I was thankful for the opportunity to hear from and communicate with members from the board of trustees because it provided an in-depth look into the administrative processes of Cornell. Cornell is a big school, and I often find myself marveling in the fact that so many different processes are able to occur simultaneously without the end result being a complicated mess of an experience for us students. Of course, one can always improve, so it was encouraging to hear about the areas in which the board are looking to improve the Cornell experience.

A good portion of our meeting consisted of discussion on the new housing that’s being constructed on North Campus. Seeing as I walked by this aforementioned construction every day on my way to class, I naturally came into the meeting with a mild interest in the subject. Not knowing much about the nature of the new housing, though, I figured that it was nothing more than a way for Cornell to secure the tuition payments of a few more thousand students. However, I was relieved to hear that while admission is projected to increase because of this new housing, most of the housing is intended to be used to alleviate the housing problems faced by current students. If I recall correctly, Cornell intends to admit 600 more students because of this housing, and, while this is no number to scoff at, as long as a reasonable effort is made to accommodate these students then I think that Cornell can adjust perfectly fine.

Cornell has already changed quite a bit since the start of my freshman year, in large part due to the decisions of the board of trustees. I’m looking forward to seeing how this campus and community will continue to evolve and change during my time here.