Columns

KEMPFF | We’re Not Ivy League Material

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Collapsing pools. Broken and molding locker rooms. A legacy team being pushed from central campus. 

These are just some of the milder complaints raised by Cornell student athletes when asked about their facilities. To many people in athletics, it’s become sort of a sick joke — Cornell continually underfunds its athletic facilities. 

As Cornell announces new ambitious academic buildings, like the multimillion dollar Bowers CIS building, years of pent up frustration builds. Decades of inadequate maintenance and investment has put Cornell years behind its competitors — especially its Ivy League peers. 

The joke has been going on for long enough. It’s time that Cornell invests more seriously in its athletics program.

Dining

Ph.D. Fuel: What Faculty-Athletes Eat in a Day

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Busy lifestyles are not uncommon among each member of Cornell’s population: a precarious everyday balance of classes, extracurriculars, social life and a structured sleep routine that can be challenging, stressful and time-consuming takes up the lives of many. On top of this, getting plenty of exercise on a regular basis and eating balanced, nutritious meals can be even harder. 

But how do our faculty — who teach thousands, lead mind-stimulating classes and are on the forefront of innovative research  — fuel their bodies and minds amid their many responsibilities and professional careers? We will take a closer look at three regular gym-goers at Cornell who prioritize the integration of eating well and being physically active into their Ph.D. lifestyles.  

Prof. Hector Aguilar-Carreno regularly works out in the gym six days per week in the early morning before work as a Professor of Virology in the College of Veterinary Medicine and has been pushing his body and mind in the weight room for 34 years. 

Upon being asked about his diet Aguilar-Carreno responded, “I do try to eat healthy [with ] … probably more protein than an average diet” that is abundant in vegetables, raw salads, fruits, nuts and Greek yogurt. 

I was also curious how Aguilar-Carreno brings his food to work. “I meal prep. I usually cook on Sundays — I do batches of food for four people in the family. I cook usually three different protein dishes, [such as]a big salmon filet [or] something with chicken or pork.

Columns

KEMPFF | Missing the Stink of Helen Newman

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Over a year into the pandemic, and some of life’s old annoyances are becoming increasingly missed. Helen Newman’s stinky old gym is one gem that Kempff ’23 is missing after not having been in a real gym for months.

Columns

RUSSELL | The Newman Show

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“Was nothing real?”

“You were real. That’s what made you so good to watch.”

If you’ve ever seen The Truman Show, you likely remember the film’s final scene, when Truman and Christof, the creator of the counterfeit world in which Truman lives, finally meet, partaking in the exchange above. The film is part social commentary and part absurd apologue, all centered on the story of an everyday man whose life, unbeknownst to him, is actually a popular TV show. As evidenced by sporadic cuts to images of various friend groups watching from their couches, the outside world loved the show and tuned in because it felt so genuine: Truman’s experiences and reactions were all real. Truman didn’t know he was on TV, which was the film’s most important narrative conceit.

Uncategorized

Ares's Eco-Gym: A Lesson in Making the World a Better Place

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In the midst of the distressing news this past week, Good Magazine recently published an inspiring video article about someone who has made the world a better place.

The story concerns Manuel de Arriba Ares, a retired gym teacher in the village of Valdespino de Somoza in the city of Leon, Spain. Ares has built an “ecological gym” for the village–an outdoor gym that uses no electricity and that is made entirely from recycled materials!