ATTEND A SUN RECRUITMENT MEETING — SEE PAGE 2 INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 136, No. 52
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2020
n
12 Pages – Free
ITHACA, NEW YORK
News
Arts
Sports
Weather
Salaam in Sage
Super Bowl
Tennis Teamwork
Scattered Showers
The falsely accused member of the "Central Park Five" will speak on campus Feb. 17.
Men's tennis pulled together for a pair of 7-0 sweeps.
The Arts Department breaks down our picks for the best, worst and weirdest ads.
| Page 3
| Page 6
| Page 12
Democracy inaction
HIGH: 43º LOW: 23º
V.P. Ryan Lombardi Alerts C.U. to Potential Case of Coronavirus
N.Y.’s Centers for Disease Control tests student, who is off-campus and isolated
GABRIELA BHASKAR / THE NEW YORK TIMES
As candidate selection in the Iowa caucuses concluded Monday night, Iowa Democratic Party officials had not yet finished tabulating and releasing the results, as of 1:30 a.m Tuesday.
Title IX Office Responds To Sexual Assault Data By KATHRYN STAMM Sun Staff Writer
BORIS TSANG / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
At the helm | Laura Rugless began her new role as Title IX coordinator on Jan. 2.
Sexual assault incidents and reports to the Title IX office increased in 2018, according to data published in late January. Cornell had the highest number of reported sexual assault incidents out of every university and college in New York in 2018, according to data collected by the New York State Department of Education. With 282 reports, Cornell far outnumbers peer institutions like New York University at 173 reports and Columbia at 111. With enrollment taken into consideration, Cornell’s numbers are even
more significant: NYU has 51,847 students, dwarfing Cornell’s 24,848. As the office enters a new era under recently appointed Title IX coordinator Laura Rugless, it maintains that the increase of reports are a positive. “Overwhelmingly, it is a positive thing to see an increase in reports,” Rugless, associate vice president of the Office of Institutional Equity, told The Sun. “It gives a sense that the program is working the way it should.” More reports implies better awareness of and more trust in the office, the Title IX coordinator said. See TITLE IX page 5
Alum Runs for State Assembly Seph Murtagh Ph.D. ’09 aims to replace Lifton in N.Y. 125th By ALEC GIUFURTA Sun Staff Writer
Ithaca Common Council Alderperson Seph Murtagh Ph.D. ’09 (D-2nd Ward) launched his campaign to represent the 125th New York State Assembly District on Monday. Murtagh will
look to succeed Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton (D-N.Y.) — whose office he currently works for as communications coordinator. Lifton announced she would not seek reelection on Friday. As a Common Council Alderperson, Murtagh said he can
“walk from one end of [his] district to the other,” so one challenge he anticipates in his campaign for New York State Assembly is navigating a significantly larger district. Currently, Murtagh represents Ithaca’s second ward — which comprises parts of the Ithaca
Commons, Six Mile Creek, Cascadilla Creek, Washington Park and Dewitt Park. On the other hand, the 125th district consists of Tompkins County in its entirety and neighboring towns. “That's a very difSee SEPH page 5
By MEGHNA MAHARISHI
well-being, but also for that of your friends and family living abroad.” A Cornell student presented The outbreak is believed to symptoms that mirror the novel have originated in the wildcoronavirus strain — which has life markets of Wuhan, China. afflicted over 17,000 people Symptoms of coronavirus worldwide — Ryan Lombardi, include a high fever, coughing vice president of student and and shortness of breath — which campus life, announced in an is similar to flu symptoms. email on Monday. It is not conOn Wednesday, Provost firmed that the student has the Michael Kotlikoff sent an email novel coronavirus. to the Cornell community, writCurrently, the Centers for ing that the University would Disease Control is conducting bar students from traveling to laboratory tests for the student, China for Cornell-related purand the results poses. could take a “Cornell is an international Faculty full week, the and staff email read. community of scholars and would still The student we understand that many be allowed does not reside to travel to of you are worried.” on campus China, if they and is in isolareceive clearRyan Lombardi tion, receiving ance from full-time care. Cornell’s There are no confirmed cases of International Travel Advisory coronavirus in New York state, Response Team, which currently according to the email. lists China on its elevated-risks “[T]his is a challenging time destinations list. ITART placed for many of our community China on this list after the CDC members,” Lombardi wrote in issued a level 3 travel warnthe email sent Monday after- ing, urging travelers not to visit noon. “Cornell is an interna- China for nonessential travel. tional community of scholars See CORONAVIRUS page 5 and we understand that many of you are worried not only about BORIS TSANG / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR your own health a n d Sun Staff Writer