Opinion

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.

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

By Jan Burzlaff · Monday, Nov. 24, 2025

TOBIN | The Tobin Times

By Lali Tobin · Monday, Nov. 24, 2025

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.

TODDINGS | Views from Sky

By Skylar Toddings · Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025

Opinion Columnist Skylar Toddings '29 introduces her new fortnightly column, Views from Sky. Her column offers a "cloud-like haven amidst the tempest of opinion."

GUEST ROOM | AAUP Statement on the Trump-Cornell Deal

By Opinion Department · Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025

The Cornell Chapter of the American Association of University Professors writes to address harmful provisions in the University's deal with the Trump administration.

GALPERIN | It's All Connected

By Ezra Galperin · Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025

Opinion Columnist Ezra Galperin ‘27 writes about the far left’s tendency to connect many perceived injustices to the war in Gaza, arguing that the only real connection is in the oppression that the far left supports and perpetrates.

EDITORIAL | Don’t Settle for the Settlement

By The Editorial Board · Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025

The Editorial Board advises the community to watch how the University complies with the federal government in the aftermath of their agreement.

CLIFFORD | Some Like It Hot — Gen Z Likes It Incarcerated

By Elise Clifford · Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025

Opinion Columnist Elise Clifford ’29 impeaches Gen Z’s infatuation with “criminal chic,” arguing that it mirrors not only aesthetic values but a deeper veneration of victimhood — a moral currency now weaponized in American populist politics. She links viral mugshots to Christian notions of virtue, all the while wondering what might have been had she met Luigi Mangione before his alleged crime.