Columns

GUEST ROOM | The 303 Creative Ruling is a Bigger Deal Than You Think

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As current and recent college students, the recent June Supreme Court rulings against student loan forgiveness and affirmative action stood out to many of us, but there was another, even more significant case decided on the last day of Pride Month this year.

In 303 Creative llc v. Elenis, Lorie Smith, the owner and sole employee of the graphic design business 303 Creative, brought a pre-enforcement challenge against the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act. Smith proposed to start designing wedding websites and planned to establish a policy of denying service to same-sex couples, which violates CADA. In a statement on her website, Smith wrote, “The messages I have received [since the ruling] have shown that there is a lot of misunderstanding and misinformation about the case,” so let’s clarify the facts of the case.

Columns

BERNSTEIN | On Transphobia and Brianna Ghey

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There are so many spaces where trans people aren’t welcome and where their very existence is put into question. In the aftermath of Brianna’s death, it’s easy to say that “no one would have wanted this.” But is that true of people who denied her and still deny other trans people their right to exist? People who ignore her reality and close their doors to her? What else could those who push “anti-transgender” policies, ideas or agendas — and those who platform them — really want? 

When the fire of transphobia is allowed to burn, those who wish to eliminate transness see their wish come true. 

At the heart of any fire is the kindling. In this case, the kindling is the spaces where trans and genderqueer individuals or anyone who doesn’t otherwise fit into traditional gender roles can’t feel that they belong.

News

Female Cornell Students Reflect on Gender Inequality

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“I have heard of many unfortunate incidents happening to women on campus while they were walking home by themselves at night, so I always make sure to walk home with a friend or call an Uber… I’ve been taught to always have my guard up, especially at social events,” said Jamie Levy ’23

Columns

GUEST ROOM | Shut Up and Play: Challenging JT Baker’s Disqualification

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As a student-athlete, a black man and a supporter of JT Baker, I am disgusted and disappointed — though not wholly surprised — by the outcome of the recent student-elected trustee election. JT’s disqualification was not only unjust but is reflective of the campus climate at the predominantly white institution that is Cornell University. Furthermore, JT’s disqualification speaks to larger issues of exclusion of student-athletes and students from underrepresented communities at large from the limited, competitive and time-consuming opportunities in shared governance. Both the president of the University and the chair of the Board of Trustees have spoken out with strong statements condemning the disqualification decision by the Trustee Nominating Committee. And yet, the only actions being taken are empty calls for “reforms” for future elections.

Columns

AHMAD | To All the Mentors I’ve Had Before

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If I’m being completely honest, I hated Cornell when I first started attending. It was nothing personal, it was mainly just a combination of homesickness, intimidation and the infamous adjustment period. Unfortunately, my so-called adjustment period felt more like a chronic state and lasted much, much longer than I anticipated. When I look back at my time here — something that I tend to do a lot these days as it’s my last semester — I realize that the primary reason I got through it, and eventually began to love Cornell, was because of the mentors I’ve had along the way. In my freshman year, against this background of inner turmoil and a sense of not fitting in, I was simultaneously trying to orient myself onto the pre-med track.

Columns

LEE | A Non-American’s American Dream

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Prior to coming to the United States for university, I regarded the American Dream as a far-fetched ideal that had little to do with my personal life. Taking part in Ellis Island role-play simulations in middle school and reading about Willy Loman’s despairs in Death of a Salesman made me aware of the disillusionment associated with the so-called land of opportunity. While I was able to appreciate the sentiments and discussions that revolved around this ideology that has shaped much of the U.S., I saw it as a distant concept as a non-immigrant foreign student expecting to leave the country after my student visa expires. But over the past two and a half years, I, too, have developed my own American Dream. Lively discussions across campus about social mobility and success have ignited a desire to work hard to improve my circumstances, who I am and who I strive to become.