INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 135, No. 38
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2018
n
20 Pages – Free
ITHACA, NEW YORK
News
Arts
Sports
Weather
Revisiting Carl Sagan
Trump Recall
ECAC Rematch
P.M. Snow
A “lost” recording of one of Carl Sagan’s lectures was recently discovered by a Cornell employee. | Page 3
Nick Swan ’19 reflects on a column he wrote two years ago about the President.
In pivotal rematches of last season’s playoffs, men’s hockey will face off against Quinnipiac and Princeton. | Page 20
| Page 12
HIGH: 33º LOW: 27º
Former Student Pleads Guilty to Hoarding Weapons By NICHOLAS BOGEL-BURROUGHS Sun City Editor
A former Cornell student has admitted to possessing an illegally modified rifle, a makeshift bomb and other weapons and tactical gear in his Collegetown apartment in the spring. Maximilien R. Reynolds ’19 pleaded guilty Tuesday to two federal felony charges, admitting that he gave another student money last year to buy an AR-15-style rifle and that he possessed unregistered firearms. Prosecutors said each offense carries a maximum of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Southwick said Wednesday that Reynolds, who is 21, also admitted to possessing a .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol “with an obliterated serial number” that New York State Police divers found in the REYNOLDS ’19 Cayuga Inlet in April. Reynolds’ lawyer, Raymond Schlather J.D. ’76, said in a statement to The Sun on Wednesday that his client had “no plan, no target, no threats, no anger, and no intent to cause harm to himself or to anyone else.” “At all times, due to his emerging mental illness, Mr. Reynolds was acting defensively and in protection of his family and self,” Schlather said. “Fortunately, Mr. Reynolds now is able to understand and to accept his responsibility. He, his family and his many sympathetic friends and See C-TOWN page 17
BORIS TSANG / SUN ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
2020 Election | Tracy Mitrano J.D. ’95 lost her race for Congress last Tuesday to Rep. Tom Reed (N.Y.-23) by a margin of nearly 10 percentage points. She announced on Wednesday that she will run in the 2020 election for the district.
Mitrano J.D.’95 Will Run Again for N.Y.-23 Alumna says grassroots movement will ‘continue to grow’ in next 2 years
a “blue wave.” While ballots are still being counted in other races around the country, Mitrano is looking ahead to 2020, Just over a week after Tracy Mitrano J.D. ’95 lost her saying in a campaign press release that her decision will bid for congress, she announced that she will be running “[build] on this name recognition, field program, and fundraising infrastructure.” to represent New York’s 23rd district New York’s 23rd district has hisin 2020. “I am deeply grateful to torically aligned heavily Republican, Mitrano lost last Tuesday’s race the hundreds of aside from Tompkins county, which by a margin of nearly 10 percentage overwhelmingly voted for the former points, the smallest margin of loss supporters who have cybersecurity expert. since Nate Shinagawa’s ’05 campaign urged me to run again.” “The results of November 6th don’t in 2012. Rep. Tom Reed (N.Y.change the facts,” Mitrano said, listing 23), who has represented the district Tracy Mitrano J.D. ’95 the policy initiatives that she emphafor six years, soundly defeated the sized during her campaign, including Cornell Law School alumna, securing tax reform, tuition payment reform, infrastructure develhis seat in congress for another two years. Winning with a margin of 53.78 percent over opment and environmental conservation. “I am commit Mitrano’s 43.99 percent, Reed’s campaign went against See MITRANO page 17 the national trend for House seats and rebuked claims of By MARYAM ZAFAR Sun Staff Writer
Cornell Takes 9th Place for Most Donated-To Non-Profit Nationally By ROCHELLE LI Sun Staff Writer
JIMENA FERNANDEZ / SUN GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Philanthropy | The University collected more than $743 million in donations in 2017.
Cornell ranked ninth for most donations out of every non-profit in the United States in 2017, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Within higher education, Cornell ranked third after Harvard and Stanford. The University collected over $743 million in donations, compared to $1.28 billion to
Harvard, according to The Chronicle. Cornell’s donation success is partially attributed to the University’s size, as it has the most students out of all the Ivy League schools and by extension the largest alumni base. Cornell’s large donations are also due to a “culture of transformational gifts,” said Fred Van Sickle, vice president for alumni affairs and development, in an email to The Sun.
Donors are able to control where the money they give is allocated. The majority of the money is given for a specific purpose, such as for scholarships, fellowships and programs, while some donors allow unrestricted use of their donation, according to Van Sickle. The number of donors has increased over time. In the 2017-2018 school See DONATIONS page 17