During this week’s Rose Cafe, we went over the concept of free will, that is to say, does it exist at all? To start off, we were told that we could choose to raise our hands at any given time, but we did not have to. Slowly but surely, several people in the room began to raise their hands; when asked, it was because it was implied that they felt they “should”, even though it was not a command. This led us into a frank discussion over what exactly we believed caused us to follow particular paths, therefore limiting our free will. Some people thought it was the idea of implied rules, that there are informal ideas ingrained into our minds that we feel we must follow out of obligation. Others thought that it was whatever was deemed socially acceptable. Others still believed it was out of the constraints of one’s life. I believe that free will is an amalgamation of all of these factors. The lives we lead are not without their constraints, which makes free will an inherently difficult concept to grasp. However, it still does exist. We can still make choices, and we can still forge our own paths, as countless others have before us.
Author Archives: blg83
Students as Influencers: How can we change life on campus?
During this week’s Rose Café, we discussed campus culture, or more specifically, how students influence campus culture, both proactively and reactively. We spent much of the time reviewing the history of student influence at Cornell and discussing its present-day ramifications, which was really quite fascinating. For much of the existence of Cornell, the administration acted “in loco parentis”: in the place of parents. They would effectively dictate the rules on campus and decide exactly how to mete out punishments. This, however, began to change over time. After widespread student backlash against the idea that college students were not independent adults, Cornell gave the student body significant control over the affairs of the students by creating independent student administrative bodies. This brought us to the thought provoking question: should this stay the case? To the extent that a university administration has greater legitimacy in meting out punishments quickly and effectively, should the student body be trusted to promote these punishments itself? Honestly, I still don’t know the answer, but this discussion has definitely got me thinking.
Is our vote secured?
This Wednesday, I went to the Securing the Vote event, hosted at Kennedy Hall by professors Charles Stewart and Stephen Ansolabehere. At this event, we discussed whether or not the right to vote in American society was in jeopardy, and how problems were currently being addressed For example, I learned that, prior to 2000, 4-6 million out of the 100 million or so American votes would be be lost, and would simply not be counted. Even though I knew that technology was not as advanced back then, I was shocked. The idea that voting, considered a fundamental American right, was simply not registering for millions of people made no sense. Since then, there have been attempts to remedy these incidents, and while they have significantly reduced this harm, the fact that it still exists is nonetheless surprising.
After this, we went over how certain groups are being disenfranchised from the voting process, such as gerrymandering and Voter ID laws. While I was already vaguely familiar with both concepts, I was very interested by the professors’ views on how they will proceed in the near future. For example, they predicted that, over the next few years, gerrymandering would be remedied by State Supreme Courts, as the US Supreme Court does not want to step in. Meanwhile, I learned that Voter ID laws disproportionately impact minorities, as the forms of ID that are accepted tend to be those that minorities would not have.
All of this made me consider my right to vote, a right I have often taken for granted. Despite living in a democracy, supposedly of, by, and for the people, millions are left without this right. Therefore, I must use this right to vote for policies that expand this right to others. I must use my power as a democratic citizen to bring those less fortunate than I am into the national discussion.
A house divided against itself cannot stand
In Wednesday’s Rose Café, we met Professor Kenneth Roberts, who teaches government here at Cornell, and discussed some very troubling developments regarding partisanship in America. For starters, we learned that even though many Americans only loosely affiliate with the party they vote for, they harbor deep antipathy towards the other party; voters are not being driven by their support for one party, but their disdain for another. This is compounded by the fact that a vast swath of the electorate believes that the other party is “a threat to the well-being of the country.” Partisanship amongst the people has and will continue to create a more partisan government, which prevents us from addressing many of the complex social problems Americans currently face.
We also discussed many of the causes of polarization, from primary elections to gerrymandering to partisan media. This was especially important, because if we want to solve a problem, we need to determine how it came to be. With this knowledge, we can act according to the exact nature of the problem in order to find a solution.
Still unsure of what it means
This Thursday, I went to see some of Kelly Sears’ animations about “Alternate Histories”. I went in not knowing what to expect, and I came out of it not knowing what I had just seen. Though her animations are likely filled with symbolism, allusions, and metaphors, I am still having difficulty deciphering what it is I watched. From what I could tell, some of it seemed to be about the horrors of war, as evidenced by a segment of cutting between soldiers ready to fire at an unseen target and a yearbook with many headshots blacked out. I think that at least part of it is meant to show the human cost of conflict, and the reasons for not engaging in violence.
While I am still somewhat confused by this animation, it definitely made me think critically about the world around me, as I tried to piece its meaning together based on what I already know.
Together, we can make a difference
At this week’s Rose Café, we met with Professor Angela Cornell, a suitably named law professor who teaches at Cornell, and we discussed the evolution of societal responses to sexual harassment. More specifically, we focused on the walkouts from Google in response to an accumulating series of issues. For example, a high-level employee with credible accusations of sexual harassment against him had received a $90 million severance package, and the company forced sexual harassment complaints to be internally arbitrated instead of brought to a court.
This was really informative because it taught me the power of collective action. A massive group of Google employees across multiple countries, with only a small amount of coordination, was able to plan an effective protest that made a significant difference not just in Google, but all throughout the private sector. In response to the walkouts, Google officially ended its policy of mandatory arbitration for all complaints, and many other corporations ended their mandatory arbitration of sexual harassment complaints. This shows me that, by working with other like-minded individuals towards a common goal, we can become a powerful and influential group. Together, we can make a difference in the world, and leave it better than how we found it.
Everything Changes, Even Cascadilla Gorge
For my Rose Scholars event, I went on a walking tour of Cascadilla Gorge, where I saw the gorge in all of its beauty while also learning about the processes that shaped it. Although I am admittedly not a geologist, I was impressed by how much it had changed over time. Millions of years ago, not only was Cascadilla Gorge, and most of New York, south of the equator, but it was underwater too! That is actually how much of the gorge formed: years and years of sediment being compressed by the ocean waters.
Even in more recent years, the gorge has gone through several profound changes. For example, we learned that part of the gorge used to be so filled with gravel that it literally created small islands, which could be used like stepping stones to cross from end to end. More recently, a good portion of the trail was destroyed by Tropical Storm Irene. Thankfully, it was fixed with FEMA disaster aid, allowing us to enjoy a walk in nature.
Overall, it was fascinating to learn the geological processes that shaped the world around us, especially in the context of my university.
Trustees we can trust
This being my first Rose Scholars event, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from this activity. This feeling was compounded by the nature of the meeting: a forum with members of the Cornell Board of Trustees. I will readily admit to not having fully known what the Board of Trustees was or did, so I went into this event tabula rasa, a blank slate.
I have come away from this forum with a much better understanding of what the Board of Trustees is and does. More than that, however, I have come to trust it as an institution. This is mostly related to our discussion about the recent college admissions scandal. Almost immediately after the details of the scandal were brought to light, Cornell not only checked its finances for any potential evidence of such a scandal, but it began to update its practices to add checks and balances to the admissions process.
More than that, however, the Board of Trustees and Cornell as an institution saw this as an opportunity to examine the way in which they admit new students. Perhaps having realized the severe disadvantage that low-income students are put at during the college admissions process, the Trustees said that they were hoping to realign the admissions process to be more considerate of those of a lower socioeconomic standing.
This would go a long way in promoting the good name of Cornell as a just, trustworthy, and respectable institution. Millions of students across the country are denied admission to top universities simply because they do not have the resources to compete against those with more resources. Cornell reforming its admissions process to prevent corruption by the wealthy and promote acceptance of the less fortunate would allow them to rebrand as a more trustworthy institution. This Rose Café was very informative, and I can’t wait for the next event.