Recent Contributions from Sarah Singer

Money Money Everywhere ... But Stock Slippage in China Incites Worry, Doubt

Sarah Singer — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 11:25:13 -0400

In a dramatic text message sent in June, China’s financial insiders likened the trends marring the Shanghai Stock Exchange to an earth-shattering natural disaster. “More than 100 million investors have been buried in the ruins of the stock market by the earthquake in China's capital markets,” the text message read. “Most of them are dying.”

In a country exuding yuan — or so it seems — from the banks of the Yangtze River, such a debacle might seem surprising, even out of character. Especially in the wake of this summer’s Olympics for which China spent a whopping $42 billion, making history as the biggest Olympics budget to-date. Greece’s $16 billion expenditure on the 2004 games, in comparison, left the country ridden in dept.

Intra-Country Culture Shock: A Journey to The Rural Countryside of China

Sarah Singer — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 23:29:32 -0400

Far from the fluorescent lights of Shanghai and the history-laden streets of Beijing lies a starkly different China — a China where bicycles are more prevalent than cars and where private family homes with adjoining small farms are more common than sky-high apartment buildings.

Watching the Olympic Flame As It Lights Up China

Sarah Singer — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:51:23 -0400

Like a waving silk ribbon, the crowd flowed up and down, up and down with a rhythm of passion and consistency. There were infants, parents, students, grandparents, workers, vagabonds, sports teams, security guards, corporate sponsors, ambassadors and too many other attendees to count or describe.

A Look Into China, A Glance Back Out

Sarah Singer — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 17:34:39 -0400

“Adversities only make our country stronger,” the leadership of the All-China Students Federation told the Ivy League Student Delegation in a heartfelt recap of the devastation caused by the Wenchuan Earthquake – a natural disaster that has since left over 65,000 Chinese residents of the Sichuan Province dead, over 4.8 million homeless and over 23,000 missing.

Univ. Trustee Leads First-Ever Ivy League Student Delegation to China

Sarah Singer — Wed, 28 May 2008 20:05:52 -0400

The air was damp and the view clouded by smog, but at about 10:30 p.m. on May 27, 25 students from eight U.S. colleges and universities entered the Capital Hotel in the central city of Beijing, the capital of China. After travelling for 13 hours before landing at the ultra-sustainable Beijing Airport, the students, part of the first-ever Ivy League Student Delegation, enthusiastically began their 10-day excursion through Mainland China.

Provost Biddy Martin Accepts U.W.-Madison Chancellor Post

Sarah Singer — Wed, 28 May 2008 14:26:45 -0400

Cornell University students, faculty and staff may be surprised to hear the latest news about long-time University Provost Carolyn “Biddy” Martin: as of this morning, she has accepted the position of University of Wisconsin-Madison chancellor.

The decision is pending Board of Regents approval, according to The Capital Times, a Madison newspaper. She is expected to be approved at the Board of Regents’ meeting on June 5-6 at U.W.-Milwaukee.

Cornell Community Mourns Victims of Earthquake in China

Sarah Singer — Thu, 22 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

On May 16, members of the Cornell community including President David Skorton gathered in Sage Chapel for an evening of remembrance honoring those who died in China after a powerful earthquake occurred in the Sichuan province. The 7.9-magnitude earthquake that took place on May 12 has since left 51,000 people dead, nearly 300,000 injured and over 29,000 missing. According to the Associated Press, the disaster also left 5 million people homeless and destroyed more than 80 percent of the buildings in some remote towns and villages.

From Us to You

Sarah Singer — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 02:11:21 -0400

Just look in the upper-left corner of The New York Times to find one of the most hackneyed expressions of journalism: “All The News That’s Fit to Print.”

This new addition to The Sun’s online-only content, however, hopes to solve the ever-present dilemma of print journalism: that all news is not fit to print. Our print edition — full of articles, columns, photographs, graphics and reviews — tells only part of each story. It offers the end product of researching, interviewing, writing and all-around intrepid reporting that our reporters complete on a day-to-day basis. The Sun staff, which includes a whopping 200 dedicated (semi-insane) members of the Cornell community, is an inspired lot whose work cannot be conveyed in its entirety in 20, to 24, to 28 to even 32 pages.

Mike Huckabee Emphasizes Personal Moral Responsibility

Sarah Singer — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Location: Hucktown. Population: 1,000. Crime: none. Drugs: None. Domestic violence: none. Government: the moral compass. Seem “mythical”? It is. But, according to Mike Huckabee, it is not too far fetched. In his speech in Bailey Hall yesterday, Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, painted a picture of Hucktown to offer the audience a glance of what life could be in a world where institutional government is second to the internal moral rule of a given populous.

Syphilis Spreads in Tompkins County

Sarah Singer — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

After months of investigation, Gannett Health Services and the Tompkins County Health Department have confirmed a sharp increase in the number of individuals in Tompkins County who are infected with syphilis, a highly contagious yet treatable sexually transmitted disease. If left untreated, however, syphilis can lead to serious health complications or death.

Sen. Obama's Speech on Race Triggers Debate on Campus

Sarah Singer — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

On March 18, presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) gave the American people a tour of their country. It was a tour that began with the signing of the Constitution in 1787, and ended with a vision for the future of a nation — a nation that is ever-changing but ever-present, a home to over 300 million men, women and children from eclectic national, cultural and religious backgrounds.

In a brief 37 minutes, Obama outlined a number of challenging yet interrelated topics that have become defining aspects of American history since the country’s founding: equality, race and religion.

Skorton Leads Talk on Ethics of Bio Research

Sarah Singer — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

When 399 illiterate African American sharecroppers degenerated before the eyes of medical researchers between 1932 and 1972 during the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, the American public was awakened to the controversial relationship between ethics and science. While the U.S. Public Health Service failed to provide the subjects with adequate medical care as they suffered from tertiary syphilis, the experiment, which was described in The New York Times as an “infamous chapter in the annals of American medical research,” spurred the American populous to ask complex questions highlighting bioethical dilemmas that define science research today: To what extent should scientific research adhere to a moral code?

C.U. Republicans Call for New Gun Policy

Sarah Singer — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

In the wake of last week’s tragedy at Northern Illinois University and last April’s massacre at Virginia Tech, the seemingly endless series of school shootings has incited debate over the safety of college communities across the country.

Yesterday, the Cornell College Republicans placed about 20 signs on the Arts Quad that publicized their stance on the increasingly polarizing issue of the concealed carry of weapons. They have joined the approximately 12,000 students nationwide who are part of a grassroots effort that is advocating for concealed weapons license holders to be able to carry their weapons on campuses.

Candidates Tap National Youth Vote

Sarah Singer — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Generation Y: the Echo Boomers, the Millennial Generation, the children of the Baby Boomers. Whatever the title, the youth of today, formerly labeled apathetic, unreachable teens antithetical to their activist parents who drove the cultural and political revolutions of the Vietnam War era, are hot commodities for an unexpected demographic: the 2008 presidential hopefuls.

As the primary season is heating up, the Millennials are making history. Forty-four million Americans aged 18 to 29, representing approximately a quarter of the nation’s electorate, will be eligible to vote in 2008 according to an article by youth voting expert Heather Smith. Consequently, gaining the youth vote has become a defining feature of both Democratic and Republican candidates’ campaigns.

Structural Deficiencies Cause Big Red Barn’s Closure

Sarah Singer — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Due to severe structural deficiencies, the Big Red Barn, a historic landmark that has been on campus since the 1870s, temporarily closed on Dec. 3 to undergo evaluation and repair, according to its website. Originally a carriage house to the Cornell president’s home, and currently a campus dining facility and graduate and professional student center, the BRB’s closure incited a strong reaction from Cornell’s graduate student community.

Big Red Barn to 'Remain Closed Indefinitely'

Sarah Singer — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 18:24:22 -0500

Due to severe structural deficiencies, the Big Red Barn, a historic landmark that has been on campus since the 1870s, will “remain closed indefinitely” while undergoing evaluation and repair, according to its website. Originally a carriage house to the Cornell president’s home and currently a campus dining facility and graduate and professional student center, the BRB’s closure at 2 p.m. on Dec. 3 incited a strong reaction from Cornell’s graduate student community.

Trustee Asks University to Assist Uninsured

Sarah Singer — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

After the University announced its plan to invest $20 million in the Ithaca and Tompkins County communities last month, part of which will be allocated to local healthcare initiatives, student-elected Trustee Mao Ye grad hoped that such attention will also be given to uninsured individuals within the Cornell community.

“Cornell has invested money in Ithaca so that low-cost healthcare can be available to local residents,” he said, noting that many graduate students opt to use local recourses rather than those provided by the University.

Greeks Elect Exec. Boards

Sarah Singer — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

November’s slew of elections has not not only involved local politicians but also Cornell’s Interfraternity Council and Multicultural Greek Letter Council, which underwent a change in administrative leadership. The IFC and MGLC, two umbrella organizations that oversee more than fifty campus fraternities and sororities combined, recently elected the members of their 2008 executive boards.

“The new board is full of highly motivated leaders with big goals that they will accomplish as a team,” said Lance Polivy ’08, outgoing IFC executive vice president.

“The MGLC coordinates much of the activism on campus relating to minority groups,” said Diane Wu ’08, outgoing president of MGLC.

Grad Students Lobby C.U. to Win Health Insurance for Dependents

Sarah Singer — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

With approximately 7,800 students enrolled in graduate programs and professional schools at Cornell, the cost of the University’s health insurance plan can pose serious problems to not only students, but their families as well.

According to student-elected trustee Mao Ye, there are at least 1,200 dependents of students at Cornell; a dependent is a lawful spouse or same-sex partner of an enrolled Cornell student, or any unmarried child under the age of 19 who is not self-supporting and who resides with, or is court-ordered to receive insurance by, the enrolled Cornell student.

Cornell Changes Design for Milstein Hall

Sarah Singer — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 17:52:56 -0400

Months of negotiations between Cornell University and the City of Ithaca’s Board of Public Works regarding the impending construction of Milstein Hall may have come to an end this Wednesday when Cornell announced a new design for Milstein Hall, one that would not involve construction on both sides University Avenue.

The new plans, similar to the previous ones, include a structure that crosses University Avenue. However, as the building was formerly supported by columns on the opposite side of the street, it now is supported by a cantilever, a structural beam which supports the building from one side.

C.U. Relocates 4th and 5th-Year Architecture Students

Sarah Singer — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400

About two weeks before the semester started, Cornell’s unsuspecting architecture students received an e-mail that outlined a series of changes, which, for many fourth and fifth-year students, would set a new tone to their final semesters in Ithaca.

They were informed that the architecture department had signed a lease on July 15 for a building at 531 Esty St. in downtown Ithaca, approximately two miles from the Cornell campus, which would house the two studios for fourth and fifth-year students.

Stephen Colbert Tickets Sell Out, CUPB Offers Second Show

Sarah Singer — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Stephen Colbert, political comedian and host of Comedy Central’s “Colbert Report,” sold out his show scheduled for 7 p.m. on Oct. 26 in Barton Hall, according to the Cornell University Program Board. Tickets were available at 9 a.m. yesterday morning to Cornell students, and 3,000 tickets sold by 9:15 that morning. To accommodate his fans, Colbert has agreed to give a second show at 9 p.m. Tickets for the second show will go on sale Sept. 17 at 9 a.m. They will be available to Cornell students and the general public at the same time. One person can buy four tickets, however, freshmen and transfers may purchase eight in order to accommodate families who are visiting for first-year family weekend.

Wheels on the Bus Roll to Wegmans and Walmart

Sarah Singer — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Expansion Takes Cornell Far Beyond Cayuga's Waters

Sarah Singer — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0400

CUPD Assesses Campus Safety

Sarah Singer — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:47:46 -0400

Deckhead:

Cornell responds to recent tragedy at Virginia Tech

Article body:

Yesterday, several university officials hosted a media call-in where they discussed safety and security on the Cornell campus in the aftermath of Monday’s shooting at Virginia Polytechnical Institute. The participants were Curt Ostrander, chief of Cornell University Police, Greg Eells, director of counseling and psychological services for Gannett, Tim Marchall, director of mental health initiatives for Gannett and Tommy Bruce, vice president of University communications.

HumEc Dean to Leave Univ.

Sarah Singer — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 01:20:43 -0400

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Lisa Staiano-Coico Ph.d ’81, dean of Cornell’s College of Human Ecology, announced that she has accepted the position of provost of Temple University in Philadelphia, where she will begin working on July 1. She has served as the Rebecca Q. and James C. Morgan Dean of the College of Human Ecology since July 2004.

S.A. Pushes for Free HIV Testing

Sarah Singer — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 01:32:31 -0500

Deckhead:

News Brief

Article body:

On Feb. 22, the Student Assembly convened and unanimously passed Resolution 29, officially marking the start of a series of actions aimed at bringing free HIV testing back to the Cornell campus. Until the fall of 2005, Gannet had offered the test for free, but because of cuts in state funding, it has since added a testing charge of $25.

Skorton Commits C.U. To Climate Neutrality

Sarah Singer — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 01:36:51 -0500

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President David Skorton made a commitment yesterday to sign the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment agreement, adding Cornell to the list of 79 educational institutions across the country who “recognize the need to reduce the global emission of greenhouse gases by 80 percent by mid-century at the latest.”

Police Report

Sarah Singer — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 02:02:05 -0500

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Criminal Mischief

On Feb. 12 at approximately 10:45 a.m., a student reported that the BMW emblem was torn off the front of their parked vehicle in the Hasbrouck Apartments Parking Lot by an unknown individual(s). Its value was $25.

Law Schools Change Focus

Sarah Singer — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 01:39:05 -0500

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With the exponential rate of technological innovation either directly or indirectly infiltrating all aspects of civil society, one must question whether the proverb “the more things change, the more they stay the same” actually offers a timeless piece of commentary regarding the continual development human civilization.

Profs Elected to Elite Engineering Academy

Sarah Singer — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Deckhead:

News Brief

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Engineering professors Harold Craighead and Éva Tardos were recently elected to the National Academy of Engineering. The NAE offers one of the highest professional honors to engineering faculty members.

C.U. Commits to Alternative Fuel

Sarah Singer — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 01:14:09 -0500

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As the term “organic” becomes increasingly prevalent in everyday vocabulary, and the phrases “greenhouse gas” and “El Niño” are thrown around as much at family dinner tables as they are in the offices of high ranking government officials, sustainable living and environmental awareness have recently been sources of political debate and corporate analysis.

Global Warming May Affect Local Economy

Sarah Singer — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 02:49:34 -0500

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When the renowned French Romantic Victor Hugo said, “Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart,” it is doubtful that his metaphorical seasons referred even loosely to the weather patterns of 19th century Europe. However, after a December in which the typical snow-filled Northeastern winter was replaced with temperatures lingering in the 60s and 70s, Hugo’s “eternal spring” assumes new meaning.

Graduate School Heightens Stress

Sarah Singer — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 00:46:55 -0500

Deckhead:

C.U. Treats Mental Health

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“I think a lot of my friends have been depressed. They feel used and sometimes have no motivation. I have personally had a really hard time in graduate school. Sometimes I feel like it is a war between me and Cornell, and I refuse to lose. I don’t think Cornell is helpful in treating or diagnosing it. It is the grad school community that helps gets us through the tough times,” said a graduate student studying science at Cornell.

Chinese Architect Shows Daring, Creative Work

Sarah Singer — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 01:59:22 -0500

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Just because he designed Beijing’s 2008 National Olympic Stadium — along with the Swiss-based architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron — doesn’t mean he will actually ever visit it. “I look at the stadium as a project, not as a national stadium. It takes the same passion for me to build a stadium as it does a toilet facility,” said Ai Weiwei of Beijing, China, a man who possesses not only an overwhelming artistic prowess and architectural ingenuity, but also a striking sense of individuality that pushes him to straddle the fine line between artistic freedom and stringent Chinese law. He has yet to visit the construction site, and said: “I have no interest in national activities, and I don’t see myself as working for the government.”

Guggenheim Architect Speaks

Sarah Singer — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 02:10:02 -0500

Deckhead:

Edgar Tafel, Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice, comes to C.U.

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It was not only his clever comments, quick wit and personal insight that provided approximately 150 lecture attendees with a clear picture of the life of Edgar Tafel, the former first assistant of Frank Lloyd Wright, one of America’s most prominent architects. It was a slide presentation, which featured an amalgam of black-and-white personal photographs as well as original architectural sketches and floor plans, that gave the audience a first-hand look at some of the most esteemed buildings in the United States, including Manhattan’s Guggenheim Museum, The Johnson Wax Building in Wisconsin, and the avant-garde Fallingwater residence in Pennsylvania.

Prof Suggests Ways to Be ‘Model of Diversity’

Sarah Singer — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 00:59:47 -0400

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“Who here knows everything?” asked Dr. Jenice L. View of George Mason University to a crowd of approximately 100 Cornell students, faculty and administrative members yesterday in Martha Van Rensselaer. “We thought rocket scientists knew everything, until a few months ago when Pluto was demoted from its planetary status, and now we have eight planets. How are we going to teach our kids to remember the order of the planets?” she continued. “By telling them ‘Many Very Educated Men Seem Uneducated Now.’”

Collegetown’s Kinney Drugs Closes; Residents Concerned

Sarah Singer — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 00:30:17 -0400

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An amalgam of distress and nostalgia overwhelmed both Cornell students and Ithaca residents when long-time Collegetown pharmacy and drug store, Kinney Drugs, announced its sudden closure last week.

“Kinney Drugs provided students living in Collegetown with a major convenience,” said Mary Tomlan, a former part-time employee of Kinney and member of the Ithaca Common Council. “I am very concerned about the loss. Collegetown should be able to serve commercially all people who live there.”

Ithaca Recognized for Locally Grown Food

Sarah Singer — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 00:35:01 -0400

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As New York Magazine’s “Insatiable Food Critic” Gael Greene cleverly asserts: “Great food is like great sex, the more you have, the more you want.” Evidently, Greene has never been to Ithaca, or else she would be suffering from chronic exhaustion.

Ithacans Meditate, Whirl at Zen Center

Sarah Singer — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 01:13:22 -0400

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Just when you thought that the hundreds of pages of reading, weekly chemistry lab reports, lengthy econ problem sets and dreaded history oral presentations were too much for your brain (which is slowly returning from summer vacation) to handle, stop feeling sorry for yourself, because compared to some Ithaca residents, your intellectual to-do list is as mundane as the mid-day talk shows on National Public Radio.

Radio Tries to Appeal To Students, Residents

Sarah Singer — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 22:57:16 -0400

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For many Cornell students, it’s the smell of fresh-brewed coffee that gets them out of bed on a lazy Saturday morning. For others, it’s the buzz of early morning cartoons. But for some, it’s the soothing sounds of modern jazz, the heart-rate rising beats of 80’s punk rock the tripped-out instrumental combinations of 60’s psychedelic tunes, or the raw and rare melodies of local folk-rock bands crowding the airways of Ithaca’s own 93.5 WVBR radio station that motivate them to get up, get out and get going.

Committee Reorganizes Welcome Weekend 2006

Sarah Singer — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 17:00:00 -0400

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Whether it’s the smell of Fantastic and Lysol, the feel of unmarred notebook pages or the sight of thousands of freshmen wandering the campus in stampede-size groups, the start of the school year means something different for everyone. To the members of the Cornell’s student-run Welcome Weekend Committee, however, it means tradition. Under the leadership of Stephen Flug ’08 and Lisa Zhang ’08, the committee has not only re-organized many of the highly successful past events like Clubfest and the Ho Plaza Street Fair but has embellished this year’s agenda by adding brand new activities such as C.U. on the Slope, a concert that features three student bands, and Lunch on the Quad, a university-wide picnic.