April 28th, 2026 | Mini Crossword

Student Artist Spotlight: Julia Sun

What major comes to mind when you think about a student photographer? Did you say chemical engineering? No? That’s weird, because Julia Sun ’26 is a photographer studying chemical engineering and doing both masterfully. Although she has always been an artist, Sun hasn’t always been a photographer. She recounted her first foray into the world of photography with a Sony a6000 bought for her by her father. “I just started clicking. … I didn’t even know what I was doing. I really, really loved it — just taking pictures, bringing [my camera] everywhere with me,” she shared. That inspiration led her to take photography classes in her senior year of high school, which helped her hone in on her technical skills.

Rod Serling’s Road to the Twilight Zone Runs Through Ithaca

Exactly 20.9 miles north of Uris Library in the Village of Interlaken in Lake View Cemetery is a small, modest headstone. It is gray, plain and smaller than most. Yet, despite the humbleness of the stone, it stands out, for on top are numerous trinkets, a small toy robot, a pair of red, plastic sunglasses, several pens, a baseball, coins and a cigarette to name a few. No other marker in the cemetery is adorned this way. 

Cornell Welcomes Spring in Color at Annual Holi Celebration

Clouds of color erupted over the Arts Quad as students gathered for Cornell’s annual Holi celebration, marking the arrival of spring with music, food and the throwing of colored powder on Sunday afternoon. 

Cornell Law Tops National Legal Hiring Rankings in New Bar Association Data

Cornell Law School posted the highest legal employment rate among U.S. law schools for its 2025 graduating class, according to new data published by the American Bar Association on April 22.

Student DJ Group SIDEPROJECT to Perform at Slope Day

18 days after announcing The Chainsmokers as the 2026 Slope Day headliner, The Slope Day Programming Board announced that student DJ group SIDEPROJECT will open the event, with Daya set as the supporting act, according to a Monday Instagram post. 

The Persistence of Vinyl

There’s not much to do in Ithaca on a rainy Saturday — unless you know where to look. This weekend in particular held an event I was excited for as a lover of music and a gumshoe of music lovers: the Ithaca Vinyl Records & CDs Fair. The Downtown Ithaca Conference Center took on the persona of an audio-fanatic's dream basement, hosting makeshift isles overflowing with CDs, vinyl records and various music paraphernalia. I wasn’t sure where to begin; not just as a shopper, but as an investigator. I wanted to pick the brains of these vendors who had come from far and wide to peddle their wares, because I’m sure they too wonder why vinyl records, against all odds, still hold appeal to a world where almost any song can be cued up at the push of a button.

New ILR Café Unveils Proposed Menu

Jerry’s Café, the new College of Industrial and Labor Relations café opening in King Shaw Hall in Spring 2027, released their menu at a tasting session hosted by Cornell Dining on March 11. 

BELMONTE | Greek Life Is Coming Out of the Closet

I’ve been avoiding writing about homosexuality in Greek Life for a simple reason: discourse invites over-examination. As Michel Foucault suggests, turning something into discourse can overexpose it, thereby imposing new labels around masculinity and secrecy in fraternity life. In other words, I’m risking reinforcing the very structures of sexual exclusions I seek to eliminate. However, I believe myself capable of writing on the topic without being overly hubris or grandiose — an almost impossible task as a columnist, I know. 

The Sun’s Postseason Men’s Hockey Mailbag

Editor’s Note: The Sun’s hockey mailbags are analysis pieces intended to answer questions sent in by readers on X. 

Men’s Tennis Nets Ivy League Title for First Time in Nearly a Decade

Sophomore Rodrigo Fernandes didn’t have time to process what he had just done.

Jane Lynch MFA ’84 Announced as 2026 Convocation Speaker

Five-time Emmy winner and Golden Globe awardee Jane Lynch MFA ’84 will take the stage at this year’s Senior Convocation Ceremony to deliver the keynote address, the Senior Convocation Committee announced at Ho Plaza on Monday.

SUNBURSTS | Sprinkle of Spring

As the semester draws to a close, Ithaca thaws, trees bloom and students soak in the sun.

The Making of Jonathan Castagna, the NHL’s Newest Diamond in the Rough: ‘These Guys Don’t Come Around That Often’

It unfolds in the blink of an eye. If you look away too long, you might miss it.

A Reintroduction to Cornell Cinema: Movie Theaters as a Community Third Space

As a house manager at the Cornell Cinema, every shift without fail, somebody stumbles into the theater as a mistake looking for the stairs to the fourth floor or curious about what is inside. Although the cinema has a loyal following amid the Cornell and greater Ithaca community, it remains relatively undiscovered for some undergraduates. In its nearly 56 years of existence, the cinema has exhibited an immense amount of digital and 35mm film screenings, hosted guest panels of industry giants and simply been a place of community for film-goers to see a movie they might not be able to at a commercial cinema.

Climate Activist Leah Stokes Urges Cornell Students to Take Action with “Carbon Waves”

In July 2021, climate scholar and activist Leah Stokes was busy preparing to testify in front of Congress, managing a grassroots call campaign and making television appearances on Democracy Now at five in the morning.

Riley Almost Doubles Oberacker’s Campaign Funding During Q1 of 2026

Rep. Josh Riley (D-N.Y.) reported strong fundraising numbers in the first quarter of 2026, outpacing his Republican challenger for New York’s 19th district, State Senator Peter Oberacker (R-N.Y.), by more than $300,000, according to Federal Election Commission filings. 

4/20 | A Little Smoke To Warm the Trees

Editor’s Note: 4/20 content is a part of The Sun’s joke issue and contains exaggerated and factually inaccurate information.

SOLAR FLARE | To and Fro: Collegetown Dispensary

It’s that time of year again: class attendance is starting to feel optional, the sun is out and it’s warm in the evenings. The gorges are no longer frozen over, College Ave. is bustling and the reflective glass of Collegetown Dispensary’s windowfront sparkles in the sunlight, a glint of hope. CTD is truly our shining city on the (down)hill. While typically the flick of a lighter and the roar of the falls along the Cascadilla Gorge Trail are a melodious enough soundtrack for journeys to and fro Collegetown Dispensary, I can understand the anxiety of being trapped in your own thoughts (especially on the way back!) when going solo. As on-demand smokers are wont to agree, the playlist on your way to CTD is a little different from the one on the way back. Hence, are your to and fro Collegetown Dispensary bangers. 

‘Anything Great is Worth the Wait’: Noah Kahan’s Long-Awaited ‘The Great Divide’

On April 24, Noah Kahan released his fourth studio album, The Great Divide. Coming more than three and a half years after his last major album, and more than two years after his last song release, The Great Divide was long-awaited. In an Instagram post on Jan. 28, Kahan announced the upcoming album release, stating, “The songs are the words I would say if I could. They are the fears I dance with in the moments before I drift off to sleep. The music here is my best attempt to delve deeper into the people, places, and feelings that have made me who I am.”