Don't Walk Across the Quad

In the warmer months, ESF students can be seen lounging, playing frisbee, and otherwise enjoying the grassy common space in the middle of campus. One thing that students do not do, out of habit and from pressure from fellow students, is walk across the quad to reach their destination.

This is one of many traditions at ESF and among the most visible. The rule is what one might call "socially enforced". Many a grad student on his or her way to the far edge of campus or on the way home has begun to walk across the grass, only to be verbally assailed by vigilant students warning them not to use the grass as a walking path. People learn quickly.

The stone monument on the corner of the quad at the entrance to campus reminds students to treat the grass with care and not walk across it. There has even been a Facebook group started in honor of this tradition.

Next time you are on campus, remember to walk the length and width, don't walk the hypotenuse. Taking the quickest route from A to B is not allowed. Use that time to stop and enjoy the grass.

Spotlight on Gradshare.com

Have questions about grants? Having issues with your major professor? Need publishing advice? Defending your thesis?

GradShare is an online community of graduate students from all over the country contributing from various subjects on hundreds of different topics. It's a place where you can get answers to any question related to graduate school, 24/7. Forums include:

• Thesis/Dissertation: from selecting your topic to writing proposals, publishing papers to advisor relationships. It's all about the thesis!

• Job Searching/Career Planning: writing your CV has never been easier; includes tips on interviewing and networking

• Teaching: techniques on lecturing, grading, and even dealing with student complaints!

• Grants and Funding: writing grant proposals and finding funding from both your university and outside sources

• Publishing: from publishing your work in peer-reviewed journals to presenting at conferences - tips on how to get your research out there

• Work-life Balance: tips on how to deal with stress, family issues, and scheduling your oh-so-precious time

This graduate school network can be accessed at http://www.gradshare.com/, and requires a school e-mail address and password. Post a question regarding various topics, or help out a fellow grad by shedding some light on experiences you have survived throughout your years at ESF.

Surviving Grad School 101: International Student Rights Panel

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT RIGHTS

Wednesday, October 14th at 5:00PM

Nifkin Lounge

This panel will focus on common issues international students face when becoming a graduate student, such as:

• OPT
• H1
• Immigration issues
• Student Visas
• Other common issues

With panelists such as:

• Carolyn Salter, International Students Coordinator
• Raydora Drummer, Multi-cultural affairs
• Scott Shannon, Dean, Office of Instruction and Graduate Studies
• Jennifer Gavilondo, Slutzer Center, Syracuse University
• International graduate students

Free Indian food will be served.

Co-sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Graduate Student Association, part of the "Surviving Graduate School 101" Panel Series.

Questions? E-mail the GSA International Committee Chair, Nidhi Pasi, at npasi@syr.edu.

Outdoors: Oakwood Cemetery

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Directly to the south and adjacent to the ESF campus lies Oakwood Cemetery. Besides being home to hundreds of tombstones and burial monuments, most of which date back to the 19th century, it is another small piece of nature that happens to be easily accessible to ESF students. Squirrels, crows, and occasionally deer or other animals bound across the hilly terrain.

Local residents walking dogs, runners and hikers, and students cutting across the cemetery to get to class (not recommended after dark) are common. Since Oakwood has been adjacent to a residential neighborhood for well over a century, vandals have tipped some monuments. All in all, the cemetery is well-preserved and has given over to nature in many places, especially further from the main road.

Take a look, Oakwood begins right behind the greenhouses on the hill behind Bray Hall.

Outdoors: Barry Park

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Barry Park, only one mile from campus, offers natural beauty, open space, and outdoor recreation for students and neighborhood residents alike. Amenities include a playground, 2 tennis courts, a handful of basketball courts, and a field for soccer, frisbee, and other sports. In the evenings when the weather is nice, it is common to find people from all countries and backgrounds playing pick-up soccer.

Across the street from the fields sits a pond and drainage basin, home to ducks, geese, and the occasional muskrat or other wild animal. Deer and rabbits have been known to frequent the area as well. Think of it as an oasis from the surrounding residential neighborhood. A trail around the pond measures 1.1 miles in circumference, making it a perfect destination for joggers (or mountain bikers) looking to stay off the hard pavement but still count the miles. In winter the site is used for cross-country skiing, walking pets, and, for the daring, ice skating on the frozen pond (try at your own risk!).

It was founded in the 1950s on the site of a former dump, though no signs of its past use are visible today. However, if one looks around an upturned tree or fresh earth, it is not uncommon to find broken milk bottles and other detritus of yesteryear.

Stay tuned for more installments in the Outdoors series.