Author Archives: gm463

Shaping our Campus

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On this talk with Vice-President Ryan Lombardi, we got to learn about the insights of Cornell campus culture and our influence in shaping it as students.

Several topics were brought up in the conversation ranging from classroom culture to the social life of students. An interesting issue that was addressed due to its current relevance within the institution was Greek life on campus. I learned that fraternities and sororities are their own independent institutions. They are managed by separate councils and controlled by larger national chapters. This high level of independence that they have was a novel concept for me, which caused me to wonder how much power they hold over the school and its social systems. According to the Vice-President, when the university decides to “suspend” one of these fraternities, it means that the school no longer acknowledges the organization as theirs. However, this could mean that the “suspended” organization could still continue working behind the curtains of the situation.

Another topic that captured my attention throughout the discussion was the process of taking action to modify or establish a policy or structural change within the university. Cornell, unlike any other schools in the nation, has its own separate “judicial structure” that makes decisions within the realm of legal and political issues that occur within the university. The Vice-President explained that changing and shaping Cornell was a matter that did not only fall in the administration’s hands but also the students themselves. It is important that we, as students of Cornell University and residents of the Ithaca community, stand up for our beliefs and fight for the changes we want to see expressed by the time we graduate. Shaping campus culture is an essential concept for all of us, that we should all work together to establish and organize.

To know, or not to know

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The Matrix is one of those movies that excels in every aspect of its cinematography and didactic components. The main question the film raises mainly relates to what it truly means to be human. Humanity is a complicated concept, mostly defined by scientists as “culture-bearing primates.” Yet, this vague definition does not seem to do justice to the complexities of our daily lives. As a student of the world of neurobiology, it is amusing to me how academia tends to separate human behavior and animal behavior as two separate entities. However, humans are not all that special. We are, technically, animals. Our brains work similarly to other species and our behaviors and decisions are based on genes derived from a single common ancestor.

The conflict of having the choice of knowing the truth behind your reality is also another main analytical question. It could be compared to the question of whether or not you would like to know the day of your death if you had the chance to. In the context of this movie, knowing the truth was a very heavy concept that could not be shared with the public, given that your entire perspective about your life would shift and not all beings were mentally ready for it.

The film philosophically criticizes our world’s version of reality, in which people are unable to expand reality beyond their daily routines. Neo, our main character, struggles to accept the fact that he lived in a world controlled by outside forces of an unknown entity “The Matrix.” You could say it was a hard pill to swallow.

Red or Blue?

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We live in a society in which your political orientation is a determining factor of who you are as a person and your views of the world. Over the years, the definitions of what it meant to be a Democrat or a Republican have changed, and the difference between the two has become more evident than ever. Polarization in the American government has intensified, more so after the last election. In the discussion of Overcoming Polarization in the American Democracy, it was shown that Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals, have always been a key element of political elections, yet they never seemed to be polar opposites. I learned how, on a global scale, Democrats can be compared to the Liberal Democrats of Britain or the Labour Party of Britain. The American Republicans can be placed between the Conservative Party (Canada) or the Freedom Party (Austria) and the Alternative for Germany. An interesting aspect that can be inferred from these international comparisons is that American Democrats are very close to the center/moderate line separating the concepts of “liberals” versus “conservatives.” The Republicans, however, fall much farther to the right, which portrays a certain form of extremism in conservative values and perspectives within the party, compared to the rest of the world.

One major takeaway from this event was the idea that, in order to overcome this polarization within American society, communication must be enforced. Effective communication amongst members of two different parties or simply opposing political views should learn how to come together and talk about their opinions while respecting their counterparts. Listening to the two sides of the coin, or the two opposing opinions will allow the person to create an unbiased opinion about current events or controversial issues. Listening to others while remaining open-minded is key to achieving unity.

In conclusion, always communicate the thoughts and issues you are passionate about while listening and remaining respectful of others. And, most importantly, if you want your beliefs to be represented in the government, go out and vote!

Ahead of her time

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Flora Rose was a human too ahead of her time.

From her intellectual power and academic achievements to her works as a humanitarian and a social commentator, Rose was an underappreciated hero of her lifetime. Within the academic realm, her contributions to the home economics studies were undoubtedly life-changing, especially for young housewives and mothers in the early 1900s. As a pioneer of the home economics movement, not only did she create a completely new class and department here at Cornell, but she also founded the institution that later became the College of Human Ecology. Despite future conservative changes to the concept of home economics, Rose’s initial purpose was to create a safe and academic environment to educate women who decided to pursue the role of housewives on how to live a better and healthier life.

After the First World War, Flora Rose utilized her extensive knowledge in nutrition to serve communities affected by the war in Belgium. She conducted research across the nation targeting children and their physical and mental health. Her works as a researcher were pioneering at the time, given that her methodology of long-term qualitative and quantitative surveys was not common at the time. Her work helped the United States government contribute as much aid as it was necessary to save Belgium from extreme poverty and starvation. During that time, she proved herself to be both an outstanding researcher and humanitarian.

Flora Rose was also a key personality in several social movements. She openly expressed her opinions on society’s misconceptions about gender roles. Alongside her partner, Martha Van Rensselaer, she was a feminist leader and defeated societal expectations about women. Not only did she pursue a higher-level education when it was not common for women to do so, but she became a pioneer of her field.

Before attending this event, I had no background on the life and works of Flora Rose. Now, I understand why our house so proudly carries the name of a leader worthy of our admiration.

No ghost after all

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The 2014 New Zealand film, Housebound, presented a very innovative and amusing combination of comedy and horror. The film’s plot revolves around the family of a troubled Kylie, who has been just placed under house arrest because of a failed ATM-robbing attempt. As she is literally housebound, Kylie struggles with surviving eight months of being stuck at home, while battling her inner (and also external) voices that came to chase her back from her past.

The first half of the film could be considered somewhat of a slow burn, since it focuses on introducing the character relationships and the horror portion of this combined genre. These initial scenes were mostly dark, thrilling, and indeed very scary to non-avid watchers of horror cinematography. The second half of the movie, however, made the experience so much more worth it. The comedic aspects were brought into light as the plot unraveled and the audience discovers that the cause of all the unusual and frightening activity occurring in the house was an actual man living within their walls. This peculiar man, Eugene, despite having a very disturbing (and funny) appearance, did not mean any harm to the family and was just trying to survive within the constraints of his past and antisocial tendencies.

The film’s climax could be considered partially cliché, as the villain turned out to be the psychologist, or the one the audience and characters themselves least expected. The last set of scenes was very gruesome given that violence and blood covered most of the interactions and yet, the comedic elements never really faded and made the repulsiveness of the scenes more bearable. This psychologist-turned-cruel murdered plot twist added more complex ironic elements to the overall message of the story. Everyone considered Kylie to be a very disturbed mind or judged her mother’s superstitions. However, the psychologist who advocated for a clear and peaceful mindset turned out to be the evil, manipulating villain, whose thoughts were both metaphorically and literally blown away.

As someone who does not consider themselves a fan of the horror genre, I found myself fully enjoying this film. The character interactions, constant plot-twists, and comedic elements made it a highly recommendable and very worthwhile experience.

For a Great Cause

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The project Feed My Starving Children has been the biggest community service program I have embarked on since I arrived at Cornell. During high school, I used to work on similar service events in my hometown, so it was truly a rewarding experience to connect with the greater Ithaca community. Food insecurity is one of the major problems currently attacking the world. According to Hunger and Health, research shows that food insecurity together with social isolation, medical costs, and unaffordable housing are the biggest threats for low-income families, not only in third-world countries but also in the United States, which is considered to be one of the biggest economic pillars of the world. This project, organized by St. Catherine’s Church, focuses on a meal-packing plan for low-income children in the Dominican Republic. The meals consist of rice, vegetables, soy, and proteins, which contain the necessary nutritional value to ensure the effective growth of these children. In just one day, our group of 109 people was able to pack 168 boxes with over 36000 meals. Those numbers represent 99 children whose meals were ensured for over a year. These incredible statistics made this experience a very gratifying one. Just knowing that we could make such a huge impact on people’s lives on just two hours of our days was amazingly fulfilling.

Any Person, Any Study

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From North Campus renovation to college admissions scandals, the meeting with Cornell’s representatives of the Board of Trustees covered a series of issues targeting our university and the overall Ithaca community. One particular issue that raised my attention was the response to the college admission scandal that occurred a few months ago and stirred the attention of the American public. It was very interesting to see the faculty’s perspective on such a serious matter. They informed us about the immediate action that was taken by the Board and President Martha Pollack to review Cornell’s side of the spectrum in the admission process and to check for any possible involvement in such scandal. After reviewing every freshman’s application as well as the existing faculty, it was confirmed (as we already know) that our institution was not in any way involved in such matters.

After this discussion, the school’s motto of “Any Person, Any Study” was brought into the conversation. The Board representatives mentioned how Cornell has managed to stick to their word and has created one of the most diverse campuses amongst their other Ivy League counterparts. These statistics are indeed incredibly positive news, however, there was one point of conversation that did particularly sit right with me. When mentioning the cost management of the university’s construction progress and increasing class sizes, the Board mentioned how, if the school wanted to keep admitting a diverse new class of students every year, it would be financially costly for them to maintain their stats. They said that if they wanted to admit under-represented races and ethnicities, it would mean that the university would have to increase their expenses on financial aid packages to cover such students. The thought of seeing diversity as a financial burden for the institution was not a particularly happy thing to picture and goes against any previously mentioned pride over the diverse student body.

I hope that one day, I can see Cornell grow into an institution where diversity is more than just a requirement and just something that makes this campus so culturally rich and special. It was really interesting to hear from the Board of Trustees and I look forward to seeing the new changes they bring to the Cornell community in the near future.

Stick to the Script

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“If you get shown a problem, but have no idea how to control it, then you just decide to get used to the problem.” – Squeeze (Sorry to Bother You)

Sorry to Bother You is a brilliant satire that covers issues ranging from racial profiling, social gentrification, to corporate corruption. The main character Cassius ‘Cash’ Green is introduced as a regular man of his time, struggling to keep up with the unstoppable changes of constantly growing corporate America. Cash and his girlfriend, passionate eccentric artist Detroit, live day by day, paycheck to paycheck, trying to maintain a balance between their hopeful dreams and undeniable reality. They represent not only the issues of the lower middle class in the country but also the problems for today’s youth.

The movie portrays the injustices of our current economy, where only the top 1% have access to a comfortable life and freedom. As Cash goes up on the ranks on his company, he begins to create a name for himself. His growing reputation as a “Power Caller” emerges from his ability to project a “white voice” that is proven to be the key to success for minority telemarketers. The attribute of the “white voice” is highly emphasized through a very obvious dub over the actor’s own voice, highlighting the evident racist roots on this country’s definition of success. Social commentaries on racism are recurrent throughout the film, with the second most clear example being the forced rap scene at the WorryFree party scene. The assumption of Cash’s knowledge of the music genre followed by his own repetition of derogatory lyrics, criticize not only today’s music industry but society’s perception of it.

WorryFree, the biggest villain of the film, is a multi-millionaire company that promises its workers guaranteed food and housing for their labor, feeding off unemployment, homelessness, and financially desperate families. Cassius’s collaboration with this company through his telemarketing missions creates the biggest question for the main character: is it morally acceptable to focus on one’s own success despite the undeniable corruption behind it? His friends and girlfriend try to show him the true injustice behind his actions and it takes a gruesome encounter with WorryFree’s scientific “project” for him to realize the ridiculousness of the situation.

After desperate attempts to fix his previous mistakes, a hopeless Cash has to go through the process of going viral and appearing in the country’s most popular (and disturbingly violent) television show for him to expose the company’s dark secrets. With the recovery of the undying support of his friends and an unexpected transformation, Cash succeeded in his mission of stopping WorryFree’s brutality.

All it took was for him not to stick to the script for once.