As students walked in and out of Collegetown last Friday, many were surprised to find that an ordinary parking space had become a public park for the day. Some even chose to sit down upon the mat of fall foliage and talk with the landscape architects who arranged the site. Nearby, a can collected donations to feed the meter.

“Some people consider open space to be prohibitive in big infill developments,” said Christopher Mateo grad, secretary of the American Society of Landscape Architects’s Cornell chapter’s executive committee. “We want to show how much green space you can contain in a 9-by-18 square foot plot.”

As one of our nation’s most destructive and deadly hurricanes barreled through the Gulf Coast, millions lost everything they owned, leaving them with nothing but an overwhelming mess. The government quickly became entangled in a tremendously expensive restructuring program for all the cities destroyed by this unexpected event. Consequently, the U.S. became reliant on guest-workers to rebuild the area. This developed into an embarrassing and unlawful situation as the workers began to face major human rights violations. In times of turmoil, perspective can be lost, leading to unjust practices. Are there ever times when this is acceptable?

Once again, Cornell has received recognition both from the American Association of Retired Persons and Working Mother Magazine for its workplace environment. This is the third consecutive year that Cornell was placed on the AARP’s list of “Best Employers for Workers over 50” and the second time Working Mother magazine placed Cornell on the “100 Best Companies” for working mothers.

The AARP ranked Cornell 24th on a list of the top 50 companies to work for.