Cornell Insults Reflect Poorly on Harvard

To the editors:

It took me a moment to get the end of "Hey Cornell, Leave Your Smelly Fish in Ithaca" (Sports, Feb. 3) by Mike R. Volonnino '01. Volonnino does his own school a great disservice by insulting Cornell. As a Boston-area native and a former Harvard University employee, I am insulted by the opinions Volonnino expresses in his column. They only reinforce the negative perception that many people have of Harvard students. I know people who go to Harvard and sincerely believe that not all Harvard students are as bad as the stereotype which Volonnino propagates. I have no wish to deride Harvard and I urge Cornellians not to respond in kind to the piece. It is not merely bad journalism, but a display of bad taste as well.

But Volonnino's most tasteless comment—the thinly veiled suicide reference at the end of his article—makes me wonder if he even comprehends the seriousness of his "joke." People have died and it is not a laughing matter. And I'm certain the friends and families of those who have lost loved ones would be most disturbed to see suicide trivialized, as Volonnino does in his column.

Daniel B. Moren

Ithaca, NY

Feb. 5, 2000

Harvard Fans Apathetic

To the editors: