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Get Smart
July 14th, 2008The moment of truth is upon you. Four weeks from now, mom and dad will unload your last suitcase from the family minivan and bid goodbye in a tearful scene on North Campus. You’ll oblige mom with the requisite one-armed hug, painfully aware of all the witnesses to your moment of un-cool. And then they’ll be gone, mom, dad and the minivan, and you’ll be left to face that intimidating challenge they call college on your own. Welcome to independence. As the parentals drive out of Ithaca, heavy of heart but lighter of luggage, you may ask yourself if you have what it takes to navigate this campus. Not to worry: you won’t be the only one. Read More
Other News
Chasing Corpanga: Relationships on Campus
July 14th, 2008During my childhood, I was lucky enough to watch one of the most beautiful relationships unfold before my eyes. It filled me with such hope that perhaps I, too, could find love in kindergarten with the boy next door: a true love that would last through the trials of puberty and eventually lead to a wonderful marriage. I spent many silent dinners with my parents in awe of the tried-and-true relationship before me. Every day, I thank God and basic cable for introducing me and my generation to the unflinching devotion of history’s most passionate lovers: Corey and Topanga. Read More
Obsessed With Success?
July 14th, 2008Freshmen, I just want to say one word to you — just one word: ‘two-year plans.’ There’s a great future in two-year plans. Think about it. I will concede that ‘two-year plans’ is in fact three words, but the point is still there. Albeit less exciting than “plastics” (if the above reference is not clear, I have a tendency to cite life advice from The Graduate), two-year plans are a healthy alternative to Cornell’s all-too-common ten-year plan syndrome. I all too frequently find myself in discussions that revolve around the painfully careful execution of post-collegiate decisions. Cornellians have bowed to an omnipresent pressure to conquer our 20s in order to live a fruitful 30s. Read More
Keep Your Eyes Peeled
July 14th, 2008I’m not going to tell you about how to get along with your roommate or pick classes or decide which set of plastic drawers to get at Wal Mart. I’m not going to tell you anything any other college freshman in the country would understand. Over the past three years, as a reporter, writer and editor for The Sun, I’ve gotten to know Ithaca and Cornell in a way few do. Amid the bustle and chaos of university life, it was my job and privilege, every so often, to step back and observe. Read More
Archived Stories
Badger Bullies
June 18th, 2008As an administrator, former Provost Biddy Martin was devoted to improving the lives of students, faculty and staff. As President David Skorton’s first deputy officer, she pioneered initiatives to increase financial aid, appoint new deans and increase communication and cohesion across our large and disparate University. It’s because of her stellar academic and administrative record at Cornell that we’re disappointed to learn of the controversy surrounding her appointment as the new chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Two weeks ago, a blog post on the National Review Online criticized Martin as a “self-indulged, theory-laden, post-modern scholar.” Read More
Remembering David Rosenberg '78
June 6th, 2008When Herbert Parker, an African-American assistant director of financial aid, was fired during my junior year, students responded with a series of protests: Herb Parker, Just like him/Dare to struggle, Dare to win. Minority students occupied Day Hall and the Office of Admissions on Thurston Ave., leaving when the University got a temporary restraining order from a judge. Read More
The Drive to $1.25 Billion
June 6th, 2008Backspace appeared biweekly throughout the 2005-2006 school year in commemoration of The Sun’s 125th Anniversary. Honoring not only the history of The Sun but also the role it played in major campus events throughout the years, each column featured a different writer chronicling an era of Cornell’s lively history. The column printed in this special issue by Saman Zia-Zarifi and Preston Mendenhall was originally published as part of the Backspace feature. The announcement, in the fall of 1990, grabbed national headlines. And the number — $1.25 billion — was astounding. Cornell was the first American university to try to cross the billion-dollar mark. Read More
Welcome Back
June 6th, 2008On behalf of The Sun’s 126th Editorial Board, I’d like to welcome all Cornell alumni back to campus for the weekend. It’s been years since some of you were last on the Hill, and we hope this issue gives you a hint of what’s been happening at your alma mater. And for all those returning Sunnies, welcome, as well: We hope that a fresh issue of The Sun reminds you of all the good times and long nights spent in downtown Ithaca, losing sleep and laying the foundation for what we have today. Read More
A History of Dissent
June 6th, 20081943: Tuesday, January 5, 1943 It was Cicero who said it would be better if no one knew what the future held in store, for in that case each man would rise to meet each occasion as it exploded in his face, and would meet it in the best way possible. Cicero, though shouldst be living at this hour! For this hour is still within sight of the beginning of a new year — a year loaded with unforeseen occasions to be met in the best way possible. Read More
Thank You for Reading
May 21st, 2008For the past four years, I’ve avoided putting my opinions into this newspaper as much as humanly possible. Since I have too many people to thank to fit into the allotted space, my first opinion has to be succinct. Read More