Ithaca College funds illigal, anti-war trip to Iraq

The Ithacan ^ | January 28, 2003 | Caitlin Connelly and Ellen R. Stapleton - Chief Copy Editor and Editor in Chief

[BlackAndGold]

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Maura Stephens, editor of the Ithaca College Quarterly, will travel to Iraq Thursday as part of a national women’s peace delegation.

The trip is both humanitarian and activist in nature: The group plans to deliver relief aid along with a powerful antiwar message. Stephens, a senior editor in the college’s Office of Marketing Communications, will arrive in Baghdad over the weekend with 14 other women led by Medea Benjamin of Code Pink: Women’s Pre-Emptive Strike for Peace. Code Pink is a women’s peace group that has been holding an antiwar vigil outside the White House since November.

Stephens’ trip, which is being primarily funded by Ithaca College, is also illegal, in that it violates State Department travel restrictions. For more than a decade, it has been illegal to use American passports to travel to, in or through Iraq without special government validation, said State Department spokesman Lee Fintor. Violators may be subject to fine or imprisonment.

According to the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, passport validations can be issued for professional journalism, American Red Cross work, compelling humanitarian situations such as family illness or family reunification and missions in line with national interests. Additionally, Iraq requires valid passports and visas from foreign visitors before entry.

Although Stephens is obtaining a visa from Iraq, she acknowledged Monday that her trip is currently illegal because she does not have the special U.S. passport validation.

"The illegality is something that our mission is working to straighten out with them," she said. "From what I understand, [we’re] working out something with the State Department."

But Maddy Bassi, coordinator of the delegation, said Code Pink has not made contact with the State Department because she was unaware a special validation was necessary.

Stephens said she hopes that establishing more personal contact between Iraqi and American citizens might diminish the likelihood of war. "Our official purpose is to meet with Iraqis, particularly women," she said. Stephens said they plan to have meetings with other peace groups in the country, visit hospitals, orphanages and schools to distribute donations, and possibly hold news conferences and small antiwar demonstrations. Her husband, George Sapio, is accompanying the group as a photographer. She has collected personal messages and photographs, as well as drawings from children at local schools and a day care center. She will also be taking medicine, health care items and jewelry donated after she sent e- mails to colleagues and friends. Students for a Just Peace also collected items at tables in the Campus Center.

Peter Bardaglio, provost and vice president for academic affairs; Tanya Saunders, dean of the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies; Larry Shinagawa, director of the Center for the Study of Culture, Race and Ethnicity; and Tom Torello, executive director of marketing communications, each provided $500 from their offices to help cover the cost of the trip.

Including accommodations, airfare, vaccinations and other expenses, the total cost of the trip is more than $3,000 per person, Stephens said. When she asked college administrators for help, she said they were "forthcoming and supportive." Without their help, Stephens said, she probably wouldn’t be able go on the trip.

"It is the support of the college that’s making it possible," she said. She said her husband’s funding was provided by an Ithaca College community member who wishes to remain anonymous.

Bardaglio, Torello and Shinagawa said they did not know the trip was illegal when they approved the funding. Saunders did not immediately return a phone call for comment.

Although Shinagawa said he knew the trip would be controversial, he said Stephens did not discuss the illegality with him. When Bardaglio was asked whether he would have funded the trip had he known about the restrictions, he replied after a pause: "That’s a good question — 20/20 hindsight. … I would hope they would get that special validation."

However, Bardaglio said he thought the mission was "academically worth supporting" because it will help internationalize the college’s curriculum — one of his top priorities. He said Stephens made a commitment to give several public and classroom presentations after her return.

"My understanding was that [Stephens] was going to be going on a cultural exchange, meeting with women in Iraq and talking to them about their recent experiences," he said. "It seemed like a wonderful opportunity for our students to get the perspective of someone who’s been in Iraq recently without the filter of the mainstream press."

The issue was further complicated last week when Stephens circulated an e-mail to many colleagues on campus — including Bardaglio — that stated the mission will, "bring the message to the women, children and men of Iraq — and the rest of the world — that most American residents do NOT support their government’s plan to wage war on Iraq and will NOT allow it to happen in our name. We will let them know that we will fight, rather, to ensure that the people of Iraq are not put in harm’s way by the country we call home."

Bardaglio said before he received the e-mail, he understood the trip as only a humanitarian venture. Shinagawa also said he had not been aware of Stephens’ activist intentions before reading her e-mail, but thought she was going to listen, observe and provide the perspective that not all Americans share the Bush administration’s views on Iraq.

"I certainly was supportive of her being there to express a different perspective, but not necessarily to say that it’s [that of] the majority of the people of America," he said.

When asked about the antigovernment statements in the e-mail, Stephens said: "I was a little vehement when I wrote it. It’s been widely circulated and taken out of context.

"The point is that we care about the individual Iraqi people and not all Americans are in a headlong rush toward war – that’s the message. It’s not that we’re against our government; we’re not an antigovernment mission. It’s a pro-human being mission."

She said that the news conferences will not address how many Americans don’t support the government, but rather the human rights and health care situation in Iraq.

Torello said he supported Stephens’ trip because he expects her to cover the story for the Ithaca College Quarterly.

"I saw it as an opportunity to get a compelling and interesting story in front of the alumni," he said.

President Peggy R. Williams said Monday afternoon she could not comment because she did not know the college provided funding for the trip.

"This is a personal venture, as far as I’m concerned, on her part," she said.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

President Peggy R. Williams said Monday afternoon she could not comment because she did not know the college provided funding for the trip.

"This is a personal venture, as far as I’m concerned, on her part," she said.

Which is it, President Peggy? Were you unaware, and thus an incompetent, or aware, and thus a liar? And now that you have been informed, what is your position?

[bassmaner]

More "City of Evil" nonsense.

[NativeNewYorker]

Name: Stephens, Maura

Dept: College Relations

Title: Senior Editor/Spec Proj

Building: Alumni Hall Ithaca, NY 14850

Phone: (607) 274-3829

Email: mstephens@ithaca.edu

[commandante_zero]

Not to worry. Most of these groups are infiltrated by CIA and can provide useful targeting information. Just don't tell the Iraqis.

Baghdad will be (much) warmer than Ithaca, anyhow.

[paul51]

It seemed like a wonderful opportunity for our students to get the perspective of someone who’s been in Iraq recently without the filter of the mainstream press

Yeah, better to have a filter of idiots

[b4its2late]

Although Stephens is obtaining a visa from Iraq, she acknowledged Monday that her trip is currently illegal because she does not have the special U.S. passport validation.

It would be well worth it to give her a one-way visa out of the country, never to return.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

President Peggy R. Williams said Monday afternoon she could not comment because she did not know the college provided funding for the trip.

Nonsense.

As reported yesterday in the Ithaca Journal:

Four groups at the college --the Office of the Provost, the Office of Marketing, the Office of Interdisciplinary Studies and the Office of Culture, Race and Ethnicity -- each donated $500 to help Stephens pay for the trip. **** Collection boxes are located at several places on the Ithaca College campus. Donations can be dropped off at ...the Office of the Provost in the third floor of Job Hall.

Like the Provost, President Williams has her office on the third Floor of Job Hall. Does she really expect us to believe that she was unaware of an illegal fundraiser a few doors away from her own office?

Furthermore, this is not the first time that Ithaca College has been at the forefront of sponsoring anti-American propaganda. Last year, their alumni magazine printed an article in which professor of politics, Asma Barlas proclaimed that people like Osama bin Laden, as well as all sorts of "moderates" hate America because America's foreign policy since World War II has been one that "seeks control over the entire world by any means necessary...people everywhere are sick and tired" of our "political economy based on their systematic abuse, exploitation, expropriation, and degradation."

Williams defended this venomous hatred of America under the guise of "academic freedom."

On the other hand, she wasn't so supportive of "academic freedom" when the College Republicans were accused of "hate crimes," simply for using the term "feminazi" in a flier.

Ithaca is the City of Evil.

(To order "Ithaca is the City of Evil" merchandise, courtesy of FREEPER "the," Click Here).

(And to order "Ithaca is the City of Evil" bumper stickers [and support Free Republic],Click Here and enter "Evil" as a your keyword.)

[MadIvan]

What the bloody hell is Ithaca's problem? Is there some lost Twilight Zone episode we're missing here?

Ithaca has taken its place...in the Twilight Zone

Regards, Ivan

[Behind Liberal Lines]

You do realize that Serling was, for a time, a resident of Ithaca and a member of the Ithaca College faculty, don't you?

I am not making this up.

Perhaps he considered the City of Evil to be an inspiration for some of his more twisted tales. ;-)

[NativeNewYorker]

I have to assume this sheer idiocy is hurting their fund raising.

IC will literally whither away as older alums tell "development" types to eff-off, and younger grads will stumble off South Hill with a vacuum between their ears.

[NativeNewYorker]

He was from Interlaken, wasn't he?

[general_re]

Born in Syracuse and raised in Binghamton, IIRC. Didn't know he was on the faculty at Ithaca, though - suddenly his twisted vision makes a lot more sense ;)

[Behind Liberal Lines]

He was from Interlaken, wasn't he?

I know he had a lake house there, but I don't know if that was year round or if he lived in Ithaca too.

[Pharmboy]

My wife is a Cornell graduate, as is my daughter. As an NYU fencer in the '60s, I was there a few times myself.

When I visited my daughter during her sophomore year in the mid-nineties, I didn't say much about local politics except to point out the shelf space that "Women's Studies" garnered in the campus book store versus that occupied by "Anthropology." She pointed out to me how the African American and Hispanic students self-segregated. It was (and remains, I guess) crazy.

She's a good Republican today.

[John Valentine]

I am ready to make a substantial contribution to this group if they ALL go and take their Cornell friends with them.

One other condition is that any survivors must go straightaway to North Korea to for similar duty.

[MadIvan]

You do realize that Serling was, for a time, a resident of Ithaca and a member of the Ithaca College faculty, don't you?

OK, now I have a chill running up and down my spine.

Perhaps he considered the City of Evil to be an inspiration for some of his more twisted tales. ;-)

Twilight Zone = Ithaca? Oh my.

Regards, Ivan

[Behind Liberal Lines]

(whistling) doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo...

[Letitring]

This makes me furious. How can we stop these idiots going overseas and slamming our beloved America? I am so weary of that. What other Country in the World has their "so-called" citizens running abroad bad mouthing their home Country? This isn't about President Bush. This is about America. How dare she/they do that to our Country, yet again. This mess needs to be stopped. We need to make an example of any ONE of these groups, showing we do NOT appreciate their HATE FILLED tactics against our Nation.

[Anti-Bolshevik]

"She pointed out to me how the African American and Hispanic students self-segregated."

Really? My ex-girlfriend (puerto rican) constantly complains about the racism -- particulary from white students & faculty -- at the University.

I think most of that is in her head anyhow.