Where does the constitution of a community begin? Or rather, how does the constitution of a community happen? Is it always already given: does being human always imply being with the Other? Or does membership exist in the nexus of becoming with the potentiality to be or not be, something that demands investment?

From Freudian psychoanalysis to Agambenian biopolitics, the question of the community is a question of the singularity, care, commitment, and responsibility. To be a part of a community is to affirm and promise the other, to pronounce a certain fidelity to the other.

Reflecting on the Rose Café, I am reminded of these central questions of community beyond the realm of the theoretical and within the space of the actual. Amidst the ceaseless pace of classes, coursework, and extracurriculars, it is unbelievably easy to lose yourself and others in the immeasurable demands of the university. Yet, the event was an important reminder of the diverse community we are a part of as students of Cornell living in Ithaca. Such an opportunity enabled me to engage with brilliant and accomplished people and to appreciate all that being a student at Cornell has given me. These deceptively commonplace encounters were laden with meaning and always seemed to arc towards the possibilities of the future. Despite our vastly different backgrounds ranging from architecture to conservation, Rose House Fellows were willing to invest their time in affirming my hopes and dreams and in telling me about some of their own. In creating this space, the Fellows reminded us of the worth and power of our voices. The experience reminded me of the importance of listening and the responsibility we have to make sure the voices of others can be heard. It seems like no coincidence, then, that many people will point out that gorge, in French, means throat, and that Ithaca is a place of homecoming. In Ithaca, there is a home for us, a community to support us, and a place to be heard. And in the very same place, we have the power to make others feel more at home, to welcome them into a community, and to listen to their voices.