April 12th, 2022 Daily Headlines
Two weeks ago students at Cornell protested a debate hosted by the school’s chapter of the Federalist society. According to the Cornell Daily Sun, the debate was between Cornell law Professor Nelson Tebbe and Jordan Lorence, a senior Counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). The ADF has been classified an ant-LGBTQ+ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center due to its past support for the criminalization of homosexuality both in the U.S. and abroad. The group has also falsely linked homosexuality to pedophilia and supported foreign laws that would subject trans people to forced sterilization and gender assignment surgery. A separate “indirect protest” was held by OutLaw and Qgrads, two LGTBQ+ organizations on campus. The groups organized events celebrating Trans Day of visibility encouraging their members not to engage with the Federalist Society’s event.
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Cornell University has announced it will not require COVID-19 booster shots for the 2022-2023 academic year. According to the Cornell Daily Sun, the change was announced by school officials last Thursday. Cornell will continue to require full vaccination for students and employees. The school will also only require students who aren’t fully vaccinated to undergo testing once a week. The university previously required these students to be tested twice weekly. The school has moved its COVID alert level to green following a surge in cases in late March.
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The Lansing Village Board of Trustees has approved its budget for fiscal year 2022-2023. According to the Ithaca Times, the budget includes an over 44 percent increase in the village’s sewer fund with an overall budget increase of 22 percent. The village’s property tax rate will remain the same. The village is pursuing a sewer expansion project in conjunction with the Town of Lansing and the Cayuga Heights wastewater treatment plant.
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College students in New York will now be able to vote at polling places on campus. According to Spectrum News, the proposal is meant to increase youth participation in elections. Young people have consistently had the lowest turnout of all age groups. The measure was approved as a part of New York state’s new budget for fiscal year 2022-2023.