Columns

WISE-ROJAS | How Race and Society Influence Gun Violence 

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Content warning: This article contains mentions of gun violence and radicalism. Sitting on my bed, my phone lit up as per usual with the latest headlines. My heart dropped to my stomach when I read the headline: “Developing Story: School Shooting in an Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.”A story documenting the victims revealed how nearly all the victims were of Latinx descent. Other reports documented that the shooter posted his violent plans on Twitter, with no one taking the time to pay attention to his mental state and how it would impact others. One explained how easy it is to get an assault rifle like an AR-15 — the shooter got it as soon as he turned 18. 

These stories hurt any empathetic person to hear, no doubt about it.

Columns

WISE-ROJAS | Don’t Expect Continued Mental Health Care from Cornell

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Furthermore, the role of privilege is also evident when it comes to mental health care on campus; it’s not only prevalent in college admissions and the culture of attending an Ivy League school. One of Cornell’s Mental Health Initiatives includes their Fall 2020 Mental Health and Well Being Survey. Regarding mental health disparities, students of color, those who identify as a gender out of the binary or as transgender and those whose sexual orientation doesn’t fit societal norms struggle the most. 

Columns

WISE-ROJAS | “Don’t Say Gay” Bill Harms a Generation, Normalizing Homophobia

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Content warning: this article contains mention of homophobia and mental health conditions

Being gay is not a choice. It never has been and never will be; hence, students in K-12 schools need to be educated on what it means to be LGBTQ+. However, it becomes almost a strenuous task to relay this sentiment to others when bills like “Don’t Say Gay” just passed in the Florida Senate, where “instruction on gender and sexuality would be constrained in all grades,” according to a New York Times Education Briefing analysis of the bill. People know that this will obviously impact those who live in Florida. What people aren’t discussing is the impact of the bill on its potential to harm Generation Z, regardless of what state someone is in.

Dining

The Lie of the “Freshman Fifteen” and How To Navigate Eating on Cornell’s Campus

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Content warning: this article contains content relating to eating disorders and relationships with food. Walking through the dining hall, I contemplate what to eat; the pizza looks good, but I don’t think that’s healthy. Ice cream, obviously, is delicious, but then I ask, “am I just using this as a way to cope with my emotions?” I decide to get a salad, wondering how some people around me just eat whatever and don’t gain weight. I wonder why I care so much about what I eat — it’s because I always have. However, there’s a fine line between caring about what you eat in a way that’s helpful and paying attention to your intake in a way that’s obsessive.

Featured in Category

WISE-ROJAS | From “Plantations” to “Botanic Gardens” — Holding Cornell Accountable

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Content warning: This article includes discussions of racism, white supremacy and homophobia. 

When I was sitting in UNILWYL 1156: Queer Identities and Beyond, last semester, I was shocked to hear the words “Cornell Plantations” and learn about its history. At first, I thought it was one of those scenarios that was made up just to educate students. On the other hand, I wasn’t in total shock. Cornell is an Ivy. No matter how diverse, it’s still old and was founded by people who never had a minority’s interest at heart.

Columns

WISE-ROJAS | Why Ivy Privilege Doesn’t Solve Sexism in Healthcare

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I remember getting my acceptance letter, naturally assuming that since Cornell is a wealthy school (specifically, a $10 billion endowment), I wouldn’t have to worry about having access to healthcare. I assumed that even if appointments were booked, there would be no frustration on the part of the student. I had the sad realization that such an assumption was near impossible and utopic — even more so when someone considers the roles that gender plays. 

Because women are disposable in society, they are perceived as less worthy and tend to be gaslighted by men. “Ivy privilege” does not solve the problem of sexism in healthcare in today’s society; as a matter of fact, it exacerbates holes in the system to cater more to the needs of men and protect capitalist institutions by prioritizing money and corporate greed. 

In a weird, almost egotistical way, I assumed that any obstacles to healthcare would be overrun by my “Ivy privilege.” That’s essentially when I say, “I go to Cornell.” and people freak out. I’m automatically seen as a more respectable person (which isn’t right, because there are so many other schools that are just as good with less prestige.

Columns

Wise-Rojas | Why Professionalism Has Racist Roots, and How to Cope With It at Cornell

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Essentially, everything we know about being “professional” involves being more white. Speak perfect English. Have straight hair (forget about colored hair and tattoos, that’s just horrendous, even if your tattoo is connected to your Native American heritage). Be a specific body shape and size (when the metrics of BMI were already connected to white bodies without consideration for groups like Latina women, who sometimes have naturally curvy bodies). Don’t take breaks. Grind and grind. Eating on the job could get you fired, even though eating is a natural part of being a human.

Columns

WISE-ROJAS | Privilege Check: Saying Thank You at the Dining Hall

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This isn’t to say that Cornell Dining is perfect. Yeah, sometimes it’s crowded, and it’s annoying when the food you were waiting for runs out and there isn’t any more left. However, having access to an abundance of food as a college student is a huge privilege. BestColleges also echoes that since “many college students struggle to cover basic needs,” how “those who lack family support are especially likely to struggle to afford food, and report eating less, eating less healthy, and going hungry.” 

Columns

WISE-ROJAS | Diversifying the Ivy Student Experience

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Yes, everyone is entitled to their own opinions based on their experiences. However, saying legacy admissions are needed to keep elite schools running as a business is the opposite of owning privilege. It’s a way to use privilege as an advantage to keep non-legacy admits beneath you regardless of their other identities. Such is a form of oppression, not a form of “school pride,” as the article claims. 

Columns

WISE-ROJAS | Queering the Ivy Student Experience: How to Make History at Cornell while Living Intersectionally

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However, it’s a challenge when the Ivy with the most diverse student body is primarily white and heteronormative. According to Data USA, “the enrolled student population at Cornell University, both undergraduate and graduate, is 33.6 percent White, 15.4 percent Asian, 10.6 percent Hispanic or Latino, 5.3 percent Black or African American, 3.81 percent Two or More Races, 0.25 percent American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.0916 percent Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders”.