Op-Ed
Year Seven
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Saturdays Excepted
.jpg "Saturdays Excepted")
The more things change, the more they stay the same
Six years ago last Friday I left my house in New Jersey at about 4:00 a.m. in a minivan, my family and my belongings in tow, and began the four-hour drive up to Ithaca. We arrived at Court Hall at roughly 8:00 a.m. to begin the move-in process. I was to be a student in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations — I was beginning my first year at Cornell.
Six days ago, I left my house in New Jersey at about 6:00 a.m., in my car, with my belongings in tow, and I began the four-hour drive up to Ithaca. I arrived at my apartment building at roughly 10:00 a.m., and I started to move my stuff back in. I was already a student in the Law School — and I was beginning my seventh, and final, year at Cornell.
It’s weird to think about it, but so much has changed around here over the last six years, while so much has also remained the same.
For example:
We’ve had three different university presidents in the last six years but, until this year, the same provost.
President Skorton took over for President Rawlings who took over for President Lehman who took over for President Rawlings, but we still have a president who was previously the president of the University of Iowa.
Lynah Rink was the subject of a significant construction project, but the aura of the building has certainly remained (even if the success of the hockey teams of earlier this decade has not).
Ithaca has been infiltrated by big-box stores and national chains like Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Starbucks but students still frequent certain local businesses like Collegetown Bagels as if those national businesses don’t exist.
Cornell helped to build a new Hilton downtown, but the Statler still sells itself out on popular weekends.
The basketball team made the NCAA tournament and was the biggest sports story on campus last year, but the hockey team is still number one in the hearts of the student body (although I suppose this is up for debate).
The hockey ticket line process has changed what feels like a million times but the Ramin room still fills up with crazy fans for one night every fall.
Trillium was completely reconstructed recently, but the best salad on campus is still at the Terrace.
The Redbud Woods are gone, a parking lot in its place, but the Cornell Plantations are as beautiful as ever.
The Chariot is gone, but you can find their corn nuggets at The Nines.
You can’t fly to Pittsburgh from Ithaca anymore, but you can still get to La Guardia and Philadelphia – and now you can get to Detroit.
Bailey Hall no longer has 1,948 seats, undergoing construction for several of the last six years, but it still has 1,324 seats, and still houses Psych 101, taught by Professor Maas.
Noyes Community Center is gone, but Noyes Community Recreational Center is the centerpiece of the new West Campus.
The Sun moved into a new building, but it maintains its office on the Commons as it has for it’s entire existence.
The University instituted Peoplesoft, a new data management system that replaced Just the Facts, but there are still technical difficulties.
A lot of hubbub was made about U.S. News rankings, but Cornell is still ranked about the same (14, at last count).
Okenshields was remodeled, but Happy Dave keeps smilin’.
Slope Day is much more heavily controlled, but we still celebrate on the slope on the last day of classes.
Smoothie Hut is no longer in Collegetown, but Pita Pit remains.
What does this all mean? I’m not sure. But it’s interesting to reminisce. I’m sure I’ll be doing that a lot this year – much of it in this space. I’m looking forward to it.
Look out next week for the first column in the “Barely Legal” series, which will run biweekly on Mondays (opposite my column) this semester. The series will feature rotating editors and associates from the Cornell Law Review who will opine on legal topics of interest to undergraduate students.
Eric Finkelstein ’06 is a former Sun managing editor and is currently a second-year student in the Law School. He can be contacted at efinkelstein@cornellsun.com. Saturdays Excepted appears alternate Mondays this semester.