By wpengine
Former politician Rick Lazio spoke to approximately 80 people last night in Warren Hall, addressing issues as divergent as the war in Iraq and affirmative action. Currently, Lazio serves as the president and CEO of the Financial Services Forum, an organization of 20 CEOs from various financial institutions. In 2000, Hillary Clinton defeated him in the Senate race for the position of New York state representative. Lazio began with a short speech discussing two very different topics: public service and the war in Iraq. “Public service has been part of my life for many years,” he said. He strongly encouraged students to become involved in service. “We need all of the energy … all of the ideas we can get,” he said. “In an era of great cynicism … it’s easy to get down about our public leaders.” Lazio then expressed his support for the current campaign in Iraq and the future reconstruction effort. “Saddam Hussein’s totalitarian chamber of horrors is coming to an end,” he said. After emphasizing the importance of Iraqi participation in rebuilding their country, he explained his hesitation toward the United Nations (U.N.) taking a central role in the effort. He said he believes that some countries in the Security Council, particularly France and Germany, may interfere with the reconstruction plan out of displeasure toward the United States. “Paris is more interested in containing America and the U.K. than a … dictator,” he said. He then discussed the future difficulties in rebuilding Iraq, acknowledging the problems inherent in establishing a representative government in a multiethnic society. Lazio also addressed the obstacles that face the United States and its allies in recovering Iraq’s economy from the damage inflicted by economic sanctions and Hussein’s regime. In particular, he supports keeping information about oil production and distribution public and having money from oil production directly benefit the Iraqi people. “We’ve got to make sure people in the Arab world know that the time we are there is temporary … that it’s not about protecting America’s economic interests,” he said. “I think transparency is incredibly important when we deal with the oil [revenue].” A question-and-answer session followed his speech, during which audience members asked Lazio about a variety of topics ranging from his opinion of Hillary Clinton to the affirmative action case in the Supreme Court. On the topic of affirmative action, he said, “I think a point system will probably run afoul of the law.” Several of the questions addressed the issue of United States involvement in the Middle East and Iraq. “We do have to be careful that we [are not] cultural imperialists,” he said, responding to a question about forcing Western values on Middle Eastern cultures. With reconstruction, Lazio said, he believes that the United States must act quickly to rebuild and not necessarily depend on the U.N.’s support. “I think it’s important to not look at the U.N. as a panacea,” he said. “This is a country that cannot be left to eternal debate. If we walk away from this situation … I think it will be to the great detriment of U.S. foreign policy.” He thinks that the United States’ role as a world superpower obligates it to help other countries. “America has got a special mission,” he said. “It’s also got a moral responsibility to relieve human suffering.” The audience appeared interested in Lazio’s opinion, with some students returning to the microphone multiple times during the question-and-answer session. Ben Gianforti ’05 appreciated Lazio’s moderate opinion and bipartisan approach. “He didn’t live up to any of the negative associations I had. I was expecting a little bit more of an extreme right-wing [opinion],” he said. “It was refreshing to hear someone affiliated with the [Republican] Party but willing to seek solutions that weren’t one-sided.” Cayuga Heights resident Gerry Oberrender ’49 also respected Lazio’s style. “I thought he answered the questions very well and in detail. I think he’s the kind of public-life person we need.” Betsy Cooper ’04, president of the Cornell Political Coalition, the sponsoring organization, invited Lazio to speak as a counterpoint to previously presented opinions. “We were involved in sponsoring [former U.N. chief weapons inspector] Scott Ritter, and we wanted to bring an event that helps to contrast that one,” she said. Although she said she was disappointed that the University scheduled a teach-in concerning Iraq at the same time as the event, she hopes that Cornell will support similar activities in the future. “I wish that the University had more opportunities for events where you … have the opportunity to interact with the politicians in an intimate setting,” Cooper said. Unlike many speakers who come to Cornell, Lazio gave his talk for free. At the beginning of the lecture, Lazio recounted Cooper asking him about his opinion on free speech. He responded, “I’m in favor of it.” Cooper then asked, “How about giving one?” Archived article by Shannon Brescher
By wpengine
Winner of eight of its past 10 games after yesterday’s 12-6 comeback victory against Binghamton, Cornell’s baseball team will host Dartmouth (6-11, 0-4 Ivy) tomorrow before leaving behind the friendly confines of Hoy Field to visit Harvard (7-12, 2-2) for an Ivy League doubleheader on Sunday. After splitting four games at home against Yale and Brown last weekend, the Red (9-9, 2-2) is hoping for an even better performance against the Green and Crimson. “We were a little disappointed with only winning two games last weekend,” said junior left fielder Dave Bredhoff. “This time we want to go out and take at least three games, and that’s the mindset we have to take into every Ivy weekend.” If the Red is to finish the weekend with more than a split, it will need the continued excellence of its pitching staff and improved production out of its starting lineup. While Cornell pitchers have limited opposing teams to just slightly over four earned runs per game, the Red’s hitters have only recently started to emerge from a season long offensive slump. Overall, the team has batted just .238 and averaged only 4.3 runs per game, though it did register 14 hits against Binghamton yesterday. “The thing I’m most disappointed with is that we haven’t hit more consistently at this point. I didn’t think we’d be an overpowering offensive team, but I certainly thought we’d put more pressure on the other teams. We’re going to keep working on it, because we’ll have to score more runs in order to continue our success,” said head coach Tom Ford. Bredhoff, the team’s leading returning hitter, has been one of the many Cornell players struggling to find their stroke early on, though he has showed signs of breaking out of his slump by hitting safely in four of the past five games. Against Binghamton, he finished 2-5 with two RBI. “Last weekend I started seeing the ball better and was more patient at the plate. I definitely think my power numbers will improve too over the next couple weekends as the weather gets better and I see more pitches. I think my swing is really starting to click and I hope to keep it going this weekend,” said Bredhoff, who is tied for the team lead in RBI despite his slow start. The team’s most consistent player at the plate has been designated hitter Ned VanAllan. The junior is one of only two players batting above .300 for the Red, and is also leading the team in slugging, total bases, and doubles. He added his first home run of the season against Binghamton, scoring three runs in the victory. “Ned has probably been the most pleasant surprise we’ve had so far,” commented Ford. “We thought he was going to hit, but we didn’t know he would be able to step in and hit right in the middle of the lineup for us. He just been really aggressive at the plate and has been able to keep coming through with big hits.” While VanAllan has been one of the few Cornell hitters to experience sustained success, the pitching staff has established itself as one of the Ivy League’s best. Juniors Chris Schutt and Dan Gala have matured into legitimate front-end starters, while newcomer Rocky Collis’ recent success out of the bullpen has garnered him an opportunity to take the mound as a starter this weekend. The freshman was named to the Ivy League honor roll after picking up a win and a save against Yale and Brown. As successful as Collis has been, Gala and Schutt have emerged as the staff’s two aces. Despite losing a 3-2 decision against Brown, Schutt struck out 12 in seven five-hit innings against the Bears while Gala pitched 8 1/3 strong innings in a no-decision against Yale. “I’ve got a lot of confidence when I go out to the mound,”said Gala. “I’ve been able to do a good job at hitting my spots and pitching to my strengths. I’m not the type of pitcher who can just go out there and overpower hitters with my fastball so I have to mix up my pitches well.” Gala and the rest of the staff will be hard pressed to continue its string of pitching performances against the potent offenses of Dartmouth and Harvard, however. Though both teams are well below .500 due to substandard pitching, the Green bats a solid .271 with the Crimson hitting at a .294 clip. Dartmouth’s well-rounded attack is spearheaded by outfielder Scott Shirrell, one of the Ivy League’s most versatile offensive weapons. The talented outfielder leads the Green in nearly every major offensive category. Shirrell is also second on the team with seven stolen bases. Meanwhile, Harvard is led by pitcher and designated hitter Trey Hendricks , who may be the Ivy League’s best two-way player. “He’s a very good baseball player, both as a pitcher and a hitter,” commented Ford. “He’s got tremendous power at the plate and he’s one of those guys you have to be careful not to let hurt you. On the mound, he’s got a pretty good fastball and comes right at you. He’s a real competitor. He’s definitely their key player. He’s a guy you’ve really got to contain if you want to beat them.” Though the Red has played only four league games so far, this weekend is pivotal for its chances of winning the Lou Gehrig division. Cornell is optimistic that it will reverse a recent trend of second-division finishes and end this season amongst the Ivy’s elite. “My expectation is to have more than a winning record this season. I’d like to win at least 65-70 percent of our games and we certainly have a team that can do that. Our pitching staff is easily the best in the league, and our offense is coming around. It’s definitely a goal to finish in the top two and make it to the playoffs,” said Bredhoff.Archived article by Mark Fetzko