Since 2002, the Medical Amnesty Policy has been an important tool for helping to keep Cornellians safe. It has given students the ability to call for help when a friend is seriously ill from alcohol poisoning without fearing the consequences of underage drinking laws. While a strong Medical Amnesty Policy that includes protection from persecution for both underage alcohol consumption and other drug use is a positive step toward a solution, it is not sufficient to ensure student safety. 

In 2013, a parcel of Ithaca land at Carpenter Business Park that has been used as a thriving community garden for the last 30 years may be sold to a developer as a way to bring revenue to a cash-strapped city. According to Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick ’09, the developer plans to commercialize the space and possibly create a grocery store or a boutique hotel, both of which are antithetical to the space’s current function as a public good.

The incidents of hate that have occurred in our community, both during finals period and during Orientation Week, are very troubling. First, an individual not affiliated with Cornell threw bottles at black students during finals week, yelling racial slurs. Second, this weekend, an individual allegedly verbally and physically assaulted a group of students, yelling slurs against members of the gay and minority community. It is little consolation to know that Cornell students were not the ones who were accused of these heartless actions. This can, and must, stop.

The Sun will be introducing content across various new mediums this semester.

On Wednesday, the Faculty Senate ignored substantial student opposition and passed changes to the academic calendar in the name of mental health. We are astounded that the Faculty Senate would not only move forward with this proposal without formalized student input, but also disregard the voices of more than 1,000 students who had expressed their opposition before the vote. We urge President David Skorton and Provost Kent Fuchs to reject the resolution and urge the revision of the calendar to make it conform to the needs of students, not just the needs of the faculty.

Last week, the Recruitment, Acceptance, Retention and Education committee — which President David Skorton charged with transforming pledging in the Greek system — released a set of recommendations that will be discussed and voted on in the coming months. There is little doubt that the recommendations put forward by the committee would completely alter not only the pledging process, but also the Greek system as we know it.

Congress is in the midst of a debate over extending a subsidy for federally subsidized Stafford student loans. Currently, students pay a 3.4 percent interest rate on their Stafford loans. Unless Congress passes a bill by July 1, the interest rate on those loans will double to 6.8 percent. 

Last week, the Interfraternity Council released the results of a survey sent to students about their experiences during rush week in January.  While the results show that the University’s new Greek recognition policy reduced the amount of drinking that occurs during this period, it is concerning that there has been an increase in the number of events held in Collegetown.

On Friday, a Cornell employee removed the covers of copies of The Cornell Daily Sun located in Day Hall to prevent parents and prospective students visiting for Cornell Days from reading them. We find this to be an affront to our editorial independence. While this may be an incident isolated to a single newsstand, the University must ensure that this sort of action does not occur again.

Last week, the Calendar Committee, comprised of various constituencies across the University, voted to approve their final proposal for an academic calendar that the Faculty Senate will vote on at its next meeting on May 9. Notably absent was the support of the two students on the calendar committee.