Spring 2020 Drop Deadline Extended

The last day to drop courses or change grading basis has been extended into April. It is tentatively set to be Tuesday, April 21. Confirmation will be sent shorty.

Due to the rapidly evolving situation, students should continue to monitor their email and the university websites for future updates.

Graduate School Expands Hours And Shifts to Remote Service

Beginning today, the Graduate School has moved to a remote service model to assist students, faculty, and staff.  We will be closed for in-person visits but have established expanded hours and will provide assistance via email, phone, Skype, What’s App, and Zoom.  All staff remain available to support our community during the COVID disruption and beyond.

Stay well!

COVID-19 Information, Questions or Issues

• Latest University COVID-19 Update
• Graduate School COVID-19 Updates and Resources

Academic and Student Affairs

Email jan.allen@cornell.edu or phone (607) 255-4603. Appointments by phone and by Zoom (video or audio only). To schedule an appointment, please email her or schedule one online.

Big Red Barn Graduate and Professional Student Center

The Big Red Barn will be open at 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. until further notice. While dining will remain open, only to-go options are available and please practice social distancing (~6 feet between individuals) and appropriate hygiene (wash hands frequently with soap & water or use hand sanitizer, don’t touch your face, etc.) if you visit the Barn. All programming, alcohol sales, and snack service has been suspended until further notice.

Fellowships and Funding

Email grad_funding@cornell.edu or call 607-255-5818.

Inclusion and Student Engagement

Make an appointment with Associate Dean for Inclusion and Student Engagement, Sara Xayarath Hernández, by emailing sh267@cornell.edu with your availability using dates and times (EST), the purpose and urgency of the appointment, and the preferred mode of connection: video conference (Zoom or WhatsApp) or voice call (telephone or WhatsApp).

Alyssa Lopez, program coordinator and OISE administrative assistant, is available at al546@cornell.edu or call (607) 255-5417.

Student Services

Email gradstudserv@cornell.edu or call 607-255-5820. Email monitored 5:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. for urgent matters.

Student Life

Make an appointment with Assistant Dean Janna Lamey by emailing janna.lamey@cornell.edu. She will have expanded hours and hold all individual and group meetings via Zoom, Skype, or telephone.

Dean’s Office
Please send questions or concerns to gradschooldeans@cornell.edu or 607-255-5864. We will respond as soon as we can.

TCAT Service Reductions

TCAT is immediately eliminating all late night trips and will cut service across the board effective Thurs., March 19, said TCAT General Manager Scot Vanderpool today in announcing updates to the agency’s coronavirus action plan.

TCAT originally planned to reduce service starting March 22, but Vanderpool and his managers decided to move the date earlier in response to a downward spiral in ridership that started late last week and continued over the weekend.

The most immediate changes will begin tonight with routes 11N; 90; 92 and 93 ending earlier as follows.

• Route 11N: last trip departs College Circle Apartments at 10:08 p.m.
• Route 90: last trips departs Schwartz Center for Performing arts at 10:45 p.m.
• Route 92: last trip departs Hasbrouck at 10:00 p.m.
• Route 93: last trip departs Hasbrouck at 10:30 p.m.

Given the unpredictability of the COVID-19 crisis and rapidly changing responses, TCAT warns that additional changes may be necessary. Riders are urged to check TCAT’s website and Bus Tracker and MyStop and other apps  before boarding.

Read the complete press release.

Stay Informed

Where can the public get information about COVID-19 in Tompkins County?

• Call 211 for information, including questions about food, transportation, events and gatherings, cancellations, and other human service needs.
• Call the NYS COVID-19 Hotline at 1-888-364-3065, the wait time is short and they have up-to-date information and can walk you through next steps.
• TCHD will continue to send out public updates, check our website.
• Check Facebook @TompkinsPublicHealth and Twitter @TompkinsHealth.
• Go to the TCHD website for up-to-date information.
• Get answers to frequently asked questions on the TCHD website.

If you develop symptoms of illness including fever, cough, or trouble breathing, call your health care provider before you go to the office. In the event of an emergency, call 911.

Stay informed. Get updated information about COVID-19 at:

• New York State Department of Health
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• World Health Organization
• Visit the CDC’s Traveler’s Health webpage for the latest travel health notices

Cornellians Rally to Support Each Other During Transition

After Cornell’s March 10 announcement that it would move to virtual instruction due to the coronavirus, Manisha Munasinghe, a doctoral student in computational biology, circulated a spreadsheet on Twitter inviting fellow graduate students to help undergraduates grappling with the transition.

When she checked the Google document the next day, she was stunned: More than 100 graduate students and university staff had volunteered support, offering spare rooms and couches, basement and attic storage space, and rides to the grocery store or airport – even help caring for plants.

Read the Chronicle story

We Asked Experts How to Cope With Your Coronavirus Anxiety

By Martha Tesema, ShineText

If you’re not sure how to handle the onslaught of news, panic, and fear about the coronavirus–you’re not alone. Shelves that once were stocked with hand sanitizer bottles are empty, face masks are running low for medical professionals, and it can feel impossible to escape the onslaught of news about emerging cases of the new coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. 

Do we panic? Or do we not? When every other headline is telling you to act differently, it can be hard to organize your thoughts and manage your anxiety in the face of global apprehension. To help us all navigate these confusing times, we talked with some experts on how to cope with the uncertainty that’s accompanying COVID-19 and how you can ease some of that very real anxiety.

• Finding Quality Resources
• Remember What You Can Control
• Cultivate Your Mindfulness Practice
• Stress Boundaries With Your Phone
• Set Boundaries With Your Community, Too
• Cultivate Moments of Hope
• Don’t Forget Your Empathy

More information

Kudos!

Doctoral Student Selected for Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program

Aaron Zucherman, a doctoral student in systems engineering, has been selected for the 2020 class of the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program. The program includes a summer internship and executive mentorship program designed to help students pursuing a career in the commercial space industry. He will be spending his summer with the Starburst Aerospace Accelerator as a tech scout intern.

NextGen Professors Program Alumnus Awarded Early Career Award

Jermaine Toney, assistant professor of economics at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, a former NextGen Professors Program participant and postdoctoral scholar at Cornell, has been awarded an Early Career Award (Pipeline Grants Competition) from the Russell Sage Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The award will support work he is launching on “The Effects of Extended Family Wealth on Income Mobility.” This project seeks to establish a link between extended family wealth and the income of their adult children.