By Ben Eisen
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.