What happened to any person, any study? Woodworking and metal working are some of the most basic skills a person should know. Construction and carpentry is a life skill, not only a hobby or a job. I'm surprised this was even removed from the required courses for BEE. I plan to take this course whenever it is next offer, I support this petition.
I support this petition. Tom is a great teacher and a man the whole class can (and does) look up to. I've all ready learned many valuable skills I will take with me far past my time here at Cornell.
I support this petition. Hands on experience far outweighs problem sets and lecture notetaking. An opportunity like this should be available at all times to all students.
I support this petition. Bee 114 was the best class I have taken at cornell. When discussing in my engineering classes how to build wastewater treatment plants, I (unlike many other students) know what a drill bit size is, I know how to cast the concrete being used and I understand the foundations of the construction process. Tom Cook is a great professor and this class is extremely valuable.
I support this petition. I know several people who have taken the various courses mentioned above, and have wanted to take them myself. They are an excellent opportunity for Cornell students to get hands-on experience - something Cornell has proven lacking in many aspects. Whatever theory is taught, there is nothing that cements and fixes the methods and ideas in students' minds more than seeing those theories carried out. Mr. Cook's classes have created some phenomenal pieces of metal and woodwork. Students enjoy his classes and there is demand and interest in them. Please reconsider, and let these courses remain as a tribute to Mr. Cook's skill, teaching, and the students' creativity and drive.
These are great skills for any person to have. How can Cornell pride itself on educating "any person in any study" if they drop some of the most fundamental education courses in America. These skills transcend education and are woven into the heart of the American lifestyle. Please continue to support these course
I support this petition. Cornell's motto is "any person, any study". To cancel the wood and metal courses at Cornell would show serious shortsightedness in assessing the needs of the Cornell community. As a mechanical engineer, the wood and metal courses would give me valuable hands on experience that is otherwise lacking in the engineering curriculum.
BEE 110 has been the most useful class I have ever taken at Cornell University. I took the class in the spring of 2007. It was very challenging and it was hard work, but Tom Cook made sure that each and every student worked hard to not only earn their grade but to be proficient to handle hands-on problems that may come up in every field from agriculture, carpentry, metal fabrication and automobile repair. The summer after I took BEE 110 my Father and I were harvesting hay on my farm when we suffered a major machinery failure in which $20,000 worth of harvesting equipment was damaged. This was a particularly bad situation, because the crop was on the ground, with rain coming. The hay had to be harvested that day or else we would’ve lost everything and suffered thousands of dollars in lost profits. Using the knowledge I acquired in BEE 110 I successfully repaired the broken parts on the harvester in three hours. Hiring a welding service would’ve cost hundreds of dollars in repairs and a days time that we could not afford. We were able to continue before the rain and salvage most of the harvest, in an otherwise disastrous situation. I personally credit Tom Cook and his class for saving a large portion of my farm’s livelihood last summer, and I cannot even count the times I have welded since. To lose this or any of the BEE classes would be to further separate Cornell from its original purpose as an agricultural land-grant university and to deny students with one of the most valuable professors on campus.
Sincerely,
Jordan Cole Fall ‘08
Cole Farms
Nunda NY
I support this petition. I had no idea that these classes were offered; now that I know, I certainly want to take one or all of them! Please do not cancel these courses!
