Dear Uncle Ezra - Questions for Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Dear Looking,

Ah, the wonderful, infamous and dazzling Denice Cassaro... It isn't very difficult. She roams through campus everyday... I guess the hard part would be keeping up with her; she is sooo busy creating connections, cooperation and community on campus. She can often be found on North supervising students who run programs for students.

On Wednesday, February 23rd from 6-9PM, she will be in the Willard Straight Hall Lobby at Procrastinate at the Straight. Come to visit with her, get a free massage, do some crafts and pet a dog!

Uncle Ezra

Dear Wondering,

The Gothic buildings on West Campus are an integral part of the West Campus House System. Baker Tower, Boldt Hall, Boldt Tower, and North Baker Hall are a part of the Alice Cook House community. McFaddin Hall belongs to Hans Bethe House. Flora Rose House includes Founders Hall, Lyon Hall, Mennen Hall, and South Baker Hall.

Residency in the West Campus House System includes a commitment to a House meal plan. There are several to choose from – you can read about them at the following: http://www.campuslife.cornell.edu/campuslife/dining/house-meal-plans.cfm Meal plan rates for the 2011-2012 academic year will be posted in March 2011.

Interested in learning more about housing on West Campus? See below....

Uncle Ezra

Dear Homeless,

Super single are rooms that are larger than the typical single, but not large enough to be a double. They have been given their own housing rate to reflect this disparity in size. Only 48 super singles exist on campus: 22 in the gothic buildings that are a part of the West Campus House System, and 26 in Schuyler House.

Uncle Ezra

Dear Looking West,

There are approximately 150 suites in the West Campus House System, all in the new buildings (the gothic buildings that are a part of the House System do not contain suites). Of the five West Campus House communities, Becker House has the largest new building, followed by Bethe House, and then Keeton House, so these Houses have the most suites.

Please keep in mind, though, that not all 150 suites will be available during Room Selection – some will already be reserved due to the Continued Occupancy process for current residents, rooms set aside for incoming transfer students, and housing assignments made by Student Disability Services. The suites that are available during Room Selection will go extremely quickly – most likely during the first hour or two of timeslots.

Uncle Ezra

Dear Curious,

There is indeed a tunnel that connects two kitchens in the West Campus Houses – Rose House and Keeton House. The tunnel exists for dining and facilities staff use to access the loading dock so that deliveries can be received and distributed easily to Rose House. Since Rose House is in the middle of West Campus, there isn’t easy access for delivery trucks.

Uncle Ezra

Dear Uncle Ezra, The people in my dorm are having a pretty heated competition of who can achieve the most things on the Cornell list of 161 things to do. We've run into a problem. Number 15 on the list is "Go on a blind facebook date." We need your help in interpreting what this means because we can't work it out amongst ourselves. Does this mean that the person completing the task has to find a person they don't know on facebook themselves with no third party help, or can a third party set up a date between two people that he or she knows in real life and just have them make plans over facebook? Or perhaps something else even...? Please let us know, it's tearing Flora Rose House apart!

Signed, Fierce Competitor

Dear Fierce,

What does Your Uncle know of dating — much less Facebook? I proposed to Miss Mary Ann Wood (who was 20 at the time, “a quiet, industrious girl, comely, cheerful and even-tempered . . . with qualities which would make a loyal wife and devoted mother”) and had nary a date thereafter.

So before this Facebook thing tears Flora Rose House apart — ask yourselves: What would Flora Rose do?

What, you don’t know much about the founding partner (in more than one sense of the word) with Martha Van Rensselaer, in Cornell’s original College of Home Economics? Okay, there probably wasn’t space—on that plaque by the front door—to tell the whole story.

Here’s an enlightening homework assignment: Google the essay, "Model Mamas: The Domestic Partnership of Home Economics Pioneers Flora Rose and Martha Van Rensselaer” by Megan Elias. Yes, the inseparable pair, known collectively as “Miss Van Rose,” were . . . well, you know, the L word. And Your Uncle is darned proud of them!

The 161 Things to Do... is meant to be fun and to help you explore the far reaches of the campus. Sounds like your "heated competition" is fulfilling the fun part. You can interpret the task any way you would like as long as you are respectful and courteous while meeting new people.

Your Uncle Ezra just might see about finally getting a Facebook account. Probably won’t use it much for dating, though.

Uncle Ezra

DUE,

My question regards Barton Hall. The Barton Hall track has complex hours due to Cornell's track team practicing, local track teams reserving the space, the track holding Cornell track meets, the track holding non Cornell track meets, class finals being held in the space, concerts being held in the space etc. This makes it very difficult for students to plan a running schedule in Barton. Is there any place online that has a detailed schedule of all the events that are reserved in Barton. If not Cornell should do this, they already do it for the gyms. There is nothing more annoying than trekking uphill for 30 minutes in the snow only to find the track closed due to some event that there was no information about online.

Dear Runner,

I can hear how frustrating that is. During the winter months there are just not enough indoor exercise facilities for everyone.

although there isn't a website displaying the open hours for Barton Hall, we post the weekly schedule behind the monitors desk in Barton Hall for everyone to see. The monitor can also be reached at 255-7775, 8am - 2pm Monday - Friday for the day to day schedule.

There is indoor track practice from 4-7 pm Monday - Friday; Ithaca College Track practice from 7-8 pm Monday - Friday; and Intramurals 8-11 pm Monday - Wednesday during the spring semester. Every Friday and Saturday are booked for annual events during the spring semester.

The groundhog predicts winter will end early this year...let's hope so!

Uncle Ezra

Dear Uncle Ezra,

For interview purpose, I recently searched myself on the internet to see what information was publicly available. To my surprise, a link to a website called Spokeo.com was one of the first pages, which showed my full name and complete permanent home address. This made me especially nervous because I have a relatively rare last name, so anyone searching me would know they had found my home address. I immediately requested that this link be removed from the website, but the site has not yet fulfilled this obligation. I was wondering if you know anything about this website and how it is legal for them to procure such personal information and make it available to anyone in the world? The only times I have put such information online myself are for graduate school applications and when ordering products online (which all claim to be secure websites). I feel it is important for the Cornell community to know that such a site exists. I am also wondering if you have any additional advice on how to protect my privacy.

Thanks! Don't want to get kidnapped from my bedroom

Dear Wanting Privacy,

I know how distressing it can be to find your name on the Internet especially when you did nothing to put it there. Unfortunately privacy laws in the United States are very weak and therefore companies have culled what is considered "public information" and compiled it into any variety of directory sites.

Credit agencies use even more information to create profiles on people and whole companies exist to do this kind of data mining and recombining, ChoicePoint is one example.

There are a couple of good books out there on this subject. No Place to Hide by O'Harrow, Digital Person by Solove, and Dan Solove has another one coming out, Nothing to Hide: The False Dichotomy between Privacy and Security. I recommend them all. The reason you received no response, by the way, is probably because there is no law to protect your information. You don't "own" it; you can't control it and have no say essentially in whether a company has acquired that information and how they want to use it.

Personal privacy in the digital age is an area of intense interest as people become increasingly aware not only of how much information is a part of the new economy, but how little protection they have in their own information and reputation on line. An area ripe for reform ... perhaps by your generation!

Good Luck!

Uncle Ezra

Dear Hungry,

Statler dining locations are operated by the Statler, and not by Cornell Dining. Information on Statler dining locations can be found at http://www.statlerhotel.cornell.edu/dining/.

Uncle Ezra

Dear Community Minded,

Cornell University sponsors two drives each year related to unwanted, usable goods. Each fall, the Share the Warmth campaign collects new and gently used winter outerwear (coats, hats, gloves, boots) and blanket to share with a local organization that distributes to those in need. In the spring, the Dump & Run program collects unwanted items from students who are leaving residence halls, fraternities, sororities, and other locations for the summer, as well as community members who wish to donate goods. Those items are sorted and stored for the summer, and then we host a giant yard sale in the fall when students come back for the new academic year. Proceeds from that sale go to local organizations that have been selected by the Student Advisory Committee on Campus Life.

There are organizations that would travel to do pick-ups of appliances and furniture, but it would be difficult for a nonprofit to find resources to pick up small batches. If you can’t wait until the Dump & Run collection begins in May, please contact ked13@cornell.edu. Perhaps arrangements can be made for you to drop your items at an on-campus location for storage earlier than May.

Uncle Ezra

Dear Uncle Ezra,

Why does everyone bash Okenshields? Honestly, I think its a creative and accommodating dining hall (except for not having napkins on tables). The foods always different, Happy Dave is great AND he loves to mix up the music. And even if you don't like the Chinese or the main line food, there's always the deli and salad bar. I also love how whenever its crowded theres still a place to sit. Don't forget the huge windows in the back with a great view. And finally, its the only dining hall on central campus, so I don't have to use my BRBs there! Shouldn't we give Okenshields a break?

Dear Staisfied,

Hip hip horray for Okenshields! I agree that Okenshields has a lot to offer.

Uncle Ezra

Dear Uncle Ezra,

I love all that you do. My question: what, exactly, can you tell me about the newly founded center for the study of economy and society at cornell? (http://www.economyandsociety.org/index.shtml) more specifically, about the Undergraduate Concentration in "Business, Networks and Institutions" that began Fall 2010?

as a student in a&s who's interested in business but doesnt like the idea of AEM, this certainly appeals to me. however, i have heard nobody talk about this concentration, nor the center for economic sociology at all! what can students do with this major/concentration?

thanks so much!

Dear Student,

The Center for the Study of Economy and Society has a website www.economyandsociety.org. You should be able to get your questions answered here. If not, please contact them for details.

Uncle Ezra

Dear Reader,

Thanks.

Uncle Ezra

Dear Ambitious Niece,

Your Uncle put this question to his EA (Equally Ambitious) Nephew — a chap named Asa who not only manages upper-level courses but also works the phone in the Arts College Academic Advising center http://as.cornell.edu/academics/advising/index.cfm in Goldwin Smith — a helpful resource staffed by knowledgeable folks. People who don’t just point to page 13 of the Courses of Study book, where it stipulates:

1000 Level-- Non-degree applicable

1100 Level-- Introductory course, no prerequisites, open to all qualified students

2000 Level-- lower-division course, open to freshmen and sophomores, may have prerequisites

3000 Level-- upper division course, open to juniors and seniors, prerequisites

4000 Level-- upper division course, open to seniors and graduate students

5000 Level-- professional level

6000 Level +-- professional and graduate level, master's, doctoral.

“That being said,” Asa said, “every department at the University treats their courses differently. For example, some freshmen can take a 3000 level course without worrying about pre-requisites. Other than the above information, there is no clear-cut answer about difficulty since each department, or more important, each professor treats each course differently. The trend, however, is that once you go above introductory levels and in to seminar level courses, reading demanded, writing demanded, problem set difficulty, etc. increases."

Thanks EA Nephew. Hope you’re getting homework done between phone calls.

Uncle Ezra