new terrain
Th ursday
Young Democrat could represent Ithaca’s student voice, page 10
Fall theater season brings to light three shows about the depth of human emotion, page 13
Bomber teams look to make a home in the new Athletics and Events Center, page 19
S epte m be r 2 2 , 2 0 1 1
new vision
Curtain up
The Ithacan
By lauren mazzo contributing writer
Jungle residents left in limbo as City of Ithaca decides their fate
Tom Purcell, a resident of Section One of the Jungle, stands by his tent Sept. 2. Purcell and about five other residents stay there during the winter. kevin campbell/the ithacan
staff writer
Walk along Route 13 south, right beside the train tracks until the railroad bridge crosses the creek by Agway. Cross the bridge. Balance on the steel tracks, hop from one railroad tie to the next. Hang a left. Snake through one of the beaten paths lined with leftover cardboard from a Keystone Ice case and broken bottles. Tents loom behind bushes. Carpet remnants blanket the ground. Several men are perched on the cement retention wall by the creek, rolling cigarettes into perfect cylinders. One man sprinkles some Doritos on the ground for a duck. On the pockmarked cement beside Gary Rohey rests a bowl full of apples, much like the fruit bowls that sometimes sit on kitchen countertops. He offers one to anyone who passes by. “Welcome to the Jungle,” reads a sign nailed to a tree trunk. “All friends are welcome, whores and bums are not. Thieves will pay the price.” The Jungle, home to about 50 homeless men and women living in tents, is a “problem” the City of Ithaca has been trying to solve for the last two years. It’s where the “misfits” of Ithaca’s homeless population collect — those who aren’t willing to give up Meow Meow the Jungle Cat, aren’t ready to face their alcoholism or don’t meet the requirements for admittance to Ithaca shelters. They don’t
Volume 7 9 , Is s u e 4
NY approves new policy on amnesty
Beating around the bush by taylor long
It ha ca , N . Y.
have anywhere else to go, and the city doesn’t know where to put them. Yesterday, city officials held a private meeting to discuss its plan for the Jungle’s future. Dan Hoffman, City of Ithaca attorney, declined to share the outcome of the meeting. The City of Ithaca gave the American Red Cross of Tompkins County a “draft eviction notice” in August calling for residents living in Sectors Two and Three of the Jungle, which rest on city-owned land, to either pack up by Sept. 15 or be arrested for trespassing. Sector One of the Jungle was not included in the eviction notice because it rests on land owned by Norfolk Southern Corp. railroad. Mayor Carolyn Peterson said the city plans to address Sector One after Sectors Two and Three have been evicted. It looked like a promise of eviction, but at the Homeless and Housing Task Force meeting Aug. 30, Peterson announced the city had decided to remove the Sept. 15 deadline from the notice. The date came, and no one had been evicted. Hoffman said complaints from local businesses, expansion of the Jungle and a series of health and safety liabilities brought the city to the doors of social service agencies about two and a half years ago, in search of suggestions on how to relocate the residents. “The city has been trying to get viable suggestions for years,” Hoffman said at the
John Wallis sits by the railroad tracks in Section One of the Jungle. He does not live in the Jungle, but often visits to see his friends. kevin campbell/the ithacan
meeting. “The city is very open to hearing ideas that people have.” But while willing to hear plans, the city cannot help fund the solution it calls for, he said. “The city is cutting back all of its departments right now,” Hoffman said. “We’re not in a position to take on new services, so somebody needs to be creative and take responsibility.” In the absence of a “creative solution,” Hoffman said, the city would have to enforce city regulations and evict the people who live in the Jungle. The city isn’t sure when that day will come. Hoffman said the decision to remove the Sept. 15 date on the draft eviction notice was made to give the mayor more time to consult with social service agencies.
NOT IN MY BACKYARD Peterson said three separate businesses have approached her with complaints about the Jungle, but she would not disclose what the complaints were or the names of the businesses. Though Andy Boerman, owner of the Agway near the Jungle, said he’s never filed a complaint, he has found residents relieving themselves on stacks of cement pallets stored near the railroad tracks. Walking through the Jungle, it’s evident where health and safety regulations are being
See jungle, page 4
From left, Jack Saunders and Penny Shaffer sit in Section One of the Jungle. Shaffer has lived there for about 15 years.
kevin campbell/the ithacan
f ind m or e. onl ine. www.t heit hacan.org
A new state law went into effect Sunday that will legally protect offcampus students who call for help in an alcohol or drug-related emergency. Currently, Ithaca College’s Medical Amnesty Policy protects students from being prosecuted when contacting authorities in an emergency on campus, but now with the new law, both off-campus students and regular citizens NISON said last who call for help year’s success with will be assured the MAP was a source of inspiration. same protection. The purpose of the law is to fight alcohol and drug overdose and convey the message that saving lives is more important than incriminating people. Senior Evan Nison, president of the college’s chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, was a driving force behind passing the new law, known as the 911 Good Samaritan Law, as well as for a MAP last year. Nison said the success of last year’s policy on campus was a source of inspiration for SSDP’s legislative efforts. “We had a meeting at the end of last year with a bunch of school officials,” he said. “And pretty much everyone at the meeting seemed to agree that it was a success.” SSDP started front-end work on the bill before it was formally introduced to the legislature last year. They went to the Capitol with letters of support written by health staff from the college and Cornell University. Nison said the letters were helpful and played a large role in getting legislators on board. “The few people with experience with these policies already in the state supported it and had a really good experience,” he said. To back their efforts, SSDP supplied a Cornell study published in the International Journal of Drug Policy that demonstrated the effectiveness of amnesty policies in higher education. The results of the study were from Cornell’s own nine-year-old policy showing that while calls for help doubled, alcohol use had remained the same. SSDP was able to get the law passed with help from Senator John A. DeFrancisco, R-N.Y., Senator Kemp Hannon, R-N.Y., and Assemblyman Richard N. Gottfried, D-N.Y. “The leadership from the assembly and the Senate both really took this seriously and worked hard to make sure that it got to the governor’s desk,” Nison said. Mike Leary, assistant director of judicial affairs at the college, said it took
See amnesty, page 4
[ T hurs day Bri ef ing]
2 The It hacan
Th ursday, S eptember 2 2 , 2 0 1 1
Nation&World
American hikers set free from Iran
Ambassador Gene Cretz arrived in Tripoli a day before plans to raise the U.S. flag over the embassy building in the Libyan capital. It was about eight months after he left for consultations in Washington in January after WikiLeaks posted his opinions of Gadhafi’s personal life and habits in a classified 2009 diplomatic cable. At the time, the Obama administration was considering replacing him due in part to strains in ties caused by the blunt assessment. Cretz was nominated to be the first U.S. ambassador to Libya in 36 years by President George W. Bush in July 2007 after a remarkable turnaround in U.S. relations with the North African nation.
Two Americans jailed in Iran as spies left Tehran yesterday bound for the Gulf state of Oman, closing a high-profile drama with archfoe Washington that brought more than two years of hope then heartbreak for the families. In the end, however, Iran’s clerics opted for a near mirror image of last year’s release of a third American captured with the other two — opening the doors of Tehran’s Evin prison in exchange of $500,000 bail, each while Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was preparing for the spotlight in New York for the U.N.’s annual gathering of world leaders. Although the fate of Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal gripped America, it was on the periphery of the larger showdowns between Washington and Tehran that include Iran’s nuclear program and its ambitions to widen military and political influence in the Middle East and beyond. But — for a moment at the United Nations at least — U.S. officials and rights groups may be adding words of thanks in addition to their calls for alarm over Iran.
Yemeni forces fire at mourners
Yemeni government forces fired mortars at tens of thousands of mourners yesterday at funerals held for protesters killed in clashes and attacked an opposition base, shattering a cease-fire negotiated a day earlier to end the Arab nation’s latest bout of deadly violence. The two attacks killed 16 people. The mourners were gathered for funeral prayers for anti-government protesters killed in a deadly, three-day government crackdown in which the death toll topped 80 — a sudden spike in violence explained by protesters’ impatience with their longtime president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, who they say is dragging his feet instead of signing a deal to step down. Also in Sanaa, the headquarters of the renegade 1st Armored Division came under heavy shelling from government forces killing seven, including two civilians, and injuring 10 others.
Obama defends stance on UN bid
President Barack Obama declared yesterday that there could be no shortcut to peace between Israel and the Palestinians, as he sought to head off a United Nations showdown over Palestinian statehood that’s becoming a thorny diplomatic problem for his administration. Obama forcefully defended his opposition to the Palestinians’ plan to seek statehood recognition from the U.N. Security Council, though without directly calling on Palestinians to drop the bid, or offering a clear path forward in its place. With the limits of U.S. influence on the moribund peace process never more clear, Obama had no new demands for the Israelis, either, beyond repeating his position that both sides deserved their own state and security and should return to the negotiating table to achieve it.
South Asian quake takes 99 lives
Soldiers in northeastern India cleared a path yesterday to a hydroelectric project where 17 people were confirmed killed by landslides in a powerful Himalayan earthquake, bringing the overall toll in the disaster to 99. The 6.9 magnitude quake Sunday evening claimed lives in northeastern India, Tibet and Nepal. Rescue efforts have been hampered by heavy rain and mudslides that blocked the roads leading to villages in the remote, mountainous region. Several of those slides hit the area around the hydroelectric plant being built along the Teesta,
US ambassador returns to Tripoli
The U.S. ambassador to Libya returned to Tripoli yesterday to lead a newly reopened American Embassy in a post-Moammar Gadhafi era.
this week 22
Thursday
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Friday
Shabbat Services will begin at 6 p.m. in Muller Chapel.
Suicide Awareness Week: Support Group, sponsored by the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services, will begin at 7 p.m. in Clarke Lounge.
Rhiner Festival, held by the History Center in Tompkins County and the West End Waterfront District Association, will begin at 6 p.m. in the Rhine House on Seneca Street.
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Catholic Mass will be held at 1 and 9 p.m. in Muller Chapel. SonRise, a protestant community semi-liturgical, blended worship service, will begin at 6 p.m. in Muller Chapel.
Shabbat Dinner will begin at 7 p.m. in Terrace Dining Hall.
Monday
Aldo Leopold, Phenology and Climate Change, will be presented by Stanley Temple, professor from the University of Wisconsin, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The film “Green Fire,” about Leopold’s life, will also be screened.
Multimedia Can’t get enough of our stories? There’s even more online. Check out our multimedia at theithacan.org.
Israeli border police officers detain a Palestinian protester during clashes at the Qalandia checkpoint between the West Bank city of Ramallah and Jerusalem, yesterday. Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces to show support for their president’s bid to win U.N. recognition. Majdi Mohammed/associated press
a glacier-fed river in the Himalayas in the northern part of the Indian state of Sikkim. A press statement from Teesta Urja Co., which is building the plant, said 10 workers were killed when their vehicles were buried during the quake. Another seven were killed in a separate landslide. Only one worker was still missing, the statement said. Officials had earlier said that as many as 40 workers were unaccounted for.
Afghans fear Taliban negotiations
The assassination of a former Afghan president reflects the dangers of negotiations with the Taliban: Any effort toward a peace deal can bring deadly action to stop it from factions within the multi-headed insurgency. Now supporters of the slain Burhanuddin Rabbani angrily warned yesterday that there is no hope in seeking negotiations, a key policy of President Hamid Karzai that the United States has backed. Afghans involved in peace efforts are fearful of reaching out to anyone within the
Taliban and risk being targeted themselves. Many fear such assassinations could accelerate as the Taliban and other insurgents try to bolster their positions ahead of a planned withdrawal of U.S. and other international combat forces at the end of 2014.
Former Mexican president sued
Former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo, who is now a Yale University professor, has been sued in Connecticut for alleged crimes against humanity in connection with the 1997 killings of 45 people in a Mexican village, a lawsuit that he called slanderous. Lawyers for 10 unnamed plaintiffs filed the lawsuit last Friday in U.S. District Court in Hartford, alleging Zedillo was responsible for the massacre by paramilitary groups in the village of Acteal in the southern state of Chiapas, and tried to cover up the killings. The plaintiffs seek total damages in the millions of dollars.
SOURCE: Associated Press
corrections
September 22–28, 2011
Waltz with Bashir will be screened as part of the “Israeli Voices: Contemporary Films” series at 7 p.m. in Textor 101.
Sunday
Fight for recognition
Audio Slideshow
Take a closer look at the harvest festival with this week’s audio slideshow.
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Saturday
Urban Cowboy, sponsored by IC After Dark, will be held from 8 to 11 p.m. in Emerson Suites.
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Tuesday
John Nichols, a political writer for The Nation, will give a speech titled “First Amendment Remedies: The Constitution as a Call to Action” at 7:30 p.m. in Textor Hall Room 102.
Video
Watch student reactions to Myrick winning the democratic primary in the race for mayor of Ithaca.
add your event Email your events for “This Week” to Assistant News Editor Erica Palumbo at epalumb2@ ithaca.edu by 5 p.m. Monday to have them printed in this section of The Ithacan.
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Wednesday
Rosh Hashanah Service will begin at 7 p.m. in Muller Chapel. Making Nutrition Work for You: Eating Well in College, sponsored by the Wellness Wednesdays series, will be held from noon to 12:50 p.m. in Taughannock Falls room.
Slideshow
Get a closer look at what happens behind the railroad tracks at the Jungle in Ithaca.
Last week, The Ithacan misquoted Senior Sarah Brenner in the article “Campus advocates ending use of ‘R-word.’” It was reported that she said “Some disabled people might not understand what is happening or be able to stand up for themselves.” She actually said, “Some people might not understand what is happening or be able to stand up for themselves.” In the same story, it was reported that Rosa’s Law replaced “mental retardation” with “intellectually disabled.” It was actually replaced with “a person with an intellectual disability.” It is The Ithacan’s policy to correct all errors of fact. Please contact Elma Gonzalez at 274-3207.
Copy Editors Emily Rose Barry, Adeesha Ekanayake, Zoë Epstein, Dina Grimaldi, Bernadette Javier, Lewis Kendall, KT McVeigh, Shannon Moloney, David Osborne, Robyn Schmitz, Carly Smith, Rachel Stokes, Vicky Wolak
Got a news tip? Contact News Editor Kelsey O’Connor at koconno3@ ithaca.edu or 274-3207.
n e w s
Th ursday, Septem be r 22, 2011
The I th a c a n 3
City adds policy to combat bad labor practices by reid elsass
contributing writer
Students and citizens of the City of Ithaca have come together to unanimously pass the Sweatshop Free Initiative, a campaign to fight inhumane working conditions, backed by Cornell University’s Organization for Labor Action. Effective Jan. 1 2012, the city will take steps to ensure that all city purchases of apparel and textiles totalling more than $1,000 are confirmed to be “sweatshop-free.” On Aug. 31, the city became a member of the Sweatfree Purchasing Consortium, a thirdparty organization that will identify whether the factories Ithaca receives goods from are meeting the code of conduct set by the City of Ithaca. Eddie Rooker, a member of the Common Council 4th Ward, submitted the proposal to the committee in 2008 and worked alongside COLA to pass the initiative. “The initiative shows our values as a city,” he said, “We’re committed to worker’s rights around the world, not just in our community. It allows us to join cities across the country to actually make some changes.” Bjorn Claeson, executive director of the consortium, said the group was founded in May and stems from Sweat Free Communities, a grassroots organization that aims to improve working conditions. The organization claims it will oversee working conditions in factories to ensure labor standards are kept and working conditions are humane. There are now nine states, 40 cities, 15 countries and 118 school districts that have adopted sweat-free policies, Claeson said. The consortium will carry out inspections of factories and report any violations. It’s then the city’s decision whether to continue purchasing goods from that factory, Claeson said. Rooker said places that may be affected are locations such as the fire department and police station where mass amounts of city uniforms are purchased. Depending on the severity of the violation, Claeson said, it’s best not to immediately sever ties with a factory, for the sake of the workers. “There should be a reasonable amount of time for the factories to come into compliance with the code of conduct,” Claeson said. “Otherwise, it can be counter productive for the workers, so instead we try to use our purchasing leverage to complete our goals.” Alex Bores, a member of COLA, said the initiative began in fall 2008 after Cornell fired back at a controversial case which emerged with Russell
by kelsey o’connor news editor
The Cornell Organization for Labor Action gathered yesterday in Ives Hall for a meeting to discuss their plans to bring awareness to the community about organizations using oppressive labor. kevin campbell/the ithacan
Athletic, a sporting goods company. According to United Students Against Sweatshops, a grassroots student organization fighting against sweatshops, about 110 universities, including Cornell, terminated their licensing contracts with Russell when the company closed its Honduras factory after workers unionized. The codes of conduct for universities that had contracts with Russell guaranteed workers’ freedom of association. Russell responded by reopening the factory, rehiring the workers and signing a union neutrality agreement for all of the factories. A similar issue arose in spring 2010 when it became public that two Nike subcontractors closed their factories without paying mandated severance to workers when, according to USAS, the company owed the factories about $2 million and 1,800 people were laid off with little means to support their families. Three weeks after Cornell cut its licensing contract with Nike, the company agreed to pay $1.54 million for a “worker relief fund.” Nike also agreed to give the factories health care and a training program for a full year, citing the financial difficulties countries like Honduras face when trying to enforce labor laws.
Bores said ensuring Ithaca is sweat-free is an important issue for the community to focus on. “The initiative is necessary in order for the City of Ithaca to be upholding the values of the city by making sure that workers aren’t exploited,” he said. With the new partnership, the consortium and the city also aim to help locals understand the origin of products and apparel. From there, the city can make decisions on what to do with the information. “The issue is that when people buy clothing, they don’t know where it’s coming from,” Bores said. “This allows companies to abuse workers’ rights. Now, as a member of the consortium, Ithaca will be educated in the matter and able to make pertinent decisions based on the beliefs of the community.” Bores said upholding city values is important for the citizens of Ithaca, but the end goal is to see that happen while maintaining jobs in underdeveloped countries. The initiative is not just a project for the Ithaca community, but also across the world, he said. “The goal is to see these factories improve working conditions and reach a point where workers are paid a living wage in factories that respect their right to organize,” Bores said.
Week stresses prevention by Marlene chasolen contributing writer
Ithaca College’s Center for Counseling and Psychological Services is holding Suicide Prevention Week, a series of events highlighting mental health through films, speakers, workshops and support groups. The week kicked off at 7 p.m. Monday in Textor 101 with a film titled “The Truth About Suicide.” LeBron Rankins, campus psychologist and adviser to the mental health awareness campus group Active Minds, presented the film to educate students about suicide warning signs with real college stories. “A young woman after last night’s film had said the film motivated her to take people’s comments more seriously and to be more concerned when she finds herself worried about someone,” he said. “It’s that type of behavior change that we aim for to increase individuals’ awareness.” Mardis Kelson, a mother of a suicide victim, came to speak on Tuesday about the aftermath of her son’s suicide. Pathways, a workshop to educate people on how to recognize and respond to distress, was held yesterday. The final workshop will be for
Invasive plant spreads over Cayuga Inlet
those personally affected by suicide and held at 7 p.m. today in Textor 101. For the rest of the week, a banner will stand in the center of the academic quad promoting the Stomp Out The Stigma campaign, which emphasizes the importance of voicing personal mental health concerns without shame. The campaign, which will continue all year through Active Minds, will promote CAPS services and provide information about where to seek help. Rankins said suicide can’t be eradicated, but it can be prevented through organizations such as CAPS, Pathways, and Active Minds. Junior Erin Irby, co-chair of Active Minds, said she encourages students to take advantage of the counseling center. “We work with CAPS to spread the word about the services that they have,” she said. “We really strongly believe in the ripple effect, so we educate our group about mental health issues and about access to the counseling center. It’s free, it’s easy, it’s always there and because we know, we try to spread the word.” Irby said Active Minds is composed of a strong group of people who are focused and motivated to change
Mardis Kelson, a mother of a suicide victim, holds a workshop to educate students on recognizing someone in distress Tuesday in Textor 101.
kelsey martin/the ithacan
the perception of mental illness. Rankins said psychiatric disorders are often misunderstood because people do not know a lot about them. “Mental health is one of those things that is unlike a physical injury or disease where you can go in and cut it out or give a pill to try to fix things,” he said. “Mental health is more complicated than that.”
Deborah Harper, psychologist and director of CAPS, said the program makes sure students don’t feel alone. “The main thing is that people feel like they don’t have to deal with anything totally alone,” she said. “ So we try to make enough of a network so people feel like they can get what they need, when they need it.”
A highly invasive aquatic species known as Hydrilla verticillata has made its way into the Cayuga Inlet, posing a potential threat to Cayuga Lake if left untreated. Hydrilla is a dense, fast-growing perennial that can thrive in almost any freshwater environment, and this is the first time it has been found in upstate To read more New York. If un- and see photos, visit checked, it could theithacan.org. dominate the environment it’s in, creating a monoculture that would crowd out native plant and insect species. Roxy Johnston, watershed coordinator for the City of Ithaca, said the city is asking boaters to voluntarily stop boating. The Cayuga Inlet Hydrilla Task Force was formed in August to deal with the infestation and keep the public informed, but it has run into some issues. “We’ve found out, a little bit to our dismay, that most of us don’t have a lot of enforcement or regulatory powers regarding this,” Johnston said. Holly Menninger, coordinator and senior extension associate of the New York Invasive Species Research Institute, said Hydrilla is one of the worst aquatic plant invaders. “In a few weeks here, it’s going to make these tiny little buds that are going to disperse in the waterway,” she said. Robert Johnson, an aquatic biologist on the task force, said the main concern is that the plant could spread to the Finger Lakes. “All we need to have is a fragment, a tiny tiny piece of that, and it will send out roots and start growing,” he said. “We really want to get it confined and get a handle on this before it gets too widespread.” He said the plant has already produced tubers which will survive for six to 10 years. But it is possible, he said, to get a handle on the buds that will sprout in October and spread. Menninger said to prevent the Hydrilla’s turions from multiplying, the task force has decided to use herbicide. According to a task force document, it will cost an estimated $62,350 to apply the herbicide to the entire Inlet. She said killing all the green parts of the plant will buy them time to pull together more resources to eliminate the rest of it. Becky Robinson, coach of the women’s crew team, which practices and docks at the inlet, said she noticed the Hydrilla at the end of summer. She said she supports its treatment and said the team will continue to practice until the herbicide is applied. “As long as we follow safe boating practices, as in wiping down and cleaning the boats when we come in, not rolling through the Hydrilla, as they put it ‘We can’t keep you off,’” she said. Menninger said she hopes since Hydrilla was caught in the Cayuga Inlet so soon, it can be taken care of. “We caught it early and we have a real opportunity to act,” she said. “So we need to act fast.”
n e w s
4 The It hacan
Th ursday, S eptember 2 2 , 2 0 1 1
City struggles to find an affordable alternative
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ISLAND OF MISFITS
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“If you’re living down here, you’ve got to be a survivor.“
“There’s a level The Jungle is made up of three sections. Sectors of complexity in Two and Three may be subject to eviction. terms of assessment a lot of times people don’t understand,” she said. Railroad Property Still sitting next to the creek with a beer in his hand, Cecile Street Malone Street Rohey said the Jungle residents are either unwilling or physically incapable Cherry Street Wegman’s Plaza Industrial Park of meeting these requirements, especially in respect to alcohol. “We already know we’re Cherry Street City Property drunks,” he said. “We’re not going to jump through their hoops. They Top’s Plaza want people to stop drinking. If some of these guys stopped drinking, they’d die.” Some Jungle City Property residents, like Tom Kmart Plaza Purcell, simply Design by Molly Apfelroth aren’t interested in shelter life. He enjoys the peace and quiet of living outside In Sacramento, Calif., a tent community was and the freedom and security that comes dismantled by the city government. Dignity Vilwith having his own home base. He follows lage in Portland, Ore., became its own nonprofit his own rules and makes his own money as a entity. Others governments merely revised city dishwasher at the State Diner, but said he still ordinances to allow tent encampments to exist. can’t afford an apartment downtown. Purcell attended the task force meeting Rohey points to his nose, which curves a to see what the city might have in store for little bit to his left, when he talks about the the Jungle, but he left without an answer. time he spent in a homeless shelter upstate. Putting a portable toilet in the Jungle, pav“There’s people staying there who will ing an access road and hiring a city liaison break your nose if you don’t give them a ciga- to tend to Jungle affairs were some solutions rette,” he said. offered up by members of the community. Some advocated for a new, more permissive, homeless shelter. Ithaca resident Chris Larkin said the issue boils down to Jungle residents’ privacy rights A 2011 California Law Review titled “Tent and the city’s responsibility to respect them. “Work with what’s there and accept that the Cities: An Interim Solution to Homelessness and Affordable Housing Shortages in people there aren’t going to go away just bethe United States,” discusses the positive and cause you shut the Jungle down,” Larkin said. negative qualities of tent cities, for both its “Don’t just isolate it, put it in a corner and try to make it go away.” residents and the surrounding communities. Meanwhile, residents of the Jungle are still According to the study, residents of tent cities often benefit from a sense of auton- waiting, not giving the city’s next move much omy, privacy and security. But liability is- thought. Some have dismissed the city’s draft sues, health concerns and ethical consider- eviction notice as an idle threat. As far as the city’s “compassionate” but ations often pervade the discussion about tent cities — a topic that has entered the unfunded ideas for the Jungle’s future — resipublic sphere more frequently since the dents like Rohey have their doubts. “If you were to propose a bird sanctuary to Great Recession. Other cities have also struggled to address the city, the mayor would be jumping up and tent communities in a way that doesn’t empty down and getting a little feather in her cap,” Rohey said. “Well, this is a people sanctuary.” city coffers. Fu
problems, convulsions, chest pain, medical, sick person, unconscious, chest pain, psychiatric,” from page 1 she said. “That’s what worries me. That people violated. Every so often, a charred pit of gar- there are not getting immediate help.” But these concerns, and the recent feeling bage marks the end of one camp and the beginning of another. There’s no running water, that the city must intervene for the good of the just a jug here and there. There are no bath- Jungle’s residents, come from a city that until rooms, just tree trunks and the Mobil gas sta- recently had not addressed these problems tion down the street. Huts and tents pepper for more than 50 years. Up until spring 2009, the woods, which are not zoned for residents when the City of Ithaca Building Department or camping. Most of the time, residents have called attention to the zoning and health code a 24-ounce can of beer in their hand — a ciga- violations in the Jungle, health and safety concerns in The Jungle were overlooked. rette in the other. “I don’t know that anybody was comfortMemorials to those who have died in the able with it, but apparently Jungle are scattered around nobody was willing to take the campsites underscoring action,” Hoffman said. the problems of living unIn September 2009, der these conditions. Former the city sent a letter to Jungle resident Dan Lynch’s the railroad asking them favorite boots, a miniature to push residents off bottle of Smirnoff and a phothe property or be fined tograph decorate the tree — penny shaffer $1,000 per day. When the where he hanged himself railroad company said it July 30. A photo of George planned to use its private Bowlsby is nailed to a cross by the inlet he fell into. Residents used to call him security forces, the city changed its mind about enforcing the regulations. “George of the Jungle.” Peterson said she did not like the railroad’s Penny Shaffer, who has been in and out of the Jungle for 15 years, said she gets out of the approach. “There would have been no warnings,” Petercold at her friend Lorraine Tunnicliffe’s apartment in the winter. In the warmer months, son said. “It wasn’t compassionate. It was a use her slight frame shrinks into the same shaded of techniques we wouldn’t support in this city.” She said she isn’t comfortable with the lawn chair, right by the tent where she spends ways local social service agencies have dealt her nights. “If you’re living down here, you’ve got to be with Jungle residents. a survivor because not everyone can live under these conditions,” Shaffer said. “Emotionally. Health wise. And other things you can’t even think of.” At the Homeless and Housing Task Force At the task force meeting, several agencies meeting, Peterson read from a list of crime admitted to sending clients back to the Jungle and emergency incidents in the Jungle. with a sleeping bag and a tent after attempts “What really worries me as a compassionate to relocate them failed. person, is where I see things such as breathing Darrell Saunders said this is how he ended up in the Jungle — by referral. After showing up at the Red Cross emergency shelter, he said, personnel told him he must be evaluated by the Department of Social Services before being admitted. In the meantime, he could stay in the Jungle. He hasn’t left since. According to the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance administrative directive 96 ADM-20, those applying for Temporary Housing Assistance must meet a series of verification requirements before being considered eligible for assistance. They must participate in budget counseling, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs or mental health evaluations, for example. Deana Bodner, program development specialist for the Tompkins County Department of Social Services, said just because a client is found ineligible for emergency assistance, it The memorial of Dan Lynch remains after he does not necessarily mean he or she will end up in the Jungle. She said evaluation works on hanged himself July 30 in the Jungle. kevin campbell/the ithacan a case-by-case basis.
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UNCERTAIN FUTURE
New medical amnesty now applies to off-campus residents amnesty from page 1
time for students to start using the new policy. “Even last semester I noticed a difference,” he said. “There were maybe 10 or 11 students that got medical amnesty last fall, but we more than doubled that in the spring semester.” Leary said he was glad more students are taking advantage of the policy. “The more it becomes a tradition — the more it becomes something people trust in, the better, more effective the policy will be,” he said. Leary also said he thinks the new law will help foster a better relationship between students and the police. “Students who live off campus can call the Ithaca Police and get help and not feel like they’re going
to get in trouble,” he said. While nothing will change for students living on campus, Nison said the policy will have the most impact for off-campus residents because though the law is primarily geared toward college students, regular citizens — no matter what age — can now expect the same help. “It’s not just college students that can get into a serious health situation by drinking too much or having a bad reaction to a drug,” Leary said. “It could be anybody.” There are some stipulations with using the amnesty policy. To avoid being judicially sanctioned, students cannot have any other violations of student conduct, such as combative or threatening behavior, vandalism or failure to show identification. The new law, unlike the MAP, does not require any type of educational follow-up. But, like the
on-campus policy, students can only receive amnesty from drug or alcohol charges. If there are any other violations of the law during the same incident, they are not protected from being charged for those additional violations. While the new law does not require a follow-up, Nancy Reynolds, health promotion center program director at the college, said intervention after a drug- or alcohol-related incident is essential. “For students it can be a very traumatic experience to be arrested or to have an incident and be taken to the hospital,” she said. Reynolds also said it’s important students have an outlet available to express themselves without facing judicial consequences. “I think it’s important to be able to sit down with someone confidentially and talk about it.”
Mike Leary, assistant director of judicial affairs, sits in his office in December. He said he supports the new amnesty policy that applies to all residents.
file photo/the ithacan
Th ursday, Septem be r 22, 2011
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Rhiner Festival to capture '20s spirit By nicole ogrysko staff writer
Those making a trip to Ithaca’s Inlet this weekend will see a different scene than the usual bustle of restaurants and businesses on the West End. Instead, the neighborhood will roar with 1920s street music and other sounds of Ithaca’s past, as the city celebrates the 3rd annual Rhiner Festival from Friday to Sunday. Ithaca’s West End, or Rhine area, dates back to the turn of the 19th century, when immigrants from Europe and other parts of the U.S. settled in shanty houses near the city’s waterfront. Festival coordinator Wylie Schwartz said she first started the event in 2009 to educate and commemorate the neighborhood’s colorful history. Scott Callan, director of the Tompkins County History Center, said the neighborhood was known for its moonshine production and gambling. The History Center is cosponsoring the festival. “It developed this reputation for kind of having a rough-and-tumble character to it,” Callan said. To capture the neighborhood’s eccentric history, Schwartz said, the Rhiner Festival is expanding to a three-day event with the year 1916 as its theme. The festival highlights the year the Wharton Brothers Studios made more than 30 films and features, many of which were shot in Ithaca. “We tried to recreate the feeling of what it was like in the silent film era,” Schwartz said. “We have musicians who are sitting on every street corner. We have interesting games like ‘Moonshine Toss,’ and
The I th a c a n 5
County library to raise money in Annual Appeal campaign by patrick feeney contributing writer
Ithaca musician Tom Olson plays his guitar at the Rhiner Festival in 2009. The festival celebrates the history of the city's Rhine area in the 1920s. file photo/the ithacan
we have a little flea market — all kinds of activities.” But the festival’s biggest party takes place Saturday night, when Castaways will transform into a 1920s style speakeasy. Event organizer Heather Hallagan said the Moonshine Island Speakeasy Party embodies the spirit of what she describes as “the red light district of Ithaca,” with participants of all ages dressed in '20s-style flapper dresses, feather boas and three-piece suits, complete with top hats and canes. “It feels as if it’s becoming a really fun tradition for the town — to see such a cross-section of life,” she said.
Festivities will begin on Friday evening with a happy hour and dance party at Rhine House on West Seneca Street. The festival will also feature events at Ithaca’s Children’s Garden, in addition to the 7th Annual Farmer’s Ball at Steamboat Landing on Saturday night. Families are encouraged to share a dish and bring their own place setting for dinner at the Farmers Market. Schwartz said she hopes to capture the fun flavor of the 1920s with this weekend’s events. “We just sort of go wild with our festival," she said.
The Tompkins County Public Library will kick off its Annual Appeal campaign with “One Life, Many Chapters: Books that Influence and Inspire,” an event featuring local authors and participants at 1 p.m. Sunday in the library’s BorgWarner room. Leslie Daniels, author of “Cleaning Nabokov’s House," will attend the event. “Books are hallmarks or gateways to certain new directions in peoples’ lives,” she said. “The occasion will be an opportunity to talk about that.” Ithaca College President Tom Rochon and his wife, Amber, will also be present. The Rochons will serve as honorary Appeal chairpersons this year. Library director Susan Currie said the library will hold a discussion about inspirational books. “Having a discussion from the audience about what books have been important to them will be a celebration of the freedom to read,” she said. The library will begin Freedom to Read Week, a national event dedicated to the pushing against censorship and celebrating the freedom of the press. A reading by Khet Mar, a writer exiled from Burma, will be held Oct. 2 to conclude the week. The library hopes to raise $65,000 during the campaign, part of its annual goal of $210,000. Suzanne Smith Jablonski, executive director of the Library
Foundation, said the money is crucial this year because of the county’s budget cuts. “The primary source of funding for the library is Tompkins County,” she said. “Because of the challenges they’re experiencing and because of the economy, that’s had a trickle-down effect on the library. We’ve seen cuts that will continue into 2012.” Daniels said the recent budget cuts could deal a heavy blow to the library’s progress. “The services [libraries] provide are invaluable, and they don’t come free,” Daniels said. “Libraries are important in bridging the gap between people who have easy access to books, computers and the written word and people who don’t.” Currie said the library has had more than 705,000 online connections so far this year, and the staff expects 1 million community connections online by the end of the year. Jablonski said the library will focus on its devoted patrons for financial help during this year’s Annual Appeal campaign. “We’ve seen considerable increases in library usage so we have to put a greater emphasis on increasing private contribution to fund the library’s work,” she said. Daniels said she has high hopes for the community’s patronage. “Ithaca is a very rich community in terms of literacy and valuing the importance of books, and I always hope for connections between the academic communities and the public. This event bridges that.”
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Th ursday, S eptember 2 2 , 2 0 1 1
Th ursday, Septem be r 22, 2011
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The I th a c a n 7
Author recognized for advocacy After being diagnosed with bladder cancer as a college student, author Sandra Steingraber began researching the environment’s effects on human health. She has since published four successful books, and a documentary released in 2010. Steingraber was recently named a recipient of the prestigious Heinz Award for her environmental health STEINGRABER movement advocacy. said the chemi Assistant News Editor cals in the air are Erica Palumbo spoke with poisonous. Steingraber about her latest book, “Raising Elijah: Protecting Our Children in an Age of Environmental Crisis,” and about what motivated her to become an environmental activist. Erica Palumbo: What began your environmental health advocacy? Sandra Steingraber: It began with my own cancer diagnosis at age 20, in between my sophomore and junior years of college. It was a question posed by my own physician about the effects of my environmental exposures that led me to go back to my university’s library and begin research on environmental links to my own cancer. As a cancer patient, I no longer wanted to go to medical school, and I didn’t want to spend any more time in hospitals as a medical major. But I knew I was going to have to, so I redirected my career to environmental science instead. EP: What influenced your latest book? SS: The book is named after my son Elijah, but he is actually named after a hero of mine. I grew up in Illinois, and there’s this abolitionist named Elijah Lovejoy who’s famous to schoolchildren in Illinois. He was advocating for the abolition of slavery when our economy was completely
dependent on slave labor. Nevertheless, he said it was a homicidal abomination, and for that he was assassinated. I’m really influenced by his bravery and his vision because I see a lot of parallels between the 1830s when Elijah Lovejoy was writing and our time now. Our economy has become ruinously dependent on fossil fuels, which are also killing people. So I decided to write a book that imagined a world without fossil fuels and imagined ourselves as latter-day abolitionists — the heroes who are ushering in a new design for our economy. EP: What was your general reaction upon learning you were a Heinz Award recipient? SS: It was an incredible thrill. I admire so many of the Heinz winners, both past and present. I’ve actually featured some of their works in my writing. I also have a lot of admiration for Teresa Heinz herself, a long-standing champion of women’s environmental health. She hosts a conference every year on women’s issues, which I’ve been asked to speak at. So I have a lot of admiration for her commitment to understanding how the environment affects our health. It was an amazing moment to learn that I was on the list of recipients for this year’s award. EP: What are you planning on doing with the $100,000 prize? SS: I’ve decided to donate a lot of the award to the fight on fracking. I’ve encouraged people to do big, bold and heroic things, and I feel that the biggest threat to us at this time and in this place is fracking. So the best investment I can make with this money is to use it to preserve the ecology of this place. Without the environment, my kids have nothing. I know that all by itself, even $100,000 is nothing compared to the money the gas industry is spending on ad campaigns every hour. But my hope is that by announcing my intent to give to this environmental cause, it will inspire and embolden other people to do big things.
Stomping success
From left, Cornell University freshman Kayla Winter, junior Gillian Trimber and junior Mike Basedow stomp grapes as part of the Cornell Viticulture and Enology Club’s “Stop, Drop and Stomp!” event Friday on Cornell’s agricultural quad. The community was also invited to experience winemaking. Brittany FORREST/The Ithacan
8 The It hacan
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The I th a c a n 9
College & City Ithaca College recognized among top US colleges
Ithaca College has once again been ranked by U.S. News and World Report among the top colleges and universities of its kind. The college was ranked as the 11th-best school in the north by the report and was also ranked 11th-best in the Great Schools, Great Prices category. This is the 17th year in a row the college has been named among the top 15 schools in the annual “Best Colleges” issue of the News and World Report. The rankings are based on peer assessment, faculty resources, graduation and retention rates, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving.
Short story writer to read at visiting author event Award-winning short story writer
ZZ Packer will read as part of the college’s Distinguished Visiting Writers Series. The reading is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Sept. 28 in Clark Lounge. Packer’s shortstory collection, PACKER “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere,” was named a PEN/ Faulkner finalist and recognized as a New York Times Notable Book.
Museum to open exhibit showing fossil excavation
The Museum of the Earth, an affiliate of Cornell University, will open its new Fossil Preparation Laboratory at
a launch event to be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. During the event, paleontologists will chip away at a fossil-filled block on loan from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh so the general public can see how Cornell students and others conduct their research. The museum will also be opening its BioLab, for microscopic and chemical procedures; WetLab, for research on living aquatic invertebrates and plants; and PaleoLab, for processing field collections and rough specimen preparation. Admission is $8 for adults, $3 for children and free for children 3 and under. The museum is located at 1259 Trumansburg Road. For more information, visit www. museumoftheearth.org.
Faculty and staff honored for helping ALANA students Two faculty and two staff mem-
bers from the college’s Student Affairs and Campus Life have been awarded the You Make a Difference Award, which recognizes efforts to foster ALANA students’ success at Ithaca College. This year’s recipients are Paula Ioanide, assistant professor in the Center for the Study of Culture, Race and Ethnicity; Sean Eversley Bradwell, assistant professor in CSCRE; LeBron Rankins, a psychologist in the Counseling and Wellness Center; and Roger Richardson, associate vice president and dean of student affairs and campus life. They will receive distinguished
recognition at the upcoming ALANA Academic Achievement Awards at 6 p.m. Oct. 1 in Emerson Suites.
New director announced for gerontology institute
Rhoda Meador will be named the new director of Ithaca College’s Gerontology Institute on Oct. 3. She has served as associate director for Cornell University’s Institute for Tr a n s l a t i o n a l Research on Aging as well as extension educator for Cornell Coopera- MEADOR tive Extension of Tompkins County. She has also been the associate director of extension and outreach for the College of Human Ecology and for the university’s Bronfenbrenner Life Course Center.
County cooperative to host annual vehicle-free day
Way2Go of Tompkins County Cooperative Extension, a community education organization, and Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit are inviting people to leave cars at the curb on World Car-Free Day today. Way2Go and TCAT will offer prizes to reward and encourage participation among Tompkins County residents. Prizes include one-day TCAT bus passes, Car-Free Day T-shirts and a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to people who pledge to go “Car-Free” or “Car-Lite.” For more information contact Way2Go at 272-2292.
Public Safety Incident Log SEPTEMBER 6 CRIMINAL MISCHIEF LOCATION: East Tower SUMMARY: Caller reported an unknown person damaged an exit sign. Investigation pending. Patrol Officer Jay VanVolkinberg. LARCENY LOCATION: East Tower SUMMARY: Caller reported a cell phone was stolen Sept. 3. Phone was recovered. Investigation pending. Patrol Officer Jay VanVolkinberg.
SEPTEMBER 7 CRIMINAL MISCHIEF LOCATION: Terrace Dining Hall SUMMARY: Caller reported an unknown person put super glue inside a padlock that secures a locker. Investigation pending. Master Patrol Officer Dirk Hightchew. FOUND PROPERTY LOCATION: Upper Quad SUMMARY: Person found a pair of glasses and turned them over to the Office of Public Safety. UNLAWFUL POSS. OF MARIJUANA LOCATION: East Tower SUMMARY: Two people judicially referred for possession of marijuana. Master Patrol Officer Donald Lyke.
September 9 CRIMINAL TAMPERING LOCATION: Circle Lot 11 SUMMARY: Caller reported people possibly tampering with vehicles. Officer reported a person had walked on a vehicle. Investigation pending. Sergeant Ron Hart.
LARCENY LOCATION: Gannett Center SUMMARY: Caller reported an unknown person stole books worth more than $1,000. Investigation pending. Master Patrol Officer Donald Lyke. LARCENY LOCATION: Fitness Center SUMMARY: Caller reported an unknown person stole $50 to $100 worth of cash from a wallet. Investigation pending. Patrol Officer Jay VanVolkinberg. CRIMINAL MISCHIEF LOCATION: Circle Lot 11 SUMMARY: Caller reported an unknown person walked on the hood of a vehicle causing a dent. Investigation pending. Master Patrol Officer Donald Lyke. CONDUCT CODE VIOLATION LOCATION: Eastman Hall SUMMARY: Caller reported a loud noise coming from a room. Four people judicially referred for noise and underage possession of alcohol. Patrol Officer Brad Bates. CONDUCT CODE VIOLATION LOCATION: J-Lot SUMMARY: One person declined medical assistance with an ambulance and was judicially referred for irresponsible use of alcohol. Patrol Officer Jeremiah McMurray. FOUND PROPERTY LOCATION: Freeman Baseball Field SUMMARY: Person found a set of keys and turned them over to Public Safety. CONDUCT CODE VIOLATION LOCATION: Flora Brown Drive SUMMARY: During a traffic stop, officer reported person with alcohol. One
Health board to sponsor public recognition event The Tompkins County Men-
tal Health Services Board will hold its third “Celebration and Recognition of the Community of Care That Serves the People of Tompkins County.” The event will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Ithaca Holiday Inn. Groups and individuals who have made contributions and offered services to the county in regards to mental health will be recognized for their work. Awards for outstanding service, personal achievement, innovative service, distinguished service and lifetime achievement are included in the event’s itinerary. The Mental Health Services Board is responsible for developing the community’s preventive, rehabilitative and treatment services in three areas: developmental feasibility, mental health, and substance abuse.
Co-op to hold open house on sustainable buildings Green homes and businesses
throughout Tompkins County will be open to the public during Cornell Cooperative Extension’s 2011 Green Buildings open house. The event will take place Oct. 1 and 2 and will feature 24 homes and businesses that were built to create the smallest carbon footprint possible in a healthy built environment. The buildings also use local and reclaimed materials, natural finishes, renewable energy sources and other strategies to practice sustainability. Owners and some builders will
be on site to answer questions about their building’s energy performance, construction methods and materials used to create them. The event will kick off with a preview of “Empowered,” a locally produced documentary that tells the story of Tompkins County residents striving for energy independence by embracing alternatives to fossil fuels. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers and several of the homeowners featured in the film. The screening will take place 7 p.m. Sept. 30 at Cinemapolis and costs $10. Tickets for the open house are $5 for adults and free for people 18 and under. For more information about the event, visit www.ccetompkins. org/2011gboh.
Alumna to show research from Germany fellowship
Allison Girasole ’10, will discuss her year-long fellowship in Germany as part of the Biology Seminar Series at 4 p.m. today in the Center for Natural Sciences Room 112. Girasole’s presentation, “Viva Colonia: A Year of Experiencing Culture, Travel and Neuroscience Research in Köln, Germany,” will discuss her research, experience and travel in Cologne, Germany. She will also speak about insulin’s effects on dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra — a structure in the midbrain — of the mouse. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Nancy Pierce at 274-3161.
selected entries from SEPT. 6 to SEPT. 11
person judicially referred for underage possession of alcohol and providing false identification. Patrol Officer Jeremiah McMurray. CONDUCT CODE VIOLATION LOCATION: B-Lot SUMMARY: Two people judicially referred for underage possession of alcohol. Lieutenant Bill Kerry. CONDUCT CODE VIOLATION LOCATION: Circle Lot 6 SUMMARY: One person judicially referred for open container violation. Patrol Officer Mike Corp. CONDUCT CODE VIOLATION LOCATION: Circle Lot 7 SUMMARY: One person judicially referred for underage possession of alcohol. Lieutenant Bill Kerry. CONDUCT CODE VIOLATION LOCATION: Circle Lot 1 SUMMARY: Two people judicially referred for having an open container. Patrol Officer Brad Bates.
SEPTEMBER 10 CRIMINAL MISCHIEF LOCATION: Circle Apartments SUMMARY: Officer reported an unknown person damaged a transfer box. Officer reported after speaking with maintenance, the damage was unfounded. Patrol Officer Jay VanVolkinberg. EXPOSURE OF PERSON LOCATION: Circle Apartments SUMMARY: One person was judicially referred for urinating in a public place, failure to comply and irresponsible use of
alcohol. A second person was also referred for failure to comply with authorities. Patrol Officer Brad Bates. MEDICAL ASSIST LOCATION: Lyceum Drive SUMMARY: Caller reported a person sustained a neck injury from a skateboarding accident that occurred earlier in the evening. One person was transported to CMC by ambulance. Patrol Officer Brad Bates. DISORDERLY CONDUCT LOCATION: Circle Apartments SUMMARY: Officer reported an unknown person screamed racial slurs into a blue light phone. Area checked, unable to locate perpetrator. Investigation Pending Sergeant Ron Hart. UNLAWFUL POSS. OF MARIJUANA LOCATION: Terraces SUMMARY: Caller reported having smoked marijuana for the first time and believed they were having a heart attack. One person was transported to CMC by ambulance and was judicially referred for unlawful possession of marijuana. Patrol Officer Jeremiah McMurray.
SEPTEMBER 11 MEDICAL ASSIST LOCATION: West Tower SUMMARY: Caller reported a person not feeling well. One person was transported to CMC by ambulance. Patrol Officer Jeremiah McMurray. CRIMINAL MISCHIEF LOCATION: Campus center SUMMARY: Caller reported an unknown person damaged a soap dispenser
from the wall. Officer determined the dispenser fell off the wall due to normal wear and tear. Master Patrol Officer Robert Hightchew. CONDUCT CODE VIOLATION LOCATION: Campus center SUMMARY: Person found a wallet and turned it over to Public Safety. Wallet found to contain a fictitious license. One person judicially referred for possession of fraudulent identification. Patrol Officer Christopher Teribury. THEFT OF SERVICES LOCATION: D-Lot SUMMARY: Caller reported a person vomited in a cab and then fled without paying for the ride. Person paid caller for clean-up; caller wanted no further action taken. Sergeant Ron Hart. LARCENY LOCATION: Boathouse SUMMARY: Caller reported an unknown person stole gym mats worth over $50 from a fenced area. Investigation pending. Master Patrol Officer Robert Hightchew. For the complete safety log, go to www.theithacan.org/news
Key cmc – Cayuga Medical Center CCV – College Code Violation DWI – Driving while intoxicated IFD – Ithaca Fire Department IPD – Ithaca Police Department MVA – Motor vehicle accident RA – Resident assistant SASP – Student Auxiliary Safety Patrol V&T – Vehicle and Transportation
Opinion
1 0 The It hacan
Th ursday, S eptember 2 2 , 2 0 1 1
editorials
young vision wins election
Democratic mayoral candidate could gain student support by staying true to Ithaca’s roots and pushing a progressive agenda to guide the city’s future.
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ecause students comprise nearly half of Ithaca’s demographic from September to May, it’s monumental to have a young political representative with whom they can identify. Svante Myrick, a 24-year-old Cornell University graduate, won his spot as the Democratic mayoral candidate for Ithaca last Tuesday. Building from his success as city council alderman at age 19, Myrick could effectively lead Ithaca with his young vision. The campaign’s success reflects the work of one of Ithaca College’s own, junior Rob Flaherty, who managed Myrick’s communications. Flaherty’s tactics relied heavily on the interactivity of social media and personal appeal of community outreach. Myrick plans to channel his energy into advocating for a hydraulic fracturing ban in the City of Ithaca and preserving Ithaca’s status as a pedestrian- and bike-friendly area. His ecological efforts resonate with many citizens and residents. By focusing on the future of Ithaca’s sustainability efforts, Myrick could increase his appeal to students, who comprise nearly half the city’s population during the academic year. If he is able to pull a young support base, he may also be able to generate more student interest in city politics. One caution is Myrick’s plan to encourage both Cornell and the college to increase their property tax contributions. This would add an estimated $10 million to the tax base to help eliminate the city’s deficit. If Myrick wins the general election and follows through with this initiative, it could raise a few eyebrows among students — especially if the impact is not communicated in a transparent way. If Myrick hopes to win the mayoral election, he should channel his young energy and fresh vision for the city into gaining a more youthful support base. In doing so, more students may become more involved with progressive environmental action knowing the city has their backs.
capitol-ize
The college should offer more course options to increase student interest in a revamped D.C. program.
I
thaca College’s decision to partner with Cornell University’s Washington, D.C. program could give students more than just a few Ivy resources to tap into this spring. Despite suspension of its own program this fall, the college will send up to five students to Cornell’s satellite campus in the Capitol. There, they can pursue an internship while taking academic courses, an identical parallel to the college’s former program. However, Cornell has greater access to resources and connections. Students at the college who travel through Cornell’s program can take advantage of its database with more than 1,000 D.C. internships. But to gain access, students must pay the difference between the college and Cornell tuition — a 17 percent increase amounting to more than $3,000. For students seeking internships for credit, this means an extra $1,000 will be tacked onto the initial cost. As the college revamps its own D.C. program, it should consider changing the structure — starting with courses. By offering a wider variety of classes, the college can ensure a diverse student body will find courses that complement their major requirements. With an internship, this program would be worth leaving the college’s campus for a semester.
SNAP JUDGMENT New Look What are your thoughts on the results of the Ithaca Democratic mayoral primary?
Watch more Snap Judgments at theithacan.org.
“he could bring a lot of change and good things to ithaca. IT IS A GOOD RESULT THAT WILL BENEFIT ALL OF ITHACA.” DAVID MERRIMAN ’12 BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
“I DIDN’t HEAR THAT MUCH ABOUT IT. I THINK I HAD TO DO A LITTLE RESEARCH FOR CLASS, bUT I DIDN’t really follow the election or the results.” MEGAN GOLDSCHMIDT ’13 JOURNALISM
“i HEAR HE’S A CORNELL GRADUATE, SO THAT’s Pretty cool. he’s got a local feel, and i hope he does well.” ian gaffneyrosenfield ’12 televisionradio
“the old system isn’t working. we need new blood, new faces, and we need change.” eric breton ’12 business administration
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Opi n ion
Th ursday, Septem be r 22, 2011
The Ith a c a n 1 1
Guest commentary
Efforts to show compassion could help save lives
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wo years ago, I sat in a funeral parlor and witnessed the private memorial for the son of my mother’s friend. The room was stuffy on that hot July day and packed with people, young and old. While I didn’t recognize many of the faces surrounding me, something was familiar. The pain I saw on each face was the same. The loss was shared. This young life cut short was the cause of this mutual grief. They were all survivors of suicide. Fast forward to today. The family of this young man is still struggling to recover from the massive loss. His sister refuses to talk about her brother or even mention his name. His father will not talk about the suicide, but pushes his feelMeghan RindFleisch ings and fears deeper and deeper. His parents’ marriage has suffered, and his sister’s wedding date continues to delay. The inability to talk about the suicide has kept their lives on hold. Suicide. It’s a curse word in today’s vocabulary — a topic that some people never mention or even acknowledge. Our society pretends the issue doesn’t exist. In turn, we silence important conversations about suicide and depression. But suicide is a serious reality. More than 36,000 people in the United States take their own lives every year. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for people between the ages of 15 and 24, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Every 15 minutes, someone dies because of suicide. Maybe this is a conversation we should be having: If suicide happens so often, then why is it so taboo? Why is our society so ashamed to talk about it? Conversations about suicide and depression open up some of our greatest fears, darkest secrets and deepest wounds. We shrink back from these conversations, afraid to expose our vulnerable sides and to admit our fears. But reaching out despite our vulnerabilities, fears or
CHRIStine loman
Donations offer shaky bargain
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Far left, senior Meghan Rindfleisch, president of the Ithaca College chapter of To Write Love on Her Arms, stands with group members on the academic quad during College Colors Day on Sept. 2.
courtesy of meghan rindfleisch
pain makes us stronger. These conversations can help save lives. We forget that we are all human and that we all have apprehensions and faults. Not one of us is perfect. Not one of us fits a standard mold. That’s what makes the human race so beautiful: our differences, our similarities, our complexities and our oddities. Yet in times of trouble and crisis, we forget that we are all capable of fear and of feeling alone. We shut the world out instead of reaching out for help. “We can do no great things, only small things with great love,” Mother Theresa once said. Love is the greatest power we possess. We depend on love, thrive on love and live for love. In little daily actions, we can share love with those around us — sharing a laugh, hugging a parent or listening to a friend in need. We all have the ability to reach out to one
another, to remind one another we’re not alone. Our life journeys are not individual paths — they’re filled with highs and lows, unexpected twists and turns. Most importantly, they’re intertwined. We don’t go through life alone. There is always hope and help. Your journey doesn’t end here. Reaching out for help in a time of need is one of the strongest moves anyone can make. Remember, help is always available. Students can visit the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services located on the lower level of the Hammond Health Center or call the Suicide Prevention and Crisis Services at 272-1616. Meghan Rindfleisch is a senior journalism major. Email her at mrindfl1@ithaca.edu
Guest commentary
NY state has room to improve anti-trafficking policy
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oday, there are 27 million slaves in the world, according to Free the Slaves, a leading abolitionist organization fighting international human trafficking. This is a staggering statistic considering the anti-slavery laws present in every country. When I first learned about today’s human trafficking — the current term for slavery JessicA — I found it Leuchtenburg easy to dismiss the reality of its presence in our own backyards. About 14,000 slaves are trafficked into the U.S. each year, and there are high estimates of domestic trafficking of American citizens as well, especially runaway children. Despite the abolition of slavery nearly 200 years ago, many states today fall below the standards necessary to maintain freedom for all of their residents. The Polaris Project, an abolitionist organization specializing in U.S. sex trafficking, produces an annual report that rates each state based on “10 categories of state statutes that Polaris Project believes are critical to a comprehensive antitrafficking legal framework.” This year, New York state received eight out of 12 points in the ranking. This rating is indicative of the state’s attention to this issue. New York pioneered the Safe Harbor
college cents
From left, senior Michele Fortier and Molly Wernick ’11 attend a Free the Slaves meeting February 2009. The group works to stop human trafficking.
file photo/The Ithacan
Act, which protects sex-trafficked minors. The law states that any minor involved in prostitution should not be convicted, but diverted to child protection services or victim service programs. This is a huge improvement from the 2004 case when a 12-year-old girl was convicted for prostitution in New York, despite physical evidence of severe abuse. The state now has a statute that expunges prostitution convictions from the records of sex trafficking victims. Lobbying efforts from Rachel Lloyd, the founder of Girls Educational Mentoring Services, a non-profit organization that fights
domestic minor sex trafficking, helped establish these laws. While New York maintains one of the higher ratings, there is still room for improvement. The state makes little effort to publicly post the human trafficking hotline number, which makes it difficult for citizens to report incidents. It also doesn’t include human trafficking in asset forfeiture laws, which allow police to confiscate items purchased with earnings from prostitution. Most importantly, for laws to be effective they must be funded and enforced. New York’s high rating only reflects the laws in place, not
the effectiveness in the application of these laws. Many of these laws provide training and services if funding is available, but they don’t require the state to provide the funding. This leaves nonprofits that already have tight budgets to continuously fundraise or dole out funds they don’t have in an effort to fill the gaps. Despite this upset, the public can take concrete actions to make a difference. Citizens can write to their legislators and encourage them to support new anti-human trafficking laws. Students can attend an Ithaca College Free the Slaves meeting to learn more about slavery and how to help end it. Supporters can donate to Free the Slaves, Polaris Project or GEMS to help them continue their anti-trafficking work. The public should continue to learn more about human trafficking by educating themselves and spreading the word. Human trafficking is a reality, but if we can become aware of this issue as a society, we can work to finally abolish it. The next meeting for the college’s Free the Slaves chapter will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday on the third floor of Friends Hall. If anyone witnesses a potential act of human trafficking, call the national hotline at (888)-373-7888. Jessica Leuchtenburg is a senior athletic training major. Email her at jleucht1@ithaca.edu
All opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of The Ithacan. To write a guest commentary, contact Opinion Editor Megan Devlin at 274-3208.
ash strapped and desperate for work in a lousy job market, students may turn to egg and sperm donation as an alternative way to pay the bills. With tuition for Ithaca College at more than $35,000 per year, these non-traditional ways of making money could gain popularity among young adults. One caution though: the fertility industry is largely unregulated. A recent New York Times article found instances where a single sperm donor fathered 150 children. It’s clear why egg and sperm banks target college students: they are always looking for quick cash and may overlook the fine print. From 2003 to 2009, the Center for Human Reproduction found an 18 percent increase in the number of U.S. egg donations. While compensation rates vary from $4,000 to $10,000, the Joan and Sandford I. Weill Medical College at Cornell University gives donors $8,000 per retrieval. But this isn’t a painless process. After passing medical screenings, donors endure six weeks of invitro fertilization injections prior to the actual retrieval. Serious, but rare risks include damage to the ovaries. Sperm donors receive less compensation, between $30 and $200 per donation. Higher payments for specimens often go to donors with more desirable physical characteristics and higher IQs. Most sperm banks require donors to commit to a certain number of sperm donations over a given period of time, which can range from two months to two years. It’s disconcerting that the sperm and egg donation industry capitalizes on reproductive systems. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine found more than 100 ads for egg donors in 300 college newspapers. But when students are baited into the process, they may not fully understand the risks associated with it. Letting opportunities like these slip away could be financially irresponsible. For college students that aren’t actively using their eggs or sperm, donation could be a viable option to make money and help couples that are unable to have children. If students see donation as helping desperate couples, there’s a built-in moral out. Anyone willing to pay a minimum of $15,000 for donated eggs is committed to parenthood. In a financial climate where post-graduate jobs are difficult to find and debt is hard to escape, the monetary rewards may outweigh the risks. The extra cash might convince students to bargain with their bodies. But these bottom line interests risk objectifying students’ reproductive systems. christine loman is a senior journalism major. Email her at cloman1@ithaca.edu
1 2 The It hacan
Divers ion s
dormin’ norman
By Jonathan Schuta ’14
Pearls Before Swine®
Th ursday, September 2 2 , 2 0 1 1
sudoku
By Stephan Pastis
answers to last week’s sudoku
crossword ACROSS 1 Bummed out 5 Path to satori 8 It glistens 11 Fiber — — cable 13 Memorable decade 14 Genre 15 Texas player 16 Weddings 18 More than willing 20 Rapper Kim 21 Almond of Soft Cell 23 Pond maker 25 Remove, as a hat 28 Usher’s beat 30 Family mem. 32 Toothpaste choice 33 Psyche component 34 Lamprey
By United Media
36 Flour sack abbr. 38 Midwest st. 39 PBS funder 41 Cause a blister 43 Small towns 45 Cable channel 47 Natural — 49 Spiky hair style 50 Coffee-to-go need 52 Moneyless transactions 54 Agents 57 Plagued by 60 Deadeye’s prowess 61 Fish eggs 62 Iroquois speakers 63 Kernel holder 64 It moves mountains 65 Quaff with sushi
DOWN 1 — — few rounds 2 DJ’s platters 3 Gives voice to 4 Lourdes event 5 Striped animals 6 Miscalculate 7 Hardware item 8 Script lines 9 Bracket type 10 Calendar divs. 12 Machine tooth 17 Served, as time 19 Publishing VIP 21 Down East 22 Staff members 24 Wire gauge 26 Dissemble 27 Whiskey bottle
29 Poet’s “always” 31 Consumer org. 35 Strain, as an engine 37 Church events 40 Composure 42 Long-eared hound 44 Chagall’s homeland 46 Turn down 48 Compass pt. 51 The skinny 53 Fortas or Vigoda 54 “— -Man Fever” 55 Popular cruise stop 56 Long, long time 58 Cartoon shriek 59 Half a fly?
answers to last week’s crossword
a ccen t
Behind
Th ursday, Septem be r 22, 2011
The I th a c a n 1 3
the
Curtain
From left, seniors Will Boyajian as the soldier Cam and Elizabeth Ellson as Soldier 2 rehearse “Plumfield, Iraq” last Thursday. The show is the first of three this fall, which all reflect themes of new beginnings, and light and dark.
Department of Theatre Arts delves into fresh fall season
Claudia Pietrzak/The Ithacan
By Lisa Purrone Contributing Writer
Though they share overarching themes of light and new beginnings, each of the three fall productions in the Ithaca College Department of Theatre Art’s lineup tells a vastly different story. Whether the audience sees a soldier and salutes him after seeing “Plumfield, Iraq,” finds love where they weren’t looking for it, like in “Light in the Piazza,” or learns to use movement to share stronger feelings after “Illuminated Bodies,” these shows all aim to shine new light on the raw power human emotion holds.
‘Plumfield,Iraq’
The first fall show takes a socially conscious look at the effects of contemporary war by addressing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, military families and the intensity of battle. “Plumfield, Iraq,” which premiered at UC Santa Barbara in 2008, tells the story of Cam and Mike, two friends from Plumfield, Wash., who enlist in the military hoping to pay for college. They are eventually sent to fight the war in Iraq. The show follows the characters’ process of going through and getting over the war and its aftereffects. Lee Byron, professor and chair of the theater department, oversees the choices that go into making shows at the college successful. A friend of Byron’s suggested the play, citing it as topical and relevant to college students. “Plumfield,Iraq” “The story is a fairly compelling story,” he said. “It’s Directed by more immediate in that it’s Cynthia Henderson of an age range that students Previews Oct. 4 can make closer connections Opens Oct. 6 and ties.” Closes Oct. 15 Senior Katie Peters plays four different characters in the show, including a soldier and Mike’s girlfriend Beth, “Light inthe Piazza” who she related to quickly. Peters said the way Beth’s mind and emotions work is Directed by similar to her own relationSusannah Berryman ship with her boyfriend now. Previews Nov. 1 “It’s something that I can Opens Nov. 3 respond to and have a truthCloses Nov. 12 ful reaction a lot more easily,” she said. Peters said the most difficult challenge for her “IlluminatedBodies” was transforming in different scenes from playing a Choreographed by girlfriend, to a soldier, to a Lindsay Gilmour reporter. She said she enand Amy O’Brien joys the opportunity to play Previews Dec. 6 multiple characters, but it’s a Opens Dec. 8 complicated process to shift Closes Dec. 11 back and forth so quickly. The cast is also working Tickets are available at the Ithaca College ticket office, with real outfits and guns located in the lobby of the Dillingham Center for the from the ROTC program. Performing Arts. Call 274-3224 for more information. Tickets can also be purchased by visiting the Ticket “It’s so intense,” Peters Center Ithaca, calling them at 273-4497 or going online said. “A lot of the gear is to IthacaEvents.com heavy. It’s very intimidating
Showtimes
to feel that feeling — getting into that outfit.” With “Plumfield,” the department hopes to shed light on the effects of war from a more personal viewpoint.
‘Light in the Piazza’ Without a plane ticket, passport or luggage, audience members can fall in love with the beauty of Florence, Italy, from their seats. “Light in the Piazza” tells a story of romance, secrets and the obstacles people must face for love. Margaret and her daughter, Clara, go on a tour of Italy and take a stop in Florence. There, Clara meets and falls in love with Fabrizio, a romantic Florentine. Overprotective of her daughter, Margaret tries her best to keep Clara from him. The show takes some unexpected twists and turns that make this ’50s-based story engaging, including a dark secret about Clara that Margaret doesn’t want anyone to know. Senior dramaturg Morgan Goldstein said the set design for “The Light in the Piazza” serves the show in such a way that will depict the grandeur of the area with a clean, fresh look. “The set is amazing,” she said. “It has this ability to capture and heighten every single emotion in this musical.” Goldstein said the production was chosen because of its emphasis on light and romance, elements director Susannah Berryman, associate professor of theater arts, wanted to bring to the stage this season. “It is very operatic,” Goldstein said. “It’s really just the celebration of human life. It’s a lot about the beauty and the fantasy.”
‘Illuminated Bodies’ Beyond the scope of scripts and songs, dancers find ways to express emotions words often can’t explain. The last of the productions will be the bright and new dance show “Illuminated Bodies.” The department puts on a dance show every four years. This year, it will include two ballet pieces and two contemporary pieces. Choreographer Amy O’Brien, instructor of theater arts, said the production process of this show is different from the others because she and Lindsay Gilmour, assistant professor of theater arts, are starting from scratch. They are working with student composers to create completely original melodies and music. O’Brien said she wanted to incorporate many aspects of art in their pieces. “We’re both using live musicians,” she said. “I have a poet friend that’s going to come, so we’re trying to use community people, and then also the campus community people so hopefully the audience will be more broad.” Gilmour has a more modern dance approach to the choreography. Exploration of the mind and body are her inspirations. “The body is a whole other way of communicating and learning and thinking,” she said. Byron said on the whole, the department selects work that will challenge the students. “I’m sure there will be a surprise this year,” he said. “There will be a show that I’m going, ‘Boy this is going to really stretch us, or push us, or push our students.’ All the shows have their own challenges, and they’re all very different, so there will be many pleasant surprises.”
From left, senior John Gardner, who plays Mike in “Plumfield, Iraq,” and director Cynthia Henderson, associate professor of theater arts, confer during rehearsal last Thursday.
Claudia Pietrzak/The Ithacan
[ a cc e ntuate]
1 4 The It hacan
Th ursday, S eptember 2 2 , 2 0 1 1
Hot or Not This week’s hits and misses
Contributing Writer Taylor Palmer ranks the best and worst parts of Cornell University’s homecoming performance Saturday at Barton Hall.
Hot
B.o.B B.o.B wasn’t just hot — he was on fire. The Outkast-inspired rapper swung his arms and torso around as he made use of the entire stage to showcase an impresTo read a live sive collection of songs guaranteed to get heads review of the concert, visit bobbing and bodies mov- theithacan.org. ing. The musician’s enthusiasm was electric and his set list was flawless. Personal hits like “Airplanes” and “Nothin’ On You” as well as the cover of MGMT’s “Kids” gave fair-weather fans a tune they could sing along to, while acoustic guitar-laced deep cuts gave diehard fans something to cheer about.
Lukewarm Motion City Soundtrack The fellas from Motion City Soundtrack played a hand-picked set of songs from their noteworthy 14-year career almost flawlessly. But for a supremely talented set of musicians, the quality of the songs was less-than-phenomenal. The tunes they picked were flat. The band’s highest energy and most crowd-pleasing jams were left off the set list, and two of the most upbeat and highest selling songs from their most recent albums, “Disappear” and “Everything is Alright,” were omitted in favor of lower-key songs. At this concert, Motion City Soundtrack was a hot group of musicians with a lukewarm song selection.
Back in the spotlight
From left, performers Hollis Heath, Janelle Heatley and Ithaca College alumna Jaylene Clark ’10 perform “Renaissance in the Belly of a Killer Whale,” a montage about Harlem, N.Y., on Saturday in Emerson Suites. The event was sponsored by IC Spit That!
Patrick sullivan/the ithacan
video of
the
week
celebrity John stamos and bob saget cuddle to help save abandoned children
Lohan kicked out in NYC
While the paths to classes aren’t covered in snow yet, the temperature is dropping and students may be looking for a way to keep warm during the chilly autumn nights. John Stamos’ Guide to Cuddling features Stamos and Bob Saget cuddling, and may help campus snugglers through the cold semester. The video was created to promote Project Snuggle, a nonprofit organization working to provide care to pregnant women and find safe homes for abandoned babies. This is certainly one video to watch before bed. — Shea O’Meara
Not
The Crowd When hundreds of mostly inebriated college students are shoved into a small space, it’s going to be hot. This made the concert one sweaty evening. And on top of the dripping wet men and women pressed to the chests and backs of one another, the crowd was sprinkled with more than a few belligerent folks who thought it was more important to be in front of the group than for everyone else to enjoy personal space. For an upbeat evening, this was one crowd full of downers.
omg!
OOPS!
internet development company mobilizes personal accounting
Apparently the company that combined email, personalized websites, online research and much more into one toolbar isn’t content with simply revolutionizing the way people use the Internet. Now it wants to reorganize the way personal finance is conducted. Google Wallet, an app that will allow users to combine coupon, loyalty cards and credit cards on one device to “tap and pay” at PayPass locations, was released last week. Currently, the app is only compatible with Sprint Nexus S Android phones and will only exchange funds using Citi-Mastercards and Google Prepaid Cards, but the company is planning to expand. Now that’s Google plus. — Shea O’Meara
quoteunquote I don’t know what I’m going to talk about in therapy next week. I won something. — Julie Bowen on her Emmy Award for outstanding supporting actress in the comedy series “Modern Family.”
Actress Lindsay Lohan has gone through her fair share of DUIs and stints in rehab, but she didn’t let that stop her from having one more wild night of debauchery and reckless abandon last week. Lohan was supposed to be the cordial hostess of Lovecat Magazine’s Fashion Week after-party Sept. 14 at Le Bain in New York City. Instead, she chose to bounce between her own celebration and the one next door. The inebriated Lohan threw a glass at a paparazzo trying to take her photo — missing completely. Last Thursday, Lohan was reportedly escorted out of Marc Jacobs’ party for her bad behavior. Getting out of control is never classy, but who needs class when you’re one of Hollywood’s favorite party girls? —Benjii Maust
Th ursday, Septem be r 22, 2011
A CCEN T
The I th a c a n 1 5
Speaker salsa dances to teach leadership skills Motivational speaker Stan Pearson doesn’t just use a microphone to get a crowd on its feet. He gets them grooving to a beat using salsa dancing in his presentations. Pearson uses comedy, his real-life experiences and interactive activities to talk If you Go about how to SAB presents: revamp any Stan Pearson student’s skills When: 8 p.m. as a leader. Friday Where: Emerson Accent Suites Editor Kelsey How much: Free Fowler spoke to Pearson about hitting his groove with a crowd and being a strong leader. Kelsey Fowler: What is your goal as a motivational speaker? How do you make yourself stand out? Stan Pearson: You have to be able to be well-received because there are a lot of people out there to bring messages. But I just want to make sure mine is delivered in an interesting way, so that anyone can receive it regardless of their race, age, gender or socioeconomic background. ... At the end of the day everyone will receive something different.
someone said, ‘We have this leadership academy going on, would you like to do it?’ And I said sure. It felt good; it felt natural. I wanted to find a way to do this forever — that was my feeling. It was the start of my journey to help others. KF: What do you do to win over a crowd? SP: With any great relationship, you want to establish rapport, a sincere rapport. Whenever I can get on campus or to a business early, I do so I can meet and greet with people in the community. ... If people go crazy and clap for me without earning that relationship, it doesn’t work. With any good relationship you have to earn trust. You’re accountable for it once you get in front of others, to inspire and motive them to some degree. I make sure things from the very beginning are interactive. A lot of my programs are active-learning programs, which means — like the program I’m doing at Ithaca — people are able to take — Stan Pearson more away from it because they are doing an activity during the learning process.
“If you’re not learning, you’re not living.”
KF: How did you get started? SP: I attended a lot of leadership conferences and long story short, one day as I was leaving the room
KF: How do you feel about addressing college audiences? SP: The world is shifting, and honestly, college people are making changes in the world. When it comes to presentations for college
kids, if it’s not good, they’ll tell you they didn’t get it. I appreciate that so much. College students can really connect. It means that much more coming from an honest place. KF: You speak about how to become a strong leader. Do you ever learn anything from your audience? SP: All day, every day. Sometimes people underestimate their abilities, underestimate who they are, don’t think they are made for greatness — made for that dream. But, being conscious of what they have to contribute to a group — I learn from that. People keep going in a very cavalier way, but with strength and confidence people can make it, absolutely. Every time I present, I come away with a ‘Wow.’ No matter what country or part of the world, people are coping, and they stay the course in dealing with different problems. KF: Do you actually require people to salsa dance? SP: I typically have never given the option. I’ve done this program for 10 people and for 400 people, such a wide range, and I know the experience is what people make it. With salsa dance, that’s what’s going to happen. I had a program once with people with physically disabilities, people in wheelchairs, doing it to the full extent of what they could. If it’s a matter of attitude, if they’re too cool, that’s a different story. It’s not just salsa, it’s a transformation in people with the program going
Stan Pearson will present his S.A.L.S.A. speech at Ithaca College on Friday. Pearson incorporates activities like dance into his motivational talks.
Courtesy of Stan Pearson
on. People notice when they see that happen. If I see people doing it to the fullest of their ability, I’m OK with that. I highly encourage them to participate — not just because it’s salsa, but because of the transformation that is happening in people. KF: What is the most important thing you try to tell people in your leadership training?
SP: Number one: that they’re better than they think they are. And ultimately, whatever you’re going to pursue, you need five key things: Support, the ability to Act, Learning — if you’re not learning you’re not living — Striving and Accepting. That’s S.A.L.S.A. If I want you to take one thing away, that’s the goal. That’s what you should walk away with. I hold my audience accountable.
Remember that time ... ... the college picked a mascot? ... neither do we.
The Ithacan
A ccen t
1 6 The It hacan
Th ursday, S eptember 2 2 , 2 0 1 1
Outdoor play replants old emotions
hot dates
thursday
by Emily Dunn
contributing writer
While Cornell University’s adaptation of “The Cherry Orchard” brings the more than 100-yearold classic outdoors and presents its complex script in English rather than in Russian, it manages to convey the pain of loss and the strength of family with a timeless grace. Written by Russian play“The Cherry wright Anton Chekhov, the Orchard” play revolves around one Cornell University family’s struggle to maintain composure while losing their beloved family home and cherry orchard. The main character Lyubov Ranyevskaya, played by Cornell senior Alessandra Kirsch, owns the estate and is forced to sell it when she spends too much money on extravagant clothing. Throughout the process of selling the orchard, Ranyevskaya and her family face the death of one of their own. Through the family’s struggle, the play shows how love can keep a home together. While adapting to the outdoor stage — with all its elements and interruptions — the actors in “The Cherry Orchard” give powerful performances that match the dark power behind Anton Chekhov’s words. Kirsch’s striking performance reveals how loss can affect an individual. Ranyevskaya is an eccentric character and Kirsch embodies her personality perfectly. Kirsch’s emotions range from ecstatic joy to utmost anguish within the duration of the play and she uses vocal tones and exquisite facial expressions to help convey the character’s successes and struggles. Kirsch’s acting makes her character universally relatable and contributes to the depth and power of Chekhov’s work. Cornell doctoral student Robert Surton’s portrayal of Leonid Gayev, Ranyevskaya’s brother, is less believable, and Surton overplays his character and seems loud and one-dimensional throughout the show. Though the script contains dialogue that reflects a wide range of emotions, Surton’s acting lacks the depth and creativity that makes Kirsch’s acting successful. Despite a few scenes when Surton turns his performance around to appropriately em-
“Waltz with Bashir,” a film about a soldier’s life in the Israeli Defense Forces during the 1982 Lebanon war, will be shown by the Ithaca College Jewish Studies Program and Hillel. The screening will begin at 7 p.m. in Textor 101.
theater Review
Livable Streets Film Festival, a presentation of 21 short films about research pertaining to sustainable transportation methods, will begin at 7:45 p.m. at Cinemopolis. Admission is free.
friday
From left, Yepikhodov (Danny Bernstein) and Dunyasha (Adrienne Jackson) become involved when Dunyasha, a maid for a family who loses its home, meets Yepikhodov, a friend of her employers. juan tAmayo/the ithacan
phasize Gayev’s somewhat endearing character traits, his poor delivery unintentionally turns some of the play’s serious scenes into comedy for the audience. Two visiting professional actors — Jeffrey Guyton and Carolyn Goelzer — joined the company of student actors. The difference in ages creates the necessary distinction between the younger characters and the older personalities in the play. As an 87-year-old butler, Guyton mumbles and curses, and acts as a much needed comedic relief in Chekhov’s mostly serious play. The production’s outdoor setting is a more realistic portrayal of the orchard’s natural beauty. Director Beth Milles welcomes the elements and sounds from the garden by Cornell’s Big Red Barn, and the actors improvised when the planned script was interrupted by the weather. Although it seemed difficult for the actors to work around
the sounds from Cornell’s homecoming marching band that played throughout the performance, the play progressed smoothly through the final moments of the last act. Despite the complexity of the depressingly realistic themes in the script, the actors’ portrayal of the characters in “The Cherry Orchard” expressed the right balance of emotions — positive and negative — to offset the harshness of the play, allowing the potentially disheartening experience to still be enjoyable. “The Cherry Orchard,” though poignant, provides a sense of catharsis for the audience, and proves this Russian classic’s exploration of how a family deals with love and loss is all but dated in modern society.
contributing Writer
After dominating this year’s Grammys, Lady Antebellum is back with its third studio album, “Own the Night,” that stays close to the modern country sound that earned Lady the band its fame. Antebellum Lead singers “Own the Night” Charles Kelley and Capitol Hillary Scott, and Records vocalist and musician Nashville Dave Haywood, coOur rating: wrote all but one of HHH the songs on the new release. The album shows off the trios’ songwriting talent as it depicts both the carefree, fun side of love and its heartbreaking, dramatic side.
Album Review
The album’s first single, “Just a Kiss,” was released in May and had instant success as it showcased what the band was already well-known for: Kelley’s rough voice against Scott’s smooth tones. The musical arrangements fully back the two up by filling any vocal voids with just the right amount of banjo, mandolin and guitar. The other two singles, first track “We Owned the Night” and the album’s third release “Dancin’ Away With My Heart,” follow this same formula and are to be just as successful — at least for country radio. The ballad “Cold As Stone” is one of the highlights of the album, with painful lyrics that relate to the numbness people sometimes want to feel when dealing with the pain of a break up. The equally powerful track “Wanted You More” laments
Song of the Week “Vomit”
“Fair and Unbalanced,” a lecture given by progressive talk show hosts Bill Press, Randhi Rhodes and Alan Colmes, at the Hangar Theatre, will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15.
sunday
Voltaire’s Black Unicorn Cabaret, a show by three rock bands and local burlesque dancers, will begin at 9 p.m at The Haunt. Tickets are $15 at the door.
Unusual calm from Beirut by Lisa Purrone contributing writer
While a band named after the capital city of Lebanon might inspire thoughts of turmoil in the Beirut Middle East, “The Rip Beirut’s new Tide” album, “The Pompeii Rip Tide,” is Records an indie rock Our rating: release with a HHH complex but serene sound. The first track on the album, “A Candle’s Fire,” has simplistic lyrics that represent the group’s style by showcasing its multitalented members. The song begins with a basic accordion melody that quickly builds to the upbeat percussion and brass sound, highlighting lead singer Zach Condon’s trained
Album Review
Courtesy of capitol records nashville
the feeling of unrequited love with a powerful three-part harmony in the chorus and a moving string arrangement toward the end, which may leave the listener unsure whether he or she should be furious with the heartbreaker who inspired this song or thank them for the material. Two years after the bands’ last release, “Own the Night” is the perfect album to give Lady Antebellum fans a third dose of the trio’s toe-tapping music they’ve been waiting for.
voice. The group blends a trumpet, accordion, ukulele, piano, drums, percussion, electric bass, euphonium, trombone and tuba with harmonies and tones that emphasize their level of musicality. While fans may think this array of instruments and sounds could be chaotic, the warm tones and folk-rock beats make for a calming collection.
Courtesy of Pompeii Records
quickies “Tripper”
“Black and White America”
“Father, son, Holy Ghost”
Hella Sargent House
Lenny Kravitz Roadrunner Records
Girls True Panther Sounds
Hella’s new release is a twoperson attempt at creating an entirely instrumental album. The collection of heavy guitar riffs and violent drumming is too loud and chaotic to earn the band any real musical merit.
“Black and White America” is an effective autobiographical album that deals with growing up as child of mixed-race parents and a rebuttal to the racism shown during the 2008 presidential election.
“Vomit” involves limited bodily fluids and is six minutes of euphoric majesty that pulls at the listener’s heart. Scan This qr Code with a smartphone to learn more aboUT Music blogger Jared Dionne’s pick for the song of the week
saturday
“The Cherry Orchard” will play at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow on the Cornell Arts Quad.
Top Nashville sweethearts sing two sides of romance by emily helwig
Gabriel Iglesias, a performer whose clean comedy is appropriate for families, will perform at the State Theatre. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $36.50.
courtesy of roadrunner Records
courtesy oF Sargent House
compiled by Shea O’Meara
A ccen t
Th ursday, Septem be r 22, 2011
The I th a c a n 1 7
Low-budget thriller explores male ego [ Artful direction and complex plot show destruction in romance bY Matt rosen
]
valid friday through thursday
cinemapolis The Commons 277–6115
Staff writer
Writer, director and actor Evan Glodell fuses a classic love story with the testosterone of “Fight Club” in the low-budget romantic thriller “Bellflower” “Bellflower.” The Oscilloscope genre-bending Pictures Our rating: combination makes HHH1/2 for an exhilarating film that explores the darker side of love. Woodrow (Glodell) and Aiden (Tyler Dawson), best friends living in California, spend their free time rebuilding flamethrowers and muscle cars to fuel their obsession with the “Mad Max” film series. Their desire to recreate the car from the second film of the post-apocalyptic 1981 action series “The Road Warrior” anchors their friendship. When Woodrow meets Milly (Jessie Wiseman), a free-spirited woman who he falls in love with, the film morphs into an idealistic character study laced with disturbing undertones. The relationship between Milly and Woodrow begins to affect their friendships with the people around them, and Woodrow transforms from weapon-building adrenaline-junkie into paranoid boyfriend. The film shows a more tender side when the couple goes on its first date. There Milly warns Woodrow that her inability to commit might hurt him in the future, but a reluctant Woodrow assures her he’s tough. As the relationship begins to crumble, Woodrow reverts from the loveable nerd he
ticket stub
The future 7:20 p.m. and 9:20 p.m. and Weekends 2:20 p.m. and 4:20 p.m.
Film Review
the whistleblower 7:25 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. and Weekends 2:25 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. the guard 7:30 p.m. and 9:35 p.m. and Weekends 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. another earth 9:10 p.m. and Weekends 4:10 p.m. sarah’s key 7:05 p.m. and Weekends 4:10 p.m.
Woodrow (Evan Glodell), a man’s man who spends his days building muscle cars and flamethrowers, sheds his tough exterior in “Bellflower” when he falls in love with a free-spirted girl who can’t commit to a relationship.
midnight in paris 7:15 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. and Weekends 2:15 p.m. and 4:15 p.m.
Courtesy of Oscilloscope pictures
became dating Milly back into a flame-throwing recluse. His slow transition from self-pity to angered heartbreak is what makes “Bellflower” an in-depth look into the nihilistic minds of some men. Glodell shot the psychodrama with an effective director’s eye, saturating the screen with bright yellows and warm oranges that intensify as the movie moves toward its shocking psychological climax. Glodell and his production team combined traditional camera parts to build the digital camera for the film, helping achieve its golden-edged look. The result is a emotionally powerful tribute to independent cinema.
But “Bellflower” isn’t without its flaws. Those who can’t stomach the violence may be turned off. Glodell’s ragged editing style races, jumps and cuts so fast it could cause whiplash. But the beginning, which shows brief shots of what’s to come in the bloody finalé, the storyline and cinematic nuances invite the audience into the director’s captivating and visceral world. During its final act, “Bellflower” transitions from an edgy love story to a study of the darker minds of its characters. This change takes an unsettling turn that borders on the preposterous as the movie enters into sequences that
Ape activist film stays balanced
blur the line between reality and mental fiction. With all the massive blockbusters that occupied movie theaters this summer, “Bellflower” is a welcome relief. The film’s $17,000 budget is considered less than chump change by Hollywood’s standards. But with a constant, energetic pulse along with some high-powered machinery, the film never looks dull. Despite its ludicrous ending, “Bellflower” delivers an adrenaline rush of revenge and love within the world of its rebellious, complex characters. “Bellflower” was written and directed by Evan Glodell.
Witless horror flick barely keeps afloat By Taylor Palmer contributing writer
By Ian Carsia Staff writer
James Marsh’s “Project Nim,” a documentary about the life of a chimpanzee raised in human society, explores how researchers’ fascination with their animal subjects often impedes on them treating their subjects with respect and dignity. Born in 1973, Nim Chimpsky “Project Nim” — a name play on the American HBO philosopher Noam Chomsky Our rating: — is the subject of a prolonged HHH linguistics experiment managed by researcher Herbert S. Terrace. Its goal is to discover if a primate brought up as a human, raised in homes with families and taught sign-language can develop the capacity for speech and communication. In the process, Nim’s increasingly dominant animalistic behavior clashes with the petty infighting of his many adoptive parents, which creates an environment of chaos for the experiment. Marsh’s film treads the line between portraying Nim’s displays of empathy to his throes of violence. The chimp serves many functions to many people — a media magnet and even a smoking buddy — and is seen as an animal that should never have been removed from his mother’s arms so late in life. Marsh demonstrates that even in the absence of needles and cages, animal experimentation is inhumane, by juxtaposing Nim’s explicit animal instinct with the passiveaggressive selfishness of his “family.” The film relies on archive footage and photography as well as recreations of settings and events that provide a sense of the chaos and drama Nim’s experienced in life. Marsh brings cinematographer Michael Simmonds and editor Jinx Godfrey’s talents together to imbue his
For moviegoers who don’t like being bogged down by silly cinematic elements like plot or character development, the newly released horror flick “Shark Night 3-D” may be the perfect masterpiece. “Shark Night” follows Sara (Sara Paxton) and her college comrades at her lake “Shark house deep in the Louisiana Night 3-D” bayou. With almost no tranRelativity Media sition or plot development, Productions the gang is subject to a numOur rating: ber of shark attacks and the H1/2 hilarity — that was clearly intended to be tragedy — ensues. The dialogue seems to have been written by a delusional screenwriter with no concept of how college students speak. Phrases like “total babe,” “super slammin’” and “wicked hottie” are used to describe the female characters. These phrases haven’t been used in earnest on a college campus in years — if ever. “Shark Night” has one redeeming quality. The unintentional comedic value of the movie is still entertaining for those who like to laugh at other people’s misfortune. Awfully constructed CGI sharks swim as fast as highperformance water machines, tear the witless teens to bits and rip flesh from them like they were a slow-roasted brisket. While “Shark Night” may repel fans of highquality film, it’s bait for corny movie enthusiasts looking to tear into a nice, shallow storyline.
Film Review
Film Review
Nim Chimpsky, a chimpanzee raised in human homes, is studied to learn about ape empathy. Courtesy oF HBO
film with a raw pathos that helps it to avoid a descent into propaganda or preaching. Taking an activist stance, Marsh’s film asks its audience to view Nim and his fellow apes in only the most fundamentally animalistic terms. This allows the audience to wonder about Nim’s empathy and violence toward the humans who raised him, while examining its own part in the inhumane treatment associated with scientific experiments on animals. “Project Nim” takes its human subjects, and by extension humanity, to task for viewing academic intention as implicitly noble. Marsh’s film is careful to document Nim’s capacity for animalistic selfishness, but does the same with other primates featured in the documentary. “Project Nim” was directed by James Marsh.
“Shark Night 3-D” was written by Will Hayes and Jesse Studenberg and directed by David Ellis.
regal stadium 14 Pyramid Mall 266-7960
drive 2:40 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 10:10 p.m. I Don’t know how she does it 2:50 p.m., 5:40 p.m., 10:30 p.m. the lion king 3-d 2:30 p.m., 5:20 p.m., 7:40 p.m., 10 p.m. the lion king 1:20 p.m., 4:20 p.m., 7 p.m. straw dogs 1:35 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 4:50 p.m., 6:50 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 10:20 p.m. Buck larson: Born to be a star 2:20 p.m., 5:35 p.m., 7:55 p.m., 10:15 p.m. contagion 1:30 p.m., 2:10 p.m., 4 p.m., 4:40 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7:20 p.m., 9:10 p.m., 9:50 p.m. warrior HHH 12:50 p.m., 3:55 p.m., 7:05 p.m., 10:15 p.m. Shark night 3-d H1/2 9:15 p.m. the debt HHH1/2 1:40 p.m., 4:10 p.m., 6:40 p.m., 9:20 p.m. colombiana H1/2 4:15 p.m., 9:30 p.m. our idiot brother 2:15 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 7:10 p.m., 9:40 p.m. Rise of the planet of the apes 1:15 p.m., 3:50 p.m., 6:20 p.m., 9 p.m.
cornell cinema 104 Willard Straight Hall 255-3522
For more information, visit http://cinema.cornell.edu.
our ratings Excellent HHHH Good HHH Fair HH Poor H
1 8 The It hacan
for rent Aug. 1 2012-2013 2 story 6 bedroom furnished house on Prospect St. 2 full bath 2 kitchens 2 living rooms bar fireplace 8 private parkings front porch 607-233-4323 or mfe1@tweny.rr.com 2 Bedroom House for rent close to IC available now 273-5192 or 592-0152 2012-13 Two Bedroom, 201 West King Rd. Carpeted, quiet setting but close to IC, dumpster, “we love pets,”parking, yard, grill, internet available, furnished, $495 per person+ utilities available 8/1/12, 607-279-3090 e-mail livingspaces1@msn.com pictures on ithacarent.net Beautiful large 3-4 bedroom apartment available. Walking distance to Commons. Recently remodeled kitchen, bathroom and flooring. On-site laundry and parking available. Rent $1500-$2000, including heat, water, hot water, sewage and snow plowing. Contact ck236@cornell.edu for appointment (MUST HAVE 24 hrs notice). 2012-13 4 Bedroom House, 1123 Danby Rd. Close to IC, Parking, Furnished, Hardwood floors, woodburning stove, yard+patio, grill, dining room, internet available, washer+dryer, dishwasher, “we love pets,”$495 per person+, available 8/1/12 call 607-279-3090 e-mail livingspaces1@msn.com, pictures at ithacarent.net
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C l a ss i f i ed 2012-13 Studio 209 Giles St. overlooking six mile creek furnished or unfurnished, carpeted, includes heat and electric washer + dryer 24 hr. on street parking, close to IC + Commons + public transportation, internet available,“we love pets” $695 per month available July or August 1, 2011 call 607-279-3090 or e-mail livingspaces1@msn.com 2012-13 3 Bedroom Downtown, 103E Spencer St., off st. parking, hard wood floors, washer+dryer, yard, grill, internet available,furnished, “we love pets,”close to the Commons, dish washer, $520 per person, includes heat+cooking gas available. 8/1/12 call 607-279-3090 e-mail livingspaces1@msn.com, pictures at ithacarent.net An apartment with no hassle. Hudson Heights Studio Apartments are located next to IC. Openings for the spring semester, January 1, 2012 for 6 months or a year lease. We are renting for next year starting June 1st -August 15th. We have houses and 2-3 bedroom apartments as well. Early sign up gets you this year’s prices. The rent includes: furniture, all utilities, parking, garbage and recycling, with laundry rooms on the complex. A division of ILS Ithaca Living Solutions: Call Tony at 607-273-8473 office or cell 2807660 for an appointment. EMAIL anthonybusse@gmail.com or website www.hhithaca.com. Great 6 BR on Pennsylvania Ave Large 6 BR Duplex Furnished, Laundry, Parking, Patio, Yard. Walk to IC Bus on Cor $510 per person Call 607-227-3506
2012-13 4,5,6,OR 7 Bedroom House, 201W KING RD., parking, large yard, dryer, dish washer 3 bathrooms, carpeted, hardwood floors, dumpster, close to IC, furnished, internet available, “we love pets,”available 8/1/12 $495 per person + utilities, call 607-2793090 e-mail livingspaces1@msn. com pictures on ithacarent.net 2,3,4,5 BR furnished houses for rent 2012-13 near entrances or downtown. Free parking & maintenance, very clean. Call Travis 607-220-8779 1 and 3 bedroom furnished apartments for 2012-13. All utilities included. Free parking and maintenance. Within walking distance to IC. Call Travis 607-2208779 for appt. House on Coddington - IC in backyard! Furnished 4 BR parking DW W/D 490 per person+utilities 386-4788828 make your appointment! Showings this weekend! 2012-2013 4, 5, 6 Bedroom house big rooms with parking available washer dryer on 214 Prospect, 126 Hudson, 401 Green St. Call after 2pm 2725210 212 Hudson St 3 BR, 210 Hudson St 5 BR, 201 Hudson St 6 BR. All with large rooms, laundry, furnished an parking call 3391137 Close to IC 1, 2, 3, 4, 5+6 bedroom apartments and houses. Furnished with off-street parking. For appointment call 607-592-0150
Th ursday, September 2 2 , 2 0 1 1
Graduation 2012! Beautiful home and guest house on Cayuga Lake. 4 BR, 3 bathrooms, sleeps 13 total $2450 for Thur 5/17 to Wed 5/23. Call 273-2361 or saf25@ cornell.edu. Avoid the hassles and relax on the lake for graduation!
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Fully furnished Ithaca College student houses. Located on Kendall Ave. and Pennsylvania Ave. Call 607-2739221.
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moving to new grounds Fall, winter and spring teams take advantage of new facilities in Athletics and Events Center To see an audio slideshow of the Athletics and Events Center visit theithacan.org
Above: From left, junior Billy Savage, assistant coach Eric Sambolec and freshman Dennis Ryan of the men’s cross country team run on the track Tuesday at Glazer Arena. The arena is one of four components of the college’s Athletics and Events Center, which opened in August.
graham hebel/the ithacan
Left: The Wheeler Tennis Courts consist of six outdoor regulation-sized courts with lights. The tennis teams practice and host home meets there. graham hebel/the ithacan
Field House/ Wheeler Tennis COurts Ithaca College’s athletic facilities in the Hill Center have caused Bomber teams many inconveniences and discomforts. But after $65.5 million of alumni donations and two years of construction, the college’s Athletics and Events Center is finally available for use. The main building houses Glazer Arena, the largest room in Tompkins County. The track and field team will host home meets there during its indoor season beginning in November. Junior Matt Confer, who runs in the hurdles event for the men’s track and
field team, said before the center was built on campus he and his teammates would have to travel to Barton Hall at Cornell University for night practices that would conflict with classes. Confer, who tends to get shin splints from running, said the lead-free running surface on the track at Glazer Arena would be easier on his feet and legs. “There’s enough give to the surface that it’s not going to break your legs,” he said. “Whereas at Cornell, it was like running on concrete in some spots.” In addition to track, the field
house serves as an indoor practice facility for seven other sports. Lines in the center of the track map out indoor surfaces for field hockey, soccer, and lacrosse so teams can practice during inclement weather. The baseball and softball teams can hold infield practice and take batting practices in cages. Makeshift tennis courts can also be set up in the middle of the track and enclosed by long plastic curtains. The outdoor courts are equipped with lights and a plexapave surface that is resistant to weathering.
Higgins Stadium Lights are set up around the 81,000 square foot turf field at Higgins Stadium, which was the first component of the Athletics and Events Center to open. The field hockey team hosted the first game in the stadium’s history in October 2010, losing 5-2 to Wooster College. The team moved their home games to the stadium this season and played the venue’s first night game Sept. 14, which ended in a 2-1 loss to William Smith College.
Senior forward Heather Kozimor said she was excited to play in a night game on the turf field because the team was taking advantage of the new facility space. “It was kind of surreal at first because the field seemed brighter than usual, but it has been great to be able to play in a larger venue where more people can attend our games,” she said. The lacrosse teams also played their home games on the turf field last season. The men’s lacrosse
team finished with a record of 6–2 at home and outscored their opponents 93-48, while the women’s team finished with a home record of 4–3. Senior attack Tom Mongelli said the new field was more open than the windy Upper Terrace Field, where the team had played and practiced. “The field seemed a lot bigger than when we use to play at home,” he said. “We like to play on the low end of the hill because we can control the ball better.”
Sophomore forward and midfielder Katie Kennedy plays in a game against William Smith College on Sept. 14 at Higgins Stadium. shawn steiner/the ithacan
Aquatics Pavilion
The Aquatics Pavilion has 47,000 square feet of space, including an Olympic-sized pool with eight swimming lanes and a hydraulic floor.
graham hebel/the ithacan
The aquatics pavilion is equipped with an eight-lane Olympic-size pool with a 14-foot diving well and a pool deck that ranges 15-20 feet. Half of the pool has a movable floor that can be raised to one inch or lowered to eight feet. Junior Carly Jones, who competes on the women’s swimming and diving team, said the vast pool deck allows the Bombers to break off and participate in many activities at once. “You can get more specific with the workouts and have groups
of people practicing starts, relay exchanges and distance work and still have space left over,” Jones said. Jones’ teammate, senior Kelly Murphy, said she was most excited about the new locker rooms for the teams, which opened last Thursday, since the ventilation in their Hill Center locker room was poor. “People smoked outside the building, so you had this rush of cold air and smoke coming into the locker room,” she said. The aquatics pavilion also includes
a wet classroom where the swimming and diving teams can hold meetings and watch game films. Head Coach Paula Miller said it was difficult to have effective team meetings prior to meets because of the noise from the men’s team traveling into the stands. “We would have to have a team meeting in the bleachers with the men swimming behind us, so I would have to scream at the team, and they still could only hear every other word,” she said.
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Linebacker making up for lost time By andrew kristy staff writer
harlan green-taub
Fans avoid costly games We live in a culture where sports can lift the fortunes of a downtrodden city or set off riots depending on whether a team wins or loses. But many modern sports fans will never get to see their favorite teams play in person simply because of cost. Sports economist Rodney Fort, a professor in the school of kinesiology at the University of Michigan, compiles an annual list for each team in the four major professional sports called the Fan Cost Index. The FCI takes into account the total cost of attending a game for a family of four. This includes tickets, parking, food and assorted souvenirs purchased at the game. The results aren’t pretty. As of 2009, the average cost of attending an MLB game was $196.89, with the New York Yankees leading the way at $410.88. An NFL game comes in at $396.35, with the New England Patriots grabbing the top spot at a whopping $596.25. Los Angeles Lakers games cost the most to attend out of the NBA, coming out to $479.48, while the NHL average comes in at $287.92, led by the Toronto Maple Leafs at $411.30. While it’s true that the cost for a single fan is not nearly this high, the FCI does paint a good picture of how expensive it is to attend a high-level sporting event. With Americans having less disposable income because of the recession, it’s understandable why attendance at professional sporting events has been down over the past few years. Couple that with the advent of high definition TVs, and it’s easy to understand why people are staying away from the stadiums of major sports franchises. A solution for the fan still seeking the thrills of a professional sporting event could be met through the minor league systems of each professional sport. While the marquee names are not there, the fan-friendly environment and proximity to the action is. This summer I attended a New York Mets game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field, where an upper deck ticket in the last row of the outfield cost me $25. A few weeks later, my girlfriend and I attended a Pawtucket Red Sox game in Rhode Island and paid just $15 for seats directly behind home plate. Not only was the game more entertaining because of how close we were to the field, but the environment was a more fan friendly and did not have the corporate feel of an MLB game. With new stadiums constructed to include more private luxury suites and fewer bleachers, fans have grown detached from the teams they love. Harlan Green-taub is a senior televison-radio major. Contact him at hgreent1@ithaca.edu.
Sometimes it’s not the flashy superstars who drive a team, but the steady players who consistently perform. Senior linebacker Joe Gilfedder is exactly that— a reliable force on the defensive side of the ball. Gilfedder has returned to dependable form after an injury stifled him during his junior year. Suffering a high ankle sprain Senior linebacker in the third game of last Joe Gilfedder season against Widener has a team-high 11 solo tackles College, Gilfedder was in three games forced to miss the next this season. three games because of the severity of the injury. He returned to play through the pain in the Bombers’ final four games, but notched just 11 total tackles. Gilfedder said watching from the sidelines was an agonizing experience. “It sounds kind of clichéd, but you don’t realize how much you love it until it’s taken away from you for a couple games,” he said. “Not only missing games, but playing hurt — it’s not a fun thing to do because you know you’re just not quite up to your best.” Gilfedder used the offseason to recuperate and underwent arthroscopic knee surgery to clean out some torn cartilage. He said he worked with the training staff after the procedure to strengthen his knee and get back up to speed. Junior linebacker Dan Cimino said Gilfedder was distressed during the offseason and eager to get back on the football field. “I met up with him a couple of times in the summer, and he was just so anxious,” Cimino said. “He was ready for the season to start three weeks after school ended.” Senior defensive back Kevin Cline said Gilfedder maintained a positive attitude despite being hampered by injuries. In the Bombers’ first three games, Gilfedder has 28 tackles — eight more than anyone else on the team. He put up 14 tackles in the Blue and Gold’s loss to Salisbury University. Gilfedder said when he is on the field he doesn’t need to stick out to be an impact player. “I just try and help the team out when necessary and just do my part as far as one-eleventh of the defense,” he said.
stat check
Senior linebacker Joe Gilfedder goes to catch the ball during practice Tuesday on Lower Allen Field. Through three games this season, he is already one tackle shy of surpassing his total from last year. parker chen/the ithacan
At the same time, he said, the task of playing linebacker is one that encompasses many facets of the game. “You need to know everyone’s job on the field, and so if the offense comes out in a certain set, we have to check our defense to match the offense,” he said. “A lot of the things that I feel that make a good linebacker great, is just mentally knowing everything and being confident.” Both Cline and Cimino cited Gilfedder’s mentality on the field as one of his most benefi-
cial attributes. Cimino said along with Gilfedder’s no-nonsense, upbeat manner on the field, he has a motor without an off switch. “He’s always just sticking people and he hits hard,” he said. Cline said though Gilfedder might put up significant stats, his performance is not what Gilfedder values most. “He’s just one of those kids who loves playing football,” Cline said. “So whenever he’s on the field he enjoys every second of it.”
Bombers increase defensive intensity in wins By George sitaras contributing writer
In the past four seasons, the women’s soccer team has averaged 59 goals per season and is already outscoring opponents 20-5 through five games this season. But the Blue and Gold’s defensive play often flies under the radar in their blowout wins. The Bombers have allowed more than one goal in just one game so far this year, a 2-2 tie at Elizabethtown College, leading them to an overall record of 5–0–1. Junior goalkeeper Becca Salant has been a key component of the defensive unit with 50 saves and a goals against average of 0.83 this season. She said her performance in goal this season is a direct result of her teammates’ abilities to execute in situations where opponents have a chance to score on her. “I feel confident in my team to prevent the other team from scoring during corner kicks, free kicks and other goal scoring situations,” she said. The South Hill squad has scored first in five out of its six games this season. Salant said getting on the scoreboard early helps her and the rest of the defense because they do not have to worry about playing from behind.
From left, sophomore midfielder Jamie Ruddy tries to take the ball from senior back Andi Roach during practice Monday on Upper Terrace Field. Alex Mason/the ithacan
“We always try to score the first goal to set the tone of the game and have the momentum on our side,” she said. “This takes some pressure off the defense, which lets us be more confident and relaxed
and play our game.” The Bombers’ defense has only let up two equalizing goals this season. Sophomore back Meredith Jones said the team’s defense played its best during the first two games
against Elizabethtown College Blue Jays and The College of New Jersey Lions. She said the 2-1 win and the tie showed a more complete effort on defense rather than the hard work of a few players. “We defend as a team, so someone always has your back, and everyone’s ultimate goal is to stop any and all goal scoring opportunities from our opponent,” Jones said. Sophomore back Alex Liese said the Blue and Gold’s wins do not come from a unit of defensive players, but from the team as a whole — from the forwards to the goalies. She said the defensive alignment falls apart when players have to compensate for one another in their assignments on the field. “When a player isn’t defending, the whole scheme falls apart because everybody has their own individual assignments that affect the other players on the field,” she said. “If everyone holds strong, then each player can focus on their own responsibility.” Senior back Marla Schilling said she has more confidence in the defense than she has had in past seasons because of their chemistry on the field. “We are communicating with each other and really defending well as a unit,” she said.
Th ursday, Septem be r 22, 2011
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Track and field standout improves in cross country by alex holt staff writer
Though he ran cross country in high school, junior David Geary didn’t get off to a fast start in his first two seasons with the men’s cross country team. Geary consistently had some of the track and field team’s best times in the 1,500-meter run, winning the Empire 8 conference championship in the outdoor event with a seasonbest time of 3:59.67. But he finished ninth in the six-kilometer run at the Oswego Invitational and didn’t complete the 8-kilometer run in cross country. Head Coach Jim Nichols said Geary entered the cross country and track and field programs built like a middle distance runner, having more speed than endurance. “David could probably run a 50.4 100-meter, whereas a 10,000-meter runner can maybe run 58 or 60 seconds for a quarter all out,” Nichols said. “As he gets stronger, the speed from the middle distance just allows him to excel.” Geary said the 8-kilometer races in college required him to conserve more of his energy as opposed to the 5-kilometer races in high school. Geary also suffered injuries early in his college career, missing time in the fall of his freshman year with tendinitis in his left knee and a pinched tendon in his right foot during his sophomore year. For Geary, the early injuries were both mental and physical setbacks. But this fall, a growing sense of comfort, along with running longer distances and increasing his offseason training, have helped him
become one of the Bombers’ top cross country runners this season. He was the team’s top finisher in the season-opening Jannette Bonrouhi-Zakaim Memorial Run, completing the race in second place. He finished fifth at the Oswego Invitational, with a personal best of 27:07.11, and finished 26th out of 105 runners at the Penn State Spiked Shoe Invitational on Saturday. His time of 27:52 was third out of the six Bombers who competed. Geary said the early success has left him more optimistic about his chances to contribute to the team this fall. “This year’s a better year for me already,” he said. “This summer I had a couple good months of training and nothing really set me back.” As part of that summer training, Geary and most of his teammates traveled to Ithaca for a couple of weeks to train with seniors Daniel Craighead and Jacob Brower. Brower said Geary’s speed and dependability are assets that motivate the team. He said Geary encouraged them to work harder during offseason training by running on the hilly roads off campus more often. “If you’re running together, you’re not going to be like ‘Oh no, I’m going to go a half-hour shorter than you are’,” Brower said. Geary said that the shorter length of track and field is reflected in the training. “If you’re training to run one mile instead of five for your main event, you have to do a lot more speed work, explosive activity and more upper body strength as well,” he said.
From left, junior David Geary runs ahead of the team during practice Monday on the Ithaca College Cross Country Course. Geary finished 26th out of the 105 runners in the Penn State Spiked Shoe Invitational on Saturday.
graham hebel/the ithacan
Even with his career-best race times this season, Geary knows he has areas to improve on, including mental toughness when running a longer distance. “Keeping my mind focused for
25, 26, 27 minutes is a lot different than keeping it focused for just four,” he said. Nichols said Geary has grown into a team leader by recognizing his responsibilities as a team veteran.
“When he was a freshman, he was learning the ropes and trying to figure out what was going on,” Nichols said. “Now that he’s in an upperclassman role, he feels a responsibility to perform well for the team.”
Look online for game stories from these sports: TODAY • 4 p.m. Women’s Tennis vs. SUNY-Cortland at Wheeler Tennis Courts
SATURDAY • 10 a.m. / 3 p.m. Volleyball at Nazareth College / Alfred University in Elmira, N.Y. • 10:30 a.m. / 11 a.m. Men’s and Women’s Cross Country at Jack Daniels Invitational in Cortland, N.Y. • 11 a.m. Women’s Golf at Mount Holyoke Invitational in Hadley, Mass. • 1 p.m. Women’s Soccer at SUNY-Farmingdale in Farmingdale, N.Y. • TBA Men’s Tennis at Bloomsburg Invitational in Bloomsburg, Pa. • TBA Women’s Tennis at Intercollegiate Tennis Association Northeast Regional Championships in Geneva, N.Y.
SUNDAY • 9 a.m. / 11:30 a.m. Volleyball at Utica College and Elmira College in Elmira, N.Y. • 11 a.m. Women’s Golf at Mount Holyoke Invitational in Hadley, Mass. • 3 p.m. Men’s Soccer vs. St. Lawrence University at Carp Wood Field • TBA Men’s Tennis at Bloomsburg Invitational in Bloomsburg, Pa. • TBA Women’s Tennis at Intercollegiate Tennis Association Northeast Regional Championships in Geneva, N.Y.
MONDAY • TBA Women’s Tennis at Intercollegiate Tennis Association Northeast Regional Championships in Geneva, N.Y.
WEDNESDAY • 4 p.m. Field Hockey vs. SUNY-Oneonta at Higgins Stadium • 4 p.m. Women’s Tennis vs. Utica College at Wheeler Tennis Courts • 4 p.m. Women’s Soccer vs. Utica College at Carp Wood Field
Bold=Home Game emmett dresler/the ithacan
The Ithacan
online | theithacan.org/sports
2 2 The It hacan
Th ursday, S eptember 2 2 , 2 0 1 1
[the buzzer]
Th ursday, Septem be r 22, 2011
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bombers to watch Sharon Li Freshman Women’s Golf Li set the record for the lowest 18-hole score in the team’s history, posting a score of 1 under par, 71 at Saturday’s Empire 8 championships. Li lost a threehole playoff for Conference Player of the Year honors but was still named Empire 8 Freshman of the Year.
Jason Hendel Junior Football Hendel became the ninth consecutive Bombers quarterback to win in his first game as a starter in the Bombers 37–18 win at Union College on Saturday. Hendel completed 18 of 26 passes for 154 yards, with one passing and two rushing touchdowns.
by the
numbers
41
The number of saves that junior goalie Becca Salant has made for the women’s soccer team. See story on page 20.
28
The number of tackles senior linebacker Joe Gilfedder has made for the football team this season. See story on page 20.
off the field Bombers tell us their favorites Favorite sandwich at Rogan’s? Favorite sports team? Favorite Jersey Shore character?
Eric Toporoff
Senior Football
Free swinging
Junior Samuel Gelman swings at a pitch during a co-ed intramural softball game Saturday on Yavits Field. The softball season features three levels of competition: semi-pro, pro and co-ed, allowing students of all skill levels to participate. dan states/the ithacan
the foul line
Weird news from the wide world of sports
In 1967 NBC broadcasted what has simply become known as the “Heidi game” between the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders. With the Jets leading 32–29 in the final minute, NBC cut away from the action to air the movie “Heidi”, which was scheduled to air at 7 p.m. The Raiders would go on to win the game, scoring two touchdowns in the final minute, which disgruntled fans everywhere. CBS had a “Heidi” moment of its own Sunday, and again it involved the Raiders. With just 40 seconds left and the Raiders up by four in their game against the Buffalo Bills, CBS cut away from the game in markets all over the West Coast to air the opening of the San Diego Chargers vs. New England Patriots game. The Bills would go on to win the game, scoring a touchdown with just 14 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Though CBS was contractually obligated to cut to another game, it was frustrating to see history repeat itself.
–Harlan Green-Taub
Sam Liberty
Junior Women’s golf
Jimmy Newton
Junior Men’s Tennis
Bomber
Bomber
Wishbone
New York Giants
New England Patriots
Toronto Maple Leafs
Pauly D
Pauly D
Pauly D
they saidit “I wish I was 50 years younger, and I’d kick your ass.” HBO boxing commentator Larry Merchant following a post-fight interview with boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. Mayweather accused Merchant of not giving him a “fair shake” in interviews.
Th i s I S ee
2 4 The It hacan
Th ursday, September 2 2 , 2 0 1 1
Learn more about the historic festival in an audio slideshow at theithacan.org.
Harvest
Wayne Harbert demonstrates how to use a walking wheel, a machine used to spin wool into yarn, at the ninth annual Judy’s Day Family Learning Festival on Sunday at Cornell Plantations.
Of
History
Judy’s Day Family Learning Festival allowed families to explore the daily activities of 19th century central New York on Sunday. Rachel Woolf Staff Photographer
Violet Song, 2, pumps water at an activity station at the Judy’s Day Family Learning Festival on Sunday. The festival featured activities that children in the 1800s would perform.
Hawthorn McCulloch-Havell, 2, runs through a maze of hay bales. The Family Learning Festival began in 1997 in honor of former Cornell Plantations teacher and volunteer Judy Abrams.
From left, Talia Yarbrough, 8, learns to knit from volunteer Nancy Richards on Sunday. This year’s theme was based on the diary accounts of two children living during 1855.