By September 14, 2004
When he nearly failed high school, his teachers never would have said that Sean-Michael Green law ’03 would someday attend eight Ivy League schools. Years later, he is doing just that. Green is on campus this month writing a book about what it’s like to be an Ivy League student. “We love to see how other people live, and who better to spy on than some of the most brilliant and privileged young people in the world?” he said. Cornell is the first stop on an eight-month journey that spans the freshman experience at Cornell to graduation ceremonies at Princeton. “I am a fan of higher education the way that some people are fans of football. I wear the team colors, track statistics, and follow the ins and outs of my favorite schools,” he said. He will spend a month at each Ivy League school, attending lectures with students as well as sampling the social scene. Cornell was a natural first stop on his journey. While he has encountered resistance about the project at other schools, Green said Cornell has been particularly welcoming. “The administration is very confident in their students,” he said. “Cornell students seem to be very well-grounded. I haven’t encountered obnoxious arrogance on campus.” He adds that Cornellians are “absolutely a good looking bunch of people!” So far, students have brought him to classes ranging from a writing seminar, a restaurant management course, and macroeconomics class to the ever-popular Psychology 101 and Human Bonding. “I keep saying I’m not going back, but then I end up going back anyway,” he said about Human Bonding. He also adds, “I’m going to be sad to leave Psych 101.” This week, he says, “I will attend and try to comprehend an engineering class on Friday.” Also in his schedule is an ILR class and Government 181, which came highly recommended. In his notebook, he scribbles notes for the book alongside facts picked up in class. “I’m taking notes just like a student,” Green said. A look at his notebook reveals an eclectic assortment of knowledge: “We need more covers,” he jotted down during a School of Hotel Administration lecture. Laughing, he admits that he’s still trying to figure out what the professor meant by that. Another note reads: “Big Bang: 13.7 billion years ago,” a tidbit that was picked up in an astronomy class. But Green is also taking notes about the students. During the past two weeks, he has spoken to over two hundred people about their experience. “Last night after midnight, I went into Rand Hall to watch the architecture students work. Yesterday I visited the gorge behind the observatory by Beebe Lake. I spoke with several undergrads who were filming a student movie that required them to jump repeatedly from the bridge.” Students have invited him to both Student Assembly meetings and lingere/foam parties. He went to a meeting but left the lingere to the younger crowd. “The experience of writing about students is much different from being a student. In plain terms, I don’t fit in,” he said. This hasn’t stopped Cornellians from taking him under their wings.They’ve taken him to a lecture by Oliver Sacks, a neuroscientist and professor-at-large. Phi Delta Theta initiated him into the nuances of Greek life. One student personally introduced him to Cornell’s reputation for vigor by inviting him to go running. The student just wanted to make sure of one thing: “‘you’re not fast, are you?” “Not only was she fast,” Green said, “but she took me on a course that almost killed me.” For this project, he has been paying particular attention to the freshmen. “Freshmen tend to stand out. They look younger than they are. They just don’t walk with the same level of confidence. Normal freshman stuff, though,” Green said. Green likens himself to a freshman just starting college, and he’s writing the first chapter of that experience at Cornell. “By the time I’m done [with the book], I’ll hopefully be like a senior.” Like the book, his college career has spanned several schools. He went from nearly failing high school student to serving in the U.S. Marine Corps to earning an undergraduate degree at University of Pittsburgh. He has earned a master’s degree from University of Pennsylvania and graduated from Cornell University Law School. When asked what he’d do differently if he could do it over again, Green said, “I’d either be in Arts & Sciences or the hotel school.” On campus through September 20, Green encourages students to get in touch with him at [email protected] “I don’t want to accost people on the street. I want to meet a student, have them introduce me to friends,” he said. “I’m always afraid that students will think that I’m busy. But I want to know the funny stories. All I care about is that people laugh,” he added. Archived article by Irena DjuricSun Staff Writer
By September 14, 2004
Last night a crowd of about 35 community members and students came together at 7 p.m. at the Tompkins Cortland Community College Extension Building for a Campus-Community Coalition Meeting featuring a question and answer session with Ithaca Police Chief Lauren Signer. Having been with the Ithaca Police Department for five years, she was named to her new position this year. “It’s been a month, there are a lot of challenges ahead; we’re looking to work with students and improve communication,” said Signer. In response to questions about the noise ordinance, she said, “Anecdotally, the noise ordinance has been a boon to the police department; we can press the issues ourselves and don’t have to wait for a call.” A resident said, “Thank you! Now I can sleep.” There is a noise ordinance database of the date, time, complaint, and outcome of the incident: warning or arrest. One officer said that more half of the noise violations have been warnings. “What we’ve learned in the criminal justice world is that taking care of what appear to be little issues, noise and quality of life issues, helps us catch the perpetrators of more heinous crimes.” said Signer, who added, “People being victimized when under the influence of alcohol or drugs when there is diminished judgement all around is a big problem.” Crimes in collegetown were also addressed at the meeting. Cornell Judicial Administrator Mary Beth Grant asked about students as victims of crimes this year as compared to other years. “We have unfortunately had a lot more publicity about students being victims,” said Signer. According to Signer, the weather has a lot to do with the problem as well as students leaving windows and doors open, but the video surveillance was unusual with one alleged perpetrator and many victims. “I have literally gone door-to-door in Collegetown giving out pamplets to students to tell them what they can be arrested for and give them basic safety tips,” Officer Christine Barksdale said. She added that there are many burglaries in the winter when most students leave the area and advised locking doors, not leaving valuables in plain sight, and alerting the police that the house is supposed to be vacant for that period of time. When asked what the police are doing about the “Collegetown Creeper”, Signer said that the Ithaca Police Department has a plan and continues to discuss different strategies. She added that they are working with the Cornell Police Department and that they ask students to let them know if they see anything suspicious. The Ithaca Police Department is also doing joint patrols with Cornell Police and working on building relationships and improving communication. “Drinking in college is inevitable,” said an Ithaca College student, “We need places where people can go for social situations without drinking and many places are locked down.” “We do need to provide an alternative,” said Signer, “Cornell has been quite creative for the stuffy institution that they are.” “It’s a great event, it would help if more students actually came to it.” said Gayraud Townsend ’05 (D-4th Ward). Student-Elected Trustee Jamie Koppell ’05, said, “People are aware that police are handling the situation, that they aren’t being ignored.” “There are still lots of issues with the noise ordinance; we’ll continue to work to make it as fair as possible for all residents. Right now, the number one priority is catching the people who are terrorizing collegetown and making it unsafe for young women who live there.” said Micheal Taylor ’05 (D-4th Ward).Archived article by Vanessa HoffmanSun Staff Writer