Risley Residential College

Last updated

Risley Residential College
Residential college, Dining hall, Theater
Cornell University
Risley Hall, Cornell University.jpg
Location North Campus, Ithaca, New York
Coordinates 42°27′11″N76°28′55″W / 42.45307°N 76.481962°W / 42.45307; -76.481962
Established1913
Namesake Prudence Risley
Architect William Henry Miller
Architectural style Tudor gothic
Benefactor Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage
Website risley.org

Prudence Risley Residential College for the Creative and Performing Arts, commonly known as Risley Residential College, Risley Hall, or just Risley, is a program house (themed residence hall) at Cornell University. Unlike most other dormitories on campus, Risley is a residential college; house members, or "Risleyites," have some say in the administration of the residence hall, can continue to reside there as long as they are enrolled at Cornell, are encouraged to eat together at the in-house dining hall, and participate in educational activities such as guest lectures within the dormitory.

Contents

History

Early Risley Hall
RisleyRC Circa 1920s.jpg
Postcard, circa 1910s
Margaret Slocum Sage portrait.jpg
Mrs. Sage portrait in Risley
Risley-shield-stonework.jpg
Stonework detail bearing Risley's historical motto "The Truth Will Make You Free" and "True and Firm" (Treu und Fest), a German motto Andrew Dickson White had first suggested to fellow university co-founder Ezra Cornell to adorn his mansion. [1]

In 1911, Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage, a progressive philanthropist and the widow of financier Russell Sage, donated $300,000 (equivalent to $10.8 million in 2023) to the university for the construction of a women's dormitory. At her request, the building was named after her husband's mother, Prudence Risley. Financier and Cornell trustee Emerson McMillin donated an additional $20,000 (equivalent to $654,000in 2023) to purchase the requisite five-acre lot, the first expansion of Cornell's footprint north of the Fall Creek gorge, the beginning of the modern day North Campus. [2]

The building was opened to students in 1913. It was unusually luxurious, with sculptures and expensive furnishings in common areas, many of which were donated by Cornell co-founder Andrew Dickson White.

In approximately 1969-70, undergraduates Judith Goodman ('71) and Gail Hassan ('71) developed a proposal to create university housing specifcally for students interested in the arts, as well as decidated performance, practice, and other creative spaces. [3] The Associate Dean of Students, Ruth Darling, [4] was supportive of the proposal, which asked for 40 housing units, but, if there was sufficent demand, they might use Risley Hall. [5] Student interest was overwhelming: the university received over 1000 applications for the roughly 200 spots in the building. [6] Having demonstrated student interest in such a dormatory, in fall 1970, Risley Hall thus became the home of Risley Residential College for the Fine and Performing Arts, Cornell's first "program house." [7]

People

The building houses 196 students, chosen by Risleyites from a number of applications. Notable former Risley residents from before the creation of Risley Residential College include Margaret Bourke-White [8] ', Elspeth Huxley, [9] Barbara McClintock, Helen Reichert, and Janet Reno. Notable residents from after the creation of the Residential College include Matt Ruff,[ citation needed ] Mia Korf, [10] Jamie Silverstein, [11] Christopher Reeve, [12] Andre Balazs, Madalyn Aslan, Duo Dickinson, Andrew C. Greenberg, David Conte, [13] Jared Emerson-Johnson, Adam Becker, Yoon Ha Lee, Elizabeth Neuffer, and Keith Raywood.

In addition to students, Risley houses one or two Artists-In-Residence ("AIRs"), who live in the building and organize regular programs in which the house members participate. There is not currently an Artist-In-Residence. Previous AIRs include Georgia O'Neil, Patrick Gray, Carolina Osorio-Gill, Natalie Tyler, Abraham Burickson, Gregory Halpern, and Brandon Bird. [14]

Many famous people have visited the house for intimate discussions with the Risleyites, such as Anthony Rapp, Christopher Hogwood, John Cleese, who hosted a question and answer session after the showing of his film A Fish Called Wanda , [15] and Samuel R. Delany who continues to collaborate with Risley alumnus Kenneth James. [16] [17]

Facilities

Risley Residential College as seen from its courtyard Risley hall, backyard.gif
Risley Residential College as seen from its courtyard

As a dormitory, Risley offers a unique living experience. The Tudor Gothic building itself is shaped like a large red castle, modeled directly on Hampton Court Palace in England. The architect, William H. Miller, was requested to design the floor plan such that no two rooms would be identical. Consequently, the rooms vary greatly. Sizes range from a single room that is 93 square feet (9 m2), a former maid's room, to a double room that is 273 square feet (25 m2), the largest double on campus.[ citation needed ] Room features include balconies, fireplaces, dumbwaiter shafts, secret stairwells, bay windows, embrasures, and turrets.

At the request of Andrew Dickson White, the Risley Great Hall was constructed as a smaller scale replica of the dining hall at Oxford's Christ Church. [18] It is also the only gluten-free dining hall on Cornell's campus. [19] The hall features a large stained-glass window, portraying English social reformer Elizabeth Fry, U.S. First Lady Abigail Adams, and Scottish polymath Mary Somerville. [20]

The residence has a variety of spaces for students' creative and artistic endeavors, including a theater, music practice rooms, art workshops, a recording studio, a darkroom, and a small library. [ citation needed ]. The affairs of the building are managed by an elected student government, "Kommittee," which determines the budget, use of facilities, and allocation of funds. [21] Students are also allowed to paint the interior walls, resulting in numerous murals throughout the hallways. The college hosts a coffee house called "Tammany," where regional bands perform.{Citation needed|date=December 2010}}.

Risley Theatre is an 81-seat black box theater built in a converted ballroom.[ citation needed ] It is the only fully student-operated theater on the Cornell campus. The theater is run by the Risley Theatre Subcommittee ("T-Sub"), a subcommittee of Kommittee. T-Sub is responsible for producing regular seasons, allocating theater resources, funding student-run productions, and managing the theater space.[ citation needed ] Performances are open to the general public.

Traditions

Risley's great hall on Wizard's Feast Night (then known as "Harry Potter Night") Risley Hogwarts.jpg
Risley's great hall on Wizard's Feast Night (then known as "Harry Potter Night")

The hall hosts numerous annual events. For example, on the weekend before Halloween, students host a large costumed dance party called MasqueRave. Since 1991, on the weekend following Halloween, an in-house group, the "Denton Drama Troupe," has hosted a live performance of the Rocky Horror Picture Show in the Great Hall. Because both of these events draw hundreds of people, they generate the revenue that supports smaller projects. Other notable events include themed dinners, such as Wizard's Feast, first organized in 2005 by Risley Resident, Charlene Morales. The event included a menu akin to several beloved dishes, snacks, and drinks such as "butter beer" unique to the Harry Potter film, drawing over 200+ guests. All dishes were uniquely crafted by kitchen director, Lorna McNab. The event was so beloved by all that it was then decreed a tradition. Another notable tradition is the reading of Handel's Messiah.

In addition to annual events, there are also several weekly events (programs), most of which involve free food. Kommittee allocates money every semester to fund events like Eat This!, in which one or more Risleyites cook food for everyone else on Wednesdays at 10:30PM, RisBrunch (RizBrunch), in which one or more Risleyites cook food for everyone else on Saturdays at noon, and Lost Coffee, in which one Risleyite makes coffee and tea, which is placed somewhere in the building along with some cookies, on Monday nights and sends out clues as to where to find it.

Legend says that Prudence Risley, affectionately known as "Auntie Prue," haunts the building, flickering the lights whenever she appears. Some doubt the stories, though, and wonder if these "hauntings" might actually be the result of old wiring and the imaginations of overtired students. [22]

See also

Risley in literature

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dormitory</span> Residential student building

A dormitory, also known as a hall of residence or a residence hall, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university students. In some countries, it can also refer to a room containing several beds accommodating people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cowell College</span> Residential college of the University of California, Santa Cruz

The first of the ten residential colleges of the University of California, Santa Cruz, established in 1965, Cowell College sits on the edge of a redwood forest with a remarkable view of Monterey Bay. The college is named for Henry Cowell and the Cowell family, who donated the land that UCSC is built upon, previously known as the Cowell Ranch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabot House</span> Residential House of Harvard College

Cabot House is one of twelve undergraduate residential Houses at Harvard University. Cabot House derives from the merger in 1970 of Radcliffe College's South and East House, which took the name South House, until the name was changed and the House reincorporated in 1984 to honor Harvard benefactors Thomas Cabot and Virginia Cabot. The house is composed of six buildings surrounding Radcliffe Quadrangle; in order of construction, they are Bertram Hall (1901), Eliot Hall (1906), Whitman Hall (1911), Barnard Hall (1912), Briggs Hall (1923), and Cabot Hall (1937). All six of these structures were originally women-only Radcliffe College dormitories until they were integrated in 1970. Along with Currier House and Pforzheimer House, Cabot is part of the Radcliffe Quad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balch Hall</span>

Balch Hall is the only remaining all-female residence hall on the North Campus of Cornell University. Originally, Balch Hall consisted of four eighty-student halls, hence the more former name the Balch Halls, which has fallen out of use. Balch Hall is open only to female freshman and is divided into sections, known as units, each with a Residential Advisor who helps the new students acclimate themselves with the campus. Prior to the 2021-2024 renovations, the building was known for its old fashioned design as each room has a personal sink, or shares a sink with one other room.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston University Housing System</span> Housing system for Boston University

The Boston University housing system is the 2nd-largest of any private university in the United States, with 76% of the undergraduate population living on campus. On-campus housing at BU is an unusually diverse melange, ranging from individual 19th-century brownstone town houses and apartment buildings acquired by the school to large-scale high-rises built in the 60s and 2000s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornell West Campus</span> Residential section of Cornell University

West Campus is a residential section of Cornell University main campus in Ithaca, New York. It is bounded roughly by Fall Creek gorge to the north, West Avenue and Libe Slope to the east, Cascadilla gorge and the Ithaca City Cemetery to the south, and University Avenue and Lake Street to the west. It now primarily houses transfer students, second year students, and upperclassmen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornell North Campus</span> Residential section of Cornell University

North Campus is a mostly residential section of Cornell University's main campus in Ithaca, New York. It includes the neighborhoods located north of Fall Creek. All freshmen are housed on North Campus as part of Cornell's common first-year experience and residential initiatives.

The main campus of Virginia Tech is located in Blacksburg, Virginia; the central campus is roughly bordered by Prices Fork Road to the northwest, Plantation Road to the west, Main Street to the east, and U.S. Route 460 bypass to the south, although it also has several thousand acres beyond the central campus. The Virginia Tech campus consists of 130 buildings on approximately 2,600 acres (11 km2). It was the site of the Draper's Meadow massacre in 1755 during the French and Indian War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Housing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology</span> Undergraduate and graduate dormitories

At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), students are housed in eleven undergraduate dorms and nine graduate dorms. All undergraduate students are required to live in an MIT residence during their first year of study. Undergraduate dorms are usually divided into suites or floors, and usually have Graduate Resident Assistants (GRA), graduate students living among the undergraduates who help support student morale and social activities. Many MIT undergraduate dorms are known for their distinctive student cultures and traditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danforth Campus</span> Building in St. Louis, Missouri

The Danforth Campus is the main campus at Washington University in St. Louis. Formerly known as the Hilltop Campus, it was officially dedicated as the Danforth Campus on September 17, 2006, in honor of William H. Danforth, the 13th chancellor of the university, the Danforth family and the Danforth Foundation. Distinguished by its collegiate gothic architecture, the 169-acre (0.68 km2) campus lies at the western boundary of Forest Park, partially in the City of St. Louis. Most of the campus is in a small enclave of unincorporated St. Louis County, while all the campus area south of Forsyth Boulevard is in suburban Clayton. Immediately to the north across Forest Park Parkway is University City.

William Henry Miller (1848–1922) was an American architect based in Ithaca, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Residential colleges of Rice University</span>

Rice University contains eleven residential colleges which function as the primary housing, dining, and social organizations for undergraduate students. The system was established in 1957 and was inspired by the residential college systems at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge as well as the American adaptations of the same at Harvard and Yale. Each student is randomly affiliated with a residential college upon matriculation and becomes a lifetime member of the college. The residential college system takes the place of a Greek system and has contributed to a sense of community that other universities have sought to emulate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Housing at the University of Chicago</span> Student residential facilities

Housing at the University of Chicago includes seven residence halls that are divided into 48 houses. Each house has an average of 70 students. Freshmen and sophomores must live on-campus. Limited on-campus housing is available to juniors and seniors. The university operates 28 apartment buildings near campus for graduate students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Housing at Georgetown University</span> Aspect of Georgetown University residential life

Housing at Georgetown University consists of 13 residence halls at the main campus and a law center campus. Housing on Georgetown's main campus is divided between "halls," usually more traditional dormitories, and "villages", usually less traditional apartment complexes. In addition, Georgetown operates many townhouses in the Georgetown neighborhood, usually for second, third, and fourth-year students.

Since the founding, Stanford University has provided on-campus housing for students. Today, all undergraduate students, most graduate students, and many graduate employees use campus housing. While not all graduate students are eligible for campus or subsidized off-campus housing, of those that are, only 64% are able to take advantage of this opportunity due to the limited housing stock. Student Housing at Stanford is currently part of Residential & Dining Enterprises, an in-house standalone vendor within the Stanford affiliated network of businesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Main campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology</span> Buildings in Atlanta, Georgia, United States

The main campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology occupies part of Midtown Atlanta, primarily bordered by 10th Street to the north, North Avenue to the south, and, with the exception of Tech Square, the Downtown Connector to the East, placing it well in sight of the Atlanta skyline. In 1996, the campus was the site of the athletes' village and a venue for a number of athletic events for the 1996 Summer Olympics. The construction of the Olympic Village, along with subsequent gentrification of the surrounding areas, significantly changed the campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke University East Campus</span>

East Campus is part of Duke University's campus in Durham, North Carolina. East Campus, along with West Campus, make up most of Duke's main campus. The campus follows the Georgian architecture style, making it distinct from West Campus. Currently, East Campus is the exclusive residential home to first-year students. It borders Trinity Historic District to the east and Walltown Neighborhood to the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campus of Temple University</span>

The main campus of Temple University is in North Philadelphia about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of Center City. It occupies 118 acres (48 ha); an estimated 12,626 students live on or near it. Events for students and the public include concerts, performances, clubs, exhibits and lectures.

References

  1. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1340/pg1340.txt
  2. https://ecommons.cornell.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/b43d0b83-65f1-46c6-846e-c4c996b0a89f/content p.41
  3. "'The Castle on the Hill': Risley Hall's 100th Anniversary - the Cornell Daily Sun". 30 November 2001.
  4. "Obituary". News.cornell.edu. Archived from the original on 16 September 2006. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  5. https://ecommons.cornell.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/e884e207-2574-4f47-9773-eaa2e429f140/content p.3
  6. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 September 2006. Retrieved 1 August 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. https://ecommons.cornell.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/e884e207-2574-4f47-9773-eaa2e429f140/content p.3
  8. Portrait of Myself by Margaret Bourke-White, p 30
  9. Elspeth Huxley: A Biography by C. S. Nicholls, p. 85
  10. "Frequently asked questions about Fool on the Hill". Archived from the original on 12 January 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2006.
  11. "Washington Week: Student Voices (O)". PBS . Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  12. "Christopher Reeve". IMDb.com. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  13. "David Conte" . Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  14. "Brandon Bird resume". The official website of Brandon Bird. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  15. "Photographic image" (JPG). Brandonbird.com. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  16. "Crowdfunding the publication of Samuel R Delany's journals / Boing Boing". Boingboing.net. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  17. Delany, Samuel R.; James, Ken (15 November 1996). Longer Views: Extended Essays. Wesleyan. ISBN   0819562939.
  18. "Living at Cornell". Campuslife.cornell.edu. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  19. "Risley Dining Room | Student & Campus Life | Cornell University". scl.cornell.edu. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  20. "The Cornell Alumni News". 19 May 2024.
  21. "Risley | Kommittee". Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  22. "Big Red gives up the ghosts". Cornell Alumni Magazine Online. 107 (No 2) (Cornelliana: Spirit of the Season). Cornell University. September 2004. Retrieved 13 June 2015.

Cornell-affiliated sources

Non-Cornell-affiliated sources