Speaking in front of a packed Bailey Hall Tuesday night, political commentator Keith Olbermann ’79 addressed the problems facing the country, from welfare cutbacks to Ann Coulter ’84. 

Click to see the Sun's guide to Monday's news and life.

At a time when Ann Coulter ’84 and Keith Olbermann’79 are butting heads over the legitimacy of the Ag School and the value of a communication degree, it seems appropriate for scientists to ask: Are there any facts in Ms. Coulter’s claims? I invite you to look at another (maybe, the third) side of the coin, what we call the narrative of science: Imagine Cornell without Agriculture, without the Life Sciences, without Communication (especially, in the life sciences)…

To the Editor:

Re: “Incorrect information and misleading stereotypes plague college wars,” Letters, March 12

Spring Break is here and downtown at HEROES & VILLAINS, we’re ready for the HEROIC wet t-shirt contests, drinking games and dances with the devil on exotic beaches far, far away from the VILLAINOUS Ithaca cold. But, wait, what’s that we hear about VILLAINOUS violence and political turmoil in Mexico? Looks like those Bloody Marys may not actually be made of tomato juice ...

We’re ready to put H&V to bed for a week, but first we have a few last issues to duke out.

Ann Coulter '84 was right. The Ag School is nothing but a bunch of dairy farmers and plant growers with low SAT scores. In fact, the only worthwhile things to come out of CALS are some self-important fratastic AEM majors and the Dairy Bar. Yum! Delicious ice cream! But it’s winter now, and the Dairy Bar is closed, so all we’re left with is a bunch of kids who pop their collars and wear pink shirts. But what about the other schools? Well, let’s find out ...

ILR

Known for reading books about unions, communism, anarchism and also for protesting sweatshops, ILRies have ought to change their acronym to “I Love Rioting.” Industry is dead anyway, we’re guessing labor is too. As for relations, you guys can all go ILRcest in the basement of Ives.

Human Ecology

It seems that one of our most controversial alumni –– Ann Coulter ’84 –– struck a nerve in the Cornell community this past week.

As many have already read on her blog, in The Sun or even in New York Magazine, Coulter took a heavy swing at fellow alumnus and political pundit Keith Olbermann ’79 last Wednesday in an attempt to belittle his “non-Ivy degree.” Coulter, a graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences, denounced the legitimacy of the Communication Major in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in order to demean the level of intelligence of students within the school. Her claims were pretty tongue in cheek, and her petty rhetoric sadly did very little to bolster her own intelligence, especially in referring to CALS as the “Old MacDonald Cornell.”

Last Wednesday, our esteemed alumna Ann Coulter ’84 posted an article on her website blasting her co-alumnus Keith Olbermann ’79. This, the latest in her many irrational tirades, was in response to Olbermann calling out Rush Limbaugh for a mistake Limbaugh made during a speech at the CPAC conference two weekends ago (confusing the Declaration of Independence with the Constitution).

In the course of trying to take down Olbermann, however, she inexplicably set out to destroy the reputation of six of the seven undergraduate schools and colleges at Cornell. Thankfully, the ridiculousness of her claims seems to have made this attempt unsuccessful.