Dear Evan,

Thanks for helping me out on this one.  I guess I could have found the info myself by checking in my own archives.  Even I, Ezra Cornell, get a little forgetful at 199 years old.

Here is a copy of Dear Uncle Ezra's archived answer to the "gong question".  Plantations Director Don Rakow responds:
  "I'm pleased to know that you have an eye for art and an ear for a well-tuned gong.  The creator of this gong is the sculptor Tom Torrens of Seattle, Washington.  After I had admired a very similar piece on the property of a Cornell alum, that alum offered to buy another gong for us.

"Last summer, we paid to have Tom and his wife travel to Ithaca to select the best site for the gong.  He chose the space between the benches at Newman Overlook, a site with a majestic view of the arboretum.

"Since the gong was only installed in late fall, we will be interested in hearing the popular response to this latest addition to the Plantations collections."

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Plantations Walker,

I'm just going to have to leave my typewriter right now and ring that bell.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Grade-conscious,

Measuring from its intersection with Aurora to where it ends at Eddy, the average grade of Buffalo Street is about 12% (7 degrees).  To put that into perspective, Olympian, the steepest trail at the local ski resort Greek Peak, has a grade of 84% (40 degrees).  The maximum grade allowed by Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines for wheelchair ramps is just over 8%.

For more information about Ithaca topography visit The Map & Geospatial Information Collection in Olin Library, and for more on grade, see http://www.bookrags.com/sciences/mathematics/grades-highway-mmat-02.html.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Historian of the 1970's,

The poem, by Dick Lourie, is called, "What It's Like Living in Ithaca New York".  There is a poster of it, with a photograph by Kathy Morris, that you can still get at The Bookery, downtown on Buffalo Street, of course.

What It's Like Living In Ithaca New York

here's what it's like: let's say you have just had lunch someplace in Collegetown and you are on your way to Karl Jaentsch's garage with your VW because yesterday you noticed the brakes were beginning to fade

you start down Buffalo Street hill it looks like rain now after a sunny  morning: when you slow down for the blinking yellow light at Stewart Avenue those brakes are not good

       and it gets worse    that huge old green house on the corner of Fountain Place and then the shiny face of the Terrace Hill Apartments flash by you like the past

you feel terror in your wrists            your stomach                                       and you know those brakes are gone and you won't be able to stop at the red light on Aurora

where there are several people leisurely crossing your path:    maybe on their way from the Unitarian Church to Hal's Delicatessen or they just left their own apartment to go buy flowers or whatever errands we do all day -- in any case there they are and you can't stop

so this is what it's like:   as if your brakes had failed and you couldn't avoid running right through that crowd knocking them all apart--   panic   broken limbs   and screams in the street

well the chances are that on any given day at least one of these people would be somebody you had quarreled with last year and hadn't spoken to since or a friend you had visited only last week or even the person you were once married to yourself who would see   just before impact        that it was you

that's what it's like living in Ithaca

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Friend,

Thanks for the reading tip!  I also loved Things Fall Apart.

The next big event on campus is Cornell Reunions-coming up this weekend, http://www.alumni.cornell.edu/reunion/index.htm.

Then Cornell Summer Session including their outdoor concerts and special events will be starting the week of June 26th, with the 3 and 8-weekers starting a bit before, http://www.sce.cornell.edu/ss/about/events/index.php.

Those activities will keep me busy for a while!

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Worried in CALS,

Grades are being finalized and will be officially posted today - June 6.  Remember that any grades that you see before this date may not be final yet.  Academic actions are then handled by the colleges.  However, if you're worried about your academic performance, don't wait for your college to call you (or not). 

Instead, be proactive and call them.  The CALS advising office can be reached at 607-254-5386, and the caring advisors are there to help you.  Let them know that you're concerned about your performance this semester and that you would like to speak with someone about strategies for improvement.  If you are put on academic probation, this will show your interest and initiative to change.  If you're not put on probation, it sounds like strategies for improving your academic performance would still be helpful.  Good luck. 

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Appealer,

Damage appeals should be directed toward Res_Damage_Appeals@cornell.edu and explain the issue and how you would like it to be remedied.  Only the student charged may file the appeal and not a parent, etc.  In the case that more than one resident is involved, the appeals committee must hear from everyone and know that some sort of concensus has been reached.

Please note that vacating your room without first signing a room inspection form and checking out and forfeits your right to appeal.  You have one year to appeal, and the review process takes two weeks to a month.  Good luck!

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Transfer,

Welcome to Cornell!  Possible?  Yes.  Probable?  No.  According to Transfer Center Residence Hall Director Matthew Mcintyre, there are 22 singles and 88 doubles in the Transfer Center.  Your odds are probably better if you bet red at the roulette table. 

Of course the same is true for just about any living area on campus.  With several thousand students living in campus housing, there are many variables when it comes to room location and type.  My recommendation to all students is to relax and see how your living situation goes.  We have some wonderful residential communities, and many students find that once they are settled, they are quite happy with their living arrangements, even when they do not receive their first choice selections.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Fan,

Cornell's hockey team is top-ranked and this popularity is not lost on the student body or the local community.  Storied Lynah Rink is packed for every game, making hockey tickets a hot commodity.  Unfortunately the thrill of the Big Red doesn't come cheap.  Only season tickets are available and sold for $138 each last season.  Expect an increase for the 06-07 season.  Each student can purchase one ticket.
Getting a ticket is an event in itself.  Every fall hundreds of Cornellians line up to vie for one of the coveted seats in Lynah Rink.  Athletics will release an updated procedure for the big line up sometime in September.  So, don't forget your sleeping bag in the fall, and in the mean time keep an eye on http://cornellbigred.com.  When you arrive for registration in August, you'll also notice quite a bit of construction around the rink.  In March they began a $10 million renovation that includes new coaching offices, locker rooms, and expanded seating.  Renovations are expected to be complete sometime in the fall. 

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Thinking Ahead,
but Not as Much as Others,

Glad to hear that your family will be able to make it next year for graduation.

Housing for graduation weekend is indeed a difficult task.  Ithaca is a small city and Cornell is a huge university.  More and more hotels have been springing up in recent years, but there is still not enough to accomodate the families of 5000+ graduates.

Here is my definitive answer on all the possibilities.  If you want a hotel or bed and breakfast in Ithaca (Tompkins County) call the Tompkins County Visitors Center 1-800-284-8422.  They can give you the names of any hotels that still have rooms available.

If there isn't anything nearby, you don't have to go a far as Syracuse; try Cortland, Elmira or Horseheads.

You can also check with Housing solutions, http://www.housingsolutions.com/.

Some local families leave town to escape the crowds and rent out their homes for the weekend with these listings, http://forum.johnson.cornell.edu/alumni/classof05/housing.html.

Your family can stay in the residence halls and at this time every room is available because they won't take reservations until next winter.  Check this site out in January 2007 to find out how to reserve rooms on campus:  http://www.commencement.cornell.edu/.

Uncle Ezra