Quizzes & Puzzles ‘Straight’ Answers: A Trivia Quiz for the Student Union’s 100th Birthday You spent hours in the beloved building—but can you answer these 12 questions about its history and design? Throughout the 2025–26 academic year, the University is celebrating the Straight’s centennial—and Cornellians is joining in the festivities with a series of stories (plus a few articles from our backlist), trivia quizzes, photo features, and more! Please enjoy our coverage of: “Storytime with Corey” on Dorothy Straight • Crossword puzzle • Visual quiz • Willard Straight 1901 biography • The Stump • Straight Cookies • Willard & Dorothy’s love letters • Building history DIFFICULTY LEVEL: MEDIUM 1) From which school or college did Willard Straight 1901 graduate? Architecture, Art & Planning Arts & Sciences CALS Engineering None 2) How much did it cost to construct the Straight in 1925? $500,000 $1.3 million $2.8 million $5.1 million None 3) Because the structure is built into a hillside, on which floor is the main entrance? First Second Third Fourth None 4) Willard’s widow—Dorothy, who spearheaded construction of the building—was a member of what socially prominent family? Whitney Vanderbilt Carnegie Astor None 5) When the Straight first opened, it had a separate entrance for whom? Varsity athletes Freshmen Women Graduate students None 6) What’s the source of the inscription over the Memorial Room fireplace? A love letter from Willard to Dorothy Willard’s favorite Cornell fight song A lesson from Willard’s Cornell advisor Willard’s advice to his son None 7) The eatery on the third floor is named after a character from … ? “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” “The Hobbit” “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” “Treasure Island” None 8) What do the murals in the lobby depict? The various activities that the building houses Cornell schools and colleges Willard’s career and ideals Greek and Roman mythology None 9) The Straight began screening movies routinely in the 1930s—but what year was Cornell Cinema officially founded? 1950 1960 1970 1980 None 10) What annual Big Red event was held there until 1950? Hotel Ezra Cornell Spring Fest Reunion Convocation None 11) Who are depicted in the carvings near the Memorial Room ceiling? American heroes Cornell professors Ivy League presidents Literary icons None 12) What flavor were the famous Straight Cookies? Peanut butter Oatmeal raisin Snickerdoodle Chocolate chocolate chip None Time’s up Top: Photo courtesy of Rare and Manuscript Collections. Published December 15, 2025 Comments Jenifer Ong-Meyers, Class of 1986 30 Dec, 2025 I obviously don’t know much about WSH – I did terribly on the quiz 🙂 I have good memories of having lunch downstairs, sometimes with friends, sometimes alone, and the variety of choices and dishes were usually wonderful. There were also meetings and events held, including various political themes – busy building. Parties and celebrations with loud music is another memory. How very different it must be the last couple of decades since the 1980s 🙂 Thanks for letting us know – happy 100th anniversary. Reply Barbara andrews hail, Class of 1952 11 Jan, 2026 I worked in the Browsing Library in 1951-52. Barbara Andrews hail Reply Mariangela (Nicolosi) Noyes, Class of 1986 11 Jan, 2026 lol, I didn’t do too well on this quiz, either, despite having worked in The Straight all four years at Cornell. I was a typist the Copy Center. We had a few IBM Selectric typewriters and students would bring us their handwritten papers to type. Believe it or not, this was from 1982-1986! We also were the “personals” ad drop center for The Daily Sun, so we got to read all of the fun messages before they were printed in the paper. It was a great job and such a wonderful place to meet people. Working there gave me a reason to explore campus since most of my classes were up at MVR area and I lived on North Campus. Reply Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Quizzes & Puzzles Brrr! Test Your Knowledge of East Hill’s Winter Readiness Quizzes & Puzzles November / December ’23 Trivia Roundup Ask the Expert Do Women in the U.S. Still Earn Less than Men?