Opinion

ZHOU | Where Have the Mugwumps Gone?

By Rayen Zhou · Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025

Opinion Columnist Rayen Zhou '29 comments on the loosening of Trump’s grip on the GOP and what the recent Epstein files saga may mean for the future of Republican dissenters.

STEINGARD | When Professors Stop Professing

By Mihir Steingard · Monday, Dec. 1, 2025

CARUSO | Out of Sight, Out of Mind

By Paul Caruso · Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025

DAVIS | You Sound Like AI

By Nina Davis · Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025

ZHOU | Rhyme or Reason

By Rayen Zhou · Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025

Opinion Columnist Rayen Zhou '29 introduces Rhyme or Reason with a dive into his personal history with political media.

WALTER | Onion Theory

By Kira Walter · Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025

In her introduction column for Onion Theory, Kira Walter '26 appeals to the non-linear and experiential character of her spiritual outlook.

PHAM | Ellaments of Truth

By Ella Pham · Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025

Ella Pham '29 introduces Ellaments of Truth, her new opinion column about elevating underserved communities by studying ethics in professional and cultural life.

BURZLAFF | The Basics (4): The Study of Rest

By Professor Jan Burzlaff · Monday, Nov. 24, 2025

Prof. Burzlaff investigates the benefits of rest in this edition of Office Hours (Open Door Edition).

Opinion Columnist Lali Tobin opens up her column, The Tobin Times, which chronicles her experiences in very different environments, from the vibrant politics of New York City to the quiet determination in Georgia, and then to the thoughtful atmosphere at Cornell. With this column, I want to help my generation see the personal side of politics, turning disinterest into engagement and discussion. By sharing genuine stories with openness, humor and compassion, The Tobin Times aims to remind readers that politics is fundamentally about people.

KHEDER | You Can Use AI Better

By Zak Kheder · Monday, Nov. 24, 2025

Opinion Columnist Zak Kheder '26 discusses the prolific use of artificial intelligence in the classroom. He offers three ways for students to use AI more practically for their education.

SELL | I Want To Ride My Bicycle, I Want To Ride It Where I Like

By Wyatt Sell · Monday, Nov. 24, 2025

Opinion Columnist Wyatt Sell '27 critiques city ordinances that prevent bicycling and other modes of transportation in the Ithaca Commons.

BELMONTE | The Scariest Thing This Halloween Was Socialism

By Adrian Belmonte · Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025

Senior Columnist Adrian Belmonte ’28 writes in his fortnightly column Saved By The Bel about the conflation between communism and democratic socialism. With the rise of a new democratic socialist candidate, Zohran Mamdani, he critiques America’s fear of socialism, contrasting capitalist failures with the democratically driven reforms many voters increasingly demand.

Committee on the Future of the American University | The Crisis of Trust

By Committee on the Future of the American University · Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025

Committee on the Future of the American University writes that the crisis of trust facing higher education reflects a broader nationwide decline in confidence across American institutions and demands renewed effort to rebuild the foundations of trust that sustain both universities and society.

STITH | Cornell and Trumps' Holy Matrimony

By Yihun Stith · Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025

Senior Opinion Columnist Yihun Stith '26 argues that Cornell’s agreement with the Trump administration on paper doesn’t accurately depict Cornell’s relationship with the government. From secretive subpoenas to Cornell’s witch hunt of Cheyfitz, Stith contends that our academic freedom and free speech are being trampled by Cornell to appease Trump.

PHAM | The First Domino Has Fallen

By Ella Pham · Monday, Nov. 17, 2025

Opinion Columnist Ella Pham ‘29 analyzes the long-term effects of Trump’s executive orders on law firms, observing how it has shaped the legal landscape today and may continue shaping the landscape of tomorrow.

PETROVA | The Red Sun Rises: How Democratic Socialism Swept the Vote

By Mina Petrova · Friday, Nov. 14, 2025

Opinion Columnist Mina Petrova ’29 reflects on how sweeping DSA victories nationwide mark a rare and urgent opening for transformative politics.

KASSAM | Struggle, Responsibility and Meaning

By Karim-Aly Kassam · Friday, Nov. 14, 2025

Prof. Kassam puts campus concerns for students' mental health in the context of an interpersonal struggle for meaning.

JASO | New Luddites

By Francis X. Jaso · Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025

Columnist Francis Jaso ’28 condemns AI’s plight on mind and man. Within the context of Luddism, he maps a historical legacy of adverse reactions to innovation and suggests Cornellians’ complacency to a brutally technological reality is careless, if not cause for rejecting the machine itself.

GUEST ROOM | AAUP Executive Committee on the Draft Recommendations of the Presidential Task Force on Institutional Voice

By Opinion Department · Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025

A guest column from the Cornell Chapter of the American Association of University Professors addresses concerns for academic speech found in recent draft recommendations by the Presidential Task Force on Institutional Voice.

CARUSO | That's Not How That Works

By Paul Caruso · Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025

Senior Opinion Columnist Paul Caruso MPA '27 responds to Henry Schechter’s claims on negotiation, lobbying and policy formation. He addresses further the University’s recent deal with the Trump Administration.