Dairy Bar Daydream

When I looked at colleges in High School, I looked at universities that had a plethora of majors.  I wanted a school that had theater arts and strong science majors such as animal science and everything in between.  That was one of the attributes that attracted me to Cornell; that, along with the motto “Any person…any study” was what had me sending in my deposit check as soon as possible.

However, after Tuesday October 26th, I have to question Cornell’s commitment to its roots because on that day, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences announced the closing of the Department of Education.  This department consisted of 11 faculty, more staff, and about 60 students who majored in one area or another of education.  While these numbers may seem small, nearly 75% of those students represent the Agricultural Education major either as an undergraduate or graduate student.  I am one of those students.

We, the agriculture education majors, have been assured that we will be allowed to finish our current degree program and that may seem like a generous enough compromise.  Some of my friends have said, “Well it doesn’t really affect you so why do you care so much?”  While it’s true that I will still graduate on time with the degree I “signed on for”, my concern lies in a different area.  Cornell began as a result of the Morrill Act of 1862.  This federal act created land-grant colleges for all of the states in the Union. The purpose of the land-grant colleges was:

“without excluding other scientific and classical studies and including military tactic, to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts, in such manner as the legislatures of the States may respectively prescribe, in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions in life.”

As a university that was founded upon the need to educate people in the agricultural field, I am afraid getting rid of the Agricultural Education major is the most detrimental decision this college will make in our lifetimes.  Agriculture is an industry that is always needed; especially now when agriculturalists will, by 2050, need to produce two-times the amount of food that we are currently producing in order to feed the world population.  This decision is definitely a step in “Reimagining Cornell” however I think overall, it was a step in the wrong direction.

I am looking forward to meeting with Dean Boor and hearing exactly why this decision was made.  If there is one thing I’ve learned from this experience, it is that agricultural education students are truly passionate about our major and we will continue asking questions until we get consistent answers.

Many parents come visit their children during the annual “First-year Parents Weekend.”  This event generally means there are plenty of parent-approved (and parent-appropriate) events going on to amuse, entertain, and excite.  Unfortunately, during my freshman year, I was traveling with collegiate FFA so my parents were deprived of this tradition.  After two years, my mom finally was able to come visit me for a weekend (after going to visit my brother for his 18th birthday).

So what types of activities can you find in Ithaca on a Saturday night that your parents might enjoy as well? Two words: Glow-in-the-Dark Mini-Golf (I promise you that they hyphens make it two words).  About fifteen minutes away from campus, in Trumansburg, there is a mini-golf course and a Corn Maze for your enjoyment.  Now I do not pretend to be a great mini-golfer; generally, I hope that my score for 9 holes is less than or equal to par for 18 holes. Then add in the element of complete and total darkness, and I’m just lucky I survived the ordeal.  Since I am my mother’s daughter we of course had to make it a competition to see who had the best score.  I am proud to say that I came in 2nd; sadly, my boyfriend Russ came in 3rd and much to my chagrin my mother beat me-by 3 strokes!!! Mom-I just want you to know that I’m demanding a rematch next time you’re up to visit!

Sleeping in Sunday morning is a must when your parents come to visit you! Fortunately for me, there wasn’t a time limit on anything my Mom wanted to see that day, except the Chimes concert in McGraw Clock Tower.  This was the first chimes concert I ever attended (even though I have always planned on becoming a Chimesmaster on campus!) and it was a great experience.  I climbed all 161 steps in the tower and got to see the breathtaking view of Cayuga Lake with the fall colors.

After listening to the clock chime 12:30 (and believe me, it leaves your ears ringing) we went inside and watched the Chimesmasters play a concert.  From classical to popular songs like “Imagine” by John Lennon even to finishing the concert with the alma mater, these Cornell students have mastered the craft.  Just watching their hands and feet move along the pedals made me slightly dizzy.

After a delightful morning in the tower, I took time to enjoy the natural beauty of Ithaca.  From the Cornell Plantations to venturing down to Ithaca Falls, we saw a lot of water.    It was a great reminder of how much I take for granted that Ithaca will always be here; I mean once this semester ends, I only have 2 more on-campus and I was reminded that I have so much to explore.  Take a look:

I don’t know about you but I find these sights so calming, especially when life can get hectic and stressful.  So thanks Mom for getting me out of the house and helping me appreciate the beauty that I’m surrounded by!

With the ease of flying these days many people have forgotten the wonders of ground transportation.  These lovely, earthly mechanisms of travel are often far more affordable than even the best online deals for airfare.  After my experience with Greyhound this week, I firmly believe that every college student should experience the wonders of traveling by bus to and/or from an event or ‘vacation’ destination.

I am currently on my way back from the National FFA Convention that takes place in Indianapolis, IN during the month of October.  While our trip out here had a few snags (no luggage tags, two tractor trailer pile-up, and a mechanical problem) a round trip ticket was $100 cheaper than a plane was.  Not only is the cost a huge perk, but also the more flexible travel schedule! When I searched for an airline ticket that left after 5 p.m. on Saturday evening, the price of tickets jumped $150!  No matter what time you’re leaving, Greyhound treats you fair and asks the same cost no matter when the departure time!

Finally, unlike the plane, Greyhound’s newest buses feature high speed Wi-Fi internet while also providing an electrical source for adaptors with the outlets that can be found in the back of every seat!  If these few facts are not enough to convince you, here are a few key points I’d like you to consider these situations, conversations, or quotes:

“All bad drivers are crackheads and phantom farters.”

Meeting a traveler who was in your favorite organization from nearly 30 years before you joined.

Meeting a man traveling home for a funeral but coming to realize that his best friend in high school is now married to your sister.

While these stories may sound ridiculous, they are all true! And that is just the half of it! Greyhound busing is the way to travel and will definitely be a consideration for my next trip! I will add more pictures and information as soon as I have reliable internet that is not on a bus at 3 a.m.! Thanks for hanging in there with me!

After a grueling two weeks of pre-lim I am enjoying the four days of freedom to just enjoy Ithaca! Since local children in Ithaca depend on me to teach them how to swim (I have an off-campus job at the Ithaca YMCA as a Swim Instructor), I am unlike the vast majority of Cornellians who travel home for fall break.  During my two days on fall break so far I have enjoyed having my entire apartment to myself, exploring the local state parks (Buttermilk Falls is amazing!), and catching up on all of the Grey’s Anatomy and House episodes that the past two weeks of pre-lims have made me miss.

While I would love to say that professors respect the fact that at this point in the semester, all students really want is a few days to catch up on sleep, I know I can’t personally say that catching some zzzz’s are my biggest concern.  In a week’s time I will be traveling to Indianapolis with the collegiate FFA which means I need to get ahead on a week’s worth of work. It might sound intimidating but with the proper time management taking trips with school-affiliated groups is definitely possible.  My recommendation is to let your professors know early and keep them updated as the time draws near.

Enjoy Columbus Day!

Ever since the first day of classes, I knew that September 30th would be a day of madness! It was on this day, that I not only needed to remember to call my mother and wish her a happy birthday (Happy Belated birthday Mom!) and ensure that her gift arrived on time, but I also had to take both my Chem AND Statistics pre-lims.  Now a pre-lim is just another way of “nicely” saying: ‘Unimaginably difficult test with a mean score so low you’ve never seen a number like it before in your life!’ Many classes rely far too heavily on two pre-lims and a final as the sole input as to what your final grade will be.  In all honesty, once you get used to this type of testing strategy for classes, it’s not too bad; that is, as long as no “extenuating circumstances” pop-up!

On the day before these exams, my throat was feeling slightly scratchy, so when I got out of my chem lab early, I decided to play it safe and go to Gannett. They did a throat culture and said if I had strep I’d hear from them; if anything got worse, I should call them and come back in.  Armed with some ibuprofen and Sudafed, I made my way back to the library for some last minute studying.  On the morning of my exams, I woke up to find that my medicines and late-night study session had done me no good; I was feeling worse than ever and after another trip to Gannett, I was deemed too sick to take my exams.

Fortunately for me, my professors responded to my e-mails quickly and were full of understanding and wishes for a speedy recovery.  Now, I will be taking my Stats pre-lim on Monday and unfortunately my chem grade will now depend more heavily on my success on the second pre-lim and the final.

This post was supposed to be in celebration of surviving (and possibly even excelling) at my first two pre-lims this year.  Instead, it’s a reminder to everyone out there that while you’re studying away, please make sure you’re taking care of your health!