Dear reading passport,

This is a political world, of borders and laws, and the thought of renouncing citizenship is a dangerous one if you want to travel.  The Customs checks are rigorous, and abnormalities would cause, at the very least, a long hold-up while proper authorities are called to deal with the unusual situation.  You would also need to consider employment restrictions.

I have consulted with the ISSO and a prominent immigration authority and both agree that these are not simple questions. The best way to get definitive information would be to consult with an immigration attorney, which would entail a fee because the attorney would need to do some research.  The decision to renounce one's citizenship is a very serious matter and should not be taken lightly. It is difficult to renounce US citizenship these days, as you have to formally and voluntarily renounce your citizenship for it to be effective.

Haudenosaunee (or Iroquois) peoples are a political confederacy of six nations that predate the settlement of the Northeast by European peoples that became Americans. As pre-contact nations, contemporary Haudenosaunee issue their own passport to enable travel from their territories into foreign nation-states. These passports are issued by traditional government and have been recognized by some foreign countries, but not all. In order to get an Iroquois passport one must have a clan, transmitted through their mother's line and must be known to their clan mother, who will support or deny their request for a passport. Because these passports are not recognized by all nation-states, Haudenosaunee citizens may not be able to travel with the ease that they might were they to use an American or Canadian passport. Nonetheless, they make their decision to travel with their passport knowing this and recognize the passport as an exercise of their sovereignty and independence from the US and Canada.

Haudenosaunee people may also, based on their place of birth, obtain US or Canadian passports. Some chose to do this for the ease of travel that it enables. One must keep in mind, however, that as people that were and still are configured as nations and as a political Confederacy that pre-dates the settlement of North America, the use of a passport is a very meaningful act for Iroqouis people.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear student/teacher,

There are many ethical issues to consider when you have a position of power over someone else in your workplace.  Essentially, a subordinate may not feel they can stand up for themselves against you without jeopardizing their job. Good boundaries are the key to ethical relations.  Keep work as work, and keep your personal life contained so the two don't contaminate one another.

The pamphlet "Guide to Graduate Study" is available at the Graduate School, and has a policy section including "Romantic and Sexual Relationships between Students and Persons in Authority."

A TA can have students to her house for a dinner to celebrate the end of the term, but if a single student stays over, and then the TA grades that student's paper the next day, there could be a conflict of interest.   Best to wait a few days until the grading is in, then consider next steps in a relationship.  If the student returns and this person is again the TA, the TA may ask to switch assignments, or ask someone else to do evaluations of her personal friend. 

Next, communicate.  Any questionable situations should be brought to the attention of a supervisor before "anything happens."  Always think about possible consequences, and let those who are more experienced help you see different perspectives.

Carol Gilligan's In a different voice talks about how ethical decision-making of males and females differ. 
Daryl Bem's Beliefs, attitudes and human affairs (1970) is a classic. 
Bloom's The Paradox of helping, 
Feldman and Newcomb's The impact of college on students, and
Fletcher's Situation Ethics: The new Morality (1966) may help.  
An article of interest is Glaser and Thorpe, 1986, "Unethical intimacy: a survey of sexual contact and advances between psychology educators and female graduate students", American Psychologist, 41 42-51. 

This book may also be of interest: Ethics and college student life : a case study approach by Kenneth A. Strike and Pamela A. Moss, in Olin.

If your concerns are in the area of time management, look for some generic workplace books.  Otherwise, these are good topics for a dissertation!

Uncle Ezra   

Dear cold,

Go to the facilities website  http://www.fm.cornell.edu/cs
and fill out a customer service form so they will be aware of the trouble.  Or you can call 255-5322 and ask them what the thermostat is set at and to please check it.  I have passed your concern on to the building manager also. Wishing you warmth.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Humbug,

I noticed Wegman's has their xmas stuff up too.  They're really missing out on the Halloween fun. Trick or Treat? I imagine someone in the main office has done the numbers and made the decision based on bottom line sales. The way they see it, people vote with their feet.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear cultured,

It's not the ultimate pleasure of the combination of taste sensations. The oil in the peel blocks the bitterness of overroasted espresso. It is not an Italian custom at all, but one story says American soldiers in Italy during WWII could only get espresso to drink for their coffee, and, not being used to its bitterness, they discovered that a small lemon peel cut down the strong taste. Espresso Romano, now refers to espresso served with lemon. Some say it's a throwback from a time when bars didn't sanitize cups properly, so the lemon peel could be rubbed on the edge of a coffee cup. Some people do like the added taste.

If you're looking for a taste as well as aromatic treat, try Turkish coffee, one of the oldest ways of preparing coffee, using a few cardamom beans ground with the coffee beans. Ask a friend to explore this taste treat with you.  Wishing you a cozy coffee clatch.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear concerned,

Modeling, the process whereby we learn by observing and copying behavior, is a powerful influence on human (and primate) behavior, and you are astute in imagining how a non-affected sibling could superficially appear to have some symptoms of concern. However, as with any diagnosable syndromes, it is the severity and chronicity of the symptoms that can help to define whether a person is enacting or actually affected.

Asperger Syndrome (AS) is a neurobiological disorder named for a Viennese physician, Hans Asperger, who in 1944 published a paper which described a pattern of behaviors in several young boys who had normal intelligence and language development, but who also exhibited autistic-like behaviors and marked deficiencies in social and communication skills. In spite of the publication of his paper in the 1940's, it wasn't until 1994 that Asperger Syndrome was added to the official psychiatric diagnostic manual, DSM IV, and only in the past few years has AS been recognized by professionals and parents.  See http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/ .

There is some controversy around how AS relates to a larger category of autistic disorder. An answer to your question is difficult because of variable expression of the disorder and diagnostic ambiguities. AS has nongenetic and genetic etiologies. Nongenetic causes are associated with disruption, usually prenatally, to the pattern of normal brain development, such as prenatal exposure to viral infection, hypothyroidism and other medical conditions in the mother, or maternal drug use (Davis, Fennoy, and Laraque, in 1992, studied 70 mothers who used cocaine or engaged in poly-drug abuse during pregnancy. In this sample, 11.4% of these women gave birth to autistic children and 94% of the children born showed a pattern of delayed language development.)  Teratogens such as environmental toxins have also been implicated as possible etiologic agents in autistic spectrum disorders.

Genetic causes arise from mutations in genes controlling brain development. Estimates for sibling frequency have ranged from 2-14.5 %, 50-150 times the frequency in the general population, depending on the sex of the child. This information is documented in Bloch-Rosen, Sally, April 1999, Asperger's Syndrome, High Functioning Autism, and Disorders of the Autistic Continuum, http://www.aspergersyndrome.com/Paper040899.doc.

It is important for us all to understand how such mental health disorders affect a person's life, and to respond to these persons with compassion and friendliness.  Persons with mental health disorders are often the targets of bullying and harassment, and of stigmatized attitudes that increase their suffering. My heart goes out to the family you may be wondering about.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear feeling fine,

Not to worry. You seem have a remarkably healthy attitude toward self pleasuring. It's no surprise that with everything Cornell students have to do, they find themselves having to limit certain previously enjoyed activities. Sometimes that means reduced TV watching, sometimes less reading novels for pleasure, and in your case it's masturbating. Your energies are being directed in other ways, towards studying and extracurricular activities. While masturbation may provide a sense of relaxation, release and enjoyment, there are no unhealthy side effects that will result from your taking some time off from "solo sex". And it can be a healthy adaptation to the less private conditions you find yourself in.

Rest assured that your health will be maintained and when the sexual urges return, you should feel free to engage in your pleasures again.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Student,

The Spring 2004 Course and Time roster (times, courses only) is available online now, go to Courses, Classes and Exams under CUInfo (http://cuinfo.cornell.edu/Academic/Class.html).  Exam information is also up on this link.  The room roster for those courses will first appear in mid-December.  Paper copies of the course and room roster will also be available through your college shortly, but with so much information, consult the web for the most up-to-date listings.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Niece '00,

I'm glad you've had a good experience, but of course, he is a Cornell alum!

Uncle Ezra   

Dear McClintock fan,

Thanks, and good luck with your writing project.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Student,

At the end of each semester, the Committee on Academic Achievement and Petitions reviews the records of those students who in any respect are failing to meet the academic requirements of the college or who persistently fail to attend classes.  For students not making satisfactory progress, the committee takes appropriate action, including, but not limited to, issuing warnings, placing students on probation, granting students leaves of absence, advising students to withdraw, or suspending or expelling students.

Specifically, the committee considers as possible cause for action failure to attend and participate in courses on a regular basis or, at the end of the semester, failure to attain one or more of the following:
-semester/term average of at least 2.0*
-cumulative GPA of at least 2.0*
-satisfactory completion of 12 or more credits per semester
-reasonable progress toward completion of distribution requirements
-appropriate completion of college and University requirements
*For those students matriculation 8/01 or later.  Requirements are 1.70 for those who matriculated prior to 8/01

In general terms, regular participation in course work with academic loads at a level sufficient to assure graduation within eight semesters and grades averaging C (2.0) or higher are evidence of satisfactory progress and good academic standing.

There is no exact formula or cut-off for the committee placing a student on probation.  Lisa Ryan and Bonnie Shelley of the Counseling and Advising Office work with the Academic Achievement and Petitions Committee, and work with students with academic and personal concerns.  They'd be glad to meet with individual students to review your record and address your current concerns.  They're open Monday-Thursdays 8-5, Fridays 8-4, and are located in 140 Roberts Hall.  You may call the office at 254-5386 to set up an appointment at a convenient time.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Student,

A small number of students who apply to Cornell University as freshman are offered a guarantee of transfer option. It simply states that although we are unable to offer them admission as a freshman, we would like to guarantee their admission as a transfer student. These students are then given fairly clear guidelines about what they need to do in order fulfill the requirements (usually they must achieve a certain g.p.a. and complete certain courses). If students receive this option and are unclear about the guidelines, they should contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office. I hope this helps.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Kate,

I hope your brother is doing well now.  He's fortunate to have a caring family to share the emotional shock and help him in his recovery. We did try to increase the safety of areas where the gorge drops off so dangerously, and so we are also saddened that the fence was not able to provide the safety needed this month.

I asked our police chief if he had the figures you seek. He said he could recall very few survivors that have fallen from the top of the gorge and ended up at the very bottom in his thirty three years here.  Many survivors had their fall broken part way down and were rescued.  This also happens with our amateur rock climbers, off-trail hikers, etc.  These cases are recorded as "Assist Ill/Injured" in the files, so it would be difficult to determine the exact circumstances inorder to give you the numbers.

Wishing you  well,

Uncle Ezra   

Dear crytologist,

A precedent was set in A.D. White being interred there so that other Cornell presidents had the option. Incidentally, only a quarter of
Deane Malott's ashes are in the Sage crypt (one quarter is in Kansas, one in Hawaii, and one in Arizona!).  Frank Rhodes has said he intends to be buried there. "After all," he said, "all of my daughters were married here."

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Sun Reporter,

Thank you for your article of October 7.  I hope you enjoyed researching "Dear Uncle Ezra" and that you learned a lot about our history and the way we try to extend the heart and soul of Cornell.  You are one of "us".

Uncle Ezra   

Dear townie,

Thanks for your knowledge.  It would be a good idea, to keep indoor air quality high, to open widows when you first turn furnaces on, and let those first dusty fumes out the window before battening down the hatches for real.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Very sleepy and avoiding my home,

Our project manager has an entire job running apologies, and offers these: Once again apologies for disruption to this student. I wish we could make this all go away but we are faced with a  challenging scheduled projected opening in August 04. Perhaps some explanations are in order:

Officially contractors may not start work until 8AM. However, workers do arrive before 8AM and by opening tool boxes, starting the crane, closing truck doors, etc. they do make some low level noise. We are attempting to minimize this by meeting with the contractors' management,  forepersons and by  "patrolling" the site before 8AM to enforce compliance. Unfortunately we probably cannot eliminate noise altogether before 8AM but we are trying hard.

To have any chance of making the August 04 opening we must work the weekends. This was not planned even though we knew sooner or later some trades would get behind and have to accelerate by working Saturdays and/or Sundays. The late deliveries of the precast wall sections you see being erected by crane forced the weekend work to occur. As you may imagine it is very expensive to pay workers to work weekends but we really have no choice. We have asked the contractors (and there was good compliance last weekend) to not conduct loud work operations prior to 9AM on the weekends. This was a small concession to the students, but required significant effort on the part of the contractors and workers to do "quiet work" for the first hour.

From time to time work has gone on beyond dark- even until midnight. The concrete flooring planks being set in place by cranes receive a 2" topping of concrete. That concrete is poured from trucks early  in the morning (not before 8AM!), and depending on temperatures and other factors may require 8 -16 hours to take its initial set. Once set, gasoline driven machines with steel trowel blades are used to "finish" the topping to a smooth finish. This is the noise the students have heard late at night. Unfortunately this is a weather/temperature dependent operation- and once the concrete is placed there is no choice but to wait until the finishing work can be completed- thus the very late hours due to the cooler/cold temperatures of late. We have asked the contractors to pour as many of the slabs as possible during fall break and over Thanksgiving when most students are away. But I don't think that this will completely eliminate the late nights and possible disruption to students. Perhaps if the student knows this is temporary and that we are trying to mitigate disruption it will seem more tolerable. (As an aside- we did not hear from students at Lottery last year that working after dark or late hours would be a problem to them).

About exam and study week. From December 8-20,
2003 and May 10-22, 2004 the hours of noisy construction work will be restricted to the period 9AM until dusk. The contractors are keenly aware of this contractual restriction and this will be strictly enforced by CU management.

You should continue to work with your RHD and the Housing Office about the moving issue.

Again, apologizies to this student for any disruption we've caused. I hope you have a quiet retreat for Fall Break.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Oppressed,

This situation does sound unbearable.  Have you talked to your RA, or RHD?  They deal with rommate problems and will have suggestions for you. There must be some regulations about noise   If they can't help you work things out, you and your roommates could go to mediation. Of course, this may not make for the most pleasant living conditions, but what have you got to lose? There just comes a point when you've bent as far as you can, and it sound like you've done too much accommodating others' needs -- now its time to take care of yourself. 

If it does come to you having to move, try to think positively, and consider it an opportunity to make new friends and improve your living situation in order to do better school work, get more sleep, feel better about yourself and the world you create around you.  I wish you the best.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Concerned Nephew,

I'm sorry about these changes you've been caught in.  Your friend has taken some turns in her life, and your own life is on a different road. From what you tell me, I would guess that she has made a lot of changes in her life, the group being only a part of that.  I don't think it's as simple as her choosing the group over you.  Such a group, although offering friendship and belonging, does not fill the intimacy needs of a relationship. However, people may feel the need to take a break from intimate relationships while they immerse themselves in a group identity for a while.

Information voids invite imaginations.  Where you don't know the facts, you start to form your own hypotheses about what might be happening. Good communication is good relationship. The suddenness with which you were confronted by these accusations makes me think that perhaps there were some conversations that needed to happen long before the final door was closed.  Sometimes we just don't know that these issues need to be discussed so thoroughly, we assume things are "good enough" and we keep on keeping on, not realizing things are drifting apart.  It is only through experiences like this that we learn to tune in our radar a little more, and to say a little more about what we're sensing.

You raise an interesting point about the effects of secrecy on relationships outside the inner circle.  These problems are faced by partners and family members of undercover cops, CIA agents, and even counselors who must keep confidences and not share their work at home. The integrity and honesty gets divided, the person is trustworthy on the job, and on the homefront they trust others to trust that they are not deliberately deceiving.

I'm sorry for your hurt.  You are a sensitive person, and I hope you can find a relationship with someone who reciprocates your caring.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear confused,

Being a friend or family member of someone who is depressed can be challenging. You really don't know how much to respond, or how much to believe them when they say "go away."  Sometimes you can say, "that's just the depression talking," but you can't help feeling hurt and abandoned when your own needs are unattended to.

At some point, you must attend to your needs, and find relationships that offer you reciprocity and help you to grow personally.  You can model this behavior for your boyfriend, if he needs encouragement to find some social interaction where he is.  Although he may not be a social butterfly, there are often grad student gatherings where it's easy to meet interesting people and network, too. You don't want to be his only source for everything multiple relationships provide.

If your friend is depressed and needing help, you can use some caring "I" statements to tell him how you feel, as you did in this letter. You feel neglected (the coldness) and hurt, distracted with worry, which you can't do anything about, since it's him and not you who is suffering. You feel used, and you'd like him to use some of his obvious ability to manage himself (he is in grad school, not an easy thing) and take care of himself better. If and when he does, you'll feel listened to, heard, cared about, and relieved. "I" statements keep you from blaming the other person, which keeps that person from being defensive. I hope you both feel better soon.

Uncle Ezra