11-21-19 entire issue hi res

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INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880

The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 136, No. 37

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019

n

16 Pages – Free

ITHACA, NEW YORK

News

Arts

Sports

Weather

Young Politician

Risk It for the Ticket

Back Home

Cloudy

Elijah Emory ’23 (right) isn’t old enough to vote, but he’s already helped run an election campaign. | Page 4

Risky movies are still out there but only if viewers take the risk too.

No. 2 men’s hockey takes on Quinnipiac and Princeton at Lynah Rink this weekend. | Page 16

| Page 10

COURTESY OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY

IFC Votes to Ban All Alcohol From Spring Rush

Votes for stronger regulations on night events, first-year curfew afterwards, Gonzalez said. Other proposals, which will be released in full in the next few days, also mandated fraternities register all night events and In another reform to the fraternity rushing pro- that potential new members abide by a curfew cess passed on Tuesday night, the Interfraternity which will be set by IFC. The purpose of a curfew is to prevent fraternity Council voted to ban alcohol — and tighten other chapters from inviting potential new members for rules — at spring rush events. The Tuesday proposal, which was voted on by late-night events; violation of the curfew could the fraternity presidents, passed with a supermajor- result in loss of recruitment eligibility, Gonzalez ity, IFC President Cristian Gonzalez ’20 said. All said. The IFC president said that he would be in talks with residential life staff in the upcoming days fraternities were represented, he said. The changes attempt to reform many of fraterni- to assess the plan’s feasibility and implementation. While the reforms ties’ traditional spring are fairly unprecedentrecruitment practices, “They’ve found that these have been the ed, Gonzalez said he’s which Gonzalez called necessary steps ... in order to create a received mainly positive “laissez-faire.” feedback. Fraternities will be more safe environment.” “They’ve found that forbidden from serving these have been the necalcohol at any recruitCristian Gonzalez ’20 essary steps … in order ment events. Other to create a more safe drastic changes include a curfew for freshmen who are participating in the environment for everything,” Gonzalez said. “They recruitment process, commonly called rushing. feel that everything’s at stake.” Tuesday’s resolution is the latest in a string of First-years will be expected to sign into their dorm with their Residential Advisor, the proposal sug- reform attempts by the IFC, and was approved hours after President Martha Pollack promised to gests, who will check if they are sober. In the past, fraternities “contacted” freshmen announce Greek Like reforms by the end of the in their dorms on two occasions in the evening semester. After the death of first-year Antonio Tsialas ’23, around 7 - 9 p.m., but the IFC proposed to push those later into the night to encourage freshmen to stay in their dorms instead of attending parties See RUSH page 5 By MARYAM ZAFAR Sun City Editor

HIGH: 48º LOW: 37º

University Suspends Mock Trial Team Over Hazing Of New Members Last Fall By HUNTER SEITZ Sun Assistant News Editor

The University placed the Mock Trial team on a temporary suspension for the fall 2019 semester for hazing that occurred during the fall 2018 semester. The investigation found the team had engaged in two events considered hazing, in violation of the Campus Code of Conduct. As a tradition of the Mock Trial team, members were divid-

ed into three separate teams to compete in a “Gauntlet,” according to the report published to the University’s hazing website on Nov. 7. The challenge consisted of finishing a sheet of pizza, a 30 rack of beer, a fifth of liquor and a “mystery condiment” such as Nutella or frosting. The report noted that soda was available as a substitute. While there was no time limit See HAZING page 5

Feelin’ blue?

DEMETRIUS FREEMAN / THE NEW YORK TIMES

Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) take the stage last night for the fifth Democratic debate.

Former Cornell Student Admits to Murder of Father After Prior Acquittal By AMINA KILPATRICK Sun News Editor

Charlie Tan ’17, a former Cornell student, admitted in an affidavit filed in federal court on Monday to killing his father, Liang “Jim” Tan, in 2015. Tan was arrested for the murder but the charges were dropped after a four-week trial that ended in a hung jury in 2016. “I entered my parent’s home through the back door, walked upstairs turned into my father’s office and shot my father three times as he was sitting at his desk. I knew I had killed him,” Tan wrote in the affidavit. Tan is currently in prison; he was sentenced in to 20 years in jail in November 2018 after pleading guilty to three federal

gun charges filed in connection to the gun used in the 2015 murder of his father. Tan is seeking a reduced sentence based on ineffective assistance of counsel at sentencing. Rochester criminal defense attor-

gun charges and during the state murder trial. Tan claims the two failed to provide the full history of domestic violence and abuse within Tan’s family and advised him not to admit guilt. “They advised me not to admit that I shot my father. “They advised me not to They were the legal experts, and admit that I shot my father. so I accepted that strategy, even They were legal experts, and though I knew what I had done was wrong,” Tan wrote. so I accepted that strategy.” New York City-based attorney Joel B. Rudin is currently Charlie Tan ’17 representing Tan on his motion. After the murder charges neys James Nobles and Brian DeCaroli were dropped because the judge declared a represented Tan during sentencing for the mistrial, Tan declined to return to Cornell

ahead of a campus disciplinary hearing, The Sun previously reported. He instead returned to living in Canada, but was arrested at the border in September 2017 on the gun charges while attempting to return to the US for a friend’s wedding. The gun used in the murder was purchased by Whitney Knickerbocker ’18, his friend and fraterity brother. The charges stemmed from the fact that Tan tricked Knickerbocker into buying the gun and ammunition for “hunting purposes,” and because he knew the gun would be used in a crime. In the affidavit, Tan describes a history of abuse within his household and growing See TAN page 5


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