3-30-2023 entire issue hi res

Tompkins

County

Plan Responds to Crises With CARE

New program plans to dispatch licensed therapists, along with police, on 911 crisis calls

By SOPHIA TORRES LUGO

Sun Contributor

The Tompkins County government recently announced their plans to bring mental health reform to crisis-based 911 calls, including a new approach that will better accommodate individuals undergoing varying levels of crises.

Released on March 14, the plans outline a Crisis Alternative Response and Engagement Team that will consist of at least one licensed clinical therapist and a sheriff deputy, both of whom will be trained to respond to emergency mental health situations.

The new plan will dispatch CARE team members following a 911 call or after an on-scene law enforcement officer has identified a mental or behavioral health crisis. The county hopes that this program will create a more sensitive and less traumatic response to these situations, better serving individuals who may go through mental crises.

“The pilot program will aim to divert individuals from the criminal justice system and avoid unnecessary hospitalization whenever possible,” the announcement

stated. “The program anticipates meeting these aims by de-escalating crisis situations, linking people in need with community treatment and support services and providing in-person follow-up support within the first 24 to 48 hours after the crisis.”

According to Common Council Member Jorge Defendini ’22, the program is the result of several different community members’ efforts to narrow the gap between law enforcement and public safety.

“[The program] is the product of groups and community members coming together as a part of our Reimagining Public Safety process that happened some time ago,” Defendini said. “A couple of years ago now, we got together and talked about how we can adequately reimagine our public safety to address systemic issues and regain trust between law enforcement and the community. A bunch of recommendations were put forth, and this is one of them.”

Passed in 2021, the Reimagining Public Safety report outlines various plans community groups have for improving public safety in Tompkins County in response to New York State Executive Order 203, which calls for statewide

Alumna Capitalizes on Cannabis

Miller-Hornick '12 operates hemp business as market grows

By DUNIA MATTA Sun Contributor

When Karli Miller-Hornick ’12 first attended Cornell, she never thought she would end up founding a cannabis business here in Ithaca. Now, 15 years later, she operates a dispensary, as the cannabis market continues to grow.

In 2008, halfway through her freshman year, Miller-Hornick transferred into the Nolan School of Hotel Administration. Though she first pursued a culinary career,

Miller-Hornick soon realized this was not the path for her. She started to explore other careers, spending a summer making flatbread pizzas at the Ithaca’s Farmers Market.

Miller-Hornick appreciated the community spirit the farmers market fostered, as she said she has always admired the way food brings people together. Working at the farmers market led her to consider becoming a farmer, but after taking a six-month course in sustainable agriculture between her junior and senior year, Miller-Hornick realized she was not

cut out for farm life.

Still, Miller-Hornick said she gained valuable knowledge about farming and the agricultural industry from these experiences.

“These farms had no training or interest in branding and sales,” Miller-Hornick said. “While they were growing veggies, they were having a really hard time finding sales outlets for them.”

Due to difficulty achieving sales, many farmers with which MillerHornick worked struggled to support themselves and their families financially. Witnessing these hardships demonstrated to Miller-Hornick the importance of building sustainable business models for farmers.

Miller-Hornick had always envisioned that she would one day build her own business. Her entrepreneurial spirit prompted her to solve this problem, and she began searching for jobs within agribusiness.

“[I] literally found my dream job on my last day of classes, and [I] applied for it,” Miller-Hornick said. “The job was remote, and it was for this brand-new startup that had created a software to help community-supported agriculture farms.”

police reform and reinvention.

One of the community groups involved in drafting the report was Ithaca’s Community Justice Center. In a quote from the press release, Monalita Smiley, the center’s project director, emphasized the positive impact she hopes the CARE team program will have on the whole community.

Golden Globe Winner Williams Visits Cornell

By MARIAN CABALLO, ALEXIS ALTON and SYRIELLE CLEMENT Sun Assistant

Editor, Sun Staff Writer and Sun Contributor

Fresh off of a recent Golden Globe win for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series as Gregory Eddie on “Abbott Elementary,” actor Tyler James Williams visited Cornell on Saturday, March 25 to share insights about Hollywood, his career path and his hit ABC show.

Excited Cornellians gath-

ered at Statler Auditorium on Saturday, cheering upon Williams’ entrance and singing along to his viral Disney Channel original song “Don’t Run Away.”

The one-hour event hosted by the Multicultural Community Fueled Activities Board began with a discussion moderated by MCFAB chief of operations Mariama Bah ’24, followed by an audience question and answer session.

TV Talk | Actor Tyler James Williams, who notably won a Golden Globe for his role in "Abbott Elementary," spoke to Cornellians on Saturday.

From Establishment to entrepreneur | Hotel alumna Karli MillerHornick '12 has

“We want to make sure that we are listening to as many folks in the community as possible.”

Jorge Defendini '22

A LISTING OF FREE CAMPUS EVENTS

Biomedical Sciences Seminar Series — Kara McKinley

Noon - 1 p.m., Lecture Hall 3, Veterinary Research Tower

Center for Hospitality Research Webinar: The Next 100 Years: Hospitality Guests of Tomorrow Noon - 1 p.m., Virtual Event

Rare Islamic Books in the Olin Library Collection

3 p.m., Kroch Library, Rare Manuscripts Collection Basement Floor

Laboratory of Plasma Studies Colloquium on Plasma Science and Applications Featuring Keith Matzen

4:15 p.m. - 5:30 p.m., 700 Clark Hall

Majority Rule and Consortial Policymaking: The Evidence from Early China

4:45 p.m. - 6:15 p.m., 120 Physical Sciences Building

Latin American and Caribbean Studies Film Series: Off the Road

5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m., G08 Uris Hall

How to Blow Up a Pipeline

7 p.m. - 8:40 p.m., Willard Straight Theatre

Tomorrow

Sound Healing

Noon - 12:45 p.m., Helen Newman Hall

Seminars in Infection and Immunity (Veterinary Medicine Microbiology 7120) — Prof. Kyu Rhee ’91, microbiology and immunolgy, medicine

12:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m., Lecture Hall 3, College of Veterinary Medicine

Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality

Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurs in Residence: Meli James ’00 2 p.m. - 4 p.m., Virtual Event

Biomedical Engineering 7900 Seminar Series — Amy Herr

2:45 pm. - 3:45 p.m., 226 Weill Hall

Center for Advanced Technology Grant Proposal Deadline 5 p.m., Virtual Event

Business Manager Katie Chen ’25

E-MAIL sunmailbox@cornellsun.com

Miller-Hornick ’12 Commands Cannabis Industry

Miller-Hornick began working for Farmigo, an online farmers’ market platform. Although she initially planned on starting her own business straight out of college, she decided to gain experience in the industry first.

“Before starting your own business, go learn on somebody else’s dime first, and then take those learnings to start your own business,” Miller-Hornick said.

Miller-Hornick worked for Farmigo for six years. The experience taught her fruitful lessons in entrepreneurship — she learned about business models and software and worked with more than 350 farms nationwide.

With this knowledge, Miller-Hornick started a test farm with Allan Gandelman, whom she met through the six-month sustainable agriculture program at Cornell. Miller-Hornick and Gandelman co-founded the Farmer Group, a licensed New York cannabis cultivator, in 2017, along with multiple brands — including Head and Heal, Florist Farms, Blotter and Tune Seltzers.

When she first started her business, hemp and CBD were not on Miller-Hornick’s radar. Her and Gandelman’s initial goal with the test farm was to double the size of their Community Supported Agriculture, which delivers locally-grown farm products on a subscription basis. In their first year, they increased membership from 100 to over 350 members.

The pair’s business thrived until Gandelman was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2017.

Though Gandelman visited doctors in attempts to cure

his illness, they initially had difficulty determining what was making him sick. Eventually, Gandelman began doing at-home cannabis extractions to make himself medicine.

Around the same time, the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets made the first licenses available for individuals and businesses to grow and process cannabis. The hemp licensing program presented a perfect opportunity for Miller-Hornick and Gandelman.

The pair started off selling CBD products at the Syracuse farmers market. Over time, their business gained popularity, and Miller-Hornick and Gandelman even had regular customers.

“People [were] coming back and telling us their stories about how well the product works for them and telling all the strangers around them about their experiences,” MillerHornick said.

Miller-Hornick and Gandelman two were invited to present at Rev — an Ithaca-based business incubator that offers companies mentorship, networking and other tools for success. After their presentation, Miller-Hornick and Gandelman were invited to sell their CBD products at Wegmans.

Reflecting on her Cornell years, Miller-Hornick has seen how her education in hospitality plays an important role in working with a dispensary. Miller-Hornick emphasized customer satisfaction as ensuring each customer feels valued helps businesses build trust with their clientele.

New York continues to see more cannabis dispensaries pop up across the state — recently, a new dispensary opened in downtown Ithaca. Miller-Hornick said hospitality continues to be a key factor to the success of these businesses.

Summit Tackles Mental Health

By ERICA YIRENKYI Sun Staff Writer

“Self-care, brown-skinned girls and releasing your inner child,” “How to be bossy with style and grace,”

“Goal setting for the upcoming semester” and “Defining healthy sexual and romantic relationships” are four of the nine workshops Building Ourselves through Sisterhood and Service held during their annual mental health summit on Friday and Saturday.

BOSS is a student-run organization at Cornell that facilitates peer mentorship and service among women of color, fostering impactful social interactions.

Lasting two days, this year’s mental health summit kicked off with a self-care and spa bonding event on March 24. The second day involved a mental health summit event on March 25, with the theme “Connecting Within and Beyond.” Through this theme, BOSS aimed to encourage mindfulness and cultivate a space for women of color to feel heard and seen.

Promoting meditation and bonding, the conference featured a fireside panel and a series of nine workshops facilitated by students and mental health professionals.

Strolling Students

The summit keynote speaker was Freddie Ransome, a creator, internet personality, event curator, DJ and Buzzfeed video producer. Ransome shared her experiences of dealing with imposter syndrome, what she hopes to gain out of her career and the impact she aspires to have on the music industry.

“The imposter syndrome has been real, especially because I have built my career mostly around content creation,” Ransome said. “I do not want people to think I am just becoming an Instagram DJ or an influencer DJ. I want people to know that I respect the craft. I practice so much and want to be respected in this space.”

Ransome also discussed her efforts to sustain her mental health as her career has shifted.

“I think my mental health is in a good spot right now, because I have made some tough, scary decisions — like leaving my four-year-old management team,” Ransome said. “Also, being aware of the company I keep will lead to my overall success. I like good energy. I love to be held accountable, and I want anyone in my corner to be like, you got this.”

“I think a lot of people forget that in the cannabis world, that level of service is really needed — and even more so needed because it’s a product that’s been stigmatized for so long,” Miller-Hornick said.

Miller-Hornick also expressed surprise at how her current career path turned out to be so different from her expectations in college.

“If you had asked me my freshman year if I thought I was going to live in Ithaca, I would’ve been like, ‘no, no way,’” Miller-Hornick said. “If you had asked me my freshman year if I would be the CEO of a cannabis company, [I] wouldn’t have believed you.”

CARE Team to Aid Police With Mental Crises Across County

“This is a pilot program that will use de-escalation and help to deliver social support and resources that can help people become healthier and safer,” Smiley said. “Our evaluation of the program will look at how well we meet the goals set out under Reimagining Public Safety and how well we are meeting the needs of the community by responding in a new and different way.”

The program plans to begin functioning by late this spring and will operate Monday through Friday, during what the Tompkins County Mobile Crisis Team calls “peak hours of need.” These are hours the team determined to have the highest number of crisis-related calls.

When asked about the timing of the program, Defendini mentioned that many community members have been asking for mental health sensitivity to be implemented for some time.

“We want to make sure that we are listening to as many folks in the community as possible,” Defendini said. “Folks who have to deal with this on a disproportionate level have been calling us for some time now, and it is on us to catch up with that and respond as quickly as possible and deliver on this overdue need.”

In the press release, Frank Kruppa, the Tompkins County Whole Health Commissioner, shared that for the beginning of its implementation, the program will be in a testing phase and will be changed and improved as needed. For now, Kruppa said he hopes the program will mend

relationships across the community and effectively handle wellness-based crisis calls.

“I look forward to learning from the CARE team’s experience in the field and feedback from the public,” Kruppa said. “Our focus is on reducing stigma, providing equitable care that meets people where they are and prevention of crisis situations in our community.”

When given an overview of the plan, some Cornell students expressed their appreciation for having both healthcare workers and police officers respond to crisis calls.

Will Moss ’26 said the presence of police officers can sometimes induce stress, and he supports that healthcare workers trained in mental health will accompany police on crisis calls.

“It’s good that they’re doing that,” Moss said. “If I was having a crisis and only cops showed up, I don’t know how that would help me or benefit me at all. Their job is to arrest us and their presence would stress me out — it could make someone who was having a crisis maybe be more violent and exacerbate the situation, whereas a healthcare worker is much better — they’re trained and know what to do to deescalate the situation.”

Other students, like Maya Pierce ’25, agreed that the plan improves upon the old procedure but expressed doubts about still having law enforcement be involved.

“This is an improvement,” Pierce said, “but as long as we have police, we will not be safe.”

Healing hemp | CBD tinctures stand on a shelf at Head and Heal, a cannabis brand that Miller-Hornick co-founded in 2018.

JULIA NAGEL / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Dunia Matta can be reached at dm674@cornell.edu.

See BOSS page 4

Sophia Torres Lugo can be reached at set77@cornell.edu.

BOSS facilitates panels, workshops to support women of color

Emerging from Goldwin Smith Hall, Cornellians step into sunny spring skies while others sprawl on the green grass of a bright and bustling Arts and Sciences quad.

Williams Discusses Career and ‘Abbott Elementary’

’26, MCFAB’s chief marketing officer. “We’re just hoping to give everyone a break from their exams and just have a night of fun.”

from his music to the on-screen romance between “Abbott Elementary” main characters Gregory and Janine.

Williams expressed his gratitude for his life experiences early on in the discussion, which include playing the role of Chris Rock on the UPN/CW sitcom “Everybody Hates Chris,” starring as songwriter Cyrus DeBarge in the Disney Channel original movie “Let It Shine” and Noah on AMC horror television series “The Walking Dead.”

“Every career is a long road, it’s a journey, and you have these beautiful stops along the way. Being able to see my cast [win] — that’s what did it for me,” Williams said. “The industry is constantly evolving and that’s not always easy to adjust to. But for me, the love of the work is what’s carried through.”

According to its president, Jordan Crayton ’24, MCFAB is a group funded by the Campus Activities

With 608 registered attendees and a waitlist of over 100 people, news of the event spread quickly on campus. Dana Cabus ’26 heard about the event from friends, immediately registering herself.

“This felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Cabus said. “The event being free was a major perk.”

According to Crayton, the event took two months of strategic planning.

“Everyone has dreams of who they would like to come here, but with money constraints it isn’t always realistic,” Crayton said. “We looked at different media involving performers of color, and gauged how popular they would be by the amount of buzz they have surrounding them in the press. Then we tried to match them to our budget and timeline.”

With over twenty years of experience in the industry, Williams shared stories about his career trajectory, various roles and character arc on “Abbott Elementary.” He also touched on dealing with societal pressures on actors and students.

“You have more time than you think,” Williams advised the audience. “I don’t care what your career field is, I don’t care what it is you’re planning to do. The fastest way to get there is slow.”

“I knew I absolutely had to attend this event because it would be such a great opportunity to see an actor who has been in shows and movies I love,” said Marina Blackman ’26. “I have a lot of great memories watching these productions, so once I found out that I had the chance to hear [Williams] talk in person at Cornell, I knew I had to go.”

The event’s attendees — many of which grew up watching him — said they were excited to hear Williams’ raw insights.

“I loved hearing his creative process of embodying a character, and how he finds commonalities among the characters he plays,” Cabus said. “The Q&A felt like he was talking to his audience as old friends. He’s so down to earth and humble about his fame.”

Blackman and Cathirell also cited the question and answer session as their favorite part of the event.

“It felt like an older brother was coaching us,” Cathirell said.

The event gave lasting impacts for some Cornellians who resonated with Williams’ story.

Office with the goal of bringing performers of color to the University. MCFAB has previously brought prominent artists to Cornell including Chris Redd, Doja Cat and Spike Lee.

“MCFAB really wants what’s best for the community,” Crayton said. “Like our name says, we are community-fueled and we want our community to feel represented in the performers that get to come to campus.”

According to Crayton, the goal of the event — which took two months of planning — was to generate opportunities to engage with successful performers of color and provide an inspiration for students.

“I’m hoping that students, especially aspiring actors, will be inspired by the Q&A,” said Samantha Smith

Student attendees appreciated Williams’ heartfelt words and career advice, many claiming it was relatable to their own experiences at the University.

“This is refreshing to hear because at Cornell, I — and many of my peers — feel rushed to meet goals and deadlines without really enjoying the process along the way,” Samara Cathirell ’24 said.

Cabus expressed her appreciation for the advice that came with someone with such extensive experience in the performing industry.

“His advice about dealing with pressures from society really resonated with me, especially coming from someone who’s been in the limelight for twenty plus years,” Cabus said.

During the question and answer portion of the event, participants asked questions about everything

“My biggest takeaway is to do what I want to do no matter what other people, or society, tells me to do,” Mira Clarke ’26 said.

However, Clarke noted she would have enjoyed photo opportunities with Williams, and Cabus said he wished the event had been longer than an hour.

With the success of the event, MCFAB Board members Smith and Crayton said they hope to increase involvement of the club on campus through general body meetings and are in the process of planning new events for the community.

“Events like these matter to me because it is incredibly inspirational to see successful people of color thrive within white-dominated industries,” Cathirell said. “It reminds me that I too can find my niche and be happy even amongst those who don’t look like me.”

BOSS Empowers Women of Color in Mental Health Summit

BOSS Continued from page 3

Summit co-chair Kelli Williams ’24 commented on BOSS’s speaker selection process.

“[When selecting potential speakers and facilitators], we try to think who could speak to and connect the theme in unique ways,” Williams said. “For example, we [had] Jakara Zellner ’23 talking about nature in terms of mental health and how that connection would work. Then, we [had] mental health professionals who did a panel talking about mental health and gave skills and resources to the students, because sometimes it [can feel] inaccessible.”

facilitator Rumbidzai Mangwende ’24 helped her understand the importance of staying organized and balanced.

“[Mangwende] discussed how organization is key and gives you stability. When you feel stable, you can plug into where you are lacking and create ways of creating balance,” Jobe said. “If you don’t know where you’re falling because you’re not organized, how do you know how to improve?”

“[I] learned how to apply what I learned at the summit to my life, my inner life and... my relationships. Overall, this summit taugh me how to take care of myself as a Black woman and how to protect my mental health and my mental spaces.””

Kassidy Scott ’26

Simone Regis ’25, one of the workshop coordinators, described the connections she forged with her fellow summit planners.

“We have formed some nice bonds. …. You connect with people when you are creating things together,” Regis said. “I felt like I was connecting within and beyond while putting all of this together.”

Summit attendees Kassidy Scott ’26 and Abbie Jobe ’26 felt that the workshops helped them to better understand their mental health.

Jobe said the workshop led by student

Scott similarly spoke highly of the summit sessions, which she said allowed her to realize the importance of self-care.

“[I] learned how to apply what I learned at the summit] to my life, my inner life and … my relationships,” Scott said. “Overall, this summit taught me how to take care of myself as a Black woman and how to protect my mental health and my mental spaces.”

Syrielle Clement can be reached at sc2958@cornell.edu..

Erica Yirenkyi ’25 can be reached at emy28@cornell. edu.

“[When selecting potential speakers and facilitators], we try to think who could speak and connect the theme in unique ways.”

Kelli Williams ’24

“The industry is constantly evolving and that’s not always easy to adjust to. But or me, the love of the work is what’s carried through.”

Tyler James Wiliams

Kelly’s Dockside

Seaworthy Diner or Sinking Establishment?

By QUINTIN CERIONE Sun Contributor

Growing up in Ithaca, I have always been proud to be a townie. The stunning summer days on the lake, the beautiful fall and the diverse network of friends and families; Ithaca has much to offer to a kid growing up in a small town. Unfortunately, good dining has never been one of those things.

I have seen restaurants come and go. Some that leave too soon, others that stay too long. Growing up, my friends and I would deliberate about what the best restaurant in town was. I always struggled to formulate an answer. There are very few that I would qualify as great, and even fewer that are great without charging absurd prices.

Now, as a person with resentment for the dinner scene in Ithaca, I wasn’t asking myself what the best restaurant to go to for dinner was — but instead what was the worst. Although I had ideas of what I thought could be considered the worst in town, I turned to the internet to find my answer. After weeding out the extensive list of fast food and chain restaurants located, I narrowed in on one of the lowest rated restaurants in town — Kelly’s Dockside, a quaint little diner off the Cayuga inlet.

TripAdvisor has Kelly’s ranked #130 out of 138 restaurants listed in Ithaca, ranking #64 out of 65 for American restaurants. Immediately, I thought this was a hot take. I have made the occasional visit

to Kelly’s for brunch and have always enjoyed it. What was I missing? I realized that the disconnect may not lie in the restaurant, but in the meal itself — I have only ever experienced Kelly’s brunch. I never got a chance to see what else they had to offer. So, on a warm, sunny evening in March, two friends and I set out Kelly’s Dockside to review their dinner.

After taking one look at the place, you can’t help but feel as if you’re back at your favorite beachside restaurant you visit every summer. Upon entering,

I was greeted by a welcoming waitress. Although she would not seat us, she handed us our menus and informed us that anything listed under the “Dinner” section of the menu was not available. We slouched, demoralized and feeling as if our journey had already been cut short, we walked through the sea side-esque dining area and bar and made our way to the outdoor seating area.

We stepped outside and couldn’t help but take in the fantastic view of the inlet flowing beside the deck. As we went to sit down we realized that this seating area must have not been in season, since most of the chairs had no seat, only containing the back support and the legs. Fortunately, we were able to corral enough chairs together and grabbed a table on the side of the balcony overlooking the inlet. An interesting start to the night, for sure.

As I glanced over the menu, I was saddened by my limited options. Before I could make a decision, our waitress came by

and informed us that she had called in the second chef and that all dinner meals were now available. Class act by the Kelly’s staff, but it was a moment of realization that the restaurant was severely understaffed. As the waitress left us to make our decisions, I realized I was yearning for a burger, but I knew I had to put Kelly’s to the test. Being right on the water and having a killer whale statue displayed on top of the building, I just had to try some of their seafood. The swordfish was enticing, but my eyes were caught on one of my go-to dishes — linguine and clams. Sure, not the most intense seafood dish out there, but I never pass up on some clams when I’m at a restaurant.

Before long, our waitress returned and took our orders. Unbeknownst to me, my order came with a side salad, in which I asked for a caesar. A nice plus to the meal. They were also very accommodating to my friend’s gluten-free needs. He ordered a burger with gluten-free buns and fries, although the fries were removed after the waitress called her manager to check if they contained gluten.

As we waited for our food, my friends and I enjoyed the beautiful ambiance of the balcony. As we sipped on our waters, a train chugged by on the other side of the inlet, blaring its horn for minutes. It made conversation difficult, but it’s the price you have to pay for a good location. After a chorus of obnoxious laughs and chatter from our table, the only other guests on the balcony, a young

couple, asked to be moved. I guess one person’s good time is another person’s misery.

The waitress returned with my cesar salad. At first glance, I was not completely impressed. The dressing was clearly store bought and looked a little watery. However, food can often taste better than it looks, so I held out hope for my first bite. To my delight, this case was no exception. I thoroughly enjoyed the dressing and the tomatoes were fresh. A simple salad, but that’s all really one can ask for in an appetizer.

It was a bit of a wait until our entrees were presented. Of course, my friends and I were very understanding since it seemed like a one-(wo)man team was running the whole show. She was killing it, but I was eager to see what the calledin-chef had to offer.

Once our meals finally arrived, regret set in. I must have misread exactly what I ordered, because the sauce that was slathered over the clams and linguine was much creamier and, well, “clammier,” than I anticipated. I typically enjoy a nice white wine sauce with my clams, but I would have to make the best with whatever I was served. I dug in, and was satisfied with the clams. They weren’t anything special, but they were on par with my expectations. That is the extent of my gratitude for the dish.

I have had linguine and clams many times in my nineteen years of life and at many different establishments, but this has to be an all time low. For some reason, possibly a very odd

styling choice by the emergency chef, my linguine was cut up into short pieces. The sauce tasted about as good as it looked — not great; it lacked flavor and was too creamy. I finished the clams, but the linguine got the better of me.

I looked over at my friends’ meals and didn’t gain any further respect for Kelly’s. The burger that my friend ordered looked similar to those served at a Cornell hockey game — prepared hours before but available to heat up whenever convenient. My other friend was devouring his reuben, which actually looked tolerable. Maybe the sandwich route was the right alley to take.

I couldn’t help but feel frustrated with the meal. It was a gorgeous night at a beautiful location with a pleasant atmosphere; I felt as if my food ruined that for me.

The waitress returned to clear our plates and hand us our check. She asked us how everything was. I forced a smile and told her everything was great. Deep down, everything was not great, nothing close to great, but I knew the constricted circumstances the staff were under. They were playing with the cards they were dealt, and unfortunately for everyone, they had a bad hand.

To continue reading, please visit cornellsun.com.

Quintin Cerione is a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences. He can be reached at qcc2@cornell.edu.

Roei Dery Te Dery Bar

Cornell Needs A Better Alumni Network

As I toured the halls of a prospective graduate school thousands of miles away from Ithaca, I caught a glimpse of an image of Lynah Rink. That week, the Big Red Men’s hockey team had been competing in the Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament, and I attended their game only several days before — the Lynah Rink iPad screen-saver I happened to walk by during my graduate school open house was a welcome sight for the eyes.

A simple “go Big Red” was enough to start a conversation with the graduate students who had graduated from Cornell just several years prior. After a weekend of meeting students across the world, it was refreshing to chat about anything from Cornell hockey to professors. Most of all, I appreciated his perspective as a Cornellian and the ability for us to share the same point of reference in discussing his current graduate studies. During the visit and others, the number of Cornell alumni I happened to meet, and the excitement in our eyes once we realized our Cornellian connection, made me truly appreciate the reach of our alumni network. At the same time, I felt lucky to have bumped into these Cornellians on my own; as I did not

would have allowed me to ask fundamental questions about graduate school fits or on how to craft a competitive application. The Nolan School of Hotel Management already offers such a database used by many students for contact information of Cornell graduates in the workforce; there is no reason why convenient access to the Cornell alumni network cannot be extended to students in other colleges or for students applying to graduate school. Though certain alumni networking platforms at Cornell do exist, uniform advocacy for their usage among all students is essential to bolstering our alumni network.

The University itself would stand to benefit from efforts strengthening access to its alumni network. Cornell graduates offering helpful guidance to current students will improve the ability of Cornell graduates to find jobs or other post-graduate study opportunities. When possi-

personally know any Cornellians at these graduate schools, it would have otherwise been more likely that I had not been able to profit from these conversations. Although one of the greatest strengths of being a Cornellian is its vast alumni network, Cornell should provide students with more resources to tap into it.

Having applied to graduate school as a senior in college, I had very few graduates of previous years in my major who I felt comfortable reaching out to for general advice, let alone about specific programs. A centralized database, through which students could look up the contact information of Cornell graduates at different graduate school programs, for example, would have been exceptionally helpful. Better yet, an alumni officer within the department, or shared among several departments, to help connect me to fellow Cornellians

ble, students could be put in touch with alumni already in positions of influence. Through promoting fundamental networking practices, we further stand to gain from a greater sense of community that is fostered if current students more actively and regularly interact with graduates. This year’s graduates, if they regularly interacted with prior years’ graduates to help them find their footing post-Cornell, are in turn more likely to pay it forward and help the graduating classes that follow. Cornell’s large enrollment and alumni population also ensures that connections are likely to spread rapidly.

Of course the administration is not expected to network for its undergraduates; the ability to network independently is certainly an important skill — but one not mutually exclusive with additional resources they should provide. Though organizations such as Cornell Clubs exist in many cities across the country, Cornell can do more here on campus to promote a well-connected alumni network beyond it. More advocacy among Colleges to reach out and use Cornell’s alumni network would greatly empower students and our school community.

The excitement in our eyes once we realized our Cornellian connection, made me truly appreciate our alumni network.

Graduates offering helpful guidance to current students will improve the ability of [recent] Cornell graduates to find jobs or other post-graduate study.

LEFT FIST

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)

Bear with Me

Johnny Woodruff, part 52

Johnny Woodruff, part 50

Johnny Woodruff, part 51

SC I ENCE

Cornell Weill Researchers Develop Breast Reconstruction Method Using 3D-Printing

By KAITLYN LEE Sun Staff Writer

Dr. Jason Spector, plastic and reconstructive surgery, and his lab at Weill Cornell Medicine published a study on March 8 that described a breast reconstruction technique utilizing a 3D-printed scaffold.

The newly developed process aims to achieve softer, more natural and higher quality reconstructed nipples for breast cancer patients after mastectomies.

Lead author Xue Dong, a postdoctoral student in surgery working in Spector’s lab — the Laboratory of Bioregenerative Medicine and Surgery — explained that during breast reconstruction, surgeons typically perform flap surgery, in which they use flaps of skin and suture them together to shape a nipple.

Alternatively, surgeons may perform nipple-sparing mastectomy instead of breast reconstruction, in which the nipples are preserved during removal of the breast.

After the surgery, the patient’s body carries out its own form of repair, undergoing wound healing and skin contraction in order to form scar tissue.

The newly formed scar tissue in the nipple area pulls adjacent tissue together, shrinking the nipple.

Dong also added that fibroblasts — cells involved in wound healing and formation of connective tissue — make the tissue around the nipple even smaller.

Ultimately, these processes result in the loss of projection in the reconstructed nipple. To counteract this, surgeons provide interior support to the nipple.

One option is to place stiff material inside, such as cartilage taken from other parts of the patient’s body or synthetic substances, during breast reconstruction.

Surgeons can also inject soft tissue filler three to six months after the surgery to expand reconstructed nipples.

However, Dong explained these solutions to maintaining nipple projection and shape have several issues.

“A lot of the stiff materials used for interior support are actually not biodegradable,” Dong said. “Which means there might be wound healing issues like extrusion because of the stiffness of the materials. And the nipples are going to stay stiff over time, making the patient feel uncomfortable.”

Fillers do not provide much more benefit, as they often break down and disappear in a short amount of time.

These surgery procedures are also not effective enough,

as reconstructed nipples lose more than 50 percent of their projection over a one-to-twoyear period.

According to Dong, Spector’s lab studies the field of tissue engineering. Having practiced medicine for more than 15 years, Spector had seen many patients deal with nipple reconstruction problems or projection loss over time.

He decided to direct his focus specifically to the breast reconstruction process, in hopes of creating a new method that addresses these concerns.

Spector and his team performed biomechanical testing

on the reconstructed nipples and determined that material and scaffold design played a significant role in the success of breast reconstruction.

For example, the team studied control groups of patients using scaffolds that consisted only of the outer shell of the nipple and compared them to experimental groups of patients using scaffolds with a strong interior lattice.

They concluded that different densities of the scaffold interior lattice caused changes in the stiffness and degradation rate of the scaffold.

The lab 3D printed a scaffold into the shape of a nipple using a biodegradable

process. Once the wound is fully healed and the scaffold has degraded, less skin contraction occurs, allowing for the reconstructed nipple to be softer, like a real nipple.

The scaffold also allows for long-term nipple projection.

Xue states that after six to 12 months, the reconstructed nipples retained more than 80 percent of their diameter and projection compared to control groups. They also confirmed that the P4HB of the scaffold was eventually replaced by healthy soft tissue.

Dong said that based on their results, the lab’s newly developed breast reconstruction method will provide breast cancer patients with optimal reconstructed nipples.

Additionally, The Spector lab’s new method addresses patient concerns in other areas, such as aesthetics and safety.

“Our method will be able to provide a reconstructive nipple with a good projection for the long term,” Dong said. “As for safety, you do not have to worry about residual material left in the body, as opposed to synthetic material like silicone, where there are concerns that some people might still feel uncomfortable living with.”

The lab is continuing to further develop their scaffold design in a way that allows them to control the degradation rate of the scaffold.

Ideally, the scaffold should break down slowly during the first three to six months after surgery and then increase its degradation rate afterwards.

The team has been constructing scaffold designs with different diameters, interior lattice densities and shape, experimenting with a combination of P4HB and other materials that could aid in wound healing and regulation of the inflammatory response.

In addition, Dr. Spector and his team are planning clinical studies to observe how the reconstructed nipple projection is maintained over time in patients.

material known as Poly-4Hydroxybutyrate or P4HB.

The research team collaborated with Tepha, Inc., a company that creates P4HB for use in surgical meshes and medical devices.

The 3D printed scaffold was then used to reconstruct the nipple and covered with flaps of skin.

During the first three to six months after the surgery, the scaffold maintains its shape and resists skin contraction that typically shrinks the nipple.

The scaffold then begins to degrade, allowing the body to replace it with local tissue nearby through the healing

“When we implant a scaffold in the human body, we want to cause a proper inflammatory response that is not too severe or too mild,” Dong explained. “Otherwise, the body won’t be able to produce the local tissues to support the shape of the nipples.”

The research team hopes to continue to improve the 3D printed P4HB scaffold to develop it into a strong candidate in the nipple reconstruction field.

Kaitlyn Lee can be reached at klee@cornellsun.com.

Reimagining reconstruction | Biodegradable 3D-printed scaffolds are a part of a novel breast reconstruction technique that is inteded to create softer, more natural and higher-quality nipples for mastectomy pateints, who undergo surgery to remove their breast.

COURTESY OF SPECTOR LAB / CORNELL UNIVERSITY

Testing tissues | The Laboratory for Bioregenerative Medicine and Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical Center, led by Dr. Jason Spector, focuses on innovative approaches for tissue engineering, in addition to studying wound healing in patients to create cutting-edge technologies in the clinical area.

COURTESY OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY