Cross Country Hosts Reif Memorial Race

By wpengine | October 25, 2002

While the cross country team’s top runners take a week off in preparation for Heps next week, the squads’ supporting casts will take center stage today as Cornell hosts the Reif Memorial Run for the 16th year.

Background

John Reif ’86 was a member of the men’s cross country team during his years at Cornell. He was never the star of the team, but he was a consistent top-five finisher and a very supportive teammate.

In 1987 while training for a triathlon, Reif was killed in a collision with a truck. Each year since then, the Red has hosted this meet in his honor the week preceding Heps.

The men’s team comes off an impressive performance last week at pre-nationals, placing 18th out of a field of 36. The Red was paced by senior captain Dan Dombrowski, sophomore Bruce Hyde, and seniors Geoff Van Fleet and Barry Kahn. These four will take the week off, conceding the spotlight to some of their younger teammates, such as sophomore Emory Mort and juniors Dan Hart and Oliver Tassinari.

In last year’s Reif Memorial, Tassinari posted a then-personal best time of 16:36, placing third.

Lady Harriers

On the women’s side, last week’s experience at pre-nationals was not nearly as satisfying. Despite strong showings by sophomore Jenn Miel and senior Sara Karam, the team put on a disappointing showing, placing 22nd in the field of 37.

The Red will be paced today by seniors Natalie Whelan, sophomore Amber McGown, and freshmen Mandy Knuckles and Emily McCabe, all of whom put forth commendable efforts at last week’s Harry Anderson Invitational in Rochester, while their teammates competed at the pre-national meet in Terre Haute, Ind.

The Reif Memorial provides a more intimate setting than many of the meets the Red has competed in of late. In years past, the Red has hosted only one or two opponents at Moakley Course, a far cry from the large field present at pre-nationals.

Archived article by Owen Bochner

Candidates Discuss Disability Issues

By wpengine October 28, 2002

Candidates for various local and state political offices assembled to discuss rights for disabled people in a forum held Friday at the Tompkins Cortland Community College. As the general election date — Nov. 5 — approaches, candidates scramble to voice last minute opinions on issues raised by the local community. The forum, sponsored by the Finger Lakes Independence Center of Ithaca and the Access to Independence Center of Cortland County, brought together 125th district candidates Barbara Lifton (D) and Mike Sigler (R), 129th district candidate Francine D’Amico (D) and New York Attorney General candidate Mary Jo Long (G). The forum also included representative Alan Hevesi (D), candidate for New York State Comptroller, as well as 25th Congressional District candidate Mark Dunau (G). Audience members presented questions to the candidates. “Issues around disabilities are near and dear to my heart,” Lifton said. She cited her experiences working on disabilities issues as Chief of Staff for Marty Luster (D-125th), the current incumbent who is not running for re-election. The candidates took the opportunity to discuss issues specific to disabled constituents. “We’ve had some good things happening in New York this year,” Lifton said. In response to an issue raised by the New York State 2002 Disability Caucus Agenda, Lifton said, “We had a very important benchmark [because] we finally got the medicaid buy-in that people have been fighting for for many years.” In particular, candidates responded to questions regarding higher education and accessibility to public transportation for disabled citizens. “We can bring people into the community and make them feel valuable in the careers that we can give them,” Sigler said. He further talked about the importance of job creation in general in the 125th district, labeling it as a universal issue. However, in response to a questionnaire submitted to the candidates by the forum’s organizers, Sigler admitted to having “little experience working with the disabled.” One of the issues the candidates focused on was the concept of a livable wage. “I think that it’s wrong to say that people must work but we won’t pay them for the work,” Lifton said. “If they work full time, we’re going to send them home with poverty wages and they won’t be able to make ends meet; I think that’s wrong.” Sigler believed that the best approach to creating a living wage is to promote growth in private industry. “I believe that by bringing new businesses into the area you create a living wage,” Sigler said. “I don’t think the government is very good at setting those kinds of levels.” Candidates Lifton and Sigler also both supported the idea of government accountability for aid to disabled people who do not want to live in facilities such as nursing homes. As a solution, both candidates supported the idea of government subsidies for independent living. All candidates present recognized the need to increase accessibility to higher education facilities for the disabled and an increased government role in demanding rights for the physically and mentally disabled. Among the demands being made by New Yorkers with disabilities are the implementation of a Medicaid waiver program, subsidies to help make the transition from care facilities to the community, recognition of the Americans with Disabilities Act by the state legislature and greater transportation and voting access. Candidate Francine D’Amico focused on the issue of increasing aid in higher education facilities. “I have taught at Central New York Colleges, including Cornell University [and] Ithaca College … and I know that none of these institutions have disability-friendly campuses,” D’Amico said. All the candidates supported a general improvement of college accessibility for both mentally and physically challenged people. Other issues raised by D’Amico included the need for “affordable and accessible housing” for people with disabilities. While the State Assembly candidates focused on the roles they would play as legislators if elected, Long stressed the position she would have as advocate for disabled voters. “I have over the years, turned away and given up certain aspects of the practice of law and focused more on representing disabled people and injured workers,” Long said. “From that experience I’ve come to have a lot of opinions on some of the things that need to be done in the state and in the country to make life more livable for people with disabilities.” Archived article by Leonor Guariguata
Ujamaa 'Unity Hour'

By wpengine October 28, 2002

Since 1977, residents of Ujamaa Residential College and others have come together on Sunday nights to discuss opinions, share ideas and learn about current events and the past. For residents, faculty and beyond, Unity Hour often provides a sense of community in the sometimes overwhelming University system. “It’s to provide a forum [for people] to think about things they’ve never thought about before,” said Miska Shaw ’04, a resident advisor in Ujamaa. Unity Hour became a weekly Ujamaa tradition five years after the residential college was founded. Each Unity Hour addresses a different topic, focusing on issues relevant to the black community at the University, in the United States, in the Caribbean and in Africa. In the past year, topics have included negative stereotypes associated with the hip-hop generation, the war in Iraq and relations between males and females. Campus groups sometimes sponsor Unity Hour, as Black Students United recently organized a discussion on the Africana Center and the Black Southern Students Alliance previously coordinated a dialogue on regional myths and stereotypes within black culture. Also in the past, political activists, Ithaca community leaders, directors of national agencies and scholars from the University and beyond have spoken at Unity Hour. Future topics include a discussion of relations between the black and Latino communities on campus and a presentation by the Ivy Investors Quorum, a minority investment group. Since the residence hall advisors in Ujamaa organize Unity Hour, most of the topics come from student suggestions. Often, the topics and resulting discussion are unique to the program. “[A topic] might not be [discussed] anywhere else in the Cornell community, but at least [it] will be talked about here,” Shaw said. As one example, she cited yesterday’s discussion on homosexual black people and the prejudices associated with both categorizations. Unity Hour serves many different purposes in students’ lives. For some, the program provides an opportunity to break out of their daily routine. “[It’s] a chance for people to get outside of their work and discuss topics pertinent to all of our lives,” said Sika Bediako ’04, an organizer of the Africana center Unity Hour and an Ujamaa resident. Unity Hour also provides a sense of community, for both residents of Ujamaa and non-residents, according to Prof. James Turner, Africana studies. In particular, it offers a safe place where new and shy students can come and meet people. “It introduces them to this long standing tradition … [that] they feel part of,” he said. “It helps break down the sense of bigness of Cornell, the sense of isolation.” Among other community-building events, Unity Hour holds Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners each year for students who are unable to go home for the holidays. Unity Hour also serves students outside of Ujamaa, both former residents and non-residents. “[Coming to Unity Hour] brought back a lot of good memories, this warmth, this energy, this welcoming,” said Brit Holmberg ’01, a former Ujamaa resident. “This is a safe space.” For many students, Unity Hour provides an educational experience, in the form of discussions, lectures by faculty fellows and event announcements. “No matter what they’re doing, I learn something,” said Richmond Owusu-Ansah ’03. Through discussions and lectures, Unity Hour also offers students the chance to see the world from others’ perspectives. “It’s definitely pertinent for everyone [to] understand their culture, but other people’s cultures as well, seeing how everyone’s intertwined,” Bediako said. In addition, students appreciate the opportunity to share their own opinions and ideas with others. “It’s a time for me to talk about issues that affect me … see what’s affecting other people … and to discuss it with a wide range of people from all over campus,” Bediako said. “Sometimes you need that, to give your opinion,” Owusu-Ansah said. Education is one of the main goals of Unity Hour, according to Kenneth Glover, Ujamaa residence hall director. “One of our stances here is that education is not a passive process, it’s an active process,” he said. “It helps people learn about the significance of their past, their past as African people [and] their past in regard to other communities.” However, participation in Unity Hour is not limited to black students. Although most of the people at the Africana Unity Hour are African-American, some Asian American and Caucasian students also participate. “Quite to the contrary of the kind of myth some people seem so intent on perpetuating at Cornell, … [Ujamaa] is [very] open,” Turner said. Holmberg, who is Caucasian, said he agreed. “The general feeling on campus is that [Ujamaa] is exclusive … If anything, it means inclusion,” he said. “I think white folks need to step out of their comfort zone and just go. I think they’d be pleasantly surprised.” In addition to students, many faculty and staff members attend Unity Hour, either to lecture or just listen to the discussion. “They feel like I’m a proxy member of Ujamaa,” Turner said.Archived article by Shannon Brescher