University MFA Alum Wins $50K Award for ‘Exceptional Writers’

Cornell graduate and fiction writer Manuel Muñoz M.F.A. ’98 was recently awarded a Whiting Writers Awards for his fiction writing.
The annual award is given to 10 exemplary writers. It has existed since 1985, rewarding writers with $50,000 for their work in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and plays. Recipients of the award are selected by a nomination process and do not apply themselves.
The awards are given “to writers of exceptional promise and talent in early career,” Barry Lopez, the keynote speaker at the Whiting Awards Ceremony, said.

SAFC Rejects COLA Funding at S.A. Meeting

The Student Assembly decided to reject Cornell Organization for Labor Action’s appeal for funding as a result of the group’s failure to meet the Student Assembly Finance Committee’s deadlines. Although a veteran organization on Cornell’s campus, focused on seeking economic justice in the labor movement within Ithaca, the United States and around the world, COLA failed to receive funding because they turned in key facets of their paperwork well after their allotted due date.
According to Marlene Ramos, president of Cornell Students against Sweatshops, the club was unaware of what was initially required of them, and they depended upon their funding of $5,275 to pay for their guest speakers.

C.U. Flows ‘Into the Streets’ for Day of Service

Despite the rain, students woke up early this Saturday for Cornell’s 17th annual Into the Streets day, which brought students from various groups on campus to service the Ithaca community. The event was the largest yet, with over 1,200 students signed up to volunteer to go out and get dirty.
With President David Skorton as the event’s keynote speaker, students packed into Barton Hall to be assigned their tasks, organize their teams and listen to the speakers.
“Overall the mood was a very positive one,” Nicole Goodkind ’11 said. “Everyone seemed really excited to help out.”

Students Live With Their Dogs, Despite Rules, Challenges

Whether fetching tennis balls on the Arts Quad, strolling down the streets of Collegetown or laying beside the gorges, canines have become a noticeable part of campus life. But who takes care of these dogs? Where do they live? And what happens to them after their owners graduate?
One dog, Meeko, lives with his owner Tom Hudson ’11 and several of his fraternity brothers.
“Two of us originally planned to take care of him, but then more people just got involved and helped taking him for walks,” Hudson said. “Meeko lives in a house with all the other brothers, we’ve had some trouble training him, but he’s a really sociable dog.”