Uncategorized

Hydraulic Lab Collapses

By |

The picturesque views of Beebe Lake from the Thurston Avenue Bridge will now feature one eye-catching disruption. Cor­nell’s Hydraulic Lab — a decaying stone building that projected out from Fall Creek Gorge next to the Triphammer Footbridge and across from the Alumni House — is no longer standing.
The abandoned five-story tower, often considered an icon of Cornell’s scenic campus, collapsed at the end of last week, ending any speculation as to how long the structurally precarious building would last.
The remains of the 70-foot tall building lay in the gorge on Saturday morning, according to Giffen Ott ’13, a first year architecture student who noticed on Friday afternoon that the lab had collapsed.

Uncategorized

Protest Gone Wrong: Gaza Display Ruined

By |

Less than half a day after members of Cornell community peppered the Arts Quad with flags and signs protesting the war in Gaza, those same signs lay in a heap inside the Green Dragon Café. Around 2 p.m., as the 1,300 black flags — signifying each Palestinian and Israeli who died in the attacks — blew in the February breeze, the accompanying signs were destroyed, stolen and discarded.

Uncategorized

Cornell Sees Increase In Freshman Applicants

By |

Continuing the University’s steady increase in applicants in recent years, Cornell received an all-time high of 34,192 applications for the Class of 2013, according to an e-mail sent to the Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network. 1,119 more students applied this admissions year than last year, representing a 3-percent increase over the 33,073 applicants for the Class of 2012.

Uncategorized

Budget Cuts Prompt S.A. To Streamline Student Group Funds

By |

The University’s newfound dedication to stringent spending has permeated Cornell’s student-controlled funding as well. With the recent announcement that the Slope Day Programming Board is facing a budget shortfall, the Student Assembly has committed itself to tighter spending by introducing a new resolution to put a moratorium on new student groups for the rest of the semester.

“The shared costs that the University picked up for events and groups like Slope Day, we’re finding that we have to pick up those costs,” said Ryan Lavin ’09, S.A. president, noting that the Cornell administration has typically paid for Slope Day costs like security.

Uncategorized

Davis Expounds on Changing Admissions Process

By |

Cornell hopefuls for the class of 2013 have turned in their applications, and it is now up to the admissions office to determine who will receive acceptance letters. The Sun sat down with Doris Davis, associate provost for admissions and enrollment, to find out about this year’s crop of potential Cornellians, the changing face of early decision and what is next for financial aid.

The Sun: This year is riding on the heels of last year’s record high number of applicants ever to Cornell. But, with a financial crisis also threatening to deter many college hopefuls, do you think the number of applicants will be up?

Uncategorized

Skorton Advises January Graduates to Stay True to Their Alma Mater

By |

Though the snow piled high on Saturday afternoon, blanketing the campus in white, 859 students inside Barton Hall bled Carnelian red as they walked across the stage during the Recognition Ceremony for January Graduates. Friends and family cheered them on as the students — many of whom finished their degrees early, late or from graduate school — received recognition for their milestones.

Of the graduates, 40 percent were earning graduate degrees and 19 percent of students came from outside the United States. All undergraduate and graduate schools were represented at the ceremony, with each school’s graduates wearing different colored tassels.

Uncategorized

Study: People Use Face-to-Face Cues Online

By |

All that time you spent on Facebook when you should have been studying may not be a waste after all. In a recent study, Prof. Jeff Hancock, communication, found that use of information on Facebook can be harnessed to gain influence and popularity amongst peers.
Hancock’s study paired participants who had not met each other over instant messenger. Some were asked to look at the opposite person’s Facebook profile before the conversation.
Those who looked at their partner’s Facebook beforehand were able to use the information obtained to ask questions and make themselves seem more similar to their partners. Hancock found that the more people used the information found out beforehand through Facebook, the higher likelihood that their partner would like them.

Uncategorized

Panhellenic Council Elects New Board

By |

Cornell’s 11 sorority chapters on campus came together last night to elect the Panhellenic Board that will lead them for the next year. The board — which is charged with coordinating between houses and making overarching decisions affecting all sororities — works with the Interfraternity Council and Multicultural Greek Letter Council to govern Greek life on campus.
Leading the Panhel board will be Alison Ewing ’10, a member of Kappa Delta sorority and last year’s vice president of programming.
“I’m really excited about this year’s board,” she said. “We have really great personalities and I think we will all work well together.”

Uncategorized

Looking Beyond the Hill

By |

Cornell’s historic buildings sit nestled away in East Hill, looking down at Cayuga Lake and the surrounding Finger Lakes region. It’s a perfectly manicured little bubble, seemingly free, for the most part, from the harsh realities of the outside world. But the view of Cornell from the bottom of the hill is different — a sprawling monolithic institution extending down to the city around it. Ithaca — surrounded by farmland and the remnants of what was once a lively industrial center — used to be a bastion of conservatism, but now plays host to headshops and peace rallies. The city was once the Hollywood for silent films and now sells education as one of its biggest commodities.