I initially thought this was going to be a formal conversation where Vice President Lombardi was just going to give us information about the plans for the Spring semester. But it was the complete opposite. He allowed everybody to introduce themselves and genuinely seemed to want to get to know everybody. He was open to possible suggestions to improve next semester and made sure to answer everybody’s questions to the best of his ability. He even promised to get back to people who asked questions he couldn’t answer during the talk. The energy he brought to the talk gives me confidence that the Spring semester will run smoother than the Fall semester. The conservation was really helpful for me because people asked questions about topics that I wasn’t initially thinking about, but will also affect me as well.

The table talk with Vice President Ryan Lombardi made me excited for what is in store next semester. It was very comforting to hear that 98% of students were complying with the COVID-19 surveillance testing. This could possibly allow for more campus activities and in-person classes in the next semester. Although everything is still pretty uncertain, it seems like Cornell has managed to have the virus more under control. It was also very nice to actually be able to ask VP Ryan Lombardi questions and talk to him directly. Cornell’s success in dealing with the pandemic is inspiring and makes me excited to return for the spring semester. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a lot of uncertainty to students and faculty at Cornell and across the nation. Thanks to Dr. Lombardi, a lot of questions regarding the spring semester were answered. What I liked the most was that he listened to all students and took recommendations from the students in the discussion. He interacted with us and listened to our thoughts, which made him more approachable and easier to talk to. Usually, people in higher administration have larger concerns to attend to before talking to students, but Dr. Lombardi truly cares about connecting the student body to the administration.

2020 is already a year for the books, but 2021 does not seem to be any better. In the table talk with VP Ryan Lombardi, there still seemed to be uncertainty for what the incoming semester would like in regards to a lot of areas (i.e. scheduling, sports, etc.). However, there were some positive results that made this semester a very effective one when it came to COVID-19. In my opinion, I believe if Cornell continues to take these measures, they can expect to see if not the same results, even better ones too! Despite this, I am wary of what is to come however, because despite this pandemic, mental health is not a concern for many professors and they may push the limits even more next semester.

 I attended the Table Talk with Ryan Lombardi. It was a smaller zoom session than I had anticipated, and everyone was free to share any concerns they had or questions that they had. A lot of questions my peers asked were interesting. I learned that the capacity of the campus was around 70% and is expected to increase a lot next semester. I feel that COVID has caused a lot of people to stay inside. I thought that a lot fewer people were on campus than are. I also shared in Lombardi’s excitement about how responsible most of the Cornell community has been with testing and completing things like the Daily check. I was able to share a concern about my financial aid situation. Thanks to Lombardi I was able to get a much-needed response. Another international student shared concerns about coming back to campus that were also likely addressed afterward. It was a very cool experience being able to speak and hear from Mr.Lombardi. I think getting emails from him in the past and other Cornell officials seem so far away and impersonal at times. It was refreshing to put a voice and face to a name.

I was a little nervous going into our table talk with Vice President Ryan Lombardi. I had never actually talked to him before and I was not sure how many people were going to be on our call and if we would actually get the chance to ask questions. here was only 14 of us on the call so we were able to ask questions about the things that were important to us. I am a sprint football manager and I was able to ask about sports and what some o the ideas are for the upcoming seasons. I also got to ask about how things will look in the spring when we return. I kind of felt reassured after our talk and felt that it was okay to pack up just what I needed not everything in case we do not come back. I felt more confident about leaving and coming back.

I really felt that this was a great way to connect with the higher-ups of the school without having to feel any sort of mediation or secrecy. It felt personal, even though we were in a Zoom call. We were able to find out a bit about how the departure process would go, and ultimately how coming back to school would be.

Perhaps when we come back in February we’ll be able to get closer to the normal we had before COVID-19.

Yesterday I attended a table talk event with Ryan Lombardi.  Throughout the pandemic and before, I have received many emails from him about student and campus life as we prepared for returning to campus and started to learn what it would look like.  It was great to be able to talk to him beyond these emails and learn more about his role at Cornell and how the administration planned the campus reopening.  After talking, I could tell that Lombardi genuinely cares about students and wanted to hear our input and feedback.  He was very attentive and listened to the concerns that people raised, even promising to follow up with individual students’ issues.  When talking about what the spring semester will look like, he said that many more students will be coming back to campus in the spring compared to this semester.  He said that he was confident in our ability to make this reopening plan work, and is glad that it has so far been successful.  I am grateful that the administration worked hard to open campus, as I am so happy to be here in Ithaca and be able to have some college experience, even if it is not the same as usual.

It was nice getting to talk with Vice President Ryan Lombardi tonight. I appreciated how open he was with talking about Cornell’s plans for the spring. He said that he estimates around 90% of the student body to be back on campus next semester, compared to 73% this semester. I am studying remotely this semester, so hopefully I will be able to be part of the 90% that returns next semester. He talked a little bit about what classes might look like in the future; he expects that there will be more in-person classes next semester, but it will still be up to the professors as to whether or not they want to teach in person. He shared that there will probably be a virtual rush for Greek organizations, as well. It meant a lot to me that he asked for our input on breaks. I personally have been feeling somewhat overwhelmed due to the lack of a substantial break, so having more days off would be great for the spring, especially since it will be a longer semester. However, I understand that it would be hard to have a longer break since the majority of COVID cases have been as a result of travel. It was nice to hear the thoughts of other students with varying perspectives, from transfer students to international students and student athletes. It was also nice to know more about Dr. Lombardi as a person. He mentioned that he went to college in Pennsylvania, his daughter plays ice hockey, and that New York is the eighth state he’s lived in so far. Cornell’s administration can feel very distant, so I enjoyed getting to hear from an administrator in this setting.

After attending the Table Talk with Ryan Lombardi I have gained a lot of insight on how Cornell really is performing during this hectic time. I found it interesting how Lombardi stated how many people did not believe that Cornell could control the coronavirus pandemic and that it would eventually shut down during the first couple of weeks. He himself disagreed and from this day his instincts were on point, where I too was a naysayer at one point. In addition, many of the students as well as I were pushing Lombardi to try to get more breaks for us as we desperately need them during these very difficult times. Overall, my biggest grievance was acknowledged by another student to Lombardi, being that there is no testing site located on West Campus, where I live, and that in order to get tested we have to walk up the slope every single time. If this is the only change that could happen, I would be very appreciative of it although the exercise can be good for us sometimes.

I always thought Dr. Lombardi was a really nice guy judging by his continual encouraging emails about students’ COVID efforts on campus, and after getting to sit down with him during a table talk this belief has been more than confirmed. He seemed genuinely happy to talk to all of us and answer our questions about COVID-19, move in, spring semester plans, and so much more. I am so happy to be at a place like Cornell where the faculty value our opinions and concerns. I thought an exciting point made was that Dr. Lombardi estimates 40-50% of classes will be in person next semester, compared to the around 25% this semester. Cornell is also hoping to allow in person student life events quicker next semester so long as our COVID numbers stay down.