If You’re Not a Cornellian You Shouldn’t Sport Cornell Gear

by | November 3, 2008 at 12:05 pm

American movies and TV shows are filled with fictional Ivy Leaguers. (To name a few, Bruce Wayne of “Batman” is a Princetonian, Peter Parker of “Spider Man” is a Columbian, and Elle Woods of “Legally Blonde” is a Harvard Law student.) But, as a seeming reflection of real life, Harvard, Yale, and Princeton get the most attention; the others – most notably Penn, Cornell, and Dartmouth – are, to the chagrin of many of their alums, given the shaft.

“The Office”, however, runs against the media’s obsession with the H-Y-P triumvirate and features a character that bleeds Big Red blood: Cornell alum and highly successful Dunder Mifflin lackey Andy Bernard (Ed Helms). Though the show’s writers have made several rather deprecating jibes at Cornell in past seasons, they’ve ratcheted it up to new heights in the newest episode, which aired last Thursday.

On the day after Halloween, Dwight Schrute – the Assistant to the Regional Manager – struts into work sporting a Cornell sweater. This distresses Andy quite clearly; he laughs tensely at first, and then – once Dwight is at his desk – walks over and informs him that he shouldn’t be wearing Cornell merchandise. The Cornell references escalate as the episode proceeds; near the end Andy conducts an alumni interview with Dwight, who has ostensibly applied to study at the Agriculture School.

After the jump: a few quotes and a YouTube video.

Dwight: So, uh, how do you think we’re gonna do against Penn this year? Nathan Ford’s arm looks pretty strong.
Andy: He’s had a pretty good season so far… Stop saying “we.” You did not go to Cornell, ok? You’re just doing this to screw with me.
Dwight: Not so, Cornell is an excellent school. Without its agricultural we probably wouldn’t have cabbage. At least not modern cabbage.
Andy: I know it’s an excellent school, Dwight. I went there. My blood runs Big Red.
Dwight: Some day we’ll get together in Comstock Hall and just laugh about all this.

Meredith: You know I once dated a couple guys from Cornell. They were really nice. They gave me a ride home.
Andy: I seriously doubt anyone from Cornell dated you.
Creed: It’s pronounced colonel and it’s the highest rank in the military.
Andy: It’s pronounced Cor-nell! It’s the highest rank in the Ivy League!

Dwight: Andy, I’ve been meaning to ask you. Which a capella group should I join? The Harmoniacs? Or the Doh-Ray-Mee-gos?

Three actors on “The Office” attended Ivy League schools: B.J. Novak (Ryan Howard) went to Harvard, Mindy Kaling (Kelly Kapoor) went to Dartmouth, and John Krasinski (Jim Halpert) went to Brown. This may explain why Cornell is – quite hilariously – hated upon in the show.

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What we really want to know is whether or not Cornellians love or loathe “The Office” for its obsession with their school. Readers, weigh in!

 
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  • ViolentQuaker

    Times like this I prefer the lukewarm comfort of being too nationally unknown to be effectively lampooned

  • ViolentQuaker

    Times like this I prefer the lukewarm comfort of being too nationally unknown to be effectively lampooned

  • d91

    I love the Cornell references. They’re jokey enough to be funny, but not offensive in the least. When it rains 3 seasons out of 4, and snows the other, and we still choose to spend four years in Ithaca, I think we have pretty good senses of humor.

  • d91

    I love the Cornell references. They’re jokey enough to be funny, but not offensive in the least. When it rains 3 seasons out of 4, and snows the other, and we still choose to spend four years in Ithaca, I think we have pretty good senses of humor.

  • Cornellian

    I think that the Cornell references are still cool. Plus, people that know a lot about top schools know Cornell is the best ivy for engineering and a lot of specialty stuff but is brought down by the hotel, human ecology, ILR, and agricultural schools is overall prestige (even though they’re good at what they do). After all, everyone knows MIT is #1 in anything related to math/science/engineering anyway and they’re not even ivy.

  • Cornellian

    I think that the Cornell references are still cool. Plus, people that know a lot about top schools know Cornell is the best ivy for engineering and a lot of specialty stuff but is brought down by the hotel, human ecology, ILR, and agricultural schools is overall prestige (even though they’re good at what they do). After all, everyone knows MIT is #1 in anything related to math/science/engineering anyway and they’re not even ivy.

  • CayugaWaiter

    The writers went to “better” ivys – head writers BJ Novak and Mindy Kaling went to Harvard and Dartmouth. The Cornell references are really a jab at those lower Ivy kids who won’t shut up about how they went Ivy.

  • CayugaWaiter

    The writers went to “better” ivys – head writers BJ Novak and Mindy Kaling went to Harvard and Dartmouth. The Cornell references are really a jab at those lower Ivy kids who won’t shut up about how they went Ivy.

  • CU’09

    I am pretty sure I spent a semester living on West Campus with the real-life Andy, therefore I am unable to laugh at his persona and instead recall the Spring 2007 semester where I slept on a friend’s futon in an attempt to save my sanity while avoiding one of the most socially inept, pompus individuals I have ever met. That being said, I always have to smile when I see anything CU related, I somehow love and miss the ol’ tundra.

    By the way, Cornellian, please let me revisit a portion of your comment…

    “Plus, people that know a lot about top schools know Cornell is the best ivy for engineering and a lot of specialty stuff but is brought down by the hotel, human ecology, ILR, and agricultural schools is overall prestige (even though they’re good at what they do).”

    I agree the Engineering school is nothing to scoff at, but please get over your superiority complex and stop trying to place yourselves at the top of the CU mountain. You reference “specialty stuff” but then deride specialty schools such as the Hotel School (the top Undergrad degree in its field) and the ILR School (again, the top degree in its field and a school that houses one of your required courses). Just call up Miss Coulter now and the two of you can talk at length (if engineering students could actually do that…) about how much better than the rest of the campus you actually are.

    /vent

  • CU’09

    I am pretty sure I spent a semester living on West Campus with the real-life Andy, therefore I am unable to laugh at his persona and instead recall the Spring 2007 semester where I slept on a friend’s futon in an attempt to save my sanity while avoiding one of the most socially inept, pompus individuals I have ever met. That being said, I always have to smile when I see anything CU related, I somehow love and miss the ol’ tundra.

    By the way, Cornellian, please let me revisit a portion of your comment…

    “Plus, people that know a lot about top schools know Cornell is the best ivy for engineering and a lot of specialty stuff but is brought down by the hotel, human ecology, ILR, and agricultural schools is overall prestige (even though they’re good at what they do).”

    I agree the Engineering school is nothing to scoff at, but please get over your superiority complex and stop trying to place yourselves at the top of the CU mountain. You reference “specialty stuff” but then deride specialty schools such as the Hotel School (the top Undergrad degree in its field) and the ILR School (again, the top degree in its field and a school that houses one of your required courses). Just call up Miss Coulter now and the two of you can talk at length (if engineering students could actually do that…) about how much better than the rest of the campus you actually are.

    /vent

  • Emoryfan

    Could a member of the Cornell Club NYC sport Cornell gear?

  • Hannisfamily

    I think making fun of Cornell is fair and appropriate.  Everyone knows that Cornell is at the bottom of the Ivy League (and really doesn’t belong there in the first place) and is probably the most pretentious school in the country.  ‘Ivy League’ implies oldest and most prestigious … and Cornell is neither.  Cornell’s Arts & Sciences school is the only part of Cornell that could even be considered a potential for Ivy league status (but still a reach).  Also, many students at Cornell are actually state school students learning technical skills … a glorified tech school.  There’s nothing wrong with studying how to fold napkins at a Hotel School or how eggs hatch at an Agriculture School … just don’t pretend you’re Ivy League material.   So Andy (the pretentious nerd) seems to be an appropriate character to portray the Cornell grad.  My guess is that my fellow Hamilton (NESCAC school) fraternity brother Paul Lieberstein (ie, Toby), a writer, producer, and cast member for The Office, is behind this ”Andy the Cornell nerd” storyline.   Bravo, Paul!

    PS:  Most NESCAC schools (ie, “Little Ivies”) are older than Cornell and have higher avg verbal and/or math SAT scores than Cornell.  More NESCAC students come from a higher academic echelon than most Cornell weenies … a higher % from top prep and boarding schools.  The top NESCAC schools are more selective than the top Ivy League schools, and certainly more selective than Cornell. 

  • Anonymous

     I think making fun of Cornell is fair and appropriate.  Everyone knows that Cornell is at the bottom of the Ivy League (and really doesn’t belong there in the first place) and is probably the most pretentious school in the country.  ‘Ivy League’ implies oldest and most prestigious … and Cornell is neither.  Cornell’s Arts & Sciences school is the only part of Cornell that could even be considered a potential for Ivy league status (but still a reach).  Also, many students at Cornell are actually state school students learning technical skills … a glorified tech school.  There’s nothing wrong with studying how to fold napkins at a Hotel School or how eggs hatch at an Agriculture School … just don’t pretend you’re Ivy League material.   So Andy (the pretentious nerd) seems to be an appropriate character to portray the Cornell grad.  My guess is that my fellow Hamilton (NESCAC school) fraternity brother Paul Lieberstein (ie, Toby), a writer, producer, and cast member for The Office, is behind this ”Andy the Cornell nerd” storyline.   Bravo, Paul!
    PS:  Most NESCAC schools (ie, “Little Ivies”) are older than Cornell and have higher avg verbal and/or math SAT scores than Cornell.  More NESCAC students come from a higher academic echelon than most Cornell weenies … a higher % from top prep and boarding schools.  The top NESCAC schools are more selective than the top Ivy League schools, and certainly more selective than Cornell.

  • Anonymous

     I think making fun of Cornell is fair and appropriate.  Everyone knows that Cornell is at the bottom of the Ivy League (and really doesn’t belong there in the first place) and is probably the most pretentious school in the country.  ‘Ivy League’ implies oldest and most prestigious … and Cornell is neither.  Cornell’s Arts & Sciences school is the only part of Cornell that could even be considered a potential for Ivy league status (but still a reach).  Also, many students at Cornell are actually state school students learning technical skills … a glorified tech school.  There’s nothing wrong with studying how to fold napkins at a Hotel School or how eggs hatch at an Agriculture School … just don’t pretend you’re Ivy League material.   So Andy (the pretentious nerd) seems to be an appropriate character to portray the Cornell grad.  My guess is that my fellow Hamilton (NESCAC school) fraternity brother Paul Lieberstein (ie, Toby), a writer, producer, and cast member for The Office, is behind this ”Andy the Cornell nerd” storyline.   Bravo, Paul!PS:  Most NESCAC schools (ie, “Little Ivies”) are older than Cornell and have higher avg verbal and/or math SAT scores than Cornell.  More NESCAC students come from a higher academic echelon than most Cornell weenies … a higher % from top prep and boarding schools.  The top NESCAC schools are more selective than the top Ivy League schools, and certainly more selective than Cornell.

  • John

    I am a graduate of Cornell (Class of 2004) and I love The Office.  Its really funny because all the pompous frat guys acted exactly like Andy.  They were so full of themselves even though they just got in as a “Legacy” student.

  • John

    I am a graduate of Cornell (Class of 2004) and I love The Office.  Its really funny because all the pompous frat guys acted exactly like Andy.  They were so full of themselves even though they just got in as a “Legacy” student.

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