Op-Ed
International-L
Email: 
Share: 
Gain Through Loss
Gain Through Loss
.jpg "Gain Through Loss")
Do you miss eating fish? Do you dig house music? Are you looking for a copy of the Swedish Chef theme song from The Muppet Show?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, maybe International-L is for you.
The International Students and Scholars Office at Cornell is in charge of managing a Listerv primarily for international students, International-L@cornell.edu. According to ISSO, the Listserv currently has about 3,200 members and averages about 25 e-mails per day (about 50 in high season) or more than 9,000 e-mails per year (the solution to a lonely inbox).
The goal of the Listserv is to facilitate communication and camaraderie within the international community at Cornell. I first added myself to the Listserv after I moved into an unfurnished apartment and heard International-L was a great place to buy and sell furniture. About two weeks and $80 later, I bought a futon, TV, VCR, toaster oven, Ikea chair and a kitchen cart.
Apartment furnished, I stayed on International-L to see if I could score any more sweet deals. What I learned is that the Listserv is about much more than bargain furniture; just about any need, question, service, or topic on anyone’s mind is technically fair game, and with more than 3,000 students from about 115 countries (need a language partner?), many interesting requests and debates have surfaced. In the following paragraphs, I will categorize and chronicle my last two years on International-L, along with some of my personal favorite requests and e-mail threads.
For Sale: At the end of each school year, many students desperately try to rid themselves of everything they have accumulated before going back to their home countries or just moving out of Ithaca. Cars, books, clothes, DVDs, bed sheets, forks, electronics, all up for grabs. One student was selling his Lexus for $25,000 — in the same week another guy tried to sell pencils and canned food for 25 cents.
Ride Requests: Like many Cornell rideboards, most offers and requests are to New York City or Syracuse airports. But one fellow last summer asked for a ride to Ohio every week for about a month. The next month, he was offering a ride to Ohio. I’m guessing he bought a car (maybe the Lexus?).
Housing: Housing requests or advertisements are pretty popular. The forum is further used for members to warn others about suspicious and unfair practices by local landlords. One current saga involves a string of e-mails from a grad student and his beef with his landlord; it has escalated to a $2 million lawsuit and has served as a great testimony to never rent with said landlord.
Advice: This is where the Listserv starts to get random. Asking for a recommendation on, say, an auto mechanic or a dentist is pretty normal, but not this:
“Just imagine for one sec ... that you best friend who is married tells you that he/she is having an affair (a.k.a cheating). He/She doesn’t particularly want to end the marriage (or at least does not have the courage to do so ) ... would you advise him/her to tell the spouse? Should the spouse be told? How does the third party involved play into this little scenario? I’m curious to hear what people think ...”
I would recommend the spouse tell the truth (a.k.a honesty).
Debates: Disclaimer: Many socio/religious/political debates that take place across International-L are very respectful and informative. One of the less respectful debates involved two students who were going back and forth across the Listserv regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, sending e-mails about every half hour. The messages elevated to personal attacks, with one student blaming America, stating, “ … all Americans do is sit at home all day in front of the TV eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.” What?
Miscellaneous: Maybe you’re looking for true love, a squash partner, trying to opt out of the remainder of your cell phone contract or searching for research subjects? Another classic e-mail was written by a psychology student searching for Southeast Asians for her dissertation research. In exchange for participation she promised to plant one tree. Honorable, green and random. I’m wondering if one would have gotten a picture of the tree as proof?
My Favorite:
“Hi,
I picked up a pen on the lane near Day Hall yesterday. If you lost your pen, please e-mail me.
Thank.”
Heartwarming, I thought. The first response was from a guy who claimed he didn’t lose a pen, but “drop[ped] a quarter somewhere around Appel Commons ... Have you seen it?” The Listserv was soon flooded with members defending the original poster, claiming insensitivity and providing evidence that some pens can be expensive: “I have a special pen which cost $35 … what wrong with nurturing a harmonious family like e-mail environment?” Mr. Sarcasm replied with an apology and a link to a website which was selling Bentley Limited Edition Fountain pens for more than $4,000.
To subscribe to International-L, send an e-mail to International-L-request@cornell.edu, and in the body of the e-mail, type “join.” Maybe you’ll find true love, a toaster or that pen you lost a few weeks ago.
Behzad Varamini is a graduate student in Nutritional Sciences. He can be contacted at bvaramini@cornellsun.com. Gain Through Loss appears alternate Tuesdays.
It's about time!
I've been waiting for this column for the past two years...well done, Biz.