DAY HALL—It’s officially autumn, which can only mean one thing: everything is orange now! In every store in the country, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin spice Oreos, and pumpkin spice cheesecake fill the shelves– and it’s not just stores. The Cornell University Financial Aid Office is also getting in on the fall fun, debuting a new round of cost of attendance raises– only this time, they’re orange!
In comparison to students’ previous loans, this semester’s will surely represent a large increase. However, unlike in past, cheaper semesters, this year’s loans vaguely smell and taste like artificial pumpkin flavoring.
“We have decided to raise most of your tuition by, give or take, $2,000 a semester, which will probably have quite the impact on your ability to attend this institution,” said Chris Bryant, head of Cornell Financial Aid. “Buuuuuut, the automated email we sent you about it is orange! :)”
In a statement early Tuesday, Interim President Michael Kotlikoff sent an encouraging message to the Cornell community during this time of change, urging resilience.
“Who doesn’t love pumpkin spice? I know I do!” President Kotlikoff wrote. “Loan increase, schmoan increase. Let’s focus on what’s really important– fall vibes!”
Beyond changing the color of a few buttons, the aid office decided to get fancy with some HTML and CSS, adding fall-themed animations to Student Center. This way, students can focus on something other than a few extra zeroes.
“We’ve coded an animation of orange leaves falling down the screen that triggers whenever a student opens their finances tab,” Bryant said. “Pretend that those leaves are your dollar bills, leaping out of your pockets and wilting into the ground. How fall!”
Many students, such as Ava Meissner ‘28, are adapting well to the new change and appreciate the steps the University is taking to address the needs of students.
“When I saw that my student contribution was raised by $5,000, I was initially disappointed,” said Meissner, a low-income student who depends on financial aid. “But then, I saw that the ‘Outstanding Balance Due’ table had been changed from red to orange and thought, ‘y’know, this isn’t so bad!’”
Meissner and Bryant are looking forward to this December, when a candy cane-themed overlay is set to accompany a reduction in work-study allocations.