Pre-Orientation community service

In its fourth year, Cornell's Pre-Orientation Service Trips (POST) program, a project of the Public Service Center, again provided opportunities for new students to learn about the local community and participate in hands-on community service work. During the week of Aug. 15, some 55 incoming students spent the days and nights before beginning their Cornell careers exploring the Ithaca community through service and educational programming. And this year, POST participants, along with Cornell staff volunteers, were given the opportunity to take part in a service project for the Watkins Glen School District, at its middle school playground.

Above, freshman Renuka Tipirneni from Northport, N.Y., works on sanding part of the play structure Aug. 18. At right, the POST volunteers perform various maintenance activities at the playground.

One of the Cornell staff volunteers from Watkins Glen, Mary Rita Kessler, a financial aid assistant in Day Hall, said the POST program provided a "wonderful opportunity to meet kids and have them see our community; we really appreciate the community service."

The weeklong POST program culminated Aug. 19 with a celebratory picnic in Ithaca's Stewart Park, attended by program participants, city officials and Cornell administrators.

Photographs by Charles Harrington/University Photography