INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 128, No. 94
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012
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ITHACA, NEW YORK
Court Upholds Dryden’s Ban On Fracking
News Global Vision
Administrators consider changing the international relations minor into a “global affairs” major. | Page 3
Opinion The Cost of Apathy
Maggie Henry ’14 argues that the U.S. cannot afford to stay silent about the growing bloodshed in Syria. | Page 7
By LIZ CAMUTI Sun Senior Writer
Science
opening.” Michael Twiford ’14, who lives in the Washington, D.C. area where there are over 75 of the burrito-based restaurants, said that, since he has a Chipotle at home, he is “so excited that it finally coming to Ithaca.” “I’ve been waiting for this Chipotle for weeks and I’m just so happy to be here,” Twiford said. Chipotle staff said their day was kept busy with eager diners milling around the restaurant. “Our day’s been really busy, with people lining up all day. People have camped out-
In the brewing legal melee between gas drilling companies and local municipalities seeking to ban hydraulic fracturing on their lands, round one, it appears, is over: Local communities in a win by decision. Tompkins County court judge Philip Rumsey ruled Tuesday that the Town of Dryden’s recent ban on hydraulic fracturing — a controversial practice in which chemicals are injected into the ground at high pressure to extract natural gas — falls within the authority of local governments to regulate municipal land use. According to court documents, Rumsey determined that the state’s mining law, which allows drilling companies to regulate their own activity, cannot stop towns from banning drilling through zoning ordinances. On Sept. 16, Anschutz Exploration Corporation, a Denver-based gas drilling company, filed a lawsuit against the Town of Dryden. The suit challenged the town’s hydraulic fracturing ban, calling the prohibition “invalid, unlawful and unenforceable,” according to court documents. According to the company’s statements during the trial, Anschutz has invested $5.1 million in drilling operations on more than 55,000 acres in the town. The company argued that Dryden’s ban on hydraulic fracturing — commonly referred to as “fracking” — violated a state law designed to create standardized regulations for oil and gas drilling and
See CHIPOTLE page 5
See FRACKING page 5
Silicon Isle
The Sun explores the sustainable science behind the CornellNYC Tech campus on Roosevelt Island. | Page 8
Arts Solid Gold
TAJWAR MAZHAR / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Burrito business | Michael Twiford ’14 pays for his meal during the grand opening of Ithaca’s first Chipotle Mexican Grill on Tuesday.
The Sun reveals its picks for this Sunday’s Academy Awards. | Page 10
Chipotle Opens to Rave Reviews
Arts
Students brave hour-long wait for Mexican chain
Small Talk
Becky Lee ’12 muses on what is lost and found in translation in intercultural couples’ relationships. | Page 11
Sports Before Linsanity
Members of the men’s basketball team reflect on their time playing against NBA sensation Jeremy Lin. | Page 16
Weather Showers HIGH: 44 LOW: 34
16 Pages – Free
By TAJWAR MAZHAR Sun Staff Writer
Ithaca heralded the grand opening of its first Chipotle Mexican Grill on Tuesday with crowds of patrons wrapping around the restaurant. The popular chain first announced its opening in November, rousing the excitement of Cornell students. “I’ve had a lot of experience with Chipotle. It is hands down the best fast food around,” Seth Braunstein ’13 said as he waited in line. “Finally Ithaca came to its senses and got one, and that’s awesome … There’s no way I’m going to miss the grand
Organization Pushes to Educate Signatures of S.A. Candidate’s Bid Scrutinized LGBT Students on Health Issues By JEFF STEIN
Sun City Editor
By JINJOO LEE Sun Staff Writer
A student initiative is raising awareness about health issues faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students and connecting them with existing programs that serve the LGBT population both on campus and in the Ithaca community. Spenser Reed ’13, vice presi-
be working on these issues because there is a lot of attention nationally on LGBT health,” said Vishesh Kothary ’12, founder and president of Come out for Health!. Come Out for Health! is currently working to address a number of health issues pertinent to the LGBT community, like smoking. Kothary said that the LGBT community has
“This is a great time to be working on these issues because there’s a lot of attention nationally on LGBT health.” Vishesh Kothary ’12 dent of Come Out for Health! said the group was inspired to take action in October by U.S. Secretary of Health Kathleen Sebelius. Sebelius said that there was an urgent need for healthcare practitioners to have a better understanding about the unique health disparities that LGBT Americans encounter. “I think this is a great time to
a high rate of tobacco use in part because of “industry targeting.” “[Tobacco companies] have sponsored AIDS charities, where gay men often gather. They also had a project … targeting minorities,” he said. To help reduce smoking rates See LGBT page 4
A candidate for Student Assembly attempted to take credit for another candidate’s signatures by crossing off the petition’s original name and replacing it with her own, documents obtained by The Sun Tuesday night indicated. That candidate, E.J. Yeterian ’15, will still be permitted to run for the position because she collected more than 100 signatures — the number necessary to qualify — Adam Raveret ’12, director of elections for the S.A., said in an interview Tuesday. While not confirming the details of the infraction, Raveret said Yeterian would not receive further disciplinary action. The “proper punishment for anything that took place,” Raveret said, is to not include any signatures that were not collected by her. Raveret said “the hearing that took place tonight was confidential, and no one outside reelection committee and E.J. should know about it, so that’s a little frustrating.” “Do you know E.J.? E.J. is honestly one of the sweetest girls in the world,” Raveret said. Raveret’s narrative appeared to
Violation | An S.A. candidate’s election petition, above, reportedly included signatures intended for another candidate.
contradict an email, obtained by The Sun, that he sent to Yeterian on Monday. In that account, while waiting in line to turn in their petitions to run for the S.A. women’s issues representative, Yeterian reportedly told Melissa Lukasiewicz ’14 that she, Yeterian, did not have enough signatures. Lukasiewicz, who apparently had more than enough of her own signatures, proceeded to give Yeterian two sheets of her own. “It is quite apparent that you had crossed out Melissa’s name
throughout the forms and wrote your own name on the sheet,” Raveret said in the email. “Since the signatures reflect the intent of the signers to put a particular person on the ballot, it seems inappropriate to transfer them to a different candidate unless you go back out and get all of the signers’ consent to do so.” Neither Yeterian nor Lukasiewicz returned phone calls Tuesday night. Jeff Stein can be reached at jstein@cornellsun.com.