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EDITORIAL | ‘Please Drop this Class in Student Center’

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You are a second semester sophomore or junior (maybe even a freshman) here at Cornell. The classes you signed up for during pre-enroll are working out great. You have time for lunch everyday, you go to bed at a reasonable hour each night and maybe you are even enrolled in a few classes that are helping you knock out those hefty graduation requirements early. Then, on the second Friday of the semester, an email from the registrar pops up in your inbox. It reads like a more stern version of the following:

“Dear student,

To make room for a second semester senior who is struggling to meet their graduation requirements, we have decided to remove you from a class you love.

antonio tsialas

EDITORIAL: Lawsuit Filed By Family of Deceased Freshman Antonio Tsialas ’23 Is a Call to Action

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If you see something, say something. If you hear something, say something. According to The Sun’s reporting, the parents of Antonio Tsialas ’23 are suing Cornell University, the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and individuals. Cornellians who know information — but are willingly hiding that information from law enforcement — are sinning against the parents, siblings and friends of Tsialas. Cease the all-too-Cornellian habit of selfishness.

Opinion

EDITORIAL: What Goal Is Cornell Trying to Achieve Through Greek Life Reforms?

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Few people would argue that the social scene on this campus is doing fine. Even fewer would say that the Greek Life that existed on this campus 12 months ago was a healthy system. It is clear that reform is necessary. It is urgent. And it needs to come from the adults paid to unearth them — not patched together on the backs of college students without the institutional knowledge, experience or mental bandwidth to reform them.

Opinion

EDITORIAL: Mandatory Life Skills Class: A Socioeconomic Equalizer

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In a recent interview with The Sun, President Martha E. Pollack discussed how increasing socioeconomic diversity at the University was a top priority for her. This is an admirable goal which Pollack says goes beyond active recruitment and includes supporting students while they make their way through Cornell. The Sun previously reported on various initiatives led by the University and students to promote socioeconomic diversity including addressing food insecurity and cost of textbooks. Pollack also reported success in overcoming resource gaps with a flipped classroom structure. These are all necessary steps for creating an environment for students of all different backgrounds to thrive.

Opinion

EDITORIAL: Refresh Pre-Enroll

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It’s 6:59 a.m. and you are trying to proceed to Step 2. Maybe this will be the semester you get all the classes. Or maybe your page will have the dreaded grey load box in the corner and you will be locked out of enrolling in your classes — both the mandatory ones and your electives — yet again. Cornell’s current pre-enroll system simply favors those with good internet connection. And that’s not okay.

Opinion

EDITORIAL: Vote Yes for Campus Climate

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How do we create institutional change? At a University that has existed since 1865, we fall victim to systemic problems that persisted since long before the conception of Cornell. When evaluating the campus problems we seek solutions for — issues that affect one, many or all Cornellians — the sheer length of the list makes taking action seem overwhelming and unachievable. But what if we take one of the institutional problems we are facing and put forth a conversation and some action items to begin to tackle it? Many organizations on this campus, like Cornell Minds Matter, are champions of this approach and are creating positive institutional change.

Editorials

EDITORIAL: Put the ‘Break’ Back in Breaks

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A four-day mid-semester pause from classes would seem to offer ample time for students to recharge and focus on well-being and sleep. Nor is this an accident, as The Faculty Handbook Project makes clear: “Short breaks from academic requirements are intentionally included in the academic calendar to provide rest, respite and a break from schoolwork.” Cornell Health further emphasizes the need for rest, especially sleep, with an entire page dedicated to sleep-related health. It recommends students take 7-9 hours every night to get sleep — which, in its words, “is a necessity, not a luxury.”

But is that consistent with the messages our instructors are sending us? Take, for example, the all-too-common practice of professors assigning work during breaktime. When students get work over break, the obvious implication is that the assigned work should trump any need for a proper break.