9-25-24 entire issue hi res by The Cornell Daily Sun

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

FIELD HOCKEY

Sept. 27 3 p.m. at Dartmouth*

Sept. 29 2 p.m. at Colgate

Oct. 4 4 p.m. Princeton*

Oct. 11 6 p.m. at Yale*

Oct. 13 2 p.m. Bucknell

Oct. 15 2 p.m. La Salle

Oct. 19 Noon at UPenn*

Oct. 25 2 p.m. Brown*

Nov. 2 Noon atHarvard

Nov. 3 2 p.m. at Boston U

MEN’S SOCCER

Sept. 28 5 p.m. Yale*

Oct. 1 7 p.m. Binghamton

Oct. 7 5 p.m. at UPenn*

Oct. 10 7 p.m. Colgate

Oct. 14 4 p.m. Princeton*

Oct. 17 6 p.m. Binghamton

Oct. 5 4 p.m. Dartmouth*

Oct. 12 4 p.m. at Princeton*

Oct. 15 4 p.m. at Colgate

Oct. 20 Noon UPenn*

Oct. 26 7 p.m. at Brown*

Nov. 2 4 p.m. Harvard

Nov. 9 4 p.m. Columbia*

FOOTBALL

Sept. 21 1 p.m. at Colgate

Sept. 28 2 p.m. Yale*

Oct. 5 1 p.m. UAlbany

Oct. 11 6 p.m. Harvard*

Oct. 19 1 p.m. at Bucknell

Oct. 26 Noon Brown*

Nov. 2 1 p.m. at Princeton*

Nov. 9 1 p.m. UPenn*

Nov. 16 1 p.m. Dartmouth*

Nov. 23 Noon at Columbia*

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Sept. 28 Noon Princeton*

Oct. 5 1 p.m. Dartmouth*

Oct. 9 4:30 p.m. at Columbia*

Oct. 13 1 p.m. at Harvard*

Oct. 19 1 p.m. Yale*

Oct. 26 4 p.m. at Brown*

Nov. 2 1 p.m. Penn*

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

at Columbia*

at Princeton* Nov. 9

at UPenn* Nov. 15

Yale*

WHERE CREDIT IS DUE...

Anika Kolanu

Te Sun’s Exclusive Interview With Presisident Kotlikof

Sept. 20 — Interim President Michael Kotlikoff is just settling into his two-year term helming Cornell. The Sun sat down with the former provost in his ofﬁce on Wednesday, Sept. 18, to discuss his vision for the University.

In the hour-long interview, Kotlikoff responded to inﬂuential critics, including former president Donald Trump and United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, and gave his take on this fall’s historic University-wide strike. He directly addressed Jewish, Muslim and Arab students who say they don’t feel safe on campus and explained why the University’s leaders are now opting for institutional neutrality. Kotlikoff said demographic information on the Class of 2028 will be released next week, labeling the data as “complicated.”

He also said he could not commit to keeping Cornell’s cost of attendance beneath $100,000 for all current Cornell undergraduates throughout their college experience, and he recounted being tear-gassed when chaos broke out at a Washington D.C. anti-war demonstration he attended in 1970.

Below is the transcript of The Sun’s wide-ranging, exclusive interview with Kotlikoff. The transcript has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

The Sun: You started your term as interim president in July, just a few months ago, and many students are unfamiliar with you and your vision. So what’s your message to the Cornell community about your plans for the University?

Michael Kotlikoff: Well, I’ve been at Cornell for 25 years, and over that time, I’ve developed a lot of relationships. I’ve taught undergraduates, graduate students and professional students, and one of the main things that I want to do over this period of time is try and build community. So I’ve been spending a lot of time talking to people.

[Interim Provost] John Siliciano and I have now gone to every college to talk to faculty and staff, meeting with student groups. I just met today with members of the Arab Student Association and also MECA. I’ve met with other students this fall, and of course, I was living in Donlon Hall with my wife for a period of time. And all of that is an effort, really, in the beginning of this term, to try and increase the connections between us, trying to build community here, particularly at a time when there are so many elements that are pulling the community apart.

page 14

U.S. News Ranks Cornell 11th Best

Sept. 23 — Cornell University ranked 11th in the country on the 2025 Best National Universities list published by U.S. News and World Report on Tuesday evening.

Ahead of No. 13 Columbia University, Cornell earned the title of the top school in New York State. With Cornell tied with the University of Chicago for the second year in a row, both colleges’ rankings increased by one place from 2024 when they were in the No. 12 spot, alongside Columbia.

In addition to Columbia, Cornell outranked fellow Ivies Brown University and Dartmouth College.

Last year, Columbia and Cornell shared the 12th position, tying them as the top universities in New York State. However, this year’s ranking tied Columbia with Brown at No. 13.

The last time Cornell ranked above Columbia was in the 2023 U.S. News rankings, where Cornell held the 17th position, while Columbia experienced a signiﬁcant

drop in rankings, from No. 2 to No. 18. Columbia’s drop in rankings was primarily due to concerns raised about the accuracy of their data reporting, leading to an internal investigation and acknowledgment of inaccuracies.

Compared to 2024, the 2025 rankings more heavily weighed pell-graduation rates and pell-graduation performance comprising 5.5 percent of the formula each, rather than three percent each.

However, ﬁrst-generation graduation rates and ﬁrst-generation performance were no longer considered, weighted at 2.5 percent of the formula each in 2024.

18 percent of Cornell undergraduates receive federal Pell Grants, subsidies awarded to students with signiﬁcant ﬁnancial need.

Cornell remains the best college for veterans, the seventh best for computer science, the eighth best for psychology programs, the ninth best for business programs and the 10th best college for engineering.

International Student Protester May Lose Visa After Second Suspension

Sept. 23 — He was suspended in the spring for helping organize the pro-Palestine encampment on the Arts Quad. Now, Momodou Taal, an international graduate student from the United Kingdom, says he faces “effectively being deported by the weekend” after the University sent him an email on Monday informing him of a second suspension.

The suspension comes after Taal and other Cornell students shut down a career fair in Statler Hall last Wednesday attended by defense contractors L3Harris and Boeing. In the email to Taal, which The Sun obtained, Christina Liang, who directs the

Ofﬁce of Student Conduct and Community Standards, said that Taal had been reported to the University by Cornell University Police Department Lieutenant Scott Grantz ’99 for not complying with orders from University ofﬁcials at last week’s protest.

According to Grantz’s complaint, Taal entered the career fair alongside other protesters after being warned not to by University ofﬁcials and participated in “unreasonably loud” chants.

In the email, Liang wrote that Taal’s behavior demonstrated “escalating, egregious behavior and a disregard for the University policies” and called Taal to a same-day noon meeting at Day Hall. At the meeting, Taal was handed a physical copy of a no-trespass order barring him from entering campus.

Liang told Taal his F-1 visa would be terminated, and referred him to a senior immigration advisor.

“They are doing this to shift the focus away from their complicity in genocide.”

Momodou Taal grad

Taal, a vocal campus activist, was suspended last semester over his involvement in the pro-Palestine encampment. International students on their second or third suspension are in violation of F-1 regulations and could have

their student visas pulled, requiring them to leave the country.

Taal was an instructor for “What is Blackness? Race and Processes of Racialization,” a First-Year Writing Seminar under the Africana Studies and Research Center. He was informed by Liang on Monday that he would no longer be allowed to teach the course. Taal told The Sun he no longer had access to the Canvas page for the class.

“They are doing this to shift the focus away from their complicity in genocide,” Taal said. “It’s telling that they think it’s more important to suspend me than taking seriously their investment in the slaughter of thousands of innocent civilians.”

ANUSHKA SHOREWALA Sun Assistant News Editor

By GABRIEL MUÑOZ Sun City Editor

By ERIC REILLY and JULIA SENZON Sun Assistant Managing Editor and Sun Managing Editor

Meet Mike | Cornell’s Interim President Michael Kotlikoff met with The Sun in his Day Hall ofﬁce to discuss the historic UAW strike, national criticisms of the University, his experience as a student protester and other issues.

MING DEMERS / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Academic A-list | U.S. News & World Report released its national rankings. Cornell reclaimed its title as the top-ranked school in NY.

ARINA ZADVORNAYA / SUN CONTRIBUTOR

A LISTING OF FREE CAMPUS EVENTS

Today Tomorrow

Replication Workshop: Using Stata to Display Advanced Formatting Features in Data Visualizations

CML Disrupts Career Fair

Hosting Boeing, L3Harris

Te pro-Palestine group accused the companies of ‘aiding and

abetting human rights violations, war crimes and genocide’

By DOROTHY FRANCE-MILLER Sun Assistant News Editor

Sept. 18 — Over 100 pro-Palestine protesters confronted Boeing — a company students voted to divest from in April 2024 — at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations’s Human Capital and Human Relations Career Fair Wednesday afternoon.

The Coalition for Mutual Liberation organized a walk-out for Palestine at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Day Hall.

Once protesters arrived, organizers announced they would march into the career fair held at The Statler Hotel, which featured representatives of Boeing and L3Harris, two of the manufacturing companies listed in the S.A. referendum as “supporting the ongoing war in Gaza.”

This disruption, according to a University statement, involved shoving police ofﬁcers, making guests of the University feel threatened and denying students the opportunity to experience the career fair.

Sun reporters on the scene did not observe any physical violence towards law enforcement but did note distress among recruiters, students and administration involved in the career fair.

“We made our voices heard through the referendum last spring, and the University not only completely ignored the wishes of the student body, but continued its complicity through its investments and by continuing to invite these weapons manufacturers to take part in our campus culture.”

Sara Almosawi ’25

“This behavior is unacceptable, a violation of University policy and illegal,” the statement read.

Members of CML — a pro-Palestine coalition of over 40 on- and off-campus organizations — spoke in support of Palestinian resistance amid Israel’s military bombardment of Gaza and condemned Cornell’s investment in weapons manufacturers.

“We will work, we will ﬁght. No more jobs in genocide” and “F*** you Boeing,” protesters chanted, as they gathered in front of Day Hall.

At around 2 p.m., protesters marched from Day Hall to The Statler Hotel, where the career fest took place. They banged drums, pots and pans and chanted

“Free Palestine” as they entered the building and confronted the companies.

Protesters presented the Boeing recruitment table with a letter titled “People’s Court Indictment of War Crimes and Genocide,” as well as a list of the Gaza death count for children under the age of one.

The letter delivered to Boeing “charged” the company with “the crimes of aiding and abetting human rights violations, war crimes and genocide” under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, the U.S. War Crimes Act and the Genocide Convention Implementation Act.

The Boeing representative did not acknowledge the letters, and recruiters from the majority of companies present took down their tables approximately 20 minutes after protesters arrived, ahead of the event’s scheduled end time of 3 p.m.

The protesters also intended to confront L3Harris, a company that manufactures defense technology. However, the company’s table was empty.

According to Yihun Stith ‘26, a spokesperson for CML, coalition members were at an L3Harris information session earlier this week where they asked the representative “very pointed questions related to their complicity in the genocide in Gaza.”

“I think that scared them off, and they decided not to show up,” Stith said.

Stith said Cornell should prevent Boeing from returning to campus while “they’re complicit in this genocide” considering “70 percent of undergraduates do not want [Boeing] here,” referencing the majority vote to the S.A. referendum.

CML spokesperson Sara Almosawi ’25 emphasized that the majority of the student body voted against investment in the weapons manufacturers present at the career fair.

According to the University statement, Cornell Police are working to identify protesters who violated University policies. Students involved will be referred to the Ofﬁce of Student Conduct and Community Standards for disciplinary action including suspension, and faculty and staff will be referred to Human Resources. Protesters may face criminal charges, the statement explained.

Julia Senzon ’26 contributed reporting.

Ben Shapiro Will Visit Bailey Hall on Oct. 28

By MATTHEW KIVIAT Sun News Editor

Sept. 24 — Ben Shapiro, the controversial conservative political commentator and creator of The Daily Wire, a right-wing media outlet, is set to speak at Cornell on Oct. 28 at 6:30 p.m. in Bailey Hall.

The event, marketed by the Cornell Republicans and sponsored by Young America’s Foundation — a national youth conservative group that hosts speaker events around the country — is part of a national campus tour where Shapiro will speak to students on a range of contemporary issues.

Shapiro’s other stops include Yale, Vanderbilt and the University of California, Los Angeles.

Spencer Brown, the chief communications ofﬁcer at YAF, released a statement saying that the tour would “break the left’s monopoly on ideas” at college campuses and bring “intellectual diversity.”

“YAF is thrilled to continue its years-long partnership with Ben Shapiro and looks forward to ensuring students on these campuses ﬁnally have the chance to hear conservative ideas,” Brown said. The YAF statement did not say what speciﬁc subjects Shapiro’s talk will address.

The announcement that Shapiro will speak at Cornell comes during a period of campus-wide tension over Israel’s war in Gaza, as pro-Palestinian activists continue to rally for the University to divest from weapons manufacturers. The ﬁrst event on the college tour is set to occur at Yale on Oct. 7, the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ terrorist attack in Israel.

In the same statement, Brown explained that YAF, which is the sole organizer of Shapiro’s campus lectures, has enabled him to be “heard by students at more than 60 schools nationwide.”

According to the YAF website, the event will feature a speech from Shapiro and then a subsequent Q&A and discussion with audience members.

Shapiro’s event at Cornell comes just a year after YAF hosted Michael Knowles, a conservative political commentator and host on The Daily Wire, on campus. The event saw more than 260 Cornellians in attendance and was met with protests from students.

During this protest, Cornell Progressives held a “Vigil for Trans Lives,” which 60 students participated in. The counterprotest was in opposition to remarks Knowles had made disparaging the transgender community.

Shapiro’s visit to Cornell also follows controversial conservative media personality Ann Coulter’s ’84 talk last April, where Prof. Monica Cornejo was arrested after disrupting Coulter. In 2022, Coulter was heckled offstage by Cornell students during a similar event.

Cornell Media Relations did not immediately respond to a request to comment about the measures that the University will put in place to secure the event and address potential disruptions.

Dorothy France-Miller can be reached at dfrancemiller@cornellsun.com.

Matthew Kiviat can be reached at mkiviat@cornellsun.com.

Career fair commotion | Protesters surround the Boeing table at the Human Capital and Human Relations Career Fair on Sept. 18, delivering a letter titled “People’s Court Indictment of War Crimes and Genocide.”

KARLIE MCGANN / SUN CONTRIBUTOR

SUNBURSTS: Ithaca is Festivals

Soul Fest and Porch fest were held this past weekend, inviting students and community members alike to experience the music and culture at the

By SUN PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

OPUS ODYSSEY | Opus Ithaca’s Odyssey Choir, which is made up of four intergenerational ensembles, sings at Porchfest. Particpants were invited to sing along with provided sheet music.

SHOW THE LOVE | Rev. Olivia Armstrong from Rainbow Healing Center of America tabled at Soul Fest to support the local Ithaca community.

TRUCK CUT FRIES | Attendees line up for Silo Food Truck featuring “truck cut speciality fries” and homemade lemonade.

GET OUT AND VOTE | Denis Lee (right) tables with Delta Sigma Theta, which ran a voter registration drive at Soul Fest.

LET’S DANCE | Attendees dance to Suzie Quties’ performance.

IN CONVERSATION | Neisha Butler (right) chats with a customer at her booth at Soul Fest

CUBA ITHACA | Silvio Diaz and Ernesto Reyes came to Soul Fest to support the local Ithaca community. They discussed how important the vibrant Cuban culture of Ithaca is to them.

LOCAL ART | Several local artists came to Soul Fest to table and sell their work.

heart of Ithaca

Sophia Romanov Imber/Sun Contributor

Rachel Eisenhart/Sun Staf Photographer

Nathan Ellison/Sun Contributor

Rachel Eisenhart/Sun Staf Photographer

Sophia Romanov Imber/Sun Contributor

Rachel Eisenhart/Sun Staf Photographer

Nathan Ellison/Sun Contributor

NY-19’s Dem Challenger Backs Abortion Rights, Criticizes Incumbent

By TAEHEE OH

Sun Senior Writer

Sept. 23 Riley will face incumbent Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY) in a heated rematch for New York’s 19th Congressional District, which stretches from Tompkins County in the west to Rensselaer in the east. In 2022, Riley narrowly lost to Molinaro by just 1.5 points in a contested race.

In an interview with The Sun, Riley predicted stronger chances at being elected this year, citing Molinaro’s conduct in the U.S. House of Representatives as a key leverage in his campaign.

“The biggest difference from the last campaign to this one is that my opponent now has a voting record in Congress, [which] is really great for the corporate [political action committees] that are paying him, [but] really terrible for Upstate New Yorkers,” Riley said.

Molinaro received $1,259,303 from PACs during the 2024 election cycle thus far with the most contributions coming from the agribusiness sector, which includes industries such as crop production and agricultural services. Molinaro notably accepted thousands in campaign contributions from Avingrid PAC, which owns New York State Gas and Electricity which successfully pushed to raise electricity rates for consumers by 62 percent.

Riley received $242,500 from PACS so far with $200,000 coming from ideological interests, which typically focus on speciﬁc issues and values.

Amid many issues, Riley stressed the importance of codifying abortion rights, labeling the overturning of Roe v. Wade as “one of the worst decisions the Supreme Court has ever made.”

“Congress should undo that damage by passing the Women’s Health Protection Act, which is a federal law that would put Roe v. Wade’s protections back into place,” Riley said.

The act, if implemented, would establish the legal right to abortion in all 50 states and “protect health care provider’s ability to provide abortion services.” The bill passed the House in 2022 but did not pass in the Senate after failing to get the necessary 60 votes.

Riley pointed out that Molinaro voted against the consideration of the bill.

“My opponent opposes that bill. He blocked Congress from even taking it up,” Riley said. “So I’m the pro-choice candidate in this race. He’s the anti-choice candidate in this race. And our records and positions on this couldn’t be more clear.”

In recent months, Molinaro appears to have changed his stance on abortion, stating in an ad that he believes “health decisions should be between a woman and her doctor, not Washington.” Riley characterized this change in Molinaro’s stance as “what a 30-year career politician [does]” who is running based on “political expediency” rather than a substantive shift in his beliefs.

“[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 New York State, U.S. citizens 18 years of age or older who have been residents of the state for at least 30 days and do not claim the right to vote elsewhere are eligible to vote as long as they are not currently incarcerated for a felony conviction, ruled “mentally incompetent” by a court or simultaneously claim the right to vote in another state.

All full-time Cornell students on the Ithaca campus will have reached the 30-day eligibility mark by 2024 Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Taehee Oh cam be reached at toh@cornellsun.com.

Molinaro Says ‘Josh Riley Tinks Cornell Students are Stupid’

By JONATHAN BRAND Sun Senior Writer

Sept. 23 — In 2022, Republican Rep. Marcus “Marc” Molinaro (R-NY) beat out Democrat Josh Riley for New York’s 19th Congressional seat by just 4000 votes.

In this upcoming election, the two are going head to head once again, and Molinaro is determined to keep his seat.

After many attempts to get in contact with Molinaro, his campaign team shared a statement from the representative that read: “Josh Riley thinks Cornell students are stupid.”

“On Israel, he’s trying to play both sides and on his open border policy — Josh can’t explain why he’d let fentanyl poison students or let cheap illegal immigrant labor steal post-grad jobs,” the statement read. “I’ll always tell you where I stand: I’m pro-border security, pro-American jobs and pro-Israel.”

Born in Yonkers, New York, Molinaro has been involved in state politics since he was a teenager. At just 18 years old, Molinaro was elected the mayor of Tivoli, New York, earning him the title of youngest mayor in the U.S. at the time.

Since then, Molinaro represented the 103rd district in the New York State Assembly in 2006, was a Dutchess County executive in 2011 and ran for governor of New York in 2018. In 2022, he won the race for New York’s 19th Congressional seat in the House of Representatives, and he plans on keeping it.

“I will work every day to be a worthy member of Congress for both those who did and did not vote for me,” Molinaro told Spectrum News. “We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I’m ready to hit the ground running.”

In a press release about the unveiling of the 2024 Farm Bill, Molinaro emphasized that he was focused on solving the unique

challenges constituents in rural areas face.

For instance, in 2023 he introduced the Bipartisan Combating Rural Inflation Act, which aims to create a rural-specific Consumer Price Index to better reflect inflation and cost-of-living increases in these communities. This would allow for more accurate adjustments to food assistance programs, Social Security and veteran benefits.

“We know the cost of living is still on the rise. But for rural communities, it could be even worse,” Molinaro stated in another press release. “Rural New Yorkers should never be the afterthought. My bill creates a rural inﬂation metric so cost of living increases in rural communities are thoroughly accounted for and considered.”

Historically, Molinaro has stated he is “personally pro-life” and has voted according to that position.

In 2023, he voted for the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act which mandates that if a healthcare provider is present during an attempted abortion, they must care appropriately in the very rare instance when there is a premature birth.

According to VoteSmart data from 2023, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund gave a 9 percent rating in recognition of his opposition to policies supporting abortion access. The National Right to Life Committee rated him at 100 percent in support of pro-life causes.

Though he has never publicly supported a national abortion ban and believes that exceptions such as rape and incest should be accounted for, in recent months he has more dramatically shifted his communication about a woman’s right to choose.

To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com.

Jonathan Brand cam be reached at jbrand@ cornellsun.com.

Green Dragon Café Reopens in Milstein Annex

Sept. 18 Better latte than never, Green Dragon is back this semester. The architecture students’ staple is open Monday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 11 p.m.

The new Green Dragon is located in the Milstein Hall annex, a short walk from its original location. The entrance can be found by walking from the arts quad to the back of Milstein and down a set of stairs. With a sign that reads “Dragon Annex,” the new café has an industrial look, wires hanging from the ceiling and tables spread out across the space.

In Spring 2024, students petitioned to save the student café, which faced closure due to renovations to Sibley Dome. Employees and frequent café goers worried that the loss of the café would eliminate a vital space for architecture students to relax and study and a hub for inclusivity and creativity.

Peter Yacoub ’25, a Green Dragon barista, said that over the summer there was uncertainty about the café’s reopening, leaving the staff unsure whether they would have jobs this semester.

“Around two or three weeks ago,

we got an official statement saying that Green Dragon is going through inspections and getting final checks to see if we’re ready to reopen,” Yacoub said.

The original Green Dragon location, known for its intimate atmosphere, was an iconic hub for students in the College of Architecture, Art and Planning, fostering community and creativity. The subterranean ambiance, a large dragon mural sprawled across the wall, and dim ceiling lights made out of paint cans made it unique among other cafés on campus.

Emma Terjeson ’25, a Green Dragon barista, reminisced about the old location’s charm.

“I miss the paint can lights. I thought it was so cute and brought character. It was more intimate. It just looks so new in here, and doesn’t feel as homey in here right now,” Terjeson said.

Green Dragon employees are hoping to curate the space and receive approval to decorate the walls of the annex to bring back the original character and qualities that Green Dragon had.

“It’s been a battle with facilities and Cornell admin, but we hope in the future that in the next few weeks and months that Green Dragon will feel like old Green Dragon again,”

Yacoub said.

Delina Beluts ’27 finds the new space to be brighter and more open, offering a different atmosphere compared to the previous location. Beluts frequented Green Dragon for its coffee, which she said stands out from the brew at other campus cafés.

“I like both locations, but this new location definitely has a different vibe than the last one,” Beluts said. “Personally, I’m actually really glad that there is this temporary location, because a lot of my classes are in Sibley, and it was always nice being

able to stop for coffee between classes.”

Melannie Mejia ’28, an architecture student, finds the new space to be quieter and more conducive for studying due to the large windows and brighter lighting.

To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com.

Bella Hanson and Sofa Loayza can be reached bhanson@cornellsun.com and srl222@cornell.com.

BELLA HANSON and SOFIA LOAYZA Sun Senior Writer and Sun Contributor

Milstein mochas | Cornell’s beloved cafe has reopened as the “Dragon Annex” in Milstein Hall.

BELLA HANSON/ SUN SENIORWRITER

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Molinaro Flip Flops on Abortion; Riley Trusts Women

To the Editor:

On one of his recent taxpayer-funded postcards, Marc Molinaro quoted himself saying he’d “support strengthening laws protecting abortion.” The fine print gives the date as Halloween 2018 — when he was running for Governor. It seems that was a trick, not a treat, because Molinaro’s votes since becoming our Congressperson have done exactly the opposite.

In fact, Molinaro has voted six separate times against codifying Roe v. Wade; five times to overturn a Defense Department policy guaranteeing abortion access to service members regardless of where they are stationed; once for a bill that could imprison doctors for providing abortions; and once against protecting funding for Planned Parenthood. Instead, he’s voted to support “crisis pregnancy centers” that use extreme tactics to pressure women not to have abortions.

When Molinaro ran for Congress in 2022, he first supported a 17-week abortion ban, and then shifted to 15 weeks. That’s supposed to be the “compromise,” moderate position.

However, it does not mean — in any way — that abortion access would be guaranteed or available before 15 weeks. States could still restrict abortion before 15 weeks, but states like New York could not allow abortion after it.

If Molinaro truly supported “strengthening laws protecting abortion” back in 2018, he does not anymore. Just like Donald Trump, he’s terrified that we’ll notice.

Josh Riley actually will protect women’s autonomy and freedom. We can trust him to trust women. Let’s elect Josh Riley to Congress.

— Martha Robertson ’75, fomer Tompkins County Legislator

Asﬁ Tias

Asﬁ Tias is a ﬁrst year student in the College of Arts and Sciences.

It’s Time to Weed Out Weeder Courses

Only half of you will remain in this course.”

If you’ve taken Gen Chem, Orgo, Intro to Engineering or anything like those courses at Cornell or elsewhere, you’ve probably heard that statement. It’s a trademark of the infamous “weeder” classes — and a source of dread for thousands of Cornellians.

So, what exactly is a weeder class? Weeders are often the ﬁrst barrier to entry into certain professional careers for students. The most famous example is being “weeded-out” of the pre-med track. These classes usually have a large enrollment, absent professors, lack of support and challenging material. Weeder classes are meant to be an “equalizer,” as they are supposedly impartial.

The Bottom Line argues that “competition plays a huge role in in our life after college, and thus our preparation would be woefully inadequate without these classes.” Competition in itself helps with polishing fundamental principles and creating stronger and smarter students that are ready to take on the real world and graduate professions. Empirically, these claims make sense. After all, professions such as medicine are difﬁcult and competitive. And regardless, both professions naturally have barriers to entry — so why let someone go through only to fail later on?

But who are the students actually being weeded out? Are they lazy? Bad studiers? Just flat out not good enough for a certain major or profession? While that is the goal of the weeder class, it is no surprise to see that the majority of students that get “weeded out” are first generation, low income students. An article by Marissa E. Thompson from the Brookings Institute finds that “first-generation students were less likely than continuing-generation students to persist in STEM majors, even when accounting for background characteristics and prior preparation,” and that “they are also more likely to receive low grades in the first place” compared to continuing generation students in STEM fields, even when accounting for background and preparation. Thompson asserts that the grading goals of weeder classes gatekeep FGLI students and lower their persistence rates, which leads to a smaller percentage of FGLI students entering into fields such as medicine or engineering.

In Whistling Vivaldi, social psychologist Claude Steele conducts various studies around FGLI performance in universities — speciﬁcally in those harder intro courses. He ﬁnds that minority students from less privileged backgrounds are often barred from higher level professions and graduate programs because of weeder classes and the lack of support within. Students that are not FGLI and from privileged families already have preparation from better schools, tutors and strategies that work. Moreover, FGLI students tend to isolate themselves due to an institutional failure to build study skills throughout high school. Practically, it can be seen clearly that weeder courses are not equalizers. In fact, they exacerbate inequality and continue to push wealthy and privileged students to the top while

putting down minority and low-income students.

At Cornell, one common course for constant complaints is CHEM 2070. Not only is it the ultimate GPA killer, it also serves as one of the great determinants of whether a person can feasibly stay pre-med. Importantly, though, this gen-chem course assumes that students taking it have prior knowledge from AP Chemistry in high school. When paired with the cutthroat grading curve, this assumption makes 2070 especially difﬁcult for ﬁrst generation students. A student coming from a low-income background may have attended a high school which did not have an adequate AP Chemistry course or teacher, or worse yet, an AP Chemistry course to begin with.

Admittedly, Cornell does offer courses such as CHEM 1007 (Academic support), CHEM 1560 (Intro to Gen Chem) and CHEM 1729 (Solve it!) as precursors or supports to 2070, but they are still not adequate to address the inequity created by 2070’s weed-out methodology. In fact, they can hinder the pre-professional timeline for many students by pushing them a semester back. Furthermore, equity can and should exist within 2070 itself. CHEM 2070 is about pushing and challenging a prospective pre-med or pre-professional — but as it stands it can single handedly bar someone from a certain career path. Why can’t it both challenge and encourage? Yes, classes like 2070 should be a learning curve. They should not be easy. However, they should not be designed for students to fail. Many professors take the “weeding-out” aspect as an excuse to avoid teaching. Lectures are often either textbook regurgitations or incredibly fast paced coverage of material, and most of the “learning” is done independently. No course can accommodate the needs of every single student, but when a course is barely meeting the needs of any student, it becomes a problem. A course can offer opportunities for learning and growth by presenting resources other than packed ofﬁce hours.

Importantly, no course — even a well taught one — needs a dog-eat-dog grading curve. Rather, a far more productive approach does the opposite: by shifting to pass-fail. Many may argue that pass-fail is the “easy way out.” However, a passfail weeder class may be more helpful than a traditional weeder class. Pass-fail gives students ﬂexibility and time to learn content and material at their own pace. It is a gauging tool to explore study methods while encouraging open bonds with professors. A student in a traditional weeder with a low grade or a “stupid” question may be more reluctant to reach out because of the grading curve’s “someone else is better than you” mentality. On the other hand, a pass-fail course encourages openness and a more hospitable learning environment for all students. Course material will remain challenging, but not impossible (or an end all, be all towards one’s future). Nay, weeder courses should not exist, however, challenging courses that encourage learning above all should take that place instead.

Nick Wilson

Nick Wilson is a third year student in the New York State School of Industrial & Labor Relations at Cornell. Te column does not intend to facilitate, engage in, participate or assist in any violations of University policy. Nick can be reached at nwilson@cornellsun.

Necessary Discomfort

What does it mean to live because other people are dying?

A friend posed this question at Cornell Students for Justice in Palestine’s vigil last Tuesday night, describing the agonizing cognitive dissonance of living a “normal life” while your country carries out imperialist ethnic cleansing across the globe. How can you know that your tax dollars and tuition are bankrolling an ongoing genocide that has likely already killed upwards of 180,000 people and not spend every waking hour attempting to wash the blood from your hands? How the hell can you apply for a job at Boeing?

Most Cornell students live simultaneously in two realities: one where they are aware that American missiles are being used in one of the most repugnant acts of ethnic cleansing in human history, where every day brings new stories of mothers forced collect the scattered remains of their infant children in plastic bags; and another where they are pursuing a lucrative career that will allow them to live comfortably in the most powerful nation on Earth after graduation. It is time to recognize that these realities are not only simultaneous, but deeply connected — your comfortable life in the imperial core is predicated on violent dispossession and occupation in the rest of the world.

On Wednesday, students disrupted the ILR School’s Human Capital and HR Career Fair, which featured recruiters from weapons manufacturers Boeing and L3Harris. Students organized with the Coalition for Mutual Liberation successfully shut the event down using pots, pans and noisemakers in Statler Hall until both employers left the building. They also delivered an indictment to Boeing and L3Harris recruiters ﬁnding both companies guilty of aiding and abetting human rights violations, war crimes and genocide.

WRVO Public Media 8/24

This action has signiﬁcantly altered incentive structures at our university. For the administration, it has been made clear that inviting arms manufacturers to our campus after 70 percent of students voted to sever ties with them will also invite the risk of a negative student response. For students, CML has made it clear that you cannot passively support Palestine or understand the role of American weapons manufacturers in the genocide in Gaza and also make the personal decision to work for genocidaires — your friends and peers are watching and will hold you accountable for facilitating genocide with your labor.

Even when left implicit, the only real argument students make in defense of working for such repugnant ﬁrms is that their personal well-being matters more than the survival of Palestinian civilians. Cornell students are a part of the 4 percent of the world population that lives

in the United States, and a part of the roughly .079 percent of the American population that attend a university with an endowment in excess of $10 billion. Regardless of your background, attending Cornell allows you to join the global hyper-elite — and even if students believe that they have earned that class position through hard work and merit, they will be faced with countless prime opportunities to perpetrate unspeakable harm towards working people in the Global South. You will likely become, and in some ways already are, immensely powerful. You alone are morally responsible for how you choose to wield your power over others — and you can almost certainly ﬁnd a job that doesn’t involve constructing missiles that kill children.

But change cannot rely on people collectively deciding to act ethically against their own interests — the underlying incentive structures that shape the role of genocidal firms in our universities must first be shifted. Our university should not be a recruitment pipeline or a corporate partner for companies that profit from ethnic cleansing and imperial violence. Given the Cornell Board of Trustees’ refusal to even hold a vote on divestment from arms manufacturers — University leadership elected to arrest 24 students, graduate workers and staff members instead — it seems inevitable that students would at some point intervene and push this campus forcibly in the direction of humanity.

Wednesday night, VP Joel Malina announced that Cornell will target students who disrupted the career fair with “immediate action including suspension.” This represents Cornell’s own attempt to alter incentive structures for speaking out about our university’s complicity in genocide, making it even easier for students to justify their individual complicity. Cornell should not suspend its students of conscience — but as with the ﬁrst two rounds of suspensions last spring, suppression tactics would likely only fuel the further growth of CML and its member organizations.

In the ivory tower, it is not just easy to ignore the suffering of colonized peoples around the world — it is a necessary precondition for participation in university life. Wednesday’s disruption may have inconvenienced some students, including plenty that never intended to approach the Boeing or L3Harris tables. But in doing so, they made our university’s role in facilitating an ongoing genocide impossible to ignore — and made visible a strong stigma against working for arms manufacturers. Until Cornell does the right thing and breaks ties with ﬁrms engaged in genocide proﬁteering, life on campus may be uncomfortable — but that is a price we should all be willing to pay.

Henry Schechter

Henry Schechter is the Opinion Editor on the Cornell Sun’s 142nd Editorial Board 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

Neutrality Is a Balancing Act

In an email to the community this afternoon, President Kotlikoff flexed one of Cornell’s newly developed muscles for the first time. That muscle is a freshly defined response to disruptive protest on campus. Kotlikoff was right to use it today, but Cornell has to tread lightly — institutional neutrality is difficult in practice.

After a full semester and ensuing summer of murky waters over the role of expressive activity on campus, in August, new president Michael Kotlikoff, outlined how the administration would deal with disruptive protests on campus. And today he executed on that plan.

The new policy, sent out on Aug. 26th, was a response to the Interim Expressive Activity Policy, a slipshod bandage placed over a gaping wound left in the community from unrest over the Israel-Hamas war. The interim policy had missed the mark, outlawing candlelight vigils, heavily restricting ampliﬁed sound and overly conﬁning the physical space of protest. The policy drew ire from the Cornell community, the Editorial Board I sit on included.

As one of his ﬁrst presidential actions this year, Kotlikoff looked to balance a “long held and deep commitment to supporting free expression” with an acknowledgment that free speech is not unlimited. To preserve this balance, the administration would use a three-tiered system of academic sanctions when responding to peaceful, noncomplying protests. The system begins with the mildest of punishments: a warning. Cornell would, however, invoke a “public safety response” when dealing with violent disruption.

Today, Kotlikoff tested out both the new policy about free expression and institutional neutrality after a group of pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted the career fair last week. The disruption caused recruiters to pack up and leave the students they had shown up to recruit. Kotlikoff prompted “immediate suspension or employment sanctions up to and including dismissal,” even threatening legal action against those who participated in criminal activity. Administration seemingly puts this recent protest into the second bucket outlined in the Aug. 26th message: “acts of violence, extended occupation of buildings, or destruction of property.”

Kotlikoff’s decision to enforce the new guidelines was the right move. Protestors don’t have the right to interrupt students just looking for a job. The affected students had the right to use the recruiting resources that they paid for in their expensive tuition. When the protestors caused so much disruption that companies had to pack up and leave the Statler, they went too far. Their rights to protest trampled on students’ rights to further their careers. Knowing how connected

the leadership of the Coalition for Mutual Liberation is to campus issues, they knew what the consequences of their protest would be.

This afternoon, Momodou Taal, one of those in associated with CML, tweeted: “there is targeted campaign of intimidation and harassment against me from Cornell’s administration and police” in the wake of his suspension by Cornell’s administration. Momodou, who had been suspended before, knew what would happen if he violated the University’s new policy. He tested the limits he knew were in place and is now facing the consequences. The school, however, should not move to have Taal deported — that is not their place. Momodou’s cause is just, but his methods were ﬂawed.

They’ve set an aggressive precedent, and neutrality is easier said than done.

At a private school, this policy is a fair response to disruptive protests on campus — the freedom to protest isn’t unlimited. When protestors substantially interrupt our ability to learn, their protest warrants the consequences that Kotlikoff outlined at the beginning of the school year. Some students pay almost $100,000 a year to study here; our time in the classroom is precious, and excessive disruption can steal that time away. The lynchpin of Cornell’s new policy, though, is its enforcement. A content-neutral system of consequences for overly disruptive protest is fully warranted. But that’s what it has to be, content-neutral. In one of his ﬁrst major changes from former president Martha Pollack, President Kotlikoff expressed his intent to practice institutional neutrality, where the University won’t take any positions on political issues. The enactment of that institutional neutrality needs to be delicately implemented. What we, as students, should watch closely as the school year rolls on, is if our institution is truly neutral. The policy regarding discipline for disruptive action isn’t inherently just or unjust — its enforcement is. Will the University hold all protests to this new standard, or will they selectively enforce their new rules? I hope Cornell uses their newly professed institutional neutrality to treat all students equally, and to draw lines of consequence based on disruption, not content. Today, Cornell correctly used their newly developed muscle of enforcement. But tomorrow, Cornell needs to tread carefully. They’ve set an aggressive precedent, and neutrality is easier said than done.

SC I ENCE & TECH

Science Commentary: I’m Glad You Were Disappointed by the Harvest Moon Supermoon Lunar Eclipse

By LAINE HAVENS Sun Science Editor

A harvest moon supermoon lunar eclipse shone brightly in Ithaca on Tuesday, Sept. 17. With a name like that, a harvest moon supermoon lunar eclipse certainly sounds like an overwhelmingly awesome astronomical event. However, upon looking at the sky around 10:44 p.m. — the time of the partial lunar eclipse’s peak — viewers may have been disappointed by a pretty normal-looking moon with a missing smudge only distinguishable through an intentional glance.

Often, the exciting names of moon events do not correspond to exciting observations. For example, the harvest moon refers to the full moon occurring closest to the fall equinox, and the supermoon occurs when the moon is full at its closest orbital location to Earth, though the difference in brightness and size is hardly distinguishable by the naked eye.

Do not get me wrong,

a lunar eclipse is very cool — during a full eclipse, the moon appears red due to the sun’s light shining through the Earth’s atmosphere on its way to the moon. A partial lunar eclipse is fascinating too, with the Earth’s shadow inking out a slice of the moon. But just an eight percent partial lunar eclipse, like last week? It is not that cool. Or at least, that is what some who went out of their way to see the recent harvest moon supermoon lunar eclipse may argue.

However, I am glad that news outlets picked the story up and that thousands of people were potentially disappointed by the seemingly mostly normal moon in the sky. Why? Because before disappointment was a shift of attention.

How often do you look at the moon? I mean really look?

Behind a barely bigger, imperceptibly brighter moon is a literal hunk of rock hurling around the Earth at over 50 thousand miles per hour,

tens of thousands of miles closer than it is on average.

Sure, maybe the thin smudge on the corner of the moon was not that remarkable, but is it not astonishing that it could even happen? As our shadows on the sidewalk remind us that we exist in solid bodies, the Earth’s shadow on the moon is an unmistakable conﬁrmation that this mass of water and rock — our home — races around an incomprehensibly large ﬂaming ball of gas.

It reminds me of Sasha Sagan’s powerful book, For Small Creatures Such as We: Rituals for Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely World. Sagan merges ritual and science, emphasizing the importance of ﬁnding beauty and spirituality in the patterns of nature.

Lunar eclipses occur fairly frequently — four to seven times per year — but why not collectively tune our attention to something every few months? Why not embrace nature’s patterns?

As Sagan says, “Days and

weeks go by and the regularity of existing eclipses the miraculousness of it. But there are certain moments when we manage to be viscerally aware of being alive.”

The moon reminds me of my aliveness — it makes me feel small and big all at once. I feel awe that I am here, that

the moon is there and that we are somehow connected.

To continue reading this article, please visit cornellsun. com.

Laine Havens can be reached at lhavens@cornellsun.com.

Amid Southwest U.S. Megadrought, Cornell Researchers Develop Novel Climate Model for Snow Water Resource Metrics in Colorado

By TAYLOR RIJOS Sun Contributor

For the last 24 years, the Southwest United States has been caught in the driest megadrought since 800 C.E.

The megadrought is driven by several factors, primarily high temperatures. Since 2000, every state in the Southwest has experienced increasing average temperatures, with some states experiencing temperatures two degrees Fahrenheit warmer than average. Increased temperatures have shortened snow seasons and decreased the moisture in the soil, exacerbating drought.

The megadrought has sparked concerns about the future of water resources in the Southwest, particularly regarding the Colorado River. The management of the Colorado River has been a pervasive issue among the seven states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — and tribal territories relying on the basin.

As resources become increasingly scarce, legal battles and conﬂicts are likely to occur, emphasizing the need to understand the state of Southwestern water resources now to improve future management decisions.

In the Southwest, snowpack in mountainous regions is critical for supplying water in the spring and summer. Across the Western United States, spring snowpack has declined by nearly 20 percent on average from 1955 to 2020. Snowpack, along with other precipitation

patterns, is impacted by both internal variability and anthropogenic change.

Internal variability, also known as natural variability, refers to naturally occurring changes in weather patterns.

Ocean-atmosphere oscillation, seasonal variation and changes in atmospheric patterns are all examples of internal variability.

Anthropogenic change refers to changes in the climate that are driven by human activities. This variation — including greenhouse gas emissions — would not naturally occur without human involvement.

Researchers from Cornell’s

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences have been working on a multi-institutional grant project estimating the effect of anthropogenic changes on snow water resources in the Upper Colorado River Basin.

The Upper Colorado River Basin supplies more than 90 percent of the water supply for the entire Colorado River Basin. To understand the local processes affecting snow water resources in the basin, the project will combine an innovative climate model framework with hydrological models created by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder.

According to Ankur Dixit, a postdoctoral associate in earth and atmospheric sciences, the ensemble models use outputs from global climate models. Ensemble models allow researchers to run multiple simulations of climate data with different initial conditions to isolate the effects of climate change.

Due to the richness of the data, the researchers narrowed their dataset down to four different ensemble members. The models were selected if they showed equivalent extreme trends for precipitation, temperature and snow water.

Using dynamical downscal-

ing, the researchers are able to extrapolate global climate data to understand climate patterns at regional or local scales. The data was downscaled using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model.

This framework generated a large dataset at the 100, 45, 9 and 3 kilometer resolutions, which allows the researchers to understand variations and uncertainty of estimates at different scales.

This dataset may allow researchers to understand the past and current impact of anthropogenic change and internal variability on snow water resources. This information can help them identify the emergence of anthropogenic warming signals in snow water resource metrics in the basin.

The emergence of an anthropogenic warming signal refers to the point in time when effects of human-driven changes exceed internal variability.

“For now, the range of internal variability is stronger than climate change,” Dixit said. “But if we don’t do anything about it, what would be the time period when this climate change would surpass that range and become the most dominant factor?”

To continue reading this article, please visit cornellsun. com.

Taylor Rijos can be reached at tlr65@cornell.edu.

Mysterious mountains | Snowpack in mountains regions of Colorado, including the above landscape near Aspen, Colorado, has declined in the past 24 years.

COURTESTY OF ROBERT JAY GABANY / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

COURTESTY OF WOLF WIGGUM / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Engimatic eclipse | A supermoon lunar eclipse like the one depicted above shone in Ithaca on Tuesday, Sept. 17.

Cornell’s Co-Ops Represent an Ideal(ized) America

By Ilana Livshits

Ilana Livshits is a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached at ilivshits@cornellsun.com.

Over the summer, I had the privilege of living at Wait Terrace, one of Cornell’s eight cooperative (co-op) houses. Inside that yellow house ﬁlled with jigsaw puzzles, I spent many evenings cooking alongside my housemates talking about my background, lying on the couch crying about problems at work, and on the living room ﬂoor absorbing the wonders of my housemates that I could only detect through glimpses into their daily routine. Most of our time was simply being. With similar mindsets — (cynical) liberalism and political activism, expression of self through art, and a not-yet-perfected exploration of physical and mental health — we talked for hours. Our shared space fostered a community.

Co-ops, or communal living spaces, are inherently collaborative communities governed by their student residents. Members determine house rules and participate in chores, such as cleaning and maintenance. Decisions affecting the house are made democratically at individual house meetings. Common spaces are kept clean with the continuous effort of all house members. Amenities are shared; Wait Terrace has communal kitchen supplies bought in previous years using house money from rent, a washer and dryer in the basement, and a living room space.

Co-ops can take various forms, explains Sam J. Leeds, a producer and reporter, on an episode of Life Kit by NPR. “It can be friends renting in the same apartment building…raising kids on the same street as a couple of other families…buying a big house with like-minded people… It’s about commitment to pooling resources and collaborative decision-making. And for many, that commitment is long term rather than a stop on the way to living solo.” At its basis, members of an intentional community unite around a shared social, political, religious, or spiritual vision, and collaborate in managing responsibilities and communal property. Communal living spaces are a powerful, intuitive, and simple way for sustainable living based on sharing objects, amenities, and homes, or even green skills, norms, and values.

The co-op lives in a world outside the traditional rules of our modern, cap-

italist society. This sharing of household items is a radical ﬁght against consumerism. Instead of each person needing their own supplies, the co-op had shared appliances, reducing individual consumption. Likewise, we had communal house staples, foods that many members regularly used — such as baking ingredients, reducing the cost of supplies and preventing food waste.

At their core, co-ops are a working critique of capitalism — the economic system based on competition, not cooperation. On a deeper level, they are a microcosm of socialism: co-ops strive for economic equality with lower rent than dorms or apartments and access to the essentials, which reduces economic disparities within the community. In co-ops, we share spaces and physical goods as well as our inner lives with each other, fostering strong structures of trust and mutual support.

On a larger scale, however, the contemporary embodiment of a “sharing economy” is simply an expansion of consumerism because it largely functions on renting instead of borrowing. For instance, Rent the Runway, an online e-commerce website that rents designer apparel and accessories, reinforces the constant need to have “more” and something that “looks new.” In this case, renting clothing is not contributing to slow and sustainable fashion, it is keeping up with micro-trends without cluttering one’s possessions.

I hope the United States can take the ethos of a co-op and expand it to help heal the wounds of gluttony formed by capitalism. Ithaca already holds a profound example of communal living in EcoVillage, home to about 210 residents across three neighborhoods: Frog, Song and Tree. EcoVillage balances the privacy of individual homes with the strong neighborhood ties that develop from shared interests by prioritizing shared spaces such as the Common House and central gardens between homes. The Common House “provides a place to gather for… shared dinners, parties, meetings, laundry, yoga classes, kids playrooms, and more,” according to the EcoVillage website. Village residents further foster community by dedicating 2 to 3 hours per week to maintaining clean spaces and volunteering to a

Work Team, which includes Cooking, Dishes, Outdoors, Maintenance, Common House, Finance, Process/ Steering, and Community Life. EcoVillage further breaks away from consumerism by centering around a shared goal of sustainability: the community sources food from three on-site organic farms, has community gardens and green buildings and obtains half of its energy from solar power.

Communal living is one remedy to Robert D. Putnam’s description of increased disconnection from family, friends, neighbors, and democratic structures in Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. As such, I expect to see a rise in people living in communal housing in the following years as people increasingly search for alternative communities and relationships outside of marital dynamics.

An example of this change is Rosie Kellet, a resident of a communal warehouse with six of her friends, who has gained traction on Instagram in videos of cooking dinner for her warehouse. She explains, “We each pay £25 into a kitty and that money buys all our food for the week. Each night, one person cooks dinner for everyone.” Her internet popularity reinforces an increasing search for mutually supportive relationships and chosen family.

In that light, I have found a chosen family at Wait Terrace. Past and current house members deﬁne the place. I often return to the framed photos of old residents. Their imprints are all over the space, blurred together. Recently, one of my ex-housemates asked if a previous resident would have ever expected that the mini disco-ball they hung up would remain there after they — and everyone who knew them — graduated. I returned home that night wondering if I left any permanent impact on the place. I both worry that I haven’t left a mark and fear that I left part of myself in the house.

So, to the people who made Wait Terrace home for the summer: You mean the world to me. I love you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for enacting community as political resistance through communal ownership of resources, democratic decision-making and mutual support. I hope the world follows in your example.

Continuous Open Bidding: Te Informal Side of Rushing

By Maia Mehring

Maia Mehring is a sophomore in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. She can be reached at mjm743@cornell.edu.

If you’ve been paying attention to campus chatter lately, you may have heard the acronym “COB” dropped here and there. To most, it’s a cryptic term that holds no meaning, but for some at Cornell, it can completely transform the college experience.

COB, or Continuous Open Bidding, refers to the Panhellenic Sororities’ informal recruitment process. It happens every fall and after the conclusion of formal recruitment every spring. Although fall COB selections were ﬁnalized last weekend, this casual alternative to typical rushing may be the right Greek experience for you.

At Alpha Xi Delta, COB Director Jess Wiemels‘27describedthisprocessingreaterdetail.

“[It’s an] informal recruitment process that many sororities use to ﬁll available spots outside of the primary recruitment period,” she told the Sun.

In fall, COB is open to sophomores, sophomore transfers, juniors, and junior transfers. In spring ﬁrst-year students are also allowed to participate after formal recruitment ends.

As opposed to structured “rounds” during FMR, “COB consists of smaller events like open houses or one-on-one coffee chats to get to know potential new members,” Wiemels explained.

Nonetheless, only certain sororities participate in COB each semester. Which houses partake is contingent on the number of girls who end up joining each sorority after FMR is completed. Only ﬁve out of the eleven Panhellenic Sororities held informal recruitment this semester (Alpha Epsilon Phi, Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Xi Delta, Delta Delta Delta, and Pi Beta Phi). And while this adds an element of uncertainty to COB, it is unmistakably less stressful than its formal counterpart.

“COB is an amazing opportunity for students to join the Panhellenic community after freshman year when they’ve better acclimated to campus life,” said Gigi Chan ‘26, Vice President of Recruitment for Alpha Chi Omega. “Many students who are initially unsure about going Greek in freshman year participate in COB after learning more about the community. Additionally, COB is a great option for transfer students to ﬁnd a welcoming sisterhood and make campus feel smaller and less intimidating.” Katie Turek ‘27, a sophomore who went through continuous open bidding last spring, found community at Kappa Delta Sorority because of the process. Despite hesitation about committing to formal recruitment, she decided to step into the unknown and continue with the preliminary FMR rounds. After completing two virtual rounds and one in-person round, she decided the fast-paced, formal aspect of FMR was not what she was looking for from the Greek experience.

“I wish someone had told me that just because formal recruitment had ended, it didn’t have to be the end of sorority recruitment,” Turek said. “It would have been a different experience.”

In actuality, Turek did have an atypical COB experience. A Kappa Delta alum herself, Turek’s mother received an email prospecting student interest in COB for KD following formal recruitment. Intrigued by this alternative avenue and the chance to follow in her mom’s footsteps, she signed up for COB and met with a senior in KD.

“We talked about the outcome of formal recruitment and my hesitations toward COB; the conversation was so honest and real,” she recalled.

In addition to being the COB Director for AZD, Jess Wiemels had a similar experience after being recruited through COB herself. “Unlike formal recruitment, COB is more casual, ongoing, and chill.”

With FMR conﬂicting with her sister’s wedding in Costa Rica, there was no possibility of her

being on campus in time for the ﬁrst round. She still knew she wanted to join Greek Life in the spring and remembered learning about COB from Panhellenic representatives at club fest.

After ﬁlling out the interest form linked on Cornell Panhellenic’s Instagram and coffee-chatting with sisters from various chapters, Jess ultimately chose AXiD.

“I really enjoyed chatting with girls from different sororities in an informal, one-onone setting. Ultimately, I’m really glad I did COB, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to join a sorority outside of the formal recruitment process.”

Current Kappa Delta president Caroline Park ‘27 also feels that joining greek life through COB is a great way to “make Cornell feel like home.” Though KD did not offer the informal recruitment option this fall, Park had a personal connection to wanting COB members to feel integrated into the KD family.

After she completed formal recruitment last spring , her younger sister decided to rush the same sorority informally. Park worked to ensure her sibling felt just as connected to her new sorority sisters as she had.

Though they had different journeys, the end result was the same: a feeling of sisterhood and belonging found at Kappa Delta.

Though each sorority conducts itself differently in both the COB and FMR processes, those on the recruitment side of COB take steps to ensure the process is equitable and inclusive for all PNMs.

“Our recruitment selection process is solely based on the conversations our potential new members have with our sisters. We have DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) trainings for our recruiters and are very transparent about chapter requirements and ﬁnances throughout the COB process,” Chan said.

Both Wiemels and Chan spoke about the beneﬁts of having smaller-than-usual member classes for COB PNMs, but Wiemels felt it was important to note the purpose of COB: to invite more people to join Greek Life if the member quotas for sororities allow for it. In this past round of COB, AXiD only had six spots for PNMs interested in joining, making the selection process more difﬁcult after talking to many excited PNMs.

“I did my best to meet with as many PNMs as possible (meeting ﬁrst with the girls who indicated AXiD as their ﬁrst or only choice), and deliberated heavily with the recruitment team about who to offer bids,” Wiemels said. Though a great option for many, COB does not guarantee a bid from a sorority, making it riskier for those wanting to be a part of Greek Life on campus.

Still, despite the risk, the most common advice sisters give to those considering COB is to keep an open mind.

“Every sorority is ﬁlled with incredible girls, and there is a place for every PNM,” Park stressed. “Focus on the conversations you are having with the girls, and see if their values align with yours.”

Chan shared this sentiment of focusing on values.

“I chose the house I felt at home in and whose sisters I could picture myself becoming close friends with, who reminded me of my sister and best friends from home, and who matched my values,” she explained.

Panhellenic emphasizes the importance of each unique member in the recruitment process, offering COB as a chance to express individuality. Informal recruitment is an opportunity to let sororities get to know you authentically, without the pomp and frill of formal recruitment.

S.A. Forms Committee to Raise Student Worker Wages

By OLIVIA HOLLOWAY

Sept. 20 — Cornell’s student workers minimum wage is currently set at $15, which equates to just over 60 percent of Ithaca’s liveable earnings rate for single adults with no children, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s widely-used Living Wage Calculator.

The Student Assembly has begun its initiative to increase this wage, unanimously voting to reestablish an ad hoc committee for further discussion at its meeting on Thursday.

The creation of the committee, entitled the Committee on Student Employment and Wages, follows actions taken by last semester’s Assembly to investigate concerns over student employment at Cornell. Members will work alongside the Ofﬁce of Financial Aid and Student Employment to improve student worker experience, including raising the minimum wage to $18.50 to meet local living costs and simplifying the student job application process.

Cornell trails behind other upstate colleges — including Binghamton University and Syracuse University — in matching local living costs, according to MIT’s calculator.

However, Assembly members have voiced concerns about the plausibility of their plan to increase the student wage after witnessing the University’s response to the UAW Local 2300 strike.

The UAW Local 2300 strike began in mid-August after University administration and union representatives failed to reach an agreement after months of bargaining. With their requests for a wage that matches Ithaca’s cost of living denied, full-time food, maintenance and other auto workers refused to cross the picket line, causing the University’s day-to-day functions to slow or halt entirely as Cornell’s Class of 2028 arrived on campus.

The 2023-2024 Committee on Student Employment and Wages committee released a report in March that contrasted University data with other local schools and elite universities, noting a signiﬁcantly lower percentage of payment to student workers than the average cost of living in the Ithaca area. After months of investigation, the subgroup of the Assembly recommended that the University increase the wage to match at least 75 percent of the living wage of Ithaca, a proposal then adopted by Resolution 67.

“Home to one of the country’s best labor studies schools, Cornell should be at the top of its class for fair wages and labor practices, including for its student workers,” the report read. “It can achieve this by paying a minimum of 75 percent of Ithaca’s living wage.”

Last spring semester — over a month after the report was released — the majority of voters in the S.A. election approved raising the minimum wage of student workers to $18.50.

The resolution also suggested a yearly cost-of-living adjustment that would match New York’s annual minimum wage increase, along with requiring an annual job fair for students to explore on-campus jobs and a reorganization of the application process for on-campus jobs.

Ezra Galperin ’27, an S.A. undesignated representative at-large, explained that Workday’s — Cornell’s centralized time and pay management software — current system for ﬁnding job postings needs to be streamlined, as jobs with speciﬁc requirements, for any level of experience, are piled in one “student jobs” category.

“It creates a clutter of jobs that, unless you are part of a very speciﬁc group or are a speciﬁc individual, you’re pretty much guaranteed not to get,” Galperin said.

Danielle Donovan ’25, the S.A. student workers’ representative, reiterated the lack of transparency when it comes to Workday postings. According to Donovan, the committee met with the University’s human resources department several times last semester to discuss potential changes. While the administration was willing to implement a job fair, there was a lot of pushback in terms of increasing wages.

“If they are unwilling to give a [cost-of-living adjustment] increase to full-time workers, even though they go on strike, it is unlikely that they would give a [wage] increase to the students,” Donovan said.

Galperin explained that the recent UAW strike highlights how students have the ability to ensure that the University listens to the Assembly’s recommendations.

“Ultimately, and unfortunately, the University is not bound by our recommendations,” Galperin said. “I do think that the University needs to take a serious look at the wages, given what we saw during the UAW strike, and given the very clear power that students have to make change in that sense.”

Donovan explained that the committee’s goal is to work towards a student minimum wage increase from $15 to $18.48 this year, which — according to the report — would result in a $6,103,767 increase in additional University spending.

“For context, the increase in the total student wage expenditure equals just over one-tenth of one percent (.11%) of the University’s [ﬁscal year] operating budget: a cost that Cornell can certainly afford to bear,” the report stated.

Cornell’s expenditures in 2023 summed to $5.5 billion, with just over 60 percent of that spending used for salaries, wages and beneﬁts. $26 million of that budget went towards student employment, an allotment that would increase by 23.2 percent if the assembly’s recommendations are adopted.

The Ofﬁce of Financial Aid and Student Employment declined to comment on the Assembly’s plans to request an increase in the student wage.

The report also proposed a pay scale for different tiers across student workers, as they found that the wages of lower tiers — entry level positions — increased at a higher rate than that of upper tiers — positions requiring speciﬁc experience and developed skills — in the past few years. The Assembly recommended a yearly increase for each tier’s wage that is uniformly tied to inﬂation.

“A lot of my friends are student workers. [They] really make the campus run, especially for me, as a Kosherkeeping student,” Galperin said. “I want to make sure they are looked out for.”

ILR Hosts Exhibit on Nonpermanent Immigration Statuses

By CHRISTINE SAVINO Sun Senior Writer

Sept. 23 — The struggles of temporary protected status holders were displayed in a days-long exhibit in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Held from Sept. 16 through the 20 at the Thomas P. Golden Courtyard, the exhibit highlighted the experiences of people with nonpermanent immigration statuses.

Established by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under the Immigration Act of 1990, TPS allows nationals from countries facing armed conﬂict, environmental disasters or other extraordinary conditions to live and work temporarily in the U.S. The program does not provide a path to permanent citizenship and thus requires federal renewals through the executive branch of the government every 6-18 months.

Patricia Campos-Medina ’96 M.S. ’97, executive director of the Worker Institute at Cornell’s ILR School and principal investigator of the “Stories of Belonging” exhibit, stated that despite their contributions, TPS workers remain at risk of deportation amid ongoing political debates. TPS expanded under President Joe Biden although its future is uncertain amid the 2024 presidential election.

Former president Donald Trump has vowed to deport approximately 15-20 million undocumented immigrants if elected, which would be the largest deportation in history.

Trump has also criticized Harris’ leadership on immigration as vice president, notably calling her the “border czar.” Amid a rise in border crossings in 2021, Biden tapped Harris to examine the root causes of migration through diplomacy with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Harris has called the immigration system “broken” and in need of “reform,” saying, “We can do both … — create an earned pathway to citizenship and secure our border.”

The exhibit — titled “Stories of Belonging: Central American TPS Workers and Their Deﬁant Struggle to Stay Home in the U.S.” — featured a collection of photography, videos, ﬁeld interviews and timelines documenting the ongoing struggles for citizenship rights and union organizing faced by over 325,000 Central American TPS holders in the U.S. as of March 2024. Exhibit text was provided in English and Spanish.

Campos-Medina discussed her connection to the issue.

Her family ﬂed the Salvadoran Civil War in the 1980s and navigated the complexities of seeking political asylum. She said that Central American TPS workers today, many of whom have been in the U.S. since the 1990s, have contributed to the American economy and account for approximately 273,200 U.S.-born children.

The exhibit featured TPS worker Trinidad Garcia, a Brooklyn resident.

“My home is here,” Garcia is quoted as saying on a large exhibit board in English and Spanish. “I came escaping poverty 30 years ago and I was able to work and build a life here in the U.S. for my children. I have many grandchildren and great-grandchildren now and they all live here.”

It also featured TPS worker Oscar Rodriguez, a Long Island resident. His exhibit board stated in English and Spanish, “I love Honduras, the place I was born. But I feel American, I just don’t have a paper that says I am American.”

Ariana Shapiro grad attended the exhibit.

She said that holding the exhibit was timely given former President Trump’s false claim that Haitian immigrants were eating pets during the Sept. 10 presidential debate.

Shapiro noted that many Haitian immigrants hold TPS, and she thus “feels [it] especially timely to have an exhibit and event in which these workers’ voices are elevated.”

at csavino@cornellsun.com.

Sun Assistant News Editor

Olivia Holloway can be reached at oholloway@cornellsun.com.

Christine Savino can be reached

KARLIE MCGANN / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Immigrant images | Stories from temporary protected status holders are displayed at the Thomas P. Golden Courtyard.

Fill in the empty cells, one number in each, so that each column, row, and region contains the numbers 1-9 exactly once. Each number in the solution therefore occurs only once in each of the three “directions,” hence the “single numbers” implied by the puzzle’s name. (Rules from wikipedia.org/wiki/ Sudoku)

Frat Flu by Jessie Guillen ’27

Prelim Season

New Green Dragon by Hannia Arevalo ’27

by Elliot Kim ’28

Ayman Abou-Alfa

Ayman Abou-Alfa is a second year student in the College of Arts & Sciences. His fortnightly column Mind & Matter delves into the intersection of culture and science at Cornell University. He can be reached at aaboualfa@cornellsun.com.

Assembly Antics: Efciency As the Enemy of Democracy

Cornell University’s Student Assembly is the prime voice of the student body. It is the sole institution that speaks purely on behalf of all undergraduates; with 37 Assembly members representing nearly 16,000 students, the power held by the members in charge is considerable. Distributing the Student Activity Fee to organizations, which costs every student an additional $424 per semester, or setting study period lengths, which have been slashed in recent years, all fall under the purview of the Assembly. The interests of the students depend heavily on the decisions of the Assembly, as they need to be made to accommodate the different academic and recreational aspirations of each individual, whether they be engineering, government or biological sciences majors.

Concerningly, the memory of the tenets has faded for some in the Assembly, as outlined in the recently passed — and heavily critiqued — Resolution 2. The president and vice presidents of the Assembly have all been given the power to handpick deputies, who are made to assist with the tasks associated with their roles. Beyond this, the descriptions of how these deputies participate in the Assembly are correspondingly vague, stating, rather blankly, that “Each Ofﬁcer is permitted to appoint individuals to assist in the execution of their responsibilities.” Through other ambiguous descriptions, one might be able to glean that these deputies are given seats in the Assembly, but are forbidden from voting. Even then, it remains uncertain how the authors ultimately intended this.

Those who drafted and voted for the code may argue that since these deputies have no vote, all instances of foul-play are negated, rendering it impossible for members of the Assembly to gather phony support. This is a compromise to be accepted cautiously: votes are not the only currency with which members of the Assembly trade, but also the voices with which they speak. As it stands, those selected for deputy positions, whose opinions, in all likelihood, are in lock-step with those who picked them, are going to pollute the open discourse that the Assembly provides. Appearances are powerful, and they should not be underestimated as a tool to quell

the dissenting opinion.

The selection of Nicholas Maggard to the deputy president role, placing him third in charge of the Student Assembly, without any manner of student vote, is an expressive example of this. Naturally, it is hard to imagine any situation where Maggard would have to take the lead, but, the nature of contravening the will of the students with executive loopholes paints a poor picture. If anything, it appears that President deRham is attempting to craft the Assembly in her image, rather than that of the students.

Now, considering the context in which these reforms were written, it is not surprising to see deRham undertake initiatives to restructure the student body’s most powerful institution. Patrick Kuehl’s alleged attempts to weaponize the voting power of the Interfraternity Council combined with GonzálezMulattieri’s refusal to step down after multiple confrontations over sexual assault scandals have become unwashable stains on the Assembly’s reputation. One would expect an overhaul of the Assembly to follow such instability, attempting to reassert confidence among students at the start of the new academic year. However, deRham’s callousness as to the passing of the decision, at odds with the written bylaws, saying that “it was something that […] everyone was fine with,” is a perspective that the Assembly must suppress. Considering the Office of Ethics called the passing of the decision unethical, there is clear discontent among members as to the undertaking of such initiatives.

Of course, it is understandable that ranking members of the Assembly might need some form of help in performing their duties; this, however, should never trump the selection process animated by the student body, which it evidently does here. Perhaps it was the opinion of the Assembly that in order to encourage students to take up these roles, rather than becoming actual members, some sort of official recompense, such as a seat on the Assembly and an official title, would be needed. Even so, a more appropriate form of remuneration is required, as the current system enables deputies to surpass their roles as assistants.

Carlin Reyen

Carlin Reyen is a fourth year student in the College of Arts and Sciences. Her fortnightly column Just Carlin’ It Like It Is centers around student life, social issues, Cornell life hacks and the University’s interactions with the broader community. Carlin can be reached at creyen@cornellsun.com.

Local Elections Matter

The rebuke of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 popular victory by the Electoral College stunted my belief in the power of a single vote. Yet, I have looked for the past four years toward the day I can exercise my right and privilege to vote for our nation’s president.

As Election Day approaches, I feel a hopeful ambivalence: a faith in my generation, knowing that, like me, this is likely the ﬁrst national election many of my peers are eligible to vote in.

Simultaneously, though, each day brings increasing recognition of the real qualms Americans can — and do — have with a two-party system, and apathy with promises that political campaigns make, and then fall short of, without substantive results to show for in the daily lives of many.

Make no mistake, I’ll be casting my vote in the presidential election, mobilizing in support of the rhetoric, policy and respect I hope our country can unify behind. But, remembering 2016, I often feel a sense of powerlessness in my ability to make change with my vote in the national election.

I write this column to underscore the importance of local voting. For those of us from New York, or California, or Massachusetts, for example, maybe you’ve heard people say, “Well, it doesn’t really matter since our state always goes blue,” the way I have. If this applies to you, I want to make a case for you to switch your registration to your Ithaca address.

Ithaca is technically part of a ‘swing district’ in New York. Republican Representative Marc Molinaro won N.Y.’s 19th Congressional district, which includes Tompkins, Tioga and Cortland counties, by just 1.6 percent in 2022. The projections are the same now as they were 2 years ago.

The race for Ithaca’s house seat boils down to 4,495 votes. Cornell’s undergraduate population alone triples that number.

As students who spend a large portion of the year in Ithaca, part of New York’s 19th Congressional District, we do not discuss the impact our presence here in Ithaca has on residents nearly enough. Whether or not students or Ithaca natives like it, these transient college populations inevitably hike up housing costs for residents, put wear and tear on city roads and increase stress on Ithaca’s healthcare system.

The recent UAW strike at Cornell — and large-scale member participation — clearly indicates that Cornell’s presence is icing local workers out of the area while being slow to respond to cost of living adjustments and not paying its fair share of taxes to the city.

As Cornell students, we need to take a sincere interest and stake in the community that we are a part

of. Regardless of how long we are here, for better or for worse, we are here.

My hometown in New York’s Southern Tier is located in the same Congressional district as Ithaca. I will be voting absentee for Josh Riley because I believe that all of the district’s constituents deserve reproductive healthcare and housing support rather than Molinaro’s proven subscription to dangerous Republican party viewpoints on the national level.

Riley has demonstrated a commitment on the federal level to ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment, which will protect the rights of Americans to make healthcare decisions regarding their own bodies when it comes to abortion.

Molinaro, on the other hand, voted twice in 2023 for Jim Jordan, a staunchly conservative Ohio Republican, and the author of a national abortion ban bill, to be Speaker of the House of Representatives when Jordan was the GOP nominee. Molinaro has since attempted to distance himself from this stance, notably in the face of his reelection campaign this fall. I, for one, am skeptical. Molinaro voted for the Born Alive Survivors Act, which would put healthcare providers at risk of criminal charges for providing standard reproductive care. How can we trust Molinaro to uphold healthcare rights given his hardline record?

Many Cornell students and faculty will be able to access reproductive healthcare in the U.S., no matter whether Roe is codiﬁed, because they can afford to travel to places where it is legal. Privilege, though, is not an excuse to ignore the very real access issue that will impact millions of Americans if Trump, with the support of House Republicans like Molinaro, is able to allow the issue to be decided by the states, as he claimed in the presidential debate earlier this month.

I highly encourage you to research candidates and propositions (New York will also have Proposition 1 on the ballot this fall, which would strengthen the state’s ERA) and cast your own vote during the presidential election: making an investment in the future of our country and your desire for it to be the best place that it can be for all while conceding that no candidate is perfect. That being said, making a difference locally to uphold protections for communities negatively affected by opportunistic leadership can be all the more gratifying.

Consider casting your vote locally to send a representative to the House who cares about the basic health and dignity of all community members across the board, not just when he’s up for re-election.

& &

TEST SPINS | Aerosmith: ‘Permanent Vacation’

SYDNEY LEVINTON ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

In August, Aerosmith announced that their already-postponed farewell tour was canceled and that they were retiring from touring as a result of lead singer Steven Tyler’s vocal injury. This broke my heart. Aerosmith was the ﬁrst rock band I ever loved. “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing,” “Crazy,” “Dream On,” “Walk This Way” … it just didn’t get any better. I remain a steadfast Aerosmith fan to this day and was crushed when I found out I would never see them on tour. This week, I’ve decided to review the 1986 record Permanent Vacation to pay homage to Aerosmith’s legacy and Steven Tyler’s incredible voice.

Permanent Vacation begins with the electrifying “Heart’s Done Time” in what I would unabashedly deem one of the most energizing openers to a hard rock album ever. Although the song is lyrically simplistic, it’s amazingly effective. Tyler punctuates the song with his signature belts, showcasing right off the bat what his voice can do, and Joe Perry’s guitar only enhances its power. Next is “Magic Touch” which Tyler admitted felt “a little stupid, commercial,” but I personally really enjoy it. It’s nothing super out of the ordinary — it’s catchy and fun, which we already knew Aerosmith could do, but Tyler’s crazy vocals make it sound special. Though I

have to confess — when he sings “You better get it while it’s hot now, babe / ‘Cause I can’t let go” I couldn’t help but think of Chappell Roan’s “HOT TO GO!” … sorry, but it had to be said.

“Magic Touch” is followed up by “Rag Doll,” a bluesy track that strangely opens with the chorus. Tyler has the perfect amount of rasp in his voice — as he is wont to do — and Perry delivers an absolutely smashing guitar break — as he is also wont to do. If that wasn’t enough, Tyler also gifts us with some amusing scatting on the outro. Tyler shows off his vocal ability even more on “Simoriah,” a track even more intoxicating than Tyler ﬁnds the woman that it’s about.

“Dude (Looks Like A Lady)” is one of the most iconic songs off Permanent Vacation, and for good reason — it’s just so singable and has such an interesting backstory. Desmond Child, who worked with the band on this song, explained that “[Tyler] got the idea because [Aerosmith] had gone to a bar and had seen a girl at the end of the bar with ginormous blonde rock hair, and the girl turned around and it ended up being Vince Neil from Mötley Crüe. So then they started making fun of him and started saying, ‘That dude looks like a lady…’”

“St. John” features Perry’s grungy, deep guitar at center stage and a repetition-heavy chorus that just works. Tyler lays off the vocal gymnastics here

and takes a lower tone, allowing Perry to have his moment. “Hangman Jury” starts with a folksy, almost bluegrassy intro and progressively gets bigger and louder. It’s a bit eclectic and really goes to show how Aerosmith can make any instruments sound like they belong together.

The band takes a swing in the other direction of genre with “Girl Keeps Coming Apart,” an upbeat, rousing track that gains a bit of a big band component with the addition of trumpets. And, as usual, Perry’s guitar hits just right. “‘Girl Keeps Coming Apart’ was fun and a great workout,” he said of the song. “When I started playing the riff, that’s exactly what I envisioned — something funky with wild horns pumping away. But when we played it live, it went right over our fans’ heads. Phshew! … our audience is not like that. They wanna hear rock ‘n’ roll.”

“Angel” is one of my all time favorite Aerosmith songs. It rouses you from the very first note, and Tyler’s vocals are just beautiful. He demonstrates how flexible his voice is with some exemplary vocal flips as he begs: “I’ve suffered and I’ve seen the light / Baby, you’re my angel / Come and save me tonight / You’re my angel / Come and make it alright.”

“Permanent Vacation” is another song like “Heart’s Done Time” that isn’t exactly lyrically complex but is still a fun listen. “I’m Down” is short, sweet and honest: “How can you laugh when

you know I’m down?” Tyler asks. You just can’t help but head bop to this one. The album closes out with “The Movie,” an intense instrumental piece that is engaging even without lyrics and includes a dollop of Gaelic in the middle — an intriguing choice, but one I would be willing to get behind for Aerosmith. Listening to Permanent Vacation only solidiﬁed what I already knew: Aerosmith was the best foray into rock music I could have asked for as a child. After re-listening, I feel especially grateful for the music Aerosmith has given us, but above all I feel grateful Tyler is putting his health ﬁrst.

Sydney Levinton is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at slevinton@ cornellsun.com.

Reading Annabel Monaghen

EMMA ROBINSON ARTS & CULTURE WRITER

The book world is arguably oversaturated with romance reads. Many of them offer entertainment with little literary depth, making it increasingly difficult to find a novel that both captures my attention and offers some level of emotional engagement. One author that is able to do both of these things successfully is Annabel Monaghen. Her books have recently risen in popularity in the literary world so I gave them a try this summer. Her three most popular books were all published in the past three years. They are centered around female protagonists who are in their thirties and trying to find themselves.

The first book I read, Nora Goes Off Script , was published in 2022 and has a 4.10 star rating on Goodreads. This book follows main character Nora as she attempts to establish her career as a screenwriter. She is recently divorced and facing the difficulties associated with raising two children on her own. When a film crew comes to her home to film her most recent movie that also happens to be based on her own divorce, she is introduced to movie star Leo. The two soon strike up a romance. However, that is not

the main point of the book. All of Monaghen’s books are centered around the growth of the protagonist, making them more women’s ﬁction than romance. I really enjoyed this read and its unique take on a love story as a way of changing how a woman views herself. There is some miscommunication between the characters

in this book that I found to be a bit annoying, but I also understood why it was used as a plot point. I also appreciated Nora’s children in the book as they were fairly accurate representations of children of their age and not portrayed as older than they really were. Overall, it was an enjoyable read with some depth to it in the form of

Nora’s journey to ﬁnd her own sense of worth.

The second book I picked up Same Time Next Summer was published in 2023 and has a 3.76 star rating on Goodreads. Of the three books, this was my least favorite but I still enjoyed it. The main character, Sam, ﬁnds herself discontent with her job and current relation-

ship. When she goes back to the beach she used to visit every summer as a child, she remembers her ﬁrst love Wyatt and the girl she used to be. While I enjoyed the then and now timelines and thought Sam was a very honest main character, I did not love the fact that she was betraying her existing relationship. Again, it did make

sense for the plot but also made me dislike Sam for stringing along another man. I also did not love Wyatt as he had his own issues that seemed somewhat immature. However, I did still appreciate seeing Sam’s growth into a woman who has a better grasp of what she wants in life.

The ﬁnal book that I read

from Monaghen titled Summer Romance was published this year and rated 4.12 stars on Goodreads. This was my favorite of her publications, although they were all around a four star rating for me. This book follows Ali as she goes through a divorce and falls in love with a man named Ethan. He is the ﬁrst person who she feels really

sees her and appreciates her for who she is. She is able to step away from her toxic marriage not just to be with another man but to rediscover her old passions. I really appreciated the growth we saw from Ali and how she and Ethan are able to communicate effectively. The book felt satisfying and engaging throughout its entirety instead of frustrating at points like Monaghan’s other books. The title of this novel simpliﬁes the plot down to a seemingly mundane summer romance, but really it made me feel so many emotions alongside the main character. I found Ali’s story to be extremely relatable despite being someone who has never experienced a divorce.

While each of these books offers its own spin on the genre, they all share a focus on the growth of a female main character and how a supportive romantic partner empowers them to break out of their comfort zones. Annabel Managhen is the perfect author for any romance reader looking for a book with depth, a unique protagonist, and a realistic but engaging plot.

Emma Robinson is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at erobinson@cornellsun.com.

COURTESY OF GEFFEN RECORDS

COURTESY

The Sun’s Exclusive Interview With Kotlikoff

INTERVIEW

Continued from page 1

The Sun: You assumed the presidency under very unusual circumstances, and many members of the Cornell community still feel puzzled by the University’s official explanation of what happened. So last May, former president Pollack announced that she would resign from her role at the end of June —

Kotlikoff: Retire.

The Sun: Resign.

Kotlikoff: Her explanation was “retired.”

The Sun: The New York Times says “resigned,” but either way — in the only official statement she made on the matter to the community, she said that the decision was hers alone, though that announcement came at a time of intense pressure from donors, student activists and politicians.

Her abrupt resignation was surprising given that university presidents generally announce their plans to step down six months or even a year in advance. On top of that, interim presidents generally do not serve two-year terms. So why was this transition of power so sudden and so shrouded in secrecy? When did you know Pollack would resign? And what is the inside story of what happened there?

Kotlikoff: There really isn’t too much of an inside story. I really can’t speak to all of [Pollack’s] reasons for deciding to retire. But she felt like she had done what she could do for the University and made a personal decision to step down. She did make it. It is not usual in this way, and it was somewhat abrupt. But that was really her call and her decision. She told me personally when she had made the decision.

The Sun: When was that?

Kotlikoff: This was — I forget. I forget the dates. But it was a few weeks, as I recall, before the official announcement was made. And during that period of time, that was a period of time with discussion with the Board of Trustees around how to configure leadership and make sure that there was some continuity of leadership at Cornell.

The Sun: So was the Board of Trustees involved? Did they have any influence over this decision before she made the announcement?

Kotlikoff: Over Martha’s decision? No, I believe Martha was discussing this with the Board, but I don’t believe there was any pressure on Martha to resign or announce her retirement.

The Sun: Well, it’s a tough job.

Kotlikoff: It is a tough job, and it was tough on her, it was tough on her health, et cetera, but I really do not believe — I have no evidence, and everything I know is to the contrary that the Board in any way influenced her decision.

The Sun: So why are you serving a two-year term as an interim president?

Kotlikoff: The two-year term is to give stability. I was provost, and if I now become president on an interim basis or on an acting basis, and we

immediately start searching for a president, we would have to start searching for a president and a provost at the same time.

In discussions with the Board, the decision was made — and it was certainly my preference as well — to provide some stability to Cornell in a difficult period, use that period of time to do a full search for a provost — which we’ll announce in a few weeks — and have a permanent provost in place during the next transition to a president, which will most likely be an external candidate and one who’s not as familiar with Cornell.

The Sun: Do you have any plans for when you’re finished with your term as interim president?

Kotlikoff: I’ll almost certainly retire. I closed my lab a few years ago. I still teach a little bit, but I’ll retire at that point.

The Sun: You’ve been at Cornell for around 25 years, and in 2016, you had the opportunity to serve as acting president. So what are some of the lessons that you learned as acting president in 2016 that you hope to apply to your role now?

Kotlikoff: 2016 was a very different time. It was a much less stressful time for the University, [with] much less division at Cornell but of course nationally. At that time, my role was clearly to bridge to an interim president — which became Hunter Rawlings — and go back to provost. I couldn’t do both jobs. It was clearly something where we needed a temporary solution. Hunter and I worked marvelously together. I knew him and served as a chair, [with] him as a dean at that time. So it was a little different there. It was also where I had only begun becoming provost,

and I had a lot of plans, and I wanted to make sure that I was able to continue those plans. We had just formed the business college at that time, which was a very significant decision for Cornell, and there were other significant things that I wanted to do. And I was anxious, actually, to have a president in place where I could continue to be a strong provost for Cornell.

The Sun: One significant way that you are departing from your predecessor is that you’re implementing a policy of institutional neutrality, meaning that the University will no longer take sides on major political issues. Can you explain why Cornell is adopting this policy and what it means going forward?

Kotlikoff: When you say Cornell is adopting the policy, I’ve made a personal decision [to adopt institutional neutrality]. For the institution to make that decision, I think it’s a broader decision that requires some shared governance evaluation of that, so the Faculty Senate is currently evaluating some ideas around institutional neutrality. The Board will likely weigh in on institutional neutrality.

But I’ve always felt, personally, that it’s the right stance for a university. I don’t feel comfortable as a president opining on broad political issues, and since I’m coming into the presidency new, it actually is an advantage to be able to adopt that stance right from the start. I haven’t made political comments in the past. I haven’t made comments on behalf of the institution. So I can start fresh. Nobody can say, “Well, you said this about that, so why don’t you say this about that?”

Protester Says He Faces Deportation After Second Suspension

Taal told The Sun that the suspension was proof to him that the University had singled him out.

“If you look at the makeup of these protesters, it is clear that they targeted a visible Black person of the Islamic faith,” Taal said.

“There is a targeted campaign of intimidation and harrasment against me from Cornell’s administration and police.”

Momodou Taal grad

A University spokesperson declined to comment on Taal’s case.

From Aug. 11 to 13, The Sun, national and local media outlets, politicians and University officials, including Cornell’s president and trustees, received more than 400 emails in a write-in campaign urging

Cornell not to reinstate Taal as a student this fall. Most of the emails were titled “Concern Regarding the Reinstatement of Student Momodou Taal for Fall 2024.”

“There is a targeted campaign of intimidation and harassment against me from Cornell’s administration and police,” Taal tweeted to his 26.9 thousand followers on X Monday afternoon. “I have been suspended again. I had no chance to dispute the charges, nor see the evidence or appeal.”

Two hours after Taal’s Monday afternoon post, Interim President Michael Kotlikoff and Interim Provost John Siliciano released a statement to the Cornell community vowing the University would take action to discipline those involved in the career fair disruption, including immediate suspensions, “sanctions up to and including dismissals” for faculty and referrals to the Tompkins County District Attorney for “any protester who engaged in criminal activity.”

Kotlikoff and Siliciano said the protesters had used “intimidating tactics,” including knocking off an officer’s body camera, and made guests of the University

feel threatened. “Actions have consequences, on campus and in the criminal justice system,” Kotlikoff and Siliciano added.

Sun reporters on the scene did not witness any physical violence toward law enforcement but noted distress among recruiters, students and University officials at the career fair.

“Actions have consequences, on campus and in the criminal justice system.” Kotlikoff and Siliciano

Taal denied the allegations outlined in the CUPD complaint. He told The Sun that he gave a speech outside Day Hall before participating in the career fair disruption, but said he had only attended the protest for five minutes before promptly leaving.

Presidential preview | President Kotlikoff discusses plans to instante institutional neutrality during his presidency.

Kotlikof Looks to Build Community With Direct Dialogue

INTERVIEW

Continued from page 14

The Sun: [Former] president Pollack did not have a policy of institutional neutrality. I was wondering if you could point to any examples of statements that Pollack made throughout her time in ofﬁce that you disagree with taking a stance on.

Kotlikoff: I won’t really get into disagreeing with speciﬁc statements, but I do think it’s fair to say that having made fulsome statements on certain issues, Martha felt somewhat constrained to make additional comments, and I’m sure that she might have made other decisions if she had not been in that position.

I think the fundamental thing I want to convey is that as an institution, it’s really important to try and make sure that we don’t assume a point of view in a context in which many, many people have different points of view. That’s what an academy does. It expresses different points of view. It allows the freedom for those points of view to be expressed. For a president or provost to make statements that then crowd out those other opinions — I just don’t think it’s appropriate.

The Sun: From at least 2012 to as recently as 2022, you’ve donated hundreds of dollars to Democratic causes and candidates.

Kotlikoff: I have personally?

The Sun: This is public information. You can ﬁnd this online. Now that you are looking to maintain the appearance of ofﬁcial neu-

trality, are you planning to continue making political contributions?

Kotlikoff: I’m trying to understand where those data come from. I don’t generally —

The Sun: Do you want to see the data?

Kotlikoff: Oh, well I do think I know where that came from. So there was an individual who I know personally, who was running in a primary for mayor of Baltimore, and I supported that person’s campaigns. That’s the only one I can really recall.

The Sun: [There are] multiple different things. I can show you.

Kotlikoff: Yep, yeah, thank you.

The Sun: That’s one page. I have another page.

Kotlikoff: CMTE to Protect … Dogs? Alex Bores is somebody who I knew. He was a trustee, a student trustee.

The Sun: Here’s the other page. This is to ActBlue.

Kotlikoff: Ah, ActBlue. $26, $50, $25, $25. I think I remember why I did that. So what? What is the point? I mean, what is the question?

The Sun: The question is: Now that you are looking to maintain the appearance of ofﬁcial neutrality, are you planning to continue making political contributions like these, which were in the hundreds of dollars?

Kotlikoff: Hundreds of dollars. No, I think I will refrain from making donations, even as minor as those donations were.

The Sun: At the Democratic

National Convention in Chicago last month, in front of an audience of top Democrats, UAW president Shawn Fain criticized Cornell over its handling of the historic strike here that saw more than 1,000 University workers walk out. And to quote him, “The American working class is in a ﬁght for our lives. And if you don’t believe me, just last night, blue collar workers, UAW members at Cornell University had to walk out on strike for a better life because they’re ﬁghting corporate greed,” Fain said, adding that “Our only hope is to attack corporate greed head on.”

The head of one of the nation’s biggest unions accused you of running Cornell like a greedy corporation. What would you say in the administration’s defense?

Kotlikoff: I think that’s a fundamental misunderstanding of our university and university finances. We’re not a corporation with a net profit every year. So every year, essentially all of our money goes back into our activities. We have significant financial challenges. As you know, many of our buildings have required renovation for years. We have lots of areas in which we just don’t generate a profit every year, a net profit, and distribute it to shareholders.

I will say that I am pleased at the general outcome of the UAW strike in the following way: I’m mostly pleased that Cornell was able to direct most of the additional resources that we put into settling this strike to the workers

at Cornell who are the lowest-paid individuals in our community. It’s something we’ve also done for non-union workers in the past, where we’ve tried to focus our salary improvement program as much as possible on those individuals at the lowest end of our salary scale.

The Sun: So when you talk about non-union staff at Cornell, have their wages kept up with inﬂation, for the average wage?

Kotlikoff: Yes. In fact, over time, UAW had exceeded inﬂation. But there are also these, as you know, these other metrics, and it’s fair to say that national inﬂation levels are one thing. You know, we have local pressures here, around lots of different cost buckets and so again, Cornell cares about its employees. That was one of the things that I think was not a fair narrative around how Cornell was treating its employees. We very much care, and we very much respect and appreciate the value of our employees.

The Sun: In a Fox News interview that aired earlier this month, former President Donald Trump suggested that you and other Cornell administrators are afraid of student activists and are hiding from them. And here’s his full quote:

“The heads of these schools seem like either they are weak and pathetic or they are sort of Marxists themselves, fascists, Marxists. One of the people, one of the professors was on from Cornell today, and he was talking about how the head people at the school are almost encouraging the students to destroy the place. It was actually an amazing statement. I could see them cowering in a corner, but I can’t see that they were actually helping it.

What would you say to your detractors, the former president among them, who think that you are shrinking from responsibility?

Kotlikoff: I think we’ve been pretty clear about how we’re addressing student protests and the principles that we’re applying to be able to respond to those protests. The ﬁrst of those principles is full support for free expression. We’re not going to infringe on the individual’s rights of free expression. Where we begin to need to enforce our regulations is where that expression begins to infringe on other people’s rights, and we’ve got, I think, a thoughtful, progressive way of responding to that with the aim of ending that infringement — not necessarily punishing our students — but ending the infringement.

Now, I would say — as I said in [my column] that appeared today — that when people deface buildings, when they break windows, when they prevent individuals from studying, or they disrupt classes, that’s a different story. Essentially, the University has the obligation to protect individuals’ access to our facilities and protect their right to be educated, and that’s where we’ll act forcefully and make sure that we protect those rights.

The Sun: Can you elaborate on how you plan to protect those rights?

Kotlikoff: I think we’ve laid out, in John’s and my letter, to

the community the plan there in terms of administrative sanctions if individuals are peacefully demonstrating, but preventing access of other individuals to space. We distinguish that from preventing you from studying or listening to your professor in class. If individuals are largely peaceful and they’re not disrupting classes, but they are infringing on their rights in a way in which they prevent other people from using that space, we will act administratively to stop them from that infringement. We won’t resort to force, and [we] will use administrative sanctions — which I think are appropriate — rather than the University escalating and being the ﬁrst to resort to force. It’s a very different thing if students are directly impeding other students’ access to education or directly threatening other students. We haven’t, by and large, seen that at Cornell, but if we did, we would act forcefully to end that.

The Sun: You and your administration have faced scorn from both sides of the political aisle in recent weeks. Those quotes that we just read you demonstrate that. At the highest level of politics, you have very inﬂuential ﬁgures with full-throated condemnations — Kotlikoff: Former president, president of UAW, yeah.

The Sun: So how are you planning to cool these political divisions on campus and beyond this semester, including among donors, a lot of donors who have different political opinions than a lot of the students here.

Kotlikoff: It’s a great question. I mean, most of this has been through direct dialogue, and through this idea of building community and being very clear about our principles — what we’re going to do, what we’re not going to do. I’ve had many direct conversations with donors that would like us to make different decisions about some of these issues. And I’ve said, you know that “I may disappoint you, but I’d like you to understand why we’re making the decisions that we’re making.”

By the same token, when I talk to students — Hillel students, Jewish Voice for Peace, [the] Arab Student Association, [etc.] — I make the same points. I would also say that one of the things we’re trying to do — and I’ve been talking to faculty here in Near Eastern Studies and other faculty — is we’re trying to put together seminar series that are a little different than we had last semester. Those would be really around not inviting a single speaker who will take a pro-Zionist position or a pro-Palestine position, but in a context of talking about pathways to peace — what could be done in the future. Modeling civil dialogue, modeling fact-based dialogue, so having individuals from both sides come together with a moderator to really talk about this would hopefully bring the community together.

To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com.

Eric Reilly and Julia Senzon can be reached at ereilly@cornellsun.com and jsenzon@cornellsun.com.

SUNBURSTS: Inside the Sun’s Ofce

Te Sun welcomed new and old staf alike at Saturday’s alumni workshop and Sunday’s open house for new admits

By SUN PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

and

WELCOME TO THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Saturday and Sunday included an open house tour of the Sun’s downtown ofﬁce, showcasing the dance hall

new multimedia studio.

MENTORSHIP | Scott Jaschik ‘85, former editor in chief and founder of Inside Higher Ed, imparts wisdom and stories at Saturday’s alumni workshop.

ZOOM IN | The alumni workshop brought past and present Sunnies together through a mix of Zoom and in-person activities.

FULL HOUSE | Saturday, the ofﬁce was packed with over 30 people, from brand new photographers, to editors who founded their own publications.

ICE BREAKERS | Sun editor in chief Gabriel Levin ’26 and news editor Matthew Kiviat ’25 engage new Sun staffers in a conversation about their interests and what drew them to the Sun.

PHOTOGRAPHY | Former Sun photography editor Cam Pollack ’18 shares some of his work with current Sun staff during a workshop session.

Marian Caballo/Sun Multimedia & Data Science Editor

EDITOR IN HOUSE | Sun editor in chief Gabriel Levin ’26 greets new Sunnies, providing advice, answering questions and preparing them for the weeks ahead.

139 WEST STATE ST | Sun alumni and staff pose outside of the downtown ofﬁce.

Ming DeMers/Sun Photography Editor

Marian Caballo/Sun Multimedia & Data Science Editor

Ming DeMers/Sun Photography Editor

“I Have To Earn Everything.”

Football’s Jameson Wang Describes Background, Challenges as an Asian American in Football

By LIAM MONAHAN Former Sun Assistant Sports Editor

This article was originally published on Nov. 10, 2021.

After weeks of tweaking the offense early in the schedule, freshman quarterback Jameson Wang has come onto the scene midway through the season, adding a spark to the Cornell football offense.

Following his first week of extended play against Colgate, Wang has managed to become the Red’s leading scorer, rusher and post the highest quarterback rating of any other player on the roster.

But Wang has also had to prove himself to both his coaches and fellow teammates as the lone Asian American on the team, an experience he describes as a challenge he has carried with him throughout his football career.

During the 2019-2020 football season, only about 0.3 percent of all NCAA Division I football players in the country identified as Asian. Being one of the few Asian Americans to play for the Red in recent memory, Wang has been placed center stage while he tackles one of the most integral positions in the game. Even while splitting time between fifth-year quarterback Richie Kenney, senior Ben Mays and sophomore Luke Duby, Wang has faced mounting pressure to solidify his role as a part of Cornell’s future and act as a face for Asian American athletes across the country.

The quarterback’s journey into American football extends beyond his lifetime. Wang’s father immigrated from China to Taiwan and finally to Rochester, New York, first picking up football through his friends at school.

“I remember he would tell me stories about how he would have to find rides to get to practice because his parents were working,” Wang said, remembering his father’s football experiences. “His friends really helped him a lot and embraced him into the culture of getting to play football. His parents had no idea what American

Tfootball was like in China, so him coming over and breaking that barrier to be part of the American culture was a big accomplishment for him.”

Wang said his father instilled this football culture and the game’s values into him, coaching Wang to play quarterback as soon as he could step onto the field.

“He’s been my coach since I was four and up until eighth grade and entering high school,” Wang said. “He’s really pushed me and made me the player I am. If it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t be playing, to be honest.”

Wang credits his father for instilling the values of leadership, work ethic and passion into his life through football, and these lessons proved crucial when he entered high school at Harvard-Westlake in Los Angeles, California. Wang started off his playing career at the varsity level early on, stepping in as a freshman and quickly learning how to play at the next level.

“I was thrown into the fire as a freshman quarterback. I was 15 years old playing against 18 or 19-year-old men with tattoos along their arms and legs,” Wang explained. “But that experience alone has developed me into a better player. Now when I play, I’m calm. I’m not nervous or sporadic. I understand what’s going on … That experience alone really helped me go into sophomore year and have a good breakout season.”

Wang had arguably his best statistical high school season in his sophomore year, throwing for 2,355 yards and 29 touchdowns while rushing for 894 yards and 16 more scores. However, for all that he was proving in the stats sheets, Wang said he still faced adversity and racism being one of the only Asians on the field at any given matchup.

During one game, Wang recalls he was running out of bounds on the opposing team’s sideline when a bystander made a racist comment about Wang’s ability to see on the field.

“As I [was] running back, I just laughed it off and ran back to the huddle,” Wang said.

It was not until high school that Wang said he felt the weight of the challenges of being Asian in American football, when he said his father gave him advice to tune out the negativity.

“[He told me] some people are going to talk to you in a manner that you are not going to want to hear, and you just have to rub it off,” Wang said. “He said it’s always the second person to retaliate that’s going to get blamed.”

“I haven’t worked hard to get offended by a little racial slur,” Wang continued. “I feel like it is part of the game, people are going to try and get under your skin, but when you show that you’re not going to react, they’re going to stop.”

Rather than worry about his opponents, Wang instead learned to focus his energy on winning over his coaches and teammates.

“My first coach was always good … so I knew from the jump I would get a fair shot,” Wang explained. “I think the biggest part was winning my teammates’ trust, because your teammates are the guys who have never seen an Asian quarterback. Really just winning over the trust from my teammates and showing them that … I could play at this level … was the biggest part of being able to prove myself.”

To continue reading, please visit cornellsun. com.

e Red Dominated Last Homecoming Win in 2016

By ZACHARY SILVER Former Sun Sports Editor

‘Cornell Victorious’ is a ballad with rich history in Ithaca, but has been conspicuously missing from Cornell football games in recent years. This has changed in two games already this season, as the Red dominated Yale on Homecoming, Sept. 24, 2016, 27-13 to secure its second win in as many games.

Cornell opened the scoring early, when sophomore quarterback Dalton Banks marched the offense down the ﬁeld, totaling 60 yards in just under three minutes. Sophomore running back J.D. PicKell pounded the ball in for a one-yard rush — the ﬁrst of his career — giving the Red the early lead.

Even with PicKell’s touchdown, rushing was not the centerpiece for the Red’s offense this weekend, after sophomore running back Chris Walker exploded for over 130 yards against Bucknell. Head coach David Archer ’05 said he knew that he had to use the air attack to get in the end zone.

“They were loading the box, they were always plus one-ing in the box which makes it tough,” he said. “They did the same thing to

Colgate. That’s kind of their philosophy. Going into it I thought the passing game was going to be our advantage.”

After the team snagged two picks at Bucknell junior safety Nick Gesualdi got the interception parade off early, breaking tackles and crossing the offense up to return it 30 yards.

When it rains, it pours, and Ithaca showers are occurring rather early this year. Senior safety Justin Solomon also got in on the fun, collecting the Red’s second interception of the day — also in the ﬁrst quarter — on an errant throw by Yale quarterback Rafe Chapple, but the team was not done there.

With just minutes left on the game clock, senior captain and linebacker Jackson Weber saw two sure picks slip through his ﬁngers in consecutive plays. The very next play, he got his interception that all but sealed the game. His interception, nine solo tackles and four tackles for loss, were all the more impressive considering he played the game with a pulled groin.

“The defense was exceptional,” Archer said. “[Weber] gave the pregame talk this morning. Just unbelievable leadership. I can’t say enough about the play of the kids.”

With a strong defensive show-

ing, the Red held Yale to a lone field goal in the first half. On the Bulldogs’ only scoring drive of the first half, Cornell was quick to answer with a score of its own. In three plays, Banks orchestrated a drive that lasted 57 seconds, capped off by a 43-yard diving catch into the endzone by senior receiver Ben Rogers.

“We had been watching how they react to our plays,” Banks said. “Whenever we run the ball they collapsed on us. We gave a pump fake to a bubble where they had been crashing hard and the throw happened to be wide open. We knew it was going to hit and sure enough it clicked.”

“Sick throw and catch,” Solomon added.

As the ﬁrst half began to wind down, the men of the team made sure to give themselves one more chance to score before heading into the locker rooms. Banks connected with junior receiver James Hubbard to bring Cornell into the red zone. However, a ﬁeld goal was all the team could muster, but the three points still gave the team a good feeling going into the locker room with a 24-3 lead.

“It’s great playing a good ﬁrst half and coming in with a lead,” Weber said. “Last year against

Bucknell and Yale we were in that same exact situation where we had a lead and just needed to finish the game. We were really focused on finishing everything we do on the field.”

Even with a solid ﬁrst half, the team knew that complacency could have been an Achilles heel that prevented the second win of the season.

“Whenever we get a lead like that we try not to look back,” Banks said. “We still have to treat it like we have to score on offense. We can’t let up, we can’t be satisﬁed, we still have to keep putting points on the board and not let them get a second wind.”

With a new quarterback in — sophomore Tre Moore entered the game on Yale’s last drive in the second quarter — the Bulldogs came out in the second half more synchronized and drove down the ﬁeld to notch its ﬁrst touchdown of the game.

“We didn’t make too much of an adjustment immediately, but we realized that we needed to contain him, keep him in the pocket and not let him scramble,” Weber said of Moore. “We ﬁgured that out as the second half went on.”

Moore stepped in nicely for the Bulldogs, throwing for 174 yards

in just over a half, completing on 64 percent of his throws. He was also impressive in extending plays and keeping the Yale offense on the ﬁeld.

“We just felt that the game was going fast for [Chapple],” said Yale head coach Tony Reno. “We just felt like we needed to make a change at the position. [Chapple] and [Moore] had been competing really all spring we just felt that it was time to give Tre an opportunity.”

Yale would continue to threaten in the second half. Moore led the team down the ﬁeld and was knocking on Cornell’s doorstep until a personal foul brought the ball back 15 yards. The Bulldogs would have to settle for a ﬁeld goal.

The offense had a bit more trouble in the second half, managing to only put a ﬁeld goal on the board. When compared to Bucknell, Banks seemed to be under pressure much more this game, especially in the second half. Although he was able to extend most plays with his feet, the strategy hampered the offense’s scoring in the second half.

To continue reading, please visit cornellsun.com.

QB 1 | Wang has proven himself on and off the ﬁeld, cementing himself as Cornell’s starting quarterback since his freshman year.

Cornell Stumbles in Season Opener

By JANE McNALLY and ELI FASTIFF Sun Sports Editor and Sun Staff Writer

After a lengthy offseason under new leadership, head coach Dan Swanstrom and Cornell football took the ﬁeld at Andy Kerr Stadium in Hamilton, New York, looking to set the tone for a new era of football on East Hill.

While the Red showed early offensive promise, it couldn’t keep up with Colgate on its home ﬁeld, as Cornell dropped its season opener, 41-24. The Raiders secured their ﬁrst win of the 2024 season, as Cornell fell to 0-1. Defensive struggles characterized the loss in Swanstrom’s debut.

The Swanstrom era got underway with an impressive first drive for Cornell (0-1, 0-0 Ivy). After solid field position thanks to a Colgate out-of-bounds kickoff, a 45-yard catch and run by sophomore tight end Ryder Kurtz set up sophomore kicker Alan Zhao for a field goal, which he booted 32 yards. Colgate responded with a 13-play, 43-yard drive to tie it up, 3-3.

As evidenced by both teams’ opening drives, the story of the first half was offense. Cornell’s senior preseason All-Ivy quarterback Jameson Wang diced up the Colgate offense, finishing the half with four 30+ yard plays, going 15-18 for 193 yards and two touchdowns. Wang’s first touchdown was caught by sophomore wide receiver Samuel Musungu in the first quarter, while junior wide receiver Parker Woodring received the other in the second quarter.

While the offense showed promise, punting on just two of their ﬁve ﬁrst-half drives, defense proved to be the Achilles’ heel for the

Red in the first half. Colgate’s three-quarterback offense torched Cornell’s defense, and the Red’s defense failed to get a single stop in the first half, allowing 326 yards of Raider offense. To cap off a rough first half, Cornell junior

safety Jeremiah Lewis was ejected for targeting with just eight seconds left in the ﬁrst half.

Colgate quarterback Michael Brecia’s legs and quarterback Jake Stearney’s arm proved unstoppable, as the Raider offense exploded for 27 points in the opening half. Impressively, the Raiders converted 5/8 third downs and both of their fourth down attempts.

While both teams punted to start the second half, Colgate dodged a bullet when junior linebacker Ben Sahakian forced a fumble. Though the Raiders regained possession, it resulted in Cornell’s ﬁrst defensive stop of the game and Colgate’s ﬁrst punt after going three-and-out.

But defensive woes ultimately persisted for the Red, which surrendered a rushing touchdown from Colgate’s Winston Moore that made it a three-possession game early in the third quarter.

That would be all the offense from either team in the third quarter, as the 34-17 lead held as the ﬁnal frame commenced. Cornell failed to convert a pivotal fourth down around three minutes in, giving Colgate possession with prime ﬁeld position. However, injuries to both Brecia and Stearney promoted Zach Osborn to quarterback for the Raiders.

A Cornell interception in the fourth quarter rejuvenated the once forlorn Cornell bench, but the Red was unable to get much out of it. Over reliance on the running game ultimately barred Cornell from making a comeback, as the Colgate defensive line held strong. A pair of tackles for losses, the second being on fourth down, turned the ball back over to the Raiders with around six minutes left.

Cornell made a strong drive up the field late in the game, but it turned out to be too little too late. Junior running back Johntu Reed found the end zone with 2:36 to go, cutting the deficit to 10 points, but Colgate retaliated with a touchdown of its own just over a minute later. The Raiders converted the extra point to finish off the game with an astounding 41 points.

The Red will look to rebound next week, as it takes the ﬁeld against Yale at Schoellkopf on Homecoming Weekend. Opening kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28.

Jane McNally and Eli Fastiff are beat writers on The Sun’s 2024 Football Beat. They can be reached at jmcnally@cornellsun.com and efastiff@cornellsun. com, respectively.