The newspaper “industry” (Hah! Industry?) is facing impending doom. The economy sucks. Despite the extensive, flesh-eating “Holiday Gift Guide,” this newspaper is losing solvency fast. So in the ultimate wet dream for the Cornell Press Relations Office, which would like to keep student reporters as far away as possible, The Sun has decided to relocate its operations to Bangalore, India.

President Skorton’s recent visit to Iran was an excellent way to start a conversation. Designed to introduce North American university presidents to Iranian academics, Skorton’s trip, along with a delegation from the Association of American Universities, highlighted that academic censorship still exists within the international community. Such censorship is bad for Iran, but it is also unfortunate for countries like our own, which benefit from academic partnerships with innovative and progressive institutions around the world.

Last week, Professor and former University President Hunter Rawlings gave his hypothetical “Last Lecture” to a packed auditorium. He began his talk by setting the historical stage: It’s 1968 and the Vietnam War is raging. Rawlings is a graduate student of classical philosophy at Princeton. And his disillusionment is palpable. “I had a very hard time,” Rawlings said, “seeing what my studies had to do with what I was seeing every day around me.”

The perpetuation of several comprehensive drug programs in Tompkins County is an encouraging step in the right direction. The Southern Tier AIDS Program’s syringe exchange program is one of the many services that assists the Ithaca area in dealing with the economic, social and health issues related to drug use. In allowing the State Health Department to establish syringe exchange programs, New York State has taken a firm and admirable stance on combating the AIDS epidemic.

With Hillary Clinton slated to step into her post as Secretary of State, the Senate will gain a new member who can be an important advocate for New York. Gov. David Paterson faces several challenges in selecting someone to fill the impending vacancy in the Senate. As the economy continues to falter, Paterson must choose a candidate who is familiar with our state budget and who can reconcile necessary public spending with appropriate fiscal restraint.

Last Thursday, Ithaca was featured as a “haven” in the Great Homes and Destinations section of The New York Times. While the publicity is certainly a boon for a small town that can use all the economic influx it can get, the portrayal of Ithaca as a resort town for wealthy second-home owners is troubling. Many visitors (and students) struggle to understand why Ithacans sometimes resent the presence of outsiders. After all, tourists are the ones who keep much of this town employed and worthy of New York Times write-ups. But what they don’t see is the disconnect between Ithaca as a tourist attraction and Ithaca as a community.

Last weekend, nearly 200 people from across the Ithaca community protested California’s passage of a ban on gay marriage. In the wake of Barack Obama’s historic election as president on a platform of change, a segment of this country’s population remains targeted, attacked and marginalized by the law. The vote in favor of Proposition 8 in California represents a reversion to the past and a change this country does not need — and cannot afford.

Times are tough, but Cornell is staying its course. Last week, the University detailed plans for a new financial aid initiative. The project, which commits Cornell to spending $138.9 billion on undergraduate financial aid over the next academic year, aims to help “Cornell’s neediest students” graduate debt-free. Following in the footsteps of our more financially-endowed peer institutions, the school will eliminate the expectation of parental contribution from families with annual incomes below $60,000.

The economic turmoil on Wall Street has left New York State’s budget in limbo. In the latest special session, Governor Paterson proposed over $2 billion in additional cuts. While we understand the need for budget cuts, this latest round goes beyond trimming excess and into the territory of straining the well-being of New Yorkers. Like Cornell, New York State must focus on the long term and not react quickly and capriciously to a crisis. The governor’s proposals call for a cut in public school aid by $585 million, a reduction in health care spending by $572 million and a rise in the tuition of SUNY students by $600 a year. These proposals are in addition to the cuts the governor made earlier this year. Locally, the consequences have been far-reaching and tragic.