Cornell University

For other uses of the name Cornell, see Cornell (disambiguation).

Student life

Activities

Cornell is considered one of the most diverse campuses in the nation. There are more than 800 registered student organizations, running the interest gamut from kayaking to full-armor jousting, from the Cornell Collegiate Curling Program and a cappella groups to improvisational theatre, from political clubs and publications to chess and video game clubs. It also houses the largest fully student-run organization in the Ivy League in the form of its marching band. Cornell also hosts one of the largest fraternity and sorority systems in North America, with over 60 chapters involving 30 percent of undergraduate students. Many groups are subsidized financially by the Student Assembly Finance Commission, a student-run organization that gives nearly $1,000,000 a year to clubs and organizations. The oldest student organization is the internationally recognized Cornell University Glee Club. The school's newspaper, the Cornell Daily Sun, is the oldest continuously independent college daily in the United States, having been published since September, 1880.

Related Topics:
Kayak - Jousting - Curling - A cappella - Improvisational theatre - Chess - Video game - Marching band - Fraternity and sorority - Undergraduate - Cornell University Glee Club - Cornell Daily Sun - 1880

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Housing

University housing is broadly divided into three sections: West Campus, Collegetown and North Campus. As a result of President Hunter R. Rawlings III's 1997 Residential Initative, West Campus houses mostly transfer and returning students, whereas North Campus is almost entirely populated by freshmen. The only options for living on North Campus for upperclassmen are the program houses, Risley Residential College,Just About Music (JAM), the Ecology House, Holland International Living Center (HILC),the Multicultural Living Learning Unit (MLLU), the Latino Living Center (LLC), Akwe:kon, and Ujaama.

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In an attempt to create a sense of community and an atmosphere of education outside the classroom, the University has undertaken the $250 million residential college project on West Campus. In line with Andrew Dickson White's vision of the University, the West Campus housing will be demolished and rebuilt as five residential colleges. The first House, the Alice Cook House, was opened to students in 2004, followed by the Carl Becker House in 2005. The next house will be the Hans Bethe House. The names of the Houses come from notable Cornell professors. The idea of building a House system can be attributed in part to the success of Risley Residential College, the oldest continually-in-use residential college at Cornell. Like Risley, the new houses will have their own dining halls, student governments, in-house lectures, House trips, and crests. The completion of the five-"House" "residential college" campus will occur in 2010 http://housing.cornell.edu/housing_residential/cook_house.asp.

Related Topics:
Residential college - Alice Cook House - Carl Becker House - Hans Bethe House - Risley Residential College - Crests - 2010

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A variety of off-campus housing options exist. Many homes in the East Hill neighborhoods adjacent to the University have been converted to apartments, and several high-rise apartment complexes have been constructed in the Collegetown neighborhood. A significant number of undergraduate students live in fraternity and sorority houses. Many "co-op" or other independent living units such as Watermargin, Telluride House, Young Israel, and the Wait Cooperative also exist.

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The campus dining services have been rated as one of the top college dining services many times in recent years.

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Suicides

Two beautiful, deep gorges cut through the Cornell campus. They are infamous for students who have leapt to their death. According to Cornell's Gannett Health Services, over 10 years the average number of student suicides is two per year, consistent with national epidemiological data for college student suicides (1 per 10,000). This is half the national rate for individuals in this age group who are not in college. The myth that Cornell features one of the nation's highest suicide rates is most likely promulgated by:

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• Suicides in the gorges by Ithaca residents and visitors
• A media focus on Cornell
• Word of mouth, urban legends
• Accidental deaths of students in the gorges

Cornell is involved in a collaboration with the Jed Foundation and several other universities to enhance and evaluate university-wide efforts to identify and intervene with students in distress, prevent suicides, reduce harm related to mental health problems, and enhance student mental health.

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Cornell's Image

Complaints by students, especially with regard to the "Big Red Box" logo, led the Student Assembly to form an Image Committee to improve Cornell's image. With this effort, and the release of a completely redesigned new website, the university seeks to create a public image more in line with other Ivy League schools.

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