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Students Express Indignation Over SAFC Procedures
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Controversy surrounding the Student Assembly Finance Commission’s budget funding process has returned to the limelight since the Student Assembly passed a moratorium on the creation of new student groups last Thursday.
“A moratorium … will provide an opportunity to adequately assess and audit currently registered student organizations and the method by which they are allocated funding,” stated one of the six clauses in Resolution 21. The ban came into effect yesterday.
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House Passes Economic Stimulus Giving Billions to Higher Education
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The $819 billion economic stimulus plan passed yesterday in the House of Representatives would shower billions of dollars to a higher education sector that is in dire need of aid. The package, passed on a 244-188 vote, would boost Pell Grant to a historic high and introduce a new $2,500 tuition tax credit.
The House’s approval of the stimulus plan came a few days after Cornell announced a series of measures — including tuition increase, budget cuts and a hiring pause — to battle its 27-percent loss in its endowment and $6 million slash in state funding on Saturday.
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Cornellians Reflect on Changing Face of Black Student Leadership
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When Renee Alexander ’74 first set foot on campus in 1969, she was unaware that she would become part of an unbroken record at Cornell. Alexander’s graduating class had the highest number of black students to date — about 250 people.
“Back then we didn’t realize how significant that was,” said Alexander, who is director of Cornell’s Alumni Minority Programs.
As with many cases in history, it is difficult to pinpoint an exact date when black student leadership at Cornell began to take root. Alpha Phi Alpha, which was established at Cornell in 1906, was the first black fraternity in the nation. In more recent memory, the takeover of Willard Straight Hall in 1969 also goes into Cornell’s history books as a defining moment of the University’s black history.
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Violence in Gaza Ignites Worldwide Debate
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Weeks before the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip was announced, thousands in Hong Kong joined protesters around the world to march against the bloodshed that has resulted from the war between Israel and Hamas. Gaza is also a hot topic of debate in Internet blogs in China.
According to an online survey by the Chinese newspaper Huan Qiu, 66 percent of China’s bloggers believe Israel should be held responsible for the conflict while 34 think the fault lies with Hamas. In addition, an online petition calling for an Israeli ceasefire was signed by almost 1,400 Chinese.
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Historic Obama Inauguration Captivates C.U.
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Students across campus witnessed the momentous inauguration of Barack Obama yesterday through live broadcasts inside and outside of the classroom. Although yesterday marked the first day of class for many courses, some were cancelled or dismissed early so students could watch the first transition of power in eight years. In other cases, professors traded their PowerPoint slideshows for live streams of the ceremony.[img_assist|nid=34264|title=A standing “O”|desc=Students pack Bailey Hall to capacity yesterday to watch Obama’s inaugural speech live.|link=node|align=right|width=|height=0]
It has been months since fireworks were set off in Collegetown to celebrate Obama’s election, but the excitement remained for some.
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City Officially Recognizes MLK Jr. Street Name
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The dual designation of State Street as Martin Luther King Jr. Street was made official yesterday.
About 200 people watched and cheered as the first street sign for Martin Luther King Jr. Street was revealed at about 9 a.m.. The ceremony was one of the highlights of the annual Martin Luther King Day celebrations in Ithaca.
Property owners can choose to retain their State Street mailing address or adopt a new Martin Luther King Jr. Street address. Unless they requested a change of address through the Ithaca Fire Department, mailing addresses will remain unchanged.
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International Students Weigh in on Obama
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When Barack Obama was declared the next president of the United States, his promise of hope and change enthralled people beyond American borders.
Months later, at the eve of Obama’s inauguration, many international students at Cornell expressed their “cautious optimism” over the next president of the United States.
At the Holland International Living Center, where a crowd gathered in November to watch Election Night unfold, a resident noted that he has never met any international student at Cornell who supported the Republican candidate, John McCain. Many residents generally welcomed Obama’s presidency, but they also remarked that people’s expectations on Obama could be too high.
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C.U. Endowment Expected To Shrink in Wake of Crisis
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This is the second part of a series delving deeper into the economic crisis and its effects on higher education, particularly at Cornell.
Despite having an “all-weather portfolio,” Cornell’s $6 billion endowment is not immune from the financial storm that is sweeping across the nation.
The endowment acts as a stable source of funds for the University, and nearly all of the money is invested long term. Cornell’s endowment makes up about 11 percent of the University’s revenue.
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Ithaca Looks to Update Infrastructure on the Commons
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While the jagged sidewalks and century-old pipeline add to the historic charm of the Commons, these outdated facilities are also a major area of concern. Last night, the Ithaca Common Council held a special meeting to discuss a $250,000 Commons Upgrade Project, which would appoint a professional design company to plan an overhaul for the Commons’s infrastructure.
The plan will be comprehensive, targeting a wide range of problem areas in the Commons including broken sidewalks, old public utilities and outdated fire facilities.
Joann Cornish, acting planning director, stressed that the project will only remain in the scope of planning and investigation.
“We are not committed to build anything,” Cornish said.