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G-R-I-E-V-A-N-C-E for Cheerleaders at Cornell

The Eclectic Notebook

Give me a G, give me an R--give me an I--give me an E--give me a V--give me an A--give me an N--give me a C--give me an E. What's that spell? GRIEVANCE.

On October 31, the Cornell cheerleading squad filed a grievance with the athletic department after the department had threatened to overhaul the program in midseason.

The athletic department cited internal difficulties between the cheerleaders and their coach, Monique Taylor, as the reason for suspending the team for the rest of the season.

After the cheerleaders filed their grievance with the ombudsperson at Cornell, the Athletic Department replied by recognizing cheerleading as a varsity sport, and promised to name a new coach to the program.

"We're happy with the new plan," cheerleader Jodie Rosenbaum said. "They met us half-way.

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The cheerleaders said they do not believe Taylor, who is 19 years old, is qualified for the job. The squad also felt it was subjected to unsafe stunts and was required to maintain unreasonable diets. Taylor also failed to show up for practices and had poor communication skills, the team said.

The cheerleaders' change in status came after a meeting between Director of Athletics Laing E. Kennedy, Taylor, and members of the cheerleading squad.

The result of the meeting was that the athletic department modified its plan to overhaul the cheerleading squad at the end of the season and the cheerleaders dropped the student-administrative staff grievance they filed against the department.

It also eliminates a stipulation that would have prohibited seniors from being members of the cheerleading squad in the future.

"We've heard in the past that the Cornell Athletic Department's way of handling a problem is by getting rid of it," Rosenbaum said. "It wouldn't have been fair to seniors."

But all of the cheerleaders must try out again for the squad.

"They told us that the tryouts would be fair," Jodie Rosenbaum said.

Football

Cornell fullback Scott Malaga was named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Big Red's 26-0 victory over Yale. The senior rushed 25 times for 122 yards and a touchdown against the Elis.

The player who was tackling Malaga last week, Yale inside linebacker Don Lund, earned the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week honors. Lund anchored the Eli defense, recording 21 tackles against the Big Red, including 13 solos.

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