INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 138, No. 13
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021
n
ITHACA, NEW YORK
8 Pages – Free
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New-in-town restaurant Milkstand serves American favorites for breakfast, lunch and dinner. | Page 5
The Cornell men’s and women’s cross country teams claim abundant wins in recent events. | Page 8
Lillian Myers ’23 scored her second consecutive title at the MAISA Women’s Championship. | Page 8
HIGH: 72º LOW: 50º
Cornell Waives Standardized Testing for First-Year Applicants Extends test-optional policy for Fall 2023 and Fall 2024 By VEE CIPPERMAN and KAYLA RIGGS Sun News Editor and Sun Assistant News Editor
Undergraduate students applying to Cornell over the next two admissions cycles won’t have to submit their test scores. The undergraduate admissions office announced Wednesday that the University will waive SAT and ACT requirements for Fall 2023 and Fall 2024 first-year applicants — a decision that was made following ongoing COVID-19 risks. This policy comes after Cornell became the first Ivy League University to waive SAT and ACT requirements in April 2020 for first-year applicants to any of its seven colleges. Cornell’s decision to extend this policy
acknowledged the ongoing risks of COVID-19 in testing centers across the globe. The statement added that Cornell is also entering a two-year “deliberate experimental review” period to guide future admissions testing policy requirements. “We will engage both in self-study about the role of testing in promoting access and success at Cornell and systematically review admission assessments in partnership with other universities and higher education organizations,” the statement reads. Under this policy, three colleges –– the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business and the College of Architecture, Art and Planning –– will not accept See TESTING page 3
Classroom bound
JULIA NAGEL / SUN ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
A student walks past Uris Library on a rainy day atop Libe Slope as late summer flowers bloom.
Black Muslim Students Form Club Community By FINLEY WILLIAMS Sun Contributor
The Pan-African Muslim Student Association has kicked off the fall semester with a new year of on-campus reconnection — after the organization’s inaugural spring 2021 semester of virtual meetings, they plan to host educational events and build community among Black Muslim students throughout the year. Ahmed Eltahir ’22, “All of our events are PAMSA’s president, and Mohammad Hussein ’22, catered toward ... being PAMSA’s marketing chair, began drafting the club’s a space that empowers constitution during the winBlack Muslims.” ter of last year. Soon after, it Nasra Ismail ’22 launched as a space for Black Muslims at Cornell. Eltahir said that an ideal campus community makes Black Muslims feel safe and that PAMSA aims to foster an environment where students can comfortably be themselves. PAMSA plans to host its first general-body meeting within the next three weeks, Eltahir said. “The purpose of the Pan-African Muslim Student Association shall be to create a sense of community for Black Muslims on campus,” the constitution reads. “To create this community, PAMSA shall provide a space for the education and discussion of the cultural, political, and social landscape of the Muslim and Black Diaspora convergence.” While organizations like the Muslim Educational and Cultural Association and Black Students United focus on one of the two identities, Hussein said PAMSA aims to explore the intersection between Black and Muslim identities. “These two combinations kind of force us to operate differently than other people,” Hussein said. “We have to face all types of different experiences that these entities bring in the See PAMSA page 3
Campus Mediation Program Teaches Conflict Resolution After changes to Code of Conduct, student mediation may have greater prominence on campus By KATHERINE ESTERL and VEE CIPPERMAN Sun Staff Writer and Sun News Editor
Following years of revisions and summer implementation of the new Student Code of Conduct, conflict resolution will potentially give a greater voice to students in the Campus Mediation Program. Now explicitly outlined in the code, mediation could take greater prominence in resolving campus disputes. “[The code] is intentionally trying to be more open, more fluid, more conversational and more restorative,” said Patrick Mehler ’23, chair of the Scheinman Conflict Resolution Club. The Campus Mediation Program comes as a collaboration between the Cornell University Office
Growing together | Students learn ways To mediate conflicts. COURTESY OF KATRINA NOBLES
of Student Conduct and Community Standards and the Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution. It consists of two courses, ILRLR 4027: Campus Mediation Practicum and ILRLR 4029: Campus Mediation Practicum II: Advanced Issues in Restorative Justice, which train students in mediation methods. Katrina Nobles, director of conflict programs at the Scheinman Institute, teaches both mediation courses. The classes' focus is on the practices that help students repair harms and return to their community after violating the code. “We focus a lot on restorative practices, restorative justice within mediation and how See MEDIATION page 4