The Corne¬ Daily Sun
With this issue, Te Sun suspends print publication for the summer. Please visit cornellsun.com periodically until Te Sun returns to print in the fall.
Gunna Replaces Kehlani as Slope Day Headliner
By GABRIEL MUÑOZ Sun City Editor
May 2 — The Slope Day Programming Board announced Gunna as the headliner for Slope Day on Friday morning, nine days after President Michael Kotlikoff rescinded Kehlani’s invitation on April 23.
Slope Day, the annual concert held on Libe Slope at the end of the academic year, is financed by the Student Activity Funding Commission — a body responsible for allocating a
portion of the undergraduate student activity fee, which all students pay to the University.
Gunna, the four-time Grammy nominated hip hop artist with songs like “Lemonade,” “f*kumean” and “Drip Too Hard,” will be headlining the performance.
Previously collaborating with artists like Doja Cat, Travis Scott and Drake, Gunna has topped the Billboard 200 charts twice with his albums “DS4EVER” and “Wunna.”
Gunna, whose government name is Sergio Kitchens, was arrested in 2022 for racketeering on accusations that he was collaborating with the Young Slime criminal gang. He pleaded guilty to the charges in December 2022.
The Student Assembly previously invited Gunna to attend Slope Day as an emcee in 2022 to accompany headlining artist Aminé.
The supporting performer will be Louis The Child, known for their songs “It’s Strange,” “Slow Down Love” and “Better Not.” Other performers include student band Lucky Strike and student DJs Two (Asian) Friends and FREQ.
The replacement follows student and parent dissatisfaction over Kehlani’s anti-Israel sentiments on her social media. In an email statement to the Cornell community, President Michael Kotlikoff wrote, “I have heard grave concerns from our community that many are angry, hurt, and
Local Activists Organize ‘Community Slope Day’
By MAX TROIANO Sun Senior Writer
May 7 — Cornellians will be able to choose between not one but two Slope Days — the official University music festival and the grassroots Community Slope Day, organized by local activists in response to the University rescinding Kehlani’s headliner invitation.
The Community Slope Day music festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, entirely overlapping with Cornell’s Slope Day. It will take place at Stone Bend Farm in Newfield, New York, an approximately 20-minute drive away from campus.
Following the April 10 announcement of Kehlani as the original Slope Day headliner, some students and parents criticized the artist’s anti-Israel rhetoric and social media presence. Cornellians for Israel also launched a petition against the selection of Kehlani as the Slope Day headliner that accumulated over 5,000 signatures.
Cornell revoked Kehlani’s invitation to headline Slope Day over what President Michael Kotlikoff labeled “antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments.”
But the cancellation sparked criticism from student groups about freedom of speech and institutional neutrality. The Community Slope Day Instagram account urged students to “boycott Slope Day,” writing that Kehlani’s “opposition to the
genocide in Palestine isn’t hateful” and that the decision was made “without representative input of the student body.”
Community Slope Day organizer Elliot Walsh ’24 M.S. ’24 said that leaders of the event expect a turnout of approximately 500 people.
The festival is free and open to all Ithacans, and free Lyft rides will be provided, organizers said.
The University’s Slope Day limits admission to Cornellians, offering free admission to Cornell undergraduates, while faculty, staff, graduate students and alumni can buy tickets for $55 to $75.
“Community Slope Day is grounded in a much more expansive vision of what community is,” Walsh said. “It’s not just the Cornell community. … We see the residents of Ithaca and of surrounding towns, we see Ithaca College students as being community members on equal footing, and we want to take this opportunity to open up the event to whoever will come.”
Through Community Slope Day, Walsh said he hoped to create a space for all members of the Ithaca community to celebrate the end of the school year without participating in Cornell’s festival, which he saw as “repressive.”
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confused that Slope Day would feature a performer who has espoused antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments in performances, videos, and on social media.”
In a video posted to X expressing her discontent with other music industry members for not speaking out in favor of Palestine, Kehlani said, “It’s f*ck Israel, it’s f*ck Zionism and it’s also f*ck a lot of y’all too.”
Kehlani’s beliefs also appear in her performances. Her “Next 2 U” music video — which was released in June 2024 — begins with the message “Long Live the Intifada,” in addition to featuring dancers in keffiyehs waving Palestinian flags. The word intifada is often associated with two Palestinian uprisings.
A week after Kehlani’s announcement as headliner, at an April 17 Student Assembly meeting, Kotlikoff criticized the choice of the outspokenly anti-Israel performer but stated that “it’s too late to secure another performer.”
To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com.
Gabriel Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@cornellsun.com.
THE C ORNELL D AILY S UN G UI D E T O S LOPE D AY 2025
appy lope ay!
As per recent tradition, Slope Day will be held the day after classes end to celebrate the end of the academic year.
Free Breakfast
Free breakfast will be served in front of Schwartz Center from 7:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Food Tickets
If you have not already prepurchased food and drink tickets, you can buy food tickets in the Willard Straight Hall parking lot and on Ho Plaza using BRBs, MealChoice, CornellCard or credit cards.
Music
Student DJs Two (Asian) Friends and FREQ will perform. Louis the Child will open the concert, followed by Gunna.
Pick Up Your Wristband
Arts Quad Tent: 10:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. with your Cornell ID
Te Sun Sits Down with Kotlikof, Bala
Administrators discussed funding, Slope Day controversy
By MATTHEW KIVIAT, DOROTHY FRANCE-MILLER and JULIA SENZON
Sun Managing Editor, Assistant Managing Editor and Editor-in-Chief
May 7 — President Michael Kotlikoff and Provost Kavita Bala are just settling into their new roles as President and Provost. The Sun sat down with the two top administrators on Friday, May 2, to discuss their vision for the University amid the federal funding freeze, information about the Slope Day headliner controversy and uncertainty about Student Exchange Visitor Information System Records and visas being revoked.
Below is the transcript of The Sun’s wide-ranging, exclusive interview with Kotlikoff and Bala. The transcript has been lightly edited, condensed for clarity and sorted thematically. Coming Into the Role
The Sun: When you previously spoke to us last semester, you said that upon finishing your two-year term as interim president, you would almost certainly retire. You also said that the next president would most likely be an external candidate, and one who’s not as familiar with Cornell. So with that being said, what led to you becoming Cornell’s 15th President?
Kotlikoff: Well, I think my concern is that the University is facing substantial challenges. I do believe [in] Cornell’s history that usually Presidents are external [choices]. And given the challenges that the University faces at this time, transition would be very difficult for a new person coming in and didn’t know Cornell. It often takes a substantial period of transition for that individual to get to know the University, understand the unique attributes of the University.
Cornell Batman Te Sun interviewed Cornell Batman, who has made himself a quintessential part of campus.
Gotta go Gunna | Gunna will be performing at Libe Slope on Wednesday.
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Kotlikof and Bala
Discuss Funding, Slope Day, SEVIS
Federal Funding Freeze and Investigations
All of that led me, when asked, to agree to return as President. I will say that one of the things that was important to me was that the University community was involved in the decision. And to that end, there was a lot of consultation between the board and faculty, staff, student interviews, and also provosts and deans. I thought it was important that the board not just appoint a president, but the community be involved in that selection [and] decision.
The Sun: As a follow-up question, it appeared that when you stepped into the role of president, there were similar moves at other peer institutions for interim presidents and individuals familiar with their campus communities to take on the role. Was the Cornell decision … motivated or inspired by any other colleges?
Kotlikoff: I don’t think that was a significant factor. I think that many universities, several universities, ended up in the same sort of situation, and several of them have taken the same position. Some [peer institutions] have been interim and then [had] a defined term, and some have been interim and then you know just an appointment, as Cornell’s done.
The Sun: Provost Kavita Bala, you come from a background as a professor in computer science and as the first dean of [Bowers College of Computing and Information Science]. How does that inform your current work, especially within challenges by the federal government?
Bala: So firstly, I was excited about taking on the role, because I do see that the change that tech is bringing on society is significant. And I was not only the dean of Bowers, but also the lead dean of the AI initiative. And I wanted to think about that vision of what is a university as we move into the Gen AI-enabled world. How should a university position itself to educate our students for the next 50 years of their careers that they will undertake? So that was what I was excited about, taking on the role of educating them for their 50 years of career.
So that’s what’s exciting about the role. I’ll say, the pace of change in society that’s coming around through a variety of you know, scientific discovery, innovation — that’s exciting [as well]. But there’s also now the federal government is bringing a pace of change in what its vision of the University’s role in research is. That is bringing significant challenges to the University that we need to face. So navigating all of that is an exciting part of the role… and a complex part of it.
The Sun: President Kotlikoff, on April 17, you told the Student Assembly that you have not gotten formal notification from the Trump administration about the $1 billion funding freeze. So since then, has the Trump administration given Cornell a formal notification or any demands against the University?
Kotlikoff: No and no.
The Sun: Have there been efforts of communication between the university and the Trump administration? Have there been talks?
Kotlikoff: Yes. We have had a number of talks. We have an open OCR — [U.S Department of Education’s] Office of Civil Rights — investigation into the University. We’ve been trying to close those investigations, respond effectively to the questions of the federal government, and we’ve been having those conversations quite often, to see how we can satisfy legitimate concerns of the of the government and also tell the federal government about Cornell and what’s going on in Cornell so we can get back to normal and get back to what we do very well.
The Sun: You said that you’re in communication with the federal government about the investigations regarding Title VI and antisemitism, so who in the federal government, or what department of the federal government is your communication with?
Kotlikoff: It’s with a number [of departments]. It’s the Office of Civil Rights, of course, we respond to the Department of Education that oversees that. I’m also having conversations with politicians. I was just in Washington and had conversations on Capitol Hill. So we’re trying to reach out, and some of this is also to talk about other issues besides these grants, the NIH overhead issues, the other department overhead issues, the endowment tax and related issues. So all of that, trying to one, talk about what Cornell is, what’s what’s unique about this University, and then secondly, what the value of research is to our economy, to our society … and then how we can think about things like endowment tax … so we have a number of points that we’re trying to make to our supporters and critics.
The Sun: You had talked about how there are certain potential improvements to the University that are genuine addresses to problems like antisemitism on campus. Would you be able to talk about any of the actions that the University may take that are in alignment with this approach?
Kotlikoff: Yeah, let me give you one example. We have a policy 6.4, which is a bias inci-
dent report. Any incident, any hate incident or incident of bias, whether it’s antisemitism, anti-Islamophobia, any incident of bias, should be reported to our office that oversees our Title VI responsibilities. We’ve recently organized that in a way in which we had Title IX responsibilities in the [Cornell] office of Title IX [but] our Title VI responsibilities were embedded within the … Office of Student Campus Conduct, and we made the decision to pull our Title IV into Title IX and reform this as the Office of Civil Rights.
So that way it’s overseen [is] by an attorney, somebody that was previously a district attorney. And every one of these incidents gets a sort of professional examination and investigation so that we’re responding effectively when our community experiences or people in our community experience incidents of bias.
The Sun: When you say it’s looked at in a professional way, does that mean that it’s looked at in its impact on potential federal investigations or demands of the University, in addition to student concerns? Is that the switch that you’re referring to?
Kotlikoff: No, I don’t think so. I think that what we want to do is have every one of these incidents effectively investigated. When these were in the Office of Student Conduct, that’s mixed in with tons of different kinds of Student Conduct issues. And here we brought it into a group that is really trained in this area. We’ve added some staff there. It really is a way to do a better job at making sure that these incidents don’t get lost and not fully investigated or responded to.
Effects On Research
The Sun: The University previously said that federal stop work orders began in February, and around 90 or so were in April. So, can you update how many stop orders have been put against University since then?
Kotlikoff: I believe the numbers’ something on the order of 120, 126 — something like that. I should say that it’s a little complicated, because there are some stop work orders. There are some grants that have been terminated because of some sort of political concern about the grants themselves. USAID grants have almost all been terminated, and then there’s some grants in which the payments have been slowed down. So all of this makes for, of course, a very concerning and uncertain environment.
The Sun: Do you know of the University’s internal calculation about how much money has been cut from these stop work orders and in total?
Kotlikoff: I would say that the number from the stop work orders, I think, is about $250 million. So, hundreds of millions for certain. Then you add to that these grants that have been canceled, and then grants that have not been paid. I don’t think it’s appropriate to count the grants that haven’t been paid, because we fully expect them to be paid.
Bala: It’s hard to estimate those aspects of it, but it’s hundreds of millions.
The Sun: We’ve spoken to many professors who have really been affected by these stop work orders. Do you foresee these orders continuing, and as the University, what have you done to support these professors and faculty members?
Kotlikoff: I’ll leave the second part to ‘K.B.’ [Bala]. I would just say that again, [I’m] just back from Washington, I’m optimistic that when we explain to individuals what these grants are, what they’re doing when they’re stopped, the impact on careers, on jobs, on our national defense — part of the grants that were stopped support our synchrotron and research that, for example, the Air Force funds. I’m optimistic that those conversations will lead, ultimately, to these grants being restored.
Bala: So our commitment is to support the students who are currently funded on these grants and find alternative sources of funding. So [when] the stop work orders started coming in, we worked on the principal investigators … finding alternate solutions to fund the students who are on those grants … So we set that up as a mechanism to make sure that we can find solutions for everybody.
And each department has sort of different policies and how they approach it, but they all work together to come up with solutions. The Office of Research and Innovation, and we have an Interim VP of research, Gary Koeretsky, the Office of General Counsel and the Provost Office, together, we are working with all of these PIs to get their story. We’re working with communications to put that story into a format that we can then use in appeals to these [federal] agencies. Each agency has a different type of an appeal process. Each agency has a different timeline of appeal. And so we’re putting together appeals to each one so that we can try to reverse these work orders. And that’s all the work that’s been going on now.
Julia Senzon, Dorothy France-Miller and Matthew Kiviat can be reached at jsenzon@cornellsun.com, dfrancemiller@cornellsun.com and mkiviat@cornellsun.com.
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
Paul Caruso
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
Paul Caruso is a frst year MPA student in the Brooks School of Public Policy and the Founder of the Cornell Negotiation Student Society. His column, Caruso’s Compass, focuses on politics, international afairs, and campus life. Te column seeks to identify issues with the status quo and provide solutions to them. He can be reached at pcaruso@cornellsun.com.
Te World Just Lost a Champion. Cornell Needs Its Own.
At 1:35 a.m. on Easter Monday, his holiness Pope Francis passed away after briefly recovering from pneumonia. Despite doctor orders to rest and step away from work, he refused, conducting the papacy from his wheelchair and bed.
Te passing of Pope Francis on Easter Monday rattled the world. Tough tragic, many believe that the timing of his death was at least symbolic, if not a direct act of God. Regardless, many Catholics like myself felt a vacuum left by his large presence due to his 13-year tenure. Despite the small size of the Vatican, its role in global afairs has been that of a convener and reliable neutral. While anyone could agree that his papal administration was not perfect, he championed the environment, the downtrodden, the marginalized, global peace and most importantly, us.
Tis reminded me of the merits of a unifying moral fgure. Given the uncertainty surrounding Cornell’s future and the present division on campus: Who is Cornell’s unifying fgure? Who will champion us?
A reasonable frst guess is President Michael Kotlikof. After all, he does have the most power out of anyone to afect campus unity and, given the fact he is fairly new, has the greatest opportunity as he will ever to afect students’ view of him as a unifer. If he was such, I suggest we might see more favorable inaugural reviews, which have not materialized. While many surely see him as qualifed, there are just as many who say he “engineered … repressive rules” and is Cornell’s own “uncharismatic Trump.” Regardless of the validity of those statements, the way Kotlikof is viewed is the point.
I argue that Cornell University needs an internal, unifying fgure — an individual who lives the university’s core values, represents them publicly and maintains positive relationships with the faculty, staf and student body.
Certainly there are those at Cornell who truly live the values, but do they unify the campus? I believe not. I hear no names from my fellow students, and I see no compelling presence of any given faculty or staf member. Fortunately, Cornell benefts from a legendary, and somewhat unifying history as being a center for excellence for everyone — summed up by the “any person, any study” motto. But this phrase, albeit compelling, lacks a face and a soul. However, applying one in this case may just make us more prepared. According to interviews with education leaders (and not necessarily university presidents), rooting crisis-management actions in values and ethical principles both strengthens crisis readiness and increases policy efectiveness. Some basic values include transparency, dialogue, safety, justice and an ethic of care, but Cornell’s core values go beyond that and represent an original set of ideals we strive for.
The Sun as soon as the sun rises.
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Cornell University American Association of University Professors Chapter
Te Cornell Chapter of the AAUP represents faculty, academic staf, and research employeess with the goal of advancing academic freedom and shared governance. David A. Bateman, Suman Seth and Risa L. Lieberwitz can be reached dab465@ cornell.edu, ss536@cornell.edu and rll5@cornell.edu.
Statement Condemning Cornell’s Disinvitation of Kehlani
On March 13, 2024, then-Provost Michael Kotlikoff offered a full-throated defense of his decision to host Ann Coulter, a right-wing provocateur with a history of racist and antisemitic comments, on Cornell’s campus. An earlier visit by Coulter had been disrupted by student protests — the Provost wanted to give her a second bite of the apple.
Kotlikoff wrote: “I agreed that there could be few more powerful demonstrations of Cornell’s commitment to free expression than to have Ms. Coulter return to campus and present her views. This is certainly not because I agree with what she has to say, or because I feel that the content of her presentation is important for our community to hear, but because I believe that Cornell must be a place where the presentation of ideas is protected and inviolable.” Kotlikoff emphasized that the university should not engage in viewpoint discrimination: “Shielding students or others in our community from viewpoints with which they disagree, or filtering campus speakers based on the content of their presentation, undermines the fundamental role of a university.” This theme was repeated in now-President Kotlikoff’s March 31 op-ed in the New York Times.
In spite of protestations by many — including those who wrote a letter to The Sun, titled “Jewish Students and Faculty Speak Out Against Coulter” — University leadership staked out a position that the platforming of hateful and hurtful presentations, was a “powerful demonstration” of the University’s commitment to free expression.
Fast forward to Wednesday morning, April 23, when the campus received an email announcing that the performer selected by students to headline this year’s Slope Day had been uninvited by President Kotlikoff. The grounds were that the artist, Kehlani, the first Black woman headliner, had “espoused antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments in performances, videos, and on social media.”
No evidence for the first claim was provided: faculty have asked for such evidence, particularly of comments that were antisemitic, separate from those that were critical of the government and policies of the state of Israel or of an ideology, such as Zionism. Kehlani herself has explained that her protests are against the State of Israel and Zionism, not against Jews.
As we wait for the President’s reply, we might reflect on the differences between Coulter and Kehlani. Coulter was given a prominent platform to share her views, accompanied by a robust defense of free expression. Kehlani was first censored and then, after having agreed to the content restrictions imposed upon them, disinvited. We have gone beyond “shielding students ... from
Armand Chancellor
viewpoints with which they disagree.” Kotlikoff determined it was sufficient for Kehlani to even have such views — whether expressed or not — to bar them from performing. While Kotlikoff had distanced himself from Coulter’s views, he insisted the “fundamental role of a university” was to provide a place in which they could be presented. Kehlani, by contrast, was publicly repudiated and defamed, with a meager concession by Kotlikoff that “any artist has the right in our country to express hateful views.” In “our country,” but not — it seems — in a University whose “fundamental role” seems to have changed in the last year.
The inconsistency of celebrating free expression in the New York Times only to censor and cancel it three weeks later is obvious. Accordingly, President Kotlikoff leans heavily on Slope Day as an exception: It is a “cherished tradition,” the “signature social event” of the year, and a day for “uniting our community, not dividing it.” But we cannot condemn Kehlani’s views as having no legitimate place at Slope Day without also condemning those students who were looking forward to attending on the basis of those views. When President Kotlikoff acts to “ensure community,” who does he drive out? If we are going to now be screening artists on the basis of their political views, as he has suggested, who will be drawing the line and on what basis?
Cornell leadership seems to believe that by censoring speech we can avoid being further targeted by the federal government or putting a “bullseye on our back.” In fact, it makes us the instrument of the Trump administration’s far-reaching assault on the First Amendment and civil society. As stated in a recent letter signed by 550 U.S. rabbis and cantors, “We cannot allow the fight against antisemitism to be twisted into a wedge issue, used to justify policies that target immigrants and other minorities, suppress free speech, or erode democratic norms.”
The Cornell University Chapter of the AAUP condemns the cancellation of Kehlani’s performance as yet another instance of discrimination by the central administration against Palestine-related speech and expression. We call on President Kotlikoff to affirm the University’s unequivocal commitment to safeguarding academic freedom and freedom of speech and expression on our campus. Speakers and performers, just like staff, students and faculty, should not be required to censor themselves. For the University to undertake preemptive screenings of Slope Day performers’ politics would inevitably result in violations of academic freedom through viewpoint discrimination and the prioritizing of some students over others.
Armand Chancellor is a fourth year student in the Brooks School of Public Policy. His fortnightly column Te Rostrum focuses on the interaction of politics and culture at Cornell. He can be reached at achancellor@cornellsun.com
Everyone is Religious
Every dog has its day, just as every religion has its rise. However, in modern times, especially in places like the university, we claim this is no longer true. We claim that we have evolved past the primitive superstitions of millennia past. When we look up at the sky, we no longer see the stars as gods; we see nuclear fusion. As 19th-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said, “God is dead” and “we have killed him.”
Modernity claims to have no religion. Is this true? Is this even possible? Te answer to both questions is no. Everyone has a god, whether money or themselves, because everyone believes in something. Religion is “a cause, principle, or system or beliefs held to with ardor and faith.” Everyone has a religion.
While many will claim that we live in a pluralist society where all things are accepted, the better term for this is polytheism — the belief that there are many gods. Tat is the way we live. Pluralism tries to cover itself in the veneer of neutrality, but as we see with
campus, that is a farce. Neutrality inherently rejects all things that make exclusive claims, which is in itself a claim about the subject matter. If someone says all speech is fne in the name of neutrality, that disregards those who say hate speech should be banned. Neutrality is an acceptable position, but it should be acknowledged that it is a position. While modern society claims pluralism, much like the ancient polytheists, they accept everyone’s gods, therefore rejecting all exclusive claims. Pluralists say if one wants to worship the gods of nature and stare up at the sun all day, that is equally valid as the Muslim fasting for Ramadan. If a cult wants to run a club at the local public school, that is the same as Christians running a prayer club at the school. While these statements are justifable positions, they are not neutral. Calling the incantations of witches the same as recitations of psalms at Shabbat, does not treat Judaism with respect, it disparages the scriptures.
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The Corne¬ Daily Sun
Why Everyone Needs Teir Own: Humor Us!
By Jared Miller
Jared Miller is a first-year in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He can be reached at jmm792@cornell.edu.
There’s a moment in every college orientation when you look around and think, “this is it, my new life.” The college experience is universally considered to be some of the best years of most people’s lives. Never again will most people live in a meticulously designed bubble of a community intended to maximize the convenience and likelihood of success of its residents.
The memories you make, the knowledge you gain, the growth you experience and the people you meet are all aspects of college that will be cherished for life. Yet a question I began pondering early on in my college experience was whether or not these social opportunities naturally supplied by our universities are sufficient enough to facilitate these outcomes from our time at college.
Are the O-Week meet and greets, resident advisor events and class discussion sections really enough to sustain lasting friendships during our four short years at Cornell University?
The answer I arrived at is an emphatic “no.”
Essentially, all our tuition provides us with are classes and dorms. Yet I believe that waking up, going to class and then heading back to your room before repeating the cycle is not the way to make the most of your four years. It is up to us to create memories and friendships in the spaces between what our school provides.
In my experience, in college, the friendships that tend to last the most are the ones arrived at through extracurricular activities. Specifically, my comedy group, Humor Us! Sketch Comedy, has reinforced this notion. I genuinely believe that joining this club was the catalyst of and primary factor in my enjoyment of my freshman fall semester. A majority of the laughs, positive memories and Instagram-worthy photographs stem from my time as a member of Humor Us!
Early on in my freshman semester, I was advised to join as many clubs as possible and see what would stick, as my
older brother made his closest friends through college extracurriculars. Although I initially took this advice with a grain of salt, I went into Cornell’s club fair with an open mind and left with more fliers, stickers, QR codes and stress balls than any person could ever need.
In the week that followed, I filled out applications and audition sign ups galore, as well as attended more interest meetings than I was interested in attending — all to find my niche. I threw my hat in the ring for two sports clubs, three writing-related clubs, two acapella groups, three religious clubs, an improv group and Humor Us!
Most of the clubs ended up not being for me, and I stopped attending after a little while without gaining much. Yet it was 100% worth it because any of those clubs had the potential to become my niche. There is value in giving unknown opportunities a chance, because you never know how easily they can change your life. None of my other clubs were nearly as impactful as Humor Us was. Yet if one of those clubs had provided even a fraction of the opportunities that Humor Us presented, it would have been well worth it..
That is why my advice to you all is to join every club that you possibly can. Not with networking, resume-building or future-planning intentions, but with the purpose of simply enjoying your short time on this wonderful campus. Not every club is going to work for you, just as it did not for me. Some will feel like they are not your niche, some will feel like a waste of time and others will just be a source of junk mail. However, I think it is important to give every club that is even mildly appealing to you a chance, because you never know when you will find your Humor Us! Like I mentioned before, college is designed to be a bubble, but sometimes it is up to us to pop that bubble and see what is waiting beyond it. Cornell can feel like a massive campus, and part of the goal of clubs is to make that campus feel smaller. My favorite part about Humor Us! was the fact that it meets every
week. No matter what stresses, emotions or issues I was dealing with at the time, I knew that every week I had my sketch group waiting for me. It’s a nice feeling knowing that you have a home, a constant that is always there waiting for you, no matter what.
I truly believe that it is up to us to make the most of our four years, and I believe clubs are the way to do that. I know for a fact that my college experience would be significantly worse without Humor Us!, and I don’t even want to imagine my time at Cornell without those experiences. Yet, unfortunately, not everyone gets to find their Humor Us!
I cannot praise the benefits of club membership at Cornell without acknowledging the elephant in the room of Cornell’s cutthroat club culture, though. The unforgettable moments I was able to experience, unfortunately, came at the expense of taking those moments away from someone else. Of all the people who auditioned for my sketch group, only five new members were admitted. Meaning out of the dozens who applied, searching for their own way to better their college experience, only five were able to join our little group. It is no secret that the club culture at Cornell is very present and harsh, with certain clubs having lower acceptance rates than the university itself.
During my time attending auditions, I recall my other friends attending countless coffee chats, interviews and information sessions, all for a club which only seems to cause them more stress if they got in (which they did not). The goal of improving their futures often comes at the expense of enjoying their presents.
We only get four years of college. Four years to explore new things, experience new people and enjoy this short time before the real world starts. College may be a bubble, but it’s one we must shape ourselves. The friendships and memories are out there, but they shouldn’t be so hard to reach. Everyone deserves the chance to find their own Humor Us!
Do You Have an Internship... and Something to Wear to It?
By Jess Agran
Jess Agran is a sophomore in the College of Human Ecology. She can be reached at jba76@cornell.edu.
As the summer approaches there is one forbidden topic that lies at the front of every Cornell student’s mind. Its weight could change the pH of a room. These five little words that everyone loves or dreads: “Do you have an internship?” It’s true that the competitive edge doesn’t solely pertain to the academic year, but extends far out into the heat of the summer sun.
If you find yourself lucky enough to receive one of these coveted positions, and you’re addicted to clothes like me, the first question that comes to mind may be “what the hell am I going to wear?” Despite the simplicity of this question, the answer is far more layered (literally). Your clothing is the first impression you display when walking into the workplace, your ensemble could scream “I got this” or “I don’t know what I’m doing.” Making that lasting first impression, whether it’s on your boss or the other interns, may make or break your future. Now this may sound dramatic, but let’s be real, life is dramatic. Getting an internship is competitive enough, messing it up because you look underprepared would be the worst way to go out.
While searching on (my beloved platform) Pinterest, I couldn’t help but notice the inaccurate depiction of office wear I was being fed. Instead of a sensible pant, I was enticed with a mini skirt disguised as appropriate due to its drab, gray hue. It was appalling seeing well put together outfits, only to be paired with dirty Nike air force ones. Let it be known that the only appropriate place for air force one’s in 2025 is a fraternity basement.
It’s no secret that the “office siren” aesthetic has taken over the business runway, adding a sex appeal to rather bland garments. The office siren look was first displayed on runways like Sandy Liang, Miu Miu, YSL and Tom Ford in the winter of 2024. This trend includes items impersonating workwear such as tight skirts, button down tops (that are way too unbuttoned, enlisting pushup bras to do their bidding) and bayonet glasses. Think The Devil Wears Prada chic.
After the trend towards hyper-feminization in 2023, the pendulum swung the other way towards a femme-fetale, corporate fetish. It became an ode to the early 90s fashion, inspiring the allure of powerful and sexy women. Unfortunately, the performative nature (found often in trends on social media) has not translated well with impressionable youth entering the workforce. After a debate sparked on TikTok by the user @Glutenfreejackie, a story went viral about a girl who was allegedly fired from an internship, that promised a six-figure salary after graduation, due to an inappropriate outfit choice. If you are wondering how much, it was 200,000 dollars… She lost 200,000 dollars and a job offer because she (allegedly) thought it was appropriate to wear a tube top and mini skirt. Discourse broke out about the validity and fairness of dress codes in the workplace. Gen Z is finding dissonance between pagenting with their own personal style versus modern professionalism and the expectations of a workplace. Despite this criticism of our generation’s insectual response (find the difference between a moth to a flame, and a twenty something girl who just discovered those sequin leopard printed micro shorts), it was not too long ago that partywear mimicked corporate. The sexualization and clubization (yes I just made up a word, go with it) of workwear has always been around. In the early 2010s, clubbing attire was often fueled by pencil skirts, a peplum sensible top and a statement necklace.
Despite the trials Gen Z faces in incorporating their personal aesthetic into workwear, the summertime offers an additional assailant: the sun. The heat poses a threat, and limits numerous options. The not so welcomed addition of armpit sweat, swamp ass, or the pool formed on your lower back, can create the worst kind of
discomfort, that quite frankly, can ruin your day.
Finding fabrics that have good wicking and breathability is the name of the game. Things like linens and polyester are very strong in their ability to move moisture, and increase comfort. Cotton and rayon also are good options due to their absorption without losing the comfortability. In corporate settings, with stricter dress codes, having a go to rotation of lightweight blazers is a lifesaver.
Finding a bottom that caters to the weather is near impossible. I have found that long skirts are optimal for the hottest days where pants feel impossible. These knee length skirts can vary in styles and looks, while providing a modest appearance. Lucky enough, these are easily found at thrifts and with a Google search, EBay and Depop will do the trick. They also can stand as the “fashion piece” of the outfit, making your shirt selection easy. These pieces can offer a refined professional look and maintain your personal aesthetic. If you desire a more traditionally masculine look, finding a versatile pant can be a game changer. If you are bored with the stiff classic cut, choosing a more trending form, like bootcut, can also distinguish your outfit in a more personalized way.
Tops can be even trickier and may lead to a closet disaster. If you work somewhere more strict, your options may be limited to blouses. Choosing ones that fit your ideal color pallet can help customize your overall aesthetic. Things like trims, interesting sleeves, or texture can elevate an outfit (without jeopardizing it).
Finding affordable pieces that don’t break the bank feels nearly impossible. It is so tempting to open up Shein and buy a haul’s worth of clothes. Instead, I implore you to take a look at your style, and determine what are your most reached for items. Once you do that, see how they can translate into corporate wear and invest into a few staple pieces that you know you can mix and match. Brands like Abrocrombie and Fitch, White House Black Market (yes, your mom might have been on to something) and Express are in essentially every mall and make quality items at a fair price. Banana Republic also stands tried and true, even having a 9-5 edit for their corporate consumer. Their prices are higher, but they offer great basic options and are in it for the (workforce) long haul. I believe that if you pair an expensive item with cheaper ones, it makes those affordable pieces look high end. If you are operating on a budget, thrifting can provide unique pieces at a great price.
Internships are nerve wracking, and the last thing you want to do is feel even more uncomfortable in a new environment. Having clothing that reflects your personality can give that extra boost of confidence needed to succeed. It may seem trivial, but you have to look the part that you want and attack it as such. And might as well attack it while wearing a killer suit set.
RACHEL EISENHART / LIFESTYLE CONTRIBUTOR
JESS AGRAN / LIFESTYLE WRITER
From Native American History to Martial Arts: Exploring the Murals of Ithaca
By DALTON MULLINS Sun Senior Writer
May 1 — A Haudenosaunee-Dutch treaty. A form of martial arts. Mentorship program participants. Marine biology. These are the focus of four of over 400 vibrant murals that together embellish nearly every street in Ithaca.
Each mural contains intricate details that tell a unique story, from historical events to environmental protection.
The Sun spoke with four artists about the inspirations behind a few of Ithaca’s many murals.
“Two Row Wampum 400 Year Anniversary” by Brandon Lazore
On Seneca Street Garage, community members get a snapshot of Native American history through artist Brandon Lazore’s mural, “Two Row Wampum 400 Year Anniversary.”
Lazore is a member of the Snipe Clan from the Onondaga Nation. During his childhood, he split his time between Syracuse, where he was inspired by local graffiti, and the Onondaga Nation reservation.
“I just fell in love with [painting]. I was just like, ‘Wow, this is it,’” Lazore said. “A lightbulb went off.”
Lazore painted the mural in 2013 to commemorate the 400-year anniversary of the Two Row Wampum — the first treaty between the Haudenosaunee and the Dutch in 1613.
The white belt with purple stripes, depicted on the left side of the mural, was used to record the treaty as the Haudenosaunee people did not use paper. Lazore explained that one purple stripe “would be the European vessel and one would be the canoe of the Haudenosaunee people.”
“We were supposed to go down the river of life together and not try to rule over one another,” Lazore said. “We would live amongst each other as equals, as brothers.”
Two columns bookend the mural — they illustrate two belts: the Prophecy Belt and the Ever-Growing Tree Wampum Belt. The Prophecy Belt is portrayed on the left column and pictures the Peacemaker, a prophet who helped form the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. On the right column, the Ever-Growing Tree Wampum Belt represents peace from “the ground all the way up to the sky world,” Lazore said.
On the right side, two people hold the George Washington Belt, which George Washington commissioned
himself. The belt represents the unity of the 13 colonies and the Seneca and Mohawk nations.
Through his mural, Lazore hopes to inspire people to learn more about the Indigenous people who originally lived in the area.
“I hope that the people who knew about it would appreciate it, and for the people who didn’t know about it would raise a question like, ‘Wow, what does that mean?’ And understand and learn about the people that are originally from these homelands,” Lazore said.
“Aikido” by Melody Often
An energetic portrayal of Aikido by artist Melody Often coats a wall of the Dryden Road garage.
Aikido is a form of martial art that emphasizes harmonization with the opponent with the goal of a peaceful resolve. Often said that she felt inspired by the actual act of Aikido, noting the interaction between each participant.
Originally from Schenectady, New York, Often came to Ithaca with the desire to contribute to the city’s many murals.
Often said that the mural is from a real-life photograph of her friend and her friend’s husband practicing Aikido together. “I was just so inspired by her,” Often said.
“There’s just something so profound about Aikido itself, which is utilizing the energy of your opponent,” Often said. “It’s a weirdly peaceful element, so when I saw that image of her, I instantly was inspired and I wanted to throw it up on the wall.”
“Living Now” by Sam Meyerson Artist Sam Meyerson painted his mural, “Living Now,” on the wall of The Learning Web, a mentoring program for youth who are homeless or at risk, in 2019.
Meyerson, from Hudson, New York, knew little of Ithaca before working on the mural, but he was excited for the opportunity to be a part of the city’s already established art scene.
“I [had] actually never been to Ithaca,” Meyerson said. “I really wanted to just take a drive and explore it. I didn’t know anything about it, but there was graffiti and art happening.”
The characters depicted in his mural are youth from The Learning Web who helped Meyerson complete the project. It was Meyerson’s intention to have the mural serve as a
true, accurate representation of the individuals who make up The Learning Web.
“These kids, with their stylish clothing in cool poses, are all colors, all genders and whatever sexualities. It was an actual representation of The Learning Web,” Meyerson said.
The “living now” quote that takes up a majority of the wall space is a lyric from the song “This is America” by Childish Gambino.
“That’s what we’re doing,” Meyerson said. “We’re living now. We’re not dying.”
“Living Waters” by Lynn Golan
Artist Lynn Golan painted a mural titled “Living Waters” on the Dryden Road Garage.
Before she even began painting the mural, Golan said water was on her mind.
“I wanted [the mural] to be near water and I was really thinking a lot about water at that time,” Golan said. “I was really inspired by the work of Dr. Sylvia Earle. She is a really cool marine biologist.”
Golan is fascinated by Earle’s work and the ecology of local marine biology. She used her mural as an opportunity to lay out the interconnectedness of all waterways.
“Ecology is really fascinating to me, thinking about how we’re all connected through water,” Golan said. “So I was connecting the lake, ocean marine wildlife to the waterfalls and creeks and streams of Ithaca in the Finger Lakes region.”
The individual in the mural is Leah Penniman of Soul Fire Farm. On the farm, Penniman dedicates much of her work to sustainable agriculture.
“I brought in the woman’s face, Leah Penniman, to connect the human and the nature element,” Golan said. “We are in this together, and I am so inspired by Penneman’s work as well, and wanted to uplift her work and how that connects because farming affects soil health and water runoff.”
Golan said that she hopes viewers of the mural understand that water is an essential asset that needs to be protected.
“I hope that the piece inspires people to think about our connection to water,” Golan said. “Water is life and is the foundation of life and we gotta take care of our waters.”
Martial murals | A mural depicts two people practicing Aikido, a form of martial art.
COURTESY OF MELODY OFTEN
Mural messages | A depiction of the diversity of homeless and at-risk youth.
COURTESY OF SAM MEYERSON
Water works | A portion of Artist Lynn Golan’s water-inspired contribution to Ithaca’s mural scene.
COURTESY OF LYNN GOLAN
Senaca Street sights | A mural painted on the Seneca Street Garage honors the 400-year anniversary of the Two Row Wampum.
MING DEMERS / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Redefning Friendships With Cornell Best Buddies
By LILY KANGAS Sun Contributor
May 4 — Every week, Avery Carr ’28 paints and reads books with her buddy — an individual with a developmental disability she was paired with through Cornell’s Best Buddies chapter. The books feature different people, artists and authors whom Carr had never heard of, and she said that she is learning a lot by reading them together.
“Best Buddies is so special because you get to make connections with real people in the community, not students — people who you never would’ve met otherwise — and are able to learn so much from them,” Carr, co-president of the Best Buddies chapter, said.
“Best Buddies is so special because you get to make connections with real people in the community.”
Avery Carr ’28
Led by Carr and Co-President Layla Kaiden ’27, the Cornell chapter is one of over 3,000 Best Buddies chapters across 46 countries, representing the world’s largest organization dedicated to promoting inclusion, opportunity and one-toone friendships for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The Best Buddies chapter partners Cornell students with “buddies,” or people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, from across the Finger Lakes region. The IDD community includes people with autism, Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome and Williams syndrome.
The organization aims to provide opportunities to break down barriers and form one-of-a-kind friendships through on-campus events and its buddy-pairing system, where club members are paired with a Cornellian mentor.
“We work to create genuine friendships and a space where everyone feels accepted, celebrated and valued.” Kaiden wrote in an email to The Sun. “What I find most meaningful is the sense of connection and belonging that grows from these friendships.”
“We work to create genuine friendships and a space where everyone feels accepted, celebrated and valued.”
Layla Kaiden ’27
The group centers its work around fostering inclusion. Carr explained that in her high school, students with IDDs were separated from the rest of the school community. She appreciates that the organization is working toward “changing that norm” and “letting people with IDDs experience life alongside neurotypical people,” Carr said.
An essential part of promoting inclusion involves the group’s bi-weekly events, where buddies join Cornell’s members for bonding activities like scavenger hunts, ice cream socials and gingerbread house making.
“Our most memorable event, though, is definitely our end-of-the-year formal,” said Julia Handel ’27, Best Buddies’ vice president of chapter activities. “Here on campus, we have sorority and club formals, but that’s not something many of our buddies will get the chance to expe-
rience, so making it possible for them is something I really appreciate.”
Kaiden echoed Handel’s sentiment, writing that the organization’s formal was one of her favorite memories of this year.
“We all danced, laughed and celebrated the moments we shared throughout the year,” Kaiden wrote. “It truly reflected the heart of our community.”
Whether it’s brightening a tough day or sparking excitement, these events offer emotionally enriching experiences for the buddies. For Handel, this emotional impact is what drives her.
“It’s really special to me when I’m able to help turn a buddy’s bad day around, or when I see a buddy eager to tell their parents how much fun they had when they get picked up,” she said. “It lets me know these events really are having the impact we hope for.”
Beyond attending the group’s bi-weekly activities, members can sign up to be a part of a buddy pair or a buddy family. Buddy pairs are pairings of one Cornell student with a person with an IDD, whereas a buddy family pairs two Cornell students with a person with an IDD.
Buddy pairs and families allow mentors to form personal relationships with people in the program, outside of the designated Cornell or Best Buddies events. Buddies are free to text one another, and buddy pairs often meet up off-campus for ice cream or walks, Carr said.
“We are of different ages, different backgrounds and have vastly different lives, but, over time, we develop this amazing bond that you really can’t find anywhere else.”
Julia Handel ’27
Buddies vary widely in age. The group focuses on finding connection and unity despite differences, and their buddy pairing system highlights the value in friendships with people across differences.
“When it comes to creating friendships, a lot of people focus on similarity,” Handel said. “They’ll ask themselves, ‘How similar do they seem to me? Could we be friends?’ When, really, you can make such amazing friendships and learn so much about the world around you by spending time with people who are different from you.”
Handel’s buddy is 35 years old and lives in Binghamton, but she said that they have formed an “amazing friendship” despite their differences.
Carr said that a large goal for her Cornell career has been to “learn more about different people, cultures and religions,” and feels that the type of meaningful exchange of knowledge and connection with her buddy is what makes being a part of this group so impactful.
At its core, Best Buddies is about redefining friendship — about creating meaningful bonds, not on the basis of similarity, but on a genuine desire to understand and appreciate people’s differences.
“We are of different ages, different backgrounds and have vastly different lives, but, over time, we develop this amazing bond that you really can’t find anywhere else,” Handel said.
Lily Kangas can be reached at lak263@ cornell.edu.
Cornell Birding Club Prepares to Compete in World Series
By GRACE LIU Sun Senior Writer
May 4 — For students with birds on the brain, the Birding Club at Cornell offers a haven for exploration, curiosity and community.
With 252 registered club members, the Birding Club at Cornell fosters community by connecting student birders. The club takes members on trips around Central New York to view and photograph birds in an effort to make birding accessible to all interested students.
The Birding Club is currently preparing to compete in the New Jersey Audubon’s 2025 World Series of Birding, which will be held on Saturday. The World Series of Birding hosts teams competing to identify and tally as many different species of birds as possible in 24 hours. The event is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the competition is based out of New Jersey.
The Birding Club Community
“My favorite part about coming to Cornell and joining the Birding Club is that you’re surrounded by so many other people who also enjoy [birding],” said Allison Cao ’26, the vice president of the Birding Club.
The Birding Club hosts both day and overnight trips open to students at any level of birding ability. Each trip usually targets a specific bird, where they time their trips to see a certain bird. They aim to get students to appreciate nature and identify various birds in the area.
Annie Chen ’28 joined the Birding Club during her first semester at Cornell. She has taken multiple trips with the club, including a beginner’s trip around Beebe Lake, a trip to see a Snowy Owl at the Finger Lakes Regional Airport and another to see an American Woodcock around the Ithaca Tompkins International Airport.
When asked what her favorite part of the Birding Club was, Chen said befriending fellow bird enthusiasts and learning more about different kinds of birds, even interrupting herself during the interview to identify a Red-tailed Hawk in the tree above her.
“The people have been really nice,” Chen said. “All the people know their stuff down to the littlest thing. It’s kind of crazy. People are so specialized.”
Competing in Cape May
There are multiple categories teams compete in that are restricted to certain geographical boundaries or modes of transportation, with the biggest area spanning the entire state of New Jersey. Teams are usually composed of four to five people.
Participants identify the bird exclusively by sight or sound. At night, with little to no light, students rely mostly on sound to identify birds. Teams essentially pull all-nighters to tally as many birds as possible, according to Cao.
In last year’s World Series of Birding, Cornell’s state team tied for first place, tallying 213 birds in total.
This year, Cornell is sending four teams to compete under “Team Redheads”: a state team, a county team, an island team and a carbon-neutral team. The carbon-neutral team — which Cao is part of — restricts team members from utilizing cars. Cao colloquially referred to this team as the “biking team.”
In order to count birds toward the team total, each team member has to agree on an identification for a certain bird. If teammates disagree, the bird is considered a “dirty bird,” according to Cao.
“If you get one person missing that bird or not [identifying] that bird, you can still count it, but it’s considered a dirty bird, and you’re only allowed, I think it’s 5 percent of dirty birds for your total list,” Cao said. “So you can have some, but because this World Series, it’s pretty trust and honor-based [and] they limit the number of dirty birds you can have.”
No Bird Left Behind: eBird Tracking Cao and her teammates use eBird — a citizen science platform developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology — to keep track of the birds they identify. The World Series of birding largely operates digitally, so Cao has multiple checklists for different areas during the competition, which are all consolidated in one report at the end.
Brian Hofstetter ’26, an undergraduate researcher at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and social media chair for the Birding Club, emphasized that eBird is not only useful for birders when tracking data, but also that the data can then be used by scientists all over the world.
“[eBird has] well over a million users. I use it all the time and it’s really useful for scientists because they can see population trends, and they can understand migration better via eBird,” Hofstetter said. “It’s a very collaborative community worldwide science platform.”
The World Series of Birding coincides with Global Big Day, an event run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology where people all over the world count up all of the species of birds seen that day and track the data on eBird in order to help researchers better understand global bird populations and promote birding.
“The idea is for everyone in the world to try and see as many species as they can, and visit as many places [as they can], and so that day is like a sort of global thing, and [the] World Series falls on that day just to keep it all kind of connected,” Hofstetter said.
To continue reading this article, please visit www.cornellsun.com.
Grace Liu can be reached at gliu@cornellsun.com.
Beebe birding | Cornell Birding Club does many activities together, such as the beginner Beebe lake birding walk.
COURTESY OF ISAIAH SCOTT
CORNELL BATMAN: THE INTERVIEW
SOPHIA ROMANOV IMBER ASSISTANT ARTS EDITOR
MELISSA MOON ASSISTANT ARTS EDITOR
If you’ve been in the Robert Purcell Community Center after midnight, perhaps you’ve seen a man with a mask, a cape and a soundtrack: our very own Cornell Batman.
Taking a selfie with the Cornell Batman should be on the 161 Things Every Cornellian Should Do list. Meeting him is like a canon event of the freshman experience. You might also see him at an Ice Hockey game at Lynah Rink, a frat party or maybe he’s the student sitting next to you in class (but you wouldn’t know that). The mask preserves his anonymity, but it also helps express his values. It represents both the ability to hide and the ability to show yourself the most. After taking that aforementioned selfie with him, you might want to sit down and chat. That’s exactly what we did. In that hour, the Cornell Batman demonstrated that his persona is more than a side gig.
It’s easy to look at this — to look at the costume — and think, “This is silly.” It’s unserious, it’s whimsical, it’s fun. However, no action of his is without intention. For the Cornell Batman, this journey started with his love for the character. He said, “I’ve always been a big Batman fan, my entire life … I’ve always looked up to him. I think out of all the superheroes, he’s the coolest because he has no powers, and he perseveres only with grit and mental willpower.” When the Cornell Batman wears the costume, he also embraces the character, because “Batman teaches us how to fail.” He explained, “If you’re constantly good at everything, you’ll never improve and break past your limits.” When moving into college, the new Batman movie with Robert Pattinson had just come out. The Cornell Batman felt inspired; Pattinson’s performance was more comic-book accurate than any other performance. One week before Halloween, he donned the costume for the first time. “I decided to do a test run. And people loved it. This was during prelims, and I noticed that people were laughing and smiling, and a lot of people were like, ‘You made my day,’ ‘You made my night,’ and they would ask for photos, and I realized that I was starting to establish something here.”
And he’s right. He really has established something.
On Instagram, @the_cornell_batman has over 1,400 followers. He has endorsed students for positions such as Transfer, Freshman and ILR Representative. He keeps track of every sports game he has attended. We talked to Sohini Singh ’26, a member of the Women’s Wrestling club and a friend of Batman. She told us about the first Women’s Wrestling dual against Harvard University and MIT, saying, “When it got announced on our Instagram, the first thing [The Cornell Batman] said, he DM’d it to me, he was like, ‘I’ll be there.’” Although he had a conflicting event, he told Singh, “I’m going to make a conscious effort to pop in and be there because it’s so important to me that your athletics are promoted on this campus.” Batman also supported the Women’s Ice Hockey team during the ECAC Championship. Singh stated, “I also want to emphasize, he’s a figure of support, but that also comes from the fact that he, as a person, has genuinely such good intentions. I feel like a lot of people talk about wanting to give support, wanting
to do things, but he’s very active about his goals … [and] about the execution, which is something that I really admire.”
Beyond athletics, Batman has bolstered morale on campus by supporting the residential community. Faculty Residential Advisor and Professor of Economics, Stephanie Thomas, learned about the Cornell Batman from a student in one of her classes. This led her to meet with Batman to learn more about his “mission.” She told us, “He wants everybody on the campus to feel included and part of the community, and like they have people that
the man behind the mask as well. True to form, he likens the experience to a scene from the comics: “Wonder Woman asks all of [the superheroes] to say their real name. Wonder Woman says Diana Prince. Superman says Kal-El. Batman does not say Bruce Wayne.
Batman says Batman, and that is considered a truth. … Bruce Wayne is the mask and Batman is the true identity. It’s almost like covering himself up … reveals himself more.
And that does that for me too, you know. I’m not saying I’m not myself out of
they can rely and count on.” After speaking with Batman, Thomas decided to host an event for the Low Rise community on North Campus called “Bystander Batman!”, which intended to talk about safety and being an active bystander. Thomas talked about the responsibility of active bystand-
the mask. …
The mask shows you who you are.” The Cornell Batman finds a certain freedom in being able to act without judgment, without second thought, all because of the mask. He becomes more of himself because he’s uninhibited by others’ perceptions.
ers, stating, “I do think that we all have a responsibility to build our community and make our community what we would like it to be.” She also reflected on what Batman has done and how we can learn from him: “I think that Cornell Batman was feeling some of these things that we all feel, right? A sense of disconnection or maybe a longing for community … and rather than getting angry about it or getting sad about it, he’s just like, ‘Well, if I’m feeling this way, other people are feeling this way too, right? And so, what can I do? What can I do, one person, what can I do to make a difference?’”
Certainly, the Cornell Batman is making an impact. His superhero persona has become an iconic figure on campus and, more than that, is making a difference for
Sure, more eyes may be turned his way as Batman, but they’re looking at the character and not the man underneath. “It gives me some confidence — my anonymity, my secret identity.
I’ll be on my way to class, surrounded by hundreds of people who have no idea who I am, but if I want to put on the mask, they’d absolutely know who I am.” In that sense, Batman never really leaves him. It’s just a truer manifestation of who he is — someone who genuinely cares. For Andrew Day ’28, the mask is no obstacle in becoming a friend of Batman. Day says, “I think it actually did the opposite in a weird way … that mask is being used to symbolize something, so I think that was just a further extension of the role and what his interests
were. I never saw it as a real disconnect.” Day became friends with Batman in the RPCC Esports Gaming Lounge and bonded over their favorite sports teams and video games, playing one-on-one into the early morning hours. Just as Day said, the mask only emphasizes his values, not reducing his identity. Anyone can be a friend of the Cornell Batman, and perhaps everyone who supports him, in a way, already is a friend.
To call the Cornell Batman a mere gag would be to do a disservice to the palpable impact he’s had on Cornell and the community. We talked to one of Batman’s friends, Addison ’27, who spoke to how valuable his presence really is. “It gives campus something to remember other than … you know, I was part of this project team or I got this grade in this class or I joined these clubs … it sort of gives us something not connected to, you know, our careers and our future to just remember and to just appreciate and to experience and I think that your day probably got better from just seeing a glimpse of a guy walking around in a Batman suit and, if nothing else, that’s something memorable that probably lifted your mood, and that’s something. Because of all that is meaningful, and I think that people should at least appreciate that aspect of it because, in the grand scheme of things it might seem like a small, small part of your day, but why not just stop and appreciate it for a second?” Addison’s sentiment isn’t an unpopular one. Nicholas Blasi ’28 agreed, saying, “I think that you definitely could see it as unserious … but at the end of the day … it’s exactly what we need here at Cornell.” Blasi also reflected on his freshman experience and seeing Batman for the first time in RPCC, “I think it was the perfect representation of everyone at Cornell, if that makes sense. I think Cornell might be very serious when it comes to the school, but … the shift when he walked in the room and you could see everyone go from like their computers to very happy … everyone after is talking like ‘did you see that guy?’ That first welcome to Cornell, it gave me a sort of feeling that even though everyone’s very smart, everyone’s in it to study, do well in classes, everyone has a light in [themselves] … I think he does bring that out [in] everyone in the community.”
As much as there is left to say, it seems only fair to let the Cornell Batman himself have the last word, to really get at the heart of what he does:
“The Batman first started as a simple gag, meant to make people smile and laugh. But it’s evolved over the last two years, and now I’m using my platform to really work towards making an impact. More specifically, I’d like to unite my peers together more. Humanity needs to look out for one another, and we haven’t been doing that for quite some time now. I’d like to change that, and to start, I think I’d like to start by improving the mental health of my community. It’s the biggest issue here, and it’s led to an egregiously high suicide rate here. Point is, I now have a platform … and I have the opportunity to use it for good. So I want to do that. I want to use what I’ve built to really stand for something.”
Sophia Romanov Imber is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at sromanovimber@cornellsun.com.
Melissa Moon is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at mmoon@cornellsun.com.
Eric Han also contributed to this article. He is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at ehan@cornellsun.com.
COURTESY OF SOPHIA ROMANOV IMBER
COURTESY OF SOPHIA ROMANOV IMBER
YORK | ‘ Te Shrouds’: Grief in a Modern World
By NICHOLAS YORK Arts & Culture Writer
The Shrouds has been my most anticipated movie of the year. Often, when I share that David Cronenberg is my favorite filmmaker, I’m asked how I feel about his later works. While most film fans can enjoy The Fly or Videodrome, his recent films have become colder, sleeker and increasingly interested in the emptiness of the modern world. My answer is always the same — I love late Cronenberg just as much as I love his earlier classics. Films like Cosmopolis and Crimes of the Future are just as interesting to me as his body horrors. The Shrouds, inspired by the death of his wife, Carolyn, is a fascinating exploration of grief and the digital world.
In the film, Vincent Cassel portrays a fictional stand-in for Cronenberg himself, Karsh. Years after the death of his wife, Becca, Karsh’s grief leads him to invent GraveTech. His GraveTech cemeteries include computer screens on the tombstones that allow grieving families access to a livestream of the inside of their loved one’s coffin. Because of Karsh’s own obsession with his wife’s body, he is comforted by the ability
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to watch her decompose in real time. When the GraveTech cemetery containing Becca’s tomb is vandalized, he is forced to confront the nature of his grief.
The Shrouds is difficult to describe in a typical plot synopsis and in my opinion, the story beats are much less important than the themes Cronenberg is exploring through the film. While The Shrouds might not fit comfortably into the body horror genre, it is, like all of Cronenberg’s films, uniquely concerned with the body. More than anything, what Karsh misses is Becca’s body — not always in a sexual sense, but more so the physical form she took on in life. It is being separated from Becca’s body, unable to see what is happening to it, that inspires Karsh to create a business as morbid as GraveTech. Karsh’s brother-in-law, Maury (Guy Pearce), attempts to quell his grief by coding an AI virtual assistant for Karsh, “Hunny,” that takes on the crude shape of Becca. But of course, he doesn’t understand that Karsh’s love for Becca is much more physical and, as Karsh comes to accept over the course of the film, cannot be replaced by technology.
Cronenberg’s interest in technology is present throughout his entire filmog-
raphy. Here, his recent loss leads him to explore whether an emotion as human as grief is compatible with an increasingly digital world. Karsh’s life is ultramodern — he drives a Tesla, lets Hunny take on most of his work and spends much of his time watching his wife’s decomposition on a screen at home. When Becca’s grave is vandalized, and the wires cut, the connection between them is lost. Karsh’s dependence on technology makes him vulnerable. Whether it’s hackers severing the GraveTech connection or Morey taking control of his Tesla from afar, the attacks on Karsh throughout the film are always digital. Where Karsh finds respite is in the physical. Throughout the film, he forms connections with Soo-Min (Sandrine Holt), a blind businesswoman, and Terry (Diane Kruger), Becca’s sister. His relationships with both women are overwhelmingly physical in nature.
David Cronenberg, despite being 82, certainly isn’t a disillusioned old man lamenting the days before modern technology. In fact, his feelings are almost the opposite — in a recent interview, he pushed back against the recent trend of nostalgia for shooting on film, praising the efficiency of shooting digi-
tally and even the current model of streaming services. Unlike many of his fellow auteurs, he isn’t one to shy away from including smartphones or self-driving cars in his films in favor of aesthetics. It is Cronenberg’s interest in the modern world that makes his musings on the incompatibility of technology and grief in The Shrouds so fascinating. Despite his lack of nostalgia for years past, Cronenberg’s own experience with grief has shown him how false the digital world becomes in comparison to the physical.
The Shrouds certainly won’t be for everyone. It’s slow, weird and has a sardonic sense of humor that might not work for every viewer. I loved The Shrouds, but I definitely wouldn’t rank it among my favorite Cronenberg films. Still, I’ll always be infinitely more interested in watching whatever Cronenberg creates, weird and messy as it may be, than a more polished film from a director with less to say.
Nicholas York is a sophomore in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He can be reached at nay22@cornell.edu..
By HAZEL TJADEN Arts & Culture Contributor
As I sat there on stage alongside five other cellists with my bow poised to begin our first official concert, my mind was not just on the notes on the page. I remembered the countless hours spent in Lincoln Hall squeezing six cellos into one room, stumbling over tricky passages and laughing over our musical faux pas. We hoped we could create something uniting, a resonance that sounds impromptu despite its careful calculation. While during those rehearsals I knew we would eventually make it to the concert day, I had never thought that the journey would be so rewarding, insightful and demanding.
Resurrected this year after its last performance pre-COVID in March 2019, the Cornell Cello Ensemble is a chamber group of Cornell students of various academic backgrounds all united by one attribute — a deep love for the cello. In one of my weekly lessons with my cello Prof. John HainesEitzen, the topic of an all-cello group came up. He described this quasi-legendary ensemble of past student-cellists at Cornell that produced an unparalleled sound, one he proudly coached. When he shared that he was looking to facilitate this sound once more, I jumped at the chance to be part of
the creation of a new group, despite Prof. Haines-Eitzen’s high standards. In hopes of finding members who shared this goal, I pitched the idea in orchestra, at studio classes and among other musical friends. Eventually, the group was set — six cellists who shared a desire to create community through an unconventional chamber group. To communicate their love for music and the versatility of the cello outside of practice rooms, studio classes or orchestra concerts.
Starting in February, we committed to rehearsals on Sunday nights from 7 to 9 p.m. in Lincoln Hall, the only time six cellists with wildly diverse interests could reliably meet every week. In all honesty, rehearsals started off rocky. While the group instantly clicked socially, our musical bond took more time to settle in. Once the notes were learned, we couldn’t get a sound that met our expectations — it was good, but not great. Our chamber coach explained it very simply, blending sonorities of the same instrument is especially difficult because every cello has a naturally different resonance. He pointed out that some of our instruments are instantly focused, while others have a foggier sound. Even if we played in the same exact way with identical technique, we could not get an identical, or even blended, sound. It was a challenge attempt-
ing to match up the frequent two-cello solos in our six-cello arrangement of Béla Bartók’s famous “Romanian Folk Dances.”
After numerous sonority experiments that included members swapping endpins and one soloist leading while the other follows, we eventually came to the conclusion that, for many of these solos, one cellist should play focused while the other should alter their bowing technique to create a “rounder” sound.
Experimentation of this kind was an integral part of our rehearsals, especially for our cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
We knew when we started rehearsing that we wanted to play eccentric arrangements, not limiting ourselves to classical repertoire, and our coach was incredibly excited when I brought a cello quartet arrangement of this classic rock song to one of our rehearsals. As we began to learn the piece, our rendition did not resemble the lyrical strength of Freddie Mercury. Instead, the cello ensemble had fallen victim to sounding like “Muzak,” or retail store/elevator music. Haines-Eitzen explained to us that this was common for an ensemble of our genre; the cello doesn’t have the same punch as the human voice or the same focus as an electric guitar. To remedy this, we focused on articulating each note more clearly, while still preserving the
spontaneity of the music — making it feel as though it was made up on the spot, created by a shared passion. Lessons like these that were learned in rehearsal paid off in the end. On Friday, May 2 we took to the stage and put on our own concert. A closed performance, we celebrated months of Sunday nights alongside friends, with a dinner reception uniquely preceding the concert. Although the affair was incredibly informal and short — included only two pieces that totaled to around fifteen minutes — it was packed with meaning. As the last chord of the first movement of the Bartók rang out in the chapel, I knew that we had made something bigger than just an end-of-semester concert. We had made something worth listening to, something that will continue past this semester and maybe even live up to the history of Cornell’s last cello ensemble. When the concert came to a close, surrounded by friends onstage and in the audience, my anticipation for next year grew. What we built over these past couple months was a foundation, one that will support what I hope to be a tradition that long outlives our time at Cornell.
Hazel Tjaden is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at hlt43@cornell. edu.
Te Biggest Coachella Trends of Coachella 2025
By CHARLOTTE FEEHAN
It’s that time of year again. Coachella has come and gone, leaving Stagecoach to trail in its dusty wake. Though I’d like to say that I’m above the frivolity of it all — the drama, the heat, the VIP wristbands — there’s nothing I love more than that one week in April when my social media feed stocks itself full of Coachella content. As an avid follower of any and all music-related media, I feel that I have more than enough expertise to claim the following: Coachella is so much more than
a festival. In the years after its rise in popularity, that is, the 2010 Tumblr days of old, Coachella has quickly grown into an iconic hub for fashion, music and pop culture galore. Because it’s somewhat of a mandatory event for celebrities and influencers, Coachella is as much a barometer for rising trends in fashion as it is a showcase for the biggest names in the music industry. This year’s festival garnered some particularly fascinating looks and attendees which, when assessed collectively, hint at incoming trends for the summer months. First popularized in the 1970s, then the
early 2000s, micro shorts paired themselves with knee-high boots and sky-high temperatures at Coachella 2025. Part of a much larger movement toward boho-chic looks from the festival’s earliest days on social media, denim cutoffs and tailored suede were well-received by many nostalgic internet users craving a return to 2010s fashion. Bloomer-style pants and leathery, often studded belts were carelessly thrown over crochet ponchos, juxtaposed by structural denim pieces and chunky boots. Though flower crowns and aggressive fringe have yet to make a full comeback, the overwhelming resurgences of brands like Isabel
Marant and Roberto Cavalli harken back to a time when mixing bohemian style with classic grunge reigned supreme. Fast-fashion brands like Urban Outfitters have already made noticeable shifts toward the revival of earthy palettes and boho-chic in their latest collections.
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Charlotte Feehan is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at cgf47@ cornell.edu.
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