By wpengine September 20, 2002
Common themes of the football team’s lineup this year are inexperience, youth, and question marks. One position where such words have no place is the trenches of the defensive line. Characterized instead by game experience, knowledge of the system, and depth, the four-man front of Cornell’s defense is sure to be a bright spot game in and game out this season. At the defensive end position, Cornell returns two players that saw significant reps at the end of last season and will be the driving force on the outside this year. Senior Pete Combe is looking to close out a successful run with the Red, having played in nearly every game since arriving on East Hill. Combe has 94 tackles and five sacks in his career. Having played in just under 30 games in his three prior seasons, Combe brings a unique aspect to the defense: game-situation know-how. Junior Kevin Rooney, who also saw significant time during the latter stages of the 2001 season, will be called upon for more production heading into this campaign. At 6-3, 252 lbs., Rooney presents the most physically intimidating presence at the end position. “Those are the guys who have the experience and know what the position is all about,” said head coach Tim Pendergast of the upperclass tandem. “We’ll call on them to make the consistent plays as the season moves along.” Adding depth at defensive end will be junior Ryan Lempa, who was injured last summer in a non-football-related incident and was forced to sit out all last season. Lempa has responded like a true warrior, getting himself back in shape. Rounding out the big four on the outside is sophomore Jason Morgan. Morgan is a popular choice among many as a player to watch on this year’s defense and should provide a consistent spark for the Red. With a blend of speed and power at his disposal, defensive line coach Pete DeStefano will look to disrupt offenses by giving teams unique looks. “We have the opportunity to do a lot of things on the outside with the mix of players we have in the four-man rotation,” said DeStefano, “our pass rush from the ends will be much better than last year, no doubt.” Complementing the talent and speed on the ends will be the power of Cornell’s defensive tackles. As with the end position, Cornell runs a four-man rotation in the middle — which creates a revolving door effect. “We have a concept that eight travel, eight play,” said senior tackle Jesse Rodriguez. Anchoring the middle will be Rodriguez, who was once described by a teammate as “playing with his hair on fire all the time.” Rodriguez is one of the emotional leaders on the team and brings an attitude of complete effort to every game and practice. Rodriguez’s blue-collar work ethic garnered him 27 tackles last season, 12 of which were for losses. “He’s one of those guys you have to have on the field,” said DeStefano, “he’s more or less the bus driver of the front line.” At Rodriguez’s shoulder will be classmate Bill Goodrich. Goodrich is a third year starter who had nine solo tackles last year. Goodrich is a quiet contributor who tends to do the little things that don’t translate into big statistics. Junior Mike Stone will play a major role in the line rotation. Stone played all last season on a bad ankle but is healthy coming into this fall, which bodes poorly for opposing quarterbacks. Completing the rotation is sophomore Mike McGinty, who already knows how to play in the big game. McGinty attended St. Ignatius High School in Ohio, one of the most dominant programs in the nation. Most important for this year’s defensive line is a departure from last year’s vulnerability to the big play. “Our main problems last year were alignment problems,” said Rodriguez, “this year we’re more confident in the system and will look to execute out of that experience.” With added emphasis on constant pursuit and a slew of big-play linemen, the defense will look to its front four to be the driving force behind a successful 2002 season. Archived article by Scott Jones
By wpengine September 20, 2002
A presentation on Cornell’s Bias Response Program constituted most of the debate at the Student Assembly (S.A.) meeting yesterday. The S.A. also passed a resolution condemning the recent proposals by the Administration to dissolve the College of Art, Architecture, and Planning. Lynette Chapel-Williams, director of the Office of Workforce Diversity, Equity, and Life Quality, updated the Assembly on the University’s bias reporting protocol and statistics on bias-related incidents on and off campus. Support The lack of an office to receive information on bias activity or to provide an adequate support system for victims was brought to the attention of the Cornell campus after six bias incidents in the fall of 1998. A new protocol was established to address bias reports, most of which occur in the residence halls. The following year, residence halls formed committees to discuss bias incidents. “The residence halls’ program was dynamite for addressing bias incidents that happened in residence halls,” Chapel-Williams said. However, according to Chapel-Williams, there was no way to deal with such crimes outside the residence hall. Relations As a result, the Office has worked to facilitate a closer relationship between the Ithaca and Cornell University Police Departments. “They [the Ithaca Police] are aware of our bias program, so they are able to call the Cornell Police and alert them of the incident,” Chapel-Williams said. “The officers are trained as to what constitutes bias,” she added. Over the years, the Office has developed precise definitions as to what constitutes a bias incident, a bias crime, and a bias discrimination complaint. According to Chapel-Williams’ presentation, the definition of a bias incident is “an act of bigotry, harassment, or intimidation” against someone on the basis of their ethnicity, gender, national origin, religion, and sexual orientation among other categories. Chapel-Williams also gave statistics that her office has kept concerning bias incidents. So far this year, eight incidents have been reported. Last year there were 85, which was a dramatic increase from 67 in the 2000-2001 academic year. Because of the precise definition of bias incidents and easier means of reporting them, Chapel-Williams said that incidents were more likely to be reported. The two major forms of bias that have been reported in the past three years have been graffiti and verbal attacks, and the majority of perpetrators have been undergraduate students. “Where these [verbal attacks] come about have been in a drive-by situation,” Chapel-WIlliams said. Of the eight reports received this year, seven have been because of the victims’ sexual orientation. Last year saw an increase of reports from Hispanic and Jewish victims, with African-Americans and Asian-Americans also targeted. Chapel-Williams also spoke about the recent effort to address the incidents on campus. A database has been established to track reports and there has been a greater focus on providing support for victims. “We really increased the follow-up with the victim. There are two people who will make contact with that person to deal with the situation,” Chapel-Williams said. After the presentation, S.A. members were able to give their opinions on the bias report system. “This is an issue that hits close to home for myself and my constituents,” said Sai Pidatala ’04, executive vice president and minority liaison, “We are going to do all in our power to make greater strides towards imparting knowledge through awareness.” The S.A. also unanimously passed a resolution stating their position against the dissolution of the College of Art, Architecture, and Planning. “The school helps distinguish Cornell from other schools. I would like to urge the Administration to drop this proposal,” said Jackie Koppell ’05, undesignated representative. Ben Rockey-Harris ’04, architecture, art, and planning representative, believes that the proposal would decrease alumni donations, and he criticized the Administration for not seeking student input on the situation. Other S.A. members agreed. “Students have been extremely excluded from the decision-making process,” said Josh Bronstein ’05, vice-president of internal operations. Rockey-Harris said that the next step was waiting for a decision from the faculty committee that is assessing the proposal. “If they speak with a united voice, then it will be difficult for the Administration to disagree with them publicly,” Rockey-Harris said. It was also announced yesterday that College of Hotel Administration representative Kris Ledbetter ’04 will be replaced by Daniel Jackson ’04. Ledbetter missed three consecutive meetings and is thus removed from the Assembly. Jackson received the second place vote in the S.A. election last year for the position.Archived article by Mackenzie Damon