The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/2000/10/17/commons-building-plan-moves-forward/)
Commons Building Plan Moves Forward
By ryan | October 17, 2000
Cornell University has begun the search for a developer for its new downtown office building, a partnership between the City of Ithaca and the University strengthening town-gown ties.
"We're hoping to have a developer selected by the end of the year," said John Majeroni, University director of real estate. "All of 2001 will be involved for the project."
The preferred location for the building is the current site of Tompkins County Trust Company on the Commons. If the location is approved by the Common Council, the bank's 55 employees will temporarily relocate for up to two years before opening up offices in the new building.
"The bank owns quite a bit of property," said Fran Benedict, a consultant with Tompkins County Trust Company. "Our customers will have very little inconvenience."
Tompkins County Trust Company fully occupies both floors of the present building, which will be demolished before the multi-story building goes up. Majeroni anticipates construction will begin in 2002 and will be completed within 18 to 24 months.
Benedict indicated that the developer "might have to keep the facade" of the original building, which could come under question by the Ithaca Historical Society.
Majeroni denied that the facade is being pegged as a historical landmark, but noted that new building will not change the face of the Commons.
"The facade of the building preserves the character of the Commons," he said. "Anything we do will also preserve the character of the community."
The University's 300 staff members will occupy 70,000 square feet of the 130,000 square foot building, making it the primary tenant in the $17 million building for the duration of the 20-year agreement.
Fifty thousand square feet will be leased to local businesses, and the remainder to storefront property. The bank will return to the first and second floors.
"The bank looks at it as a major inconvenience for a few years," Benedict said. "But nothing we can't handle. We're looking at the long run, not the short term."
Archived article by Beth Herskovits
University Begins Search for New Dean of Students
By ryan October 18, 2000
Cornell will begin its search for the University's second dean of students this week, said Susan H. Murphy '73, vice president for student and academic services. John L. Ford, the original Robert W. and Elizabeth C. Staley Dean of Students will vacate the position on Jan. 3, 2001, heading south to become the vice president and dean of campus life at Emory University. The Sun reported last month that Ford — a mainstay at the University since 1974 — would depart the Ithaca campus. He had been selected among four finalists for the Emory position. "I wondered what I could accomplish at a smaller university," Ford said when announcing his departure. "This is an opportunity that doesn't present itself very often." For Cornell, an interim dean may head the Office of the Dean of Students in the spring for the second time in three years. During the spring of 1999, Ford had been named an American Council on Education fellow, and Tanni Hall, associate dean of students, served in his place. "His job is just so comprehensive, so broad in scope," Hall said of her experience. "It was very nice to just step in and get that point of view." After Ford had developed the dean of students office from its inception — the 1992 merger of offices for student unions and activities — his move came as little surprise among the dean's staff. Still, the news of Ford's departure was not widespread until he was mentioned as a finalist for the Emory position. Then, Hall said, "It really made sense that he would be looking for the next step up." To accommodate the change in leadership in the dean's office while overseeing all of the student unions and programs, Hall and the rest of the staff devised an organizational chart for the Willard Straight operation and divided the tasks among themselves. "Everybody in this office had to pitch in. It really had a sense of a team effort," Hall recalled. "I hope that — to the people who received our services — [the semester's transition] appeared seamless," said Catherine Holmes '85, associate dean of students. That year, the office won an award for the 30-year commemoration of the Willard Straight takeover, and the group of people comprising the office then remains largely intact today. With the Office of the Dean of Students in mind, Holmes said that if the University required an interim dean once again, then many hope to see Hall return to her temporary post from two years past. "A lot of us are hoping that that would be the direction in which we go [next semester]," she said. Hall acknowledged the opportunity that appears to be arising for her, but she would not confirm that the job would be hers in the spring. "It would seem likely, and I would really enjoy the opportunity," Hall said, though she has not yet formally discussed the matter with the Administration. The search for the dean's permanent replacement is an entirely different process than finding an interim dean. "As the description reads now, I am pretty sure that the priority would be to get someone with faculty experience," she said, citing Ford's doctoral degree and administrative experience as precedent. "It's going to be really hard to fill that position by Jan. 3." In the meantime, "we're doing business as usual," Hall said. The interim dean will have duties such as meeting with the Board of Trustees, alumni and members of the greek system and campus at large. Sometimes, though, the dean just has to respond to concerned parents over the telephone, said Holmes, who works closely with student assemblies. Additionally, the new dean will have to supervise the various organizations operating in Willard Straight Hall. Holmes recently advised the Student Activities Forum to prepare for meeting the challenge of replacing Ford in a proactive manner. Several students have already demonstrated their interest in the search process, she said. Seemingly an ordinary semester, students and staff are keeping the short-term future in the backs of their minds. "At this point it doesn't feel like a whole lot is changed yet," Holmes said. Craig Koester '01, director of the Cornell University Program Board, began considering what he would look for in a new dean. "The dean of students is supposed to be the representative of all the students on campus," Koester said. With an impending transition on the horizon, the dean's office and students directly involved with the office remain undaunted by the challenges that change presents. "When we know what the interim plan is, then we will just fold that into our work," Hall said.Archived article by Matthew Hirsch
Bush, Gore Reconvene in Final Debate
Last night, presidential hopefuls Al Gore and George W. Bush held their final debate at Washington University in St. Louis. Topics discussed in the "town meeting" format debate ranged from school vouchers and foreign policy in the Middle East to whether today's politicians can be relied upon to fulfill their promises. Each disputed the other's position on such topics as federal spending, social security and health care. In addition to challenging each other, the candidates chided one another for using "high school debate tricks," for making unrealistic promises and for skewing information. Cornell Democrats in conjunction with Students for Gore hosted a screening of last night's debate at Robert Purcell Community Center (RPCC), where they handed out flyers and bumper stickers for all of the Democratic candidates on federal, state and local levels. Despite a turnout smaller than other two debates with roughly 75 RPCC attendees, Michael Moschella '02, president of the Cornell Democrats, was happy with the overall result of the event and the general feeling that students have shown about the upcoming election. "It shows how students at Cornell are excited and motivated." Many students who had attended the debate had their minds made up about Gore and Bush, though some students who back Gore showed surprise when they learned that Gore supports the death penalty, an unusual position for a Democratic candidate to take. "[This debate] definitely affirms my opinion that I'm voting for Gore," said Pam Sporborg '04, "I already knew where [the Democrats] stood on the issues, getting to know them before the debates. Watching tonight was for pure entertainment value." Jason Conn '03, leader of Students for Gore and former White House intern, felt that this debate showed how personable Gore can be. Bush supporter Tommy Mastrangelo '04 offered another perspective on Gore. "I think Gore finally found a good debate strategy — talk like a Republican. The closer Gore gets in the polls, the more conservative he talks to get the swing vote," he said. He added that this race does hold importance for students at Cornell. "From the Students for Gore perspective, this is the fourth straight time the Republican candidate didn't mention higher education, and that should be important to students."Archived article by Michael Kahn