This week’s Rose Cafe was about the very interesting history of West Campus as well as a behind-the-scenes tour of some really cool places. I have been living at Rose House for the last one and a half years now but I didn’t really know much about why these main houses were built and how it ties in together with the culture of Cornell. For example, as I am sure everyone knows, Cornell University was founded on the principle that any person could study any subject. In the 1860s, ‘any person’ meant people from all different backgrounds, ethnicities, etc; something that set Cornell apart from the rest of the Ivy League. For that reason, Ezra Cornell didn’t want people living in dorms like some exclusive club; he wanted people to live in town with the community. I really loved this idea of “elite, not elitist.” However, about 20 years ago, Cornell realised it was a real liability to not have undergraduate housing in some form and so plans were made to build the modern dorms in West and North Campus.

The second part of the program was equally fascinating. We first a took a trip through the twists and turns of the underground tunnel between Rose House and Becker House as well as the multiple elevators utilized for transporting food into our dining hall. Learning about the process made me feel really appreciative of all the effort that goes into it and all the workers who help keep the dining hall going. Afterwards, we headed to the war memorial room in Lyon Hall pictured below. This has also inspired me to explore more of campus and check out other lesser-known places.