By wpengine March 25, 2002
Women’s tennis action over the break offered both soaring highs and saddening lows, as the Red won two of its four contests during the week. Slow Start March 17 marked a slow start to the lengthy road trip, as Cornell was defeated by Tulane by a score of 6-1. It fared no better the very next day, as New Orleans left the courts victorious by the same 6-1 count. Despite the two losses, the team found positives in its performance. “Even though we lost to the two teams, everyone got some good experience, which is important heading into the Ivy Season,” sophomore Kate Sternberg said. A few days of rest and relaxation helped greatly, as Cornell was able to tally a win over Louisiana-Lafayette by a score of 5-2 on March 20. The Red dominated singles play, winning four of its five matches with great performances by juniors Suzanne Wright, Daniela DelPrete, and Piper Lucas, and freshman Akane Kokubo. Momentum Seekers Using the momentum of Wednesday’s victory Cornell finished its trip with another win over Xavier. The win was one sided, as the Red swept the day’s play by a score of 9-0. One of the more impressive performances over the break was that of Wright. She tallied the only wins for her team against Tulane and New Orleans and remained undefeated in singles play throughout the rest of the break. Although the team was just .500 on the trip, it was a good experience overall for the squad. “Our team got a real chance to hang out and bond more. It was fun just to be with the whole team every day, even on the non-match days it was fun,” Sternberg noted. However, the team must now focus on league play, as it faces its first Ivy League opponent on Friday at Columbia. “After the matches of spring break, I am very confident about the match this weekend,” Sternberg added. “I think we are going to do great.” Archived article by Chris Poplarski
By wpengine March 25, 2002
The North Campus Residence Initiative (NCRI) is in its first year and “like any new project, you want to see how it’s doing,” said Dean of Students Kent L. Hubbell ’69. In order to gain feedback from freshmen now living on North, Hubbell has begun meeting with staff and students in residence halls across North Campus. Hubbell has met with students at about half of the residence halls so far, but hopes to see students at all of them before presenting their preliminary responses to the Board of Trustees at their meeting in May. Constructive Criticism These informal meetings are “a first effort at finding out what’s going on,” Hubbell said. Spending a few hours to talk with residence halls’ staff as well as the students on the Resident Hall Councils, he has been able to hear some initial reactions and suggestions. As Amanda Erdman, residence hall director for Balch Hall said, “the opinions are varied. Some have constructive criticisms, others seem very happy.” Some students like having a living environment away from upperclassmen. “It’s nice not be criticized for being a freshman,” said Adam Daum ’05, the Clara Dickson/Multi-Cultural Living-Learning Unit Hall Congress president. Others, like Bryant Tow ’05, Mary Donlon Hall Council member, feel the NCRI “somewhat alienates [freshmen] from the rest of campus and takes away opportunities to ask questions.” Some staff members are also voicing concerns about the lack of upperclassmen guidance. “Freshmen are just beginning to explore different life issues such as homesickness, relationships and sexuality, diversity and privilege issues,” said Gwynne Koch ’02, the Campus Life program assistant for Court Hall. “Upperclassmen have already dealt with some of these issues and would provide an experienced prospective and act as mentors for the freshmen, encourage their social, emotional, and intellectual development,” she added. On the other hand, Koch notes that “freshmen enjoy having all their friends in conveniently close proximity.” Aninda Maitra ’02, a resident advisor for Mary Donlon Hall, thinks the NCRI was supposed to create unity among freshmen, but said, “I really don’t feel like there’s a lot of connection between the buildings on North Campus.” He felt that the “community feel of North Campus” was hurt by all of the attention given to Court and Mews Halls in the beginning of the year. According to Hubbell, the meetings have been “really interesting,” and he noted that the NCRI is “an exciting investment for the Cornell community, [but it is] a work in progress.” There are already many ideas for North Campus in the coming years, and more will probably come from future meetings. Hubbell mentioned that Isaac Kramnick, vice provost for undergraduate education, has been working on a “Book Project” to be held in the Robert Purcell Community Center Auditorium. Further Plans He also said the administration is hoping to triple the number of Freshmen Writing Seminars held on North Campus, both in the mornings and afternoons. Lastly, he mentioned plans for a student-faculty center that would be developed in the East wing of Balch Hall as a place for “students and faculty to talk about matters of common interest.” For now, however, Hubbell is focused on meeting with all the North Campus Residence Halls before anything concrete is decided.Archived article by Sun Staff