Dear Kid,
The Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs and I strongly encourage you to report this to the Cornell Police Department, 255-1111 or the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, 255-2310 as soon as possible.  These actions are totally unacceptable and we would like to do anything possible to prevent these threatening acts from happening to anyone.  The only way to do that is for people to report them.  Thank you so much for taking action and I am so sorry that this has happened to you.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Alum,
It is always wonderful to hear from alums.  I suggest you check with the fine people at Alumni Affairs, http://www.alumni.cornell.edu/.  They have the up to date information on all of the ways that alumni can connect with Cornell, either here in Ithaca or from their home base.

And remember, you are always welcome to come visit.  I'll be standing on the Arts Quad waiting for your arrival.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Slow and Steady,
The academic world at Cornell moves at a fairly rapid pace, especially in engineering.  It is a very rigorous program that requires long hours of studying and never ending "problem sets"!

There is no harm in applying to Cornell as long as you also apply to a number of other schools that might be closer to your learning style.  Then while you are waiting for those fat envelopes, do some more exploring.  Come up to visit again or call the Engineering School to field your questions.  Search for students who are in Engineering now and ask them specific questions related to your way of learning and ask them if that is possible at Cornell.

There are some students who come to Cornell because of the status of attending an Ivy League school and then find out that they might have been happier at a school that was a better match for their style of learning, special interests or particular needs.  For many, Cornell is a perfect match!  You are right to be asking these questions now.  Keep on asking.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Student,

Sleep is essential to life and plays a significant role in academic/athletic performance, memory consolidation and recall of things learned; mood and personal resiliency.  Most students need 8 hours or more to feel fully rested and to successfully achieve their goals.  With that said, what helps in the short term may be a toss up. While caffeine may mask fatigue in the short-run, it also can disrupt one's sleep cycle later that night.  Caffeine can affect sleep for up to 8 hours after being consumed.

Some prefer to take a "power nap" for 20-30 minutes to get the lift they are looking for and to increase alertness.  Longer naps can leave you feeling groggy and interfere with a normal nightly sleep.  "Feeling really tired" on a frequent basis is a sign of sleep deprivation.  To make room for sleep, start by reclaiming your time.  Eliminate time wasters, set priories for each day, and consciously control how you spend your time.  The brain literally functions better when you are fully rested.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Suffering,
This is a very tough question since it is difficult to know whether we are talking about cultural differences, poor hygiene, or a medical condition.  There are some people who can take a shower twice a day and still emit an unpleasant odor. What is clear is that you deserve a healthy and smell free learning environment. 

I suggest talking to the professor and mention your concerns. Ask the professor to contact the students.  If you feel uncomfortable doing this, another option is to mention the situation to your advisor or a counselor in the Academic Advising and Student Services Office in your college. If you know someone else who has the same concern, going together may help move things along.

Taking action on this will not only help you, the other students in the class, but will also be beneficial for the students who may not know that their body odor is causing problems for others. 

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Not-a-fan,
There is always a way of trying to appeal a ticket.  Look at the paperwork that you already have or will get in the mail asking you to pay the fine.  You can appeal if you would like, but it sounds like you deserve this ticket and hopefully the consequences of paying it will keep you off of your cell phone while you are driving.  A fine now is better than an accident later.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear
Chomping,

Cornell University’s Early Decision notices go out (in the mail) on December 11, 2008.  If you have established an online self-service account, you can check anytime after 5 p.m. Eastern time on the 11th.  I will add that last year the date and time were delayed due to the huge number of applications.  The people working on admissions read "every" application and sometimes that takes more time than expected.

In the meantime, thanks for visiting Uncle Ezra.  Keep in touch with all that’s happening at the University’s homepage (www.cornell.edu).  Wishing you every success in your academic career, wherever the future takes you.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear “Any person . . . any study,
”

Great idea! In fact, some of the best courses taught at this University began with student requests.

Suggestions for new courses can be directed to the department chair or to the director of undergraduate studies.  In the History Department, they are J. Victor Koschmann and Raymond Craib, respectively.

Alternately, if you’ve had a good experience with a professor—and if you think he/she would be good at teaching the new one—make the suggestion directly.  Your professor will be flattered, and other students who share your interests will be grateful.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Offended,
Thank you for taking the initiative to stand up against racism.  There are many avenues for reporting bias incidents.  Here is the list of people dedicated to taking reports and acting on them.  Choose the person who is the representative for your school or college and let them know exactly what happened,  http://www.ohr.cornell.edu/hr/hrManage/diversity/reportingTeamMembers.html.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Student,

I applaud you on first going directly to the professor.  It is always a good idea to communicate with the person who you have an issue with.  Since communicating directly hasn't worked, the next step would be to go to the department's director of undergraduate instruction (if there is one).  If not, try the department chair who will hear your concerns, gather more information and then discuss the situation with you again.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Clock Tower Climber,
The Cornell Chimes are the university's oldest musical tradition, and one of the most frequently played set of
                bells on any American college campus.  Housed in historic McGraw Tower, the 21-bells are played primarily by
                student chimesmasters.
                

All concerts are open to the public—you simply have to climb the tower's 161 steps. The door to the tower opens five to ten minutes before a scheduled concert and closes before concert's end. Your stair-climbing efforts will be rewarded with a spectacular view of Cornell and the surrounding community, and a musical performance like you've never seen before.

                
                

The Cornell Chimesmasters perform a regular program of three concerts daily while classes are in session and a modified
                schedule during exams and breaks. Please check the concert schedule for complete concert
                and special event information.

And who answers these questions?  Why, your dear Uncle Ezra,
of course!

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Gannett Fan,
First, Gannett staff is delighted to hear that you felt the care you received at Gannett was sensitive and efficient. When students get out into the "real world" they often recognize how hard Gannett strives to provide quality and caring services.

Protected medical records of students are kept by Gannett Health Services for six years. It is not uncommon that graduated students ask for their records to be transferred to their new health care provider's office.

A student can go to www.gannett.cornell.edu/forms.html and print off the Authorization to Disclose Protected Health Information form (it must be printed rather than electronically sent because it requires a signature).
That's all there is to it. Once Gannett receives the completed form, they can release the records. If there are questions, call Gannett directly (607-255-5155) and ask to speak to someone in Medical Records.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear
Musically Awkward,

Don’t be so hard on yourself, just because you can’t hold the cello under your chin.

Your Uncle looked through more than 800 registered student organizations  (http://www.dos.cornell.edu/dos/activities/) and nearly gave up. Nobody, it seemed, needed a very-part-time cellist.  Should I send you to therapy?

Better yet, here’s a chance to provide some. The student organization, Therapy Thru Music, says it is “dedicated to using the healing power of music to improve the quality of life of individuals with medical needs. TTM's foremost goal is to use music to facilitate relationships between musicians and patients. TTM members visit multiple nursing homes every week to create bonds with these residents.”

Or maybe your Uncle could send you a CUROSE.  Here’s what the Registry of Small Ensembles says it does: “CUROSE provides students with the opportunity to form chamber groups or small ensembles, for the enjoyment of the Cornell community and the musicians themselves. We encourage students who cannot commit time to the large ensembles to continue to perform music, and we also allow active musicians to enjoy the unique experience of performing in a chamber group.”

Contact info on these and other groups (who knows, maybe the klezmer band needs a cello?) is at the Student Activities Office web site, linked above.  Most important of all—have fun, relax, share your music.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Driver,
Good parking is hard to find, unless you have a lot of money, and even then you might not find a place close to where you live. Under a roof?...maybe the parking ramp in Collegetown.

For parking on campus, contact the Commuter & Parking Services office at 116 Maple Ave. They're open Monday through Friday from 7:30am to 4pm.  Their telephone number is 607-255-PARK, their e-mail address is transportation@cornell.edu and their website is www.parking.cornell.edu.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Vista-inclined,

Those boarded-up windows are for your protection. After a couple nasty crane accidents in New York this year, you wouldn’t want to get whacked by a pallet of bricks or a tub of concrete.

On the upper floors of Clark, at least, the boards will come off when the danger is passed, and your spectacular views will return (albeit over the top of a four-story neighbor) sometime in 2010.  (By then maybe Microsoft will have fixed Vista—or you will see the light, and get a Mac.)

For a pale imitation of what you’re missing, check out the project web cam at: http://physicalscienceproject.fs.cornell.edu/view/index.shtml.  To monitor progress, the official project website is here: http://info.physciproject.cornell.edu/index.php. 

And pity the folks in the Physical Sciences Library, several floors below you in Clark.  They lost a lovely view, too, and here’s what they have to say: http://astech.library.cornell.edu/ast/phys/services/New-PSB.cfm.

Uncle Ezra   

Text should all be in Garamond

Dear
Bees Lips,

Ah, the eternal dilemma—petroleum jelly or beeswax?  Should I smear my lips with something that comes out of an oil well? Or the glands in a bee’s bottom?  I’m with you—beeswax is an amazing and time-tested, multipurpose material.

And the source of the tingle?  The Burt’s Bees web site is a little vague about the ingredients of its products.  Burt Shavitz, who really was a Maine beekeeper (until the giant Clorox Company bought everything for $913 million) knew a lot about bees, but not much about pharmaceuticals. So there’s no point in asking him.

The web site does divulge the following lip balm ingredients: Beeswax, ultra-emollient lanolin, coconut oil, peppermint oil, and vitamin E.  If your Uncle had to guess, peppermint would be the source of the tingle.

There’s another cold, dry and windy winter coming to Ithaca.  Take good care of your lips.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Fan,
Sorry for the incorrect information.  The change has been made.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Mildewed One,

You seem like a bright fellow.  After all, you know what dihydrogen monoxide is (whereas your Uncle had to look it up).  On the other hand, you kept feeding coins to a machine (in which you “had put in too much the first time”). Are you sure this wasn’t a slot machine?

You don’t say where this machine is located (in a Cornell residence hall, presumably, but maybe not) so your Uncle can only suggest the following: Return to the scene of the crime.  Find the phone number for equipment complaints and call them.  While you’re waiting to hear back, watch the thieving dryer—until someone else tries to use it.  If their clothes come out dry and mildew-free, it has been fixed.  If not, for goodness sake, don’t put any more money in!

Uncle Ezra