INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 130, No. 65
MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2013
!
ITHACA, NEW YORK
16 Pages – Free
News
Arts
Sports
Weather
Accident
What Are the Odds
Brr, It’s Cold in Here
Cloudy HIGH: 38 LOW: 31
A female student survived a fall from the roof of the Delta Phi fraternity and is recovering. | Page 3
Calvin Patten ’15 reviews Hunger Games: Catching Fire, saying it is sure to satisfy. | Page 8
Men’s ice hockey lost against Boston University at Madison Square Garden Saturday. | Page 16
Campus-to-Campus Bus Struck in NYC Collision By TYLER ALICIA
John Carberry said that no one on the Campus-to-Campus bus was injured. While trying to park in Passengers on the bus were front of the Cornell Club in informed of Ranasinghe’s death Midtown Manhattan Saturday, by police and were eventually a University Campus-to- moved to the lobby of the Campus bus was struck by a Cornell Club, according to vehicle that struck and killed a Corey Ryan Earle ’07, associate New York Police Department director of student programs in traffic agent. the Office of Alumni Affairs. NYPD Traffic Enforcement Once there, passengers were Agent Kalyanarat Ranasinghe, questioned by the police before 71, was killed b e i n g on-duty after allowed to being hit by a leave. “Cornell University will truck pulling Carberr y continue to cooperate out of a parksaid in a fully with local police as s t a t e m e n t ing spot, the Associated that the bus they investigate this Press reportdriver cooptragic event.” ed. erated with After the authorities John Carberry initial acciand redent, the drimained on ver’s truck collided with the scene. Campus-to-Campus bus, one “The driver is not expected of many coach buses that offers to be charged in connection transportation between Ithaca with the accident, and Cornell and New York City. The bus University will continue to had been trying to parallel park cooperate fully with local in front of the Cornell Club on police as they investigate this East 44th Street. tragic event,” Carberry said. Ranasinghe was declared Police said that the investigadead after the accident, which tion will continue. The 43-yearoccurred at around 2:30 p.m., old truck driver has not been the Associated Press reported. See BUS page 5 University Spokesperson
Sun Senior Writer
CONNOR ARCHARD / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Reaching higher levels | Members of the Ithaca community and the Cornell Organization for Labor Action meet downtown Sept. 17 to fight for a living wage.
Fight for ‘Living Wage’Continues By MEI XIN LUO Sun Contributor
In a victory for workers’ rights advocates, nine more employers in Tompkins County have agreed to pay their workers a “living wage,” or the equivalent of $12.62 an hour. A living wage is the minimum amount an employee must be paid so he or she can meet basic needs and maintain a decent standard of living, according to the Tompkins County Workers’ Center. The living wage exceeds New York State’s minimum wage, which is currently $7.25 an hour. The center, which argues that living wages not only benefit employees but also employers, says
there are now 92 employers in the area that pay living wages. The center’s success in advocating for living wages locally is part of a nationwide movement among employees and workers’ rights advocates to raise the minimum wage. While supporters say raising minimum wages to a “living wage” standard is necessary to support workers struggling to make ends meet, opponents argue that such a move could in fact reduce the number of jobs available. Peter Meyers, director of the center, said that despite concerns that raising wages may negaSee WAGES page 4
MasterCard Gives 500K To Weill Research Work
Cornellians ‘Shocked’ by Bronx Train Derailment
By ARIEL SEIDNER Sun Contributor
By JINJOO LEE Sun News Editor
Cornellians from New York City and its surrounding areas expressed shock when, on Sunday morning, a Metro-North passenger train derailed in the Bronx. The derailment resulted in the death of four passengers and dozens of injuries, according to the New York Times. As of Sunday evening, the exact cause of the derailment remained unknown. Cornellians who regularly travel on Metro-North said they were horrified by the accident.
ROBERT STOLARIK / THE NEW YORK TIMES
Wreckage | Crews report to the southwest Bronx where they attend to the aftermath of the derailed Metro-North Railroad commuter train.
“I am in a state of shock that something like this could happen, especially as someone who frequently rides the train,” Ashley CollisBurgess ’16 said. “My heart goes out
to the families who lost their loved ones right after Thanksgiving.” Nicole Neroulias ’01 said she and See TRAIN page 4
With the help of a $500,000 grant from MasterCard, Cornell Weill Medical College will bolster its efforts to research treatments for women’s cancers. The grant, announced Nov. 18, will help Weill Cornell find ways to end breast, ovarian and uterine cancers, MasterCard said in a press release. With the funding, the University will be able to create a researcher-in-residence position. The person in the position will collaborate with other researchers and be directed by Dr. Lewis Cantley, director of the Weill Cornell Medical
College Cancer Center, according to the press release. As an additional effort to bolster its cancer research, in 2014, Weill Cornell will open the MasterCard Principal Investigator Office Suite in the school’s Belfer Research Building. The facility is intended to maximize collaboration between researchers. In addition to directing Weill Cornell’s Cancer Center, Cantley is also involved in leading research efforts for Stand Up to Cancer, a national cancer research organization. MasterCard has previously helped raise over $17 million for the organization, according to the press release. See WEILL page 5