Housing

Tompkins County Creates Resident Housing Survey

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Planning Department launched a housing survey Wednesday to encourage people who live, work or study in Tompkins County to share their housing experiences and needs. The survey, open through Feb. 22, is intended to give the county an updated understanding of the housing needs of the residents of the county, since its last housing needs assessment survey was taken 10 years ago. Megan McDonald, senior planner of The Tompkins County Planning Department, said that this survey will expand upon the 2006 survey by providing data with “finer detail” of the local population. The 2006 assessment gleaned light on a major trend in the Tompkins County housing market —  that the county’s population increase combined with slow housing unit growth, in addition to the decline in the number of persons per household, caused an increased need for housing development in urban areas within the county.

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Willard Straight Hall Celebrates 90th Anniversary

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Correction appended
Willard Straight Hall celebrated its 90th anniversary Wednesday at an event hosted by its Student Union Board of Directors. Dean of Students Kent Hubbell ’67 and members of the Board of Directors spoke in commemoration of the building’s history. Speeches were followed by a ceremonial cake cutting and a Jeopardy-style game incorporating facts about the building’s history. The activity allowed students to learn more about the hall, which was primarily created to serve the student body, according to Kristen Crasto ’17, Student Union Board public affairs director. “Willard Straight Hall was a building designed for the students outside of the classroom.

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Cornell Students for Hunger Relief Will Donate 500 Turkeys

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Cornell Students for Hunger Relief raised $7,000 for its annual Thanksgiving Turkey Donation Drive Friday, meeting its goal after a 40-day drive. The funds will provide local food pantries with 500 turkeys. This year, the organization saw an increase in demand from the food pantries it serves, with Groton Food Providers requesting 180 instead of 150 turkeys and Feed Elmira requesting 320 turkeys, an increase from last year’s 150, according to Matthew Cohen ’16, president of Cornell Students for Hunger Relief. As a result, the organization — an extension of the Cornell Public Service Center that aims to battle and increase awareness of local food insecurity — commenced the drive earlier than previous years, according to co-publicity chair Cathy Zhang ’18. Cornell Students for Hunger Relief also employed a variety of fundraising methods and worked with a number of organizations on campus including social fraternity Acacia and service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, according to Zhang.

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‘What I Be’ Photographer Steven Rosenfield Speaks on Journey

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Photographer Steven Rosenfield spoke to students Tuesday about his path towards founding the What I Be project, an online collection of photographs aimed at promoting mental health awareness. “I was making really good money, I was on the path to become successful, but I realized I wasn’t happy,” he said about his work 18 years ago. “I was very materialistic and opinionated, and I didn’t think what people said mattered. I was right, they were wrong.”
In the lecture, Rosenfield described quitting his job with a computer company to embark on a four year rock climbing trip before settling in Davis, California, where he discovered photography as an “ego check.” During these years, Rosenfield said he adopted an “opposite” outlook of “less judgement,” which later inspired his photography project. After photographing folk-rock band Spearhead and Franti concerts, Rosenfield said he began shooting other musicians, but he soon decided he wanted to make photography more relevant to his personal experiences.