Author Archives: Emily Piatek

Reviewing the Rose Scholars Program

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The Rose Scholars program has been an integral part of my life for the past two years. Within the two years that I have been a part of the program, I have seen it change. More events were offered, the Cafe series was moved and the style of doing things was slightly different. One things that I have noticed is that I very much enjoy having a wider array of options in regards to events. Although I still usually attend the cafe, I have also attended other events such as a table talk. Even though the program is small, I would love to see even more variation in the events and types of events. Also, while I do find the smaller size of the cafe to be appealing, the way seating is can make it a bit difficult to see the speaker if you get stuck on one of the sides towards the back.

I think that having a way for the scholars to get to know one another better would be a great idea. Most of us only know a few select others and sometimes these are the people we live by. Even if there were just two or three social events just for Rose Scholars throughout the year, this could allow for better engagement and communication during events. In order to create a sense of community within Rose, it is also necessary to get active participation from those who aren’t Rose Scholars. From what I have experienced, this doesn’t happen too often but I would love to meet other people who are living in Rose even if it is just for the year.

Overall, I think the Rose Scholars Program is a great way to get people involved with the house community and I have enjoyed being a part of the program. It has encouraged me to attend events that I otherwise would not have.

The Transatlantic Series: Everything I thought I’d Never Know About Track and Field

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This past Wednesday I had the pleasure of listening to the Rose Cafe given by Paul Willcox. I was a bit confused about the topic of the talk as all the information I had was the title. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I did not know anything about track and field before this talk except for some very vague information. There was a large amount of history involved in this talk and I think that made it more interesting for me. Overall, I had never heard of the Transatlantic series. The concept behind it is very intriguing. It is bringing together athletes from two different countries, separated by an ocean. I find it very interesting that they managed to carry the series out even when the athletes had to travel on a ship. To me, this is some serious dedication.

I think that this type of competition is a great idea. I think it is something that would be interesting to do with other areas of life such as with common majors or programs. This kind of opportunity allows a study abroad type experience without having to be away from college. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this talk and was very glad that I went.

The Beauty of Brazil

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This past Wednesday I attended the Rose Cafe and heard Andre Simores discuss Brazil’s culture and natural landscape. I have never traveled outside of the US or Canada, so I found this to be very interesting. Hearing Andre discuss his country was very intriguing. He pulled up pictures to show us what the different areas of Brazil looked like. These pictures varied from dense rain forests to desert like regions. I had no idea that Brazil had an environment with such a high amount of variation. It was also interesting to hear about the school systems and how the public colleges are the most prestigious. This is the opposite of what is true in the US. Andre explained that those who make it into the public universities mostly come from private schools. So even though University is free, it is mostly the wealthy that go to the public universities. This was an interesting concept to me. This limits higher education to only those that can afford a private school tuition.

Overall, I found this talk to be very interesting. It was nice to learn about another culture and their perspectives on certain things such as education.

Acing the Interview

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An interview is often the first impression that your future employer will get of you. You want to do well, to impress your interviewers and make a lasting impression. However, during this seminar, I also realized that it is just as important to be yourself. You want to know that the company is truly a good fit for you, and if you change your behavior to match what you think the interviewers want, you could be getting yourself into an office environment that is nothing like what you want. The idea of being yourself in an interview seemed a bit contradictory to me at first, of course you don’t want to be too casual or come off too strong but you still want to be bubbly if you re an outgoing person or even serious if that is how you normally are. It is important to show your future employers what they would be getting when hiring you.

Another topic I found interesting from this seminar was the idea of negotiating wages and benefits. As a first generation student, I knew nothing about this topic. Both of my parents work jobs where they are paid hourly, not by salary and any negotiation attempts would not be tolerated. When hearing about negotiations I worried as I would have to do a large deal of research to be able to know what would be a fair salary. I know the amount I could live on, what I would need to cover the necessities but when it comes to negotiating a fair salary, I become pretty clueless.

Overall, this event was very helpful. I was able to hear from other people about what they do in interviews as well as hearing from Sara and all of her interview experiences.

What do you know about fat?

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Before this talk, I did not know anything about the history of fats. I knew from a class that I had taken that everyone uses nutrients differently and that depending on genetics, some people digest fats better than others. I was surprised to hear that there had been a large backlash against plant fats when they were first introduced. Now, it is rare that people use anything except plant oils and fats. It was interesting to hear about how the sale of different products was also affected by this.

Overall, this talk was interesting as it allowed me to understand the controversy behind different kinds of fats and the implications that this can have. For example, some people believe that just because one fat may be healthier than another fat, that they should consume mass quantities of it. However, scientists frequently disagree about what fats are good, bad or simply mediocre.

The Power of Vaccinations

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Vaccination is a topic that many people have differing opinions are. It was interesting to sit with a small group of people and talk about the benefits of vaccinations that become obscured when people make arguments that are not backed by science. Being interested in public health, I believe that vaccines are an extremely important tool in keeping the population healthy. Herd immunity is extremely important and is something that is easily jeopardized by people refusing vaccines. This puts the health of others who are unable to be vaccinated at risk.

I think there is a moral obligation for everyone to be vaccinated. Vaccines have been used for a very long time and have been tested thoroughly to ensure minimal side effects. At this talk, we also discussed the different types of vaccines and how technologies have progressed. New vaccines such as the one for HPV are recombinants. As more research is done, more efficient ways to produce vaccines become available. Some old vaccines are still being used, such as the oral polio vaccine as it eliminates the need for hypodermic needles.

Overall I think that vaccines should be mandatory for everyone. I believe that the first step to making this happen is by making it more difficult to be exempt form vaccinating your child. Currently, people are able to refuse vaccines based upon personal or moral reasons that do not connect to religion or health concerns. Overall there is  a lack of education around the topic of vaccination and what the benefits and risks are. Many people take the face value of what they hear and read and do not question who the information was put out by or what the agenda of that company may be. Overall, I believe that vaccinations are necessary and are the key to improving health worldwide. We have the power to eradicate diseases and now we just need to get everyone on board.

Empowerment

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I had never been to a production of the Vagina Monologues before. I jumped on the opportunity to go to this event as I had heard numerous good things about the production from those who had seen it in the past. I did not really know what to expect but I was excited to see the topics that this production would cover. I have to say that I was not disappointed by this production. I thought it was very well done and I have to commend those that had the bravery and courage to perform. After the production I was talking to Sara and we both questioned if we would ever be able to go on stage and talk about topics that are seen as very taboo by society.

While I thoroughly enjoyed this production, I think there were still groups that were underrepresented within it. For example, a lot of the monologues were based on a gender binary. The addition of the monologue written by Cornell students did increase the groups discussed, however I wish more than just this one monologue did so. This production also did seem to have a political agenda, especially noticeable during the final scene. I enjoyed this part. It felt very empowering. Overall I am very glad that I attended this event and was able to have this experience.

The Power of Reusing

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I have always taken an interest in sewing, knitting and crocheting but have always been afraid to walk into the little shops that seem to pop up in little towns. Going on the tour at Sew Green made me realize that these are the places that I should be going to, not the giant stores like Michael’s. The idea of collecting fabric scraps or yards of fabric that were once forgotten sounds rather simple. After the tour, I realized there was so much work that went into this practice, from collecting the fabrics to sorting and cleaning them, it was clear that those who are involved at Sew Green have a passion for what they do. The idea of all the beautiful fabrics just being thrown to the dumpster is disheartening, not only because it is going to waste but also because many fabrics are not made under sustainable practices and throwing out what was unused means more is being made in its place.

I love the idea of this non-profit and it is definitely the type of thing that I would expect to find in Ithaca. The idea of sewing classes for all ages, with the first being free was one of the things that I found to be a great opportunity. Most of what I know about sewing or knitting or crocheting I learned by myself from YouTube videos or books. Now that I know of this amazing place, I may just take advantage of all they have to offer.

Home Economics Redefined

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Last Wednesday, Eileen Keating came to discuss the history of the College of Human Ecology. Being a student in Human Ecology, this was a topic I was thoroughly interested in. I knew that the college was originally a college of Home Economics but I did not know the types of classes or research that actually occurred early on in the college’s history. It was interesting to hear how inspiring Martha Van Rensselaer and Flora Rose were to many women. It is also interesting to learn about how the old majors translated into new ones.

I think that it is important to learn about the founders and early happening of the different colleges. Cornell’s history is filled with influential people and I find that fascinating. I also found the relationship between Martha Van Rensselaer and Eleanor Roosevelt to be interesting. They were both very influential people and having the connection to Eleanor Roosevelt proved to be very useful for the college. Overall, I thought this talk was very interesting.