Briefs

A cappella group in finals: The Chordials, one of Cornell's student a cappella singing groups, is a finalist in a worldwide a cappella tournament this weekend in New York City, sponsored by the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) of Chicago. The Chordials placed among the top seven college ensembles out of 300 groups from the United States, Canada and Asia and will compete in the finals beginning at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 25, in New York's Town Hall Theater. The seven groups will vie for cash prizes and the title of "international champion." The annual competition is the "biggest college a cappella event in the world," said Amanda Grish, ICCA director. "Our finalists in years past -- particularly those from New York state -- have garnered attention for their university in media spots in The New York Times, on the "Today Show," "CBS Sunday Morning" and MTV," she said. The ICCA is a production of Varsity Vocals, an educational organization dedicated to promoting a lifelong interest in vocal music.

Debaters finish second: April 9-11, six debaters represented Cornell at the American Parliamentary Debate Association National Championships at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, with the top debaters from colleges and universities across the country in attendance. Cornellians Robert Glunt '05 and Adam Bonnifield '06 won eight of their first nine rounds en route to their appearance in the final round. In the end, they finished in second place overall -- Cornell's best finish in team history. Glunt and Bonnifield advanced to elimination rounds on April 11 by besting teams from Brown, Johns Hopkins and Columbia, before losing a close final round to the tournament champions from Harvard. Along the way they debated such contemporary issues as domestic education policy, nuclear proliferation and the prosecution of war criminals. Parliamentary debate is a two-on-two form of impromptu debate about political, historical and philosophical topics of the debaters' own choosing. Debaters attend tournaments every weekend across the country.

New trustees: Cornell's newly elected alumni trustees on the Cornell Board of Trustees are Cheryl Parks Francis '76, from Burr Ridge, Ill., and Robert Huret '65, from San Francisco. The new trustees will serve a four-year term on the board, commencing this July 1.

Raisin in the Sun auditions: Cornell's Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts is holding community auditions for the role of Travis Younger in its upcoming production of A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. This landmark American classic that, according to The New York Times, "changed American theatre forever," premiered on Broadway in 1959 and won both the New York Drama Critics Circle and Tony awards for Best Play. It is the fascinating story of a black family on the eve of the civil rights movement, whose desire for the American dream leads them to discover the true meaning of love, courage and honor. African-American boys between the ages of 8 and 12 are encouraged to audition for the role of Travis in this production, to be directed by Regge Life and starring Yolanda King as "Mama." King is the daughter of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Her film credits as an actress include featured roles in Ghosts of Mississippi and Odessa. Auditions will be held Monday, April 26, starting at 3:30 p.m. Children will be asked to read from the script at the audition. Call Pam Lillard at 254-2703 to set up an audition appointment. Rehearsals begin Aug. 16 and the performances will be Sept. 16-18 and 23-25.

Child safety seat event: On Saturday, April 24, Cornell University Police will hold a "Child Safety Seat Check" event at the Cornell Grounds Department shops at 307 Palm Road. (The shops are located off of state Route 366, by the Cornell Orchards.) The event will be from 9 a.m. to noon and the public is invited to attend. Child safety seat experts will be on hand to check safety seats for proper installation, damage or recall. A limited number of free safety seats also will be available at the event. For more information on this event, contact the Cornell Crime Prevention Unit at G-2 Barton Hall, 255-7404. Members of the Cornell community who meet the income guidelines of the New York State WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children) program also can receive an application for a free child safety seat by calling the Crime Prevention Unit at the above phone number. This child safety seat program, part of ongoing Cornell Police efforts to improve traffic safety, is funded through a grant from the New York State Governor's Traffic Safety Committee.

Railfair this weekend: The 21st annual Finger Lakes Railfair will be April 24 and 25 at The Field, north of Ithaca on Route 34 in Lansing, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The railfair, sponsored by the Cornell Railroad Historical Society, is expanding into a second half of the indoor soccer facility in its third year at the site. More working model railroad layouts have been added, including large Lego, American Flyer and S scale loops, and more vendors will be on hand -- displaying on 270 tables. Railfair coordinator Jim Torgeson reports the railfair will exhibit large-scale live steam and 12 working layouts from tiny Z scale to Lionel Standard models, three of which can be operated by visitors. There will be drawings for door prizes, hot food, including breakfast, and an indoor miniature golf course will be in operation during the show.

Grants for area teachers: The Institute for European Studies (IES) at Cornell has awarded four grants to area K-12 teachers through its Teacher Grant for Developing a Curriculum Unit on Europe program. The grants, which total $4,500, were awarded to the following teachers:Kara Frostclapp, social studies, Charles O'Dickerson High School, Trumansburg; Catherine Hackert, music, Glens Falls High School, Ballston Spa; Jennie Higgins, social studies, Cayuga Onondaga BOCES, Auburn; and Paula Twomey, foreign languages, Ithaca High School. Each grantee will receive $1,000 plus $125 for travel expenses to create Europe-focused units that meet New York State Department of Education curriculum standards. The new units will be made available via the Internet to teachers across New York and nationwide by August. "These grants express our belief that teaching about Europe in schools is an important element in the curriculum," said Davydd Greenwood, IES director. The grants are made possible with funding from the U.S. Department of Education and are part of a larger IES outreach mission to K-12 schools in Ithaca and the region.