Recent Contributions from Julie Geng

Good Luck on Finals!

Julie Geng — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 12:13:53 -0500

As Cornellians finish up their final classes for the semester, The Sun also ceases publishing its print edition. Never fear, though, we will continue to provide breaking news, blogs, and various other updates throughout the coming weeks. So keep checking back with us! We will resume publication in January before classes start.

Good luck to all students on finals and enjoy your break!

Student Assembly Fully Funds Class Councils

Julie Geng — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

The Student Assembly yesterday voted to give the Class Councils $14.50 per student as part of the byline funding process after the Appropriations Committee recommended an allocation of $10.50.

“I was thrilled at the decision,” said Vince Hartman ’08, president of the 2008 Class Council. “I didn’t expect it to occur. … I was very appreciative of the people who recognized the importance of Class Council programming.”

Operating under an interpretation of the S.A. charter that has recently come under attack, the S.A. voted to disapprove the Appropriation Committee’s recommendation of $10.50 with 14 yes votes and 6 abstentions.

S.A. Funding Policy Challenged by Alums

Julie Geng — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

The executive committee of the Student Assembly has made several “clarifications” to appropriations funding decisions this semester, which some of the people who wrote the rules feel were unauthorized.

As a result of some recent decisions made by the appropriations committee of the S.A., the class councils may be reduced to holding as little as one event a year.

The committee has spent the past few weeks deliberating on byline funding for student organizations, and is set to present those results today at the general S.A. meeting.

“The Class Councils are under siege by the S.A.,” said Vince Hartman ’08, president of the 2008 Class Council. “This is a power struggle.”

Halloween's Time for a Little Fun

Julie Geng — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 02:45:29 -0400

Your first glance at today's CornellSun.com might have been a bit shocking, to say the least. Who donated $40 million? Why didn't Jonny O's win the "Wildest Bar in America" award? This is just plain ludicrous! Well, before you complain to your congressman, we at The Sun actually just want to wish you a Happy Halloween! The articles you saw previously are a part of our semi-annual joke issue--the other one is printed on April 1st--and we're sorry to tell you that nothing you read is true, unfortunately. As much as we'd love to buy the motivational tapes Jim Knowles is purported to be selling, they don't exist.

But we're certainly glad you've found the real part of the site, with stories you can reliably believe, if you so choose. Have fun trick-or-treating!

Colbert Brings Satire, T-Shirt Gun to Barton Hall

Julie Geng — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

The embodiment of pure truthiness, standing in at 5’11” and 180 pounds, Stephen Colbert entertained over 5,000 Cornellians and Ithacans in two consecutive shows at Barton Hall last Friday. The comedian, a self-proclaimed whiz of sharp-edge satire and intellectual wordplay, is the star of the Comedy Central show The Colbert Report and is a regular contributor to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

“Who thinks I’m news? I’m not news. I make shit up all the time,” Colbert said, in reference to college-age students getting more news from his show than genuine news reports. “I have no journalistic integrity! I give just enough information to get my joke across!”

Summer Blogging at The Sun

Julie Geng — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 11:00:55 -0400

From the Editor

During the summertime, The Sun usually puts up a simple message at the top of our website, indicating that we’ll have a largely static front page online over the next three months. Most other college newspapers do the same, as staff writers and editors end up scattering to all corners of the world. This summer, however, we want to provide our readers with something new to read on our website regularly, and so we present an entirely new section: blogging.

Kristof Critiques Darfur Crisis

Julie Geng — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 02:30:25 -0400

Deckhead:

Pulitzer winner pushes prioritization

Article body:

Nearly 600 Cornellians attended yesterday’s lecture by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Nicholas Kristof in Kennedy’s Call Auditorium, on the topic of the Darfur genocide. Kristof, who is currently a New York Times columnist, received a standing ovation for his report on the dire situation in Sudan and his proposals for what can be done to change it. In 2006, Kristof won a second Pulitzer for his coverage of the genocide.

Table Tennis Knows No Borders

Julie Geng — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 01:36:22 -0400

Deckhead:

C.U. ping pong puts new spin on diversity

Article body:

Nothing brings people together like sports games do. So while our university continues to engage in heated discussions about whether program houses promote diversity, members of Cornell’s table tennis club already know they are a sterling example of the cultural richness of our campus.

Convocation Comm. Reveals Problems Selecting Speaker

Julie Geng — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:38:41 -0400

Article body:

It may come as no surprise that this year’s process for selecting the Convocation speaker, CNN correspondent Soledad O’Brien, did not go well. According to members of the Convocation Committee, however, it was Cornell’s administration that did not meet expectations when it came to finding a speaker.

CNN Story Sparks Debate

Julie Geng — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 01:38:41 -0400

Deckhead:

Clip said program houses were ‘self-segregating’

Article body:

Cornell was recently featured in a CNN news clip titled “Divided We Stand: Self-Segregation” on a program hosted by Paula Zahn, sandwiched between clips on high school students in cafeterias and an affluent neighborhood in a suburb of Atlanta, Ga. The video prompted Lindsay Bober ’09, a resident advisor in Clara Dickson Hall, to hold a discussion on the topic of program houses and CNN’s portrayal of the University in its video clip. A dozen students and staff attended the forum last night.

Chinese Envoy Speaks to C.U.

Julie Geng — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 02:09:08 -0400

Deckhead:

News Analysis: Ambassador's Cornell visit to bring more opportunities

Article body:

Yesterday marked a milestone in Cornell-China relations, as the highest-ranking Chinese diplomat in the United States, Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong, visited campus to deliver a lecture and to meet with President David J. Skorton and faculty members.

Proposed New Layout for the site

Julie Geng — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 03:56:27 -0500

I designed this website layout over winter break and am now opening up anyone to comment on it. I am looking for feedback on every aspect of it, including locations of text, pictures, the color scheme, fonts; anything and everything. Please feel free to comment here.

Thanks.

New Layout for Website

New Layout for Website

Julie Geng — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 03:50:47 -0500

Son Draws Knife on Father at C.U.

Julie Geng — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 01:51:51 -0500

Article body:

Benjamin H. Brancato, 20, was charged with two Class A misdemeanors after he allegedly drew a knife and pursued his father, Vito M. Brancato, on their way to an event in Robert Purcell Community Center yesterday at around 5:50 p.m., according to Simeon Moss ’73, Cornell press relations office director. Passersby notified the police of the incident and Benjamin was taken into custody by Cornell Police.

Broken Water Pipe Floods Ho Plaza

Julie Geng — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Article body:

Cornellians walking down Ho Plaza late yesterday afternoon may have noticed that it was much more slippery than before; a water pipe that runs between Sage Chapel and the Cornell Store broke yesterday at around 4:15 p.m., flooding the Plaza until Cornell’s grounds crew turned off the valve at 5 p.m.

Skorton Meets Indian Pres., Prime Minister

Julie Geng — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 00:51:52 -0500

Article body:

Over the winter break, President David J. Skorton celebrated the new year by embarking on a weeklong exploratory trip to New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad starting Jan. 1. Highlights of the trip included meetings with Abdul Kalam, president of India, and Manmohan Singh, prime minister of India, specifically to explore possibilities for academic collaboration between Cornell and India. Other objectives of the trip included reinvigorating alumni involvement and enhancing Cornell’s visibility in the country.

News Brief: City Plans to Demolish Green St. Garage Friday

Julie Geng — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 01:11:27 -0500

Article body:

The City of Ithaca announced that the demolition of the Green Street Garage Bridge and helix is scheduled to begin on Friday. According to a press release, the contractor will begin demolition of the bridges on Friday evening and work continuously until the structures have been removed in order to minimize the inconvenience to the traveling public.

Streets as a Public Forum?

Julie Geng — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 02:32:22 -0500

Deckhead:

People Must Speak About Differences

Article body:

One might not expect a distinguished professor of law to come to Cornell to talk about the creation of sidewalks and parks all over the nation, but that’s just what Prof. Cass Sunstein, law, University of Chicago, did when he was invited to speak last night as the Inaugural Milton Konvitz Memorial Lecturer. President David Skorton introduced Sunstein to an audience of approximately 100 students and faculty in Ives Hall’s PepsiCo Auditorium.

Police Report

Julie Geng — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 02:00:38 -0500

Article body:

Unlawful Possession of Alcohol

Several individuals in Mews Hall were referred to the Judicial Administrator for an incident that occurred during the early morning hours of Nov. 3rd.

Grand Larceny

ROTC Helps Rebuild Homes

Julie Geng — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 00:06:12 -0400

Deckhead:

Number of student volunteers rises notably since 2002

Article body:

According to a report released last week by the Corporation for National and Community Service, more than 3.3 million college students engaged in volunteer activities in the year 2005, an increase of 20 percent from 2002.

S.A. Seeks Advice from Skorton

Julie Geng — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 01:13:54 -0400

Article body:

Among calls for greater interactions with students on multiple levels, the one oft-repeated question that President David J. Skorton could not and did not want to answer at yesterday’s Student Assembly meeting came from three individual representatives who asked the president of the University how the student government should be run. Kate Duch ’09 asked for what kind of role the S.A. should take on campus, while Calvin Selth ’07 asked what kind of purview the S.A. could oversee and Adam Gay ’08 asked for an elaboration on what kind of non-Cornell related issues the S.A. should discuss.

Students Object to Transfers Moving to Hasbrouck

Julie Geng — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 00:27:29 -0400

Deckhead:

Grads ﬁnd resident undergrads disruptive and noisy

Article body:

Hasbrouck apartments are about to take another hit, according to many of its current graduate residents. After approximately 30 undergraduates moved in this semester, it was announced earlier this week that the transfer student program would be moving to Hasbrouck for the 2007-2008 academic year. By next fall, of the 800 residents who live there, approximately one-third of them will be undergraduates.

Chinese Univ. Leader Educates Cornellians

Julie Geng — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 01:00:46 -0400

Article body:

Cornell University was recently the host to two leaders of major universities in order to expand the collaboration between Cornell and China: President Baocheng Ji of Renmin University, and Chancellor Jishun Zhang of East China Normal University (ECNU). The trips of both leaders were part of ongoing discussions to improve research on topics such as Cold War history and foreign policy studies.

Make haste

Julie Geng — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 00:23:13 -0400

Matt Hintsa / Sun Contributor

Anyone got a spare disco ball?

Julie Geng — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 23:30:06 -0400

Matt Hintsa / Sun Contributor

News Brief: Student Recovers from Whooping Cough

Julie Geng — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 01:51:08 -0400

Article body:

A Cornell student was recently diagnosed with whooping cough; the student was one of several people found to have the uncommon respiratory infection in Tompkins County.

The student has been treated and is doing well, according to health department officials. The individuals who were most at risk of infections were identified by the student and received treatment.

Culture May Solve N. Korean Issues

Julie Geng — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 02:03:00 -0400

Article body:

Without your lips, your teeth would rot away, or so says an old Chinese idiom. Today, the phrase refers to the symbiotic relations between China and North Korea, implying not only the closeness and mutual dependence of the two nations, but also the tendency for the teeth to regularly bite the lips, as Prof. Jian Chen, history, joked Saturday.

Faso vs. Spitzer

Julie Geng — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 03:24:51 -0400

Robert Barker / University Photography

Class of 2010 Profile

Julie Geng — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0400

Article body:

You might have noticed more than the average number of parental types wandering campus lately – but don’t be fooled. Although they’re unfamiliar with how to get around at Cornell, these parents are the proud mothers and fathers of the newest members of the Cornell family: the Class of 2010.

Meet the Class of 2010

Julie Geng — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 23:03:54 -0400

Deckhead:

The Sun profiles new students

Article body:

You might have noticed more than the average number of parental types wandering campus lately, but don’t be fooled.

Although they’re unfamiliar with how to get around the University, these parents are the proud mothers and fathers of the newest members of the Cornell family: The Class of 2010.

Class of 2010 Profile

Julie Geng — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 20:14:22 -0400

Article body:

C.U. Grapples With Alcohol Issues

Julie Geng — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 00:00:00 -0400

Article body:

It has been nearly a month since Matthew Pearlstone ’09 passed away at the University of Virginia, but Cornell is still struggling to move on without a student who was described by many as “brilliant,” “caring,” “easy-going” and “very approachable.” In the wake of this loss, even the University has taken their time to address alcoholism and alcohol poisoning.

Court Upholds Solomon

Julie Geng — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0500

Article body:

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled yesterday that colleges and universities that accept federal funding must allow military recruiters “equal access” on campus. The 8-0 ruling in the case of Rumsfeld vs. Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights (FAIR) overturned a 2004 appellate court decision in favor of FAIR, which had initially claimed that the Solomon Amendment, a piece of legislation passed in 1995 which states that law schools that ban military recruiting risk losing their federal funding, was “unconstitutional.” The amendment has since been reinterpreted and revised by Congress to mean that if such recruiting is barred, the entire university will lose its federal funding.

Chinese Consul General of NYC Visits Cornell

Julie Geng — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0500

Article body:

As part of a broader effort to improve its ties with the People’s Republic of China, the University welcomed Liu Biwei, Chinese consul general from New York City, to campus last week for a two-day visit. Liu delivered a speech, translated from Mandarin, to an audience of about 200 during his visit on the topic of U.S.-China relations, touching upon a range of issues including Taiwan, the trade deficit, intellectual copyright laws, and the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Chinese Consul Visits Cornell

Julie Geng — Tue, 21 Feb 2006 19:00:00 -0500

Article body:

Rawlings: China Trip 'Productive'

Julie Geng — Fri, 25 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0500

Article body:

Just as dawn broke on Sunday, Nov. 12th, Interim President Hunter R. Rawlings III boarded a plane headed west. Seven days later, after spending 30 hours on a plane and traveling 16,000 miles, Rawlings returned to Ithaca.

Rawlings Continues Asia Visit in Shanghai

Julie Geng — Fri, 18 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0500

Article body:

SHANGHAI — Spending less than 18 hours in Shanghai, Interim President Hunter R. Rawlings III met with the vice mayor, the chairman of the presidential committee of East China Normal University and the deputy secretary of the Shanghai Municipal committee.

Rawlings Finishes Voyage to Beijing

Julie Geng — Fri, 18 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0500

Article body:

BEIJING — Interim President Hunter R. Rawlings III spent his last day in Beijing competing in a friendly match of pingpong with Tsinghua University President Binglin Gu. Prof. Jian Chen, history, and Rawlings donned authentic Cornell baseball jerseys and challenged not only Gu but also Tsinghua's pingpong team coach and their champion player. While no official score was kept, according to Chen, Rawlings held an early lead during his two games with Gu but lost out to a late-game surge by Tsinghua’s president.

Bush, Rawlings Participate in Beijing Forum

Julie Geng — Thu, 17 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0500

Article body:

BEIJING — Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush joined Cornell University’s Interim President Hunter R. Rawlings III at the Beijing Forum opening ceremonies yesterday in a speech where the former expressed his “unabashed optimism” for the future of the Asia-Pacific region.

Rawlings Finalizes Asia Exchange Deal

Julie Geng — Wed, 16 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0500

Article body:

BEIJING — Interim President Hunter R. Rawlings III concluded his visit to Peking University yesterday afternoon after spending a day finalizing the China and Asia-Pacific Studies program with Peking University president Zhihong Xu. The Cornell delegation used the time to discuss U.S.-China relations with Peking University faculty in a symposium titled “Beyond ‘Strategic’: the Cultural-Educational Challenges Facing U.S.-China Relations.” Cornell’s Prof. Sherman Cochran, the Hu Shih professor of Chinese history, moderated the discussion, which included Prof. Chen Jian, history, and several Peking faculty members from their School of International Relations.

Rawlings Signs Pact in Beijing

Julie Geng — Tue, 15 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0500

Article body:

BEIJING — Interim President Hunter R. Rawlings III signed the China and Asia-Pacific major agreement at Peking University this morning in Beijing, finalizing a program that has taken over two years to plan. The CAPS major is Cornell’s newest undergraduate major which will give students intensive training in the Chinese language, as well as Chinese history, culture, and politics. Rawlings and Peking University president Zhihong Xu spent the day discussing the ramifications of the new major and its expected impact on U.S.-China relations.

Rawlings Signs Pact in Beijing

Julie Geng — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 19:00:00 -0500

Article body:

BEIJING - Interim President Hunter R. Rawlings III signed the China and Asia-Pacific major agreement at Peking University this morning in Beijing, finalizing a program that has taken over two years to plan. The CAPS major is Cornell's newest undergraduate major which will give students intensive training in the Chinese language, as well as Chinese history, culture, and politics. Rawlings and Peking University president Zhihong Xu spent the day discussing the ramifications of the new major and its expected impact on U.S.-China relations.

Censored Avant-Garde Art Visits C.U. From Beijing

Julie Geng — Wed, 02 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0500

Article body:

The Cornell University Library recently acquired one of the country’s most unique collections of Chinese modern art, titled “The Wen Pulin Archive of Chinese Avant-garde Art.” The collection is a video archive consisting of 400 tapes compiled by Wen Pulin, a documentary filmmaker.

Peking Univ. Dean Surveys China, U.S.

Julie Geng — Mon, 31 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0500

Article body:

Cornell welcomed Dean Wang Jisi, School of International Relations, Peking University, to campus last Friday in an event to help usher in the University’s newest major, China and East Pacific Studies. Wang was invited to speak on the topic “China’s Rise vs. America’s Supremacy: Conflict or Cooperation?” Speaking to a full house in Cornell auditorium in Goldwin Smith Hall, Wang addressed a variety of aspects in U.S.-China relations and detailed his “forecast.”

Panel Examines Campus Speech

Julie Geng — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0400

Article body:

As the latter part of a two-part series examining the freedom of speech on campus, nine panelists joined nearly a hundred Cornellians last night in a forum titled “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death.”

Panelists Hold Debate On Media Censorship

Julie Geng — Tue, 25 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0400

Article body:

Several hundred Cornellians joined eight panelists last night in an event specifically tailored to foster discussion on topics such as freedom of the press and freedom of speech. The event, titled “Censor This: A panel discussion on when, if ever, limits on the press are appropriate”, was sponsored by StudPubs, an umbrella organization consisting of all student publications at Cornell.

Cornell Acquires Historic Native American Exhibit

Julie Geng — Fri, 21 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0400

Article body:

The Cornell University Library opens a new exhibition today titled “Vanishing Worlds, Enduring People: Cornell Library's Native American Collection”. The exhibition features a selection from a collection of 40,000 books and materials documenting aspects of Native American art, languages, sociological data and major historical events.

Endowment Grows

Julie Geng — Mon, 17 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0400

Deckhead:

Per student, lags behind other Ivies

Article body:

Cornell University’s endowment increased to $3.75 billion as of August 2005, according to Laura Toy, interim vice president of alumni affairs and development, marking an increase from $3.2 billion last year. The increase adds approximately $30,000 to the rate of endowment per full-time student, which jumped from $165,054 for fiscal year 2003-2004.

S.A. Holds Elections For New C.U. Leaders

Julie Geng — Mon, 03 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0400

Article body:

Freshmen and transfer students will be able to vote for their representatives in the Student Assembly elections today in a voting process that takes place over the next 48 hours. The S.A. has set up online elections for four of its spots, three for freshmen representatives and one for transfer students. There are 12 candidates for the freshmen spots and four for the transfer student spots.

Cornell Students Travel to D.C. to Protest Iraq War

Julie Geng — Wed, 28 Sep 2005 00:00:00 -0400

Article body:

Nearly 160 Cornellians and Ithaca residents took a trip down to Washington, D.C. last Saturday to join hundreds of thousands of protesters demonstrating against the Iraq war. Some Cornell students did not return until yesterday after they were held in custody for demanding to see President George W. Bush.