Do you find yourself wondering if there is something more to this life?
Something more than waking up, eating, going to class, eating, going to more class, eating, doing homework, sleeping (optional), then doing it all again? Is there something more to life than athletics, fraternities, Super Smash Brothers or poker?
For those who are asking, searching, yearning for an outlet for their ambitions, opinions and unique interests, there is an answer: Cornell student publications. It is broad term that encompasses over twenty different publications run right here on campus, on everything from humor to politics and sometimes both combined. With something for everyone, one of Cornell’s best-kept secrets deserves to be pulled out of the obscurity of the Temple of Zeus and into the Cornell mainstream.
The organization The Student Publications of Cornell, or “StudPubs,” was inspired by the idea of “uniting all of the student-run publications at Cornell into a larger community.” First came the StudPubs Pocket Guide of ‘05, a brief compilation that aimed to include as many publications as possible within the small span of newspaper.
The publications were grouped into rough categories and listed in no particular order for the sake of organization and facilitation; the guide requests that readers understand many publications could fit into several categories, which represent far more than a one-word heading.
Political publications are the generally more well-known on this campus. What is not well known is the variety of these publications, which span the entire political spectrum. Regardless of what party you belong to (or do not), there is something for everyone.
The Cornell American is an “independent journal of conservative principles” founded in 1992. Editor-in-Chief Andrew Gioia shares some of the papers unique qualities: “Not only does The American present a viewpoint not found in any classroom or other publication, it continually shines the light on the liberal ridiculousness here.” The paper is published every three weeks and claims the largest circulation of any campus-based newspaper.
The Cornell Review, founded in 1984, is also a right-wing newspaper. It was founded, similarly, in order to “counter the rampant liberalism among university administrators and students.”
Interestingly, both The Review and The American claim to be Cornell’s only conservative newspaper.
Turn Left is a left-wing political newspaper that focuses primarily on major current affairs. It publishes ten issues a year and is a member of the Center for American Progress’ Campus Progress Network.
For those more centrally- located on the political scale ,there is The Cornell Centrist. Jai Chawla, president and editor-in-chief, stated: “The purpose of The Cornell Centrist is to publish multiple newspaper-style journals that contain centrist, center-right and center-left political positions.” The goal of the centrist is to promote an intelligent political dialogue on campus.
The Cornell Moderator calls itself a non-partisan political publication. The Moderator states that its purpose is “to provide a forum within which rival ideologues can hash out their differences.” This publication is unique in its “point-counterpoint, debate-style” format.
It seeks “to introduce the apolitical Cornellian to contemporary political arguments without condescending to him and without indoctrinating him in the tenets of a single belief.”
Another realm of student publications are the subject-specific, including law, philosophy and science — to name a few.
The purpose of The Pre-Law Journal is to produce a publication created by students interested in subjects concerning law, politics, government and current events. As the Student Activities Office website says, though many students involved are considering becoming lawyers, it is not a requirement to join — others are just interested by the previously mentioned topics.
Logos, another subject specific journal, publishes significant undergraduate work from all aspects of philosophy. The purpose of the journal is to expand the philosophical horizon and understanding of traditional as well as contemporary issues.
The amount of options for one interested in publications regarding the sciences and research surely reflects the strength of these programs at Cornell.
The Research Paper is a student-run research magazine profiling undergraduates doing research at Cornell. Editor-in-Chief Brandon Goldberg boasts opportunities for writing, editing, design, photography and more.
SciTech is Cornell’s undergraduate science and technology magazine. It features new ideas, breakthroughs, controversies and people in the world of science and engineering. Each semester the magazine produces a new issue, with staff members handling all aspects of production.
The Ivy Journal of Ethics is a yearly journal of applied bioethics published by the Bioethics Society of Cornell. Research and discussion-based articles are published primarily from undergraduate students at schools throughout the U.S., Canada and the U.K. Past publications have featured submissions from notable faculty members, such as Nobel Laureate Roald Hoffmann, the Frank H.T. Rhodes Professor in Humane Letters.
The Triple Helix Inc., according to President Lena Kuznetsova, is the largest student-run international undergraduate journal bridging science, society and law. Since October 2004, the journal, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit, has rapidly expanded to include 24 chapters worldwide at some of the worlds most prestigious universities such as Oxford, Harvard, Yale, University of Melbourne and the National University of Singapore. The publication includes more then 700 students on four continents working together to provide a forum in which the most cutting edge issues are discussed.