INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 136, No. 30
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2019
n
12 Pages – Free
ITHACA, NEW YORK
News
Arts
Sports
Weather
Vandals Strike TCAT
Salsa
‘Diabolical’
Chilly And Showers
Six bus stops have been vandalized, causing financial damages and throwing a wrench in renovation plans. | Page 3
Legendary Latin musician Marlow Rosado turned Bailey Hall into a nightclub last weekend. | Page 6
Two bad umpiring decisions sink field hockey in loss to Princeton.
HIGH: 51º LOW: 32º
| Page 12
GOP’s Hero, Labor’s Villain, Walker Defends Record
ILR prof dissects Wisconsin’s transformation under Walker
Labor of love | Walker defends his moves to pass ”Right to Work” legislation and reign in organized labor as critical to making Wisconsin more economically competitive.
By JOHNATHAN STIMPSON
for union activism into a state synonymous with organized labor’s most high-profile, Wisconsin was the first decisive defeats. state to ever formally provide Sponsored by the People’s collective bargaining rights Organizing Collective and to public-sector employees, co-hosted by the Cornell reflecting its long legacy as Democrats and Cornell a traditionally manufactur- Students for Bernie, the talk ing-heavy, blue-collar state was held as a counterpoint to stradling the American Rust Walker’s speech, which orgaBelt. nizer Daniel Bromberg ’20 said But by 2016, when, for would offer a “platform of disthe first time since 1984, regard for public-sector unions.” the Badger State voted for Instead, Adler, who has a Republican presidential represented dozens of unions candidate, in his decadesmuch of that long career, “They wanted to be century-long offered his legacy had against urban elites, the diagnosis of been reversed people who disrespected what went — after a wrong for rural life.” series of bills labor and what introduced by a way forward Prof. Lee Adler former Gov. for the beleaScott Walker guered groups over two terms of solidified might look like. “Right to Work” legislation According to Adler, and restrictions on bargain- Walker, who was described as ing. a “smooth talker,” successfully In a Monday night event leveraged conditions created immediately preceding for- by the 2008 financial crash in mer Walker’s talk at Cornell, order to build popular support Prof. Lee Adler, labor rela- for measures that reduced the tions, dissected how — in just size of government. eight years — one leader’s See ADLER page 4 tenure turned a once hotbed Sun News Editor
NANDITA MOHAN / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Gov. makes case for conservatism, criticizes ‘rise of socialism’ By AMANDA H. CRONIN Sun News Editor
Republican former presidential hopeful and governor of Wisconsin Scott Walker emphasized the “difference between socialism and freedom” in a speech to an ideologically mixed audience on Monday that highlighted his conservative record and high-profile battles against unions. The son of a Baptist pastor who gained political fame as a fiscal conservative, Walker began his talk by painting a picture of the
unfortunate circumstances under which he first took office as governor in 2010, describing the “economic and fiscal crisis” that struck Wisconsin in the wake of the 2008 financial collapse. In the face of these odds, he detailed a highlight reel of his administration, including his administration’s decision to redirect funding for town governments to boost the state economy, and give public sector employees “the opportunity to choose whether to be in a union or not.” He endeared himself to the
audience through emphasizing his identity as an “authentic” politician, a “conservationist,” and someone who relies on facts. Walker was recently named the President-Elect of Young Americans Foundation, an organization based in Reaganist values dedicated to spreading conservative thought among students. The Cornell University College Republicans partnered with the youth conservative group to invite See WALKER page 4
From Myanmar to Ithaca, Refugee Teens Create Mural to Celebrate Hard-Fought Journey By CATHERINE CHMIEL Sun Staff Writer
Featuring colorful flowers and butterflies alongside burning homes and people fleeing their homeland, a new mural on the corner of Seneca and Geneva Street painted by teen refugees from
Myanmar depicts the dramatic transition from their life back home to their new life in Ithaca. Many refugees from Myanmar, including those of the Karen ethnic group, fled the country after genocide and religious and ethnic persecution by the government. At a camping
retreat near Ithaca, some of the Karen Burmese teens expressed a desire to highlight their presence in Ithaca and make a mark on the community, feeling that their ethnicities and histories were often misunderstood, according to Ramona Cornell, coordinator for 4-H Urban
Outreach. After hatching a plan to honor their unique heritage visually, the teens created the design, obtained funding and conducted interviews to contract an artist. After two year’s efforts, the mural was completed this August and showcased to the public in
September. The process of creating the mural involved meeting with local government officials, studying mural stories and designing an image that reflects the violence they endured. While 30 teens contributed in various ways to the mural, it was largely spearheaded
by Eh Tha Yoo Lee, who is now studying at Wells College, and Eh Lay Paw, who attends Binghamton University. Funding the mural required “doing anything we could,” Cornell said. The group received a grant See MURAL page 5 COURTESY OF ITHACA MURALS