Though we regret that Chicago did not win the bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games, we hope that the International Olympic Committee’s delegation to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — the first ever bid to a South American country — signifies a dedication to sustainable development and lasting improvements for the Brazilian people. Given Brazil’s rising prominence as the business and diplomatic leader in South America, this honor is most certainly well-deserved.

Sally Dear, an adjunct lecturer at Binghamton University had had enough. Three of her students — each a varsity athlete on the men’s basketball team — were consistently disrupting her class. They sent text messages that they claimed were to their coach, they left early, arrived late or simply did not show up at all. Dear, who had taught at Binghamton for 11 years, went public with her frustration with the school's athletic department. Then, two weeks ago, she was fired.

Far, far away in a little-known part of town is Schuyler House — a dormitory near downtown Ithaca that most upperclassmen have never even heard of. Housed in Schuyler is a contingent of students without a dining hall, whose neighbors are local Ithacans, and who trudge 20 minutes uphill every day to get to class. Unfortunately, these students are not upperclassmen, embracing the independent Collegetown lifestyle. Instead, these 110 students are some of the most marginalized of students at Cornell: transfers.

The recent incident of “forcible touching” that occurred in Collegetown this month reminded us of the psychological pitfalls of living in a small town like Ithaca. The Cornell community was alerted via an e-mail, which informed it that a young woman had been assaulted. It reminded us to walk at night in groups, lock our doors and windows and inform Cornell and Ithaca police of any suspicious activity.

While the University has dispensed hand-sanitizing stations across campus, students have also taken decisive action to protect our community against swine flu. This has been most encouraging. The incredibly vast and readily available information distributed by the University to the student body has no doubt influenced the behaviors and actions of individual students and groups. But the most notable gesture in the ongoing battle to contain the virus was the Interfraternity Council’s decision to place a moratorium on open parties.

Student involvement in the University-wide effort to “reimagine” Cornell has been grossly inadequate. As the administration ponders far-stretching ideas like restructuring the academic year and cutting departments, it is in everyone’s best interest to at least be informed.

We’ve certainly been quick to point out the administration’s shortcomings regarding transparency in the past; indeed, officials in Day Hall — especially those directly responsible for communication — must take an assertive stance on reaching out to students and the immediate community. Yet, this time around, the blame for a lack of open discourse falls largely upon the students themselves.

Late Sunday, as dusk descended upon Ithaca, bringing grey skies and the first whisper of an autumn chill, a moribund message appeared on the screen of our computer: “Sorry, we could not access the web page www.CornellSun.com because we cannot find the server.” Shriek — VILLAINOUS chaos ensued around us! What is the meaning in all of this — “can’t find the server”?! Has the newsroom been subjected to a VILLAINOUS Orwellian experiment, with twisted intentions to make us sleep-deprived editors face certain social, intellectual and mental doom? What would happen without technology? What could ensue besides pure catastrophe? Needless to say, it was dirty and messy and forced us to almost shut down operations across the board. Well, not quite ...

Are you old and wise, crotchety and disgruntled? Do you pine for that long begone era when the music was swinging, and men wore ties and kept their shoes shined? Do the degenerate pages of this newspaper make your stomach churn with disgust? Do spelling mistakes catch your eye? Does goofy grammar get your goat? Do you oft wonder, while reading, “Gee whiz! The Sun sure was better back when I was in college”?

The Student Assembly’s defeat of Resolution 4, the Community Clause, at last Thursday’s meeting presents cause for concern. While the resolution attempted to increase student attendance at S.A. meetings through limited voting rights, several S.A. members were hesitant about both the exercise of S.A. power and the numerous restrictions placed upon community members who would be eligible to vote.

It was not the decision to strike down the resolution that irked us. It was instead the debate that played out surrounding Res. 4 that is of paramount concern. Rather than address the mechanics and feasibility of the resolution itself, members of the S.A. fixated on what the clause would translate to in terms of their share of the “power”.

There’s something strange about the Free Application for Federal Student Aid when a student who is financially independent must document parental income, though none of this money will fund the student’s education.

Zach Biegun ’11 shocked us with his tale of living day to day without a home — camping out in tents, stashing some clean clothes in cubbies on campus — sacrificing any semblance of a “normal” college life in order to earn a degree.

But what really makes us angry is the unfair disadvantage Biegun faces due to FAFSA’s rigid regulations that qualify him as a “dependent,” requiring him to report his parent’s earnings despite the fact that not one penny of their income is supporting him.