LETTER FROM THE EDITOR | Join The Sun

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GROSS | The Research University has Reached its Limit

Described by historian Frederick Rudolph as “the first American university,” Cornell pioneered a transformative vision of higher education in the United States. It was the first in many respects: the first coeducational university, the first nonsectarian institution and among the earliest land-grant colleges. Cornell helped “free” different subjects from their previously strict constraints, allowing them — and their students and faculty — to become more specialized. This was a wonderful development in education in many ways, but it came at a price:  “Cornell University forced utility into the minds of American Educators,” which some might consider the greatest advancement in higher education, or a great misstep.  

‘Honey Don’t!’ Expect Much From This Film

I really wanted to like Honey Don’t! — but maybe this relationship was doomed from the start (spoilers incoming). 

9/3/2025 Crossword

MAIA ON THE MIC | The Collegetown Housing Hustle

Moving into your first apartment is supposed to be one of the most exciting times of your life — a pivotal moment signifying your first step toward adulthood and independence. For many, this moment may be moving away from home into your college dorm for the first time. In my opinion, it’s instead when you’re forced to truly take care of yourself. Cooking, cleaning, staying on top of bills: all personal responsibilities you assume when you move into a space that’s truly your own.

City Charter Shields Ithaca From Nearly All Pothole Damage Claims

Potholes, one of Ithaca’s most contested issues, have become a notable part of the city’s landscape. However, while city roads are riddled with cracks, pits and ruptures, the City of Ithaca doesn’t need to pay for damage caused by these road imperfections — including for injuries or vehicle damage — according to its charter. 

No Skips Allowed: Blood Orange’s 'Essex Honey'

Dubbed as one of 2024’s “songs of the summer,” Blood Orange’s 2011 track “Champagne Coast” made an unexpected rise to TikTok superstardom last year, hitting platinum over a decade after its original release. In the following months, Blood Orange’s online catalogue has sparked mass engagement from a newer, younger generation of listeners who quickly latched on to tracks like “Best to You” (2016), “You're Not Good Enough” (2013), “The Complete Knock” (2011) and “Charcoal Baby” (2018). Blood Orange as a musical entity is best described as a one-man project headed by singer-songwriter, instrumentalist and producer Devonté Hynes. In each of his four, now five, studio albums, Hynes fashions Blood Orange into a sound collection of the myriad artists he brings into the studio, sometimes featuring up to four people in the creation of a singular song. Making an art form out of vibe curation, Hynes is a master of suspending his listeners in the enormity of feeling without tying his narration neatly in a bow. Melding layers of instrumentation with alt-R&B, jazz, pop and ’80s new wave, Blood Orange’s discography blurs the lines of intimacy and vastness, creating an atmosphere that is deeply personal yet universally understood by its listeners. 

AYSW? | I Am an iPad Kid

You’re at a restaurant. Maybe you’re eating with your family, perhaps you’re on a date. The lights are dim, some smooth jazz glides through your ears, the food is delectable, the wine is slightly bitter yet fruity, candlelight illuminates the faces of your loved ones across from you — nothing could be more picturesque, more romantic than this. And then, just when you think life couldn’t get better, the illusion shatters at the sound of one far-too-loud noise. 

STITH | News Analysis: The Corporate University at Work

In March 10, 2025, Cornell hosted “Pathways to Peace”, moderated by former U.S. ambassador Ryan Crocker and featuring Tzipi Livni, Salam Fayyad and Daniel B. Shapiro. The event was billed as a wide-ranging conversation on Israel, Palestine and “potential paths forward.”

'The Roses': Not So Rosy

The Roses seems like it could be a clever film. It begins with Ivy and Theo Rose attempting to list the things they like about each other at a marriage counselor’s office. Unable to bring themselves to do it, their lists quickly devolve into insults. It is reminiscent of another recently lauded marriage story, the aptly titled Marriage Story (2019), which similarly begins in a mediator's office with a husband and a wife who cannot bring themselves to say anything nice about each other. However, these films hold little else in common aside from their subject matter, as they diverge in their wildly different tones and that Marriage Story at least has something to say about divorce and The Roses unfortunately does not.

Dealing with a Troubling Legacy: The Case of Hulk Hogan

We never really thought that Hulk Hogan would die. He was literally given the nickname “The Immortal One,” the ultra-blonde, ultra-jacked all-American, once the closest thing in US pop culture to a living breathing superhero. It had been this way for nearly 50 years; the bandana and horseshoe mustache gracing practically every kind of merchandise anyone can think of. The image of Hulk Hogan, and all the signifiers we associate with that person and brand, can only be compared to someone like Elvis Presley. However, it did not feel like that during Hulk Hogan’s final appearance at the WWE, the place he honed his “Immortal” status, when he was soundly booed out the building as he tried to hawk his beer brand. No farewells, no one-last-promo, no leg drop, just Hulk Hogan confronted with a crowd that had had enough of him. 

‘Guitar’: Mac DeMarco At His Most Quiet and Intimate

The last few years have been filled with an air of uncertainty and unease for Mac DeMarco fans like myself. In 2022, while on tour, DeMarco ominously spoke about a potential end to his musical career, saying “after this tour, there's nothing on the books … maybe I'll never be back.” Though 2023 saw him release One Wayne G — an album which compiled 199 unreleased songs and demos — the album continued to fuel rumors of retirement: after all, why would an artist release so many demos unless they planned on leaving the world of music behind altogether? To the relief of many, DeMarco clarified later on that he would continue releasing music, and his latest studio album Guitar released on August 22. 

Beyond Freshman Year: What No One Talks About

Fall on campus always feels like a fresh start. There is a buzz that surrounds the new freshman class, who step into the unknown with a mix of excitement and uncertainty. Each year in college brings its own transitions for everyone. Freshman year gets attention for its novelty and senior year for its nostalgia, but the truth is that change is happening all the time, just in quieter ways. Moving from one year to the next brings subtle and heavy changes, with every one requiring its own set of adjustments. These transitional years rarely get the spotlight, but they matter just as much and it is important to recognize the parts that no one talks about. 

GUEST ROOM | I Told Students to Dream Big. Now I’m Not So Sure.

Did I sell these kids a pipe dream? It is hard to know, and  I take solace that my motives were noble. Recently, however, I wonder if my words have led people down a road to nowhere. This path to no definite destination is a place I have grown much more acquainted with in recent months, feeling uncertain about the scientific ecosystem that awaits me after the culmination of my PhD program. 

SCHECHTER | Cornell Can’t Write the Rules of this Game

In the real world, negotiation is how we settle our differences. And in a Sun column published a few days ago, a columnist was wrong to attack Cornell for negotiating to secure a favorable settlement with the Trump administration. At a time when our University is locked in an existential battle for its soul, it cannot sit on the sideline and simply hope for the best. It must engage with and persuade the administration of its worth. And negotiation that maintains core values is the most effective avenue to do so.

Big Red Bucket List: Senior Edition

As I enter my final year of college, I notice a lot of lasts occurring around me and my peers scramble to do as much as they can in these last couple of semesters. For some reason, I prefer the mundanity of Cornell routine over seeking adventure in the surrounding Finger Lakes  region. As a result, I, surprisingly, have not done many of the essential Ithaca activities as some others. However, I am determined to make my last two semesters here worthwhile. 

‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ and Why it Wasn’t So Fantastic

Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm debuted to the world as a comic in 1961. Combining their powers, the team became the Fantastic Four, and as the cover of that first issue proclaimed 64 years ago, “The Fantastic Four have only begun to fight!” Since then, five films from various studios have attempted to give the super-powered family justice on the big screen, including one unreleased movie from 1994. Four of these reboots are notorious for marring the stories of Marvel’s first family. One such reboot, Fantastic Four: First Steps, released to theaters worldwide July 25, 2025. Unfortunately, this newest installment continues the curse that weighs heavy on movie adaptations of the Fantastic Four.

‘Mike … Was Just Hoping the Number Would Be More’: Police Footage Shows Top Administrator Discussing Detainment of Protesters at ‘Pathways to Peace’

During a Cornell-hosted March panel on the Israel-Palestine conflict, 17 protesters were detained or arrested for disrupting the event with coordinated chanting and a walkout. 

SUNBURSTS | Sunny First Days

As The Sun rises on a new semester, Cornellians celebrate move-in and their first week of classes.

SOLAR FLARE | Latino Indie

Let me set the scene: It’s Friday night, you’re with your friends at a frat (could be any, it doesn’t really matter and I don’t really care). You can physically feel your shoes sticking to the ground and your social battery dying as you realize you desperately need to pee. But the night is going awesome; you’re already thinking about what you’re going to get to eat at the 7-Eleven. The crappy frat brother DJ yells out, “This is for my big booty Latinas,” before blasting “Gasolina” by Daddy Yankee, you turn drunkenly to your friends (none of you are big booty Latinas, but that doesn’t really matter either) and scream “I love Spanish music!”