Author Archives: Michele

Puppy Study Break

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This last Rose Scholar event was undoubtedly the cutest event by far and my personal favorite. We had the opportunity to hear a presentation from Guiding Dogs about training dogs that are used to help individuals with various disabilities. Prior to this event, I always knew people used guide dogs and how helpful they were—however, I never considered the amount of training that went into these animals. These puppies are essentially trained since birth and are constantly groomed to be successful guide dogs. I think the most interesting fact was how much money is needed in these training programs. A year of guide dog training is almost as much as a year here at Cornell! Granted, the benefits these dogs are for individuals are priceless. Guide dogs are utilized for people with different physical and mental disabilities. Sometimes, individuals with PTSD use guide dogs for comfort and children with autism use guide dogs to curb dangerous behavior. I think it’s incredible how guide dogs have the ability to sense dangerous behavior and react appropriately. I have the utmost respect for students here who train these guide dogs and will definitely keep my eye out for them on campus.

The Macro Effect of Micro Aggressions

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Last week, Professor Ariela Keysar hosted a dinner conversation regarding prejudice and micro aggressions present in today’s society and specifically on a college campus. Given recent events, racism and inequality has become an extremely prevalent issue in the country and I believe conversations like this allow for people to witness others’ perspectives and opinions on the current situation. A majority of the conversation consisted of students discussing their personal experience with micro aggressions at Cornell. I deeply resonated with this topic as I have begun to consider my race a lot more since I’ve arrived here. Coming from a huge school like Rutgers University, Cornell’s environment came as quite a shock. Since Rutgers is almost three times the size of Cornell, that population comes with a significant amount of diversity. While Cornell is relatively diverse to an extent, my experience here has noted that a lot of the minority groups tend to flock together. So, if you’re a minority who chooses to not join said group, you experience this weird limbo where you’re not fully accepted by your minority group. Before coming here, I have never experienced these feelings. I grew up in a community where there was a large Indian presence, but I considered myself to have two groups of friends- my Indian/church friends and my school friends. At Rutgers I was able to maintain a similar balance, I was involved in one south Asian focused club and had my other friends. Despite being a part of these two groups, I never felt any sort of strain on my social life. In contrast, here I feel that if you are involved with a minority group on campus they are also your major friend group. Having the two groups I used to experience did not seem like much of an option. Overall, I feel increasingly more aware of my race here at Cornell and I have not come to a conclusion of whether or not this is a good or bad thing. On one hand, I am allowing my culture to take a larger role in my identity, but on the other, I am feeling somewhat excluded because of my race. This thought provoking discussion allowed me to really explore my position here and the role my race plays in my identity. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to speak with Dr. Keysar regarding this matter and I hope to have similar Rose house events like this in the future.

Food for Thought

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Last week, Rose dining Chef Daniel Czebiniak and Associate Director of West Campus Dining, Paul Muscente, spoke to Becker and Rose residents about the planning and preparation that goes into the meals we eat everyday. Chef Czebiniak worked at the renowned Ritz-Carlton before joining the Cornell Dining family, and he works among similarly qualified chefs on West Campus. It was interesting to delve into the thought process that goes into the dining preparation, namely how the chefs respond to student’s reaction. Chef Czebiniak explained that often he and other staff stands by the dish belt to see what is coming back and what the students are not eating, and reassess the meal based on that evaluation. By that description it is clear that the dining staff is extremely receptive to our needs and aims to serve the best dining experience possible. This aim explains how Cornell is constantly ranked extremely high when it comes to on-campus dining and was recently voted #1 in the state of New York.
Being a transfer student, I have the ability to compare my dining experience to that of my previous school. Coming from Rutgers University, which has close to 40,000 undergrads, the experience is completely different. At Rutgers, there was not a sense of attentiveness and care that the Cornell dining staff has. Additionally, I have noticed that I have significantly healthier options here as opposed to at Rutgers. I’ll admit, upon learning that my residential dorm had a dining hall in the building, I was scared that the freshman 15 I managed to avoid last year would make a comeback this year. However, with all the healthy options at every meal I feel that I do not need to worry as much about that. Coming from a different school makes me really appreciate the dining options Cornell has to offer and I thoroughly appreciated the insight Chef Daniel and Paul Muscente provided for us at the event. It made me even more appreciate to be a Rose House resident.

A Glassy Sea

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This past Wednesday, October 28th, Professor Drew Harvell came to Rose House to speak about a hidden treasure available to us here at Cornell University. Many people are aware of the Harvard flowers, but often forget another collection the Blaschka brothers also created—glass marine life. In 1863, Leopold and his son Rudolph Blaschka made beautiful glass pieces of various sea life intended to be used for teaching. The two were hyper focused on an attention to detail to accurately capture the adaptations and features of each individual creature. While the pieces are beautiful in aesthetic, they are also extremely informative and can be used to learn about marine animals. Throughout the presentation, Professor Harvell constantly flipped through images of the glass structures versus the actual animals and I can honestly admit that I had difficulty differentiating the two—which goes to show exactly how precise these models are. Professor Harvell additionally spoke about a documentary that she is featured in regarding the history and construction of the glass models. The documentary elucidated the importance of the models and although they are no longer used for teaching due to technological improvements, these models serve as a time capsule as to how the ocean and sea life used to look over 100 years ago. If certain animals have changed physically or biologically, it begs the question of what caused the animals to adapt and if humans are making a large impact on marine life. I thoroughly enjoyed this presentation because although these sculptures were used as learning tools, I felt as if I was at an art museum looking at multiple uniquely beautiful pieces. The fact that such animals exist in real life has sparked an interest in marine life and just reminds me of how little of the world I really know about. The sea is almost its own world with its own ecosystem that we often do not remember. This presentation was like a glimpse into this other world—one I would love to explore one day just as Professor Harvell did.

Military Killings: Murder or Collateral Damage?

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Last week, Jens David Ohlin gave a thought provoking presentation on International Criminal Law and invited participants to engage in the subject matter and give their opinion on how they felt international war moves should be judged. Ohlin started the lecture by illustrating a situation pulled from actual current events. He posed a question of morality and legality regarding the US’s bombing of a hospital in Afghanistan. Should the government be sanctioned for such a move? How come this story was not plastered all over the news and media when it happened? Ohlin addressed these questions and more and elaborated on a portion of international criminal law and encouraged the audience to think about where the line should be drawn between legal and illegal. 

The part that I found to be the most interesting was the role the United Nations played in this situation and how the international law body responds to such events. I have participated in Model UN since my freshman year of high school and while during our debate simulation we often pass several large pieces of legislation, this is not very reflective of the actual UN. The tricky clause of international law lies in the debate over sovereignty. When is a country overstepping its boundaries and encroaching on another national nation? Often the issue with the UN is that sovereignty is at the forefront of its mission goals and implemented global wide legislations and enforcing it often results in encroachment. This inefficiency was highlighted along with another loophole Ohlin mentioned. The United States holds a permanent position on the United Nations Security Council and therefore has voting rights. The council is able to incur war charges against other individuals and countries, however voting member positions do have the ability to veto such charges. Therefore, if the UN were to charge the US, the country could easily veto the charge. This is a demonstration of the US’s global influence allows it to often get away with many things without suffering the consequences.

Who Grows YOUR Food?

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At the last house dinner, the residents of Rose house had the privilege to have a meal comprised of ingredients from local farms and plantations. While the meal was delicious, my favorite part of the day was the information session lead afterwards by Justine Vanden Heuvel and Mary Jo Dudley. The two gave a presentation about the New York state agriculture industry and I learned that New York is actually a leader in growing many different species of produce. While I found this all very interesting, the part of the presentation that resonated with me the most regarded the people who actually worked on these farms. Agriculture is a 5.7 billion dollar industry, its workers being primarily undocumented immigrants from Mexico and Guatemala. Immigration reform is an issue I hold of upmost importance and this presentation really shed a light on how some undocumented immigrants live. As a first-generation America, the fact that my parents came to this country in search of opportunity has always been a motivating force for me. Every year, thousands of people seek to come to this country with the same hope for opportunity that my parents had; however, our current immigration system simply isn’t capable of accommodating for everyone. In my senior year of high school, I did my senior thesis on the immigration reform bill that was in congress at the time. In my research I specifically remember the bill expanding the amount of unskilled workers visas the country allotted, which directly refers to these farm workers. Additionally, the bill outlined a path for citizenship for individuals currently in the country illegally. This bill never actually passed the House of Representatives and our immigration system remains broken. With the presidential election looming, immigration reform has been a hot topic for candidates- however the issue is that the problem becomes subject to party politics and the immigrants are the ones who suffer as a result. This presentation really gave me a perspective of how some undocumented farm workers in America live and their journey for opportunity. As an ILR student, I hope to specialize in immigration labor studies and immigration reform policy overall; as I continue my education I will keep the livelihoods of these farm workers in mind in an effort to provide a clearer path to citizenship for them and a chance for opportunity.

Apples to Apples

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A trip to the Cornell Orchards is the perfect way to kickoff the fall season. Surrounded by apples and greenery, it was fascinating listening to people who worked at the orchards talk about the apple growing process. Additionally, we learned about the different kinds of apples and the various ways to ensure the apples stay fresh and delicious. I thoroughly enjoyed this trip and appreciated how accessible it was to the Cornell campus. I plan on revisiting the orchards with my friends to share the experience I had and the crisp apples!