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The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/2004/04/14/senior-diplomat-explains-why-canada-matters/)

April 14, 2004

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Senior Diplomat Explains 'Why Canada Matters'

By | April 14, 2004

In an effort to educate the Cornell Community about the important relationship between America and Canada, the connection between the two countries was discussed as part of a lecture last night in Kaufman Auditorium entitled “Why Canada Matters,” delivered by Stephen Kelly ’72, a senior diplomat currently serving as Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa.

Kelly also worked as a journalist who later joined the Foreign Service and served as part of the United States Peace Corps. The event was sponsored by the Canadians at Cornell Club (CACC), as well as a large number of other organizations including the departments of government and economics, the Mario Enaudi Center for International Studies and Cornell Law School. Kelly started his talk by explaining two goals he had for the time allotted.

“I want to shock you into thinking about Canada,” he said. “I also want to convince you to join the U.S. Foreign Service,” he added. Kelly discussed the lack of information Americans have about Canada, saying that in a poll last year of 1,513 Americans, only eight percent could correctly identify then Prime Minister Jean Chr

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Council Discusses IHS Bias Incident

By April 15, 2004

In reaction to the racial tension that has manifested itself in the form of bias incidents that occurred at Ithaca High School last month, the Ithaca Common Council discussed the issue of race and racism during their monthly meeting last night. Incident The Ithaca High School incidents included a fight between six white and three black students, 80 students showing up to school dressed in camouflage, and biased graffiti on students’ lockers. Community members attended the meeting to show their support for the discussion, and several were invited to speak to the council about their views on what should be done to prevent similar events in the future. Education Prof. Emeritus Don Barr, policy analysis and management, said that education is very important in fixing the problem of racism. “Public education is not doing its job,” Barr said. He also added that history is an enormous factor in the problem and that “the impact of slavery continues.” Phoebe Brown, a community member, who watched the meeting on television, decided to drive down to the meeting to lend her support. “We need to talk about the incidents,” she said, adding that having meetings about the issues is not enough and that something needs to be done. Access Councilmember Michelle Berry (D-2nd Ward), recognized that “women and people of color do not have access to City Hall.” Berry said that the media is very important in spreading the word about racism and ultimately in dealing with the problems that exist. “The local news media has to recognize that the things they write can make or break [the situation],” she added. Other Council members added that students are now afraid to attend Ithaca High School and that middle school students are afraid to enter the high school in the fall. There were no representatives from the Ithaca school district present at the meeting. Common Council member Michael Taylor ’05, formulated a list of things that he believes Ithaca can do in order to address race issues. Taylor said that the Common Council should issue statements to the media condemning the incidents of racism that have come up in Ithaca and that could come up in the future. Example He added that the Common Council should “walk the talk” and lead by example by looking into the city’s hiring practices, having ongoing discussions about racial issues and sticking to its principles.Archived article by Eric FinkelsteinSun News Editor
Take Back the Night

By April 15, 2004

Tuesday afternoon, about 50 brown flower pots at various stages in the glazing process littered the floor of the Cornell Women’s Resource Center’s (CWRC) small headquarters in the basement of The Straight. The pots were a part of the Week Without Violence, a series of events led by CWRC that includes Tuesday night’s Flower Pot Paint n’ Plant, during which students could paint two pots at the Tatkon Center. At the end of the night, each participant gave one pot to the Advocacy Center and took one home. The annual Take Back the Night rally and march, which is scheduled to take place tomorrow evening with a group marching from The Straight at 5 p.m., is also a part of the Week. “Take Back the Night is designed to raise awareness on sexual assault and domestic violence,” said Heather Campbell, education director of the Advocacy Center, the lead agency and co-sponsor for the event. The event itself is traditionally put together by the Take Back the Night Collective, which includes the Advocacy Center, CWRC and other community and campus organizations. Last year, approximately 300 people converged on the Ithaca Commons after marching from both East and South Hills as well from the Greater Ithaca Activity Center, according to Kelly Connison, director of the CWRC. “It is very important that Cornell students join us at the march on Friday to show that we are not an isolated, disaffected community on the hill. Rather, we are engaged, concerned citizens who are affected by the same social issues as the community at large,” said Lee Strock ’05, president of Student Advocates of Domestic Violence Education and Support (DoVES), a member of the Collective. Cornell’s organizing efforts for the march and rally are led by the CWRC. “[The event] really helps raise awareness. It’s easy for us to become complacent. At Take Back the Night we hear women and men speak about violence in their lives, and it makes us realize how prevalent it is on campus and in the community,” Connison said. Campbell explained that the event is especially important for the Cornell community because statistically, one in four college women will have experienced a rape or attempted rape by graduation. “By marching to the Commons, we can reclaim the streets and give some visibility to an issue that is too often ignored or made light of. Whether from personal experience or by contact with a survivor, practically every woman I know on this campus has been touched by sexual assault. TBTN is an incredible opportunity for Cornell students of all stripes to raise their voices against violence and support each other,” said Wendy Soref ’04, a member of Students Acting for Gender Equality and of the Collective.Archived article by Freda ReadySun Managing Editor