The Cornell Daily Sun | Graduation Issue 2021 3
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RECAP OF EVENTS THAT TOOK PLACE DURING OUR TIME IN I THACA
SPRING 2021
TimeLine 2.21.21 BIG BOX ARRIVAL: Under slow flurries and gray skies, dozens of excited Cornellians and Ithacans lined up outside Trader Joe’s for its highly-anticipated opening. 3.31.21 NEW YORK STATE JOINS POT LEGALIZATION BANDWAGON: The New York State Legislature passed a bill allowing adults 21 and older to possess up to 3 ounces of cannabis or 24 grams of concentrate for recreational use. Individuals with some types of marijuana convictions will have the latter expunged from their records. 3.30.21 AS VACCINE ELIGIBILITY EXPANDS, STUDENTS RUSH TO GET FIRST DOSES: The Sun announced that while many Cornell students were not yet eligible, most staff members and faculty would now become qualified to receive vaccines on March 30 under guidelines that allow them for adults 30 and older. The state also plans to make the vaccine available to all adults on April 6, according to a statement released on March 29 by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) — a significant development for Cornell students. Josh Figueroa ’24 recently received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the State Fair Expo Center in Syracuse. While Figueroa was pleased with how his appointment went and how organized the vaccine clinic was, he said he had some difficulty registering. “The registration process was pretty stressful because appointments were being booked by the minute,” Figuerora said. 4.22.21 THIS YEARS’ VIRTUAL SLOPE DAY PERFORMERS ARE ANNOUNCED: Last Dinosaurs and Ari Lennox will be this year’s Virtual Slope Day performers on May 14 and 15, announced the Slope Day Programming Board. Though only half of the student body has experienced an in-person Slope Day, the Board nevertheless expressed hope that this year’s festivities would be fun. “The hope is that we as a student body can celebrate the end of the year as safely as we can, given that we’re still in a pandemic, with these concerts,” said Estefania Perez ’21, the Board’s executive director.
YI-KE PENG / SUN FILE PHOTO
Back to the future | Though many more rules and precautions will be be in place compared to the May 24, 2009 Graduation festivities seen above, this year’s celebration will nevertheless mark a welcome return to Schoellkopf Field and Stadium.
Graduation Returns to Schoellkopf Late change allows two guests per graduating student
Cornell will hold an in-person commencement for the Class of 2021, President Pollack announced in an April 6 email. She wrote then that the University was also planning for a virtual celebration for the Class of 2020 in June and an in-person Homecoming in September. Commencement will take place in Schoellkopf Field the weekend of May 29 — but Pollack’s original April 6 announcement stated that Cornell wouldn’t allow guests, and instead of a customary packed stadium, it would feature a series of smaller, outdoor socially-distanced events to honor graduating seniors, graduate and professional students. However, a significant modification of these arrangements took place on April 30, when, in another e-mail, Pollack said that New York state had just released updated public health guidance for commencement ceremonies. Because of this, she said, “where we were previously limited to using only 20 percent of the capacity in Schoellkopf Field, we are now permitted to use up to 33 percent, with our graduating students seated separately and not counting towards that total.” “I am excited to let you know that this means that it is now feasible for us to accommodate a limited number of guests at the Commencement ceremonies.” She added that each graduate would be given “two non-transferable tickets to enable two guests to attend one of the in-person
celebrations.” Students in the Class of 2021 living outside of Ithaca wishing to return for commencement must follow state travel guidelines, but the University will offer free rooms in residence halls for a short period before their graduation ceremony. Convocation will be fully virtual this year for this fall’s cohort of
“Even though this year’s ceremonies will look different than they have in years past, we are working hard to ensure that all of this year’s events will become memories to cherish.” President Martha Pollack first-year and new transfer students. And after more than a year of holding out hope for an in-person commencement, the Class of 2020 will gather virtually on June 13 for part of their virtual reunion. However, the University is planning an in-person Homecoming for graduates and their families and has marked the dates for a five-year reunion for June 2025. “Even though this year’s ceremonies will look different than they have in years past, we are working hard to ensure that all of this year’s events will become memories to cherish,” Pollack wrote.
April Art Project Bathes Schwartz Center in Colorful Glow
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or many Cornellians, sunbathing on the patio outside of Schwartz Performing Arts Center is a quintessential memory of joyful warm days in Ithaca. Yet, despite its location in the busiest and loudest part of Collegetown, very few people would linger there at night. The volatile nature of the night weather isn’t particularly welcoming, and even if you sit in a little wooden shelter outside Collegetown Bagels, it can still get quite chilly after they turn off their radiators. The metal chairs and tables and the Modernist architecture certainly do not help make the space feel warmer. And it’s not just about the weather and the architecture. Without the lateral sur-
veillance of the passersby, there’s a liminal quality to the space that is rather disorienting and unsettling. Afterall, the patio outside of
Stephen Yang Rewiring Technoculture Schwartz is transitional by nature. It’s the bordering intermediary point that dichotomizes the off-campus/on-campus distinction, where
people pass by to move between home and school environments. When people don’t linger at the space at night, though, the eeriness gets amplified by the emptiness and darkness. The tumultuous state of the half-finished construction of unaffordable housing across the street surely doesn’t help, either. Well, say goodbye to the liminality, but only temporarily — Adam Shulman ’23 has brought light, warmth and nature to the space. This past Sunday night, I sat down with him outside of Schwartz to talk about his artwork, “After Nature Had Drawn a Few Breaths.” Shulman said the origin for his work can See SCHWARTZ page 58
STEPHEN YANG / SUN ARTS COLUMNIST
Bringer of light | Adam Shulman ’23 stands before the Schwartz Performing Arts Center. See color photo of Shulman’s project on Page 33.
