INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 130, No. 110
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014
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ITHACA, NEW YORK
16 Pages – Free
News
Arts
Sports
Weather
Israeli Issues
Another Talking Dog
Wrestlemania
Afternoon Showers HIGH: 42° LOW: 36º
Prof. William Johnson, law, speaks against the movement to boycott Israeli academic institutions. | Page 3
Sean Doolittle ’16 reviews the new animated movie Mr. Peabody and Sherman.
Eight wrestlers will compete in the NCAA Championships beginning Thursday. | Page 16
| Page 10
Univ.: Reports of Sexual Assault at 23-Year High Incidents are often unreported,officials say are getting support, either through counseling, housing changes, class schedule changes or Reports of sexual assault have investigations into the sexual misrisen to a 23-year high at Cornell, conduct.” Grant’s statement may surprise a sign that efforts to educate community members about sexual some, who have argued at protests violence have been working, and community events that a campus culture condoning vioadministrators say. From 1990 to 2007, the lence against women and minorities is to blame University docufor the uptick in mented an aver“We shouldn’t look reports. Yet age of three Grant says that, reports of sexual at a rise in reports given how underassault a year; in the 2012-13 aca- as a negative thing.” reported sexual assault is, it is demic year, there unlikely the JA’s were 23 reported Mary Beth Grant J.D. ’88 office has heard cases, according “more than a to Judicial Administrator Mary Beth Grant fraction of cases that might be J.D. ’88. While editorials, aware- referred.” The Centers for Disease ness campaigns and lawsuits have warned that campuses are Control and Prevention estifacing a rape epidemic, Cornell mates that one in five women administrators say they consider will be sexually assaulted during the University’s recent uptick in her college years. In the most reports an indication that more recent academic year for which students know where they can statistics were available, just 23 students — out of more than turn to for help. “Everyone agrees our numbers 20,000 undergraduates and [of reports] are likely to go up,” graduate students — reported Grant said. “We shouldn’t look at being sexually assaulted at a rise in reports as a negative Cornell. Based on what national thing; we should see it as a positive thing because more people See ASSAULT page 5 By AKANE OTANI
Sun Senior Writer
COURTESY OF NBC
Ever heard of me? | Ed Helms, known for his roles in The Office, The Hangover trilogy and The Daily Show, will be the first comedian to speak at Cornell’s Convocation ceremony.
Actor Ed Helms Will Address Seniors at 2014Convocation By LIZ CAMUTI Sun Senior Writer
Actor and comedian, Ed Helms — best known for his role as passionate Cornell alumnus Andy Bernard ’95 on NBC’s The Office — will address graduating seniors at convocation this year, the Class of 2014 Convocation Committee announced Tuesday. During his run on The Office, Helms made a name for himself as Andy Bernard, a paper salesman at the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, who frequently references his time
at Cornell. With lines such as “I graduated from anger management the same way I graduated from Cornell: On time,” Bernard is, perhaps, Cornell’s most famous fictional alumnus. In addition to his role on The Office, Helms, a graduate of Oberlin College, has also starred in the Hangover trilogy and served as a correspondent on The Daily Show. Jennifer Lee ’14, chair of this year’s convocation ceremony and committee said she is thrilled with the selection of Helms as convocation See HELMS page 4
Cornellians Create Petition Calling for Return of Course 500 signatures as of Tuesday night — calling for the University to continue offering American Studies 2001, according to Students and alumni alike had mixed Boehme, who is currently a teaching assistant emotions upon learning that American for the class. “This is disappointing news for the Studies 2001: The First American University will not be offered during the 2014-15 acad- Cornell community,” Boehme said. “AMST 2001 has established itself as a very popular emic year. The course — taught for four years by class among students, staff and faculty to understand the rich culture, Corey Earle ’07, associate traditions and history of director of student programs in the Office of “This is disappointing Cornell. I invite anyone to Alumni Affairs — will be news for the Cornell go on Twitter on a Monday night and follow the hashtag replaced with a one-time, community.” #AMST2001.” four-credit course taught by Weinberg said he hopes Prof. Isaac Kramnick, govSimon Boehme ’14 that the American Studies ernment, and Glenn Department offers an explaAltschuler Ph.D. ’76, dean of the School of Continuing Education. The nation for why the course will not be offered new course will focus on the last 75 years of and reconsiders offering it for the Class of Cornell’s history and will be offered in honor 2015. He said, however, that if American of the sesquicentennial, The Sun previously Studies 2001 is not able to be offered, he hopes an “adequate substitute” is created so reported. In response, Simon Boehme ’14, Andrew that Cornellians do not miss out on a year of Levine ’14 and Jon Weinberg ’13 created an Earle’s class. “This class has touched so many online petition — which has garnered over By TYLER ALICEA
Sun Managing Editor
Cornellians and so many different kinds of Cornellians,” Weinberg said. “It’s a remarkable cross-section of the Cornell community.” Both Weinberg and Boehme said that they respect both Altschuler and Kramnick and the course that they will be offering in the fall. Both of them, however, said that they think the courses serve different purposes. “I think both [classes] reach different audiences. [AMST 2001] is a class for students who don’t have time to take a four credit class,” Boehme said.
Weinberg agreed, adding that Earle’s class is unique and does not have a parallel to other academic experiences on campus. “It’s a very different animal and a different manifestation,” Weinberg said. “To insinuate that one replaces the other is completely, in my mind, false.” In response, Earle took to Twitter Tuesday to offer his support for the sesquicentennial course. See COURSE page 5
AMST 2001 CANCELLED FOR 2014-15 STUDENTS REACT ON TWITTER It would be a HUGE mistake for Cornell not to continue #AMST2001. They should try to be more like J.G. Schurman and less like L. Farrand — @MaxSchechter @crearle #AMST2001 will remain one of my favorite classes I took during my four years here! — @itsachen For more student reactions, visit cornellsun.com.