Dear Uncle Ezra - Questions for Tuesday, September 19, 1989

Dear Uncle Ezra,
Awhile back I was in counseling with Rand Lenhart at Gannett Psch. Services. Rand left Cornell in August 1987. Sometime later, I wanted to get in touch with Rand to let him know how I had resolved things we had discussed. Psych. Services had one forwarding address for him -- I think it was at the Univ. of Pennsylvania -- but he had already moved on from there, too, apparently with no new forwarding address. That was about as far as Psych. Service was inclined to help me.
It's not essential, but it would be very satisfying to me to "short term" counseling is that you are supposed to terminate it after a while, but this is important to me. Can you help me out? Thanks. Searching

Dear Searcher,
Jerry Feist, Director of Psychological Services (and Uncle Ezra Emeritus), says that ever since Rand moved from Pennsylvania to California, everything that Psych Services has sent to his supposed new address has been returned. Once someone leaves Cornell there's no requirement for them to keep in touch, so unless you fall upon Rand's address by luck, you probably cannot contact him directly.
What you CAN do is to write Rand a letter that you don't mail, a letter that you keep for yourself, that explores and affirms the changes you've made since you last saw him. The gift Rand gave you is within you, and your letter can help nurture it. You can also draw strength from recognizing that you now know how to find someone else like Rand should the need arise.

Uncle Ezra

Dear Ezra,
Do Professors/TAs actually read and take seriously the course evaluations? Also, why are the campus food stores almost always more expensive (sometimes as much as 50% more) than regular supermarkets?

Lots of Questions

Dear LQ,
According to David Taylor-Way, who heads the Office of Instructional Support, two kinds of course evaluations are presently used at Cornell:

        1)  Most common are end-of-semester evaluations, the ones you fill out right before or after exams.  Professors do read these, but how they process the material varies.  Comments on the quality of the T.A.s' instruction may or may not be shared with T.A.s by their faculty supervisor, depending on how organized the supervisor is and how important s/he considers the issues raised.
            Professors use the student comments for fine-tuning their courses. The evaluations are also shared with the department head and put into a dossier to be used in tenure and promotion decisions.  So for their own best interest, as well as that of their students, professors are liable to take the evaluations seriously.
        2)  The Office of Instructional Support is encouraging more use of mid-semester or in-term evaluations, which can be given any time after the first three weeks of a course up to mid-term break.  Professors who use these optional evaluations are definitely concerned about translating the feedback into course improvements.
        To make sure your comments about a course are heard, you can speak directly with your professor or write her or him an anonymous letter.  You can also ask if s/he's planning to do a mid-semester evaluation.  If s/he is unfamiliar with this process, you can mention that the Office of Instructional Support will supply evaluations and help tabulate and assess the results.
        As for the campus food stores, they suffer the same problem as other small grocers.  They cannot buy in bulk at a discount the way large supermarket chains do, and so, in exchange for the convenience of nearby shopping, you face manufacturers' list prices.  You can save money by shopping in larger stores or at the Eddy Street Co-op when time allows, using the campus stores for their indispensable convenience.  (See also MAY89, p. 96.)  Uncle Ezra

Uncle Ezra

Ezra:

When the hell is Maplewood Park really going to be finished?

Waiting Impatiently

Dear Waiting,
While it won't be TOTALLY finished until early next year, I am told that Maplewood Park will be virtually completed within a month. All the interior work, except for minor items, is already done. The exterior carpentry -- such as balconies and archways leading to courtyards -- will be finished in another three or four weeks. The laundry is scheduled for completion around the first of October, but Residence Life is trying to get it ready sooner; another laundry facility will be set to go early next semester. The landscaping -- planting trees, seeding, and grading -- is intended to continue on into the fall. So the noise and chaos will decrease substantially within a few weeks. If you have further questions, you can call Mike Daley, Residence Life's Assistant Director for North Campus, at 255-6214. Uncle Ezra

Uncle Ezra

Dear Uncle Ezra,
I am an Undergrad. in A&EP and having a very hard time trying to find a lab assistant job in the area of lasers for fall 89. I've talked to several professors about it, but I'm either too inexperienced or they don't have room. Any ideas on who else I may talk to.

Frustrated

Dear Uncle Ezra,
I am writing in reference to the AUG89 letter from "NERVOUS" (p.17) who is concerned about coming out to his/her friends and family.  Your answer was (as ususal) thorough and helpful, but I wonder if I could offer a few more comments on the subject.   I am going through the same situation described in the letter and although I may be a few steps ahead of NERVOUS's situation, I'm can relate heavily to what he/she is saying.  I'm now a senior, but as a freshman I already knew I was gay.  At that point, I was far too terrified to seriously think about any of the counselling or support options you mentioned in your letter.  Who would see me there?  Would some loud Cornell secretary holler across the room announcing my appointment with a sex counselor?  Would I find a support group full of sexually frustrated students scamming on me and each other?   Unfortunately, nobody teaches a course on thinking rationally at Cornell and these thoughts and some much worse crossed my mind enough to make me reject the possiblilty of seeking help through Cornell.  During freshman year, I told my best friend about my feelings toward him and my desire to be more intimate. (We were already unusually intimate -- sleeping in the same bed nearly every night.)  He was accepting at first of my feelings but not interested in a sexual relatinship with another male.  He did, however become far less understanding as time passed and he pledged a fraternity.  He is also from a religion which does not tolerate homosexuality and his family is very religious.   Anyway, as time went on I told two or three of my other close friends.  And I can happily say that the strongest reactions I have ever gotten have been feelings of surprise:   not anger, not shame, not disappointment!  I do not feel it's necessary for everyone to know my sexual preference. Most of the people I hang around do not.  But it is so liberating to have some people who do understand me a little better and talking about sexuality and related issues with them has been enlightening and helpful.  (Ironically, one of the best conversations I ever had on the subject was with a former girlfriend from home who also goes to Cornell.)   I guess what I want "NERVOUS" and anyone else thinking about the same questions to know is that nothing changed for me when I told a few of my friends I was gay.  They do not treat me any differently.  I still go to Rulloff's and The Palms, not the Common Ground.  I still get invited to formals and BMOC parties.  If anything, I think I have instilled a stronger sense of trust and understanding in my relationships with a number of people.   In closing, I want to 'reprimand' NERVOUS for using the term "straight-acting" in his/her letter.  There is no such thing!  I certainly understand what you mean, but I know plenty of men who exhibit typically 'male' behavior who are far from straight.  Conversely, a couple of the most efeminate men I know are as straight as the Baker flagpole.  Get out of that trap quick! It will only cause you a great amount of anguish and confusion.
        Thanks for bearing with such a lengthy letter; I think all of it is important to a Cornellian on his/her way out.

                                                 Signed,

                                                 Not all the way out, but getting

                                                 there slowly but surely!

Dear Uncle Ezra,
During a recent visit to the MVR Computer Center, I was extremely annoyed at the rude behavior of the computer operator there. I was assigned Macintosh no. 2. As I saw that no. 3 was vacant (no. 3 was by the wall), I casually asked the operator if I could switch. Turning from his busy work at the VT100 terminal at the operator desk, he replied in an annoyed manner, Why? Does it make a difference? I then said, Well, does it make a difference to you? Then he said in a loud and commanding tone, YES, 'cause I (in boldface) assigned it. Not in a mood to argue with him, I just took no. 2 and carried on with my work. I know that this may seem trivial, but considering that I paid $7000 (yes, SEVEN THOUSAND US DOLLARS) to attend summer co-op session here (I am an engineering co-op student), I do expect more from CIT than operators who enjoy embarrassing people on Sunday afternoons. After all, switching terminals for a user takes maybe 4 or 5 seconds. If he has time to do his own work during worktime, he should have time for that. What most annoyed me was his commanding attitude towards me in front of the other users in the center. Since when has the computer operator become the boss at MVR? I think that a visit to MVR should be a pleasant (if not enjoyable) experience, instead of a frustrating one. I do have enough frustrations and stress of my own without the computer operator at MVR adding to them. (I am taking 20 credits this summer, all letter-grade.) Also, since when did CIT require MVR users to offer information on the colleges they attend. I happened to notice quite a number of summer session students from outside who were embarrassed by the operator's annoying tone when they misunderstood his question and told him the universities they came from. Another observation: What do the MVR operators need so many terminals at the operator desk for, other than their own personal use? (There are 2 Macs and two VT100 terminals at the operator desk.) I really think that all that's necessary is a Mac or a VT100 to keep track of who's using which terminal. Thanks for listening! Annoyed

Dear Annoyed,
You're welcome!  In addition to listening, I took your letter to Gordon Suggs from CIT Support Services, who sympathizes with your situation. He says,
        "I firmly agree that a visit to the MVR computing center should be a pleasant AND enjoyable experience and I am sorry that this visitor found it frustrating.  There is no excuse for this behavior and we will strive to prevent its recurrence.
        "As for the other questions, CIT started tracking this summer which colleges people using the facilities attend and what software they are checking out in the facilities.  This will help us to understand who is using each facility and what special needs that group might have.
        "On the operator's desk at MVR, there are now 3 Macintoshes and 1 VT100 (one of the VT100s was replaced by a Macintosh after you wrote us).  One Macintosh is used for keeping track of who is on which machine.  The VT100 is used to keep an electronic journal of problems in the facility (this helps the operators communicate with each other about problems and their solutions).  A second Macintosh is used to recopy software that has been handed out to eradicate any viruses that might have gotten in it.  The third Macintosh is used to allow the operator to more easily diagnose and solve problems for people (the operator can log onto the mainframe from here and check the printer status or is a user has logged off correctly, or the operator can help someone put more fonts on their Macintosh disk or give them Laser drivers to help them laser print)." -- Gordon Suggs, CIT, Assistant Director for

                                  Workstation Support Services (that includes the

                                  CIT Public Facilities and MOS Repair and

                                  Maintenance)

        Thanks, Gordon.

Uncle Ezra