Mortar Board Alumni Newsletter May 2015

Der Hexenkreis Chapter

Mortar Board Newsletter May 2015 Dear Mortar Board Alumni, Happy summer! As the academic year comes to an end, I am proud to say that our organization has had another great year!

We are excited to update you all with everything we’ve worked on this year.

Last summer we sent two members, Courtney Koelbel and Michael Gross, to the Mortar Board National Conference in Atlanta, GA. They returned with a lot of ideas for how we can improve our chapter and become involved in more events.

As you will see in this issue, we were able to partner with Alumni Affairs and Development when they hosted Bill Gates this fall. We are very excited by the beginning of this partnership, and look forward to continuing this relationship in the future.

We think there will be many more opportunities for us to get involved with the exciting events AA&D puts on for the campus.

Keeping with tradition, we hosted the fourth annual Leadership Reception to recognize young leaders in the Class of 2016 and introduce them to our organization. Over 40 juniors from all areas of campus attended, an impressive number given the large number of end of semester commitments. This past semester, we welcomed 38 new members into the 124th Tapping Class!

In addition, we were pleased to host Susan Murphy as our Last Lecture speaker this fall. Given that this is her last year as Vice President, and her longstanding commitment to this University, we felt it very fitting to host her. We also hosted Professor John Blume in the spring for an excellent event. We have carried on the tradition of granting our leadership award.

Our recipient this year ended up joining the 124th class, and see later in the newsletter for an article from her about her project. We also have details about how you can donate to our chapter to keep this great service going.

We really saw our society’s strength when we came together to help raise money and supplies for the victims of the Chapter House fire. It was amazing what we could do when we all came together, and see later for a more detailed article about our efforts.

We have also found some time for fun and bonding with and between the classes! From picnics in the plantations to brunches and date nights, we have enjoyed our senior year and welcoming in new members!

We are always looking to connect with past Mortar Board members so please do not hesitate to reach out to us!

Join us for Reunion!

Ad der Hexenkreis, Zander Liem, President

Saturday, June 6th, 2015, 2:00-3:00pm Willard Straight Hall Art Gallery

Gather together and interact with members of current and recent tapping classes, as well as others from throughout the years. Light refreshments will be served.

Give a gift to Mortar Board! mkt.com/cornell-mortarboard Join us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/groups/385257701508772/ Visit our website! http://www.cornellmb.org/

123rd Tapping Class Zander Liem President Hometown: Wellsley, MA Major: Applied Economics and Management, Molecular Biology Campus Involvement: IFC, Delta Sigma Pi, Student Agencies, Cornell Baja, Pi Kappa Phi Lianne Bornfeld Communications Chair Hometown: Pembroke Pines, FL Major: English, Communication minor Campus Involvement: Cornell Daily Sun, Cornellian Yearbook, Communication Research Assistant Atticus DeProspo Leadership Award Chair Hometown: Goshen, NY Major: Industrial and Labor Relations, Theater Productions Minor Campus Involvement: Varsity Men’s Soccer, Athlete Ally, Tour Guide

Michael Jalkio Membership Chair Hometown: Randolph, NY and Virginia Beach, VA Major: Computer Science, Operations Research & Management and Information Science Minors Campus Involvement: AIESEC, Computer Science TA, Cornell Cup, Zeta Psi, Tau Beta Pi, Senior Class Campaign, Convocation Committee Michael Rothbaum Social Chair Hometown: New City, NY Major: Comparative Literature, Spanish, Pre-Med Campus Involvement: Cornell Health International, Tour Guide, Biology Tutor, Computational Physiology Research Assistant, Alpha Delta Phi

Emma Court Vice President Hometown: Forest Hills, NY Major: Industrial and Labor Relations Campus Involvement: Every1 Campaign, Delta Delta Delta, Cornell Daily Sun, ILR TA

Eden Brachot Social Chair Hometown: Great Neck, NY Major: Design and Environmental Analysis – Interior Design Campus Involvement: CUSD, Human Ecology Sustainability Design Intern, Think Big Live Green Program, Chabad

Michael Gross Last Lecture Chair Hometown: Huntington, NY Major: Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering and Music Minors Campus Involvement: Glee Club, Hangovers A Capella, Meining Fellow, Alpha Epsilon Honor Society, Engineering TA Courtney Koelbel Social Chair Hometown: Mesa, AZ Major: Environmental Engineering, Sustainable Energy Systems and Music Minors Campus Involvement: CUSD, Facilities Engineering Intern, Colleges Against Cancer, MUSICOM, Senior Class Campaign, Cornell Symphony Orchestra, Former RA, Reunion Clerk

Nicolette St. Lawrence Service Chair Hometown: Garrison, NY Major: Industrial and Labor Relations, English and Business minors Campus Involvement: Cornell Republicans, Cornell Model United Nations Conference, SA Financial Aid Review Committee

123rd Tapping Class (Cont’d.)

Samantha Weisman Alumni Relations Chair Hometown: New Rochelle, NY Major: Communication, Film minor Campus Involvement: Cornell Hillel, Cornell Daily Sun, Communication Research Assistant, Communication TA, Alpha Chi Omega, Senior Class Campaign

Qurrat Ahmad Hometown: Karachi, Pakistan Major: Economics, Business Minor Campus Involvement: Committee for the Advancement of Muslim Life, Students Against the Sexual Solicitation of Youth, RA, Arts & Sciences Ambassadors, Roosevelt Policy Center

Bridgette Aumand Hometown: Walpole, NH Major: Human Development, Nutritional Sciences minor Campus Involvement: Alpha Phi Omega, Human Ecology Ambassador, Kappa Omicron Nu Honor Society, Research Assistant at Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research

Sarah Balik Hometown: New Rochelle, NY Major: Animal Science, Entomology and Microbial Sciences minors Campus Involvement: Student Assembly President, Alpha Epsilon Phi, University Assembly, Research Assistant, Pre-Veterinary Society, Raptor Program

Jessica Barragan Hometown: Deep River, CT Major: Government and Sociology, Law and Society, Inequality Studies, and Spanish minors Campus Involvement: La Asociacion Latina, Kappa Alpha Pi, Ivy Council, ESL Tutor, Forensics Society Spanish Debate Team, Law School Research Assistant, Meinig Scholar

Kristen Barnett Hometown: Sherborn, MA Major: Applied Economics and Management Campus Involvement: Delta Sigma Pi, Mountains for Moms, Dyson Symposium on Women in Leadership

Angelica Cullo Hometown: Kingston, NY Major: Biological Sciences, Nutrition Campus Involvement: Cornell Minds Matter, Meds and Food for Kids, Physiology TA, Learning Strategies Center Tutor, Roosevelt Policy Center Natalie Domeisen Hometown: Pittsburg, PA Major: Human Biology, Health, and Society Campus Involvement: Congressional Award Gold Medal Recipient, Women’s Varsity Swim Team, Robertson Infant Lab, The 400 Club, Kappa Omicron Nu Honors Society, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Organic Chemistry Tutor

Kendrick Coq Hometown: Hopewell Junction Major: Applied Economics and Management Campus Involvement: Scholars Working Ambitiously to Graduate, Black Students United, Sigma Phi Society, Student Assembly Finance Commission Tommy Gautier Hometown: Los Angeles, CA Major: Physics, Computer Science minor Campus Involvement: Cornell EMS, Senior Class Campaign, Big Red Paintball, Big Red Bears, Pi Kappa Alpha, Orientation Steering Committee, Senior Days Committee Rachel Gerber Hometown: Melville, NY Major: Biometry and Statistics Campus Involvement: Orientation Steering Committee, Convocation Chair, Undergraduate Research Board, CALS Student Advisory Council, Senior Class Campaign

123rd Tapping Class (Cont’d.)

Jacob Glick Hometown: Great Neck, NY Major: Government, English, Law & Society minor Campus Involvement: J Street U, Cornell Daily Sun, Sigma Alpha Mu, Senior Class Campaign Kevin Hsu Hometown: Shanghai, China Major: Biological Engineering and Applied Economics and Management Campus Involvement: Campus on a Hill, Cornell Cru, Beta Theta Pi, Butcher Lab Research Assistant, Financial Accounting TA, CALS Ambassador, Cornell Tradition Fellow Adam Kirsch Hometown: Engelwood, NJ Major: Industrial and Labor Relations, Law & Society and Inequality Studies minors Campus Involvement: eLab, Cornell Tradition Fellow, Big Red Sports Network, Beta Theta Pi, Big Red Venture Fund, ILR Sports Business Society, Marketing Association, Human Capital Association, High Tech Club, Men’s Fencing, Senior Class Campaign Roshni Mehta Hometown: Dubai, UAE Major: Economics and Anthropology, Business minor Campus Involvement: Nine Yards, Undergraduate Research Board, AIESEC, International Student Ambassador, Reyna Laboratory Research Assistant Erica Rausch Hometown: Stormville, NY Major: Food Science, German, Nutrition & Health minors Campus Involvement: Cornell Food Recovery Network, Farmers’ Market at Cornell, Alpha Xi Delta, Protestant Cooperative Ministries Swati Sureka Hometown: Jacksonville, FL Major: Biological Sciences, Chemistry Campus Involvement: iGEM project team, Luo Lab, Chemistry Peer Advising, Splash!, Alpha Chi Sigma, Phi Beta Kappa, Arts & Sciences Ambassador

Jonathan Hrehor Hometown: Vestal, NY Major: Civil Engineering, Engineering Management Campus Involvement: American Society of Civil Engineers, Steel Bridge Project Team Canoe Project Team, Chi Epsilon Civil Engineering Honor Society Lara Keskinkaya Hometown: New York, NY Major: Industrial and Labor Relations, Law & Society and Inequality Studies minors Campus Involvement: Into the Streets, Cornell Women’s Network After Graduation: Working at Ernst & Young in Human Capital Division

Karen Li Hometown: Gainesville, FL Major: Industrial and Labor Relations, French minor Campus Involvement: Cornell Organization for Labor Action, Asian Pacific Americans for Action, ILR International and Comparative Labor Research Assistant

Don Muir Hometown: Winchester, MA Major: Applied Economics and Management, French and Law and Regulation minors Campus Involvement: Class of 2015 President, Delta Chi, Delta Sigma Pi, Student Assembly Jonathan Schmidt-Swarz Hometown: Beverly Hills, CA Major: Comparative Literature and Religious Studies, Near Eastern Studies and Jewish Studies minors Campus Involvement: Cornellians for Israel, Senior Class Council, Student Advocates for the Future of Humanities Conna Walsh Hometown: Syracuse, NY Major: China and Asia-Pacific Studies, History minor Campus Involvement: Model United Nations Conference, Alpha Epsilon Phi, The Diplomatist, The Writing Walk-In Service Tutor, Cornell International Affairs Society

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Introducing the Tapping Class

Stay tuned for more on the 124s in our winter newsletter!

Special Event:

Bill Gates at Cornell

By Michael Gross ‘15

On October 1 of this year, the campus welcomed renowned philanthropist and founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates to officially open and dedicate his new building, Bill and Melinda Gates Hall.

In addition to various dedication and hand-shaking ceremonies, Mr. Gates, a college dropout, expressed a desire to give a public lecture to the students of our campus to impart some of his wisdom and share his vision for the future. And who better to produce a talk about leadership and service than Cornell’s Der Hexenkreis chapter of Mortar Board Senior Honor Society.

Mortar Board was asked to collaborate in the production and advertisement of the event, which quickly garnered widespread interest among the student body and numerous Daily Sun articles. At the sold-out event, Mortar Board members functioned as security, front-of-house, and ushers while proudly displaying our traditional pins and our new nametags graciously provided by Eden Brachot ’15.

At the event, which can be found online through the CornellCast streaming service, Gates discussed a myriad of topics ranging from his departure from Harvard, to his philanthropic work in Africa, to his views on the future of higher education in this country. The discussion was moderated by our own President Skorton and featured a number of questions directly from students in the audience. Perhaps most inspiring was Gates’ encouragement for us to never lose the desire to learn about and delve into new subjects every day. Additionally Gates suggested we not be bashful about pursuing our career goals and ideas and the ability to be philanthropic and change the world with follow. As a service organization, his advice could not come at a better time as we prepare to depart from our Alma Mater.

It was a true pleasure to be able to contribute to this event, and an invaluable boon to our on-campus presence. Truly, there is no better time to be a part of Mortar Board at Cornell for the abundance of interesting opportunities that it has and continues to provide.

Last Lecture Speaker:

Susan Murphy

By Michael Gross ‘15

3rd

On December of this year, Cornell’s Der Hexenkreis chapter of Mortar Board Senior Honor Society presented Vice President of Student and Academic Services, Susan Murphy ’73 PhD ’94 to give the latest talk in our ongoing Last Lecture series.

Susan’s remarks were made all the more impactful as this was actually one of her last lectures on campus – she will be stepping down from her position as Vice President at the end of this year.

Susan has served this campus for the last twenty years, undertaking major projects including the restructuring of the North and West campus housing systems as well as the development of the new University Health Services Building set for completion in 2017. She is renowned and respected for her deep investment in the Cornell community and her compassionate rapport with students and will be sorely missed.

In her remarks to a crowded and attentive Willard Straight Hall Memorial Room, Susan covered a number of topics and stories, all with the underlying theme of gratitude – and the value of the expression and receipt thereof. Susan shared with us the very personal story of the loss of her husband, Gerry Thomas PhD '78, and how her practice of writing thank-you notes every morning before work, for the hundreds of condolences she received was both cathartic and rehabilitating. She also discussed her remarkable tradition of an annual vacation shared with her five best friends and their families that she met while an undergraduate at Cornell. Susan implored that this tradition was so important to her that she had even missed welcoming the initial arrival of President David Skorton to attend her trip.

The last lecture is a means to provide students with an opportunity to gain a different perspective of campus faculty and administrators, and Dr. Murphy offered just that. Her lessons on the value of gratitude and remembering to make time for those that we love will not soon be forgotten. For those unable to attend, the lecture will be posted on the CornellCast streaming service, which we will announce via our Facebook page. We plan to continue the Last Lecture Series with another event to be held during the Spring Semester. Stay tuned!

Leadership Award Recipient

Natalie Rosseau ’16 124

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Tapping Class

For my Leadership Award project, I proposed to create a forum to honor Cornell's previous and ongoing commitment to humanitarianism and human rights (HHR). With Cornell’s sesquicentennial in 2015 and the corresponding rise of interest in University history, the time was ripe to begin this project at Cornell. This effort calls attention to the University's rich tradition of service, its land-grant mission, and its spirit of public engagement. As one of only two private land grant universities in the United States and as the only land grant university in the Ivy League, Cornell is and always has been uniquely poised to address world issues, attracting a unique student body committed to this ideal.

The vision for this project was: (1) to invite a Cornellian HHR leader to campus for a lecture, and (2) to create an exhibit describing the exceptional dedication of the University and its students to HHR. In October, Liam Mahoney, ’81, a pioneer in the field of international protection of HHR workers, came to Cornell to share his reflections on his time as an undergraduate and his career in HHR. The lecture allowed current students and faculty to discuss the future of HHR with a leader in that field. The exhibit, entitled “Cornell’s Global Impact: A Celebration of Humanitarian and Human Rights Work,” opened during Charter Day Weekend to pay tribute to the work of 25 esteemed Cornell humanitarians. The Cornell Chronicle recognized the project with an article in their most recent issue..My project anchored service and leadership in the history of Cornell and the surrounding community, while also demonstrating the University’s global reach in HHR endeavors.

Finally, I am thrilled to be serving as the 2015-2016 Leadership Award Chair. Mortar Board has already had a huge impact on my Cornell experience; it is a privilege and a pleasure to be able to work with such an amazing group of people. I am indebted to this organization for believing in my idea and for opening my eyes to a truly remarkable community of scholars, leaders, and friends. Thank you for your support; I am eager to begin supporting the next Leadership Award recipient!

Special Story:

Chapter House Fire Relief

By Bridgette Aumand ‘15

In mid-April 2015, a terrible fire destroyed The Chapter House and the homes of over 35 Cornell students. Mortar Board immediately responded to help in whatever way we could. Conna Walsh suggested that we put together a clothing and supply drive for the residents, and Yasmin Alameddine immediately put together an amazing social media campaign. When we learned of the needs of the residents, we decided to add a fundraising component with cash and GoFundMe donations. In addition, Swati Sureka suggested that we have a card-writing component to send encouraging messages to the displaced residents. Brian Murphy put together an amazing graphic to promote the campaign, Together: One Cornell. As you can see, this was an amazing team effort and everyone contributed ideas, thoughts, and time tabling on Ho Plaza. In addition, Zander Liem and many others spent lots of time moving the donated items back and forth (up and down lots of stairs!) to be picked up by residents. The campaign received overwhelming support from the community and between the online fundraiser and the Ho Plaza tabling, we raised over $15,000 and a room overflowing with physical donations to support the Stewart Ave residents. Thank you so much to everyone that participated to make this event successful, it really shows that there is power in numbers and we can accomplish anything we set our minds to!

Last Lecture Speaker:

John Blume

By Melvin Li, originally published in The Cornell Daily Sun on April 30th, 2015 Prof. John Blume, law, spoke about determining one’s identity and changing the world in Goldwin Smith Hall Wednesday as a part of the Mortar Board Senior Honor Society’s Last Lecture Series.

The Last Lecture Series was inspired by the death of Prof. Randy Pausch, computer science, Carnegie Mellon University, according to Zander Liem ’15, president of Mortar Board’s Cornell chapter.

Pausch — after being diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in 2007 — delivered an impassioned “last lecture” to his students about following one’s childhood dreams. “We’ve turned that idea into a lecture series where we bring in different Cornell professor, faculty and staff members to talk about something that is or isn’t related to their academic interests to be a sort of life discussion,” Liem said.

Blume, who is also director of the Cornell Death Penalty Project, said he believes it is quintessential for people to understand that they will have decide on their identity during their lives, experience a period of enormous self-doubt and have the responsibility to improve the world.

“First, I believe that in every person’s life, there comes a moment or moments where you’re going to have to make decisions that define who you are as a person,” Blume said. “Second, there are going to be moments in your life when something so bad is going to happen to you that you’re going to have to decide what you’re made out of and how you’re going to move forward.

Third, all of us, no matter what we do, [we] have a moral responsibility to leave this world a better place than we found it.”

Blume said these suggestions guided his decisions in life, beginning with his years as a divinity school student. After a 16 year old he was working with at a juvenile justice criminal law unit was sentenced to 25 years to live in jail for his involvement in a fatal robbery, Blume said he felt compelled to become a criminal defense lawyer…

Despite earning the hostility of many judges, Blume said his decision to stand up for what he believed was right has defined his identity to this day, saying that he refused to seek the death penalty for the man who murdered his nephew two years ago.

“You’re moment will not be like mine. Your careers in life will be different,” Blume said. “But I assure you that a similar type moment will come, and you’re going to have to make a very difficult decision about what you stand for. And when it does, I want to encourage you to remember that once you decide to do what is expedient instead of what is right, you’ll do it twice. And once you do it twice, you’ll do it three times.”

While addressing his second point, Blume recounted how, in 1999, five death row inmates he represented were all executed despite his best efforts to defend them. Blume said he entered a period of deep self-doubt following these failures but refused to let his despair affect his work, ultimately going on to reverse what he said were two wrongful death sentences.

“Now your challenging moment, again, won’t be like mine, but it will come,” Blume said. “You may lose a job that you love.

You may be a doctor and have a patient you treated die…but sometimes you have to dig deep, pull yourself up, shake off your self-doubt and press on. Remember, there is no shame in failure.”

Blume ended his lecture by saying that he believes that every person has a duty to fight against injustice in the world. Blume said that for him, this injustice comes in the form the death penalty, the prison-industrial complex and mass incarceration in the United States, especially of blacks.

“So why should you care? You should care for the reason Dr. King said you should care: acceptance of injustice threatens the justice of our society,” Blume said. “America cannot claim to be the global defender of democracy and liberty as long as it forgets the types of injustice I have briefly described to you this afternoon.”

Oh the Places We’ll Go: the 123rd Tapping Class Congratulations to the graduating class! Find out what our plans are!

Nashville, TN Bridgette, Aumand, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Dallas, TX Emma Court, Journalism Bethesda, MD Kevin Hsu, National Institutes of Health Ithaca, NY Sarah Balik, Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine Courtney Koelbel, Working and preparing for LSAT Tommy Gautier, Masters of Engineering in AEP Adam Kirsch, MBA at Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management

Boston, MA Jacob Glick, Harvard Law School Conna Walsh, Program Manager at Knowledge Link Columbus, OH Erica Rausch, City Year

Long Island, NY Rachel Gerber, Hofstra North Shore LIJ School of Medicine Michael Gross, Stony Brook University School of Medicine

New York City Kristen Barnett, Management Consulting at Boston Consulting Group Lianne Bornfeld, Columbia Publishing Course Washington, D.C. Eden Brachot, PREP Associate at Cushman and Jessica Barragan, Public Policy Fellow at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Wakefield Lara Keskinkaya, Ernst & Young in Human Capital Jonathan Hrehor, Project Engineer at Hitt Contracting Division Atticus DeProspo, Intern for Justice Sotomayor then Kendrick Koq, Client Relations Manager & Sales law school Associate Zander Liem, Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs Roshni Mehta, Management Consulting at Deloitte International Don Muir, Management Consulting at Boston Consulting Michael Jalkio, AIESEC in Romania Group Swati Sureka, University of Edinburgh for a Masters Michael Rothbaum, Research at Weil Cornell in Management of Bioeconomy, Innovation and Jonathan Schmidt-Swartz, NYU PhD Program Governance Samantha Weisman, Television and media industry