Slope Magazine Fall 2020

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TABLE OF CONTENTS COLLEGE LIFE IN A PANDEMIC HAPPINESS = REALITY/EXPECTATIONS

AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE ON ZOOM: HOW THE PANDEMIC TRANSFORMED COMMUNICATION

THE SOPHOMORE SLUMP AND HOW THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC EXACERBATED IT

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PRACTICING GRATITUDE

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QUIZ: WHO ARE YOU DURING THE Q?

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ACADEMICS MOVING TO A COLLEGE WORKLOAD

THE ARTS AND SCIENCES LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

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WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE UNDECIDED

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WHAT WE’LL MISS ABOUT BEING ON CAMPUS

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REFLECTION ON FIRST SEMESTER

ENTERTAINMENT TIK TOK IN 2020: HOW THE VIDEO SHARING APP IS

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IMPACTING OUR LIVES

MILEY CYRUS & THE MISOGYNY OF ROCK AND ROLL

THE DOWNFALL OF SCREAM: THE SIMEONTANEOUSLY BEST AND WORST MOVIE SERIES OF ALL TIME

IS THERE ‘REAL’ OR ‘FAKE’ COUNTRY? A CONVERSATION ABOUT AN EVOLVING SOUND

REFLECTIONS FROM WATCHING TWO FULL DAYS OF DOCUMENTARIES

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LIFESTYLE MY TIME AT CORNELL THROUGH MY PLAYLISTS

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THE INVISIBLE HAND OF SOCIAL MEDIA

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COLORS & DESIGNERS MATTER: HOW FEMALE POLITICAL FIGURES USE FASHION FOR PURPOSE

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STAYING CONNECTED OVER BREAK

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WHERE TO NOW? PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER GRADUATION

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contributors EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

WRITERS & EDITORS

KATIE FEHRENBAKER

AMANDA KAPLOWITZ*

ALIZA SCHUB

AMARIS RICHARDSON-MINOR* AMELIA ROBINSON

CREATIVE DIRECTORS

JACQUELINE NAVAS

ABIGAIL AUWAERTER

JENNIFER GRELL

KAYLEE ZHONG

JORDAN CRAYTON LIA CHANDRA MARISSA STAFFORD

PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR

BRYNN MCDONALD

BEN PARKER

NIKO NGUYEN* MARY GAFFNEY*

PRESIDENT

PAIGE BARLOW*

KENDALL LIEBERMAN

SAMANTHA KREVOLIN*

V.P. OF OPERATIONS

SARA MILLS

FRAYA SALZMAN

SHANNON O’SHEA SOPHIA MATHEWS TIA ROCKLAND

DESIGNERS

VICTORIA CORREA

MORGAN MARCUS

ZOE BASULTO*

ROMANTICA TAN

(* INDICATES EDITORS)

PHOTOGRAPHERS KATIE FEHRENBAKER JENNIFER GRELL LEXI QUARLES

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LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

had the privilege of being Editors-in-Chief for all of 2019 and 2020. Despite ending our term untraditionally, we are so thankful for the community fostered on Zoom with our Slope Media family over the last couple of months.

K ATIE FEHRENBAKER AND ALIZ A SCHUB

Time really does fly when you’re having fun.

For the past two years, we have loved being the Editors-in-Chief of Slope Media Group more than we could have ever imagined. Since we joined Slope as bright-eyed freshmen writers, we have been committed to growing our reach as an organization. From finally finding a way to bring Slope Media to an app for mobile devices to excitedly marketing Slope on our own social media accounts, the last two years have been non-stop Slope Media for us. With our new sweatshirts, we can now truly consider ourselves walking Slope Media Group advertisements.

As always, our writers and editors have gone above and beyond to make this “print” magazine’s pages as thought-provoking and well-written as usual. Deadlines are tough, especially in a pandemic, and we are so proud of the time and effort you all put into this magazine. On a similar note, this magazine would not have been possible without Ben and the photography team, Abby and Kaylee and the design team, as well as the entire Slope E-Board. Thank you all for creating an amazing Slope Magazine and not letting a virtual semester dull your passion and drive for Slope.

Pushing ourselves to work on leadership, creativity, communication and organization are just some of the countless skills that have helped us get to where we are today. As we reflect on our time as Editors-in-Chief, we are proud to have allowed ourselves to take risks in our writing and leading, push ourselves to go the extra mile for the organization, and collaborate closely with all of E-Board and the Mag Department.

As for our readership, thank you for making Slope what it is: a magazine for students, by students. Our readers, and the Cornell community in its entirety, keep us writing and editing every day. You push us to make our work relatable, moving, entertaining, and everything in between. You bring the words of every Slope writer to life and for that, we thank you. We know that Slope will continue to have a grand impact on campus and we look forward to our next stage of life, in which our role takes the form of proud Slope Media alumni.

Passing the torch to our next Editorin-Chief is the epitome of bittersweet. We are already nostalgic for the days of mag meetings in Goldwin Smith, E-Board cleaning sessions in the Slope office in Willard Strait, and launch parties at Loco. Grateful does not even begin to encompass how we feel to have

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HAPPINESS = REALITY/EXPECTATIONS KATIE FEHRENBAKER

around to before this semester. In just these past few months, I hiked all of the major trails in Ithaca, got to pet some very cute alpacas, rented a pontoon boat on Cayuga Lake, kayaked, and went to just about every Finger Lakes vineyard known to mankind. I enjoyed weekly themed dinners with my roommates on Thursdays, laughed during Bachelorette gatherings on Tuesdays, and made my way back to Sumo a few too many times. I started working on a senior honors thesis for American Studies, an undertaking I was too intimidated to even consider before the pandemic, and phonebanked weekly to get Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to the White House. Lastly, I started a series for Slope Media celebrating and sharing the stories of our beloved COVID testers; without them, none of this could have been possible.

I said goodbye a bit too soon to hours spent sitting in Zeus, times sitting at a real desk in a real classroom, cheering with my best friends at Lynah Rink, dancing my heart out at my sorority formal, and finally getting to use my ID at Loco. While I lost out on a lot of ‘lasts’ of college, I did some things I would have never done if it weren’t for COVID-19. Despite this semester not being everything I had imagined, it wasn’t too shabby.

And while I should probably learn from my summer self and lower my expectations for the Spring Semester, the optimist in me is still holding onto hope of a more normal semester.

But if it’s not, I know exactly what I need to do to make the most of it.

I’m not a huge math person, but I’ve always appreciated the formula to happiness as a way to guide my thoughts. This equation measures happiness as a ratio between the reality of your situation and your expectations for the situation. In other words, the lower your expectations, the less disappointed you will be by your present reality. Those who know me well know that I try to keep my expectations for most things pretty low. More often than not, the reality is out of my control. As a result, my greatest chance at having autonomy over my happiness is through managing my expectations. But then COVID-19 came along…

As July turned into August with no vaccine in sight, I finally started to believe what I deep down knew would be the case- this would be no ordinary senior year, and certainly not the year I had imagined. I decided I would be going back to school because my Ithaca rent was due regardless of me being there or not.

It was time to make some lemonade, and I was going to consult the only recipe I knew: Happiness = Reality/Expectations.

After watching three classes of Cornell seniors before me, I had a fantasy of what my senior year would hold. I had built up my senior year of college for three years and it was too late for me to lower my expectations now. Dr. Fauci wasn’t going to cure the expectations I set for the 2020-2021 year; I had to reevaluate how I emphasized expectations as the means to my happiness. Instead of looking at reality as a constant in the equation (which knowing myself would have probably meant pouting all semester), I had to make the best of this new reality. And that’s exactly what I did.

This semester, I made more of my time at Cornell than I had any other semester.

Once the frat parties were out of the picture, I suddenly realized that there is a lot more to do in Ithaca than dance in a musty, damp dungeon of a basement (still love ‘em though).

Cue my Ithaca Bucket List- a Google Doc of things to do around the lake that I never got

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KATIE FEHRENBAKER

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JENNIFER GRELL

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AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE ON ZOOM :

HOW THE PANDEMIC TRANSFORMED COMMUNICATION JENNIFER GRELL

Almost every time I signed onto Zoom to attend my American Sign Language class, I was in the Physical Sciences Building. I found it best for me to do my online classes and assignments there as it forced me to concentrate. I wasn’t tempted to take a nap there, as I would be if I completed my work in my dorm room. As we all know, students and staff are required to wear a mask on campus, especially in academic buildings. At first, I did not think about how my choice of location would affect my ability to communicate with my professor until I realized the importance of facial expression in American Sign Language.

If I am wearing a mask, can my professor truly understand what I am signing to her?

Going into college, one of the main things that I wanted to get out of my education was learning American Sign Language. After multiple failed attempts to get a spot in the course, I was finally lucky enough to get into ASL 1101: “American Sign Language I” for the Fall 2020 semester. So far, my time in this class has been a wonderful and eye-opening experience.

On the first day of class, Professor Nora Owen gave a quiz about the American Deaf culture. At first glance, I thought the questions were straightforward and had obvious answers until I got almost all of them wrong.

While I felt embarrassed in the moment, reviewing what I answered incorrectly ended up helping me retain important information about the Deaf community. One of the main things I have remembered since that day is that facial expressions, head movements, and eye gazes serve a grammatical role when communicating in American Sign Language. I learned that when watching another person sign, the most important place to focus attention on is the signer’s face; not their hands. For example, it is crucial to study the face to understand who is being referred to in a conversation, the size of an object, if a question requires a yes or no answer, or if it is a WH question (who/what/where/ when/why). This can be seen by the fact that furrowing and raising your eyebrows are used in different contexts, and how wide you open your mouth indicates how large the object in question is. When the face is not able to be fully seen, like when you are wearing a mask, it is almost impossible to fully comprehend what a person is signing to you.

This forced me to take a step back and wonder if I was creating a communication barrier and if my actions were being perceived as rude to the Deaf community. I also began to question how the pandemic and wearing masks has affected the Deaf community in their everyday lives. These thoughts inspired me to reach out to Cornell’s American Sign Language Professors Nora Owen and Brenda Schertz. They were kind enough to let me interview them, and ask them questions regarding changes in the American Sign Language curriculum due to the course being taught on Zoom. I also took this time to ask them how the pandemic has impacted their everyday lives in general as members of the Deaf community.

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1. As facial expressions are large contributors to grammar in American Sign Language, have masks been an obstacle to everyday communication?

Nora: This is my first semester teaching on Zoom. Some of the students use masks, which makes me feel disconnected from them. With masks on, I cannot tell when they are using facial expressions. It would benefit me if they pulled down their masks, but they are in public so I cannot ask them to do that, so I usually study the eyes. I would like it if people could use the clear masks so I can see their facial expressions, but most prefer the cloth face masks. I wish people would advertise using clear, plastic masks. In addition, with the setup of Zoom, there are a lot of faces to study, so it tends to be distracting.

3. Since ASL courses are typically taught in person, has teaching on Zoom created large changes to the class format?

Nora: Zoom has created changes in teaching about classroom objects. When we are teaching about these objects, we acknowledge that some students are attending class from home. As a result, we have to change how to teach the signs for these objects, because these students do not have all of them in their home. We try to make it apply to their home environment instead of just the classroom so that students can practice more conversations. In terms of teaching about location, I have to ask the students what some of the facilities on campus are like. I have only been on Cornell’s campus once before, so it is hard to teach about the university when I do not know exactly where things are on campus.

Brenda: I agree with Nora, I want them to pull down their masks and I try to communicate that to them. Masks have been a barrier to the Deaf community since we depend on faces for communication cues. I often have to ask them to give me more cues, but the mask is a barrier to communication. I’m lucky to live in Rochester where most people sign. I tend to ask people to write what they are saying down if I cannot understand their signs under a mask. I’ve been avoiding new places because I know the places I commonly go to already sign.

Brenda: One of the challenges I face is with my teaching style. In teaching ASL, I use physical tools, such as cards, for review and practice.

Students are usually split up into four groups, and I give them “Go Fish” cards where they practice colors and clothing. We typically use card games in the classroom, but on Zoom, we don’t have that option. It’s not impossible to do card games on Zoom, but the virtual aspect changes how I do certain activities. I cannot pass out cards, and it takes a lot more time in advance to fax and scan the cards to send out through emails. Online learning takes more preparation since we have to consider how to change these activities.

2. Have there been benefits to teaching ASL on Zoom?

Nora: On Zoom, I have noticed that students have been more involved than they are in the classroom. But Zoom has caused me to repeat myself a lot because students cannot see every dimension of the sign.

Brenda: I prefer in-person, face-to-face classes. ASL is a 3D language, so teaching on Zoom makes it difficult to see. I usually have to turn sideways to show signs since Zoom makes signing a flat, 2D space. It’s been very difficult, but a benefit to it is that we can get up close to the camera, and show students a sign super close to the screen.

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5. Outside of the virtual classroom, have masks made changes to your everyday routine? If so, how have masks altered daily routine?

Nora: Yes, specifically when working out. I have told some of the fitness coaches that I cannot wear a mask because of lipreading, so I’ve socially distanced myself from my coaches more to be safe. Sometimes I forget I’m wearing a mask and I smile at people. With masks, I cannot see someone’s facial expressions, so it’s almost as if they are walking around like a zombie. I’ve also noticed more people are using DoorDash to get food. My neighbor is a DoorDash driver and his business is picking up quickly.

4. When Cornell resumes to a normal semester, are there elements of online teaching that you are going to keep in your class format?

Nora: With Zoom, I have more connections with my students. I think sitting in one place is difficult, so I’m looking forward to going back in person. However, I would be open to doing hybrid classes in the future. For example, if Mondays and Wednesdays were in person, and Tuesdays and Thursdays were online.

Brenda: I have started to go out less. With curbside pickup, it’s easier because I can call in advance, so it creates less barriers to communication. It’s also safer too because there are fewer interactions with other people. We’ve made many changes in our everyday life. I have Deaf friends who have food delivered, instead of going to the store to pick things out. I go to the same store every time, but I know where everything is, so I can be in and out quickly. Overall, I’m now depending more on internet orders.

Brenda: I think the one thing that I would keep from Zoom is the pre-recorded videos. I have not done that in the past, but remote learning has forced me to record myself and upload the videos. I think it’s nice that there are benefits to online learning. If I was sick, I could hold class through a Zoom session. I also think that I now could be more flexible with Zoom.

If I needed to use Zoom for a few days I could, or if I needed to travel for business I could. If students couldn’t come to class, I would be open to them using Zoom for attendance.

Maybe we could even start summer classes in ASL on Zoom. A lot of people are around the world during the summer, so more students could join the course during the summer term if it was accessible by Zoom.

Overall, this interview was very rewarding and informative. It has inspired me to make changes in my everyday life to accommodate my professors and other members of the Deaf community. I now make sure to wear a clear mask to class or sign in to Zoom from a space where I can safely take my mask off. Thank you so much to Professor Owen and Professor Schertz for taking time out of your busy schedules to meet with me, and provide insight into your experiences with the pandemic, both as Cornell professors and as members of the Deaf community. I would also like to thank Maureen Moose, who interpreted the interview and helped it run as smoothly as possible!

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THE SOPHOMORE SLUMP AND HOW THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS EXACERBATED IT VICTORIA CORREA

found it hard to adapt to the new normal and stay focused. In 2020, it seems that there are always slightly more important things than homework in which to allocate our attention.

For me, it’s been social justice issues, keeping up with the election this past November, and hanging out with friends. Due to social distancing and a decrease in the number of students going to Central Campus, you’re less likely to bump into your friends unless you have similar schedules. Some people told me that they rarely left their apartments this semester, because they did not see the point in coming to campus at all. They also mentioned getting bored and lonely quickly.

If you’re going through the sophomore slump during the pandemic, remember that it was not entirely in your control. Everyone’s opportunities to socialize are limited. One way to alleviate that feeling of loneliness is to be in the moment whenever you are with your friends. They’re the people who will remind you to enjoy the little things, focus on school with you, and try to help you figure out this thing called “life.”

Freshman year was one of the most fun, interesting, and stressful years of my life.

However, the sophomores that I met last year often said something to me along the lines of “Listen, the sophomore slump is real.” I did not think it could get more stressful than freshman year, but I still told myself, “I will be so organized that I won’t go through this so-called ‘sophomore slump.” In the end, I did do a better job of managing my time this semester, but the sophomore slump still hit me like a bullet train.

It happened my sophomore year of high school, and it’s happening again in my sophomore year of college - I don’t really know what I’m doing with my life. If anyone asks, I’m majoring in Economics and hoping to get a job in consulting, or something like that. The classes I chose this semester are interesting, however, I often get stressed when thinking about how I’m going to apply them in a meaningful manner in the real world.

If you also feel this way, you’re not alone.

The sophomore slump has been something that many college sophomores go through, but more are probably going through it this year because 2020 has posed its unique challenges. This year, the sophomore slump is manifesting itself in different forms due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Another trait typically associated with sophomores who are in a slump is the inclination to party more, which may be for the purpose of procrastination in the form of some “crazy fun.” With the pandemic, however, parties are not acceptable. I wonder how many sophomores saw a reduction in their alcohol consumption or completely ruled out alcohol as a distractor from other activities this semester. While I felt party withdrawal sometimes, staying in (and sober) on the weekends did have

Under normal circumstances, adjusting to college life is not the main stressor for most sophomores. Rather, it is more so the addition of responsibilities and expected maturity. Because of the pandemic, however, some students returning to campus have

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BEN PARKER

etc.), remember that you do not need to have concrete beliefs by age 19 or 20. Meanwhile, some new questions that have come to my mind, thanks to COVID, include Is online learning worth it? Should I take a leave of absence? If after serious consideration you feel that you should change your path, do it. In addition, remember that this pandemic is an unusual time, and many people have made decisions that they otherwise would not have made under normal circumstances.

Many sophomores end up changing their majors or concentrations, and some end up trying something entirely new that works out.

Good luck, sophomores! I hope things turn out alright for us in the end.

its benefits. I got used to this new college lifestyle, and it encouraged me to confront my worries earlier. Because I wasn’t avoiding my problems, I got rid of them earlier. Most of the time, I got over whatever obstacle I was facing that week just fine even without looking forward to a crazy Saturday night.

I learned to be more appreciative of other activities such as hiking, a night in with a few friends in a dorm, or chilling on the slope.

And if things went wrong academically that week, I was more likely to get started on homework for next week instead of going out and pushing it off until Sunday. I also tried to keep in mind that I still have some control over how my future pans out, as well as the person I’ll become.

Ah, yes. There is the sophomore year identity crisis that comes with the slump. This crisis normally manifests itself in thoughts such as Am I at the right school? Am I in the right major? Who am I turning into?

Am I happy with the person I’m turning into? I need to develop concrete ideals and beliefs. Are the extracurriculars I’m doing right for me? If you’re like me and you’re stressed trying to figure out what you truly believe in (whether it’s ideologies, faith,

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PRACTICING GRATITUDE AMELIA ROBINSON

BEN PARKER

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the Slope, watching The Bachelor, stealing snacks from the kitchen, and staying up late talking. Without the usual in-person classes and fully operational libraries and cafes, we spent a lot of time at home, just hanging out.

While we were bored at times and longed for typical fun, like Homecoming festivities or hockey games, we developed stronger friendships this semester, which I know will last a lifetime.

What does it look like to practice gratitude during these extraordinary times? The first semester of my sophomore year at Cornell, in the context of a pandemic, has been weird, joyful, sad, disappointing, and fun all at the same time, with soaring highs and difficult lows. I always strive to practice gratitude for all the blessings in my life and to make the most of every moment and opportunity that comes my way. However, the pressures wrought on our routines and expectations by COVID-19 have caused struggles that none of us could have foreseen, making it harder to seize the day and be satisfied with our circumstances.

When things were more difficult, such as during prelim season or the semester’s two main COVID outbreaks, my friends and I had each other to commiserate and lend support.

Without Fall Break, and given the extra strain and workload of online classes, school this semester was even more taxing than usual.

Because of this, it was difficult to find the motivation to attend another Zoom class or write another long-form essay in place of a typical exam. Besides all of the changes to our school routine, we can all attest to the fact that living during a pandemic can be downright scary. There were multiple times this semester when I worried about my own health and safety, as well as that of my friends and family, which was stressful.

Having a strong support network of friends at Cornell who were going through these tough times alongside me made everything so much easier.

As a freshman last year, I caught my first glimpse of all of the unforgettable experiences that being a student at Cornell presents to us. I was immeasurably excited to soak it all up to the greatest extent I possibly could. As I settled into my groove second semester and grew more comfortable on campus, I started to envision and romanticize what the rest of my four years might have in store. From pondering how I might spend Slope Day with my new friends, to choosing which library I would frequent for more latenight study sessions, the possibilities were endless. I was joyfully overwhelmed by what was in store, ready to take on the world. But, when the pandemic hit in March, almost everything about being a college student, and a human being, for that matter, changed.

While I’m still grieving the many lost experiences from the past nine months, I am also incredibly excited for the day when life at Cornell will feel more like it did when I arrived in Fall 2019. In particular, I’m envisioning doing the things that once felt incredibly mundane, like spontaneously walking into Olin, sitting down anywhere I want, and sipping my favorite Libe Cafe coffee while procrastinating doing homework. I can’t wait to be in a room full of all my friends at the same time, and to permanently forget my mask at home.

After spending a quiet, uneventful five months in quarantine at home, during which time my family and I were lucky enough to remain healthy, I returned to campus in September filled with trepidation and doubt more than optimism. However, once it became clear that Cornell’s testing protocol and pandemic plan was working and we wouldn’t be sent home early, I started to settle into a new routine and feel more at peace with the situation.

Despite all of the added challenges, this semester was far from a waste. I will forever be grateful for the many wonderful experiences that I was lucky enough to have during my Sophomore Fall, and feel confident that I did my best to maximize my happiness and wellbeing during a difficult period in all of our lives. I’m signing off for this semester with a full heart, hope for the future, and gratitude for all of the good in my life. Spring 2021, I’m ready for ya!

Looking back on Fall Semester, many of the best memories that I made were ones that probably would have never happened without the unique circumstances created

by COVID. I went on walks, runs and hikes all around Ithaca, taking advantage of the gorgeous fall weather and beautiful scenery.

My friends and I planned elaborate birthday celebrations for one another, which included out-of-the-box activities such as a scavenger hunt or a visit to an alpaca farm, as well as the more typical cake and presents. Beyond brainstorming a host of fun, COVID-safe activities, we spent tons of quality time together doing homework all night in our sorority house dining room, eating dinner on

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Q UIZ :

WHO ARE YOU DURING THE Q? KENDALL LIEBERMAN & FRAYA SALZMAN We all find our own ways to keep busy during quarantine. Which quarantine type are you?

WHEN DO YOU TYPICALLY WAKE UP? a) 7 AM. Rise and shine b) 11 AM. Slow and relaxed morning c) You never go to bed

WHAT’S YOUR DAILY OUTFIT? a) Either your workout clothes or WFH clothes for a Zoom call. There’s no in-between. b) Your newest handmade tie dye hoodie c) Sweatpants and a t-shirt: why bother getting dressed with nowhere to go?

HOW WOULD YOU SPEND YOUR IDEAL SATURDAY NIGHT? a) Homework and a post-dinner stroll b) Watch Netflix while making beaded bracelets c) Zoom happy hour and game night

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE FORM OF EXERCISE? a) You run every day and track everything on your Apple Watch b) Candlelit yoga c) Chloe Ting YouTube videos

IT’S YOUR TURN TO MAKE DINNER FOR THE FAMILY, WHAT ARE YOU MAKING? a) A 3 course meal that you found on New York Times Cooking b) Tofu stir fry c) The newest recipe you found on TikTok @jeremyscheck

YOU’RE CLEANING YOUR ROOM, WHAT MUSIC IS IN THE BACKGROUND? a) Big Bootie 18 or your favorite throwback playlist b) An inspirational podcast, like How I Built This with Guy Raz c) Your favorite album you posted on Instagram for the Bill Clinton Challenge

MOVIE NIGHT, WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING? a) The Big Short or Wolf of Wall Street b) The Social Network c) The Kissing Booth 2 or some other Netflix Original Movie

YOU HAVE TWO HOURS WITH NOTHING TO DO ON YOUR CALNEDER, HOW DO YOU KILL THE TIME? a) Free time. Ever heard of her…? b) Come up with a new business c) Social distance hang with friends

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE DAY OF THE WEEK? a) Not sure, all days feel the same b) Mondays. You like to start your week fresh c) Fridays. You love the weekend!

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New things to do in the Q:

If you got mostly As…

The Busy Body

Start a journal: You’ll want to remember these crazy, long, strange days and refer to your journal when you tell your kids all about college in quarantine. You’d be surprised how much you can write for just 5 minutes a day.

We call you the “busy body.” You’re drowning in schoolwork, have two computer monitors in your room, and spend most of your time refreshing LinkedIn. When you’re not staring at your computer screen or editing your resume, you can be found working out and tracking steps on your Apple Watch.

Movie watching: Spend a day catching up on all the movies you’ve never watched but everyone else has (suggestions: 21 Jump Street, Bridesmaids, Home Alone).

If you got mostly Bs…

The he Entrepreneur

Dating apps: Are you looking for someone new to talk to? Dating apps are booming right now.

You’re an aspiring entrepreneur. You’re always coming up with new ideas, especially when you have lots of free time on your hands. Over quarantine you made some kind of business (hence your vast collection of handmade jewelry, tie dye, masks, etc.) and maybe an Instagram account to go with it, too.

Treat yourself: During this crazy time it’s good to treat yourself to something new.

Think, new skin care, maybe a Spotify premium membership, or a board game to make the long days shorter. Consider shopping at a local small business to support others!

If you got mostly Cs…

The Trend Follower We call you the “trend follower.” Zoom happy hour, game nights, and all the social media trends are your favorite pastimes. You watched all of Tiger King, made too many batches of banana bread, and have matched with everyone you know on Hinge. If there was an Instagram contest or trend, you likely were the first of your friends to participate (i.e. pushup challenge, Bill Clinton album, carrot drawing contest, etc.).

Let’s be real, quarantine gets boring. Even our favorite activities get old, and we start looking for new things to do. Look no further, as Slope Media Group members compiled a list of some of our best suggestions for you this winter.

Check in on your friends and loved ones: This is quite a weird, unprecedented time.

Reach out to those close to you and see how they’re doing. A simple text or FaceTime call can make someone’s day!

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MOVING TO A COLLEGE WORKLOAD JORDAN CRAYTON

BEN PARKER

Growing up, school was never hard for me. I was the type of kid who was on a collegiate reading level and finished books as if I needed them to survive. I never had to study, and I - embarrassingly enough - used to stress myself out if I wasn’t getting a 90 or higher on tests and assignments. In high school, I always heard the phrase “That won’t fly in college.” I used to laugh at this all the time, because the same was said about both middle school and high school when I was 11 and 14, and nothing ceased to change.

I felt prepared for anything college could throw at me.

Even though I knew adjusting to the workload would be somewhat challenging, I always come out on top by the end.

of the semester, I was flying by, watching as my friends stressed over prelims and difficult assignments. I always managed to get my work done just before the clock hit 11:59 pm, despite procrastinating for most of the day scrolling through TikTok and exploring Ithaca. I was soaring, until one day I wasn’t. Suddenly I was failing small quizzes and assignments that I had previously been able to pass without even cracking open my notes. I was missing deadlines and turning things in late, or not at all. I realized I was finally falling under the pressures of college. I didn’t know if it was my lack of studying or the fact that it was such a strange, virtual semester, but either way I had to turn it around.

Once I got to Cornell, the infamous statement proved itself wrong again. During the first few weeks

This point in my freshman year was a bit of a wake-up call for me. As a first-generation college

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student, I worked so hard to get myself here, and I couldn’t throw it all away due to my lack of drive and study skills. So, one day, I forced myself to sit down at a study space with my textbooks, asynchronous lessons, and PowerPoints, accompanied by a neverending YouTube stream of Lo-Fi music. Although I was seeing clear improvements in my grades, my social battery was dying because all I did was spend time studying and wasting my money on DoorDash.

college became too much to bear, and honestly, I shouldn’t have been so surprised--this was a long time coming. Even though my high school teachers repeatedly warned me, there was no way I could have accurately prepared myself for this. I mean, I guess I could have learned how to study before turning 18, but we won’t talk about that. Besides, Cornell’s unofficial-but-official motto is “easiest to get into, hardest to get out.” Hopefully next semester I will be able to implement what I learned about balancing my academics and social life in order to get the most out of college.

This experience helped me realize that I need balance in my school life. While I couldn’t slack off and procrastinate 24/7, I did have to make sure that I was getting out and having fun every so often. In this very abnormal semester, it was very easy to fall into two very different wormholes, neither one having a favorable outcome. The reality and pressures of

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THE ARTS AND SCIENCES LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY ZOE BASULTO

BEN PARKER

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Growing up, I was fascinated by the prospect of being fluent in multiple languages. I always wondered: What language do these people think in?

Do they dream in a mix of languages? How do they differentiate between all the words in their heads?

Unfortunately, I am yet to answer these questions.

with some help from my memorization skills, but that changed when the professor spoke only in Italian for the entirety of the first class of Italian II. I dropped the class before I even made it back to my dorm room. My next pursuit was American Sign Language (ASL). It seemed perfect for me: no speaking involved, won’t get confused with French, what could possibly go wrong? Well, Cornell pre-enrollment could go wrong, as I ended up never getting off of the waitlist.

When my friends learn that I have taken seven years worth of French, including AP, they often assume that that is equivalent with fluency. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Ask me to name all the kitchen appliances or colors in the rainbow in French and I’d be quick to answer. Having a natural conversation was a totally different story.

Nonetheless, this cycle of cramming the night before a test to regurgitate rehearsed sentence structures resulted in a successful completion of my high school language classes.

To lift some of this stress off my shoulders, I set up a meeting with my Study Abroad Advisor. I have to admit, I had heard several tales of fellow Arts and Science students crying to their advisors and successfully removing the language requirement.

Despite heavily considering this option, I couldn’t get the tears to start flowing. Ultimately, she suggested revisiting my long lost friend French, continuing Italian, or taking 2 semesters of back-to-back 6 credit Japanese classes senior year. Despite the enticing Japanese offer, I decided that French would be my next best option going forward. On the bright side, I was placed into the intermediate level, thus only requiring two semesters to complete the graduation requirement.

Little did I know that my foreign language experience was far from over. While my peers were celebrating the conclusion of their foreign language experience, I was taken aback one night while mindlessly searching the Cornell website, as one does while nervously anticipating their ED decision.

Listed next to the expected humanities and social sciences requirements for Arts & Sciences (albeit they seemed quite excessive and confusing-but, that’s for another time), is a foreign language requirement. Panic set in. After quickly researching and finding out that no other college at Cornell has this same stipulation, being the rational person that I am, I frantically told my parents that I have to rescind my Arts application and apply to a different college within Cornell. My escape plan didn’t work out, as I am still in Arts to this day, and I simply prayed for the language requirement to ~disappear~.

Although I have since downloaded Duolingo in hopes of refreshing my mind before jumping back into French next semester, the study abroad portion of the language requirement remains unresolved.

My frustration persists as the Communication major sitting next to me in Mann library or the PAM major t who shares a room with me are free to go abroad to my dream location of Italy, whereas I am limited simply due to my college. Although the entire student body doesn’t have to endure the same language struggles, it does serve as a bonding experience for those in Arts. Furthermore, I expect that as I become more proficient in French, it will help to complement some of my other Humanities courses and become more applicable than it did in high school. At this point, I’d be wrong to fail to acknowledge the ESL students who have no other choice than to learn a second language. Really, I do not know how you do it.

As pre-enroll for my freshman year came about, I was disappointed, although admittedly not shocked, to find that, in fact, it had not magically disappeared.

To make matters worse, that is when I found out that this requirement also dictated my abroad experience (if you take anything from this article, look at all the tabs on a website!). For non-English speaking countries, two semesters of language study at the 2000 level is needed. Not only that, but these programs hold classes speaking in the foreign language. My sixth grade self started to panic for present day me. I once again told my parents that I had no option but to switch to another Cornell school to escape the requirement once and for all. Yet again, they talked me out of it.

So, if you are also in Arts and Sciences, I suggest planning ahead and sticking to it. However, if you’re anything like me, maybe I’ll see you in London or Greece, assuming we will even be able to go abroad in Spring 2022. In the meantime, I’d like to send a big “Merci beaucoup” to my sixth grade French quizlets that I have recently rediscovered.

Since my plan of switching schools didn’t work out, I thought perhaps switching languages would. I decided to enroll in Italian, thinking “How hard could it be, isn’t it just like French?” I was able to get by

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WHAT IT ’ S LIKE TO BE UNDECIDED AMANDA KAPLOWITZ

I’m a pretty indecisive person. I can never seem to decide what food to eat for dinner, what to wear, or in which library I want to study. So, it kind of makes sense that coming into college, I couldn’t decide on a major. And thus, my nearly two-year journey of being undecided ensued.

answer. Believe me, I do too.

Now, as I’m approaching the second semester of my sophomore year, the fateful deadline looms over me and it’s becoming more and more clear that I can’t stay undecided forever. Sooner or later — but actually sooner because I need to declare in five months — I will need to make up my mind.

A task that was always daunting to me.

There are definitely pros to being undecided. Coming in as a freshman, I liked not having the pressure of taking certain classes. I had the ability to explore different areas that interested me. First semester of my freshman year, I mainly took intro-level classes that were filled with hundreds of students and were not overly demanding. I was able to dip my toes into subjects like Statistics and Sociology, and receive a general feel for what Cornell classes were like.

The root of my issue stems back to high school. I was a pretty well-rounded student who enjoyed both Math and English classes.

I love numbers but I also love being creative, which now puts me in somewhat of an academic pickle. People often say that it doesn’t really matter what your major is as you can mostly do whatever you want after college with any major. And while that’s all well and good, I still have to officially pick something.

While this flexibility was great, after three semesters, I started to wish I had some more direction. Yes, I was taking my school’s requirements and making sure to get in my P.E. classes, but I realized that not having a major meant shooting in the dark when it came time for pre-enroll.

So, as this semester comes to a close, I am at a crossroads with what to focus on for the rest of my time at Cornell. Who knows, maybe in five months I’ll have a newfound passion.

But for now, I face another registration period of aimlessly selecting classes that sound interesting to me, and am stuck selecting the “undeclared” major box when applying to clubs and jobs. Overall, the undecided life has been and continues to be both a blessing and a curse.

There was also another downside: not really having “class friends.” Because I’m taking courses that span multiple subjects, I rarely see the same people from class to class. And it was even harder this semester with the nature of virtual classes. I don’t know many other students who are undecided, and sometimes I feel like I’m the only one who doesn’t have a clear academic direction.

Whenever I tell anyone that my major is “undecided,” the conversation often stops there. Or, even worse, they ask the dreaded follow-up question: “Okay but what are you leaning towards?” I then need to list a couple of options and explain the classes I’m taking that I like, but I can never seem to satisfy the inquisitive person who just wants one solid

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BEN PARKER

LEXI QUARLES

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BEN B BE EN PA P PARKER ARK RKER ER

WHAT WE ’ LL MISS ABOUT BEING ON CAMPUS

Everyone knows the break from campus after finals is long. By long, I don’t mean a few days, I mean a few months — as in, pack up all your clothes, you won’t be back till February type of long. We all thought about it. Some of us dreaded it too while mentally preparing ourselves for the journey back home. I myself have finally accepted it. That being said, here are some things I’m going to miss most about Ithaca: 1. Seeing familiar faces on campus Running into people I know always makes my day.

Cornell may be big, yet I never fail to spot someone familiar no matter where I go. Whether it be a close friend or a person in my discussion group, exchanging hello’s around campus makes Cornell feel like home.

Just the other day, I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen all

PAIGE BARLOW

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out. I am convinced libraries and academic halls single handedly saved me during semi-finals week. I already know I’m going to have a hard time doing work from home, especially without a space where I can focus on my tasks for hours. I guess I’ll have to make my room at home the library for the time being.

3. Going to my favorite Ithaca restaurants You know you’re going to have a good time when you decide to dine out in Ithaca — whether it be the Souvlaki House, Sumo, Mahogany Grill, Mix, Agava, Viva, (the list goes on and on) — food here is quality.

While various aspects of campus life were different this semester due to COVID-19, we were lucky Ithaca had safe indoor dining. It allowed us to continue eating our favorite dishes at our favorite venues.

Some of my best memories from this fall have been dinner nights with my friends. These are nights that I used to take for granted last year, but now I value the opportunity to share a meal with good company.

4. Sunsets on the slope Nothing compares to watching Ithaca sunsets. A nice evening on the Slope with friends and music will never not be a great time. The Slope is one of those pretty locations on campus that make you remember how amazing this school really is. I spent one of my last nights at Cornell this semester just sitting on the Slope. It seemed fitting that there was a pretty sunset, as if Cornell was sending us off but telling us to make sure we remember why we love this school. As for the next few months, the Slope sunset picture I have set as my phone background will have to do.

5. Being with friends Lastly, there is nothing we’re going to miss more than gathering with our friends and the rest of the community. Constantly enjoying the company of your inner circle makes you unable to do anything ever alone. Or maybe that’s just me? Either way, there are so many amazing and diverse people on this campus.

Being away from them all for a while will definitely be hard.

semester. She was someone I spent so much time with freshman year, but we found ourselves not having the time to get together like before. Unfortunately, we all have those friends we haven’t seen due to schedule conflicts. However, this makes seeing them randomly all the more exciting.

Nearly three months away from campus will be a big change for those of us who decided to return to Cornell this semester. We all have become used to taking classes from Ithaca and seeing our peers on campus. While we are going to miss different aspects about Cornell, all we can do is make the most of this break, take tips from our remote peers, and get excited to do these same things all over again when February comes around.

2. Studying on Campus I have reserved a room in a library or met with friends in an academic hall countless times this semester. For me, it’s still the ideal environment to get work done. Since my courses were online, being able to Zoom-in from the places they would have normally been held made this semester feel a bit more normal.

Many hours were spent in the library for me. I arrived first thing in the morning, and left when it was dark

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REFLECTING ON FIRST SEMESTER TIA ROCKLAND

BEN PARKER

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This semester was unusual, to say the least. Way back in December when I got into Cornell, I expected that come August, I would be constantly meeting new people-- whether that be sitting next to someone in Biology class, in line at RPCC, or in miscellaneous frat basements. Sadly, most of that was unable to happen this semester. Instead, my days consisted of taking Zoom classes, pre-ordering my food via the GET app, and eating meals on the floor of friends’ dorm rooms.

restaurants in Collegetown and the Commons, mingling with peers around the dorms on North at night, and farmers market outings.

Although this wasn’t what I had envisioned my semester looking like last December, it certainly is one that I will look back on with tons of amazing memories.

I learned to accept my atypical college experience with, believe it or not, many experiences to look back on that I might not have had were it not for COVID. Rather than attending large parties on the weekends, spending time in small groups allowed me to become extremely close to people in little time. I feel lucky to have created such intimate relationships with others but will admit that there were still times I longed for the typical freshman experience. However, altering expectations in regard to my social scene was crucial as it allowed me to find joy in the simpler and smaller experiences. Because so much socializing was done outside, my friends and I would take long walks, exploring campus as well as Ithaca at large; we stumbled upon many spots in our first three months of college that we likely would not have discovered otherwise.

When I arrived on campus, my new reality felt thrilling, as I was away from home for the first time in a vibrant environment, filled with passionate peers embarking on the same new adventure together. After nearly six months of an isolating quarantine during which I saw few people outside of my family, I was excited to finally be able to socialize with other teenagers.

I also felt extremely lucky to be on campus, as I had many friends whose schools went fully remote. However, feeling settled, adjusted, and content at Cornell took quite some time.

While I was expecting to participate in socially distanced outdoor orientation activities, everything was done online, providing me with minimal help in making connections with individuals. As someone who really enjoys meeting new people and is naturally outgoing, this proved to be a difficult feat even for me in the world of COVID. As the first few weeks went on, I gradually met many people I liked but couldn’t suppress my feelings of unease, that little voice in my head telling me I was doing something wrong or simply wasn’t doing enough. Scrolling through my Instagram feed and looking at the countless pictures of my high school friends seemingly thriving in college caused me even more anxiety.

While to an outsider, my first semester at college may seem subpar due to the unique circumstances, I look back on it as exciting, eventful, and filled with fun. I’ve been back home for less than a week and already miss Cornell and the level of safety I felt there due to the weekly surveillance testing. Despite my struggles in the beginning to feel comfortable both socially and emotionally, I eventually adapted to the new environment and learned to embrace all that was being offered to me. I look forward to being back on campus in the spring and continuing to find my place and people at Cornell.

Given this mindset, I started to concentrate more on the other aspects of my life in college such as getting into a good exercise routine, eating well, working hard in classes, and spending quality time with my sister. Once I began focusing more on the things that I was able to control, the social pieces slowly began to fall into place as well. I found myself connecting deeply with people I was excited about and doing activities I truly enjoyed.

Soon enough, the weekends became a time I looked forward to, rather than stressed over.

They began to consist of getting dressed up for dorm room photoshoots, group dinners at fun

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TIK TIK TOK TOK IN 2020: HOW THE VIDEO SHARING APP IS IMPACTING OUR LIVES

MARY GAFFNEY

Every time a new social media app grows in prominence, it becomes increasingly difficult to imagine life without it. Could you imagine if you couldn’t send your Snapchat streaks, post Instagram stories, view pictures on Facebook, or watch Youtube videos? Enter: TikTok, a social networking app that allows users to upload or watch videos of all kinds of activities, from singing and dancing, to just talking. Whether you make your own videos or are strictly a viewer, TikTok has become yet another form of entertainment media and one of the most popular apps over the last few years. While using the app, it’s impossible to understand the effect that a minute-long video could have. But if you take a broader look, you might see that TikToks influence daily habits, personal relationships, and industries worldwide.

kely to purchase something if they see it in a video. Like Instagram, TikTok’s visual element is another new avenue for companies to display their message and interact with people. With the growth in popularity of the app among several generations of users, TikTok is becoming the next essential tool for companies to reach consumers and for consumers to reach companies.

Aside from influencing shopping and purchasing habits, the easy-to-view videos made on TikTok have become an effective and convenient mode for people to learn how to complete specific tasks. Unlike YouTube, TikTok’s videos are roughly a minute long, which is just the right amount of time to hold someone’s attention. During this time, I’ve seen a variety of content, like cooking tutorials, DIY home improvement and renovated space videos, step-by-step dance and workout routines, and many other random “how-to” videos. TikTok is teaching us how to do everything from simple daily tasks to complex, involved projects.

Whether TikTok provides inspiration to do an actual activity or is just satisfying to watch, the platform is another resource for information and knowledge. If I had a nickel for every time one of my roommates made a TikTok breakfast sandwich...

When I took a trip to Target the other day, I experienced first-hand TikTok’s impact on us as consumers. I only intended to buy a candle, but instead left with multiple body and food products, all of which were recommended on my TikTok feed. While this could be the nature of shopping at Target, chances are that if I had not seen those videos, I never would have thought to buy those items. TikTok is changing the way that people learn about and consume products. Forget advertisements on Instagram or Facebook — people usually ignore them anyway. When consumers see people like them posting videos about products they enjoy, it’s more convincing than an advertisement directly from the company itself, because it feels more like a genuine recommendation.

Additionally, the visual aid that TikTok provides plays a role. Consumers are generally more li-

TikTok has also transformed pop culture. The music industry, specifically, has seen

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some of the most significant impacts. On the one hand, TikTok trends included songs that would’ve become radio hits regardless, like “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd or “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish. Alternatively, new songs like “Surrender” by Natalie Taylor, “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X, “Say So” by Doja Cat, and more have gained popularity and traction on Billboard’s Hot 100 charts merely from their presence on the app. In fact, Rolling Stone discussed this phenomenon of TikTok presentation of emerging artists and their songs, when they might have otherwise not been heard, ultimately dubbing TikTok a “Fame Machine.” Aside from wielding the power to uncover new music, TikTokers have brought back older songs and made them famous again as well. Matthew Wilder’s “Break My Stride” from the ‘80s and Fleetwood Mac’s single “Dreams” from 1977 have soared back onto and up the charts. Sales have tripled for “Dreams,” and the band had its best week to date on streaming platforms. TikTok, as a company, also plays a role in elevating the videos and their associated sounds if they see that it is doing well. They can queue the videos on users’ “For You” pages and add the trending songs to their library for people to use when making videos, perpetuating the growth of specific musical content. Who knows what songs and sounds will be next!

ms, the nature of TikTok and its coming and going trends connects people worldwide and brings them closer together. Under the Coronavirus pandemic’s current state, people must stay home but still find ways to come together.

We’ve seen the app create quarantine entertainment for friends and family, from recreating viral TikTok dances to documenting at-home projects to starting businesses. TikTok’s dueting capabilities also allowed people who weren’t together — and even people who didn’t know each other — to connect and create content for themselves and viewers. Speaking of not knowing each other, TikTok became a platform for tracking down relatives, significant others, and random strangers if their video happened to go viral. Right now, everyone needs enjoyable, easy-to-access distractions.

Whether you are watching or creating, clearly, there was no better time in history for this video app!

Other similar media apps have come and gone (R.I.P. Vine), but TikTok’s variable and compelling content has become a staple form of entertainment for many, especially throughout 2020. It has transformed many aspects of our lives, and the future will show what other changes and trends the app might present — pending whether or not it is banned of course (*fingers crossed it isn’t*). Until then, happy scrolling!

Finally, unlike other social media platfor-

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miley cyrus & f o y n y g o s i m e th rock & roll SAR A MILL S

Of all musicians in pop culture, Miley Cyrus’ journey to find her voice has been arguably one of the rockiest. Beginning as a pseudoteenybop pop artist, she attempted to shed her beginnings as a Disney and bonafide pop star by adopting elements of hip-hop culture.

When this failed with her performance at the VMAs (the one involving twerking on Robin Thicke), she returned to true pop, releasing Malibu and shocking fans with her cleaner, more “Miley” appearance. But Cyrus has shocked the world once again, having us question whether we ever knew the real Miley in the first place.

BR AD ELTERMAN FOR ROLLING STONE

To what extent is women’s music as a whole hallowed out and perceived as unoriginal, casting voices that fit into other genres as pop?

In my favorite class, Race, Gender, Sexuality, and the Voice, we discussed the masculinization of Rock and Roll, and I found myself thinking about Miley Cyrus’ current rebranding from a pop star to a rock star with covers like Blondie’s “Heart of Glass.” Public perception of Cyrus herself has entirely shifted, a woman who many believed had “sold out” in pop has now regained her musical integrity and creativity through rock (even if she’s doing a cover). And yet, even as she hits all the marks of a rock singer, many critics deny her role as one in the context of her pop and Disney past. Frith and McRobbie, academics on the history of rock and intersection of sexuality, highlight how “the result of this confusion is constant argument as to whether an act or record is really rock- and this is not just a matter of subjective disagreement.”

From the gendering of instruments to the overt sexism female rock stars face as they rise to fame, Rock and Roll is built on racism and classism. It is evident that rock’s “masculine” identity has been driven by, in part, pure misogyny. Highlighted by “Cock Rock: Men Always Seem to End Up On Top,” women were positioned as comic relief, placed in spots between successful groups of men. Frith and McRobbie write, “rock is not just a matter of musical definition. It refers also to an audience (young, white) to a form of production (commercial), to an artistic ideology (rock has a creative integrity that ‘pop’ lacks).”

Pop has always been looked down upon as a genre that lacks originality, creativity, and talent. Disgustingly, pop has been labeled as a

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Miley Cyrus’ transition to rock is one shrouded in her finding her true voice in music and reclaiming rock as a genre rather than existing as oppressed beings within it. I see plenty of women exiting the misogynistic pop sphere and veering their music rock, like Miley Cyrus, Hayley Williams, and even Gwen Stefani. And yet, every single one of those artists can’t seem to shake their identity as a pop star. Hayley Williams has been labeled “pop punk,” Gwen Stefani as having an “edgy” or “belty” tone. Will Miley finally be the first female to enter into true rock, or will she remain unable to shake her pop and girlified Disney roots?

“feminine genre,” codifying womanhood with superficiality and commercialism.

This pervasive belief becomes increasingly problematic when recognizing that as women were actively excluded from participating in the rock genre, many of them fell into a “pop” genre, from which they are typified in occupying. Rock was built almost entirely on sexism, pushing women out of an entire genre to create this huge “bro-atmosphere” in performance, in production, and at concerts.

While women pushed back that discourse, even in the 1970s, they were unsuccessful.

The history of rock and roll has been written as one big (and pathetic) “girls keep out!” sign, leading to the argument that to play or be rock as a woman is anti-feminist because you’re buying into an anti-woman narrative that is always going to surround rock, critics say.

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the downfall of scream, The Simultaneously Best & Worst Movie Series of All Time Scream 2 is actually pretty decent. It follows Sidney through her first year of college, where she is terrorized by another mystery killer. The film is a little disappointing because it doesn’t really add anything or build on its excellent predecessor. However, as a standalone slasher movie it checks all the boxes— jump scares, suspenseful chase scenes, and a mysterious masked villain— and is ultimately perfectly satisfactory. Some of the elements that made the first film so effective are echoed, but in their second rendition they no longer feel fresh and innovative. Some of the most shocking moments are ones that don’t really work— aspects of the finale feel a little too unrealistic, with reveals coming from seemingly out of nowhere. There are positive elements like the continued self-awareness, but even that starts to fall flat as the overthe-top moments begin to overtake the selfaware ones. This film marks the start of the Scream franchise’s eroding balance between parody and cliché.

SHANNON O ’ SHEA

Rarely have I endured such a wild cinematic ride as my recent viewing of all four films of the Scream franchise. I’ve made my way through a number of other sagas, namely Harry Potter, The Avengers, and most recently, the absolute gem that is Twilight. But nothing quite compares to the combination of soaring highs and bizarre, intense lows that comprises the Scream series.

The series’ first entry, an innovative fusion of slasher film and dark comedy, is legitimately good. It follows Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and her high school peers being targeted by a masked serial killer. It’s iconic for good reason. It’s an effective horror movie, delivering solidly on scares and plot twists, and simultaneously a successful critique of the genre. Utilizing the perspective of filmbro Randy (Jamie Kennedy), Scream takes us through a checklist of slasher-movie tropes, describing them even as they happen on screen. It’s scary, fun, surprising, and clever—I won’t spoil it for those who don’t yet know about the ending, but it takes the genre in a creative new direction, one which I’m surprised other slasher films hadn’t really ventured into before.

The acting is solid, the plot is occasionally over-the-top but still overall believable, and the element of parody elevates it beyond many other entries in its genre. One scene that comes to mind is the party scene, in which the characters laugh about the predictability of slasher films and Randy explains the “rules” for surviving one. The teens carry on, conscious of the fact that they are breaking all those rules, but unaware that the killer is in the house with them. Scream has just the right amount of selfawareness, with its more outlandish or clichéd moments balanced perfectly by the tonguein-cheek ones that explicitly reference their own cliché-ness. To be honest, I recommend all four Scream films, but this is probably the only one I recommend unironically as a legitimately good film.

I won’t try too hard to sugarcoat what comes next. Scream 3 is a bad movie.

However, I am not by any means saying it isn’t enjoyable. It’s extremely enjoyable! It’s campy, bizarre, fun, and often unintentionally hilarious. It’s probably the most meta of all the Scream films, which is saying a lot (Scream 4 is also in the running for that designation, but we’ll get to that later). In this film, the events of Scream have inspired a film series called Stab, and the characters from Scream are now being portrayed by actors in a movie-withina-movie about the events of the first Scream movie. Confused yet? The premise is definitely fun. The film is deliciously self-referential.

Patrick Dempsey is also there, for some reason. Scream 3 has many elements of a good movie, yet it falls extremely short. Things get way too over-the-top, with explosions, a borderline absurd killer reveal, and David Arquette somehow still not dying. Again, I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. And laughing at it. But it is not a good movie.

Next we’ve got Scream 4, the franchise reboot, released 11 years after Scream 3

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its many strange, unfortunate, but ultimately lovable characters.

closed out the original trilogy. Hoo boy. It is with my consideration of this film that I start to lose any semblance of an understanding of what is or isn’t good cinema. Without giving too much away for those who may still want to subject themselves to this film, the opening sequence is . . . incredible. In every sense of the word. Then it spins into a bizarre, ultra-meta yarn in which Sidney is, once again, being stalked by a mysterious killer.

The meta element comes, once again, from the fictional Stab franchise within the story.

There’s a Stab viewing party, scenes from the various Stab sequels, and a wild scene in which Sidney flees the killer through a movie set designed to look like her childhood home— the very house in which she was attacked by the original killer in the first Scream film. This film is worth watching for Courteney Cox’s incredible one-liners alone, but we are also treated to some callbacks to the original film, another weird Ghostface reveal, and an absolutely wild denouement. Trust me, it’s not a perfect movie by any means, but it does make for a fun return to the franchise and

Scream 4 is the last Scream film released to date, but don’t worry— there’s a Scream 5 on the way. My predictions: David Arquette’s kind but useless Dewey Riley somehow escapes certain death once again, Henry Winkler makes another random cameo, and the filmmakers manage to leave the door open for yet another sequel.

As much as the quality of the Scream films has declined throughout the franchise’s run, I enthusiastically recommend viewing the entire series all the way through. I won’t pretend all the films are good, but they are without a doubt entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed them, and if you haven’t already experienced these movies, you should absolutely check them out.

And if nothing else I’ve said convinces you, please just Google “Courteney Cox Scream 3 hair.” You’re welcome.

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IS THERE ‘REAL’ OR ‘FAKE’ COUNTRY? A CONVERSATION ABOUT AN EVOLVING SOUND MARISSA STAFFORD AND BRYNN MCDONALD

In recent years, mainstream country music has gradually become more pop friendly. Artists like Florida Georgia Line, Sam Hunt, Kelsea Ballerini and Kacey Musgraves have built their platforms on a pop-country sound- a sound that has led to hits on the Billboard charts. But this success is not without controversy. Several avid country fans see this as the end of traditional country music. On the other hand, this pop influence has opened the door to new country fans, and what better way to see both sides of this coin than to hear from a country lover and a new listener on this distinctly American genre.

has changed the way I think about traditional country because it is clear that traditional artists have a specific twang to their music that poppier songs lack. Thus, it makes sense to me that those who prefer older country music are bothered by the pop-country sound.

While I wouldn’t go as far to say I love country, I have found a new appreciation for it. I enjoy a twangy song or two. For instance, I find Morgan Wallen’s “Somebody’s Problem” so appealing because of its relatable lyrics and Wallen’s intriguing vocals. I am definitely more open to listening to country after discovering these kinds of gems. I can also say that I no longer like over-produced country music.

Those songs tend to be repetitive, juvenile, and boring. Meanwhile, more traditional country has a heart and soul to it. I understand why some artists are looking for a new sound to stand out from the rest. However, I also see why country music fans despise the pop influence. For many die-hard country listeners, this shift makes the country music industry feel slightly less authentic- especially when artists collaborate with rappers, making performances confusing.

MARISSA’S TAKE: NEW TO COUNTRY Growing up, I did not listen to many country songs. I’m most familiar with jams such as “Body Like a Back Road” by Sam Hunt, Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise”, and Taylor Swift’s old catalog. These were popular on the radio, but it’s become clear that they are not purely country. Sam Hunt himself has been open about his hip hop and rap influences.

Before hearing my roommates play traditional country music, I without a doubt considered those tracks to be country. Now, I have realized how much pop has invaded this genre. My understanding of this new style of country

I think to appease any of this tension, a new category should be named and created for pop-country. Hopefully, this distinction will provide two worlds: one for artists with their steel guitars, the other for the ones channeling pop stars.

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BEN PARKER

sing Sleep” by Chris Young, which tend to be classified as ‘fake’ country music. These songs typically have slower beats with softer instrumentals. While I agree that these songs begin to lose sight of the original sound, I do believe they are still an important part of this genre.

BRYNN’S PERSPECTIVE: A DEVOTED FAN I have always loved country music. I was raised in Aldie, Virginia around traditional country songs. This genre is the one playlist on my phone I find myself drawn to everytime I get into my car. That being said, there has been a lot of change to what is now considered “country” music in our generation. Personally, I am always open to musical experimentation, but some artists take it a little too far.

But I draw the line at songs that don’t seem to know what exactly they are trying to do. Music like The Zac Brown Band’s “Someone I Used to Know” and “Lil Bit” by Florida Georgia Line ft. Nelly varies so far off from what I grew up listening to. I don’t even know what to classify them as myself. While I enjoy these tracks, it would feel misleading to add them onto my country playlist. These songs have carved their own sound.

As country music has evolved, I have noticed a different attitude and production behind the music. It is interesting to me that a conversation over whether there is genuine and artificial country even exists. There are many different opinions as to what constitutes what. Songs such as “Crazy Town” by Jason Aldean, Darius Rucker’s “Homegrown”, “Boys ‘Round Here” by Blake Shelton, and Kenny Chesney’s “American Kids” are often accepted as country. I find that this is because of production. Here you’ll find more fiddles, less machine drum tracks and clicks, and a heck of a lot more guitar. Then you have “10,000 Hours” by Dan + Shay ft. Justin Bieber or “Lo-

Whether you agree or disagree with either perspective, it is safe to say that country is not what it used to be, but change isn’t always a bad thing.

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yes!!

y

@ MURR ASHOVA

FROM PINTEREST

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yes!!!!!

yes!

REFLECTIONS FROM WATCHING TWO FULL DAYS OF DOCUMENTARIES SOPHIA MATHEWS

Remember in 2016 when Kylie Jenner said it would be the year of “realizing things”? Well, I try to emulate this energy by watching documentaries.

Cowspiracy made me realize that animal agriculture is horrible, Going Clear made me realize that Scientology is horrible, and both Fyre and Fyre Fraud (yes, I watched both) made me realize that the Fyre Festival was horrible. I decided to set out on a journey of realizations––to expand my mind––via two full days of documentary-watching. Here are the results.

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DA Y

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11:48 AM

yes!

THE SOCIAL DILEMMA (NETFLIX) R ATING :

YOU DONT WANT TO MISS THIS

For my first documentary of the day, I decided to go with one that’s been hyped up to me from one of my communication classes and from general word of mouth. The Social Dilemma is about all of the issues that come with social media. As a Communication major and a member of Gen-Z, a lot of the information wasn’t new to me, but the presentation of it all together in this one film, in such an urgent way, was really impactful. Important takeaways: tech industry leaders don’t let their own kids use social media; a handful of white men in tech companies are responsible for the way we think, act, and shop; social media and politics are way more connected than you’d think; and oh man, so much of my data is out there. This documentary is a little overdramatic, especially because it took the creative approach of including scenes of a fictional family to demonstrate what is talked about. Even worse, they decided to have various scenes of three duplicated Vincent Kartheisers who control the teenage son’s phone in a manner reminiscent of Inside Out. I preferred Kartheiser’s role in Mad Men to be honest (and that’s saying something, am I right Mad Men fans?). Overall, though, I really enjoyed The Social Dilemma and think it’s a great jumping off point for serious discussions about how we need to change social media and tech companies.

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3:17 PM

THE 13TH (NETFLIX) R ATING :

MUST WATCH

I took a break from my documentary watching to #unplug and read a book. Then, I moseyed back over to Netflix to watch 13th, another popular documentary that I knew I had to watch. If you haven’t seen it yet, see it! It’s about mass incarceration, the prison industrial complex, and the history of policing. This is important to watch, especially in light of Cornell’s Student Assembly’s recent battles about the proposal to disarm CUPD. None of the information presented should be shocking at this point. But, like in The Social Dilemma, when you see the facts laid out together, it makes a significant impact.

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D

6:44 PM

AY

ON

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TICKLED (HULU) R ATING :

TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT

Next, I decided to take the road less travelled. After two well-known documentaries, I went with a weird one. Admittedly, this one might’ve been too weird. It’s about competitive tickling and the surprisingly illicit, sexual, mysterious twists that apparently go along with it. Pro tip: if you are interested, maybe don’t watch it with your family like I did! It gets bizarre to the point of being exceptionally uncomfortable to watch. That aside, it is super interesting, as the filmmaker dives into stories of blackmail and fake identities. If you’re not sure if you want to watch it, imagine being tied up and forcibly tickled for extended periods of time. If you can’t picture watching clips of this, then this one’s not for you.

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8:55 PM

BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME (HBO MAX) R ATING :

YOU DON ’ T WANT TO MISS THIS

Between the World and Me is based on Ta-Nehisi Coates’ book of the same title; I read it in high school, so I was excitedly awaiting the film version.

This film doesn’t feel like a documentary because it is in the format of a letter Coates writes to his son about being Black in America. (According to HBO Max, though, it is a documentary, so we’ll go with that.) While this is the second documentary involving racism I watched today, it has a much different feel. It is more artistic and theatrical, featuring different people such as Oprah Winfrey and Mahershala Ali delivering monologues. This film is powerful; don’t miss it.

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1:56 PM

WO T Y DA

THE SAGA OF DANNY HERNANDEZ (HULU) R ATING :

TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT

I haven’t kept up with the 6ix9ine drama but decided to spend my afternoon learning about it. Danny Hernandez, aka rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine, has a wack, wild, and ludacris rise to fame. This documentary exposes all of it: the tattooing, the clout-chasing, and of course the snitching. If you’re interested in rap, give this documentary a go! Also, this dude is straight-up not a good guy (an understatement).

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4:31 PM

I AM GRETA (HULU) R ATING :

YOU DON ’ T WANT TO MISS THIS

You may know about Greta Thunberg, and are impressed by her dedication to climate activism. But this film will inspire you even more, reminding you that we are putting a great burden on a seventeen year old to fix the environment because our world leaders are slacking. This documentary follows her as she makes speeches, travels across the ocean by boat to go to the UN Climate Action Summit, and lives her life as a climate activist/teenager with Aspberger’s. It features a disturbing montage of male journalists and politicians who hate on her and highlights how she must deal with being in the spotlight. Give this film a watch and you will not regret it.

Documentaries are hard to generalize. I took deep dives into niche topics like the career and life of Danny Hernandez/6ix9ine; I also learned about broad topics like mass incarceration and social media. And I only picked six out of the zillions of documentaries out there! Would I recommend committing full days to this like I did? Maybe not; I feel a little burned out from sitting in front of a screen for so long. What I would recommend, though, is trying out a few documentaries if you’re typically averse to the genre. Who knows, you could end up with an extended knowledge of something as peculiar as competitive tickling.

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MY TIME AT CORNELL THROUGH MY PLAYLISTS Luxury, “The Middle” by Zedd, or “God’s Plan”

by Drake, there are certain anthems that always got people vibing. To this day, I cannot hear one of these songs without picturing my friends and me having the time of our lives, albeit in a gross, frat basement, dancing and singing the nights away. Even though these may not currently be my favorite songs today, they are all tucked away in my “Pregame” playlist for when I want a throwback to my freshman and sophomore years.

ALIZ A SCHUB

From my first night on campus in 2017 to the end of my senior fall, music has always played an essential role in my college experience.

Whether I am in need of hype upbeat vibes or slow jams, every moment at Cornell requires a certain soundtrack. As I reflect on my past three and a half years, I am confident that it would not have been the same without music. I am grateful for AppleMusic (to all the Spotify purists, I have one word: aesthetic), my headphones, my speaker, and my many, many playlists for guiding me through this college journey.

While music was a significant social component of my life at Cornell, it played an active role in my academic world as well.

Before every gen chem and orgo prelim, I would walk up and down East Ave playing confidence boosters like “Hey Look Ma, I Made It” by Panic at the Disco. I would also blast hype up songs like “All Night Longer”

by Sammy Adams and “The Fighter” by Keith Urban. I have a long “Pre-Prelim” playlist filled with upbeat tracks like these to shake out my nerves and set me up for success before each test. I use this playlist before lab practicals, interviews, and anything else academic that is a little nerve wracking, which let’s face it, comes up often here at Cornell.

It started freshman year with the search to meet new people. Anxious to be in a new place with so many strangers, music was an effective tool in helping me make connections.

Within the first few weeks of school, I was hanging in a dorm room with multiple people I didn’t know getting ready to make the trek to Collegetown for a night out. I somehow ended up on aux and one person, who today is one of my closest friends, asked me what song I was playing. I remember this like it was yesterday, because I didn’t know if they liked it or wanted me to switch songs. In panic, I shared that it was “Silence” by Marshmello ft. Khalid. They immediately said they loved it and quickly followed my “Newest” playlist on AppleMusic.

We then started talking about the music we each liked, and we learned that we both played piano. After that night, we would spend time in the CKB lounges with other friends and floormates playing piano and guitar and just jamming out.

Perhaps the most common usage of music in my college career was for relaxation and a break. Running around from classes to office hours to club meetings, I rarely had opportunities to just chill out. Whether for two minutes while I walked from the Arts to the Ag Quad, or during a lunch break, or most often on my walks home from Central Campus at the end of the day, I would finally have time to myself. This is when I would become consumed in the lyrics and enjoy myself with my “Chill” playlist. For the record, 9 out of 10 songs in this playlist are by Dan + Shay. Songs like “Speechless”,“All to Myself”, and “Lately” each give me space to take a deep breath, not think about anything for a few minutes, and start my night off right when I get home

Music continued to play a role in my social life as college went on. 2018, the year of my second semester freshman year and first semester sophomore year, consisted of many dance parties. Whether it was “Body” by Loud

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from a day of school. Some non-Dan + Shay songs in this playlist include “So Sick” by NeYo, “Die a Happy Man” by Thomas Rett, and “Breakeven” by the Script, to name a few.

Whether they were social, academic, or recreation focused, each one of my playlists serve a very important purpose in my day to day life at Cornell. I can’t wait to look back at these playlists and remember all of my positive associations with the songs and my college experiences. My hope is that when I hear these songs, I will be transported back to my home in 14853. When I think about having only a few more months on campus, I am so grateful that I have a keepsake in the form of my playlists, that align with almost every experience I had on Cornell’s campus. I am thankful to the country and pop artists who helped me through the college years. And now, wishing I was a freshman again, I agree with Luke Bryan, and I say, “play it again, play it again, play it again.”

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d n a h e l b i s i v n i the a i d e m l a i c o s f o SAMANTHA KREVOLIN

ABIGAIL AUWAERTER

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Social media has become the ultimate puppeteer. These platforms have invisible strings that seem to pull your hands towards your phone and drag your fingertips to click on apps like Instagram or Facebook. The puppeteers also send alerts to your phone, which draw your attention away from whatever you’re doing at any given moment and lead your eyes towards the phone instead. Without realizing it, the social media platforms we use everyday manipulate us more than we know.

show me the “You’re all caught up!” section of the feed. I usually saw this pop up after just a few posts, and even then I still proceeded to view what I had already seen, which was pretty unnecessary. The notifications draw me and others in like it’s our baby crying for help. I’m now trying to learn how to enjoy life for what it is while maintaining a better relationship with my devices.

However, I luckily do have some experience with time away from the encapsulation of social media and technology. For seven years, I went to a sleep-away camp for seven weeks at a time. At the start of those seven weeks every summer, I was thrilled to leave my phone behind and hop on a bus that drove me to my little bubble. I got to know people more than ever before and did not need technology to stay connected or keep me entertained.

Thinking back to it, I wonder why it was so easy for me to throw away my phone when entering that bubble, but now it is so hard to put it down in everyday life.

A few weeks ago, my friends and I sat down and watched The Social Dilemma, a new Netflix docu-drama. When I was first told about the film, I did not know what I was getting myself into. I was expecting it to be like The Social Network, which was fun, interesting, and easy to watch. However, this documentary showed the harsh reality of the provocative and manipulative nature of social media.

Hearing from the content creators, designers, and inventors of the biggest media platforms themselves, I was shocked that they were able to undoubtedly recognize the problematic world they created. Even more surprising was their acknowledgment that they are not able to address all of the horrors that come along with their applications. As I was watching the film, I noticed my eyes rush towards my phone every time it lit up, and my attention immediately left the movie for every vibration of a notification.

I am honestly terrified of the person I have become and of the uncontrollable behaviors I possess as a result of technology and social media.

I am the first to admit that I am on my phone more than I should be. Others, on the other hand, are in denial of their connection and addiction to social media and technology.

My siblings, especially those who are younger, are terrible at disconnecting. If they don’t have their phone or tablet for more than an hour, it is as if they hear phantom vibrations or their arm has been taken away from them.

It is honestly sad how these industries have trapped us into their devices and platforms for capitalistic purposes. Although, it is important to acknowledge that while these companies have good intentions, they, unfortunately, will not take away the bad aspects of these devices once they start making a profit.

Additionally, I am enrolled in the course COMM 2200, Media Communication, this fall.

At the beginning of this class, our first major assignment was to track our media use for four days. I was honestly appalled at how often I was on my devices. For four days, I spent a total of over 23 hours on my laptop and 11 hours on my phone. Before this assignment, it was hard for me to realistically interpret how much time I spend on a day-to-day basis on these devices, but these numbers were revolting for me to discover.

The simplicity of just putting my phone in the other room while I’m doing work, leaving it face down when I’m talking to friends and family, or just going on a brisk walk without it makes me forget about this social dilemma.

Let’s be honest, what are you going to miss if you don’t look at social media for an hour?

Social media is a puppeteer for people of all ages from all around the world but has an especially big effect on college students. I hope that my experience will help inspire more people to take screens away from their eyes, even if it’s just for small increments of time, and cut the invisible strings to set themselves free.

Everyone should enjoy life for what it is, not just for what is posted on their feed.

With the combination of my media log and viewing The Social Dilemma, I knew it was time to make a change in my habits. Afterward, I made an effort to not check Snapchat as often. As much as I love seeing my friends’ faces, especially when I’m away at school, there’s no need to reply more than twice a day.

With some new-found time away from social media, I noticed how often Instagram used to

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COLORS & DESIGNERS MATTER: HOW FEMALE POLITICAL FIGURES USE FASHION FOR PURPOSE JACQUELINE NAVAS

Every morning, you wake up and choose your outfit. Rarely is this process a blind grab-and-go; there’s a logical (and maybe even artistic) cultivation of your chosen look.

Perhaps you’re planning to go for a morning jog and select warm athletic clothing. Maybe you have a major presentation and decide to wear a bold outfit. But if you’re a female political figure… well, let’s just say that there’s a reason they hire stylists.

zooming in on the most minor choices and drawing conclusions. Melania Trump, for example, has experienced countless fashion faux pas throughout her husband’s term.

After Melania wore that Zara jacket (trust me, you know the one), the media practically blew up. While visiting the United States’ border to Mexico where immigrant children were being detained, she wore a jacket that stated “I don’t really care, do you?,” an insensitive and direct attack on struggling immigrants.

Red carpets are often considered the ultimate judgement zone for fashion choices.

Tabloids and gossip blogs thrive on their “who wore it best” columns comparing various celebrities, from the Kim Kardashians of the world to the Julia Roberts. However, the most truly ostracized location of women’s fashion is the political theater.

Whether this was intentional or simply coincidental, first ladies’ clothing choices are inherently interpreted as a deliberate statement. In fact, the criticism does not end after moving out of the White House. In 2018, Michelle Obama received backlash after wearing Balenciaga boots while promoting her new book. To which she responded with an “it’s not my problem anymore” statement of sorts.

Female political figures’ fashion choices are viewed by the media in a unique way for two main reasons: 1. there aren’t as many women in government and 2. women’s fashion is much more noticeable and relevant than men’s. How often have Barack Obama and Donald Trump’s outfits been commented on?

Maybe two or three instances come to mind, and those were dramatic situations. Now think about their first ladies: how often were Michelle Obama and Melania Trump judged for their fashion choices? Just about every day.

While the difference between women and men in this situation can be viewed as sexist, and in many ways is, an opportunity for female politicians exists within the gap. Women in government have a unique platform that men do not possess to the same degree: fashion.

Either in a subtle matter or in a “look at me!” way, women can place themselves within a specific public perception or convey a value they hold, simply by choosing a specific pair of shoes– or even a lipstick shade.

Our nation’s first ladies have a constant microscope looming above them, practically

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SAR AH D . DAVIS GET T Y IMAGES

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Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, most commonly known as AOC, seems to be millenial social media’s favorite politician. In addition to her extensive policy-related resume, AOC is very deliberate in her style choices. Nobody sports red lipstick better than Cortez, and there’s a specific reason that her go-to beauty look is so significant. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a fellow Latina, wore red nail polish to her confirmation, ignoring advice that the color would be too bold and unprofessional.

AOC was inspired by Justice Sotomayor’s risky move and channels the same feminist energy with her own adaption: red lipstick.

The Obama era was no different. In 2016, Michelle Obama made a strategic outfit choice for diplomatic purposes. On the day that an important referendum vote was occurring in Italy, Michelle chose to wear a Gucci gown at the Kennedy Center honors– which was in no way random. By wearing an Italian designer, Michelle was making a statement.

Finally, color is everybody’s favorite form of symbolism, and for female political fashion: that means white (even after Labor Day!). Historically associated with women’s suffrage, white is a symbolic staple for every democratic female politician’s wardrobe. Most recently, Kamala Harris wore a tailored white pantsuit for her acceptance speech in order to commemorate the women before her and to inspire the women who will succeed her. AOC wore head-to-toe white for the same purpose as she was sworn into office. Some moments that truly caught the media’s attention were at the 2019 and 2020 State of the Union addresses, in which the democratic women of Congress wore all white to stand for their rights and honor the suffragettes.

In addition, AOC wears large hoop earrings to represent her Bronx beginnings. On Twitter, she stated that her reasoning for this style choice is so that “next time someone tells Bronx girls to take off their hoops, they can just say they’re dressing like a Congresswoman.”

Vice-president elect Kamala Harris also uses fashion for symbolism, but differently.

Politicians try so hard to appear relatable to their constituents. After all, people really just want to vote for themselves. So is most of the United States going to find commonalities with a candidate who wears head-to-toe Chanel?

No.

Fashion is the ultimate “picture” that “speaks a thousand words.” What we wear matters, especially in the public arena. While a woman’s outfit should never outshine and take attention away from her goals and accomplishments, in this day and age– it probably will. Therefore, it doesn’t matter if you’re a celebrity, politician, or even a Cornell student– use fashion for a purpose. It works.

Kamala Harris recognized this truth and dressed accordingly. Recently, Harris’ plane exits have gone viral, showcasing “relatable” footwear such as Timberland boots and her all-time favorite: Chuck Taylor All-Stars.

Wearing mainstream American clothing has garnered Kamala wide approval among the public. A stark contrast to the Midas-esque Trump administration, Harris automatically appears to be a true people’s representative– because she looks the part.

Interestingly, fashion plays a major role within international relations, specifically within the presidential family. Wearing clothing made by a designer from a specific country is a method to diplomatically salute the nation, especially when it comes to women’s fashion.

Melania Trump was very successful in this regard, praised for appreciating the culture of most countries she visited by wearing tasteful hints (except for when she wore a pith helmet on her Africa trip… aka a symbol of white colonialism). While visiting India, Melania showcased Indian-American designers; in Italy she donned an iconic Dolce & Gabbana coat; and she wore a Jil Sander dress on a trip to Germany, to name a few.

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STAYING CONNECTED OVER BREAK LIA CHANDR A

This semester has felt like a sprint: 3 months packed with college classes, time with Cornell friends, and Ithaca fun. Then, Thanksgiving came around to call most of us back to our hometowns. While some students decided to stay on through Thanksgiving or return to Ithaca after the break, most of us saw our last Ithaca sunset for the semester sometime around the end of November. As the dust settles from everyone returning to their hometown, I dawned on the reality that this break, we will be home for more time than ever before: two and a half months. While the end of our semester took up the first 3 weeks, we still have almost 2 months to spend at home, away from our closest college friends.

To many, having 2 months to spend at home can feel daunting. We have just spent 3 months in Ithaca fully immersed in the college environment with late nights, close friends, and endless smiles. Now, we return home for a much-needed break to see our families, but miss Ithaca and all the people that make upstate New York feel like home. Staying in touch over such a long break can be difficult.

These days, we are even more prone to Zoom or FaceTime fatigue, because all of our classes and club meetings already take place over one of these platforms. But, there are still so many ways to connect personally, even when we can’t see each other face to face. Here are some of the ways I plan to stay in touch with my college friends over this break:

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ON ZOOM GAME NIGHT

POWERPOINT NIGHT

To my surprise, you can find versions of trademark college games online for free. Some of these include Pictionary, Cards Against Humanity, Taboo, Charades, and Scattergories. It’s an exciting game night activity that you can do on Zoom from the comfort of your own bed!

There are so many ways to pull off a PowerPoint Night that are guaranteed to brighten your evening. My personal favorite way to do one of these is to assign each person the name of another friend who will be on Zoom that night. You then make a PowerPoint themed around something you think would be funny to see that person present about. The person presenting won’t know what their presentation is about until the second when they start presenting. The Powerpoint can be about anything — superlatives for your friend group, the 10 best spots in Oklahoma (presented by someone who has never been to Oklahoma, of course) — you name it! This is one of my favorite Zoom activities because you can get creative with it and make fun memories like you would in person, over Zoom.

MASTERCLASS

This DIY Zoom Masterclass idea is a great way to learn something new and be productive, all while staying in touch with friends. In Zoom Masterclasses, each week one of your friends will teach a new Masterclass to the group. The beauty of it is that each friend can choose something unique that they love to do to share with the group. For example, you could teach your friends your family’s famous sugar cookie recipe, or lead your friends in a paint night where you all follow a Bob Ross painting video.

GO ON A WALK

My friend Nicole is a walking enthusiast whose goal for 2020 was to get 10,000 steps every day. When we were in Ithaca, I always received a text from Nicole at 11:30 pm letting me know that she had 30 minutes to get 1,000 more steps in, which meant we would be going for a nighttime walk up Triphammer.

At home, Nicole and I decided to continue our walks together by Facetiming while walking through our neighborhoods. This has been an amazing way to stay active while simultaneously staying connected.

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VIA APPS SNAPCHAT PRIVATE STORIES On Snapchat, you can create a private group Snapchat story that any one of your friends included in the group can post to. You can use this story in many ways — anyone can post to it when they do something eventful, or you can use it to vlog. Put together a group of friends, and have a new friend vlog every day of the break! You can cycle through each friend in the group to first handedly witness what your friends are up to on a daily basis.

SPOTIFY GROUP LISTEN TEXTING: STOP, DROP & SNAPSHOT!

This new feature on Spotify allows you to launch a group listening session with your friends on Spotify. Press the bluetooth icon on the song that’s playing to get the link to start your session! You can then copy that link and send it to one of your friends. They can click the link to join your listening session and your music will sync up, such that when one of the listeners pauses the music, it will pause for everyone. Likewise, if one friend skips a song, it will skip for everyone. I’m especially excited about using this to connect with friends as I study for finals or when on a long drive over break. Sharing music with one another isn’t only a very personal way to connect with each other, but it’s also an amazing way to find new music with minimal effort.

Stop, drop and snapshot is a game one of my friends created as a way to stay in touch with the friends she made during her gap year. The premise of it is simple: any person will text “stop drop and snapshot” into the group chat, and all group members will do exactly that — stop whatever they are doing and take a snapshot of what they are doing at that exact moment. It’s a fun way to see what your friends are doing, stay in touch with them, while not having to commit several hours to a Facetime if you are too busy to do so.

The next 2 months will be a good time to recharge from our semester-long sprint. Everyone could use some time outside of the Ithaca bubble to relax. But, we can’t help but miss our college friends who may be all the way across the world now. While Zoom interactions can be trying, there are so many unique ways to stay in touch over break to make it feel like you are talking to each other in the same room.

So, for the time being, we can all reconnect by opening our computers or phones to see each other screen-to-screen, just until we can once again see each other face-to-face. Before we all know it, we’ll be back in Ithaca with our friends watching the sun set over yet another sleepy evening on the Slope.

FLORA This app is a great way to stay in touch while also encouraging yourself to be productive.

On Flora, you can start a timer for any time between 5 minutes and 2 hours and 45 minutes. During that time, the app will grow a tree to add to your virtual garden, as long as you do not use your phone then. You can do group study sessions in which all of your friends agree to also not use their phone during a given time interval, and it will add a flower to all of the participant’s gardens.

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WHERE TO NOW?

PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER GRADUATION AMARIS RICHARDSON - MINOR

I can see it now, my B.A. arriving in the mail and wondering to myself – what happens next? I have ideas and various paths I could possibly walk: chase my music career, get my poetry book published, work as a journalist, or attend grad school. But I miss the days in which I could map out my life and be certain of my destination for the next year. As a Cornell senior, my mind has shifted from enjoying the college experience to panicking about the future. This is a feeling shared by many of my peers as we struggle to enter the postundergrad world. Like anyone in distress, I searched for guidance and found it in my 25-year-old husband to overcome these fears.

Through a series of hot chocolate dates, he has given me great insight that I’d now like to pass along. Here’s my take on how to avoid feeling lost at sea when commencement rolls around.

people in this life will teach you more valuable lessons than distinguished faculty ever could, and that’s what makes the post-undergrad years so thrilling.

With that excitement, keep your dreams at the forefront of your mind. For those of you who have had your dreams crushed by a bitter soul, know their words weren’t gospel.

If you’ve always wanted to start a YouTube channel, go buy that fancy camera. If you felt like you had an epic story idea, get to writing.

If you’ve always fantasized about a career in LA, get on that plane. You may be broke when you land, but you will have gotten there all on your own. Be proud of your courage. Knock on every door until one of them opens. If you’re blessed to have a couple of options, stick with the one that best fits your current desires and needs. Don’t waste your energy worrying about tomorrow. When that day comes, you’ll make a decision then.

For starters, you can give yourself a break.

I’ve learned from meeting my husband and chatting with his friends, all in the latter half of their twenties, that this lack of direction is not a curse. In fact, it never truly disappears.

What you do now does not need to define what you do forever. Life is long. There is time to get rejected and try again, time to change careers, and time to settle down and start a family. One secret to making this transition work is to stop comparing your experiences to the lives of others. Get rid of all those personal benchmarks. If by the time you’re 26, you still don’t own your first house, but your cousin does, that is ok. If you’re single and ready to mingle at 30, you’re still young with plenty of time to find that special someone.

Lastly, stay in touch with the wise ones: your grandma, that older man at the coffee shop who is always eager to share a memory with you, or your mother and father figures.

Whether we like it or not, they do have knowledge to pass on for our own adventures.

It’s easy to think you know everything. It’s a common shield we use to hide our fears of being corrected. Corrections are a part of maturity. If you can’t handle a word of wisdom well, ask yourself why. You’re a young, 20-something who has plenty of firsts ahead of them. Naiveté is not the sin you believe it to be, it’s actually pride. Don’t be too proud to ask for help, don’t be too proud to apologize, and don’t be too proud to start anew.

Once you free yourself from your own expectations, expect the unexpected. Expect financial independence to not be a cake walk. Expect your credit score to suck in the beginning (so much for buying a car without a cosigner). Expect your mind to change over and over again. Most importantly, anticipate that the transition from being a college student to just a plain, young adult will be full of surprises. Accept that your Ivy League degree might render useless in many situations and find humility in that. Many

Take it from me, as I adjust to married life and all of the responsibilities of being on my own during my last year of Cornell. I have learned that what follows graduation for most isn’t as terrifying as a monster under your bed. You’ll most likely always feel like a kid.

But be the big kid who is ready to march into their next phase of life, fully prepared to be underprepared while still finding joy along the way.

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