Dear Doubtful,

You definitely have the option to transfer to one of those party schools if that is what you want to do.  Maybe that would make you happier.  No one is forcing you to stay.

Someone is spending a lot of money for you to get the excellent education that Cornell provides.  It really doesn't make sense to pay all of that money so you can party all the time.  On the other hand it is important to find a balance between working hard, learning a lot in the areas that you are passionate about and relaxing with friends. Most Cornell students spend some time getting exercise, being active in a club or sport, hanging out with friends, and taking a course now and then just for pleasure or interest.  There are also many Cornell students who find time for a good night's sleep.  And there are many who choose not to drink to the point of getting drunk.

It is up to you to build some non-work time into your schedule.  Some students work hard all week and then use weekend time to relax, others prefer to do something non-academically related for a short time each day.

The Daily Sun just ran a great article by President Skorton that i think answers many of your concerns, http://cornellsun.com/section/opinion/content/2011/05/02/after-your-days-cornell-now-what.

Here are a few paragraphs from the article:

“How does the Cornell experience prepare students for success? Moving forward, how should young alumni use what they learned here, not just about academics, as they take on the real world?” 

Those questions were on Sun Associate Editor Dani Neuharth-Keusch’s mind as she offered suggestions for my final column of the academic year. So, as Slope Day approaches and finals loom, here are some ideas that I hope may be helpful. 

Virtually all of the seniors with whom I’ve talked in recent months expressed concern about their immediate prospects. At all times, but particularly in these uncertain times, facts help: Of the nearly three-quarters of the Class of 2010 who completed the Cornell Career Services postgraduate survey, 51.1 percent are employed, 32 percent are attending graduate or professional school and 16.9 percent are pursuing other endeavors, including volunteering, traveling and fulfilling compulsory military service.

With the job market slowly improving, prospects for the Class of 2011 are at least as bright as they were for last year’s graduates. I urge those who are graduating this year to complete the  2011postgraduate survey, and I invite those seniors who may still be seeking employment to attend one or more of the informal job-search strategy chats being offered by CCS between now and May 12. They are listed on the CCS online calendar.   

 Let’s look now to the longer-term prospects of life after Cornell. The Cornell student experience is as diverse as our students themselves, and so are the ways in which our alumni use what they learned here. Yet, in my conversations with students and alumni over the years, three characteristics of the Cornell experience stand out as especially important. 

First is academic preparation, which at Cornell is broad and deep. No other Ivy League institution and few other universities of any kind offer as broad a choice of educational opportunities as does Cornell. You’ve been taught by faculty members who are world leaders in their fields or are on their way to becoming such leaders — and Cornell’s academic excellence embraces all the major academic groupings: the humanities and the arts, life sciences and agricultural sciences, physical sciences and engineering, social sciences and the professional schools.  

 By the time you earn a Cornell degree, you should have disciplinary knowledge, along with skills in critical thinking, communication, scientific and quantitative reasoning, information literacy, engagement in the process of discovery or creation and the capacity for self-directed learning. These academic competencies will continue to provide advantages in the job market and enable you to pursue new opportunities, and even new careers, throughout your working lives.

 Second, students remind me that Cornell offers so many ways to learn and contribute beyond the classroom, studio and laboratory and that these experiences are an important part of Cornell for them. Distinguished visitors spend time with faculty and students and share their wisdom in public lectures or other events. This semester brought, among many others, best-selling author Margaret Atwood, political commentators and media personalities Fareed Zakaria and Keith Olbermann ’79, and hotelier Harris Rosen ’61, Cornell’s Entrepreneur of 2011 and a pioneer in providing self-insured health care to his employees and education to those in the surrounding community of Tangelo Park, Fl. 

Cornell students, who come from every state in the nation and some 112 other countries, find places on project teams, athletic teams, public service initiatives and many other extracurricular activities that provide a foundation for later professional and community life. With their widely varying interests, cultures and backgrounds, Cornell students mirror our global society. By working together and learning from each other beyond the classroom, they have the opportunity to develop multicultural competence, moral and ethical awareness and skills in responsible decision-making and community engagement that are increasingly essential in our interconnected world. Indeed one of the characteristics that set Cornell graduates apart from their peers elsewhere is that they continue to be involved members of their communities wherever they are in the world.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Graduating Senior,

You have worked hard, done well, followed your passion and secured the job of your dreams.  Now,go for it. Think about what fun is for "you" and do it.  Is it hiking in the parks or plantations with friends or bar hopping in Collegetown?  Maybe it is connecting with each of the people who are important to you here and making dinner dates at some of the restaurants you have always wanted to visit, but didn't.  Are there places on campus you meant to visit, but didn't get to; the Johnson Museum, the Ornithology Lab, the Clock tower? 

And don't forget Slope day this Friday.  There is the concert on the slope, the fun and carnival games on Ho Plaza and the alternative Slope Day programs provided for by Cornell Outdoor Education.  Also, Monday from 2 - 4PM on Ho Plaza, Cornell Minds Matter will have a Hawaiian Luau.

Senior Week provides a way for the senior class to come together and leave Cornell with a BANG! The week before Cornell's Commencement, Senior Week provides various forms of entertainment to the Senior class, including a casino night, wine tours, fireworks and much, much more! It is the last memory for Cornell's graduating class and Senior week is here to make it a wonderful experience.

Many of the events that need tickets may be full, but there are lots of free events lasted here to attend, http://cornelltickets.universitytickets.com/user_pages/event_listings.asp.  Grab a friend or two and enjoy all of the festivites that are provided for you.

I'm sure that some of these possibilties will be just right for you.  And good luck on your next adventure!

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Prospective Student,

Let’s divert our campus tour — “Far above . . . ” where we can see Cayuga’s waters being rowed, sailed, paddled and otherwise splashed about by energetic students— over to Athletics and Phys Ed, where Andrea Dutcher explains:

“Any student may form a student organization by contacting the Student Activities Office in 523 Willard Straight Hall and filing the paperwork. Because of the tremendous expense of establishing rowing clubs, most Cornell students, who are not on any of the varsity rowing teams and wish to row, join the Cascadilla Boat Club.  CBC is a community club which welcomes members of all abilities - www.cascadillaboatclub.org. Cornell Physical Education also offers PE1575 – Introduction to Competitive Rowing – each Fall semester.    The class starts at the very beginning of the Fall semester and runs about 2 weeks.    Students receive a very in-depth introduction to competitive rowing with the six days per week for two hours per day classes.   Many students in the class go on to join the freshmen men’s or women’s varsity rowing programs. There is also the Cornell Dragon Boat Club, which participates in dragon boat rowing and competitions.   More information on the club can be found on the Student Activities website - www.sao.cornell.edu.”

Thanks, Andrea, for that.  So much water. So many  fun ways to enjoy it and stay fit.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Pretty Good Skater,

When you arrive on campus (or even before) check out the Cornell Figure Skating Club, one of the hundreds of student organizations http://sao.cornell.edu/SO/ awaiting your interest.  True, you’ll have to share ice time with those hockey players (ice hockey for women and men is a very big deal at Cornell!) particularly in season But our Zamboni erases those hockey gouges in the ice—making way for the graceful arcs you’ll soon be tracing.  See you on the ice . . .

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Courtney,

Wow, your Touchdown is fabulous.  I print your letter in hopes that someone will take you up on this great offer.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear In Transition,

It is possible that the changes that you are noticing in yourself are natural changes in style and personality, but more likely you are experiencing some sort of depression.  Some of the signs of depression include losing interest in things you once enjoyed, withdrawing from friends and family, changes in sleep or eating habits, feeling hopeless, being sad or tearful, having difficulty concentrating, etc.

I suggest talking to a counselor to find out what is happening to you right now and to get some advice on how to refind happiness and a sense of control in your life again.  If you are a student, try Gannett Health Services or EARS, 255-EARS.  If you are a Cornell Employee, try the FSAP, Call (800) 327-2255 (select option #1), 24 hour per day, 7 day per week.  If you aren't connected to Cornell try you local Mental Health Clinic or a private psychotherapist.  Depression is one of the most treatable illnesses.  Please don't wait, you deserve to feel better and get on with your life.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Scooter Spotter,

Perplexed as to why a bunch of cool dudes like the fabulously successful 2010-11 Cornell Varsity Wrestling squad would even be seen riding goofy scooters, Your Uncle posed the question to Coach Rob Koll, who says:

“It is a form of transportation. Not sure that is the answer you are looking for but sometimes the answer is that simple!”

Uncle Ezra   

Dear @cornell.edu,

Tyler at the CIT HelpDesk says, yes, undergrads can keep their Cornell email addresses forever, even after they graduate. Undergrads have Cmail, which is outsourced through Google, and because Google has a huge server, students can keep their Cmail addresses for years to come.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Class of 2015, Arts and Sciences,

Faculty advisor assignments are made in late June/early July and become available to incoming freshmen through the freshman summer orientation website, the information for which will be sent out in June. You will be able to see the faculty advisor’s name and the date/time of the advising appointment, which happens at the end of orientation week.

You may get an advisor that is in your field or one that really works with you.  But a few advisors find it difficult to set aside time to advise.  If this happens to you, be sure to follow up by going to the Academic Advising Office in Goldwin Smith Hall.  They can help you connect in a way that you can get the information that you need to make your experience at Cornell a fabulous one.  Remember, it is your job to get the advice you need, so ask lots of questions and go for help as soon as you need it.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Curious Niece,

Under that tarp is a complex system of skylights for the partially underground Cornell Store.  The skylights must be leaking — and awaiting repair (but that’s just a guess) and the latest in a series of Plan Bs for that facility.  The Campus Store was supposed to be totally underground —so as not to clash with the historic brick buildings (Sage, Barnes, Sage Chapel) on either side. Then the excavators hit impenetrable bedrock (at least according to the story by campus-tour guides) so they built what they could and planted sod on top.  That grass roof started a trend— and now many campus buildings are green and “green” on the roof. 

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Reader of Books and E-mail,

With some exceptions, university faculty tend to publish at presses other than those where they are currently employed.  Sometimes they go back to their degree-granting institution, or to a university press that specializes in their specialty.

It wasn’t always that way.  Cornell University Press, which now is completely independent of the University, traces its earliest roots back to a Sibley Hall textbook-printing shop, where work-study engineering students and steam-powered presses published for our professors.

And if those first professors were still around in the Internet Age, they would have low-numbered NetIDs.  That, essentially, is the rationale (again, with some exceptions).

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Ducky,

If it rains, bring your raincoat and boots!  Cancel slope day, no way!

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Observer,

What, professors roaming the campus? Unheard of! Or maybe it was an April 29 event with “prominent alumni” of the Johnson School reviewing the work of current students.  JGSM professors tend to be awfully proud of their students, frequently roaming the campus and bragging to prominent alumni. 

Uncle Ezra   

Dear NetPrinter,

You get to decide—which is more valuable? Your time, shuffling through a pile of printouts belonging to other people at a NetPrint machine (trying to find your very own “”Final Project Paper on My Arduous Months of Research Into Something Critically Important: Part II”)? Or a coversheet of recycled paper (that can always be reused/recycled again)? At least that’s the position of advisors at the CIT HelpDesk, who explain:

“Net-Print's automatic coversheet is an option designed to allow students to get rid of the watermark on the first page that you print which contains your NetID as an identification. This identification (either watermark or coversheet) is needed since the Net-Print system was created to let you print from any computer on the Cornell network to any Net-Print printer in any building on campus. Since students will likely not be close enough to the printer to pick it up fresh off the top of the stack, the identification is necessary to help find your papers in the middle of the large stack that usually occurs in most busy libraries. Likewise, students printing identical course documents will have no way to identify their pages without identification.”

“The Cover page option has two main advantages that students need access to in some cases. The first and most important advantage is the fact that watermarks are sometimes unacceptable on resumes or term/research papers.  By having the coversheet, the NetID identification is put on that page and not on the actual document you are printing.   

“The second advantage goes back to the need to find your papers in a large stack of other students' printed works. It is much easier to leaf through looking at each cover sheet until you find your NetID and then leaf to the next one where all the sheets in-between belong to your document. While it may be viewed as one extra sheet of paper that is used it is often a necessary part of your document.  

“The coversheet is indeed wasteful when not necessary and for this reason, the option for having the watermark is set as the default when you first create your Net-Print account. Student who needs this option must manually change it themselves. In total, about 85% of Net-Print print jobs are printed without banner pages.

“CIT intends to treat Cornell students as responsible and sensible adults and provides the choice to use either the watermark or coversheet as needed. Alternatives, such as resume printers, are available in some of the CIT computing labs and allow for use of a student's own paper and no watermarks or coversheet are printed. As a responsible adult, you may choose to attempt to convince your fellow students to change their behavior for the good of the University and the environment. However, the choice is ultimately theirs to make.”

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Student,

In preparation for the May 25, 2011, Merrill Presidential Scholars convocation— when the University’s most outstanding graduating seniors are honored, along with the high school teachers and faculty members who played significant roles in their success—notifications have already gone out.

In the WSH Memorial Room, where the noontime wingding takes place, they’re stocking up on Kleenex—for the tearful thank-yous, heartfelt stories, and hugs all around.

Even if you didn’t get a Merrill, the occasion is a joy to behold—and maybe a reminder to thank a favorite Cornell prof. Then drop a note (“I made it, just like you said!”) to an inspirational teacher way back when.

Uncle Ezra