Cornellians love tradition — we love watching the chimes concert, slipping on the Arts Quad in $200 Blundstones and writing angry Sidechat posts about the last CHEM 2080 prelim. But even the oldest continuously independent college daily in the U.S. needs a little spring cleaning. From a shiny new website to Sun jerseys that rival Lynah’s finest, your favorite student paper has officially rebranded. This isn’t just a fresh coat of paint, it’s a full-blown editorial renaissance. From new merch to spicy columns, here’s everything you didn’t know you needed to know.
161 Things Got a Facelift (And Maybe a Personality Disorder)
Forget 2019. The “161 Things Every Cornellian Should Do” has finally been updated with chaos, core memories and … court summons? The last time it was updated, the top meme format was “Woman Yelling at a Cat,” and TikTok was still a Wild West. But Cornell has changed, and it’s time we do as well.
We’ve taken the 161 and made it more us. It's the same spirit — packed with streaking, protesting and regretting — but with new rituals for a new age. This means chucking fish at Harvard, yes, but also sleeping through pre-enroll and then remaking your entire schedule during add/drop. It’s holding hands around Beebe Lake and then blocking each other on BeReal. It’s rage-crying over losing The New York Times Connections and pretending it was because you “weren’t trying that hard anyway.” It’s heartburn from the Chili Cook-off, the stress of asking for an extension you will abuse and maybe — just maybe — building a snow penis that gets its own Instagram account. And best of all, it’s now officially Cornell-approved behavior — just check number 155.
This isn’t a bucket list, it’s a survival guide. And updating it felt like finally admitting we are not who we were in 2019 (we might be worse).
OOTD(S) — Outfit of The Daily Sun
Tired of repping Cornell in the same shade of carnelian red? Of wearing itchy club quarter-zips that feel like bad inside jokes? Of hiding your Sun writer identity because you identify as a person who writes for the Sun, not a Sun writer? Now’s your moment.
The Sun’s new merch line is full of clever quips, subtle but fresh graphics and yes — even hockey jerseys. Nothing says “student journalism” like tossing fish in the stands while wearing our logo. With everything from hockey jerseys to tongue-in-cheek mugs, it’s the kind of wardrobe that says, “I’ve read Marx, but also love a good brunch.” You can finally match your crippling imposter syndrome with a perfectly designed graphic tee.
Perfect for impressing your crush at Collegetown Bagels, intimating pre-laws during coffee chats in Zeus or crying in Uris in style.
The Website Works Now. No, Seriously.
Our old site looked like it was built by a CS 1110 student in the Paleolithic era. But now? We’ve re-uploaded every piece, updated author profiles (even your favorite graphics and photo contributors) and redesigned the whole site so your daily scrolls are smoother than a drip coffee from Gimme! Coffee.
Curious who wrote that banger op-ed you saw on our Instagram? Click their name. Stalk their entire profile. Send us a fan letter (or hate mail). It’s all easier now, we promise.
Opinions in Orbit
We’ve always had opinions. Now we have franchise-worthy series to put them in.
Here at The Sun’s Opinion Department, we’ve always believed that nuance matters. That disagreement isn’t something to be feared — it’s something to be published.
This semester, we’re launching three new recurring series that aim to elevate that mission: The Eclipse, SUNder Review and Backstories & Bylines. These series are meant to push past the echo chamber and into the realm of layered discourse, where disagreements are thoughtful and argument is productive.
The Eclipse is designed to do just what the name suggests: shine a light on the obscured. It’s a space where contrasting perspectives on the same issue live side-by-side — not to cancel each other out, but to help illuminate the full picture. Think of it as Cornell’s intellectual sparring ground, where writers make their case on opposite sides of a central campus question.
SUNder Review takes a different tactic. Instead of a debate between two viewpoints, it’s a deep dive into a single issue, explored through multiple voices. You’ve already seen a preview of this in this week’s review on Michael Kotlikoff’s presidential appointment. Whether it’s major campus development, a national moment with local reverberations or a cultural flashpoint worth unpacking, SUNder Review gathers a chorus of opinions from columnists to guest submissions to offer a panoramic view — grounded in lived experience, curiosity and the kind of rigor that defines Cornell.
With Bylines & Backstories, you can meet the minds behind the columns. We believe that powerful writing does not just come from opinion — it comes from experience, identity and perspective. That’s why we’re launching this new multimedia series designed to introduce you to our team of columnists in a format that goes beyond their byline. Through short video interviews, we’ll be pulling back the curtain on who’s writing what — and more importantly, why. Expect conversations that are candid, thoughtful and sometimes surprising, as writers share the moments, questions and contradictions that shape their columns. Think of it as the faces behind the fire.
We know your opinions are personal — so it’s time to make the Opinion section more personal too.
Lifestyle, But With a Pulse
Our Lifestyle section got tired of being the “girl next door” section. Now? She’s funny, vulnerable and chaotically relatable with Faded on Fridays, Sex on Thursdays, Dating on Wednesdays and Maia on the Mic. We’ve got your week covered, giving you real storytelling, written by people who probably left a situationship to write about it here.
So if you’ve ever cried in the Cocktail Lounge while Okenshields dinner queases your stomach, this one’s for you.
The Sun’s Out, A New Era Has Begun
With new lists, new looks and new voices, The Sun brings us the same integrity with a rebrand. We hope you laugh, cry, ponder and rage-click our email to submit a guest column all in one sitting.
Let’s make this semester unforgettable (or at the very least well-documented).
Sophia Dasser freshman Computer Science and Philosophy major in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is the Opinion Editor of the 143rd Editorial Board. Her column Dass(er) The Point explores the intersection of technology, ethics, and social justice, with a focus on the overlooked and underrepresented. She can be reached at sdasser@cornellsun.com.
