Recent Contributions from Nathan Sermonis

S.A. to Discuss SAFC Revisions

Nathan Sermonis — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Every semester, hundreds of student organizations on campus dread the intricate process of requesting funds from the Student Assembly Finance Committee, but that may all change today when the S.A. votes on the SAFC’s revised edition of the rules and regulations handbook.

After spending the past six weeks discussing new guidelines for the funding process, the SAFC is prepared to submit their revised edition.

According to Taylor Mulherrin ’09, co-chair of the SAFC, the latest changes are meant to make the process easier for applicants, easing frustrations and dissatisfaction with the SAFC.

Dolgin Addresses Water Threat in Middle East

Nathan Sermonis — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Noam Dolgin might be the first ever ‘Mr. JewSA,’ but he hasn’t let it get to his head. No, despite receiving this honor from New York City’s 14th Street Young Men’s Hebrew Association for his skills as a multitalented tofu chef, comedian and motivator, he continues to travel throughout the U.S. and Canada educating young and old on environmental issues across the globe.

Appearing yesterday at Anabel Taylor Chapel, Dolgin brought his expertise to Cornell, speaking on the rarely discussed environmental situation in Israel. Focusing on the connections between security, economics and environment, he emphasized the importance of addressing the growing problems of resource overuse and pollution to ensure the future of this struggling country.

Ethics Under Fire: Military, Anthropologists Team Up

Nathan Sermonis — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Unlike the secret weapons of WWII that helped the U.S. bring an end to fighting in Japan, the newest addition to military units in Iraq and Afghanistan are a bit less radioactive. But the debate surrounding this hot issue is proving to be just as explosive.

Since the development of a new program that teams anthropologists with U.S. soldiers for military operations in the war-torn regions of the Middle East, a heated conflict within the scientific community has emerged. Battling over considerations of ethics, anthropologists are now fighting over the future of their discipline in the war zone.

Journalist Highlights Controversies Surrounding News Coverage of Iraq

Nathan Sermonis — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

As the bullets fly outside, people scream for help from the bombarded streets around a makeshift medical clinic in downtown Fallujah. Approaching the building with blood pumping from a hole in her neck, a girl fights her way through the chaos making a sickening gurgle noise with every breath. The city is getting torn to pieces by sniper fire and bombers streaking across the sky. And today was supposed to be a ceasefire.

Digging Below the Stereotypes of ROTC

Nathan Sermonis — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Many days you can see them walking around campus with uniforms on, books in hand, looking like they’re ready to march off to war, but are more likely just heading to the Ivy Room or Olin. They study the art of war, but also sit through the same boring lectures and pass out in as many uncomfortable chairs as the rest of us. Three afternoons a week, they fall in at Barton, but in the evenings they get lost in the crowds of Collegetown. They are the ROTC cadets of Cornell — soldiers of the future, students of today.

Tompkins Lures Young Professionals to Settle

Nathan Sermonis — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

While Ithaca may not at first glance seem like a bustling metropolis compared to the skylines of New York City or Los Angeles, for Upstate New York it is the pinnacle of excellence when it comes to the region’s dreaded “brain drain.”

As the young and educated throughout most of Upstate N.Y. jump ship looking for something different down south or out west, Tompkins County has actually gained many members of this demographic. In what has become known as Upstate N.Y.’s “brain drain,” many of the forward-thinking college graduates that are needed to get the region’s economy back on track are moving elsewhere.

So then what is so unique about Tompkins?

C.U. Lags Behind Peer Schools in Pell Grant Distribution

Nathan Sermonis — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

For a University founded on the principle of “any person, any study,” Cornell is greatly lacking in economic diversity, ranking among the most financially exclusive institutions in the country.

According to a recent report in Postsecondary Education Opportunity, a monthly newsletter focusing on issues of education and accessibility, enrollment of Pell Grant recipients at Cornell has declined by over 25 percent since 2000 while the number of grant recipients across the country has increased by almost 40 percent.

Skorton Addresses University Trends in Global Initiatives

Nathan Sermonis — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Poverty, malnutrition, violence and despair — this is what much of the world faces on a daily basis from the jungles of Sub-Saharan Africa to the rugged mountains of Afghanistan despite dedicated relief efforts by organizations like the United Nations and the World Bank. However, there may be hope for these regions, according to President Skorton, with a little help from Cornell.

At a time when over 2 billion people live on less than $2 a day, according to the World Bank, new players must come up with a new plan to address issues of global inequality, said Skorton in a public address last night on global capacity building. The new players, he said, should be American universities and the new plan, the Global University Initiative.

Unique Dynamic Gives Obama Upper Hand in Tompkins

Nathan Sermonis — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Ithaca’s “ten square miles surrounded by reality” seemed to encompass the whole of Tompkins County last Tuesday when Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) soundly defeated Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) in the county’s Democratic primary. But the question remains: how?

Despite losses in every other county throughout the state, Obama finished with a nearly 17-point lead over home-stater Clinton last week in Tompkins. Across the rest of New York, Clinton received 57 percent of the Democratic vote, while Obama was awarded only 40 percent.

C.U. Research Works To End Bioterrorism

Nathan Sermonis — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

While U.S. troops battle terrorism abroad in Iraq and Afghanistan, scientists at the Weill-Cornell Medical College are doing their part a little closer to home — strengthening America's defense against threats of bioterror.

Since the anthrax attacks of 2001, a fear of bioterrorism has heightened the need for research on treatment options to prevent potential catastrophes. With new developments at Weill-Cornell, however, two potentially deadly viruses — Hendra and Nipah — may no longer pose a danger to national security.

The two viruses were discovered in the ’90s when outbreaks killed over 100 people in Australia and Asia, primarily due to transmission from close contact with infected animals, according to the World Health Organization.

CU Stem Cell Research Gets $2 Million From NY State

Nathan Sermonis — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

In an effort to expand stem cell research programs across the state, Gov. Eliot Spitzer's Empire State Stem Cell Board recently awarded $14.5 million worth of research grants to 25 New York based institutions, including nearly $2 million, for Cornell's Ithaca campus and the Weill-Cornell Medical College in New York City.

According to Dr. Shahin Rafii, director of Weill’s Ansary Stem Cell Center for Regenerative Medicine, these awards are a promising step in the right direction, providing much needed funds to a highly underfinanced field.

Cornell Debate Focuses on Candidate Positions

Nathan Sermonis — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

With the 2008 election season drawing near, members of Democrat, Republican and Libertarian campus organizations addressed Cornellians from the political podium last night in a debate sponsored by The Sun. Each party presented platforms and opinions on a number of issues from national security to minorities in politics.

Fielding questions from Sun organizers and audience members, the club representatives presented views on important subjects facing the country from the perspectives of presidential candidates running in the primaries and their respective parties.

Skorton Looks to China For Academic Partnership

Nathan Sermonis — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

After spending nearly two weeks in East Asia promoting University aspirations and higher education abroad, President David Skorton and an eight-member Cornell delegation recently returned to Ithaca, ending a tour that included China, South Korea and Japan.

Welcomed to the region by government and university leaders, the delegation discussed ideas for future cooperative efforts between Cornell and the region’s academic communities including possibilities for creating and expanding programs in the performing arts, history, government and engineering, according to Prof. David Wippman, law, vice provost of international affairs and a member of the delegation.

U.A. Committee Passes Revised Code of Conduct

Nathan Sermonis — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

After unanimously approving a revised version of the Campus Code of Conduct last night, the University Assembly’s Codes and Judicial Committee plans to pass on the proposal to the full U.A. for review next week.

At the request of President David Skorton last May, the CJC began a revision process to refine the Code to address concerns raised by the Cornell community over the past year. In September, the CJC presented the resulting draft, inviting students, staff and faculty to make comments and suggestions to the proposed Code.

Gannett: No Need For Outcry Over ‘Super Bug’

Nathan Sermonis — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

A recent series of deadly methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infections — the “super bug” — have driven the nation into a panic, but some health officials are saying this widespread fear is a severe overreaction.

“It’s not a threat to the average person. It can cause minor to serious cases only under specific circumstances,” said Claire Pospisil, spokesperson for the New York State Department of Health.

Racism Drives Local Debate

Nathan Sermonis — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Correction appended. See below.

Amid a storm of publicity and unfaltering community protest against a recent challenge to human rights by the Ithaca City School District, the ICSD Board of Education voted unanimously last night to allow investigation into a racially charged case that happened two years ago.

Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo ’08, co-president of Black Students United, celebrated the decision as a long-awaited victory after a difficult battle to convince the Board to allow the New York State Division of Human Rights (NYSDHR) to investigate the issue.

“I’m so excited … I think we really, really got to them,” she said.

Cornellians Design Unmanned Vehicle to Identify Landmines

Nathan Sermonis — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Correction appended. See below.

Recognizing the deadly humanitarian crisis posed by landmines throughout the world — indiscriminately killing upwards of 20,000 people every year, according to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) — Cornell engineering students are developing a new machine to aid in mine removal projects around the globe.

Starting last fall, a team of students in the College of Engineering began designing an autonomous robotic vehicle — the Cornell Minesweeper — that can detect and mark underground landmines.

‘Healthy’ Food, Unhealthy Choices?

Nathan Sermonis — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

New research by Cornell’s Prof. Brian Wansink, director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, shows that dining at “healthy” fast food restaurants may not be as beneficial as advertised, often leading to poor eating habits.

Despite a growing health conscience in America, two-thirds of the national population is considered overweight according the National Center for Health Statistics. Wansink’s research may help to explain one of the reasons behind this perplexing paradox.

City Blocks New C-Town Construction Projects

Nathan Sermonis — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

After heated debate last night at City Hall, the Ithaca Common Council passed a motion to impose a 12-month moratorium in Collegetown — putting a halt on development proposals and proceedings in the community.

By a vote of 7-3, the Council resolved to suspend approval of new development proposals in Collegetown. This suspension aims to provide urban planners ample time to create a coherent design plan for the community without disruption from new projects.

City Ofﬁcials Discuss C-Town Moratorium

Nathan Sermonis — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400

New development in Collegetown may come to a halt for the next year as City officials discuss a proposed moratorium for the area.

After a unanimous decision by the City’s Planning and Economic Development Committee last week to pass the moratorium, Common Council members are preparing to make the final vote.

If passed, the measure would mean no new proposals for development in Collegetown would be accepted for a period of 12 months. Exceptions, however, would be made for minor alterations of existing buildings within the affected area and for owners able to prove financial hardship as a result of the moratorium.

Equal Rights Amendment Re-Introduced in Congress

Nathan Sermonis — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400

After more than twenty years since its last stand in Congress, the Equal Rights Amendment – the constitutional guarantee for equal treatment of women – is back on Washington’s agenda.

This spring, Democrats in both the House and the Senate reintroduced the measure as the Women’s Equality Amendment, a new name for an old idea. Empowered by the Democratic sweep of Congress during the 2006 elections, the new majority plans to hold a vote on the issue by the end of the session.

“I think this is something that should be key to the Democratic agenda,” said Dr. Francine Moccio, director of Cornell’s Institute for Women and Work.

Cayuga Lake Cooling Project Criticized

Nathan Sermonis — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400

While this summer marked the seventh operating year for Cornell’s lake source cooling facility on Cayuga Lake, the anniversary has not marked a lucky break in resolving worries over lake health and the controversial cooling plant.

Concerned community activists in Ithaca have been keeping a close eye on the project since its approval in 1998. Many activists view the facility as a threat to the lake’s delicate ecosystem. This year has been no different despite recent talks between Cornell’s utilities department and Tompkins County’s Water Resources Council that focused on improving water quality monitoring at the plant.