I was able to make the pilgrimage back to Ithaca this weekend for the University’s 138th Commencement. As anybody who has ever experienced a commencement ceremony in Ithaca before can attest, the weekend brought out the best of all Cornell has to offer. The doctoral gowns were as impressive as always, the Glee Club and Chorus performed beautifully, President Rawlings’s speech on Cornell’s historical role in forming lifelong bonds between professors and students was timeless, and the blue sky and 85 degree weather left little else to be desired. And the weekend ended in perhaps the only fitting way: with a leisurely swim in Fall Creek below the suspension bridge followed with a night cap (or two or three) at the Chapter House. That is, all was in fine form at the University except for one thing – many parts of the University did not appear to have its grass cut recently, which struck me as quite odd. The flowers, landscaping, and gardening looked beautiful as always, but dandelions and unkempt grass were to be found across the Slope and the Arts Quad. With so many wallet-opening parents and alumni/ae on campus this past weekend, wasn’t this a bit tactless of the university administration? A little bit akin to leaving one’s dirty laundry lying around the house when you have invited guests over…
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