Arts and Sciences, Student Ambassadors

As spring semester came to a close, summer plans were on every Cornellian’s mind. I was heading home for an internship. My friend Paulo signed up for EMS driver training. My fellow ambassador Grace prepared to drive cross-country to work as a cook and camp counselor in Wyoming. And my RA, Laura Santacrose, was getting ready to spend a summer in Ithaca as a Cornell tour guide and student researcher.

The day after my last final exam, I stood in front of the stairwell door, surrounded by the friends I had made during my first year. I went around the circle, giving handshakes and hugs, exchanging “see-you-soon’s” and “keep-in-touch’s,” until I finally came to Laura.

Laura reached out to give me a hug. “Come visit me this summer! I’ll be in Ithaca all of June and July.”

“I will, I swear!”

Last weekend, I fulfilled my promise. Late Saturday night, I drove up a very familiar hill, looking for the address Laura had given me. As I approached her Collegetown apartment, an unfamiliar feeling struck me. I had just traveled a couple hundred miles from my house, but I felt like I was returning, not arriving. Coming back to Cornell felt like coming home. The memories rushed back at me—my first trip to campus, the butterflies in my stomach on move-in day, the excitement of seeing my friends after winter break, how bittersweet being done with my first year was—all of it was washing over me. I didn’t realize how attached I was to Cornell and to the people I had met there. Cornell really was my second home.

I pulled up in front of Laura’s apartment complex. (I’ll admit it: I had to call and ask for directions, so Laura was already standing in her doorway when I arrived.) Laura walked out, gave me a huge hug, and ushered me and my friend Maggie (who traveled with me) into her apartment.

The inside of the Collegetown apartment was actually impressive. It was a nice size–definitely spacious enough for at least one more occupant. There was a moderate sized family room and a small kitchen on the first floor, and two bedrooms and a bathroom on the second. I wouldn’t have minded spending the summer there at all.

We talked for a while and caught up before heading to bed. We had a long Sunday planned.

The following morning, I woke up, headed to Church with Maggie and then returned to Laura’s apartment to begin our Ithaca expedition.

Our first stop was The Farmer’s Market.

I could not believe I went my entire first year without ever going to this place! It was awesome. There were all sorts of small vendors selling everything from pizza to flowers to fresh lemonade to pottery to Greek food. There was even a dock you could sit on while you ate. Best part: everything was affordable. This place was perfect for someone on a student budget.

Our next destination was just outside of Ithaca. We headed to Taughannock Falls.

I live fifteen minutes away from Niagara Falls, so not just any water rolling off a cliff impresses me. Taughannock Falls did. While being magnificent and larger than life, Taughannock has a serene quality about it that Niagara Falls does not. I definitely want to bring my family to see it next time they visit Cornell.

Finally, we headed to an early dinner at Kilpatrick’s, an Irish restaurant in Ithaca. It was a little more expensive than your local chain restaurant (I paid around thirteen dollars for my meal), but the food was delicious. I would recommend it (and their apricot chicken wings) to anyone traveling through Ithaca.

With a full stomach and some great photos, I dropped Laura off at her apartment and headed back to my house. The trip was an eye-opening experience for me; there is so much more exploring I need to do in my three remaining years at Cornell. I was sad as I drove away; I wished there were some way I could stay longer. But as I traveled toward Lewiston, listening to the tunes of the Cornell Chordials as I went, a comforting thought came to my mind:

Only six more weeks until I return.

Filed under: events, musings, the freshman experience by Timothy Dyster

There are lots of official (and unofficial) blogs about Cornell. Just wanted to list a few here. Check em out and tell us what you think!

Follow the everyday lives and experiences of 9 Cornell bloggers as they write about Life on the Hill

Check out the Voices from Cornell Abroad homepage. Read about Olga’s travels in Spain, Maurice’s time in Egypt, or Alison’s life in New Zealand!

For those of you interested in Cornell’s sports scene, explore this site devoted to the Big Red Basketball Team

Thinking about a career in finance, management, or consulting? Read about the real-life experiences of business school students in the Johnson School at the Johnson Blogs

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Here’s a link to Elliot Back’s (Class of ‘06) popular Cornell Blog: An unofficial blog about Cornell University

CIT and CU Library run a comprehensive Blog Service that links to several Cornell blogs about student life, academics, research, and even faculty blogs.

Post By: Raihan Faroqui ‘10

Filed under: around the quad, around the slope, clubs and activities, events, learning outside the classroom, musings, sports by Raihan Faraqui

This past weekend I made the 3 and a 1/2 hour drive up from New York City one last time (for Spring 2009 that is) to Cornell to experience all the pomp and circumstance that is Commencement Weekend. Lots of my friends are graduating seniors, so this trip had some serious sentimental value.

Check out this neat collection of pics that the Cornell Chornicle put together: Slideshow of Commencement Weekend

As we drove through Collegetown, one thing was perfectly clear: there were LOTS of people here. We could see packs of families, relatives, cousins, grandparents, and friends eagerly roaming College, Eddy, and Dryden Avenues. Forget about parking. Every restaurant and hotel in sight was filled to capacity.

I heard stories of families staying in Binghamton and Syracuse because Ithaca simply could not accommodate everyone!

On the 23rd (Saturday morning), we trekked out to the football stadium to kickoff Senior Convocation Day. News of neighboring Syracuse University booking alum Vice President Joe Biden and NYU snagging Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had heightened expectations for a big-name speaker earlier on in the semester.

So, the university’s choice of Obama chief campaign manager David Plouffe as Convocation Speaker was met with a good dose of “really, he’s the best we can do?”

Maybe it was low expectations, but I found Plouffe’s (pronounced like “pluff”) personal story surprisingly refreshing: his meteoric rise from college dropout to political stardom was certainly inspiring. It wasn’t one of those speeches that left you awe-struck, but it held its own.

Although Plouffe’s appearance filled maybe about half of Schoellkopf Stadium, Sunday was a different story. I have never in my 3 years at Cornell seen so many people gathered at once to witness something. The sight of 30,000+ (my own rough estimate) cheering families and friends was downright surreal. Here’s a pic that I took as I watched the 6,000 or so graduates enter the stadium in a time-honored procession:

Panorama shot of Cornell Class of 2009

Post By: Raihan Faroqui ‘10

Filed under: events by Raihan Faraqui

RAs are awesome.

If you’re not familiar with the abbreviation, an “RA” is a resident advisor, and in the first year dorms at Cornell, RAs are sophomore, junior or senior undergrads.

More info about CampusLife RAs

RAs are charged with many responsibilities, one of which is planning ”programs” throughout the semester–anything from hour-long “marshmallow roasts” to day-long trips to New York City. As a way to celebrate the end of the year, my RA (sophomore Laura Santacrose) organized a dinner cruise for my building (Low Rise 6).

Fifteen dollars later, I was floating on Cayuga Lake while being served a four-course meal:

A few of my friends and me on the boat

The food was delicious and the view was spectacular. I had a great time, and I know my friends did too (they couldn’t help but make a few “I’m on a boat” jokes during the course of the three-hour boat ride). I was really impressed; it was obvious my RA had invested a lot of time and effort into making the cruise happen and keeping it affordable enough for everyone to be able to come.

What’s more impressive is that this isn’t the only time Laura has planned something like this: she went with a group of students to see a Tony Award-winning play in NYC earlier this semester, organized an apple picking event last fall, and even planned a Superbowl party earlier this year, complete with pizza and wings. It seems like Laura never stops coming up with new programs for her residents to enjoy!

I think sometimes residents forget how much RAs do–we treat them the way we sometimes treat our parents, taking for granted all their hard work. The more I think about it, the more I realize that Laura has been a huge part of my first year of college. No matter what happened, I knew I could always turn to her for advice. She was my wiser older sibling while away from home.

So, moral of the story: In addition to answering all your questions and helping you out while you’re away from home, RAs work their butts off to make sure you and the rest of your floor get to have some special experiences while at CU. (So make sure you thank them once in a while!)

It’s worth restating: RAs are just plain awesome.

Post By: Tim Dyster ‘12

Filed under: events, musings, north campus, the freshman experience by Timothy Dyster

I’ll be honest with you: I think of myself as a true Cornellian. “Big Red Blood flows through my veins” (well, technically my arteries). Basically, I love almost everything about this place.

Finals are an exception.

Luckily, Cornell does a lot to help its students through this rough time we (fondly?) call “Finals Week.” Slope Day was last Friday, which was an awesome way to end the semester and relax before diving into studying. Also, CU schedules a 72-hour-or-so study period following the weekend after classes end, so as long as you budget your time well, getting ready for finals is totally doable. Better yet, free massages are offered during study week! It doesn’t get much better than that.

But what I really want to talk about is my all-time favorite destresser: The Big Scream. At midnight the night before finals begin, students all over campus run outside their dorms and scream–and I mean SCREAM–to release all that crazy pent up energy from studying for finals. Don’t believe me? Check it out:

The Big Scream

Epic, right?

Post By: Tim Dyster ‘12

Filed under: events by Timothy Dyster

Slope Day has come and passed.

A day of frolicking around on the slope eating vendor food, playing on bouncy slides and listening to music should be enough to sustain us through exam period, right?

I have to be honest, I was less than thrilled when I heard that the Pussycat Dolls were headlining. I was really excited for Apples in Stereo however, a band that I’ve listened to since high school. As openers I was expecting the music to start out with a bang for me and then sizzle.

I had forgotten that the Pussycat Dolls had released a modified English version of Jai Ho! the Oscar-winning ending song from the Oscar-winning film, Slumdog Millionaire.

This was received in a huge way by the crowd and by yours truly:

slope day jai ho and dancing

Turns out the Pussycat Dolls were a shockingly relevant choice for Slope Day 2009 and now there are the Facebook photo albums to prove it.

Filed under: around the slope, concerts and shows, events by Laura-Nicole

Imagine 2600+ people jam-packed in a frenzied campus venue, cheering on animated dancers following a perfectly-rehearsed script of song and dance under the bright lights and stadium sounds of Barton Hall, experiencing THE biggest show on campus!

Synchronizing two complicated stunts

Cornell’s Bhangra team hosted Pao Bhangra VIII this past weekend, considered the largest bhangra exhibition in all of North America. Teams from NYU, George Washington University, and the University of South California were also in attendance along with Cornell’s own men’s, women’s, mixed, and alumni teams.

“Bhangra” is a traditional, high-energy folk dance originating in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan that has entered mainstream culture by fusing hip-hop, reggae, and house influences with centuries-old South Asian dance routines. College campus teams have remixed original bhangra scores with heavy bass lines and techno beats in a novel East meets West synthesis.

Jay-Z’s featuring of Panjabi MC on his chart-busting track “Beware of the Boys” a few years back indicated that Bhangra beats were here to stay in the West:

Panjabi MC Ft. Jay-Z – Beware of the Boys

This must-see event featured 8 dance acts that showcased complex choreography, show-stopping stunts, vibrantly colored costumes, and thumping Punjabi beats. Many of the teams mixed hip-hop dance moves or breakdance sections into their overall synchronized dance routines, incorporating modern styles with time-honored sequences. Particular crowd favorites involved numerous daring stunts in which team members climbed on top of one another or performed various flips and spins.

As part of Cornell Raas, another Indian dance team on campus, we had the opportunity to guest perform for the show. “Raas” is another traditional Indian dance that hails from the province of Gujarat. In Dandiya Raas men and women dance in two circles, with sticks or “dandiyas” in both hands. It was an amazing experience to dance for such an enthusiastic and responsive crowd!

Such a mass celebration of South Asian culture on Cornell’s biggest stage is reason enough to “Watch dancers fly through the air at a Bhangra show,” listed as #56 on the hallowed “161 Things Every Cornellian Should Do.”

The Cornell "Kudiyan" or Girls team showing off their moves

Post By: Deepti Mathur ‘10

Filed under: clubs and activities, concerts and shows, events by Deepti Mathur

The Cornell Hindu Students Council (HSC) hosted Holi, one of the most popular events of the semester weekends ago in the courtyard between Myron Taylor and Anabel Taylor Hall. Holi, also knows as the “Festival of Indian Colors” is a traditional festival celebrated in India, Bangladesh and Nepal during the spring. Participants celebrate the auspicious event by smearing rung or colored powders on each other.

The first 400 participants received free Holi t-shirts:

Participants show off their "true colors"

The event gathered 800+ people on a beautiful Saturday afternoon as groups of friends ran after one another throwing an assortment of pinks, oranges, blues and greens at each other, while rocking out to thumping Bhangra hits and Bollywood dance numbers. We were handed bags of rung as we entered, and started attacking each other right away! I had the most fun gathering friends together and plotting against other groups of friends, chasing each other around like a bunch of giddy 5-year-olds. The old adage of not being able to “pick on girls” was thrown out the window as groups of guys would lift up an unsuspecting girl and smear color all over her. Jolly good fun I tell you

Several students on the Cornell Raas and Bhangra teams decided to pay homage to Cornell, Holi-style:

Students spelling out Cornell in the courtyard

Post By: Raihan Faroqui ‘10

Filed under: around the slope, clubs and activities, concerts and shows, events by Raihan Faraqui

On Sunday Night, my residence hall, Carl L. Becker House on West Campus, had it’s Hollywood Glamour Formal in the dining hall.

My friends were the planners and organizers. They wanted a formal to happen in Becker–and they made it happen.

I did my part to help out, of course, by having my band “The Benthamites” play. I convinced my band-mates (who  are all of the male persuasion) to play “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper, even though they were really not happy at all about it. But, naturally, it was the most well-received song of the evening and I got to rub it in their faces a little, which made me happy

Some people have a skewed view of West Campus, thinking that those who choose the House System, bypassing the Greek community and Collegetown apartments aren’t social. But this minority view is simply just not true.

I think the saddest thing about West Campus is the wasted potential. Even I looked down on West Campus the first few weeks of living there, thinking only of the good location among the frats and the gym close by and the air-conditioned rooms. I feel like a lot of people come in thinking that they are “too good for West” and therefore don’t ever really give it a chance. If more of the people who ended up on West would look beyond the nice facilities and take advantage of what the House System hopes to be and become actively involved in the House Governments, things could be a lot different.

Filed under: events, food and shelter by Laura-Nicole