Dear Concert Goer,

CCC, CUPB, and SDPB have all tried various times to put tickets on sale.  Bottom line is no matter what time they choose, someone will be unhappy.  So, they decided to stay consistent and just use 9:00 am.  Also, until recently, most shows did not sell out within the first hour, so tickets would generally be available for a much longer period of time. 

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Musician,

The question—of the musically calibrated stones paving the terrace of Olin Library—comes up every time a recently arrived Cornellian looks up from the Arts Quad, sees people rolling (or kicking, in your case) rounded little rocks—right above people trying to study in the library below! —and exclaims: “What a fun-loving place this is! I might just fit in after all.”

The heavy-duty physics, psychology, and music theory —of why flat stones suspended on insulating material and impacted by smaller stones—should produce sounds so pleasing to the human ear, and even musical—are covered elsewhere.  (Search DUE for terms like olin musical stones.)

So let’s try something different this time—an artistic and scientific collaboration, engaging the best minds in the nearby College of A&S. A grand noontime experiment, when lots of people are hanging out around that end of the Arts Quad anyway. Maybe even a scholarly publication: “Resonant Frequencies and Harmonic Irregularities Propagated by a Really Big Bell Tower Being Way Too Close to Stone Age Music.”  See you there.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Cornellian,

The Bursar's office will be able to answer all questions about your CornellCard. uco-bursar@cornell.edu, or call (607) 255-6413.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Fragile Freshman,

Actually due to the new rules that were enacted this semester, freshman are not allowed to attend any event at a fraternity or sorority house with or without alcohol (sorority houses are dry anyway) during the first quarter, which is the beginning of school through the completion of fall break.  Thus the fraternity is breaking the rules by allowing freshman to attend and could receive judicial action as a result.

Typically a fraternity formal might be akin to a homecoming dance you attended in high school.  The guest will dress up in cocktail dress attire.  There will likely be dinner or heavy appetizers and alcohol will be served.  Music and dancing will also occur.  If it’s this weekend it is likely that alumni will be there as it is homecoming.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Student,

Residence halls and Houses open at 9:00am on January 16, 2012. Students should not arrive on campus earlier than that time. Meal plan dining begins with dinner service on Tuesday January 17, 2012.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Fearing,

That steam (not combustion smoke)—wafting from that steam-utility junction near Ho Plaza—is doing exactly what it’s supposed to:  vent harmless steam, on its way to heat campus buildings. 

Come back in the icy winter, when that steaming vent becomes an oasis of defrosting amidst an otherwise bleak cross-campus corridor. Stop by when Theatre Arts students are acting a little silly, and you might see Marilyn Monroe—skirt aloft—over the subway vent. Whatever, there’s no need to fear.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Patiently Waiting,

The University Registrar’s Office informs Your Uncle as follows: Diplomas for students graduating in August 2011 will be mailed in mid-late October to the "home address" listed in Student Center.

So congratulations on your graduation.  Besides patiently waiting, may your job search (new career, further studies, rest of your life) all go well.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Lost,

Try the CIVR, Cornell Information and Referral Service, at the desk in Day Hall.  They know everything about campus and have paper maps to show you how to get wherever you are going.

CIVR
Information and Referral Center
Day Hall Lobby
(607) 254-4636.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Troubled,

I suggest contacting someone in ILR Extension and Outreach, http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/explore/outreach/.  They may be able to point you in the right direction.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Dancer,

I couldn't find this club listed on the Cornell Student Activities website, but here is the list of dance groups that do exist.  It's possible that the name has changed.  Look through the list to see what you might be intersted in, https://sao.cornell.edu/SO/browse?action=search&termID=9&q=dance.

Uncle Ezra