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:

Volonnino chose to give the Cornell Big Red hockey team, or at least their fans, some bulletin board material. He insulted Cornell fans and their manner of cheering for their team—particularly at Harvard's home rink. As much as Volonnino vents his disgust for Cornell, he only mentions in passing his anger at Harvard for allowing such a situation to happen.

The Bright Hockey Center holds about 3,000 people. My guess is that 2,000 of those seats were occupied by Cornell fans. Being in a major city such as Boston, it is normal for graduates from an opposing teams to attend games. But a good number of these fans were students who made the six hour drive to Boston. Why don't Harvard students make the six minute walk across the river?

Even the fans who attend games are a unique breed, both current students and alumni. One of the best parts of college athletics is the fan participation. Unlike professional sporting events, college contests invite the fans to become part of the action, usually by yelling generally unprintable things at the opposing team. However, it appears that Harvard hockey fans think they just made a trip to the Harvard Square movie theater.

Overall, the general apathy of the Harvard community toward the 41 sports that Harvard provides, and particularly to the 20+ sports that are easily viewable by making the short walk across the river, is disgusting. Show up and support our teams, as well as your friends and classmates.

Russell D. Rivera '99-'00