TRUMP TAKES PRESIDENCY
Te Former President Will Return to Ofce in January
Nov. 6 — Former President Donald Trump has officially secured the presidency, hitting the magic number of 270 electoral votes early Wednesday morning. He found crucial support in a string of swing states, including Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
A blue state for two decades before 2016, Pennsylvania was widely considered to be a must-win for Harris this election. No Democrat has secured the presidency without claiming the Keystone State since 1948.
Adding to the state’s significance this election cycle was the attempted assassination on Trump while he spoke at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. The gunman, a Pennsylvanian recent community college graduate, shot at the former president and grazed his ear, leaving him visibly bleeding but ultimately unharmed. One audience member was killed, and two others were injured by the gunfire.
Trump made gains early Wednesday morning when he won Georgia’s 16 electoral votes. The state flipped after President Joe Biden won by a margin of just under 12,000 votes in 2020.
This follows extensive campaigning by both parties in Georgia over the weekend, with events held by Trump in Middle Georgia and Harris in Atlanta. Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz (D-MN), First Lady Jill Biden and former President Bill Clinton campaigned for Harris throughout metro Atlanta on Sunday, just two days after early voting in Georgia came to an end with a record 4 million ballots cast.
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Seven of Eight Cornell Alumni Running for Congress Win Seats
By SUN NEWS DEPARTMENT
Nov. 6 — Out of eight Cornell alumni vying for congressional seats across the country this election cycle, seven won their bids. Three are Republicans, who all won, while the other five are Democrats.
Here is the breakdown of how those races have played out.
Democrat Elissa Slotkin ’98 Wins Tight Michigan Senate Race
In one of the closest races across the country, Rep. Elissa Slotkin ’98 (D-Mich.) has taken the lead over former representative Mike Rogers, a Trump-endorsed Republican, in Michigan’s Senate race. The winner will replace retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), picking up a key battleground seat for their party. In this competitive race, Slotkin’s lead was narrow — .3 percent above Rogers at time of publication, with 99 percent of votes counted.
A representative for Michigan’s Seventh
Congressional District, Slotkin campaigned on protecting democracy, community safety, increasing national production and expanding the middle class, according to her campaign website.
Incumbent Democrat Melanie Stansbury ’07
Wins New Mexico’s First District Seat
Incumbent Rep. Melanie Stansbury ’07 (D-N.M.) won reelection against retired energy executive Steve Jones in New Mexico’s first district House of Representatives race.
A representative since 2021, Stansbury has championed efforts to invest in infrastructure, expand access to education and drive economic growth, focusing on policies that address climate change and equitable access to natural resources.
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Josh Riley Wins House Seat
Nov. 6 — Josh Riley (D-N.Y.) upset incumbent Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.), winning the House seat after a close race.
“In this election we came together to reject the politics of fear and division and lies, the old tired political playbook of dividing people up and pinning them against each other, the politics of tearing people down,” said Riley in a victory speech early Wednesday morning at Personal Best Brewing, an Ithaca pub. “We rejected that, and we sent a message — that’s not how we do things here. We are better than that.”
Multiple student groups campaigned for increased turnout during the elections in hopes of flipping the seat. Riley told The Sun he was grateful for the increased engagement and support from college students, including Cornellians.
“The results tonight — in a really close election with the stakes as high as they are — should go to show how important it is to get out, vote and make your voice heard,” Riley told The Sun Wednesday morning. “One of the highlights of my campaign was engaging on our college campuses and talking to students, and everyone who put their heart and soul into this campaign should be proud.”
An Endicott, New York, native and Harvard Law School graduate, Riley ran a campaign focused on abortion rights while attacking Molinaro’s record on the issue.
“[Molinaro] ran around and told everybody that he would support a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions. And then he got into Congress and voted not once, not twice, not three
times, but 13 times, to restrict access to abortion services,” Riley said in a September interview with The Sun.
The two candidates were separated by more than 4,000 votes in the 2022 midterm elections. Despite refusing contributions from corporate political action committees, Riley outraised Molinaro by about $3.5 million as of Oct. 16, according to the latest data on OpenSecrets. Riley, who ran on a promise to secure the border through bipartisan efforts, has blasted Molinaro as a “career politician” and criticized his opponent’s anti-immigration platform.
Trump triumphs | Former president Donald Trump secured the presidential victory and will officially be the 47th president of the United States.
By GABRIEL MUNOZ Sun City Editor
By GABRIEL MUÑOZ Sun City Editor
Congressional Cornellians | Several Cornell alumni were elected into office on Election Day, including representatives from Michigan, New Mexico, Texas, Pennsylvania and Kansas.
DOROTHY FRANCE-MILLER / SUN ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Representative Riley | Riley usurped incumbent Rep. Marc Molinaro on Tuesday
COURTESY OF DOUG MILLS / THE NEW YORK TIMES
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Incorporating
SUNBURSTS: Election 2024
Election Day was this Tuesday, Nov 5. Hundreds of students lined up in RPCC to vote, while thousands of residents voted throughout the county.
By SUN PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT
POLITICAL TOWN | Ithaca has voted democratic in every election since 2000. Campaign signs decorated the lawns and windows of many houses in downtown Ithaca.
THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENS | Inside the voting on-campus location at RPCC, about eight people could vote at a time. 20 more waited in line or completed affidavits to vote.
MAIL-IN BALLOT | In addition to voting in-person, many students casted absentee ballots in their home states before the election.
DEMS WATCH PARTY | Approximately 200 students over time attended a watch party hosted by Cornell Democrats and Cornell Students for Harris. The event had live news coverage on a projector, catered food, stickers and pins.
EARLY VOTING | Early Voting was available in Tompkins County from Oct. 26 to Nov. 3 at the Town Hall and Airport.
RPCC AT CAPACITY | Around 5 p.m., RPCC was packed with students waiting in line to vote. A long line led into a full auditorium, where students had to wait up to an hour to vote.
VOTE! | As early as 5 a.m., students were out on Ho Plaza, chalking, and placing signs Kaitlin Ganshaw ‘25, Lena Cengotitabengoa ‘25, and Jacobi Kandel ‘25 remind students to vote.
BSU WATCH PARTY | Black Students United also hosted an election night watch party, at Ujamaa Residential College starting at 9 p.m. Around 65 students attended.
Nathan Ellison/Sun Staf Photographer
Rachel Eisenhart/Sun Staf Photographer
Ming DeMers/Sun Photography Editor
Rachel Eisenhart/Sun Staf Photographer
Ming DeMers/Sun Photography Editor
Sophia Romanov Imber/Sun Staf Photographer
Stephan Menasche/Sun Staf Photographer
Ming DeMers/Sun Photography Editor
Students Frustrated With Having Classes on Election Day
By KRISTIE TO Sun Contributor
Nov. 5 — Students said they were frustrated with administration’s decision to hold classes on Election Day. Some found it particularly unfair, given that other universities in New York State, such as Columbia University and Fordham University, have Nov. 5 off.
A University spokesperson declined to comment on Cornell’s rationale for holding classes on Election Day.
Ivy Lee ’28 told The Sun that “not having Election Day off at a busy school like Cornell makes voting so challenging,” adding that her schedule “is already packed with classes, assignments, labs and clubs, leaving me little flexibility to make it to the polls.”
Sarah Liu ’28 echoed Lee’s concerns, saying that “having the day off to have time to vote would’ve been really helpful because I barely made it to class after dropping off my ballot this morning.”
This year, top administrators have been noticeably less vocal in encour-
aging students to vote compared to the 2020 presidential election.
On Nov. 2, 2020, for instance, Vice President for University Relations Joel Malina made a statement to the Cornell community strongly encouraging students to cast their ballots on Election Day.
“If you are a registered voter and you have not already cast your ballot, please remember to vote tomorrow,” Malina wrote, adding that voting aligns with “the concept of free and open expression and the corollary freedom to engage in rigorous and reasoned debate are enshrined among our core values.”
This year, however, no top administrator sent out a statement urging students to vote.
Since the last presidential election, students have tried — and failed — to convince administrators to give students the day off on Election Day. In 2022, the non-partisan student-led initiative Cornell Votes unsuccessfully lobbied the University to make Election Day a campus-wide holiday.
Jada Ihejirika ’27 told The Sun that
it was “kind of hard” to find time to vote before polls closed. Though she ultimately was able to cast her ballot, she said tha.t her packed class schedule made it difficult.
Antone Jung ’27 was so determined to vote that he stayed up all night in order to make it to the polls when they opened this morning. He was so tired afterward, he said, that he ended up sleeping through some of his classes.
“I know some people with prelims
While America Flips Red, Dems Dominate Tompkins County
Nov. 6 — On a night when Democrats fell short of their national goals, a blue wave washed over Tompkins County.
Every local and state representative elected for the County on Tuesday night is a Democrat. That includes the winner of the toss-up House of Representatives seat, Josh Riley, as well as the victors of state legislature and county official races.
Ballot Breakdown
In the presidential election, New York State was called for Vice President Kamala Harris, with Harris winning the state’s 28 electoral votes by over 11 percent. This follows 40 years of New York State leaning blue in presidential elections. New Yorkers also reelected incumbent Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who led in her election by over 15 percent.
A critical House seat, New York’s 19th Congressional District turned in favor of Democratic
candidate Josh Riley, who beat Republican incumbent Rep. Marc Molinaro by a margin of one percent when the AP called the vote.
The 19th Congressional District includes 10 counties, including Tompkins County, which voted for Riley by a margin of 74 percent to 26 percent.
In the State Assembly, Democrats defended their supermajority. At time of publication, they are on pace to win 103 out of 150 seats, according to The New York Times. 125th District Assemblymember Anna Kelles (D-N.Y.) ran uncontested and won against a last-minute write-in candidate.
The Democratic Party lost at least two seats in the State Senate, while maintaining a decisive majority, having won 40 seats out of 63 at time of publication. This loss means Democrats will no longer hold a veto-proof majority in the chamber, allowing the governor to override actions taken by the legislature. One additional seat remains undecided, after results
showed Democrat Chris Ryan leading Republican Nick Paro by less than 0.5 percent, likely sending the race towards a recount. In New York Senate District 52, which includes Tompkins County, Democratic State Sen. Lea Webb was reelected by a margin of 18 percent.
All County and city officials running for office across Tompkins County were Democrats who went uncontested, facing only write-in opponents. These officials included the Tompkins County District Attorney, County Judge and various city judicial positions.
On the backs of their ballots, New Yorkers overwhelmingly voted yes on Proposition 1, an amendment codifying broad healthcare protections for women and LGBTQ+ residents in the New York State Constitution.
The proposition received support from over 60 percent of voters.
tonight, and there certainly would’ve been more student voters if they canceled classes,” Jung said.
“Especially because a lot of students are first-time voters, having the day off for Election Day could’ve helped facilitate greater civic engagement by ensuring students have the necessary time and resources to actively participate in the political process,” Liu said.
Unlike 2020, Conservative Campus Groups Are Not
Endorsing Trump Tis Year
Nov. 4 — Two leading rightwing campus groups are sitting the 2024 presidential election out when it comes to endorsing a candidate.
Despite having endorsed former President Donald Trump in 2020, the Cornell Republicans and The Cornell Review, a student-run conservative news site, have chosen to not publicly back any presidential candidate this year.
Endorsing presidential candidates is common among college newspapers and student political organizations.
The Cornell Democrats, for example, are supporting Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid for president.
The Cornell Republicans, a group that has faced intense pressure in the past to endorse Trump, did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
In 2016, the organization broke from the national party by endorsing Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson over Trump, stating that Trump “should not be the face of American conservatism.” The decision led to their temporary expulsion from the New York Federation of College Republicans.
Ann Coulter ’84, the controversial media personality and founder of The Cornell Review, went on to call the Cornell Republicans “useless weenies” on Twitter in 2017 in response to a quote from the club president about not supporting Trump that appeared in a New York Times article.
In 2020, the Cornell Republicans changed their tune on Trump, endorsing him for re-election, leading many moderate members to quit the
group.
This election cycle, the Cornell Republicans are facing a decline in participation, according to Armand Chancellor ’25, a Sun columnist and former Cornell Republicans executive board member. Chancellor said many conservative students have “drifted away” from the club. Despite the non-endorsement, “it’s not really a question of who they’re voting for,” Chancellor added, referring to Trump.
The Cornell Review’s Editorial Board unanimously endorsed Trump for re-election in 2020. “Undeterred by the anti-free speech climate that has grasped campuses all across America, we unapologetically endorsed Trump,” former Cornell Review Editor in Chief Joe Silverstein ’22 wrote at the time.
The Cornell Review holds close ties with the Cornell Republicans, with the news site’s editor in chief, Max Whalen ’26, also serving as the Cornell Republicans’ vice president.
“The Review will not endorse any political candidate,” The Cornell Review’s Editorial Board wrote in an email statement to The Sun. “We are not concerned with the endorsements of other student organizations.”
The Cornell Review’s Editorial Board has been largely inactive this year, having not published an editorial since June 29, 2023.
By XAVIER ROLSTON Sun Staff Writer
Xavier Rolston can be reached at xrolston@cornellsun.com.
By MARYAM ISMAIL and KRISTIE TO Sun Contributors
Blue wave | Every local and state representative elected in Tompkins County was a democrat, including House of Representatives seat winner, Josh Riley.
MING DEMERS / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Rushing to vote | Students struggled to find time to cast ballots and make it to class on Election Day, expressing frustration with Cornell for holding class.
MING DEMERS / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Maryam Ismail and Kristie To can be reached at mmi26@cornell.edu and ktt39@cornell.edu
Campus Orgs Engage With Abortion Laws
By
Nov. 4 — The day before Election Day, New York State does not see the same direct threats to abortion rights as Republican-led states.
However, abortion rights remain a central issue for Tompkins County voters due to the highly competitive contest between Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY) and Democrat Josh Riley over New York’s 19th Congressional District. Riley has heavily criticized Molinaro’s anti-abortion voting history, which contrasts Molinaro’s recent pro-abortion campaign promises.
New York voters will also decide on Proposal 1 this election, which would define “sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes and reproductive healthcare and autonomy” as protected clauses in the New York State Constitution if passed.
With these items in mind, campus groups have held events through the fall semester to foster dialogue on abortion and canvassed to educate voters on the impacts of the election on reproductive healthcare.
Planned Parenthood Generation Action at Cornell
Planned Parenthood Generation Action at Cornell advocates for Ithaca and Cornell voters to support reproductive rights. Recently, the group canvassed across Ithaca, informing voters about candidates and their positions on abortion and about what is specifically on the ballot.
“Face-to-face interaction with these potential voters is the most effective way to remind people of their right to vote, and inform them on important issues that will affect them on the ballot this upcoming election,” said Pat Li ’26, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Chair of Cornell’s PPGA chapter.
PPGA’s canvassing efforts have also aimed to inform voters about Project 2025 — a policy wish list for the next Republican president written by The Heritage Foundation, a prominent right-wing think tank. Project 2025, which Trump has repeatedly disavowed despite having key advisors involved in its production, rejects the idea of abortion as health care.
“To the numerous voters in swing states who want to protect abortion and their reproductive rights, it is in their best interests to vote against parties that perpetuate the harmful policies delineated in Project 2025,” Li said.
While abortion rights remain a polarizing topic of political debate nationally, the campus community is, supportive of PPGA’s initiatives for the most part, according to Li.
“At least at Cornell, I feel like most people are prochoice,” Li said. “When we table sometimes and we have condoms everywhere and Plan B, people will go up and take them, and they’re not ashamed of it, which I think is great.”
Cornell Republicans
Meanwhile, Cornell Republicans have been advocating for conservative perspectives on abortion in the run-up to Election Day.
“We really feel as though there’s not a ton of dialogue. We want differing opinions. We want people who can be fervently pro-life,” said Cornell Republicans Executive Vice President Max Whalen ’26.
Cornell Republicans hosted anti-abortion activist Abby Johnson on campus on Sept. 30. The event was sponsored by Young America’s Foundation — an organization focused on promoting conservative views to the younger generations. Johnson shared about her experiences as a former employee of Planned Parenthood before engaging in a Q&A session.
“We like to cover a lot of different events from all over the spectrum of the center-right movement,” Whalen said. “We always try to look for speakers that can meet different criteria. We want to make sure everyone is represented, make sure everyone has a speaker they can come to if that’s what their interest is, for instance. Abby Johnson was a perfect fit for that.”
There has not been an anti-abortion speaker on campus in recent years to Whalen’s knowledge.
Whalen said that Cornell Republicans would be open to dialogue with Cornell’s PPGA chapter.
Whalen did not respond to a follow-up request for comment about the organization’s canvassing efforts at the time of publication.
Cornell Democrats
Leaders of Cornell Democrats agree about the importance of open discussion surrounding abortion rights ahead of Election Day. Service Chair Ella Hogan ’28 said that at the organization’s first meeting of the semester, about 35 students participated in a discussion about abortion.
“It was a deeply emotional and impactful dialogue and conversation because this is not an issue that is far removed from us,” Hogan said. “It’s an issue people feel so passionately about — as they should.”
Similar to PPGA’s efforts, Cornell Democrats have also helped with campaign work for Riley and State Sen. Lea Webb (D-NY). They have canvassed in the local Ithaca community and hosted phone banking events.
Vote 4 Equality
An independent expenditure campaign of the Feminist Majority, Vote 4 Equality aims to mobilize students in congressional or presidential swing states to change their registration from their home address to their college campus address.
In a written statement to the Sun, Campus Coordinator Hannah Irvine ’25 explained that Cornell’s Vote 4 Equality club has been tabling on Ho Plaza and encouraging students to register to vote.
“Our campaign is committed to emphasizing the importance of feminist issues in this election, specifically abortion access, and it is crucial that students vote with this in mind,” Irvine wrote.
Sophia Koman and Maya Schmaling can be reached at sck227@ cornell.edu. and mes482@cornell.edu.
Cornellians Follow Historic Presidential Race at Watch Parties
By GRACE LIU, ISABELLA HANSON and AARUSH ROMPALLY Sun Staff Writers
Nov. 6 — Continuous commentary, punctuated by intermittent choruses of cheers and boos, resounded throughout the Biotechnology Building, where students gathered at an election night event co-hosted by Cornell Democrats and Cornell Students for Harris. Approximately 200 attendees met to hear the impending results at a watch party complete with catered food, stickers and pins that read “Students for HarrisWalz.”
The event was one of many watch parties held across campus Tuesday evening, where students waited with baited breath as polling offices closed and news outlets began releasing projected winners for each state.
Niles Hite ’26, president of Cornell Democrats, said the organization hosted the watch party to “foster a sense of community” and “make people more politically engaged.”
Graduate student Ocean Karim, communications director for Cornell Democrats, echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing the importance of having like-minded people supporting each other during this time.
“It could be one of the biggest moments in our lives,” Karim said. “The fact that we’re all coming together just to be able to have this shared experience is really exciting overall.”
Students at the Cornell Democrats and Cornell Students for Harris watch party view electoral maps as voting results pour in (Ming DeMers/Sun Photography Editor)
As results started to come in from across various states, a sense of worry set in among many students. Josephine DeBellis ’28, who attended the Cornell Democrats watch party, expressed anxiety that the election results might not be finalized by midnight.
“A lot of people are on edge because we’re all quite vulnerable in this situation politically, and no one wanted it to come to this point where the election is this close and decisive,” DeBellis said. “There’s just a lot of liberties and freedoms for people that are more marginalized that are at risk under the current political climate.”
Black Students United also hosted an election night watch party, at Ujamaa Residential College starting at 9 p.m., where around 65 students attended.
Cameron Smith ’26, BSU co-president, felt nervous in the days leading
up to the election, urging those around her to vote. Now that Election Day has passed, Smith said she is shifting her mindset to what comes next.
Reflecting on the BSU watch party, Smith stressed the importance of creating a safe space for students to digest the election results.
“We’re trying to create a community here where people feel safe enough to talk about how they feel and are able to address however they feel after [the results come in],” Smith said.
Seth Vieira ’26, BSU political action co-chair, also emphasized the importance of community, noting that now more than ever, people must come together.
“I feel like this election is one of the more consequential when it comes to the Black experience, what that’s gonna look like over the next couple of years. Regardless of the result, we’re in a really bad spot in this country,” Vieira said. “So I think as a community, we need to start to come together.”
Cornell Hillel was another organization that hosted a Tuesday watch party, attended by a handful of people who munched on black and white cookies and spanakopita as they watched the election results trickle in at the Hillel House on North Campus. The event fell under Hillel International’s non-partisan
MitzVote initiative, which aimed at getting Jewish students out to vote.
“I was sitting in my room, and just was thinking about what this would mean, and didn’t want to digest it all in my dorm,” said attendee Eliana Eats ’26. “This is a space here, with Hillel, that I’m very comfortable with. … It’s been like a second home, so it felt like the safest space to come and see what was going on.”
Eats also discussed the specific experience of being a college student watching the election.
“Half of us are here doing homework while watching the election. … I think it’s a very different atmosphere than what you would normally get outside of a university setting,” Eats said. “The existential crisis of college students mixed with the existential crisis of American citizens.”
Additional watch parties were held on West Campus in Hans Bethe House and Carl Becker House, and on North Campus in the Appel Multipurpose Room. Cornell Republicans also hosted a watch party but did not respond to a request for comment.
Grace Liu, Isabella Hanson and Aarush Rompally can be reached at gliu@cornellsun. com, ihanson@cornellsun.com and arompally@ cornellsun.com.
SOPHIA KOMAN and MAYA SCHMALING Sun Contributors
County canvassing | Planned Parenthood Generation Action canvassed for Proposal 1 in Ithaca neighborhoods. The proposal passed and will define “reproductive healthcare and autonomy” as a protected clause in the New York State Constitution.
SOPHIA ROMANV IMBER / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The Corne¬ Daily Sun
Independent Since 1880
142nd Masthead
GABRIEL LEVIN ’26
Editor in Chief
MAX FATTAL ’25
Associate Editor
HENRY SCHECHTER ’26
Opinion Editor
MARIAN CABALLO ’26
Multimedia Editor
MING DeMERS ’25
Photography Editor
ERIC HAN ’26 Arts & Culture Editor
SYDNEY LEVINTON ’27 Arts & Culture Editor
JADE DUBUCHE ’27
Social Media Editor
JESSIE GUILLEN ’27
Graphics Editor
JOLIN LI ’27
Layout Editor
PARIS CHAKRAVARTY ’27
Layout Editor
LEILANI BURKE ’25
Assistant Photography Editor
KARLIE McGANN ’27
Assistant Photography Editor
KIRA WALTER ’26
Lifestyle Editor
DANIELA ROJAS ’25
Assistant Lifestyle Editor
NICOLE COLLINS ’25
Weather Editor
The Sun’s View
JULIA SENZON ’26
Managing Editor
ERIC REILLY ’25
Assistant Managing Editor
MARISA CEFOLA ’26 News Editor
MATTHEW KIVIAT ’27 News Editor
CHRISTINA MacCORKLE ’26 News Editor
DOROTHY FRANCE-MILLER ’27 News Editor
JANE McNALLY ’26 Sports Editor
GABRIEL MUÑOZ ’26 City Editor
KAITLIN CHUNG ’26 Science Editor
LAINE HAVENS ’25 Science Editor
ANUSHKA SHOREWALA ’26
Assistant News Editor
OLIVIA HOLLOWAY ’25
Assistant News Editor
DINA SHLUFMAN ’27
Assistant News Editor
ALLISON HECHT ’26 Newsletter Editor
JENNA LEDLEY ’27 Assistant Arts Editor
Democracy Cannot End at the Ballot Box
Two weeks ago, in endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, our editorial board warned of the existential danger President-elect Donald Trump presents. Now, facing a second Trump presidency, we genuinely fear for the fate of our generation, students across the country, the university and American democracy itself. We know we aren’t alone in our loathing of Trump’s brand of hateful politics. The Sun conducted exit polling of 28 Cornellians on Election Day, with all but one saying they voted for Harris. Even the Cornell Republicans and The Cornell Review refused to publicly come out in support of Trump this election cycle.
We know we cannot simply face these threats passively. Rather, we encourage our readers to use this election as a galvanizing force for participation in democracy. That starts here at Cornell.
The Sun calls on all Cornellians to embrace this University’s long tradition of student activism on and off campus. We call on students and faculty to stand up for democracy at Cornell, particularly as our administrators are actively dismantling our shared governance system and cracking down on activism. We should not just hold leaders to account on the presidential level. The struggle starts here.
That also includes pursuing workplace justice, organizing in and joining unions and labor coalitions. And we cannot lose hope in civic democracy, especially at the local level. Cornellians should get involved, run for office, knock on doors, write op-eds and push back against authority when we see injustice.
As a community newspaper that values diversity and dissent, we will not stop fighting for truth and democracy to prevail. Regardless of the outcome, the battle for the country’s soul was never going to end at the ballot box. Now, we must learn the hard way that participatory democracy — where informed citizens actively and peacefully engage, volunteer and protest, pushing for change beyond merely electing representatives — offers us the only path forward.
We firmly believe that for every step toward authoritarianism that Trump will take, young activists have the opportunity to step back into their respective communities and effect tangible change for the better. Stemming the tide of fascism is not only possible — it’s our collective duty. The response to this historic moment cannot be political apathy, but a new, never-before-seen level of engagement.
We know Cornellians are up to the task — and we wholeheartedly expect them to prove us right.
With hope,
Sriram Parasurama is a second-year PhD student in the graduate field of Horticulture, School of Integrative Plant Sciences. He can be reached at sp2322@cornell.edu.
Science in Defense of Life Sriram Parasurama
My name is Sriram Parasurama and I am a second year PhD student in the graduate field of Horticulture, in the School of Integrative Plant Science. I research how trees in our local forests interact with fungi in the soils and how that interaction affects the web of ecology throughout the ecosystem. I was arrested on Oct. 9 outside of my home for alleged actions at the career fair shut down that took place at the Statler on Sept. 18 and have since then been suspended and banned from campus. I am being punished without due process as I am considered an immediate “danger to public health and safety.” However, in suppressing my voice, the University administration has done the impossible — politicized the apolitical.
The College of Agriculture and Life Science has long been a cornerstone of this University’s popularity and profits, with the plant breeding and veterinary science programs being among the top in the nation. While not a major point of attention across campus life, it does draw the attention of wealthy donors and government representatives, such as Senator Chuck Schumer supporting the development of a new XLEAP (X-ray beamline for Life Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Agriculture and Plant Sciences) facility or Lisa Yang endowing the Wildlife Health Center. Among scientists in these fields, there has long been a reluctance to acknowledge political issues, with many opting to take the so-called “objective” or “unbiased” route. For myself, my studies have always been political: my ability to conduct field work is contingent on Cornell’s historical and ongoing land dispossession through the Morrill Act. Each new generation of scientists has slowly been coming to the realization that their work cannot continue to be meaningful if it occupies an apolitical realm, but have yet to find the spark to act.
This is precisely what the administration has given us through my discipline: a motive to act. The moment I shared the news of my arrest and suspension, graduate students in SIPS found the spark they needed. Many came together to organize their peers to meet with faculty, write letters of support, and express dissent with the University administration. It is an unprecedented level of political activation largely unseen among the scientific community for issues not pertaining to climate. Cornell administration has also been slowly undermining their stability in CALS through failed promises made to Indigenous students in AIISP, an already deeply politicized group. With Indigenous
student recruitment at an all time low and Indigenous faculty quitting the program, the collective rage and dissent within CALS has been continuing to mount. The college is a major source of public funding at Cornell and given the increasing pressures and threats to their tax-exemption status from the Committee on Ways and Means, CALS is poised to deal a major blow to the institution’s bottomline, the groundwork for which the administration has laid out for us. It has been beyond inspiring to watch my peers among SIPS transition from friends to dedicated comrades and political allies. The gravest mistake our administration has made is underestimating the love we have for each other among the plant science community, a group that is committed to studying the means to life. I often find beautiful parallels between the systems I study, the symbiosis of fungi and trees, and the depth of community and genuine relational nature in which the graduate student community works together. When the tree experiences stress, the fungi help uptake nutrients and aid in the recruitment of other microbes to assist. I see the same network among the vast forest of beautiful people in SIPS. There has never been a more passionate, empathetic and driven generation of scientists at Cornell and the administration has lit a flame in all our hearts that cannot be extinguished. We are all waking up to the ultimate responsibility of the scientist — undeterred defense of life and truth. We make a vow in the honest pursuit of knowledge, and like any form of knowledge it comes with a responsibility to act. If we do not act upon the knowledge of this genocide in Palestine, in which upwards of 200,000 Palestinians have been killed as of June 2024 by bombs funded by our own school, then who are we as scientists? As we watch the mass killing of children unfold on our phone screens, who are we as empathetic human beings?
In many ways, I see the University as a microcosm of empire through its mass surveillance, deference to profit, and exploitation of its labor. And, like all empires, it digs its own grave by oppressing its masses in the name of greed and extraction. As we experience the effects of the imperial boomerang in our own institutions, the students are finding the strength and resolve to fight for a free Palestine and for a liberated future full of love, empathy and reciprocity. Those impassioned enough in SIPS are rallying on Friday, Nov. 15 at 3 p.m. outside Mann Library to speak out against the repression of myself and my peers. Will you be there?
Henry Schechter
Henry Schechter is the Opinion Editor and a third-year student in the College of Arts and Sciences. His column Onward focuses on politics, social issues, and how they come to bear in Ithaca. He can be reached at hschechter@cornellsun.com
Vox Populi, Vox Dei: My Civic Faith
Like millions of Americans who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris, I’m dejected by her defeat. But President-elect Donald Trump was not elected in a vacuum — he was chosen by millions of voters who see him as the right choice, whether I agree or not.
Progress can’t end with a lost election. So, today, instead of wallowing in my disappointment, I’m reflecting on how politics for me is more than a sport with winners and losers, instead it’s a kind of common “civic faith” we can all still believe in.
Civic religion is a nonsectarian set of democratic values rooted in the founding of our nation and developed by American thinkers like Thomas Jefferson and John Dewey. Behind it is a deep commitment to the success of America that hinges on our founding documents and trusts our system of governance.
I started to realize the name for my faith in America during my history seminar on democracy this semester. The themes of my class touch on the ideas of sociologist Robert Bellah, who, in 1967, wrote on how American civic religion is a guiding philosophy capable “of growth and new insight.” It’s not a system uncritical of our institutions. In fact, a key part of civic religion is keeping our country and institutions honest to their morals — and that often means reform to solve systemic issues.
And while my growing faith in civic religion could be described as irrational or overly optimistic — for me it’s a faith that’s quite easy to practice because I can see it in action. It forms the moral framework for how we can counter the worst impulses of President-elect Trump
In most faiths, the voice of a higher power is interpreted through religious leaders or by studying ancient texts. In civic religion there is no interpreter for the voice of reason — you can hear it yourself. It’s an idea encapsulated in the Latin phrase Vox Populi, Vox Dei — the voice of the people is the voice of god. This phrase differentiates civic and other types of religion: the compass of civic religion comes directly from the people.
Through this lens of civic religion, I think there are two ways to proceed after Nov. 5th, 2024.
The first way is to roll over. To say our system is broken, that it’s tainted, or that it doesn’t seem to
work in the same way that it used to. Renouncing our commitment to progress and democracy and converting to a cynical civic atheism would be about the most apathetic thing you could possibly do.
A key tenet of any type of religion is that faith is supposed to guide you through the toughest of times, centering you around the values and morals that shape your life. If you woke up this morning, saw an election outcome you didn’t like, and fell back asleep forgetting the whole thing ever happened, then you were never civically religious at all. You held a fake faith that negates the voice of the people when an outcome doesn’t swing your way.
The second way forward, and what we all should do today, is to take some time to explore the idea of civic faith and begin to practice it bit by bit. Abrahamic religions are built upon stories of obstacles that may seem insurmountable but can be addressed through the power of faith. America should be no different — the tough times should strengthen our commitment to civic religion.
So go back to the drawing board and organize around the interests you care about; protest against violations of our rights; and do everything in your power to protect those targeted by Trump’s dark plans. For some motivation, go read the core texts of our civic religion like the preamble of the Constitution or Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address where he committed to healing America’s wounds after the Civil War “with malice toward none [and] with charity for all.” You will see and hear the call of our shared civic faith.
Obviously, I’m an optimist — but it’s an optimism that doesn’t ignore the profound flaws that come with our democracy. Civic religion isn’t a tool to silence dissent or force patriotism, rather a way to move forward in line with national values. Optimism and civic faith run hand in hand — they both see our community as a place where good things can prevail over the bad.
The only way Trump breaks our democracy is if we renounce our civic faith. If we do, then our new president can do what he wants without fear of repercussion. Our country is built on 350 million dreams of American promise; when you let those go, there is no America at all.
Noah Farb
Noah Farb is a frst year student in the College of Arts and Sciences. His fortnightly column Tinking Critically discusses politics and current events. He can be reached at nef36@cornell.edu.
Te Republic Is Not Doomed: Trump’s Election for Te Average Cornellian
On January 20th, 2029 the 48th President of the United States of America will be inaugurated. Trump’s second term as President will come and go. Contrary to what people on both sides claimed throughout their respective campaigns, this result is not existential: a Trump victory is not an extinction level event for the American Republic.
Yes, there are faults in Trump’s character that should not be overlooked. It is preferable to not to have someone who is a convicted felon, was impeached twice and in the week of the election consistently had a favorability rating at less than 45 percent be elected to the position of Commander in Chief, but that is the reality of the current American political landscape.
The fact is that Harris was a candidate who often struggled to explain her own policies and distance herself from some of the more radical aspects of the Democratic Party that she supported during her failed presidential primary run in 2019. To many swing voters, including myself, the most appealing thing about Harris was not positive aspects of her campaign or her record as a long-time politician, but that on the ballot she was “not Trump.”
In 2024, being “not Trump” was not enough for Harris to win a race she entered only four months prior after a coronation from the Democratic party in which no votes were cast for her.
To those who voted for and supported Harris: you have lived under a Donald Trump presidency once, it will be okay a second time. You will survive a second term and may even be better off for it.
Trump won because Americans in battleground states prioritized personal economic prospects, securing the southern border and a foreign policy platform of strength rather than deterrence. Voters didn’t care as much about other prescient issues like abortion and the truly terrifying spectacle that was Jan. 6th, 2021.
Trump’s election is largely a result of the cultural pendulum swinging back towards the right and a staunch opposition to the wokeness epidemic that deeply penetrated institutions of the American left like CNN, the New York Times and elite college campuses across America like Cornell. The blowback to progressivism was evident in the fact that not only did the Republicans win the popular vote for the first time in 20 years, they took a decisive Senate majority and look primed to emerge with a majority in the House of Representatives.
I hope that the large majority of Cornellians, regardless of their political alliances, are able to accept
this result in the same way they would if Harris had emerged victorious. Unexpectedly canceling a Freshman Writing Seminar hours after the result became official due to “needing time to reflect on what has happened” as at least one Cornell professor has done is a privilege one only obtains by living in a nation as successful and prosperous as contemporary America. Actions like that send a poor message about giving up after tough losses or unexpected defeats. Tuition paying students deserve better.
Acting as if this result is a catastrophe benefits no one. It will not improve your day-to-day life to act hysterical over the presidency, you will only be worse off for expending negative energy on something out of your control and in the hands of the American electorate. Save this energy for the candidate of your choice in four years.
I would like to pose a question to the Harris supporters at Cornell: do you seriously think your life will become substantially materially worse with Trump in office than it was under Biden or would have been under Harris? Was your life on Nov. 5th, 2024 materially better than it is on Nov. 6th, 2024, or will be on Jan. 20, 2025? And even if the answer to both those questions is yes, how many believe this is directly due to the policy and cultural changes enacted by the president? My assumption is very few. At Cornell, a predominantly liberal university from the top down, political activism is almost guaranteed to spike in response to Trump’s victory. Taking to the streets, or submitting op-eds to The Sun to express concerns over Trump’s policies or character can be a productive political activity. But I would argue that the majority of alarmist messaging about Trump has already begun to proliferate within the media. This genre of content is far more destructive due to its ability to polarize than the person and ideas it is trying to confront.
This is not to say that who holds the presidency does not matter. Who the President is, for better or worse, shapes the international perspective of our country and influences domestic policy.
The American republic is not doomed. America under Trump, no matter how much Harris (and previously Biden) claimed, will not be a fascist, authoritarian state. Trump did not pursue the presidency to become a Hitlerian dictator.
If you are in disbelief over this result, I urge you to get outside of your comfort zone and meet people outside of your bubble — it will be enlightening to truly listen to those who you disagree with.
SC I ENCE & TECH
The GNBee Lab Accumulates Over 5,000 Observations to Contribute to Wild Bee Preservation
By VAL KIM Sun Contributor JUN MICHAEL PARK / THE NEW YORK TIMES
The Ground Nesting Bees project has surpassed 5,000 observations, a laudable milestone for the citizen science project. 385 species of bees have been observed and 2,164 people have submitted their observations as of Nov. 3.
The Ground Nesting Bees project, or the GNBee project, is run by the Danforth Lab and has mainly focused on the role of wild bees in the pollination of apples over the past 15 years. The project has three main objectives — identifying ground bees’ nesting sites, enhancing habitat suitability for these species and preserving these nesting sites.
“I was really fascinated by how unique each species was and how important they are in our environment in terms of pollination and environmental stabilization.”
Steven
Hoge ‘24
Steven Hoge ’24 joined the Danforth Lab to pursue his curiosity about bees.
“I started off as a beekeeper. When I wanted to get involved in research, I
got connected with the Danforth Lab,” Hoge said. “I was really fascinated by how unique each species was and how important they are in our environment in terms of pollination and environmental stabilization.”
According to the lab, 70 percent of the wild bee species that they have documented visiting apple flowers build their hives on the ground. The ground location makes the bees more vulner-
able to factors such as erosion, footsteps and pesticides.
Therefore, to maximize pollination, the project works to protect these wild, ground-nesting bees. By collecting data on where the ground-nesting bees are, the lab is able to identify which areas need attention and care and what kind of policies need to be implemented to promote their species.
Anyone around the world can con-
tribute to the project by taking a picture of bees forming a nest on the ground and submitting it to the GNBee iNaturalist website. The Danforth Lab will then analyze the picture to identify the legitimacy of the observation and add it to its database upon validation.
According to Hoge, the lab prefers to take photos of the bees nesting in the
“I was also realizing that they are incredibly understudied. We don’t really know the habitats that these bees prefer yet.”
Steven Hoge ’24
ground or around their nest site.
Observations are ongoing yearround, though Hoge said, “The bees are mostly active in the spring and summer, so the winter is sort of our quiet period.”
Hoge said the world of bees is more extensive than he imagined, with much still to be studied.
“I was also realizing that they are incredibly understudied,” Hoge said. “We don’t really know the habitats that these bees prefer yet.”
Val Kim can be reached at vbk3@cornell.edu.
New Synthetic Turf Fieldhouse Raises Concerns From Local Environmental Activists
By GILLIAN WHITE Sun Contributor
Cornell’s new synthetic turf field house has drawn concern from local environmental activists. They warn that turf with potentially harmful chemical substances perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl could cause long-term health and environmental risks.
These “forever chemicals”
commonly found in synthetic turf have the potential to cause cancer in humans and do not break down into the environment easily. The environmental effects of these chemicals have prompted activists to push for further reviews of this project.
According to Yayoi Koizumi, founder of Zero Waste Ithaca, a local grassroots environmental advocacy group, there are import -
ant broader implications of this project.
“The concerns surrounding this synthetic turf include environmental justice; toxicity for the student-athletes; and the impact of microplastics on air, soil and water,” Koizumi said.
According to Zero Waste Ithaca, the Ithaca City Planning Board approved Cornell’s fieldhouse project with a limited envi -
ronmental review. The activist group challenged this decision, arguing that the Planning Board did not adequately assess environmental concerns before the approval of the project. The legal challenge will require the Planning Board to justify their review process.
“This is an environmental justice issue — it doesn’t just affect our community in Ithaca. The
fossil fuel component also violates Cornell’s sustainability code,” Koizumi said.
The Planning board Decided to continue the site plan with slight alterations, including a promise to use PFAS-free, plantbased infill for turf. In addition, the board approved the purchase of renewable energy credits in an attempt to balance the energy consumption of the project.
Carbon credits enable organizations to “offset” their pollution by paying for projects that reduce emissions elsewhere, but Koizumi added that carbon credit schemes are commonly used by corporations to enhance appearances of sustainability without addressing fundamental environmental issues.
“Having carbon credits is irrelevant in determining if they need to do an impact study,” said Todd Ommen, the managing attorney of Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic. “Whatever credits do or don’t do, they do nothing for the environmental concerns of PFAS and microplastic pollution.”
The Meinig Fieldhouse project team disputed claims of synthetic turf’s environmental harm in a statement to The Sun.
“There is currently little evidence to suggest that the materials or chemicals used in synthetic turf pose a significant health risk to athletes or to stormwater runoff,” the team wrote.
To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com.
Busy bees | The Danforth Lab runs the Ground Nesting Bees project to focus on the preservation of wild bees, which have a critical role in plant pollination.
Gillian White can
Freshman Village: Inside Class of 2028’s Home
By Melanie Delfosse, Vivien Dobrescu and Sanika Saraf
Delfosse, Dobrescu and Saraf are Sun Lifestyle Contributors in the Class of 2028. They can be reached at style@cornellsun.com.
As we near the end of the fall semester, many Cornell freshmen have begun to settle into their new lives on North Campus. While not everyone is ready to call Ithaca home, three months upstate means most routines have become concrete. The social atmosphere on North varies with each residential building: where students live has truly informed their early college habits. Here’s a rundown of freshman dorm culture from the freshman Class of 2028 themselves.
After its renovation, Balch Hall is commonly compared to a hotel, with clean hallways and a traditional dorm style of doors along a hallway and communal bathrooms. As an all-women’s dorm, it can be a shock whenever a man is spotted inside, though they are allowed in as a guest to a resident. Described as less social, with most keeping to themselves, Balch offers a beautiful Gothic exterior and temperature-controlled rooms. It is perfect for our flip-flop Ithaca weather, accommodating the heat and future cold.
Clara Dickson is North Campus’s largest and largest dorm in the Ivy League. Additionally, the only dorm on North houses all students, even upperclassmen. Ella George ’28 spoke to the luxury of having your own space in this hall. “Most people have a single dorm so that you can go back to your own room at the end of the night,” she said.
Despite the communal bathrooms, the lack of AC, and slanted ceilings, Dickson has been described as having a “homey” atmosphere. It’s quieter than most other dorms, but the small lounges provide opportunities to talk to neighbors. While not the fanciest or funniest, at least Dickson’s residents have walk-in closets.
Court-Kay-Bauer, a “new-ish” dorm, is certainly appreciated for the more private pod bathrooms and has a pretty enough sky bridge as an added perk. Your social scene and excitement within the dorm will depend on your RA and what’s happening: some residents experienced a particularly loud night earlier in the semester when a bat made it into the sky bridge. Groups of students can be seen frequently in the lounge areas studying, watching movies, playing the piano, or participating in organized activities organized by the dorm, as CKB offers an easy and comfortable way to hang out with friends.
Ruth Bader Ginsberg Hall resembles a sterile Marriott Courtyard Hotel. With a new, modern exterior, large window panes for natural light, polished wooden floors and Novick’s Cafe on the first floor, RBG’s residents live in quiet luxury.
anteeing immediate access to 2 a.m. chicken tenders and the TCAT bus system. What sets High Rise 5 apart, however, is the luxurious Sky Lounge on the top floor. Serena Kielley, ’28, recalls fond memories of the Sky Lounge and how she made friends there.
“At the beginning of the year, I was able to find many amazing people in the top-floor Sky Lounge, which truly made my experience at Cornell wonderful,” she said. She also highlighted the kindness and humor of the building staff, along with the popularity of the ping pong tables, which contribute to the welcoming atmosphere of High Rise 5.”
Hu Shih is one of the newer dorms on North Campus for new students. With numerous large spacious lounges and study spaces and its large size, Hu Shih is often quite lively. The only con to living in Huh Shih, along with the other new dorms, is that it is often described as sterile. According to Charlotte Tama ‘28, Hu Shih is a very new dorm, so it doesn’t feel as homey as some older dorms.
“Sometimes certain floors can be isolating because they’re less social and there’s not as much trauma bonding from living in an old dorm.” Hu Shih is also one of the farthest dorms from Central campus, but you’ll always find someone studying, watching TV, or playing the piano.
While Jameson is one of the older dorms, it’s in a prime spot on North Campus, only a short walk to Morrison Dining Hall, RPCC, and A Lot for students who have a car on campus. Much like High Rise 5, Jameson is also equipped with a Sky Lounge, where Belen Okezie ’28 spends plenty of time.
“I’m often there with friends to study or just play ping pong, and the views of North Campus are especially stunning now in the fall,” she said.
Dorms are arranged in pods, and students often take advantage of the lounges on each floor to make the space lively and fun. Its residents frequently enjoy dorm parties with music from their DJ on the 3rd floor. While Jameson doesn’t have AC, Okezie thinks Ithaca’s cooler climate makes it manageable. “Even though orientation week was a little rough with no AC in the early heat, now that it’s cooler, my room is comfortable, so it’s easy to overlook. All in all, Jameson has genuinely become a cozy and welcoming home at Cornell,” she told the Sun.
Low Rise 6 is not one of the nicest-looking dorms with its drab brick exterior. Similarly, its interior could be considered lackluster, with no AC, low ceilings, and a quarter of its washing machines broken for the past two weeks. However, the community defines the Low Rise 6 experience. The pod format of the rooms makes it easy for people to meet. Its residents always leave their doors open or convene in its lounges to study together or to hang out. The warm and social community at Low Rise 6 par tially makes up for its architectural shortcomings.
Although Low Rise 7 is often regarded as one of the less desirable dorms due its lack of air conditioning, elevators, and proper kitchens, many freshmen have reportedly developed close-knit commu nities within this older dorm. Mia Su, ’28, observes that freshmen regularly hang out in common spaces each night.
“Residents on the same floor gath er in the lounge to study and spend time together, creat ing a friendly, supportive environment,” she said.
Low Rise 7 is also nestled near several Program Houses on North Campus, allowing students to develop connections with others beyond the residents of Low Rise 7.
Mary Donlon Hall, often described as the “social dorm,” lives up to its reputation this year. There seems to never be a dull moment in Donlon. “It’s very energetic,”
Jose Eduardo Romeo, ’28, commented when asked to describe Donlon in one word. Despite its unattractive fidget-spinner exterior, moldy communal showers, and gross carpeted floors, Donlon is alive at all hours when its tenants are wreaking havoc by screaming in the library at 2 a.m. on a Wednesday.
Donlon has a highly chaotic culture, from unscrewing doors to throwing up on the floors. However, as Lila Chami ’28 describes, this chaos creates a “very close-knit community. “
“Everyone in Donlon knows if you’re in Donlon,” she said. Though stuffy and rundown, Donlon is the number one place to be if you’re bored and want a random side quest.
With Balch re-opened, McClintock is mixed-gender and is one of the newer, fancier dorms (built in 2022), offering easy access to Appel Commons and North Star Dining, and has pod-style rooms. The dorm experience varies individually, with some touting a social dorm and others citing a lack of community. Either way, there is a constantly crowded main floor common space, and some RA-sponsored events are being advertised at any time. Chloe Moss, ’28, remarked that “everyone seems like an athlete or very studious,” and the thin walls of the hall mean that, along with the sociality, it’s easy to hear other people’s conversations and going on from your room.
Mews Hall, best described as the identical counterpart of CKB to those familiar with North Campus, is a happy medium. Opened in 2000, Mews is considerably newer than its older neighbors, such as Donlon Hall, but still older than the new dorms, which all opened around 2021 to 2022. Mews is often described as very homey and worn in. It is much less sterile than RBG, which sits next door but still new enough for comfort. Rooms are arranged in singles and double pods with Loving House – a residence space dedicated to Cornell’s LGBTQIA+ students – on the first floor. Mews is described as pretty quiet but still reasonably social, with many students taking advantage of the courtyard and proximity to Appel and the Helen Newman bus stop, as described by Sarah Eagen ’28.
“Mews is also a pretty big dorm but it’s split in half which makes it feel smaller so that everyone has their own wing and any noisy students are diluted,” she said. Another plus for Mews is that it is one of the dorms closer to Central, making the trek up the hill from classes a bit more bearable.
Overall, each freshman dorm has its unique culture, which shows how diverse the Cornell experience can be. From late-night yelling in the Donlon lounge to spending all your BRBs in RBG’s Novicks, every freshman can hopefully call their dorm a community or maybe even a home.
Cornell Student Arrested for Hiding Under Female’s Bed
in the room for “no more than half an hour.”
Non-First Year Students
No Longer Able to Access the TCAT for Free 24/7
Nov. 4 — Noah Rebei ’25 was arrested by campus police after being discovered hiding under the bed of a female resident in William Keeton House, according to a Monday statement from Cornell University Police Department. He allegedly injured a female resident while fleeing the room after 911 was called on the night of Oct. 30.
Rebei denied that he assaulted anyone and called the incident a “terrible decision” and a prank gone wrong in an email to The Sun.
Rebei was not arrested immediately, but he was identified and taken into custody by Cornell Police on Oct. 31. He was charged with second-degree criminal trespassing and third-degree assault — both of which are classified as Class A misdemeanors — before being turned over to the Tompkins County Sheriff on Nov. 1.
Rebei was released pending his trial and issued an order of protection, which directs him to neither contact nor harm the individuals involved in his arrest. He is due back in Ithaca City Court on Wednesday.
Rebei called the incident a “terrible decision” in which he entered an open dorm with the “misguided intention of scaring its residents as a prank.” When he heard people approaching, he “realized the severity of [his] actions” and, in a panic, hid instead of leaving and identifying himself. Rebei wrote that he hid
Rebei also clarified that he did not take any photos or videos and showed his phone to police to verify this. He also “did not put [his] hands on” any of the residents when he tried to leave after being discovered, and he has fully cooperated with law enforcement, according to his statement.
“I am deeply sorry for the emotional and physical harm I caused because of my actions,” Rebei wrote.
A senior from Stoneham, Massachusetts, Rebei studies computer science at Cornell, according to his now-deleted LinkedIn profile. He was a teaching assistant for CS4110: Programming Languages and Logics in Spring 2024 and worked on a video game development project team in Spring 2023.
By OLIVIA HOLLOWAY Sun Assistant News Editor
Students without a Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit, or TCAT, pass who were previously able to take advantage of 24/7 free rides due to technical difficulties with TCAT’s fare system will no longer be able to do so.
This change impacts nearly all students besides first-year students — including freshman and transfer students — who are given a free OmniRide bus pass that can be used anytime during the day and week. Students were not notified prior to this change.
Students without bus passes started being denied when swiping on buses in mid-October, after months of free access.
Without OmniRide bus passes, students can ride for free after 6 p.m. on weekdays and all hours on weekends, as a service covered by Cornell, according to TCAT general manager Matthew Rosenbloom-Jones. If student IDs are rejected during these periods, drivers have been instructed to override the farebox and let students on at no charge.
Switching bus fare systems caused a compatibility issue with students’ Cornell IDs earlier this year, prompting the University’s Transportation Services Office to allow all students to ride for free mid-way through the Spring 2024 semester and into the Fall 2024 semester.
According to Rosenbloom-Jones, Cornell student IDs use magstripes that do not operate well with the modern farebox system due to “limited ways to communicate” with IDs, which causes cards without OmniRide privileges to be denied.
The issue with the fare system was fixed by TCAT by April 2024, according to the transportation office. However, according to Rosenbloom-Jones, Cornell did not update the list of students with access to the bus system until Oct. 16, meaning all students could ride for free at any time — a privilege that costs $200 annually.
This list includes students who have purchased passes or who have a free OmniRide pass. An updated list is sent to TCAT daily, according to Rosenbloom-Jones.
Amy Hinesley’s ’25 ID card was denied on Saturday, Oct. 26 — before TCAT told The Sun they established that ID rejection should be overridden during free periods — when she tried to take Route 32, which she has used frequently this semester to get to a lab.
“I tried to show [the driver] my student ID, since Cornell transportation has said that if you show that you’re a Cornell student, you can ride on the weekend,” Hinesley said. “I ended up buying a bus pass after the swiping access got taken away.”
Based on the statements provided by both involved offices, Hinesley should have been able to ride for free. However, the driver asked her to pay out of pocket for the trip but ended up letting students get on without paying due to the amount of cards being denied.
Several other students confirmed with The Sun that their cards were denied during free times.
When asked about student IDs being rejected during free periods, the transportation office told The Sun that TCAT will also now have signs on fareboxes stating that all students should be allowed on during the free periods.
Besides a statement on their website about the possibility of students having to pay the $1.50 in cash if their ID card is denied during free periods, the transportation office has not posted anything about the change in access for Cornell students, or the problems they may experience when swiping their IDs.
According to Rosenbloom-Jones, TCAT has seen a large increase in ridership over the 2023-2024 academic year — especially on bus routes associated with Cornell’s campus — aligning with when the technical issues with the farebox occurred and students could ride for free.
TCAT’s September ridership data shows that use of Route 81 — which runs through the campus on weekdays — increased by about 82 percent compared to this time last year. Route 30 — which goes back and forth between the Ithaca Commons and the Ithaca Mall, cutting straight through Central or West Campus — increased by about 112 percent.
For the past couple of years, Ithaca College has partnered with the local transit system to provide all of the college’s students, staff and faculty with free passes, extending this offer through the 2024-2025 academic year.
Rosenbloom-Jones explained that Ithaca College students use the TFare mobile app to access their free passes and that TCAT has recommended that Cornell use the same system.
“A more modern ID card or app-based system would eliminate the need for operators to manually ‘override’ the rejected IDs on nights and weekends, and we have had conversations with Cornell Parking & Transportation to use the same app-based solution that Ithaca College has utilized with great success,” Rosenbloom-Jones said.
Olivia Holloway can be reached at oholloway@cornellsun.com.
By ANGELINA TANG Sun Contributor
Angelina Tang can be reached at at964@cornell.edu.
Deeply sorry | Noah Rebei ’25 claimed the incident was a scaring prank and a “terrible decision”.
MING DEMERS / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Edited by Patti Varol
Pre-Enroll
Mission Dream Schedule by Sophie Zeng ’27
Four Horseman of Stress by Claire Choi ’28
Contested Local Races Drive Students to Ithaca Polls
By SOFIA LOYAZA, SKYLAR KLEINMAN and EMMA COHEN Sun Staff Writer, Sun Senior Writer and Sun Contributor
Nov. 5 — Hundreds of students waited upwards of an hour in a line snaking through Robert Purcell Community Center — Cornell’s sole polling place — underscoring a collective sense of urgency among young voters this Election Day.
The Sun conducted exit polling outside RPCC, finding that 27 out of 28 students voted for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. Many students vocalized reproductive rights as a top concern on the ballot, followed by issues including climate change, the economy and immigration policies.
“It’s really important now especially because Roe v. Wade was overturned recently and rights are being stripped away,” said Brendan Lam ’25, a first-time voter from California. “The congressional district here is hotly contested, so it felt like my vote would be more useful here than in California.”
Tae Kyu Lee ’26, a first-time voter from New York City, expressed social policies and human rights as a leading concern.
“A lot of people’s identities are at risk if [former President Donald] Trump wins, including my own or people I’m friends with and people that I care about,”
Lee said.
Poll workers at RPCC reminded students that the 2024 New York State ballot was two-sided. In addition to candidates appearing on the front of the ballot, voters also had the opportunity to flip their ballots to vote on Proposal 1.
The proposal, which passed with overwhelming support, will amend Article I, Section 11 of the Bill of Rights to the New York State Constitution to expand on current protections against discrimination on the basis of race and religion. This will effectively protect access to abortion, LGBTQIA+ rights and other minority issues in New York State.
For many students, this Election Day marked their first time being able to vote.
Ezra Mellor ’28 said that he felt “a bit nervous” voting for the first time. Mellor decided to register in Tompkins County in October because the competitive district “could go either way.”
“I was thinking about my sister when I was making my choice,” Mellor said. “Obviously I care a lot for her, and I would want her to have full autonomy over her body.”
Student groups campaigned to register students to vote in Tompkins County ahead of the election due to the close house race between Josh Riley (D-N.Y.) and Marcus Molinaro (R-N.Y.). Riley eked out a victory by just 3.6
percentage points.
Xolani Bonnet ’28, a first-time voter from New York City, also chose to register in Ithaca.
“New York City is pretty deep blue, so I wanted to vote here because I thought it would make more of a difference,” Bonnet said.
Cornell Votes — a non-partisan student-led organization that aims to increase voter registration — tabled between RPCC and Donlon Hall. Throughout the day, tablers encouraged students to head to the polls and greeted voters with an “I Voted” photobooth and custom stickers.
Members of Cornell Votes outside RPCC on Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024. (Rachel Eisenhart/Staff Photographer)
Bransen Fitzwater ’28, a first-time voter and new member of Cornell Votes, called his experience registering students to vote “really fulfilling.”
“Some people have never gone out to vote,” Fitzwater said. “You see people smile, they’re happy to vote, and we’re happy to help them do that. Now, in the last few final days, we’ve switched over to getting people out to vote — early voting, in-person voting — and it’s been real-
Sophia Loyaza, Skylar Kleinman and Emma Cohen can be reached at sloyaza@cornellsun.com, skleinman@cornellsun. com and erc228@cornell.edu.
Working Families Party, United Auto Workers Mobilize Voters
By
Nov. 3 — With just two days before Election Day, the race between Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY) and Democrat Josh Riley over New York’s 19th Congressional District is projected to be one of the most closely contested House races, with just a 0.4 point margin of victory for Riley in the latest FiveThirtyEight polling average.
Amid the narrow race, the New York Working Families Party and United Auto Workers Region 9 held a “UAW + WFP Rally and Get Out the Vote!” event at the Bernie Milton Pavilion in the Ithaca Commons on Sunday morning, rallying voters to elect WFP-endorsed candidates in NY-19.
The rally featured WFP-endorsed NY-19 Democratic Congressional candidate Josh Riley, State Sen. Lea Webb (D-NY) and Assemblymember Anna Kelles alongside UAW Region 9 Director Daniel Vicente, NY-WFP Co-Director Ana Marîa Archila
and other local leaders.
Archila highlighted the value of voting on the WFP line, explaining that New York’s “fusion” voting system allows voters to express their support for the party’s values while also endorsing a major party candidate.
WFP is a nationwide organization that describes itself as a “multiracial party that fights for workers over bosses and people over the powerful.” Operating outside of the two-party system, the WFP endorses candidates from the Democratic Party or runs candidates on their own.
The NYWFP released its Voting Guide for the 2024 General Election, in which it endorsed Proposal 1, which would protect abortion in the New York State Constitution, along with nearly 200 candidates running for office across New York.
“A vote on the Working Families Party line is a vote that says, ‘I want to make sure that Trump doesn’t win, … and I want to make sure that our votes send a message that we must have a government that sides with
workers, not billionaires, that we must have a ceasefire in Gaza, that we must protect the rights of everyone to determine their future and to express who they are freely,’” Archila said.
Archila said that the WFP is not “co-sign[ing] 100 percent of [any one candidate’s] agenda,” urging voters to use their votes as a step towards securing key WFP goals such as strong unions, reproductive rights and immigrant rights.
“We have to be sober about our power, and we have to remember that our votes are not some act of self-expression. That’s what poetry is for, that’s what music is for, or painting,” Archila said. “Our votes are [an] act of radical care for one another. Our votes are a strategy, not a love letter.”
Christine Johnson, the president of UAW Local 2300, encouraged Ithacans to take inspiration from the UAW’s historic strike at Cornell to continue to fight for labor interests by voting for WFP-endorsed candidates.
“Our two-week strike was successful
only because our members tuned in, banded together and stood up to unfair treatment,” Johnson said. “Now we are all in an even bigger fight. This Tuesday, we need to elect those who will stand up on a much bigger stage to further [the] working people’s fight.”
At the event, Riley celebrated the successful “Get Out The Vote” canvassing efforts in the district, stating that coming into yesterday, his campaign had knocked on 191,531 doors.
Condemning Molinaro’s acceptance of funding from corporate political action committees, Riley said that there is a “direct line from the corruption in our campaign finance system [and] the votes that are being taken in Congress to the challenges that folks are having at their kitchen table[s].”
To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com.
Taehee Oh can be reached at toh@cornellsun.com.
TAEHEE OH Sun Senior Writer
Pro-Palestinian Voters Navigate Critical 2024 Presidential Election
By AMANI AGRAWAL
Throughout the 2024 presidential election, pro-Palestinian voters said they faced a difficult dilemma with their voting choices amid criticism of the United States’ connection to Israel’s military bombardment of Gaza.
During Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign as the Democratic presidential nominee, she expressed strong support for Israel’s right to defend itself, while emphasizing the need for a two-state solution. Meanwhile, Republican president-elect Trump called himself Israel’s “protector” and has said Israel needs to quickly “finish what they started” in Gaza.
The Sun spoke to pro-Palestinian voters from the Cornell community who said they navigated a landscape where neither Harris nor Trump fully aligned with their values.
Prof. Eric Cheyfitz, literatures in English, said his decision to vote for Harris came down to determining the “lesser evil.” Cheyfitz said he was a “longtime critic of the [Israeli] regime” and expressed frustration at the lack of support for Palestine across both Trump’s and Harris’ campaigns.
“I’m not crazy about Harris and Biden, particularly because they have supported the genocide in Gaza, but I certainly don’t think Trump would be any better,” Cheyfitz said.
His politics, Cheyfitz explained, have a long history of leaning more progressive than the Democratic Party, but he voted for Harris due to her prioritizing protecting reproductive rights, keeping his wife and four daughters in mind.
Other pro-Palestinian voters saw the 2024 presidential election as an opportunity to make a statement by rejecting both major parties altogether. For these voters, the election was not just about which presidential candidate would win the White House, but about making their voices heard by expressing support for the values of third-party candidates.
Sharif Ewais-Orozco, a Palestinian-American former Cornell employee and a founding member of the Coalition for
Mutual Liberation — a pro-Palestinian student activism group — said he campaigned for both Hillary Clinton’s and Joe Biden’s presidential campaigns and consistently voted for the Democratic candidate in previous presidential elections.
However, EwaisOrozco voted for Jill Stein, the Green Party presidential nominee, in the 2024 presidential election in the swing state of North Carolina.
He said he chose not to vote for Harris because of the Democratic Party’s shift toward “more central, further right policies.”
“My vote for Jill Stein was mainly a protest vote,” Ewais-Orozco said, attributing his support for Stein to her pledge to end the genocide in Gaza.
Cornell’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America has been heavily involved in pro-Palestinian campus protests and has denounced both Trump and the Democratic Party.
Nick Wilson ’26, YDSA co-chair and a Sun columnist, wrote in Claudia De la Cruz of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Wilson said that he chose to vote for a third-party candidate with the understanding that New York was a “safe blue state.” He emphasized the importance of sending a message to the Democratic Party.
“They’ve deliberately ignored widespread outrage over what’s happening in Palestine,” Wilson said. “That’s morally despicable and pragmatically a poor choice.”
Another member of the YDSA, Sara Almosawi ’25, also cast her vote for De la Cruz in New York State. She said she “is not a single issue voter” but did heavily consider both Trump’s and Harris’ “support and bankrolling of the genocide.” Almosawi emphasized that her vote for De la Cruz was a step toward building an alternative to the two-party system which, she said, “ultimately will not liberate us.”
“My vote is a protest vote for Gaza, but it is also a vote in favor of an alternative to the two-party system,” Almosawi said.
Agrawal can be reached at
Sun Contributor
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Student Artist Spotlight: Havily Nwakuche
MELISSA MOON ARTS & CULTURE CONTRIBUTOR
I visited Tjaden Hall once again on Oct. 31 to sit down and talk art with senior BFA student Havily Nwakuche ’25. With her graduation looming in the near future, Nwakuche reflected on how both she and her art have grown since coming to Cornell. Growing up near a library that offered community art projects and always loving art in school, Nwakuche really started getting serious about her craft in her senior year of high school. Now, her main focus is the impact that art has on viewers and the power it has to exert external influence, rather than just existing as an idea or passive object.
Though she works with textiles and photography now, Nwakuche came into Cornell as a painter. “When I first got into college, I was solely a painter. I used to do these huge realistic paintings,” she said. “Painting was the only thing I had access to.” Additionally, she shared that, in her experience, painting has been “the only thing people think when they think of art.” However, that changed when she started taking classes at Cornell. The evolution of Nwakuche’s craft was a process — painting to printmaking to fabric printing to collage — and it’s still always in flux. Nwakuche has played with material, transformation and distortion through photography and digital mediums. She studied abroad in both Rome and New York, experiences that she identifies as very influential to her art. “Going on the ground and seeing different art movements that happened there was really inspiring,” Nwakuche shared, and it got her “thinking about ideas of performance and art as activism.” Those ideas have brought her to where she is today.
The most powerful aspect of art to Nwakuche is its impact. “I feel like … art is literally everywhere in ways that are never really appreciated. I think it’s actually
necessary for life … It’s something that always spoke to me so deeply and has always been, for me, an agent of change. Creating change through activism through art and healing has been very important for me,” she shared. “I’m very invested in art as an experience … It can really move somebody to activism. I find it very beautiful. Something that’s been very empowering in my work has been being able to let other people experience it and how it speaks to their own experiences.”
The way Nwakuche views art through impact is intrinsically tied to the straightforward way she creates it. Her process is very direct. As soon as an idea pops into her head, she knows the specific way she wants to execute it. “I’m not really somebody who experiments. I’m somebody who just does it. If it doesn’t turn out right, I do it again.” Knowing from the conception of the idea what message she wants to convey, Nwakuche goes directly into the making process. When asked about her current goals and aims within her craft, Nwakuche identified women in the domestic sphere as one of her main areas of interest. She challenges the idea of women as disposable figures within the patriarchally-structured family, something deeply influenced by her Nigerian roots. “I’m working through ideas of domestic space and imagery but also thinking about unpacking domestic violence that happens in that space. I grew up with women suffering in silence and in a way that’s never really acknowledged,” she shared. Working towards activism and seeing the influence it has on people around her are the most important aspects of Nwakuche’s art.
Nwakuche has had plenty of experience doing art out in the world already, and one of the most valuable things she’s found is a community of other artists. “I love the idea of community organizing through art. I think a big part of what I enjoy in art in general is the community. I’ve met so many amazing artists, and I like the fact that it’s such a socially based field. I really
enjoy being a part of this community.” As for future plans, whether that be as an artist’s assistant or on the technical side through gallery management, Nwakuche plans on remaining part of that community of artists. If you’re interested in more of her work, she can be found @havilynwakuche on Instagram or ahn23@ cornell.edu.
Melissa Moon is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at mm3457@cornell.edu.
Te Cure’s ‘Songs of a Lost World’
MATTHEW RENTEZELAS ARTS & CULTURE CONTRIBUTOR
In late September, I was shocked to see a post on The Cure’s Instagram account announcing that the band would release a new album. My immediate reaction was a mix of excitement and apprehension. The album would mark the first release by my favorite band in over 16 years. Having had the privilege to see the band perform live last year, I knew lead singer and frontman Robert Smith’s rich voice had survived the effects of aging and a nearly 50-year career. However, the last four albums released by The Cure were inconsistent in quality and sound, and they largely failed to live up to the high standards set by the consecutive releases of Disintegration (1989) and Wish (1992). Smith (the band’s lead songwriter and only constant member) had already explored so many different styles and sounds in his music that I doubted the band could release a quality album with a new, unique sound.
Since its release this past Friday, I’ve listened to Songs of a Lost World three times and been deeply captivated by the album’s hauntingly beautiful sound. The work would be most aptly compared to Disintegration, with both albums establishing a dark, yet comforting, atmosphere
by combining a divine-like synthesizer sound with heavier, grungier bass and guitar parts. Despite the similarities, Songs of a Lost World sets itself apart from its predecessor: The album deals with an even darker subject matter and mood, with Smith’s lyrics focusing on aging, death, grief and heartbreak without the same comfort offered about these themes in Disintegration. With a total of eight songs and a duration of 49 minutes, the album successfully delivers a fulfilling experience for veteran fans of The Cure and newcomers alike.
The album introduces its main themes and general sound powerfully in “Alone,” with a harsh, distorted guitar tone powerfully cutting through the track’s otherwise light and calm atmosphere created by string-like synthesizers and the sound of an elegant piano. Drums elevated with reverb cut through the track without demanding too much attention. Smith allows these sounds to marinate in the minds of the listeners, waiting over three minutes before the incorporation of his vocals. Once his voice arrives, it does so powerfully, delivering the melancholy lyric “We were always sur that we would stay the same / But it all stops.” The lyric effectively sets up his further exploration of aging, grief and longing. The second track — “And Nothing is Forever” — seeming-
ly begins on a more hopeful note, with the same piano and synthesizers delivering an uplifting, almost idyllic sound. Beneath the sweet chords, however, is Smith’s darker reflection on the wish to be with a loved one up until the end of their life. Smith admitted that the song’s subject matter was inspired by an instance when he promised to stay with an ill individual in his life until the very end, yet failed to fulfill his word.
“A Fragile Thing” fittingly follows up on the theme of the power of being with someone you care about and the danger that being part poses. Smith sings, through the perspective of an unknown woman, the line “This loneliness has changed me, we have been too far apart / And it’s too late now for me to just forget.” The song features a powerful bass sound that captures the sense of loss over a once beautiful romantic relationship. The song’s introduction and conclusion both feature audio that seems to be in reverse, reflecting the deep desire many have had to go back in time and fix their past mistakes.
Featuring a pulsing accordion reminiscent of someone’s last breaths and a creepy string riff, “Warsong” powerfully creates an ambiance of inescapable horror. With the phrase “For we are born to war,” Smith expresses his sorrow over the seeming need of man to engage in combat
and hatred. Partway through the song, a frantic-sounding guitar solo adds to this sense of anxiety and chaos without overstaying its welcome.
With “Drone:Nodrone,” Smith delivers the album’s most unique vocals. Smith sings in an almost funk-like intonation and at a much faster pace than in any other song, offering an effective change of sound that distinguishes the song from what has come before it.
In “I Can Never Say Goodbye,” Smith approaches some of the most personal subjects in the album: the death of his family members. Throughout the 2010s, Smith’s parents and his brother all passed away, marking a difficult period of grief in his life. In the song, Smith specifically laments the untimely loss of his brother, pleading “He has to wake up / Love slipping away / Hear the bells beyond the sea / It’s almost too late.” A nostalgic, melancholy piano sound controls the song, powerfully capturing the bittersweet memories Smith has for his lost sibling.
The penultimate track “All I Ever Am” powerfully expresses Smith’s existential dread and regret in the face of the unrelenting passage of time. Throughout the song, Smith repeats the phrase “And all for fear of what I’ll find / If I just stop and empty out my mind.” However, the song ends before he can finish the second
phrase, seeming to indicate either a sense of closure over his regrets and worries or death’s power in ending someone’s life regardless of whether they have finished expressing themself.
The album ends with the fittingly titled “Endsong,” which clocks in as the album’s longest at almost 11 minutes long. Despite the intimidating length, the song effectively builds upon all the sounds of the album, combining the harsh bass and guitar sound, light synthesizers and steady drums to construct an oppressive sense of longing. Smith once again focuses on grief and the passage of time, reflecting on the many changes the world has gone through since his childhood and the loss of what was once familiar. He ends the album with the repetition of the simple word ‘nothing,’ a powerful embodiment of everything Smith has felt and feared in his recent life.
Though Songs of a Lost World will likely fail to gain as much popularity as the band’s albums from the ’80s and ’90s, Robert Smith successfully crafted what is potentially his most personal and moving work. If it fittingly remains the last of The Cure’s studio albums, I would be more than satisfied with my favorite band’s final legacy.
Matthew Rentezelas is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at mmr255@cornell.edu.
Cornell Students Likely Set Record Voter Registration, According to Cornell Votes
By AVERY PRINCE and DIYA SINGHAL Sun Contributors
Nov. 6 — Although the data on the number of Cornell students who registered to vote is not yet available, Cornell Votes President Camille Simmons ’25 wrote in an email to The Sun that the figure is expected to significantly surpass the number of registered students from the 2020 cycle — 15,182.
The 2020 number itself was a substantial increase from the 2016 registration number of 13,069.
“We’ve seen a ton of excitement from students about voting and voting registration,” Simmons said. “This semester started and [the level of engagement] was just way more than we expected, which
is really cool to see.”
Cornell Votes is a student-run nonpartisan organization that aims to increase voter registration, voter turnout and civic engagement on campus, utilizing tabling and registration drives to push students to exercise their democratic rights.
The organization provided voter registration forms directly to students on campus, primarily through tabling at Robert Purcell Community Center, Willard Straight Hall, Mann Library, Duffield Hall and dining halls on West Campus. Throughout the semester, the organization turned in 313 New York registration forms and 72 N.Y. absentee ballot request forms from students to the Tompkins County Board of
Elections, according to Simmons.
“Most people are pretty receptive [to our efforts], a lot of people just need a little help to get over the initial hurdle of registering to vote,” said Erik Lapidus ’27, the liaison for the Cornell Votes Community Engagement Department. “It can feel like a daunting process and we’re here to help them with it.”
Cornell Votes hosted over 50 voter registration events throughout the semester that they estimate reached over 3,000 students, according to Simmons. Cornell Votes volunteers provided information to potential voters at multiple Family Weekend and Halloween events, and the organization tabled off-campus in Collegetown to maximize outreach to members of the Cornell community.
Reshma Niraula ’26 registered to vote in Tompkins County through a form available at a Cornell Votes table.
“It feels really great to be a part of something that will impact the future in many ways, and I didn’t want my privilege to go to waste,” Niraula said, describing her experience voting on Election Day.
With an increase in eligible student voter participation from 47.4 percent in 2016 to 66.1 percent in 2020, Cornell Votes set its sights high for the 2024 election, aiming for 90 percent voter participation among eligible students.
Simmons said that this standard was realistic for the 2024 election
considering the increase in participation since the founding of Cornell Votes in 2020.
Bringing voter engagement to campus has been a long-time goal of Cornell Votes, which advocated for a bill that passed in 2022 requiring universities that enroll over 300 registered voters to have an on-campus polling place. In the 2022 midterm elections, most students who lived on campus were eligible to vote at Alice Cook House on West Campus. This past Election Day, students could vote at RPCC.
“The addition of an on-campus polling site plays a big part in getting the participation rate up. It’s so much easier for students to vote if they can just walk there,” Simmons said.
As a non-partisan organization, Cornell Votes collaborated with several student groups including Planned Parenthood Generation Action at Cornell and the Homelessness Action Project at Cornell.
“The fact that we’re non-partisan is one of my favorite parts about Cornell Votes,” Simmons said. “It provides a great sense of community. You know everyone there cares, but you don’t have to have those debates. You’re purely there just to help other people vote.”
Avery Prince and Diya Singhal can be reached at asp256@cornell.edu and ds2463@cornell. edu
Tree Statler Hall Protesters Appear Before Court
By BENJAMIN LEYNSE Sun Senior Writer
Nov. 6 — Three Statler Hall protesters appeared before a supporter-packed court Wednesday morning to be arraigned on charges of obstructing government administration and unlawful assembly. Two of the protesters, Yihun Stith ’26 and Sriram Parasurama ’24, pled not guilty, while Atakan Deviren ’27 had his case dismissed on a technicality.
Wednesday’s court appearance is the most recent development following a slew of punishments that the University has issued against protesters who disrupted a Sept. 18 career fair featuring defense contractors Boeing and L3Harris. The three students were accused of shoving and resisting officers at the entrance of Statler Hall. The three students’ arrests exemplify the forewarned implications of video identification that President Kolitkoff described in one of many statements on the career fair disruption.
In court, following Stith’s and Parasurama’s pleas, Assistant District Attorney Amelia Carol Christian submitted a proposal that the defendants accept a disorderly conduct charge, which would result in 25 hours of community service.
As Stith and Parasurama’s defense
attorney Jerome Mayersak explained in an interview with The Sun, “disorderly conduct is not a crime, it’s a violation, and that’s the [ADA’s] offer at this point.”
Following Christian’s proposal, Mayersak moved to adjourn until Nov. 22, when the defense would decide if it would accept the ADA’s offer or put forward its own proposal.
Serving as Deviren’s defense, Attorney Aubrey Hetznecker ’10 objected to allegations against Deviren, saying that they were facially insufficient because they failed to individually name Deviren.
Judge Seth Peacock J.D. ’01 reviewed the charges and concluded that there were no specific references to Deviren in the accusations. After review, Christian assented with Hetzneckers’ initial objection, and it was officially entered as a motion. Christian further asked that the case be dismissed without prejudice, meaning the case would be released, but Cornell University Police Department could refile the charges if desired.
Stith said that so far, he is pleased with the results of the proceedings.
“Going into it, we were feeling calm, feeling conserved, feeling confident,” Stith said. “With Atakan [Deviren]’s dismissal, Cornell University will probably refile. … It
shows that they didn’t do their due diligence in submitting their files into the court.”
While content with the outcome, Stith was bothered by the need for a case at all — particularly given the “tactical” way in which the University punished the protesters.
“I mean, it’s for sure, tactical in terms of the way that they’re going about punishing individuals in the way that they don’t have to really release any specific information”
Contrary to Stith’s concerns, the University’s reasoning for bringing the students to court have in fact been made public. Information on the arrests was revealed in a post on the CUPD Instagram, a video released in a statement by Vice President of Media Relations Joel Malina and another statement by President Michael Kolitkoff.
According to the CUPD post, “The three were identified as refusing to comply with lawful orders of the police to remain outside of the Statler Hotel and physically forcing their way past officers.”
While both Stith and Parasurama pled not guilty to these actions, video footage released by the University shows the three defendants on the front line of the crowd, making contact with and pushing past CUPD officers.
Stith declined to comment on the
footage.
Before 9 a.m., students, faculty and supporters began filing into the courthouse.
According to a supporter, approximately 200 individuals attended the arraignment in support of the defendants.
Sara Almosawi ‘25, one of the confirmed 15 students suspended for their involvement in the Statler Hall protest, came to court in support of the three student defendants.
Almosawi called the administration’s action against the protesters “hypocritical” in light of the recent arrest of Noah Rebei ’25, a student who was found under the bed of a female student. She emphasized how the suspended students were called a threat to campus security while a student who potentially posed a real threat to a woman’s safety has yet to receive any acknowledgment from campus administration.
“Cornell will do anything they can to protect their bottom line,” Almosawi said. “That means pressing charges against peaceful protesters — their own students. But when students are actually in danger of sexual violence, they will do very little to protect these students.”
Benjamin Leynse can be reached at bleynse@cornellsun.com.
I voted! | Cornell Votes estimated that they reached over 3000 students through hosting 50 voter registration events.
MING DEMERS / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Zero to Hero in 50 Days
Four frosh rowers frst met two months ago. Now they’re rowing champions.
By ZEINAB FARAJ Sun Staff Writer
Two months ago, four freshmen met for the first time. 50 days later, they are rowing champions.
Merrick Word-Brown ’28, Peter Mueller ’28, Aiden Parsa ’28 and Alex Slezak ’28 joined Cornell Rowing Club with a combined zero years of rowing experience. But on Oct. 26, the four frosh represented CRC at The Head of The Fish Regatta in Saratoga Springs, New York, beating out multiple Division-I and DivisionIII schools en route to gold.
Completing the 3.2K race in 13:35.68, CRC outpaced 10 competitors despite facing headwind conditions.
So how did these four manage to go from zero to hero in 50 days? How did they develop championship chemistry? The Sun spoke to the four freshmen to learn the secrets to their success.
Slezak hails from San Francisco. Outside of his classes as a public policy major, Slezak is the president of Hu Shih Hall. The first time he rowed he fell in love — the unison of the boat, the feathering, the sounds, and every other small detail in rowing. Slezak sits as the stroke of the boat, with his job being to set the rowing pace.
“CRC has cultivated a winning culture for us,” Slezak said. “I think when I met Merrick, Aiden and Peter, our goals and competitive spirits really aligned with that culture.”
The team has a rigorous schedule — training on the ergometer, remaining conditioned in the gym, watching film and practicing technique on the water. They try their best to imitate the top athletes of rowing. On top of that, they had to learn everything else that came with rowing — maintaining the boat, using the correct terminology to communicate in the boat, practicing proper technique and literally managing to stay
afloat together.
“It’s really an addiction,” WordBrown said. “Every day after practice we analyze film, [and] we work on making adjustments that will lead to bigger improvements down the road.”
Word-Brown is a global and public health major at the College of Human Ecology. On top of rowing, he is a member of the Cornell Cycling Club and a writer for The Cornell Healthcare Review. He started pursuing rowing because of its similarities to cycling.
Mueller studies agricultural science in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. He began rowing after members of the varsity team encouraged him to try it. Mueller is an Upstate New York native and said his greatest athletic achievement was winning this regatta.
The four have developed a couple of traditions they believe have delivered their success. They hold team dinners, during which they discuss tactics, watch film and set a positive mindset for their practice. They also
analyze technique videos against their own film, identifying one area of improvement to bring to the boat. Their favorite sources for these videos? Instagram reels.
“It’s been really fun just finding people that are motivated and really push me to be the best rower possible,” Parsa said. “We all hold each other responsible, and the friendships I’ve made go beyond just rowing.”
Hailing from Rome, Georgia, Parsa is an economics major in the College of Arts and Sciences. Parsa was directly introduced to rowing by Slezak and has not looked back since.
The challenges Parsa faces as he strives to improve keep him hooked.
Getting to the boathouse itself is its own challenge — the four typically travel about a mile off campus via bike on a winding and uphill road. Interestingly, they enjoy this trek to practice, which they say is an opportunity to prepare physically and mentally for the practice ahead.
Despite the team’s clear passion, there are still points of frustration.
With only four official practices before the regatta, the team struggled to balance learning an entirely new sport with race technique. The four constantly mixed with other members of the rowing club and never truly had the opportunity to just row together.
“Two practices before the race, we struggled keeping the boat at a good pace,” Slezak said.
The night before the race, the four met up at Parsa’s dorm in Mary Donlon Hall. They spent time watching inspirational rowing videos and discussing race strategy. The entire time, their mindset was that this race was theirs to win.
“Something clicked on race day and I think it was just all of the passion and work that we’ve poured in,” Slezak said.
Another key part of the boat’s success is the coxswain, whose job is to navigate the boat and lead the rowers through motivation and specific direction. The four have worked with two different coxswains — Joseph McMahon ’26 and Carolina Gomez
’26 — which has provided an interesting aspect to their training.
“Whether the coxswain is Joe or Carolina, we as a team emphasize communication — telling them what we want to hear and what helps,” Parsa said. “The coxswain is very important to our chemistry, and we are lucky enough to have Joe and Carolina.”
Gomez was the coxswain during the competition. She utilized her communication skills and experience to steer the boat in the winding conditions of the race.
McMahon is new to being a coxswain and works with the four during practice. McMahon’s chemistry with the four and passion for rowing have helped him garner success with the club.
“The people I met rowing — those connections really keep you going when you have a tough practice,” Mueller said. “The challenge and just recognizing that we can get better through resilience is important to us.”
Before the race, coach Becca Jeffries had the team doing a challenging drill –– with their eyes closed, the quad would have to remain in sync as she randomly changed the stroke rate of the boat. To her surprise, they remained in rhythm.
“I have never seen a crew able to do that in all my years in the sport,” Jeffries said.
On the day of the regatta, the chemistry and practice that the quad had been putting in manifested.
“It was surreal and incredibly fulfilling,” Parsa said. “We have not been rowing as long as those guys, but I can guarantee you that we have put an amount of work into the sport,” Parsa said.
To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com.
Zeinab Faraj can be reached at zfaraj@cornellsun.com.
Preview: No. 6 Men’s Hockey Begins ECAC Slate With Yale and Brown
By JANE McNALLY Sun Sports Editor
“Yale outplayed us last year,” said head coach Mike Schafer ’86. “Yale outplayed us at Yale last year, and for good chunks of time they outplayed us here.”
Men’s hockey might have won both of its contests against Yale last year –– the latter a shootout victory that is etched in its record as a tie –– but it doesn’t take the opponent lightly.
“I know that our guys learned their lesson last year, and now they [have] to come ready to play with that same respect for their opponent,” Schafer said.
Cornell (2-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC) is set to open conference play this weekend with a series at Lynah Rink, hosting Yale (0-2-0, 0-0-0 ECAC) on Friday before Brown (0-00, 0-0-0 ECAC) comes to town on Saturday.
Last season, Yale and Brown finished 51st and 61st, respectively, in the final Pairwise ratings. Yale ventures to Ithaca looking to defeat Cornell for the first time since 2019. Brown, on the other hand, has lost 21 of its last 22 matchups against Cornell.
“Yale and Brown obviously aren’t as good in the rankings, but the rankings don’t really mean anything,” said sophomore forward
Ryan Walsh. “For those teams, this is their biggest game. They love coming to Lynah and playing us.”
A hard-fought sweep against North Dakota has taken a hit on the team, as recovery has been prioritized leading up to conference play.
A major consequence of the physicality of last weekend’s series was losing senior forward Ondrej Psenicka in the second of the two games against the Fighting Hawks. Psenicka, who is currently sporting a sling on his right arm, was hit awkwardly against the boards in Saturday’s win.
Psenicka will not play this weekend, a big hit to the top six and to a power play unit that already struggled across opening weekend.
“We have a lot of guys out right now — George [Fegaras], now Ondrej, Luke Devlin, Winter [Wallace]. … It’s slim pickings out there in practice for forwards,” Schafer said. “Some guys like Sean Donaldson [are] going to need to step up this weekend and get in the game. Just like Jack O’Brien did. Jack played left wing for us and did a tremendous job [on Saturday].”
The Cornell power play went scoreless on seven attempts against North Dakota, a disappointing result coming off a 2023-2024
season where the team struggled to consistently score on the man-advantage.
The top unit, composed of Walsh, junior forward Dalton Bancroft, sophomore forward Jonathan Castagna, freshman forward Charlie Major and sophomore defenseman Ben Robertson, will first look to cash in against a Yale team that was 55 percent on the power play against Denver last weekend.
“[The power play] had a great day in practice [on Tuesday]. … When they move things fast and their eyes are up, and they don’t hold onto [the puck], they can get things going. And every power play is like that,” Schafer said.
Conversely, the Red’s penalty kill is just that –– red hot. Against a team performing at over a 90 percent clip to start the season, Cornell was perfect on the PK against North Dakota.
“I’m really happy with our penalty kill. That’s the key to victory,” Schafer said. “We scored enough even-strength goals on the weekend, but our penalty kill did the job of keeping [North Dakota] off the board, even though we gave up some really good chances. Ian was there to help us, and he’s a big part of our penalty kill.”
Senior goaltender Ian Shane was stellar between the pipes last weekend, posting a
.924 save percentage, earning ECAC MAC Goaltending Goaltender of the Week honors. Teammate Walsh received praise on the offensive side of the puck, being named ECAC Forward of the Week after a threepoint performance on Saturday night.
“It’s great that they’re recognized, but at the same time, that’s a team effort to get the job done so those guys can win awards,” Schafer said.
Offense will be key in cracking Yale’s goaltender, sophomore Jack Stark, perhaps one of the most underrated netminders in the country. As for Brown, ensuring the team doesn’t get too banged up on Friday will be key to finish the weekend on a strong note.
“Their rankings aren’t necessarily very high, but they’re an extremely good team,” Walsh said of Yale. “They’re well coached, their systems are very good, and like I said, they’re very physical, so we definitely need to come out strong in the first and play a full 60 [minutes] to win it.”
Cornell is set to take on Yale on Friday at Lynah Rink before hosting Brown on Saturday night. Puck drop for both games is slated for 7 p.m.
cornellsun.com.
Jane McNally can be reached at jmcnally@
PHOTO COURTESY OF CORNELL ROWING CLUB