practices and see where we can change holistically to better support our campus.”

In a statement to The Sun, the IFC recognized the bravery of the students who came forward and reported the incidents.

“Furthermore, we afﬁrm the bravery of those individuals in our campus community who made the important choice to come forward,” IFC executive board wrote.

Ann Coulter ’84 Speaking Event at Cornell a NonStarter After Disruptions, Protest Prompt an Early Exit

Conservative media pundit and author Ann Coulter ’84 was invited to speak at Cornell on Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2022, to talk about the midterm elections and host a Q and A. Coulter was met with a strong coalition of students standing against her with at least eight individuals being removed from the venue for disrupting her speech.

The event was hosted by the Network of Enlightened Women, a campus conservative women’s network. Members of Cornell Republicans assisted in the promotion and stafﬁng of the event.

The event was barely off its feet, however, before protesters interrupted. When Coulter was introduced, one student played “Entrance of the Gladiators” by Julius Fucík — commonly known as the Circus Theme — as she

approached the podium. As the music reverberated throughout the silent lecture hall, the student said, “Go back to the circus Ann.” The student was escorted out without incident.

Not more than a few minutes had gone by before other protesters began sporadically interrupting the event. Some blew raspberries and shouted their disapproval, another blew a loud whistle.

“No KKK, no fascist USA,” said two students, before being escorted out.

Coulter rose to fame for her criticism of the Clinton Administration in the late 1990s, but has since grown into a harsh critic of American liberalism and what she deems as the silencing of conservative values. She has also gained notoriety for her controversial and offensive statements over the course of the last two decades.

In the past, Coulter made targeted remarks of hate against numerous marginalized groups including Muslims, Latino immigrants, Jewish people and women.

The entrance to Landis Hall at the Cornell Law School was patrolled by security guards, and several were scattered throughout the hall itself. Campus police ofﬁcers were also stationed, standing in the sidelines and the back of the hall, as well as three outside the Law School building.

Outside, a few protesters gathered, but not amounting to more than 20 in total. One protester held a sign, reading, “We don’t support white supremacists.”

Coulter partnered with the Leadership Institute, a non-proﬁt organization that trains conservatives in activism and leadership, as part of her Campus Reform project. It aims to combat perceived liberal bias on college campuses across the country by publicizing such circumstances to larger conservative media outlets and the public.

Coulter began her talk by discussing the midterm election results of the day prior. She spoke of the emerging consensus that the Republican “red wave” that many polls predicted had never materialized, and that the previous night had been kind to Democrats.

Coulter also included quips at the expense of Democratic ﬁgures, joking about Fetterman misspeaking in his debate against Republican Senate race rival Republican Mehmet Oz — Fetterman narrowly survived a stroke in May, leaving him with temporary struggles in reading, listening and speaking. Coulter also took aim at President Biden (D) and Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.) in her opening.

The interruptions past this point, however, became more active and relentless. Coulter was barely able to recount Gov. DeSantis’ win in

Florida’s gubernatorial race before gagging and raspberry blowing began from a student in the audience near her.

Visibly frustrated, Coulter chose to rebuke the Cornell student body, comparing her alma mater with Harvard, which she deemed smart. However, the speech effectively ended at this point, where students began to yell in protest of Coulter.

“Your words are violence! We don’t want you to speak here,” students said. “We don’t want your ideas here! Leave! Leave!”

Coulter urged her security to remove the students from the event. When another student began yelling at Coulter, and then another began blowing a whistle, Coulter left the podium and went backstage leaving the stage empty for nearly 10 minutes. A few extra security guards and police began spreading throughout the room in an effort to be closer to react to future outbursts.

When she returned, Coulter was only able to speak one last sentence.

“Here’s some more violence for ya,” she joked, before another student stood up and interrupted, yelling, “You’re a fucking fascist!” Coulter, stoney faced, promptly exited the hall, concluding the intended hour-long event in 20 minutes.

Although a few students protested individually, some were organized by a coalition of Cornell campus groups and clubs, who wished to not be named. On Friday, the protesters shared a statement with The Sun, signed “Cornell students who stand against white supremacy.”

“Why do we allow someone to come to speak on our campus whose rhetoric very bluntly stands in opposition to [Cornell’s motto]?” the students said in the statement.

Neither the Leadership Institute nor the Network for enlightened Women chapter at Cornell responded to a request for comment.

University Rejects Content Warning Proposal

President Martha Pollack and Provost Michael Kotlikoff rejected a Student Assembly resolution which asked the University to implement content warnings for what it calls “triggering” classroom content, citing concerns about academic freedom and freedom of inquiry.

The resolution passed the S.A. on March 23, 2023, and requests content warnings for course content that may trigger symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Such content includes, but is not limited to, domestic and sexual violence, racial and homophobic behavior and suicidal actions. It additionally requests that students be allowed to opt out of viewing or working with said content without academic penalty, so long as they make up missed content.

In their email, Pollack and Kotlikoff wrote that although they understood the interests of the S.A., the necessary actions that would be required by adopting the resolution would violate Cornell’s policy of free and purposeful inquiry and expression.

“Common courtesy would suggest that in some cases faculty may wish to provide notice, whether via the course syllabus or in the classroom, when they will be addressing topics that some may ﬁnd challenging or painful,” Pollack and Kotlikoff wrote. “But requiring that faculty anticipate and warn about all such situations … would unacceptably restrict the academic freedom of our community, interfering in signiﬁcant ways with Cornell’s mission and its core value of Free and Purposeful Inquiry and Expression.”

Pollack and Kotlikoff did not support permitting students to opt out of viewing the content without penalty, stating that exposure to challenging ideas is crucial to the University’s educational experience for students.

Though the resolution’s sponsors expressed disap -

pointment at the University’s decision, they said that they understood its reasoning in rejecting the resolution.

Sponsor Claire Ting ’25 said the University and the S.A. were approaching the issue from different perspectives.

“We are both individuals who seek for a better Cornell community — trying to make the environment better for Cornell students so that we can produce the next generation’s leaders — and in doing so we must serve the needs of our [student] communities.”

Sponsor Shelby Williams ’25 shared similar sentiments to Ting, saying that she understood the feedback that President Pollack shared with the S.A., but that the impetus behind the resolution — which the S.A. did not originally disclose in the resolution’s text to protect the victim — caused mischaracterization in national press.

“I understand what [Pollack is] saying: if professors fear some type of retribution for not including this warning, that it might have a chilling effect. I understand that.”

Since its passage, the resolution has drawn ﬁre from conservative news organizations and opinion columns such as Newsmax, Fox News and the New York Post, with the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board lambasting the S.A. for even considering the resolution.

“The entire idea of a trigger warning for speech is antithetical to the idea of a university, and in a previous age no one would have taken it seriously,” the board wrote. “But this is era [sic] of woke censorship, so it’s news when campus leaders push back, as they have at Cornell.”

Ting said that the resolution was passed in response to reports of a student — who had recently experienced sexual assault and a Title IX trial — being required to read multiple, graphic, scene-by-scene depictions of sexual assaults

Students Occupy Day Hall Over Starbucks Partnership

| On May 12, 2023,

In response to the announcement that all Ithaca-based Starbucks locations will be permanently closed by May 26, 2023, student organizers and Starbucks employees occupied Day Hall on Thursday, May 11, 2023, to urge Cornell to end its relationship with Starbucks.

On both North and Central Campuses, most Cornell dining halls and cafés serve Starbucks brand beverages.

Rally organizers primarily demand that the University publicize its contract with Starbucks and sever its relationship with the corporation, switching providers for all on-campus dining establishments that serve Starbucks products.

According to Nick Wilson ’26, a former Starbucks barista in his hometown of Wilmette, Illinois who now is a student activist with the People’s Organizing Collective, organizers require a campus-wide switch to an “ethical” brand that is approved by the student activists occupying Day Hall and Starbucks Workers United before the fall semester.

Organizers discussed expanding the number of locations offering Gimme! Coffee — which is currently sold at Bill and Melinda Gates Hall and in three other Ithaca locations. According to Wilson, Gimme! Coffee is ideal due to being a local, unionized worker-run co-op. On Tuesday, organizers offered free Gimme! Coffee in front of Starbucks stores and campus dining establishments selling Starbucks products while discussing their cause and asking for optional donations, which ultimately raised over $700 in support of the strike.

To Wilson, speciﬁcally targeting Cornell’s relationship with

for a class in the context of studying the 1937 Rape of Nanking, in which Japanese soldiers committed atrocious human rights abuses against captured Chinese civilians.

“Students have to understand that this material is challenging to interact with to learn from the mistakes of prior history,” Ting said. “At the same time, there’s an understanding that ought to be upheld from instructors that because these are inherently human experiences, past, present or future, students will have some sort of history that will align with this.”

Ting and Williams both stated that they believed that the media had misunderstood the purpose of the resolution, saying that their vision of it was to institute best practices regarding displaying graphic content in the classroom, rather than enforcing any type of University policy.

“All we’re asking for is the same sort of courtesy to students,” Ting said. “If we as students are to learn from disturbing content, then I personally don’t believe it’s egregious to ask that this disturbing content be brought in with an approach that is aware of [the fact that] its disturbing content by nature tends to activate certain responses in students. That’s something instructors should be aware of if this content is to be taught nonetheless.”

Still, despite the setback, Williams said that she hoped to reopen the conversation at some point.

“I think that in some capacity, we’re going to try to re-articulate the intent of the resolution in a way that is better understood by community members,” Williams said. “I can’t give you an answer at this moment as to what that will look like. But I certainly don’t think that this is over. I think it’s an ongoing conversation.”

TimeLine

3.7.23 POLLACK SUPPORTS PLAN B VENDING MACHINE AT CORNELL HEALTH: The University indicated its intention to install a vending machine in Cornell Health for 24-hour access to nonprescription health care supplies, including emergency contraception, following a Student Assembly proposal.

4.10.23 COIN ANNOUNCED AS SLOPE DAY HEADLINER: COIN was announced as the slope day headliner, openers were CoCo and Clair Clair and Snakehips.

4.17.23 POLLACK ANNOUNCES FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION ACADEMIC THEME YEAR AMID CONTROVERSY: Following national scrutiny over a proposal to mandate “trigger warnings,” President Pollack announced that the first ever academic theme year would center around the freedom of expression for 2023-2024.

Starbucks — rather than Starbucks as a whole — is a way to leverage the organizers’ authority as students of the University.

“You can’t negotiate with Starbucks — that’s a boardroom full of multinational executives who won’t listen to us,” Wilson said. “Where power is, is we have this afﬁliation with the University [as students], and we have the ability to democratically rise up and say, ‘This is what we demand.’”

Wilson noted that organizers believe Starbucks is making a proﬁt of millions of dollars through its relationship with Cornell, but this contract is not currently public. In turn, disrupting the agreement between Cornell and Starbucks is a way for organizers to demonstrate to the corporation that there are economic consequences to what they consider to be a national union-busting campaign.

Prior to the occupation of Day Hall, organizers urged Cornell students to send over 900 emails to the University demanding that they sever all University ties to Cornell, although Ryan Lombardi, vice president of student and campus life, denied receiving an email until 30 minutes prior to his and Dean of Students Marla Love’s initial arrival in the lobby of Day Hall shortly before 5 p.m., where students had already been gathered for hours.

Lombardi told protestors President Pollack was out of town and accused the demonstrators of negotiating in bad faith with the administration.

“I’m willing to make that commitment to have this dialogue and try to ﬁgure something out — see what we can come up

4.28.23 UNIVERSITY ELIMINATES COVID-19 VACCINE REQUIREMENTS:

A The University elimated allCOVID-19 vaccine requirements as of May 20, marking a potential end to Cornell COVID-19 policies.

5.8.23 DEAD AND COMPANY PERFORM AT BARTON HALL: 46 years to the day after the Grateful Dead’s iconic Barton Hall performance, Dead and Company performed at the same location as part of their summer 2023 farewell tour. Droves of Cornellians flocked to Ithaca for the event.

5.9.23 PRESIDENT OF STUDENT ASSEMBLY OUSTED OVER TITLE IX ALLEGATION: Moments after being sworn in, S.A. President Pedro Da Silveira ’25 was voted out of the position after a Title IX allegation was brought to light.

with,” Lombardi said. “I think it’s unreasonable to ask us to make that on the spot. That’s not giving us a fair chance to really look at all the implications.”

“What do you think is unreasonable about the demands? Because for us, it seems pretty clear. You have this contract and you could give it to us,” Wilson said. “All we’re asking you to do is commit to not Starbucks next fall, and commit to working with us… as to what that next vendor will be.”

After an extensive back-and-forth, Lombardi and Love returned to their ofﬁces.

Love then came back to the lobby at 5:40 p.m. to inform the demonstrators that the building would ofﬁcially close at 6 p.m., and offered to allow them back into the building at 8 a.m. on Friday when the building reopens. The demonstrators countered with an agreement to leave the building if Love and Lombardi agreed to a deﬁnitive meeting between the demonstrators and President Pollack, as well as all “relevant” decision-makers.

According to both the University and the demonstrators, relevant decision-makers include the University cabinet as well as attorneys representing the University.

Organizers afﬁrmed that they intended to stay in the building until the requested demands were reached or until they received more details afﬁrming legitimate reasons for the University’s inability to meet their demands at the time — such as an explanation of the legal provision that states Cornell cannot be released from its contract with Starbucks or information on why essential individuals cannot be reached.

Tension brewing

protesters moved outside as part of an agreement with the University.

MING DEMERS / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Middle E ast C aptures C ampus Attention

Israel-Hamas War Divides Campus

A Cornell professor’s speech at a pro-Palestinian off-campus rally on Oct. 15 sparked a nationwide debate over whether he should continue to hold a position at the University. But his remarks revealed a deeper divide within the Cornell community over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

After calling Hamas’s initial invasion into Israel “exhilarating” and “energizing,” Prof. Russell Rickford, history, ﬁrst defended his remarks to The Sun, stating that he was referring to “those ﬁrst few hours, when they broke through the apartheid wall, that it seemed to be a symbol of resistance, and indeed a new phase of resistance in the Palestinian struggle.”

He issued an apology in The Sun over his choice of words two days later.

Following Rickford’s remarks, President Martha Pollack and the Chairman of the Cornell University Board of Trustees said Rickford’s words were “a reprehensible comment that demonstrates no regard whatsoever for humanity.”

Rickford subsequently requested and was granted a leave of absence from the University.

Student organizations distributed online petitions both supporting Rickford

TimeLine

8.21.23 CORNELL KICKS OFF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION THEME

YEAR: President Martha Pollack announced intentions to hold a series of events focused on the theme of “The Indispensable Condition: Freedom of Expression at Cornell,” two days after joining the Campus Call for Free Expression, a joint effort by 13 universities to model critical inquiry and civil discourse on campus.

10.12.23 CORNELLIANS ORGANIZE VIGILS FOR ISRAELI VICTIMS OF OCT. 7 ATTACK AND PALESTINIAN LIVES LOST: One day apart, Hillel and Cornellians for Israel held a vigil to honor the victims of Hamas’s attack on Israel and Students for Justice in Palestine held a vigil to mourn the loss of life in Palestine and call on President Pollack to acknowledge Palestinian suffering. Pollack released a statement on Oct. 10 condemning Hamas’s attack but did not mention Palestine.

10.14.23 CORNELL AGREES TO REVISED MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH CITY OF ITHACA, COMMITS TO $4 MILLION

ANNUALLY: After months of stalled negotiations, Cornell agreed to pay the City $4 million annually, adjusted yearly for inﬂation, with the City amending the term length to 15 years, a ﬁve year decrease from the original proposal. Cornell is exempt from paying property taxes as a higher education institution, but instead offers the City voluntary payments in lieu of taxes. Last negotiated in 2003, the University had been paying Ithaca $1 million annually.

10.15.23 PROF. RUSSELL RICKFORD STATES HE WAS “EXHILARATED” BY HAMAS ATTACK ON ISRAEL AT OFF-CAMPUS RALLY: After history professor Russell Rickford stated he

and asking the University to hold the professor accountable for his remarks.

A truck with digital billboards displaying a picture of Rickford was seen driving throughout Cornell’s campus on Oct. 19. The truck displayed the words “President Pollack: Fire Antisemitic Professor Rickford Now.”

While the truck circulated campus for a second day, pro-Palestinian protesters followed the truck in defense of Rickford.

Students gathered in support of Rickford in front of the Statler Hotel on Saturday, Oct. 21, where events for the Cornell Board of Trustees were being held throughout the weekend. The group held two large banners that read “Anti-Zionism ≠ Antisemitism” and “Stand With Russell, Stand With Gaza.” The group chanted “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

Many speakers at the rally expressed frustration over Rickford’s leave of absence and urged attendees to email the Administration in support of Rickford. Other students, however, said Rickford’s words created “a hostile environment for learning” and that Rickford was wrong to call Hamas “rife with contradictions” instead of labeling Hamas “for what it is” as a terrorist organization.

was “exhilarated” by the “challenge to the monopoly of violence” during Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, he garnered national condemnation, including from University leadership, and elected to take a leave of absence.

10.29.23 POSTS ONLINE THREATEN JEWISH STUDENTS AND CENTER FOR JEWISH LIVING: Students became alerted to vile threats posted on the anonymous discussion forum Greekrank, which implored students to carry out acts of violence against Jewish students and threatened a mass shooting at Cornell’s kosher dining hall. Gov. Kathy Hochul visited campus the next day to assure the community the state was taking these threats seriously, and the perpetrator was identiﬁed as Cornell senior Patrick Dai ’24 two days after the threats were posted.

11.8.23 S.A. PRESIDENT PATRICK KUEHL ’24 WINS FOURTH WARD COMMON COUNCIL RACE IN A SURPRISE WRITE-IN CAMPAIGN: In what was previously an uncontested race, incumbent Jorge DeFendini ’22 lost his seat to Cornell senior and Student Assembly president Kuehl, who campaigned almost exclusively at Cornell fraternities. Kuehl provided inconsistent timelines and reasoning for his campaign, that the majority of Fourth Ward residents learned about on Election Day.

11.9.23 CORNELL GRADUATE STUDENTS UNIONIZE: Graduate students won their unionization election by a vote of 1,873 to 80 and will federate as Cornell Graduate Students United, an organization ﬁghting for the rights of graduate workers. The current effort to unionize started in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and over the course of September, over 2,500 graduate workers signed unionization cards.

Antisemtic Treats Target Students

Threats were posted to Cornell’s Greekrank forums on Saturday, Oct. 28 and Sunday, Oct. 29, including one that threatened a shooting at 104West!, which is home to Cornell’s Center for Jewish Living and the kosher dining hall.

Posts also threatened to rape female Jewish students and behead Jewish babies in front of their parents.

The posts came four days after grafﬁti stating “Israel is fascist,” “Zionism = genocide” and “F*** Israel” was sprayed across Central Campus on Wednesday, Oct. 25.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul came to campus on Oct. 30 to address the campus community directly.

“We will not tolerate threats or antisemitism or any kind of hatred that makes people feel vulnerable and exposes people and makes them feel insecure in a place where they should be enjoying their campus life, without fear that someone could cause them harm,” Hochul said.

Patrick Dai ’24, an engineering student, was arrested on Oct. 31 on charges of posting threats to kill or injure another using interstate communications, following an accelerated FBI investigation.

The charge filed against Dai carries a maximum term of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of supervised release of up to three years.

Appearing before a judge on Wednesday in federal court in Syracuse on Nov. 1, Dai originally waived his right to an immediate detention hearing, but backpedaled that decision under new representation.

At a hearing on Nov. 9, Dai’s public defender argued that he was not a risk to the community and that he has an undiagnosed developmental disability that was exacerbated at Cornell into severe mental health issues.

Federal prosecutors stated that his antisemitic threats posed a severe risk to the community and that his release could lead to further terror and dangerous actions. They also stated that his suicidal ideations pose a risk of ﬂight, in addition to his connection to a foreign country as his father currently resides in China.

The judge ordered Dai’s detention on the grounds that his threats were vile and terrorized the Jewish community, and that his online threats were consistent with those of other mass shooters in recent U.S. history.

In Low-Turnout Election, City Candidates Found Votes at Frats

Two Cornell students who won seats on Ithaca’s Common Council — including the one who ran a controversial and unannounced write-in campaign — coordinated more closely with Cornell fraternities than was previously known, discussing the possibility of allowing for later fraternity parties and even getting approved to pick up absentee ballots for fraternity brothers.

Patrick Kuehl ’24, who edged out an incumbent this month in a surprise write-in campaign for the Fourth Ward, and Clyde Lederman ’26, who won a close race in the Fifth Ward, both were elected in part because of absentee and afﬁdavit ballots cast in wards with low numbers of voters. In the Fifth Ward, 20 of the 60 absentee ballot requests were made by fraternity brothers, along with 19 of the 22 requests in the Fourth Ward. The forms obtained by The Sun only indicate who requested ballots, and do not indicate which of those requestors actually voted.

The applications show that all fraternity brothers who requested absentee ballots in the fourth and ﬁfth wards authorized either Kuehl or Lederman to pick up their ballots from the Tompkins County Board of Elections and deliver them to the fraternities. Ballots were requested by members of ﬁve fraternities, with the most requests coming from Sig Phi and Chi Psi.

The requests came after Kuehl and Lederman met with fraternity presidents on Oct. 22 and encouraged their members to vote in the

Nov. 7 election, according to a fraternity member who was briefed on the meeting.

All of the 39 fraternity members who requested ballots across the two districts said on the request forms that they were either going to be out of the area on election day or had a “temporary illness or physical disability.”

James Gardner, an election law expert at the University at Buffalo, said voters must be truthful about the reason they are requesting absentee ballots. He said the arrangement in which Kuehl and Lederman were authorized to deliver absentee ballots to the fraternity brothers was unusual but did not appear to break any rules.

Lederman defended being authorized to pick up the ballots, saying it was “standard practice.” Kuehl declined to comment.

Kuehl and Lederman’s close coordination with fraternities depicts an ambitious effort to ﬁnd votes from fraternities in a notoriously low-turnout district, where a handful of ballots can swing an election. Thousands of people live in the Fourth Ward, but because it is so heavily populated by college students — most of whom do not vote in Tompkins County — scavenging for votes can be difﬁcult. This year, only 100 people voted in the Fourth Ward, and Kuehl won by nine votes. Kuehl has already been criticized for running a secretive write-in campaign, in which even his opponent, Jorge DeFendini ’22, did not know he was

running until Election Day. Kuehl has given shifting answers about how long he was openly running. He said shortly after the election that he had been canvassing for a month and a half, but said more recently that he did not ofﬁcially launch his bid until around Oct. 22, the day he met with fraternity presidents.

At that meeting, Kuehl and Lederman discussed their campaigns with fraternity presidents and Rocco DeLorenzo ’24, the Interfraternity Council president. Kuehl, Lederman and DeLorenzo all work together on the Student Assembly.

Following that meeting of fraternity presidents, one fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha, held a chapter meeting in which members were urged to ﬁll out voter registration forms, according to Sasha Boguraev ’24, who attended the Pi Kappa Alpha meeting. He said members were told that voting for Kuehl and Lederman could lead to later parties — past the general current end time of 1 a.m.

At another fraternity house, Pi Kappa Phi, Ethan Hersch ’26 said the fraternity president slid voter registration forms underneath fraternity brothers’ doors and sent messages encouraging them to register and vote, noting that Lederman might be an ally to fraternities. And at the Chi Psi house, the fraternity which DeLorenzo is part of, Arjun Parikh ’26 similarly said that brothers were told “Clyde would be helpful” to the fraternity.

Inside S.A. Member’s Plan for a Frat “Machine” TimeLine

1.24.24 INTERIM EXPRESSIVE ACTIVITY

POLICY ANNOUNCED: The controversial Interim Expressive Activity Policy restricted student protest on campus through limitations on expressive activities including guidelines on the use of ampliﬁed sound and the number of people at outdoor demonstrations.

3.22.24 STUDENT ASSEMBLY LAUNCHES

ETHICAL INVESTIGATION INTO MEMBERS

CONNECTED TO INTERFRATERNITY COUNCIL AND CORNELL DEMOCRATS: Amid extensive political controversy, Student Assembly President Patrick Kuehl ’24 directed the S.A. Ofﬁce of Ethics to investigate himself and several other Assembly members currently or formerly connected to either the Interfraternity Council or the Cornell Democrats. In a March 22 letter to the editor, Kuehl explained that the investigation was prompted by The Sun’s reporting on alliances within the Student Assembly, which seemed to implicate Vice President of Finance George Rocco DeLorenzo ’24, ex-president Pedro Da Silveira ’25 and representative Clyde Lederman ’26 in scheming to utilize the voting power of a Greek life “machine.”

4.16.24 ANN COULTER ’84 APPEARANCE LEADS TO ARREST: Ann Coulter ’84, a controversial conservative media personality, made her return to campus with a talk entitled “Immigration: The Conspiracy To End America.” Prof. Monica Cornejo, communication, was arrested during the question and answer section due to disorderly behavior.

4.18.24 VICE PRESIDENT GEORGE ROCCO DELORENZO ’24 RESIGNS FROM STUDENT ASSEMBLY: Vice President of Finance George Rocco DeLorenzo ’24 resigned from his position and seat on the Student Assembly amid

controversy over alleged hostile behavior toward women during his role as chair of the Appropriations Committee. The Student Assembly also voted to retain Vice President of Internal Operations Clyde Lederman ’26 to his position in an 11-6-10 vote, failing to reach the two-thirds majority needed for removal. A Sunday report by the S.A. Ofﬁce of Ethics recommended that the Assembly consider a recall of the two high-ranking members for a series of ethical violations, including their role in planning to protect Greek life on the Assembly and their handling of complaints about DeLorenzo’s behavior towards women.

4.25.24 STUDENTS STAGE PRO-PALESTINE ENCAMPMENT ON THE ARTS QUAD:

Approximately 50 students staged a pro-Palestine encampment on the Arts Quad. Demonstrators stated they would continue the encampment until the University met their demands or removed them from campus.

5.9.24 PRESIDENT POLLACK ANNOUNES RETIREMENT: President Martha Pollack announced that she will retire from her position on June 30 after seven years of leadership. Pollack acknowledged that there “will be lots of speculation about [her] decision” and emphasized that she independently decided to retire from her role after “extensive reﬂection.”

5.13.24 COALITION FOR MUTUAL LIBERATION VOLUNTARILY ENDS ENCAMPMENT:

The Coalition for Mutual Liberation voluntarily took down its pro-Palestine encampment on Monday, two and a half weeks after it was initially erected on April 25. Approximately 250 supporters circled the original “Liberated Zone” space — no longer surrounded by a black tarp — as the encampment held a ﬁnal vigil for the lives lost in Rafah.

Conversations between the president of Cornell’s Interfraternity Council and the embattled ex-president of the Student Assembly during the 2023 election season reveal plans the two had to bar criticism of Greek life from the S.A. ﬂoor and block resolutions pertaining to women’s health and gender issues.

Private text messages obtained by The Sun show how IFC president and inﬂuential S.A. member Rocco DeLorenzo ’24 — who was also running for executive vice president of the Student Assembly at the time — planned on wielding a Greek life “machine” in the Student Assembly to defend the interests of fraternities.

The Sun has reviewed a host of texts between DeLorenzo and Pedro Da Silveira ’25 during last year’s campaign cycle in which the pair discussed their vision and goals for the S.A.

Da Silveira — who was elected president of the Assembly in May 2023 but was ousted moments after being sworn in due to a Title IX allegation which he was later found not responsible for — said the two were campaigning together during a period when DeLorenzo knew about the allegation.

On Feb. 20, 2023, Da Silveira confided in DeLorenzo that a former sexual partner was creating a record of accusations against him and asked for advice. DeLorenzo responded by telling Da Silveira to report the accuser’s behavior as harassment to the Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX to “get the first mover advantage.” The two continued to message about Da Silveira’s allegation over the next

month.

In February 2023, DeLorenzo messaged Da Silveira that a “machine greek life sweep” was coming that would work to prevent changes to the Greek life system from being considered by the Assembly. 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.”

DeLorenzo seemed to be particularly upset about the S.A.’s Resolution 16: Condemning Greek Life. The resolution — written in the wake of the suspension of all Cornell fraternities over sexual assault and drugging allegations in November 2022 — called fraternities “misogynistic, racist and transphobic institutions that perpetuate sexual assault and harassment.”

The day after the resolution was adopted in December 2022, DeLorenzo told Da Silveira that the “SA will deﬁnitely look different next semester” and that the resolution was targeted hate speech.

DeLorenzo also appeared to take issue with certain women’s health-related resolutions. He told Da Silveira in February 2023 that he “just can’t morally support a Plan B vending machine,” referring to a resolution that supported a program to create a machine with contraception.

“All I gotta say is under the machine greek life sweep coming, this stuff wouldn’t ever make it to the ﬂoor,” DeLorenzo wrote, referring to the Plan B vending machine proposal.

In an April 21, 2023, text,

DeLorenzo told Da Silveira not to campaign on providing free date rape drug testing kits to fraternities through Cornell Health. “As promised everything Frat will be kept out of the mouth of the SA so if you feel strongly I can cut it,” Da Silveira wrote.

Toward the end of April, Da Silveira appeared to have lost the support of both the IFC and the Cornell Democrats. DeLorenzo — as IFC president — opted to endorse Patrick Kuehl ’24 (Fourth Ward) as the most “level-headed” presidential candidate. DeLorenzo did not respond to repeated requests for comment on this story, including about why he had a change of heart and came out in support of Kuehl despite having apparently planned a platform with Da Silveira.

On May 9, 2023, at around 1 p.m., it was announced that Da Silveira won the presidential election with around 45 percent of the vote. In the following hours, DeLorenzo sent a letter to all Student Assembly member-elects, which openly accused Da Silveira of having sexual relations with a student while she “was in no state to be a consenting individual.”

Shortly after members were sworn into their positions, DeLorenzo introduced a motion expel Da Silveira. Kuehl was appointed to the position on May 18, 2023. In addition to that position, he won a seat on Ithaca’s Common Council in November, after leveraging support from fraternities. The Student Assembly under Kuehl’s leadership has not yet passed any resolutions pertaining to the Interfraternity Council.

Students Stage Pro-Palestine Encampment on Arts Quad

Approximately 50 students staged a pro-Palestine encampment on the Arts Quad on April 25.

Cornell followed demonstrators at several other institutions establishing “liberated zones,” which have prompted mass arrests and suspensions. Demonstrators stated they would continue the encampment until the University met their demands or removed them from campus.

The Coalition for Mutual Liberation, a pro-Palestine coalition of over 40 organizations, organized the encampment.

Approximately 17 tents were enclosed by a low-to-theground tarp fence in front of McGraw Hall. According to an email from CML to The Sun, the encampment was established at 4 a.m. and administrators told the demonstrators to move twice by 9 a.m.

Anyone was welcome to enter the “liberated zone,” so long as they completed an “arrest intake form” to help CML keep track of and support protestors should they be arrested and placed in jail.

The demonstration came a week after the majority of student voters approved of a ceaseﬁre and divestment referendum, held from April 18 to April 19.

According to a CML press release, demonstrators urged the University to take action on eight demands including providing restitution to Indigenous communities, ensuring transparency in its current ﬁnances, divesting from “morally reprehensible activities” as per the 2016 Standard Guide to Divestment Consideration, dissolving partnerships with the Jacobs-Technion Cornell Institute and any other partnerships with the Technion Israel, establishing a Palestinian studies program, publicly acknowledging and protecting anti-Zionist perspectives, recognizing that anti-Zionism is not antisemitism and removing all police from campus including from student protests.

Demonstrators asked for police to be replaced with an emergency response team composed of healthcare workers and ﬁrst responders trained in de-escalation. They also asked for total legal and academic amnesty for all individuals involved in the encampment and similar demonstrators.

On the ﬁrst day, encampment participants were threatened with academic susepsions if they did not leave by 8 p.m.. Supporters surrounded participants as the encampment passed the 8 p.m. Police ultimately did not interfere with activity.

Encampment participants did not budge from the Arts Quad for the next two and a half weeks. As they held educational programming and rallies, Cornell maintained minimal police presence around the encampment. No students were arrested.

Cornell’s administration instead emphasized academic repercussions for demonstrators. Six encampment participants — including both undergraduates and graduate students — were suspended.

The original demands set at the beginning of the encampment were altered as the “Liberated Zone” adjusted to ongoing negotiations with the University, according to the CML representative.

CML notably dropped its original demands for the University to “remove all police from campus” and to “call for an unconditional, permanent ceaseﬁre in Gaza.”

The Negotiations Team for the Coalition for Mutual Liberation’s “Liberated Zone” met with President Pollack at 4 p.m. on Friday, May 10.

President Martha Pollack told the Negotiations Team of the Coalition for Mutual Liberation’s “Liberated Zone” that divestment was not feasible, due to the endowment being indirectly managed, according to a CML Instagram post from Saturday,

May 11. The administration also did not support providing full amnesty for encampment participants and “questioned Cornell’s complicity in Indigenous genocide,” according to the post. CML voluntarily took down its pro-Palestine encampment on May 14.

Approximately 250 supporters circled the original “Liberated Zone” space — no longer surrounded by a black tarp — as the encampment held a ﬁnal vigil for the lives lost in Rafah starting at 6 p.m. Monday.

Supporters held small candles as demonstrators discussed the signiﬁcance of the encampment for themselves and the people of Palestine.

Maral Asik ’24, an encampment supporter, told The Sun that it felt “bittersweet” to watch the encampment come to a close.

“We created a community like no other on Cornell campus — the space for our peers and classmates to come and connect and feel safe and included and cared for,” Asak said.

Ceaseﬁre camp | The encampment hangs a “ceaseﬁre” banner on its tarp perimeter.

NINA DAVIS / SUN SENIOR

9.18.24 PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTESTERS SHUT DOWN CAREER FAIR, CONFRONT BOEING RECRUITERS: Over

100 pro-Palestinian protesters confronted defense contractor Boeing at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations’ Human Capital and Human Relations Career Fair at The Statler Hotel. The recruiters from the majority of companies present took down their tables approximately 20 minutes after protesters arrived. Footage released by the University showed protesters pushing past Cornell University Police Department ofﬁcers who were guarding The Statler enterance. The University stated that it used photo and video evidence to identify and refer 19 activists for disciplinary action.

9.24.24 U.S. NEWS RANKS CORNELL NO. 11 UNIVERSITY IN COUNTRY, BEST IN NEW YORK: Ahead of No. 13 Columbia University and No. 30 New York University, Cornell earned the title of top school in New York State. In addition to Columbia, Cornell outranked fellow Ivies Brown University and Dartmouth College.

9.25.24 BLACK, HISPANIC AND NATIVE AMERICAN FIRST-YEAR ENROLLMENT DROPS AFTER AFFIRMATIVE ACTION BAN: Black, Native American and Hispanic student enrollment dropped markedly between the Class of 2027 and the Class of 2028, while the proportion of Asian first-years rose slightly in the first class admitted after the Supreme Court banned race-conscious affirmative action in higher education.

9.25.24 KAVITA BALA NAMED CORNELL”S 17TH PROVOST: Kavita Bala was selected to take the helm as Cornell’s 17th provost, with a ﬁve-year appointment starting Jan. 1. Bala served as the inaugural dean of the Bowers

College of Computing and Information Science at the time of her appointment.

10.1.24 ADMINISTRATORS DISCUSS DISCIPLINING PROTESTERS, MONITORING FACULTY IN PRIVATE HILLEL PARENTS MEETING: At the meeting, then-Vice President for University Relations Joel Malina said “If there were a faculty member that invited a KKK representative to speak or a student group that invited a KKK representative to speak, yes, we would allow that.”

10.4.24 BLACK STUDENTS UNITED CONDEMNS MALINA’S STATEMENT: Concerned about the implications of the statement on minority students’ safety, Black Students United called for Malina’s removal from ofﬁce, with about 180 students rallying from Willard Straight Hall to Day Hall.

10.28.24 BEN SHAPIRO BRINGS CONSERVATIVE PERSPECTIVE TO CORNELL: Ben Shapiro, a conservative political commentator and the founding editor-in-chief of the right-wing media company The Daily Wire, spoke to a packed audience of approximately 1,300 students in Bailey Hall. During this talk, Shapiro rebuked then-Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and ﬁelded questions about intersectionality, free speech, LGBTQ+ politics and Donald Trump.

12.5.24 V.P. JOEL MALINA ANNOUNCES HE IS LEAVING CORNELL FOR A NEW JOB: After serving as vice president for University relations for 11 years, Joel Malina announced that he would leave his position on Jan. 5 to join the corporate advisory ﬁrm Brunswick Group in Washington, D.C. The move followed a semester of controversy over statements on free speech.

UAW, Cornell Reach Agreement Following Two Weeks of Strikes

“The tentative agreement has been ratiﬁed, and the strike is ofﬁcially over,” the UAW Local 2300 website read as of Sept. 2, 2024.

The United Auto Workers Local 2300 and Cornell have ratiﬁed an agreement, endorsed by 77 percent of UAW Local 2300 voters.

Lonnie Everett, a UAW international servicing representative for Region 9, announced the result in a statement posted on the UAW Local 2300 website.

“This is a monumental victory, proving that when we come together, we are unstoppable,” Everett wrote.

The statement calls for UAW workers to return to their regular shifts starting as early as 10 p.m. on Sept. 2, 2024.

Terms of the agreement include a 21 to 25.4 percent wage increase with a cost-of-living adjustment, among other beneﬁts, according to the UAW Local 2300 statement. Altogether, the agreement represents a $43 million contract over the next four years.

The agreement follows four months of bargaining and two weeks of strikes, during which Cornell reduced its dining options

and recruited former workers to ﬁll the temporarily empty positions.

In an email sent to the Cornell community at noon on Sept. 3, 2024, administrators encouraged “everyone [to] act with kindness and respect one another’s personal choices,

wheth er that was to strike or to continue working,” as the campus trans normal staff levels.

Students without a meal plan that includes swipes were told to continue utilizing non-Cor

nell dining options, while the University aims to reopen Cornell Dining locations later in the week.

Food trucks popped up at various campus locations from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sept. 3, 2024, and Sept. 4, 2024, to increase meal options for non-swipe meal plan

“Welcome back to those who have been on strike,” the University statement read, “and staff and faculty who

tional gaps caused by the strike and to the community as a whole for your continued

Trump Is Elected 47th President, Watch Parties Held

Former President Donald Trump ofﬁcially secured the presidency, hitting the magic number of 270 electoral votes early Nov. 6, 2024. He found crucial support in a string of swing states, including Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Adding to the state’s signiﬁcance this election cycle was the attempted assassination on Trump while he spoke at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2023. The gunman, a Pennsylvanian recent community college graduate, shot at the former president and grazed his ear, leaving him visibly bleeding but ultimately unharmed. One audience member was killed, and two others were injured by the gunﬁre.

The Associated Press called the race at 5:36 a.m. after projecting Trump as the winner of Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes, pushing him over the edge to 277 votes.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Trump faced stark criticism on a series of policy decisions he made during his first presidency, including his travel ban targeting nearly all travelers from five majority-Muslim countries, as well as North Korea and Venezuelan officials; his response to the coronavirus pandemic, the longest government shutdown in U.S. history; his proposal to build a wall on the southern border and his efforts to reject the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts in May 2024 for falsifying business records to conceal a hush money payment to adult star Stormy Daniels. He also was ordered to pay $85 million to writer E. Jean Carroll for calling her a liar after she accused him of sexual assault.

At Cornell, some conservative student groups have seemingly turned away from Trump, with The Cornell Review and the Cornell Republicans not endorsing the candidate this election cycle.

Continuous commentary, punctuated by intermittent choruses of cheers and boos, resounded throughout the Biotechnology Building, where students gathered at an election night event co-hosted by Cornell Democrats and Cornell Students for Harris. Approximately 200 attendees met to hear the impending results at a watch party complete with catered food, stickers and pins that read “Students for Harris-Walz.”

The event was one of many watch parties held across campus on the evening of Nov. 5, 2024, where students waited with baited breath as polling ofﬁces closed and news outlets began releasing projected winners for each state.

Niles Hite ’26, president of Cornell Democrats, said the organization hosted the watch party to “foster a sense of community” and “make people more politically engaged.”

As results started to come in from across various states, a sense of worry set in among many students. Josephine DeBellis ’28, who attended the Cornell Democrats watch party,

expressed anxiety that the election results might not be ﬁnalized by midnight.

“A lot of people are on edge because we’re all quite vulnerable in this situation politically, and no one wanted it to come to this point where the election is this close and decisive,” DeBellis said. “There’s just a lot of liberties and freedoms for people that are more marginalized that are at risk under the current political climate.”

Black Students United also hosted an election night watch party, at Ujamaa Residential College starting at 9 p.m., where around 65 students attended.

Cameron Smith ’26, BSU co-president, felt nervous in the days leading up to the election, urging those around her to vote. Now that Election Day has passed, Smith said she is shifting her mindset to what comes next.

Reﬂecting on the BSU watch party, Smith stressed the importance of creating a safe space for students to digest the election results.

“We’re trying to create a community here where people feel safe enough to talk about how they feel and are able to address however they feel after [the results come in],” Smith said.

Cornell Hillel was another organization that hosted a Tuesday watch party, attended by a handful of people who

munched on black and white cookies and spanakopita as they watched the election results trickle in at the Hillel House on North Campus. The event fell under Hillel International’s non-partisan MitzVote initiative, which aimed at getting Jewish students out to vote.

“I was sitting in my room, and just was thinking about what this would mean, and didn’t want to digest it all in my dorm,” said attendee Eliana Eats ’26. “This is a space here, with Hillel, that I’m very comfortable with. … It’s been like a second home, so it felt like the safest space to come and see what was going on.”

Eats also discussed the speciﬁc experience of being a college student watching the election.

“Half of us are here doing homework while watching the election. … I think it’s a very different atmosphere than what you would normally get outside of a university setting,” Eats said. “The existential crisis of college students mixed with the existential crisis of American citizens.”

Additional watch parties were held on West Campus in Hans Bethe House and Carl Becker House, and on North Campus in the Appel Multipurpose Room. Cornell Republicans also hosted a watch party but did not respond to a request for comment.

TimeLine

1.21.25 PRO-PALESTINIAN ACTIVISTS VANDALIZE A.D. WHITE STATUE ON FIRST DAY OF SEMESTER: “Divest from death” and “occupation=death” were spray painted in dark red on the Andrew Dickson White statue on the Arts Quad. The historic statue was also smeared with bright red paint resembling blood. The act mirrored the ﬁrst day of classes of the Fall 2024 semester, when “Israel bombs, Cornell pays” and “Blood is on your hands” were spray painted in red along the front entrance of Day Hall — Cornell’s main administrative building.

2.8.25 CORNELL DINING ANNOUNCES LA COLOMBE TO REPLACE STARBUCKS AS PRIMARY RETAIL COFFEE VENDOR:

One and a half years after the University announced its decision to discontinue its partnership with Starbucks, Cornell Dining revealed that La Colombe Coffee Roasters will replace Starbucks as the primary retail coffee vendor across campus. The new brew will come to campus in the summer of 2025.

2.8.25 UNIVERSITY SAYS IT WILL CUT FUNDING FOR CENTER FOR TRANSFORMATIVE ACTION: The Division of Student & Campus Life has decided to end the University’s afﬁliation with the Center For Transformative Action — the parent organization of many on-campus initiatives including Anabel’s Grocery, Durland Alternatives Library and Prisoner Express — starting June 2025. Over $100,000 in annual funding for CTA will be cut off two years later.

2.10.25 TWELVE UNIVERSITIES SUE NIH AFTER GRANT CUTS ANNOUNCED: Cornell, along with 11 other universities, ﬁled a lawsuit

against the National Institutes of Health challenging the recent cuts to funding related to “indirect costs” — which cover the expenses of research infrastructure — associated with NIH grants towards medical research.

3.11.25 17 PROTESTERS ARRESTED OR DETAINED DURING UNIVERSITY-RUN ‘PATHWAYS TO PEACE’ PANEL: At least 17 pro-Palestinian attendees were arrested or detained by Cornell University Police Department ofﬁcers at a panel discussion that brought together four experts on the Israeli-Palestinian conﬂict in a “wide-ranging conversation” on “potential paths forward for the people of Israel and Palestine,” according to the event’s description.

3.17.25 PROFESSOR, GRADUATE STUDENTS SUE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT: Prof. Mukoma Wa Ngugi, literatures in English; Momodou Taal, a Ph.D. candidate in Africana studies; and Sriram Parasurama, a Ph.D. student in plant sciences, claimed that the enforcement of two of the Trump administration’s national security-related executive orders violates their First and Fifth Amendment rights.

3.21.25 MICHAEL KOTLIKOFF NAMED CORNELL’S 15TH PRESIDENT: After serving eight months as interim president, Michael Kotlikoff was named Cornell’s 15th president in a vote by the Cornell Board of Trustees.

4.29.25 AFFECTED STUDENTS SEE SEVIS RECORDS RESTORED: The records were “temporarily” reactivated two weeks after 17 current and former students had their Student and Exchange Visitor Information System records terminated.

Trump Administration Freezes Over $1 Billion in Cornell Funds

The federal government has frozen over $1 billion in funding for Cornell, according to members of the Trump administration. This comes amid Title VI investigations of Cornell by the U.S. Department of Education.

The move follows the slashing of more than $3.3 billion in federal funding from several Ivy League universities, including Columbia, Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, Brown and Princeton. The Trump administration also froze $790 million in funding for Northwestern, according to The New York Times.

Cornell receives both federal and state funding for its research and grants for students. The freezing of Cornell and Northwestern’s funding from the federal government will primarily involve grants and contracts with the departments of agriculture, defense, education and health and human services, The New York Times reported.

An April 7, 2025, statement from Cornell administrators explained that the University was “aware of media reports suggesting that more than $1 billion in federal grants have been frozen” but had “not received information that would conﬁrm this ﬁgure.”

However, Cornell saw more than 120 stop work orders from the Department of Defense related to Cornell research “that is profoundly signiﬁcant to American national defense, cybersecurity, and health,” according to the statement.

Stop-work orders are directions

from a contracting ofﬁcer to a contractor to stop all or parts of work “for a period of 90 days after the order is delivered.” The contractor under a stop-work order is required to immediately comply.

Administrators explained that among the different research projects that were immediately halted include research into jet engines, information networks, superconductors, robotics, propulsion systems and space and satellite communications, in addition to research on cancer.

“[This research is] work of significance for our national defense, the competitiveness of our economy, and the health of our citizens,” the statement reads.

The administrators emphasized that Cornell is a “land-grant university that serves New York state and the nation.”

The ED Ofﬁce for Civil Rights sent a letter on Feb. 14, 2025, to Cornell and other federally funded educational institutions, ordering the dissolution of “racial preferences” and other University race-conscious decisions. The ED highlighted in the letter that universities could potentially lose federal funding if they did not comply within 14 days.

Following the initial letter, the OCR announced the opening of an investigation of Cornell and 44 other universities under Title VI.

The OCR explained that the investigations came amid allegations that the universities violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by working with The Ph.D. Proj-

ect — which “purports to provide doctoral students with insights into obtaining a Ph.D. and networking opportunities, but limits eligibility based on the race of participants,” according to the OCR.

Cornell was also one of 60 schools sent letters from the ED on March 10, 2025, warning the universities to “fulﬁll their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students on campus” or see “enforcement actions.”

The March 10, 2025, letter was sent to universities that were under investigation for antisemitic discrimination and harassment.

Administrators ended the April 7, 2025, statement by highlighting that Cornell has worked to create an environment on campus where all viewpoints and individuals are “protected and respected.”

“We are committed to working with our federal partners to continue the contributions made by our scientists and scholars,” the statement reads.

In the meantime, researchers are reeling in the wake of funding cuts. Prof. Massimo Cristofanilli, M.D., director of breast medical oncology at the Weill Cornell Medical Center, said the cuts halted clinical trials set to begin by June 2025 to test Syantra DX Breast Cancer, an early-cancer-detection blood test technology project for which he was principal investigator. That clinical trial, however, is now on hold.

“The patients are the ones that suffer the most,” Cristofanilli said.

Controversy Comes to Slope Day

Gunna Replaces Kehlani as Slope Day Headliner Following Claims of Antisemitism

The Slope Day Programming Board announced Gunna as the headliner for Slope Day on the morning of May 2, 2025, nine days after President Michael Kotlikoff rescinded Kehlani’s invitation on April 23, 2025.

Slope Day, the annual concert held on Libe Slope at the end of the academic year, is ﬁnanced by the Student Activity Funding Commission — a body responsible for allocating a portion of the undergraduate student activity fee, which all students pay to the University.

onade,” “f*kumean” and “Drip Too Hard,” was announced as the headliner of the performance.

Previously collaborating with artists like Doja Cat, Travis Scott and Drake, Gunna has topped the Billboard 200 charts twice with his albums “DS4EVER” and “Wunna.”

Gunna, whose government name is Sergio Kitchens, was arrested in 2022 for racketeering on accusations that he was collaborating with the Young Slime criminal gang. He pleaded guilty to the charges in December 2022.

The Student Assembly previously invited Gunna to attend Slope Day as an emcee in 2022 to accompany headlining artist Aminé.

The supporting performers were Louis The Child, known for their songs “It’s Strange,” “Slow Down Love” and “Better Not.” Other performers included student band Lucky Strike and student DJs Two (Asian) Friends and FREQ. The replacement followed student and parent dissatisfaction over Kehlani’s anti-Israel sentiments on her social media. In an email statement to the Cornell community, President Michael Kotlikoff wrote, “I have heard grave concerns from our community that many are angry, hurt, and confused that Slope

Day would feature a performer who has espoused antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments in performances, videos, and on social media.”

In a video posted to X expressing her discontent with other music industry members for not speaking out in favor of Palestine, Kehlani said, “It’s f*ck Israel, it’s f*ck Zion ism and it’s also f*ck a lot of y’all too.”

Kehlani’s beliefs also appear in her per formances. Her “Next 2 U” music video — which was released in June 2024 — begins with the message “Long Live the Intifada,” in addition to featuring dancers in kef ﬁyehs waving Palestinian ﬂags. The word intifada is often associated with two Palestinian uprisings.

A week after Kehlani’s an nouncement as headliner, at an April 17, 2025, Student Assem bly meeting, Kotlikoff criticized the choice of the outspokenly an ti-Israel performer but stated that “it’s too late to secure another performer.”

Following Kotlikoff’s statements, Cornellians for Israel launched a petition and GoFundMe to re place Kehlani’s headliner posi tion. In an Instagram post pro moting the petition, CFI called Kehlani “antisemitic” and wrote that her opposition to Zionism

“is a call to eradicate a core aspect of Jewish … identity.”

Soon after CFI’s campaign began, Kotlikoff held a meeting on April 22, 2025, which was promoted to several pro-Israel and historically Jewish Greek Life organizations. At the meeting, administrators discussed potential options for Slope Day moving forward and student dissatisfaction with Kehlani.

“I am not antisemitic, nor anti-Jew,” Kehlani said in a video posted to her Instagram on May 3, 2025, in response to Cornell cancelling her invitation. “I am anti-genocide. I am anti the actions of the Israeli government, I am anti the extermination of an entire people, I am anti the bombing of innocent children, men, women — that’s what I’m anti.”

Cornell Reaches $30 Million Settlement With Trump Administration

The University reached a settlement with the federal government to restore over $250 million in federal funds, according to a statement sent by President Michael Kotlikoff to the University community on Nov. 7.

Cornell agreed to give $30 million to the federal government and invest an additional $30 million into research to strengthen U.S. agriculture over the next three years.

The settlement stipulates that all funding to Cornell will be restored for grants that were paused and those that were yet to be funded. Grants that were previously deemed ineligible for funding will also be restored in full.

The federal government also agreed to close all ongoing Civil Rights Title VI investigations into Cornell. The University did not admit to any wrongdoing and “expressly denies liability with respect to the subject matter of the Investigations,” according to the settlement.

Under the agreement, the University must provide the federal government with anonymized undergraduate admissions data, including race, grade point average and standardized test scores broken down by speciﬁc colleges on a quarterly basis in compliance with existing regulations. The data will be subjected to a “comprehensive audit by the United States.” However, the information will be “maintained conﬁdentially and exempt from public disclosure,” according to the agreement.

The settlement states that “no provision of this Agreement, individually or taken together, shall be construed as giving the United States authority to dictate the content of academic speech or curricula.”

However, Cornell agreed to include the Department of Justice’s “Guidance for Recipients of Federal Funding Regarding Unlawful Discrimination,” released on July 29, 2025, as a training resource for all faculty and staff. The memo announcing the guidance says, “The federal government will not stand by while recipients of federal funds engage in discrimination,” noting the “signiﬁcant legal risk of initiatives” such as diversity, equity and inclusion programs and the allowance of transgender athletes to compete on women’s teams.

The federal government initially froze funding for Cornell in April 2025. The freeze came after the Ofﬁce of Civil Rights announced a Title VI investigation into Cornell and 44 other universities.

The New York Times had reported that the Trump administration froze over $1 billion in federal funding for Cornell, according to anonymous U.S. ofﬁcials.

However, administrators later clariﬁed that the cuts amounted to approximately $250 million in stopwork orders and grant terminations and that about $80 million was additionally owed to Cornell from the federal government for “programs for which we’ve made expenditures and we haven’t been reimbursed.”

Since February 2025, Cornell has seen over 120 stop-work orders leveraged against the University. Provost Kavita Bala conﬁrmed that the number of active stop-work orders had remained essentially unchanged in an October interview with The Sun.

Stop-work orders are directions from a contracting ofﬁcer to a contractor to stop all or parts of work “for a period of 90 days after the order is delivered.”

Kotlikoff explained that as a land-grant university for New York State and as a “global pioneer in agricultural research and innovation,” Cornell is “proud

Kotlikof Inaugurated as Cornell’s 15th President

He was named president eight months into a two-year interim term

President Michael Kotlikoff was formally inaugurated as Cornell’s 15th president during a ceremony in Barton Hall on Oct. 24. Following his appointment as interim president on May 9, 2024, Kotlikoff was named president in March 2025, eight months into his two-year interim term.

The inauguration, which took place during the Trustee-Council Annual Meeting, followed a dinner for trustees, council members and guests.

In his presidential inauguration speech, Kotlikoff shared that “being named Cornell’s 15th president has been a humbling experience, as it adds my own to a list of names that have shaped and deﬁned Cornell for the past 160 years.”

He added that “It’s a different thing to be inaugurated as president of the University where you’ve spent most of your career — when you’ve been asked to help shape the future of an institution that is already your home, and to which you owe a debt of gratitude impossible ever to repay.”

Anne Meinig Smalling ’87, chair of the Board of Trustees, opened the event. She was assisted by life trustee Ezra Cornell ’70, the great-great-great grandson of the University’s founder, who presented the University charter to Kotlikoff, employee-elected trustee Hei Hei Depew, who bore the University seal and faculty-elected trustee Durba

Ghosh, who bore the University mace.

“Over his quarter-century at Cornell, Mike [Kotlikoff] has experienced every facet of the University.

As a professor, lab director, teacher and mentor, researcher, department chair, dean and then as the longest serving provost in Cornell history,” Smalling said. “It’s no surprise that Mike brings to the ofﬁce and to

the future leaders of the world sit in our classrooms,” Smalling said.

As Cornell displayed the University charter on stage, Smalling emphasized its weighty signiﬁcance.

“Let it be for your constant reminder of our mission of service to the people of the state, the nation and the world,” Smalling said.

In Kotlikoff’s inaugural speech, he discussed how being a leader during a

to lead efforts in supporting American farmers,” with the $30 million agriculture research investment. The $30 payment towards the federal government will serve as a “condition for ending pending claims that have been brought against the university,” according to Kotlikoff.

The settlement comes after Cornell ranked second-highest among the Ivy League universities in federal lobbying spending in the year following Q3 ﬁling. The University was also reportedly close to a $100 million settlement deal earlier this year, according to Bloomberg. Kotlikoff denied this claim in an interview with The Sun, saying, “I wouldn’t agree that we’re necessarily very close to a settlement, and I wouldn’t agree with a number that was published.”

Cornell was the fourth Ivy to strike a deal with the federal government to restore funding, following the University of Pennsylvania, Brown University and Columbia University.

“The months of stop-work orders, grant terminations, and funding freezes have stalled cutting-edge research, upended lives and careers, and threatened the future of academic programs at Cornell,” Kotlikoff wrote. “I am grateful for the dedication and resilience of the faculty, staff, and students who have found ways to continue moving critical work forward throughout these unprecedented events.”

The settlement is effective until December 31, 2028.

“With this resolution, Cornell looks forward to resuming the long and fruitful partnership with the federal government that has yielded, for so many years, so much progress and well-being for our nation and our world,” Kotlikoff wrote.

TimeLine

8.21.25 CORNELL RENAMES OADI: Cornell renamed its Ofﬁce of Academic Diversity Initiatives to the Ofﬁce of Academic Discovery and Impact.

8.26.25 CODE OF CONDUCT REVISION ANNOUNCED: Vice President of Student and Campus Life Ryan Lombardi announced a “formal review process” of the Student Code of Conduct and Procedures citing changes across higher education and Cornell.

9.6.25 STUDENTS SKIN BEAR IN GANEDAGO HALL COMMUNAL KITCHEN: Two Cornell students legally hunted a bear and processed the animal in a Ganedago Hall kitchen, triggering national attention. While a police report was made following the ﬁling of a complaint, no charges were ﬁled, according to a University spokesperson.

10.3.25 PROF. CHEYFITZ RETIRES AMID DISCRIMINATION INVESTIGATION: Prof. Eric Cheyﬁtz, literatures in English, faced a two-semester suspension without pay after an investigation found he violated federal anti-discrimination law when he allegedly asked an Israeli graduate student, whom Cheyﬁtz claims was “disruptive,” to leave

his course on Gaza. Cheyﬁtz began his retirement on Oct. 3 after he and his lawyer negotiated a deal to avoid further deliberation by a University panel and ultimately the president.

10.14.25 CORNELL RECEIVES LETTER FROM U.N. SPECIAL RAPPORTEURS OVER ALLEGED HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS: Cornell was among ﬁve universities to receive a letter from United Nationals Special Rapporteurs raising “serious concern” over alleged human rights violations against international students on campus. The letters, released to the public 60 days later, were also sent to Columbia, Georgetown, Tufts and Minnesota State University by ﬁve U.N. Special Rapporteurs.

10.21.25 WILLARD STRAIGHT HALL CELEBRATES 100TH ANNIVERSARY: Willard Straight Hall, one of the ﬁrst student unions in North America, celebrated its 100th anniversary with an event titled “Centennial Celebration: 100 years of Willard Straight Hall.” The event featured historical displays and archival materials, student performances and other activities for students, faculty, staff and alumni.

Fight for Freedom | Demonstrators gather in Washington Park on Oct. 19 for a “No Kings” protest.

KARLIE MCGANN / SUN STAFF EDITOR

SPRING 2026

Kotliko f Drives into Student

Te University established an investigative committee and the president faced calls to resign.

President Michael Kotlikoff drove his car into a Cornell student and ran over the foot of a recent graduate following a Cornell Political Union debate on the Israel-Palestine conﬂict on the evening of April 30, according to video footage obtained by The Sun.

In a May 1 email to the Cornell community, Kotlikoff described being followed to his car after the debate and “accosted” by a group of students and non-students who he wrote were “shouting,” “blocking the car” and “banging on the windows” before he left the parking lot. Kotlikoff described the encounter as a “harassment and intimidation incident” and wrote that he “waited until [he] saw space behind the car.” Kotlikoff did not mention any collision between the vehicle and the individuals.

Video footage obtained by The Sun shows Students for a Democratic Cornell members Aiden Vallecillo ’26 and Hudson Athas ’27 being struck by the car. In the video, no person can be seen touching the vehicle before it drove into Vallecillo and Athas.

The Sun spoke to Vallecillo, who said that he, Athas, SDC president Sophia Arnold ’26 and SDC member Aislyn Berg ’27 followed Kotlikoff to ask about free expression on campus after the event. They asked Kotlikoff about the Expressive Activity Policy, temporary suspensions on campus, the referendum and free speech during the ﬁve-minute walk to Kotlikoff’s car, Vallecillo said. In his email, Kotlikoff wrote that the individuals “loudly shouted” questions at him and refused to stop recording after he indicated that he did not want to engage further.

Vallecillo described the president as “dismissive,” “disinterested” and “disrespectful” in response to their questions.

After entering his car, Kotlikoff “rapidly backed into” Vallecillo and Athas and then drove off, according to Vallecillo.

The two have not been contacted by the University since the incident, Vallecillo told The Sun. Kotlikoff’s email was released without reaching out to any students involved for a statement or to fact check, he added.

When reached for comment by The Sun on the contents of

Timeline

1.1.26 CORNELL APPOINTS FIRST VICE PROVOST FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE STRATEGY: Prof. Thorsten Joachims, computer science and information science, was appointed to the new position of vice provost for artiﬁcial intelligence strategy. Joachim’s position was meant to expand upon the Cornell AI Initiative and coordinate AI use in research and classrooms across the university. Created alongside the new position was the AI Strategy Council, comprised of ﬁve faculty members.

1.30.26 DOJ RELEASES EPSTEIN FILES REVEALING CONNECTIONS TO CORNELLIANS: According to the ﬁles, convicted child sex offender and ﬁnancier Jeffrey Epstein maintained correspondence with multiple Cornellians. The Cornellians include alumni, as well as doctors and scientists formerly and currently employed by Weill Cornell Medicine.

2.13.26 HEGSETH MOVES TO BAN MILITARY TUITION ASSISTANCE FOR GRADUATE PROGRAMS: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth moved to bar the use of military tuition assistance at dozens of top universities. A preliminary list compiled by the U.S. Army classiﬁed Cornell as being at “moderate to high risk” of losing eligibility due to alleged “bias” against the military.

3.2.26 WEILL CORNELL MEDICINE IN QATAR MOVES TO REMOTE OPERATIONS AMID MILITARY ATTACKS: Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar transitioned to remote learning and work due to ongoing military actions in the region. The decision follows the shelter-in-place directive issued by the U.S. Embassy in Qatar on March 1. Qatar saw dozens of explosions over the previous week. According to a report released by its Ministry of Defense on March 3, 101 ballistic missiles and 39 drones were detected ﬂying towards its airspace since Feb. 28.

3.11.26 PALANTIR HOSTS AN NDA-REQUIRED, ‘INVITE-ONLY’ RECRUITMENT EVENT ON CAMPUS: Palantir Technologies, a data analytics and defense software company that has been criticized for its ties with ICE, hosted an invite-only recruitment event in Upson Hall. It required every participant to sign a non-disclosure agreement, present identiﬁcation and leave their backpack at the front of the room in order to attend. The private event was “coordinated with speciﬁc project teams,” according to a University spokesperson, and comprised approximately 30 students.

4.27.26 BORIS JOHNSON SPEAKS FOR SOLD-OUT CROWD ON CAMPUS: Former prime minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson spoke to a sold-out crowd in Call Auditorium about Iran, democracy and sovereignty during an event hosted by Cornell Republicans. The event, named “The West is Worth Saving,” was sponsored by Young America’s Foundation, a nonproﬁt that works to promote conservative ideas on college campuses.

the footage — including the footage that disproved Kotllikoff’s claim that students “bang[ed] on” his vehicle — a University spokesperson acknowledged the new information and afﬁrmed that the University still stands by Kotlikoff’s email statement.

Later on May 1, the University released a statement from Kyle Kimball, vice president for university relations, titled “Video of harassment and intimidation incident at Day Hall” that included a written statement and security footage of the incident.

“We are updating our previous statement to provide security camera footage that shows students following President Kotlikoff to his car and surrounding the car to prevent him from leaving after the Cornell Political Union event,” the statement reads. “This is complete footage of the parking lot interactions, instead of clips to support a narrative.”

The Investigation Cornell’s Board of Trustees announced the establishment of an Ad Hoc Special Committee to investigate the incident between President Michael Kotlikoff and

a group of students on April 30, according to a statement sent to the Cornell community by the committee on May 7.

The Board of Trustees committee will be composed of four members according to the statement: Chair Anne Meinig Smalling ’87 and Co-Vice Chairs Howard Morgan Ph.D. ’68, Beckie Robertson ’82 and Stephen Robinson ’81 J.D. ’84.

The committee noted that Kotlikoff has recused himself from “any involvement” in the committee and investigation.

Calls for Resignation

The local executive board for the Cornell Graduate Students Union and its afﬁliated labor union, the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America Local 2300, sent an email to graduate student workers on May 5, calling for Kotlikoff’s immediate resignation.

A group of graduate student organizations added to CGSUUE’s call for Kotlikoff to resign on May 6 in a letter to the editor sent to The Sun, calling Kotlikoff’s actions “abhorrent, cowardly and unacceptable.”

A group of graduate student

organizations added to CGSUUE’s call for Kotlikoff to resign on May 6 in a letter to the editor sent to The Sun, calling Kotlikoff’s actions “abhorrent, cowardly and unacceptable.”

The CGSU-UE local executive board criticized Kotlikoff’s “dangerous actions” in their call for the president’s resignation.

“Instead of having dialogue with students about one of the most pressing issues of our times—both on our campus and in the world at large—Kotlikoff escalated a situation to violence, putting the lives of multiple Cornell students at risk,” CGSU-UE wrote. “This lapse in judgment—to intentionally back his car into a group of undergraduate students and drive away—is inexcusable.”

The statement and the letter from the graduate students also criticize Kotlikoff’s past behaviors, writing that he has “persecuted” student workers, “repressed” pro-Palestine student activity and “enabled farright ideology” by agreeing to a deal with the Trump administration, citing a “long history of oppressing students and workers at Cornell.”

Students Rally Against ICE

Protestors called on the University to cut ties with federal immigration agencies after ads for Customs and Border Protection appeared on Cornell’s Handshake page.

Over 100 students and community members gathered in front of Willard Straight Hall on the evening of February 4 to condemn federal immigration agencies and urge the University to sever institutional ties with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.

Organized by Cornell Democrats, The Progressives at Cornell, Students for Justice in Palestine at Cornell, the Cornell American Civil Liberties Union and Black Students United, the rally blended denunciations of immigrant enforcement with broader critiques

the Ithaca Commons over the weekend. These events were sparked by the killings of two U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal immigration ofﬁcers in Minneapolis this month as well as the detainment of ﬁve year old pre-kindergarten student Liam Conejo Ramos by immigration authorities.

The protest also focused on recent controversies over federal recruitment efforts on college campuses, including advertisements on Cornell’s Handshake page — a career networking platform aimed at college students. There are currently two listed webi-

CBP, particularly in recruitment and campus access.

Advertisements on Handshake Cornell Career Services is promoting multiple positions at the Department of Homeland Security, including the role of Deportation Ofﬁcer at Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Deportation Ofﬁcer position appeared on the Career Services website on August 1, linking to job postings on platforms USA Jobs and Handshake.

Prior to the Deportation Ofﬁcer listing, Career Services began promoting recruitment webinars and Zoom

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Independent Since 1880

144th Masthead

SOPHIA DASSER ’28 Editor in Chief

SOPHIA ROMANOV IMBER ’28

Associate Editor

RAYEN ZHOU ’29

Opinion Editor

ZARA CHEEK ’28

Opinion Editor

JADE DUBUCHE ’27

Multimedia Editor

BENJAMIN LEYNSE ’27

Multimedia Editor

SOPHIA TORRES LUGO ’26

Business Manager

DOROTHY FRANCE-MILLER ’27

Marketing Manager

KENDALL MURPHY ’28

Advertising Manager

VICTORIA WROBLEWSKI ’28

Human Resources Manager

MELISSA MOON ’28

Arts & Culture Editor

JAMES PALM ’27

Assistant Arts & Culture Editor

MATTHEW RENTEZELAS ’28

Assistant Arts & Culture Editor

HAZEL TJADEN ’28

Assistant Arts & Culture Editor

MARC STAIANO ’27

Assistant Arts & Culture Editor

KATELYN HALVERSON ’28

Lifestyle Editor

AVA BETNAR ’29

Assistant Lifestyle Editor

SANIKA SARAF ’28

Assistant Lifestyle Editor

KATHERINE ISTOMIN ’29

Social Media Editor

JOIE JEAN-PAUL ’29

Assistant Social Media Editor

ASHLIN KWONG ’28

Graphics Editor

TAVAN BHATIA ’27

Games Editor

From the Associate Editor

VARSHA BHARGAVA ’27

Managing Editor

KATE TURK ’27

Assistant Managing Editor

CORAL PLATT ’29 News Editor

ATTICUS JOHNSON ’28 News Editor

MARY CAITLIN CRONIN ’28 News Editor

EVERETT CHAMBALA ’27

Assistant News Editor

SHUBHA GAUTAM ’28

Assistant News Editor

GISELLE REDMOND ’28

Assistant News Editor

ANGELINA TANG ’28

Science & Technology Editor

TANIA HAO ’28

Science & Technology Editor

SIMRAN LABORE ’27

Weather & Climate Editor

MATTHEW LEONARD ’28 Sports Editor

GRACE REUBEN ’28 Sports Editor

JANE HAVILAND ’28 Features Editor

NATHAN ELLISON ’28 Photography Editor

NATHAN BO ’28

Assistant Photography Editor

ADELAIDE CHOW ’29

Assistant Photography Editor

MIA SOFIA ORENGO ’28 Video Editor

SMRITHE RAJESH ’29 Newsletter Editor

DEAN THAKUR ’27 Newsletter Editor

AMELIA GARCIA ’27 Data Editor

RENA GEULA ’28 Layout Editor

HUNTER PETMECKY ’28 Layout Editor

College Really Does End on a Random Afternoon

Dear Seniors,

The culmination of your four years at Cornell is captured in a group photo by the clock tower, a candid by the Law School and a champagne pop on the steps of Goldwin Smith Hall. Plenty of prelims, essays and ﬁnals later, that’s it, right? This snapshot is everything.

Recently, I’ve had the pleasure of photographing a few graduation shoots. I zoom in on your caps and gowns and focus on your smiles at the end of this journey. Graduation photos are a special endeavor; they must say it all. As a sophomore, I can only imagine your excitement and anticipation for the future. Yet, I would be remiss not to mention the uncertainty underlying this moment.

When you enter the workforce and real life, there is a lot of fear and instability. The job landscape seems to be rapidly shifting regardless of one’s ﬁeld. Yet I hope you take the lack of certainty not as an obstacle but rather as an opportunity to pave alternative paths in a moment that demands reinvention.

As the Class of 2026, you entered college in a freshly post-COVID environment. You have been forced to navigate this brave new world, with the rise of artiﬁcial intelligence distorting your coursework and job prospects. The bachelor’s degree used to mean a step towards achieving the American Dream, but that promise seems to be slipping into the past.

Tensions on campus are only growing. Over these past four years, you’ve borne witness to a ﬂuctuation of protests, (driving) collisions between the administration and students and key political discussions, with an array of guests on campus. These incidents have imprinted on our college experience and irrevocably changed our perception of the U.S. political climate. Our University has faced pressure from our government and citizens alike who question its relevance to American society. Your college experience has been riddled with tension, change and political undercurrents.

However, when my shutter clicks, I do not capture that tension and polarization; my lens ﬁnds celebration, completion and an air of ﬁnality. It is a deep breath at the end of a long day.

It is easy to be washed in nostalgia or think years into the future. But for now, I hope you can all congratulate yourselves on this incredible journey. It is no simple feat to endure four years at Cornell. So please, take a deep breath and a ﬁnal look at the slope. And maybe take a picture while you’re at it; it’ll last longer.

on the 142nd Masthead and news editor on the 141st Masthead. She can be reached at jsenzon@cornellsun.com.

Everyone’s a Journalist

The first time you saw my name was likely in a byline. Next to that would have been a fancy title — news editor, managing editor or editor-in-chief.

I am absolutely humbled to have held some of the top positions at The Sun. From covering vandalism to research cuts to protests to the Student Assembly, I am deeply gratified to have written over 100 articles.

Yet after penning piece after piece, talking to hundreds of sources and editing out thousands of Oxford commas, what is most remarkable to me is not how special this work is, but, in fact, just how accessible and applicable it is.

Over the past decade, legacy media has declined in influence and trust, replaced by a decentralized and democratized media sphere. With an iPhone in your pocket, you can record and transcribe an interview, photograph and videotape uncensored scenes and disseminate live updates to a global audience as they occur.

As student journalists, we live at the intersection of these two media spheres: trained on traditional journalism practices and institutional knowledge, while simultaneously reporting on our peers with relatively limited resources. We experience the very issues and tensions we capture on our pages, and work to document the truth in the minutes we can squeeze in between classes — without care for salary or awards.

I seek to practice the thorough interviewing and fact-checking evident in the legacy media coverage that recently exposed Cesar Chavez’s sexual abuse allegations and traced inconsistent dialogue surrounding the Iran war.

And yet, I am equally inspired by Darnella Frazier, who bravely recorded the viral video documenting police officer Derek Chauvin’s choking of George Floyd for nine minutes and 29 seconds. The then17-year-old’s cellphone footage became key evidence in Chauvin’s trial for Floyd’s death.

I am moved by the Minneapolis bystanders who captured the scenes preceding Alex Pretti’s untimely death at the hands of Border Patrol agents. While Kristi Noem told the nation that Pretti had “attacked” officers while “brandishing” a gun, bystanders’ footage makes clear that Pretti was instead holding up his phone while helping a woman officers had just pushed down at the time of his murder.

As autocratic protest repression and repressive immigration enforcement play out on the streets, I

urge you to employ the skillset of a traditional journalist and the eyes of a citizen journalist. Do not let fascism or the revolution go untelevised or unwritten.

To be a journalist means to care about the ordinary: to be amazed by it, confused by it and concerned by it.

It means embracing connection, curiosity and community. It means believing action starts with knowledge: not the kind drawn from academic texts buried in syllabi, but that which is based on the testimonies and observations of your neighbors.

Pursuing journalism requires fundamentally believing that other people are a force of good, and this is what makes journalism worth it. Once you care, you will recognize just how many other people care too.

In a world increasingly burdened by anti-intellectualism, echo chambers and hyperindividualism, the perspective of a journalist is genuinely radical.

So I encourage you to be curious. Do not take what is told at surface value. Talk to different stakeholders — especially the ones you disagree with — before making declarations and endorsements.

Truly engage with the community around you. Attend city council and school board meetings. Research local politicians and policies.

Be a little nosey. Take out your noise-cancelling headphones, and listen to what people are complaining about on the bus and in the line for food.

Ask how people are doing — how they are really doing. What do they need help with? When do they feel unheard?

Embrace gossip. No, not just the who’s dating who. Gossip about your salary with your coworkers and your treatment by your boss. Gossip about the struggles your friends and family are facing with their access to healthcare, housing and employment.

Commonality is bridged through conversation. You will never understand just how much the people around you share until you open your ears and your mouth.

Journalism is a lifestyle that has kept me mystified and driven for the past four years. Journalism is a lens that I will seek to maintain for the rest of my life.

So I proclaim as a manifestation, rather than an absolute reflection of reality: Everyone’s a journalist. It is not enough to support journalists — be one.

Julia Senzon

Julia Senzon is a graduating senior from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She served as the editor-in-chief of Te Cornell Daily Sun on the 143rd Masthead, managing editor

Jane McNally

Jane McNally is a graduating senior from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She served as sports editor on the 142nd editorial board and senior sports editor on the 143rd editorial board. She can be reached at jmcnally@cornellsun.com.

Lots of things end with a bang, something very fnite — lasting — where you feel the reverberations even when it is over.

Graduation is a lot like that. All your friends and family convene to celebrate. You buy an expensive white dress and wear a peculiar hat and robe. You walk across a stage and are handed a slip of paper worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Confetti, streamers, champagne; all the stops.

My graduation happened on March 27. It was none of those things.

It took place in Loveland, Colorado, in front of a couple thousand people. In a hockey arena, too — considering I’ve spent the majority of my college experience in rinks across the country, that part felt ftting, a poetic ode to the last four years of my life.

Tere was no celebrating, no regalia, no parents or family or friends. Just me, my laptop, some media folk I had made small talk with in the press box, and the big bold letters fashing on the scoreboard.

Denver 5, Cornell 0.

And that was it. Tat was the end.

I graduate from Cornell University on May 23, but I’ve already gotten my degree from Te Cornell Daily

Gabriel Muñoz

Give My Regards

Sun University. Every other thought in my mind over the last four years has had to do with covering Cornell men’s hockey for Te Sun — story ideas, people to interview, flm to analyze, tweets to send, stats to decode. Tis paper, and this role, was my whole entire life.

Sitting in the press box in Colorado, it did not feel like something so momentous was fnally ending. Part of it felt like routine, because I’d experienced games like this many times before. But this, I knew, was diferent. Never had I been so belligerently dumbfounded staring at my blank Google Doc. Because how do you spell the end of everything that has made you who you are?

I’m at a similar crossroads right now. For this graduation column, I could preach the tiresome advice of a college graduate. It is probably best if you don’t listen to me. I’m taking my expensive, prestigious Cornell degree and, instead of becoming a doctor or a lawyer or a banker, I am becoming a sports journalist. I’m not exactly the Ivy League’s poster child.

I have nothing profound to say. Just gratitude, which I want to express in my fnal piece of writing for Te Sun, over 250 bylines later. Yeesh. What’s a few more words?

I point you toward Cornell University’s primary fght song, “Give My Regards to Davy,” played after every goal and a tune I’ve probably heard over a thousand times — hell, I heard it 10 times in one single game.

According to Wikipedia, the song tells the tale of “a fctional encounter between an anonymous student, David Fletcher ‘Davy’ Hoy, the registrar and secretary for the committee on student conduct, and Tomas Frederick ‘Tee Fee’ Crane, the Professor of Languages and the frst Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences revolving around the student’s expulsion for binge drinking.”

I won’t be giving my regards to Davy, nor will I be grabbing drinks at Teodore Zinck’s when I get back next fall. Because, for me, there is no next fall, nor is there still the existence of Teodore Zinck’s.

Instead, give my regards to 139 W State St., the place where I spent many evenings with watering eyes, clicking through errors on Adobe InDesign. Give my regards to Tai Basil for fueling these late nights.

Give my regards to those who came before me at Te Sun, sports editors and reporters alike, especially Aaron Snyder ’23 — for pushing me to run for sports editor when I was a sophomore, but even before that, for taking

a shot in the dark on a soft-spoken freshman who missed all of Te Sun’s information sessions that fall and sent a feeble email asking to cover men’s hockey.

Give my regards to Lynah Rink, old and rickety and the best barn in college hockey. Give my regards to the waft of fshiness at the Harvard game and the melting ice. Give my regards to the Lynah press box, so narrow that the entire row would have to fle out to let anyone in.

In fact, give my regards to press boxes everywhere — may they be flled with more and more women with each coming game. Give my regards to all the women carving out a path in men’s sports: Never stop taking up space.

"Because how do you spell the end of everything that has made you who you are?"

And give my regards to the great sport of hockey, which for every 50 positive experiences also deals me a negative one, from an angry emailer to someone questioning my credentials or stopping me before the team locker room. I will never stop being proud to be a woman covering men’s ice hockey.

Give my regards to the coaches, Casey Jones ’90 and Mike Schafer ’86, for opening your arms and giving unrivaled access to a student journalist. For all I learned through our lighthearted conversations outside the locker room, I learned so much more from the harder conversations we had after losses or sweeping roster changes. Tey treated me like a professional, not a student, and they are some of the people I will miss the most. To the players, too, for always taking the time after skating miles during games to answer my questions. Tere is no story to write and no role for me without them.

Give my regards to Te Cornell Daily Sun, where I arrived as someone who simply liked to write and left as a writer. Where I learned everything I now know. Where I wrote some not-so-great stories, but some pretty great ones, too.

Where I had the best job in the world. I’ll never stop talking about it, I can assure you that.

Accepting the Gravity

Secondary to that, though, is the importance of your sense of ownership over yourself and your own actions.

Troughout college, there is no place where this translates more than to my work at Te Sun. Te paper gave me my frst opportunity to learn frsthand about the fallout of taking ownership. While I was previously solely beholden to the personal consequences of my decisions, I now lived in a reality where the decisions I made as a writer and editor deeply afected the people in the articles I pitched and drafted, along with our readership.

Gabriel Muñoz is a graduate from the College of Arts and Sciences. He served as city editor on the 142nd editorial board and news editor on the 141st editorial board. He can be reached at gmunoz@cornellsun.com.

Whilemany of my fellow class members are getting ready to pick up their caps and gowns and pose for graduation pictures, I am not.

Tat is because I have already done that — just one semester early.

And although I am writing my graduation column now, for the past fve months or so, I have delved headfrst into post-graduation life. Tis unique timing leaves me both similarly removed from the college experience and having a minuscule taste of what awaits after. So, I fgured I’d share what I think is the biggest takeaway from my stint outside of Ithaca.

Like many of my fellow graduates, I entered college focused on a defned path: Follow the syllabus, get decent enough grades and most importantly, make memories with friends. Cornell did teach me a whole lot about sticking to a routine, delivering under tight deadlines and producing quality work to refect the efort I put into it.

Yet, when I ponder what has truly stuck from my three and a half years on the Hill, I resonate most with what one of my professors told me: “It doesn’t matter how much you learn here about physics, literature and mathematics if when you step of campus you forget that those subjects are above all else, about the people whose lives you interact with every day.”

Tese words hold a dual meaning. First and foremost, they drive home the importance of holding empathy.

Tis was a truly daunting experience. From covering court cases to contentious protests, student journalism proved to be not only about writing, but also about grappling with the impact of what was left on the page.

For instance, I had the opportunity to showcase the great work some of our community members do to improve the lives of their fellow Ithacans. Even getting the opportunity to tell the stories of those who impacted my fellow students and professors when they were no longer with us, and seeing the impact it had with those dear to them reinvigorated me to keep showcasing what our community had to ofer.

Of course, I was also confronted with angry emails, direct messages and even getting yelled at in person over my coverage of contentious issues on campus — all of which served as reality checks of the gravity of the work that I did for Te Sun. While discouraging at times, they were also a source of feedback that allowed me to refect on what my stories did for the community — good or bad. For better or worse, everything I, or one of my writers, wrote for the paper was up for debate once I pressed the publish button.

What I witnessed time and time again at Cornell was that my peers would shy away from a job like mine — a responsibility to make decisions that could have social consequences. If they don’t get involved, they can’t get blamed for it. However, instead of shying away from it, I frmly believe that we should lean into that gravity.

Tere is nothing worse than abdicating our autonomy, and not engaging is just that. Either the majority that will participate and make a decision for us, or worse, our decision-making will be outsourced to pattern recognition software.

I understand that initial reaction: Why risk getting involved or making the wrong decision? It’s not unusual

to get overwhelmed and shut down because it is the option that keeps your conscience clean. But this is simply intellectually disingenuous. Te truth is that even the decision that you let AI make for you will have consequences, just as if you had taken ownership of where you invested that energy.

In the few months that I have spent out of college, I have found that the same paradigm continues to apply to my life. Tere is no safety net of falling back on the syllabi to carry you through the slow weeks and the unmotivated mornings. With no future benchmark to look forward to, everything from now on becomes an optional box that you can choose whether to check or not. Taking care of yourself, investing your time into the activities and people you love and pursuing a new passion are all core skills I took from college, but remain just as relevant as when I was a freshman unpacking in my Jameson Hall dorm room all those years ago.

And while it is bittersweet to leave it all behind, Cornell really gifted me with wonderful years full of growth and transformation, which I will always cherish.

I was blessed to have great mentors and peers who inspired me to broaden my engagement and involvement throughout my college career and beyond. I often enlisted the help of my wonderful friends Sofa Rubinson ’24 and Julia Senzon ’26, whose help and advice always carried me through my reporting and made me not only a better writer but also a more considerate reporter and human.

In the classroom, my professors Irina Troconis, Imane Terhmina, Kathleen Long and Liliana Colanzi challenged me beyond my perceived intellectual limits. Tey taught me that taking ownership over my own education means taking pride in my work, even when it did not always land as I would’ve hoped. And of course, I am particularly grateful for their belief in my far-fetched ideas for research papers.

Most importantly, I would like to thank my parents. Teir decisions to leave Venezuela and move to the U.S. made it possible for me to attend a university like Cornell. Los quiero muchísimo, gracias siempre por todo. And to everyone else who has stuck to reading to the end of my column — whether we’ve crossed paths at Cornell or not — always remember to do the greatest good and have a great time while doing it.

Eli Fastiff

Eli Fastif is a graduating senior from the College of Arts and Sciences. He served as a senior editor on the 143rd editorial board and a sports writer on the 142nd editorial board. You can follow him on X @ Eli_Fastif and reach him at efastif@cornellsun.

Since I learned about their existence, I’ve always looked forward to writing a senior column.

Unfortunately, it turns out that three years of sports coverage has not given me great first-person perspective writing skills. So instead of writing a well-constructed reflection on my time at The Sun, I’ll resort to something more my speed: a meandering feature article. Here’s the first few paragraphs of How Eli Fastiff Became a Sun Senior Editor.

Having grown up reading the San Francisco Chronicle’s “Sporting Green” daily and regularly falling asleep to Giants baseball on KNBR, I arrived in Ithaca my freshman year with a strong opinion of what strong sports reporting and coverage looks like.

I wasn’t afraid to complain to my friends

AsTree Seasons of Growth

when I felt like The Sun wasn’t living up to those standards. By my sophomore fall, my friends told me to put up or shut up. Either write the timely recaps you complain about the absence of, or stop the whining.

So, I joined The Sun (which at that point only involved a friend adding me to the slack) and selected my beat: women’s hockey.

I started by writing weekly recap articles for home games, but I began adding on additional pieces that spring which included weekly previews and individual game recaps, then consistent road game recaps, feature articles and Professional Women’s Hockey League coverage the following season.

In the spring of my junior year, we published The Sun’s ﬁrst ever women’s hockey NCAA Tournament supplement (right as we switched websites, so frustratingly my Jessica Campbell ’14 feature was solely available in print for a few weeks), and I took a whirlwind trip to cover the team at the Frozen Four in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Towards the end of that season, I was elected as a senior editor (despite never previously serving as an editor, which seems like an oversight from whoever decides eligibility for this type of thing) when Jane McNally ’26 and I spun off hockey coverage from the rest of the sports department.

Senior year I continued to publish features (including in our inaugural Hockey Issue) and our weekly blend of a preview and reporters notebook (our ‘Cornell Notes’), but I spent game days at Lynah Rink a row above the written media as the color commentator on Cornell’s ESPN+ broadcasts. Still, I got plenty of beat writing in, including on road trips to Brown University, Yale University, Colgate University and ultimately Lake Placid.

Early on in my three seasons covering the team it became clear how unique a program women’s hockey is at Cornell. Not only did the group have incredibly high expectations of winning and a visible hatred of losing (especially to Colgate), but through interacting with the team the closeness of the players and the strength of the program’s community became obvious.

The run to the Frozen Four — which included an epic triple OT semiﬁnals win, a conference championship and record setting attendance — and this season’s struggles all were worth capturing because of the pure passion behind every part of the program, from the fans to the players and coaches.

As goaltender Annelies Bergmann ’27 told me at the start of this season, the Ithaca and Cornell communities make Lynah Rink “truly like no other place.”

Unlike my level of coverage of the women’s hockey team, some things don’t change. I’m sending this article to my editors late Thursday night/ early Friday morning, hours after I promised it would be ready. And despite the delay, I still have managed to neglect a handful of job applications.

This Thursday night routine, spending the evening working on an edition of Cornell Notes instead of homework or job applications, has become such a staple of Sun hockey coverage that Jane and I have a meme we have at times sent back and forth on a weekly basis.

This is a good excuse for me to shout out Jane, who has edited nearly every article I have published and has made me sound like a much better writer than I actually am. More times than I can count, I have used an article topic or style of hers as inspiration in my own coverage, and her ability to know the right thing to do in any journalistic situation has been nearly infallible.

Te Downeaster ‘Cornell’

Well, I’m on the Downeaster ‘Cornell’

May rolls around, we come again to the end of a turbulent academic year. Facing down fnals, we are reminded of all the ways the storm has rocked the boat: Cornell’s negotiated settlement with the Trump Administration, large spending cuts and layofs, a search for the University’s purpose in the world, political clashes that threw us into turmoil and so much more. Amidst that, we tried to maintain hope, and found solace in new experiences and faces.

In the stormy waters of this moment, we are riding the downeaster Cornell. To navigate the gales, one needs a compass to point us back home, back to the basic values of kindness, pragmatism, collaboration and wit that will carry us through. I started this column to do just that.

If you’re reminded of Billy Joel’s “Te Downeaster ‘Alexa,’” that’s on purpose. Te song (written about the eastern end of my home, Long Island) is about a fsherman who has worked his fngers to the bone to provide for his family. However, “these waters aren’t what they used to be,” and his misfortunes have made it almost impossible to live and work on his island home anymore.

In the storm, it’s easy to get washed away and lose hope, but still we must fasten ourselves to what matters most. We must champion each other, love those in the Cornell community, show up for those out of sight of it, remember our history, defend our neighbors and prepare ourselves to tackle the problems of tomorrow.

I have battled the storm with you, not only as a community member but as the founder of the Cornell Negotiation Student Society, a member of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly Executive Committee, an employee of the University, a columnist for Te Sun and the best friend I can be to those around me. Te more involved you become, the rockier the waves feel.

It is from this involvement that I must pass to you the fnal refections I have on the health of our Downeaster Cornell.

On Navigating National News and a Torrent of PR Disasters

Multiple times now, Cornell University has hit national headlines for less-than-rosy reasons. In November, Cornell reached a settlement with the Trump Administration that included payments to the treasury in exchange for released federal funding. Just days ago, President Kotlikof made national headlines for allegedly striking two students with his car as he left an event.

It’s not our job as students to bear responsibility for these things, but it remains our responsibility to continue to do good work as students, faculty and staf. Doing so will allow us to continue demonstrating what makes Cornell exception-

al, so that the public and political ecosystem sees Cornell’s excellence regardless of the news cycle. Demonstrating competence and productivity in this way, despite being in a difcult environment, will refect positively on you and your career.

On Degree Divisions

Master degree students are the forgotten children of Cornell. As those spending the fewest years at the University, we are often seen as present too briefy to develop expertise on Cornell’s inner workings and not invested enough in the community.

Te reason: Ph.D.s have a longer tenure. Since they are at this university longer, they are assumed to have more knowledge and experience of the University, and therefore are more capable of leading it. However, longevity does not translate into capability. Despite receiving direct training in organizational function, leadership and other competencies, master degree students are often overlooked in favor of tenured, recognizable faces that have lingered for four years or more.

It’s for this reason that the more you’re involved the more you realize that Cornell is built for Ph.D.s and undergraduates, and professional degrees are allowed, not encouraged. Professional students must strategically challenge barriers to their involvement. It has taken years of cultivation and outreach, but fnally more than one MPA student is active in the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly.

On the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly

Te GPSA, and all of the assemblies, deserves our attention and scrutiny. Te GPSA enjoys autonomy on how it spends over $1.1 million in annual funding and how it spends its reserve money.

While I believe the GPSA has handled this responsibility well, the Executive Committee can make decisions almost unilaterally due to weak oversight and scrutiny. Once the executive committee drafts a resolution on monetary expenditure, nine times out of 10, the rest of the assembly just approves without genuinely engaging in its merits. Tis happens because genuine engagement requires efort — it’s simply easier to just agree; there is no penalty for disengaging, and one can still enjoy the perks of membership.

To its credit, the executive committee is also made up of some of the only people at Cornell who understand our complex bureaucracy, and are therefore the most efective in navigating it. Te solution: question your representatives on resolutions and funding. Attend meetings and engage when it matters. Tey’re deciding how your money is spent, and you should have a say in it. Tis year’s Executive Committee elections were suspended because all candidates ran uncontested — accountability should include larger felds of candidates and making them commit to policies that work for all of us.

While my time at The Sun has focused on women’s hockey, my Cornell sports media experience has remained fairly balanced. In addition to my on-air time in Lynah Rink, I’ve called nearly every home men’s soccer game of the past three years on ESPN+ with Jacob Janco ’26 (Cornell went a combined 14-0-2 when we were on the call together), dozens of softball and baseball games and even a semi-nightmarish women’s basketball blowout loss.

To avoid turning this reﬂection into a treatise, I’ll end with an attempt at some quick thank yous.

Thank you to Jane, her sports editor successor Alexis Rogers ’28 and all the other Sun editors I’ve worked with over the past three years, Jacob, Lydia Lekhal ’27 (another member of the Big Red Sports NetworkxSun club) and the rest of the Broadcasting Department at BRSN, Aaron Kelly, Marshall Haim, John Lukach and the entire Cornell Athletics broadcasting staff.

Thank you to women’s hockey head coach Doug Derraugh ’91 — who for the ﬁrst year of my time on the beat ended every interview with some version of “thank you for your coverage” — and to all the other coaches and student-athletes who let me tell their stories; I can’t remember a single interview I had with a Cornell athlete who came off as anything but happy to chat with me, even after difﬁcult losses.

Lastly, I want to thank everyone who has read my work, especially those who have reached out with feedback or comments. Getting to engage with readers, parents, athletes and the broader women’s hockey community at Cornell has always been a wonderful experience, and I truly hope the community will continue to embrace The Sun’s coverage of the team regardless of whose name is on the byline.

Paul Caruso

Paul Caruso is a graduating MPA student from the Brooks School of Public Policy and an opinion columnist. His column, Caruso’s Compass, focuses on politics, international afairs and campus life. He can be reached at pcaruso@cornellsun.com.

Te Compass’s Curtain Call

St. Elmo’s Fire is a movie you should watch. Born from the era of the ’80s teen movie obsession, it shows an unlikely group of friends who are freshly out of college and starting their lives in the city. Trough the ups and downs of their relationships, it teaches us two things:

A career opportunity is not more important than the people around you, with whom you should not miss a chance to have an experience with. You’ll remember the feeling of missing gatherings with your friends, not the job you applied to. It’s easy to make a big deal out of something that isn’t. At this stage in life, one can be quick to think small things are make or break — they’re not; you have time, and you’re doing a good job.

I attempted to live the most life I could at Cornell, and it nearly broke me. As someone who is investing in their education, I wanted to get the most out of it. At one point, it culminated in 15 credit hours, three part time jobs, and three extracurriculars, all while conducting a job search. While I lived a life checking items of the bucket list, I was chasing a problem that wasn’t really there: that if I wasted an opportunity or a moment, that I’d regret it — my own St. Elmo’s Fire.

Riding the downeaster Cornell, it feels treacherous to navigate the gales and provide for our community amid scandal and institutional challenges. We must all work to solve our problems at every level of governance, regardless of the support of our leadership, and always remember to do it with kindness.

A Long-Awaited (But Not Anticipated) Goodbye

Maya Blanchard

Maya Blanchard is a graduating senior from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and was a staf writer for the Arts & Culture department. She can be reached at mblanchard@cornellsun.com.

I’d be lying if I said that Cornell was the school I dreamed of attending. But if I told you I didn’t love it here from the minute I saw it, that would be a lie as well.

I have a vivid memory of how I felt about Cornell in my sophomore year of high school, after my campus tour. I wrote down in my diary that Cornell was one of the nicest schools I’ve seen so far — it was just too bad that it was in *sigh* Ithaca. Te reason I dared turn up my nose at beautiful Ithaca was the same reason I toured Cornell as only a sophomore: I was already living here.

Tis is a townie’s refection on her Cornell tenure, a wild four years that doesn't even represent a quarter of the time she has lived in Ithaca, N.Y. I have not yet steeled myself to leave behind prelims, papers and people I love so dearly, let alone the town where I learned to read and write. A place I once longed to escape from has now cemented itself as my home in every sense of the word. Maybe writing this column will help me approach the realm of acceptance, and by the last word I will feel prepared to say goodbye.

Admittedly, being a townie is not a unique experience. It is possible that the person reading this is one of the 100-odd Ithaca High School graduates who also chose to stay local. I do think that every one of us has a unique relationship to Cornell and to our hometown. For me, the decision to stay in Ithaca was made easier when my parents decided to move away. Tis meant my mom would not be a professor at Cornell anymore, and I’d have to travel elsewhere to visit them. As an added perk, I’d be around to see my high school friends when they came home for their breaks. Maybe I had contempt for Ithaca due to its lack of excitement, and I was skeptical of Cornell because of how often it made the local news. But by the end of high school I had softened my stance towards my ‘gorges’ (albeit understimulating) town. Te excitement of starting college helped me get over any reservations I had about remaining here while all my friends moved on.

Being familiar with the city did not make freshman year any easier. Even though I stayed put geographically, my environment had changed drastically. I felt socially anxious and out of place, even after a semester of making friends and settling into routine. I learned that how quickly you adapt to college has more to do with who you are than where you are, and that I am the kind of person that grows into things. It takes a while for my anxiety to fade and be replaced with better emotions, but I connect very deeply with places (and with people) once enough time has passed. And I feel extremely lucky to have spent four extra years reinforcing my connection to such a wonderful, unique place.

I think the greatest gift of being a townie at Cornell is getting to see Ithaca through the eyes of your new friends. As a freshman I lamented what I thought I was missing: a new area to explore that would make the transition into adult life feel special. I worried that I’d never truly connect to Cornell because of the familiarity it held. In reality, I’ve fallen in love with every inch of this town a thousand times over as I’ve shared it with the people that have made college a million times better.

It is still jarring to drive down Triphammer Road from North Campus and reach the gas station where I pumped my frst tank after getting my driver’s license. I go to the quasi-abandoned mall and I can mentally conjure the ghosts of storefronts past (though they were always few and far between). Of course, some relics remain: the quarter-turn candy machines we abused until they dropped free M&M’s, the Claire’s where I got my ears pierced, the Regal Cinemas where I had my frst kiss. My memories get worn around the edges as new ones form: Target runs with my roommates and nights laughing at Zocalo’s over a shared margarita tower. I never knew such mundane places could hold such multitudes.

I’m disappointed (but not surprised) to say that writing this column has not made saying goodbye to my home feel any easier. I’ll be vulnerable and admit that I’m tearing up right now. My mind is racing with introspection on the major I completed and the minor I didn’t, the club meetings I went to and the ones I skipped, the nights I’ve spent laughing and crying and freaking out and growing older. I don’t want to shy away from the ugly memories. I’ve learned my lesson from my 18-year-old self, once apprehensive about staying in a place so weighed down with all the heartbreak of coming-of-age. Eventually, all feelings of confusion, boredom, embarrassment and loneliness that attach themselves to your hometown fade evenly into nostalgia, and all you see when you walk down memory lane is a person who was, and still is, experiencing life for the very frst time. How lucky was I to get to prolong my childhood, to keep growing in the place that has nurtured me for so long?

After I graduate, Cornell will become just another section in the tapestry of Ithaca I display in my mind. Old memories were overwritten by new ones, past heartbreaks dulled as fresh ones replaced them and experiences that still feel current have already faded into the background. My love for this school feels so achingly concrete that I can’t believe I didn’t immediately embrace it. And to Ithaca: 20 years went by too fast. I’d like to stay and be a kid a little bit longer, but my lease is up.

Capturing the Moment

Timmy Xi

Timmy Xi is a graduating senior from the College of Arts and Sciences and was a staf photographer for the Photography department. He can be reached at txi@cornellsun.com.

Twenty six. Tat number seemed oh so far away to me four years ago, yet here we are — less than a month away from graduation. What seemed an almost abstract concept for me for most of my life suddenly looms closer and closer, an inevitable reality that I’m not sure I’m ready for. To cope, I’ve been listening to Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” the entire semester (as one does) which, beyond flling me with immense sadness, has also made me reminisce and refect on my college experience. What have I done or learned in the past four years? What did I truly accomplish at Cornell? When pondering such questions, one thing comes clearly to mind: photography.

I’ve always loved taking pictures of anything and everything, starting from my childhood days when I would borrow my older sister’s phone (as I was not allowed one until my sophomore year of high school, fun fact) on family trips to snap shots. But it was not until sophomore year at Cornell, when I stumbled upon my mom’s seven-year-old digicam, that I started taking photography a little more seriously. My frst experience capturing pictures on something other than a phone was — not even exaggerating — pretty life-changing for me. I enjoyed it so much that I saved up all semester to purchase my frst legit camera, a Fujiflm XT-30. With this new shimmering prize in hand, I looked for opportunities on campus to actually use it, which I found by joining Te Sun’s photography department. It was the best decision I ever made.

Up to this point I was still very new to even amateur photography, with little knowledge of the techniques, rules and intuitions of the feld. My frst big experience came sophomore spring, when I signed up to cover a basketball game. I’ve been a fan of most sports including basketball my entire life, so it seemed like a fun thing to do. Little did I know that it would lead to one of my defning college passions. I fell in love with shooting sports, though I was defnitely a victim of the beginner photographer's ego as I thought all of my shots were amazing. Looking back, I can defnitively say they were not — everything was tinted green, for some

reason? (I’ve come a long way since then, to put it nicely.) Nevertheless, I took every chance to cover sports that semester, from basketball to hockey to lacrosse, and had a blast.

Lacrosse in particular piqued my interest. Before Cornell I had never watched a lacrosse game in my life, but I found the sport so entertaining, with a gameday atmosphere unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced at Cornell (besides hockey, of course). Junior year, I attended all the men’s team’s home games during the season and even some away ones, and what a ride it was. Te Red won the national championship that year, and I was there covering every single game along the way. I was capturing history with my camera: from CJ Kirst breaking the NCAA alltime scoring record, to the team standing alone atop of the nation. I can proudly say that I recorded those moments in my viewfnder, making my own lasting mark through my photos. Tat, I think, is what is so appealing about photography to me. Te ability to capture an emotion, an interaction, a life-defning moment in an enduring fashion every time I press the shutter makes the medium so special.

What I’ve also learned in the past few years is that photography is truly a community, bolstered by social media along with the shareable and accessible nature of pictures. Nothing makes me happier than having a player use my photo as their profle picture, getting my images published in a Sun article or a parent reaching out asking for their kid’s photos from a game. Tere is something so fulflling about creating material that is appreciated by others, which is what I always keep top of mind when committing hours upon hours of work to covering a game in the pouring rain or doing a graduation shoot. Meeting and connecting with other photographers during a game or event is always a plus, too.

All that said, when I look back in 30 years or so on my time at Cornell, the impact I’ve had with my photography will be what I remember and cherish the most. I sometimes have that lingering feeling that I’m only an observer in my own life, but one of the most important lessons that photography has taught me is to become more grounded in the moment … in the here and now. Photography is a medium through which I can document my journey through life, however daunting that may feel right now just weeks away from graduation. So, while I continue to play “Landslide” and dwell in nostalgia for something that is not yet even over, I remind myself to focus on the now and actually make the memories that future me will look back on through pictures. My photos app on my phone currently contains 22,358 images, and I look forward to adding to that number as I start the next chapter of my life.

Liam Harney | Objection! Paul Caruso | Caruso's Compass Leo Glasgow | Can We Talk

Ana Sophia Arnold | Under Scrutiny Yihun Stith | Stand Up, Fight Back Kira Walter | Onion Theory

Congratulations to Brian Christopher de Oliveira on his graduation from the College of Arts & Sciences at Cornell, with a degree in Cognitive Science. Brian is the son of Lindsay Petrillose iana and Gideon Viana, and great-grandson of Bob and Sharon Follett Petrillose ‘44.

Dear Arya—

It feels like just yesterday we were dropping you off for your ﬁrst day, and now we’re celebrating your graduation. We’ve watched you work hard, grow through challenges, and become more conﬁdent with every step. We’re proud not just of your achievements, but of the thoughtful, kind, and determined person you are. Keep believing in yourself and take life one step at a time. We’ll always be here cheering you on. Congratulations — we love you so much.

Love, Mom & Dad, Shreya Rose & Archie

Congratulations, Brandon!

We have so much happiness in all your extraordinar y achievements! At only 21, your hard work has earned you your Electrical Computer Engineering degree from Cornell! We couldn’t be prouder & you have done exceptioally well! We can’t wait to celebrate you and the merit scholarship you earned for your Masters of Engineering degree next

So May you always follow the Ithaca lore of the “yellow brick road” & return to the great Cornell with awe and nostalgia! May you always carry the heart, st rength & altruism of Christopher Reeve & his heroic “Superman.”

May you always live your life as the “Notorious Ruth Bader Ginsburg , full of wisdom, perseverance & unmatched work ethic. May you always have intellect, humor, & creativity like Bill Nye, the “Science Guy.” May you always inspire & follow in the enormous footsteps of the many Cornell “icons” before you! And lastly, may you always have your faith as we come full circle to the quote you used in your Cornell application essay by spiritualist Anthony Douglass Williams, “Knowledge comes from learning. Wisdom comes from living.”

Congratulations, Brandon! We love you so much & are “damn proud” of you!

Your biggest fans always: Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Nana, Papa, Uncles, Aunts, Friends & Scout

Kelly Catherine Cobb

The Nolan School of Hotel Administration, ‘26

S. C. Johnson College of Business, Cornell University

Who knew you’d grow up so fast?

From your earliest adventures to the hallways of Cornell’s ﬁ nest school, you have moved through every chapter with grace, grit, and that unforgettable smile. You were always destined for great things, Kelly.

The global industry is lucky to have you—and so are we. Congratulations our Hotelie!

With so much love and Pride, Mom & Dad

written-off by doctors,

My beautiful brilliant girl! You’ve accomplished so much so early in life. I am in constant awe of your abilities and talents. I’m proud beyond words Chase every dream, you know how! Congratulations! Love always,

Ava Elizabeth Cuomo

This accomplishment couldn’t be more deserved! Time to celebrate you! From the earliest days at Montessori to Bergen Academies, and all the journeys in between and beyond— Congratulations! I am so proud of you—I love you. I pray for you. I am always here for you.

Dad

IAva!!!! am so incredibly proud of you, you made it! Watching you persevere your whole life, has been the biggest inspiration to me. I love you sooooooo much, Ava, my best friend, be so proud of yourself. CONGRATS!!!!

Congratulations, Ava! I hope you have a really great future. I’m really happy for you and all you have accomplished. You deserve it. Good luck with whatever you decide to do next

Love, Jude

Talia

Behind you are all the beautiful, special moments we shared together. I am so happy to be part of this moment. Ahead of you are all your dreams I wish you days of laughter and ights filled with peace. You are one of the most precious gifts I have. My Angel. Keep being you. Congratulations!Grandma

Brandon L. Jackson

Dear Brandon—

You are truly blessed. We are extremely proud of the young man that you have become, and all that you have accomplished.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I Know the Plans I Have for You,” declares the Lord. “Plans to Prosper You and Not to Harm You, Plans to Give You Hope and a Future.”

Every step forward is a victory. Continue to strive for greatness in all that you do. You’ve done an amazing and incredible job.

“May He Give You the Desire of Your Heart and Make All Your Plans Succeed.” (Psalm 20:4)

CONGRATULATIONS on Achieving Your Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Cornell University!!!

We love you dearly. YOU DID IT!!!

Love,

Mom, Dad and Family

Dear Daughter,

Today you are completing another chapter in your life, one filled with hard work, sacrifice, and discipline. But at the same time, it marks the beginning of new adventures in a bright future full of opportunities, where you are capable of achieving any goal you set for yourself. Remember that it is worth dreaming and believing that everything you long for will come true. Look back and feel proud of everything you have achieved; graduating from Cornell University is a great privilege.

We hope you always have God in your life and always walk hand in hand with him. May he guide your steps and show you the way so you never give up... don’t lose hope.

You are a precious child and the beloved daughter of our lives. The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

You are the architect of your life, don’t stop and keep reaping the rewards.

We love you. Mom and Dad

Yassine Coulibaly

Dear Yassine,

om all of us, we just want you to know how oud we are of you today. Watching you reach this moment has been one of the greatest joys our family has ever known. You have not only conquered another milestone, but paved the way for future generations of our family to cherish and look up to

Your journey has not always been easy, yet through every challenge, you never once stopped believing in yourself. We remember those days when we would all gather on that living room couch, watching cars thunder around a circuit at breathtaking speed, as you looked at the screen and quietly told yourself: that is my future, and I am willing to jump over every hurdle to get there. And here you are—you did exactly that We are so incredibly lucky to have you as a part of this family You inspire each and every one of us far more than you will ever r

earliest days, you have always reached for greatness and settled for nothing less—because anything you could believe, you could achieve.

We want you to see this not as the end of a journey, but as another milestone in a story that is only just beginning. We cannot wait to see everything you will become, every new chapter you will open, and every exciting adventure you will embark on. Through all of it, never forget—we will always be right there beside you.

And as Lewis Hamilton once said, “Dream big and don’t be afraid to fail.”

With all our love and pride, Maman, Papa, Mirah, Rayan and Djibril

To Joshua Magazine

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.

—James Baldwin

From a very young age, you showed up in the world as an individual. Always prepared and ready to just do the work & do it correctly In awe of your eclectic taste in music, to your natural athleticism, you have always been a pleasure to watch grow up. The future you/ve been preparing for is so bright that it’s almost blinding & we will be there to support you every step of the way.

From Brooklyn to Ithaca, & now back home, ONE DEGREE HOTTER!

— Love, The Family

Sara Lee Anne Mosley

And finally, two Papas from heaven are grinning and so darned proud of their granddaughter graduating from Cornell One alumnus, Bill Nye, once said, “Everyone you will ever meet knows something that you don’t. Respect their knowledge and learn from them It will bring out the best in all of you!

Dear Justina Mosley—

On January 26, 2004, NASA’S Rover landed on Mars, ice storm in Georgia and North Carolina, and a whale explosion in Taiwan. And you enter the world. A baby girl was like fireworks born into our family. Then like yesterday, we were dropping you off at Cornell

Watching you now walking across fills us with overwhelming pride. You will become a great doctor one day! Excited to see where your next journey will take you. Continue with growth, strength, dedication and exploring the world. If we ever forget to tell you, being your mom, auntie, niece, cousin has been the best part of this story. Love you.

Justina

FIRST

AND LAST | Students from the Class of 2026 move into their dorms on North Campus with the help of their family. Aug. 20, 2022. (Julia Nagel / Sun File Photo)

ENCAMPMENT ENDED | A candlelight vigil marks the last day of the CML Liberated Zone Encampment, Arts Quad, May 13, 2024. (Ming DeMers / Sun File Photo)

TYPICAL WEATHER | In typical fashion, the Ithaca weather terrorizes students, yet winter fun prevails. Jan. 23, 2022. (Julia Nagel / Sun File Photo)

HOMECOMING

| Touchdown the Bear cheers at the big game. Sept. 30, 2023. (Anthony Corrales / Sun File Photo)

COIN TOSS | Two students pose at Slope Day as COIN takes the stage. May 10, 2023. (Julia Nagel / Sun File Photo)

BOXED LUNCHES | Afer contract negotiations with the University and workers union failed Cornell Workers went on a 15 day strike. Aug. 16, 2024. (Ming DeMers / Sun File Photo)

MODERN MAN | A “performative male” contest takes over the Arts Quad. Sept. 3, 2025. (Stephan Menasche / Sun Senior Photographer)

Ryan Lombardi, vice president for Student and Campus Life, struts the runway as a model for the Cornell Fashion Collective show. March 3, 2024. (Anthony Corrales / Sun Staff Photographer)

ETCHED IN HISTORY | The Cornell lacrosse team was crowned NCAA champions during the 2024-2025 historic season. May 26, 2025. (Timmy Xi / Sun Staff Photographer)

SLOPE SUNSET | Students watch the setting sun during an early warm day on Libe Slope. April 13. (Karlie McGann / Sun Senior Editor)

JULIA NAGEL / SUN FILE PHOTO

PAGE PHOTO BY KARLIE MCGANN / SUN SENIOR EDITOR May 6, 2026

CONNOR LUCENTE / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Any Person, Every Milestone:161 Things Every Cornellian Should Do

20 years. Thousands of memories. 161 traditions. Two decades after the original list debuted, the outgoing 142nd Editorial Board revamped our famous list, updating the quintessential experiences that deﬁne life on the Slope. So grab a carnelian colored pen (or steal one from the A.D. White House), and get to checking!

o 1. Make the library into your bedroom and have sex in the stacks

o 2. Go to the Cornell-Harvard men’s hockey game and throw ﬁsh on the ice

o 3. Go to Zeus after class. Sit on a bench because all the tables are being used or coffee chats

o 4. Take off to NYC for Fall Break, being sure to post on Instagram about it at least twice

o 5. Sled down Libe Slope during a snow storm

o 6. Take Hotel Administration 4300: Introduction to Wines

o 7. Take AMST 2000 and learn some Cornell history from Corey Earle ‘07

o 8. Streak across the Arts Quad

o 9. Go sake bombing at Plum Tree

o 10. Order ice cream at the Dairy Bar

o 11. Climb the rock wall in Bartels Hall

o 12. Listen to a full chimes concert from the clock tower. Guess the songs played

o 13. Order the same thing off the Collegetown Bagels menu all four years

o 14. Register for classes during Freshman Pre-Enroll, then switch out of every single one by the time Add/Drop ends

o 15. Dress for 70 degree weather. Cry as you walk home in the freezing cold that night

o 16. Steal a vegetable from the Cornell Botanic Gardens. Savor it

o 17. Go to the Fuertes Observatory on North Campus and gaze at meteor showers

o 18. Enroll in BIOEE 1540: Introductory Oceanography as a joke, then fall in love with Bruce Monger and attend every class

o 19. Have a snowball ﬁght in May

o 20. Stick your hand inside a ﬁstulated cow

o 21. Skip class to play SpikeBall on the Arts Quad

o 22. Bury a bottle of Barton’s on the Slope. Dig it up on Slope Day.

o 23. Enjoy golden hour from the Cornell Botanic Gardens

o 24. Attend the Apple Festival on the Commons

o 25. Flirt with your professor

o 26. Bomb a prelim

o 27. Ace the next one to save your grade

o 28. Steal a bunch of cups from the dining hall and never give them back

o 29. Attend Hotelie prom

o 30. Take a selﬁe with Happy Dave from Okenshield’s

o 31. Take three ﬁnals in two days because they were just over 24 hours apart

o 32. Get heartburn at the Chili Cook-off on the Commons

o 33. Enjoy Ithaca’s two months of warm weather — spend a summer here!

o 34. Go to a Shabbat dinner at 104West!

o 35. Watch the AAP students parade down East Avenue on Dragon Day

o 36. Walk out of class to warm weather and immediately get a beer at CTB

o 37. Build a snow penis or count how many you see around campus

o 38. Dress up and view The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Risley

o 39. Take a class you think is impossible just for fun

o 40. Go to Catherine Valley for a wine tour

o 41. Kiss on the suspension bridge at midnight

o 42. Take Plant Pathology 2010: Magical Mushrooms, Mischievous Molds

o 43. Shop at the Friends of the Library Book Sale

o 44. Get a University parking ticket, then sweet-talk your way out of it

o 45. Buy an Ithaca Is Gorges t-shirt, then get sick of wearing it and buy a dumb variation (Ithaca Is Gangsta, Vaginas Are Gorges, Ithaca Is Long Island…)

o 46. Learn the “Alma Mater,” “Evening Song” and “Give My Regards to Davy.” Hum them when you hear the chimes

o 47. Attend an opening at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art

o 48. Smuggle food from the dining hall and run for your life as they try to get back your stolen cookies

o 49. Make the Walk of Shame. See an ex on your way home

o 50. Have dinner at a professor’s house

o 51. Get wasted at a professor’s house

o 52. Take a selﬁe with a Cornell president

o 53. Play a game of tag in the Kroch Library stacks

o 54. Take a class that meets outside

o 55. Start your freshman year pre-med. Graduate from Dyson.

o 56. Kayak or canoe on Beebe Lake

o 57. Watch dancers ﬂy through the air at Pao Bhangra show

o 58. Have a midnight picnic in the Ag Quad

o 59. Wait in line for half an hour for an orange chicken burrito at Terrace

o 60. Ignore the “No Winter Maintenance” signs … slip and fall down the stairs

o 61. Sit in Libe Café when you have no work to do and watch worried students down gallons of coffee

o 62. Write an angry letter to the editor of The Sun

o 63. Get swarmed by freshmen as they migrate back to north

for the ﬁnal, wish you had taken notes instead

o 80. Go ice skating at Lynah Rink

o 81. Request a song to be played on the clock tower

o 82. Watch the ginger run

o 83. Walk to class in the snow, uphill both ways

o 64. Explore the secret underground tunnel between Uris and Olin libraries

o 65. Request an item from the library’s Rare and Manuscript Collection.

o 66. Pretend you are Harry Potter and study in the A.D. White Reading Room

o 67. See the brain collection in Uris Hall

o 68. Use all your CityBucks at 7-11 on Keystone and Twisted Tea Light

o 69. Submit a guest column for Sex on Thursday about your raunchy sexcapades

o 70. Eat your way through the Farmer’s Market

o 71. Sleep through your alarm for a 1:25 p.m. class

o 72. Take part in a psychology experiment and get a measly number of SONA credits

o 73. See Ezra Cornell’s body in the crypt

o 74. Occupy Willard Straight or storm Day Hall

o 75. Watch as a virgin crosses the Arts Quad at midnight and A.D. White and Ezra Cornell walk towards each other to shake hands on Halloween

o 76. Live through an Ithaca blizzard and tell your friends you survived frostbite

o 77. Throw a ﬂaming pumpkin into the gorge

o 78. Join an intramural sports team. Take it too seriously and get matching uniforms

o 79. Spend all your lectures ﬁguring out the Wordle and Connections. While sitting

o 84. Hook up with someone in your dorm and then see them every day afterward

o 85. Write dirty messages with rocks in the gorge

o 86. Eat a chicken parm sandwich from Louie’s Lunch

o 87. Walk the runway as a model in the Cornell Fashion Collective’s annual fashion show

o 88. Sleep through pre-enroll and change your major as a result

o 89. Gain the freshman 15. Pay $145 for a gym membership and don’t go.

o 90. Play trivia at Collegetown Bagels on Tuesday nights

o 91. Go bowling at Helen Newman Lanes

o 92. Get a ticket for peeing on the Law School

o 93. Have a friend’s parents take you out to eat at Thompson and Bleeker or Simeon’s

o 94. See a concert at Barton Hall

o 95. Order off the secret menu at Louie’s Lunch

o 96. Cheer on your friends as they perform at the Schwartz Center

o 97. Pick next year’s ice cream ﬂavor

o 98. Nap in every library on campus

o 99. Get too drunk before homecoming. Miss the game

o 101. See Yamatai bang it out at Clubfest

o 100. Take a midnight nap in Uris Library Cocktail Lounge and wake up 3 days later

o 102. Visit Ithaca Mall, realize it is severely lacking, then drive to Destiny USA Mall in Syracuse

o 103. Take a night prelim near the vet school, walk back in the dark

o 104. Get thrown out of Balch Hall

o 105. Attend a show at the State Theatre or Hangar Theatre

o 106. Go to an a cappella concert

o 107. Walk to a fraternity party with your entire freshman ﬂoor. Get turned away

o 108. Put on a swimsuit and jump into the cold water at Second Dam

o 109. Take part in Holi and get colorful

o 110. Eat at each dining hall at least once

o 111. Try to order pizza from a Blue Light phone

o 112. Have a traumatic OurBus experience. Never return

o 113. See a ﬁlm at Cornell Cinema

o 114. Ride a horse at Oxley Equestrian Center

o 115. Take the BASICS program. Do it with a beer in hand

o 116. See how long you can go without doing laundry

o 117. Get lost during O-week as a freshman, and end up in the Commons

o 119. Check out a charger from Olin. Don’t give it back

o 120. Lose a friend over signing a lease in Collegetown

o 121. Walk holding hands around Beebe Lake

o 122. Buy a Cornell-grown apple from a vending machine

o 123. Get tapped for a secret society

o 124. Go skinny dipping in a gorge

o 125. Get more downvotes than upvotes on Sidechat

o 126. Host a prefrosh

o 127. Drive your car up and down Libe Slope

o 128. Make a chalking. Weep when it rains that night

o 129. Attend a Sun meeting

o 118. Have the Hideaway bartender take a picture of you because your fake doesn’t scan

o 130. Take photobooth pics at Hideaway and post them on your Instagram story

o 131. Eat hungover brunch at Morrison or Appel

o 132. Turn down a ﬂyer at Ho Plaza and say “I already got one”

o 133. Rush a fraternity/sorority or mosey a Co-op during your freshman spring

o 134. Meet Bill Nye ’77, “The Science Guy,” and give him a hug

o 135. Ski at Greek Peak

o 136. Crash a political rally on Ho Plaza

o 137. Get on the wrong TCAT and end up at Ithaca College

o 138. Watch women’s hockey dominate any team who steps on the ice

o 139. See how many people you can cram into your dorm room

o 140. Order Wings Over after 2 a.m.

o 141. Make the trek down the hill: go to a townie bar

o 142. Tell a professor what you really think of his/her class

o 143. Drink with your R.A.

o 144. Go to the sex shop, called the “Adult Outlet,” on the Commons. Gawk

o 145. Run out of BRBs in March. Live off campus events’ free food for the rest of the year

o 147. Get asked if you are pregnant at Cornell Health

o 148. Attend a show at the State Theatre or Hangar Theatre

o 146. Heckle your tour guide friend as they’re leading a group of prospective students around campus

o 149. Go to ClubFest as a ﬁrst-year and sign up for a dozen clubs that you’ll never go to

o 150. Complain about the Slope Day headliners

o 151. Ask for an extension on a term paper

o 152. Walk to class in the snow, uphill both ways

o 153. Accidentally rip a poster at the poster sale. Tell no one

o 154. Play mini golf at the Sciencenter

o 155. Hook up with your hot T.A.

o 156. Go swimming at Treman State Park, Buttermilk Falls or Second Dam

o 157. Furnish an apartment entirely with items from Ithaca Reuse and the Dump & Run

o 158. Walk to a fraternity party as a senior; convince yourself you were never one of them

o 159. Fail your swim test, just for kicks

o 160. Eat a Pinesburger, then watch water ﬂow over Taughannock Falls, the highest single-drop waterfall east of the Rockies

o 161. Climb all 161 steps to the top of McGraw Tower

Dear Seth Zion Jashua Stephenson—

Congratulations on your graduation from Cornell University!

Your entire family and village are extremely proud of this— one of many accomplishments. Words cannot express the joy we feel. Seth, you are the best gift from God that ever came into our lives.

Your charisma, your talents, your leadership and your caring character are testaments to the young prince you are! Our hearts are ﬁlled with so much love and happiness.

We are cheering for you, Prince Seth Zion, today and everyday. We will always support your future endeavors in this lifetime.

As you already have accomplished with your adventure at Cor nell University! We are conﬁdent that you will continue to achieve whatever your heart desires.

We wish you, Seth Zion, continued success, excellence, health and joy. May peace go before you, surround you, and may the Lord follow you all the days of your life.

Love always, your Mommy Margareth A. Cesar, your siblings Marnella and Ziana. We ask God to bless you with extreme support and protection.

Congratul ations, Melody

We are v ery proud of you. Wish you the best in the next chapter of your life.

Love, Grandpa, Mom, C andice, Nismo & Prince

Congratulations, Nichole Lopez!

We are so proud of you and everything you’ve accomplished! Excited to see where life takes you next, and know that you always have our support. Keep shining bright.

Love, Mom, Dad, Erick, and Nova

TO OUR AMAZING GIRLS! our friendship has g t each other, share laughter e on, know how proud we are of all ou success, happiness, and endless opportunities ahead!! May y ratulations and here’s to lif

ohn (Jack) Mario Molitoris,

Congratulations on your undergraduate commencement! We are all incredibly proud of you and all that you have accomplished. You have overcome many obstacles and have persevered through it all. You are beyond loved and we can’t wait to see all the amazing things that you will do in this world. Remember, this is just the beginning of the amazing journey you are embarking on and you have miles to go before you sleep...

Love, Mom, Dad, Re gina & Cassandr a

Lucy Langhart

Dearest Lucy,

Congratulations on graduating from Cornell! You have been a light and a joy in our lives since the day you were born. We are so proud of your ﬁerce determination, bright humor and loving heart. We can’t wait to see the next chapter of your adventure. May the road rise up to meet you!

“I

With all our love, Mom, Dad, Philip & Andrew

am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.”

L ouisa May Alcott, Little Women

Congratulations, Hannah Mekky!

Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2026

She came. She studied. She engineered.

Between problem sets, soccer games, and hip hop moves, Hannah somehow survived Cornell Engineering— and made it look good doing it.

“Mekky the MechE” has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? We’re so proud of you—now go build something amazing (and maybe take a nap first).

Love, Your biggest fans (Mom, Dad, Adam and Nana)

Congratul ations, Melody

We are v ery proud of you. Wish you the best in the next chapter of your life.

Love, Grandpa, Mom, C andice, Nismo & Prince

Michael A. Jones Jr. Michael—

We are so proud of you! It has been a joy watching you grow into the kind, caring, courageous and discerning man you have become. You have been working toward this incredible achievement your whole life. Through thoughtful & disciplined efforts you have prepared yourself for the next chapter of your life. Have a fun adventure in Vail!

We always love you, no matter what!

Love, Mom, Dad, Sophie, Parker, Stache & Bentley XO

Aaron R. Set

Class of 2026, Cornell University—Dyson School

It is incredible for us to witness the thoughtful, intelligent, and charming man you have become. You still carry the ﬁerce independence and determination you showed as a child, but now you’ve grown into a kind, considerate, and true gentleman in ever y sense.

Wise, accomplished, and well-rounded—our 23-year-old son, we are so proud of you. You are a voice of reason, and in so many ways, we look up to you.

This is your time to step out into the world and share your light as you continue on your journey.

Fly high, but stay grounded. Bless you. Proud and humbled—Grandparents, Mom, Dad, Anik & Leo

WilsonSoﬁe

Your courage, grit and determination are inspiring to everyone that meets you.

You’ve spent a third of your life at Cornell! What a journey it has been. Now it is time to come home and help all the animals, just like you have dreamed about since you were a little girl.

We are incredibly proud of you, Dr. Soﬁe.

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S

ANDREW VOLYNSKY

Cornell University • Class of 2025

Then... ...and then Dearest Andrushka-zhirafenok, You are the light of our lives, a true embodiment of cheerfulness and thoughtfulness. What you do makes so much sense if one looks at life through the lens of the greater good — and this is exactly the perspective that gives rise to a meaningful calling and a truly fulﬁlling life.

May this step be one of many that are rich with meaning, faithful to your purpose, true to yourself, and ﬁlled with joy.

We are here to support you, celebrate you, and marvel at all that you are and all that lies ahead.

Mama, Papa, Artem, Nika, Mia, Grishka, Yashka & Belka

Stay sunny with Te Cornell Daily Sun!

Congrats Johnny Lowry!

Johnny,

It seems like just yesterday that you were a super sweet, cute, and precocious child who was eager to learn and work hard. The next thing we knew, you earned a full-tuition scholarship to Renaissance College in Hong Kong and cultivated a passion for cooking and drumming (shout-out to your band, Lithium)! Then, upon moving to the US, you grinded thru a mountain of AP courses while running your tail off and deepening your passion for cooking. We have taken great pride in how you have followed your heart and your passions for environmental protection, chemistry, and engineering—always giving your best and excelling in your academics, Chem-e-car, and intenships. Along the way, you’ve also found new creative outlets in writing music and photography, reminding us that your curiosity and talents know no bounds. We love how you are charting your own path and living on your terms (e.g., how easy is it to get to the climbing gym?). It is a special honor that you are the ﬁrst Lowry in any generation to attend and graduate from an elite Ivy League institution

We love you and are so proud of you!

Your Mom & Dad

Dear Brianna, You’ve worked so hard, stayed kind, and made us proud every step of the way. We were so happy to witness you immerse yourself in so many wonder ful and vibrant Cor nell experiences. As your jour ney continues, remember that no matter where life takes you, you’ll always have a home in our hearts.

We love you! Mom, Dad, Brooke and Lainey

Congratulations to Josie Chapman!

Our small-town girl who never gave up on following her dreams, Your ﬁerce determination, resilience, and perseverance are amazing.

With so much love, pride and admiration, Grammi and Pa

Congratulations Emma Gabrielle Baer!

We are so proud of you and everything you’ve accomplished.

We love you, Mom, Dad and Jillian

Jaer Bear!

Happy Gr aduation, Jack !

Congratulations to a great son, brother, student, skier, photographer, travel planner, traveling companion, and so much more Keep on exploring & never lose your kind and generous heart. We are terriﬁcally proud of you! Well done! Love,

Mom, Dad, Neal and all your friends and family

Congratulations!

Ar iana, today you have arrived at another pinnacle. Jus t a little reminder I’m here with a hug and a heartfelt prayer — Grandma KG

Sarah Kloss

College of Arts and Sciences, Economics Congrats Sarah! We are so proud of you!

Love, Mom, Dad & Nicki

Will—

You are well named, as your will is your greatest asset. Just as you persevered to pick that orange so many years ago, you have persevered in all aspects of your life, and we are very proud of the fne young man you have become. Many years ago, when asked what you wanted to be, you said, “I want to be myself.” Congratulations on your great achievement, and may you always continue to strive to be your best self

Love always. Mom and Dad

Peter Engel

Hear ye, he ar ye ! Peter, we love you ve ry much and are so proud of you.

Love, Mommy & Daddy

Congratulations on your graduation day, Noah! We are so incredibly proud of you and all of your accomplishments. Your hard work and dedication have truly paid off, and we can’t wait to see the incredible impact you’ll make next.

As you step into this new chapter, remember the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

Keep shining—the world is lucky to have you! We love you always and forever.

Love, Mom, Dad, Ryan, GMO and DDO

Congratulations to The Sun’s Graduating Class

Ana Sophia Arnold

Chloe Asack

Cassandra Beckmann

Bhuwan Bhattarai

Maya Blanchard

Marian Caballo

Paul Caruso

Marisa Cefola

Amanda Chen

Andrew Chung

Kaitlin Chung

Nina Davis

Krista Faith

Eli Fastiff

Breanna Ferreira

Caitlin Gallagher

Leo Glasgow

Anjelina Gonzalez

Rafaella Gonzalez

Liam Harney

Courtney Huang

Isabelle Jung

Madeleine Kapsalis

Giuliana Keeth

Mohamed Sakaria Kheder

Zak Kheder

Heilani Kim

Sebastian Klein

Madeleine Kapsalis

Gabriel Levin

Richard Li

Rosey Limmer

Yany Lin

Soﬁa Loayza

Sophia Torres Lugo

Christina MacCorkle

Jane McNally

Caroline Michailoff

Sarah Mittelman

Gabriel Muñoz

Reshma Niraula

Chris Owen

Soﬁa Principe

Henry Schechter

Pilar Seielstad

Julia Senzon

Anushka Shorewala

Anushka Singh

Yihun Stith

Hope Thomas

Asﬁ Tias

Adviik Singh Virat

Christopher Walker

Kira Walter

Tommy Welch

Timmy Xi

Sheila Yu

T e Class of 2026 In Numbers

By AMELIA GARCIA Sun Data Editor

Did you know that among respondents to The Sun’s polling, the college with the greatest percentage of legacy students in the Class of 2026 was the School of Industrial Labor Relations? Or that the home region of respondents with the highest GPA was the South?

Perhaps even you’ve been trying to settle a bet about which library is the most popular among your class – it’s Mann Library for those that are curious!

Ahead of commencement weekend, The Sun gathered information on these subjects and more, polling seniors on their undergraduate experience in the paper’s inaugural Senior Sunset Survey.

Opening on April 20th, the form collected a total of 103 responses before closing on May 5th. The survey covered four different sections of interest, getting a sense of seniors’ backgrounds, academics, Cornell experiences and post-graduate plans.

All responses were completely anonymous and all questions were optional to answer, meaning sample sizes vary by question.

Contextualizing Survey Respondents

Of respondents to the Senior Sunset Survey, 58.3% identified as female,37.9% identified as mal and 4.9% identified as non-binary. Hispanic or Latino students made up 10% of survey respondents, while White students made up 60.1% of respondents and Asian students 24.2%. 2.9% identified as Black, one respondent identified as American Indian or Alaska Native and one as Middle Eastern. 6.7% identified with two or more races.

Due to sample size, demographics data does not represent the whole of the graduating class. The University’s complete demographic breakdown of the Class of 2026 is published online by Cornell Institutional Research & Planning.

The greatest number of respondents reported being from New York, with 34% though 22 states were represented.

When broken down by college and school, most respondents in the College of Engineering, College of Agriculture and Life Science and the Dyson School of Applied Economics were from out of state or were international students.

8.7% of respondents are athletes while 18.2% are involved in Greek Life.

Further, 8.9% reported previously being a member of Greek Life but disafﬁliated. Survey responses represent students from nearly every college or school within the University. The only school not represented is the School of Hotel Administration.

Legacy Students

Following the overturn of afﬁrmative action by the Supreme Court in 2023 a national and campus wide conversation over the continuation of legacy college admissions was sparked.

In 2024, the Student Assembly unanimously approved a measure advocating for the end of legacy preferencing in Cornell’s admissions process on Thursday. Of the survey respondents, 39.3% reported having at least one family member attend Cornell while 10.7% stated that they were ﬁrst generation college students.

New York and New Jersey were the only two home states of respondents that had both legacy students and ﬁrst generation students represented. Between the two states, New York had the greater difference, with 22% more legacy students than ﬁrst generation students compared to New Jersey’s 20%.

Looking at the breakdown of legacy students by college or school ILRhad the highest percentage of respondents that were legacy students, with 30%. The Cornell Jeb. E Brooks School of Public Policy and the College of Human Ecology had no legacy student respondents, but also both had low sample sizes.

Academics

Computer science was the most popular major among respondents with 12% of the sample, followed closely by ILR with 10%. In total 40 different majors were represented by survey respondents, around half of Cornell’s nearly 80 ﬁelds of study.

The majority of seniors in The Sun’s poll stayed loyal to their major, with 75.5% never switching their majors during their undergraduate experience. Only 5.8% of respondents switched their majors two or more times.

The Senior Sunset Survey asked seniors to report their GPAs. GPAs at Cornell are on a 4.3 scale. Most respondent GPAs fell between the range of 3.5 to 4.0 with no respondents reporting a GPA less than a 2.5, with an overall average of 3.75. The Spring 2025 average cumulative GPA for all Cornell undergraduates was 3.44, according to data released by the Panhellenic Council.

When grouped by home state region, southern respondents had the highest average GPA of 3.89. Respondents from the western side of the US fell behind with the lowest average GPA of 3.71. International student respondents, making up 5.8% of respondents, boasted a 3.85 average GPA.

8.7% of respondents reported being an athlete. Athlete status did not appear to have much of an impact on GPAs. However, 25% of athletes reported having a GPA between 4.0 to 4.3. This ﬁgure is greater than non-athletes, with only 16% of non-athlete respondents reporting a GPA within 4.0 and 4.3.

Sophia Brooke Valauri

Cornell University (CALS)

Bachelor of Science 2026 with Distinction in Research Cum Laude

Sophia—We are so proud of you!

May your next chapter be ﬁlled with continued success, new adventures, and beautiful friendships, Love, Mom, Dad, Liv, Tobe, Rain & Oreo

Marcello Gavino Favela

CALS graduate • Biology Major, Cum Laude, TA

From a street-smart kid (per your Kinder teacher) to an Ivy League graduate, we could not be prouder of you! Courage and a big heart are some of your great qualities Continue to carry your immigrant ancestry with pride, and seek the path of great adventure and risk. Most of all, pursue what makes your soul most happy, and always work hard, have fun, be happy and healthy!

We love you. Tus padres

Congratulations, Charlie! We are so proud of you for earning your Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Science, with a minor in Anthropology and a pre-med concentration—CALS class of 2026, Cornell University. Lov e always, Mom, Dad & Ellie

We l

you and are immensely proud of you.

With l ove, Papa, Mama, Well a, Isabel

To Our Beaut iful Arabel: Congratul at ions!

ove

Ilira-Marsena Mecaj

Tere are journeys measured by achievement—and others measured by strengt h of spirit. Yours is both.

With quiet discipline, you moved for ward each day with purpose—never allowing life to accumulate, always preparing, always striving with intention. Your mind is thoughtful, your writing carries feeling, and your creativity refects a depth beyond your years

Yet what defnes you most is not only what you have accomplished but how you have endured. In moments that would have asked others to pause, you continued with courage, grace, and determination—never seeking exception, only giving your best.

You meet the world with kindness and fairness, seeing people as they are, without judgment, and holding frmly to your values. Tat integrity—your quiet strength—is your true distinction

We are beyond proud—not only of your honors, your research, and all you have achieved—but of the remarkable person you are Pranë teje do të jem gjithmonë; edhe kur zemra të më pushojë dhe malet të shterojnë, shpirti im do të futurojë—që kroji yt në përjetësi të burojë.

We celebrate you today, surrounded by the love of your entire family— Gjyshi & Nena, Dajo Zheni and family, Teze Doni & Titi and family.

With all my love, Mom

Sam—

We are so very proud of you and all your accomplishments! We love you very much and can’t wait to see what the future holds!

Congratulations to you and the Class of 2026!

Love always, Mom, Dad, Marli, Olivia, Grandma Annie, Yaya, and Grandma Sue

Seth...

We are so impressed with what you have accomplished these past four years amazing friends, a thoughtful academic path as a Government major and Business minor, and an impressive thesis on music and presidential campaigns. From Prague to Collegetown, Jameson Hall to Sigma Pi, spring break adventures to internships, and especially in your ﬁnal year suppor ting your brother, you showed maturity, curiosity, and hear t. Of course, we are thrilled that music was always par t of the story—your show on WVBR, jamming at the Crevice, DJ-ing, traveling to hear music with your friends, and beyond. And most impor tant, you had a blast along the way!

We are incredibly proud of you and excited for what comes next. Congratulations!! We love you.

Mom, Dad, Eli, Grandma & Grandpa, and Bubba & Zadie

Congratulations, Celia!

Watching you grow up has been such a joy, and we can’t wait to see the amazing things you will do in the future!

W ith love, from Mommy, Daddy and Stevie

With pride and love, the family of JOSHUA BALDWIN congratulates him on his college graduation from Cornell University, and wishes him continued success and happiness. Keep Ithaca always in your mind. Arriving there is what you were destined for.

We are so proud of you, Son. Our precious Cor nellian, you have shown a tenacious spirit in these past four years. Thank you for allowing us to be par t of your life Continue to move forward and never give up that beautiful laugh. May you always look for guidance in Jesus Christ

Tyler Adams

Chloe Asack

Chloe Asack is a graduating senior from the College of Arts and Sciences and was a staf writer for the Arts & Culture departnment. She can be reached at casack@cornellsun.com.

The Cornell Daily Sun Does a Lot of Good. Next, I Hope They Do Quality Control.

Iam one of ﬁve graduating staff writers from The Sun’s Arts & Culture department, and as I reﬂect upon my two years with the paper, I can honestly say that I’ve found my time to be very productive. It was through writing for The Sun that I found an authorial voice, came to appreciate the importance of artistic criticism (my focus area) and learned to seriously consider every word and punctuation mark. The Sun has an incredibly organized editing process that made this type of development possible. The problem is that at The Sun, all of these stages of development are immortalized in publication.

I initially hesitated to end my time on The Sun on a critical note, but during my tenure in Arts and Culture, I’ve come to believe that while criticism can be negative in substance, its purpose is not negative. The New Yorker book critic Becca Rothfeld once said, “I regard my criticism as a demand for the perfection that novels, in virtue of their magic, owe us. Simone Weil once wrote in a letter to a friend, ‘It seems to me certain that this constitutes a serious imperfection in you. And why should there be any imperfection in you? It does not suit you in the least to be imperfect. It is like a wrong note in a beautiful song.’”

Similarly, The Sun’s editorin-chief, Sophia Dasser, recently wrote that the biggest threat facing the University is “surrender to the darkness of mediocrity that dims us. The Sun burns to resist that dimming.” With the presumption that The Cornell Sun could be perfect, I write to express my belief that the paper’s subjective side, for all its good, should place much more emphasis on the quality of writing that it publishes.

I’ll make the sweeping generalization that college newspapers have two broad goals, the first being to publish a respectable body of work and the second to provide opportunities for young writers. It’s obvious how these goals could conflict. A nascent writer could produce a piece unworthy of publication, but the act of creating it nonetheless improved their craft. If published, the first goal is sacrificed in favor of the second. A middling piece may put off casual readers, and although it benefitted the writer at the time, as they grow, they may not be thrilled to have their most amateur work available forever.

Imagine a ﬁlm review where the author says, “I read [the book it was based on] for the ﬁrst time in recent months, although I initially watched the movie adaptation years ago.” This is a line I wrote in my second article for The Sun, still available today — I read it now and cringe. I wish I had been told that placing myself into my reviews distracted from my actual analyses and was a waste of a word count. Instead, I came to that realiza-

tion slowly as I wrote and read more criticism. In writing that piece, I learned to consider how art affects its audience, but still, the piece as it was published was mediocre. While The Sun gave me an opportunity to write, they also published an article that I will no longer defend — you see how quality and opportunity do not go hand in hand.

Take another line from my early writing: “The best picture race is pretty connected to [the best director race].” The observation is fine, but the verb choice is very weak. The quality of the whole piece is sufficient, so the publication-quality prong and the writer-opportunity prong are both satisfied, yet there was still a missed opportunity for writer development. (I’ll note that my qualms are not a failing of The Sun’s section editors, whose primary job is copy editing.)

I could continue. I can’t dictate exactly how The Sun should reform, but generally, I think the goal of offering young writers opportunity, while admirable, should instead be replaced by a goal to offer young writers the chance to develop. This could look like having new writers produce sample pieces that receive heavy constructive criticism before they are actually published, or mandating semesterly one-on-one critiques with alumni or editors, opportunities that The Sun has already offered on a voluntary basis. It could look like requiring seminars with professors who have journalism backgrounds, or testing writers on a syllabus about the craft of their subsection. It could be something intense, like a Law Review write-on. The Sun could even accept fewer writers, as I am concerned that rapid growth will exacerbate a quantity-over-quality dynamic (150 contributors have joined The Sun this past year!). These practices are far more mild than some of the absurdities that many other clubs require.

The Sun did not invent the idea of de-centering writing quality. As a student studying English, I am all too familiar with the new fad of writing evaluation that heavily prioritizes effort over skill, and I have had to explicitly ask many of my professors to critique my prose rather than my ideas alone. What this philosophy gets wrong is that it sees criticism as mean-spirited or superﬁcial, when really, criticism is the most effective way to give a writer the ability to effectively express their ideas. I am hopeful that this experiment in compositional pedagogy is coming to an end: Young writers will inevitably create mediocre work — it doesn’t make them stupid, but it means they need to be taught how to improve. At The Sun, I believe that increased rigor could be for the better of the paper and the better of the writers. In its pursuit of perfection, The Sun should usher in such change.

Isabelle Louis

From this to that, you’ve come a long way! Congratulations, we couldn’t be more proud!

Love, Mom, Dad, and Genevieve

Congratulations, Ryan... on all your scholastic and athletic accomplishments these past four years! Remember to cherish the lifelong friendships and memories you’ve created along the way. Balancing an Electrical and Computer Engineering degree with four years of cross countr y and track & feld is no small feat, but you handled it beautifully. We are all so proud of you and look for ward to seeing your continued success in life.

Anjelina Gonzalez

Anjelina Gonzalez is a graduating senior from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and was a senior writer for the News department. She can be reached at agonzalez@cornellsun.com.

God Is Good Because Tings Could’ve Happened Diferently

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NIV) “17 Though the ﬁg tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the ﬁelds produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. 19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.”

I discovered the communication major at Cornell during my junior year of high school. Soon after, my family dealt with a lot of illnesses, and I began to intensely struggle mentally.

I applied to a small number of colleges, was waitlisted at my target schools, rejected by the other Ivies, and my safeties sent me to satellite campuses. However, a month before Ivy Day, I received a likely letter from Cornell. I thought maybe it was a God thing.

If it was, I wanted to lean into it wholeheartedly.

We love you! Mom, Dad and Brianna

At my lowest, I wanted to disappear. I was angry that I let myself get hurt, angry that I wanted to reconcile with literally everyone, angry that I was not loved the way I was told I was by some, angry that I did everything I was supposed to do and kept giving it to God, and angry that I lost composure in front of others. I stepped away as a leader, but I kept the Christian community, just quieter and more personal.

I refused to betray little Anj, who prayed for Anj’s continued salvation in the future. I did not want to sabotage tomorrow over today. I want God to be there at the end, most of all. So, I planned to graduate early, joined The Sun, applied to D.C. internships, scheduled smaller group and one-on-one hangouts, and prioritized healing my faith and my family.

There are a lot of things I can say about my very chaotic last few years, but there is just one thing I want to afﬁrm: God is good because all these things could’ve happened differently.

At Cornell, I joined the Christian campus ministry Cru because my family and Christians were all I knew. Christianity is family to me. I decided to go all in and cosplay as a more sociable, conﬁdent version of myself — I started connecting with people everywhere via GroupMe.

I attended Calvary Chapel every week, found a lovely allgirls Community Group that I still talk to regularly now post-graduation, and I accidentally joined Cornell Claritas, a journal of Christian thought, as an e-board member via its former Editor-in-Chief and my friend, Joaquin Rivera ’25. I attended every leadership and Real Life event — always somewhere, doing something, with someone.

My fears subsided as my community grew, and I saw God in everyone around me. I talked with random people about Christ, about faith, and God, and felt like I was growing my own faith through these interactions.

I adored and thanked God for the community he had given me — and I started worrying that it might be too good to be true. I asked God to help me not worry too much.

Fall came again, it was sophomore year, and it was as if every social fear came to fruition through a series of unfortunate events and the end of a friendship I cared deeply about. I was failing classes, confused as to why reconciliation was not happening, and other relationships were struggling. I was stressed because I felt I had no wisdom or answers. I failed to be as socially conﬁdent as I was as a freshman. Yet, I wanted to reconcile with everyone because I believe in a God of restoration in times of hardship.

If I had not been sick, I probably would not have used a random old essay as my personal statement for Cornell. If I were not hurt, I probably would not have channeled that energy into independence by interning at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. I would not have branched out and joined The Sun, ultimately having the opportunity to write well-received articles, break awesome stories, and make key connections. I would not have worked so hard to graduate early.

If I had not been sick, I would not like boba, photography, or writing as much as I do. I would not have formed many of the female friendships and brotherhoods that have developed over the last three years.

My faith and understanding of the Scripture are very different from what they were a decade ago. I struggle most now with consistency in prayer and attending church, but God appears in His Word, and that sticks with me.

In Proverbs 16:9 (NIV), it says that “9 In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” I do not know tomorrow, only today. I live in God’s present presence, and let Him make tomorrow as I steward my blessings and wrestle through hard moments.

But the verse I have clung to the most in my ﬁnal year at Cornell is Romans 4:18 (NIV), “18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’” I choose to be optimistic that the future, though at times bleak, will unfold as in His Will — and, against all hope, I in hope believe in a God who restores and heals beyond comprehension. I ﬁnd peace in the fact that He has me.

Seeing you grow has been a vicarious pleasure for us

Take pr ide in what you’ve accomplished, it’s fantastic to watch Keep enjoying life as you have, working hard and playing hard

Love, Dad & Mama

Rafaella Gonzalez

Rafaella Gonzalez is a graduating senior of the College of Arts and Sciences and was a staf writer for the Arts & Culture department and can be reached at rgonzalez@cornellsun.com.

Grad Column fnalFINAL(2).pdf

Coming into Cornell as a bright-eyed freshman, I thought I knew how to write. I had written and read my way through life and, for some reason, I was convinced everything I wrote had the finesse of published work. Then I wrote my first college essay, thought to myself, Well, that was easy, and proceeded to rage when it came back with more comments than I’d ever seen scribbled along the margins of a page. How dare this very accomplished graduate student with almost a decade’s worth of higher education, much more than my measly two weeks, tell me my essay wasn’t incredible?

Yeah, I needed to be knocked down a peg … or three.

I spent the next couple of years studying English literature, wading through jungles of words, untangling their meanings by tangling myself in them and then writing my way out of the chaos. My process became a mess of restructuring, deleting and, often, completely rewriting. For the first time in my life, I was letting myself hold hands with difficulty and I was seeing the reward. I stopped seeing writing as a picture-perfect show of perceived skill and allowed it to become proof that I was making an effort to improve, even when it didn’t always work.

Then I joined The Sun and got another thump to the head. Newsflash! Writing an article is nothing like writing an academic essay (so obvious in retrospect). Without prompts, I had to learn to find things to write about, and then I had to take my freshly formed ideas and pitch

them to a room full of people instead of workshopping them in the safety of an empty library at night. And actually writing the article? That was the most terrifying thing of all because quite simply. I didn’t know what I was doing. So I learned. I wrote a few bad articles, wrote a few better ones. I never turned in the very first draft.

To this day, every time I sit down to write an article, my first thought is, “How am I going to pull this off?” And that’s a good thing because I don’t want it to be easy. I want to be challenged and I want to let myself struggle. I want to push myself to grow, one draft after another.

When I started at Cornell, I thought writing was easy and that I wanted life to be the same, but during my time here, I learned that the person I want to be lives on the other side of ‘difficult.’ I learned that the fastest road to failure is believing there’s nothing else to improve and that the most valuable thing of all are the people who help make the rough draft that is life a little bit better. They could suggest a better word, point out a contradiction or even rearrange the entire structure. What matters is they care enough to pick up a pen and leave a mark. Writing may be a largely solo endeavor, but the people I met at Cornell taught me that life shouldn’t be.

If you’re a freshman who was just knocked down a peg or three: Keep trying, keep going and never give up after a first draft. Go out and meet people who will change your life and take the time to make an impact in theirs. Life’s a rough draft, after all.

Maddy—

Your mom and I wanted to thank you. Tank you for being the best daughter we ever cou ld have wished for Tank you for taking care of our hearts and staying safe. Tank you for bringing us great pride! What you’ve accomplished these past four years is

nothing short of the word amazing

You’ve made being a parent easy & fun. Your whole family is ver y proud of you. So glad you found your love being on the mountain snowboarding. We can go on and on...

Looking for ward to what the future holds!!

Love, Your Family

Liam Harney

Liam Harney is a graduating law student from Cornell Law School and an opinion columnist. His column Objection! discusses contemporary legal and political issues through a critical lens. He can be reached at lharney@cornellsun.com.

What Kind of Person Should Go to Law School?

As I prepare to graduate from law school, I’ve been thinking about my decision to apply. I’m a ‘KJD,’ someone who went from kindergarten to law school without working in between. The cool part about that is you’re a lawyer before you turn 26. The bad part is you’re a lawyer before you turn 26.

I went to the University of Massachusetts Amherst for my undergraduate degree. There, I had many wonderful professors: retired judges, international law scholars and experts in legal philosophy. I loved reading cases for class, discussing questions with no right answer, trying to ﬁgure out how these disparate concepts could ﬁt together. I knew law school was for me. But one of my favorite professors would always tell me not to go.

And I’m glad he did. Because too many people go to law school for the wrong reasons.

If you want to be a lawyer because you want to make money, I wouldn’t recommend it. Some lawyers make lots, but there are other jobs where you can make money. And many of them are not as all-consuming as the law.

If you want to be a lawyer because you want people to think you’re smart, I wouldn’t recommend it. You’ll be surrounded by lawyers, who won’t be impressed by you being a lawyer. Many of them will, in fact, be smarter than you. At best, strangers at dinner parties will ask for legal advice. In any event, if you don’t think you’re smart, what someone else thinks won’t change your mind.

If you want to be a lawyer because it would make your parents proud, I wouldn’t recommend it. You should only go to law school to make yourself happy, because otherwise you’ll end up miserable.

If you want to be a lawyer because people always told you you’d become one, I’ve got bad news: that just means you were an annoying kid. I can say that, because I was one, and I got told the same thing.

I think my anti-law-school teacher was trying to make sure law school wasn’t just a default choice for me, but something I was willing to actively pursue. In a similar vein, I tell undergrads thinking about law school not to come unless they want to be a lawyer.

This sounds trite, but it demands two things from the listener: First, ﬁgure out what a lawyer actually does, for better or for worse. Second, ask yourself if the juice is worth the squeeze. What do lawyers do? They read long boring documents. They write long complicated arguments. They talk to people who are very stressed, and try to solve their problems. They send and receive an incredible amount of emails. As one partner at a law ﬁrm told me: “It’s an e-mail job.”

It’s also a very human job. It involves emotions, secrets and drama. A trial attorney performs, in every sense of the word. It can be a job where weeks of preparation leads to hours of peak execution in front of a crowd. It can also be a job where innocent mistakes lead to you hurting your own client in an unﬁxable way. To put it mildly, the pressure is intense, and many lawyers suffer from anxiety or depression.

I can’t tell you if you want this. But consider a phrase that, though applicable to many paths in life, is very popular in legal academia. “It’s a pie eating competition, and the reward is more pie.” To me, this saying means that if you cannot ﬁnd some pleasure in the menial, day-today tasks that will make up your existence as a working adult, you will be unhappy most of the time. There’s all kinds of pies out there. You just have to choose the one you want to eat over and over again. There is no right or wrong answer. You decide, because you’re the one who’s eating.

I do not mean to dissuade prospective law students. Law school is amazing, if you’re a nerd about the law, and these past three years have been some of the best of my life. I have been immersed in the language and the culture of the law, and it is an extraordinary privilege to get to spend three years in beautiful Ithaca at a picturesque building studying a topic you love. The professors here are world-class. I’ve met some wonderful people. If I was transported back in time three years ago, I would happily do it all over again. I remember walking home from a full day of classes, drunk from a ﬁrehouse of information, buzzing with excitement. I remember arguing with my classmates about the law, what it is, what it could be. I remember late evenings spent reading old cases, feeling a deep kinship with past and future law students who would read these same words. I remember individual days where I felt unbounded highs and crushing lows in the span of hours. It was intense, overwhelming and magniﬁcent.

Should you go to law school? Only you can answer that question, of course. But for those who do: please try to appreciate even the stressful moments. There is a peculiar nostalgia I feel about the intensity of that ﬁrst year, called 1L. There are few experiences I’ve had (in my admittedly short life) which can compare to that period. As much as it was all so scary, it was also incredibly exciting and special. Those moments pass much quicker than you realize. And they are valuable and rare — and a privilege indeed. Whatever you end up doing, I wish you the very best of luck, and I hope you can ﬁnd pride in doing it well.

Jessica Andrews

Congratulations, Jessica! You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

Love, Mom & Dad

Joanna Andrews

Congratulations, Joanna! You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

Love, Mom & Dad

“Under Construction” by Emilio Cisneros '27

“Cornell ICE Agent” by Hannia Arevalo '27

“Those You Inspire” by Ashlin Kwong '28

Congratu lations Max!

You wrote the papers, braved the snow, pulled the oars, read the books and took the exams

Congratulations on your graduation from Cornell University!

We’re incredibly proud of you We love you more than you can imagine.

—Love, Mom and Dad

“Fall is Here” by Jesus Garcia '29

“The Spook of All Time” by Claire Fang '29

“Those You Inspire” by Ashlin Kwong '28

To our beloved daughter,

Isabela Ticona

Today, we celebrate not only your graduation, but the incredible person you have become. Your hard work, determination, and strengt h have brought you to this important milestone, and we could not be more proud

Watching you grow, overcome challenges, and follow your dreams has been one of the greatest joys of our lives

Your dedication, kindness and perseverance inspire us every day

As you step into this new chapter, always remember to believe in yourself as much as we believe in you. Keep reaching for your goals, stay true to who you are, and never forget how deeply you are loved.

Tis achievement is only the beginning of all the wonderful things ahead for you. We are so proud to call you our daughter and so excited to see where life takes you next.

Congratulations, graduate!

With all our love, Mom and Dad

JOSEPH—

We are so incredibly proud to call you our son, and brother, and see you excel holistically. You impressively take on challenges with humble confdence and do it all with grace. Te dedication you give your academics, athletics, and spiritual life is inspiring! Always remember what’s important and what you’ve learned about yourself along the way

God bless you in your next adventures! C ontinue to follow your dreams with God’s guidance.

Love, Mom, Dad, Alexandra, Julianna (& Misty)

“It’s not easy, but nothing worth doing ever is”

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

Men’s lacrosse downs Maryland to secure frst NCAA title since 1977

By ALEXIS ROGERS Sun Senior Writer

May 26, 2025: FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The stakes had never been higher for Cornell lacrosse.

The program won the ﬁrst-ever NCAA Tournament Final held in 1971. It earned the national championship title again in 1976. It sought to end a nearly 50-year NCAA Final drought in 2022, but fell three goals short of the crown.

Every one of those games was against the University of Maryland.

The Red took its last national title in 1977, but Cornell hadn’t made it back to the top for almost 50 years — until now.

On Monday, the two dynasties met again in the Memorial Day clash as the top seeds in the country. The pressure built from a rivalry as old as the NCAA Tournament itself came to a head, and after a furious back-and-forth match in front of 32,512 spectators, No. 1 Cornell (18-1, 6-0 Ivy) took a 13-10 victory over No. 2 Maryland (14-4, 3-2 Big 10).

“For these guys to achieve this goal, to bring the title back to Cornell for the ﬁrst time in 48 years, I simply don’t have the words for it,” said head coach Connor Buczek ’15 MBA ’17. “I’m so proud as an alum, as a guy that gets to work with them every single day. They’ve earned everything that they’ve gotten.”

Senior attackman CJ Kirst made it into the record books one last time, tying the NCAA record for single-season goals after scoring six for his final farewell to the Red. Sophomore midfielder Ryan Waldman got the first goal of the game after a frantic start, and Maryland’s Bryce Ford picked up a deflected shot and scored to bring it even.

Cornell attempted multiple attacks on the Maryland goal, but were shut down until just over a minute remained in the first quarter. Senior attackman Michael Long assisted junior midfielder Brian Luzzi to give the Red a 2-1 advantage to end the quarter. Both of the Red’s first two goals came from the second midfield unit.

“That second midﬁeld for us this year has been a collection of different faces. Our motto is a relentless commitment to improvement, and those guys have embodied it on the biggest stage,” Buczek said. “Those guys were a huge part of us starting up on the offensive end.”

Though the first 15 minutes were carefully paced, partially due to Maryland’s swarming defense and measured offensive tactics, the second quarter began at a quicker clip, both teams finding success within the first three minutes.

Cornell didn’t hold the lead for long, as Daniel Kelly buried a shot 10 seconds after the quarter’s starting faceoff. Sophomore attackman Ryan Goldstein answered after beating his defender late in the shot clock.

Eric Spanos beat his defender to bring the score to 3-3, but senior midﬁelder Andrew Dalton struck low-to-high to put the Red back ahead. Goldstein extended the lead to two not long after with an unassisted shot.

After another Maryland goal, Kirst powered past defenders for a bouncing solo shot, a comeback after being held scoreless against Penn State in the semiﬁnal.

“Coach Buczek pulled me aside for the second quarter and was like, ‘play your game. Have some conﬁdence,’” Kirst said. “With that little word of wisdom, I was able to do it. I have my teammates to thank, because they have my back.”

The Terrapins didn’t let Cornell rest, ﬁring one back. Maryland almost tied it up before halftime, but a big block from Dalton kept the Red in a tight 6-5 lead going into halftime.

Kirst dodged to the crease, getting separation from his defender around a screen, and scored the ﬁrst goal of the second half. He repeated the feat minutes later to complete his hat trick.

Maryland fired back to cut the lead to two, but Kirst made a wraparound goal, his 80th of the season, to keep the Red up 9-6. The Terrapins responded closely after, bringing the score to 9-7, an inverse of the final result of 2022’s national championship, before the final quarter.

After the Cornell ride forced a turnover, Goldstein scored to put the Red up three. Maryland found a cutter shortly after to get one back. Maryland goalkeeper Logan McNaney robbed Kirst on a crease dive before the Terrapins got a crease dive of their own, cutting the Cornell lead to one.

Kirst scored his ﬁfth of the game to stop the Maryland run, and Goldstein piled on to bring the Cornell lead back to three. With a 12-9 lead and four minutes remaining, the Red could taste the national championship, but couldn’t let up — a three-goal advantage with two minutes left wasn’t enough to prevent its only loss of the year to Penn State on March 8.

Maryland got one back with just under 90 seconds remaining, and Cornell won the ensuing faceoff to retain possession and took its last timeout, with Buczek sprinting onto the ﬁeld to get the call. The Terrapins pulled their goalkeeper, leaving an empty net for Kirst to attack for his sixth goal of the game, bringing him to 82 on the season — tying

the NCAA record for single-season goals.

“Our defense stepped up huge,” said senior goalkeeper Wyatt Knust. “After they scored those two goals in the fourth, we knew that we needed to up our communication, play more aggressive. We really brought it for those ﬁnal possessions.”

The time ran out with Cornell ahead 1310, leaving Gillette Stadium in possession of its fourth championship trophy of all time. After four straight losses in the NCAA Final, including heartbreak in 2009 and 2022, this long-awaited trophy will be the ﬁrst to come to Ithaca since 1977.

After being erased on Saturday, Kirst stormed back with six goals and one assist to lead the Cornell offense and earned the Most Outstanding Player distinction for the tournament. Goldstein also had a fantastic performance, scoring four goals.

“Having the opportunity to play with Ryan [Goldstein] for two years has been incredible,” Kirst said. “He’s just a fearless competitor. He brings everything he has every single day. The future is bright, and I know he’s going to be Player of the Year. He’s going to have it all.”

Knust outdueled his counterpart in McNaney, posting a 55 percent save percentage in his ﬁnal game for the Red. Each individual contribution added up to a historic Cornell team which catapulted into the 2025 season from the start.

“[Cornell was], over the course of the year, the best team. They just were,” said Maryland head coach John Tillman ’91 after the game. “They reminded me of our ’22 team in a lot of ways.”

“No one ever had any doubt,” Knust said. “Everyone believed the entire way, and that focus got us to where we needed to be.”

Remembering Four Years in Cornell Sports

FOUR YEARS

Continued from page 58

Senior Year (2025-26)

June 24: Two women’s hockey players in the Class of 2025 are selected in the PWHL Draft, headlined by Rory Guilday ‘25 picked in the ﬁrst round.

Sept. 5: Legendary men’s hockey goaltender and NHL Hall of Famer, Ken Dryden, dies at 78 after a battle with cancer.

Sept. 26: Field hockey shuts out No. 17 Yale, 2-0, in the ﬁrst-ever game at the new Marsha Dodson Field.

Sept. 27: Men’s soccer stages a comefrom-behind victory to top Yale for the ﬁrst time in 10 years.

Nov. 8: Football downs Penn, 39-17, at Franklin Field to claim the Trustees Cup and extend its winning streak to

four for the ﬁrst time since 1999.

Nov. 29: Boston University reclaims the Kelley-Harkness cup as the Terriers defeat men’s hockey, 2-1, at Red Hot Hockey at Madison Square Garden.

Jan. 19: Men’s basketball’s senior guard Cooper Noard becomes the 29th player in program history to hit the 1,000 point benchmark.

Feb. 8: Senior Ketki Ketkar becomes Cornell’s ﬁrst individual Ivy League champion in program history after securing the epee title.

Feb. 19: Rory Guilday ‘25 wins an Olympic gold medal in Milan as Team USA downs Team Canada in the women’s hockey gold medal game. Brianne Jenner ‘15 and Kritin O’Neill ‘20 earned silver medals for Canada.

March 6: Women’s hockey’s season

ends in the ECAC Tournament semiﬁnals with a 7-2 loss. After reaching the Frozen Four the year prior, Cornell is the ﬁrst team out of the NCAA Tournament.

March 14: With Cornell hosting Ivy Madness at Newman Arena, men’s basketball fell to top-seeded Yale in the semiﬁnals. The loss marked the fourth year in a row that the Red had its season ended by the Bulldogs.

March 15: Men’s hockey defeats Harvard in the deciding Game 3 of the ECAC quarterﬁnals at Lynah Rink, punching its ticket to Lake Placid.

March 27: Men’s hockey’s season ends in the NCAA Tournament regional semiﬁnal after a 5-0 loss to Denver in Loveland, Colorado. Two juniors ink NHL contracts in the days following.

April 25: Men’s tennis secures its ﬁrst

Ivy League title since 2017 after a 4-3 win over fellow Ivy leader Columbia. Rodrigo Fernandes defeated the two-time NCAA singles champion in the process.

April 25: Women’s lacrosse defeats Yale, 11-10, on senior day. The Bulldogs were previously unbeaten in Ivy League play and topped the conference standings.

April 27: With her 19th home run of the 2026 season, senior Lauren Holt sets the Ivy League single-season home run record. Softball concludes its season with a 21-22 record, its best since 2013.

May 9: Men’s lacrosse’s national title defense falls short as it falls in overtime to Johns Hopkins in the ﬁrst round of the NCAA Tournament held at Schoellkopf Field.

GRADY MILLONES / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Harvard at Home | Men’s hockey beat Harvard in three games in the ECAC quarterinals, dropping the ﬁrst game before winning the next two to earn a spot at ECAC Championship Weekend in Lake Placid.

Madness in Ithaca | Men’s basketball faced Yale in the Ivy Madness semiﬁnals held at Newman Arena in March.

TIMMY XI / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

A Journey Through Four Years in Cornell Athletics

Freshman Year (2022-23)

Aug. 19: Cornell Athletics makes a return to fall sports for another year since their return from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sept. 5: Men’s soccer sweeps California road trip games. The Red won against UCSB 2-1, and bested U.C. Irvine with a 1-0 victory.

Sept. 12: Cornell Women’s Volleyball closes out the Cornell Invitational without a win, losing 2-4 in the annual event.

Oct. 1: Cornell Football dominates against Colgate, winning 34-31 against the Raiders.

Nov. 2: Women’s Soccer defeats Princeton for the ﬁrst time since 1995, winning 2-1.

Dec. 2: Men’s hockey falls to rival Harvard in overtime. Crimson beat the Red 2-1.

Jan. 21: Men’s hockey takes down top-ranked Quinnipiac with a save shutout by Ian Shane ‘25.

Feb. 25: Men’s Hockey defeats Yale 5-1 securing its 25th Ivy League title. The commanding win sent Cornell into a bye week on a high note.

March 20: Wrestling’s Arujau and Diakomihalis are crowned national champions ater winning championship matches in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This is Diakomihalis’s fourth national championship win.

April 29: Men’s Lacrosse clinches 31st Ivy Title with Aiden Blake scoring the ﬁnal two goals leading the Red to victory past the Princeton Tigers.

May 9: Gavin Adler was selected ﬁrst overall in the Premier Lacrosse League Draft meaning his lacrosse career will not end at Cornell as he joins the Atlas Lacrosse Club.

Sophomore Year (2023-24)

Sep. 23: Football upsets Yale, the reigning Ivy League champions, on the road. The Red won 23-21.

Oct. 4: Women’s soccer ties Columbia at Berman Field, 1-1, securing a program-record 11-match home unbeaten streak.

Oct. 15: Field hockey upsets then-No. 13 Syracuse in double-overtime at Marsha Dodson Field.

Nov. 11: Women’s swimming and diving beats Harvard for the ﬁrst time since 1983.

Nov. 25: Men’s hockey beats rival B.U. at Madison Square Garden, aided by a 35-save shutout by Ian Shane ’25.

Jan. 28: Wrestling upsets then-No. 2 Missouri in front of a ruckus crowd at Newman Arena.

Feb. 17: With a 2-1 victory over Yale, women’s hockey clinches the Ivy League title for the 16th time.

Mar. 19: Men’s basketball falls to Ohio State, 8883, in the Red’s ﬁrst ever appearance in the NIT. A very promising season ends for a large group of seniors.

Mar. 23: Men’s hockey defeats St. Lawrence in the ECAC Tournament Championship, breaking a 14year title drought and securing an automatic NCAA tournament bid.

Apr. 2: Men’s lacrosse beats Syracuse in double-overtime, 18-17. The Red overcame a 7-0 deﬁcit to win a game-of-the-year candidate.

May 5: Baseball clinches its ﬁrst Ivy League Tournament berth in 12 years with a 9-4 victory over Brown.

Junior Year (2024-25)

July 24: Mike Schafer ‘86 announces he will retire as head coach of the men’s hockey team after 30 seasons following the 2024-25 season. Casey Jones ‘90 is announced as his successor.

July 24: Five Cornellians head to Paris for the Summer Olympic Games, earning one gold, one silver and one bronze medal in rowing, the triathlon mixed relay and wrestling, respectively.

Sep. 28: Football upends Yale in a rainy 47-23 win, its ﬁrst Homecoming game victory since 2017.

Oct. 5: Women’s soccer takes its ﬁrst conference victory since November of 2022, a 1-0 win over Dartmouth.

Nov.16: Football topples Dartmouth, previously undefeated on the road, for its ﬁnal home game of 2024.

Nov. 24: Men’s soccer started its NCAA Tournament run with a comeback win over visitors Fordham. Despite Fordham coming out to a 2-0 lead, the Red scored four straight to win the game and move on to the second round.

Dec. 18: The Ivy League Council of Presidents approves a proposal to allow the winner of the Ivy League to compete in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs starting next season. This reverses nearly 80 years of precedent.

Jan. 21: The Ivy League opts out of the House v.

NCAA settlement, continuing its policy of refraining from providing student-athletes with revenue-sharing allocations, athletic scholarships or direct NIL payments.

Jan. 23: Athletic Director Nicki Moore shares in a statement that the “Game Farm Road” project, meant to replace the demolished Marsha Dodson Field, has faced complications that may delay its availability for the fall 2025 ﬁeld hockey season.

Jan. 25: After a 5-0 shakedown of men’s hockey, Dartmouth taunts the Lynah Faithful, leading to a brawl between the entirety of the two teams that results in multiple suspensions.

March 15: In front of a record 3,135 fans, women’s ice hockey’s sophomore goaltender Annelies Bergmann stops 28 shots in a 1-0 win against Minnesota-Duluth in the NCAA Tournament Regional Final. The team advances to the Frozen Four.

March 24: Men’s lacrosse earns a spot at the top of both Inside Lacrosse and USILA media polls for the ﬁrst time in 18 years. It goes on to hold the No. 1 rank through the end of the regular season.

March 29: The career of men’s ice hockey head coach Mike Schaefer ’86 ends with an overtime loss to Boston University in the NCAA Tournament. The team now has an eight-game losing streak in regional ﬁnal games.

April 14: Women’s polo defeats the University of New Hampshire to take its ﬁrst-ever Division II Women’s National Intercollegiate Championship.

April 26: Senior attackman CJ Kirst surpasses the NCAA record for most all-time goals scored in Dl men’s lacrosse with his 225th against Dartmouth on Senior Day.

May 4: Men’s lacrosse downs Princeton, 20-15, to secure the Ivy League Tournament title on Schoellkopf Field. The Red avenged its upset in the tournament from the year prior.

May 26: Men’s lacrosse wins its ﬁrst national championship since 1977 after defeating Maryland, 13-10, in the title game. Cornell ﬁnishes the 2025 season with an 18-1 record and concludes one of the most dominant seasons in Cornell and NCAA lacrosse history.