Dear Hungry,

Cornell Dining has an outstanding eatery located in Anabel Taylor Hall – the One World Café, with many organic options: http://www.campuslife.cornell.edu/campuslife/dining/one-world-cafe.cfm.

Bear Necessities and Jansen’s Market sell organic foods as well as some items in other Cornell Dining’s retail operations. In fact, an Organic Tomato Bisque was served at Goldie’s this week. Look for the USDA Organic symbol. While local foods aren’t necessarily organic, Cornell Dining is proud to be able to serve many locally and regionally grown and produced foods. Cheese, yogurt, milk, and even ice cream is produced locally.

Additionally, many retail operations feature beef burgers made from locally grown beef. All apples are grown right here on campus or less than an hour away at Fowler Farms. Tomato sauce is made from regionally grown tomatoes. The list goes on, so rest assured that high quality ingredients is always on our mind!

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Olfactorily Offended at Olin,

You paint a pungent picture of the “run” through the Olin-Uris corridor — breath held (in lungs worth saving), eyes squinted (enlightened Marlboro Man look); butt kicking (both kinds).

That sprint of indignant self-preservation shouldn’t be necessary for anyone traversing the campus, according to FAQs about the University’s smoking policy, found here: http://www.ehs.cornell.edu/policies/smoking_fact.cfm.

Over at the Office of Environmental Health and Safety (395 Pine Tree Road  — go ahead, the walk among the pine trees will clear your head, or call 255-8200) Nate Hunter says:

“Generally, smoking is prohibited within 25 feet of building entrances, and building coordinators can restrict additionally if there is a history of problems/complaints.”

He promised to forward your Olin-Uris concern on to the library facility coordinators, and “offer EHS assistance if they’re having trouble enforcing.  Having people contact the facility coordinators directly about their concerns is a good thing too.  Unfortunately, that Ho Plaza corridor between Uris & Olin is simply just limited by space.  We’ll work with the facility coordinators and grounds to address the concerns.”

Thanks, EHS Nate, for that.  And for you, dear Olfactorily Offended,  please contemplate a fresh-air walk, away from Central Campus (lots of walkways around Pine Tree Road and everywhere you look hereabouts).  Inhale deeply and gaze back, in the direction of Uris and Olin libraries. Try to understand the following: Under that plume of secondhand smoke are real people — people with basic human rights And with tragically human problems. Problems that you, as a nonsmoker, don’t have.  Then inhale again.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Longing for Longevity,

If you are inspired by Cornellians who’ve done a lot of living in a century or so, heed this info from Alumni Affairs and Development’s Corey Earle:

“To the best of my knowledge, Cornell's oldest living alumna is the 109-year-old Helen "Happy" Reichert '25 (though there may be others we aren't aware of). An active Cornellian, Happy can often be spotted as the grand marshal of Cornell's annual Sy Katz Parade in New York City (http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Nov10/NYCparade.html), and she even attended her 79th Cornell Reunion in 2004.

“Happy and her siblings have been the subjects of various longevity studies. For more information about Happy and her exciting life as a certified psychologist, fashion expert, TV presenter, and NYU professor, see this fascinating article: http://theweek.com/article/index/208003/the-last-word- the-secret-to-living-last-100

“Of course, as any frequent Reunion attendee would tell you, the most ubiquitous Cornell centenarian is probably Bill Vanneman '31, who hasn't missed a Reunion in years and has served as a class officer for decades. He turns 102 on April 6, 2011. This "Cornellian of the Century" was profiled in the Cornell Alumni Magazine in March/April 2009: http://cornellalumnimagazine.com/index .php?option=com_content&task=view&id=355&Itemid=9.”

Thanks for that to Corey, a loyal alum with a few decades to go before reaching 100.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Concerned,

You can report this incident to Cornell Commuter and Parking Services at 255-4600 and to the Cornell Police at 255-1111.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Niece,

That’s a nice distinction—elite, but not elitist —and Your Uncle wishes he’d thought of it, maybe as a preamble to my “Any person . . . any study.”

Instead, those who thought of it were the word wizards at the University’s former Communications Strategies office—the same crew who put the . . . ellipses dots in my formerly wordy quote.  (Later Comm Strat became Publications & Marketing, and now they’ve thought up a new name for themselves: Online Solutions & Publications.)

As for how people respond to the poster, the staffers in Financial Aid say the most frequently heard question is: Where can I get a copy?  Regrettably, you can’t. The poster is out of print.

Better yet, strive to be the best living embodiment of “elite” you can be—while you’re here at Cornell and ever after — but don’t get a swelled head about it.  That would be “elitist.”

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Tungsten-man,

If you are worried that something you do might not be to the liking of Student Services or the Registrar in your college, it is best to check with them before you do it, rather than find out after.  They are your friend and have the most up-to-date information about requirements and rules.   Stop in to get your questions answered and meet some of the best people on campus!

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Stuck,

I would assume that if the type of font isn't mentioned that you have your choice.  Be sure to choose something that is very readable.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear RM,

Your Uncle asked the Athletics Department’s Andrea Dutcher to further clarify the Teagle Hall mats matter, and she says:

“The Teagle Gymnasium is a restricted area because of the nature of the equipment in that room.   It is not available to Student Organizations for reservation.     The Aikido Club has been using that room since before it was converted to a gymnastics area and has been grandfathered in for use of the area.”

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Student,

Being a Student Assistant in the West Campus House System is one of the most rewarding positions available to students on campus. The application process is typically posted at westcampushousesystem.cornell.edu in early October, with applications due in early November. Each House then conducts interviews on its own. For specific information related to the job responsibilities and qualifications, contact westcampushousesystem@cornell.edu.

Good luck.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Ben ’07,

Checking with Bill Alberta in the Cornell Career Services Library  (103 Barnes Hall, 607/255-5221, career@cornell.edu) it seems the only parts of the Career Library (one of the largest at any university, according to Bill) not available off campus are a couple commercially licensed things (Vault Guides, Wetfeet) that are accessible only internally.  Virtually everything else online in the Cornell Career Services libraries (central and decentralized across all the colleges and schools) is available to you (using your Cornell NetID, of course).  And so are the in-person services of people like Bill Alberta  “no matter how long the graduates are ‘out there,’” he says of the wide world of job opportunities. 

So best of luck to you “out there.”

Oh the stories Your Uncle Ezra Cornell could tell — of finding a job, being cheated out of my first week’s wages, finding a better job . . . and ultimately struggling to build a little thing called Western Union.   Sure wish there’d been something like Career Services way back then.  Might’ve recruited some capable grads to help me.  Please continue to use all the available assistance at Cornell Career Services.  Certainly, you paid for it (once) and don’t think, for a moment, we’ll ever not appreciate that.

Uncle Ezra