Preliminary reports make clear that drastic adjustments are bound to take shape across the seven colleges, with proposals ranging from merging academic departments to revising the academic calendar. But as daunting as some of these plans may seem, we hope the University seizes this opportunity to drastically overhaul fundamental academic requirements across the University to improve the effectiveness of the undergraduate education.

Here at Heroes & Villains we’re pretty bummed. It’s the end of Orientation Week and the future is bleak. We’ve searched long and hard to find some positives about the end of HEROIC O-Week. But aside from the mass exodus of VILLAINOUS freshmen from Collegetown, and the fact that our HEROIC livers are being given some much-needed time to recuperate, we’re really at a loss to find any other pluses about the end of HEROIC Camp Cornell.

Come next fall, Cornell’s seven undergraduate colleges may no longer all be standing.

This year, the Offices of the President and Provost will seek to minimize the budgetary deficit and we expect to see some of the most pivotal changes in the University’s history soon be implemented. But we are optimistic about the possibility that the current fiscal state will prompt Cornell to revamp its college system, which is out-dated, costly and inefficient.

When Kenneth Glover, the veteran Ujamaa housing director, was abruptly reassigned to another dormitory this summer, backlash from the Cornell community reflected overwhelming support for Glover and his community-building initiatives within the residential college. Many saw the move as an attack on Ujamaa, which was established in 1972 to foster and promote black heritage at the University, and the outcry prompted the administration to temporarily reinstate Glover’s position for a year.

To be frank, we’re surprised we made it to Slope Day,

But now that it’s here we’ve got much to say.

This semester’s been quite the wild ride,

As we embark on a hiatus, we step out with pride.

Budget cuts have been an ominous dark cloud,

Colleges’ funding were limited, from contract to endowed.

We watched as the Physical Sciences Library got the ax,

But what about the Lab of Ornithology? We had to ask.

As the billion dollar endowment continued to shrink,

The trustees sold $250 million in bonds, with just a nod and a wink.

Staff and faculty fret over the thought of their job security,

Questions loomed over Milstein Hall, its funding clouded in obscurity.

With the first direct election of Pres and Vice of the S.A.,

Charter schools are “laboratories of innovation,” according to the Obama Administration. And with the president set to lift limits on charter schools across the country — as part of a necessary overhaul of the national education system — we support the State University of New York Charter School Institute’s decision to grant a charter to the New Roots School here in Ithaca.

Although President David Skorton and Vice President of Human Resources Mary Opperman appeared yesterday on Ho Plaza to talk with students directly about diversity, their cause was overshadowed by a different pending cloud: the renegotiation of employee contracts. The administrators were unable to provide concrete answers to students and staff regarding workers’ rights and we hope that Day Hall has answers soon — given that workers’ contracts are due to expire on June 30, just two months away.

Cum Laude. Latin translation: with honor. The epitome of scholarly distinction. The acme of a superbly-executed undergraduate career.

With this semester winding down, a select group of seniors are laboring over final theses, fine-tuning lab reports and opening the doors to culminating performances — all with the hopes of securing those two striking Latin words (three if they are lucky: Magna Cum Laude, “with great honor,” or Summa Cum Laude, “with highest honor.”)

Others are sitting tight with the knowledge that, with their 3.5 GPA, they have already nailed it — and that they have done so without having bothered with any of that tiresome thesis / lab / performance work.

How much is an honors distinction worth at Cornell?

For the love of green, this has been one wild week down at the bat cave. With Earth Day and 4/20 back to back, we’re HEROICALLY burnt out ... not to mention blazed up. Now let’s go to Green Cafe.

We praise the HEROIC Libertarians who were out there in the cold rain for the love of green. We’re pretty sure that’s why the HEROIC Bill Nye ’77 was in town. The HEROIC bow ties are all just for show. We know back in his days on the Hill, Nye sported the dreadlocks and tie dye.

Speaking of dreadlocks ... the HEROIC Asa Craig ’11 was elected as a trustee this week — with the little-known stipulation that he grow out his HEROIC dreadlocks again. I guess the white flag fooled us all.

New York may soon be counted among the few states that offer marriage equality to gay and lesbian couples, depending on the outcome of a bill introduced last week. The bill has been championed by Governor Paterson, who rightly aligned the outlawing of gay marriage with historical examples of discrimination. It is undeniable that we can no more justify a separate-but-equal solution for same-sex couples today than we could for the segregation of blacks 50 years ago.