The Ithacan Thursday, November 3, 20 11
Email urges more work over Cortaca
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Volume 79, Is s u e 9
Mayoral race reaches home stretch
by taylor long staff writer
The Office of Health Promotions has suggested that students be given a heavier workload over Cortaca weekend to curb excessive drinking. In an email sent out to faculty members two weeks ago through a private faculty listserv, Nancy Reynolds, Health Promotion Center program director, encouraged To read the full email, faculty to alter scan the QR code or assignment due visit theithacan.org/ dates so that cortaca-email. they fall on or around Nov. 14, the Monday after Cortaca Jug, the historic rival football game between SUNY-Cortland and Ithaca College. The contents of the email were leaked to The Ithacan last week by a faculty member who asked to remain anonymous. “If your students have important assignments due on Monday the 14th, some of them will be less likely to engage in high risk drinking the weekend beforehand,” Reynolds said in the email. “While I respect the fact that many course syllabi are set well in advance, I encourage you to try to incorporate this prevention strategy by scheduling important assignments during this critical time period.” Reynolds also advised faculty to focus class discussion “on aspects of the event such as school spirit, the excitement of athletic competition, the fun tradition of a local rivalry, etc.” Michael Buck, clinical associate professor and associate faculty development coordinator, sent the email to faculty through the IC Teach listserv on Reynolds' behalf. Buck maintains the IC Teach listserv, which allows faculty to discuss teaching-related issues. He said Reynolds asked him to circulate the information to faculty, but sending the email does not reflect his endorsement of her message. Buck declined to share individual responses to the message, but said he didn’t get the impression that members of the faculty intended to assign extra work to students the weekend of Cortaca. “I don’t recall anybody endorsing that or saying that is exactly what they’re going to do,” Buck said. “I wouldn’t want students to believe that we use learning opportunities such as exams, papers or projects as a stick that we hold over their head to make them behave in a certain way beyond their personal choice.”
See cortaca, page 4
From left, J.R. Clairborne, Svante Myrick, Wade Wykstra and Janis Kelly discuss immigration, workers rights and diversity in the community at a mayoral forum Tuesday in the Women's Community Building downtown. The general election for City of Ithaca mayor will be held Tuesday.
michelle boulé/the ithacan
by shea o'meara
assistant accent editor
After months of campaigning to become the next mayor of the City of Ithaca, the candidates' futures will soon be in the hands of the community. The four-way race comes as Ithaca faces a $3 million debt, the adoption of a state-mandated tax cap and a state-reported 6.8 percent unemployment rate in 2010. Competing for mayor in the election Tuesday are Independence Party candidate J.R.
Clairborne, Republican Janis Kelly, Democrat Svante Myrick and independent Wade Wykstra. In March, Mayor Carolyn Peterson announced she would not seek election for a third term because of personal matters. Peterson said problems with the national economy have finally trickled down to the local governments and Ithaca is facing its most critical financial matters in almost 50 years. “There are several large projects online right now that I would expect the new administration to see in the next one to two or
three years,” she said. Elizabeth Cree, Republican commissioner of the Tompkins County Board of Elections, said 9,170 voters are registered for the general election, but the board does not have an exact estimate of how many voters will cast a ballot. She said the percentage of registered voters who participate in an election often depends on the number of local, countywide and national races taking place.
See election, page 4
Postal Service struggles to address crippling deficit By kelsey fowler accent editor
The United States Postal Service carries hundreds of thousands of letters and packages every day, but it is carrying a heavier weight as well — a massive deficit which has the agency considering massive changes. There has been an ongoing debate as to how to solve the postal service’s deficit problem. In 2006, under the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, Congress mandated the USPS to not only pay current retiree health benefits, but to also start pre-paying retiree health benefits to the government for a 75-year period over a 10year period. No other government agency is required to do so. Its profits have been declining since. Total mail volume has decreased 46 billion pieces in the last five years, also contributing to the deficit Until 2006, the postal service operated under a “pay as you go” model for its benefits payment plan.
active leader Senior back's play on men's soccer team speaks louder than his words, page 23
Now, the USPS must make yearly payments of roughly $5.5 billion to set aside money for future retirees. With close to 600,000 employees and a $70 billion annual budget, the
USPS is the largest retail structure in the United States. Currently, a $5.5 billion payment to the government, originally due Sept. 30, is now due Nov. 18.
From left, freshman Scott Watson speaks with Cheryl Christopher, post office assistant, about mailing in the Phillips Hall post office. Kristina Stockburger/the ithacan
cha cha cha
WICB DJ shares Latin music in Ithaca after moving from New York City, page 13 f ind m or e. onl ine. www.t heit hacan.org
Dave Partenheimer, director of media relations for USPS, said the agency is doing all it can to reduce costs. It is considering closing thousands of post offices and laying off workers. Partenheimer said they also need action from Congress to switch to five-day delivery, since by law the Postal Service is mandated to deliver six days a week. Five-day delivery weeks would save the USPS $3.1 billion each year, Partenheimer said. “To become profitable again, we need a more flexible business model that allows us to respond more quickly and better to changes in the marketplace,” he said. But Sally Davidow, spokeswoman for the American Postal Workers Union, said she doesn’t believe the proposed measures will work effectively. She said using funds from other overpaid accounts for the health benefits pre-payment would be a better solution.
See mail, page 4
slow down Students petition for more local foods in dining halls, page 10