College Crosse - Cornell Temporarily Suspends Men's Lacrosse TeamAll the lacrosse news you can handle and plenty more!https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48527/crosse-fave.png2013-09-27T10:58:46-04:00http://www.collegecrosse.com/rss/stream/45158512013-09-27T10:58:46-04:002013-09-27T10:58:46-04:00Cornell Confirms Suspension Ends Before the Spring
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<figcaption>Drew Hallowell</figcaption>
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<p>Additionally: There were no hospitalizations, injuries, or arrests during the incident.</p> <p>Cornell has been transparent about its decision to temporarily suspend the Red lacrosse program for the fall period: Between details released on the university's website regarding the incident that led to the temporary suspension and delineated discussions with the media, Cornell has been up front about the reasons underlying its choice to sideline the Red from fall competition. This is a good thing: Pellucidity is important in these kinds of situations.</p>
<p>Furthering that approach, Cornell Director of Athletics Andy Noel spoke with <em>The Post-Standard</em> about the incident, <a href="http://blog.syracuse.com/sports/2013/09/cornell_lacrosse_hazing_incide.html" target="new">providing more specifics on the incident and shedding some light on why the university decided to cancel the Red's fall competition slate</a>. Importantly, the incident that led to the lacrosse team's temporary suspension -- allegations of "keg races" involving individuals being tied together, some drinking to the point of vomiting -- did not result in exceptionally bad consequences: </p>
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<p>The hazing incident that resulted in the Cornell men's lacrosse team being temporarily suspended and cancelling two Fall exhibition games did not include any criminal complaints, arrests, injuries or hospitalized players, according to police and Cornell athletic director Andy Noel.</p>
<p>"No player was hospitalized, injured or arrested during the hazing incident," Noel wrote in an e-mail.</p>
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<p>With respect to the punishment imposed, Noel confirmed that the Red would have its suspension lifted prior to the start of the spring season, but also noted that the university believes that the cancellation of the lacrosse team's spring events -- which includes the Capital Lacrosse Invitational, a fall ball tournament that promotes and supports the Mario St. George Boiardi Foundation (George Boiardi was a former Cornell captain that tragically passed away while playing lacrosse in March 2004) -- was "significant":</p>
<blockquote><p>"I consider the current sanction to be very strong because fall competition is the only time our coaching staff has to evaluate our players with the speed and intensity an opponent brings," Noel said. "Conversely, these fall scrimmage games are the only opportunity for our players to demonstrate their skills or display their improvement against outside competition. The staff and players will enter spring practice with less knowledge of individual skill and performance than in years past."</p></blockquote>
<p>The implication here, at least from a high level, is that the punishment was designed to increase the degree of difficulty in the Red's development on the field. Arguments will remain as to whether the rationale that Noel provides reconciles to the imposed sanctions, but at least the university -- through Noel -- has provided insight into why Cornell took the approach that was ultimately undertaken.</p>
https://www.collegecrosse.com/2013/9/27/4776828/cornell-lacrosse-suspension-suspended-university-hazing-allegations-alcohol-keg-racesHoya Suxa2013-09-23T10:16:15-04:002013-09-23T10:16:15-04:00Update on the Cornell Lacrosse Suspension
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<figcaption>Drew Hallowell</figcaption>
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<p>The existence of "keg races" appears to be the big issue in Ithaca.</p> <p>Two chunks of information have emerged since last week: (1) Sources have indicated to <em>Inside Lacrosse</em> that "coerced consumption" did not take place among the Red's lacrosse team; and (2) Cornell issued a brief report on the hazing allegations that have sidelined the Red from fall competition. As is the case with such situations, there is some dissonance between the two sets of information.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.insidelacrosse.com/news/2013/09/20/details-emerge-cornell-hazing-investigation" target="new">As Terry Foy writes</a>, sources -- with second-hand knowledge of the situation -- are specifically contradicting allegations of "coerced consumption" and have also indicated that no mental or physical abuse was targeted toward new members of the team:</p>
<blockquote><p>The sources, who have second-hand knowledge of the incident, told IL that the allegations of hazing stem from a team event during orientation in August. Sources acknowledge that while underage drinking took place at the party, there was no hard alcohol served and no mental or physical abuse targeting new members of the team; the sources contradicted reports of coerced consumption and added that there were no arrests or injuries in the wake of the event.</p></blockquote>
<p>Rob Pannell, late of the Cornell program, told Foy that he was "confident" that "no hazing within the Cornell lacrosse team" had taken place based on his five years within the program.</p>
<p>Late Sunday evening, however, the university issued a violations report, describing the incidents that led to the team's suspension for the fall period. <a href="http://hazing.cornell.edu/cms/hazing/incidents/violations/fall2013.cfm" target="new">Here's the juice</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p><strong>Description</strong>: On September 12, 2013, the Department of Athletics and Physical Education received information informing them that the new members of the men’s varsity lacrosse team were being hazed by the upperclass members of the team. The investigation revealed the presence of a culture within this group of treating new members as less than equals. The freshmen were expected to perform menial tasks, including chores and other duties that went above and beyond those expected of the general membership. Additionally, they were expected to spend a large amount of time with the other members in both lacrosse-related and social situations planned by upperclass members of the team. At one such social gathering, upperclass team members organized a “keg race” in which underage freshmen members, aided by seniors, were challenged to drink a large amount of alcohol (beer) in a competition against other team members. The freshmen were told to stand in a circle and were tied together with string that was passed through their belt loops. They consumed a large quantity of alcohol to the point at which multiple members vomited.</p></blockquote>
<p>I highly doubt that Cornell pulled the lacrosse team from fall competition based on the fact that freshman were "expected to perform menial tasks, including chores and other duties that went above and beyond those expected of the general membership." If universities were in the business of temporarily suspending student organization for that kind of stuff (assuming the chores and tasks weren't disgustingly degrading or physically violent, bordering on the criminal), there wouldn't be an operating student organization on the planet. It's the other aspect of the incident report -- the "keg race" where freshman were tied together -- that likely caused the temporary suspension.</p>
<p>The difficult reconciliation, of course, is the statements from sources that coercive consumption did not take place and the report on the "keg race." </p>
https://www.collegecrosse.com/2013/9/23/4761620/cornell-lacrosse-suspension-suspended-team-hazing-alcohol-keg-races-universityHoya Suxa2013-09-20T10:49:57-04:002013-09-20T10:49:57-04:00Cornell Lacrosse Suspension: Emerging Details
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<figcaption>Drew Hallowell</figcaption>
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<p>The incident involves "coerced alcohol consumption by underage freshman."</p> <p>Let's get right to it -- <a href="http://cornellsun.com/blog/2013/09/20/mens-lacrosse-mens-laxers-suspended-for-hazing-allegations/" target="new">Cornell's lacrosse team is suspended due to hazing involving alcohol consumption</a>:</p>
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<p>“This incident involves coerced alcohol consumption by underage freshmen,” said John Carberry, director of press relations for the university.</p>
<center><p>* * * * *</p></center>
<p>“Hazing practices are harmful and antithetical to our values as a university and our commitment to student-athletes,” [Cornell Director of Athletics Andy] Noel said. “They have no place in Cornell athletics.”</p>
<p>As President David Skorton has taken serious steps to eliminate hazing from the Greek system, the University is taking these incidents increasingly seriously.</p>
<p>“Under President David Skorton, Cornell University has been a strong voice against hazing and the dangerous rituals that some think are merely rites of passage,” said Susan Murphy, Vice President for Student and Academic Services.</p>
<p>Though the most recent hazing incidents have involved members of the Greek system, Noel said that it can become a problem any time there is an abuse of power within the hierarchy of a group, even on a sports team.</p>
<p>“I am particularly concerned with coercive traditions that abuse the power differential between new students and underclassmen,” Noel said. “Team bonding is important, and there are many ways to achieve it that don’t involve hazing.”</p>
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<p>The strength of those statements from Cornell's brass are telling: The university isn't screwing around with this situation. Cornell is treating hazing as a priority concern on campus, and the Big Red's lacrosse team is in a position where the university -- at least at this juncture -- is poised to make an example of the program as a means of deterrence effect. In fact, Cornell's press relations office is intimating that <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fcollege%2Flacrosse%2F2013%2F09%2F19%2Fcornell-mens-lacrosse-team-suspended-amid-hazing-allegations%2F2840143%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.collegecrosse.com%2F2013%2F9%2F20%2F4751834%2Fcornell-lacrosse-suspension-suspended-hazing-allegations-alcohol-university-ncaa-college" target="_blank" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">further details of the hazing allegations may be made public</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p>Carberry added that more details will be released on the university's hazing site — hazing.cornell.edu — in the coming days.</p></blockquote>
https://www.collegecrosse.com/2013/9/20/4751834/cornell-lacrosse-suspension-suspended-hazing-allegations-alcohol-university-ncaa-collegeHoya Suxa2013-09-19T16:46:09-04:002013-09-19T16:46:09-04:00Cornell Temporarily Suspends Men's Lacrosse Team
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<figcaption>Drew Hallowell</figcaption>
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<p>Hazing allegations have caused the temporary suspension.</p> <p>Replacing Rob Pannell, Steve Mock, Jason Noble, and a host of other now-graduated members of the 2013 iteration of the Big Red isn't the biggest problem facing Cornell lacrosse at the moment. No, Ben DeLuca and Associates, Ltd. is dealing with something bigger -- <a href="http://cornellsun.com/blog/2013/09/19/mens-lacrosse-mens-laxers-suspended-for-hazing-allegations/" target="new">hazing allegations that have caused the university to cancel all of the program's fall games until further notice</a>:</p>
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<p>The Cornell men’s lacrosse team has been placed on temporary suspension following an alleged hazing incident on Sept. 13.</p>
<p>According to a statement made by Andy Noel, the Meakem Smith Director of Athletics and Physical Education, the team has been notified that all of the games scheduled for the fall semester are cancelled pending further notice.</p>
<center><p>* * * * * </p></center>
<p>As of Thursday, the team was allowed to resume its training and practice in accordance with sanction guidelines.</p>
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<p>Cornell was scheduled to play -- <a href="http://www.laxpower.com/common/FallBall_Men.php" target="new">according to <em>LaxPower's</em> database</a> -- the Iroquois national team at the end of September in addition to the program's traditional participation in the Capital Lacrosse Classic in mid-October (an event that benefits and promotes the Boiardi Foundation (a cause founded in the memory of former Cornell player George Boiardi)). </p>
<p>This probably isn't the way that Ithacats were hoping to open the year.</p>
<p><strong>UPDATE</strong>: <a href="http://www.cornell.edu/statements/2013/20130919-mens-lacrosse.cfm" target="new">From Cornell's Director of Athletics</a>:</p>
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<p>On Sept. 13, the Cornell men's lacrosse team was placed on temporary suspension pending appropriate sanctions for a team hazing incident. Following investigation into the incident, Coach DeLuca and his team were notified that all fall competitions are canceled.</p>
<p>Effective today, the team will resume training and practice in accordance with sanction guidelines. </p>
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https://www.collegecrosse.com/2013/9/19/4749668/cornell-suspsended-lacrosse-mens-big-red-hazing-allegationsHoya Suxa