Behind the Screens With Dear Uncle Ezra

Most Cornell students know little about Ezra Cornell, the New York native who made his fortune in the telegraph business and invested his wealth into founding “an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.” Two centuries after his birth, Ezra Cornell is most readily identified by his green statue on the Arts Quad — across from close friend and first Cornell president Andrew Dickson White — and endless speculation about his choice of university location from those living below Libe Slope.

The Ezra Cornell most people haven’t met has undergone a radical transformation since his Western Union days, embracing an unlikely new role: that of “Dear Uncle Ezra,” hip Internet advice columnist (www.ezra.cornell.edu [1]).

[2]Brian Kim / Sun Staff

Dear Uncle Ezra (DUE) began in 1986, making it the world’s first online advice column. Since then, Uncle Ezra (whose identity is kept strictly under wraps) has answered over 20,000 questions, ranging from the serious (“I’m stressing out big time — where can I get help?”) to the silly (“Why is there no chair lift on the slope?”).

DUE was created in 1986 by Jerry Feist, Assistant Dean of Students and set up by Steve Worona ’70, M.S. ’73. Feist was also the first Uncle Ezra, answering questions for years before passing the torch to his unknown successor.

Says the current Ezra, “In 1986 computers were becoming a new form of communication … at that time the university information system ran off a mainframe and sent information to two dozen terminals around campus. Dear Uncle Ezra was an effort to make the system interactive.”

“The initial response was fantastic,” says Ezra, attributing the positive response to the fact that “Dear Uncle Ezra is completely confidential. For many people, it is the first step they take in voicing their distress or challenge … he is that all-caring, all-knowing Uncle who is there when you need him for questions large and small.” And after more than two decades of bi-weekly online Q&A, DUE has seen its fair share of both types of questions.

Ezra says his most frequent questions are about Cornell history, requests for relationship advice, and “questions from worried pre-meds.” When asked about the most memorable DUE queries, though, the questions take a light-hearted tone.

On December 1, 2005, one curious “nephew” (as many of DUE’s writers refer to themselves) asked: “I have heard there used to be a bear that lived in the basement of McGraw Hall. Why did it live there, and what happened to it?”

Even more surprising than the question was DUE’s answer: “Long, long ago at a Cornell very different from today, there indeed lived an American black bear in the ‘beastment’ of McGraw Hall.”

The answer went on to explain that the bear, purchased by zoology Professor Burt Green Wilder in 1872, spent nice days outside on the Arts Quad.

While those who delve into DUE’s searchable archives are likely to dig up many more Cornell curiosities, DUE’s real strength lies in its ability to connect questioners with oft-unknown Cornell resources.

Resident Cornell history buff and former Sun columnist Corey Earle ’07 says “I think Dear Uncle Ezra is a phenomenal resource for the Cornell community,” noting that “with all the vast resources that Cornell students have available to them at Cornell, the most difficult thing is finding the right one to use. More than anything else, Uncle Ezra points people in the right direction.”

Assisting Ezra is a network of helpers ranging from regular assistants to contacts at Cornell’s diverse array of resources.

“Although I answer many questions myself, I have a cadre of helpers acrocampus who help in their area of expertise,” says Ezra. “I probably have 20 or 30 people who I send questions to on a regular basis and then there are hundreds of people who may help out with one question and then never hear from me again.” The DUE website also provides links to academic and counseling services available in Cornell and Ithaca to faculty, staff and students.

While DUE has been answering questions for longer than most Cornell undergraduates have been alive, attempts to crack his anonymity have proven unsuccessful.

“I actually have no idea how many Ezras there have been since it was founded,” says Earle, “[but] those who read the responses regularly can usually perceive the change in tone and writing style. If you look in the archives, a few readers noticed a changing of the guard in fall 2003.”

Much of DUE’s strength, however, comes from his anonymity.

“Uncle Ezra is the caring spirit of the university that lives on and on,” says Ezra. “[He’s] the warm body behind the glass and electronics able to help students, staff, faculty, alumni and parents feel heard, determine resource, and become empowered to move forward.”

DUE’s success combined with the 90’s Internet explosion inspired a number of similar services at universities across the nation, including the University of Colorado’s “Ask Ralphie” and Columbia University’s “Go Ask Alice.” Curious Cornellians can check out DUE’s latest answers twice a week at www.ezra.cornell.edu [1], and can submit their questions on the website or via e-mail.

Says Earle, “the most important thing is for students to realize this resource is available.”

“When in doubt,” he adds, “ask Ezra!”