Author Archives: Lia

The Pendulum Swings in Two Directions

Posted on by

Tonight I attended the Rose Cafe talk with Judge Scott Miller. It was the second time I has the pleasure of attending an event that featured him. As someone who plans on attending law school in the hopes of becoming a judge, his insight into jurisprudence has been pivotal in the formation of my own. Even when discussion lends itself to more mundane topics such as first impressions and simple humanity, the talk never seems to dull.

I find it funny that every judge I have the opportunity to meet has been so laid back and progressive. They all seem like people I would love to have as friends, and Judge Miller is no exception. I interned with the Honorable Judge Stuart Rice, and he held the same air of confidence that engages his audience and makes them want to know more. One of my college advisors back at home, Judge Kevin Yourman, also has such a way with words. It was great to be in the presence of someone so similar to two key influences in my own decision to pursue law.

I wish we had more time to speak with him. I had so many questions to ask: his opinion on the privatization of institutions some think should remain public, his opinion on both the legality and morality of drone strikes in the middle east, if he thinks rehabilitation of those prosecuted is always feasible, how he partitions his personal bias from his ruling when they are so tangential… The list of things to ask seems to go on forever.

I think the most influential part of his talk this time was when discussing the judge who seemed to deride Larry Nassar when sentencing him to over 100 years in prison. While I relate with the sentiment of the presiding judge, I completely agree with Judge Miller that it was out of turn for her to speak her prejudices. When thinking of this case, the idiom “justice is blind” comes to mind. Besides following precedence in an effort to standardize the judicial system, a judge’s job is to listen to a case while simultaneously ruling without personal bias clouding their decision; this judge seemed to disregard her obligation to impartiality.

Judge Miller also brought up the interesting concept that the power dynamic in the courtroom mandates more maturity from the judge than the defendant. I hadn’t considered this, but his point is valid. As an authority, it is again the judge’s responsibility to carry herself with poise.

However, when Judge Miller expressed that universal healthcare and education were the two most pointed issues to be solved, I am not too sure if I agree. I think these two issues are very shallow compared to the underlying causes of this type of social stratification. I think back to Kimberle Crenshaw’s view on intersectionality: when we raise the standards for those at the bottom of the social totem pole, we inherently raises those also socially disadvantaged with them. And for Crenshaw, they were black women. Once we tackle the underlying issue of racism, sexism, and the subsequent results – such as inaccessible healthcare and below par education- then we will be one step closer to an America with equity. But I can appreciate where Judge Miller’s views come into play; I think we just have reverse approaches.

Similar to the last Rose Cafe with Judge Miller, he ended with a little pep talk about looking to the future, how the pendulum swings in favor of progress. It was a touching moment, and the call to action really made me want to make something matter. I’m not too sure what; just anything, I suppose: the privilege I’ve been afforded to go to Cornell, the diversity of the community around me, the opportunity to be where I am today. I just want it to matter. But if the the swing of the pendulum is now in our favor, when will it swing back to the other side?

The Need for Safe, Accessible Transportation

Posted on by

For the last Rose Cafe of the semester, GRF Seema discussed how the plains of gender and transportation cross specifically in less developed countries. Her study seemed to focus mostly on India, comparing both formal and informal modes of transportation with that in the western world. While there is no definite guidelines that box in formal versus informal transportation, formal modes seem to be the ones that have documentation and are approved by the government. Informal modes are those that stemmed from demand and are not government sanctioned. It seemed difficult for the students in attendance to connect the two, but once Seema explained the scope a bit, conversation ensued.

One of the big areas Seema focused on was the different ways between how men versus women used transportation. For example, men have a more linear path throughout their day, often cycling between home and work. Meanwhile, women have a couple of more stops along the way, including dropping their children off at school, going grocery shopping, and grabbing a bite to eat. This simple difference has huge implications on public transport: women rely on it more because they have more places to go, and these places are often devalued in comparison to men’s.

I was very surprised with Seema’s presentation mostly because I had no idea what to expect. The only connections I could have previously made between transportation and gender was sexual assault. Once we delved into sexual assault on public transportation, the discourse quickly picked up. One of the more discussed solutions to this problem was making separate cars for women and men. While this does immediately solve some of the problems, it seemed that many students thought this would be counterproductive. Even though women had a safe space, men would not see it as their responsibility to curb assault. Also, once women step out of their specified cars, they would no longer be protected, so is it really an effective measure?

I personally see sexual assault as something that needs both an immediate and long term solution. Having separate cars is the necessary immediate effect needed to ensure women have access to public transportation. Yes, there needs to be more institutional changes that help enforce the illegality of sexual assault, but systematic change is seldom effective without social change behind it. As one of the other attendees said, these solutions paired with some sort of educational program would present the most promising outcome.

Inner City Conservation

Posted on by

Last week during the Rose Cafe, Professor Schmidt visited to tell us about is area of study: urban planning. The discussion began with his going into his field a little bit. He told us about why something like urban planning would be significant and how the same large questions persist throughout the study. One of the big themes he tied in the climate change and how civil engineering can help reduce the carbon footprint people leave behind.

Professor Schmidt make the discussion interactive by having each student tell where they are from and what type of area they grew up in, whether rural, urban, or suburban. I found this very interesting because there was a huge amount of people from suburban areas, which I guess could be expected. But I definitely was surprised by how few people were from the inner city. We mainly gauged our areas based on concentration of people, types of buildings, and transportation. We then answered questions about how this affected our childhood growing up in terms of recreation and schooling, especially in suburbia.

The discourse then shifted to how living on Cornell’s campus greatly plays a factor into reducing our own personal carbon footprint. For example, much of our produce is locally sourced. Many of Cornell’s facilities are communal, such as bathrooms, laundry rooms, and relaxing areas. There has been a rise in communal communities around the cunty, and it seems like this would be the way to go if thinking about the Earth.

I really wish we had more time to talk to Professor Schmidt. One thing I would have liked to discuss is how being from low income areas- that are usually urban- affects one’s carbon footprint. As someone who comes from inner Los Angeles, I find that low income people have been ‘green’ because they do not have a choice: many cannot afford to eat meat often, reducing their carbon footprint by a significant amount. They often wash their clothes by hand because laundry is expensive or they do not have their own laundry machines. Electric and water bills are always conservative to save money, and many grow their own food in hopes of saving a dime.

I think they are an untapped guide on how to live greener, but many seem to overlook this because these qualities are seen as  markers of being underprivileged. Yes, they sometimes do so out of necessity, but the outcome is the same. They save money while also saving the world, and that is admirable to say the very least.

The Modern Primitive

Posted on by

Last Wednesday, GRF Sam shared his area of study with us: the modern primitive. He looks at how the two seemingly opposite ideas seem to clash in the mid 1900s. He started out by asking us to help define what we believe modern and primitive mean with the aid of pictures and stories. Many of the images shown mixed things such as masculinity and femininity, industrialization and nature , and land and water. He showed us a couple of videos that exemplified the modern primitive: Josephine Baker’s The Banana Dance and The Tiller Girls.

As a former English major, I was expecting something very different walking into the talk. John Steinbeck and books like The Wasteland immediately popped into my head, but Sam’s scope of study was a pleasant surprise. I got to experience a new field of study none of my classes have touched on. I especially like how Sam was not hesitant to point out the appropriation of some cultures and the colonization that goes with imperialization. The dichotomy between those thought to be primitive and those who are modern was abundantly clear.

The video Sam showed at the end was my favorite part. First and foremost, it again showed how we seem to distance ourselves from what we see in places like museums; but in reality, we are part of the same, and the only thing that separate us is our point of view. Everything that has helped us gain knowledge has been a loss to someone else, and we should appreciate those who gave to let us gain. And the LGBT museum looked amazing, and it is somewhere I’d like to now visit.

How Collegeton Came to Be

Posted on by

Last Wednesday I attended a talk with John Schroeder. The talk documented how Cornell’s housing came to be, from the construction of the first dorms to the construction of apartments in Collegetown. I was not very familiar with the topic before going in; I knew that prices for housing in Ithaca were high and that the student influx had an affect on the greater Ithaca community, but John made it evident that prices were getting out of hand. People who have lived in the area cannot afford to pay their rent, many people who work in Ithaca have to commute from farther places, and prices are still rising.

But John said there was a plan. Realtors are now looking to build more housing to accommodate for the large demand from Cornell students. If the supply goes up, hopefully the prices will go down. But John expressed that though this should happen theoretically, there is no way to ensure that this actually happens. A lot of the land in Ithaca is owned by a few people who have a monopoly, so it is ultimately their decision on whether or not to lower the prices.

A small debate got going on whether or not it was best to build more housing that did not fit Ithaca’s aesthetic to lower prices; some say that giving access to housing is more essential than preserving the authenticity of Ithaca while others say that Ithaca’s small-town feel is what people come for. I personally agree with the latter. Ithaca is Ithaca because of the environment. It would not be fit for skyscrapers and apartment duplexes to line the streets of downtown. Ithaca has a history, and it is important to maintain that history regardless of what may be economically lucrative.

Also, John gave me a cool map of early Ithaca to put on my wall 🙂 Thanks, John!

My Online Persona

Posted on by

After attending a Rose Mini Seminar with GRF Sam, I learned how valuable an online persona would be in a professional setting. Not only does it allow me to advertise myself to potential employers and networks, it allows me to build the image I want people to see me as. Sam went through things such as basics, biographies, usernames, and following patterns. Using all the information he gave us, the class was able to “build” who they wanted to be online.

COnsidering that I do not use social media often and all my social media is private, the session really got me thinking of whether or not I should actually pursue making profiles on various platforms. In the end, I decided not to do it right now because I am too busy to keep up with it; and keeping up with posts is one thing Sam said is essential to successfully creating an online persona.

Life In Malawi

Posted on by

I went to a talk with Ruth Magreta in which she went into a little more detail about her work towards environmental sustainability in Malawi. One of the things she talked about that was very interesting was that people in the US have the ability to debate about whether or not global warming is real. In Malawi, because maize is such a large source of income, it is very noticeable that the environment is changing. Whether it be because of global warming or not, it is impossible for those in Malawi to ignore. Meanwhile, people in the United States are not as drastically affected by climate change; we live in an industrialized society in which we produce more than we need. So when droughts occur, we still have enough food to eat.

Ruth was such an inspiring person to talk to. She invests herself in making sure that her home has what it needs; that means taking time away from her family. She shared on story of how her and her two children got stuck in a flood. She had to carry them through rushing water to safety. And although she was terrified, she had to put on a strong face to keep her kids from panicking.

Progress in Malawi

Posted on by

Last week I went to a talk with researcher Ruth Magreta. Before delving into her field of study. Ruth made sure to give ample context from both her life and Malawi’s past. Building on her experiences back home, Ruth hopes to help improve certain infrastructure to help prevent things such as environmental devastation and lack of food from natural disasters like drought. Ruth also made it clear that while some people in the US may be able to ignore global warming, in her country, there is no question that the environment is changing.

My favorite part of her talk was learning about her past. As a young girl, she grew up with very little money in a big family. But what was most admirable was her positive outlook on life. Because she had never experienced anything else, she enjoyed the long walks to the market and running around on her farm with her siblings. She liked feeding the dogs and cooking for her brothers. Life was life to her, regardless of what she did not have. And it is this attachment that fuels her passion for change.

As time goes on, more droughts occur because of the changing planet. And when there is now ater, maize production halts. This drop in maize, Malawi’s largest export and main food staple, affects all aspects of life: health, economics, education, and so on. I think it is amazing how fondly Ruth looks on her past, making me almost feel nostalgic for my own childhood, regardless of how different we are.

If I took anything from this talk, it is that we should use our experiences and those we love to push us to make a brighter future; we all come from somewhere, and whether you like that past or not, there is always room for improvement. So dedicate yourself and work towards providing for the future, not just yourself.

The Entire History of You

Posted on by

My first Rose Scholar experience was a Flora Friday Night Film. We watched an episode of black mean, a British show set in a dystopian future that highlights how technology could potentially affect our lives. In this specific episode, little devices referred to as “grains” are implanted behind a person’s ear. This grain has the ability to document every experience a person has, allowing them to file and go through these memories in the future.

The protagonist, an unemployed married man with a child, attends a dinner party his wife is at. While there, he sees his wife interact with one of her old college friends, who later find out is an ex boyfriend. Not only is the protagonist embarrassed about his last job interview, but he sees the way his wife and her friend interact, immediately becoming suspicious. Notably, they also meet a woman who does not have a grain; hers was stolen in an aggravated assault case.

In the end, the protagonist finds out his wife had an affair with the friend and questions whether his child is his. After reacting, his wife and child leave him, and we see him going through his memories while his life deteriorates around him. The episode leaves us watching the protagonist ripping out his own grain, bleeding into his bathroom sink.

Before we watched the episode, we spoke to people around us, and I thought the grain would be a bad idea. The showing supported that. Not only does it have people living in the past, but it leaves no room for mistake. Every moment is documented, and there is no security in learning from your past mistakes. While I believe that the protagonist should know his wife had an affair, there was better ways to find out. And there was definitely a better way t solve the problem. But now he is stuck with no one, and the memories are no longer comforting, but a curse. So much so that he rips out his grain.

 

Checks and Balances- What They Don’t Do

Posted on by

Last Wednesday, I went to a talk with House Fellow Judge Scott Miller. The talk started off great; not only was his story towards jurisprudence inspiring, but every anecdote he shared was as interesting as it was amusing. We filtered between topics such as constitutional law, school, and Ithaca in general. Judge Miller offered an informal atmosphere in which the students were encouraged to ask questions and engage in dialogue that was prevalent to today.

As the talk came to the end, Judge Miller wanted to highlight the current political climate, saying that the US government was built with checks and balances that ensured the preservation of the country. Judge Miller made it clear that his comments were very general and that he neither endorsed nor disapproved of the current administration. But projecting my own beliefs onto his words, I think his comments served to energize us in the sense that the state of the US will not always be as it is today, whether for better or for worse.

But I’m not too sure if I agree. Trump as president is more than just 4- and potentially 8- years of sexism, racism, and homophobia. His election has served to normalize these traits into what is already a sturdy structure of institutional and systemic oppression. He is not the beginning of these problems, and he is surely not the end. When he does leave office, there will be just as many racist people in the country as there was before, and thinking that things will be better at the end of his term is too idealistic to have credence.

Considering the things that have happened on Cornell’s campus in the past two days, things have not gotten better. And Cornell loves to say that they are in support of diversity, but when push comes to shove, little is done to protect our communities. A black man was hospitalized because five white men in a frat decided to call him racial slurs and jump him in the dead of night. No one has been taken to jail. No one has issued warnings to other students of color. No one has listened to the concerns of our community. No one affiliated with Cornell has released a statement of solidarity with the people of color on campus.

So where do we stand after the next 4 years? The same place we were before, and the same place we are now: in a country that was founded on the oppression of the ‘other.’

I admire Judge Miller’s optimism, but hope is hard to maintain when there’s no end in sight.