It's not always easy to be from Ithaca's 'other' college
It's not always easy to be from Ithaca's 'other' college
Question: What do you say when an Ithaca College grad comes to your door?
Answer: How much for the pizza?
I've heard several versions of that joke during my first two years at IC. The first was during fall semester freshman year, when I wore my navy blue cross-country running jacket in Collegetown on a Saturday night. You might not notice the small "ICXC" embroidered in yellow on the front, but the bold white lettering spelling "ITHACA" on the back is a dead giveaway that I'm not enrolled on East Hill. I was with friends at a Japanese restaurant. Across the room, another group of students was enjoying yet another round of sake bombs. It was obvious they had taken us for younger Cornellians when they asked us to join them for a drink as we were getting up to leave. Before we could respond, the Cornell party read the letters arching shoulder to shoulder across my back. One of them told the pizza joke. They roared as we paid the check and left, uttering whatever comebacks we could think of on our way out.
It's bound to happen when a small city is home to both a quaint private college and a sprawling Ivy League university. Students are proud of their respective schools, and will readily boast about them. After all, IC routinely mocks SUNY Cortland for being "that state school up the road."
But how am I supposed to defend against a university that dwarfs my college in every way? The most basic, of course, is the difference in enrollment (IC under 7,000; Cornell close to 20,000). Even more striking is the gap in funding. Cornell is currently campaigning to reach its "Far Above" goal of $4 billion, while the Campaign for Ithaca was considered a huge success for raising a whopping $140 million. Both schools take pride in their athletic programs, football especially. But Ithaca fans watch from humble metal stands lining one side of the field—while those rooting for the Big Red can stretch out in roomy Schoellkopf Stadium (seating capacity 25,597). East Hill has produced many big names, including Nobel Prize winners, government leaders, astronauts, and more—Superman Christopher Reeve '74, Bill Nye '77 ("the Science Guy"), the founders of Coors Brewing and Burger King and the Atkins Diet. Even its list of dropouts includes Kurt Vonnegut (Class of 1944).
IC's most famous alum? Probably Gavin MacLeod, Class of 1952—best known as the captain of "The Love Boat."
Spending my summer interning at Cornell Alumni Magazine, I got to write about some of the things that make Cornellians swell with pride—its tradition of world-class research, the beautiful campus, a loyal alumni network, and more. Few IC students get such a close look at Cornell, and I'd bet that even fewer Cornell students ever see how much IC has to offer. Yes, Ithaca is a liberal arts college, but it's internationally known for some of its programs, particularly in the performing arts and sports medicine. Its communications school offers top-flight training in TV, radio, and print journalism. The Ithacan, our campus newspaper, has won awards that are the collegiate equivalent to Pulitzers.
There are many reasons why I was attracted to a small school like IC. I like its compact size; I can walk from one side of campus to the other in less than ten minutes, and will usually run into at least a dozen friends on the way. The relationship between faculty and students is close; it's hard for anyone to get lost in the shuffle. Coming from a high school class of about a hundred, I found that a more intimate campus made my transition to college less overwhelming. At IC, you can be a big fish in a little pond. I've been able to continue competing in cross-country running and track and field—something that has immeasurably enriched my college experience, and which I likely would not have been able to do at a school with more intense competition.
I know I may have to put up with a few pizza-delivery taunts, or cracks from the minority of Cornellians who think that IC students don't belong in Collegetown. But I also know that I'm having a wonderful college experience, one that is right for me in a way Cornell wouldn't have been.
Besides, IC has a better view of the lake.
— Liz DeLong