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The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 129, No. 70 News
THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013
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ITHACA, NEW YORK
Dec.5 Death in Gorge Accidental,Cops Say
My kind of Guy ’13
‘Unfathomable Tragedy’
Cornell professors mourned the recent death of Alan YoungBryant Ph.D. ’11. | Page 3
News
Body of former Ph.D.student recovered
I Want to Be Miss America
Joanna Guy ’13 talks to The Sun about her quest to become Miss America. | Page 8
By SUN STAFF
Opinion
5.
Birds of a Feather
Christo Eliot ’13 draws life lessons from a bird attack. | Page 12
Arts Nothing Miserable Here
The Sun gives an A- to the new adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel. | Page 15
Sports Orange Crush
Cornell women’s hockey beat Syracuse 8-1 in an easy rout recently. | Page 20
Weather Overcast HIGH: 31 LOW: 28
20 Pages – Free
COURTESY OF JOANNA GUY ’13
A previous version of this story was published on cornellsun.com on Dec.
Emergency responders recovered the body of Alan Young-Bryant M.A. ’07 Ph.D. ’11 from the Cascadilla Gorge early on the morning of Dec. 5. Young-Bryant’s death appears to have been caused by an “accidental fall” into the gorge, police said. A resident of Los Angeles at the time of his death, Young-Bryant, 32, was found in the gorge by Treman Triangle, near the intersection of Linn Street and University Avenue. Earlier on Dec. 5, the University said emergency services responded to an incident “in Cascadilla Gorge underneath the Stewart Avenue Bridge.” The Cascadilla Gorge trail runs from Stewart Avenue to Linn Street. Young-Bryant had been “back in Ithaca to celebrate the successful defense of his long-time partner’s Ph.D. thesis and to reconnect with their friends in the area,” according to Prof. Jonathan Culler, English, who was Young-Bryant’s thesis adviser. He was last seen on the night of Dec. 4 at the Chapter House. “The couple had been celebrating the end of her exams at the bar before they lost track of each other,” a University press release said. Young-Bryant’s partner then called the Cornell University Police and
Cornellian Joanna Guy ’13 vied to become Miss America earlier this month. Read The Sun’s interview with Guy on p. 8.
See GORGE DEATH page 4
H.S.Seniors Jubilant After C.U.Admission By AKANE OTANI
to cheer for the Big Red in the fall. One accepted student A previous version of this summed up her reaction in story was published on cornell- 30 characters. sun.com on Dec. 21. “I’M GOING TO CORHigh school seniors NELL NEXT YEAR!” around the world screamed, Tweeted Ruth, whose Twitter cried and Tweeted exclama- account did not give her last tions of elation on Dec. 13 name. when accepted early to Others detailed the Cornell’s Class of 2017. exhausting, almost unbearThis year, Cornell able wait for the University’s received 4,193 early decision admissions results. applications and accepted For the “entire week” 1,237 students, according to leading up to his acceptance, Noah Bloem ’17 was able “I spent most of the last week to think calculating the number of hours left about little other than until the decision was announced.” Cornell, he Noah Bloem ’17 said. “I barely slept last Claudia Wheatley, director night, and I spent most of of University press relations. the last week calculating the The University received number of hours left until almost 600 more applica- the decision was tions for the Class of 2017 announced,” said Bloem, a than for the Class of 2016, student from the and its early acceptance rate Netherlands attending the dipped from the Class of Dwight School in New York 2016’s 32.7 percent to 29.5 City. percent. When Bloem got home Celebrations were in order after school on Dec. 13, he from New York to Singapore watched the production for accepted students, who diaries of The Hobbit to disdescribed their relief, the tract himself while waiting for nerve-wracking wait for the See H.S. ADMISSION page 4 decision and their excitement Sun News Editor
NATHANIEL BROOKS / THE NEW YORK TIMES
First volley | Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), citing the shootings in Newtown, Conn., signs gun control legislation on Tuesday. President Skorton has called on President Obama to also take action in response to the Connecticut shooting.
Skorton to Obama:Gun Control Now By KERRY CLOSE Sun News Editor
In the wake of Newtown, Conn. school shootings, University President David Skorton –– along with nine other university presidents –– has urged President Barack Obama and members of Congress to take legislative action against gun violence. In a statement issued on Jan. 2, the presidents –– who are members of the executive committee of the Association of American Universities, a coalition consisting of 62 American and Canadian
research universities –– condemned the U.S.’ “culture of violence, particularly perpetrated by guns.” “The Newtown slaughter is the latest in a series of mass murders, but the nature and number of its victims have caused Americans to devote special attention to this tragic event and its causes,” the statement said. “Our schools and campuses have unfortunately become centers of national mourning, from Columbine to Virginia Tech, and now Newtown.” In the statement, Skorton and his colleagues encouraged political
leaders to combat gun violence through arms control, moderation of messages of brutality in the media and improved treatment of mental illnesses. “We know that there are no simple ‘solutions’ to violence in America, but we do believe that all three areas require focused and serious consideration by the president and the Congress,” the statement said. The statement particularly emphasized the need to minimize violent images in the media. See GUN CONTROL page 4