Dear Uncle Ezra has a historically incorrect response today regarding the list of 161 things that every Cornellian must do: Although I don't want to take away any deserved credit to my fledgling partner-in-crime (who has been MIA since September), the list didn't originate with the Class of 2005. What our class did was conduct a survey to update said list. The original list, a copy of which I've posted to MetaEzra was published in the March 1995 edition of the Cornell Alumni Magazine. Comparing the lists over the years, it's highly disappointing to observe how much the list has degraded in style and substance over time, not only from 1995 to 2005, but then again from 2005 through 2009. While the recent incarnations seem stuck on drinking and the hook-up culture, the original version of the list included such gems as reading Gravity's Rainbow, 'getting a mantra', debating the existence of God, and cross-country skiing in the plantations. At least skinny dipping in the gorge is still included. But any list that doesn't include a mention of Chapter House is clearly not authentic.The "161 Things" list was first published in The Cornell Daily Sun in spring 2005, where it has been updated and republished over the years since. Although a number of Sun staff contributed to the effort, I believe the masterminds were editor-in-chief Andy Guess '05, managing editor Freda Ready '05, associate editor Erica Stein '05, senior editor Peter Norlander '05, and senior class president Steve Blake '05.
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