Softball Earns Three League Wins

By | April 10, 2006

After dropping a disappointing doubleheader to St. Bonaventure last week, the softball team righted the ship at home this weekend. Opening its Ivy League schedule at home, the Red (17-16, 3-1 Ivy) split a double-header with Dartmouth (9-16, 2-2) before sweeping Harvard (11-14, 0-2).

“It feels great. We did a great job this weekend, and played real well. It was very good softball all around,” said sophomore pitcher Jenn Meunier.

The Red started the weekend off on the right foot, scratching out a 3-2 win in Game 1 over Dartmouth in nine innings. Sophomore Jenna Campagnolo came through in the clutch, nailing an RBI single to seal the victory.

Meunier pitched a gem, allowing just three hits and striking out nine while going the distance for the victory. Both runs allowed were earned.

In a tightly played game, Cornell drew first blood in the bottom of the third when sophomore Ashley Wolf batted in junior Lauren Berkley on a fielder’s choice.

Dartmouth took the lead in the next half-inning, scoring two unearned runs after a Cornell error. Cornell tied the ballgame in the sixth and almost won it in the bottom of the seventh, but Wolf was left stranded on second after a strikeout, pop out and groundout ended the inning. Cornell scored what appeared to be the winning run in the eighth, but after an appeal from Dartmouth it was ruled that senior Caitlin Warren did not touch the plate. However, the Red took care of business in the ninth, with Campagnolo providing the late-game heroics by driving in Wolf for the game-winner.

In Game 2, Dartmouth came out of the gate firing, scoring four runs in the first inning and holding on for the 4-3 victory.

The Red was able to get three runs back in the bottom of the third. Junior Sarah Ruben led off the inning with a solo home run, and junior Erin Murtha hit a two-RBI double. The Red, however, never really threatened again, as Dartmouth freshman pitcher Stephanie Trudeau, who pitched a complete game, allowed just three base runners the rest of the way. Freshman Haley Mirrer was strong in relief for the Red, pitching 3.2 innings of shutout ball. Senior Whitney Smith took the loss. Senior Alicia Petryk belted a three-run homer to lead the way for the Green.

Wolf led the way for the Red on Saturday, going 5-for-8 at the plate with an RBI.

“Ashley was amazing this weekend. She’s been incredible, and she can hit anything, anywhere on the plate,” Meunier said.

After splitting the pair with Dartmouth, Cornell took the field on Sunday knowing it needed a better effort to oust a strong Harvard squad.

Meunier responded in game one, striking out five Crimson batters to lead the Red to a 3-0 victory. The win improved Meunier’s record to 8-7 on the year.

“I pitched really well. I was hitting my spots, working both sides of the plate. When you do that, it makes it a lot easier,” Meunier said.

Solo shots from Wolf and freshman Nicole Cheever propelled the Red to the win.

In the late game, the Crimson jumped out to an early lead in Mirrer’s first home start.

Harvard led 2-0 after two innings, but it did not take long for Cornell to respond.

Wolf got the Red on the board with a RBI single. Murtha added an RBI double to tie the game.

After Murtha’s extra-base hit, the floodgates opened and would not close as junior Sarah Ruben launched an RBI single off the left field wall. Wolf continued her stellar play with another RBI single.

After three more runs, Murtha capped the day for the Red with a moon shot to center field, her first of the season.

Meunier pitched one inning in relief for the Red, who will head to Buffalo, N.Y., tomorrow for a doubleheader with Canisius.

Archived article by Jeremy Drucker
Sun Staff Writer

The Sun Speaks with Reporter Lichtblau '87

By April 11, 2006

Article body:
After giving a speech on the role of the journalist in a post-9/11 world, New York Times reporter Eric Lichtblau ’87 sat down with The Sun to discuss the state of journalism today. Lichtblau was a reporter in the Washington bureau of the Los Angeles Times for 15 years before serving as a Washington bureau correspondent for The New York Times. He recently won the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting for his investigation of the domestic spying program.
The Sun: Your coverage of the domestic spying program has set off a major leak investigation that may carry legal reprisals. Given that President Bush authorized Vice President Dick Cheney to permit Scooter Libby to leak intelligence about the CIA, what do you think of that threat?
Lichtblau: Well, I think it’s still a real possibility. You know that they’re doing an active investigation. Some people would argue that Bush is in a little bit of a spot now because he did authorize the leak from Scooter Libby, so the investigation is hypocritical … I’ll get Judy Miller’s jail cell.
The Sun: As a Washington correspondent, do you ever feel like you’re being manipulated by the White House to convey the message they want you to convey?
Lichtblau: You certainly feel a confinement, yeah. These are P.R. professionals who get paid lots and lots of money out of the White House budget and that of every major agency to put their spin on the news, particularly the Bush administration – they do it better than other administrations. It’s their job to get a message across; it’s our job to sort of cut through the rhetoric and figure out what’s actually going on. It’s just part of the game.
The Sun: You’ve been doing this for 15 years at a couple different publications. How does the Bush White House compare to other administrations in its ability to manipulate the message?
Lichtblau: They’re probably better at it than most of the previous administrations. At least for the first three, four, maybe five years of the administration, they were very good at staying on point and not having people break links. There were far fewer numbers of internal officials who have turned on the White House, Paul O’Neill, people like that … That’s where you get to the truth in all these things, when people within the administration come out publicly and say [what’s been occurring … That happens less in this administration.
The Sun: But even with that as the case, President Bush’s approval ratings are hovering at percentages in the low 30s. What, then, would you say is the state of our government?
Lichtblau: That goes beyond my calling as a reporter. Why the public picks on certain issues and not others – political scientists debate that. Certainly Bush has had a very, very rough year or so on just about every front. Mostly Iraq, but then again, there’s other issues. Certainly the White House is concerned with these lost sums in ratings support and Republicans in Congress. He’s responded to that partly by changing his Chief of Staff.
The Sun: John Green, the Executive Producer of Good Morning America Weekend Edition, was just given a month’s suspension for sending an e-mail that was critical of President Bush to a colleague. What are your thoughts on ABC’s reaction?
Lichtblau: I was surprised by that. A month’s suspension seems pretty severe for something that, apparently didn’t, as far as we know, influence his coverage. Reporters are going to have their own personal opinions, and the key thing is not letting it influence your coverage. If you’re going to stop hiring reporters who have personal opinions, there aren’t going to be any reporters left to deliver the news.
The Sun: In a recent article you described Richard Convertino, a former federal prosecutor, as someone who was “once a rising star who fell out of favor with Washington.” When is it okay to integrate news analysis into news coverage?
Lichtblau: We do analysis on a regular basis, to try and give something context. Or, in a case like that, to tell people why Convertino’s indictment was so unusual – this rising star who fell into a hard time. There are some stories that are so analytically driven that we actually label them as “news analysis.” The point here is to take a step away from the news and say, what is the reason that this is happening? What is the context? What is the history? It is sometimes, people argue, a fine line between analysis and opinion, so there are no hard and fast rules to what is news, what is analysis and what is just outright opinion. But you hopefully try to get people on the record to back up the points that you make to show that you’re not just making this stuff up.
Archived article by Erica Fink Sun Editor-in-Chief
Prominent Businessman Tata '67 Delivers Hatfield Lecture

By April 11, 2006

In an era of cutthroat business practices and extreme competitiveness, it can seem as if there is no room in industry for social responsibility. Such is not the opinion of Ratan N. Tata ’62, chairman of Tata Sons, Limited and the 2006 Robert S. Hatfield Fellow in Economic Education. Tata spoke in Kennedy’s Call Auditorium yesterday about the social responsibility of industry in a lecture entitled, “The Imperative for Change in the India of Today.”
Tata was appointed chairman of Tata Sons in 1991 and has increased the revenues of the Tata Group, India’s largest business conglomerate, more than six-fold during his tenure. Interim President Hunter R. Rawlings III introduced the lecture with great praise both for Tata and for the organization, which was started by Tata’s great grandfather in the 19th century.
“The Tata Group is global in scope but remains true to the principles of its founder,” he said. These principles include integrity, understanding, excellence, unity and responsibility, according to the group’s website.
Rawlings explained that selection as a Hatfield fellow is the highest distinction Cornell bestows on individuals from the corporate sector. He said that this was only the second time that a Hatfield fellow was selected from outside of the U.S. and that he was “delighted to bring an international flavor to this tradition.”
Tata broke down the “imperative for change” into three categories; changing tradition in a country that has been tradition bound, operating with principles and values in an environment where many are degraded and acting with social responsibility.
Much of the lecture and the majority of the questions from the audience were devoted to the issue of social responsibility. According to Tata, by 2030 India will have the largest working population in the world and industry needs to be concerned with creating opportunities in rural areas.
“[India’s industries] need to understand they have a responsibility that goes beyond making a product,” Tata said. In Tata’s view, industry has to strike a balance between creating value for shareholders and having a responsibility to the country at large.
Other topics discussed by Tata included the relationship between India and the U.S., which Tata believes is stronger than ever, and the importance of competition in industry.
Following the lecture, a large portion of time was devoted to answering questions from the audience. The questions ranged from the Tata Group’s role in clean-air initiatives to improving education and to providing health care for the poor.
“I didn’t realize social responsibility would get so much attention,” Tata said.
Tata said that health care is the responsibility of the government. Indian industry can support the government but the problem is “a national problem, a government problem.” Similarly, Tata said that industry can support every move the government makes to reduce pollution but cannot take responsibility for what needs to have legislation behind it.
These responses elicited a skeptical reaction from some students. Keith Poe grad was disappointed that, when presented with concrete questions of how Tata Sons could lead the way in social responsibility, Tata’s responses were vague and essentially placed responsibility not on industry but on the government.
“It would have been nice if there had been a PowerPoint presentation showing what [Tata Sons] actually do,” said Lillith Coto ’06.
Sudeshna Mitra grad pointed out the inherent contradiction between initiatives that are designed to create profit and initiatives designed to help people. According to Mitra, Tata cannot, in the world of industry, carry out what he says should be done.
Peter Meinig, chairman of the Board of Trustees, had a different opinion.
“Mr. Tata is really a prime mover in moving India into the 21st century. It is wonderful to have a Cornellian who has a concept of social responsibility and is implementing that as a business leader,” he said.
Kevin McGovern, a member of the Board of Trustees, also praised Tata.
“[Tata] combines a balance of business and social responsibility better than anyone else in the world,” he said.
Archived article by Tamar Weinstock Sun Contributor