Higher Education
Cornell at Auburn: Inmates Graduate
O
n Wednesday, Dec. 10, a group of 13 students looking much like any other group of graduates walked across the stage to accept their diplomas as the Class of 2014. Unlike most college graduates, though, this group was entirely comprised of prisoners, inmates at Auburn Correctional Facility, the state’s oldest prison. The December ceremony was the second graduation ceremony ever held for the Cornell Prison Education Program (CPEP). Rob Scott, the program’s executive director, said that Cornell professors first began teaching prison classes back in 2001. Initially, though, it was not an official college program. There was no funding, and the courses were not offered for credit. Then in 2008, Doris Buffett—the founder of the Sunshine Lady Foundation and sister of Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett—got involved and provided funding to create a program that would actually help inmates earn degrees. Now, the students earn Cornell credits. However, because Cornell does not offer a two-year degree program, the credits are transferred to Cayuga Community 80763_COB_HolidayAd_IT | T: 10” x 5.5 ”
College so graduates are awarded liberal arts associate’s degrees. In the future, Scott hopes to see bachelor degrees become a part of the program as well. Commencement speaker Ronald Day, who is both the current director of workforce development at the Osborne Association and also a former inmate himself, commented on the difficulty of making positive changes in prison. He said, “Few people are rehabilitated in prisons. Fewer still are rehabilitated by prisons. But a few rehabilitate themselves in spite of prison.” Graduate Nathan Powell is one who has done much in spite of prison. Although he was living in New York City at the time of his arrest, Powell also has a local connection: he graduated from Ithaca High School in 1981. Now, in this month’s graduation, he was honored as the valedictorian. In his speech, Powell expressed his gratitude for the CPEP program: “The rest of the world had us tagged and bagged, and you came in here, and you cared, and we will never forget that.” After Powell’s speech, salutatorian Lucas Whaley took the stage. “Prison’s a funny place,” he said. “Sure, it’s oppressive and depressing, but it’s also filled with amazing things you wouldn’t expect—like brilliance.” Another graduate, Maurice McDowell, said, “This means a lot. I have had something positive to do with my time here instead of doing idle time.” McDowell said he hopes to become a social worker after his release.
The other forty or so inmates currently enrolled in college classes were allowed to attend the ceremony as well. They offered raucous and enthusiastic support at times, but they also offered sober reflection. Dale Allen said he found it inspiring to watch his classmates graduate. He added, “This is the greatest advantage that prison can offer.” The inmates aren’t the only ones who benefit from the program. As Scott said, “It feeds me to do this work.” It is perhaps in part because of that tendency to define inmates as “others” that prison education programs have sometimes drawn criticism, a fact to which Buffet alluded during her brief speech. However, Pete Wetherbee, a Cornell professor emeritus who helped launch CPEP, firmly averred the value of prison education. He said, “It’s enriching for the culture of the prison. Some of the best students of the program are lifers. Also, it decreases recidivism, which is a tremendous economic boon to taxpayers.”• – Keri Blakinger EnergyPlan
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an overall 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Deputy Commissioner of Planning Katherine Borgella explained that the energy roadmap project began in 2011 with the help of Cornell students. Later the county hired
a Cornell professor as a private energy consultant and currently, Borgella said, there is a steering committee made of “energy experts” looking into the potential for renewable energy sources. According to Borgella, as of 2008, the county was producing 1.7 million metric tons of carbon equivalent. Marx explained that the energy roadmap could help the county better anticipate upcoming energy needs. Referring to the controversial plan for a seven-mile gas pipeline through Dryden to Lansing, Marx said, “Everyone was caught by surprise by this gas situation in Lansing, and we don’t want to be caught by surprise in the future.” In another effort to meet long-term planning needs, the county will work with TCAD, NYSEG, Municipal Electric and Gas Alliance (MEGA), New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), and other partners to help evaluate existing infrastructure and plan for the future in specific energy focus areas deemed critical to the county’s economic success. At a press conference on Monday, Dec. 8, Tompkins County Legislature Chairman Mike Lane said, “We know we don’t want to be viewed as a county that is not open for development, and we don’t want to be known as a county that pays no attention to issues of … environmental quality.” The hope is that through the newly pledged collaborative efforts, the county will be able to address both those possible concerns. • – Keri Blakinger
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