Movement for Momodou Student groups have rallied behind the international grad student as he appeals his second suspension.
| Page 5
Arts
Megolopolis’ ‘Mess’ Nicholas York ’27 discusses Francis Ford Coppola’s Megolopolis, a ‘borderline-incomprehensible mess.’ | Page 13
By JULIA SENZON Sun Managing Editor
Sept. 30 — Nearly 20 pro-Palestinian protesters who helped shut down a career fair attended by defense contractors earlier this month have been identified through video and photographic evidence and have been referred for disciplinary action, according to a Monday afternoon email from Interim President Michael Kotlikoff to the Cornell community.
On Sept. 18, more than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters confronted recruiters for defense contractors L3Harris and Boeing — a company students overwhelmingly voted that the University divest from last April — at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations’s Human Capital and Human Relations Career Fair.
At around 2 p.m., protesters banged drums, pots and pans and chanted “Free Palestine” as they entered Statler Hall, where the career fair was taking place. Recruiters for most companies there took down their tables about 20 minutes after protesters arrived, ahead of the event’s 3 p.m. scheduled end time.
Kotlikoff wrote that the disruption “was not a peaceful or harmless rally, as some have described it.”
According to the Monday afternoon statement, protesters were explicitly told that they were not permitted to enter Statler Hotel by Cornell University Police Department officers. They pushed through police at the ground-floor and second-floor entrances, according to Kotlikoff.
Sun reporters on the scene did not witness violence against law enforcement.
The Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards assesses whether interim measures are “immediately necessary to protect the community” when students
are referred for an alleged Student Code of Conduct violation, Kotlikoff wrote.
The most significant interim measure is a full temporary suspension until the case is resolved.
Under the Code of Conduct, students placed under interim measures such as suspension are provided information about the charges and the appeal process, with full temporary suspension allowing for “two independent levels of appeal, the final being to the provost of the University.”
To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com.
Mini-Moon
From Sept. 29 to Nov. 25, Earth will adopt a second moon. Will it be visible? Nope. :( | Page 8
By ERIC REILLY Sun Assistant Managing Editor
Oct. 2 — Two high-level administrators outlined how the University monitors and disciplines pro-Palestinian activists, including by boosting security and surveillance around campus and “scrutinizing” faculty members’ in-class behavior, in a private Zoom meeting with more than 220 Jewish parents Monday night.
The event, moderated by Rabbi Ari Weiss — Cornell Hillel’s executive director — was a rare opportunity for concerned Jewish parents to probe Vice President of University Relations Joel Malina and Vice President of Student Life Ryan Lombardi about how Cornell is preparing for another semester of campus tumult. Parents sent questions to Weiss, who posed as many of them as he could to Malina and Lombardi throughout the hourlong, town hall-style meeting.
The meeting was open to parents in Hillel’s network who registered via an invitation form.
When Weiss asked about how the University would handle a newly hired professor who in the past “might have said antisemitic things,” Malina used a specific example of a junior faculty member in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences who after being hired was found to have retweeted “some troubling posts.”
That professor, whom The Sun identified as Prof. Wunpini Mohammed, communication, has reposted what Malina called “some troubling posts.” The University became aware of these reposts — which include several anti-Zionist messages — only after a formal hiring offer was made this summer.
“There was no reason to withdraw the offer of employment based on that activity,” Malina said, “but her in-class activities will be scrutinized, as will all in-class activities of our faculty.”
By MATTHEW KIVIAT Sun News Editor
Sept. 25 — Black, Native American and Hispanic student enrollment dropped markedly between the classes of 2027 and 2028, while the proportion of Asian first-years rose slightly, according to data released by the University on Wednesday. This year’s class of firstyears is the first to be admitted after the Supreme Court banned race-conscious affirmative action in higher education last year.
Black first-year undergraduate student enrollment saw a decrease from 11.7 percent last year to 7.7 percent. The share of first-years who identify as Hispanic dipped from 16.7 percent to 10.5 percent. Native American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander first-year student enrollment both saw sharp declines. White enrollment decreased less than a percentage point, from 48.5 percent to 47.7 percent.
The only racial group in the data to see an increase from last year’s figures were Asian students, with firstyear enrollment rising only marginally, from 36.3 percent last year to 36.5 percent.
The racial data is based on self-identification. Because students can select multiple categories, the sum of the demographic percentages is above 100 percent.
Today
International Student Interview Workshop 11:45 a.m. - 1 p.m., Virtual Event
AASP and A3C BeComing Lunch Series with Piper Kohlenberger 12 p.m. - 1:00 p.m., 626 Thurston Ave, Asian & Asian American Center Guided Mindfulness Meditation 12:15 p.m. - 12:45 p.m., 12:45 p.m. - 1:15 p.m., 4 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., 106 Upson Hall
Rosh Hashanah Dinner 7:45 p.m. - 10 p.m., Trillium Dining Indonesian Conversation Hour 11 a.m. - Noon, G25 Stimson Book Club Discussion w/ Professor McLeod 1 p.m. - 2 p.m., 110 Fernow
Tomorrow
Conversation Hours 1 p.m. - 2 p.m., G25 Stimson
Last weekend was packed with events in Ithaca. From big red apples to the Big Red defeating Yale at homecoming , thousands of students and alumni focked to Applefest and Homecoming
By SUN PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT
By GABRIEL MUÑOZ
Sun City Editor
Sept. 30 — Rallies, phone banking and social media campaigns are fueling the push from multiple campus organizations to pressure the administration into rescinding the suspension of pro-Palestinian international student Momodou Taal grad.
A week after Taal’s suspension, the administration continues to move forward with a formal suspension, rejecting his latest appeal. In response, The Coalition for Mutual Liberation, a student-led pro-Palestinian umbrella group, launched a pressure campaign to demand the University roll back its decision.
Taal appealed his suspension to Ryan Lombardi, the vice president of student and campus life, last week. However, Lombardi rejected Taal’s plea on Thursday. Taal’s second and final appeal will be decided by Interim Provost John Siliciano. In a post on X, Taal said his initial appeal was rejected after a business day, and he claimed that he was being denied due process.
“Once again, there has been no investigation, nor have I had a chance to even respond to the allegations against me,” the post read. “I maintain that all my actions have been peaceful and in accordance with my First Amendment rights.”
CML then released a social media campaign post that called the rejection a “radical escalation” and urged community members to call members of the administration. Organizations that signed on the post included the Native American Indigenous Students at Cornell, South Asian Council and Fanclub Collective, among approximately 30 others.
The Cornell Graduate Student United held a press conference on Friday, Sept. 27, discussing their demands that the University bargain over Taal’s suspension with the union according to a memorandum of agreement it had reached with the University in July. The agreement gives the union the right to bargain over the effects of academic discipline of graduate students as long as that discipline affects their working conditions.
Ewa Nizalowska grad, part of the media
team for CGSU, said in an interview with The Sun that the administration had agreed to bargain in a previous suspension against Taal and another international graduate student but were not currently following the terms of the memorandum.
“We called on Cornell, and we are still calling on Cornell to bargain with us over his suspension, which is a blatant disregard of due process, his right to freedom of expression and also clearly a discriminatory attack that’s intended to scare off other marginalized grads, international grads, from protesting against the genocide in Palestine,” Nizalowska said.
CGSU is also hosting a rally this Wednesday, Oct. 2, which Nizalowska said was part of their ongoing efforts to negotiate a contract with the University that includes protections for graduate students’ speech.
CML hosted a rally in front of Day Hall on Wednesday, Sept. 25, where multiple speakers called on the administration to reverse their decision. The organization also launched a phone banking campaign with the Cornell chapter of Young Democratic Socialists of America, a member organization of CML, to ask community members to leave voice messages for six offices on campus, including the Office of the President, Interim Provost John Siliciano, Chief Administrator Kristin Hopkins, General Counsel Donica Varner, the Office of the General Counsel and the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards.
In an interview with The Sun, Atakan Deviren ’27, co-chair of Cornell YDSA, said that the phone banking campaign made over 1,000 calls and filled four out of six mailboxes but that, ultimately, he did not know if the student’s efforts would persuade administrators.
“If the school does not divest, and if they do not stop repressing students the way that they are now, then there’s going to be an escalation,” Deviren said.
Black Students United, the umbrella organization encompassing dozens of Black cultural, mentorship, performance, professional and Greek organizations, released a statement on Taal’s suspension saying that if the administration followed through with
the proceeding, BSU would “deem Cornell an unsafe space for all Black students.”
Seth Vieira ’26, political action co-chair of BSU, told The Sun that the organization is concerned about the administration’s “aggression toward any pro-Palestinian supporter or organizer.” He also spoke about Taal’s status as an international student and the consequences of a suspension to his immigration status, since many members of BSU are international students themselves.
“This would be setting an extremely terrible precedent, not only for international Black students, but for all Black students. So if we can be targeted like this — what about us?” Vieira said.
After being suspended in the spring for helping organize the pro-Palestine encampment on the Arts Quad, Taal has said that this second suspension puts him at risk of being deported back to the United Kingdom. This most recent suspension comes after Taal and other Cornell students shut down a career fair in Statler Hall earlier this month attended by defense contractors L3Harris and Boeing.
The case has received nationwide attention, with multiple groups around the country such as the organizers of a pro-Palestinian
encampment at the University of Michigan lending their support for Taal over social media. The Cornell Chapter of American Association of University Professors released a statement calling for the administration not to follow through with the suspension, which was later posted on X by the national chapter’s official account calling for Taal to be reinstated.
“For the administration to escalate its treatment of such protests into allegations of dangerous and violent disruptions is a serious abuse of Cornell’s disciplinary power over students — and against faculty and staff who join them in their protests,” the statement read.
Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) posted on X condemning the administration’s decision to suspend Taal and offering support for his suspension to be rescinded.
“It is appalling that Cornell University appears ready to deport an international student without regard for due process, simply because of their presence at a protest. It is wrong, and I urge the university to reverse course immediately,” the post read.
Gabriel Munoz can be reached at gmunoz@cornellsun.com.
Concerned parents question V.P.s of university relations and student life about upcoming semester
Malina clarified that the University will not act as “intrusive, academic police,” but that it ultimately is a privilege to be a Cornell faculty member, which comes with a set of enforceable conduct-related expectations. Mohammed is set to start teaching in Spring 2025.
Weiss asked the administrators about whether instructors who cancel classes to let their students participate in protests would be punished.
“When those incidents happen, there are immediate conversations with the individuals, with the chairs of their department, with the deans of their academic unit,” Malina said. “Those who are confirmed to have done that will face consequences.”
The Monday meeting came as Cornell pursues disciplinary action against nearly 20 pro-Palestine activists who shut down a Sept. 18 career fair to be attended by defense contractors Boeing and L3Harris. At least one of these protesters, Momodou Taal grad, is an international student who could face deportation.
In the Zoom meeting, Weiss asked why Cornell’s protesting organizations have avoided harsh punishment while other universities’ groups have been outright banned.
The administrators explained that the University must discipline individual students rather than registered student groups because the activists operate under unregistered coalitions.
“They don’t register [their protests],” Lombardi said, referring to the Coalition for Mutual Liberation, an unregistered Pro-Palestinan umbrella organization encompassing over 40 campus and local groups. “Which means much of our accountability is focused on the individuals that are participating in some of the activities, rather than a group.”
“We have implemented a new approach as we renovate buildings, as we build new buildings, to make sure that we are installing cameras,” Lombardi said, responding to a question about how the University is trying to identify activists behind pro-Palestinian vandalism. Lombardi emphasized that cameras would not be placed in private spaces.
Lombardi added that while the activists who vandalized Day Hall on the first day of the semester “took great pains” to disguise their identities, Cornell conducted “robust investigations” through video footage “to apprehend a good number of them.” Still, the activists remain unidentified, Malina said.
Both administrators conceded that identifying masked pro-Palestinian activists is difficult. Malina explained that Nassau County, the first in the nation to sign a mask ban into law, has faced “strenuous litigation” opposing the measure. He said that after discussing the issue with the Office of General Counsel, he does not expect Cornell to “take on the litigation risk” of introducing a similar ban.
“Our police are doing some incredible work investigating, even in spite of such facial covering, to help in the identification of individuals,” Malina assured the parents.
When Weiss asked how the University plans to protect students during the one-year anniversary of Oct. 7, Lombardi told parents that more Cornell University Police Department officers will be on scene and went into detail about Cornell’s long-term plans to ramp up security.
“Our police force is planning for a heightened presence all week long — extra staff, extra patrols all along the way,” Lombardi said. “[CUPD is] definitely very tuned into this and working with their local agency partners as well.”
The University is developing a security force called the Public Safety Ambassadors that will “supplement” the Cornell
University Police Department and help guard events, Lombardi said. “It’s a little bit in its infancy, but it will continue to grow in time,” he added. “These are not law enforcement officers, and there’s only a few of them now. But again, it’s just another set of eyes and ears.”
An online job posting describes the Public Safety Ambassadors as emergency responders who patrol campus and are assigned to events as needed.
Lombardi also expressed gratitude to Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.), who he said has been “very helpful,” sending in state police resources when necessary.
Prof. Russell Rickford
Weiss received several parent questions about Prof. Russell Rickford, history, who has returned to campus following his year-long, voluntary leave of absence. Weiss indicated that there was some confusion among parents about why Rickford has not been punished for his continued involvement in CML protests since his infamous Oct. 15 remarks.
Malina said that Prof. Rickford has largely avoided disciplinary action by protesting off campus and outside academic buildings.
“Now, to be clear to all of you, had this happened in a Cornell classroom, this would be a much different conversation,” Malina said of Rickford’s controversial remarks last year about the deadly Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack on Israel. “Prof. Rickford, for lack of a better word, is very savvy when it comes to staying on this side of our policies,” Malina said.
Rickford’s comments last year, according to Malina, prompted an in-depth inquiry in which the University brought in independent lawyers.
To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com.
By BREANNA FERREIRA Sun Senior Writer
Sept. 30 — A year after the Supreme Court overturned affirmative action policies in college admissions, Cornell — as well as peer institutions such as Harvard and Brown — saw a decline in Black, Hispanic and Native American first-year enrollment.
After the Supreme Court’s decision in June 2023, Cornell adjusted its application to include new, identity-based application questions. The questions were designed to provide applicants the opportunity to discuss any aspects of their identity they believe to be essential for conveying who they are as an individual and as a student.
The identity-focused essay asked students to “define community the way that is most meaningful to you.” The Sun surveyed six students of varying backgrounds to gather reactions to the new essay prompt and the prospect of declining diversity in Cornell’s student body.
Tiffany Alvarez ’28, a student in Industrial and Labor Relations, viewed the new question as restrictive and struggled in her ability to openly express herself. Alvarez felt that she needed to explain her racial background in the question to give admissions officers context about her background.
“I think [the questions] definitely limited [me] to what I could talk about on the application,” Alvarez said. “I felt that [for] other students who weren’t of color, they could mention other aspects of their application in their high school curriculum and all that, but I felt I definitely had to reflect on [the affirmative action] we didn’t have anymore — so I wanted the university to know that I was a student of color and came from a specific area or region.”
Alvarez explained that if she had applied two years ago — when affirmative action policies were still factored into admissions — her essay would have not been
so focused on her ethnicity and minority background.
“I would have talked more about my achievements and things I’m interested in, rather than just about how my parents came here.” Alvarez said.
Buzmael Joanus ’28, a student in the Nolan School of Hotel Administration, had mixed emotions regarding the changes to the application.
“I wouldn’t say I really had any positive or negative reaction[s] because I hadn’t seen the questions prior, so I had no basis of comparison,” Joanus said. “But I feel like the questions I was asked were fair, and they did provide me with an adequate opportunity to express myself and to express my background and just who I am.”
Like Alvarez, Joanus did specifically address his racial and ethnic background in his questions. However, Joanus said he would have discussed his ethnicity even before affirmative action was overturned since he believes race helps best describe who he is.
“I think I would still have discussed race,” Joanus said. “It would have been integral [in] explaining who I am, explaining why I hold the perspectives that I do, and ultimately why my motivations are what they are.
Sana Khan ’28, a student in the College of Arts and Science, was unsure how she initially felt about the overturn of affirmative action.
“I think my reactions were mixed to it,” Khan said. “I know a lot of people around me [felt] that affirmative action affected them in a negative way, but [I] understand how it can be so impactful for some [other] people.”
To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com.
Breanna Ferreira can be reached at bferreira@cornellsun.com.
By GRACE LIU Sun Senior Writer
Sept. 30 In the 2022 congressional election in New York’s 19th District, Marc Molinaro (R-NY) eked out a win over Democrat Josh Riley by just 1.5 points, or 4,495 votes.
In 2020, Cornell had 18,498 eligible voters, more than four times the margin that earned Molinaro his congressional victory. Student groups, cognizant of the potential power of Cornell’s voting population, have been working to mobilize the student vote for both local and national races.
Cornell Votes
Founded in 2020, Cornell Votes is a nonpartisan organization on campus involved in civic engagement with the goal of educating and mobilizing students to vote.
In the first three weeks of the semester, Cornell Votes engaged over 1,500 voters. President Camille Simmons ’25 said she finds tabling to be the most effective way to reach as many students as possible. Cornell Votes also responds to student questions sent to its email address, cornellvotes@ cornell.edu.
Cornell Votes also recently launched the Voting Ambassadors Program, which trains students to become certified to register voters and request absentee ballots in a non-partisan manner. 30-minute training sessions are held every other Thursday.
This year, Cornell Votes’ goal is a 90 percent registration rate on campus and a 75 percent voting rate among students. This would mark an increase from 2020, the previous presidential election year, where the Cornell student registra-
By GABRIEL MUÑOZ Sun City Editor
Oct. 2 — After the City’s annual budget presentation was postponed to next week’s meeting, Common Council voted on two certified local government grants to establish two capital projects — the DeWitt Park Historic District Resurvey and Boundary Reevaluation Project and the Statewide LGBTQ Historic Context Statement Feasibility Study on Tuesday.
The presentation of the budget, during which the Council would discuss the City’s budget for the next fiscal year, was canceled because City Manager Deb Mohlenhoff could not attend the meeting. The budget will instead be presented at the next meeting on Oct. 9.
Alderperson Phoebe Brown (D-Second Ward), alderperson David Shapiro (D-Third Ward) and alderperson Tiffany Kumar ’24 (D-Fourth Ward) were not in attendance.
A $17,000 grant funding the DeWitt Park Historic District Resurvey and Boundary Reevaluation Project will prompt the City to evaluate redistricting the Dewit Park Historic District, ensuring that all historic sites that qualify for historic building protections are included. The motion to accept the grant was passed in a unanimous vote after a failed tabling motion.
The initiative was scrutinized by several members of the Council, and Alderperson Patrick Kuehl ’24 (DFourth Ward) was concerned about the impact of the possibility of redrawing the historic district on housing availability in the City.
“There are, of course, resources that deserve to be preserved in the City, but I also think that we need to make sure that that does not stand at odds with our stated goals of increasing density and increasing housing supplies and lower rental costs,” Kuehl said.
Bryan McCracken, the City’s historic preservation planner, responded by saying there would be no redistricting immediately enforced in the proposal, but that a recommendation to the Common Council would follow after the assessment finished. The project would take two and a half years, according to McCracken.
The program would also open internships for the City and Regional Planning Department at Cornell, to which the University would provide the funding for intern stipends.
“I think it’s pretty awesome whenever we have students who are in our professional academic program doing something of relevance to something that we need in the city,” said Alderperson Margaret Fabrizio (D-Fifth Ward).
Kuehl motioned to table the proposal until the next meeting, but ultimately the tabling motion failed 2 - 6.
Mayor Robert Cantelmo grad opposed the tabling motion and voiced his support for the motion, arguing that the City should use the funding.
“I am viewing this particular resolution very instrumentally, asking whether or not we want to accept $17,000 to do work that at present is the established city policy,” Cantelmo said.
Common Council also approved the acceptance of the Statewide LGBTQ Historic Context Statement Feasibility Study grant. This study is expected to “explore the feasibility and effectivity of the listing of LGBTQ historic context statement documenting the contributions of New York’s LBGTQ community to local, state or national history.”
To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com.
Gabriel Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@ cornellsun.com.
tion rate was 82.1 percent and the voting rate was 66.1 percent, according to a June 2024 report from the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement.
“I vote in every single election I’m eligible for,” Simmons said. “It’s so important because we have a voice, and this is our government giving us a voice, and if we don’t use it, we lose it. This is our chance to have that voice, and we need to utilize it. Every vote genuinely does matter.”
Cornell Votes and Pi Lambda Sigma will host a voter registration event on Oct. 1 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. outside Toni Morrison. Cornell Votes will also be tabling on Oct. 4 in the Mann Library lobby from 10:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. and at Anabel’s Grocery from noon to 7 p.m., and will host a Halloween-themed “Don’t Ghost Your Vote” event on Oct. 26. Most Cornell Votes events operate on a weekly basis and are publicized via the club’s Instagram.
Vote 4 Equality
An independent expenditure campaign of the Feminist Majority, Vote 4 Equality aims to mobilize students in congressional or presidential swing states to change their registration from their home address to their college campus address.
“Along with this, [we are] also just encouraging people to keep equality in mind when they’re voting, in particular reproductive access, which is a main focus of our campaign,” said Campus Coordinator Hannah Irvine ’25.
To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com.
Grace Liu can be reached gliu@cornellsun. com.
GABRIEL LEVIN ’26
Editor in Chief
MAX FATTAL ’25
Associate Editor
HENRY SCHECHTER ’26
Opinion Editor
MARIAN CABALLO ’26
Multimedia Editor
MING DeMERS ’25
Photography Editor
ERIC HAN ’26
Arts & Culture Editor
SYDNEY LEVINTON ’27
Arts & Culture Editor
JADE DUBUCHE ’27
Social Media Editor
JESSIE GUILLEN ’27
Graphics Editor
JOLIN LI ’27
Layout Editor
PARIS CHAKRAVARTY ’27
Layout Editor
LEILANI BURKE ’25
Assistant Photography Editor
KARLIE McGANN ’27
Assistant Photography Editor
KIRA WALTER ’26
Lifestyle Editor
DANIELA ROJAS ’25
Assistant Lifestyle Editor
NICOLE COLLINS ’25
Weather Editor
To the Editor
JULIA SENZON ’26
Managing Editor
ERIC REILLY ’25
Assistant Managing Editor
MARISA CEFOLA ’26
News Editor
MATTHEW KIVIAT ’27
News Editor
CHRISTINA MacCORKLE ’26 News Editor
JANE McNALLY ’26 Sports Editor
GABRIEL MUÑOZ ’26 City Editor
KAITLIN CHUNG ’26 Science Editor
LAINE HAVENS ’25 Science Editor
ANUSHKA SHOREWALA ’26
Assistant News Editor
OLIVIA HOLLOWAY ’25
Assistant News Editor
DOROTHY FRANCE-MILLER ’27
Assistant News Editor
DINA SHLUFMAN ’27
Assistant News Editor
ALLISON HECHT ’26
Newsletter Editor
Editor’s Note: This piece is the full text of a letter sent by Momodou Taal to the Cornell Office of Global Learning on Sept. 26 to help appeal his suspension. Taal was suspended for violating campus free-expression policies at a human capital career fair.
Dear Global Learning:
I am writing to request help from your office in preventing the pre-mature suspension of my F-1 visa without due process of law. I am asking that you serve as my advocate and not as my adversary to help me have a chance to explain my side of the story before the university revokes my visa, informs DHS and forces me to leave the country and my community here at Cornell.
For this reason I am requesting that Global Learning center lobby the administration to give me a hearing over my suspension before it refers me to DHS. I am confident that the evidence and eye-witness testimony will show that I was not violating community policies, that I was merely engaging in protected free speech activity, that the administration made representations to me indicating that past infractions for free speech would not restrain me from expressing my views about the genocide in Gaza, and that I left Statler on September 18 as soon as I saw things were getting tense. Give me the chance to explain myself before I have to flee the country.
I am asking for your help because the Global Learning Center is supposed to support me rather than fight me. The Global Learning website says the purpose of its international services is to “help students and scholars from 116 countries thrive at Cornell.” The website has an entire section titled “supporting scholars under threat” and says that “since 2016 Global Cornell has led campus and community support for international scholars, students, and human rights defenders whose work puts them at risk in their home countries.”
I am a scholar, and I am under threat here in America because I am defending the basic human rights of the people of Palestine while participating in peaceful protests on a university campus. I have a valid visa. I have a right to be at Cornell and I have a right to express myself. Please do not refer me to DHS until I’ve had a fair chance to a hearing. Thank you,
Kind regards, Momodou Taal
Max Fattal is a fourth year in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations and the associate editor of Te Cornell Daily Sun. Tey can be reached at mfattal@cornellsun.com.
Reading and learning over the last week about the suspension of Momodou Taal — the policy, the process, the context — I was most struck by how sloppy it all was. Whether trampling on a memorandum of agreement to make the whole thing a labor law issue, implicating the President and Provost by sending out a wildly threatening email or clearly targeting a Black, Muslim graduate student and suggesting that he’d lose his visa, I was surprised not by the moral hollowness (I learned to expect that long ago), but by the lack of an attempt to cover it up. In plain sight, Kotlikoff was seriously punishing a student without due process, in violation of the University’s own agreements and in the name of the same Interim Expressive Activity Policy that remained universally loathed from last semester. In a way, my presumption of incompetence was reassuring — this is what students are up against? In another way, it became alarming — what else might come out of this complete disregard for process or norms? Earlier today, the latter fear was verified and the question answered.
Kotlikoff followed the vague threats of his first email with a new tactic — detail-orientation overwhelmed by lies and misdirections. Kotlikoff attempts a narrative, describing a process that cannot even stand up to the weight of its own adjectives. The appeals are “independent,” even though they’re directed towards the provost: the very administrator sending out emails explaining and justifying the suspensions. The process rights involve an “outline of the charges and rationale,” but importantly lack either evidence or burden of proof. All moves reflect “the least restrictive necessary to protect the community from ongoing harm” — because apparently without mass suspensions, we’d all be in grave danger. The arguments have all managed to tie themselves to policies — they’ve gained institutional legitimacy — but they remain fairly weak, and their promises of restraint and process become undone by the very email offering them.
Ultimately though, none of that is what makes the email so worrying. It’s all classic administrative contortions — appeals to authority with no logic behind them. What makes Kotlikoff’s email nefarious is its definition of peaceful protest, and by extension, violence.
President Kotlikoff willfully misunderstands peaceful protest , even as he gestures at its supposed importance through the use of italics. He intimates that “preventing,” “frightening” and “harassing” all constitute forms of violence, which broadens his definition to include
any tangible impact (stopping anything that’s being protested) or the production of discomfort (making others feel frightened by the activism). He uses terms which could easily describe any effective protest in the past century — not the least of which include the Willard Straight and Day Hall takeovers fondly remembered on this very campus — and somehow manages to avoid realizing the violence’s administrative inverse. On the other side of students’ “preventing” their classmates from enjoying the career fair, armed police officers prevented protestors from entering. An email vaguely asserting that “actions have consequences,” paired with reports of the sole suspension of an activist on a student visa could hardly be anything but frightening . Inviting and sponsoring speakers to campus so that they may call immigrants (many of whom study at Cornell) “sad sack[s] … from incredibly backward cultures” constitutes harassment , plain and simple.
But Kotlikoff couldn’t have it any other way: He’s attempting to appease mobs of wealthy alumni demanding discipline, cynical congressmen wanting a punching bag and a personal frustration with an inability to keep his campus in check. Ever the liberal, his job relies on the production of rolling heads — and the creation of a story to describe how their punishment was just. And so, in order to weaponize the institutions he means to use — police forces, academic suspensions, even deportations — he must manufacture consent for an action disproportionate to any nonviolent protest. Faced with a practical reality of nonviolence , his definition must change, expanding to subsume the act of protest in its entirety (with perhaps a small carve out for symbolic pittances). This must be punished; therefore, this must be violence.
To some extent, the conversation, however tedious, is the point: the fact that we’re discussing the process or severity, rather than the policy itself — or god forbid the genocidal horrors Taal and others were protesting — takes up air and emboldens Kotlikoff. It’s the least students have talked about divestment simply because many have become galvanized against another injustice. In reality though, I struggle to imagine that there is a point — senseless cruelty bargained on the fact that Kotlikoff’s presidency won’t last long enough to become truly embarrassing. It’s a series of actions without a strategy, each contradicting the last. And it’s the only thing the administration has: the only threat they wield.
Sophia Arnold is a third year student in the Brooks School of Public Policy. Her fortnightly column Under Scrutiny focuses broadly on political and campus issues. She can be reached at sarnold@cornellsun.com.
In Kotlikoff’s recent interview with The Sun, he shared his impending retirement, but it’s not his departure that ought to be questioned. It’s who comes next. For too long, Cornell’s leadership has been more focused on maintaining the University’s endowment over fostering an academic environment that goes beyond the transactional. Our institution risks becoming little more than a hedge fund, using its resources to achieve the best returns for its shareholders.
The idea that education must be a means to an economic end is a dangerous one, but it’s one that has become central to our University. Pollack’s legacy is arguably defined by decisions motivated by appeasing donors and boosting rankings, rather than focusing on the intrinsic value of education or the student body.
These choices — whether it’s tuition hikes, underfunding essential services or stifling free speech when convenient — have come at the expense of the student body. Worse, Pollack’s administration catered to the whims of trustees and alumni rather than listening to the needs of students or faculty. The Board of Trustees however may, undoubtedly, be tempted to select a candidate similar to Pollack. Undeniably, Pollack’s tenure bore several hallmarks of a successful one — our endowment increased from $6.8 billion to $10 billion, Cornell survived the Covid-19 pandemic under her leadership and her donation panhandling paid off in terms of our campus facilities. But none of this made Pollack a leader. Being President should not be defined by your donor relations, and Pollack failed in every
arena bar financial. Yet, snubbing the Student Assembly, ignoring The Sun and imposing authoritarian restrictions on students’ freedom of speech isn’t surprising from a President who rarely bothered to appear on campus.
Of course, the Board of Trustees likely chose Martha Pollack to build on the legacy of one of her predecessors, David Skorton, who raised billions for Cornell during his time as president. But in choosing Pollack, the Board seemed to double down on its demands for the ever-increasing endowment that Skorton delivered, without recognizing the importance of his engagement with students and faculty. Pollack’s focus on capital campaigns, donor relationships and expanding Cornell’s financial base overshadowed her commitment to the students, faculty and the University’s academic mission. The next president must be someone who understands that Cornell’s value is not in its ability to turn a profit, but in its founding principle.
Cornell can, and should, do more than just balance the budget and prepare students for their first job. We don’t need another technocrat to usher us into the future — Cornell needs to return to its roots, where our education is valued more than our future donations as alumni. To lead Cornell means to lead its students, and a good President can’t be led around by the nose by our Trustees.
Our administration has to decide if Cornell will remain a University, or if it will continue to become a Fortune 500 — and that decision begins with who we choose to lead us next.
Armand Chancellor is a fourth year student in the Brooks School of Public Policy. His fortnightly column Te Rostrum focuses on the interaction of politics and culture at Cornell. He can be reached at achancellor@cornellsun.com.
The bell tolls for affirmative action, and now we see the results. After last year’s Supreme Court affirmative action decision, the percentage of black students at Cornell decreased from 11.7 percent to 7.7 percent. But it is important to remember the old saying “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” But even affirmative action came up short with the program being a general venture to help increase representation of all historically underrepresented groups. The largest benefactors of the program were not the main victims of America’s greatest harms but white women. In the wake of the revocation of affirmative action, the policy of liberals in the Student Assembly and across the nation has not been to increase the representation of former beneficiaries of affirmative action but instead to pursue the elimination of legacy admissions, targeting white enrollment instead of increasing Black enrollment. The policy of liberals is to remove the privileges of all alumni of the university including the Black ones. This exemplifies the
Mukoma Wa Ngugi is a Professor in the Literatures in English Department at Cornell. He is the co-founder of the Safal-Cornell Kiswahili Prize for African Writing. He can be reached at mukomangugi@cornell.edu.
My lowest moment in academia was shortly after the 9-11 terrorist attacks when there was Arab phobia all over the country. I was a graduate student in the then Department of African Languages and Literature at University of Wisconsin Madison. US government officials would walk into our classrooms and remove Arab students from the classroom, whisking them away to Milwaukee for processing. Our professors would carry on teaching as if nothing had happened. And of course — we — the remaining students, followed their example.
Today, I am 23 years older. I understand very well that silence is the best friend to injustice.
Today, the interim president of Cornell University brings down the whole multibillion machinery to bear down on one Muslim and black African graduate international student. Momodou Taal is suspended as the University knows full well that the next step is deportation. This action is like destroying a bridge and then saying you are not responsible for the drivers that plunge into the roaring waters below. But even the optics of a powerful and mostly white institution going after an international black Muslim student should have at least given Kotlikoff pause and ask for what we, from Trump’s “shithole countries,” call a kangaroo court — where the outcome is already decided before the motions of a court hearing. Momodou did not even get a sham trial.
The protests were on September 18th, the following day, Taal gets an email from Cornell’s Police Chief telling him he had been referred to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards. And then on the 23rd he is informed that he has been suspended. On the 26th, his appeal to Ryan Lombardi, Vice President for Student and Campus Life, is denied.
One must step back and watch the Kotlikoff acrobatics in awe. The protestors (note he does not say student protestors) loudness frightened people, a large crowd filing into the building knocked off (it does not sound deliberate or malicious) an officer’s body-cam, and there is potential hearing loss. None of these are deportable actions or criminal acts by any standards.
What is going on here?
For one, Kotlikoff is sending a message to every single international student at Cornell: be quiet and study. More precisely, our Cornell motto of “any person, any study” for Kotlikoff appears to be “Any American [preferably but not necessarily white] Person, Any Study…but quietly, please.” Jokes aside, the message to the whole campus is the same: silence or else…
The larger crime, though, is that Momodou Taal is speaking his conscience against Israel that has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, bombed hospitals and universities, maimed thousands and upended millions of lives. Gaza essentially is rubble. And in Lebanon, in what one doctor called an “act of mass mutilation” and former CIA director and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has called terrorism, Israel used pagers and walkie talkies as explosive devices. I stand on the principle that no form of injustice can warrant the killing of civilians. I cannot condone Hamas killing 1,200 Israelis and taking hostages. But surely, the long-term occupation and oppression of Palestinians, the accepted fact by many including the late Bishop Tutu and the International Court of Justice that Israel is an apartheid state, should disturb our conscience. And that the same apartheid state is now committing genocide. How can we not stand alongside our protesting students?
truly laughable attempts to help African Americans by the liberal establishment. It is supposed to help me, that after three generations removed from an Alabama plantation and through providence and the work — which the word ‘hard’ does not begin to describe — of my forefathers. From sharecropper to community college to a public university, to now with my brother and I at Duke and Cornell. Instead of being able to pass on legacy to my children at these elite institutions like all alumni before me, my children will be stripped of this status, and my family’s educational path will fall back a generation. When African Americans are finally on a more equal playing field, the solution of their supposed allies is to move the goalposts 10 yards further back for those of us who have reached great heights. While many white alumni have been able to accumulate wealth by sending generations to the same elite schools, as soon as that opportunity can start to be used by African Americans, liberals want to get rid of the system.
No one can look at the swiftness after barely a week and not ask for due process as a minimum.As far I know, the Graduate Students Union were not informed or involved. Momodou has yet to defend himself.
Okay, stack that up against Momodou Taal’s and his co-conspirators’ alleged acts of high Cornell treason. This in part a statement released from the president’s office:
“The protesters loudly marched through the hotel lobby and up the stairs, frightening students, staff, and recruiters…they forced their way past additional CUPD officers at the entrance to the Statler Ballroom, knocking off an officer’s body-worn camera…the demonstrators screamed into bullhorns and banged cymbals, pots and pans, resulting in medical complaints of potential hearing loss. The protesters…alarmed students who had been talking with employers. These intimidating tactics have no place in a university and violate our commitments to each other. Actions have consequences, on campus and in the criminal justice system.”
The Moi dictatorship in 1990 encouraged silence under an organizing philosophy. Whereas Moi’s philosophy was Peace, Love and Unity, President Kotlikoff’s is university neutrality. His statement in part reads, “administrative actions must be consistent and content neutral. In furtherance of institutional neutrality and deference to the many and diverse views in the Cornell community, the President and Provost will refrain from opining on national or global events that do not directly impact the university.” In principle this sounds, well, very neutral. But the students and people of conscience are saying our big red Cornell Bus is parked in neutral on railway tracks and a speeding train is coming our way. They are telling us we cannot remain parked in neutral for much longer, either move forward or go backwards but we cannot remain where we are.
Continue reading at www.CornellSun.com
By LAINE HAVENS Sun Science Editor
Earth gained a mini-moon this Sunday, Sept. 29 by capturing a nearby asteroid with its gravitational field.
Earth pulled asteroid 2024 PT5 into its gravitational field, changing the asteroid’s orbit from heliocentric — around the Sun — to geocentric — around the Earth. 2024 PT5 will remain in Earth’s orbit for about two months, not long enough to complete one full revolution.
A moon is any naturally forming object that orbits a planet, so for about two months, Earth will technically have two moons. However, farther away than the Moon and only about 11 meters in diameter — comparable to a school bus — 2024 PT5 will not be visible with the naked eye or amateur equipment.
“It’s not surprising people get interested in this because they suddenly hear of another moon, and you suddenly imagine this is something comparable to the Moon suddenly appearing in the sky,” said Prof. Philip Nicholson, astronomy. “In that sense, it’s a bit overblown. This object is much, much smaller than the Moon, and it’s only going to be in this kind of orbit for a couple of months.”
According to Nicholson, the Earth and 2024 PT5 are like horses running around
a racetrack. One horse — 2024 PT5 — is slightly slower than the other — Earth — but every 30 years or so, they lap one another.
“You can imagine as they come close together the two jockeys reaching out and touching hands or grabbing one another so that they temporarily tie themselves together,” Nicholson said. “Eventually, they’re not going to be able to hold on for very long because [the Earth and 2024 PT5] are
both in orbit around the Sun, so that’s going to dominate.”
When 2024 PT5 approached the Earth this time around, the Earth’s gravity slowed it down a bit — just enough to fall further into Earth’s orbit. However, 2024 PT5 is at no risk of hitting Earth, according to Nicholson.
2024 PT5 follows a horseshoe orbit, which occurs when an object has an orbit similar to an object of much greater mass
— in this case, the Earth — that gravitationally influences it. The horseshoe name refers to the orbit’s shape relative to the Sun and the Earth, with the Earth between the open ends of the horseshoe, and the Sun in the very center. The bubble-letterC-shaped-orbit illustrates how the Earth’s gravity makes the asteroid “turn around” relative to the Earth. In this case, 2024 PT5 will move from a heliocentric orbit further from the Sun than the Earth, to a brief orbit around the Earth and finally to a heliocentric orbit closer to the Sun than the Earth.
2024 PT5 is not the first “mini-moon” to fly by Earth, though it is one of just a handful to be detected. According to Nicholson, plenty of objects periodically approach the Earth. However, horseshoe orbits like that of 2024 PT5 are unique because their orbits are always near the Earth’s. Consequently, they often have fairly close encounters with Earth, potentially every few decades.
“Dynamically, [2024 PT5] is definitely an interesting object,” Nicholson said. “It’s not a risk posed to us, and it is part of the natural scheme of things, but it does tend to demonstrate that orbits come in lots of weird varieties.”
Laine Havens can be reached at lhavens@ cornellsun.com.
By MARISSA GAUT Sun Contributor
The Birding Club at Cornell spread its wings at the first competition of the school year at the annual Montezuma Muckrace, held in Montezuma, NY on Sept. 6 and 7. The Montezuma Muckrace is an overnight competition where recreational, collegiate and family teams compete to find the most bird species in 24 hours. In the birding community, a 24-hour birding competition is known as a “Big Day.” The competition took place in the Montezuma Wetlands Complex, a designated wildlife refuge and one of the most prominent bird migration routes in the region.
The Birding Club at Cornell sent six teams of birders to this year’s Muckrace. Team members worked together to identify as many different species as possible, birding during the night and into the early morning. Cornell’s top team came in second place with 121 species. The winning team identified 131 species.
Trip chair Brian Hofstetter ’26, who organizes the Birding Club at Cornell’s travel, described the competition as a laid-back event where competitors were sup-
portive of each other, a hallmark of the birding community.
“Every time we would stop somewhere, someone from another team would tell us about a bird they just saw,” Hofstetter said. “There’s a lot of camaraderie there.”
The Muckrace began at sunset, so many teams quickly sought birds that are active at night. Marsh birds such as the Sora, Virginia Rail and American Bittern were common finds. Many teams also
saw owl species including the Great Horned Owl, Barred Owl and Eastern Screech Owl, according to Hofstetter. The Muckrace allowed birders only minimal equipment — binoculars, cameras, a telescope and a spotting scope. Without any apps, recorders or automatic identifiers, competitors had to rely on their birding knowledge to identify species.
“We have people who know a lot about these birds and can identify them just by
sound,” said Matthew Gilbert ’26, an experienced birder and the treasurer of Birding Club at Cornell.
Gilbert, whose team finished in fifth, mainly saw birds he expected for the Western New York region. He was surprised, however, to see one Ruddy Turnstone, a sandpiper usually found on the coast.
The Birding Club at Cornell returned from the Montezuma Muckrace excited for the year ahead and busy with club events, according to Gilbert. The student-run organization has scheduled weekly bird walks around Beebe Lake, campus Big Day competitions and monthly overnight trips to nearby birding hotspots. The next big event is an overnight trip to Braddock Bay on Oct. 19.
“The events are for fun, but also for teaching,” Gilbert said. “We learn by experience, being out there looking at birds together.”
Club events like the Montezuma Muckrace culminate in Birding Club’s biggest competition of the year — the World Series of Birding, hosted in New Jersey. The World Series attracts birders from across the country to compete for the prestigious winning title. Most competitors, including those from the Birding Club at Cornell,
do not sleep, sit down to eat or even take bathroom breaks during the 24-hour period, according to Gilbert. Training is intense — those participating make quizzes, practice identifying sounds and even build their endurance by running. This past year, the Birding Club at Cornell tied for first with 213 species. The Cornell team looks to maintain its winning streak again when the World Series rolls around in May.
Until then, the birders will continue hosting campus events. In the past month, they held a beginner walk for new birders as well as the first campus Big Day, which took place on Sept. 19. The Birding Club at Cornell welcomes all students, regardless of experience. Members can choose which events they attend, whether they go every week or once a year. With over 700 members, Birding Club at Cornell is one of the largest student-run clubs on campus.
Hofstetter attributes the club’s success to the welcoming community it fosters.
“Everyone is super inclusive,” Hofstetter said. “We all share an enthusiastic love for birds and nature. I’ve found my best friends here.”
Marissa Gaut can be reached at mlg323@cornell.edu.
By Kaitlyn Bell
Kaitlyn Bell is a freshman in the School of Industrial & Labor Relations. She can be reached at kgb57@cornell.edu.
Renovations are a common sight at Cornell, and one of the most significant projects recently completed on North Campus is the update to Balch Hall. The all-women’s dorm, known for its historic Gothic architecture, has undergone a transformation that blends its historic aesthetic with a modern element, creating a unique living experience for students.
Situated front and center on North Campus, Balch Hall has always been an important part of the Cornell landscape. Students commuting between Central and North Campus often pass through the iconic arches, but what many don’t realize is the strong sense of community that has been fostered within its walls.
The recent renovations, which temporarily relocated residents to Barbara McClintock Hall, have renovated both the physical space and the communal atmosphere. Now that students have returned, many are expressing their satisfaction with the updates and the sense of belonging they find at Balch.
“I feel a lot more connected being in a community of all women,” said Jin Kim 28’. “Everyone is so supportive, and at least in my hallway, we get dinner together often and talk in the lounge about our classes.”
Balch’s location, just minutes away from much of campus, is another perk for its residents. “The location is amazing since it’s practically five minutes away from everything,” added Kim. “Because it’s renovated, I feel like everyone tries their best to keep Balch as clean as possible.”
Despite the modernization, the dorm still maintains its quiet, studious environment—an advantage for those looking for a calmer atmosphere compared to some of the more social dorms on campus.
“Socially, it’s definitely nothing like Donlon, but we all talk to each other often and get dinner together,” Kim said. “Since it’s an all-women’s dorm, it’s quiet at night, so I have no trouble studying in my own room without distractions.”
Similarly to the newer dorms on campus each room in Balch now “features all-new energy-efficient windows, air vents connected to a modern HVAC system to improve comfort in summer as well as winter, new flooring, new lighting, and for the first time, a thermostat in each room” as stated by Cornell University.
They have also maintained many of the historic pieces of Balch Hall including from the room Cornell alum and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg 54’ lived in her residency in
Balch Hall. This architecture along with the tight knit community make it a nice blend between the two types of dorms offered on North Campus.
For residents like Ridwanah Haque 28’, Balch has made the transition to college life smoother.
“I can always find someone to study with, eat with, or just chat with,” Haque shared. “I feel more comfortable and connected being in an all-women’s dorm.”
The question of whether Balch’s historic charm will continue to foster a social scene, especially when compared to newer dorms, is one that remains to question. But for current residents, the blend of history and modernity is working.
“Overall I wouldn’t want to be anywhere but Balch,” Haque said. “I’m going to try to get this hall in my later years as well. There’s always people in the lounge working or on weekends watching or playing something on the TV.”
With its renewed facilities and strong sense of community, Balch Hall remains an important part of student life at Cornell, offering a supportive environment in a building that honors its historic roots.
As Kim put it, “I really love Balch and its community, so I am definitely going to try to stay here for the rest of my four years at Cornell.”
By Aurora Weirens
Aurora Weirens is a third year student in the College of Arts & Sciences. Her fortnightly column The Northern Light illuminates student life. She can be reached at aweirens@cornellsun.com.
Cornell University is not for the faint of heart, or the weak of bladder. I would argue that there is a serious lack of bathrooms, or at least poor placement of existing bathrooms across many areas of campus, particularly on the Arts Quad. These are some locations where the need for bathrooms (or more of existing ones) is dire.
Olin Library Lobby
This has got to be the building with some of the highest foot traffic on campus, and yet the lobby doesn’t have a single bathroom. Picture this: there’s a cafe right in the lobby, filled with students guzzling coffees, juices and other highly laxative goodies. There are thousands of students coming from and going to class in the lobby study space. They’re usually there studying for a decently long period of time, or arriving from a different building, and need a post-class wee. These masses are faced with either a trek to the corner of the basement, or hoofing it up the stairs to a tiny, grungy, two-stalled bathroom.
White Hall
One toilet — that’s all this massive building filled with classrooms has for women. There is an additional handicapped bathroom hidden by the professors’ offices on the third floor, but frankly it’s more practical to squat on the slope than make that hike with a bursting bladder. For us plebs on the lower levels, there is one lone porcelain throne for the government majors of Cornell to vie for before and after class. Furthermore, despite there being only ONE toilet, the basement chronically reeks of sewage.
West Dining Halls
My quarrel with the West Dining bathroom set-up is not in quantity, or quality, but location. These bathrooms are clean, respectable places with ample stalls. The catch is that the bathrooms aren’t actually in these dining halls, like in Morrison. This means using swipes, or bartering with the food bouncer to let you back in if you’ve had one too many apple juices at brunch — or if you just want to sit for a few hours and study through the day while making the most of your swipe.
Goldwin Smith Hall
Generous, kindly and benevolent Cornell donors, if any of you are out there reading this, please consider donating for more Goldwin Smith bathrooms.
Nothing is quite like standing with four other women in a stinking bathroom, avoiding eye contact and in complete silence, waiting for the slowpoke in the stall to finish up so you can get to class. And then you’re the slowpoke in the stall, while the (growing), bladder-bursting lineup is standing two feet away in reverent silence. I’m not personally familiar with the situation for men, but I’ve heard it’s not great as well.
Sibley Hall
There’s a weird smattering of alternating genders and single stall bathrooms in here that are all pretty gross. A bit embarrassing for them, being home to the Architecture and Urban Planning program. Having classes here is annoying because it means a bloodbath in the ten minutes before class for the lone handicap stall toilet on the first floor.
Plant Science
Trying to use the bathroom in Plant Science is a fever dream. The saloon-style doors on the second floor are appalling in their own right, but there are simply not enough in the building overall. Fingers crossed that the ongoing remodel includes the bulldozing of the saloon doors and the addition of further modern plumbing.
I will say, the engineering buildings are pretty good regarding their bathroom distribution, hence their absence on this list. I interviewed a handful of engineers and they all seemed content with their situation, as have I been in my brief visits there.
There seems to be a clear correlation between the age of buildings and how abysmal their bathroom distribution is. My suspicion (not officially fact checked) is that it’s a mix of old infrastructure, based on outdated building codes, and — for the oldest buildings — a lack of women’s bathrooms originally, making for an inadequate final product.
I do hope somebody with purchasing power in administration sees this — many of your students, particulary women, find themselves having to leave in the middle of class to use the bathroom, or arrive late because the lines are so atrocious in many of these key locations.
If you’re curious to see the bathrooms of Cornell that I’m pleased with, feel free to check out my 2022 official ranking.
the Honeycrisp.
Sept. 30 — This weekend, thousands of raincoat-sporting, umbrella-carrying Cornell students headed to the Commons to celebrate Ithaca’s 42nd Annual Apple Harvest Festival.
Organized by the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, the street festival — commonly dubbed “Applefest” — sprawls from the Commons to Albany Street and Aurora Street. Every year, the festival brings together craftspeople, farmers, food vendors and live performers to celebrate the fall harvest.
Additionally, this year’s festival featured a new layout to enhance pedestrian safety and limit traffic. Stands this weekend expanded down West State Street until intersecting with Albany Street, avoiding closures on Cayuga Street. The scheme preserved Applefest’s size, while also limiting automotive dangers to festival attendees.into his position here, Cutler is already formulating various long-term visions for Cornell Dining.
Despite the rainy conditions, community members, college students and visitors alike took the festival as an opportunity to meet new people, spend time with friends and, of course, eat some apples.
“I really love doing this. I do festivals all year long, [and] this is one of my favorites,” said Fritz Vail, who operates the Sugarlips Ice Cream caramel apple stand. “We don’t see too many people coming over that aren’t happy. It’s a good vibe.”
Vail, who has attended Applefest for over 25 years, said that crowds were particularly large this year.
The crowds persisted through the rainy Saturday and Sunday, determined to explore the eclectic collection of goods featured by the stands. Crowd favorites included Amishfamily-run Little Farm Bakery’s iconic apple cider donuts, Vail’s Gourmet Caramel Apples, several apple wine tastings, and of course, the apples themselves. According to Hanna Kochis of Robbie’s Produce, the standout fan-favorite apple was awarded to
“The longer the line, the better the food,” said Remi Cooperstein ’27, referring to the apple cider donut lines. “I’m really excited to be here and to be a part of the Ithaca community.”
For the most part, vendors and patrons seemed unfazed by the rain. However, for an unfortunate few, the rain made business nearly impossible.
Several vendors, including PM Press, had to pack up Saturday afternoon to protect their goods from water damage. Many could be seen taking shelter in local businesses or buying rain gear from the Cornell store.
While some vendors struggled, Ragtrader Vintage owner Joel Voltz didn’t notice a noteworthy drop in customers due to the rain.
“It’s slowed things down, but we’re still pretty busy,” Voltz said as raindrops tapdanced on his tent.
The busy atmosphere was created by thousands of customers — from local residents, to students of both Cornell and Ithaca College, to visitors from the surrounding region, to Cornell alumni visiting for Homecoming.
This sentiment was echoed by several vendors, including Gary Burley of East Hill Creamery, who described Applefest as a “melting pot.”
“I’ve seen people from Manhattan, to Indiana, to Nashville. It’s fun to interact with [everyone],” Burley said.
In addition to the diversity aspect, vendors felt connected to the tradition of Applefest.
Aaron Stolicker ’15, a Cornell alumnus who runs a pop-up business selling Halloween specialty drinks, described Applefest as a bit of a “homecoming” experience.
“I actually never made it to Applefest as an undergraduate, so it was kind of a coming home situation,” Stolicker said. “I was like, ‘We have to do this.’”
DATA
Continued from page 1
The Class of 2028 saw the lowest summed percentage of reported races. The percentage sum was just 103.5 percent this year, a stark 12.4 percent drop from last year’s value of 115.9 percent. Over the past four years, this figure had not dipped below 113 percent.
The number of students whose self-reported race/ethnicity was classified as unknown grew from 183 last year to 314 this year.
The released data did not give a specific breakdown of the student enrollment in specific colleges.
In an interview with The Sun, Interim President Michael Kotlikoff said that this year’s process of releasing demographic data for Cornell’s first-year students was expedited, as the final figures are typically announced in October.
In a University press release, Lisa Nishii, vice provost for undergraduate education and vice provost for enrollment, said that the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn race-conscious affirmative action does not undermine Cornell’s founding commitment to diversity.
“Since Cornell’s founding, at a time when our peer institutions were closed to women and people of color and out of reach for all but the elite, we have been proudly committed to educating students from every background,” Nishii said. “The Supreme Court’s decision in no way undermines that fundamental commitment.”
Nishii explained that the shifts in the racial and ethnic composition of the Fall 2024 class were “not unexpected,” as many peer institutions have seen similar trends.
Cornell, which was the last Ivy League school to release its data, saw comparable decreases in the admissions of certain demographic groups as peer institutions.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology saw a dramatic decrease in the enrollment of Black and Hispanic students, with Black enrollment dropping from 15 percent to 5 percent and Hispanic enrollment dropping from 16 percent to 11 percent. Harvard also saw a decrease in Black student enrollment, with a drop from 18 percent to 14 percent.
However, Yale saw its first-year enrollment for Black students unchanged at 14 percent and its Latino enrollment increased by one percent.
After the Supreme Court decision, Cornell added a new identity-focused essay that asked students to “define community the way that is most meaningful to you” in addition to college-specific responses.
Nishii went on to describe broadly the University’s approach to the review cycle.
“In selecting each entering class, we look holistically at each applicant’s academic performance and interests, talents and accomplishments, lived experience and alignment with our public impact mission,” Nishii said. “We actively seek students who demonstrate the qualities of open-mindedness, curiosity and a willingness to engage across differences.”
Nishii explained that, in hopes to enhance diversity in Cornell’s admitted class, the University will reach out to more high schoolers, counselors and community organizations to ensure they can be competitive for admission to Cornell. Nishii announced a new partnership with QuestBridge’s College National Match Program, which “helps high-achieving students from low-income and underserved households prepare for admission to top colleges and universities.”
Cornell Media Relations did not provide an immediate comment about demographic distribution in different Cornell colleges.
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)
By AVERY WANG Sun Senior Writer
Sept. 26 — With the report on a Greek life “machine” in the Assembly, a divisive Interim Expressive Activity Policy and campus tensions surrounding the Israel-Hamas war, the Student Assembly faced unprecedented challenges throughout the 2023-2024 academic year.
Now, S.A. President Zora deRham ’27 and S.A. Executive Vice President Adam Vinson ’25 are trying to rebuild Cornellians’ trust in the Assembly. In an interview with The Sun, deRham and Vinson outlined their plans to foster an Assembly culture shift, slow down the legislative process and increase student resources.
One of deRham’s main priorities is facilitating more “human” moments between the Assembly’s members by providing opportunities to connect on a more personal level.
deRham hopes building internal cooperation will signal a broader shift in culture within the Assembly as the foundation for regaining the trust of the student body.
Vinson said that he aims to “improve community relations” by increasing outreach from the Assembly to the public.
Both deRham and Vinson emphasized that many of the people involved in last year’s S.A. controversies are no longer affiliated with the Assembly, with some graduating and others withdrawing from or failing to win re-election.
Last March, The Sun exposed that the Assembly’s former Assembly vice president of finance, Rocco DeLorenzo ’24 secretly planned to block resolutions pertaining to gender issues and women’s health and defend the interests of fraternities.
In April, former executive vice president Claire Ting ’25 was disqualified from the presidential race after an investigation from the S.A. Elections Committee determined Ting provided internal Assembly communications to The Dispatch, a progressive student publication that is no longer active.
Among the current members of the Assembly include Getulio González-Mulattieri ’25, an undesignated representative. The Sun reported last April that a group of first-year women were allegedly harassed by González-Mulattieri, then 35, with repeated, unwanted advances and suggestive comments. González-Mulattieri has no plans of stepping down and has faced no charges or form of punishment by the S.A. S.A. leadership is working on legislative-based ways to prevent further controversies.
“I know there’s a lot of Assembly members who disagree
with each other when it comes to politics,” Vinson said. “I’m going to do whatever I can to make sure that it doesn’t get personal and ugly between them, because that’s sort of where … these sorts of things … start and snowball into what happened last year.”
Vinson explained that the Assembly is currently collaborating with the Office of Ethics, an independent body, to revisit the S.A.’s Code of Ethics. The Code of Ethics was originally written as a living document but was last updated on May 5, 2022.
At the start of the semester, the Assembly passed Resolution 2, which established “deputy” positions where officers can appoint a new member and merged three leadership groups — which included the executive board, cabinet and committee — into one executive board. The resolution was deemed “unethical” by The Office of Ethics.
Vinson reflected that it is important to institute a more comprehensive ethics code.
“The ethics code has not been updated in a long time,” Vinson said. “We are going to be making an edit to it to expand it, which will hopefully sort of act as a deterrent to stop behavior like that in the future.”
deRham also noted that she plans to engage with the student body throughout her time in leadership.
“I plan to just be accessible by not locking myself in some tower and just being so job-centered that I forget to walk around campus,” deRham said. “My email is always open — I’m super excited to hear from anyone who wants to reach out, anyone who has any comments both enthusiastic and perhaps critical of whatever may come to mind.”’
Pacing the Legislative Process
The S.A. is also considering adjusting its timeline for passing resolutions to give members more time to process proposed resolutions.
“I don’t think it’s anything negative to slow down our thought process and our resolutions process and everything, and just one step at a time that makes sense,” deRham said.
deRham noted that the Assembly typically passes more resolutions than any other University shared-governance body. During the 2023-2024 school year, the S.A. discussed 79 resolutions out of 94 total resolutions between the four assemblies. In comparison, the Employee Assembly considered four resolutions, the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly considered eight resolutions and the University Assembly considered three resolutions.
deRham said slowing down the resolution passing process would add “a level of responsibility for the products” from the Assembly since members can analyze the material and ask questions.
“Instead of completing the 70+ resolutions per year, because we’re rushing through them … some ideas could be combined into one big idea or some ideas could be more fleshed out before they’re actually submitted,” deRham said.
Vinson believes that streamlining the resolution process will help restore the student body’s trust in the S.A. However, he does not believe this goal and deRham’s are contradictory.
“We can slow down the schedule itself, but we can increase the volume at which we are producing resolutions,” Vinson said. “And I think the way you do that is simply to give Assembly members the resources they need.”
Vinson noted that it was mostly the same people passing resolutions last year. He hopes that connecting newer Aassembly members to administration officials, past data and committee leads during the legislative process will broaden the number of members passing resolutions.
“One of the reasons I felt I was able to be very successful last year was because I was able to talk with people who’ve been there years before and were able to advise me, and I’d like to do that with a lot of the newer representatives,” Vinson said.
deRham hopes to pilot a seminar program on the transition to adulthood with the S.A.’s resources. Sample seminars would teach students how to file for insurance reimbursements or how to complete their taxes.
Both deRham and Vinson said that reinstating Trillium as a meal swipe dining option was a top priority during their campaigns.
“The way that I would handle it is probably back end work, behind the scenes, work for a couple weeks, and then move into formulating a written idea that can then go to resolution and then go through our various channels,” deRham said.
Vinson also mentioned that he is working to provide Naloxone and other crucial emergency response resources to organizations on campus. Discussions and collaborations on a resolution are in the beginning stages, so it could be months before the resolution is formally voted on.
As the school year is just beginning, deRham is hesitant to make promises she can’t keep.
“There have been some bigger initiatives that have been discussed in the Student Assembly,” deRham shared. “But sometimes … I’m a little apprehensive to make far-reaching promises on my own, I’d rather that be stuff that I pursue with the executive board or with other members, just to make sure that they can actually happen.”
Avery Wang can be reached at agupta@cornellsun.com.
By GABRIEL MUÑOZ Sun City Editor
Sept. 26 — “Hands off Momodou!” students chanted during a Wednesday rally as they protested the suspension of Momodou Taal, an international graduate student and outspoken pro-Palestinian activist.
Following Taal’s suspension Monday, a group of approximately 130 students, faculty and community members gathered in front of Day Hall to call on the administration to reverse its decision to suspend Taal.
The Coalition for Mutual Liberation organized the rally, which began at 12:30 p.m. Several speakers, their faces covered with masks and keffiyehs, delivered speeches in support of Taal and led chants criticizing the administration’s decision to suspend him.
Taal was suspended over his involvement in a disruptive protest last Wednesday, when he and other students shut down a career fair attended by defense contractors Boeing and L3Harris.
“I want you to think [about] a University where you can just deport somebody you don’t agree with, where you can deport somebody who says something that you don’t like. That is fascism 101,” a masked speaker said of Taal’s suspension.
During the rally, five University officers monitored the scene, while two other officers stood guard inside Day Hall. An officer
took pictures of speakers when they lifted or lowered their face coverings.
A group of about ten student counterprotesters gathered on the sidewalk watching the rally at a remove. Some yelled at the crowd to “take your masks off.”
Prof. Russell Rickford, history, attended the rally and delivered a speech in support of Taal. “Dear brother Momodou, we love you,” he said.
When Rickford began his speech, a man started walking towards the crowd but was stopped by Cornell University Police Department officers. He was yelling, “Why don’t you go to Gaza and see what they do to you? You will be the first one they kill. You support criminals.”
When he was pulled aside he demanded that the officer give him an explanation as to why he was being removed “What about free speech? I have free speech!” The man left the area shortly after.
Another counterprotester was also told to move back when he tried to get closer to the crowd, yelling, “Go back to Gaza.” He declined to speak to The Sun.
“The police told me something I think we should all agree with: They are just here to make sure nothing gets violent. Protect their right to protest, protect our right to be here in opposition,” said Ezra Galperin ’27, at-large Student Assembly representative, who was counterprotesting.
As some counterprotesters yelled,
“What happened on October 7th?” into the crowd, the protesters chanted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” in response.
“For those complicit in genocide, your day of reckoning is coming. It is not a matter of if, but when, so don’t force our hand,” said one of the masked speakers in a speech toward the end of the rally.
At 1:40 p.m., the rally ended and the organizers invited attendees to stay in front of Day Hall to picket until they received a concrete response from the administration about Taal’s suspension. Around 35 students remained around the entrance of Day Hall to picket, vowing they would stay until they received a response from administration. By 4 p.m., they left.
The rally is one of the multiple displays of support for Taal by members of the Cornell community. The Africana Graduate Students Association sent a press release in support of Taal to The Sun.
“The Africana Studies department was founded on student activism, solidarity and a commitment to a better future for African-descended people throughout the diaspora,” the statement read. “In calling on you to support Momodou, we honor the tradition that student protesters began and uphold our commitment to the tenets of Africana Studies.”
An open petition organized by Cornell Collective for Justice in Palestine, which
the AGSA press release says has amassed 4,500 signatures, was also attached. The Sun could not independently verify the number of signatories.
“We are alarmed that temporary suspensions, the Student Code of Conduct and the Interim Expressive Activity Policy are being weaponized against the most vulnerable student activists and leaders, in a cruel attempt to silence student protest,” an excerpt of the petition reads.
Cornell Graduate Student United, the graduate student union, released a statement on Monday calling on the University to reverse its decision. GCSU also has scheduled a rally to protest Taal’s suspension in front of Bailey Hall on Oct. 3.
Taal, who did not attend the rally since he has been barred from campus, shared a post on X at 5:11 p.m., clarifying that he has yet to receive confirmation of his withdrawal from the University and that he was informed by administration that his F-1 visa would remain open until the appeal process was finalized.
“I am still on a temporary suspension So Please keep up the pressure,” wrote Taal on X.
To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com.
Gabriel Munoz can be reached at gmunoz@cornellsun.com.
By DYLAN GRAFF Sun Sports Contributor
Volleyball defeated Columbia in a five-set thriller to open its Ivy League season.
After dropping the first two sets, the Red (5-1, 1-0 Ivy) rallied back to complete a reverse-sweep victory on its home court, stunning the Lions (3-1, 0-1 Ivy).
Junior outside hitter Eliza Konvicka was critical for the Red on offense, recording a season-high 22 kills. Freshman middle blocker Mackenzie Parsons added five service aces and 13 kills while also contributing to a block that made life difficult for Columbia’s hitters late in the match.
Columbia opened the first set by going on a 10-3 run that put the Red on its heels. While Cornell came roaring back and eventually tied it up at 24 points apiece, it was unable to close out the set. The Lions’ aggressive attack continued in the second set, which left the Red reeling.
Head coach Trudy Vande Berg said her team has to start games with more intensity in
the future.
“[Columbia] definitely came out swinging,” Vande Berg said. “They were going after us. They were serving tough, and we came out a little soft. We weren’t serving tough. We weren’t doing the things we needed to do to be successful, and we let them get into a rhythm.”
It wasn’t until the third set that the Red finally found a groove. Parsons, the reigning Ivy League Co-Player of the Week, had a critical block in the final points of the set that forced a Columbia time out, as well as the set-winning kill.
Konvicka largely attributed the Red’s turnaround to conversations the team had after the second set about staying composed and playing its game.
“We put our heads down and said we need to support each other and do our jobs,” Konvicka said. “We cannot be focusing on too many little things, so there was a refocus on doing your job and playing your role as well as you possibly can.”
The Red carried
that momentum into the fourth set, where it played dominant defense, holding the Lions to just 13 total points.
In the fifth and final set of the game, the Red continued its resurgence, storming out to an early lead. With the home crowd behind them, they rode its defensive intensity to keep Columbia on the back foot, and eventually sealed the victory. Vande Berg said it was crucial to open Ivy League play with a win.
“The fact that we gutted that one out, that’s something we didn’t do a year ago,” Vande Berg said. “A year ago, we were losing that match in three. So the fact that we came back, reverse-swept and took care of business in the fourth and the fifth set gives us confidence in the next couple of weeks.”
Next weekend, the Red will go on the road to play Dartmouth (7-4, 0-1 Ivy) at 7 p.m. on Friday and Harvard (6-4, 1-0 Ivy) at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Both games can be streamed live on ESPN+.
Dylan Graf can be reached at dg765@cornell.edu.
By ZEINAB FARAJ Sun Sports Contributor
Field hockey earned its first Ivy League win against Dartmouth on Friday, Sept. 27 in a physical match and beat Colgate on Sunday, Sept. 29 to extend its win streak to three.
Even with the Big Green earning nine penalty corners, the Red’s defense held steady, allowing only one goal from Dartmouth’s Ella Bowman. Cornell (3-5, 1-1 Ivy) recorded three goals: junior midfielder Grace Leahy, senior midfielder Olivia Friedberg, and sophomore midfielder Julia Ramsey.
The match against Dartmouth (3-5, 1-1 Ivy) was full of emotion and physicality, with the rivals combining for four cards.
“Our shoulders dropped after the third goal,” Leahy said “We were much more composed and together as a team.”
Leahy characterized the Dartmouth matchup as competitive and physical. “There were so many different emotions but that game marked a click in our offense,” she said.
That offensive click was clear during Cornell’s win against Colgate. The Red shut out the Raiders and notched four goals. Ramsey recorded her fourth tally of the season, which leads the team, along with scores from junior midfielder Vivienne Mueller, Leahy, and freshman forward Blake Wilks.
“We scored quite a few goals and finished in the circle,” Mueller said. “We came out and outworked and outcompeted them.”
So, what has changed for the Red?
“In practice, we worked a lot on finishing and rebounding,” Mueller said. “We are seeing that now translate on the field,” Mueller said.
Mueller’s goal came from a far-post tip, Wilks capitalized off a deflection off a corner from junior defender Georgia Kelly, Leahy drove through the field to take the tally herself and finally, Ramsey scored on a one-time sweep.
“We know each other more now. We know how to communicate and where our strengths and weaknesses are,” Leahy said. Combining communication and finishing has proved valuable for Cornell. The Red took seven shots against Dartmouth and 20 against the Raiders, the majority of which were on-goal.
The Red has also started and finished stronger, as showcased by its two road wins. Captain and senior midfielder Claire Wolfe stated that the loss to Columbia was due to resorting to “panic mode” and the team’s attitude to “play not to lose.” As a senior and leader, Wolfe is working on instilling confidence in her team and ensuring that communication is maintained even when the game gets tough.
“Picking each other up [by] communicating and talking as much as possible –– those are the keys to winning more games,” Wolfe said.
With its Ivy Record now even at 1-1, the Red is anticipating its Friday game against Princeton (5-3, 2-0 Ivy).
“Princeton is always a tough battle,” Leahy said. “We are all focused on the process — we know this is a big game, but we know we can outcompete Princeton.”
Historically, Cornell is 6-37-3 against the No. 14 Tigers. There are definitely strong feelings going into this game for the Red. Last year during the Ivy League Tournament, Cornell fell short to Princeton in a 1-0 loss.
“I am looking to find a balance between emotion and composure,” Wolfe said. Wolfe wants all her teammates to believe that they are capable of beating one of the nation’s top teams.
Cornell takes on Princeton on Friday, Oct. 4 at 4 p.m. at Marsha Dodson Field, with coverage of the game available on ESPN+.
Zeinab Faraj can be reached at zdf8@cornell.edu.
By DYLAN DRONGESEN
Men’s soccer opened the week with a pair of 1-0 results, beginning with an away win against Syracuse on Tuesday but a loss at Yale on Saturday.
On Tuesday, Sept. 24, Cornell took on Syracuse (3-2-3, 0-2-2 ACC) in what has become an annual Upstate New York rivalry.
With rain pouring down from the opening whistle, the first half was sloppy, passing with no goals for either team.
“It was an extremely rainy day, and the game came down to which team would capitalize on a limited number of chances,” said junior goalkeeper Ryan Friedberg.
While the Red did not register a shot on goal in the half, it was not without opportunities. In the 23rd minute, sophomore forward Alex Harris received the ball on the left side and sent a shot just wide of the right post.
In the 25th minute, Friedberg was forced to make a save as he punched out a Syracuse cross that was creeping toward the Cornell goal.
Just before the halftime buzzer sounded, senior forward Danny Lokko found freshman left back Aidan Martin as he ran behind his defender. In a strikingly similar play to Harris’, Martin sent a one-touch shot just inches wide from six yards out.
Cornell had a much more productive second half, forcing 5 saves out of Syracuse goalkeeper Tomas Hut, and finding the lone goal of the match.
Senior midfielder Sam Latona sought to net his first career goal in the 60th minute as he ripped a long shot on goal. Syracuse goalkeeper Tomas Hut was up to the task, tipping the ball over the bar for a corner.
But in the 85th minute, the tie was finally broken, with Lokko lofting a cross to the center of the box. Sophomore midfielder Connor Miller was the first one to the ball and found the back of the net on a half volley.
The 1-0 win moved Cornell’s undefeated record to 5-0-2 and marked Friedberg’s third straight shutout.
“The defensive performance was a complete team effort,” Freidberg said after his five-save game. “My back line was able to make play very predictable and manageable, making my life easy.”
However, the Red’s undefeated run soon came to an end, suffering its first defeat of the season 1-0 to Yale in its Ivy League opener on Saturday night at Reese Stadium. The loss moves the Red to 5-1-2 overall, while Yale improved to 3-4-1.
The first half was largely a defensive battle, with each team managing only one shot on goal. After halftime, Yale turned up the pressure, drawing six corner kicks in a 15-minute span. On the sixth corner, a handball infraction by Lokko led to a penalty kick for the Bulldogs.
Yale’s senior TJ Presthus converted the penalty in the 68th minute, beating Friedberg. Reflecting on the sequence, Friedberg said, “We were faced with multiple corner kicks in a row, and we should have managed those moments better. ... I tried to react to the penalty kick, but he was able to send me the wrong way.”
Cornell pressed for an equalizer in the final minutes, creating several chances around the
Yale goal, but could not convert. Friedberg acknowledged the team’s defensive struggles, particularly in handling set pieces, saying, “specifically in the second half, the team and I found it hard dealing with their set pieces. This is a part of games that we focus on a lot in practice, and I know we will clean this area up leading into future games.”
Despite the loss, Friedberg remains confident in the team’s direction.
“While the result didn’t go our way, we knew we were the stronger side,” Friedberg said. “I’m very proud of the season we’ve had so far. It’s going to come down to conference play, and we’re heading in the right direction.”
NICHOLAS YORK ARTS & CULTURE CONTRIBUTOR
Since its premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in May, each piece of information that came out about Francis Ford Coppola’s self-funded passion project, Megalopolis , made me all the more eager to see it. The summer was full of news stories and think pieces about the struggle to find a distributor for a $120 million budget movie that was almost certain not to make a profit and the new technology developed (and then abandoned) by Amazon that would allow audiences to have their questions answered by Adam Driver’s character Cesar Catilina. Eventually, a distributor was secured (with Coppola shouldering marketing costs himself), Amazon’s technology was replaced with a live performer in certain, “Ultimate Experience” screenings (not included at Regal Ithaca Mall, unfortunately), and the time had finally come for me to see Coppola’s decades-in-the-making epic. The question became — was all the effort worth it? Megalopolis is unlike anything else I have ever seen. Within the American Republic, architect and inventor Cesar Catilina comes into conflict with New Rome mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito) as he attempts to use his inventive new material, Megalon, to create a utopia — Megalopolis. Catilina’s idealism irritates Cicero, but inspires his daughter, Julia (Nathalie Emmanuel) to become his muse. Meanwhile, Wow Platinum (Aubrey Plaza) and Clodio Pulcher (Shia LaBeouf) grapple for power, all narrated by Cicero’s driver, Fundi Romaine (Laurence Fishburne). At times the dialogue shifts into blocks of Shakespeare quotations, at others it is performed in spoken Latin. Megalopolis is a sprawling, borderline-incomprehen-
sible mess — and I think I loved it.
In its title card, Megalopolis is rightfully labeled a fable — but I believe that there is something timely beneath all the absurdity. The central power struggle sees Catalina, an intellectual and lover of science and literature, dream of a future utopia where people can be inspired by the world around them, without caring what happens in the present. Meanwhile, Mayor Cicero argues that reforms are necessary to help the city right away, without ever imagining what the future of New Rome will be. Although the film takes place in an alternate reality, Coppola clearly parallels current-day politics, with Clodio Pulcher’s mob sporting red caps and “Make Rome Great Again” signs. These issues are wrapped up quickly in the admittedly-haphazard third act, but with how many philosophical questions Coppola packs into its two-hour runtime, it seems purposeful that Megalopolis introduces more food for thought than answers. It almost demands a second viewing to truly grapple with all Coppola has to say here about creation, idealism and time.
The humanity of Megalopolis is best seen in Adam Driver’s performance, the standout of the film. As Catalina, Driver grapples with grief and mortality. He visibly transforms throughout the film from the standoffish man who brushes off Julia’s intellect because of her affinity for partying to a smiling, softer version of himself as romance blossoms between them. Catalina’s perspective shifts greatly throughout the film, and Driver’s performance makes this clear to the audience. With a screenplay as inaccessible as Megalopolis , having an actor so clearly understand the material and communicate it so expertly to the audience is invaluable.
Megalopolis is far from perfect, but it’s refreshing to watch something made with so much passion.
It’s absurd, but that is a testament to its creativity, something that’s been lacking from the mainstream film industry. Megalopolis definitely won’t be for everyone, but I’m grateful it exists.
Nicholas York is a sophomore in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He can be reached at nay22@cornell.edu.
MATTHEW RENTEZELAS
ARTS & CULTURE CONTRIBUTOR
If you asked me what my guilty pleasures are, I’d probably mention my habit of occasionally watching WWE. When watching the Royal Rumble or WrestleMania with my dad, I’ve found myself captivated by the athleticism, theatrics and atmosphere of the professional wrestling world. When the entrance music of an unanticipated wrestler filled the room, I’d shoot up in childlike wonder, eager to see the impending hijinks. However, like many wrestling fans, I’ve often found myself deeply troubled by the exploitation, abuse and violence that has clouded WWE’s history.
Netflix’s docuseries Mr. McMahon examines the person most responsible for facilitating these problematic aspects of WWE history: former CEO Vince McMahon. The series covers McMahon’s work in transforming the company from a small, regional wrestling promotion into the largest wrestling entertainment company in the world. The series also covers the numerous controversies surrounding McMahon’s leadership, including his shady business practices, the drug and ste-
roid usage within WWE, the many premature deaths of wrestling stars and the many sexual misconduct allegations against McMahon. Though the series effectively and accurately explains some aspects of WWE history and McMahon’s past, I feel that the series fails to truly capture the extent of McMahon’s abusive behavior.
Mr. McMahon ’s greatest accomplishment is its usage of interview footage as a storytelling tool. By cutting between clips of conversations with McMahon, his family members, his former employees, his competitors and various journalists who have covered McMahon’s controversies, the series effectively displays McMahon’s egomaniacal world view. In one particularly impactful scene, McMahon argues that he shares no characteristics with ‘Mr. McMahon,’ the manipulative, sexually abusive, violent character he adopts when entering the ring. Despite his denial, most other individuals featured — including some of the people closest to McMahon — did not hesitate to say that the character and McMahon were extremely similar. Despite the effectiveness of the interviews in displaying McMahon’s psyche and
unwavering refusal to accept responsibility for many incidents of harm, the interview framing device fails in two main regards. Primarily, most of the interviews (including those with McMahon) were conducted prior to the latest series of sexual abuse and trafficking allegations that forced McMahon to resign from his position in WWE. As a result, neither McMahon or many of the other featured interviewees have to answer for the latest developments in McMahon’s history of sexual abuse. This creates an unsatisfying viewing experience, with the final episode seeming to severely lack key information and perspectives on the allegations against McMahon. Though it’s fascinating to see McMahon answer questions in a position where he feels completely free from the possibility of losing his power in WWE, the small amount of coverage of the latest sexual abuse allegations makes those allegations feel less significant in the context of the other topics given more screentime throughout the series.
The series mainly features interviews with high profile wrestlers (including Hulk Hogan, The Rock, John Cena, the Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin), meaning
that another exploitative side of McMahon’s exploitative business practices was largely ignored. While high profile wrestlers have enjoyed generous salaries and benefits, less popular wrestlers have worked just as hard with the constant threat of being let go in the event of a serious injury. As a result, many of these wrestlers pushed themselves to their limits, doing permanent damage to their bodies in the process. The series briefly discusses this component of the wrestling community, but fails to mention McMahon’s complete refusal to offer wrestlers healthcare coverage or guarantees for continued employment during injuries. His callous treatment of wrestlers as work horses directly facilitated the development of long-term health issues and drug addictions. If less popular wrestlers were interviewed as well, they could have spoken about this difficult position that they found themselves in.
Mr. McMahon ultimately provides a viewing experience most suitable for people who are unfamiliar or only vaguely familiar with WWE history. Because the show assumes that viewers may not know much WWE history, the episodes spend long periods of time explaining high profile
events and eras that most wrestling fans will already be familiar with. As a result, the series has less time at its disposal to dive into McMahon and his controversies. This angle also causes the series to exclude key details of several events discussed. For example, when explaining the infamous “Montreal Screwjob,” the show fails to point out that wrestler Bret “The Hitman” Hart had been offered creative control over his character’s final storyline within WWE in his contract with McMahon. This meant that on top of being a personal betrayal, McMahon’s decision to force Hart to lose to his on-stage and real-life rival Shawn Michaels also represented a betrayal of previous professional promises. By including more specific details about McMahon’s actions, the show could have created a far more compelling and complete story of McMahon’s abusive past. Despite these shortcomings, the series presents an informative look into McMahon suitable for newcomers to WWE history.
Matthew Rentezelas is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at mmr255@cornell.edu.
By JAMES PALM Arts & Culture Contributor
New music — in my experience at least — makes its way onto my Spotify account through many avenues. Friends, concerts, nights out and even store speakers have, over the years, added to my playlists. To me however, it is TikTok and its vaunted algorithm that have exposed my fellow Gen Zers and me to more new music than anywhere else lately. The app continually gives airtime to novel and lesser-known artists and breathes new life into artists long out of the popularity cycle (The Cranberries and their ubiquitous 1993 hit “Linger” likely spring to mind). But in my opinion the most telling instance of this phenomena is the posthumous TikTok rise of Her’s and their first album Songs of Her’s.
In May of 2017 the Liverpool duo behind Her’s, Stephen Fitzpatrick (vocals and guitar) and Audun Laading (bass and backing vocals), released Song of Her’s as a compilation album of their single releases from across 2016 and 2017. While catchy and uplifting, the opening track “Dorothy” and its repetitive guitar and vocals lack the vocal or instrumental quirks that give each of the rest of the songs their unique Her’s charm. The next song “Cool With You” offers that charm with a bassey soft Lo-Fi first half fit only for daydreaming on your bedroom floor, then switching halfway to a groovy vocally driven Bossanovaesque chiller. “Marcel” again switches the vibe, with his infectious guitar
By JANE LOCKE Arts & Culture Contributor
As the leaves drop upon our paths and the weather dramatically changes, it is time to turn our televisions and our computers on, pull up our favorite streaming services, and begin the ultimate fall show: Gilmore Girls. And in the spirit of fall, I find it crucial to address a pressing Gilmore Girls argument, that of love and agency. Who should Lane Kim end up with? More importantly, should we be asking that question at all?
To most fans, the answer to the first question is obvious: Dave, the boy who read the entire Bible in one night in order to be with her. Some might even defend the earlier-introduced Henry, the boy her parents would have loved (yet indirectly pushed away). However, none of these relationships match Lane’s final and forever match, Zack.
Zack is nowhere near perfect. Fans will point out his “stupidity” in comparison to other characters on the show, or the fact that he was a bit of a ladies man before falling for Lane. These points are completely irrelevant, however. Zack may not be reading constantly or witty to the point of arrogance, but he is not the oaf many make him out to be. Even so, his down-to-earth talk creates a relief from the convoluted and manipulative conversations between other characters. Besides this, his character has sufficient development from his introduction to
and notably strong backing vocals from Audun, creating a sumptuous cocktail of tropical beach wave and slacker rock sound which altogether make the rather simple vocals more than sufficient to label this one of the best songs of the album.
The assumedly joking inclusion of “Cops Theme” comes next as a simple 25 second interlude parodying sounds reminiscent of a generic ’80s crime show theme. With the intermission now over, Her’s resumes regularly scheduled programming with the aptly named “Speed Racer.”
This one is a favorite, sounding straight out of the ’50s with a fast rock and roll instrumental, which, thanks to Stephen’s continuing vocal heroics, still maintains that distinct “indie” feel. “Medieval” brings the album back to its slower starting pace. Its pairing of nervous and insecure-sounding guitar with forlorn lyrics evokes a weirdly unnerved calm. It probably also has the best showing of Stephen’s vocal talent barring the next song up.
Well, this is it, likely the reason why both you (assuming you are one) and I are both Her’s fans. “What Once Was” starts with an instantly iconic guitar and gradually flows into perfectly accompanying vocals which can do nothing but make you feel at ease. Tragically ironic considering the lyrics discuss a family death, and even more so knowing the tragic fate of the band in real life. “You Don’t Know This Guy” returns to the measured and vibrant instrumental raptures of “Marcel” with a less is more approach that just works. Finally “I’ll Try” caps off Songs of Her’s with
a symphony of quick, joyful guitar and slightly more complex drums and synths then previous tracks all perfectly supporting the again simple but precisely fitting lyrics. It’s happy while sad and upbeat while slow all at once. It is the perfect end to an undeniably phenomenal album.
With Song of Her’s Stephen and Audun crafted the kind of perfect oddball pop sound that saw them draw effusive praise from the blogosphere for their colorful craftsmanship. Ostensibly off-kilter enough to slide into the headphones of anybody with a penchant for Ariel Pink or Mac DeMarco, Her’s rose above and beyond the contemporary British indie vocabulary. This ubiquity of appeal is rare in the indie genre and is partly how they went viral on TikTok back in 2022.
When I first discovered Her’s I was absentmindedly scrolling late one night in the summer of 2022, flicking through the endless clips, when I came across a video of a grassy field sonically adorned by utterly heavenly guitar. I had just heard “What Once Was” for the first time. I quickly dove into the comments to figure out the name of the artist, only to read comment after comment: “RIP,” “they deserved better,” “if only they were here.” For those who don’t know, on March 27, 2019, both Stephen and Audunn were killed in a car wreck while on their first tour in America.
Her’s was not the first or the last band to experience this posthumous virality. We’ve seen it happen with artists like Mac Miller and Juice WRLD, whose music saw new life on TikTok following their deaths.
the revival that any negative traits he possessed are transformed into a kind soul with genuine affection for Lane.
Those opposed to Lane and Zack’s relationship hold up Rory and Logan’s as a beacon of love, citing Rory’s unchanging career-driven attitude and Logan’s charm. As a comparison, this is unfair, as Rory and Lane’s lives have taken very different turns. As a contrast, it is wonderful, providing evidence that Lane and Zack are perfect together. A particular shot that shows this parallel well is in season six, episode sixteen, “Bridesmaids Revisited.” This is when Rory learns that, during her and Logan’s break, Logan cheated on her with multiple women. We can get into the semantics of break, but without clear communication, Rory was left thinking their relationship was merely in a pause, and thus that her and Logan were still exclusive. This makes what Logan did wrong. Yet, the very next scene cuts to Lane and Zack, also coming off their own break but in a very different way. Zack expresses his loneliness and incomplete life without Lane, and then, he proposes to her. Here, the audience gets a direct and stark contrast between a toxic relationship and a healthy one. Rory and Logan were never meant to be the best relationship on the show, and, instead, Lane and Zack are presented to be just that in this scene. However, focusing on the “best relationship” presents its own problems. Rory begins to be interpreted through her relationship with Logan, as does
Lane with Zack. The show falls into this same pitfall, as with the example from “Bridesmaids Revisited.” The episode prioritizes romance, and while deeper tones exist, inside and outside the characters, those are overshadowed by the drama of love. As audience members, we are pulled into the constant struggle of balancing the independence of characters with the opinions we have on their lifelong partners. With Lane, looking at her character through the lens of Zack diminishes her own value. Rather, let us think how her decisions and goals in life clarify the merit of her own choices. There are some who, instead of pointing to inherent flaws in Zack’s character or the nature of their relationship, bemoan Lane’s arc. They watch her gain enough independence to join a band, to pursue something she loves, to break free from her home’s over-controlling atmosphere. Then, when they watch her marry Zack and settle into a normal life, they rage against a supposed slight against the character. Lane, they state, should have become a rock star, disregarding any temptation to start her own family. On the surface, this is a solid argument, yet it is gripping to an extreme form of feminism, one that discounts any life paths other than the most “successful,” the most “glamourous.” What is a strong woman? Is it someone who abandons pure love for her own ambitions? Is it someone who puts their career first? Or is a strong woman Lane Kim? Lane Kim, who broke from famil-
But Her’s is a particularly poignant example because their rise felt sudden and entirely unexpected. Before TikTok, they were an indie darling, beloved by a niche group but unknown to most, myself included. It leaves me with a lingering sense of sadness knowing that Stephen and Audun will never get to see the great impact and reach their music now has. Even more so I feel guilt knowing I wasn’t one of their “original” fans.
With that said I think Stephen and Audun would be proud to see what TikTok has done for their audience. Because TikTok content is so personal it doesn’t just elevate a band’s songs, but also connects them to emotions and stories. “What Once Was” became the backdrop for videos about loss, heartbreak and nostalgia. Through TikTok the music itself has become a living monument to the band’s memory, intertwined with the experiences of millions of TikTok users. For a band so infused with influences from across genres and songs oozing with quirky personality, it’s rather fitting then that TikTok has allowed Her’s to reach further than it ever could have. It’s only a shame that, like their biggest hit, Her’s is now “What Once Was.” If they had made it to their online blow-up in 2022, I have no doubt they would have been one of the most popular indie bands of the decade.
ial expectations but never pushed her family away. Lane Kim, who followed her dreams but never became obsessed with fame. This is not to invalidate the choices of women who decide differently than Lane, but rather to enforce the fact that her own decisions are not lesser, and that Zack’s addition to her life is not anti-feminist. The attacks on the writing of Lane’s character shed light on the fact that as a whole, we focus much more on the romantic happenings in Gilmore Girls than on the lives that are being built. We argue incessantly over what partner is best for who, but the subtler, more nuanced points of the show are often lost or ignored. The themes of losing oneself in college, of escaping emotionally abusive parents, of learning to appreciate your childhood (no matter how many CDs you had to hide under the floor) are covered by our obsession with “who should be with who.” Yes, this article began defending a relationship, but my argument is not to shove aside romance, but to ensure it doesn’t define a character’s experiences. As Gilmore Girls fans, we should stop arguing over lives that have already played out on screen. Instead, let us appreciate the story of a girl who loves drums and eventually finds happiness in the life she chooses (with Zack).
By JANE McNALLY Sun Sports Editor
On a rainy day at Schoellkopf Field, fans filled the stands as Cornell searched for both its first win of the season and its first homecoming win in seven years.
Taking on the top team as notated in the Ivy League Preseason Poll, the Red made few mistakes in a 47-23 win over Yale in front of its home crowd on Saturday. The win also marks Cornell’s first victory over the Bulldogs at home since 2016.
Senior quarterback Jameson Wang threw three touchdown passes and sophomore wide receiver Brendan Lee had two of them. Wang accounted for five touchdowns on the afternoon, the most by any Cornell quarterback in a single game. The explosive win is the first of head coach Dan Swanstrom’s tenure on East Hill.
The offense was only part of the story –– after the Red’s defense surrendered 41 points to Colgate one week prior, the Cornell defensive line held Yale to less than 300 total yards of offense on Saturday and tightened up its mechanics. The Red also forced three Bulldog turnovers, the first of Yale’s season.
The first half presented Cornell with a handful of prime scoring opportunities thanks to two first-quarter turnovers by the Bulldogs. Cornell notched 27 points in the opening half while playing much stronger on the defensive side of the ball than it did in last Saturday’s loss to Colgate.
Cornell impressed its large homecoming crowd with a fast-paced start, beginning with a shutdown of Yale’s strong offense. Limiting Yale’s running game, the first drive concluded with a sack by senior linebacker Luke Banbury on Yale’s quarterback, Brogan McCaughey.
On its first offensive drive, the Red cashed in.
After a Yale stop on third down, a critical pass on fourth down ended up in the hands of Lee, awarding Cornell the first points of the afternoon, though Yale quickly tied the score with a touchdown of its own.
The Red looked to come up short on its next drive, until junior wide receiver Parker Woodring collected a Yale fumble after a miscaught Cornell punt. Woodring was called short of the endzone and the drive concluded with a made field goal by sophomore kicker Alan Zhao.
Cornell stifled the Bulldogs once again as junior linebacker Ben Sahakian collected the second Yale fumble of the first quarter. Yale didn’t fumble the ball once in its win over Holy Cross last week but lost two to Cornell in the first quarter. A Zhao field goal ended the first quarter scoring.
The second quarter opened with a Yale touchdown to go ahead in the score, 14-13. With rain beginning to pour down, Cornell looked to keep its homecoming crowd in good spirits, and that it did –– Lee caught a pass around four minutes into the quarter to retake the lead 20-14.
Cornell took a blow to its special teams unit when senior kicker/punter Ayden McCarter left the game with an apparent leg injury. The play came after a largely tentative second quarter on both sides, before sophomore running back Ean Pope made a big run into the endzone to give Cornell a substantial 27-14 lead.
The Red continued its onslaught into the second half –– Wang found sophomore tight end Ryder Kurtz, who ran it into the end zone for a 68-yard rushing touchdown, the first touchdown of his career. Yale followed it up with a touchdown of its own in the latter half of the quarter, but the Red defense came up big by breaking up Yale’s two-point conversion attempt. The stop kept it a
two-possession game for the Bulldogs. Wang added another touchdown early in the fourth quarter, rushing it into the end zone himself. Wang strung together another impressive performance on Saturday, completing 18/29 passes for 278 yards.
Cornell tacked on another touchdown with just over a minute remaining, as sophomore wide receiver Samuel Musungu caught Wang’s pass, completing the 47-23 final score.
Cornell will look to extend its momentum as it continues its three-game homestand. The Red will face a tough task next week as No. 16 University of Albany –– the only ranked team Cornell will face this season –– travels to Ithaca. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field, while the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Jane McNally can be reached at jmcnally@cornellsun.com.
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