One of the most welcome sights for a student out late at night in Collegetown or on West Campus is a 92 or a 93 pulling to a stop and opening its door. However, with the changes proposed by Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit Inc., these numbers will no longer be flashing across the front of a familiar blue and white TCAT bus.

Last night’s vice-presidential debate between Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) and Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska covered significant ground as the candidates sparred over the financial crisis, Iraq and Afghanistan and energy policy. A group of around 100 people, filtering in and out of the Alice Cook House Dining Room, witnessed this debate.

Millions of people are projected to have watched the debate featuring the senator, said to be prone to making gaffes, and the newbie, said to have had trouble making a strong appearance on the interview circuit as of late.

The debate was moderated by Gwen Ifill of PBS’s Washington Week and The News Hour.

Seven years and $225 million after construction began, every brick of the West Campus Housing Initiative is in its place. One of the final steps took place on Friday with the announcement that the last house — formally House 5 — will be named in honor of Flora Rose, a nutrition professor and founder of the College of Human Ecology.

In a ceremony on Friday, Edna Dugan, assistant vice president for student and academic affairs and a Becker House fellow, announced the decision to name the house after Rose.

“We have investigated many, many deceased faculty’s biographies,” Dugan stated in a press release. “So it is so fitting that House Five should become Flora Rose House ... to recognize her legendary status in Cornell history.”

If like many not-so-early-birds you’ve been snoozing through that 8:40 class, you probably should have dropped your class. Or lived on West Campus.

“It’s like a second alarm,” said Rachel Holloway ’10. “The construction starts at 8 a.m. every morning which is fine because it helps me get up. It’s really no inconvenience at all.”

Since construction on the West Campus Residential Initiative began in 2003, the “Class of” halls have all been demolished and three of the five new residential dorms — Cook, Becker and Bethe — now house students.

Construction on the remaining two houses was originally set to be completed in 2010, but is now scheduled for August 2008.