Cornell Insider Staff
Oliver Renick
Joe Bonica
Lucia Rafanelli
Hannah MacLean
Peter Bouris
lukepolicastro
zjw5
Anthony
Brendan Patrick Devine
Sam Pell
kmccaffrey
Greg Stein
Michael Alan
nkantro
Alfonse Muglia
Cornell_Karim
R. Patrick McCaffrey
dillonhickman
Jonathan Jaffe
Roberto Matos
Kushagra Aniket
L.R. Conrad
Roshni Mehta
Posted by Oliver Renick on March 28, 2011
A female victim was assaulted earlier this month, a crime report issued to students this afternoon said. The incident, which was reported to police yesterday, occurred on March 12. The woman said that she was approached on Libe Slope around midnight by an unidentified male who asked her for money. He struck the woman in the face with his fist, causing injury, the woman told police.
Cornell police said the details of the incident and suspect description are still being investigated.
Posted in Campus Insiders | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Oliver Renick on March 16, 2011
The last issue before Spring Break is here!
Look inside for exclusive interviews with the Student Assembly’s new leaders, extensive coverage of campus events, and our first State of the University address.
Click for PDF
Correction: The article on page two of this issue entitled “Fixing America’s Schools…Without Fixing the Unions?” names Harold Levy ’74, JD ’79 as a member of the board at Kaplan University. This is incorrect. He was Kaplan’s Executive Vice President and a member of its Board of Trustees from 2003 to 2008 and does not currently hold either position.
Posted in Newspaper PDF | Tagged: online issue | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Oliver Renick on March 6, 2011
The new issue of The Review is here!
Director of the Congressional Budget Office talks about the deficit running wild.
Political Maps of Cornell: the series continues, this time in Collegetown!
What do Cleveland Cavaliers fans and women have in common? They both deserve a seat on the Student Assembly.
click for PDF
Posted in Newspaper PDF | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Oliver Renick on March 4, 2011
The Ithaca Police’s ongoing investigation into the mysterious death of SAE undergrad George Desdunes ’13 has led investigators to speak with several students directly involved with Desdunes at the time, a press release said. Police are now cooperating with the District Attorney’s office to determine the best course of action.
The initial investigation has established the names of several people that were associated with the victim and involved with the fraternity.
…
An intensive police investigation is continuing into the events that took place involving the fraternity and the sequence of events that may have contributed to the cause of death.
Posted in Campus Insiders | Tagged: George Desdunes | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Oliver Renick on March 4, 2011
Ra Ra Riot and The Cool Kids will open for Nelly on Slope Day, the committee announced today.
Quite the juxtaposition. Ra Ra Riot is an indie rock band from up the road in Syracuse and The Cool Kids, a hip-hop group, are based out of Chicago. Should be an eclectic afternoon. Minus the drunken shenanigans…?
Posted in Campus Insiders | Tagged: Slope Day | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Oliver Renick on March 1, 2011
Cornell has imposed an interim suspension of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, the fraternity where sophomore George Desdunes ’13 was a brother, according to the Cornell Chronicle. He was found unresponsive in the chapter’s house Friday morning and later died at Cayuga Medical Center.
The article says that SAE was determined to have violated the university’s recognition policy, which outlines the rules and methods a Greek chapter must abide by to remain active. The policy recently underwent changes last semester regarding rush and pledge processes.
Cornell officials said that information they have received about the use of alcohol during the events of Feb. 25 is sufficient to conclude that the fraternity had likely violated the university’s recognition policy.
Posted in Campus Insiders | Tagged: George Desdunes, Greek Life | 1 Comment »
Posted by Oliver Renick on February 28, 2011
Cornell wheat breeders Ronnie Coffman (right) and Mark Sorrells. From Borlaug Global Rust Initiative.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and The United Kingdom’s Department of International Development (DFID) announced Sunday that they will collaboratively donate $25 mil and $15 mil, respectively, to Cornell’s ongoing project to fight wheat pathogens.
Begun in April 2008, Cornell’s Durable Rust Resistance in Wheat Project (DRRW) leads a team of 17 institutions across the globe to combat the spread of the deadly Ug99 fungus. The strain, first discovered in East Africa, has spread throughout the continent and into the Middle East over the past 10 years, causing stem rust that has destroyed up to 80% of crop yield in some instances.
The five-year grant is aimed to help researchers identify genes that could lead to creating rust-resistant strains of wheat, extend surveillance abilities and provide rust-resistant seeds to farmers. Professor Ronnie Coffman, plant breeding and genetics, is the director of DRRW and principal investigator of the project.
“We cannot overstate the importance of this announcement on the part of two of the most important funders of solutions for addressing the causes of poverty, hunger and disease in the developing world,” he said in a University press release. “Against the backdrop of rising food prices, and wheat in particular, researchers worldwide will be able to play an increasingly vital role in protecting wheat fields from dangerous new forms of stem rust, particularly in countries whose people can ill afford the economic impact of damage to this vital crop.”
Posted in Campus Insiders | Tagged: Plant Science, research grants | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Oliver Renick on February 27, 2011
[UPDATE]: Tompkins County Sheriff Ken Lansing said the deaths of Vicky Chen of Ithaca College, found dead in Ithaca Saturday afternoon, and George Desdunes ’13 are probably alcohol-related. “It appears to be young people overindulging in alcohol, that’s what all indications are,” Lansing told the Ithaca Journal this evening. “Although we don’t know for certain in the case of the Cornell student, we’re waiting on an autopsy for that.”
Cornell University president David Skorton issued his first public message regarding the death of George Desdunes ’13 this afternoon. The message of Skorton’s statement offered condolences to the Desdunes family, but took on a slightly different tone than previous such messages regarding student tragedies.
I understand there will be speculation about the causes of this terrible tragedy. A comprehensive investigation regarding all the circumstances surrounding this loss of life is underway under the direction of the Ithaca Police Department, with the support of the New York State Police and Cornell Police. Once it is complete and we have all the available facts, we will inform the community and share decisions regarding the appropriate course of action.
Posted in Campus Insiders | Tagged: George Desdunes | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Oliver Renick on February 25, 2011
The Daily Sun reported today that George Desdunes ’13 was found unresponsive in the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house this morning. He later died after being moved to Cayuga Medical Center. According to the Sun, a meeting was held between SAE brothers and University admins this afternoon.
Dean of Students Kent Hubbell sent an email to students this afternoon.
George Bartholo Desdunes, a 19-year-old sophomore in the College of Human Ecology, died this morning at his Ithaca residence. George, whose home town is Brooklyn, New York, was majoring in Biology and Society.
The Ithaca Police Department is leading the investigation with assistance from Cornell University Police and the New York State Police. An autopsy will be performed to determine cause of death. Cornell police do not believe this was a suicide.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Desdunes family.
Posted in Campus Insiders | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Oliver Renick on February 23, 2011
The semester’s first issue of The Review is available online now! Be sure to check out our next issue which hits newsstands next Thursday.
Letter from Jordan – Cornellian abroad discusses life in the Middle East.
Is the Cornell Chronicle up to some questionable filtering methods? You decide.
Democracy under fire by lots of folks, according to International Affairs guest Dutch author Ian Buruma.
Lose your weight by counting your calories – one student’s BIG idea.
Click for PDF!
Posted in Newspaper PDF | Leave a Comment »
