Any Person, Every Milestone:161 Things Every Cornellian Should Do
20 years. Thousands of memories. 161 traditions. Two decades after the original list debuted, the outgoing 142nd Editorial Board revamped our famous list, updating the quintessential experiences that define life on the Slope. So grab a carnelian colored pen (or steal one from the A.D. White House), and get to checking!
o 1. Make the library into your bedroom and have sex in the stacks
o 2. Go to the Cornell-Harvard men’s hockey game and throw fish on the ice
o 3. Go to Zeus after class. Sit on a bench because all the tables are being used or coffee chats
o 4. Take off to NYC for Fall Break, being sure to post on Instagram about it at least twice
o 5. Sled down Libe Slope during a snow storm
o 6. Take Hotel Administration 4300: Introduction to Wines
o 7. Take AMST 2000 and learn some Cornell history from Corey Earle ‘07
o 8. Streak across the Arts Quad
o 9. Go sake bombing at Plum Tree
o 10. Order ice cream at the Dairy Bar
o 11. Climb the rock wall in Bartels Hall
o 12. Listen to a full chimes concert from the clock tower. Guess the songs played
o 13. Order the same thing off the Collegetown Bagels menu all four years
o 14. Register for classes during Freshman Pre-Enroll, then switch out of every single one by the time Add/Drop ends
o 15. Dress for 70 degree weather. Cry as you walk home in the freezing cold that night
o 16. Steal a vegetable from the Cornell Botanic Gardens. Savor it
o 17. Go to the Fuertes Observatory on North Campus and gaze at meteor showers
o 18. Enroll in BIOEE 1540: Introductory Oceanography as a joke, then fall in love with Bruce Monger and attend every class
o 19. Have a snowball fight in May
o 20. Stick your hand inside a fistulated cow
o 21. Skip class to play SpikeBall on the Arts Quad
o 22. Bury a bottle of Barton’s on the Slope. Dig it up on Slope Day.
o 23. Enjoy golden hour from the Cornell Botanic Gardens
o 24. Attend the Apple Festival on the Commons
o 25. Flirt with your professor
o 26. Bomb a prelim
o 27. Ace the next one to save your grade
o 28. Steal a bunch of cups from the dining hall and never give them back
o 29. Attend Hotelie prom
o 30. Take a selfie with Happy Dave from Okenshield’s
o 31. Take three finals in two days because they were just over 24 hours apart
o 32. Get heartburn at the Chili Cook-off on the Commons
o 33. Enjoy Ithaca’s two months of warm weather — spend a summer here!
o 34. Go to a Shabbat dinner at 104West!
o 35. Watch the AAP students parade down East Avenue on Dragon Day
o 36. Walk out of class to warm weather and immediately get a beer at CTB
o 37. Build a snow penis or count how many you see around campus
o 38. Dress up and view The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Risley
o 39. Take a class you think is impossible just for fun
o 40. Go to Catherine Valley for a wine tour
o 41. Kiss on the suspension bridge at midnight
o 42. Take Plant Pathology 2010: Magical Mushrooms, Mischievous Molds
o 43. Shop at the Friends of the Library Book Sale
o 44. Get a University parking ticket, then sweet-talk your way out of it o 45. Buy an Ithaca Is Gorges t-shirt, then get sick of wearing it and buy a dumb variation (Ithaca Is Gangsta, Vaginas Are Gorges, Ithaca Is Long Island…) o 46. Learn the “Alma Mater,” “Evening Song” and “Give My Regards to Davy.” Hum them when you hear the chimes
o 47. Attend an opening at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art
o 48. Smuggle food from the dining hall and run for your life as they try to get back your stolen cookies
o 49. Make the Walk of Shame. See an ex on your way home
o 50. Have dinner at a professor’s house
o 51. Get wasted at a professor’s house o 52. Take a selfie with a Cornell president o 53. Play a game of tag in the Kroch Library stacks
o 54. Take a class that meets outside
o 55. Start your freshman year pre-med. Graduate from Dyson.
o 56. Kayak or canoe on Beebe Lake
o 57. Watch dancers fly through the air at Pao Bhangra show
o 58. Have a midnight picnic in the Ag Quad
o 59. Wait in line for half an hour for an orange chicken burrito at Terrace
o 60. Ignore the “No Winter Maintenance” signs … slip and fall down the stairs
o 61. Sit in Libe Café when you have no work to do and watch worried students down gallons of coffee
o 62. Write an angry letter to the editor of The Sun
o 63. Get swarmed by freshmen as they migrate back to north
for the final, wish you had taken notes instead
o 80. Go ice skating at Lynah Rink
o 81. Request a song to be played on the clock tower
o 82. Watch the ginger run
o 83. Walk to class in the snow, uphill both ways
o 64. Explore the secret underground tunnel between Uris and Olin libraries
o 65. Request an item from the library’s Rare and Manuscript Collection.
o 66. Pretend you are Harry Potter and study in the A.D. White Reading Room
o 67. See the brain collection in Uris Hall
o 68. Use all your CityBucks at 7-11 on Keystone and Twisted Tea Light
o 69. Submit a guest column for Sex on Thursday about your raunchy sexcapades
o 70. Eat your way through the Farmer’s Market
o 71. Sleep through your alarm for a 1:25 p.m. class
o 72. Take part in a psychology experiment and get a measly number of SONA credits
o 73. See Ezra Cornell’s body in the crypt
o 74. Occupy Willard Straight or storm Day Hall
o 75. Watch as a virgin crosses the Arts Quad at midnight and A.D. White and Ezra Cornell walk towards each other to shake hands on Halloween
o 76. Live through an Ithaca blizzard and tell your friends you survived frostbite
o 77. Throw a flaming pumpkin into the gorge
o 78. Join an intramural sports team. Take it too seriously and get matching uniforms
o 79. Spend all your lectures figuring out the Wordle and Connections. While sitting
o 84. Hook up with someone in your dorm and then see them every day afterward
o 85. Write dirty messages with rocks in the gorge
o 86. Eat a chicken parm sandwich from Louie’s Lunch
o 87. Walk the runway as a model in the Cornell Fashion Collective’s annual fashion show
o 88. Sleep through pre-enroll and change your major as a result
o 89. Gain the freshman 15. Pay $145 for a gym membership and don’t go.
o 90. Play trivia at Collegetown Bagels on Tuesday nights
o 91. Go bowling at Helen Newman Lanes
o 92. Get a ticket for peeing on the Law School
o 93. Have a friend’s parents take you out to eat at Thompson and Bleeker or Simeon’s
o 94. See a concert at Barton Hall
o 95. Order off the secret menu at Louie’s Lunch
o 96. Cheer on your friends as they perform at the Schwartz Center
o 97. Pick next year’s ice cream flavor
o 98. Nap in every library on campus
o 99. Get too drunk before homecoming. Miss the game
o 101. See Yamatai bang it out at Clubfest
o 100. Take a midnight nap in Uris Library Cocktail Lounge and wake up 3 days later
o 102. Visit Ithaca Mall, realize it is severely lacking, then drive to Destiny USA Mall in Syracuse
o 103. Take a night prelim near the vet school, walk back in the dark o 104. Get thrown out of Balch Hall
o 105. Attend a show at the State Theatre or Hangar Theatre
o 106. Go to an a cappella concert
o 107. Walk to a fraternity party with your entire freshman floor. Get turned away o 108. Put on a swimsuit and jump into the cold water at Second Dam o 109. Take part in Holi and get colorful
o 110. Eat at each dining hall at least once
o 111. Try to order pizza from a Blue Light phone
o 112. Have a traumatic OurBus experience. Never return o 113. See a film at Cornell Cinema o 114. Ride a horse at Oxley Equestrian Center
o 115. Take the BASICS program. Do it with a beer in hand o 116. See how long you can go without doing laundry o 117. Get lost during O-week as a freshman, and end up in the Commons o 118. Have the Hideaway bartender take a picture of you because your fake doesn’t scan
o 119. Check out a charger from Olin. Don’t give it back
o 120. Lose a friend over signing a lease in Collegetown
o 121. Walk holding hands around Beebe Lake
o 122. Buy a Cornell-grown apple from a vending machine
o 123. Get tapped for a secret society
o 124. Go skinny dipping in a gorge
o 125. Get more downvotes than upvotes on Sidechat
o 126. Host a prefrosh
o 127. Drive your car up and down Libe Slope
o 128. Make a chalking. Weep when it rains that night
o 129. Attend a Sun meeting
o 131. Eat hungover brunch at Morrison or Appel
o 130. Take photobooth pics at Hideaway and post them on your Instagram story
o 132. Turn down a flyer at Ho Plaza and say “I already got one”
o 133. Rush a fraternity/sorority or mosey a Co-op during your freshman spring
o 134. Meet Bill Nye ’77, “The Science Guy,” and give him a hug
o 135. Ski at Greek Peak
o 136. Crash a political rally on Ho Plaza
o 137. Get on the wrong TCAT and end up at Ithaca College
o 138. Watch women’s hockey dominate any team who steps on the ice
o 139. See how many people you can cram into your dorm room
o 140. Order Wings Over after 2 a.m.
o 141. Make the trek down the hill: go to a townie bar
o 142. Tell a professor what you really think of his/her class
o 143. Drink with your R.A.
o 144. Go to the sex shop, called the “Adult Outlet,” on the Commons. Gawk
o 145. Run out of BRBs in March. Live off campus events’ free food for the rest of the year
o 147. Get asked if you are pregnant at Cornell Health
o 148. Attend a show at the State Theatre or Hangar Theatre
o 146. Heckle your tour guide friend as they’re leading a group of prospective students around campus
o 149. Go to ClubFest as a first-year and sign up for a dozen clubs that you’ll never go to
o 150. Complain about the Slope Day headliners
o 151. Ask for an extension on a term paper
o 152. Walk to class in the snow, uphill both ways
o 153. Accidentally rip a poster at the poster sale. Tell no one
o 154. Play mini golf at the Sciencenter
o 155. Hook up with your hot T.A.
o 156. Go swimming at Treman State Park, Buttermilk Falls or Second Dam
o 157. Furnish an apartment entirely with items from Ithaca Reuse and the Dump & Run
o 158. Walk to a fraternity party as a senior; convince yourself you were never one of them
o 159. Fail your swim test, just for kicks
o 160. Eat a Pinesburger, then watch water flow over Taughannock Falls, the highest single-drop waterfall east of the Rockies
o 161. Climb all 161 steps to the top of McGraw Tower
A LISTING OF FREE CAMPUS EVENTS
QGrads Annual Trans Visibility Chalking 9 a.m. - Noon, Ho Plaza
Maintaining Feminist Practice in a Time of Flux Panel Discussion
3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., Warren Hall 401
Book Talk with Chris Marquis
5 p.m. - 6 p.m., Sage Hall 141
Queer Healthy Relationships
5 p.m. - 7 p.m., 626 Thurston Ave, Room 106
Campus Dance Gathering
6 p.m. - 7 p.m., Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts 320
Tomorrow
Midday Music in Lincoln
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m., Lincoln Hall B20
Why Faith Remains the Hardest Conversation on Campus Lecture 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m., Physical Sciences 120
Maria Bulla Performance
7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., Annabel Taylor Chapel
Slope Day DJ Competition 7:30 p.m. - 10 p.m., Willard Straight Hall Browsing Library
Tastee Treat: Popcorn with CUPD 9 p.m. - 10 p.m., Unit 1 Lounge
Colorful, Collaborative and Celebratory: First-Year Architecture Students Present Dragon Day Parade
By GRACE LIU and ISABELLA HANSON Sun Senior Writer and News Editor
March 28 — Chants of “Dragon dragon dragon! Oi oi oi!” filled the air and throngs of people flooded campus streets before spring break, as a dragon, created by first-year architecture students in Cornell’s College of Art, Architecture and Planning, traveled around campus to celebrate Dragon Day on Friday at 1 p.m.
This year’s theme, “How to Build your Dragon,” was based on the DreamWorks Animation franchise ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ and emphasized collaboration and community. Although plain while paraded through the Cornell campus, the exterior of the dragon became covered with vibrant colors at the conclusion of the parade on the Arts Quad, when architecture students threw colored powder all over the blank canvas wings.
The origin of Dragon Day, which goes back more than 100 years, is credited to Willard Dickerman Straight ’01, namesake of the Willard Straight Hall Student Union. Corey Earle ’07, an American studies lecturer, previously explained to The Sun that Dragon Day was created to organize a celebration aimed at bringing together architecture students outside of their demanding course load.
Appreciative of the “glorious day in Ithaca,” Ashley Kwarteng ’27 watched the parade to support the architecture students
and also usher –in the beginning of spring break.
“I like this year better because of how interactive it was with the powder color. Last year was also cool, but it was more stagnant,” Kwarteng said. “I think [that] the fact that we have an architecture school in the first place to put on something like Dragon Day … not a lot of other schools can have such a level of creativity within their student body.”
The parade began at Rand Hall, where the wooden dragon led the crowd down Feeney Way and onto Campus Road. The dragon then made its way through Ho Plaza and ended on the Arts Quad near Sibley Hall.
Cornell’s Brazilian percussion ensemble Deixa Sambar marched behind the architecture students, accompanying the dragon throughout the parade. At the end of the parade, the Big Red Marching Band
Cornell Accepts 5,824 Students to Class of 2029
By ANGELINA TANG Assistant News Editor
March 27 — Another year, another Ivy Day — student applicants around the world are celebrating their acceptance letters from Cornell.
At 7 p.m. on Thursday, regular decision results for the Class of 2029 were released to this year’s cohort of applicants. Early decision applicants already received their decisions in mid-December.
All of the Ivy League colleges release their regular decision results on the final Thursday in March, known as Ivy Day.
“I feel honored and grateful to have been selected to attend such a prestigious university, but even more so, I feel beyond excited to start a new chapter of life at Cornell.”
Maddie Moger ’29
In total, 5,824 students were accepted to the next freshman class, which is a 13.3 percent increase from last year’s 5,139 accepted students. Accepted applicants come from all 50 states and represent a total of 115 countries — roughly twice as many as the number represented by the Class of 2028.
Accepted students are looking forward to their new life at Cornell. Maddie Moger ’29, an early decision accepted student from Queensbury, New York, wrote to The Sun about her excitement to attend Cornell.
“I feel honored and grateful to have been selected to attend such a prestigious university, but even more so, I feel beyond excited to start a new chapter of life at Cornell,” Moger said.
Moger is most enthusiastic about joining the “diverse community” on campus, where she can “meet new people who are completely different from [herself].”
Accepted students have until May 1 to accept their admission offers.
performed outside of Goldwin Smith Hall. Kwarteng’s favorite part of the parade were the costumes and presentation of the phoenix on the engineering quad, where she watched the “face off” between the phoenix and dragon.
The phoenix was created by the Phoenix Society at Cornell, designed by students in the College of Engineering to battle the dragon.
Jose Vizueth ’25 enjoyed the chance to walk around campus and see the dragon upstage the phoenix.
“I always come [to the parade] every year. It’s always fun to see the dragons and how they design it,” Vizueth said. “It’s a big event just before spring break … and it allows the architecture students to show off their skills … So it’s pretty cool.”
As a senior, Audrey Liu ’25 wanted to take advantage of her “last opportunity to partake in” Dragon Day.
“It’s one of those traditions that happens every year where you kind of showcase what the architecture department is doing, and every year there’s a different dragon, so there’s a lot of anticipation around that,” Liu said. “I feel like it’s one of those things to look forward to at Cornell.”
Grace Liu and Bella Hanson can be reached at gliu@cornellsun.com and bhanson@cornellsun.com.
First-year fun | First-year architecture students gather around the dragon they constructed, which this year had the theme “How to Build Your Dragon” after the DreamWorks franchise.
NATHAN ELLISON / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Angelina Tang can be reached at atang@cornellsun.com.
SUNBURSTS: Dragon Day
First-year architecture students celebrated Dragon Day, an annual tradition, the day before Spring Break.
By SUN PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT
THE DRAGON AWAKENS | Students, staff and administration assemble outside of Milstein Hall before the Dragon’s Parade.
STRAIGHT AHEAD | The Dragon parades through Ho Plaza, passing Willard Straight Hall.
PASTA PEOPLE | Students wearing various costumes join the Dragon’s Parade.
JUMP SHOT | A student jumps through the crossfire to get a shot at the Dragon’s head.
BEAR-Y FUN | Touchdown joined the Dragon’s Parade, waving and giving high-fives to the excited crowd.
GREEN DRAGON | Students throw powder color during the Dragon Day festivities, at both the dragon and each other.
FLYING HIGH | The Phoenix Society at Cornell displays the Phoenix, designed by students in the College of Engineering, on the Engineering Quad to face off against the dragon.
HOW TO BUILD YOUR DRAGON | The theme “How to Build Your Dragon” was conveyed with a canvas dragon finished in a flurry of powered paint.
Aerien Huang / Sun Staf Photographer
Ming DeMers / Sun Senior Photographer
Nathan Ellison / Sun Staf Photographer
Ming DeMers / Sun Senior Photographer
Ming DeMers / Sun Senior Photographer
Karlie McGann / Sun Photography Editor
Aerien Huang / Sun Staf Photographer
Karlie McGann / Sun Photography Editor
Federal Judge Denies Taal’s Legal Pleas
By BENJAMIN LEYNSE Sun News Editor
March 28 — A federal judge struck down large parts of pro-Palestinian activist Momodou Taal’s lawsuit against the Trump administration on Thursday. According to the released decision, Taal’s motion to prevent U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement from arresting him was denied as was his request for a nationwide injunction pausing the enforcement of two Trump executive orders.
The decision was a setback for Taal and the two other plaintiffs as they claimed the executive orders targeted pro-Palestinian speech and violated their First and Fifth amendment rights. Despite the court ruling, the suit was not dismissed entirely. Shortly before the ruling was published, lawyers representing Taal filed an amended complaint that compiled information revealed by the federal government during court proceedings, and petitioned the court to prevent his detention by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Previously, on March 20, Taal’s lawyers filed a temporary restraining order asking the court to prevent the federal government from arresting or deporting Taal on the basis of the executive orders contested by the lawsuit. This came after reported sightings of law enforcement outside of Taal’s home.
Following the reports, it was
revealed in court filings that days earlier on March 14, the U.S. State Department revoked Taal’s student visa and ICE began its efforts to “perform a civil arrest and process him for removal proceedings before an immigration judge,” according to testimony from Anthony Patrone, deputy special agent in charge for ICE’s Buffalo field office.
In her decision on Thursday, Judge Elizabeth Coombe of the Northern District of New York, stated that the court did not have the jurisdiction to prevent “removal proceedings” against Taal, denying the March 20 temporary restraining order. Removal proceedings are the legal processes to determine whether a non-citizen can remain in the country,
Coombe further explained in her decision that Congress removed the ability of district courts to decide “legal and factual questions” related to eligibility for removal proceedings. Since, the March 20 temporary restraining order requested the judge to prevent the enforcement of two executive orders “by which removability will be determined,” Coombe held that this was outside the court’s authority.
Instead, Coombe maintained that to dispute his removal order, Taal would need to go through an immigration court or a federal court of appeals.
To continue reading, please visit www.cornellsun.com.
Benjamin Leynse can be reached bleynse@cornellsun.com.
Cornell Graduate Students Union Reaches Tentative Agreement with the University
By HOPE THOMAS Sun Staff Writer
March 27 — A tentative agreement has been reached for a two-year contract between the University and Cornell Graduate Students Union — which represents graduate student workers — according to a Wednesday University statement written by President Michael Kotlikoff.
“The university and CGSU-UE have agreed on contract terms that align with Cornell’s values, protect academic integrity and freedom, and serve the best interests of graduate student workers and the entire Cornell community,” Kotlikoff wrote.
This tentative agreement was decided after one year of negotiations between Cornell and the CGSU bargaining committee, following amendments to the originally proposed contract that Cornell offered on March 11. Cornell formed a bargaining committee with faculty members to discuss a contract with CGSU that includes provisions for healthcare, wages and transportation for graduate student workers.
This tentative agreement includes full dental and visual coverage, free TCAT passes, wage increases for graduate student workers by 7.98 percent for the 2025-2026 academic year and 2.9 percent for the 2026-2027 academic year.
The agreement also includes the “best Just Cause protections in industry history,” according to an Instagram post by CGSU. Just cause protections are tenets that ensure workers cannot be disciplined without specific protocols.
The University has agreed to implement “industry-standard language,” which provides that “discipline or discharge from job related conduct (but not academic matters or other non-employment misconduct) will be governed by the ‘just cause’ standard of review,” according to the Bargaining Tracker.
A notable provision of this proposed contract includes one-time $750 matriculation payment will be provided to each graduate student worker, which can be used to cover the costs of applying or re-applying for visas. Additionally,
graduate students will be offered five working days they can use “in order to attend U.S. immigration and citizenship proceedings.”
In response to the originally proposed contract, CGSU launched a strike pledge on March 13 due to the offer’s lack of a union shop policy — which refers to a workplace in which all employees are required to join a union.
“[A] union shop is the foundation of every powerful union in this country,” said Kara Zielinski, a graduate student and CGSU member.
Cornell agreed on March 19 to a modified agency shop with “protections for freedom of conscience” for graduate student workers, according to a representative of Cornell Media Relations. An agency shop is a workplace where union membership is not required, but all employees pay either union dues or an alternate fee. This comes as an amendment to Cornell’s originally proposed contract.
The University spokesperson explained that graduate student workers who do not wish to join the union due to religious objections or “moral or ethical grounds” may choose to donate an amount equivalent to the union dues to a charity of their choice under the agency shop.
“We view [the implementation of an agency shop] as a ‘win-win’ compromise that preserves freedom of choice for students who object to union membership while still recognizing the contractual agreement between the union and the University,” the Cornell spokesperson wrote.
This agency shop will come into effect once the tentative agreement with the union is finalized, but not all graduate student workers see this compromise as a victory.
“Joining and financially supporting CGSU should be a choice,” wrote Ph.D. student Shira Mingelgrin on behalf of members of Cornell United — a group of graduate students that oppose a union shop. Mingelgrin expressed that CGSU and the UAW have taken political stances that do not represent the beliefs of all graduate student workers.
In response to the University’s decision to have an agency shop, Cornell United wrote a petition to allow graduate student workers the right to, as stated in the
petition, “oppose all efforts to impose any type of ‘union shop,’ ‘agency shop’ or other forced unionism upon Cornell’s graduate community.”
In an interview with The Sun prior to the tentative agreement, Prof. Wendy Wolford, global development — the vice provost for international affairs and a member of the University’s bargaining committee — noted that there was “not an insignificant group” of graduate students who did not want to join the union.
She said this group had made it “very clear” that they would find a union shop to be “problematic in terms of being able to continue their degree in the University.”
In efforts to find a compromise between the graduate students, she argued that “an agency shop where [students] can join or not join, but still have to pay so there’s no free riding on the union’s efforts … seems like a very fair alternative.”
The tentative agreement will now be voted on by CGSU members for ratification, which is expected to happen in the coming weeks.
The Corne¬ Daily Sun
Independent Since 1880
143rd Editorial Board
JULIA SENZON ’26
Editor in Chief
ERIC HAN ’26
Associate Editor
SOPHIA DASSER ’28
Opinion Editor
ILANA LIVSHITS ’27
Assistant Opinion Editor
AUDREY IM ’26
Business Manager
SOPHIA TORRES ’26
Marketing Manager
SYDNEY LEVINTON ’27
Arts & Culture Editor
JAMES PALM ’27
Assistant Arts & Culture Editor
JENNA LEDLEY ’27
Assistant Arts & Culture Editor
MELISSA MOON ’28
Assistant Arts & Culture Editor
SOPHIA ROMANOV IMBER ’28
Assistant Arts & Culture Editor
KAITLYN BELL ’28
Lifestyle Editor
MAIA MEHRING ’27
Lifestyle Editor
KARLIE MCGANN ’27
Photography Editor
MATTHEW KORNICZKY ’28
Assistant Photography Editor
STEPHAN MENASCHE ’28
Assistant Photography Editor
MIRELLA BERKOWITZ ’27
Multimedia Editor
HANNIA AREVALO ’27
Graphics Editor
JADE DUBUCHE ’27
Social Media Editor
HUNTER PETMECKY ’28
Layout Editor
RENA GEULA ’28
Layout Editor
From the Editor
DOROTHY FRANCE-MILLER ’27
Managing Editor
MATTHEW KIVIAT ’27
Assistant Managing Editor
VERA SUN ’27
Advertising Manager
ALEX LIEW ’27
Human Resources Manager
BENJAMIN LEYNSE ’27
News Editor
VARSHA BHARGAVA ’27
News Editor
ISABELLA HANSON ’27
News Editor
CEREESE QUSBA ’27
News Editor
REEM NASRALLAH ’28
Assistant News Editor
ANGELINA TANG ’28
Assistant News Editor
KATE TURK ’27
Assistant News Editor
GABRIEL MUÑOZ ’26
City Editor
JANE HAVILAND ’28
Features Editor
JEREMIAH JUNG ’28
Assistant News Editor
KAITLIN CHUNG ’26
Science Editor
MARISSA GAUT ’27
Science Editor
ALEXIS ROGERS ’28
Sports Editor
ZEINAB FARAJ ’28
Assistant Sports Editor
DYLAN GRAFF ’28
Assistant Sports Editor
SIMRAN LABORE ’27
Weather Editor
ALLISON HECHT ’26
Newsletter Editor
Class of 2029, Welcome to Cornell!
Welcome and congratulations to the newest members of the Cornell community — the Class of 2029! Each year, Te Cornell Daily Sun has the honor of greeting a new class, and this year, that class is you.
Cornell was founded as an institution for “any person ... any study.” But that mission is more than a phrase etched in stone — it’s a challenge. It asks all of us to make this university more open, more thoughtful and more courageous than the day we arrived. For the past three years, I have seen that every student and every idea plays a part in that work. And for the past three years, I have been proud to document it with Te Sun.
As the editor-in-chief of the nation’s oldest continuously independent college newspaper, I’ve witnessed just how much a campus can hold. Student activism and scientifc discovery. Tragedy, tension and celebration.
Over the next four years, you will realize what I have: No two semesters are the same, but they’re all worth writing down.
Whether you’re fipping through our pages at Zeus, reading headlines on Instagram in bed or typing away at our ofce in the Commons contributing your own voice one day, Te Sun is here to help you understand and engage with Cornell — in all its complexity.
Our desks ofer something for everyone. Follow the top headlines with News and engage in campus conversations with Opinion. Hear frsthand accounts of student life in Lifestyle and learn about cutting-edge research with Science & Tech.
Read stories of Big Red spirit in Sports and see the faces and places of Cornell with Photo. Get colorful accounts of albums and flms with Arts & Culture and witness the sights and sounds of the Hill with Multimedia.
Savor every moment as you close out your current chapter. In just a few months, you’ll hear the bells chime your favorite song for the frst time, watch the rushing of the gorges on the way to class, stare of into the (unbeatable) sunset from the slope and begin building a version of yourself you’ve only just started to imagine.
And when you do, Te Sun will be shining — ready to tell your story.
— Julia Senzon
908-672-3047
Julia Senzon is a member of the Class of 2026 in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She is the editor-in-chief of the 143rd Editorial Board and was the managing editor of the 142nd Editorial Board. She can be reached at jsenzon@cornellsun.com.
The Editorial Board
Te Cornell Daily Sun’s Editorial Board is a collaborative team composed of the Editor in Chief, Associate Editor, Opinion Editor, Assistant Opinion Editor and one Opinion columnist. Te Editorial Board’s opinions are informed by expertise, research and debate to represent Te Sun’s long-standing values. Te Sun’s editorials are independent of its news coverage, other columnists and advertisers.
Te Bubble Has Popped
The slide into authoritarianism starts with masked police ofcers in unmarked cars. Tese regimes survive by attacking truth, but sustain themselves by dismantling its root: education. In this system, students are not collateral damage; they are the target. As long as truth continues to circulate, all who carry it — students, writers, journalists, professors and increasingly, universities — become enemies of the state.
Rumeysa Ozturk, a graduate student and Fulbright scholar at Tufts, was seven miles from campus when masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents came to take her to a federal detention center in Louisiana. Tere was no warning and no crime. Yet, days later, her visa was revoked, and she was transferred to a detention center over 1,500 miles from home in less than 27 hours.
Ozturk had co-authored an op-ed, around a year ago, calling on Tufts to engage with student demands to cut ties with Israel. As journalists, we exist to hold institutions accountable and if we do not defend that mission — if we allow opinion writing to become a punishable ofense — we don’t just risk the silencing of writers like Ozturk, we risk a future where journalism is reduced to compliance.
Tufts University, notifed after the fact, offered what our campuses have come to master: polished and performative concern delivered too late. Teir public sympathy now rings hollow — because when warning signs were clearest across campuses, they looked away.
Tough deeply unsettling, Ozturk’s arrest is not an isolated incident, but the logical culmination of a slow, deliberate erosion of protection for student voices in American universities. We have seen the warning signs: student journalists being detained at Stanford and Dartmouth without institutional protection and Yunseo Chung — Columbia student and legal U.S. resident since the age of seven — “hunted” by ICE for participating in protests. And just last week, we saw it in our very own backyard when Cornell Ph.D. candidate Momodou Taal was instructed to turn himself in to ICE after fling a lawsuit against the Trump administration.
Each of these cases represents a step down the same path — one in which universities, once protectors of truth, have chosen silence or complicity. Tat path leads directly to Ozturk, and if we continue to normalize this silence, it leads to every single one of us.
History has shown us where this well-trodden path ends. Authoritarian regimes do not begin by silencing everyone — they start with students. Cast as agitators and threats to order, students
Jan Burzlaff
are the easiest to isolate. Ten the attack widens. In Russia, student journalists from DOXA were sentenced to two years of forced labor for defending protest rights. On Monday, 1,100 Turkish student protesters and journalists were detained in a single week for “inciting hatred,” followed by broadcasting bans on outlets covering the protests.
First, they criminalized students. Now, they criminalize truth, controlling the narrative. Te recent defunding of Voice of America and the banning of the Associated Press from White House briefs are symptoms of a calculated campaign to consolidate control over information.
Te blueprint our nation’s leaders are following is clear and unoriginal: speak and vanish.
Tese states did not criminalize dissent overnight. Tey began — as we are now — by isolating students. Teir institutions ofered neutrality in place of protection. And each time they gave up a student, it became easier to surrender the next.
Ten they came for the rest.
We cannot pretend that this is a foreign problem. Te Trump administration has already issued executive orders threatening to revoke visas of “radical activists” and cut funding from disloyal campuses. Te language is familiar: “anti-American,” “illegal protests” and “traditional values.” We have heard it before — from regimes we were once taught to fear.
Te University is no longer a bubble, a sanctuary of truth. It is a battleground, where students stand at the front line and truth is the loot. Silencing students into a fearful submission paves the way for silencing faculty. Curricula will be rewritten. Research will be censored. And before long, truth itself will be decided not by study, but by decree.
If we do not act now, we will not only lose student voices — we will lose their lives.
Tis month, both the Student Assembly and Graduate and Professional Student Assembly passed resolutions calling on the University to protect undocumented, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, international, refugee and other immigrant students calling for expanded legal support, investment in clinical law programs and community-wide training. Tese proposals are thoughtful, urgent and most importantly, possible.
To university leaders: it is far too early for “fnal policies.” If you abandon your students, there will soon be nothing left to protect. Truth needs institutions that are brave enough to stand for it. Education needs defenders. And students — who carry both — need you to choose a side.
Jan Burzlaf is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Program for Jewish Studies. Ofce Hours (Open Door Edition) is his weekly dispatch to the Cornell community — a professor’s refections on teaching, learning, and the small moments that make a campus feel human. He can be reached at profburzlaf@cornellsun.com.
Ofce
I’ve(Open Door Edition)
been teaching at Cornell for eight months — long enough to know that the most meaningful parts of campus life don’t always happen in classrooms or official meetings. They happen in the in-between spaces — the pause before class begins, the quiet walk across the Arts Quad, the unplanned conversations that unfold in office hours. In every university, there are official syllabi — and then there’s the hidden curriculum of vulnerability, trust and belonging.
This column is for those moments.
When the opinion editors at The Sun reached out about joining the columnist team, I felt a quiet sense of responsibility. We often speak about “building community” — but we rarely pause to ask what kind of labor, imagination or courage that actually requires. We talk about teaching and learning — but less often about the relationships and power dynamics that shape them. Together, we decided I would write a regular column from the perspective of a professor. What you’re reading now is the start of that conversation. I write from the professor’s side of the desk — but not from behind a stack of ungraded
essays or a locked office door. My hope is to offer a small, steady space where all Cornell faculty, staff and students can think together about what it means to learn, to teach and to live meaningfully in a wonderful place like this. As someone early in my academic career, I don’t write from detachment. I’m close enough to remember what it feels like to be uncertain — and far enough along to know how much that uncertainty matters. That’s part of why I’m writing. As the Brazilian educator Paulo Freire once wrote, “education is an act of love, and thus an act of courage.” This column, in its own modest way, is a gesture toward both.
The idea behind Office Hours (Open Door Edition) is simple: to create a space that feels like an invitation — one you don’t need an excuse to accept or decline. No appointments, no prerequisites. Just read when it resonates with you. Come back when it matters. It’s here, waiting — an office hour where the door is always open and the light is on.
To continue reading, please visit www.cornellsun.com.
Hours
SUNder Review: President Kotlikoff
Three Opinion Pieces. One Presidential Appointment. Cornell’s decision to appoint Interim President Kotlikoff as permanent president has sparked mixed reactions from our columnists. From critical to optimistic, here’s what they had to say.
Henry Schechter
Henry Schechter is a Senior Editor on the 143rd Editorial Board and was the Opinion Editor on the 142nd Editorial Board. He is a third-year student in the College of Arts & Sciences and an incoming Cornell Law student. His fortnightly column Onward focuses on politics, history and how they come together in Ithaca. He can be reached at hschechter@cornellsun.com.
Te New Guy Must Unite the Ivies
Well, he isn’t really a new guy. Last month, when I called on the Board of Trustees to deliver us a courageous president, Michael Kotlikoff wasn’t on my list. He had publicly refused the job, telling The Sun’s managing board he would retire after his interim term, and I took him at his word. But last Friday, the trustees officially appointed him Cornell’s 15th president — and I’m confident they made the right choice. Though Kotlikoff may have taken the job quietly, he has the potential to make the principled stand the University needs.
President Kotlikoff now faces a daunting challenge. No longer a temporary caretaker, our 15th president must lead decisively in an era of mounting federal interference in higher education. But time is not on his side; he must stake out his position against the Trump administration’s attempts to undermine academic independence — quickly. He has the potential to unify the Ivy League in resistance against Trump at a time when elite universities are fractured and adrift.
Since Trump’s reelection, Ivy League schools have wildly vacillated in their reactions to the administration’s attacks. On one end of the spectrum, Columbia has already capitulated to Trump’s demands, overhauling sensitive academic areas as the administration threatened pulling $400 million of
Yihun Stith
Eric Cheyfitz
Eric Cheyftz is an Ernest I. White Professor of American Studies and Humane Letters, professor of American Indian and Indigenous Studies and director of Graduate Studies, American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program. He can be reached at etc7@cornell.edu.
President by Fiat
federal funding. Dartmouth, meanwhile, hired a Trumpian loyalist as general counsel, seemingly bracing for executive overreach and confrontation. These moves reflect an absence of a crucial coherent, collective strategy among our nation’s top universities.
Kotlikoff can change that. The 25-year Cornell veteran, who has served as professor, dean, provost and interim president, has comprehensive knowledge of our University. He’s seen all flavors of campus issues before. In obscuring his candidacy for University president, he proved his political skills shouldn’t be underestimated. And since Kotlikoff began his interim term in July, campus tensions have rapidly deflated. The University, once engulfed in controversy, has grown remarkably calmer in the last year. Pro-Palestinian protests have subsided substantially, which is in no small part a result of Kotlikoff’s firm but fair decisions around the suspension of protesters. But now, concerns about campus tensions are almost quaint.
Today, Kotlikoff’s biggest threat comes from beyond campus gates. Cornell cannot afford to follow the fate of other universities and cave to the threat. As the president of a university founded on the radical promise and principled mission of “any person… any study”...
To continue reading, please visit www.cornellsun.
Yihun Stith is a junior studying Computer Science and Government. His biweekly column, Stand Up, Fight Back , explores the political structures and power dynamics that shape life at Cornell. He can be reached at ystith@cornellsun.com.
Kotlikof is Our Own Trump
On Friday, March 21, The Board of Trustees announced Interim President Kotlikoff would officially become Cornell’s 15th President. He had previously said he would “almost certainly retire” after his interim term. But, the trustees deemed he deserved the job full time “after eight months of outstanding leadership.”
This is not a moment to celebrate. Cornell is a microcosm of America, and the Board of Trustees has inaugurated our own uncharismatic Trump.
Kotlikoff started his interim presidency by failing to reach an agreement with the United Auto Workers Local 2300, which represents 1,200 Cornell service and maintenance employees. This stubbornness led to a strike as UAW declared, “[Cornell] university has failed to present a fair package and has not bargained in good faith, stalling and retaliating against protected union activity by the workers.” A key issue in negotiations was Cornell’s failure to provide workers with a living wage. In February 2024 MIT estimated that a single adult in Ithaca must earn $24.64/hour to make a living wage. However, most food and service workers were only making $20.03/hour.
While the workers were on strike, Kotlikoff was pictured crossing the picket line by working at Toni Morrison Dining Hall. Using ProPublica’s data salary for when Kotlikoff was Provost, Kotlikoff made at least $524/hour while scabbing, which is 26 times the hourly rate of a Cornell dining.
The inauspicious start to Kotlikoff’s term would quickly turn fascistic in October 2024. Following the disruption of a career fair with weapons manufacturers, organized by the Coalition for Mu-
tual Liberation, Cornell administration suspended 20 student protesters. I, alongside three others, was temporarily suspended, banned from campus for three years, charged with two misdemeanors and doxxed by CUPD. Kotlikoff felt the need to make five public statements about the events, multiple of which falsely demonized protesters with baseless claims that they caused “medical complaints of potential hearing loss.” Despite Kotlikoff’s best attempts, the vast majority of suspensions were quickly lifted and all criminal charges were dismissed in Ithaca City Court.
In November 2024, a group of Chi Phi frat members drugged and sexually assaulted a Cornell community member. Cornell released one statement and quietly, anonymously suspended a few individuals. As of today, no arrests have been made by CUPD. As we all know, this is not the first case of violent sexual assault at a Cornell fraternity — and will horrifically not be the last. For example, in 2022, all Cornell Greek life was suspended due to myriad incidents of drugging by fraternities.
Kotlikoff had the opportunity to make a strong statement in support of the many community members who have faced gender-based violence at the hands of fraternities. He instead chose to relent, once again, to Cornell’s powerful donors, many of whom have strong ties to fraternities. Similar to Trump and Pete Hegseth, Kotlikoff’s inaction in the face of sexual violence clearly prioritizes institutional profits over student safety.
In January 2025, Kotlikoff’s administration announced a change to University Policy 8.1 Physical Security Systems, implementing a surveillance To continue reading, please visit www.cornellsun.
By
fiat, the Board of Trustees has just appointed Interim President Michael Kotlikoff as the 15th president of Cornell University. For the first time in my 22 years here as a tenured member of the faculty, there has been no national search for the university presidency. Such searches typically include faculty. So this suspension of a search is one more sign of the decline in faculty governance, which has been declining rapidly at Cornell since Jeff Lehman “resigned” as president in 2005.
At that time, a unified faculty demanded a meeting with the Board of Trustees after what we perceived as a summary firing without faculty consultation. The board agreed to the meeting, and the meeting was held in Hollis E. Cornell Auditorium; every seat was filled with concerned and angry faculty. In response, a faculty committee on governance was formed — on which I served. We issued a report calling for meaningful faculty consultation on key matters of educational policy, necessarily including the appointment of senior administrators, who are involved with creating that policy. The report has been gathering dust in the archives ever since.
I went on to serve seven years in the Faculty Senate, including three years on the University Faculty Committee. During that time, we passed several key resolutions addressing faculty oversight in university-wide educational policy as mandated by Article XIII, Section 2 of the By-laws of Cornell University. This article assigns the University
“Today, by and large, university presidents play the role of CEO, taking their agendas largely from boards of trustees and donors rather than faculties. President Kotlikoff fits squarely in this mold...”
Prof. Cheyfitz
faculty the responsibility “to consider questions of educational policy which concern more than one college, school or separate academic unit, or are general in nature.” The article is intended to ensure faculty oversight in educational matters that extend beyond individual units.
These resolutions were ignored by the administration; two notable examples stand out. In 2011, the University entered into a partnership with Technion Institute of Technology in Israel without consulting the faculty senate. More recently, in March 2021, the senate voted 39 to 16 (with 20 abstentions) to oppose a proposed dual-degree program between Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration and Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management. Faculty members expressed concerns about academic freedom in China and the Chinese government’s human rights record, particularly regarding the treatment of the Uyghurs. Despite this opposition, the university administration approved the partnership in June 2021, citing adherence to Cornell’s international ethical engagement guidelines, which it clearly didn’t follow. For these guidelines emphasize the importance of academic freedom, respect for diversity, and the promotion of social good in global partnerships. The Technion partnership also violates these guidelines; for Technion is significantly involved in the militarization of the Oc-
cupied Palestinian Territories against the dictates of international law.
The increasing decline of faculty governance nationally has gone hand-in-hand with the rise of the corporate university, which, over a hundred years ago, Thorstein Veblen recognized in his 1918 book The Higher Learning in America. Today, by and large, university presidents play the role of CEO, taking their agendas largely from boards of trustees and donors rather than faculties. President Kotlikoff fits squarely in this mold at a time when the corporate model has become particularly toxic with the Trump administration’s assault on liberal education with its foundation in free speech and academic freedom.
Kotlikoff has engineered the repressive rules that, without due process, criminalize student protest through “temporary academic and non-academic suspension” of student protesters. In keeping with this agenda, he has not said a word about the appearance of federal officers on campus seeking to arrest Momodou Taal, a Cornell graduate student and legal U.S. visa holder, for the “crime” of peacefully protesting what the International Court of Justice has found to be the “plausible” Israeli genocide in Gaza. At the same time and within the same context, Kotlikoff recently suspended Cornell’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, because members of the group temporarily disrupted a panel discussion “Pathways to Peace.” The panel, sponsored by Kotlikoff, featured no dissenting voice on Israel’s invasion of Gaza — two of the panelists and the moderator expressed open support for the invasion. The students were appropriately escorted out of the auditorium. But Cornell University Police detained 17 individuals during the event for causing disruptions. Of these, nine were students who now face disciplinary actions that could include suspension under Cornell’s punitive and restrictive Expressive Activity Policy. This policy, which has now been made permanent, was instituted precisely when students began protesting the Israeli invasion of Gaza in 2023. The policy claims content neutrality, but the context of its implementation and the student protestors who have been sanctioned suggest otherwise in violation of First Amendment protections.
The suspension of SJP and the criminalization of these students appear intended to silence dissent and intimidate those thinking of protesting the Israeli war against Gaza. These actions by the administration and inaction in failing to protect Momodou Taal or protest federal action against him create an atmosphere of intimidation, particularly affecting the unprotected (contingent faculty, staff, and students, both foreign and domestic). This is not only a threat to student rights — it is a direct assault on the foundations of academic freedom and the First Amendment.
While in keeping with the corporate context, Cornell presidential search committees have typically been composed of faculty who are in lock-step with the trustees’ agenda, nevertheless the suspension of a national search with faculty participation is an ominous sign for what is left of faculty governance.
With the exception of groups such as the American Association of University Professors, Cornell on Fire, and the Cornell Collective for Justice in Palestine, faculty have been notably silent about the developments outlined here that are subverting faculty governance and academic To continue reading, please visit www.cornellsun.
The Corne¬ Daily Sun
Sidechat and the Rising Stakes of Anonymity
By Richard Ballard
Richard Ballard is a sophomore in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He can be reached at rpb233@cornell.edu.
The latest from @gossipgirlcornell reads: “Cornell’s architects doing more blow than blueprints.” A few posts earlier: “Everyone whispers Aphi runs on snow, but word is the real blizzard’s at Chi Psi.” Outlandish? Probably. Anonymous? Always. And if you’re wondering where these snippets of campus chaos are coming from, the answer — more often than not — is Sidechat.
At Cornell, Sidechat has become more than just an app. It’s a moodboard for student life: part bulletin board, part burn book. It’s where complaints about TCAT delays meet hot takes on dining hall drama, where memes about academic burnout mix with wild (and occasionally libelous) commentary on Greek life. Students scroll between classes, post in the middle of the night and refresh constantly — not just for updates, but to feel like they’re in on the joke.
But lately, the stakes have changed. What began as a space for campus gossip has become a window into how universities handle speech, identity and accountability. Following congressional scrutiny of antisemitic content at schools like Columbia and Harvard, Sidechat’s role in fueling hate speech has come under national spotlight. What started as a digital campus quad is now part of a broader reckoning about free expression, institutional control and the limits of anonymity in a hyper-surveilled university ecosystem.
At elite schools like Cornell, students are constantly performing — in class, on LinkedIn, at networking events and club interviews. Sidechat is where that performance breaks. No real names, no résumés, no Ivy League polish. Just chaos, curated by the crowd.
The anonymity unlocks something students don’t always show elsewhere: brutal honesty, biting sarcasm and a certain kind of rawness that rarely makes it past the gatekeeping of “professionalism.” Take the posts speculating about the Slope Day artist — students debate who would be “big enough” to justify the wait, trading rumors and judgments with the confidence of booking agents. The joke works because the logic behind it is familiar: prestige matters here, and everyone knows how to size it up. Sidechat turns that instinct into content.
That’s what makes Sidechat revealing. For every joke about upstate New York’s twelve fake seasons, there’s a post spiraling into self-deprecation, burnout or brutal comparisons. Posts about friend groups, GPA gaps or who got cut from what club aren’t just gossip — they’re reflections of how tightly status, stress and identity are wound together here. Sidechat doesn’t create that pressure.
It just surfaces it, unfiltered and unedited. It can sometimes be seen as just a meme dump, but also as a mirror. And sometimes, it’s a pretty dark one.
The appeal lies in anonymity. But that same feature is what makes it so difficult to regulate. While Cornell students joke about bus delays or club clout, the platform has also become a flashpoint in national conversations about antisemitism and institutional accountability.
After the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, antisemitic posts surged on college campuses — and Sidechat was frequently named as one of the platforms where those sentiments took root. In testimony before Congress and media reports, lawmakers pointed to Sidechat as a space where hate could flourish under the radar. In response, the app’s leadership reportedly met with administrators at schools like Harvard and assured them that moderation policies were being “strictly enforced” sidechat article info.
But it’s unclear what “strictly enforced” means when no one knows who’s behind the posts. Sidechat claims to employ a 30-person moderation team and bans accounts after a single severe violation, yet students report seeing inflammatory content linger for hours — if not days — before removal. And since the app verifies users by school email but doesn’t display usernames, every post is understood to come from someone nearby, someone in your dorm or lecture hall or club GroupMe. That proximity is what makes the posts so gripping — and sometimes so cruel.
“Sidechat is where people say what they wish they could say out loud,” said a student in the Class of ’25, who requested anonymity due to the nature of their posts. “It’s not always good. But at least it’s honest. That’s kind of the point — Cornell students already censor themselves everywhere else.”
Sidechat isn’t just another app students cycle through — it’s embedded itself into how campus culture is communicated, criticized and reshaped. It reflects the absurdity, pressure and sometimes toxicity of elite college life, but it also exposes the gaps in how institutions respond to digital spaces they don’t control.
Cornell doesn’t have to control Sidechat, but it does have to reckon with it. The app now shapes how students experience campus life — not just socially, but emotionally, politically, even reputationally. That influence deserves attention, not only when headlines force it, but as part of an honest conversation about student life today. Ignoring it won’t make it disappear. Engaging with it might be the only way to start drawing the line between expression and harm.
Spring Break (in
a Teoretical Sense)
By Vanessa Long
Vanessa Long is a first-year in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She can be reached at vvl22@cornell.edu.
Amid the excitement for nine days away from campus, I was continuously reminded in each of my classes of the tight leash I was being kept on with impending deadlines — a paper here, a prelim there. My excitement was snuffed out as my professors morphed into evil versions of Oprah, “You get an assignment; you get an assignment!” In my quest to quell my frustration, I asked people in different majors and colleges if they, too, had approaching deadlines, and it seemed that, like me, most students had work to do over spring break.
On March 28, the Friday before break, I collapsed into my seat on an OurBus to New York City with weariness. I had a paper due that night, which felt unnecessarily cruel, as I could almost taste the freedom of home. So, I opened up my laptop on the bus, connected my computer to my faulty hotspot, and typed away. At this point in the semester, I knew I wouldn’t be alone in my suffering; like I predicted, I was accompanied by other students hard at work. The girl beside me slaved over a biology assignment, drawing diagrams on her iPad with her Apple pencil, and all I could hear from the guy adjacent to me was the clacking of keys as he wrote what I assumed was an essay taking up the last bit of his sanity. As I typed away, enveloped in the bus atmosphere that resembled the Stacks of Olin, I was reminded of the correspondence sent by the Dean of Students on Thursday, March 27. In this email, students were encouraged to “step away” from schoolwork and “spend time with friends and loved ones;” the instruction I found especially humorous was for students to “relax.” I looked around the tense atmosphere of the bus and felt frustrated that “relaxing” during break felt so unachievable.
“Too often, I turned down moments of connection to finish a paper or study for my exams, and it was frustrating.”
Vanessa Long ’28
This library-like environment is not unusual for the bus. As many know, the bus ride to and from Ithaca is a time to slump against the window in slumber, as well as an unwanted opportunity to “lock in” and grind. Personally, I have never been able to relax on the bus on my way to or from a break. Every time, I’ve had some pre-lecture quiz to complete, an essay to write or an assignment that needed my attention. It’s not uncommon to see others on this supposed bus ride to freedom continuing to complete work. But why is this collective suffering approaching and throughout university recesses the norm? Why do we clench our teeth and push through by sheer grit during our “breaks”?
If UChicago is “where fun goes to die,” is Cornell “ where breaks are just a formality”? On May 19, 2023 the Faculty Senate for Cornell adopted a policy where “faculty cannot administer graded exams or quizzes, conduct in-class graded assignments, or set due dates for graded assignments immediately after a break.” If this is the case, why did I spend a significant chunk of my Thanksgiving Break writing a five-page paper due the Monday we returned? If this policy is law, why did I stay on campus during February break because I had tight deadlines? Why then, during my Spring Break trip home to Georgia, did I spend a considerable amount of time hacking at my computer, trying to chip away at my mountain of assignments and prelim-prep against a bright blue
backdrop of clear skies and a constant high temperature in the 80s? Too often, I turned down moments of connection to finish a paper or study for my exams, and it was frustrating. The stress of trying to complete assignments and study enveloped me like the pollen should have — Georgia recently broke its record for a pollen count of almost 15,000, and trust me, during my infrequent outside endeavors, I suffered. Don’t
get me wrong, I still made my way down to Waffle House just to put Stevie Wonder and America on the jukebox, and I sat outside Bruster’s with a cone of Graham Central Station. But it wasn’t the same, simply because of the never-ending stream of assignments and exams dangling over my head. So, what is the purpose of an unsupported policy? On paper, Cornell favors students by acknowledging our need for a break. In practice, Cornell half-heartedly enforces this “rule” during their bi-yearly reminder to professors, and the student body is still victimized by professors’ casual disregard for the policy and the University’s lack of enforcement. This is truly unacceptable; Cornell must stand up for its students and require adherence to this rule. As a student body, we deserve better. We’ve been working hard all year, and we deserve a moment to collect ourselves and breathe before reentering this collegiate world that feels like Wipe Out. I don’t want to fall off the metaphorical red ball and drown because I’m exhausted and running on energy drinks and the hope of a moment of solace. All I want is to enjoy the nine days I have off of school to see my family seven states away without the overwhelming knowledge that “I need to finish this paper” or “I need to study for quickly approaching prelims.” I’m a person before I’m a student, and during breaks, I want the peace I’ve earned. Every student does. All I ask is that the University follows its already-established policy. Students are exhausted.
Ads are accepted at The Sun’s office at 139 W. State Street downtown, by phone or e-mail. Deadline: Noon at The Sun’s office two days preceding publication.
Standard Rate: $3.95 per day for first 15 words, 39 cents per day per word thereafter. Five or more consecutive insertions, $3.70 per day for first 15 words, 37 cents per day per word thereafter.
Commercial Rate: $5.95 per day for first 15 words, 40 cents per day per word thereafter. Five or more consecutive insertions, $5.75 per day for first 15 words, 38 cents per day per word thereafter.
The Sun is responsible for only one day makegood on ads.
Prelim Season by Elliot Kim ’28 Awaiting Spring Break by Jessie Guillen ’27
ARTS & CULTURE
‘MUSIC’ Pushes Carti’s Boundaries
By MIA ROMAN-WILSON Arts & Culture Writer
Playboi Carti has always been a pivotal yet polarizing figure in the hip-hop world. Best known for his distinct vocal tone and adventurous musical pursuits, Carti’s discography has been widely accepted as a landmark in the larger rap genre. That being said, since his newest release, MUSIC , was announced, anticipation for the project has been high, both for Carti fans starved of new music for half a decade and the more general hip-hop enthusiasts.
I did my best to listen to MUSIC for the first time without expectations, so I was pleasantly surprised to find it was a 30-track album loaded with features. Carti leans further into his niche punk rap genre and even experiments with a trap sound throughout the compilation that I think highlights his ambitious music abilities well. Yet it is precisely these elements that also seem to detract from what loyal Carti fans love most: the cohesion and narration inherent to his previous projects.
It’s no secret that Carti’s discography is divisive. His jarring vocal inflections and abrasive sound are just some of the factors that play into the mixed reactions he receives. However, I believe that in his past releases, Carti does an admirable job of unifying these chaotic characteristics to create a well-connected album. Die Lit relied on its more commercial approach while Whole Lotta Red leaned on its punk experimentality. MUSIC explores so many genres it turns Carti’s versatility
into a weakness. The album jumps unflinchingly from R&B-infused tracks to aggressive punk records to electric trap beats.Although most songs as individual compositions are enjoyable to listen to and impressive, they create a sprawling, unfocused nature to the album that dilutes their listenability.
The featuring artists and their verses also contribute to this issue. While I love Kendrick Lamar and often think he can do no wrong, I’ll admit that his three appearances on MUSIC add to the album’s disjointedness. I think the duo has incredible potential to represent the stylistic gap between traditional lyricism and a more raw, minimalistic approach when it comes to hip-hop. That being said, Lamar’s talents seem strangely underplayed on the album as he assumes a more secondary role via simple ad-libs and interjections. The presence of this rap titan does enhance the listenability of the songs, but it further confuses MUSIC’ s narrative, or lack thereof. Additionally, Lil Uzi Vert’s multiple features are a callback to their past collaborations, which makes “JUMPIN” an entertaining listen. Yet in another odd creative choice, Carti is entirely absent from Uzi’s other feature, “TWIN TRIM.” Other appearances like Travis Scott, Young Thug and Jhené Aiko make sense from a commercial perspective, but seem to otherwise clash with the raw, chaotic aesthetic inherent to Carti’s discography. While he does showcase his immense versatility by collaborating with these diverse artists, he also perpetuates MUSIC ’s disconnected and
‘Companion’
By GILLIAN LEE Arts & Culture Writer
When Jost first mentioned his Weekend Update co-anchor Michael Che in his stand-up at Cornell Sunday, the crowd in Barton Hall burst into applause. “I’m not going to tell him you applauded,” he shot back, tying into their banter on Weekend Update . Talking about Che seemed to animate Jost — a foreshadowing signal that he might do his best comedy alongside his friend and fall short alone.
Colin Jost is my favorite current SNL star. I read his memoir, A Very Punchable Face , and I devotedly watch Weekend Update , so when I heard that he was coming to perform at Barton Hall on Mar. 23, I immediately bought a ticket. I brought it up to most friends I saw that week. “This could be my favorite standup yet” constantly rang through my head. As days passed, I heard the buzz of students getting tickets, even ones unfamiliar with SNL . It was then not a surprise when Barton Hall was full of familiar faces in the sold-out rows of seats and bleachers on Sunday. Since 2014, Jost has been famous for hosting the recurring segment Weekend Update alongside Michael Che. I look forward to Jost providing satirical accounts of the world’s events and a reminder that not every -
unclear narrative.
Despite its obvious faults, there are many notable tracks on MUSIC that I’ve found myself returning to regularly. “GOOD CREDIT” features Kendrick Lamar, and while I definitely do not have the most objective opinion when it comes to the rapper, I genuinely enjoy the unique chemistry between Lamar and Carti throughout the song. The gospel choir in the background of “CRUSH” makes it another personal favorite. I love the contrast of the choir and aggressive trap drumbeat, and I think this track specifically does an exceptional job of leaning into Carti’s experimentality without straying too far from unifying themes. Some of the others that have been on repeat are “BACKDOOR” and “RADAR.”
With MUSIC , Playboi Carti further cements himself as one of hip-hop’s most unpredictable figures as he effortlessly transcends styles throughout the album. However, while the experimentation, high-profile collaborations and sonic diversity make for an exhilarating listen, the album’s disjointed nature will likely prevent it from reaching the cult status of Whole Lotta Red . Whether MUSIC will stand the test of time or be remembered solely for its standout singles remains to be seen, but one thing is certain — Carti continues to push boundaries, even if the results are as divisive as ever.
www.cornellsun.com
Correction: In our March 26, 2025, print issue, the article “Men I Trust’s ‘Equus Caballus’” was mistitled and attributed to the wrong author. Te title should read, “Men I Trust’s ‘Equus Asinus,’” and the correct author is Hazel Tjaden. We apologize for the error.
and Sugar-Coated Sci-Fi Horror
thing is so serious in each show. Jost’s humor comes from his demeanor — his tone blends a preppy stature, crisp delivery and a usually careful treading of “the line,” stopping just before jokes go too far.
Jost’s performance in Barton felt like an extension of his Weekend Update character : composed, sharp and familiar. However, especially after sitting in Barton’s uncomfortable athletic facility for an initial 30-minute delayed start and two underwhelming opening acts from other SNL cast members Michael Longfellow and Molly Kearney, I was left wondering whether I expected too much.
Jost struggled to get a handle on the audience at first. He started with jokes about ICE and the World Wars that didn’t quite land, resulting in half-formed laughter and Jost jokingly pleading, “Come on, please give it a try.” While I think many jokes deserved more laughter than they received, some leaned on the side of uncomfortable, especially coming from a straight white male from Staten Island.
He continued by piecing together bits on cultural events and some small stories, but the dynamics were relatively constant. He made a few appeals to Cornell — his trip to Greek Peak, the gorges and a comparison to Ithaca College. With his
Harvard undergraduate degree, I was surprised he didn’t make any “fake ivy” jokes (but simultaneously appreciated it).
I started to laugh out loud around halfway through his set. My favorite bit was Jost’s repeated jokes on hotels, playing on the “hotelies” of Cornell. He brought up how his aunt majored in Hotel Administration at Cornell in the first few minutes: “My aunt came to Cornell to study hotels, and now she stays at hotels.” Throughout the remainder of his performance, he had multiple hotel-centered sets and would sometimes randomly circle back to something about hotels. At one part, he simply began, “I was in a hotel —” and let the pause do the comedic work. It landed gloriously. He picked up the pace and appeared more in his element for his longer set pieces — personal stories that seemed part of previous rehearsed sets. His jokes about his family were especially funny, like one reference to why he went to Thailand recently, remarking, “My wife was working in Thailand… she’s a plumber.” The audience obviously knew better: Scarlett Johansson is no plumber.
Jost constantly laughed at himself during the performance. Some of my favorite moments on SNL are when he laughs at one of his or Che’s jokes as a sign of self-deprecating humor,
a joke not landing or just a hilarious moment that he can’t not laugh with the audience. His laughs in Barton were a nice tie between his SNL and stand-up self, reminding me again of Colin’s unmistakable flair.
I feel so fortunate that several SNL cast members have made their way to Ithaca during my four years at Cornell, including Chloe Fineman, Ego Nwodim and Marcello Hernandez, and I have zero regrets attending Jost’s performance. I don’t think the show’s preliminary excitement fully translated into the performance, but it will nonetheless be one of the college events I fondly look back at. I got to laugh both with and at one of my favorite comedians in the same room — that’s pretty incredible.
Jost is the generic white male with a “very punchable face,” but he consistently and keenly uses this trait to poke fun at himself in a fresh, welcoming way. I have no doubt the next time I watch him on Weekend Update will be entertaining, but as of now, Jost’s best acts are still playing off his co-anchor behind the faux-news desk. If he ever leaves SNL , I would not only be heartbroken, but hope he’s ready to stand out on his own.
Gillian Lee is a
Mia Roman-Wilson is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at mromanwilson@cornellsun.com.
‘A Leader for Everyone’: Shining a Spotlight on Impactful Women at Cornell for Women’s History Month
By ANGELINA TANG, VARSHA BHARGAVA and JANE HAVILAND Sun News Editors and Features Editor
March 27 — The first female Cornell graduate earned her degree over a century ago, in 1873. And this year, 55 percent of Cornell’s graduating class are women.
While women now take on prominent roles in the Cornell community and beyond, this has not always been the case. Women’s History Month was established in the United States in 1987 and every March, the country honors women to recognize their contributions throughout U.S. history.
This March, The Sun spoke to women currently and formerly in leadership positions at Cornell to highlight their contributions to campus.
Julia Senzon ’26, Editor-in-Chief of The Sun
The Cornell Daily Sun’s first female editor-in-chief, Elizabeth Bass ’72, was elected in 1971. Before Bass, women in The Sun were limited to “women’s editor” positions that only worked on content specifically appealing to women.
Today, Julia Senzon ’26 leads The Sun as editor-in-chief — the head of the paper. She succeeds decades of Sun editors-in-chief of all genders.
“I don’t have to be a journalist for women,” Senzon said, reflecting on her place within the paper’s gendered history. “[I can] be a journalist for everyone and a leader for everyone.”
As the daughter and granddaughter of “incredible role models” like her mother and grandmothers, Senzon said that the title of “woman in leadership” is inspirational.
Growing up, Senzon’s mother, who she described as a “caring, responsible” nurse, set an example as a “headstrong” leader for her daughter. Similarly, both of her grandmothers held jobs and bolstered Senzon’s impression of what she could accomplish.
“I’ve always been raised to never believe that there’s limits placed on me because of my gender,” Senzon said.
With editor-in-chief experience from her high school newspaper, Senzon began writing for The Sun as a first-year in fall 2022. She quickly rose to news editor during her second semester on campus, covering and assigning articles about on-campus news and the University administration.
After two semesters as a news editor, Senzon was elected as managing editor — second-in-command to the editor-inchief and her “dream role” at the time. The managing editor is central to the organization of the paper, and Senzon said she dedicated 50 to 60 hours a week to The Sun at the time, and sometimes more.
Now, as an editor-in-chief of The Sun’s 143rd Editorial Board, Senzon wants to make her time in the position count. Her mission for her two-semester term is to use the paper to “facilitate conversation.”
“It is the most rewarding to me when I can just hear people from their own words about what they think more so than what they do,” Senzon said.
The editor-in-chief must also facilitate a greater conversation by co-writing editorials — articles written by the head subjective editors about large or contentious issues on campus. Editorials represent The Sun’s institutional voice, Senzon said. Part of Senzon’s goal for the editorials is to spark discussion.
“By using ‘any person, any study’ and protecting democracy as bedrock principles of the editorials, that will, in turn, inherently encourage conversation as a key element of the paper,” Senzon said. “[I want to make] sure people feel like we want them to be heard, and we want to protect all voices.”
As she takes on the topmost role of the paper, Senzon does not forget the women in The Sun who played a hand in her experience.
Specifically, Senzon pointed toward Sofia Rubinson ’24, former managing editor of The Sun during the 141st Editorial Board, as a model for her role. From Rubinson’s leadership, Senzon said she learned to hold people accountable while still being kind, to remain understanding of people’s unique circumstances and to stay resilient through backlash.
“It’s important to never feel like you have to fit a box because of being a woman, [or] that you have to act a certain way or hold a more supportive role versus a more leadership role,” Senzon said. “It’s important to recognize that your skill set is valuable.”
Adeena Naseem ’26, president of WHEN
Adeena Naseem ’26 is the president of Women’s Higher Education Now, a student organization that raises money for the Asian University for Women to support women’s education.
WHEN primarily holds fundraisers, such as selling cookies and flowers, to help AUW provide scholarships for women in Bangladesh. These women would otherwise have been forced to “marry off” or be “child laborers,” Naseem said.
Naseem also serves as the finance chair of South Asian Council to stay “in tune” with her Pakistani culture. In the future, she seeks to combine her major in economics and minor in environment and sustainability by exploring “impact investing or green finance.”
Naseem’s passion for women’s education stems from her culture. As an international student from Pakistan, Naseem said their society is very “son-centric.” Coming from a family without sons, “there was all sorts of pressure from society … because people think that having a son completes your family,” Naseem said. This pushed her to feel as if she had to “prove [her] worth.”
Naseem sought to prove herself through education. When she got into Cornell, she recalled thinking, “I’ve achieved something that made my parents proud. I’ve made it.”
At the same time, she recognized her achievement as a “privilege” that not all women — including those she grew up with — receive. This led to her passion for helping those who have not had the same opportunities, and she said that WHEN has given her that ability to do so.
“Even my own class-fellows from back home at school — some of them have been married off at very young ages, because that’s how our country is, and that’s how society is,” Naseem said. “So that’s something that ignites [my] fire from within.”
Judith Mecklenburger ’71, founder of Risley Program House
Judith Mecklenburger ’71 is known for the founding of the Risley Program House, which was the first program house at Cornell and first co-ed dormitory established on-campus. Founded in 1970, Risley Hall houses 194 students of any
class year who display interest in the visual and performing arts. The program house is completed with a theatre, a coffeehouse, recording studios, and its own dining hall.
At the age of 17, Mecklenburger enrolled in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences as a communication major. During her undergraduate years, she was involved in many extracurriculars including the WVBR radio station, The Cornell Countryman and the Sage Chapel Choir.
“There are always these two sides to me — science and the arts,” Mecklenburger said.
During her junior year, Mecklenburger went to Day Hall to ask Ruth Darling, former head of housing, if the University could provide a living space for about 25 students who have interest in the arts, regardless of major.
The University had planned, prior to meeting with Mecklenburger, on tearing down the former all girls dormitory due to its expense. Mecklenburger left Day Hall with the opportunity to transform Risley Hall into an experimental, arts focused dormitory as the Head Resident for over 200 students.
Throughout the summer leading up to her senior year, Mecklenburger led the planning and organization alongside University faculty of what would become the first program house on-campus.
Beyond being known for establishing Risley, Mecklenburger is “an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community” and finds importance in how “there are a lot of other genders and descriptions of genders,” Mecklenburger said.
Her legacy as the founder of Risley program house is recognized on a plaque located on the ground floor of Risley Hall.
“People need to be given the option to be living with people who are like them,” Mecklenburger said. “A place where you can put your hair down and be yourself.”
Zora deRham ’27, President of the Student Assembly
Zora deRham ’27 is the current president of the Student Assembly — a shared governance organization of elected undergraduate student representatives that aid University officials on decisions regarding the interests of the student body.
Enrolled in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences with a major in agricultural sciences and a minor in near Eastern studies, deRham is also a sister of Alpha Chi Omega sorority and a member of the Persian students organization.
deRham leads the 33-member Assembly during weekly meetings that discuss proposal, resolution and public comment discussions concerning the student body. With nine months of student assembly president experience under her belt, deRham reflects on her role as “a really great growth opportunity.”
deRham experiences challenges in her presidential role.
“There’s always going to be people who underestimate me because I’m especially young in this position of leadership,” deRham said.
To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun. com.
Angelina Tang, Varsha
and Jane
can be reached at atnag@cornellsun.com, vbhargava@cornellsun.com and jhaviland@cornellsun.com.
Bhargava
Haviland
Four females | From left to right, top to bottom: Julia Senzon ‘26, Judith Mecklenburger ’71, Adeena Naseem ’26 and Zora deRham ’27.
COURTESY OF JULIA SENZON ‘26, JUDITH MECKLENBURGER ’71, ADEENA NASEEM ’26 AND ZORA DERHAM ’27
Ladies in leadership | Julia Senzon ‘26 leads The Sun as editor-in-chief and Adeena Naseem ’26 is the president of Women’s Higher Education Now organization.
COURTESY OF JULIA SENZON ‘26 AND ADEENA NASEEM ’26
Playing Both Sides: Julia Ramsey’s ’27 DualSport Success in Field Hockey, Lacrosse
By ZEINAB FARAJ Sun Assistant Sports Editor
March 30 — Field hockey and lacrosse are two Division I sports that demand lots of time, energy and stamina from their talented athletes, but sophomore Julia Ramsey is excelling in both sports at Cornell.
Meet Ramsey, who was originally recruited for field hockey and later walked on to the women’s lacrosse team.
Lacrosse and Field Hockey Before Cornell Ramsey is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She started playing both lacrosse and field hockey at five years old. As a child, she said her family influenced her to play sports.
“While we are all competitive we all are super supportive of each other,” Ramsey said.
Ramsey’s family is no stranger to the Division I level of sports: Ramsey’s sister, Caroline Ramsey ’24 played field hockey for Cornell. She also has a brother, Nicholas, who plays lacrosse at Yale University. Her father Patrick Ramsey played both ice hockey and lacrosse at Colgate University. She has two cousins playing field hockey at Yale University, Lily and Emma Ramsey.
“While we are all competitive we are all super supportive of each other.”
Julia Ramsey ’27
Ramsey picked up travel lacrosse and field hockey because of her love for the game and her older sister and older cousin playing the sports as well.
In high school, she played field hockey, lacrosse and ice hockey. She was a National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-Region team honoree in 2021 and selected for her All-County and All-Conference teams multiple times.
During Ramsey’s sophomore year of high school, many athletic clinics and showcases she wanted to attend were cancelled or delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ramsey said this caused her to discuss which sport to prioritize with her family.
“After talking with my family, I decided to
stick with just club field hockey but continue playing lacrosse at my high school,” Ramsey said.
“I
like being able to work on my footwork and hand-eye coordination skills since that is what translates over between the two sports.”
Julia Ramsey ’27
Becoming Dual Sported
When she was deciding between programs to commit to, Ramsey said she “fell in love” with Cornell’s campus and athletics. Because her sister Caroline and cousin Annie Thomas ’24 played field hockey and lacrosse, respectively, Ramsey said she was familiar with the campus.
“When I got the offer from Coach [Andy] Smith I accepted within a day or two,” Ramsey said.
Ramsey had a successful freshman year campaign for the Red — she led the nation with 1.06 assists per game and accounted for 22 points. But, Ramsey said she deeply missed playing lacrosse.
“My cousin was a fifth year on the team, and I would attend all the scrimmages and games,” Ramsey said. “I was already missing it so much and watching it made me miss it more, so I decided to try to walk on to the team.”
But this decision would not be easy — it would require Ramsey to balance two Division I sports at the same time and be in season all year round, which meant constant training, games and meetings with her team.
So, her first step was to talk to field hockey head coach Andy Smith about her decision.
“Coach Smith was definitely surprised by my decision since I would be missing the off-season training for field hockey,” Ramsey said. “But ultimately, he has been very supportive of me as a person both as an athlete and student.”
After emailing women’s lacrosse head coach Jenny Graap and working with the team, Ramsey accomplished her goal of walking on and was excited to play the sport she loved.
But the accomplishment was not without its challenges, as Ramsey must balance 20 hour weeks year round for two different sports while
also being a student. Ramsey also said that while some skills from the two sports crossover, each sport is very unique.
“Playing with the ball on the ground versus in the air requires a different set of skills,” Ramsey said. “I like being able to work on my footwork and hand-eye coordination skills since that is what mainly translates over between the two sports.”
In addition, Ramsey said the experience of the two teams has been different: the field hockey roster this year is “a smaller team” of 24 players, whereas the lacrosse team has 43 members listed on the roster.
“Looking back it was definiely a big decision, but I think that if there is something that you really want to do then it is important to push yourself and go for it to see what will happen.”
Julia Ramsey ’27
She also noted that she plays different roles on each team.
“For the lacrosse team, I am definitely more of a scout player, so I help prep[are] the team for the competition they will play that weekend,” Ramsey said. “Whereas for field hockey I play more games.
Regardless of her role, Ramsey emphasized her commitment to both teams and her drive to compete at the highest level. She also said that the Cornell Athletics culture was motivating to her because she felt like her coaches and teammates always wanted what was best for her. She also thanked her family for their support in her process.
Her biggest takeaway: “if I wanted to do something, I should just go for it and work hard to earn it. “
“Looking back it was definitely a big decision, but I think that if there is something that you really want to do then it is important to push yourself and go for it to see what will happen,” Ramsey said.
Zeinab Faraj can be reached at zfaraj@cornellsun.com.
Frequent fielding | Sophomore Julia Ramsey is a dual athlete who plays both field hockey and lacrosse for the Red.
KARLIE MCGANN / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Red Ramsey | Julia Ramsey ’27 was recruited to play for the field hockey team, and later walked onto the women’s lacrosse team.
Men’s Hockey Sends Six Seniors to the Pros
By JANE McNALLY Sun Senior Editor
It has barely been one week since men’s hockey saw its season end at the hands of Boston University in the NCAA Tournament regional final in Toledo, Ohio.
In just one week, six departing seniors have inked professional contracts. Those signings are coupled with the loss of junior forward Dalton Bancroft, who opted to sign with the Boston Bruins instead of returning for his senior season.
So far, senior goaltender Ian Shane, forwards Sullivan Mack and Jack O’Leary, and defensemen Michael Suda, Tim Rego and Hank Kempf have signed professionally. Two seniors — forward Kyler Kovich and defenseman Jimmy Rayhill — have entered the transfer portal to use their final year of eligibility. Forwards Ondrej Psenicka and Kyle Penney have not yet been signed.
Here’s a breakdown of each contract signed within the first week of the offseason.
April 1: Shane signs with the Norfolk Admirals (ECHL)
Just a mere 72 hours after the season’s end, Shane signed an amateur tryout contract with the Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL. The Admirals are affiliated with the Manitoba Moose and the Winnipeg Jets organization.
An amateur tryout contract is one designed for players going straight from “amateur” hockey — college hockey or junior hockey — to the pros. The contract is good until the end of the 2024-
2025 season. From there, the Admirals could make the decision to sign Shane for the 2025-2026 season, or Shane could opt to explore other options in free agency.
Shane made a quick jump into professional hockey — he made his debut on Wednesday as the Admirals took on the Reading Royals. Shane, who was stellar down the stretch for Cornell en route to its NCAA regional final loss, picked up right where he left off, making 30 saves on 33 shots in a slim 3-2 overtime loss.
The point secured in the loss clinched a playoff berth for the Admirals while Shane was named the third star of the game.
April 2: Mack inks deal with the Hartford Wolfpack (American Hockey League)
After a strong senior campaign that saw him hit career highs in goals (nine), assists (15) and points (24), Mack was picked up by the Wolfpack, which is affiliated with the New York Rangers organization.
The “standard AHL player contract” runs through the 2025-2026 season. For the remainder of 2024-2025, Mack will join the Wolfpack on an amateur tryout basis before his actual contract kicks in for next season.
Mack could make his professional debut as soon as Saturday, as Hartford takes on the Hershey Bears. According to the Wolfpack website, he’ll don No. 13 as he begins his pro career.
It is worth noting that Mack will join a Wolfpack team partially under the direction of a former Cornellian —
Bancroft Signs with the Boston Bruins
By JANE McNALLY Sun Senior Editor
With ten graduating seniors, most of them regulars on men’s hockey’s roster, the 2025-2026 season was already set to be one permeated with question marks.
On Thursday, things got a whole lot more complicated.
Junior forward Dalton Bancroft has signed a one-year entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins, meaning he will forgo his senior season to kick start his professional career. Bancroft will spend the rest of the 2024-2025 season with the Providence Bruins — Boston’s American Hockey League affiliate — on an amateur tryout agreement, a contract designed for college/junior hockey players making the jump to the pros.
Bancroft made his professional debut on Friday evening.
It’s the first time Cornell has had a player leave early to turn professional since Morgan Barron ’21 — a Hobey Baker Award top-10 finalist and current forward for the Winnipeg Jets — left the Hill in pursuit of an NHL contract in the 2020 offseason.
Bancroft has made an impact since stepping foot on campus, having been a regular member of the Cornell power play. He appeared on the Red’s top line this season, posting 27 points while playing on the right wing with sophomore forward Ryan Walsh and senior forward Sullivan Mack.
In 103 games across three seasons, Bancroft posted 36 goals and 43 assists for 79 points. This past
season saw him eclipse a career-high 15 goals.
Dalton Bancroft Forgoes Senior Year, Signs NHL Contract With Boston Bruins
The Bruins outbid “several teams” interested in Bancroft. An earlier report by RG on March 26 indicated that the Bruins were one of five teams pursuing Bancroft once he hit the free agent market, those teams being the Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets.
Bancroft attended Boston’s development camp last summer. Though he was never drafted by the Bruins or any other NHL team, Bancroft received an invitation from the organization to attend after his standout 31-point sophomore season.
Bancroft attended that 2024 development camp alongside Walsh, who is a 2023 sixth-round pick by the Bruins. According to a March 30 RG report, the Bruins — who had two members of their hockey operations staff at Cornell’s NCAA Tournament games in Toledo, Ohio — were interested in signing Walsh as soon as this summer. However, in a post on X that same day, New England Hockey Journal & NHL. com contributor Mark Divver said he was “not expecting” Walsh to sign this offseason.
To continue reading this story, please visit www.cornellsun.com.
Jane McNally can be reached at jmcnally@cornellsun.com.
Joey Padmanabhan ’24 is the Director of Hockey Operations for Hartford and worked with Cornell men’s hockey for four years as a Student Director of Hockey Operations. Padmanabhan works with Wolfpack general manager Ryan Martin, who handles “player personnel decisions, player development, contract negotiations, and player movement.”
April 3: Suda signed by the Savannah Ghost Pirates (ECHL)
Suda, who is one of three regulars on the Cornell defense graduating this spring, signed a standard ECHL player contract on Thursday. After an 11-assist senior season, Suda joins a large group of collegiate players heading to Savannah on SPCs, including Cristophe Tellier of ECAC rival Quinnipiac.
Though it was not indicated in the press release put out by Savannah on Thursday, Suda’s contract — which is not an amateur tryout contract, like Shane’s — likely runs through the 20252026 season.
Suda could make his professional debut on Friday evening as the Ghost Pirates face off against the Florida Everblades at 7:30 p.m. The Ghost Pirates are affiliated with the Charlotte Checkers and the Florida Panthers organization.
April 4: Rego signs with the Ontario Reign (AHL)
Rego’s AHL contract runs through the 2025-2026 season. For the remainder of 2024-2025, he has been loaned to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, the ECHL affiliate of the Kings and Reign.
Rego attended NHL development
camp with the New Jersey Devils last summer, but the Kings organization ultimately picked up the free agent. Rego made his ECHL debut on Friday evening.
April 4: Kempf signs two-year deal with Colorado Eagles (AHL)
As expected, Kempf signs with the Eagles after his rights were traded there on March 1. Kempf was initially picked by the New York Rangers in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft (seventh round, 208th overall) but joined the Colorado Avalanche organization ahead of the NHL trade deadline.
Kempf will join two Cornellians in Colorado — Matt Stienburg ‘23 and Jacob MacDonald ‘15 are current members of the Eagles, while Sam Malinski ’23 plays for the Avalanche in the NHL. April 4: O’Leary signs ATO with the Norfolk Admirals (ECHL)
O’Leary will join fellow classmate Shane in Norfolk after signing an ATO with the Admirals. Another undrafted senior, O’Leary is set to debuted with Norfolk on Friday evening.
The New York native goes pro after hitting a career-high in goals (eight) and tying his career-high in points (17) in 2024-2025. O’Leary notably scored in the Red’s regional final defeat to Boston University, a pivotal goal that sent the game to overtime.
O’Leary will finish out 2024-2025 with the Admirals and, like Shane, could re-sign or test out the free agent market.
Jane McNally can be reached at jmcnally@ cornellsun.com.
Holcombe Helps Baseball Win One of Tree Against Columbia
By ZEINAB FARAJ Assistant Sports Editor
This weekend, the previously top two teams in the Ivy League, Cornell (10-10, 5-4 Ivy) and Columbia University (12-14, 7-2 Ivy), faced off in New York City for a three game series.
The series was moved up one day due to weather concerns. The teams played two games on Friday and wrapped up the series on Saturday. The change in schedule likely worked in the Red’s favor, as Columbia was coming off two days of rest following its loss to Hofstra University.
“We knew that there was a chance for the move-up in the game schedule, so we adjusted by moving up our practice schedule,” said sophomore left-handed pitcher Huxley Holcombe. “We played some good baseball despite coming off one less day of rest.”
Cornell also faced Columbia on its home turf, where the Lions had been undefeated through the season.
While the first inning of the first game was scoreless, the second inning saw the Red take a 1-0 lead thanks to sophomore infielder Owen Carlson, who singled home senior outfielder and right-handed pitcher Ryan Porter.
Junior right-handed pitcher
Carson Mayfield helped hold the Lions to zero runs, as he produced a pair of strikeouts in the bottom of the second inning.
During the third inning,
Columbia faced three batters and a double play forced the Cornell offense off the field. A mishap on the field allowed Columbia to capitalize and tie the game, 1-1. The Lions took the lead at the bottom of the third inning as Columbia’s Jack Kail hit a sacrifice fly that allowed Sam Miller to find home plate.
For the rest of the game, the Red’s offense failed to round the bases and Columbia put up 10 unanswered runs. Columbia’s Joe Sheets only allowed four hits across his eight innings played. In addition, he accounted for four double plays which stalled Cornell’s efforts to score.
Unfortunately for the Red, Mayfield allowed a season-high of nine hits during his five innings played. Cornell conceded the first game of the series with the final score being 10-1, Lions.
Immediately following this game, the Red and the Lions played the second game of the series. This time, Holcombe pitched 7.2 innings. While pitching was problematic for Cornell just hours before, Holcombe turned it around with a career high of seven strikeouts against a competitive lineup of Columbia hitters.
“I was aided by our assistant coach Robby Faris, who does a really good job with the scouting reports we get every week, so I had a good description of the tendencies of the batters I was facing,” Holcombe said. “He put together a concise plan for me to attack the hitters.”
While the pitching helped hold
off the Lions, Cornell’s offense also came to life in the second game. In the first inning, the Red started strong with junior outfielder Caden Wildman singling to left field to help senior outfielder John Quinlan run home. Later in that inning, Wildman and sophomore catcher Mark Quatrani would both help pad Cornell’s lead to three thanks to senior first baseman William Jaun, who hit a single to center field. At the top of the third inning, Porter doubled to center field, driving in two runs as Jaun and sophomore infielder Kevin Hager scored. With Cornell up 5-0, the Lions finally had an answer as Cole Fellows earned two RBIs to bring the score to 5-2.
Sophomore infielder Luke Johnson rounded the bases in the fourth inning and the Red would hold off the Lions’ valiant offensive efforts during the next two innings. At the top of the seventh, Hager earned a run and Cornell’s lead grew to a comfortable 7-2.
Columbia earned its final point during the eighth inning off of a hit by Fellows that brought home Anthony Temesvary.
With a 7-3 victory, the Red tied the overall series and defeated Columbia on home turf for the first time this season.
To continue reading this story, please visit www.cornellsun.com.
Zeinab Faraj can be reached at zfaraj@cornellsun.com.
