INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 138, No. 24
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2021
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8 Pages – Free
ITHACA, NEW YORK
News
Dining
Sports
Weather
Calling All Bookworms
Trader Joe’s Delights
Run Like the Wind
Partly Cloudy
Ithaca’s biannual Friends of the Library book sale returns for fall 2021.
| Page 4
As autumn comes into ‘fall’ swing, Capuano ’25 breaks down Trader Joe’s biggest seasonal hits. | Page 5
Cornell sprint football overcomes 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to secure its first win of the season. | Page 8
One Student’s Tumultuous Journey From Kabul to Ithaca
Sneaker Shop Opens After Online Sales
Local entrepreneur curates sneakers and fashion line
As Taliban take over, Baaser ’23 describes ‘living history’ experience
By RACHEL KODYSH Sun Contributor
By MILO GRINGLAS
JULIA NAGEL / SUN ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Sun Staff Writer
Living history | Sara Baaser ’23 grappled with getting back
As the United States declared an end to its two-decade war in Afghanistan this past August, and the capital, Kabul, along with the rest of the country, toppled to Taliban rule, Sara Baaser ’23 found herself caught in the impending crisis: Her flight back to Cornell was canceled. With all commercial departures canceled out of Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport, Baaser and her family scrambled to find a way out. She waited alongside the panicked masses outside the airport walls, negotiated with the Taliban to gain access to an international compound, and, ultimately, secured safe passage on one of the last flights out of Afghanistan. Baaser, who was born in Kabul and lived in Pakistan, Sudan and Jordan prior to New York, her current residence, returns to Afghanistan almost every other summer to visit family. The 21-year-old arrived in Kabul on July 25 for what was initially a trip like any other. “Things were pretty normal — everything was pretty calm, I wasn't really paying attention to the news,” Baaser told The Sun.
HIGH: 72º LOW: 52º
to Cornell after Taliban takeovers escalated in Afghanistan.
Although she had heard reports that President Joe Biden planned to adhere to his administration’s Aug. 31 deadline for a complete military withdrawal, she said she was trying to enjoy time with family before returning to Ithaca for her junior year at Cornell. She had last been back to Afghanistan in the summer of 2017. Even as the Taliban seized control of provincial cities across the country during her visit, Baaser said she did not think their resurgency presaged the total collapse of Afghan security forces — or any conflict with her trip back to college for the fall. “When I was hearing the news, I was just like, ‘OK, this is pretty far [from Kabul], it's not getting too serious,’” Baaser told The Sun. “Maybe this is just small wins [for the Taliban] happening.” But the Taliban were gaining ground faster than Baaser — and most Americans, including top U.S. government officials — were led to believe. See BAASER page 3
University Adds Tents Across Campus Students flock beneath to study, dine more safely outdoors HANNAH ROSENBERG / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Midday basking | Students catch rays on the Arts Quad and study in the tent. on Cornell’s campus this semester, By SOFIA RUBINSON some complete with flooring, lighting Sun Staff Writer and tables. Students are using these spaces to eat and study while soaking From the Arts Quad to North up Ithaca’s fall weather. Audry Hong ’22 and her friend Campus, new tents have cropped up Angeo Nugroho ’22 sat together at a
table under an Arts Quad tent, catching up and enjoying a meal together. The two have made it a tradition to eat lunch together under a tent every week. “It’s been really convenient, because you can’t get a seat indoors oftentimes,” Hong said, noting that students have filled up seating in popular study locations like Goldwin Smith Hall and Duffield Hall with the return of fully in-person classes this fall. According to Senior Director of Campus Life Marketing and Communications Karen Brown, the tents come from the student and campus life office, along with individual colleges and departments. Last year, only the music department maintained tent space for practice and performance purposes on the Arts Quad. Across campus, these departments and offices have set up tents outside in response to the COVID-19 panSee TENTS page 4
For Ithaca sneakerheads, One Stop Kicks aims to be the perfect spot. The sneaker shop, which opened Oct. 9, provides special edition sneakers and an original fashion line. 20-year-old Christopher Parker, a local entrepreneur who graduated from Ithaca High School in 2018, began selling sneakers on Instagram and Snapchat in high school. He first resold his own shoes and later branched out to new shoes of different sizes and styles. After a few years, Parker gained enough profit to open a brick-and-mortar store in his hometown at 107 South Cayuga Street. Parker said he plans to personally locate and curate all of his merchandise, seeking out and authenticating each pair as the store’s only operator. “You gotta work for it,” Parker said of reselling. “It’s not easy.” Parker’s starting inventory includes dozens of different types of sneakers. Stacks of shoes wrapped in airtight protective covers line the store walls. Behind the register, boxes pile high through an open curtain, and colorful LED lights beam through the shop. Since opening the store two weeks ago, Parker has observed Ithaca residents of all ages coming in to shop. According to Parker, the Ithaca community has been very welcoming to his business so far. Many people from around the Commons and from surrounding businesses have also visited One Stop to encourage Parker. “A lot of people from the stores around me showed love,” he said. “A lot of people came and congratulated me.” Parker said he enjoys many aspects of sneaker reselling, including finding products and constantly learning more about them. See SNEAKERS page 3
COURTESY OF CHRISTOPHER PARKER
Community building | Parker poses with friends in front of his new store on Cayuga Street.