Shadows 2000 pairs say they value their shared experiences

Mary Opperman, left, vice president for human resources, shadows Arianna Tunsky-Brasshich during her Government Studies class April 14 in Olin Hall. Mathew Fondeur/University Photography

By Annie Litvak '02

The week of April 10-14 introduced the Shadows 2000 program into Cornell's repertoire of activities designed to foster enhanced communication between students and staff, faculty and administrators.

Modeled on the School of Industrial and Labor Relations' freshmen externship experience, the pilot program was created by students and employees to further meaningful interaction and understanding among the diverse members of the Cornell campus community, and it was endorsed by the campus's student, employee, university and graduate and professional assemblies.

Here's how the program works: The Shadows 2000 steering committee attracted 28 participants -- 14 students and 14 staff and administrators -- for a minimum of four hours of paired shadowing, during which each member of a pair experiences the daily activities of the other. In an informal manner, staff members, faculty and administrators attend classes, club meetings and Ivy Room breaks with their student counterparts. And students gain insight into the other side of life at Cornell, by attending staff meetings and seminars and following their partners in the execution of their daily duties.

"We knew that we had the resources to get a lot of people involved," said Mike Moschella, a sophomore in industrial and labor relations and member of the Student Assembly and the Shadows 2000 planning committee.

Lynette Chappell-Williams, left, director of the Office of Workforce Diversity, Equity and Life Quality, crosses East Avenue with her Shadows 2000 partner Sara Leon, a junior policy, analysis and management major, on the way to one of Leon's classes April 13 in Martha Van Rensselaer Hall. Nicola Kountoupes/University Photography

In the 28 pairings in the pilot program, many are members of the various campus assemblies. Administrative participants this year include President Hunter Rawlings; Susan Murphy, vice president for student and academic affairs; Henrik Dullea, vice president for university relations; Lynette Chappell-Williams, director of the Office of Workforce Diversity, Equity and Life Quality; and J. Robert Cooke, dean of the faculty.

Moschella shadowed Joseph DeMarco, vice chair of the Employee Assembly and an emergency services specialist with Environmental Health and Safety, and Moschella said he now has a heightened appreciation for DeMarco's work. Reflecting on his day, Moschella pointed out the importance of recognizing the efforts of maintenance staff members on campus. "It's two separate worlds that are equally crucial to campus life," Moschella said of his and his counterpart's experiences.

Students were matched with their counterparts on the basis of areas of interest, as indicated on questionnaires they completed for the program. A junior government major, Arianna Tunsky-Brashich experienced part of a day in the life of Cornell Vice President for Human Resources Mary Opperman.

"The experience gave me insight into the intricacies of policy-making," said Tunsky-Brashich of her time spent with Opperman. "I had no idea that there were about 9,000 employees on staff here," she explained. Having seen first hand what it takes to be a administrator at a major university, Tunsky-Brashich said she has a new respect for the system that aids in her simplest daily tasks.

Opperman said her day with Tunsky-Brashich was a valuable experience, as well. "I wanted to see what classes are like; I wanted to get to know another student and learn about her interest," she said, adding, "Every time we meet and get to know someone who experiences Cornell in a different way, we make our community a little smaller and a little closer."

With so much positive feedback, Shadows 2000 appears to have a bright future at Cornell.

"It is hoped that the program will open doors of personal connection, compassion and fellowship and open hearts by creating a greater sense of community on campus by bridging barriers of impersonal association," said Cristen Gardner, director of the Office of Assemblies and a member of the Shadows 2000 planning committee. Other members of the committee and Shadows 2000 volunteers, along with Gardner and Moschella, are Jonathan Mitchell, an undergraduate College Scholar; Emanuel Tsourounis '00, chair of the Student Assembly; and Sarah Johnson, a research support specialist in human development and a member of the Employee Assembly