PostSecret Creator Shares Insights to Others’ Secrets

Frank Warren, the founder of the PostSecret project, has often been called “the most trusted stranger in America,” a moniker well-deserved when considering the over 200,000 secrets he has received in the mail as part of the project.
Those familiar with PostSecret are used to the heavy themes and the oft-serious undertones found in many of the project’s collected postcards — displayed in a weekly blog and four books — but Warren began his speech at Cornell by sharing a light-hearted secret that had been submitted anonymously: “I pee in the sink.”

Hunger Banquet Serves Community

At last night’s Ithaca Hunger Banquet, each diner was served a meal based on assigned economic brackets. The proceeds from ticket sales for the dinner, which was held at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Collegetown, went to benefit the Food Bank of the Southern Tier.

Townsend Reflects on Council Term

The Sun sat down with Gayraud Townsend ’05, whose four-year term as a member of the Ithaca Common Council (D-4th Ward) ended last December. Townsend, who was elected during his junior year at Cornell, reflected on the accomplishments of his term, his continuing hopes for Collegetown and advice for students looking to follow in his footsteps.
The Sun: What accomplishment are you most proud of?

Campus Republicans, Dems Debate Terrorism, Iraq War

Rockefeller Hall may be far from Washington, but it played host to a decidedly political event last night as the Cornell Democrats and College Republicans met to debate the War on Terror. In their first debate of the year, panelists from each side discussed Iraq, multilateralism and the nature of terrorism.
Each club had three panelists. Tim Krueger ’08, Randy Lariar ’08 and Ethan Felder ’09 represented the Democrats while David Goochee ’09, John Farragut ’11 and Brian Wolfel ’10 spoke for the Republicans. Each side was given three minutes for opening statements.

Burning Question Zippee

There have recently been calls for a community center in Collegetown for students living off-campus. What other businesses do you want to see open in Collegetown?

Jackson Wang ’09 said: “How about another Starbucks? Sometimes I’m all the way on the other side of the street.”

Grace Park ’09 said: “A gym.”

Erik Kopache ’08 said: “A tram up the hill.”

Kelvin Yang ’09 said: “A casino.”

Nora Barlow ’09 said: “I think the town of Ithaca should put a trolley or ski lift up the hills. But I’m lazy.”

Jenni Moon ’10 said: “An affordable spa.”

Colleges Re-evaluate SAT

The SAT has long been considered an academic rite of passage: a four-hour educational interrogation later distilled into a four-digit summation of test-taking prowess. However, recent changes in admissions policies at a growing number of colleges are increasingly sparing students from this longstanding tradition, allowing them instead to take advantage of newly-offered “score optional” policies.

Students Go Into the Streets for an Afternoon of Service

Over 1,200 Cornell students found themselves doing everything from cleaning up Collegetown to harvesting carrots Saturday as Into the Streets celebrated its 16th annual day of service in Ithaca. Organized into approximately 140 student-led teams, volunteers made their way to over 60 Ithaca-area agencies to lend a much-appreciated hand.
The day began with an 11 a.m. kickoff in Barton Hall, where groups had a chance to mingle and have lunch before their projects began. While the 1,268 registered volunteers, a substantial increase from the 500 students in 2005, represented a wide variety of Cornell clubs and organizations, volunteers were motivated by a similar interest in community service.

U.S. News Ranks C.U. Graduate Programs

Once again, college students across the country will be able to turn to U.S. News and World Report for their updated ranking list of college programs. In the recently released non-professional graduate program list, a range of Cornell programs, including engineering and fine arts, made the list.


C.U. Grad School Rankings Rise

U.S. News and World Report, purveyor of all things rankings related, has recently issued its yearly rankings of graduate schools across the nation. This year’s surprise, however, lies not in Cornell’s consistently strong showing, but in the ranking system itself as it is becoming obsolete.