Columns

MKRTCHYAN | Why ‘Russian for Russians’ is Problematic

By |

Academics can be cruel, especially at such a rigorous university as Cornell. Constantly being torn apart between all the courses, possible double major, clubs, social life, meetings and networking, I tried looking for ways to earn credits for the knowledge I already had before coming to Cornell. After all, having some extra credits has never harmed anyone, and I learned that the language placement exams could reduce my workload. Therefore, being a Russian speaker, I googled “Cornell University Russian Department” to find their official website and register for their Russian placement test. What I found was disappointing, dismissive and disrespectful, in my opinion.

Arts & Culture

Vladimir Kara-Murza Is Not Backing Down

By |

Someone is trying to kill Vladimir Kara-Murza. Someone is failing. The Russian journalist and democratic activist, a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin, is soft-spoken but full of life as we sit chatting about politics in the atrium of Gates Hall. Kara-Murza is in town for a screening of his documentary Nemtsov, which tells the story of slain Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, and in an interview with The Sun he explained the story behind the film, and what he hopes to impart on his audience. “Boris was the best of us… so they killed the strongest,” Kara-Murza says when asked about the brazen 2015 assassination of Nemtsov that occured just steps away from the Kremlin.