I strongly believe that the administration should reconsider its decision to remove this course from the list of those available. Indeed, students should be encouraged to take courses with such obvious practical advantages! It seems to me that Ezra Cornell himself would sign our petition- as a strong supporter of having the practical skills necessary for self-sufficiency and creative problem-solving, he would view Tom Cook's courses as nearer the founding principles of the College of Engineering than most any other course available.
There is a simple solution here that would prevent the exclusion of these courses as "unnecessary": allow students to take Mr. Cook's courses to further their major requirements! I suggest restructuring the courses to be ENGRI courses to encourage freshmen to explore Engineering and gain a practical background that will serve them extensively when they leave the hill and work with non-engineers. Perhaps allowing the courses to fulfill an Engineering Distribution would be another viable alternative. For goodness' sakes, even adding a PhD professor as another lecturer and retaining Mr. Cook as the lab facilitator (and as a lecturer) would make the courses conform more to the core curriculum.
BEE 1140 is, by far, the most practical experience that I have had at Cornell, one that I am certain will serve me (and allow me to serve others) for the rest of my life, regardless of the career path that I choose. However, I also believe that it would be inherently damaging both to the founding principles of Cornell Engineering and the concept of any person finding instruction in any study to allow Tom Cook's Wood Construction and Metal Fabrication courses to go to the academic chopping block.
I support this petition. Too many of today's engineers and architects only understand the theory, not the practice of what they work on. The practical side can help focus the theoretical side in useful directions.
As a CALS alumna, a young farmer in a multigenerational family business, a Farm Bureau member, and a patron of Cornell Cooperative Extension, I would be VERY DISAPPOINTED if such a useful group of courses is discontinued so a valuable lab can be turned into temporary storage. Why not discontinue the computer-mediated communications classes so they can turn the Communication Dept's computer labs into storage space too?
Tsk, tsk. Don't give our beloved Cornell an even worse reputation for ivory tower elitism.
I support this petition. Tom Cook and the courses he teaches are a credit to the Ag School and the university. I took three of his courses and wish I could have taken more.
I support this petition. Mr. Cook is an excellent teacher and his classes are interesting for all majors. I am in the HumEc school and greatly enjoyed his metalworking class.
There is a big difference in learning about how to do something and actually doing it. Hands-on courses like these are a fundamental need for a school that teaches "...any person...any study".
I support this petition. I took the “Introduction to Metal Fabrication” class in the mid '90s and I've always taken great pride in the fact that I was exposed to skills and techniques that I would never have gotten otherwise. I am currently a patent attorney and when I inform my clients that I do have practical hands-on training in things such as metal fabrication and welding, it gives them confidence that I'm speaking to them with more than just "book knowledge". Classes like the ones Tom Cook teaches are about the only places where students can learn these kinds of real skills. Students aren't expected to become master-class welders, but they do learn what it is the people who will work with or under them do. These are critical skills in a time when the divide between the "Ivy-League Elite" and "Joe Six-Pack" needs to be bridged more than ever. Classes like these help to address those concerns.
Cornell emphasizes the importance of practical skills. These classes teach practical skills, skills that in many ways most people can't learn any other place because the art of doing things with your own hands is dying out.
Even though I do not plan to ever take these courses myself, I can clearly see the intellectual and practical skills they promote, and would be saddened if they were canceled for reasons having to do with space. Please continue Cornell's great reputation as a hands-on institution!
