Rant

By wpengine | December 4, 2003

For the last Rant of the semester, I feel obliged to send my fellow Cornellians off to their respective homes with an inspiring column that embodies the spirit of this holiday season. Unfortunately, I have no idea what that might be.

For you see, gone are the days when Christmas was the only holiday in middle America for December. All of a sudden, winter also belongs to Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice and, let’s not forget, Festivus for the rest of us. So in the spirit of political correctness, I have decided to do a little research on the Internet to find out the best way to navigate this holiday season.

First on the scene, the Jewish Festival of Lights will fire up its menorah on the night of December 19th. A candle will be added to the menorah every night for the next eight days to celebrate the retaking of the temple. Although Chanukah is a relatively minor holiday, its proximity to Christmas immediately caught the eyes of advertisers and retailers alike. Commonly mistaken for the “Jewish Christmas,” Chanukah is anything but. After all, you can get presents on eight nights instead of just one!

Even with Chanukah gaining popularity, Christmas still commands the lion’s share of the market, and hence, our hearts. Today, Christmas is symbolized by Santa Claus; cheesy, overdone school plays about the birth of Jesus; and a slew of mediocre holiday movies. In fact, many people believe that rampant commercialization has completely ruined this once sacred day.

Lucky for you, Winter Solstice presents an excellent alternative. Most people don’t know that Christmas owes its origin to pagan roots. Celebrated all around the world, Winter Solstice occurs on December 21st this year and marks the beginning of winter. Although the original celebrants were strongly persecuted by Christians, many of their traditions, such as Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and the dreaded mistletoe, have since made their way into Christmas tradition.

It used to be that once Christmas ended, we would have to wait a whole six days before we could party again. To help fill in this gap, Dr. Maulana Karenga invented an entirely new holiday that consists of giving presents, eating food, and lighting candles. Although Kwanzaa primarily pays homage to African heritage, Hallmark.com strongly encourages people of all races and nations to celebrate this occasion.

For all of you atheists out there, you may be asking, “What’s left for me?” Well, if you don’t want to be merry, lack the cash for presents, or scoff at the thought of worshipping deities, then Festivus is your holiday. Invented by George Costanza’s father, Festivus, celebrated on December 23rd, is easily arranged, environmentally friendly, and promotes family gatherings. Understanding that the true meaning of a holiday is only obscured by decorations, the only ornament is a tall, thin pole. Festivus also encourages family interactions with its two traditions, the “Airing of Grievances” and the “Feats of Strength.”

With such diverse holidays to pick from this season, there is no good excuse not to get involved. So head to the malls and buy your share of candles, mistletoe, sacrificial goats, and/or silvery poles. Oh, and don’t forget those Kwanzaa greeting cards. Welcome to the Holiday Season.

Archived article by Yiwei Wang

Keepin' It Fit … Downtown

By wpengine December 5, 2003

January means New Year’s resolutions, and losing 10 pounds tends to be high on most people’s lists — especially after weeks of gorging on Christmas cookies and latkes and downing eggnog. Luckily, Cornell students have their pick of fitness centers when it comes to shedding those extra pounds. Starting in January, they will have another option. The Finger Lakes Fitness Center is set to open early next year in the lower level of the Ithaca Center on the Commons. The shopping center also houses stores such as Easy Street and Mountain Edge Outfitters along with several restaurants. “The idea is that once you come down here, you can incorporate many things in your visit. If students come down to do a little shopping or use the library here or to eat, they could incorporate working out with that,” said Susan Whitaker, marketing director for the Ithaca Downtown Partnership. The new fitness center will occupy 400 square feet of space and include new shower and locker-room facilities. Programs to be offered include yoga, strength training and aerobics with an emphasis on personal training. “We are committed to giving everybody the opportunity to achieve their own optimum conditioning levels. Emphasis will be placed on all levels of fitness, suiting the needs of first-time as well as veteran fitness enthusiasts,” said Dan Stehm, the new facility’s owner. Stehm added that he hopes Cornell and Ithaca College students will look at the Finger Lakes Fitness Center as an opportunity to get off campus. “Its location in the heart of downtown is purposeful. We want to target employees of the downtown area as well as people who live in the surrounding downtown neighborhoods,” he said. Currently, most Cornell students use Cornell fitness centers on campus, Courtside Fitness Center in East Hill Plaza and City Health Club, located downtown, and many are satisfied with the options offered at those facilities. “I like going to Cornell fitness [centers] because I like going to the gym when I’m on campus — I can make it part of my day,” said Bill Gensheimer ’04. Several students said they would consider making a switch. Some are also looking forward to a new addition to their list of available fitness facilities. “I am really dissatisfied with the old equipment at Courtside,” said Jessica Greenspan ’04. “Only two of the eight ellipticals are new.” “If it’s cheaper than Courtside, I’d join,” said Alyssa Cohen ’04. Stehm says he will offer student rates, but he had not yet determined what those would be. In addition, he will be hiring students as trainers, receptionists and fitness instructors. Archived article by Stacey Delikat
Solar Team to Compete

By wpengine December 5, 2003

Cornell students have formed a team to enter into the 2005 Solar Decathlon competition in Washington, D.C. The competition is designed to “push the limits of sustainable energy,” according to the press release, and the goal is to “research, design and build a solar-powered, energy-efficient home with all of the amenities needed to sustain a typical household.” In the fall of 2005, each participating team will assemble its system on the National Mall for a week of public tours and evaluated contests. International schools are represented, including teams from Spain and Canada. The Cornell University Solar Decathlon team marks the University’s first participation in the event. “We are also the only school from New York State,” said Angela Carter grad, co-leader of the PR-Business subteam. Last spring, Cornell was selected to compete against 19 other universities in this international event sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and its National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The CUSD team is composed of over 70 students from all academic levels and disciplines, representing at least 7 different programs at Cornell ranging from mechanical engineering and architecture to government and computer science. “The team was formed by a group of very dedicated and enthusiastic students, mostly undergraduate engineers and architects,” Carter said. “[They] submitted a proposal to the competition organizers last spring and were accepted to compete along with [the] other schools. In the fall the group advertised the project, gathered interested students from across Cornell, interviewed for approximately 70 positions and created the official CUSD team.” The team is currently performing extensive research. Rather than committing to one design or technology right now, nine subteams are exploring their options and are “being as creative as possible,” Carter said. The subteams include researching materials, appliances, controls, energy production and storage, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, architectural planning and site design. CUSD will be documenting every step of the project online in the coming months. A design should be ready after next semester. All team members will be reviewing the potential designs. Stephanie T. Horowitz, a fourth-year architecture student and one of the CUSD team leaders, said that this project is “a great opportunity for students to gain practical experience while advancing research in the field and educating the community.” The press release expresses the team’s hope that Cornell’s participation in the event will promote awareness of energy-efficient innovations with the aim to facilitate the technical, political and cultural transition to environmental sustainability and renewable energy. The team is looking forward to “joining with local citizens, schools and businesses to spread the word on clean energy and ‘green’ design throughout the community.” The CUSD team’s solar-powered living system will “exceed the expectations of the Solar Decathlon Competition,” Carter said. “It will employ the pinnacle of evolving technology to maximize the social and environmental impact toward our sustainable goals and create a symbiotic relationship between the comfort, beauty, logic and educational value inherent in every detail.” “The house will be 800 square feet and will contain all the modern living amenities, [such as a] kitchen, workroom, bathroom and so forth, including, of course, all major appliances tweaked to be as energy-efficient as possible,” Carter added. A major issue is how to make solar-powered houses economically feasible. “Financial feasibility is in our team’s mission statement. The fifth point of our team goals [is] to accomplish all of this while simultaneously achieving financial feasibility by keeping the repeatable construction cost of our home underneath current market values. In terms of economically feasible solar communities, I would say it is definitely possible,” said David Wax grad. Wax is also working on a business plan that would enable the solar panels of “residential solar users” to not only be economically feasible but also profitable. “Living in an environmentally sound home is an ideal that team members share,” Carter said. “For many of us, this is a testing ground for ideas we will implement later in our lives. It is technically possible and will become more economically feasible with time.” Edward L. Robertson grad said he hopes to live in a solar-powered home one day himself. “Absolutely!” he said. “The Solar Decathlon is the first way that I have been able to contribute a vision of my ideal home through the looking-glass of feasibility, innovation and gridless independence.” He added, “The purpose of this living system is not to create [for] us the perfect home. It is to create the ideal home for the average person [who] does not have to be technically savvy to be able to run the solar home or environmentally educated upon purchasing the home. Our living system will primarily be the best financial decision for the average person.” Team research will be available to design students and professionals, industries and interested citizens through a website and manual to be published in 2005. These will document the project as a case study and will include resources applicable to sustainable building. “Personally,” Carter said, “I am really enthusiastic about the opportunity to work with students from such different academic backgrounds. Joining mechanical engineers, computer programmers, business students and architects in a joint project is rare indeed in most university settings. … The project is opening me up to new ways of thinking about problems and environmental issues in general. Everyone is contributing their best to the project, and we are making real progress as a team.” She added that the team is welcoming new members with a goal to involve as many departments as possible. “There is a role for every student,” Carter said. Archived article by Lauryn Slotnick