INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 140, No. 37
8 Pages — Free
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2024 n ITHACA, NEW YORK
News
Arts
Sports
Weather
Hard Work
Thrills Uncovered
Shootout Victory
Sunny
Amidst harsh winters and job insecurity, The Sun looks at the conditions construction workers face in Ithaca. | Page 4
Emma Robinson '27 explores outside of her reading comfort zone and finds new favorites. | Page 5
Men's hockey clinches it's 26th Ivy League title in a shootout victory officialy recorded as a tie. | Page 8
HIGH: 39º LOW: 25º
University Says Goodbye to Grade Medians By JULIA SENZON Sun News Editor
JULIA NAGEL / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Resolutions realized | Student transcripts will look less crowded this semester as the University removes grade medians.
The decision to include median grades on transcripts was intended to reduce grade inflation. But the practice became a “bingo, bullseye, backfire," with its impact on grading standards, according to Prof. Rebecca Nelson, plant science, at a Dec. 6 Faculty Senate meeting. On Dec. 15, the Faculty Senate approved Resolution 193 to eliminate median grade visibility. The resolution cited published research that indicates access to grade medians perpetuates grade inflation and students’ assertion that the practice is demor-
alizing and inequitable through Sun columns and a Student Assembly resolution. Students consequently will not see median grades included on transcripts for courses taken in the Fall 2023 semester and beyond, but median grades will not be retroactively eliminated from transcripts of prior semesters. Cornell stood as an outlier with its recording of median grades on transcripts. The University was one of just four universities to include median grades out of 71 member institutions of the Association of American Universities. Cornell began publishing median grades
on the Office of the University Registrar website in 1998, and on transcripts since 2008. The 1997 Faculty Senate resolution that urged the inclusion of median grades on transcripts and the registrar’s website argued that “more accurate recognition of performance may encourage students to take courses in which the median grade is relatively low.” Research on Cornell’s grade information and grade inflation, however, found that “the provision of grade information online induced students to select leniently graded courses.” Comparing the 1990-1997 period before median grade inclusion to the 1998-
2004 post-policy period, the share of courses with A-range medians rose by approximately 16 percent while student enrollment in A-range courses grew by over 42 percent. The Faculty Senate consequently removed median grades from the registrar’s website in 2011, meaning the median grades of all classes were no longer visible for all students. The Faculty Senate’s resolution noted that despite the removal, students collectively shared median grade data on platforms like Reddit, despite the removal of median grades from the OUR website. See MEDIANS page 3
S.A. Criticizes New Rosensaft Opens Dialogue on Expression Policies Antisemitism, Polarization By ERIC LECHPAMMER Sun Staff Writer
Student Assembly President Patrick Kuehl ’24, S.A. Vice President Claire Ting ’25 and Student Trustee J.P. Swenson ’25 critiqued the University’s Interim Expressive Activity Policy in a Feb. 15 meeting with Vice President of University Relations Joel Malina and Vice President and General Counsel Donica Varner. The policy, issued by the University’s executive administration on Jan. 24, established “expectations for Cornell students, faculty and staff engaged in expressive activity” in on-campus spaces with what the University said are “reasonable time, place and manner restrictions.” Swenson said that the measure was not properly deliberated by the S.A., the Faculty Senate or the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly and that the University Assembly Chair Shelby Lynn Williams ’25 was also not properly informed. “The concerning part about all this is the lack of transparency from the administration to the S.A.,” Swenson said. “The fact that the University somewhat undermined the structural governance of the school is concerning.” Kuehl and Swenson said that
the S.A. was allowed to express their considerations for the policy during only a 30-minute confidential meeting between the S.A. Executive Committee and Marla Love, Dean of Students, which took place one week before the enactment. However, the Executive Committee’s suggestions were absent from the final policy, according to Kuehl. “We did raise lots of concerns [about the policy], and none of those were taken,” Kuehl said. “When we brought up [concerns again on Thursday] morning, they said they hadn’t heard those concerns, and [that’s why] they weren’t implemented.” Kuehl said that the Executive Committee had concerns about the timing of the policy, the regulations on permitted locations, the use of amplified sound and posters or other protest materials. LGBTQIA+ Liaison At-Large Karys Everett ’25 criticized the policy, noting that the Coalition for Mutual Liberation’s Feb. 8 “Walk Out To a Die In” divestment protest was shut down based on the new policy measure’s restriction on the use of amplified sound. “This policy is suppressing students’ ability to protest on this campus,” Everett said, “Anything
See EXPRESSION page 4
First talk in spring lecture series examines war and genocide By OLIVIA HOLLOWAY Sun Contributor
Prof. Menachem Rosensaft, law, gave a lecture on Feb. 12 about antisemitism in light of the Israel-Hamas war. The talk, entitled “Antisemitism, the IsraelHamas War and Distorting the Law of Genocide: A Perfect Storm,” was the first of four events part of the College of Arts and Sciences’ Spring 2024 lecture series, planned in partnership with the Office of the Provost and various academic departments. The series, entitled “Antisemitism and Islamophobia Examined,” aims to encourage dialogue rather than hostility, following the rise of controversial acts on Cornell’s campus, including Prof. Rickford’s, history, labeling Hamas’ invasion into Israel as “exhiliarating” and “energizing;” the spread anti-Israel graffiti messages around Central Campus and Patrick Dai’s ’24 posting antisemitic threats. Students who support Palestine have held several protests and “dieins” to promote the adoption of anti-doxxing policies and demand the University’s divestment from companies supportive of Israel’s military, including the occupation
of Day Hall to stage a “mock trial” of President Martha Pollack and Cornell as a whole, claiming that the University is complicit in the genocide and apartheid of Palestinians. Rosensaft, who is the son of two Holocaust survivors, serves as General Counsel Emeritus of the World Jewish Congress and is a former member of the US Holocaust Memorial Council under presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. In 1988, Rosensaft was one of five Americans to meet with the
Palestine Liberation Organization when the Palestinian Parliament first recognized the existence of Israel as a state. During his lecture, Rosensaft stressed the history and complexity of the conflict between Israel and Palestine and how related forms of hate have threatened Cornell’s campus. To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com. Olivia Holloway can be reached at oh67@cornell.edu.
JASON WU / SUN SENIOR EDITOR
Encouraging dialogue | Rosensaft speaks to a packed room on the proliferation of antisemitism at Cornell.
2 The Cornell Daily Sun | Tuesday, February 20,, 2024
The Corne¬ Daily Sun INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
Editor in Chief
Angela Bunay ’24
ALL DEPARTMENTS
(607) 273-3606
Business: For questions regarding advertising, classifieds, subscriptions or delivery problems, please call from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday. News: To report breaking news or story ideas, please call after 5 p.m., Sunday-Thursday.
SEND A FAX VISIT THE OFFICE THE SUN ONLINE E-MAIL
(607) 273-0746 139 W. State Street, Ithaca, N.Y. www.cornellsun.com sunmailbox@cornellsun.com
Postal Information: The Cornell Daily Sun (USPS 132680 ISSN 1095-8169) is published by the Cornell Daily Sun, a New York corporation, 139 W. State St., Ithaca, N.Y. 14850. The Sun is published Tuesday and Thursday during the academic year and every weekday online. Three special issues — one for seniors in May, one for reunion alumni in June and one for incoming freshmen in July — make for a total of 61 issues this academic year. Subscriptions are: $60.00 for fall term, $60.00 for spring term and $120.00 for both terms if paid in advance. Standard postage paid at Ithaca, New York. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Cornell Daily Sun, 139 W. State St., Ithaca, N.Y. 14850.
News
The Cornell Daily Sun | Tuesday, February 20, 2024 3
Median Grade Transcript Visibility Terminated 15 Years After Inception MEDIANS
Continued from page 1
The resolution argued that if commercial websites gatekeep data with paywalls, the resolution contended, less affluent students are disadvantaged in the course selection process. The resolution stated: “Cornell’s practice of including median grades on transcripts disadvantages Cornell students in job and academic applications, demoralizes students, devalues academic accomplishments in the classroom, detracts from learning, reinforces student competition and discourages academic risk-taking.” But Priyanka Desai ’26, a biomedical engineering major applying to medical school, expressed support for the inclusion of median grades on transcripts. In a written statement to The Sun, Desai explained that many classes required for her major have B- or B median grades and that comparing her grade to the median helps her assess her true standing in courses. “I think the decision to not report [median grades] is not good for me and my engineering peers, since we face grade [deflation] that makes our GPAs lower than other majors, so without [the] context of how the class was curved it is unfair to not report this statistic,” Desai wrote. “Giving context to my hard engineering courses would give context to my slightly lower GPA [when applying to medical school.]” Saachi Subramaniam ’26, a sophomore transfer majoring in environment and sustainability, expressed conflicting perspectives on the helpfulness of visible grade medians depending on the classes they represent. Subramaniam said that visible grade medians could be helpful in the particularly difficult, large classes she takes, like Molecular Biology and Genetics 2800: Lectures in Genetics and Genomics, but less helpful in smaller classes based more on personal growth, like Communication 3050: Advanced Media Writing about Cultural, Social and Environmental Crises.
Recycle Your Paper Too!
“I think [including grade medians on transcripts] puts a little bit less onus on the student to do well, regardless of the environment,” Subramaniam said. The Faculty Senate ultimately adopted the resolution with 74 percent of the vote. But months of senate meetings revealed strong disagreements and concerns among faculty. Prof. Lisa Nishii, industrial and labor relations, introduced the resolution at the Nov. 8 Faculty Senate meeting. Prof. Mike Thompson, materials science and engineering, criticized the removal of transcript medians, saying word-of-mouth grade comparison and students’ dismay over academic shortcomings will continue regardless of whether medians are included on transcripts. Nishii argued that while grade comparison among students is nearly impossible to eliminate, without reporting median grades on transcripts, it is very difficult for students to recreate median grade spreadsheets. Thompson also questioned whether grade median visibility impacts opportunities post-graduation. “I did not hear anything from the constituents that utilize the transcripts to assess and evaluate students,” Thompson said. “What impact or how has it been used by careers and by companies that are interested in evaluating our students and assessing their achievements in the class?” But considering Cornell’s anomaly status with its median grade reporting, Nishii asserted, it is highly unlikely that employers and graduate school admissions rely on median data. “It’s more likely that [the practice] disadvantages [students] right now,” Nishii said. Prof. Courtney Roby, classics, echoed Thompson’s disagreement with the resolution. “Now that Latin honors have been detached University-wide from honors-level research projects and are awarded only for GPA, students are so strongly incentivized to seek out only the easiest possible courses, and [visible grade medians] seemed to be one of our few remain-
ing ways to encourage students to seek out greater academic challenges,” Roby said. Nishii asserted that while the push for academic exploration aligns with the original motivation for median grade visibility, the data proves that this exploration did not occur.
“Whether it is an inconvenient truth or not, there is a distribution of abilities in classes, and a grade of a B or a C may not necessarily be poor, but without context, it’s hard to evaluate what that is without the median grade.” Prof. Mike Thompson During the Dec. 6 Faculty Senate meeting, Nelson, who serves as the chair of the Educational Policy Committee, endorsed the resolution due to research finding the practice does not promote academic exploration. “It’s very resoundingly clear from what seems to be very serious research that the effort considerably backfired across the board, so we [the Educational Policy Committee] totally endorse the idea of removing median grades from [students’] transcripts,” Nelson said. Thompson, however, continued to assert that presenting grades on a transcript without the context medians provide will only lead to further obscurity around grades. “Whether it is an inconvenient truth or not, there is a distribution of abilities in classes, and a grade of a B or a C may not necessarily be poor, but without context, it’s hard to evaluate what that is without that median grade,” Thompson said. “And I think [removing medians from transcripts will] just further encourage grade inflation.” Julia Senzon can be reached at jsenzon@cornellsun.com.
4 The Cornell Daily Sun | Tuesday, February 20, 2024
News
Student Assembly Critiques New Policy EXPRESSION
Continued from page 1
that we can do to allow for students to be able to protest [in] the way they can is extremely important.” The policy states that amplified sound is permitted “only on Ho Plaza and in front of Day Hall between Noon and 1 p.m.” and that all other use of amplified sound at any other location or time “is not permitted without prior written approval.” Swenson identified selective application of the Expressive Action Policy as a major potential flaw. He said that the Feb. 8 protesters were punished for amplified sound, though prior protests have also used megaphones and other sound amplification devices. “If you break the rules, you should be reprimanded. But there’s been a disconnect, because some groups are being reprimanded while others aren’t,” Swenson said. Imani Rezaka ’24, S.A. College of Arts and Sciences Representative, described the policy as a reaction to the campus’s current political climate. “I don’t think that it’s a coincidence that there has been a sudden uptick in protests on campus and now [the University] chooses to suddenly revise the protest rules halfway
through the academic year,” Rezaka said. Rezaka also criticized the restrictions on time, location and amplified sound. She said that the measure purposefully narrows the permitted time to when many students are in class and that the restrictions on amplified sound make protest inaccessible to students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Jahmal Wallen ’24, undergraduate representative, concurred with Rezaka that the timing of the policy with relation to the current political climate was not coincidental. Suraj Parikh ’24, S.A. vice president of external affairs, criticized the administration for issuing the Expressive Activity Policy during the Freedom of Expression theme year. “It’s effectively killing freedom of speech on this campus, because if you need approval to [start] a protest, it’s not freedom of speech,” Parikh said. Swenson mentioned that the S.A. is working to get an administrator to come to an S.A. meeting to answer questions and have an opportunity to defend the policy. To contine reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com. Eric Lechpammer can be reached at elechpammer@cornellsun.com.
BEN PARKER / SUN FILE PHOTO
Construction confusion | Construction workers in Ithaca struggle to find work opportunities because of winter weather conditions and a lack of labor protections.
Ithaca Workers Navigate Industry
By AVERY WANG Sun Contributor
“There’s no work for … maybe half of us throughout the winter. It’s the worst part of this field, in my opinion, because it’s an outdoor job, and it’s miserable, harsh conditions all winter,” Dan Vandam ’15 said. “And then, usually we’ll get rehired [at the end of the season], but sometimes, we just won’t, because [they] found somebody new.” Vandam is one of many local construction workers who are frequently laid off in the winter months without guarantee of rehire. As a construction inspector, Vandam worked on the North Campus Residential Expansion project, which was completed in 2022. Before finals week, construction workers working on the NCRE project began receiving noise complaints from students living in nearby dorms. The administration eventually paused construction during finals week to abide by quiet study hours. Although quiet work could be completed, the crew was unable to operate heavy machinery. Vandam explained that since workers didn’t have work, they couldn’t get paid. In addition to the seasonal nature of project-based construction work, Vandam said that working in Ithaca’s construction industry is the most spontaneous lifestyle he’s ever had. “You never know if there’s going to be a new … job downtown, … if it’s going to start tomorrow or in three years. … We have no idea how much we’re going to be able to get done, how much we’re going to get paid,” Vandam said. “You have to be really flexible, so it’s hard for my personal life.” Prof. Ian Greer M.S. ’03 Ph.D. ’05, ILR, director of the ILR Ithaca Co-Lab, stated that in project-based work, job precarity and unguaranteed rehire is an “extremely common feature” of the construction industry. In these situations, Greer explained, trade unions play a significant role in advocating for worker’s rights, ensuring better quality of living and mitigating the nature of project-based work in unpredictable weather. Todd Bruer, Ithaca Electricians Union manager and TompkinsCortland Building and Construction Trade Council president, tries to find jobs in nearby cities including Elmira, Binghamton and Syracuse for workers in his union who are laid off. However, finding work during slow periods poses a more challenging task for those without unions. “People without a union don’t have
the luxury of having someone like myself and my organizer trying to find work for them,” Bruer said. “They’re doing that on their own.”
“In a city like Ithaca, I cannot understand why there’s so much opposition to unions. The better the unions do, the better everyone is going to do.” Todd Bruer According to Bruer, some workers are advised to avoid unions and are faced with misinformation about unionization. However, Bruer thinks that the benefits of joining a union outweigh any potential disadvantages. “In a city like Ithaca, I cannot understand why there’s so much opposition to unions,” Bruer said. “The better the unions do, the better everyone is going to do. We look out for each other. We’re there for each other.” While the NCRE project, composed entirely of unionized workers, finished ahead of schedule and under budget in 2022, the Maplewood Apartments project experienced delays due to labor problems and a wet construction season. Bruer attributed, in part, the NCRE’s success to the difference between working with unionized workers, especially through the winter season during the pandemic. Greer explained that unions negotiate project-labor agreements to set the terms of projects before formal hiring. Project-labor agreements are collective bargaining agreements between building trade unions and project owners. Under these agreements, the workers are paid according to the collective agreement, which typically prevents workers from going on strike during the project. In exchange for implementing project-labor agreements, employment guarantees for apprentices may also be included, so contractors may only use apprenticeship programs to source some workers. Additionally, the agreements may include diversity, equity and inclusion targets, diversifying traditionally homogenous workspaces. “We’re trying to get Cornell to go down the road of using project-labor agreements,” Greer said. “And I think that there would have been a really good argument to make to Cornell based on diversity, equity and inclusion, because you can put related targets into project labor agreements.” Avery Wang can be reached at ahw83@cornell.edu.
A&C
Tuesday, February 20, 2024 | The Corne¬ Daily Sun | 5
&
A New Genre for 2024: Trying Out Thrillers By EMMA ROBINSON Sun Staff Writer
So far in 2024, I have been pushing myself outside of my reading comfort zone. This meant exploring new genres and reading books I might not normally pick up. In the past month, I was really into thriller and mystery books. Although not all of them were winners, I found a few new favorites. I started with The Housemaid and The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden. The Housemaid is rated 4.34 on Goodreads and a nominee for the Goodreads Choice Award for 2022 Best Mystery and Thriller. The Housemaid’s Secret is rated 4.28 on Goodreads and won the Goodreads Choice Award for 2023 Best Mystery and Thriller. Both of these books follow Millie, a determined and misunderstood main character as she works as a housemaid for two different but equally strange families. She soon learns disturbing secrets about them and is pulled into their webs of darkness. I preferred the first book as it has an extremely shocking twist involving a shift in viewpoint that I honestly did not expect at all. The second book has a surprising revelation as well, but having already read the first book, I expected the surprise in advance. Both books are written simply with an emphasis on action over description. This made them engaging
throughout the whole story and I think is why these two books are so popular. I read the first book on a flight and didn't even realize the flight was over as I was so invested in the plot. For someone who is new to thrillers, these are the perfect quick reads to start your journey. The third thriller I picked up was The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager. This book is rated 3.6 stars on Goodreads and was not my favorite book. It follows nosey and alcoholic widow Casey as she tries to get her life back together after losing her husband. She is staying at her lake house, which also happens to be the site of her husband’s death. She takes up watching her famous and seemingly perfect neighbors Tom and Katherine who live across the lake. When Casey encounters Katherine drowning in the lake and saves her life, the two women strike up a friendship. However, as Casey continues to watch the couple, the plot darkens. While I enjoyed the mystery of Tom and Katherine’s relationship, the book takes a really strange turn at the end that I did not enjoy, involving some supernatural forces. The plot twist was not realistic and seemed silly. I felt like I wasted my time getting so invested in the characters. Also, the main character Casey was unlikable at times, as she tried to help others while refusing to help herself. While I will say it was fast-paced and well-writ-
ten, I do not recommend this book due to the outlandish ending. If you do not mind a crazy and unrealistic finale, then you might still enjoy this read. The final thriller book I read, and very much enjoyed, is None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell. This book is highly rated on 4.17 stars on Goodreads and was a nominee for the Goodreads Choice Award for 2023 Best Mystery and Thriller. This book follows two main characters, confident businesswoman Alex and soft spoken Josie, who happen to have been born on the same day. They meet at a fancy restaurant as they both are celebrating their 45th birthdays. The two run into each other again and Alex agrees to interview Josie for her podcast. However, as Alex listens to Josie’s story and gets more involved in her life, Alex unravels a dark tale about Josie’s marriage and family that leaves her and her family vulnerable. This book had me on the edge of my seat. It is told from both Alex and Josie’s points of view, ensuring that the reader never really knows the whole truth. The structure of the book is also unique as it alternates between a podcast format and a more traditional third person narration. I personally listened to the audiobook version and highly recommend it. Each character has a different voice and the voice acting is extremely well-executed. I also appreciated the blunt narration as it really adds to
COURTESY OF PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE
the shock of each new revelation about Josie’s past. This book was a five star read for me and I highly recommend it if you are looking for something a little different from your typical mystery book. If you decide to pick up this thriller, I really recommend checking the trigger warnings first as it does broach some difficult topics. If you are interested in trying out a new genre like me, I would say it is worth it. You
might find some new favorites. Through pushing myself outside my comfort zone by pursuing a new genre of reading, I discovered books that I was never open to previously. I definitely plan to read more thrillers, as they are the perfect bingeable travel genre for long flights or car rides. Emma Robinson is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at erobinson@cornellsun. com.
TV Shows Returning to the Screen in 2024 By JENNA LEDLEY Sun Contributor
Now that the SAG-AFTRA strike has finally ended, 2024 is shaping up to be an absolutely amazing year for television fans who have been long awaiting the return of their favorite shows. Though this list spans only a tiny fraction of all the shows returning this year, the ones covered below include many of the biggest names in current television, as well as personal and highly recommended favorites. On this list, there is something for everyone: historical dramas, comedies, action adventures, reality, international stories, romances and so much more. It is time to pull up your Google Calendar and start adding in these dates for a binge-watching session — there is a lot to look forward to in the months ahead. All Creatures Great and Small: January
One of the first shows to return this year, and the only one on this list already released, is the third season of All Creatures Great and Small. All Creatures is a PBS Masterpiece show that returned to American screens on Jan. 7. Based on the series of novels by Scottish veterinarian James Herriot, the show follows Herriot’s life in the Yorkshire dales in the 1930s and ’40s, where he deals with incredibly interesting — and oftentimes hilarious — locals and animals, great and small. The show is sweet and incredibly enjoyable, as viewers grow to love the non-nuclear family formed between Herriot; head veterinarian, Siegfried (Samuel West), Siegfried’s troublesome brother Tristan (Callum Woodhouse) and housekeeper, Mrs. Hall (Anna Madeley). The show revolves around these characters and their relationships with each other, as well as the other people in their town, making for an entertaining and oftentimes surprisingly poignant watch. This season will deal specifically with
the evolution of Herriot’s marriage to the lovely Helen (Rachel Shenton), as well as life in Britain during World War II.
which will undoubtedly shake this odd and close-knit family. Survivor: February Finishing February off strong, Survivor is returning for its 46th season. The new season will premiere on Feb. 28 and have a new episode on CBS (and then Paramount+ the following day) each Wednesday — probably until May! The premiere and second episode will each be two hours long, with the following episodes returning to the usual 90-minute runtime. There will be 26 days of this season, instead of 39 like in the first 40 seasons. However, this season will follow tradition in taking place on the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji, where all the seasons since season 33 have been filmed.
Ghosts: February Ghosts, the beloved adaption of a British TV series of the same name, is returning to CBS (and Paramount+) for its third season on Feb. 15. Ghosts tells the story of Sam (Rose McIver) and Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar), a young couple who open a bed and breakfast in an old mansion in upstate New York. The couple soon discover that this house is haunted by a whole band of ghosts who died on the grounds across different decades and centuries. Ghosts is an absolutely hilarious and quirky comedy, characterized by quick episodes, action and incredibly loveable characters. Last season ended To continue reading, visit www.coron a cliffhanger, when the couple saw a flash — meaning one of their ghost nellsun.com. friends had passed on to the after- Jenna Ledley is a freshman in the College of Arts life. This season will reveal who has and Sciences. She can be reached at jbl242@ left the chaotic and loveable bunch, cornell.edu.
ARTS & CULTURE
6 The Cornell Daily Sun | Tuesday, Feburary 20, 2024
Opinion
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Independent Since 1880 141st Editorial Board ANGELA BUNAY ’24 Editor in Chief
SHEILA YU ’25
SOFIA RUBINSON ’24
NOAH DO ‘24
GRACE XIAO ’25
Advertising Manager
Managing Editor
Associate Editor
Armand Chancellor
Web Editor
HUGO AMADOR ’24
AIMÉE EICHER ’24
Opinion Editor
Assistant Managing Editor
JONATHAN MONG ’25
UYEN HOANG ’25
News Editor
Assitant Web Editor
JULIA SENZON ’26
ANNA LIANG ‘24
News Editor
Assistant Advertising Editor
JULIA NAGEL ’24
Armand Chancellor is a third year student in the Brooks School of Public Policy. His fortnightly column The Rostrum focuses on the interaction of politics and culture at Cornell. He can be reached at achancellor@cornellsun.com
ERIC REILLY ’25
Photography Editor
News Editor
GRAYSON RUHL ’24
GABRIEL MUÑOZ ’26
TENZIN KUNSANG ’25
NIHAR HEGDE ’24
JOANNE HU ’24
DANIELA ROJAS ’25
MARISA CEFOLA ’26
RUTH ABRAHAM ’24
MAX FATTAL ’25
MEHER BHATIA ’24
Sports Editor
News Editor
Science Editor
Arts & Culture Editor
Assistant News Editor
Dining Editor
Assistant News Editor
Sports Editor
Assistant Arts & Culture Editor
Science Editor
MING DEMERS ’25
MARIAN CABALLO ’25
Assistant Photography Editor
Assistant News Editor
KATE KIM ’24
CARLIN REYEN ’25
Layout Editor
Assistant News Editor
ISABELLE JUNG ’26
KIKI PLOWE ’25
Graphics Editor
Assistant Arts & Culture Editor
VEE CIPPERMAN ’23
CLAIRE LI ’24
Senior Editor
Assistant Photography Editor
ESTEE YI ’24
DAVID SUGARMANN ’24
Senior Editor
Assistant Sports Editor
PAREESAY AFZAL ’24
ALLISON HECHT ’26
Senior Editor
Newsletter Editor
ELI PALLRAND ’24
JASON WU ’24
Senior Editor
Senior Editor
Editors in training Editor in chief Desker Managing Desker Associate Desker News Deskers Sports Desker Arts & Culture Desker Photography Desker Layout Deskers
Gabriel Muñoz '26 Julia Senzon '26 Gabriel Levin '26 Iskander Khan ’26 Henry Fernandez ’27 Jane McNally '26 Sydney Levinton ’2 Nina Davis ’26 Jolin Li '27 Sophie Zeng '27
SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR OR GUEST COLUMN The Cornell Daily Sun is devoted to publishing a broad and diverse set of content from the Cornell and greater Ithaca community. We want to hear what you have to say about today's paper or any of our pieces. Guidelines on how to submit can be found at Cornellsun.com. And here is our email: opinion@cornellsun.com
I
We Are Not a Monolith
n the Comedy Central show “Key & Peele,” there was a sketch about Black Republicans where a series of speakers arose, stating that the Black community is diverse and not a monolith. A monolith is a group of people seen as uniform and indivisible. The current cultural practice has been to treat minority coalitions as one group lumped together. Given the plethora of different cultural identities within the Black community, categorizing African Americans within the monolith leads to the harm and disappearance of Black voices and perspectives. The best local encapsulation of the monolith problem was earlier this month in a collaborative post on Instagram by Cornell Dining and Black Students United to celebrate Black History Month. Throughout this month, there are four nights of special dinners highlighting the different cuisines of African people dispersed worldwide. Nine dining halls participate across four nights, each with different cuisines, from Ghana and the Gold Coast, East Africa, Haiti, Trinidad & Tobago, North Africa and Jamaica, to name a few. However, there was a cuisine that was notably left off the list: soul food. This African American cuisine consists of delectable eats such as fried chicken, mac and cheese, collard greens, cornbread and yams. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it. People in the comments section of the Instagram post echoed the sentiment. Given that African Americans fought for Black History Month to recognize their culture and history, Cornell Dining, even when collaborating with Black Students United, completely ignored Black culture. The offense continued, with many of the cuisines having overlapping elements. Ghana and the Gold Coast cuisine was offered at Becker House on Feb. 8, but Jansens at Hans Bethe House served a general West African cuisine the same night. When looking at a map, you can see that Ghana is part of West Africa. This was not the only case of overlap. Trinidad & Tobago, Haiti and Jamaica all have their own cuisine nights, but there is also a general Caribbean cuisine night, which all these nations are part of. Cuisines from Caribbean Islands such as Cuba and Puerto Rico were included, even though these cuisines are not considered to be part of Black cuisine. Cornell Dining created a localized monolith of African Diaspora students, erasing African Americans during a celebration of Black History Month. Furthermore, the localized monolith created by Cornell Dining is symbolic of a widespread monolith created by Democratic politicians: the oppression monolith. This monolith consists of minority voter groups (Blacks, Hispanics and members of the LGBTQ community, for example) that are often seen as
statistics rather than people for political gain. Forged by academic theories such as intersectionality, the concept of monoliths are often reinforced by policies like Diversity, Equity and Inclusion across institutions. This monolith allows white Democratic candidates to utter phrases such as “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t Black.” The same monolith enables white talkshow hosts to claim that Black men like Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Senator Tim Scott do not understand “the systemic racism that African Americans face in this country,” despite both men being born and raised in the Jim Crow South. It’s important to acknowledge that the monolith alone may not be all bad, as there are benefits to minority coalitions coming together to fight against common issues like racism. However, the harm of being in the monolith far outweighs the benefits. The monolith does not really help African Americans in the way they need. Sure, programs such as affirmative action do help Black people. But after roughly 50 years of affirmative action policies, the trajectory of Black people in America has not resulted in massive changes in educational opportunities, partially because affirmative action was not just for Black people but for members of the oppressed coalition as a whole. Additionally, not all members of that said coalition had the same levels of privilege beforehand to take advantage of affirmative action policies. There were some groups who were able to greatly benefit because their discrimination did not have a large impact on the wealth of their families. White women, for instance, were the biggest benefactors of affirmative action. But for those who faced more destructive forms of discrimination from the start, privilege was not evenly distributed. Slavery, for example, ensured that Black people were not able to have any wealth when arriving in America and continued the restriction of wealth until the 13th amendment. Given that Jim Crow continued to restrict the growth of Black wealth historically, it is no surprise that Black people were not equally prepared to take advantage of affirmative action policies. This is one of the core problems of the monolith: the positions and problems of the members are not the same, therefore the solutions are not the same. Those who claim to fight for the monolith perform easy tasks, claiming praise while people who need the most help are ignored. African Americans are not a monolith and are more than a larger monolith used for political gain. We are people with a unique history and culture that should be respected. Happy Black History Month!
The Cornell Daily Sun | Tuesday, February 20, 2024 7
Comics and Puzzles
Sundoku 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)
Puzzle 1812
DANCING CLASSIFIED AD RATES
Ads are accepted at The Sun’s office at 139 W. State Street downtown, by phone or e-mail. Deadline: 2:30 p.m. at The Sun’s office on the day preceding publication. Standard Rate: $3.95 per day for the first 15 words, 39 cents per day per word thereafter. Five or more consecutive insertions, $3.70 per day for the first 15 words, 37 cents per day per word thereafter. Commercial Rate: $5.95 per day for first 15 words, 40 cents per day per word thereafter. Five or more consecutive insertions, $5.75 per day for the first 15 words, 38 cents per day per word thereafter. The Sun is responsible for only one day make-good on ads.
I Am Going to Be Small
273-3606 classifieds@cornellsun.com
17 Help Wanted Live and Work in the Adirondack High Peaks!
e corn
Putnam Camp is hiring a Dinner Cook, Breakfast Cook and Maintenance Assistant for the l s u 2024 season. June n.com room and board 22-Aug. 29. Salary, and gratuities. Keene Valley, NY. www.putnamcamp.org email: manager@putnamcamp.org
cornellsun.co m
Johnny Woodruff
by Travis Dandro
Strings Attached
by Ali Solomon ’01
ccoorrnneelllssuun.co n.comm
Sports
The Corne¬ Daily Sun
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 20, 2024
8
Ivy League Champions
Men’s and women’s hockey clinch 26th and 16th program titles MEN’S HOCKEY
Men’s Hockey Upends Yale in Nail-Biting Shootout By JANE McNALLY and ELI FASTIFF Sun Staff Writers
Men’s hockey (16-4-5, 11-4-3 ECAC) clinched its 26th Ivy League title on Saturday after a shootout win over Yale (10-14-3, 7-10-3 ECAC). The title is the 13th under head coach Mike Schafer ’86. The game will be officially recorded as a 1-1 tie, but the extra ECAC point awarded to the shootout victor sealed the title outright for Cornell. Despite the newest addition to the Red’s trophy collection, Saturday’s tie will leave a sour taste in Cornell’s mouth. Entering the game in sole possession of 10th place in the PairWise rankings, the tie saw Cornell drop down to 14th. If the season ended today, Cornell would be one of the first teams out of the NCAA Tournament. Meeting a red-hot goaltender in Yale’s Jack Stark, the Red knew it would be a battle.
1
YALE @ CORNELL
Game: Yale Cornell
1ST 1 1
2ND 0 0
3RD 0 0
1
FINAL 1 1
“We knew how difficult it was gonna be. [Yale’s] goaltender is playing really well and it was fortunate for us to get out of the game with a couple of points,” Schafer said. The first period got underway slowly, as both teams asserted themselves physically, often at the expense of offense –– the first five minutes of play yielded just one shot on goal between both teams. Sophomore forward Dalton Bancroft was sent to the box early into the contest, juxtaposing Friday’s disciplined effort. Whereas Friday’s contest only saw one penalty called through 60 minutes, Saturday’s clash was dependent on special teams. Neither team converted on the
man-advantage, with Cornell going 0/3 and Yale 0/4. One of Cornell’s failed power play attempts was a momentum-changing penalty kill for Yale. 17 seconds after the Bulldogs’ penalty ended, a shot from Henry Wagner was stopped by junior goaltender Ian Shane, but the rebound caromed right in front of the net to a wide-open skater. It was Will Richter, flicking it past the outstretched glove of Shane and into the back of the net. Undeterred, the Red fought back and almost immediately connected. For the second night in a row, Cornell got its scoring started thanks to a shot off the post. As the ringing sound from freshman defenseman Hoyt Stanley’s wrister still permeated throughout Lynah, freshman forward Tyler Catalano collected the puck on top of the crease and netted his first collegiate goal to tie the game. “[It was] super exciting. I’m glad I could do it here in front of the home crowd. … They’re always so supportive and they show up every night, so it was exciting,” Catalano said. Those two first-period goals would be all the game saw, as both teams resorted to stifling defensive styles and took fewer risks offensively in the latter two periods. The second began with a bang, quite literally –– after another puck was fired off the pipe, Cornell counterattacked with an odd-man rush that was nearly lethal. Junior forward Kyle Penney corralled the puck and sauced it over to sophomore forward Nick DeSantis, who ripped a one-timer but was met with the glove of Stark. “Their goaltender played outstanding[ly]. He had a big save on [Catalano] in the second and [DeSantis],” Schafer said. “He made a big glove save, I don’t know how it didn’t go in. As a coach, you sit there going, ‘What’s going to happen here?’” Schafer said. Entering Saturday as arguably Yale’s most
ANTHONY CORRALES / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Back-to-back | Men’s hockey hoisted the Ivy title trophy for the second straight year. highly-touted defensive piece, Stark was as While Cornell prevailed on the penalty advertised on Saturday night. The freshman kill, the Red was once again reminded of its netminder stopped 22 of the 23 Cornell power play woes when it earned a man-up shots, including an athletic paddle save with opportunity with 1:28 left in overtime. The five minutes left in the second. Red moved the puck well during the shortAcross the ice, Shane continued his ened power play but passed up a few shootrock-solid play, making 16 saves for a .941 ing lanes and couldn’t convert, prompting save percentage. A few of his stronger saves a shootout. came on a late second-period penalty kill. Bancroft and senior forward Gabriel That 1-1 tie would hold into the third, Seger opened up the shootout for Cornell. marking just the third time in the Red’s cur- Both notched goals that rang off the post rent 13-game unbeaten streak that Cornell and into the net, a poetic nod to a weekend where Cornell hit the iron five times across hasn’t led going into the final frame. Junior forward Jack O’Leary won the Red both games. Yale followed that up with a score and an imperative third-period penalty, drawing a cross-checking call with 5:07 left –– a a miss, giving Catalano a chance to be the chance to grab the lead with time dwindling hero. Though he was stopped by Stark, down. The power play yielded more oppor- Shane came up big on Yale’s final try, tunities than its two previous ones, but the snuffing Ian Carpentier with the glove and Red was unable to improve its 42-best 17.6 clinching the title for Cornell. power play percentage. Aided by a stellar kick save by Shane To continue reading this story, please visit with 25.8 to go, the Red survived a late www.cornellsun.com. power-play push by Yale –– one that would carry over after regulation –– to send the Jane McNally and Eli Fastiff can be reached at jmcnally@cornellsun.com and esf75@cornell.edu. game into extra time.
WOMEN’S HOCKEY
Women’s Hockey Downs Brown, 2-1, in Season Finale By HAMNA WASEEM Sun Staff Writer
In a thrilling finale to the regular season, women’s hockey (21-6-1, 16-5-0 ECAC) shut down both Brown (11-14-3, 7-11-3 ECAC) and Yale (15-13-1, 12-9-1 ECAC) to claim its 16th Ivy League title. Cornell opened up the contest against Brown fast and furious, applying pressure on the Bears’ netminder Kaley Doyle. Doyle showed up strong in response, saving 18 shots in the opening period, while standout freshman goaltender Annelies Bergmann stopped five to keep the game dead-locked at zero. Lopsided power-play opportunities favored the Bears in the second, with it having five to Cornell’s one. The Red stood strong during four of those attempts, but Brown found the back of the net on one, which served as a vital difference maker after two periods. Cornell claimed two minutes of power-play action when sophomore forward Georgia Schiff was elbowed midway through the third, but the Red was unable to find the equalizer during that time. With just over five minutes of regulation left to play, freshman defenseman Piper Grober fired a shot from the blueline that somehow found its way past Doyle for the
game-tying goal. Grober’s goal propelled the Red into overtime. Six seconds into the extra period, Brown’s Jade Iginla was called for an interference penalty, putting the Red on a four-on-three advantage. After a flurry of shots in front of Doyle, senior forward Izzy Daniel fired one past the Brown netminder to give Cornell its third overtime victory of the season. The next day at Ingalls Rinks, Yale unleashed an impressive barrage of 20 shots on goal in the opening period, but Bergmann held her ground and thwarted every attempt. As the period concluded, both teams remained deadlocked in a tense 0-0 stalemate. Cornell seized control early in the second period, capitalizing on a power-play opportunity following an interference penalty against Yale. Sophomore forward Mckenna Van Gelder broke the deadlock by slipping the puck past the Bulldogs’ goaltender Pia Dukaric. Moments later, the Red cracked a two-on-one break when freshman forward Karel Prefontaine found the back of the net thanks to Daniel’s precise playmaking, doubling Cornell’s lead. All was not smooth, however, as Elle Hartje of the Bulldogs retaliated with a gritty goal off a rebound, narrowing the deficit to one heading into the decisive
third period. Cornell intensified its offensive onslaught in the final period, seeking to fortify its 2-1 lead. Less than two minutes in, a skirmish in front of the Red’s net resulted in matching minors for Hartje and sophomore forward Avi Adam, creating open ice for a fouron-four exchange. Despite the heightened intensity, neither team managed to alter the scoreboard during this segment. With Dukaric pulled from the net in the waning moments of the game, Cornell relied on Bergmann’s goaltending prowess to repel any attempts at an equalizer. Her remarkable performance, bolstered by 35 saves, secured Cornell’s 16th Ivy League title in program history, further solidifying Bergmann’s stellar 16-5-1 record in goal this season. No. 6 ranked Cornell will enjoy a bye week in the first round of the ECAC Hockey Tournament before resuming action in a three-game quarterfinal series from March 1-3. These games will be held at Lynah Rink against the victor of the first-round clash between the Quinnipiac Bobcats and Harvard Crimson.
Hamna Waseem can be reached at hwaseem@cornellsun.com.