The Cornell Daily Sun - Independent Since 1880

The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/2004/03/05/fencing-competes-for-ncaa-position/)

March 5, 2004

Uncategorized

Fencing Competes for NCAA Position

By wpengine | March 5, 2004

Seven athletes from the fencing team will travel to Columbia this Sunday to compete in the NCAA Regionals. The top finishers in each category will qualify for the NCAA championships at Brandeis on March 25-28.

The Red athletes qualify for regionals based on a power rating that is calculated by combining an individual’s strength of schedule and record. Each category of the competition is seeded according to this power rating. Athletes will advance to the championships based on their seeds and their performances at regionals.

Senior captain Erica Wilhelm, sophomore Meghan Phair, and freshman Alexa Rose will represent the Red in the epee category. Senior captain Lily Nierenberg, freshman Ivana Zgaljic, and freshman Elise Pasoreck will compete in the saber. Senior captain Valerie DeRose will be the only competitor in the foil for the Red.

“I want everyone to be relaxed,” said head coach Al Peters. “They need to be at their best mentally and physically.”

Each category will have a field of more than thirty fencers. Usually the top seven or eight in each category will go on to compete in the finals. Only 24 athletes compete in each category at the NCAAs.

The Northeast Region is the strongest in the country, and the Red will face tough competition this weekend. Penn State, who is currently No. 1 in the country, will be the tournament favorite. All of the Ivy League schools will also be represented at Columbia this weekend.

“I’ll tell them two things before the bouts on Sunday,” said Peters. “One, remember all your strengths and maximize your use of them. Two, every bout is unique. Don’t think of past bouts.”

Last year, the Red sent seven fencers to regionals, but only Phair qualified to go to the NCAAs.

Archived article by Olivia Dwyer

Related

Bruce Named Media V.P.

By wpengine March 8, 2004

In an attempt to address growing concerns about Cornell’s image both nationally and abroad, the University will announce today that Thomas W. Bruce is to become the new vice president for communications and media relations. Bruce’s appointment will complete a University relations revamp made by President Jeffrey S. Lehman ’77 at the start of his tenure last July — an initiative which led to the resignation of Henrik N. Dullea ’61, former vice president for university relations. Lehman consequently began searches for vice presidents in two departments — government and community relations and communications and media relations. Vanda B. McMurtry Ph.D. ’79 was announced as the new vice president for government and community relations last Friday. Bruce worked previously as the senior vice president of Omnicom’s Washington, D.C.-based Chlopak, Leonard, Schechter and Associates and has international experience in corresponding between foreign governments and corporations. Lehman has expressed a desire to focus on bringing the University to the international forefront — labeling his vision of Cornell as a “transnational university.” Bruce, who will start his term in early April pending Board of Trustees’ approval, will almost certainly begin work on revamping the highly-criticized University logo and website, according to Lehman. Both projects have been supported by both Lehman and Peter S. Cohl ’05, leader of the Committee on Improving Cornell’s Image, an ad-hoc Student Assembly group. Cohl said that Bruce’s familiarity with global issues and other skills will benefit the University in a variety of ways. “I think it is important for the University to have an internationally-known spokesperson like Mr. Bruce to help us promote Cornell with a global brand and to further the prestige of the institution,” Cohl said. “His work in prestigious branding certainly coincides with some of our goals in improving Cornell’s image.” In addition to Bruce’s interest in international issues, other characteristics such as his wide range of experience and his understanding of numerous forms of communication set him apart from other candidates, according to Mary Opperman, vice president for human resources and the search committee staffer. Opperman said that although the committee interviewed a variety of candidates, Bruce became the “clear favorite.” “[Bruce] understands viscerally the academic values that define our great university,” Lehman said in a University press release. “And, he has the kind of subtle, sensitive mind that is required to project those values with force and integrity, nuance and clarity.” According to Cohl, Bruce’s success will depend on his working relationships with the University community and whether the new vice president can “leverage the accomplishments of Cornell students and faculty in a way we have not done in the past.” Bruce agreed with Cohl in both respects, saying that his first task will be to establish connections with himself and the various groups around campus. Additionally, Bruce hopes to illustrate nationally and internationally the “incredible stories and incredible people” that the University possesses. “As the University strives to establish its transnational character, I think my understanding of different cultures will help enormously,” Bruce said. “My job is to make Cornell as eloquent as possible. Those experiences will bear directly on that.” After several rounds of searching and interviewing, a search committee consisting of faculty members and administrators whittled their list of potential vice presidents to five, and Lehman interviewed each candidate. After becoming the clear favorite during the selection process, Bruce was invited to campus to meet with various community members and was offered the job in late February. Among a variety of different work experiences, the University of Paris and Georgetown University graduate was the creator and director of the Office of External Relations of the Organization of American States. He has also served on the International Relations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives and for two years served as a news anchor for the Christian Science Monitor. Born in Midland, Texas, Bruce grew up in Paris. “This guy’s experience in [public relations] is critical for the University,” Cohl said. “The image committee looks forward to working with him on a regular basis.” Archived article by Brian Tsao
Lehman Speaks on Admissions Policies

By wpengine March 8, 2004

Standing before an audience of almost 300 people, President Jeffrey S. Lehman ’77 announced that Cornell is doing “relatively well” with regards to diversity as he presented his first lecture at the University regarding affirmative action last Friday. The lecture, entitled “From Bakke to Grutter: Lessons Learned,” was sponsored by the Cornell Institute of Public Affairs. Saying that “Cornell is not a raceless society; we do not pretend that race doesn’t exist,” Lehman discussed the history and status of affirmative action in higher education both nationally and at Cornell. During the lecture, Lehman drew on his experience as dean of the University of Michigan Law School during the high-profile Supreme Court case of Grutter v. Bollinger that in June 2003 upheld the use of affirmative action in the law school’s admission policy. Lehman began the lecture by discussing the 1978 Supreme Court case of Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, the landmark case that established that race could be one of the factors considered in university admissions decisions while outlawing the use of quotas in affirmative action programs. After the Bakke decision, the Michigan Law School policy explained the pedagogic benefit of learning in an integrated environment and considered this interest on a case by case basis, the president said. Continuing with the history of affirmative action, Lehman then spoke about the case of Hopwood v. University of Texas, which reached the U.S. Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit in 1996 and was the first successful legal challenge to racial preferences in admissions since Bakke by arguing for complete colorblindness. Lehman related both of these cases back to affirmative action as it currently exists, saying that — despite its advantages — one must recognize that affirmative action compromises important values of colorblindness. In speaking of Cornell’s affirmative action policies, Lehman said that “I believe we can do more to enhance the diversity of our applicant pool … Cornell can be a new beacon of hope, illuminating the path to success [for young people].” Lehman concluded his remarks saying that Grutter was a defeat in that we do not yet live in a society where diversity happens by accident, but must still be forced through planning. “American society today is not a colorblind society, it is not a society that any child born, regardless of race, has an equal opportunity,” he said. The audience, composed of graduate and undergraduate students, faculty, alumni and other members of the Cornell community, reacted favorably to Lehman’s remarks. “I wish more students were here to hear about how affirmative action is applied in higher education. I think it is highly misunderstood and I completely agree with his vision of how we want to live in a world where policies that promote integration are extraneous, but I know we are far away from it right now,” said Esther Tang ’04, senior class council co-president . Christine Hum ’04 agreed, saying, “I thought it was so fantastic … This just makes me so much more proud to be a Cornellian.” Lehman’s talk was a part of the ongoing CIPA Distinguished Faculty Program Graduate Student Preliminary Research Symposium entitled “Law, Norms and Society” that will continue through next week. Archived article by Erica Temel