Author Archives: Nooz Staff

RedRover Taken out Back and Put Down

ITHACA- On today’s wintry November morning, Poppa Skorton rose at the crack of dawn, blurry eyed and grim, ready to perform a deed he knew he wouldn’t soon forget. Today was the day pap Davie would take Red Rover out behind the Big Red Barn and bring the sweet creature’s suffering to an end.

“I suppose old Rover was getting on in years, but still, a thing like that ain’t never easy” Skorton told CU Nooz. “I like to think I was just putting her out of her misery, at least that’s what I tell myself.”

At press time, a statement had been released saying that Red Rover had been sent off to a farm in Binghamton, where she has lots of space to run around and play with other internets.

Skorton Reveals Plan to Cover Entire Campus in Giant Glass Dome by 2017

ITHACA, NY — Inspired by the plans for the “Gateway to the Arts Quad,” pictured, planned to be completed by 2015, President David Skorton has outlined a plan to cover the entirety of Cornell’s central campus in a glass dome to create “the atrium to end all atriums.”

“Look,” Skorton said as he shuffled architectural plans around his disheveled desk, “When I got here, Cornell had a ton of old buildings. McGraw, Morrill, Olin Library, they’re all great, but they’re made with brick. Brick is out. Atrium is in.”

With the prominence of the relatively-new Physical Sciences Building and Milstein Hall in addition to the under-construction Klarman Hall on East Avenue, Skorton has developed an affinity for covering the old buildings in a glass roofs for aesthetic and re-branding purposes. “No, no, these buildings are only the beginning,” President Skorton said with a mad glint in his eye. “I want to turn the entire campus into an atrium, cover the whole damn thing in glass.”

When confronted by concerns about the ambitions and costs of such a project, Skorton replied, “It’s 2013, baby! Glass is cheap and Cornell construction happens fast. Now’s the time to build to ensure that we remain on the forefront of atrium-based architecture for years to come.” Skorton speculates that the dome will eventually pay for itself, by providing a valuable buffer against cold weather, deer, and Ithaca residents.

Apprehensive Freshman “Might Have Underestimated” How Cold Upstate New York Really Is

ITHACA, NY – Last Tuesday, Freshman Human Development Major, Julia Bowers ‘17, confided to her twitter followers that she may have regrets towards attending school so far north.

She tweeted, “28 degrees in October!? I should have just gone to Duke. #cornellproblems #LayersOnLayersonLayers #CantPee”

A current resident of Richmond, Virginia, Bowers confided that she “might have overlooked the whole cold aspect.”

“I mean, the weather on campus was so beautiful when I visited during Cornell Days in April and people kept saying that Ithaca is gorgeous! Sure, I was warned that upstate New York was cold, but, I figured it couldn’t be that bad. I mean it’s snowed plenty of times where I’m from–sometimes even up to 2 whole inches!”

Bowers continued, “But that’s just it, I’m used to winter in the winter. It’s not even November yet! What’s going to happen in January and February? Am I going to die?”

Bowers is also perplexed by the casual tolerance and acceptance of this weather by her northern born peers.

“’I’ve already got all my winter gear on each morning when I walk to class–my adorable little hat and mittens ensemble, and even my big puffy jacket. But everywhere I see, people are mocking me. Some are just wearing light sweaters and some are even still in shorts!”

Photo Credit: Flickr user lay_d_lay

Alumni Update: Bench Fondly Remembered by Class of 1974

The bench outside of RPCC brings back many memories for the class of 1974, after which it has been dedicated. Here, alumni of ’74 share their stories:

Daniel Dykeman- “I remember from my days at Cornell that there were just so many benches on Cornell’s campus, but by far that one was my favorite. It was a perfect stone slab on top of two different stone slabs, and for me it was synonymous with freedom.”

Ted Decker- “That bench was where I would sit and eat dinner because none of my friends wanted me to go inside.”

Jessica Schwartz- “Me and my friends made a pact for our four years at Cornell. Every Friday, when we would go to parties on North Campus, we would meet at that bench to make sure each other’s dress was okay, if we knew where we were going and who was bringing what. I will always remember that bench as our beacon, a place where we would go to be together as friends. And then early every Saturday morning we would meet back by the bench and dry heave.”

Austin Coleman- “I had sex on that bench in the middle of winter.”

Austin Coleman’s wife- “Really?”

Austin Coleman- “No.”

Minority Student’s “White Person” Halloween Costume Causes Public Outrage

Racial tensions peaked on Saturday as a minority student thought it would be funny to dress up as a white person for Halloween. The student, who wishes to remain anonymous, has received threats from the majority community. Photos from Facebook reveal that the student, dressed in beige khakis, brown loafers, and a v-neck sweater pulled over a blue button-down, carried around a sign that read, “I’m from a New Jersey suburb.”

“Halloween is not an excuse to be culturally appropriative or racist,” said sophomore Brittany Reed. “The costume wearer can escape confronting the histories and consequences of those stereotypes by taking the costume off. White people cannot; it is their everyday reality.”

“People really need to get out of their racially insensitive bubble. If you just decide to wear a costume because you saw it online and it looked cool, that’s not okay,” remarked Blake Cooper.

In the words of Kathy Zoner, chief of the Cornell University Police Department, “Costumes sometimes temporarily change personalities, and not always for the better.“ This incident comes at the wake of other racial costume controversies at Cornell.

Photo Credit: Bethany Struble and Lookbook

Clocktower Plays “Rains of Castamere” Over Chimes- Campus-Wide Panic Ensues

ITHACA- Last Thursday, the Cornell campus erupted into chaos after McGraw Clocktower played “Rains of Castamere” over chimes. The song, widely associated with The Red Wedding, a horrific slaughter-fest in the hit HBO Series, “Game of Thrones,” could be heard all throughout campus.

“I was just studying in the 7th Floor Stacks of Olin Library when it happened. At first, it kind of slipped my mind, but as soon as I realized what I was hearing, I went into shock,” remarked Jorge Falla ‘15. “I was more in denial than anything else. I mean who would be stupid enough to play that song? Did they not understand the possible ramifications?”

“After the second minute, things got scary. Every person started rushing for the door, trying to escape,” added Falla, explaining “Since everyone was running in the same direction, people thought they were being chased.”

In the Terrace eatery, hysteria ensued as nearly every patron was convinced that they had been poisoned. In the midst of the frenzy, a group of girls, still on-line waiting for their salad, ransacked the counter while throwing plastic knives at the Cornell Dining Staff.

The escalation reached it’s peak in Professor Freyman’s Political Discourse & Violence course. Convinced that Freyman was attempting to massacre the entire lecture hall, the students forcibly grabbed Natalie Roslin, Freyman’s Graduate Student T.A. The students then threatened to slit his T.A.’s throat if he didn’t let them go–to which Freyman responded sternly that he “would find another.”

Hopelessly Foreign Exchange Student Excited for Halloween

ITHACA- Bratslavian student Bohuslav Grergonsk is reportedly very excited to spend his first American Halloween at Cornell. Bohuslav told CU Nooz that he planned to “make good costume of the Breaking Bad or Miley Montanas” in order to share his love of American culture with his fellow classmates. Bohuslav was also hopeful to “do treating tricks” and “tell goat stories,” adding “I have many goat stories.”

The Slovakian Sophomore also hopes to share some of his own traditions from the Bratslavian Halloween equivalent, Day of Wretched Hallows, including “The shoeing of the Rumplewitch” and “eating stew of ghost.”

Above: Bohuslav tries to “make a boo  scare” on his suite-mates.

Cornell to Hire Townies to Improve Internet Service

ITHACA – In response to faltering WiFi signals throughout campus, especially in high-traffic locations like Trillium and Statler, Cornell University has decided to hire local Ithaca residents to circulate buildings holding local hot-spot routers.

This plan was coordinated with Mayor Svante Myrick in response to students’ anger over lack of Internet service and Myrick’s desire to improve the local unemployment rate. Myrick told CU Nooz, “This plan enables Ithaca to utilize its citizens’ unique talents; nobody else is as prepared as they are to walk around in a counter-clockwise fashion to deliver high-speed internet to students in need.”

Junior Willie Kim says, “I’m just glad they came up with a solution. The townies circulating Olin are a little distracting, but it beats getting disconnected from Facebook every 30 seconds.”

The administration says the plan will be fully implemented at the start of November, after an intense screening process to determine the most qualified candidates. CU Nooz received a sample of the questions to be asked to potential human internet beacons, including “Have you ever been arrested?”, “Do you know which direction counter-clockwise is?”, and “Are you able to remain standing for extended periods of time?”

Freshman Tries Adderall, Totally Loses It

ITHACA, NY – Yesterday, freshman Pre-Law Jacob McPherson sat in Olin 5th floor stacks unassumingly, contemplating taking the single 60 milligram dose of Adderall that he bought on Saturday night from a member of a fraternity on campus. After weighing the pros and cons, McPherson decided to ingest the study drug for the first time, as he had an overdue problem set and a 6 page paper to write.

Twenty minutes after doing so, McPherson experienced an awakening of both mind and body. His suite-mate, Anthony Jones, who accompanied McPherson in the stacks, recalled hearing “strange, animalistic noises” and upon turning around, witnessed McPherson “sweating profusely” and “blinking rapidly – alarmingly so”. Jones also noted that McPherson was “absolutely tweaking” on his laptop, either tapping the keys much too loudly or clicking the mouse in great excess. Passersby have said that McPherson was caught “vigorously spinning his head” whenever another student walked by his desk.

McPherson could not be reached for comment. “I think he’s going to get more” stated Jones.

Photo courtesy isportsweb.com

David Skorton’s Morton’s Steakhouse Big Hit in Ithaca Area

ITHACA – Last night University President David Skorton traded in his suit and tie for a tuxedo and tray of free samples in order to promote his new collegetown dining establishment, an Ithaca branch of the Morton’s Steakhouse chain. Proudly standing outside the restaurant, located at the corner of College and Dryden, Skorton gleefully delivered complimentary ahi tuna sliders to passersby as he encouraged students to come inside and enjoy moderately priced grilled beef, poultry, and seafood fare.

David Skorton adds restaurant entrepreneurship to a long and illustrious career including previous work as a professor at the University of Iowa and President of Cornell University.

The seasoned academic told CU Nooz that an opportunity to own the 82nd establishment of the Morton’s chain, “sprung up out of nowhere” but he “couldn’t resist” this opportunity. Skorton added, “This is a dream come true and by far my proudest career achievement”

New menu items include the Big Red Ribeye, 16 oz Gorge-ous Porterhouse, and the beef tri-state-area-tip.

Photo courtesy tripadvisor.com