Dear NaN,
First, I commend you for your interest in non-Engineering courses. A well-rounded Engineer is a better Engineer.  However, what's interesting for me may not be for you.  What is your definition of interesting?  I checked the Engineering curriculum and learned that all the humanities and history courses you can take are listed on pp. 97 & 98 in the 1987-88 Courses of Study book under the headings 2b and 3a.  And what a list it is!
        There's something for everyone's taste: classes in history of art; introductory music; theatre arts (except for performance); Africana studies; Asian studies; history; Near Eastern studies; Women's studies; archaeology; classics; comparitive literature; French, German, Italian, Russian, & Spanish literature; and Philosophy.  Such choices -- you're lucky.




        I suggest you look through the list yourself and pick out the courses that interest you.  Read their descriptions in the course catalog and check with the departments themselves.  A lot of them offer introductory courses in their subjects and have special classes for non-majors.  Also, ask your advisor, friends, and people who have taken the class before for their recommendations. They can let you know what the course is like and whether or not the professor is "interesting." Good luck & Happy Hunting. And don't forget that the deadline for course sign-up in the Engineering school is September 18th.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear LF,
Welcome back!  Tracking down a friend at the beginning of the school year can be tough to do -- unless you happen to run into one another on the quad or meet a mutual friend who knows where you both live.  However, if this hasn't happened yet, a couple of possibilities do exist.
        If you think your friend is living in one of the residence halls, check in the temporary telephone directory that contains a listing of most on-campus students. No more copies are available to buy, but you can look at the one at the Information and Referral Center in Day Hall or borrow one from someone in a dorm. If your friend is living off-campus, you might try calling Ithaca directory assistance at 1-555-1212 to see if s/he is listed.
        The Student Directory listings in CUINFO now reflect Fall registration information, but the Registrar tells me that complete data won't be available on CUINFO until September 16.  After that time you can check your nearest terminal for all of your friends' addresses -- and good luck!

Uncle Ezra   

Dear N & I,
Generally, it takes brains, hard work, and good study habits to succeed at Cornell.  Some people goof off more in the beginning of the semester, perhaps figuring there's still time to catch up.  But almost all students who do well work like mad lots of time; some just don't want others to see them working hard because it destroys a mystique.
        Prelims are Cornell students' name for tests given preliminary to the final exam.  Many courses have two or three per semester. Your grades are based entirely or heavily on these tests, so it's a good idea to be prepared. On average, the equation for studying is two hours out of class for every hour of class time.  But how much time YOU need to spend depends on you.  Some people find that reviewing each day's notes that night and going over the old notes once a week very helpful.
        Another way to get ready for prelims is to get copies of last year's prelims.  Upperclassmen are pretty good about keeping their old prelims, so get to know some of them.  The Noyes Center Browsing Library and the Learning Skills Center have some old prelims you can look at.  Sometimes professors even put old tests on reserve, so ask.
        Also, be prepared for class.  It's best to read the assigned material before you get to class so you can maximize your understanding of the lectures. As you may have guessed by now, attending the lectures is important, because prelims are often based more heavily on them than on the readings.
        There are many other study hints. One of the best places to go to find out how to study and get ready for your prelims is the Learning Skills Center (255-6310) at 357 Olin Hall.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear BC,
One of my Computer Services informants tells me that CCS keeps track of all "instructional" mainframe computing use. In addition to the $50 per week allocated to students, faculty and staff also receive an allocation. Another major catagory of instructional computing is special accounts set up for courses which use the mainframe.  At the end of the year, CCS figures out how much it actually cost to provide the computing (salaries, building space, machine costs, computer paper, etc.)  That figure is divided among the deans of the colleges who participate in this program.  Each college's share is based on a combination of actual use per enrolled student in that college.   So yes, your computer use IS billed through the Busar's office, but indirectly as part of your tuition, not as an additional charge.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear S.F.,
I'm not sure whether you're talking about software, PF keys, PA keys, editing commands, or something else. Therefore, rather than risk answering the wrong question, let me tell you four easy ways for you to find the answer:


        - CCS Classes.  These are short workshops on a variety of topics, including
        introductions to mainframe computing.  Free to students, you can get
        information and registration material at any CCS staffed terminal area.
        - Documentation.  There are many short free documents available in the
        staffed terminal areas.  Ask the operator for help finding what you need.
        - Staff.  Staff in the terminal areas can answer many questions.  For more
        extensive questions, CCS has a consulting program in 124 CCC.  There, you
        will find professional consultants who can answer more complex questions.
        Hours are 9-12 and 1-4 Monday thru Friday.
        - Help.  Finally, there is a command on the mainframe called




        HELP.  If you type HELP you will get information about how to use the
        computer.
        If one of these does not help you, please write back and tell me what you want to DO with the computer.  Then maybe I can tell you what commands will let you do that.  At least I can refer you to a good CCS consultant who will help.
        Best of luck in learning to use these marvelous machines.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Mole,
A friend of mine who knows says yes, there are BBs in the area.  Try these numbers, and you will quickly discover more:




             Mr. BB     277-4850 - 1200-8-N-1 (6PM to 8AM)
             The CIA! 1-324-0197 - 1200-8-N-1 (24 hrs)
             Reptilia 1-539-6188 - 1200-8-N-1 (8PM, 24 hrs weekends)


        Happy BBing!

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Not Donald,
Good news!  You're not the only person suffering with this problem, and people with phobias like yours have had remarkable success in overcoming their fears.  Char Ratner in Psychological Services is already developing a treatment program for other students with a fear of water, and she would be glad to include you.  Stop by Psychological Services on the ground floor of Gannett, or call them at 255-5208, and explain that you'd like to work with Char on this fear.  You'll be "in the swim" in no time!

Uncle Ezra   

Dear CP,
While many people consider suicide at one time or another as a possible solution to personal pain and suffering, most find better alternatives. Overall, the national average for suicides among college students is approximately 1 per 10,000 students per year.  Using that figure, we might expect 2 suicides at Cornell each year.  We would rather not be average; everyone I know hopes for 0 suicides per year.
        Seven years ago there were four or five suicides at Cornell.  For the next five years there were none.  Then, during the 1986-7 academic year, four students committed suicide; one at Cornell, the others at home.  It appears that we have already lost one student this academic year due to suicide.  (I
say "appears" because we don't know for sure.)




        Thus, the best we can say about suicides at Cornell is that we are about average.  We are not the suicide capital of America.  Still, I wish those people who elected to kill themselves had found other solutions.  So do their families and friends.
        If you are thinking about adding to our suicide statistic, please contact Psychological Services (255-5208, ground floor of Gannett), Suicide Prevention and Crisis Services (272-1616), EARS (255-EARS, 211 Willard Straight Hall), CURW (255-4214, 118 Anabel Taylor Hall), the Dean of Students Office (255-3608, 103 Barnes Hall), or another source of support.  Free and confidential help is available.  A life is a terrible thing to waste.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear In the Dark,
I forwarded your question to Steve Worona who said, "At the start of each semester there's a huge amount of information that needs to be updated on CUINFO.  Not all of it comes to us electronically.  The prelim schedule, for example, is keyed in by hand based on the list in the (paper) course roster, and the people who do the keying have been busy entering other things (new bus schedules, for example).  The Student Directory, on the other hand, is part of a much more automated procedure.  The first update of the Fall arrived last Friday from the University Registrar.
        "The writer's point is well taken, though...the University has lots of 'facts on record', and it's precisely the goal of CUINFO to make as much of this as possible accessible.  New items are constantly being added, and old ones improved and streamlined.  Two examples:   First, there's a new CUINFO entry called 'VOLUNTEER', provided by Civitas, which gives a list of volunteer opportunities at Cornell and in Ithaca; check it out!  Second, the schedule of intercollegiate athletic events is available earlier in the semester than ever before because of new software connecting the Athletic Department's computer to CCS' IBM mainframe.
        "But I do understand and sympathize with In the Dark's concern...if you want to know when your math prelim is, it doesn't help that the Junior Varsity Soccer Schedule is right up to date.  Please be assured that we're working as hard as we can to make CUINFO as useful, timely, and accurate as possible. Keep your eye on the UPDATES item for news of changes."

Uncle Ezra