By wpengine February 20, 2004
The Cornell Model United Nations kicked off a weekend-long conference last night with an opening ceremony in the Alice Statler Auditorium. Over the course of the next three days, 150 high-schoolers representing over two dozen countries will gather in Ithaca to take part in the Cornell-sponsored debates. Opportunity “This conference is really a great thing for high-schoolers, Cornell and Cornell students,” said Sai Pidatala ’04, model UN security council chairperson. “The kids look up to us for leadership and … we try to give them a small glimpse into international issues. What could be more fun?” Yesterday’s ceremony featured a speech by Michael L. Bronstein ’04, chairperson of the CMUN board of directors, in which he addressed the role of the U.N. in global peacekeeping. The CMUN will host high school teams from across the nation, each representing a different member country. Teams will divide into committees responsible for debating different areas of U.N. policy, from border disputes to the African AIDS crisis. “Each [committee] deals with different issues affecting the world,” said CMUN secretary general Ravi Shastri ’04, who has been involved in Model U.N. since he was a high school sophomore. “One deals with disarmament … another with social and cultural issues. There is a simulation of the World Health Organization, a simulation of the U.N. Human Rights Committee and a simulation of the executive committee from the National Security Council during the time of the cuban missile crisis.” Students arrive at the conference well-prepared to debate world issues intelligently, according to Shastri, who said that most teams spend months researching the pre-determined topics. “It is important that we educate high-schoolers to think about issues that affect the world as their own,” Bronstein said. “As they grow we hope that the experience they have had with us will make them want to reach out to others.” Just as in the actual UN, students will need to work to find a compromise between their various positions and ultimately issue a mock resolution on their debate topic. Ithaca High School sent two teams to the Cornell conference, representing Japan and Finland. CMUN members hope that participating students will walk away from the conference with a better appreciation for the differing opinions that make up global debate. “[The event] helps students understand the viewpoints of other nations and allows them an opportunity to explore these viewpoints in a debate and see what sort of policy angles there are,” Shastri said. “It helps them get a better understanding of how the world works and how the UN works.” The conference was organized by the CMUN, which engages in similar debates on a college level. While no Cornellians will be participating in this weekend’s event, 56 members will be responsible for making sure that the conference runs smoothly. Organizers worked closely with the university administration and the SAFC during the planning stages. Simulations of the Security Council and UN General Assembly will be held today and tomorrow. The conference will draw to a close on Sunday with a closing ceremony in Uris Hall.Archived article by Jeff Sickelco
By wpengine February 20, 2004
aAfter struggling through the heart of its conference schedule with a 1-5-1 record, the men’s hockey team has heated up down the stretch, winning its last four games. With 23 points heading into the weekend, the Red (12-7-6, 10-5-3 ECAC) sits in third place, just one-point behind second-place Colgate and three points from ECAC-leading Brown. Cornell will have its work cut out for it this weekend, though, as it heads to the capital-city region to face RPI (17-11-2, 11-6-1 ECAC) in Troy tonight and Union in Schenectady tomorrow evening. Tonight’s game against RPI is especially important, as the Red and the Engineers come into the matchup tied in the standings. Rensselaer has been one of the hottest teams in the country, winning nine of its previous 12 games including a 2-0 shutout win over Cornell on Jan. 17. Goaltender Nathan Marsters stopped 22 shots in the win, while the defense in front of him blocked 16 others and killed seven Cornell power play opportunities. The previous meeting, which came in the midst of Cornell’s midseason struggles was significant for another reason. After the Red’s 2-0 loss, Cornell head coach Mike Schafer heavily criticized the ECAC officiating, subsequently drawing a one-game suspension from the league offices. The game, which was extremely physical, saw Cornell sophomore forward Shane Hynes dislocate his shoulder. After suffering through an abysmal junior season, Marsters has been one of the nation’s top netminders in 2003-04, registering a 2.15 GAA while winning 16 of his 26 starts. His stats have been even better during the conference season, as he’s posted a 1.93 GAA and a .929 save percentage. On the offensive end, a pair of sophomores lead the Engineers, with Kevin Croxton and Kirk McDonald each having scored 13 goals. Croxton has added 18 assists for 31 points on the year, while McDonald has 14 helpers. Despite residing in the lower portion of the ECAC standings, Union (11-14-5, 5-10-3) also looks to be a stern test for the Red tomorrow night. The Dutchmen tied the Red 1-1 in the teams’ first meeting of the season at Lynah Rink. Since then, Union has gone 4-3-1, including a tie at Brown and a loss at Harvard last weekend. The Dutchmen are backstopped by sophomore goalie Kris Mayotte, who has been consistent between the pipes. The ECAC’s top freshman goaltender last year, Mayotte has posted a 2.75 GAA and .905 save percentage. Like Marsters, he has been even stronger in conference action, allowing just 2.43 goals each time out. The problem for the Dutchmen hasn’t been stopping the puck, though, it’s been putting it in the net. Union has averaged a paltry 2.06 goals per game. with Jordan Webb and Joel Beal leading the way with 23 and 22 points, respectively. This will be Cornell’s last road trip of the season, with the Red ending its regular season next weekend at home against St. Lawrence and Clarkson.Archived article by Alex Ip