Protesters take over Cornell President's office

[struggle4progress]

ITHACA, N.Y. Protests against Cornell University's plan to turn a green space into a parking lot have escalated to the point that students took over the President's office.

The students oppose the conversion of "Redbud Woods," a wooded area near the University's west campus residential buildings, and have been protesting for several days. <snip>

Aaron Sidford, a freshman, said yesterday, "We're just trying to show that more than 176 people don't want this parking lot." <snip>

Both the City of Ithaca and Cornell's Student Assembly have taken a stance against the demolition of green space. <snip>

http://www.wstm.com/Global/story.asp?S=3275865

[oppositionmember]

1. They paved Paradise...

And put up a university parking lot.

[Tigress DEM]

27. Why can't parking lots be lifted high above spaces like that?

You know, sturdy collumns, artful and little picnic tables and such below? So that more parking could exist above and maintain the natural space below giving it moderate shelter from the elements could both flourish?

A giant car port where you park the cars on top.

Neither would be perfect, but each could give the other a little something to make the co-existence work.

[Igel]

33. Two words: light and water. n/t

[Tigress DEM]

34. But if it's like a carport, some ambient light does get through and

you can bring rain water down gutters into watering channels.

I guess trees to need full direct light, though.

[madhat]

2. Excellent!

Glad to see that campuses are hotbeds of REAL activism again!

[0007]

3. They'll crank up when the draft comes.

[stillcool]

4. Wow....they are picking up the torch...

These students are part of the solution. From their ranks your childrens future lies.

[chlamor]

5. Yea-Yea-Yea

Thx s4p. These students are the REAL DEAL who have stayed out and camped out in front of the Pres. Office on some wicked nights. This has been going on for more than a year and they tried every other means. They have been lied to, put off and they are now taking a stand.

TOTAL SOLIDARITY

[chlamor]

6. Save Redbud Woods- What is this all about?

What is this all about?
As part of its West Campus Residential Initiative, Cornell eliminated the student parking lot that used to be located at the corner of University Ave and Stewart Ave. To replace it, they are planning on constructing a new lot farther down University Ave, behind the Von Cramm and 660 Stewart houses.

This lot will be for cars for "occasional use" by students. It will provide at least 140 spaces, covering an area about the size of two football fields. It will be brightly lit every night, noisy, and be surrounded by a screen of non-native Norway Spruce trees.

The woods are in the historic backyard designed by Warren Manning for three mansions owned by Robert Treman, a prominent citizen of Ithaca around the turn of the century (and the man who donated the land for both Treman parks). The area provides a much needed buffer between the University Hill neighborhood and the Cornell campus, and has been designated a historic district by the City of Ithaca.

<snip>

Residents of the neighborhood have been actively engaged in the public process to halt construction of this lot for over a year and a half. Last spring, they won a decision from the City of Ithaca Planning and Development Board which denied Cornell permission to build. The board offered Cornell 6 months to reach a mutual agreement with the city.

Unfortunately, instead of working with Ithaca, Cornell opted to sue the Planning Board, and a State Supreme Court judge ruled in Cornell's favor, forcing the board to accept the parking lot. This action undermined the Board's right to decide local planning decisions and put a serious dent in town-gown relations.

http://www.rso.cornell.edu/snrc/redbud/

[kainah]

7. People's Park in San Francisco!

Have none of these university people heard of People's Park? This is exactly the same situation. Go, Cornell!

[Webster Green]

8. People's Park is in Berkeley....(n/t)

[ProudToBeLiberal]

9. Proud to be a cornellian nt

[Gloria]

10. Ha, for the DUer who posted a few days ago that Cornell was

way Conservative.....HA!! Of course, when I was there, black students took over the Student Union with weapons and we had mass sit-ins....Not to mention the massive Vietnam demonstrations......but hell, this is good, too!!! Glad to see that Cornellians stil know how to protest!!

Funny thing is: my freshman year, when the Cornell Sun ran it's April Fools Day issue (with upper classman not letting on at all), the story was how they planned to put an underground parking lot in the middle of the Arts Quadrangle. We poor little freshman were in a panic...until we realized it was a joke.

[chlamor]

11. Cornell is generally

politically apathetic. I know first hand on an everyday basis. But there is a change coming, you can feel it on campus. The students are slowly waking up. The biggest problem is the comfort afforded the students so they don't 'feel' the loss as readily.

These students in this protest are superb and have fought this struggle relentlessly.

Nominate?

I've heard alot about Cornell when you were there. Must have been intense.

Peace

[ProudToBeLiberal]

14. hey are you a fellow cornellian? What college and year? nt

[architect359]

22. Glad to know there are Cornellians here

I think there was a minor sit in at Day Hall in 94 or 95, i remembered that the older staff members said that was nothing compared to the Vietnam era...

Visited Cornell again a couple of years ago (since graduting in 99 B.Arch), things are so different especially in north campus - all those dorms. I know the housing situation was (is? ) a problem but there's was something nice that north campus was more "rural" than west campus.

Anyway, i don't think that Cornell is as politically apathetic as people have mentioned - the mid to late 90s was relatively quiet but there was always groups outside of WSH for one cause or another. During my last year, there was a major rally for the homeless - hundreds camped out in the middle of campus to protest against another pointless anti-homeless legislation bill.

[Crunchy Frog]

25. Well, that one poster you refer to

is no longer with us.O8)

[seg4527]

12. way to go cornell!

be looking out for some more of this shit.

[gristy]

13. Yes, props to my fellow Cornellians.

I was so politically dense when I was there, it was pathetic. But Carter was our president then...

[PATRICK]

15. At my college

there was a save the trees demonstration. Same timing. The administration made soothing respectful noises and waited for summer break.

And duh, when do you think they do that kind of work anyway? It made the students feel pretty stupid but they concentrated on feeling betrayed.

Keep us informed if they have some hot plan to keep the same thing from happening at Cornell.

[chlamor]

23. Hey PATRICK

Tell them your story and share your strategies. Here is contact info:

http://www.rso.cornell.edu/snrc/redbud/

Read More & Get Involved!
• Read the Redbud Woods Working Group's resolution, presented to President Lehman on Nov. 21. It was passed by the student assembly!
HTML file | Word file

• Then read President Lehman's response to the resolution,

• and then the Working Group's response to Lehman's letter.

• Check out media coverage of past events.

• Read the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Cornell's West Campus Initiative.

• Print out the petition and get people to sign.

• Read the Letter of Faculty Support

• Send an email to President Lehman expressing your concerns, or call his office at [phone]

For more information or to join the Redbud Woods Working Group, contact Danny Pearlstein

If you have information or suggestions for the website, please contact Bradley Kennedy

[PATRICK]

30. Yep, looks like one of our trees

Too big and old and the street too narrow.

Strategies? There were none except those who didn't graduate came back to a fait accompli. Nothing more came of it.

Nowadays and at that college I suspect there are more summer students, though those tend to be more busy with academics and jobs. Break times are also more critical since everyone is gone practically.

It is important for administrations to win(most of all win) or quiet the restive campuses since they know huge issues may be forthcoming and this is almost like probing for weaknesses from their point of view(on both sides). Reason and sensitivity may not be foremost in these conditions.

[Mondon]

16. Somehow.....

criminal trespass to resist...a parkinglot? doesn't have the same feeling as civil disobedience to protest the war or to promote civil rights

[NJCher]

18. trees are important

Are you saying human issues are more important than trees?

We all depend on trees.


Cher

[Mondon]

28. Yes

That's exactly what I'm saying.

[chlamor]

21. There is much more to this

than meets the eye. The town planning board also protested this but Cornell used its clout to override the concerns of everyone, not unusual. Also, the students are actively attempting to get Cornell Pres. to agree to a sane transportation policy on campus rather than more pavement-car culture-fossil fuel dependent which currently rules the car congested campus.

Trees are our lungs lifeblood. if 'politics' is more important than that which gives us life we are in serious trouble. We are in serious trouble.

[sandnsea]

36. Everything's connected

Sane transportation policy 30 years ago might have prevented the oil wars we're having today. The kids appear to get that, good for them.

[ananda]

17. song

Far above Cahayuga County
There's an awful smell.
Some say it's Cahayuga's water,
Some say it's Cornell.

[chlamor]

20. How'd you know?

:toast:

[architect359]

24. Have you seen some shorelines on Lake Cayuga?

Ugh.

[Cooley Hurd]

32. Actually, Cayuga Lake is very beautiful...

It used to be pretty weed-infested, due to the runoff of fertilizer from the farmlands that surround it, but that's been reversed in the last decade or two.:thumbsup:

[Mizmoon]

37. I've lived on one - it was beautiful n/t

[shadowknows69]

19. YES!!!

on the right track kids.

[proud patriot]

26. People's park take 2

[zann725]

29. Wow! Almost like the 60's! When students begin sit-in's...

n/t

[wishlist]

31. University of N.C. Asheville plans for parking lot were stopped last year

Students, faculty and community members joined forces to stop the University of N.C. Asheville from clearcutting 2.5 acres of woods for a 300 car parking lot last year for freshman (but an alternate lot was found in a developed area sparing the woods) In my opinion they could have done like University of Notre Dame and others that restrict freshmen from having cars. This website was set up as part of the organized protest that was successful:

http://www.uncaforest.org/


When I was a Cornell student, besides Vietnam demonstrations, we were also actively involved in pushing for Cornell to divest its investments in South Africa which was under apartheid at the time.

Back then, very few students had cars on campus. We walked or rode bikes everywhere and used the campus buses. It was quite a physical challenge just attending all of our classes in all kind of weather around that huge campus. Classes were never called off regardless of how much snow we had to slog through.

[chlamor]

35. kick