INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 128, No. 139
WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 2012
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ITHACA, NEW YORK
Plans Emerge For Pledging Restructuring
News We the People
A Cornell Law School professor and his graduate students are revising the Somalian constitution. | Page 3
Opinion Bin Laden: One Year Later
Maggie Henry ’14 and Jacob Kose ’13 discussed the meaning of bin Laden’s death for the victims of 9/11 and the decadelong war that followed. | Page 7
By JEFF STEN Sun Managing Editor
and REBECCA HARRIS
Sun News Editor
Science
Collegetown and set off fireworks in celebration. One year later, students and professors said they have been able to view the death of bin Laden more objectively –– though still with the same strong emotional connection. Rob Fishman ’08, a former Sun columnist, was one of the many Cornell alumni in New York City that went to Ground Zero after bin Laden’s death. The scene at Ground Zero, Fishman said, reflected “a sort of frat-house mentality: lots of
If approved, a proposed overhaul of Cornell’s Greek system would aim to eradicate hazing by integrating members into Greek life before they join individual houses and by requiring advisors to live in “at-risk” fraternities, among other changes. Nine months ago, President David Skorton declared to Greek leaders that “pledging as we know it has to stop.” Now, Cornell’s fraternities and sororities face the first substantial response to Skorton’s decree. On Friday, representatives of Recruitment, Acceptance, Retention and Education — a committee composed of 24 national experts, administrators and Greek leaders, including 13 students — broadcast their preliminary recommendations for reforming pledging in a webinar with alumni. The changes will be brought before the Board of Trustees in May and could receive final approval in October, according to the presentation. After George Desdunes ’13 — a brother of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity — died in February 2011 allegedly as a result of pledging activities, Skorton tasked the Cornell Greek system with eliminating the “degrading, humil-
See OSAMA page 5
See PLEDGING page 4
Lost in the Light
If the perfect solar storm brews, it could shut down electricity and Global Positioning Systems. | Page 8
Arts From East Hill to The Hill
Scott Tucker, director of choral music, shares his fondest memories at Cornell, as well as his hopes for the Glee Club, as he prepares to leave Ithaca. | Page 10
SUN FILE PHOTO
End of an era | Cornellians celebrate the news of Osama bin Laden’s death in the streets of Collegetown on May 2, 2011.
Univ.Revisits Bin Laden’s Death
Sports
By DAN TEMEL
The First Rule of Fight Club
Sun Staff Writer
J.D. O’Kasick, originally from Brazil, gives readers a glimpse of the fight life in Ithaca — where fighters spar at gyms like Team Bombsquad. | Page 16
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16 Pages – Free
One year after the death of Sept. 11 mastermind Osama bin Laden, Cornellians reflected on a turbulent period of revolutions, election campaigns and political warfare that followed the historic event. Bin Laden — who helped execute terrorist attacks in England, Spain and Africa — was killed by American forces in a raid in Pakistan. On May 2, 2011, bin Laden’s death prompted a crowd to storm the streets of
C.U. Waitlist Prospects Grim Since 2008, no students admitted to Univ. from waitlist By AKANE OTANI
tional students to reach our enrollment target,” Melvin said. Waitlisting, Melvin said, is a “valuable They apply in the thousands — boast- enrollment management tool and should ing among the highest GPAs and SAT be strategically designed to assure we can scores in the nation — but Big Red hope- achieve the institutional enrollment goal of fuls waitlisted by the University may have 3,182 first time students.” little reason to keep their fingers crossed Bev Taylor, founder of The Ivy Coach, for an acceptance. From 2009 through a New York-based college consulting com2011, not a single one of the 8,841 stu- pany, gave a different explanation. She said that with so few students –– if any — nabbing acceptances “[The waitlisted applicant] could be a off the waitlist, colleges and universities often strategically child of the family who donated $25 waitlist thousands of students million ... but wasn’t going to make it in.” who will not be accepted in an attempt to evade offending Bev Taylor applicants in the touchy admissions game. dents placed on the waitlist by the For instance, legacy students who are University was admitted off the waitlist. not academically qualified for admission 3,120 students applying for a spot in the or students from high schools the Class of 2016 were waitlisted this year, University has close ties with who did not according to Lee Melvin, associate vice make the cut are often put on a “courtesy provost for enrollment. If their prospects waitlist” — a conciliatory step above a flatmirror those of applicants in the three pre- out rejection, Taylor said. vious admissions cycles, they will not get in. “[The waitlisted applicant] could be a “It’s very difficult to predict if we will child of the family who donated $25 milaccept students off the waitlist right now, lion to the University but wasn’t going to but we’re waiting until all deposits from make it in. But you know, Cornell, in its the May 1 deadline have been confirmed See WAITLISTING page 5 before deciding if we need to admit addiSun News Editor
EMILY BURKE / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Pursuit of equality | Cornell students and Ithaca residents gather in the Commons on May Day — also known as International Workers’ Day — to discuss income inequality.
May Day Revives Occupy Protests By JOEY ANDERSON Sun Senior Writer
After a dormant winter, the Ithacabased Occupy movements returned with a day of marches to honor May Day, an international celebration of the labor movement. Occupy Cornell participants converged on the Commons with members of Occupy Ithaca after a march from Ho Plaza. They engaged in a series of conver-
sations about racial and wealth inequality, the uncomfortable marriage between Cornell and Ithaca and an array of other local and national issues. The day culminated in a protest against the minimum wage in Tompkins County and the occupation of Goldwin Smith Hall on campus.The racial tensions surrounding the murder of Shawn Greenwood — a black Ithaca resident who See OCCUPY page 4