Recent Contributions from Rebecca Shoval

Johnson School Appoints Dean After Two-Year Search

Rebecca Shoval — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

After serving as interim dean of the Johnson School of Management for almost a year, Joseph Thomas was announced as the new dean of the business school yesterday. Speaking at an annual charity auction and weekly social event in Sage Atrium, Provost Biddy Martin publicized the decision to faculty, staff and students.

“We’ve been engaged in an almost two-year long search. … [We looked for] someone who represented the best of the Johnson School and the University,” Martin said.

Martin added that the new Johnson School dean had to be both a scholar and an agent of change.

“We are excited to see where Joe takes the school,” she said.

Skorton Honors Cornell’s Pledge of Sustainability

Rebecca Shoval — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

As President David Skorton spoke in honor of the one-year anniversary of the signing of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, groups from across the University showcased projects and plans aimed to promote a more sustainable campus.

On Feb. 22, 2007, Cornell became one of almost 80 schools to pledge that they “recognize the need to reduce the global emission of greenhouse gases by 80 percent by mid-century at the latest.”

Students Respond to Slope Day 2008 Acts

Rebecca Shoval — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 23:36:54 -0500

[video]

A Country in Progress

Rebecca Shoval — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

As he showed off various places in Nanjing, an engineering professor at Southeast University repeatedly proclaimed, “China is a country in progress.”

Prof. Wuyi Zhang, who works in the Office of International Cooperation at Southeast, takes pride in how much change China has seen in the past 20 years. Nanjing has further developed its road system, built an array of new buildings and seen the opening of new universities.

Constructing Beijing

Rebecca Shoval — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

BEIJING, China — A walk down many streets in the interior of Beijing can feature as many half-built buildings as finished ones; many of the completed buildings were constructed in the past 10 or 15 years. This construction has greatly changed the city skyline, which is filled with construction cranes working on still more projects.

Facing Internal and External Pressures, China Looks to Improve Pollution Issues

Rebecca Shoval — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

On one day in late December, the view from an airplane window at the Beijing airport was clouded by air so thick with pollution it was white. Walking out of the airport was like walking into a crowd of smokers, intensified by the large numbers of people smoking cigarettes as they waited in lines for cabs and buses.

The following day, the pollution ranked 500 out of a maximum 500 on a government scale. About 10 years ago, Beijing developed the Blue Sky days program to monitor air pollution above the city. The highest rating in the Blue Sky system is 500, but the pollution level could actually be higher than the rating system goes.

A Very Brief History of China

Rebecca Shoval — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

1644-1912: Qing Dynasty

1912: End of dynastic rule, founding of the Republic of China under Sun Yat Sen.

1919: May Fourth Movement against European presence and control in certain parts of China.

1921: Founding of the Communist Party of China.

1927: Start of the Chinese Civil War between the Chinese Nationalist Party, Kuomintang (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

1937: Beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War (World War II).

1949: Founding of the People’s Republic of China under Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party; KMT retreats to Taiwan with about 1.3 million people from Mainland China, rules Taiwan under the name of the Republic of China.

Navigating the Chinese Press

Rebecca Shoval — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

BEIJING, China — With China’s ever-growing role in world politics and the global economy, its decision to move away from isolationism in the late 1970s may seem like it was inevitable.

Jianyou Wu, the senior editor of the International News Department at Guangming Daily, which was founded as a newspaper for intellectuals in 1949, credits much of that decision to a front page article entitled “Practice is the Only Way to Judge the Truth” that ran in 1978.

Made in China, Sold in China

Rebecca Shoval — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

The influence of American culture in China can be found anywhere from conversations about the popular television show Prison Break to the plethora of KFCs and pizza restaurants. As many people in China have embraced a more consumer culture, American-style malls have cropped up in cities.

In Beijing and Shanghai large malls have been opened with American, European and Chinese stores. The prices are generally lower than the same item would be at the same store in the U.S., but much more expensive than goods outside the malls.

Chinese Universities — The Biggest Red

Rebecca Shoval — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

CHINA — Disliked your freshman dorm experiences? Imagine having lived your whole life as an only child only to move into a room with three other students — all of whom are also only children.

Most Chinese university students live like this for their four undergraduate years; several students at different universities also said that their dorm is assigned during this whole time.

Chinese Journalism Students Look to Refocus University Newspapers

Rebecca Shoval — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

For journalism students in China, fighting to get their voice heard in their own college newspapers can be a problem.

“[We’re working on] directing [our] purpose toward students,” Katherine Wei, a member of the Renmin University of China newspaper, said through a translator. “[We]’re still fighting for that purpose, to make it more student directed … more student focused instead of government [directed].”

Displaying an old copy of the paper, Wei exemplified the issue by pointing at a page covering news from the communist party. Another page focused on campus construction and its negative impact on students, which the editor felt helped balance out the impact of the government-directed news.

Keeping Up With Cornell in Shanghai

Rebecca Shoval — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

SHANGHAI, China — Thinking of moving to China after graduation and wondering if you’ll be in good company? Many Cornell alumni living in Shanghai have come together to create an active Cornell Club. (One also exists in Beijing.) The Club in Shanghai does not have a building like the more populous club in New York, so they meet about once a month in different restaurants around the city. According to Samuel Chen M. Eng ’02, one of the organizers, the Cornell Club of Shanghai has about 170 members, approximately half of whom actively participate in events.

International Reporting

Rebecca Shoval — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

For 127 years Sun editors and staff members have brought news to the Cornell and Ithaca communities, covering Cornell’s campuses, the City of Ithaca and Tompkins County, as well as publishing stories about national and international news. While The Sun has travelled to Washington, D.C. to cover rallies that Cornell students were attending, written stories and columns from abroad programs and covered sporting events all over the country, this winter break marked the first time that The Sun sent reporters to another country to report on universities, media, life and culture — as well as Cornell alumni and the University’s historic and contemporary ties to that nation.

Education Explodes in China

Rebecca Shoval — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

NANJING, China — A high of 18 percent of Chinese high school students now become university students, according to Southeast University Vice President Yuepu Pu. This is partially due to the exponential growth in the number of colleges and universities, which has risen from a few hundred to about 2,000 in the past 30 years.

“I think China will be much better in [the] future [because of education],” said Prof. Wuyi Zhang, who works in the Office of International Cooperation at Southeast University.

As the number of students at universities has grown, funding for universities has changed. Universities used to receive all funding from the government, but are now able to obtain support from other sources, Pu said.

NY Governor Eliot Spitzer Pledges Funds to Ithaca

Rebecca Shoval — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Speaking critically of the Ithaca Gun factory site but positively about economic development in Ithaca and the rest of Upstate New York, Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) announced a $2.3 million grant for rehabilitation of the gun factory Tuesday.

The Restore N.Y. grant will fund demolition of the factory and cleanup of the site, which will then be developed by Travis & Travis into 33 high-end condominiums and a public park.

“At the end of this process we will have a beautiful public park with views of Ithaca falls that has been unavailable to the public for over 100 years,” Frost Travis, a developer for Travis & Travis, said to a packed Common Council Chambers.

Gov. Spitzer to Visit Ithaca Tomorrow

Rebecca Shoval — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:50:03 -0500

Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) will speak in Ithaca tomorrow about a local revitalization project. He is scheduled to speak at 3:20 p.m. in the Common Council Chambers in City Hall.

Childrens' Clothes, Gas Stoves and "Polos"

Rebecca Shoval — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 13:49:01 -0500

The influence of American culture in China is clear, from conversations about the very popular Prison Break to the plethora of KFCs and McDonald's. As many people in China have embraced a more consumer culture, American-style malls have grown up in cities.

In Beijing and Shanghai we were shown large malls with American, European and Chinese stores. The prices were generally lower than the same item would be at the same store in the U.S., but much more expensive than goods outside the malls.

Holding Up the Cornell Banner

Rebecca Shoval — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 10:10:41 -0500

The Cornell Connection.: Monica Huang M.S. '03, Samuel Chen M. Eng '02, and Adrien Desbaillets '04 peruse copies of The Sun at a dinner with members of the Cornell Club of Shanghai and Sun editors. Photo: Matt HintsaThinking of moving to China after graduation and wondering if you’ll be in good company? Many Cornell alumni living in Shanghai have come together to create an active Cornell Club. (One also exists in Beijing.) The Club in Shanghai does not have a building like the more populous club in New York, so they meet about once a month in different restaurants around the city.

Universities Transform With Changes in Chinese Government, Society

Rebecca Shoval — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 22:14:57 -0500

Chinese society has undergone major changes in the past 30 years and universities have not fought the trend.

Due to the exponential growth in the number of universities — there are about 2,000 today, compared to a few hundred previously — 18 percent of high school students become university students now, according to Southeast University Vice President Yuepu Pu.

Building China

Rebecca Shoval — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 08:55:40 -0500

City in Transition: Construction cranes are everywhere in Beijing as the city continues a trend of rapid growth. Looking at all the construction in Beijing, we were left to wonder how any of the buildings could possibly be finished within six months (construction will be halted a few months before the games to allow time for the dust to settle). China apparently has developed methods for building incredibly quickly, as we toured a college campus built in a year and a half. 15,000 of Southeast University's 30,000 students now live and study on an approximately $220 million, 93 square mile campus that did not exist in 2006.

Was This Built in 1507 or 2007?

Rebecca Shoval — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 08:45:42 -0500

Originally published Jan. 4, 9:25 a.m. EST

Now and then: From Beijing's ancient Summer Palace, once the summer residence of the emperor and his family, visitors can see a recently built TV tower.

The day we visited the Forbidden City, home to the emperor and his family in the center of Beijing, all visitors had to leave by 4:30 p.m. As we walked through the expansive grounds, we wondered how the guards possibly got everyone to leave on time. Sun Associate Arts and Entertainment Editor Rebecca Weiss '09 made a joke that they might have an intercom system in the ancient grounds. We got our answer about 15 minutes before the grounds closed, however. There is a public address system in the Forbidden City.

China Isn't Only Under Construction, It's Changing, Too

Rebecca Shoval — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 09:53:34 -0500

In his 30 years working and living on-and-off in China, Kenneth Jarrett ’75, consul general of Shanghai, has seen major changes. The plethora of contemporary architecture and nearly new buildings in Shanghai and Beijing speaks for itself, but almost everyone we met spoke about how different China was only five or 10 years ago. Jarrett described Shanghai in 1979 as “dark” and without much commercial activity, a stark contrast to today’s Shanghai — with a very bright night skyline, large florescent signs on may buildings and one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

Pollution Again

Rebecca Shoval — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 09:48:55 -0500

Movin' On Up: A view of high-rise buildings in Beijing through the city's polluted air. The air pollution levels in the city maximized the government's 500 point scale for air quality on this day.Pollution is still a major problem in Beijing and Shanghai, as well as places throughout China, but air quality has generally improved in the cities since the 1980s, when Beijing became one of the most polluted cities in the world. Emissions controls now exist for factories, nuclear plants are being built to lessen the country’s dependence on coal energy and better energy saving technology is being imported and developed there. Many factories have also been moved out of the city to prevent the build up of smog within one area. In Shanghai, there has been development of green spaces and tree planting to combat pollution and provide people cleaner air. Consul General of Shanghai Kenneth Jarrett ’75 attributes much of this progress to pressure from the population on the government, but acknowledges that air quality issues are still prominent. In Beijing, where license plate tags are much cheaper than Shanghai (5,000 yuan to 35,000 yuan, according to a few Shanghai residents), vehicle traffic creates much of the pollution. Furthering the problem is the 1,200 more cars and trucks that join the roads each day, according to The New York Times.

Refusing 10 More Times

Rebecca Shoval — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 23:13:11 -0500

In our five days in Beijing, which included visits to tourist sites and non-touristy businesses and restaurants, only two people approached us asking for money. We were regularly swarmed with people selling goods from fake Rolexes to Olympics swag (and once for a massage as we walked by a tattoo parlor at night), but there were virtually no visible beggars. Shanghai has been notably different. A short walk on the river front (the Bund) was filled with people asking us for handouts; some even tried to grab us to get our attention.

Recycle This, America

Rebecca Shoval — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 23:09:38 -0500

Mass consumption of bottled water has come under some recent criticism in the United States, partially because the empty plastic bottles often end up in the trash can instead of being recycled. Recycling our bottles (as Americans are advised to never drink the tap water) has been easier here than in many places in the US. Every public trashcan we saw in Beijing stood next to a container for recycling. This was so common, in fact, it seemed one would have to go out of their way not to recycle. The Shanghai Pudong airport even had separate barrels for inorganic and organic (compostable) trash.

Can We Take Your Picture?

Rebecca Shoval — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 10:52:41 -0500

While taking pictures at the Great Wall, a group of three tourists asked us to take a picture of them. It seemed commonplace, until we realized that they wanted us to be in the picture with them. Tourist sites are not as full as they would be in the summertime (especially this summer with the Olympics), and almost everyone is visiting from other parts of China. As we are often the only non-Asians in a crowd, people regularly stare at the four of us. Several have taken our picture, and many try to discreetly do so by standing close-by while another shoots them or holding up their cell phone as if text messaging.

Pollution in Beijing and Smiley Faces at Immigration

Rebecca Shoval — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 10:02:06 -0500

Smoggy Commute: With heavy industries within the city limits and more cars taking to the roads with each passing day, Beijing's air pollution crisis continues to worsen. When this photo was taken on December 28th, the city's air pollution scored a 500/500 on the city's 5When first touching down at the Beijing airport, there was so much pollution the air was white. Walking out of the airport was like walking into a cloud of smokers, intensified by the number of people smoking cigarettes as they waited in long lines for cabs and buses. For the first two days we were in Beijing, there was too much pollution to see the sky through it. The New York Times reported that Friday was a 500 out of 500 on the pollution scale. The air quality improved, however, after these first days.

The Capital Airport itself, however, as well as the Shanghai Pudong airport we landed at several days later, is very modern. At least two brand new terminals in Beijing and another in Shanghai are about to open.

The signs around immigration inform those getting off planes that the officers are very friendly. “Laws are fully enforced and service to passengers,” the changing electronic sign reads at one point. After the immigration officer processes your passport, they as you to rate their service. There are four buttons with English on them, demarcating your level of satisfaction. Happy and sad faces also illustration your feelings of satisfaction.

In Transition: China Reconstructs Beijing in Time for Olympics

Rebecca Shoval — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 09:59:56 -0500

Beijing is under construction. The city skyline is filled with construction cranes, and a drive down many streets features as many half-built buildings as finished ones. Visits to museums are commonly interrupted by renovations, while the ancient Forbidden City and Summer Palace - once the winter and summer homes of the emperor and his family - are being repainted despite remaining open. Construction is not the only constant reminder of the approaching 2008 Olympic Games. A large clock counts down to the opening ceremonies in Tiananmen Square, the site of the infamous 1989 student demonstration. Billboards and ads appear constantly, advertising both companies supporting the Olympics and the Olympic Games themselves.

Ask a Sun Editor

Rebecca Shoval — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Everyday The Sun asks the University, the local government, organizations and individuals to answer questions, including ones that people do not want to answer. Many times expectations for openness are not met. Thus, The Sun would like to extend an opportunity to our readers to ask us questions. E-mail askaneditor@cornellsun.com and have your question answered on cornellsun.com.

What goes into a typical day’s paper?

Every section works in a slightly different way, but generally the newsroom flows like this:

Previous days: Editors plan, assign and discuss stories with staff writers. News and Sports Editors tell the Photography Department what photos they will need.

Reminder: Time Falls Back Sunday Morning

Rebecca Shoval — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday, Nov. 4. At 2 a.m. Sunday morning, clocks should be set back one hour to 1 a.m., according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Starting this year, Daylight Saving Time was increased by about four weeks every year to save energy.

Columbia Students Protest as Ahmadinejad Visits Their Campus

Rebecca Shoval — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 03:00:20 -0400

VIDEO: Columbia officials barred many protesters and other curious parties from entering Columbia's campus yesterday. Many of these voices were echoed by those inside, as hundreds of Columbia students protested Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech on Low Plaza. Unlike many of the protests on Cornell's own Ho Plaza, this demonstration included speakers with many different agendas.

[video]

Hundreds Demonstrate Against Iranian Government Policies

Rebecca Shoval — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400

NEW YORK — Columbia University Department of Public Safety, New York City police officers and other Columbia officials barred many protesters and other curious parties from entering Columbia's campus yesterday. Many of these voices who were not able to come through the gates to hear or protest Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech, however, were echoed by those inside, as hundreds of Columbia students protested on Low Plaza in front of the library. Unlike many of the protests on Cornell's own Ho Plaza, this demonstration included speakers with many different agendas.

Missing Statue Found in Off-Campus Fraternity House

Rebecca Shoval — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:54:35 -0400

Former Iraqi High Tribunal Judge to be Law School Fellow

Rebecca Shoval — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 19:32:31 -0400

Cornell Chooses New University Architect

Rebecca Shoval — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 14:21:24 -0400

Graduation Weekend 2007 Begins

Rebecca Shoval — Sat, 26 May 2007 07:39:18 -0400

Deckhead:

Soledad O'Brien, President David Skorton to Speak

Article body:

Cornell will graduate about 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students this weekend at its 139th Commencement.

Soledad O'Brien, a CNN special correspondent, will speak at Convocation at noon today in Schoellkopf Stadium. The Stadium opens at 10 a.m. In case of severe weather, Convocation will take place at Barton Hall.

One of Cornell's Most Controversial Alumni Resigns World Bank Post

Rebecca Shoval — Fri, 18 May 2007 03:44:37 -0400

World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz '65 announced yesterday that he would resign at the end of June after becoming the center of controversy again in the last month.

A special bank panel recently found that Wolfowitz "placed himself in a conflict of interest situation" when he became involved with his girlfriend's, Shaha Riza, pay and work negotiations.

Street May Be Named After Two Sun Editors

Rebecca Shoval — Tue, 15 May 2007 16:35:03 -0400

Deckhead:

Kurt Vonnegut '44, E.B. White '21 may share co-namimng

Article body:

Two famous Cornell alumni and former Sun editors are competing for the honor of having a street named after them, The New York Sun reported today. The street may also be co-named.

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. '44, a former Sun associate editor and assistant managing editor, lived on East 48th Street near Second Avenue in Manhattan before dying on April 11. E.B White '21, a former Sun editor in chief, lived on and wrote about 48th Street in the 1920s and 1930s.

C.U. Forms Committee to Examine Snow Policy

Rebecca Shoval — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 01:54:49 -0500

Article body:

The University announced Wednesday that it will form an ad hoc committee to review its inclement weather policy after the Feb. 14 campus closure due to heavy snowfall generated some controversy.

A petition circulated the following day that requested President David Skorton, Provost Biddy Martin and Stephen Golding, executive vice president of finance and administration, reexamine inclement weather closing procedures.

A Year After Stabbing, Racial Tension Lingers

Rebecca Shoval — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 01:18:16 -0500

Article body:

Nathan Poffenbarger ’08 stabbed Charles Holiday, a visiting student from Union College, in front of Baker Tower around 1:15 a.m. on Feb. 18, 2006.

Poffenbarger, who is white, was yelling racial epithets before and during his confrontation with Holiday, who is black.

A Year After the Stabbing

Rebecca Shoval — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 02:11:20 -0500

Deckhead:

Reviewing events surrounding Poffenbarger's crime

Article body:

A year ago yesterday, Nathan Poffenbarger ’07 stabbed Charles Holiday, a visiting student from Union College, in front of Baker Hall near the intersection of University Avenue and West Avenue.

According to a voluntary statement given to the police by Jennifer Malvica ’07, who was with Poffenbarger at the time of the stabbing, Poffenbarger was at a party at Sigma Pi fraternity with other residents of the Transfer Center by 12:30 a.m.

C.U. Adds Billion to Local Economy

Rebecca Shoval — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 01:37:30 -0500

Article body:

Former President Hunter R. Rawlings III commissioned a report about a year ago to examine Cornell’s effect on economic activity in New York State. The results, released yesterday, show the billion -dollar impact the University has had on the surrounding area and the entire state.

Two Charged in Linden Avenue Robbery

Rebecca Shoval — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 01:30:36 -0500

Article body:

Two people have been charged in connection with the robbery of a female Cornell student that occurred on Linden Avenue Jan. 21, the Ithaca Police Department announced.

Corey Henderson, 21, of Lansing was charged with robbery in the third degree, a Class D felony, and grand larceny in the fourth degree, a Class E felony. Henderson was arraigned in Ithaca City Court yesterday.

Man Sentenced in Rape of Cornell Student

Rebecca Shoval — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 01:25:58 -0500

Article body:

A man convicted of raping a Cornell student was sentenced to a maximum of 25 years in a state prison Monday.

According to police, Draper Welch broke into the victim's apartment on Feb. 22, 2006, woke her, threatened to shoot her and sexually assaulted her. He then stole several hundred dollars in cash and some DVDs from the victim before leaving her apartment, which was located on the Commons.

nothing

Rebecca Shoval — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 02:20:00 -0500

lift at the knees

Rebecca Shoval — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 01:18:27 -0500

Robert Bonow / Sun Photo Editor
Jason Bell ’09, front, unloads his car with the help of his brother Jonathan Bell as he moves back into Clara Dickson Hall yesterday.

Cornell Solicits Feedback for Code Changes

Rebecca Shoval — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 01:14:29 -0500

Article body:

The Codes and Judicial Committee of the University Assembly continued to examine possible changes to the Campus Code of Conduct at a public meeting yesterday. The CJC is seeking input from all members of the Cornell community, mainly through open forums and online feedback.

U.A. Debates Code of Conduct Changes

Rebecca Shoval — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 01:35:24 -0500

Article body:

When Cornellians gathered at the University Assembly meeting Wednesday night to discuss proposed changes to the Campus Code of Conduct, all but one of the individuals who stepped forward to speak expressed their displeasure with the proposal.

Skorton Initiates Code Discussion

Rebecca Shoval — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 01:08:41 -0500

Deckhead:

New ‘working group’ to collaborate with U.A., President on revisions

Article body:

In an open e-mail to the Cornell community last week, President David J. Skorton made his first public contribution to the debate about possible changes to the Campus Code of Conduct and invited “all members of the community and other interested parties” to take part in the discussion.

Thurston Bridge to Reopen for Northbound Vehicle Traffic

Rebecca Shoval — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 03:23:07 -0500

Article body:

Thurston Avenue Bridge will be open to northbound vehicles beginning at 7 a.m. Monday. Pedestrians may already walk across the bridge.

Starting Monday, a concrete barrier will separate pedestrians and vehicles.