01-30-13

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The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 129, No. 79

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2013

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Miller Hopes for ‘Protected Path’ For All Students

By SARAH CUTLER Sun Staff Writer

When Andrew Thompson Miller, associate vice provost for academic diversity and head of the Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives, came to Cornell in Summer 2011, he suggested that the office’s initials — OADI — be pronounced as one word. That way, he said, it would sound like “wadi,” the Arabic and Swahili word for a protected path across the desert.

The change fit in well with Miller’s planned academic initiatives at OADI. The office organizes programs to guide underrepresented students — those eligible for Pell Grants, those who are the first in their families to attend college and ethnic minorities –– through their time at Cornell.

The programs include weekly lunches focused on topics ranging from financial aid to alumni sucMILLER cess stories, a Friday “Stress Busters” club with activities such as improvisation and yoga classes and a pre-professional program targeting students with a variety of career aspirations.

“These might be students whose high schools didn’t have a drama program. [Our career] programs don’t assume you have an uncle who’s a lawyer who can tell you about it,” he said. “We’re making sure everyone’s starting from the same place.”

As associate vice provost, Miller is responsible for See MILLER page 5

News Alumni Awards

Cornell alumni were recognized for hosting mini-reunions, a trend catching on in various regions of the country. | Page 3

Opinion

CONNOR ARCHARD / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Scene of the crime | Police tape marks off the area in Collegetown close to where residents reported hearing gunshots Tuesday morning. A man was later treated for a gunshot wound to the buttocks.

Shots Fired in C-Town;Man Injured

BY AKANE OTANI Sun News Editor

and EMMA COURT

Sun Senior Writer

About 35 minutes after shots were reportedly fired in Collegetown on Tuesday morning, police received a call regarding a man with a gunshot wound to his buttocks.

The victim is in stable condition at a nearby hospital, according to Jamie Williamson, public infor-

Alex Bores ’13 calls for consistent enforcement of alcohol and hazing regulations — in and out of the Greek system. | Page 6

Arts

See SHOOTING page 5

Cornell prof,alumnus use real-world examples to discuss firearms law

By ERICA AUGENSTEIN

A Cornell alumnus and a Cornell law professor faced off in a debate about firearms law in the United States on Tuesday, an event that drew about 150 people.

Prof. Michael Dorf, law, and Alan Gura ’92, a litigator in

high- profile cases about gun regulation, went head-to-head as they discussed interpretation of the Second Amendment and its applications in modern American life.

Dorf and Gura have previously taken opposing views of Second Amendment law. In 2008, Gura argued District of Columbia vs. Heller — a case that

Hunk of Burning Love

A parody of The Bachelor is perfect viewing for a Valentine’s Day marathon, according to Julia Moser ’15. | Page 11

Sports Middle of Balling

Albert Liao ’14 gives a midseason review of the NBA, minus the Lakers. | Page 16

Weather Showers HIGH: 55 LOW: 34

gunshots,” according to the IPD. At the time, police searched the area but did not find any suspects.

At approximately 2:05 a.m., Bangs Ambulance and IPD officers responded to a call from 503 Hancock St. — approximately 1.5 miles from Oak Avenue — for a 22-year-old man with a gunshot wound.

Though Collegetown residents expressed varied reactions to the

Debate at Law School Tackles Gun Control

Sun Staff Writer

Rules for All

mation officer for the Ithaca Police Department.

Mayor Svante Myrick ’09 said Tuesday that the man was grazed by the bullet.

At about 1:30 a.m., police received a 911 call notifying them of “possible shots fired in the area of Oak Ave[nue] and of a dark-colored sedan leaving the area.”

The Ithaca Police and Cornell University Police Departments spoke with multiple residents “who all heard the sound of four or five

GINA HONG / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Armed to argue | Students observe a debate on gun control in Myron Taylor Hall Tuesday.

struck down a Washington, D.C., handgun ban — all the way to the Supreme Court, despite Dorf’s urging that the ban be upheld.

The organizers of the debate said they felt that the recent spotlight on gun regulation made the event more relevant to attendees.

The debate opened with the two speakers discussing federal cases dealing with carrying firearms outside the home and potential future cases about the issue.

“The Second Amendment related to a collective military right to carry guns. [The Supreme Court] looked to the term ‘bear arms’ and saw that it had a uniquely militaristic meaning,” Gura said.

Dorf said it is difficult to predict future Supreme Court rulings about the question of carrying guns.

“It is absolutely an open question about what will happen in respect to public carrying,” Dorf said.

Despite the serious nature of

the debate, there was room for humor in the conversation. Dorf questioned whether a hypothetical law banning a hypothetical death ray would violate the Second Amendment. Gura also remarked on military grade weapons, saying, “There is no drone season for deer.”

In the wake of shooting tragedies such as that at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., organizers said their decision to hold the debate was questioned.

“I was actually approached over winter break, and someone said, ‘Given the controversy, maybe we shouldn’t hold it,’” Dan Hartman grad, one of the organizers of the event, said. “We go to Cornell University; we can debate things without being disagreeable. We can debate highprofile issues.”

The leaders of the two groups that organized the event — the Cornell Law School chapter of the Federalist Society, a conservaSee DEBATE page 4

2 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Today

DAYBOOK

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Weird News

Umpteen speedy televisions perused two sheep, then umpteen tickets towed Jupiter, and Dan untangles five progressive orifices. Umpteen quixotic aardvarks annoyingly bought two Macintoshes. Umpteen bureaux tickled two extremely putrid botulisms. Paul sacrificed one lampstand, then Jupiter marries the very quixotic pawnbroker. Five purple poisons laughed, yet umpteen chrysanthemums kisses five aardvarks. Batman noisily untangles one Jabberwocky. Two Macintoshes laughed, then one extremely schizophrenic Jabberwocky drunkenly untangles two sheep, however Quark telephoned umpteen obese Jabberwockies. Five irascible botulisms slightly lamely auctioned off the subway, and five chrysanthemums easily untangles one mostly speedy Klingon. Five dogs drunkenly perused Minnesota, however the mats ran away cleverly, although one partly progressive subway quite comfortably sacrificed

Daybook

of the Week

Today 2013 Engineering and Technical Startup Career Fair 2:30 - 6:30 p.m., Atrium, Duffield Hall

Man Gets Drive-Through Send-Off After Funeral

Biophysics Colloquium 4 p.m., 700 Clark Hall Breaking the Silence: A Vigil for Victims of Rape In South Asia 6 - 7 p.m., Memorial Room, Willard Straight Hall

Tomorrow 6th Annual Soup and Home Noon - 1 p.m., Sage Chapel, Sanctuary Global Health Lecture: HIV Prevention 2013 4:30 - 5:30 p.m., 233 Plant Sciences Building Black History Month Dinner: Soul Food 5 - 8 p.m., Flora Rose House, Dining Room Peace Corps General Information Session 5 - 6 p.m., 102 Mann Library

YORK, Pa. (AP) — Mourners at a Pennsylvania fast-food fan’s funeral wanted him to have it his way, so they arranged for his hearse — and the rest of the procession — to make one last drive-through visit before reaching the cemetery.

David Kime Jr. “lived by his own rules,” daughter Linda Phiel said. He considered the lettuce on a burger his version of healthy eating, she said.

To give him a whopper of a send-off Saturday, the funeral procession stopped at a Burger King where each mourner got a sandwich for the road.

Kime got one last burger too, The York Daily Record reported.

It was placed atop his flag-draped coffin at the cemetery.

Phiel said the display wasn’t a joke, rather a happy way of honoring her father and the things that brought him joy.

“He lived a wonderful life and on his own terms,” she said.

Kime, 88, a World War II veteran, died Jan. 20.

Restaurant manager Margaret Hess said she knew his face and his order. She and her crew made 40 burgers for the funeral procession.

“It’s nice to know he was a loyal customer up until the end — the very end,” she said.

Search Is on for Golden Cookie Stolen in Germany BERLIN (AP) — Missing: One golden cookie, weighing around 44 pounds (20 kilograms).

Suspect: The Cookie Monster?

The rectangular gilded bronze sculpture was part of a statue gracing the facade of German cookie baker Bahlsen’s Hannover office.

How the century-old symbol was taken remains unclear, but police say witnesses reported having seen two men with a ladder in the area earlier this month.

The company has offered €1,000 ($1,350) for information leading to the cookie’s recovery.

A police statement said a local newspaper received a picture Tuesday showing someone in an outfit similar to Sesame Street's Cookie Monster holding a golden cookie.

The sender wrote to demand cookies be delivered to children at a city hospital. Police aren’t sure if it’s the same cookie, or a real claim of responsibility.

Library Solves Animal Control’s Puppy Poop Problem SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco’s animal control agency is proving that the print editions of newspapers remain just as vital in the digital age.

The agency relies on the papers to line cages and catch its puppy’s poop. It is now turning to the city’s public library to ensure a consistent newspaper supply.

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THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, January 30, 2013 3

NEWS

Alumni Honored for Expanding Class Reunions

By DARA LEVY Sun Staff Writer

In an effort to increase recognition of alumni volunteer effors, the Cornell Alumni Association unveiled the CAA Cup this month, a competition that awards specific programs created by Cornell alumni.

The Cup was created to recognize specific group alumni programs and events that take place around the world, according to Scott Pesner ’87, a CAA vice president.

“Cornell alumni put in a lot of time volunteering, so the award is just another way we can recognize them,” Pesner said.

Doug Mitarotonda ’02 and Julie Vultaggio ’02, copresidents of their graduating class, were the inaugural winners of the CAA Cup, accepting the award for creating events called “Non-Reunion Reunions.”

The year after its five-year reunion, the Class of 2002 began planning events across the country during the first weekend in June on non-reunion years,

Vultaggio said.

“Non-Reunion Reunion is our way of making reunion weekend a priority in our classmates’ minds every year, not just the every five years we meet in Ithaca,” Mitarotonda said.

The class officers developed two priorities after the five-year reunion: to build excitement for the 10-year reunion and to keep classmates engaged with Cornell, particularly during non-reunion years.

According to Mitarotonda, a collective brainstormsession found that both goals for the class could be achieved by throwing Non-Reunion Reunions.

The events began on a small scale in 2008, but by 2011, they had expanded to include more creative and region-specific events. For example, reunions in New York City involved happy hour events, while in Los Angeles, the class hosted an outdoor picnic, according to Vultaggio.

Mitarotonda said that the non-reunions will continue at least until the class’ 15-year reunion. Planning for the Class of 2002’s upcoming 2013 Non-Reunion

Going green

KELLY YANG / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Prof. David Wolfe, horticulture, gives a lecture Tuesday on climate change called “Strategies and Experiences.”

Reunion began at this year’s conference.

“Our plan is to focus on our NRR events for the foreseeable future,” Mitarotonda said.

“Non-Reunion Reunion is our way of making reunion weekend a priority in our classmates’ minds every year, not just the every five years we meet in Ithaca.”

Doug Mitarotonda ’02 The class plans to expand its Non-Reunion Reunions by partnering with more regional clubs and class councils, particularly classes on the same reunion cycle, and by offering reunions in more cities, according to Mitarotonda and Vultaggio.

Other classes have begun adopting the NonReunion Reunion idea for themselves. In June 2012, the Classes of 1999, 2004 and 2009 held joint events in multiple cities across the country, according to Vultaggio.

Pesner said that sharing ideas for events and programs was one of the Cup’s initial purposes.

“I think [the Non-Reunion Reunion] is a great idea, and you’ll see other classes working toward that,” Pesner said.

He added that the CAA may use ideas from the contest’s entries to create a database or toolkit of ideas for other alumni groups.

Vultaggio said that the CAA’s help with the Class of 2002’s project was instrumental, also noting that the CAA’s conference helped the Class of 2002 establish connections with other class officers to expand the Non-Reunion Reunions.

“We’re proud to have great success, but we wouldn’t have been able to do it alone,” Vultaggio said.

The CAA, which received more applications for the award than it had originally anticipated, Pesner said.

“It just goes to show how creative and hard-working Cornell alumni are in creating events,” Pesner said.

Dara Levy can be reached at dlevy@cornellsun.com.

Univ.Will Use Survey to Improve Conservation on Campus

By CAROLYN KRUPSKI Sun Staff Writer

A recent report revealing that 96 percent of Cornellians surveyed support conservation practices also found that peer pressure is a key factor that influences their involvement.

The report used survey data from Spring 2012 to measure attitudes toward energy conservation in the workplace. It questioned participants about their attitudes toward conservation, their perceived ability to control their energy use and their beliefs about others’ attitudes toward conservation.

According to Prof. Katherine McComas, communications, the data collected showed that respondents’ perceptions of others’ opinions about conservation affected their decisions about energy use.

“Peer pressure plays a huge role [in conservation],” McComas said.

“Although support is almost 100 percent, our respondents believed that only 50 percent of their neighbors are concerned. But if they think that more people are concerned, they reportedly will do more themselves.”

McComas also noted the importance of recognizing one’s personal role in conservation efforts.

“In order to create a workplace culture change, it will be necessary to show people their own control over their energy usage,” McComas said.

Though addressing a well-known issue, the survey sets itself apart from other studies.

“The study is unique because it is one of a handful in the past few years to deal with conservation in the workplace,” said Mary Beth Deline, a Ph.D. candidate in communications, who coauthored the study. “But we have to understand what people are actually thinking before we can work with them to conserve energy.”

The survey –– which was completed by nearly 3,000 faculty, staff and graduate students from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management and the College of Engineering –– also found differences in respondents’ attitudes based on their college affiliation. For instance, Johnson School students were less familiar with ways in which they can engage in energy conservation behaviors.

“We are still trying to figure out whether those differences are meaningful,” McComas said.

These differences may be important in Cornell’s approach to sustainability in the future.

“Using this report, we know that we need to design conservation campaigns that reflects each college’s culture,” said Graham Dixon, a Ph.D. candidate in communications and a co-author of the study.

The study will affect the way Cornell approaches energy conservation, starting with the College of Engineering, which will implement a new program allowing it to measure its energy use in real time, according to Erin Moore, the energy outreach coordinator of the University’s

MICHELLE FRALING / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Tabling for sustainability | Linna Li ’15 speaks with students on Ho Plaza for Campus Sustainability Day in October.

facilities services.

“We are creating engagement and education strategies based on the community and personal interactions within each college,” Moore said. “As we move this program to different colleges, we will structure it based on the community setting and attitudes to engage the majority of the campus. The study helped us realize the need for engagement on a college-specific level in order to have a University-wide impact.”

According to Moore, continued con-

servation education within the community is important for effective change..

“One thing that we learned from the survey is that our engagement should include consistent communication,” Moore said. “Regardless of whether you work in the CALS or the College of Engineering, everyone should know that their actions really do make a difference.”

Carolyn Krupski can be reached at ckrupski@cornellsun.com.

4 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, January 30, 2013

NEWS

Speakers at Legal Debate ‘Funny and Informed’ On Gun Control Issues DEBATE

Continued from page 1

tive libertarian group, and the Second Amendment Club, which promotes discussion of how to use guns recreationally and safely — both studied under Dorf as first-year law students.

“He is the biggest name in constitutional law,” said Jonathan Underwood law, another one of the event’s organizers.

Hartman echoed his sentiments.

“We have two intellectual heavyweights on this issue,” Hartman said.

Attendees said they were impressed by the stage presence of the two debaters.

“I thought they were both

H

very funny and informed on the issue,” said Drew Levine grad.

Raphaella Ricciardi grad said she enjoyed hearing the differing viewpoints presented at the debate.

“It was interesting to hear [Dorf ’s] liberal take on things,” she said.

Organizers said they felt the event was a success.

“We are very pleased with how the event went,” Underwood said. “We had a very impressive turnout and some excellent discussion.”

Erica Augenstein can be reached at eaugenstein@cornellsun.com.

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Five Course Spanish Wine Dinner Friday, February 1st at 7:00 p.m. $70ºº per person Reservations Required The Heights Café & Grill Community Corners • 903 Hanshaw Road, Ithaca, NY 14850 257-4144 • www.heightscafe.com Cocktails, Lunch, Dinner • Private dining room available Reservations suggested

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, January 30, 2013 5

NEWS

C-Town Shooting Scares Residents

Town hall meeting

SHOOTING

Continued from page 1

JEVAN HUTSON / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Black and Latino students meet to discuss their experiences at Cornell.

Miller Sings for Folk Duo in Spare Time MILLER

Continued from page 1

responding to racial crimes on campus. He cited instances such as the racial attack at the Sigma Pi fraternity in May 2012, when a visitor from Florida threw bottles and yelled racial epithets at black students from the roof of the house, and one in August, when a student walking through campus was allegedly struck by an egg and taunted with racial slurs by students in a passing car.

“It was awful,” Miller said. “Any time the Cornell community is torn apart, or people are placed in fearful situations, it’s very destructive to [the] community. … When you’re a huge institution, it’s always a balancing act of realizing such things will happen.

You’ve got to be ready for when they do happen, and at the same time [be] proactive about reducing the incidents.”

Beyond the academic realm, Miller is part of a folk duo called Bridgewater, made up of himself and his husband, Craig Kukuk, that kicked off this fall’s sixth season of Cornell United Religious Works’ “Soup and Hope” event by singing Abraham, Martin and John’s “What Love Can Do.” Miller also volunteers with the Friends Committee on National Legislation, with which he has worked to lobby Congress on issues of peace and social justice.

c

or n

e lls

u n .c om

“Even though Quakers have to be the smallest religious group in the United States, we’re the largest peace lobby in the United States,” he said. “That’s something that gives me hope. Even one person

“‘We hope you graduate’ ... What kind of expectation is that?”

A.T. Miller doing little things … you can effect change. Living our lives well can effect change.”

During his nearly two years at Cornell, Miller has aimed to alter the expectations that he says many at the University have of the students his office represents. He said that too often, underrepresented students are not held to the same standards as are other Cornellians. “‘We hope you graduate’ … What kind of expectation is that?” he said. “I want the students to be on the Dean’s List or winning a Fulbright. These are students who bring a lot, and to overlook them is a huge mistake. OADI is here to put them front and center.”

Sarah Cutler can be reached at scutler@cornellsun.com.

shooting, many were shocked. Oak Avenue resident Tony Leong grad said the shooting in his neighborhood left him feeling fearful.

“I don’t feel safe walking home after dusk … I feel like my safety has been compromised,” Leong said. “This is not what I expect, especially after being here for four years already. … We’re not Yale.”

Cascadilla resident advisor Lauren Niedbalec ’13 said, at first, she could not believe the news about the shooting.

“The shooting happened right behind Collegetown Bagels, a safe haven for hungry Cornell students everywhere. It seems out of place for this area,” Niedbalec said.

“Personally, I’ve walked through Oak Avenue many times, even late at night when going to visit my friends. I’ll certainly be more wary walk-

email.

The email advised residents to use available services such as the Blue Light Escort Service when traveling around campus or Collegetown late at night.

Cascadilla resident Anita Mbogoni ’15 said that despite the shooting her opinion of Ithaca’s safety has not changed.

“No one expects to get shot walking down the street at night in Ithaca,” Mbogoni said. “There might be personal issues that prompted the shooting, but again, we need more details to be able to determine whether that’s the case.”

Another Oak Avenue resident, Jennifer Fischell ’13, echoed Mbogoni’s sentiments.

“I’m not overly concerned by any of this. It doesn’t change my feelings about where I live,” Fischell said. “I have no fear that I will be the

“I have no fear that I will be the victim of random gun violence on the streets of Oak Avenue less than a block from CTB — this doesn’t change that.”

Jennifer Fischell ’13 ing late at night now.”

Collegetown Residence Hall Director Brandee Nicholson sent out an email to her residents Tuesday morning notifying them of the shooting — which occured down the street from their dormitories.

“I know it can be very troubling to get these kinds of alerts so close to where you live,” Nicholson said in the

victim of random gun violence on the streets of Oak Avenue, less than a block from CTB. This doesn’t change that. We don’t know anything about the circumstances of any of this, so [there’s] no reason to panic.”

The Sun News Department can be reached at news@cornellsun.com.

cornellsun.com

OPINION

The Corne¬ Daily Sun Independent Since 1880 130TH EDITORIAL BOARD JUAN FORRER ’13 Editor in Chief

HELENE BEAUCHEMIN ’13

JEFF STEIN ’13

Business Manager

Managing Editor

RUBY PERLMUTTER ’13

JAMES CRITELLI ’13

Associate Editor

Advertising Manager

LAUREN A. RITTER ’13

JOSEPH STAEHLE ’13

Sports Editor

Web Editor

ANN NEWCOMB ’13

ESTHER HOFFMAN ’13

Design Editor

Photography Editor

ELIZA LaJOIE ’13

BRYAN CHAN ’15

ZACHARY ZAHOS ’15

DAVEEN KOH ’14

Multimedia Editor

Blogs Editor

Arts & Entertainment Editor

Arts & Entertainment Editor

ELIZABETH CAMUTI ’14

KATHARINE CLOSE ’14

City Editor

News Editor

AKANE OTANI ’14

REBECCA HARRIS ’14

News Editor

News Editor

ELIZABETH PROEHL ’13

DANIELLE B. ABADA ’14

Associate Multimedia Editor

Assistant Sports Editor

HALEY VELASCO ’15

SCOTT CHIUSANO ’15

Assistant Sports Editor

Assistant Sports Editor

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AMANDA STEFANIK ’13

NICHOLAS ST. FLEUR ’13

SYDNEY RAMSDEN ’14

Assistant Design Editor

Assistant Design Editor

Science Editor

Dining Editor

JOSEPH VOKT ’14

Equal Before The Univ. Review Board O

ver winter break, two fraternities were suspended for hazing or alcohol-related incidents. While many applauded the administration’s zero tolerance policy, some students complained that these fraternities were being used as an example. They asserted that most fraternities are guilty of hazing and underage alcohol consumption and the administration is simply picking off one or two at a time.

While it is true that irresponsible behavior is quite widespread, the steps taken by the administration to meet President Skorton's challenge to end pledging “as we know it” have done much more than make examples of a few. The administration has not only set new rules

has tended to be collective — in that the punishment targets the entire fraternity instead of one individual — and severe, in that the fraternity is often thrown off campus instead of receiving more mild consequences. It may be that in each case these characteristics have been appropriate.

Perhaps the recent violations in the Greek system stemmed from each chapter’s culture (making collective punishment appropriate) and were egregious (making severe penalties fitting). But how should we respond if similar qualities are found in other organizations?

In a letter published in The Sun last week, Dan Meyer ’87, President of the Cornell University Alumni Interfraternity Council, asserts that he was hazed by

MAGGIE HENRY ’14

Assistant Web Editor

Outreach Coordinator

JACQUELINE CHAN ’14

AUSTIN KANG ’15

Marketing Manager

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ERIKA G. WHITESTONE ’15

Alex Bores

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Social Media Manager

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David Marten ’14 Kerry Close ’14 Liz Camuti ’14 Connor Archard ’14 Kelly Yang ’15 Meredith Joyce ’14 Henry Staley ’16 Lianne Bornfeld ’15 Emma Court ’15 Scott Chiusano ’15 Hannah McGough ’15 Brian Murphy ’14 Rebecca Harris ’14 Akane Otani ’14

Editorial

Myrick’09: One Year Later IT HAS BEEN JUST OVER A YEAR SINCE Svante Myrick ’09 became mayor of Ithaca, and in that year, he has already faced a bevy of challenges. With the city facing a $3-million deficit last year, Myrick made tough choices to close the budget gap and close the Ithaca Community Gardens, and fought for grants to stimulate economic development. While we may not agree with every budgetary decision the mayor has made, we admire the way in which he has not settled for complacency and has been willing to challenge popular opinion. As we anticipate the remaining three years of his first term, we hope that Myrick will capitalize on his past successes and seize this crucial chance to grow Ithaca’s economy.

Even in this era of economic austerity, making the tough choices necessary to close a large budget deficit is challenging for any mayor — let alone one two years out of college. Myrick’s proposal to close the gap through revenue increases, staff cuts and bureaucratic reorganization takes a pragmatic approach to making the city government financially sustainable. Instead of making choices that were politically popular but economically unsound, the mayor took calculated steps to fix the city’s budget woes. These actions demonstrate the leadership qualities that led voters to elect him mayor in November 2011.

Myrick’s streak of independence was again visible when the mayor looked to sell off the land that hosts the Ithaca Community Gardens to a private developer. While we wish he would have seen the value of this land to the community, we recognize that the decision was another tough choice to help close the budget gap. While we applaud Myrick’s efforts to act in the best interest of the city, we disagreed with his valuation of the gardens in this instance. Moving forward, we encourage him to consider the effects of relinquishing public land to private developers.

Despite demonstrating his willingness to make tough decisions on some budgetary matters, Myrick has also yet to achieve certain goals he has set for the city’s financial health. For instnace, in order to close the budget deficit, Myrick said that the University should pay the city “far more” than the $1.25 million per year it gives in lieu of taxes. He has noted that if Cornell’s land was fully taxed, it would pay the city $30 million per year. We commend Myrick’s vocal support for the University increasing its contributions to the city, but hope to see Myrick take action to achieve this change in the next three years.

As Myrick endeavours to balance the city’s budget, he should also strive to support economic growth in Ithaca. In the last few years, the city has seen a number of proposals that have the potential to revitalize its core. The sweeping renovation of the Ithaca Commons, expansion of the Holiday Inn and $30-million “Harold’s Square” development represent a once-in-a-generation chance for the city to expand its tax base and drastically redevelop the downtown area. Myrick has rightly supported these projects and has also fought for federal and state money to help pay for them. In the past year, the city has received $4.5 million in federal funding for transportation upgrades, as well as $1.8 million from New York State for the rehabilitation of the Commons.

With such an incredible opportunity to transform the heart of Ithaca and an impressive first year already behind him, Myrick should continue to fight for a balanced budget and aggressively pursue funding for much-needed capital improvements. While taking into account the importance of public goods that can not be measured in dollars and cents, we urge Myrick to continue striving for economic stability in our city.

Trustee Viewpoint against previously accepted behavior but has started to change the culture in the Greek system. Education on hazing and the revelations of abusive incidents through the “sunshine” policy have made Greek members question some of their own practices. Perhaps most importantly, these measures have strengthened the voices of those members who have always opposed risky behaviors but felt that they could not express their dissent. By most benchmarks, the new policies are exceeding expectations.

Changing student behavior is the most effective way to reduce hazing, as no amount of oversight — even a live-in advisor — can eliminate all opportunities for abusive behavior. However, changing ingrained attitudes about new member intake cannot be done quickly.

Recognizing this fact, the administration has adopted a phase-in plan for the changes in the Greek system. We are currently entering the second stage of that initiative, which is supposed to run from this semester until the end of the 2013-14 academic year.

One portion of this phase includes developing “a plan to expand anti-hazing efforts campus-wide.” As the presentation announcing the changes states, “Our strategy begins with the Greek community, but does not stop there. Although they are prevalent in Greek life, these practices occur outside fraternities and sororities as well, in student organizations, clubs and teams. By recalling their core founding principles of leadership, brotherhood and sisterhood and civic engagement, fraternities and sororities have an opportunity to serve as a model for change in other organizations.”

Creating a model for the rest of Cornell to use will necessitate a review of how effective each reform has been. It will also bring up questions of consistency.

Namely, are we prepared to be steadfast in holding Greek houses and other organizations to the same expectations?

Disciplinary action in the Greek system

NROTC while a student, before Pentagon-directed reforms in the 1990s eliminated such treatment. If a culture of hazing returns, should the administration suspend NROTC? If a varsity team throws a themed party at a Collegetown house in which freshmen are served alcohol, should Athletics be expected to cancel a few seasons? If the Cornell Concert Commission funds a show where six students are hospitalized, should we stop hosting concerts?

Of course, each incident would need to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. Yet, having consistent rules will make achieving our goal of eliminating hazing and alcohol abuse much easier. Over the next three semesters, we as a community will need to work together to clarify what those rules should be.

Some may argue that different organizations provide different services to the Cornell community, and, as such, should be treated distinctly. Perhaps one type of organization should be punished collectively and another individually. Yet such a system moves us away from zero tolerance and toward an implicit acceptance of hazing and underage drinking as long as the benefits outweigh the costs. We would be wise to avoid such a system.

Every Cornellian should look forward to a day when hazing and dangerous drinking are minimized, if not eradicated.

However, we can only get there by a consistent and continual application of rules in order to stop these behaviors. If we apply different standards to different organizations, we will send the message that it is wrong to be associated with a particular group, not that the actions themselves are the problem. A campaign to eradicate student organizations, instead of mend them, will only lead us away from that desired future.

Alex Bores is the undergraduate student-elected trustee and a senior in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He may be reached at awb78@cornell.edu. Trustee Viewpoint appears alternate Wednesdays this semester.

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THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, January 30, 2013 7

OPINION

4 Years at Cornell, 3.5 Years of Productivity

T

he second semester of senior year is a milestone for any undergraduate on the Hill. After three and a half long and difficult years, one is rewarded with the opportunity to take fewer credits and spend more hours at the (few) bars than at the (many) libraries. But is the four month sojourn at Camp Cornell worth the ever-increasing cost of tuition? And would it be better if seniors spent more of our time serving the Cornell community and contributing knowledge? It’s time for Cornell to evaluate the utility and structure of senior year, just as law schools are facing pressure to justify and transform their students’ third year of study.

The third and final year of a legal education has been oftmaligned for its irrelevance. According to Peter Lattman of The New York Times, “There is an old saying that in the first year of law school they scare you to death; in the second year, they work you to death; and in the third year, they bore you to death.” With jobs secured and requirements met, law students are left with a considerable choice of courses, but they lack direction and are still bound to pay tuition. Sound familiar?

Given the heavy debt many law students face and the high cost of a legal education, law schools are increasingly being asked by members of the legal community to defend the necessity of a third year of study. Furthermore, there is a proposal in New York to allow law students to sit for the bar exam and enter the legal profession after two years of law school. Evidently, the idea that law schools can coerce law students to pay for unnecessary schooling is on the hot seat.

Despite the hoopla surrounding law schools, there has not been considerable thought given to the consequence of mandating eight residential semesters for undergraduate study.

Such consideration is particularly necessary in light of the many Cornell students who enter with Advanced Placement credit or choose to accelerate their studies, thus achieving all graduation requirements in three or three and a half semesters.

Attitudes toward completing a course of study in fewer than four years vary widely across Cornell’s colleges. CALS facilitates graduating early, and the website of its Registrar notes “students utilizing AP or transfer credits to define themselves in the Registrar’s records as students with advanced standing…will be expected to graduate in fewer semesters based on the advanced standing.” On the other hand, the website of ILR Student Services cautions that “undergraduates must complete eight semesters of full-time study … Advanced Placement credit may not be used to accelerate graduation.” The College of Arts and Sciences has

a set program for acceleration, albeit with many requirements.

Clearly, Cornell lacks an institutionally coherent definition of the completion of undergraduate studies. Those who subscribe to the idea that credit hours are alone sufficient are attracted to December graduation, but this presents a problem for the University: Tuition is the primary source of revenue, and the loss of those students’ tuition payments represents a budgetary challenge. Additionally, there is credence to the argument that much learning is done outside of the classroom and that four-year participation in the Cornell community is essential to your education. It’s important that Cornell students not only spend four years on campus, but also that they spend all four of those years are productively.

Then what is to be made of second-semester seniors who have met close to all of their graduation requirements? I was fortunate to attend a prestigious public high school and thus enter Cornell with a significant amount of AP coursework. When I met with ILR Student Services last semester, I was told I could not graduate a semester early despite meeting all credit and graduation requirements. So I patched together a 13-credit semester of elective coursework.

Based on my conversations with other seniors, I know I’m not alone in questioning the worth of such a semester. We want to be here and continue our involvement in clubs, activities and teams, but we see our tuition payments and course enrollment as rather ludicrous. The status quo is especially untenable for those who struggle to pay tuition each semester.

ILR seems to have caught on to their problem of mandating eight semesters of study for students in my situation, as the school has reduced the number of accepted AP credits from 30 to 12. Such an approach is in line with Dartmouth College’s recent decision to cease awarding any credit for AP coursework.

Intimating that AP courses are not akin to college introductory courses, however, would not be in line with research findings. Studies by experts in 2007 and 2009 independently found that students were adequately prepared by AP coursework for higher-level courses. From my own anecdotal

evidence, I have to agree. I chose to retake Introductory Microeconomics and Macroeconomics despite having achieved the requisite AP scores on each exam for credit, and found retaking the courses at Cornell to be intellectually superfluous and unfulfilling.

Instead of bullying students into staying at Cornell for the sake of staying, the undergraduate colleges should each develop unique programs for seniors that allow everything we have learned and experienced here to coalesce. Princeton University, for example, requires all seniors to write a thesis

Jon Weinberg In Focus

and contribute new knowledge to their respective disciplines in place of taking several courses. Moreover, the creation of more unique senior-oriented courses, such as AMST 2001: The First American University, could benefit our experience.

And awarding more credit for service, community-building initiatives and fieldwork could reward students for putting learning into practice.

NYU Law School, responding to aforementioned criticism, recently overhauled the third year of studies for students with a new emphasis on concentrations and foreign study. Cornell should similarly take the lead and reinvigorate the senior year undergraduate experience. After all, Cornell is the First American University because it uniquely conceived the modern American coeducational, nonsectarian model of higher education predicated on diversity of studies and experiences (#AMST2001). In that spirit, it’s imperative for Cornell to facilitate a senior year replete with enthusiasm for and contributions to our University and not just its ever-fading bar scene.

Jon Weinberg is a senior in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He may be reached at jweinberg@cornellsun.com. In Focus appears alternate Wednesdays this semester.

The Myth of Lance Armstrong T

he rise of Lance Armstrong as a cancer-conquering, seven-time champion of the Tour de France inspired a nation to be resilient in a time of great need. The elite cyclist’s championship-winning run spanned from 1999 to 2005, a time of great turmoil in the United States considering the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Iraq War and growing discontent with increasingly obscene airport security. All

inspired me. During my middle school and high school years, whenever I felt overwhelmed with school, girls, sports or anything else, my father would yell out the name of Armstrong’s 2001 autobiography It’s Not About the Bike.

Although my father used the phrase so much it became cliché, it stills holds some amount of meaning in my heart.

Lance Armstrong inspired me, albeit indirectly, to rise above petty daily con-

David Fischer Fischy Business through this period of strife, Armstrong, a testicular cancer survivor, focused all of his energy on the most grueling event in sports: a three-week bike race around France and the surrounding areas.

To casually laud the strength and fortitude of Armstrong, his contemporaries and current cyclists who make the trek every year would be an understatement.

Their amazing endurance as they zip up the Pyrenees and the Alps and through the rest of the French countryside inspires and excites. Due to his medical history, Armstrong’s story particularly

flicts and to remember that if a man could overcome such suffering and still succeed, I could get over a now-halfremembered girl rejecting me in the school cafeteria. The Amazon.com description of the book articulates my former view of Armstrong, saying, “It’s Not About the Bike reveals what is truly heroic about the man: his depth of character and generosity of spirit.”

Recently, after the United States Anti-Doping Agency stripped Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles for systematically cheating the sys-

tem by doping and for allegedly creating a culture of deception on the United States Postal Service cycling team.

Obviously, being exposed as a liar, a cheat and someone who enabled the cheating of his teammates does not sound like a man with the depth of character that It’s Not About the Bike’s blurb boasts. The veil of mythology that enshrouded the great Lance Armstrong has been stripped away and all that remains is a broken legend. In my opinion, this aggressiveness on the part of the USADA was unwarranted and unfortunate.

Lance Armstrong was an American icon who served as a symbol of a man who had conquered the seemingly unconquerable. Furthermore, through the Livestrong charity, Armstrong affected the lives of many living with cancer. I believe that in some circumstances, the positives of a man or a woman’s life and his or her effect on society can outweigh his or her negative actions. Through what Armstrong’s attorney called “a witch hunt,” the USADA undermined all of the positives that arose from Armstrong’s career and replaced them with the blight of disgrace.

Now, I would not want you to think that my proposed leniency towards Armstrong, a now-confessed cheater, means that I believe that cheating is morally right. I do not believe that by any stretch of the imagination. Rather, I

believe that in certain cases where a person’s legacy is more valuable to society intact, it should stay that way.

In fact, I do feel very strongly against one particular instance of cheating that affects college campuses throughout the United States: the abuse of Adderall and other amphetamines used traditionally by students with learning disabilities.

When my fellow students who do not have learning disabilities use these “study drugs,” they are cheating the educational process in the same way that Lance Armstrong and countless other cyclists cheated the regulations of international cycling. However, these students do not have the same visibility and impact on society as Lance Armstrong did. Instead, they are cheating themselves and, in an unfortunately hypercompetitive University like Cornell, they are also cheating their classmates.

Yes, Lance Armstrong did the same thing but with a story as inspirational as his, I believe that ignorance can be bliss and that the more just path is the one that empowers millions rather than bringing down one pariah. It is far more moral to allow a figure who may be flawed to act as a symbol than to cast that symbol down.

David Fischer is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. He may be reached at dfischer@cornellsun.com. Fischy Business appears alternate Wednesdays this semester.

8 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, January 30, 2013

SCIENCE

Computer Science

Robotics

C.U. Computer Scientists Win Oscars

Graphics software wins Academy Awards for technical achievement

By CAMILLE WANG Sun Contributor

A Cornell professor and two alumni won two distinct Scientific and Technical Achievement Academy Awards for their special-effects generating software. Unlike awards for actors or movies, which are given only for works created the previous year, the Scientific and Technical Achievement awards are given to researchers who have significantly enhanced the process of movie making in general for many movies, sometimes over multiple years. Prof. Doug James, computer science, and Theodore Kim ’01 were part of the research group that developed Wavelet Turbulence for Fluid Simulation software, which allows easier control over the appearance of highly detailed gas simulations, such as smoke or flames. Jeremy Selan ’00 M.S. ’03 also won an Academy Award for creating Katana software, which increases the efficiency of editing complex scenes.

Both creations have greatly impacted the field of animation with their widespread and easy use.

Wavelet Turbulence Software Delicate tendrils of smoke swirl from a house ablaze with flames. A computer graphic artist watches his creation with satisfaction –– what could have taken weeks to complete was finished in a few hours thanks to a new algorithm, Wavelet Turbulence.

Wavelet Turbulence software earned James and Kim an Academy Award for increased and rapid control of gas simulation in many major movies, including Avatar and Kung Fu Panda.

“Wavelet Turbulence allows animators to produce realistic looking fire and smoke simulations without having to wait a long time for high-resolution simulations to get running,” James said.

High resolution simulations, the previous method, take days or weeks to produce final details, and artists have to repeat the entire process if the final image does not turn out well. With Wavelet Turbulence, however, artists can create high-resolution details on a lowresolution grid, which is less expensive and much faster.

With its practicality and efficiency,

COURTESY OF JEREMY SELAN ’00 M.S. ’03

Shaping Spiderman | Katana software was used in creating the 3-D renderings in the 2012 film, The Amazing Spiderman. the software has become widely used at animation companies. According to Kim, the algorithm has become a standard tool to use when modifying a simulation.

Wavelet Turbulence software was also released as an open-source library, where people can view the source code and use it for free. “[The algorithm has] been used in dozens of movies, it’s in animation software packages now and there’s a bunch

COURTESY OF THEODORE KIM ’01

Smokescreen software | Wavelet Turbulence, software by Cornell alumni, creates realistic smoke around a virtual house.

of different tools that people use it in.

It’s got a lot of other applications, but certainly, no one has latched on to it as well as the animation field has,” James said.

Kim, currently a professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara, plans to present the next version of the software, which involves simulating waves on a beach or tsunamis, in March.

Katana Software With a dramatic whoosh, Spiderman effortlessly swings through the night sky with his web-slinger in The Amazing Spiderman. The audience gasps as he nearly grazes a building, but his agile body twists in the perfect position to avoid the hazard. Despite the scene’s realistic action, Andrew Garfield is not on screen. Those are not real skyscrapers that he is narrowly dodging. Everything on screen has been created by computer graphics. Selan and his team created Katana software which earned them an Academy Award for increasing the control and efficiency of designing realworld simulations.

“It was just 400 million dollars worth relying on a piece of software that you and your buddies wrote,” Selan said.

Before Katana, computer graphics artists had difficulties in creating largescale, complex animations. Stuart Little, for example, only had one animated character, but Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs featured over 5,000 animated characters, as well as an entirely animated city. Katana was the answer to such a

complex problem.

One of the major advantages of Katana is that it allows artists to control geometric complexity on a large scale. If one tried to create a virtual New York City with another program, the computer would likely crash or the artist would have to settle for a coarser picture. Using Katana, on the other hand, allows the artist to load small, specific sections of the picture at a time. This system lets computers handle large-scale animations in addition to simpler scenes.

Another advantage of Katana is that it is easier to use than other similar softwares. Despite the varied levels of complexity in an image, the artist should be able to make several adjustments in the same amount of time. For example, modifying something as complex as the reflectivity of the northward-facing windows in New York City is now as simple as changing the color of Spiderman’s outfit.

Recent films that have incorporated the software include Men in Black 3, Alice in Wonderland, and Oz the Great and Powerful.

Selan wants Katana to not only continue to influence the animation industry but also branch off to different fields.

“The technical approach Katana has with dealing with complexity has merit, and I think other computer graphics software could benefit from taking similar approaches,” he said.

Camille Wang can be reached at csw92@cornell.edu.

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, January 30, 2013 9

SCIENCE

Neuron-Based Software Allows Prof. Saxena’s AirRobot to Autonomously Avoid Objects

By JACQUELINE CAROZZA

design a more general software,” Lenz said. The system learns by defining connections between the individual “neuFlying robots, also known as minia- rons,” as opposed to normal programture aerial vehicles, are useful in several ming.

“It’s a lot different than your standard surveillance situations –– the robots can swoop down to snap photos to aid in a computer, where you basically just give it search-and-rescue mission or assess the instructions,” Lenz said.

The neuron platform is advantageous damage after a natural disaster.

But these robots run into problems because it reduces the amount of power –– literally. Prof. Ashutosh Saxena, com- the machine needs. According to Lenz, puter science, develops visual perception the software uses 100 to 1,000 times less software that reduces the number of power than regular computer software. times that MAVs collide with objects in The reduced amount of power necessary is beneficial because small aerial robots the real world.

“The goal is to design an algorithm need to be lighter to fly.

Saxena, Lenz and Gemici installed the for a robot so that it can perceive the algorithm in AirRobot, an autonomous world,” he said.

Saxena’s lab developed software which four-rotor helicopter measuring about allows MAVs to “see” and autonomously three-feet in diameter that is equipped to react to obstacles. Human controllers fly outdoors. Outside, there is a constant may not be able to see the robot or steer flux of subtle changes –– rain, snow, or it clear of obstructions quickly enough even the position of the sun in the sky to avoid crashes, and GPS may be patchy can change the robot’s video-feed perception of its surroundings. in remote areas with many obstacles.

“It’s hard for the robot to deal with The algorithm that allows MAVs to perceive and avoid objects is based on these slightly different images of the Saxena’s previous work in visual percep- same objects,” Saxena said.

Lenz and Gemici trained AirRobot to tion, a program called Make 3-D. The software can convert a single image into cope with changes in its perception of the environment. three-dimensions First, the team using properties such as texture “[The AirRobot] learned that leaves gathered images and color. are bad, but when autumn came, it that the robot took with its onA MAV uses was still scared of leaves. We had board camera. In this algorithm to figure out how to add more data so it could figure the pictures, they far away objects out that leaves on the ground were labeled the obstacles that the robot are, and then okay.” should avoid. take evasive Then, using the action if neces- Prof. Ashutosh Saxena neural platform, sary. This type of the team taught processing would ordinarily use a lot of power, but Saxena the algorithm to avoid certain objects.

AirRobot was trained to avoid trees. and his team designed the algorithm to Lenz and Gemici presented the algorun on neuron-based hardware.

“This hardware is an approximation rithm with labeled examples of trees of the human brain,” said Ian Lenz grad, viewed from different perspectives. who, along with Mevlana Gemici ’12 During test flights, the robot was able to grad, worked on designing and imple- steer clear of trees that it had never seen before since it had learned what trees menting the algorithm.

Like a human brain, the algorithm look like in general.

The researchers tested how well can learn.

“Rather than designing an algorithm AirRobot was learning by flying it in the to avoid trees, or light poles, or any other Arts Quad and the Engineering Quad. kind of specific object, we wanted to After placing the robot in a starting posi-

Sun Staff Writer

COURTESY OF IAN LENZ GRAD

Robotic reproductions | Top: The original image the robot takes of its path. Left: A heat map generated by the robot in order to find the obstacles to avoid. Right: The internal energy of the robot’s neural-based processing system as it maps out a flight path. tion, they issued the command to go forward.

“Then we let the robot figure out if it could go straight forward, or if it needed to alter its planned path,” Lenz said.

The constantly changing environment made training AirRobot tricky.

The team started training AirRobot in the summer, when it had to avoid tree foliage in order to prevent collisions.

“It learned that leaves are bad,” Saxena said, “but when autumn came, it was still scared of leaves. We had to add more data so it could figure out that leaves on the ground were okay.”

The algorithm can also be retrained, which means that the researchers can continuously update the objects that the MAVs should or should not be avoiding.

“A robot trained on trees is not as successful at avoiding man-made objects such as telephone poles,” Saxena said.

AirRobot is only one use for this new software –– Saxena’s group also developed an indoor robot that can navigate partially obstructed hallways, sharp corners and narrow flights of stairs.

It is important that MAVs be able to learn to autonomously avoid collisions both in difficult indoor environments and uncontrolled outdoor ones, since these challenging situations are where they may be needed most for surveillance tasks Saxena said.

Jacqueline Carozza can be reached at jcarroza@cornellsun.com.

COURTESY OF IAN LENZ GRAD

Automatic aviation | AirRobot performs a test flight around the Arts Quad without a controller using Saxena’s technology, which taught it to avoid trees and other objects.

A&E

10 | The Corne¬ Daily Sun | Wednesday, January 30, 2013

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT The first film in Cornell Cinema’s Experimental Film Series is Free Radicals: A History of Experimental Film.

Chosen as the introduction to the series presumably because of its vague stab at encyclopedic status, Free Radicals follows director Pip Chodorov in a boyish telling of the history of avant-garde film, laced together by interviews with luminaries of the genre such as Robert Breer, Michael Snow, Ken Jacobs, Peter Kubelka and Stan Brakhage. Referenced by The New York Times for its obvious “joie de cinema,” the amalgamation of short films, clips, archival footage, home video and interview is a celebration of its subject matter in all possible forms and treated as intimately as possible. Many of these filmmakers are old friends of Chodorov’s family, and the film is praised for the ease of the interview style, the presence of fresh archival footage and the aptly chosen clips from the work of its featured filmmakers. It holds appeal for diehard fans and newcomers to the movement as it provides exhaustive detail for the already knowledgeable and keenly interested, as well as enough sweeping summary to engage and intrigue those with a blank slate. Chodorov admits, “We’ve only seen a small part of the story,” as he COURTESY OF MICHAEL ROBINSON has deliberately and exclusively featured the New York male filmmakers who inspired his own personal artistic their works played and preserved. Chodorov manages to development, ignoring the West Coast and female direc- include several short films in their entirety, including tors entirely.

Recreation by animator Robert Breer (who But the film is just passed away last year) and Free Radicals, the what it has dubbed itself: film’s namesake, by Len Lye. The NYT has a history of experimental said of the effort, “Despite the scope of the film. Not the history. title, this friendly, colorful documentary … is And it’s the narrow scope not the last word on all the shapes, sizes and that allows focus on such languages of experimental film, but rather an Cornell introduction brightened by a companionable things as personal anecdotes from the filmmakand an apposite sense of commuCinema enthusiasm ers — including a dumpnity.” The community of avant-garde film is ster-diving story by Ken Jacobs and tales from portrayed as an enclave for those amenable to the the early years of organizations founded to help struggling idea of “art for art’s sake,” and experimentation as an filmmakers such as Chodorov’s own Re-Voir, and provid- opportunity to discover new visual worlds not an opporing many socio-historical and artistic historical frames of tunity for profit. reference. This exposition is especially helpful when The film will play Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. at the Willard attempting to understand the plight of these directors — Straight Theater, alongside Jennifer Reeves’ 16mm film excluded from both the art world and the commercial Landfill 16, in which outtakes from another film are film industry, avant-garde filmmakers have fought to see buried, dug up and repainted in what is, in the filmmak-

FREE

RADICAL

EXPERIMENTATION

Kaitlyn Tiffany

ers own words, “a meditation on nature’s losing battle to decompose relics of our abandoned technologies.”

Free Radicals will be followed in the Experimental Film Series by two examples of experimental film made by locally based filmmakers: Michael Robinson’s Circle in the Sand and Josh Bonnetta’s Strange Lines and Distances, playing back-to-back at 7 p.m., Mar. 29, in Willard Straight Theater. Circle in the Sand will be shown with two of Robinson’s short films and is a selection of View from the Avant-Garde at the 2012 New York Film Festival. Robinson is a professor in the Department of Cinema, Photography and Media Arts at Ithaca College.

Strange Lines and Distances has been billed by Cornell Cinema as “a two-channel audio-installation focusing on Guglielmo Marconi’s first transatlantic radio broadcast,” and will feature live sound performances.

Kaitlyn Tiffany is a sophomore in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She can be reached at ktiffany@cornellsun.com.

Frats and Courts: January Literature

BY HENRY STALEY Sun Staff Writer

THE INSURGENTS,

BY FRED KAPLAN Right after slipping out of the tabloids, General David Petraeus has slipped into hardbacks with Fred Kaplan’s new recountal of Petraeus’ handling of the Iraq and Afghan wars. There is no mention of the extramarital affairs that sent Petraeus into the media spotlight. Instead, Kaplan portrays Petraeus as a pensive, scheming general, comfortable in the shadow of the Commander in Chief and uncomfortable to serve as the head of a group of Pentagon bureaucrats looking to re-imagine America’s approach towards counter-terrorism and nation building . The outcome of this group was Petraeus’ COIN or the “counterinsurgency” method, a set of military values so widely disavowed that even war hawks now blush at them. Kaplan argues that the method was actually an accomplishment given the mediocre military climate predating Bush’s second term.

Otherwise, Kaplan’s book serves to remind us of the real consequences Patraeus begot; not the ones that recently made headlines.

AGENDA 21, GLENN BECK & HARRIET PARKE Glenn Beck, the Paul Revere of delusional, right wing alarmism, has attached a name and an ideology to a story with which he has no business. Originally the book was the brainchild of Sarah Cypher, a blogger for the website Salon, but Beck slipped his BY

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

COURTESY OF RANDOM HOUSE

and his lawyers’ cards into the deck, proclaiming him and Harriet Parke the books’ procreators. In fact, Parke wrote the 277 pages that constitute the novel while Beck only wrote the 18 page afterward. Beck’s generous contribution adds the power-closer to a plot that explores a dystopian society called “The Republic” — the consequence of the ratification of the UN’s voluntary action plan for sustainable development (Agenda 21). Although inaction over globalization, inequality and climate change may provide a more dystopian landscape, Parke and Beck seem comfortable citing Agenda 21 as a harbinger of a grave new world and exhausting the Orwellian, Ayn Rand totalitarian plot fixtures to decorate their new, uninventive work of fiction.

TOTAL FRAT MOVE,

BY W.R. BOLEN While Cornell puts breaks on Greek life’s mobility this semester, Total Frat

Move, a collection of outlandish fraternity tales has surged to third on The New York Times Bestseller List. The book takes the “best of ” the popular website TotalFratMove.com and reads like a Tucker Max confessional. The stories champion and (halfheartedly) satirize the new, heavy-drinking nihilism of American “Bro” culture while raging through protagonist Townes Prescott’s years in college. W. R. Bolen writes the stories that typify “frat”culture and emphasize macho movement over inhibition.

THE FUTURE: SIX DRIVERS OF GLOBAL CHANGE,

BY AL GORE If there is a new word to describe a threat facing our globe, Al Gore is most likely to coin it. The Future outlines the major factors contributing to the growing threat of “Global Change,” a phrase that encompasses climate change and its menacing allies (globalization, depletion of natural resources, the digital revolution, etc.). Contributing to them, Gore cites the threats in the corporate takeover of the public sphere, diminution of dissent in the media (a la Paul Goodman / Noam Chomsky) and business propagan-

da. The Future and Obama’s inaugural address couple to outline a new liberal consciousness of incoming crises, albeit Gore’s 592-page hardcover has more freedom to elaborate and editorialize.

MY BELOVED WORLD, SONIA SOTOMAYOR Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation to the Supreme Court provided a forum for the nation’s attitudes on judicial and affirmative action. During that discussion, many debated her principles, qualifications and sought hints of her politics from her life story. In My Beloved World, you’ll find out all about her life story — minus the politics. Sotomayor’s autobiography explores her rise from neglected child of an absentee mom and alcoholic father in the South Bronx to her initiation into Justice Souter’s old chair. The chapters in-between include commentary on how she grew to “listen carefully and observe until [she] figured things out.” Many have argued that her sensitivity to situations around her reveals that she is incapable of weighing empathy versus the law but no one can argue her impeccable balancing act of ambition and selflessness.

BY

Henry Staley is a freshman in the College of Architecture, Art and Planning. He can be reached at hstaley@cornellsun.com.

A&E

Wednesday, January 30, 2013 | The Corne¬ Daily Sun | 11

Ready for Some Burning Love?

BY JULIA MOSER Sun Staff Writer

On Feb. 14, when most of you will be sensually eating chocolates with a saxophone playing in the background, I will be alone in my room feeding myself chocolates, not so sensually, and watching the premiere of Season Two of the web series Burning Love.

Burning Love, a parody of The Bachelor, was created by Erica Oyama and her husband Ken Marino (Children’s Hospital, Party Down) and streamed last summer on Yahoo.com. The show’s executive producer is Ben Stiller, who appears in one episode as a previous bachelor.

Season One stars Marino as Mark Orlando, a fireman who is just looking for love. Michael Ian Black (Wet Hot American Summer) hosts the show, and some of the lovely ladies seeking Orlando’s hand are played by famous actors and comedians such as Jennifer Aniston, Kristen Bell, Natasha Legger, June Diane Raphael, Malin Akerman, Ken Jeong and Oyama herself. In addition, Parks and Recreation’s Adam Scott plays Orlando’s therapist.

Orlando’s search for love is hilarious. Even as someone who COURTESY OF YAHOO! believes that The Bachelor could stand alone as a parody of itself (although a small part of me does genuinely hope Sean, this season’s bachelor, will find love), Burning Love does a wonderful job of making those reality television bimbos even more ridiculous. For example, it is not uncommon for people on these shows to do crazy things, like show up to the first episode in a wedding dress (that is a real thing that a current contestant on The Bachelor did). In this vein, Jennifer Aniston’s character on Burning Love showed up to the first episode in a panda costume because she

N

wanted Mark to fall in love with her for her personality.

She was immediately eliminated. Malin Akerman plays a homeless woman who only wants to be on the show because she gets to live in a house with food and running water. Kristen Bell plays an extremely religious woman who informs Orlando upon meeting him that she is “already married to God.” If you are inspired to watch all 14 episodes of that season right now, I’m sorry, but you can’t. Although

Season Two will be online, Season One has been removed from the web because it will be airing on E! starting Feb. 25 in seven half-hour episodes.

This is not the first time that a web series has transcended its Internet beginnings. One notable example of this is Web Therapy, which starred Lisa Kudrow as a therapist who believed that the only important part of therapy took place in the final minutes of a session, had four seasons online before it was picked up by Showtime in 2011. Though the TV show Web Therapy

has been renewed for a second season, its reviews haven’t been as positive as those for the original web series.

Some critics believe that the format suits the internet better than television, and I’m nervous that the same will hold true for Burning Love.

Regardless of the concern I have for any repackaging of Season One of Burning Love, I highly recommend that you ditch your hot dates this Valentine’s Day and watch Burning Love’s second season, which this time stars June Diane Raphael as the heartbroken reject of Mark Orlando named Julie Gristlewhite.

Her suitors will include a plethora of incredibly funny actors and comedians such as Raphael’s actual husband Paul Scheer, Adam Brody, Michael Cera, Jerry O’Connell, Adam Scott, Nick Kroll, Kumail Nanjiani, Colin Hanks, Martin Starr, Nick Thune and many more familiar funny faces.

The trailer for Julie’s season is on Yahoo’s website now, and I strongly suggest that you all check it out. It promises a season of “romance, bromance, chemistry, physical attraction, bro-ing out, wrestle fights, fist fights, word fights, cross dressing, fire-side chats, intrigue, surprise exits, surprise returns, impressions, communication, hurt feelings, insecurities, convertibles, tears, testosterone surges, bus throwing undering and feelings as the most romantic web series that will ever be continues.”

To those of you with social lives, have a happy Valentine’s Day, and to the rest of you, have a wonderful and cookie-dough filled Burning Love Season Two premiere.

Julia Moser is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at jmoser@cornellsun.com.

Freedom From Forgetting

o one remembers who Petula Clark is anymore, but, her upbeat songs in the ’60s like “Downtown” and “My Love Is Warmer Than The Sunshine” will live on forever in shopping malls and feel-good Christmas imagery. The music video for “Downtown” was made with little thought: There was no clear distributive avenue for music videos then, so Clark sings against a backdrop of urban imagery. But the video nevertheless reflects a wholesomeness that is as pure as its lyrics. You go downtown to “get away from all your troubles” because “there are movie shows,” not to pleasure someone.

It goes without saying that music is a barometer for showing what a society values. But it’s not as simple as saying music from one period reflects the values of that time period — far from it, the music that survives shapes how we think about that period today. What we choose to preserve says a lot more about us than it does about the past.

This idea necessitates an element of forgetting, and among all the artists you can look at — the roving folk bands, the indie punk kids, the chilly EDM D.J.s and the rising rap stars — the best measure of them all might be the hyper-exposed pop stars that consistently top the charts. Many

songs are forgettable, but pop is an amorphous catch-all genre that is the most forgettable of all. You can’t really understand punk music and forget who the Sex Pistols are, but you can understand pop music today without hearing the big swing bands of the ’30s.

Big Pop may be the musical genre whose evolution is as fast-paced as politics. It was not always like this: Frank Sinatra, for example, started out crooning over jazzy and swingy music in the ’40s, and his dramatic career transformation in the ’50s with In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning just had him singing over quieter blues and jazz. Pop music budged a bit when Elvis and Bill Haley moved from country blues to rock and roll, but it was only when the Beatles came from nowhere with its self-written polished rock songs that Big Pop took on a break-

Kai Sam Ng You’ve Got To Be Kitsching Me neck pace of adopting the latest musical trends. The Monkees lifted the psychedelic rock of The Doors for its own bubblegum pop. Madonna brought in Eurodance. Britney Spears threw in dub-

step. And Rihanna, in a recent SNL performance, even embraced “Seapunk” to the extent videos of Atari computer graphics and dolphins can be considered a musical genre. Also, every song nowadays seems to feature a verse from a guest rapper.

Forgetting, in this context, is a passive act but it is not independent. Rather, we make a deliberate decision to remember certain things, and our limited memory capacity does the rest. By melding genres, pop songs entice us to consciously remember them. What we choose, however, says a lot about ourselves. We memorialize Elvis but not Fats Domino, and in doing so we forget rock and roll’s African American origins, shaped by racial tensions.

We remember “Downtown” and generate a pastoral and idyllic image of the ’60s, but we treat the decade’s social upheavals separately.

With songs still as memorable as a cloud in the sky, Big Pop hasn’t changed much. Frank Sinatra was to Bobby Soxers as Justin Bieber is to Beliebers. Huge acts that win Grammys will be obscure in 20 years. Reactionaries will still turn around and make their own left field music, like the punks did.

And if that’s the case, which songs of today will survive the passage of time?

Will we remember “Gangnam Style” next summer? What about “The Motto?” The over-the-top things that Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj do are less about social liberation than they are about liberation from collective forgetfulness. Try not to feel

SANTI SLADE / SUN STAFF ILLUSTRATOR

uncomfortable when you see Lady Gaga in a meat dress or when Nicki Minaj is making a face. In the end they all want to avoid the fate that “Downtown” suffered: The blatant trivializing of their music as their own personalities fade away.

But here’s one thing that everybody will be happy to forget about: The outfit Justin Bieber wore when he met the Canadian Prime Minister. Can you believe that happened? Oops, sorry for reminding you.

Kai Sam Ng is a junior in the School of Labor and Industrial Relations. He can be reached at kng@cornellsun.com. You’ve Got To Be Kitsching Me appears alternate Wednesdays this semester.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

12 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis 40 “Mi casa __ casa” 43 Gore and Hirt 44 Stock market VIP? 46 Casual wine choices 47 Not bad, not good 48 Modern witch’s religion 49 For this purpose

50 Old, as a joke 53 Goofs 54 Exam sophs may take 55 Colon, in analogies 57 Sheep together 58 Keats works 60 Org. concerned with greenhouse gas 61 Ally of Fidel

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

xwordeditor@aol.com

01/30/13

Fill in the empty cells, one number in each, so that each column, row, and region contains the numbers 1-9 exactly once.

Each number in the solution therefore occurs only once in each of the three “directions,” hence the “single numbers” implied by the puzzle’s name.

(Rules from wikipedia.org/wiki /Sudoku)

Circles and Stuff

(c)2013 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

www .co r n.com lsu nel

DOWN 1 Punch source 2 Indian nursemaid 3 Being alone with one’s thoughts

By Kurt Mengel and Jan-Michele Gianette

by Robert Radigan grad

01/30/13

Doonesbury

by Garry Trudeau

Mr. Gnu

by Travis Dandro

Strings Attached

by Ali Solomon ’01

www.cornellsun.c om

4 IRS ID 5 TV drama about Alex, Teddy, Georgie and Frankie Reed 6 Vagabond 7 News piece 8 X-ray units 9 Linguistic suffix 10 Pickled 11 Purple __: New Hampshire state flower 12 Word with travel or talent 13 Underworld 18 Zippy flavor 19 Most nasty 24 Bone: Pref.

25 NH summer hours 26 Quite a blow 27 Tall runners 28 Footnote ref.

29 Mount Narodnaya’s range 30 __ orange 33 Thin paper 34 Nap 35 Slave Scott 37 Like many omelets

Puzzle #6544

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ACROSS 1 Net help pages, briefly 5 County counterpart, in Canterbury 10 Boring 14 Longtime Stern rival 15 Little bits 16 Baltic capital 17 New Orleans team confused?

20 __ Who 21 Little bits 22 Silly 23 Musical quality 25 Chooses 26 New York team punished?

31 Fail to mention 32 Picky eaters of rhyme 33 Different 36 “Network” director 38 Old West mil. force 39 Andrea Bocelli, e.g.

41 Half a fly 42 More than a sobber 45 Small or large 46 Indianapolis team stymied?

48 Loads to clean 51 Person in a sentence, say 52 Convention pinon 53 Heroic poems 56 “Homeland” airer, briefly 59 San Diego team upset?

62 Hardly friendly 63 Go on and on 64 Take on 65 Golf rarities 66 Fur fortunemaker 67 Football positions

Sun Sudoku

COMICS AND PUZZLES

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, January 30, 2013 13

CLASSIFIED AD RATES Ads are accepted at The Sun‘s office at 139 W. State Street downtown, by phone or e-mail.

Deadline: 3:30 p.m. at The Sun‘s office on the day preceding publication. Monday’s deadline: Friday, 3:30 p.m. at The Sun office.

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C O M

14 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, January 30, 2013

SPORTS

After Weekend Off, Red Men Prepare to Battle Skidmore POLO

Continued from page 16

Eldredge ’81 said SMU may have been caught off guard by the Red’s high level of play, he added that the Mustangs provided a solid level of competition.

“They were challenging enough that they made us actually do things properly, so that we would actually get to work on the things we needed to,” he said.

Eldredge highlighted that the women’s team is working towards efficiency around the goal. By improving efficiency, he noted that the Red will pose a more dominant scoring threat.

While this weekend’s game was supposed to be a warm-up for next weekend’s game against rival Virginia, a scheduling conflict involving one of the Cavaliers’ women’s players pushed the match against UVA two weeks back in the schedule.

Instead, the men’s team will be back in action against Skidmore on Friday after its game against SMU was cancelled due to weather conditions that prevented the Mustang men from arriving in Ithaca. The women’s team does not currently have a game scheduled for next weekend. According to Eldredge, the schedule change has some positive effects.

“In some ways, we’re happier with it, because it gives us a chance to even prepare a little bit more for the UVA team coming in,” he said.

Hoffman added that the game against SMU showed the team that there is still work to do to get back into prime playing mode.

“We’re definitely going to need to work to get back in shape,” she said. “[The game] was tough, but it was good.”

Emily Berman can be reached at eberman@cornellsun.com.

Gymnasts Set for Towson GYMNASTICS

Continued from page 15

Although matching up against a team with the ability to bring gymnasts to the school on scholarship will be a disadvantage for the Red, the squad can look forward to being at home for the second straight weekend.

“Towson is a talented, full scholarship team and it will be a highly competitive meet as a result,” Archer said. “We definitely hope to build off our meet against Cortland and it’s another home meet, so hopefully we will have a great crowd like last week.”

Scott Chiusano can be reached at schiusano@cornellsun.com.

www.c

c . o m n u s l l e orn

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, January 30, 2013 15

SPORTS

Red Opens Home Season With Win

By SCOTT CHIUSANO Sun Assistant Sports Editor

KYLE KULAS / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Raising the bar | Junior Melanie Jorgensen leads the Red on bars with a first place finish and a score of 9.700.

In its first home dual meet of the season, the gymnastics team topped visiting Cortland, 188.675-176.525. The Red won all four team and individual events, placing the top three finishers in three of the events.

After being on the road for its first two meets of the season, returning to Teagle was a welcome advantage, according to senior McKenna Archer.

“We always love competing at home,” she said. “It’s definitely an advantage to be familiar with the equipment and to have our friends and family supporting us. This past weekend, we had an especially impressive crowd and we’re very grateful to all those who came out. It definitely helps keep the energy up.”

The meet against Cortland was the first dual meet win of the season after the Red finished third of five teams and third of four teams in meets at George Washington and Pitt respectively. However, despite the first victory, the judges scored the gymnasts lower than he expected, according to head coach Paul Beckwith.

“In general, we had some great performances,” Beckwith said. “The judges, however, were scoring lower than we have seen in years.

Consequently, we had athletes with their best performance of the year scoring their lowest score of the season … [which was] very frustrating.”

Cornell scored 47.450 or better on bars, floor and vault; however, the team had to count two falls on beam. Beam has been a tough event for the Red this season, which Beckwith attributed to working out “competition nerves” before the meet against Cortland.

“We are really working hard to increase consistency on beam,” Archer added. “It’s an event where we have a lot of talent and depth, and we just need to show that during meets. It’s a stressful event and it’s early in the season so we’re optimistic that our beam scores will improve quickly.”

Archer was the Red’s top finisher in the event, posting a 9.675. Junior Melanie Jorgensen placed second with 9.525, while sophomore

Spurs’Success Comes as No Surprise LIAO

Continued from page 16

would be a sad, albeit practical, way to end Pierce’s 14-year run in Boston. My guess is that the Raptors will get Pierce and, in return, give up one of their point guards (Kyle Lowry or Jose Calderon) and forward Andrea Bargnani. This package will add a much-needed replacement for Rondo and some outside shooting to spread the floor. Stay tuned.

One of the feel-good stories of the year has been the play of the Golden State Warriors, who currently sit at 27-17. Playing without defensive stalwart Andrew Bogut for most of the season — he came back this Monday against the Raptors and played seemingly unaffected by his ankle injury — the Warriors have transformed from the 26th best defensive team to the 12th best, primarily due to head coach Mark Jackson molding his players into his defensive system.

With the great play of All-Star David Lee and All-Star snub Stephen Curry, there should be no drop-off in the second half of the season. In fact, with the return of Bogut and his passing, basketball I.Q. and shot-blocking ability, I expect both the team’s offense and defense to improve. With all due respect to rookie Festus Ezeli, who has filled in admirably at the center position, Bogut’s complete game will be more beneficial to the Warriors in the long run.

You’ve all heard the phrase “Never trust a guy with two first names,” but that simply isn’t true in the NBA. Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Dwight Howard — the current members of the Two-FirstName-All-Stars — will welcome Pacers forward Paul George this year, who is one of those rare cases where his ‘potential’ turned into tangible skills. With Danny Granger out all year, George has stepped into his role as the best player on the Pacers, averaging 17.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 steals a game while doubling as the best all-around defender on the best defensive

team in the league. Despite already being so good, he still has room to improve. Take the end of the Pacers-Nuggets game this Monday. With 20 seconds left and the game tied 101-101, Danilo Gallinari — who had 27 points at that point — drove to the basket and George stayed with him every step, standing strong as Gallinari lowered his shoulder, blocked his fadeaway and stripped the ball. The next possession, however, George turned it over to Andre Iguodala and with 0.5 seconds left, fouled Igoudala on an inbounds lob play (albeit on a ticky-tack foul), who proceeded to knock down one free throw to win the game. This sequence perfectly summed up George; he does so many things well, but is still just 22 years old and will only continue to improve and refine his game.

A story that should be significant if it wasn’t clockwork every year is the success of the San Antonio Spurs. They have the best record in the league at 36-11, yet there couldn’t be less fanfare about them. Coach Gregg Popovich keeps plugging players into his well-oiled machine and there is no noticeable drop-off. Popovich is able to limit his stars’ minutes this way, as Ginobili is averaging just 23.7 minutes a game. Additionally, no one on the team plays more than 33 minutes a game. Tim Duncan is silently — what’s quieter than ‘silently’?

— having another great All-Star campaign at age 36 and has magically improved his defense, as he is averaging 2.7 blocks per game, his most since 2003-2004. His play in the paint has helped the Spurs regain their Top-5 ranking in defensive efficiency, which fell off the last two years, as they were just 11th in the league. With their key players clocking fewer minutes — Popovich will just rest his starters during some back-to-back games — they should be one of the two favorites to come out of the Western conference again, a sentence I could have accurately written in a column any year between 1999 and 2013.

Albert Liao can be reached at aliao@cornellsun.com.

Maia Vernacchia took third with 9.325.

Freshman Kaylie Cronin tied for fourth with 8.800 in her first competition at home.

While beam was a tough event for both teams, the Red excelled on bars. Cornell placed the top five finishers, with Jorgenson taking first with 9.700. Senior Sarah Hein placed second with 9.525, and sophomore Abbie Thompson (9.500) and junior Sarah Wetter (9.450) took third and fourth, respectively. According to Beckwith, Wetter and Hein gave their best performances of the season thus far.

“On bars, Sarah Wetter and Sarah Hein had beautiful routines, and Melanie Jorgensen also hit a great routine for the highest score of the day,” he said.

The Red also had a strong showing on vaults, with six of its starters finishing in the top eight.

Freshman Madeline Martinez posted the highest score in the event with a 9.725, followed once again by Archer with a 9.600.

“Vault was particularly strong for us this weekend, although you wouldn’t be able to tell from the scores,” Archer said, echoing Beckwith’s sentiment that the judges underscored in this meet. “Really everyone in the lineup nailed their vaults.”

In the floor exercise, three competitors — two from Cornell and one from Cortland — tied for the top spot with a 9.750. One of them was freshman Kennedy Prentice, who was competing on floor for the first time and tied Archer and Cortland’s Courtney Mangini for first place.

“It was a very impressive routine with a lot of difficulty, and we were really proud of her for stepping up the first time she competed in the lineup,” Archer said.

The Red’s next dual meet will be against Towson, who has given the Red trouble in the past. The squad is hoping an improved performance on beams will help them top the Tigers.

“Our goal is to polish our routines on vault, bars and floor and improve our performance a lot on beam,” Beckwith said. “If we can hit beam, we have a shot at beating Towson, which is a fully funded scholarship team.”

See GYMNASTICS page 14

Squash Men, Women Can’t Top Tough Trinity Squad Both the men and women’s squash teams were unable to beat Trinity College at home this weekend. The men fell 7-2 and the women suffered a disappointing 54 defeat.

Going into the match on Sunday, the Red women (9-2) had never beaten the Bantams (11-1).

After falling behind with a loss in the first singles match, senior Jaime Laird and junior Laura Caty gave the Red its first lead with wins in the No. 2 and No. 9 spots respectively.

Sophomore Rachel Au gave the Red another win in five sets, followed by a four-set win by junior Jessenia Pacheco to put the Red within one point of its first ever victory over the

Bantams. However, Trinity was able to sweep the final rotation to come away with the narrow 5-4 victory.

On the men’s side, senior Nick Sachvie and sophomore Aditya Jagtap both had strong performances, but it was not enough for the Red. Sachvie and Jagtap’s wins at the No.1 and 2 spots respectively were the only victories the squad would record on the day, as Trinity took the next seven matches in a row.

Both squads will be on the road next weekend for bouts with Ivy foes Dartmouth and Harvard in a return to conference play.

— Compiled by Scott Chiusano

TINA CHOU / SUN FILE PHOTO

So close to you | Rachel Au (right) gave the Red a win at the No. 5 spot, but it was not enough to lift the Red to its first ever win over Trinity.

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Sports

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 30, 2013

16

TENNIS

Back in Action,C.U.Puts Up Strong Performances

Iyer, Fleck defeat Top-100 opponents from George Washington

By REENA GILANI Sun Staff Writer

With Cornell’s dual season already underway for the men and about to begin for the women, upcoming games are critical for both teams as the Red strives toward a strong start to the second half of the season.

On the men’s side, the Red (2-0) is ranked No. 70 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. On Saturday, the squad came out on top with a 6-1 win over George Washington (0-1). G.W.’s point was earned by winning the greater number of doubles contests — two to one — before Cornell took six points in a sweep of all the singles matches played that day. Junior tri-captain Venkat Iyer and sophomore tri-captain Sam Fleck were both able to take down Top-100 opponents from G.W. in order to earn the wins at the No.1 and No.2 singles spots.

“I was pretty satisfied with my performance this weekend. I played a good match,” Iyer said. “I think [the person] who did a standout job this weekend was [sophomore] Quoc Nguyen — he played a great match and got our first singles win of the day.”

Nguyen, playing the No. 4 singles match, defeated his competitor in just two 6-2 sets. The win was one of six that helped the Red gain confidence and poise.

“I think we were extremely focused and had high energy. This helped us have a very successful match,” Iyer said.

He noted that while the singles performance was solid, there is always room for improvement and that will come in the form of discipline and hard work on the court as the Red prepares for more matches. Looking forward, the team will face No. 48 Alabama on Friday and No. 56 St. John’s on Sunday in Queens, N.Y. “They are both good teams, and we are looking forward to the challenge,” Iyer said.

“The season has started well for us, and we hope to keep it going. This team has really come together as a strong unit and is constantly improving day-by-day.”

The women’s team also had a strong showing this past weekend during the three-day Cornell Winter Invitational.

Senior co-captain Sarah O’Neil and sophomore Sara Perelman respectively took the A and B singles titles in straight sets.

Additionally, the all-freshman team of Laila Judeh and Dena Tanenbaum won the doubles draw.

“Results-wise, we were very successful. It shows that we did our jobs over break, staying in match shape and keeping sharp on the court,” O’Neil said. “At the same time, it was a small tournament so we need to keep the success in perspective. The results

LOWELL GEORGE / SUN CONTRIBUTOR

Taking down the top | Junior tri-captain Venkat Iyer (above) helps his team to a victory over George Washington with a singles win over No. 76 Francisco Dias.

are exciting, but we have much bigger goals to look ahead to.”

The team’s goals include winning matches against UMBC and St. John’s Saturday at home.

“UMBC and St. John’s are strong teams.

We saw them at a few fall tournaments and their doubles were pretty sharp so that will likely be our focus this week in practice,” O’Neil said. “When it comes to singles, we all know what we need to work on from an individual standpoint. It is just a matter of us working on weaknesses and sticking to game plans that give us the best chance of coming away with a win for the team.”

Unlike the men’s weekend play, which

will be spread out over a few days, the women’s matches will be back-to-back on Sunday. O’Neil said that while the doubleheader will be an additional challenge, the Cornell Invitational helped prepare the team for it.

“A double-header is no different than a typical tournament day,” she said. “Since we were successful in this weekend’s home invitational, I think that we can all be confident in our fitness and ability to be successful against both opponents.”

Reena Gilani can be reached at rgilani@cornellsun.com.

A Laker-less NBA Red Women Trample SMU at Home Midseason Review T POLO

By EMILY BERMAN

Sun Staff Writer

The Cornell women’s polo team faced off against Southern Methodist University at Oxley

Equestrian Center on Saturday.

After a slow first chukker for the Red, the women eventually thrashed SMU, 27-3, to increase the team’s record to 11-0.

Despite controlling play in the

TINA CHOU / SUN FILE PHOTO

The mane attraction | Senior captain Ali Hoffman leads her team to a 273 rout of SMU with six goals.

first chukker, the Red had trouble finding the goal and only led 4-1 at the end of the opening frame. The team dominated the second chukker, however, by a score of 100 and crushed SMU, 8-0, in the third as part of an unstoppable 21goal scoring streak.

“I think we were definitely stronger than we thought we were going to be in general,” said senior captain Ali Hoffman. “Obviously, the first chukker was a little bit rough. We were getting back into our groove, making sure we had the communication skills we had going into our win at [the Bill Field Invitational] and getting back in sync with each other … All in all, it was very positive and much better than what any of us expected.”

Hoffman, junior captain Kailey Eldredge and freshman Devin Cox started the game for the Red. Freshman Anna Winslow swapped with Hoffman for the third chukker, but Hoffman and alternate Beth LeBow substituted for Cox and Eldredge to finish out the game in the final chukker.

Eldredge, the team’s overall leading scorer, again led the Red with nine goals in three chukkers, while Cox and Hoffman followed with six goals each.

Although head coach David See POLO page 14

he NBA season is already more than half over, yet I feel like I don’t know what’s really going on in the league. The culprit for this is the Los Angeles Lakers, who have kidnapped the entire NBA news cycle with headlines about their struggles. Sure, the

Celtics losing Rajon Rondo for the season due to an ACL tear. Even with Rondo — the NBA’s leading assist man and creator of half of the open looks for the Celtics — the team is just 26th in the NBA in offensive efficiency. It’s hard to imagine where the

Albert Liao Playing the Field story is compelling, but it has still taken away from the other 29 teams in the NBA. Let’s explore some of these other stories as ESPN continues to update us on what Kobe Bryant ate for breakfast and how it will affect his relationship with Dwight Howard, his legacy and the fate of the world.

Let’s start with today’s most prevalent story, one that can actually take headlines away from the Lakers: the

team’s offense will go without its floor general. In order to salvage this season and the value of the last days of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, we may be looking at a blockbuster trade in the coming days. You’ll hear a lot of trade rumors as the deadline approaches, most likely looking to deal Pierce — a longtime Celtic. Trading him See LIAO page 15