Red Sweeps Twin Bills at Harvard, Dartmouth

By wpengine | April 16, 2003

In a commanding performance which solidified its position at the top of the Ivy League, the softball team swept Harvard and Dartmouth on Sunday and Monday by a combined score of 28-7. Displaying a balanced attack from the mound and in the batter’s box, the Red (20-4, 5-1 Ivy) hit 14 home runs over the four league contests.

On Sunday, six different batters hit a combined nine home runs for Cornell, including three by junior Kate Varde. The Crimson (5-19, 0-2 Ivy) held a lead only once in each game, as the Red won Game One 6-4, followed by a 10-2 victory in the nightcap.

Varde began the scoring in Game One with a two-out solo home run in the opening frame, followed by an RBI single in the third to bring in junior captain Melissa Cannon.

Harvard then responded with a four-run inning in the bottom of the third, as Rachel Goldberg and Laura Miller each hit two-run homers.

“After those two home runs by Harvard, I went to the mound and said, ‘We’re going to score some runs today Sarah, let’s start throwing pitcher’s pitches.’ And she responded as she always does,” said head coach Dick Blood.

And her teammates also responded, as promised.

After sophomores Erin Kizer and Melissa Heintz reached base in the top of the fourth inning, junior Erin Sweeney responded with the most important contribution of the day. With two outs and runners on second and third, Sweeney was able to drive a ball over the left field fence, regaining the Cornell lead for good.

Heintz added a solo home run to the score sheet in the top of the sixth, to solidify the 6-4 score.

Junior Sarah Sterman struck out seven, while only walking one to earn the complete game victory for the Red.

Sophomore Lauren May got things going for the Red in Game Two, belting a solo shot to center field in the second inning. The Crimson would take the lead in the bottom of the third, with the help of an RBI double from Sara Williamson. An error on a stolen base attempt would consequently give Harvard the early 2-1 lead.

Cornell would respond with vigor, however, scoring an impressive nine unanswered runs, eventually forcing the mercy rule into effect.

Kizer hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning, making the score 5-2. Cannon, Varde, and May would then increase the Cornell lead to 8-2 with back-to-back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning.

Varde added another dinger in the sixth, while Kizer earned her fourth RBI of the day with a one-run single.

Freshman hurler Kristen Landis struck out three in her first Ivy League start, going the distance while scattering a mere eight hits.

“[Landis] did a great job shutting the door on Harvard. We’re real proud of her,” said Blood, whose team swept Harvard on the road for the first time in the program’s history.

Varde went 5-for-7 on the day and became Cornell’s all-time home run queen with the 26th four-bagger of her career.

The six home runs in Game Two were also a school record, breaking the mark of five set in April 2001 against Dartmouth.

“Everyone was really excited about all the home runs we hit,” said Blood. “I think we had a lot of confidence at the plate, watching all those balls going out of the ballpark.”

On Monday, the Red continued its dominance, toppling a struggling Dartmouth team (4-13, 1-3 Ivy), 6-1 and 6-0. The sweep extended Cornell’s win streak to six, including 12 of its last 13.

The pitching staff was particularly brilliant as Sterman and Landis combined to give up just nine hits and one run in the doubleheader.

Varde once again notched Cornell’s first two RBI in Game One, with a sacrifice in the first and a double in the third to score Cannon. Varde scored Cornell’s third run on a Dartmouth error in the fifth, while Heintz made it 4-1 in the sixth off a 2-0 Danica Giugliano pitch, which she took to straightaway center field.

Junior Sandra Alvarez finished the scoring in the seventh, when she scored on an error from third after hitting an RBI triple.

Sterman earned the win, upping her season record to 13-3.

Game Two saw a dominating performance by Kizer who went 3-for-3 with two home runs.

Kizer’s first shot came in the second inning, while her fourth inning two-run offering made it a 3-0 ballgame.

May then hit a solo shot in the sixth — her seventh of the season — to continue the onslaught.

Cannon finished the scoring in the seventh inning, driving home Landis with a two-run home run to center field.

Landis pitched brilliantly to up her season mark to 3-0. She struck out four batters, while shutting out the Big Green for 5.2 innings. Sterman finished the job, pitching 1.1 innings of no-hit ball.

“While our hitters did a great job for us, I was particularly pleased with the work of our pitching staff over all four games,” concluded Blood.

Cornell returns to action today, as it heads to St. Bonaventure for a non-league doubleheader set to begin at 3 p.m.00000

Archived article by Scott Jones

Ithacans Protest Cleanup Settlement

By wpengine April 17, 2003

The Ithaca Gun Company’s former site has been the subject of much controversy as all groups involved have resisted taking responsibility for a potentially expensive cleanup after investigators uncovered lead contamination there. A group of Ithaca residents responded in a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) protesting the current settlement for the factory’s cleanup. The settlement calls for a $4 million federal cleanup and asks for monetary contributions from the city of Ithaca, State Street Associates, L.P. II and Fall Creek Redevelopment. The EPA can either modify or withdraw its consent from the agreement if it feels that the agreement does not live up to appropriate, adequate standards. Walter Hang, president of Toxics Targeting, a company that specializes in the mapping of environmental contamination hazards, and Ithaca resident Fay Gougakis were the original signatories of the letter, which states that Cornell University and Ithaca Gun Co. should be responsible for the costs of the cleanup. After being granted a 15-day extension on the settlement’s public discussion period, originally slated to end on March 13, Hang and Gougakis were able to secure 26 additional signatures for the letter. Among those who signed the letter were Cayuga Nation member Timothy Two Guns and many residents of the city’s Fall Creek neighborhood. The letter states that the signatories “believe that taxpayers must not bear financial responsibility for cleaning up toxic problems that they did not create,” and furthermore that they “urge the EPA to require the Ithaca Gun Company and Cornell University, two former owners of portions of the site, to contribute to the cleanup cost.” The EPA settlement calls for the City of Ithaca, which bought the property on Lake Street from Cornell in 2000 for one dollar, to contribute $150,000 to the cleanup. State Street Associates, L.P. II, which owns the buildings at 121-125 Lake St., is to pay $165,000, while Fall Creek Redevolpment, which plans to purchase and renovate the property, is slated to pay $50,000. Hang said that Cornell had “[done] their utmost to evade liability for at least five years,” at the time of the city of Ithaca’s purchase of the property. “Cornell was totally aware of what was going on,” Hang said. Hang expressed the most concern about the settlement’s potential long-term consequences, saying that it could “set an incredibly bad precedent that would ultimately take the liability from the responsible parties and shift it to the taxpayers
SARS Concerns Students Abroad

By wpengine April 17, 2003

While the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) epidemic continues to spread throughout various parts of Asia and around the world, Cornell community members planning to travel in the upcoming months may face postponements, cancellations and extra travel precautions in their travel agendas. In a statement issued on Monday, University officials recommended that individuals of the Cornell community avoid nonessential travel to or from areas affected by the SARS epidemic, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Hanoi, Vietnam and Singapore, until the advisories are lifted. The University’s statement is consistent with the advisory issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). As of yesterday, WHO had documented 3,293 SARS cases worldwide, including 159 deaths. “Because scientists and clinicians still don’t fully understand SARS, and because new people continue to get infected, we don’t really know yet what the parameters of this outbreak are going to be,” said Sharon Dittman, associate director for community relations at Gannett: Cornell University Health Services. “Four percent of people identified with having SARS have died, but we don’t know how many people may have had SARS without having been identified or included in the actual fatality rate,” Dittman said. Many of the trips to Asia funded by the University’s study abroad programs have been put on hold or have been canceled, according to Prof. Thak Chaloemtiarana, director of undergraduate studies for the Asian Studies Program. “Some granting agencies have prohibited travel to affected areas,” Chaloemtiarana said. “I understand that many parents and students are concerned about the current SARS situation in China and Southeast Asia, and I have alerted students to warnings from government agencies.” On Monday, Chaloemtiarana issued a statement to the recipients of a summer travel grant to Asia, noting that several students had approached him about deferring their trips to areas possibly affected by SARS. “Because of this uncertain and worrisome situation, students receiving awards to travel to China and to Southeast Asia this summer will be allowed to postpone their trips until next summer,” Chaloemtiarana said. “The emergence of new viruses has happened throughout history … however, the speed, convenience and frequency of traveling today have enabled this virus to jump onto the world stage very quickly,” Dittman said. While some students are postponing their trips to Asia, others studying abroad in Asia this semester have recently faced the decision to suspend their academic pursuits in the interest of personal health. At the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) located in the region of Shatin near the site of the earliest outbreak, classes have been suspended since last Monday and will remain canceled until tomorrow. Esther Tang ’04, who had been studying at CUHK at the time of the first outbreak, said that she decided to leave Hong Kong on April 1 and relocate to Shanghai, “even though CUHK is a suburban campus and somewhat removed from the infected zones.” Several reasons led to Tang’s decision to leave Hong Kong. “Though 10 nations and the WHO have top scientists working around the clock, no vaccinations have been produced — even after weeks of work,” Tang said. “I was scared to hear that SARS was so mutated that our top specialists were left searching in the dark.” Tang noted that her local friends in Hong Kong were taking many precautionary moves to avoid infection. “They tell me that if they could leave too, they would as well,” Tang said. “My roommate at CUHK refused to see any of her friends, and some of my other friends have stopped allowing other people to borrow their things like cell phones. In fact, one Canadian exchange student’s roommate told him not to share a room phone with him anymore,” she added. Tang also said that Cornell Abroad, the School of Hotel Administration, Gannett: Cornell University Health Services and the Office of Student and Academic Services have all contacted her and encouraged her to evaluate the best course of action. “They said they would support my decision and help in any way,” she said. Petula Shyu ’04, who had also been studying at CUHK this semester, shortened her stay in Hong Kong and returned to the United States in early April. “Most of my friends from the exchange program have left,” she said, noting the general sentiment of fear amongst exchange students. “Though the news does hype [the situation] somewhat, the professors [at CUHK] definitely played it down as if SARS were something you could just shrug off,” Shyu said. She noted that during her stay in Hong Kong, she “felt endangered.” “By the time I had left, which was a week and a half after the major outbreak at the Metropole Hotel, the government had begun to quarantine people in camps — but the camps being quarantined were for the people who were already sick, so there are still people in Hong Kong who are infected with the virus but haven’t been quarantined,” Shyu said. Tang noted that the local media in China portrays the developments toward containing the epidemic “in a positive light.” “The media keeps saying that we are on the verge of a breakthrough for the vaccination and that people are all recovering,” she said. In contrast, Tang noted that the American media addresses the epidemic with much more panic than she believes is necessary. Tang described her own reaction to the SARS outbreak as a feeling of “disbelief.” “After three months [in the exchange program], I had established deep friendships with other exchange students. Everything ended abruptly, and it feels surreal now,” Tang said. The main symptoms of SARS are high fever, dry cough and breathing difficulties, according to WHO. Other symptoms may include headache, muscular stiffness, loss of appetite, rash and diarrhea. Dittman said that students exhibiting a fever, cough and difficulty breathing should seek medical evaluation only if they have traveled to Asia in the past seven days or have had face-to-face contact with someone who has recently traveled in Asia. Dittman encourages students with intentions to travel to or near affected areas to consider not just public recommendations about the epidemic but also to take general precautionary measures in regards to personal health. “Wherever they plan to be in the world, students should prepare for the different types of situations they may encounter,” she said. Dittman urged students to verify their health insurance coverage wherever they are in the world and to research the availability of hospitals in the areas to which they plan to travel. “Will getting care for other [non-SARS related] health needs be problematic in the areas they will be traveling to? If they become ill and need to be evacuated, do they have access to services to help them do that, and do they have access to the money to pay for those considerable expenses?” Dittman said. Noting that “young people often have a sense of invincibility,” Dittman advised students intending to travel in spite of the warnings “to learn as much as they can about the current situation, potential developments and issues of concern in order to make realistic and careful plans.” She also suggested that students consult Gannett’s travel clinic staff members, who are “well versed in the current situation an
d in recommendations about travel.” Tang advised Cornell community members with upcoming travel plans to Asia to find reliable sources for inside information and developments on the epidemic. “I want Cornell students to always ask for more details, even when other people may tell them to calm down,” she said. “You can never be sure whether they really know more than you do about the situation, especially when you could be helping yourself prevent a horrible consequence.” Tang said that because China is “a huge developing country,” preparations for traveling there should always begin with standard safety measures such as getting the proper vaccinations. To date, there are no suspected cases in the Cornell community, Ithaca or Tompkins County, according to Dittman. To determine if the area to which you are planning to travel is affected by SARS, or for updated information about the epidemic, consult the CDC and WHO websites. Archived article by Janet Liao