opinion megaphone

CHANCELLOR | L-O-V-E

In modern times and on college campuses like Cornell, we do not even know what love is. Love used to be commonplace in families, but became unattainable, a holy grail.

GUEST ROOM | Why I’m Resigning from the Cornell Political Union

This week, the Cornell Political Union was accused of discriminating against Jannique Stewart, a conservative, Christian speaker, because of her religious beliefs. As CPU’s Vice President of Finance, I was present for all full executive board discussions related to the retraction of Stewart’s invitation, and I feel that it is my obligation to shed some light on the incident as neither Stewart nor the CPU executive board has been fully honest and transparent. Stewart was invited to speak to CPU on the topic of abortion. However, after researching her background and discovering her traditional Christian views on sexuality and marriage — namely, her belief that marriage is between a man and a woman — the executive board decided to cancel Stewart’s speech and attempt to find a less controversial speaker to discuss the topic. Contrary to her characterizations in a Facebook post, Stewart’s beliefs were not likened to supporting slavery or denying the Holocaust.

RUSSELL | Love and Loathing in Upstate New York

Last summer, I fell victim to my longings for spontaneity and crashed a wedding. The hunt for viable festivities took guts and perseverance, but once I arrived at the venue’s floral walkway with my date for the evening, we knew our labor was worthwhile. Inside, it seemed to be the aftermath of a rowdy affair. The drunk aunts and uncles rocked and gyrated on the edge of the dance floor with blank stares that make you want to give them a pillow and a blanket. In the middle were the three of four most passionate couples, rubbing up against each other in slow motion as the DJ spun his late night playlist of R&B songs you don’t recognize until the chorus.

Red Letter Daze: Saying 'I Do' at C.U.

Gul Gunaydin grad is a true expert on marriage between young couples — not only does she study interpersonal relationships as a graduate student in social psychology, but she also married her boyfriend of four years, Emre Selcuk grad, right here at Cornell in September. The two graduate students held their wedding behind the A.D. White House, and a friend from the psychology department led the ceremony with a group of faculty and friends in attendance.
Both newlyweds are originally from Turkey. After four years of dating and relocating to Ithaca for graduate school, getting married not only felt right, it was also convenient, given their living situation. “Since we would be living in the same house in Ithaca, we thought it would be convenient to get married,” Gunaydin joked.