TCAT WORKERS
APPROVE STRIKE
AUTHORIZATION
PAGE 3
CORNELL STUDENTS URGE UNIVERSITY DO MORE TO PROTECT NON-CITIZENS
PAGE 4
ITHACA COLLEGE FACES FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS INVESTIGATION
PAGE 5
“SHADOWS RISING SOUNDLESS AS NIGHT”
PAGE 13
CORNELL SPORTS FIND SUCCESS AND NEAR SUCCESS
PAGE 14
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By Matt Dougherty
ITHACA, N.Y. — Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) workers have overwhelmingly approved a strike authorization vote, with 84% of union members voting in favor, the United Auto Workers (UAW) TCAT Bargaining Team announced Wednesday.
The approval does not mean a strike is imminent but grants the bargaining team the authority to call for a work stoppage if negotiations with TCAT management fail to produce a contract that workers deem fair.
“TCAT has said that their offer that they have put out is their final offer,” said Brandon, a TCAT bus operator and union member. “We have a little bit of a gap in between their final offer and what we think is going to be adequate for the drivers and members as a whole.”
The union has already submitted a counteroffer, but TCAT management has reiterated that its proposal is final. Union members say this position leaves them with few options.
“We need [TCAT] to be flexible in their position,” Brandon said. “If they’re taking the stance that it’s final, that’s going to kind of tie our hands. If they’re not willing to work any further than where they are, then we’re not the ones making the decision to strike at that point.”
The primary sticking points in negotiations include cost-of-living adjustments (COLA), a living wage for all employees, and modifications to mandatory work schedules. TCAT management has maintained that its latest wage offer is among the most competitive in upstate New York, with starting pay rates of $26.94 per hour for bus operators and $28.25 per hour for mechanics.
Ithaca
Union members, however, argue that these figures do not reflect the rising cost of living in the region. The union has said that TCAT’s last offer leaves wages, specifically for Custodians and Bus Handlers, below the living wage of $24.82 per hour.
Many TCAT drivers commute from Elmira, Binghamton, and Cortland because they cannot afford to live in Ithaca, a reality that adds both financial and personal strain.
“Us having to commute in from an hour away just so we can afford living, it’s a cost that can’t really be measured properly,” Brandon said. “We just had one of our drivers have to relocate her kids in the middle of the school year because her rent went up and she couldn’t afford it.”
“We’re running these drivers further and further away, and that’s only hurting the work-life balance more and more,” he added.
Retention remains a significant concern for the union, which argues that if management invested in drivers wages, TCAT would face less of the high costs involved
The Town of Ithaca is working to finalize a new fire protection contract with the City of Ithaca. The current agreement, which provides essential fire services to town residents, is set to expire at the end of the year.
with licensing new drivers.
“In two and a half years, we had approximately 80 drivers hired, [but] we lost 50 of them after they trained and got their CDL licenses,” said Agnes, another TCAT driver and union member.
This is the first time the UAW has used open bargaining in negotiations with TCAT. Previously, they conducted “blackout bargaining,” where negotiations were held behind closed doors without broader input from the membership.
“Early in the process, I think we were actually on the same page, we were cooperating and flowing really well,” Brandon said.
“I think we were on pace for a pretty decent contract until we got into the economics.”
If the union calls a strike, public transportation in Tompkins County could come to a halt, significantly affecting residents who rely on TCAT for commuting to work, school, medical appointments,
Continued on Page 14
F r EE lan CE rs : Barbara Adams, G. M Burns, Jane Dieckmann, Charley Githler, Ross Haarstad, Steve Lawrence, Marjorie Olds, Henry Stark, and Arthur Whitman
THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF THE ITHACA TIMES ARE COPYRIGHT © 2025, BY NEWSKI INC.
Town Board Member Rich DePaolo has expressed optimism that discussions between town and city officials will lead to a return to a long-term contract, rather than continuing with short-term extensions.
jump-start that process and get back to our normal five-year agreement.”
“I know that there have been some conversations between our supervisor and the city manager,” DePaolo said during a recent address to Ithaca’s Common Council. “Hopefully, we can
The town’s fire protection contract has historically been negotiated in five-year increments, ensuring stable service and predictable budgeting. However, recent delays have led to shorter, one-year agreements.
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By Mark Syvertson
“WHAT IS A LOCAL NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION YOU LOVE?”
By Matt Dougherty
ITHACA, N.Y. — Cornell students are demanding that the university do more to protect the First Amendment rights of international students as President Donald Trump's administration continues its efforts to eradicate pro-Palestinian protests from college campuses nationwide.
More than 120 students, faculty, staff, and community members packed into a Cornell University Student Assembly meeting on March 6 to watch the assembly approve Resolution 37, which advises Cornell administration to train faculty and staff to comply with federal immigration officials only to the extent required by law and to guarantee protections for international students whose visas could be revoked for engaging in political activism.
The resolution will now be sent to the desk of Interim President Michael Kotlikoff, who is required to publicly state whether or not he will implement the policy within 30 days.
The student assembly passed the resolution as the Trump administration continues to intensify its anti-immigrant policies by issuing executive orders that are meant to silence and punish international students involved in pro-Palestinian activism on campus.
The Department of Education is investigating 60 universities, including Cornell,
in response to allegations that they haven’t done enough to combat antisemitism on campus. The statement announcing the investigation warned of “potential enforcement actions if [universities] do not fulfill their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students on campus.”
The statement continued saying that federal funding allocated to the universities under investigation will be cut from any university that fails to comply with orders to protect Jewish students. Columbia University, which is also included in the investigation, has already seen $400 million in federal funding revoked after Trump said that federal funds would be cut from universities that allow “illegal protests,” meaning protests that criticize Israel. Cornell, along with several other universities, has already instituted an across-the-board hiring freeze in response to federal funding uncertainties.
The Trump administration has also taken the unprecedented step of ordering the detention and deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian international student at Columbia who helped organize pro-Palestinian protests on campus. Khalil is a legal US resident and green card holder, and his participation in pro-Palestinian protests is supposed to be politically protected speech under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. He was de-
tained by ICE at his home in New York City on March 8 and has been transferred to an ICE detention center in Louisiana where he has been held for several days, even though there are no charges against him.
Despite the lack of evidence against Khalil, Trump has called him a “Radical Foreign Pro-Hamas Student” while saying, “This is the first arrest of many to come.” Trump added, “We know there are more students at Columbia and other Universities across the country who have engaged in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity, and the Trump Administration will not tolerate it.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also said that Khalil’s green card is being revoked in a post on social media, “We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.” However, experts say the First Amendment prohibits revoking someone’s green card in retaliation for engaging in politically protected speech. Elora Mukherjee, who serves as the director of the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School, stated in an interview with The New York Times that if the Trump administration revoked Khalil’s green card “in retaliation for his public speech, that is prohibited by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.”
Less than a week after resolution 37
By Maddy Vogel
Amid federal pushback on DEI, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has opened an investigation into scholarships geared toward students of color at Ithaca College.
In June 2024, Equal Protections Project (EPP) Founder and Cornell Law Professor William Jacobson took aim at what he believed to be discriminatory scholarships offered at Ithaca College by filing an official complaint with OCR.
The conservative anti-affirmative action group has filed dozens of similar complaints at institutions across America, aiming to push back on what they believe to be reverse racism in education.
Jacobson claimed that two scholarships open exclusively to students of color at the college violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act ensures protections from discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin at any federally funded institution.
The scholarships, awarded by the college’s BIPOC Unity Center, were previously granted only to undergraduate “students of color,” according to the Equal Protections Project complaint. After the complaint was filed, the college removed the race-based eligibility requirements from its website.
In a statement to the Ithaca Times, Ithaca College Director of Public Relations David Maley wrote “Ithaca College does not discriminate on the basis of race in the awarding of the scholarships cited in the Title VI complaint that is the basis of the
Department of Education’s investigation.”
In a letter on Thursday, OCR notified Jacobson that after evaluating the complaint, the office made the determination to open the investigation.
"The opening of the IC investigation appears to be part of a renewed push at OCR to fight racial discrimination in higher education,” Jacobson said. “We welcome such efforts, since every student is entitled to equal opportunity without regard to race, color, or national origin.”
The federal investigation is a first for Ithaca College, but is the third of its kind in the Ithaca community.
Just last month, the department launched an investigation into the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) for holding Students of Color Summit events following an August complaint filed by Jacobson. Both complaints sat without action until the Trump administration took office. Despite the complaint against Ithaca College being filed months before the ICSD complaint, the ICSD investigation was opened first.
On Monday, March 10, OCR launched a large-scale investigation into Cornell University and 59 other institutions over antisemitism claims and the university’s handling of pro-Palestinian protests on campus.
The Trump-era Department of Education has made broad efforts to eliminate DEI and push back against antisemitism on college campuses. The department’s “Dear Colleague” letter published on Feb. 14 threatened to revoke federal funding for institutions that don’t comply with
One year after its relaunch, Ithaca Carshare has rebuilt its membership base, logged over 11,000 bookings and 165,000 miles, and is now planning to expand its fleet despite financial challenges from its previous shutdown.
The Center for Community Transportation (CCT) has said that $40,000 in federal grant funding related to electric vehicle charging has been put on hold as a result of federal funding uncertainties.
The Cornell University Board of Trustees will have its regular spring semester meetings in Ithaca, March 20 & 21, 2025.
new guidance calling for the elimination of race-based programming, scholarships and resources within 14 days.
But this week, the Trump administration fired nearly half of all staff at the department and has threatened to eliminate the department entirely. The administration made significant cuts to the Office of Civil Rights, despite Trump’s moves to up enforcement to combat antisemitism and eliminate DEI programs — actions which would typically lie in the hands of OCR.
Although OCR is opening an investigation, it does not guarantee that the College will be found in violation of Title IV. In the letter to Jacobson, OCR wrote, “during the investigation, OCR is a neutral fact-finder, collecting and analyzing the evidence it needs to make a decision about the complaint.”
Ithaca Fire and Bangs Ambulance rescued an injured individual who fell into Six Mile Creek near the 60-foot dam on Saturday evening, using complex rope systems to lift him to safety. The victim was treated on scene and transported by helicopter to a regional trauma center, with mutual aid from Cayuga Heights and Newfield Fire Departments assisting during the rescue.
IF YOU CARE TO RESPOND to something in this column, or suggest your own praise or blame, write editor@ithacatimes. com, with a subject head “U&D.”
Are IDA tax abatements being given to too many non-affordable housing projects?
Yes.
No.
N ext W eek ’s Q uestio N : Does Ithaca need more public bathrooms? Visit ithaca.com to submit your response.
By Todd R. McAdam, Managing Editor at the Cortland Standard
The family-owned newspaper will cease publication, a casualty of declining readership and increasing costs, including an expected 25% tariff on newsprint. It was the second-oldest family-owned newspaper in New York, but one of the five oldest family-owned newspapers in America.
“I hoped this day would never come,” said Publisher and Editor Evan C. Geibel. “I’m so very grateful to my colleagues and the community for what they’ve done for me, my family and each other.”
The Cortland Standard Printing Co. will file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection. After that, all business and legal decisions will be the purview of a courtappointed trustee.
The final 17 employees have packed up their offices, filed their final stories. The closure is not the first of a declining news industry, nor will it be the last.
“A free press is a crucial part of our democracy—so important that it was enshrined in the First Amendment of the Constitution,” reports Close Up Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, civic education organization. “Once a
staple of information, newspapers have been steadily declining and disappearing for decades. There are nearly 6,000 newspapers that publish in the United States and, on average, two shut down every week.”
The Cortland Standard’s first edition was peeled off a flatbed press on June 25, 1867. It featured a recipes for spring peas, a profile of Civil War generals, a plea against smoking (nearly a century before the Surgeon General got involved) and a poem — “An Ode to Otter Creek.”
William H.Clark acquired the Cortland Standard in 1876 and his family has owned it ever since. Geibel is the fifth generation to sit in the corner office. Clark erected the building at 110 Main St., in 1883, where the company has been ever since.
In the ensuing decades, the newspaper reported on the Spanish-American War and the sinking of the Titanic. It told of the start — and the end — of the War to End All Wars, and the war after that. And the one after that, and after that, and after that. It told of the panicked days following the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor in 1941 and the mobilization to stop fascism even in Cortland, where the Courthouse dome was painted to prevent glare guiding enemy bombers.
It detailed the Cold War, the war in Vietnam, endless decades of county fairs, weddings, business announcements and the growth of a community. The Cortland Standard is actually older than the city of Cortland, itself. The city was incorporated in 1900, although it had been settled in 1791 and became a village in 1853.
When Martin Luther King Jr. came to Cortland, a reporter was there, as it was when Olympian Jesse Owens visited. It reported, in 1967, the first efforts to convert Main Street to one-way traffic, and 55 years later, the efforts to convert it back to two-way traffic. It missed the first reports of man landing on the moon, because the newspaper never published on Sundays.
Still, those archives of a community’s history remain in the building, where editions were bound in volumes kept on the building’s third floor, then archived via microfiche and later digitized.
In 2017, as Geibel took control of the company, the Cortland Standard declared this mission statement:
“We will seek the truth.”
“We will pursue news of value to our
readers and our community with neither fear nor favor.”
“We will give our readers the information they need to make decisions to improve their lives.”
“We will hold our sources and governments accountable to the community for their actions that bear on the community interest.”
“We will set the agenda for public discourse. We will seek to challenge the assumptions of our sources, our readers — and ourselves.”
“We will speak truth to power.”
“We will give voice to all segments of our community.”
“We will exercise and defend First Amendment rights, particularly the freedoms of press and free speech.”
“We will be accurate. Our news reports will pursue objectivity; our opinion pieces will be based on fact and reason.”
“We will remain independent, and hold ourselves separate from inappropriate influences.”
Cortland will continue. Future generations will move on and into the world. The journalists, advertising representatives, customer service and production staff will find new jobs, or perhaps retire.
Goodbye Cortland. And Godspeed.
By This op-ed is co-signed by 19 individuals and 5 organizations, listed below. Lead authors are Robert Howarth, Anthony Ingraffea, Brian Eden, & Bethany Ojaletho Mays.
In 2021, Ithaca made international headlines by becoming the first U.S. city to vote to decarbonize every single building. With climate action now disrupted at the federal level, Ithaca’s leadership on local climate action is more important than ever. Ithaca’s progressive Energy Code Supplement (the IECS) would phase out the use of fossil fuels in new construction and renovations and set a model for cities everywhere. But that plan is now being undermined by an unlikely actor: Cornell University.
Several weeks ago, Cornell’s Interim President Michael Kotlikoff penned an op-ed in The Cornell Daily Sun arguing that decarbonizing campus with electrified heat pumps would increase carbon emissions relative to continued use of its gas-fired power plant. Unfortunately, it used the same faulty argument that the American Gas Association (AGA) is using to cripple America’s decarbonization efforts. The AGA misleadingly argues that the use of natural gas in buildings is preferable for energy efficiency and emissions reduction when compared to electric heat pump options. In an eerie parallel to the oil and gas industry, Cornell is leveraging this faulty methodology to change the IECS to exempt its campus from Ithaca’s fossil-fuel phaseout on new construction and major renovations.
Cornell’s claim that decarbonizing heat on campus will increase emissions is faulty because it relies upon short-run marginal emission rates. The widespread consensus in the academic and industry literature is that long-run marginal emission rates are appropriate for building electrification decisions. The key question is: Should we adopt a long-run view and build now for the renewable energy transition we need, or adopt a short-run perspective and delay action until the grid has already largely transitioned? Focusing on short-run emissions is known to overestimate the benefits of gas heating and underestimate the benefits of decarbonization — which is why the American Gas Association uses this incorrect methodology to mislead the public on the energy transition. Cornell’s argument is wrong in an unusually high-stakes way because it replicates
Big Oil’s misinformation. Not only does Kotlikoff’s op-ed leverage unsound methodology to reach the wrong conclusion — but it does so using exactly the same flawed reasoning that Big Oil leverages in their attack on America’s energy transition. As a result, anyone looking to Cornell for advice on the energy transition just got the wrong message. If it is true that “all eyes are on Ithaca,” as the Rolling Stone reported, then that is a high-impact mistake. It arms Big Oil’s climate hypocrisy and lends unwarranted credibility to their false narrative.
Cornell’s public campaign to amend the IECS undermines years of hard work, research, activism, and policy-making that brought us the IECS. If we were to adopt Cornell’s faulty logic of using shortrun emission rates for building electrification decisions, we would find that the IECS is ineffective or even self-defeating, and so are other building electrification mandates across most of the US.
Some of us co-authored or advised a white paper called “Estimating the Operational Emissions of Cornell University Heat Decarbonization Pathways.” Using correct long-run emissions methodology, we find that Cornell will reduce emissions by decarbonizing new construction projects now, as mandated by the IECS. Even after accounting for special features of Cornell’s district energy system and pessimism about New York’s progress toward climate goals, the emissions benefits of near-term heat decarbonization persist. We recently presented our findings to the larger community including Cornell.
Cornell’s argument for delaying decarbonization might be well intentioned, but good intentions do not make good climate policy. And good intentions exist in context. At Cornell, that context includes a University-owned Combined Heat and Power Plant that creates economic incentives to remain on gas, and a Board of Trustees that answers to and empowers key players in the oil and gas industry. This conflicted context makes it even
By Anne O. Stout
As life moves along, advancing; I don’t think it is all good. Many times we leave important things, ideas and people behind.
As a historian and genealogist, the local newspapers are a prime example. The information contained in them is in print permanently, a record that is hopefully kept and preserved. You can find them in various forms at many museums.
Information on the internet is often wrong and not kept on, or hacked into and moved. When doing research, or “Googling” as so many do, one should verify what they find through other sources. Not everyone has a computer or smartphone either, and often you can't print out what you find.
Your local newspapers have those involved with them helping to verify the accuracy of what they print.
These newspapers are important, but it is becoming very difficult for them, what with postage constantly rising and printing as well thanks to tariffs being added to the price of ink and paper.
Local businesses don’t help support the local papers like they should by paying to run ads. The small businesses want folks to shop local, well helping the local newspapers is the same as shopping local.
Also, the local newspaper is where one must run their legal notices required by the courts. If there are no newspapers,
was passed and just one day after the story about Khalil broke, 17 Cornell students were arrested, detained, and charged with disorderly conduct after protesting against the presence of alleged war criminals at a panel event on the history of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict — highlighting the need for the university to do more to protect students free speech rights on campus.
Since September 2024, at least three international students at Cornell who participated in pro-Palestinian protests have reported receiving threats of deportation, with fears escalating after Trump’s inauguration in January. According to Progressives at Corbell member Yihun Stith, Resolution 37 was written in response to the “chilling effect” of federal and universi-
where will these notices be run?
In my opinion, there is a lot of enjoyment in sitting, relaxing with your cup of coffee or tea and reading your local paper. These newspapers also inform their readers as to what is happening with the local governments, obituaries, and community calendars to help their readers keep up with their area.
The television and computer shove the local news down our throats but don’t mention why the nearest school is closed or who won a local election. It seems as though the small towns don’t count, according to big news sources.
Some of the newspapers are online and many you must pay a fee to view the whole paper. After a period of time, the articles are are gone, since there is not space enough to keep them all online.
Local newspapers also note the successes, awards and accomplishments of local people when they are informed. They carry human interest stories and local sports news from the schools. By not supporting your local newspapers, the writers, editors and more lose their jobs. The printing houses and all employees that work there also lose their jobs.
Those who do not have internet can still stay up to date with what is happening in their world thanks to the local newspapers. Please support them and help make it possible for them to keep publishing this true American treasure.
ty disciplinary actions on student activism.
“Cornell has gone to such repressive measures that it has caused immigrant students to feel extremely unsafe when taking any form of advocacy, protest, or demonstration,” Stith said. “I was talking to some immigrant students, and they didn’t even want to put their name down related to anything in this resolution because they were fearful of administrative repression just for signing something.”
The resolution received overwhelming support from campus groups, and Stith described its passage as a critical moment for the university community, saying that it tests Cornell’s commitment to protecting its students against federal overreach.
“The federal government’s goal is to instill fear in all of us, including in the administrations of universities around the country.
By Maddy Vogel
The Ithaca City School District (ICSD) has revealed preliminary budget numbers for the 2025-26 academic year. The district is proposing a “rollover” budget that meets the state tax cap, responding to last year’s public opposition to large tax levy increases.
The “rollover” budget means that the district is continuing with the same services and programming as they have this year.
As a result of budget cuts last year, class sizes in many of Ithaca’s schools were increased and multiple programs and positions were cut within the district, including two of the district's five language programs and a career readiness program.
“We want to take what we’re doing this year and continue doing it next year,” District Superintendent Luvelle Brown said. “No major additions, and we’re not proposing any major reductions.”
Administrators said that throughout the budgeting process, it was clear the board wanted to keep the school budget at the tax cap to stabilize tax bills for residents after last year’s budget was voted down.
“We think we heard that, during the development process to this point,” Brown said. “We heard from the board, to try to work towards staying under the tax cap for the foreseeable future.”
Last year’s budget development drew criticism from the public due to large tax levy increases that were paired with rapidly rising property assessments. Many criticized the district’s administrative costs, particularly the salaries of the executive team.
ond budget vote, cut administrative costs by 25% with the reduction of multiple administrative positions and other cost-saving measures.
“We want to take what we’re doing this year and continue doing it next year. No major additions, and we’re not proposing any major reductions.”
— Luvelle Brown, District Superintendent
Last year’s reduced budget, which was under the tax cap and passed in the sec-
“What we’re doing is carrying forward a budget that made a lot of changes last year in response to the budgeting process and the budget vote,” Board Member Garrick Blalock said in a recent meeting. “Those changes, particularly reductions in administrative costs, remain in place, and we’re moving forward with those reductions in place.”
Blalock added that the district is pursuing “long-term efficiencies” which includes a request for proposals to commission a study on enrollment demographics. This could likely mean looking into the potential consolidation of schools within the district experiencing low or declining enrollment.
“We heard loud and clear last year the concerns the public had about the tax levy,” Blalock said.
Recently hired Assistant Superintendent for Business Dom Lisi gave a presentation at the board’s Tuesday, March 11 meeting outlining the anticipated revenue and expenditures in the upcoming year’s budget.
Lisi explained that the budget was bro-
ken into three components — administrative, capital and program costs. In the proposed budget, program costs make up the largest portion of the budget at 74.78%. Administrative costs make up 10.07% of the total budget, a decrease from this year’s budget at 11.03%. Capital costs make up 14.52% of the budget.
Administrative costs include most costs related to district operations and administration, including BOCES costs, office operations, legal services, property insurances, salaries and benefits for administrators, and school board costs.
Capital costs include costs related to maintaining and improving school facilities, like building debt payments, leasing expenses, school bus purchases, utilities and maintenance.
Program costs are education-related expenses and include teacher and instructional staff salaries, classroom materials, co-curricular programs, and professional development.
From the current operating budget to the proposed 2025-26 budget, there is a 4.17% total increase, based on preliminary numbers that the administrative team has put together.
The total budget is expected to increase from $164 million to $169 million this year, which is still lower than last year’s initially proposed $170 million budget which contained a 12% tax levy increase.
The tax levy, which funds the majority of the school district’s budget, is the total amount of money that the district needs to collect from local property taxes to fund the budgets.
If the district had no tax levy increase from this year, they would face a $5.1 million shortfall based on anticipated district expenses. District leadership has proposed a budget that meets the tax cap at 3.76%, which is the rate of inflation this year.
Introduced by former Governor Andrew Cuomo and passed in 2011, the New York State property tax cap law imposes a limit on the annual growth of property taxes levied by local governments and school districts by 2% annually or at the rate of inflation. In recent years, the rate of inflation has been higher than the 2% threshold, causing the tax cap to increase.
School districts and municipalities can choose to override the tax cap, but if they propose budgets over the tax cap they need a supermajority of 60% voter approval to pass.
Even when meeting the tax cap, the district still expects to face a nearly $1 million shortfall, which Lisi said he believes they could “work through.”
ICSD Superintendent
the district’s proposed 2025-26 budget, emphasizing a “rollover” approach to maintain current services while staying within the state tax cap.
Lisi said that the finalized state aid numbers are typically slightly higher than the early estimations they are given, which could help fund the budget gap. Brown added that a “strong investment strategy” and the use of fund balance have historically helped bridge the funding gap.
“Those changes, particularly reductions in administrative costs, remain in place, and we’re moving forward with those reductions in place.” — Garrick Blalock, Board Member
“At the tax cap, we’re still looking at a shortfall of a little over $900,000 but we think that we can work through that as we continue to refine the budget,” Lisi said.
School Board Member Adam Krantweiss asked how the district could “work through” a shortfall of nearly $1 million.
“That’s a great question,” Lisi said. “Again this is a preliminary budget without looking at potential reductions in areas, so this is kind of our first run.”
Lisi and Brown said that there is typically a gap at this point in the budget process as the district awaits finalized state aid numbers, which come in April.
“Every year at this point we have a bit of a gap we need to make up,” Brown said. “We wait for the final governor runs which typically come in a little higher than the conservative estimates upfront.”
This year, the district saw an increase in state aid with the changes that were made in the foundation aid formula. The district’s state aid is expected to increase by roughly $1.2 million, or 3.31% this year.
In recent years, the district has attributed larger-than-average increases in the tax levy to a decrease in state aid due to declining enrollment.
“We’ll take an overall increase in aid,” Brown said. “That’s one of the few times over the last 15 [to] 20 years that we’ve had an increase. We’ve had significant decreases that we’ve had to account for but this is, from my perspective, a one-time increase. Not something we can plan for every year, for sure.”
ICSD Assistant Superintendent for Business Dom Lisi presents preliminary budget figures, outlining anticipated revenues, expenditures, and the district’s strategy for addressing a projected $900,000 shortfall.
As property assessments are expected to remain stagnant this year, that means the district’s tax base likely won’t be growing. The district could see some tax base growth as properties with tax abatements gradually come onto the tax rolls, but it won’t experience the same growth as last year, when property values within the district rose by an average of 20%.
This means that taxpayers can have more realistic expectations of how much their property tax bills will increase.
Unless an individual’s home gets reassessed this year, which is likely only 1% of Tompkins County homes according to Tompkins County Assessment Director Jay Franklin, the district’s tax levy increase will be the increase that property owners see reflected in their bills.
board’s commitment to keeping the budget under the tax cap, responding to public concerns over tax levy increases and administrative costs.
With a 3.76% levy increase, the average school tax bill for the owner of a singlefamily home within the ICSD is expected to increase from $5,716 last year to $5,931 this year.
Most board members seemed supportive of pursuing a budget that meets the state tax cap, although some questioned if specific programs which were cut last year would be restored in the upcoming budget year.
Brown said he does not anticipate that there will be any restoration of previously cut programs, because they were cut due to a class size minimum being instituted. He added that the board could request programs to be restored to the budget, which would mean making exceptions to the class size minimum.
“At the tax cap, we’re still looking at a shortfall of a little over $900,000 but we think that we can work through that as we continue to refine the budget.”
— Dom Lisi, Superintendent for Business
A school budget that meets the 3.76% tax cap means property owners will see a similar percentage increase in their bills, assuming the budget is approved by voters in May.
In the 2024 property tax rolls, the average assessed value of a single-family home within the ICSD was $383,640.
Once the district finalizes their budget and sets a date to hold a public hearing, residents will have the opportunity to vote on the budget in May. If the budget remains under the tax cap, the budget will need at least 50% voter approval to pass.
The May budget vote will take place on Tuesday, May 20 and polls will be open from noon to 9 p.m.
By Henry Stark
Ihadn’t ventured into The Royal Court restaurant since I reviewed it on September 22, 2021, so I thought it was about time to check it out and see what changes had been made. If you’re not familiar with this restaurant, it’s on the property of The Meadow Court Motel, on Meadow Street in downtown Ithaca. I was surprised to see the same menu and even the same servers. It’s really like a family establishment… reminds me of the line in the Cheers TV song, “…where everybody knows your name.” Each time I go there, the restaurant seems to attract the same clientele, many of whom seem to be known by the staff. This even extends to
Menu prices in the restaurant are about 30% higher than on their website.
I’m impressed that whenever the restaurant is open, the owner can often be found sitting at a table in the main dining room greeting guests and helping, and supervising staff, when they need it.
A nightly special changes from Tuesday to Thursday, (closed Monday), with fried seafood on Friday and Prime Rib on Saturday.
There’s piped in vocal music that’s fortunately kept to a low, unintrusive level.
Easy parking at the nearby motel.
the senior men’s group that secludes itself in a back corner once a week.
The atmosphere is spacious and pleasant with some recessed lighting and a few hanging Tiffany-type lamps, wood-type paneling and large windows that look out on the passing traffic on Meadow Street.
One of the reasons I think it’s popular with its regular clientele is the inexpensive pricing. In the morning you can order breakfast with a choice of about a half dozen omelets for less than $11.00 each. On the lunch menu, Appetizers are $10.95 or less, “Specialties” are $9.95-$17.75, the five salads are $10.95-$13.95 and five sandwiches and four burgers all are priced below $14.
The dinner menu also features relatively inexpensive items with Specialties from $12.95-$26.95 and Royal Delights, mostly sandwiches, costing no more than $13.95. There’s an additional category at dinner: Seafood entrées from $17.95- $23.95.
One of the lunch Specialties is a Reuben sandwich. I often order Reubens for two reasons: 1. I like them and 2. It’s a great way to find out the philosophy of management and the ability of the cooks. At The Royal Court, both pass the test. The sandwich isn’t as greasy as offered in many establishments, and there is an ample amount of corned beef which is the ingredient some restaurants use as a money saver. There’s also a reasonable amount of Swiss cheese and cabbage. It’s a good Reuben. It comes with “FF” (French Fries) and they are good too…not too salty. The potatoes are delivered to the kitchen frequently, however the
The Royal Court restaurant, located at The Meadow Court Motel on Meadow Street, continues to offer a welcoming, family-style atmosphere with affordable meals, a loyal clientele, and a menu that has remained largely unchanged over the years.
(Photo: Mark Syvertson)
accompanying coleslaw is house made and sweet without being overly vinegared and the cabbage is finely minced.
Another Specialty I like also happens to be a sandwich: Portabella Mushroom with a bit of Swiss cheese and some sliced red pepper.
I was initially confused by so many sandwiches under Specialties…there are seven and only five actual sandwiches under Sandwiches but it’s easy to figure out.
I recently ordered a dinner daily special of meatloaf with mushroom gravy. The meatloaf was tender and pleasant while the gravy was a bit on the thick and heavy side. It was accompanied by spaghetti which lacked seasoning.
Another evening, I selected Shrimp Scampi. I was pleased to receive seven large, tender shrimp over pasta. I wished that there was a stronger flavor of the garlic and white wine mentioned on the
menu and wondered, because of their rather specialized, and often senior clientele, if the kitchen was being careful to not offend anyone with stronger seasoning.
At dinnertime, which starts from 4:004:30, there’s a small salad bar, with less than a dozen rather ordinary selections available. I enjoy the house made coleslaw and macaroni salad. If you’re not very hungry you can select the salad bar and some French onion soup for $12.95.
BEVERAGES: The beer menu is all encompassing with a dozen and a half offerings, all but two in bottles. The prices aren’t listed and when I requested a glass for the beer, as one was not offered, I was presented with a small parfait glass. The wine menu is not nearly as complete, probably reflecting the tastes of their regular diners. I’d like to see a different selection of both whites and reds and there is no identification of vintners, vintages, country of origin, or prices.
more critical for Cornell’s climate actions to be decisive, positive, and correct. Cornell has an important role to play in leading the science and practice of the energy transition. Cornell should champion Ithaca’s climate goals and participate in Ithaca’s mandated fossil-fuel phaseout along with the rest of us. More than that, Cornell should show the world how to rise to the challenge of the climate emergency by decarbonizing and degrowing the university lifestyle while foregrounding perspectives from frontline communities. Universities have a special obligation to act in line with their own scientists’ warn-
ings about the direness of our situation. We cannot afford Cornell’s business-asusual approach to fake plastic grass fields made of fossil fuels, unchecked campus expansion, heedless hypermobility, and now — delayed decarbonization.
Two years ago, Rolling Stone noted that Ithaca is a college town “at the forefront of the climate revolution.” Cornell should be leading that revolution. As scientists, activists, and environmentalists, we hope to restore the active constructive relationship with Cornell that flourished in the past. Let’s collaborate for the greater good.
SIGNATORIES
1. Robert Howarth, Atkinson Professor of Ecology and Environmental Biology
tal Engineering, Emeritus
3. Brian Eden, Policy Coordinator Campaign for Renewable Energy
4. Margaret McCasland, Cornell Alum, Cornell on Fire
5. Bethany ojalehto mays, Cornell ‘08, Cornell on Fire
6. Ace Dufresne, Leader, Sunrise Ithaca
7. Sheila Out, Cornell ‘71
8. Regi Teasley, Campaign for Renewable Energy
9. Elisa Evett, Co-chair, Mothers Out Front Tompkins
10. Wendy Skinner, owner, IthacaSews
11. Joe Wilson, COPE (Coalition for Outreach, Policy & Education)
Cornell retiree
5. Families for a Livable Future Tompkins (formerly Mothers Out Front Tompkins) CORNELL SHOULD
2. Anthony Ingraffea, Dwight C. Baum Professor of Civil and Environmen-
12. Carol Chock, Ratepayer and Community Intervenors
13. Juliette Ramírez Corazón, MPH,
14. Todd Saddler, Extinction Rebellion Ithaca
15. Dan Antonioli, Going Green
16. Elan Shapiro, Climate Justice Coalition of Tompkins County
17. Peter McDonald, Sustainable Finger Lakes (interim chair)
18. Shimon Edelman, Professor, Cornell University
19. Marianne Krasny, Fall Creek resident and Cornell professor (19)
ORGANIZATIONAL SIGN-ONS
1. Cornell on Fire
2. Extinction Rebellion Ithaca
3. Sunrise Ithaca
4. Campaign for Renewable Energy
At The William George Agency
f o r C h i l d r e n ’ s S e r v i c e s ( W G A ) , children improve their relationships, m a k e p r o g r e s
n u r t u r i n g e n v i r o n m e n t S e l fawareness and discovery is a part of the growing-up process.
For youth like Sam,* many types o f l e a r n i n g t a k e p l a c e a t t h e vocational training sites on campus. When she arrived, Sam was unsure about which vocational program she wanted to work in. After completing a 10-week career-readiness course offered through The George Junior Republic school, she interviewed for a job in the Carpentry program where there was an immediate opening.
Part of a vocational instructor ’ s role is to help young people adopt a h e a l t h y a t t i t u d e t o w a r d w o r k n o matter the job
“Sam struggled to make some good choices at times but she was always willing to give it her best shot,” says Ryant. “Some of the more routine tasks bored Sam, but she grew in her understanding about the need for the task to get done and that she was depended on to do it.”
After some months, Sam inquired about switching vocational programs and doing something different. Staff encouraged her to apply to the Apparel and Merchandise Print Shop (AMPS).
Felicia Tucker, Sam’s supervisor in the AMPS program, recognized Sam’s talent and potential immediately
“ The readiness class at the school teaches young people practical things to prepare them for applying for any job,” says Pat Natale, Director of Vocational Services. “ Youth apply and interview for jobs on campus just like they would if they were looking for a job in the community. The jobs are real and so are the expectations. Limited openings make vocational programs competitive, so the process really does mimic what happens in real life when multiple people are a p p l y i n g f o r o n e p o s i t i o n W e h e l p y o u t h t h i n k a b o u t w h a t differentiates them from others. What unique talents can they bring? Whatever the outcome, we’re there to offer support to help them succeed in their new job, or to learn from a temporary disappointment if they aren’t hired.”
In the Carpentry program, Sam spent nearly 2.5 hours each weekday for months under direct supervision learning a wide range of skills, including how to replace a door knob, frame an interior wall, repair windows and replace outside decking. The program taught her as much about what she didn’t like to do, as what she did.
“She got to try a lot of projects. She built multiple boxes, did some framing, and learned how to measure for stud layout. She ran a nail gun and chop saw Didn’t do too bad using the drill either,” recalls Joshua Ryant, her Carpentry supervisor, “but like with all beginners, she beat up on some drill bits. One of the things she found out about herself was that she prefers working indoors.”
On-site vocational programming, provided in partnership with The George Junior Republic Union Free School District, offers several benefits for young people at WGA. It introduces them to a potential way to make a living and helps them develop trade-specific skills. It provides a continuous learning environment, with staff skilled in
maximizes time on the job rather than time lost to transportation.
“It was a home run. She was super excited to come to work every day and about what she could do She loved seeing ideas come to life and into actual projects and designs, and also loved seeing people wear her work,” recalls Tucker
Using a computer and iPad, and drawing on her creativity, Sam worked consistently with two different design programs. She learned i
challenges of working on different surfaces.
“She’s super creative and has an eye for graphic design,” says Tucker “I think the Shop helped her to find and focus her natural talents, increase her self-esteem, and keep her concentrating on the positive of making stuff. She did a really good job in the program. I can see her working in a graphics-related field.”
Sam did so well, she later earned a much-deserved recognition at a quarterly awards ceremony on campus, along with a letter jacket to serve as a reminder of the progress she made toward all of her goals.
“ The variety of vocational programming at The William George Agency can be a game changer for youth like Sam who are unsure about their abilities and what the future holds for them,” says Helen Hulings, Executive Director “ We are helping to expand perspective and appreciation when we give young people access to safely explore different jobs and the unique experiences that come with such exploration - even those that don’t seem like a good fit at the time. Learning is never a loss, especially when it helps a young person grow toward their independence and a brighter future.”
*name changed to protect privacy The William George Agency for Children’s Services is committed to providing a safe and caring residential environment supported by proven, therapeutic, clinical and medical care for at-risk youth. For more information, visit their website: www.wgaforchildren.org.
Finding the disease early greatly improves chances of survival
By Timothy Bael, MD
This disease, colon cancer, is the second deadliest cancer among adults in the United States and is diagnosed in more than 150,000 people a year. This cancer’s rates have risen over the past several decades in young adults under age 50.
Most colorectal cancer starts from polyps, growths that are quite common on the inner lining of the colon or rectum, called the mucosa. While most are benign, polyps may become cancerous over time. This may take as many as 10 to 15 years. Certain types of polyps are more likely to turn cancerous. Polyps are also more likely to turn into colorectal cancer if they are larger than 1 cm, if more than three are found or if the cells look abnormal.
When polyps are not found early and removed, cancer can develop in the colon or rectum. Over time, it can invade blood vessels or lymph vessels, spreading to lymph nodes and other parts of the body.
Luckily, through regular screenings this can be prevented. In fact, the death rate from colorectal cancer has been decreasing, mostly due to effective screening.
Screening saves lives
Screening prevents colorectal cancer and greatly increases your chance of survival when the cancer is found early. First and foremost, it gives your provider a chance to identify and remove polyps. The risk of cancer when a polyp is removed becomes zero. If the cancer is found before it has had a chance to spread, the fiveyear survival rate is around 90 percent. Survival rates go down if the cancer has spread beyond the colon or rectum. However, 1 in 3 people in the United States who should get screened have never been tested.
The American Cancer Society recommends these guidelines for screenings:
• If you are at average risk for colorectal cancer, begin screenings at age 45. In previous guidelines, the starting age was 50, but experts found that lowering the starting age will save additional lives. Screenings should continue until at least age 75. After that, the decision to be screened depends on the individual’s health, previous results, patient preferences, and life expectancy. Screening is not recommended after age 85.
• If you are at high risk for colorectal cancer, you may begin screenings sooner. Follow the recommendations of your healthcare provider.
Risk factors for colorectal cancer
Certain inherited factors and some of your own actions determine your personal risk for colorectal cancer. Factors that put you at higher risk include:
Screening for colon cancer should start at age 45, and even earlier if you are at high risk for developing the disease. Ask your healthcare provider when to begin screenings.
• A personal history of polyps or colorectal cancer
• Certain types of polyps on your first colonoscopy
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• A strong family history of colorectal cancer, any first degree relative or anyone in the family diagnosed under the age of 50
• A personal history of radiation to the abdomen or pelvis
• Certain inherited syndromes, such as Lynch syndrome, familial adenomatous polyposis and others
• Having your gallbladder removed (cholecystectomy)
• Being overweight
• Eating a diet heavy in cured and processed meats
• Diabetes
• Smoking
• Alcohol intake, which was recently lowered due to associated risks
Testing for colorectal cancer
There are several different test options for colorectal cancer: A colonoscopy, if negative, does not have to be repeated for 10 years. If polyps are found, this will be repeated sooner.
There are stool studies done every three years that have been shown to identify early cancers but not necessarily precancerous polyps.
A CT scan (virtual colonoscopy) is a third option in select patients. Ask your provider which test is right for you, as each type has pros and cons. In any case, be sure to get screened!
Don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor about colorectal cancer, even if it may feel uncomfortable. Ask about screenings if you’re 45 or older or if you’re younger but in a high-risk group. And talk to your health insurance provider about available coverage for screenings. It’s important to find this type of cancer as early as possible.
Dr. Bael graduated from Cornell University and went on to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where he was elected to the national medical honor society. After completing his internal medicine residency, he did a three-year fellowship in hematology and oncology at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Bael joined the medical staff of Cayuga Medical Center in 2005. He can be reached at Cayuga Cancer Center at (607) 272-5414
For more information on scheduling a colorectal cancer screening, contact Cayuga Gastroenterology, (607) 339-0788; or Schuyler Hospital in Montour Falls, (607) 535-7121
By Peter Rothbart
Music Director Guillaume Pirard and the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra end their first orchestral season together– the chamber music series continues through May– on Saturday, March 22. The concert features a Baroque-era work recomposed and made modern by English composer Thomas Adés, a commissioned world premiere by a rising Ithaca area composer, a work based upon the brushstrokes of artist Paul Klee’s painting, Heroische Bogenstriche, and closing with Beethoven’s epic Eroica Symphony, a work that ushered in the Romantic-era of European music, poetry, and art.
In his work, Three Studies from Couperin, Thomas Adés reorchestrates three pieces from the voluminous works of 17th century François Couperin’s compositions for solo harpsichord and “colorizes” them for orchestra. Adés retains Couperin’s baroque melodies, harmonies, and rhythms but exploits baroque ornamentation in a new and very 21st century way.
Baroque performers were free to accessorize a composer’s musical line by skillfully adding notes around the written notes, thereby personalizing, and embellishing the melody.
“Shadows rising soundless as night” is exquisitely written, immaculately notated, and reflects Farhat’s command of the intricacies and nuances of string writing.
Adés has taken that ornamentation, precisely notated it, and lengthened certain notes, holding some over others creating a fleeting clash of consonance and dissonance. Adés then dissects the figure and distributes it to different instruments, as if someone were finishing another person’s sentence. The sound is like listening to music through a mist, a blurred sound-vision interspersed with occasional moments of clarity. Don’t try to focus on the melody — though it is still important — listen through the mist for glimpses of sunshine.
Seare Ahmad Farhat is an Ithaca-based composer whose career is arcing upwards. CCO Music Director Pirard reached out to Farhat, who is completing a PhD in music at Cornell, and commissioned him to write an orchestral work, the largest ensemble Farhat has ever written for. In his own words, Farhat’s interests lie “…in the reciprocal translations between words, poetry, and language into sound.” The quiet-spoken Farhat’s other interest in comparative literature also meshed well with this concert’s theme, “Translations.”
He titled the commissioned work, “shadows rising soundless as night,” inspired by his interpretation of Nobel prize winner Derek Walcott’s poem, “The Season of Phantasmal Peace.” Walcott, a St Lucia-born poet, and MacArthur Foundation “genius” award winner, focused his writing on the sound of words, drawing inspiration from Western poetry as well as his native patois. Farhat was fascinated by the poem not only because of the references to nature, but by the sounds evoked by language itself.
“Shadows rising soundless as night” is exquisitely written, immaculately notated, and reflects Farhat’s command of the intricacies and nuances of string writing. This is a quiet work; the loudest dynamic is an occasional forte. You’ll have to listen closely to hear everything that Farhat puts forth; lots of harmonics, mutings and double stops for the strings, mutings for the brass as well as hidden polyrhythms.
Cayuga Chamber Orchestra
Ford Hall, Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY
Saturday, March 22, 2025, 7:30 PM
Pre-Concert talk with Maestro Guillaume Pirard and composer
Seare Farhat at 6:30 PM
Tickets: https://www.ccoithaca.org/ or CCO Office at (607) 273-8981
Ithaca-based composer Seare Ahmad Farhat debuts his commissioned orchestral work, shadows rising soundless as night, inspired by Nobel laureate Derek Walcott’s poetry, in the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra’s Translations concert.
The string sections split into triple divisi, further softening the sound, while demanding soloistic playing from each player. Listen carefully for the opening and closing sounds of sandpaper. It will help recalibrate your ears.
Judith Weir is a contemporary British composer who is completing a ten-year term in the 395-year-old royal post of Master of the Queen’s Music, succeeding Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. Her 1992 work, Heroic Strokes of the Bow, is motivated by the violin bow and peg-like images in Paul Klee’s 1938 painting Heroische Bogenstriche, now on display at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Klee was an accomplished professional violinist in his own right and many of his visual works retain musical titles and have inspired composers to interpret his paintings in sound. Weir’s take on the painting is not a cross-media translation or interpretation, but as she described it, “…a literal response to the title, with its suggestions of excessive physical energy applied to a small piece of wood.”
Heroic Strokes of the Bow is an angular, aggressive work, as bold and brusque as Klee’s brushstrokes, as quizzical and direct as his dots. The work is the sonic antithesis of the Adés piece, While Weir’s piece is dark and foreboding filled with unexpected explosive moments, Adés’ work is light, flowing, and mysterious, not given to extreme gestures.
Avid amateur violinist Albert Einstein, who spent a lot of time thinking about time, once said, “Before Beethoven, music was written for the immediate: with Beethoven, you start writing music for eternity.” Completed in 1804, Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony defines the
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By Steve Lawrence
It can be fun to watch sports fans of... uh... shall we say, a certain age, wear the same wide-eyed look they wore 50 years ago when some larger-than-life figures were walking around Cornell's campus. For example, when Ed Marinaro damn near won the Heisman Trophy in 1971, and was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, he was the biggest of the Big Men on Campus. These days, Ed visits often, as his son plays football for the Big Red, and some fans in their 50s, 60s and 70s still appear star-struck.
The same is true when Mike French is on campus. French was the preeminent lacrosse player in all the land in 1976 when the Cornell dynasty was getting underway, and the three-time All American spent nearly a half-century as the all-time leading goal scorer in program history. French scored 191 goals in his three varsity seasons, as freshmen could not play varsity then), and he was at Schoellkopf Field on Saturday to watch that record be broken by senior attack CJ Kirst, whose five goals on the day helped to propel the hosts over Princeton, and put Kirst at 193 goals and counting.
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and grocery shopping. Cornell University has already advised students and faculty to explore alternative transit options in case
It was an important win for Cornell, both from the standpoint of the Ivy standings, and as a redemptive effort. A week earlier, the Big Red had endured a rare, lategame collapse, and Penn State had won in OT to hand the hosts their first loss of the season. When the Tigers of Princeton came in on Saturday — ranked #2 in the nation — it was the Ivy opener for both teams, and Cornell had something to prove.
In addition to Kirst’s five goal/two assist effort, the Big Red’s balanced scoring effort got multi-point contributions from William Firth (2 goals, 2 assists), Michael Long (2/1), Hugh Kelleher (2/1 and Ryan Goldstein (1/2). The convincing 15-10 victory moved Cornell to 5-1 (1-0 Ivy), and the team will head to Yale for a March 22 Ivy match up.
While there has been a lot of attention swirling around Mike Schafer’s retirement, the Big Red men’s hockey team is not quite ready to see the veteran coach settle into his recliner just yet.
Cornell traveled to Colgate for a bestof-three series to see which team got to head to Lake Placid to play in the ECAC semifinal game this weekend. Cornell put it on the hosts on Friday, rolling over them by a 4-1 score, then showing no mercy in a
of a work stoppage.
To their knowledge, TCAT workers have never gone on strike before.
“The last thing we would want to do is strike, and we communicated as such,” Brandon said. “What we worry about the most about striking is the effect it would
3-0 shutout on Saturday. It was a particularly demoralizing loss for Colgate, as not only did it knock them out of the ECAC tournament, it ended their NCAA-leading 100 game scoring streak.
The #3 Cornell women’s ice hockey team put on what was called “a defensive clinic” against #6 Minnesota-Duluth, and the 1-0 win put the Big Red in the Frozen four for the fifth time under head coach Doug Derraugh. Cornell was poised to contend for a national title in 2020 before the pandemic ruined everything, and the team is fired up to get past 32 Ohio State and make it to the championship game. The win against Minnesota Duluth drew 3,135 fans to Lynah Rink, the largest crowd ever to watch a women’s game there.
have on the people that live here.”
Still, workers say they feel they are being pushed toward that decision.
“This is not about us trying to get rich, we just want to be able to survive,” Brandon said. “We believe we deserve a quality of life, and it almost feels like they don’t.”
What a rookie season it was for Jon Jacques, the Cornell men’s basketball coach. 15 years after playing on the Big Red’s Sweet 16 team, Jacques led the 2024-25 team to its first-ever appearance in the Ivy League championship game, and came within 6 points of dethroning Yale. Cornell finished at 18-11 (9-5 Ivy), and gave the Bulldogs all they could handle. The Big Red was down by as many as 16 points in the second half, but staged a noble comeback, falling 90-84. Junior AK Okereke had 22 points with eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block to earn all-tournament honors, and will be looking to lead the team back into the Ivy League championship game next season.
Negotiations between TCAT and the union are ongoing, but with TCAT calling its latest offer final, the possibility of a strike remains uncertain. The union has not provided a timeline, stating that its strategy will depend on management’s willingness to return to the bargaining table.
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This is a moment that tests the moral fiber within us all. Will we be complacent or stand up and fight back?” said Adriana Vink, who co-authored the resolution alongside Stith.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) recently issued an open letter to colleges and universities nationwide, urging them to resist pressure from the White House to surveil or punish immigrant students and faculty based on constitutionally protected speech.
The letter specifically referenced Executive Order 14161, titled “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats,” — which broadens deportation criteria — and Executive Order 14188,
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pivotal moment in history when western music crossed from the Classical era’s focus on balance and form, to the Romantic era’s emphasis on artistic and emotional expression. It is the first Romantic-era symphony.
At the turn of the eighteenth century, Beethoven was buffeted and prodded by world and personal events; the hopeful ideals and subsequent terrors of the French Revolution and the ensuing political restructuring of Europe. He also confronted the inevitability of his deafness,
which has been used to investigate and detain international students participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Cecillia Wang, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), condemned the administration’s actions in a statement, “It is disturbing to see the White House threatening freedom of speech and academic freedom on U.S. college campuses so blatantly. We stand in solidarity with university leaders in their commitment to free speech, open debate, and peaceful dissent on campus,” Wang said. “Trump’s latest coercion campaign, attempting to turn university administrators against their students and faculty, harkens back to the McCarthy era and is at odds with American constitutional values and the basic mission of universities.”
In addition to federal crackdowns, students say Cornell’s disciplinary measures over the past two semesters have made
even entertaining thoughts of suicide. But his heroic idealism and commitment to his art lifted him up. He wrote his third symphony, creating a monumental work that he eventually dedicated to a conceptual Hero, embodying the humanistic and romantic values of the Heroic (Eroica), manifested in an idealized and eternal Everyman.
Listen to Beethoven’s Symphony no. 3 in Eb Major, Op 55, a.k.a the Eroica Symphony, as a work of architecture. At the time it was twice the length of any previously written symphony. Beethoven established the four-movement symphonic form and trussed the movements together
immigrant students more vulnerable to retaliation under Trump’s policies. Stith co-authored the resolution and was among three students who were suspended, banned from campus for three years, and charged with two misdemeanors after a protest against weapons manufacturers at the Statler Hotel in October 2024.
“The university arrested me for exercising my First Amendment rights. If I were an international student, I could have been deported,” Stith said. “That’s why this resolution is so important. Cornell cannot continue punishing students in ways that make them vulnerable to federal immigration enforcement.”
Cornell has taken disciplinary action against at least 50 students for protests over the past year, including a sit-in two semesters ago that resulted in the arrest of 26 students and a protest last semester that led to another 20 suspensions.
International Ph.D. candidate Momodou Taal’s visa status was threatened after he was suspended for participating in the Gaza Solidarity Encampment on the university’s Arts Quad during the Spring 2024 semester.
“He was under the impression that he was going to be deported from the country within a week of his suspension,” Stith said. “Other students feared the same thing.” Stith and other student advocates say they will continue pressuring Cornell’s administration to follow through.
“We expect the administration to act swiftly in adopting these policies,” Stith said. “This isn’t about politics. This is about fundamental American values. It is the First Amendment in our Constitution.” He added, “There is a pattern of repression here… If Cornell refuses to take a stand now, we’re sending a message to the federal government that students’ rights don’t matter. That’s unacceptable.”
