INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 138, No. 32
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2021
n
ITHACA, NEW YORK
8 Pages – Free
News
Arts
Science
Weather
Reproductive Rights
Art From the Trenches
STEM Education
Mostly Cloudy
Prof. Cora Fernández Anderson says activism is important in the fight for reproductive rights. | Page 3
Megan Pontin ’23 discusses life in the trenches during World War I.
| Page 4
Cornell EYES is participating in Ithaca K-12 STEM education with hands-on activities. | Page 8
HIGH: 60º LOW: 45º
‘Solidarity’ Candidates Join Common Council By FAITH FISHER Sun Staff Writer
Two of the three Solidarity Slate candidates, Phoebe Brown and George “Jorge” Defendini ’22, were elected last Tuesday, paving the way for their progressive political vision in Ithaca. The Solidarity Slate was a joint campaign that included candidates Brown, Defendini and Maddie Halpert. While Halpert lost the First Ward seat to Democratic incumbent Cynthia Brock, Brown gained the Second Ward seat and Defendini won the Fourth Ward seat. Bolstered by support from community organizations such as the Ithaca
Tenants Union and Ithaca Democratic Socialists of America, the Solidarity Slate’s campaign focused on issues including housing reform, racial justice and environmental sustainability. Brown, Halpert and Defendini consider the solidarity slate a “new way” to do politics in Ithaca. By serving as a voting bloc connected by shared values, the slate strays away from individualistic politics and brings people together to find solutions to pressing problems, according to Brown. “The beautiful thing about the slate is that it’s not about the individual candidates like myself, Phoebe or Maddie,” See SOLIDARITY SLATE page 3
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PHOEBE BROWN AND GEORGE DEFENDINI
Solidarity Slate | Phoebe Brown and George “Jorge” Defendini were elected to the Ithaca Common Council last week, bringing the Solidarity Slate’s progressive politics to city government.
C.U. Mandates University Housing for Rising Sophomores Students state mixed feelings on fall 2022 policy requiring sophomores to live in University housing By SOFIA RUBINSON
semester. ing — in part so that Cornell could admit “This is just one phase of Cornell’s more undergraduates and sophomores efforts to build a strong living and learn- could be required to live on campus or in campus-affiliated Starting next fall, students will have to ing environment so that housing. wait until their junior year to experience all students can thrive “Living on campus for Toni Morrison Hall the highs and lows of off campus life, as part of a cohesive and Ganedego Hall, from cooking for themselves to walking community on cam- two years is a good way which currently house to campus from Collegetown. While pus,” wrote Tim Blair, to build bonds with the first-year students, will living on campus as a sophomore is an executive director of be used for sophomore exciting prospect for some, others say housing and residential other students.” housing next year, and life, in a statement to they’re worried about the policy shift. Justin Tien-Smith ’25 the University will finBeginning fall 2022, Cornell will The Sun. This policy change ish building three addirequire all first-year and sophomore stutional residence halls dents to live in on campus or University- was made possible affiliated housing. The policy begins to in part by Cornell’s Cornell’s North for first-year students for fall 2022. Space in the five new dorms built take effect for all first-years and trans- Campus Residential Expansion, a multifer students that started at Cornell this year project meant to add enough hous- through the years-long project will include approximately 800 beds for sophomore students and 1,200 for firstyears. According to Blair, these additional 2,000 spots will provide more space for students to stay on campus beyond their first year. Currently, over 60 percent of undergraduates live on campus, with sophomores occupying West Campus, South Campus, North Campus townhouses and Greek and co-op housing. For some students, including first-year Justin Tien-Smith ’25, this policy change will not change their housing plans for next year. “I was planning on living on campus anyway,” Tien-Smith said. “I think that living on campus for two years is a good way to build bonds with the other students in our year.” Others, including Chad Rubin ’25 and David Lilienfeld ’25, disagree with this policy change, saying that it limits JULIA NAGEL / SUN ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR their housing options — adding that students must wait until their junior year Sophomore housing | Students walk through North Campus, where the North Campus to maintain their own spaces and gain Residental Expansion has created more space to house first years and sophomores. the independence that comes from living Sun Staff Writer
off campus. “Some people don’t want to live in the classic dorm,” Rubin said. “I think that [the new policy] limits our independence, stifles our options and kind of forces us to be less adult-like.” This change in policy is making students who want to get out of the traditional dorm arrangement think of alternatives. Sommaya Haque ’25 said she preferred to live off campus. “Now I’m actually thinking of applying to be an R.A., because then I’ll be able to kind of have the independent living style I was leaning toward,” Haque said. Although on-campus housing was guaranteed for all sophomores for the 2021-2022 school year, some sophomores still chose to reside off-campus, citing reasons including cheaper rent and forgoing a meal plan.
“[The policy] stifles our independence, and kind of forces us to be less adult-like.” Chad Rubin ’25 “Unless you were to live in a triple, my rent right now is cheaper than living on campus,” Ashley Jian ’24 said. Jian said she decided to live off campus this year as a sophomore because she did not want to pay for the required unlimited House Meal Plan for West Campus — which costs students $6,434 per year. She prefers to cook for herself in her Collegetown apartment. See HOUSING page 3