CURRENT ISSUE | SUBSCRIBE | ADVERTISE | WRITE TO US | CORNELL AUTHORS | PAST ISSUES

Into the Woods

STUDENTS OPPOSE PARKING PLAN

YOUR NEWS ITEM “A LOT OF CONTROVERSY” indicated that the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission would play a pivotal role in deciding the fate of Redbud Woods (From the Hill, January/February 2004). On December 18, the ILPC voted 4-1 against the proposed University Avenue lot because it would irrevocably harm this unique space designed by Warren Manning for the Treman family. This decision gives Cornell another chance to rethink the situation. It is not too late for an open dialogue about alternatives.

Garrett Meigs ’04
Millerton, New York

THE OUTCRY AGAINST THE PARKING lot has been strong enough to garner a letter with the signatures of forty-six faculty members, student/community petitions with more than 750 signatures, a Student Assembly resolution, a Tompkins County Environmental Management Council resolution, and the formation of a coalition of cooperative houses, student organizations, fraternities, sororities, and community neighborhood associations that oppose the plan. The fact that the plan has instigated such immediate and widespread student and community outcry certainly demonstrates the value of Redbud Woods to the campus and the town. If President Lehman truly wants to foster good will between Cornell and the Ithaca community, he should start by doing what few administrators in Cornell’s history have done: listen.

Aubryn Sidle ’04
Ithaca, New York

LEST ANYONE THINK THAT THE STUDENTS and community members who oppose the proposed parking lot are an exclusively negative bunch, I encourage readers to consider alternative sites that would not eliminate green space. The current parking lot at Stewart Avenue and Williams Street could be converted into an unobtrusive garage. Even more promisingly, the university could take advantage of the slope on which West Campus is situated and build parking underneath the new residence halls.

We who oppose paving Redbud Woods are constructive critics.We applaud Cornell’s efforts to reduce demand for parking—but, at the same time, we remind the university that it has a ways to go. As a first step, Cornell should form a new Transportation Task Force to institutionalize tangible solutions.

Danny Pearlstein ’05
President, 660 Stewart Avenue Cooperative
New York, New York

Strong Language
IN YOUR EDITOR’S NOTE RESPONDING to Scott Abramson’s letter regarding the murder of my son, you defended the use of the word “militants” by saying it means “persons acting aggressively on behalf of a cause” (Correspondence, January/February 2004). “Aggressive” is when you yell at somebody. To savagely beat to death with your own hands two thirteen-yearold boys who were out hiking is not an aggressive act. It is a savage, cruel murder and to use the word “militant” means that the murder is in some sense justified because the terrorists were acting on account of their “cause.” Stoning two boys to death, brutally butchering them and painting the walls of the cave with their blood, does not seem like aggression on account of a cause. This is terrorism, murder, homicide. The use of the word “militant” legitimates this crime and needs to be corrected.

Sherri Mandell ’77
Tekoa, Israel

BY YOUR DEFINITION, A PROTESTER who merely pushes someone at a rally is a “militant,” as would be a rabid Cornell hockey fan who engages in a fistfight with a Harvard fan at a game. When is a terrorist not a terrorist? When the victims are Israelis. Cold-blooded Arab/Muslim murderers who kidnap, stone, and butcher innocent children like Koby Mandell, who pack bombs with nails, screws, and rat poison to kill and maim as many innocent civilians as they possibly can, are not “militants” —they are terrorists.

Lee Bender ’84
Ardmore, Pennsylvania

Bugged
THE FEATURE ON TOM EISNER brought back memories (“For the Love of Bugs,” November/December 2003). I used to help look after the insects (and their predators) in the entomology department in 1960–61. I particularly remember a colony of small, pale green cockroaches, an armadillo, and several tarantulas. I also remember absenting myself (probably illegally) from the dorm for a night to cut off the heads of hundreds of frozen ants.

Anne Meigs Ghent ’61
Abbotsford, Victoria, Australia

“FOR THE LOVE OF BUGS” MADE FASCINATING reading—but the cover was a contradiction. While I’m no expert, I thought I recognized a grasshopper with the words “A Bug’s Life” alongside. Bugs are but one order of the class Insecta, and the article was about a great professor’s work with all insects, not just bugs. Grasshoppers are not bugs; they are Orthoptera.

Cornell’s engineering faculty would have fits if an article that described fifty years of automobile technology were entitled “Pickups.” Automobiles are not all trucks, and insects are not all bugs.

Otis Curtis ’66, MS ’74
Brookings, South Dakota

Liberals vs. Conservatives
JAY FISHER ’90 CRITICIZES NOT ONLY the university’s efforts to have a diversified student body but also the lack of conservative faculty members (Correspondence, November/December 2003). He also laments the existence of “theme houses, ethnic studies, and other programs that lead to balkanization.”

As an undergraduate in Agriculture and Life Sciences, I was exposed to a wide range of political philosophies from professors in that college and the College of Arts and Sciences, where I also took courses. Fisher complains that the present faculty is too liberal. If this is true, could it be that faculty members have had the time and interest to listen to all sides of political questions and, in their wisdom, generally lean toward the liberal side?

With respect to “balkanization”: courses in ethnic studies not only enable individuals to learn more about their own heritages but enable students to qualify for governmental or commercial positions in international activities.While organizations such as fraternities and sororities, Hillel, and Protestant groups allow individuals with similar backgrounds and interests to strengthen their religious ties, many other clubs and groups allow for multicultural exchanges. As an undergraduate, I was a member of the Cornell Independent Association. I met and interacted with individuals of many backgrounds and majors. This opportunity to expand my knowledge of all peoples of this and other countries was as important to me in after-college life as the technical training I obtained at Cornell.

A. Louis Shor ’44, BS ’47, DVM ’53
Mt. Laurel, New Jersey

McKinney, Pro and Con
I FIND IT MOST OBJECTIONABLE THAT Cornell has seen fit to employ Cynthia McKinney on its faculty (From the Hill, November/December 2003). McKinney is the representative who wanted to take money offered by a Saudi prince to Mayor Rudy Giuliani after 9/11. Giuliani refused the offer because it came with the implication that New York City was rightly attacked because of America’s support of Israel. McKinney went on to run an ugly campaign in which she invoked anti-Semitism and then blamed her loss on “the Jews.”

I have been a contributor to Cornell, but will not contribute again until Mc- Kinney is removed from the faculty. Let’s see which Cornell considers more important —McKinney or alumni donations.

Leslie Feldman, PhD ’90
Hofstra University
Hempstead, New York

I HOPE THE FOUR LETTERS YOU PUBLISHED in November/December 2003 do not represent the typical alumni reaction to Cynthia McKinney’s appointment. The complaint is that McKinney should not have been named to the faculty because her opinions are “misguided.” Two of the letters specifically threatened the withholding of future donations if these sorts of appointments continue.

I do not recall a similar outpouring of anger after the recent article on Professor Thomas Gold, who claims (among other things) that petroleum is created deep within the earth by geothermal activities (“The Wrong Man,” September/October 2003). Gold’s thinking is completely misguided according to most experts. But if Gold receives funding, then why not McKinney?

When I was at Cornell, debates on questions such as “what did the administration know and when did they know it?” were encouraged, as long as conclusions did not get ahead of the facts. The university and its alumni have generally supported a diverse academic and political environment and been fairly tolerant of the often misguided arguments that inevitably result. However, there is still work to be done. I want my donated dollars used to assure diversity of people, ideas, opinions, and cultures, whether or not I fully agree with them. I trust there are other alumni who feel the same.

By the way, although I live in Georgia, that has little to do with my views. I do not live in the congressional district McKinney represented, nor am I a native of the South—I was raised in Lake Placid, New York, and educated in the North.

Ralph Blanchard ’67
Rutledge, Georgia

Fraternal Faux Pas
YOUR ARTICLE ABOUT FRATERNITY parties was well done—mostly (“Anatomy of a Frat Party,” November/December 2003). I strenuously object, though, to the use of the term “frat” as an abbreviation for “fraternity.” It is highly objectionable.

Thomas Trafzer ’48
El Dorado Hills, California

Ed. Note: Our apologies to Mr. Trafzer and any others who may have taken exception to our use of this abbreviation.

 

Call for Information
A COLLECTOR who specializes in sports memorabilia suggested these pins might be connected to Cornell’s football program. The cheerleaders and their suitcases are made of wood. The suitcases sport the V for Victory with the Morse code for V. The goal posts and football are plastic, with a fabric ribbon attached. They might have been produced for game souvenirs during World War II. Is anyone familiar with these or similar items?

Richard Hyman
dadhy@comcast.net
Seattle,Washington

Corrections
January/February 2004 THE “BIG FAT CULTURE FESTIVAL” pictured on page 71 was sponsored by Hillel and the Jewish Students Union and supported by a gift in honor of David Einhorn ’91 and Cheryl Strauss-Einhorn ’91.

“BIG GAME,” (PAGE 14) STATED THAT the Cornell volleyball team finished third in the Ivy League, behind Penn and Princeton; they actually tied Princeton for second.

Return to top of page