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The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/2005/08/24/greek-life-dean-leaves-cornell-for-harvard/)

August 24, 2005

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Greek Life Dean Leaves Cornell for Harvard

By | August 24, 2005

Suzy Nelson, Cornell

Environment Plays Major Role In Diet

By August 25, 2005

At a barbeque in Collegetown, Dan Lee ’07 picked up his third hamburger from the grill. “I’m not very hungry,” he admitted. “But it looks really good.” Lee, like most other people, may use environmental rather than biological cues to decide how much food to consume, according to a Cornell study published in the April 2005 edition of Physiology and Behavior. In the study, 12 normal-weight men and women overate for 13 days, during which they consumed about 35% more energy than they would in normal meals. Although the participants gained an average of five pounds, they did not attempt to shed the extra weight afterwards by eating less. Instead, during the three-week recovery period, they resumed their normal level of food intake. According to David Levitsky, the study’s principal researcher and a professor of nutritional science and psychology, the results contribute to the hypothesis that external cues, such as portion size and the number of other people eating, are the primary influences on how much a person eats. “The majority of my colleagues believe that eating behavior is very closely linked to our biology. Our genetics determine the amount of body fat we will have … This argues in a very pessimistic way that you can’t change your body fat,” Levitsky said. “There is an alternative view — which I have been pushing for several years — that says our body weight is a function of our environment. Our environment determines our behavior,” he said. Eva Obarzanek Ph.D. ’84, a co-author of the study who is now a nutritionist for the National Institutes of Health, pointed to the rising number of overweight people as support for Levitsky’s alternative view. “There’s a tremendous increase in obesity that maybe has doubled. That’s not due to changes in internal mechanisms or physiological changes,” she said. Interestingly, although the 12 subjects did not exercise or curb their eating afterwards, they still lost about half the weight they had gained in the study. “You burn more energy simply by carrying around additional weight,” explained Levitsky, according to the Cornell News Service. “The spontaneous increase in metabolic rate that we found in the subjects after overeating was remarkably consistent with a comparable overfeeding study in animals, as well as with other studies with humans and overeating.” The researcher’s advice for healthy eating is to “be cognizant of the food cues that are inducing you to eat. Secondly, be very sensitive to portion sizes.” “Watch your weight; weigh yourself frequently … Skip a meal every once in a while until you get back to where you should be,” he added. Along with Levitsky and Obarzanek, Gordana Mrdjenovic ’00 and Prof. David Levitsky, nutritional sciences, were the other co-authors of the study. This fall, Levitsky plans to research the body’s reaction to energy deficits when meals are skipped. Archived article by Xiaowei Cathy TangSun Senior Editor
Defense Dominates in Football Scrimmage

By August 25, 2005

While the football team has been practicing for several weeks, yesterday marked the first time both the offensive and defensive units have seen a significant amount of actual game experience — albeit against each other. The intrasquad scrimmage, held at Schoellkopf Field yesterday, pitted the Red offense against a defense that ranked first in the Ivy League in rush yards allowed a year ago. Therefore, it came as no surprise that the Cornell defense stifled its opponent, allowing only three touchdowns in over 15 possessions — two of which came when the offense began in the red zone. “I thought that is the usual case this time of year that the defense is ahead of our offense,” said head coach Jim Knowles ’87. One of the possible reasons for the lack of production offensively was the absence of fifth-year senior offensive lineman Kevin Boothe. “We miss Boothe for sure,” Knowles said. “He brings a kind of different energy to the offensive line and he will be back tomorrow. We probably could have pushed him today if we wanted to, but there is no reason to.” The gaping 327-pound hole at right tackle put the Red offense at a disadvantage, and the defense gave them little opportunity to recover. Junior Jeff Dicks was involved in several tackles from his defensive line spot, including a nine-yard sack on senior quarterback Ryan Kuhn. Junior Ryan Kiscadden also chipped in with a pair of tackles behind the line of scrimmage. In addition to the efforts of the front four, Knowles was very pleased by the play of the secondary. Three different players made interceptions and the starting corners provided tight coverage on routes down the field. “Our corners were much improved,” Knowles said. “I thought [senior] Jason Cloyd and [junior] Matt Grant played extremely well. We had a great defense last year, but we had a weakness at the corner position and those were the two guys that were there. It thought they had a really great day … We were great against the run last year and we need to get better against the pass and I think we saw that today.” Though the offense struggled to move the ball at times, there were bright spots in its performance — particularly at the quarterback position. Kuhn displayed his mobility in the pocket by avoiding heavy pressure and scrambling for positive yards. He also ran successfully on several designed option plays, despite the fact the defense was not tackling the starter to the ground. “My initial impression of how he did today was just okay in terms of his accuracy,” Knowles said. “He ran the offense well. He has really been having a good camp and he has been highly accurate … I think he is going to be a very good quarterback this year. I think he has all the tools. But, we are not tackling him so I think he is going to make even more yards with his feet.” Freshman Nathan Ford also took a turn at the quarterback position. In his debut for the Red, Ford tossed the first touchdown of the afternoon — a long pass down the left sideline to senior Brian Romney. On the ground for Cornell, senior Joshua Johnston and sophomore Luke Siwula shared the majority of the carries, with the second-year man breaking through for a two-yard touchdown run. “I think Luke Siwula is going to surprise some people,” Knowles said. “I think he’s a guy that can make you miss and he is always going to get positive yards. He has come out of nowhere and I don’t think anyone really has him on the radar. I think he is going to surprise.” The team will continue scrimmages in the weeks leading up to the season-opener against Bucknell on September 17. “The defense looked sharp at times. The offense looked sharp. They moved the ball, had some big plays,” Knowles said. “I’m pleased with the overall effort.” Archived article by Bryan PepperSun Assistant Sports Editor