INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 136, No. 50
THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020
n
ITHACA, NEW YORK
16 Pages – Free
News
Dining
Sports
Weather
Black History Month
Ethical Consumption
Record Breakers
Partly Cloudy
Black Students United kicks off Black History Month with a celebration on Jan. 31. | Page 3
Regardless of your diet, you should treat animals ethically, writes Benjamin S. Velani ’22. | Page 8
Cornell track and field placed first at the Upstate Challenge, with a number of remarkable finishes. | Page 16
HIGH: 36º LOW: 18º
Students, Faculty Banned From Travel to China Citing CDC warning,
Kotlikoff prohibits C.U.-related travel By MEGHNA MAHARISHI Sun Staff Writer
COURTESY OF THE TSIALAS FAMILY
Lawsuit | Antonio Tsialas ’23 (center), Flavia Tomasello, his mother (left), and John Tsialas, his father (right). The family is currently suing the University in connection with Antonio’s death on Oct. 26.
Family of Tsialas Sues Cornell, Phi Kappa Psi
Lawsuit also names seven Cornell students By MEGHNA MAHARISHI Sun Staff Writer
The parents of Antonio Tsialas ’23 — a freshman who was found dead at the base of Fall Creek gorge in October — have filed a lawsuit against Cornell University, the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and seven Cornell students. The family is seeking compensation for the pain “suffered by their son … prior to his death.” Tsialas attended a fraternity party at Phi Kappa Psi on Oct. 24, and was reported missing shortly after. Two days later, his body was found at Fall Creek gorge. His death prompted an ongoing University-led investigation, while private investigators hired by the family also investigated.
After Tsialas was found, the Cornell University Police Department wrote in an email to the Cornell community that “no foul play is suspected.” The lawsuit additionally named the fraternity’s executive board members Andrew Scherr ’20, William Granath ’21 and Ryan Berman ’21 as defendants. Rush chairman Nolan Berkenfeld ’20, House manager Pietro Palazzolo Russo ’21, Shane Rohe ’21, who allegedly escorted Tsialas to the “dirty rush” event and Felipe Hanuch ’22, who the suit says invited Tsialas to the event, were also listed. Cornell Phi Kappa Psi advisor John Jacobs ’90 was another defendant in the suit. The findings listed in the lawsuit were from See TSIALAS page 4
The University will not permit any Cornell students and faculty to travel to mainland China for Universityrelated reasons in light of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak — which has sickened 5,327 people and killed 349 in China. Provost Michael I. Kotlikoff wrote in an email to the Cornell community that the University will support any Cornellians currently in China and students slated to study abroad in China this semester would be notified about this by the Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs. “I understand that this is a challenging time for many community members from China who are concerned for family and friends who may be in affected areas,” Kotlikoff wrote. This ban on traveling to China for University-related purposes will last until Cornell’s International Travel Advisory and Response Team removes China from its elevated-risk destinations list. ITART placed China on the list because the Centers for Disease Control expanded its travel warning to include all of China — not just Wuhan, China, where the outbreak originated. The University also said it will continue to monitor the outbreak. So far, there have been no confirmed cases in New York state. There are currently five confirmed
TAYLOR GLASCOCK / THE NEW YORK TIMES
Safety | The coronavirus outbreak has prompted many in its wake to resort to the use of surgical masks for protection. cases in the U.S. in Washington, California, Arizona and Illinois. All cases involve individuals who had previously traveled to Wuhan. In addition to the University-wide notice, faculty in the Chinese and Asia Pacific studies program decided on Tuesday to suspend its Beijing study abroad program for the spring 2020 semester, leaving students scrambling to figure out housing and course See CORONAVIRUS page 5
Pair Caught Red-Handed in Burglary, Police Say 911 caller heard noises after hours By ARI DUBOW Sun Staff Writer
Just before midnight on Tuesday, two individuals were intercepted by the Ithaca police while reportedly using power tools to burglarize a business in northeast Ithaca, according to a press release from the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office. The accused were Daniel P. Samson
and Tressa E. Mikula, both age 36, of Groton, New York. The Tompkins County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call Tuesday night from a resident near Salem Drive in northeast Ithaca. The caller said that they had heard noises coming from inside a business after hours, the press release said. Upon arrival, the deputies found
a running Jeep Wrangler in the driveway of the business and soon after caught up to the two individuals in the rear of the building. Samson attempted to escape through the front of the building, where he was intercepted and arrested. Mikula was found inside the building. See CRIME page 5
COURTESY OF IPD
Burglary | Daniel P.
Samson and Tressa E. Mikula are accused of using a hatchet and a prybar to enter a business, using power tools to break into a safe. The pair was caught by police before leaving the building.