INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 129, No. 51
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2012
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ITHACA, NEW YORK
16 Pages – Free
Report: Nearly 1/3 New Greeks Hazed Fraternity leaders: Cornell figure ranks below national average By JOE NICZKY Sun Senior Writer
CHANG W. LEE / THE NEW YORK TIMES
Stormy night | Parts of the downtown Manhattan area were without power Tuesday night after Hurricane Sandy moved inland, causing power outages and damage throughout NYC and throughout the East Coast.
Storm Closes C.U.Offices in NYC By DAVID MARTEN Sun Senior Editor
While Cornell’s Ithaca campus was left largely unscathed by superstorm Sandy, some of the University’s facilities in New York City were damaged or left without power in the wake of the storm, according to an email President David Skorton sent out to the Cornell community Wednesday afternoon. Some of the University’s offices in the city’s five boroughs were damaged by the storm, which made landfall as a category 1 hurricane on the Jersey Shore Monday night. Sandy caused at least $20 billion in
News Watchful Eye
Cayuga’s Watchers, a new student group that will hire students to monitor parties for risky behavior, is recruiting for an expected spring launch. | Page 3
News Booming Market
The student-run Cornell Farmers’ Market saw a successful season this year, with an increase in attendees and vendors due to its recent venue change from Ho Plaza to the Ag Quad, organizers said. | Page 3
Arts Rock On
Alice Wang ’15 names and defends her choice of six rising star musical artists that rocked the CMJ Music Marathon. | Page 9
Sports Legendary
Columnist J.C. Toledo ’14 discusses what it is that creates sports legends that will be remembered by fans for years to come. | Page 16
Weather Rain HIGH: 45 LOW: 37
damages and killed at least 62 people in more than a dozen states, according to Fox News. Among the affected facilities were the NYC offices of Cornell Cooperative Extension and the College of Architecture, Art and Planning, as well as the Google office that currently houses CornellNYC Tech. The buildings have suffered from power outages and in some cases damage, Skorton said. According to Donald Tobias, executive director of CCE in NYC, CCE offices in Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens suffered no damage or flooding See SANDY page 4
3 CUPD Officers Reassigned to Focus On Sexual Assaults
Thirty-two percent of Cornell freshmen who joined a fraternity or sorority last semester were hazed as part of their experience joining the organization, according to a study conducted by the University. Additionally, the survey found that 15 percent of students in other campus organizations, including clubs and “Thirty-two percent is sports teams, were hazed. Greek student leaders higher than where emphasized that although we want to be.” the 32 percent figure is higher than they would Alan Workman ’13 like it to be, it falls substantially below some national figures. Six-hundred and fifteen members of the Class of 2015 were asked in an online survey if they had been expected to participate, as a condition of joining an organization, in activities that meet the University’s definition of hazing, according to Tim Marchell ’82, director of mental health initiatives at Gannett Health Services. The University’s definition of hazing includes actions such as being paddled, kidnapped, screamed at, deprived of sleep or See HAZING page 5
Bird’s eye view
By KERRY CLOSE Sun News Editor
Three specially-trained Cornell police officers are now exclusively investigating reports of sexual assault, after a string of incidents of sexual assault and forcible touching were reported on or near campus this semester, according to Police Chief Kathy Zoner. The three CUPD officers have been reassigned to a task force that will work to resolve and investigate possible connections between the reported crimes, Zoner said. “The string of reported sexual assaults warranted See TASK FORCE page 4
ANDY JOHNSON / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Bird-watchers, including members of the Cornell Birding Club, look for birds blown off course by Hurricane Sandy at Cayuga Lake Tuesday afternoon.
Man Charged in Connection With Commons Bomb Scare By DANIELLE SOCHACZEVSKI Sun Staff Writer
An Ithaca man has been arrested in connection with a suspicious package that was found outside the Bank of America building on the Ithaca Commons on Oct. 11, police said. Following a joint
investigation by the Ithaca Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Matthew Whitney, 37, was charged with “placing a false bomb or hazardous substance in the second degree.” Several agencies, including Ithaca Police and the New York State
Police Bomb Squad, responded to the Ithaca Commons just before 3 p.m. on Oct. 11 following a report of the suspicious package. Police initially treated the package as a “possible explosive device,” according a city press release. The Commons was closed to pedestrian traf-
fic and evacuated until later that evening. Numerous businesses in the area were forced to close temporarily. The suspicious package was ultimately determined to be “non-threatening,” according to a city press release. Whitney was arraigned in Ithaca City
Court Wednesday and released pending further court action, according to IPD. The charge of placing a false bomb or hazardous substance in the second degree is a class E felony. Danielle Sochaczevski can be reached at dsochczevski@cornellsun.com.