Dear Model,

Of course, you can stand by me (Ezra Cornell) for a photo on the Arts Quad.  If you asked me and I didn't reply it could be that I was too cold to speak, frozen in time, so to speak. 

Although I am forever available for photos on the Arts Quad, I will be taking a break from answering questions after this Thursday's posting. If you have quesitons, please direct them to one of the many offices at Cornell.  All offices will be open during break, except for the week of December 26th, when the university closes.

I wish you all a great winter break.  Be sure to do a few things that are unusual or "outside the box" for you.  Relax.  Read a good book, just for fun!  Be outdoors, no matter the weather.  And get some exercise in any way that is fun for you; walking, running, dancing, hiking, skiing, swimming... 

Remember to appreciate all that you have and thank those who have been thoughtful of you and your needs.  "Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom" Marcel Proust

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Distracted,

Corey Ryan Earle comes through again with these interesting historical details of life at Cornell:

In the age before Facebook and Twitter, it was much harder to keep track of the social lives of classmates. For the big party weekends like Junior Weekend and Spring Day (the predecessor of Slope Day), The Cornell Daily Sun would often print lists of guests being hosted at the various fraternity house parties. As one fall 1954 list of houseparty guests in The Sun stated at the top of the page: "Who's Here, What They're Doing, Where They're Going and When"

In the '40s and '50s, these weekends of dances, concerts, and parties would often bring in more than 2,000 house party guests, usually young women from out-of-town. As is the case today, the weekends were heavily regulated by the Interfraternity Council. In that era, emphasis was placed on each fraternity providing "completely private sleeping, dressing, and bathroom facilities for women guests during the entire time for which any houseparty is registered."

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Helen,

The 'soft opening' for the new baroque organ in Anabel Taylor Chapel was Nov 21, 2010.  Then the actual dedication of the organ took place during  a conference and concert festival to inaugurate the new organ, "Keyboard Culture in Eighteenth-Century Berlin and the German Sense of History," March 10-13.  The actual dedication recital took place Sat, March 12 at 5:30 pm.  

I have attached PDFs of the Nov 2010 program (not long) and the 32-page program book for the festival/conference in March 2011. There are also two different web sites on the organ, one from the College of Arts & Sciences and one on the music department's web site.  Both have photos and full info on the entire building process, with lots of photos, too.  

There's a blog of sorts on the A&S site. http://music.cornell.edu/about-us/facilities-and-in struments/organs-and-keyboards/organs/anabel-taylor/  [music dept's site] http://baroqueorgan.cornell.edu/ Both Cornell organists, Annette Richards and David Yearsley (and their 2 children) are in Germany for the year.

Cheers,

Loralyn, Cornell Department of Music

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Niece,

You may contact the Housing & Dining Contracts Office at housing@cornell.edu or (607) 255-5368 to submit a room change request, indicating your preference for a single. However, I’ve spoken with my friends in that office, and they’ve informed me that there’s currently a wait list for students waiting for singles to become available. If you submit a room change request now, it is very unlikely that they’ll be able to place you in a single for the start of the spring semester, but there’s a chance a single might open up later in the semester as students move rooms or leave the university.

It sounds like sharing your personal space with a roommate has been causing you some anxiety, and may be affecting your health and your ability to focus on your studies. You may want to consider speaking with a professional at Gannett Health Services. You can find out more at http://www.gannett.cornell.edu/services/counseling/caps/index.cfm or http://www.gannett.cornell.edu/services/counseling/peer.cfm.

You may also want to speak with your Resident Advisor, Residence Hall Director, Graduate Residence Fellow, or Student Assistant in your residential community.

Best wishes for a stress-free and successful end of semester,

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Traveler,

Unfortunately, there are no bus or shuttle services from Cornell to Syracuse that go at 3AM. Your best option would be calling the Ithaca Airport Limousine Company which is available at any time. A one way trip would cost you $80 and a roundtrip is $120. You can give them a call at 6072733030.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Waiting,

It is so hard to continue waiting, especially after you have been waiting so long already.  This is the time to re-evaluate all the other choices and find another school that also meets your needs and may eventually become a place that you feel very passionate about.  If Cornell didn't exist, there would be another first choice for you. 

Just waiting until April is not a very smart way to proceed. But turning your anger and disappointment into action to find a few other great schools is the way to go right now.  I assume you will find a place that you are well suited to that you will thrive in.  But if by some very slim chance it doesn't work for you, you can always apply next year as a transfer student to Cornell.

And who knows, maybe you will be accepted in April.  Good luck to you.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Deferred,

Here is a response form the Director of Admissions and a way ot find the answers to some of your other questions:

The number/percentage varies greatly by year and so we don’t publish the statistics (they wouldn’t be helpful).

Please encourage the student to visit the admissions blog. We will be addressing questions from postponed student this week.

Jason C. Locke Director Undergraduate Admissions Office

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Wanna Help Out,

If you'd like to become a host for freshman and other prospective students you'll need to email redcarpet-mailbox@cornell.edu to find out when the next training session for hosts will be. The sessions are only 30 minutes long and after you attend one you'll be able to host students throughout the rest of the year.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Future MSE,

Sorry that took a while to find this, but thanks to Melisa Totman, Assistant to the Director, Materials Science & Engineering, here you go:

The History of Materials Science and Engineering

The Cornell Department of Materials Science and Engineering was officially formed in 1964. In the early years, the Department’s research programs were driven by the study of metals for national space, energy, and defense programs. By the 1970s, the research focus expanded to include polymers, ceramics, and semiconductors – research areas that have long served as the backbone of Materials Science. It was during that decade that the Department began garnering broad national and international exposure in the scientific community. Several faculty members became members of the National Academy of Engineering and the department chair at that time was named a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Yogurt Lover, , I checked in with Cornell Dining’s Nutritionist about you questions.  Here’s her response. Dear Student, It is great to hear that you are interested in the nutritional information of the foods you are eating.  The four items you listed – low-fat plain yogurt, low-fat peach yogurt, chocolate pudding, and vanilla pudding – are all made by Cornell Dairy.  Since they come from a small operation, it is hard to analyze the exact nutrition information. I would suggest that you review some nutrition websites, such as sparkpeople.com or calorie-count.com or livestrong.com.  The websites provide estimates of the nutrients in the foods you are looking for, and they also can be very helpful in tracking foods that you eat, while making sure you reach your daily nutritional needs. As far as yogurt goes, you are on the right track looking for low-fat varieties.  Enjoying low-fat yogurt is a great way to incorporate dairy into your diet while maintaining a lower fat diet. Overall, I recommend focusing less on calories, and more on serving size.  While chocolate and vanilla pudding may be more decadent options, you can still enjoy them in moderation.    Good luck with your diet and please let me know if you have any more questions!  Feel free to contact me directly at mw287@cornell.edu.    Michele Wilbur, RD, CDN Cornell Dining Registered Dietitian

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Cheerful Hill Climber,

The last couple times DUE readers asked about that long-closed stairway — from street level to the hilltop Baker Laboratory of Chemistry — university maintenance planners said something to this effect: Proposed, costly repairs to dangerously deteriorated masonry in the steps are on the Official Wish List of Things Not Getting Done in Economic Hard Times. 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful, Your Uncle remembers wondering at the time, if some Chemistry alum — maybe one who remembered climbing those steps when they were open and who learned enough chemistry in Baker Lab to become fabulously rich — would endow repair of the steps?

While we’re waiting for that happy day— and regarding your “ice-water-covered-grassy-slopes” comment— let’s all remember to walk only on officially sanctioned and maintained sidewalks, steps, ramps and other outdoor inclines during the perilous winter months ahead.  Please heed the “No Winter Maintenance” signs.  And you won’t still be wearing a cast on Slope Day.     

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Student,

Most buildings are locked after hours.  For student groups, classrooms in Goldwin Smith, Rockefeller and McGraw are available (reservation required). 

There are many buildings available for evening studying, like all of the community centers, lounges in residential buildings and all of Willard Straight Hall.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Later Lab Hours Keeper,

Please report concerns about inadequate street lighting to the Cornell Police (G-2 Barton Hall 255-1111) where they regard campus illumination as both crime-prevention and public-safety matters.  

Wishing you all the best in your thesis research.

And wishing more people who feel insecure on campus at night would use the Blue Light services — including Blue Light Escorts and Blue Light Buses.  More info is here: http://www.cupolice.cornell.edu/emergency/blue_light.cfm.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Student,

The staff at Uris Library set off the alarm "bells" (they are admittedly quite loud) 30 minutes before closing and 15 minutes before closing in order to alert everybody that the building is closing; and to make sure students are not sleeping/having headphones on that might cause them to get locked in overnight (friday/saturday) or missed by the security patrols on other nights.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Olin Stacker,

If you’re peering out one of the gun-turret windows of Olin Library — toward the architecturally pleasing Sage Chapel, Barnes Hall and Sage Hall — you’ll see why campus planners hoped to bury the Cornell Store completely out of sight.

 Legend has it — and no one from the Cornell Store has emerged to dispute it when campus tours go by — that builders encountered impenetrable bedrock   during their excavations.  The multi-level store was stuffed as far underground as would fit— and dirt was backfilled to make the mound we have today.

But a “bunker” you say?   The architect, a 1953 Cornell grad named Earl Flansburgh, would be disappointed to hear that — pointing to his 1969 Annual Design Award from Progressive Architecture magazine for the job. 

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Getting Prepared,

Verizon seems to be much more widely used in Ithaca.  Coverage is fairly good, except for some areas of North Campus and in the center of some of the ancient stone buildings.  There are also a few dead spots on Route 79 entering campus in Brooktondale and on the other end of Ithaca in Enfield.  I would definitely choose Verizon for better service at Cornell.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Helen,

Leah Solla, Chemistry Librarian, Clark Physical Sciences Library, has some information for you:

“That photograph of the Van Allen Clarks was stolen off the wall in Clark in 2007 or so. Dale Corson was the original photographer. We worked with him to get it replaced and had another printed, not the same photo but a similar one and not as high quality printing unfortunately. I don't know what happened to this photograph after the 2010 building renovation. Perhaps the building managers have it, or it was returned to Dale. We may have some small photo copies in the Clark library files in storage, I can try to look through these if there is interest.”

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Parent,

Glad that you were able to attend Parent's Weekend at Cornell. It is always helpful for students when their parents have been here to see the campus, first hand.

First-Year Parents’ Weekend is a fee-based program that is completely self-supporting and not part of tuition. All families must pay a registration fee to participate in any of the activities, free or ticketed, during FYPW. By paying you get access to the full slate of Parents’ Weekend activities which include Open Class, Tours, Lectures, Open Houses, college events, and Information Sessions. Welcome refreshments and coffee during the weekend are included in this fee. The fee supports all of the programs that are offered throughout the weekend including additional subsidizing of ticketed events offered and free parking. Fee waivers for the weekend are available for any family that requests one.

This model is followed at many universities, including Dartmouth College, Duke University, the University of Michigan, Columbia, and Washington University in St. Louis to name a few off the top of my head. While we would prefer not to charge a fee for the weekend, Parents’ Weekend couldn’t exist otherwise.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear CALS,

I'm pretty sure CALS has its own version of a resume service and if you transfer to CALS you would be able to use their service.  If you are really interested in using the ARTS resume critiquing service, just do it before you switch.

Glad to hear that you are invested in following your interests and putting your best foot forward.  Good luck.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear new Niece,

Glad to have you on board. 

Uncle Ezra