During Wednesday’s Rose Café, Silviu Tanasoiu, the head coach of the men’s tennis team, came in to talk about one of the students he has coached. He talked about the recruitment process, Bernardo’s experience at Cornell on and off the court, and his road to the Ivy League championship game that the team had won. The part of the story that stood out to me the most was when he talked about how Bernardo became an inspiration for the team and how he persevered through difficult times at Cornell. Bernardo’s dedication to the team, his education, and his future is very inspirational. He also talked about how Bernardo never complained. It is very easy to complain about everything bad that is happening, but it is very difficult to not complain and stay positive. At least for me, having at least one person around me who is positive helps me be more positive and see the good things that have happened rather than the bad things. It is amazing how much the people that you surround yourself with can have an influence on you. Lastly, before the café, I did not realize how much the coaches do for their players. I did not realize that they not only coach the students on the court, but also help the students through academics and, in general, life. It was interesting to learn about the impact that the coaches have on their students. Everyone needs someone who really cares about them and is willing to help them through any difficulties they may encounter.
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Protecting the Environment
During Wednesday’s Rose Café, Andy Zepp came in to discuss his work with the Finger Lakes Land Trust. It was interesting to learn about his work preserving nature. I did not know that the run-off from agriculture land was affecting lakes. It was interesting to learn that algae bloom was caused by excess phosphate from the run-off of agriculture lands. It has a large ecological effect. It is not good for the environment and ecosystem for there to be toxic algae blooms that create dead spaces and are harmful. It is important to protect the environment and our surroundings because we are living in the area and should make it a good place for not only us to live in, but also for the local animals and plants to thrive in as well. We have a responsibility for caring and protecting our surroundings. It was also interesting to learn the impacts that the salt we use on the ground during the winter can impact Cayuga Lake. I never thought about where all the salt that we use during the winter ends up. Although there currently are no visible effects, salt should be used with the possible effects in mind and alternative to salt that does not have a strong environmental impact should be used instead. During the summer, I would love to visit the places that the Finger Lakes Land Trust has helped to protect and preserve.
Architecture Around Campus
During Wednesday’s Rose Café, Noah came to discuss his architectural projects on campus and in Collegetown and Ithaca. He had a slideshow of images of some of his past, present, and future projects, including the new tennis entryway and apartment complexes in Collegetown. The first image he showed us was of the entryway to the tennis courts and how the old entry way did not serve its purpose well. It was amazing to see the before and after pictures of the entry way. It was interesting to see how the same room could look so different. It was also interesting to hear about his thought process. Furthermore, the housing in Collegetown is either the apartments or houses that are for rent. It makes sense that they are planning to replace the houses with new apartment complexes because the apartments could house more people. It was interesting to learn about how he is trying to maximize the space in the apartment complexes. It is fascinating to see what Collegetown could look like in the future. I also did not realize that approval for the buildings can take a long time and some of his projects have been developing for a couple of years. It is important to learn about what is happening to around us because these housing projects may not necessarily affect us now, but they will definitely have an impact on housing in Collegetown in the future.
Understanding Piloting
During Wednesday’s Rose Café, Mike Comell, a pilot for Delta, came in to talk to us about what it is like to be a pilot. Before the café, I did not think about what it took to be a pilot, specifically what it took to be a commercial pilot. I did not know that there are five different licenses that a pilot needs to receive before they are able to fly a commercial plane. Becoming a pilot takes a lot of hard work and dedication. He also discussed his schedule and what a pilots schedule is like. He talked about what it meant for a pilot to time out. When a pilot times out or exceeds a certain amount of time in a given period they are no longer allowed to fly. Although it may cause inconvenience for passengers who may be on the flight, it is important for the pilots and flight attendants to get their rest. On every flight, I will make sure that I say thank you to flight attendants and pilots when exiting the plane. Furthermore, something interesting is that at certain times during the flight if you look out the window you could potentially see another plane pass. During flights, I rarely look out the window unless the plane is about to land and I could see the landscape of the place I am going. However now, I want to look out my window more and try to see if I could spot another plane in the distance. Lastly, he talked about how LaGuardia airport is his favorite airport to fly into. He talked about how he likes seeing the Hudson River and New York City. My favorite city to fly to is my hometown of Seattle. I love seeing all the evergreen trees, Lake Washington, the mountains surrounding the city, and of course the Space Needle. The view from the little tiny airplane window is the best view of the city. I never get tired of it.
West Campus Maintenance
During Wednesday’s Rose Café, Chris VanDruff came in to discuss the maintenance of West Campus. It was interesting to learn about how he decides how to spend the budget and also how maintenance requests are prioritized. It was also fascinating to learn that there are only four electricians for West Campus, North Campus, Collegetown, and the athletic buildings. It is amazing that these four electricians are able to get to all of these places to respond to maintenance requests. Before the Rose Cafés, I did not know that the newer buildings on West Campus were built in a rush, so many corners were cut in order to complete the buildings early. It was interesting to learn about some of the issues in the main houses such as the lights and fan switches. I also never really thought about how much work and thought goes into maintaining West Campus until this Rose Café. This Rose Café opened my eyes to more parts of West Campus that I don’t see on an every day basis when I am not on West. I will make sure that when I see the electricians or any one who works to maintain West Campus, I will say thank you and make sure they know how much I appreciate them.
Learning about West Campus’s History
During Wednesday’s Rose Café, Professor Blalock talked to us about West Campus’s fascinating history and took us to the tunnel that connects Cook, Becker, and Rose. It is interesting that Ezra Cornell did not want dorms on campus when the university was originally founded. It is also interesting that West Campus was built to attract new students and offer some kind of on-campus housing like other universities. It is strange to think about a time where Cornell did not have dorms because I am accustomed to dorm life and would not know what life at Cornell would be like without them. It is also fascinating that the West Campus houses were not named after rich donors, but rather former professors.
Furthermore, before the Rose Café, I did not know that there were tunnels that connected Cook, Becker, and Rose and then another tunnel that connects Keeton and Bethe. I also never knew that all the food that we get in Rose arrives via the tunnel. It was very interesting to see how the food gets to Rose. I am very grateful for the staff who brings our food to the dining halls through the tunnel. If I see any of them, I will make sure to say thank you. It is amazing to learn about the history of the place that I call home during the semester and to understand how West Campus became West Campus. This Rose Café made me open my eyes more to West Campus and also made me want to learn more about Cornell and its history. I want to continue learning about more parts of Cornell that I have not heard of before and to discover new places on campus.
Understanding Facilities
During Wednesday’s Rose Café, we had a conversation about facilities and maintenance of the facilities. Before the conversation, I did not know what happened to the dorms when the students leave for summer break, and the rooms were vacated. I had assumed that they were left vacant until the start of the next semester. However, during the conversation, I learned that the dorms become like a hotel for alumni’s returning for reunions and for people attending conferences at Cornell. I did not realize how much work is put in to make the dorm rooms like hotel rooms and also how much work is done in general during the summer. Furthermore, I learned about how maintenance requests are handled. Someone during the Rose Café mentioned how they had called facilities about the cleanliness of their bathroom, and people from facilities took time out of their busy day to meet with the student and look at the bathroom. It is amazing that they care so much about the students that they would meet with them and go over their concerns. I am appreciative of all the facilities staff who make sure that our buildings are clean. Anytime I see one of them, I will make sure that I say thank you and make sure that they know how appreciative I am of them.
Justice in Our Society
During Wednesday’s Rose Café, Judge Scott Miller came in to talk to us. He discussed how he sentences people. He discussed how he considers how the person grew up and their history. Before the café, I never thought about what it was like to be a judge and having to make these decisions. I did not think about how a judge would go about sentencing a person for a crime. Sentencing someone to jail is not something that can be taken lightly. It was amazing to hear about Judge Miller’s thought process when sentencing a person. I also realized that I have not followed any court cases all the way from trial to sentencing. After the café, I realized that I should pay more attention to cases because they have impacts our society. Furthermore, it was also interesting that he discussed changing education and healthcare in America. I agree with Judge Miller that the education and healthcare systems need to be changed. Education and healthcare are constantly talked about as issues. Although I do not have a clear idea about how to change them, I want to be in some way involved in the change.