American-Sign-Language

In 2020, America’s foreign policy legacy is under historic scrutiny. It has become common to hear America’s foreign policy record cynically painted as one defined by coups against democratically-elected governments, corporate profiteering, and “forever wars” fought without a legitimate purpose. At Columbia in particular, prevailing opinion holds that U.S. foreign policy is nothing more than imperialism in 21st-century garb. As this narrative has taken hold across the country, many Americans have grown more skeptical of the United States playing a significant role in international affairs. Indeed, isolationism—not a foreign policy, but rather a lack thereof—has found itself back in vogue. Instead of embracing this discredited approach, we must come to terms with America’s foreign policy record and look toward the future, to one where America eagerly accepts her mantle as the decisive player in the international arena.

She imagines her mind like a hallway. Boxes line the floor, filled with all of the poetry and artwork she has ever studied. James Baldwin and W.B. Yeats are there, talking to her in David Hammons' blue light.

“Uncertainty is a motif of my life,” Columbia College first-year Derek Ng tells me, one evening over Zoom. 

An online college experience has been a hassle for many, whether it be because of one’s inability to concentrate, the quality of lectures, or just general feelings of isolation. Columbia and Barnard students across the globe can—for the most part—agree that education is better when everyone is together. However, in the absence of regular events and heavy courseloads, the University has gifted its students a double-edged sword: more free time. If you, like many others, are looking for productive ways to spend your newly found hours of the day, try picking up a new language. On top of online programs to help you learn, one of the best ways to practice a language is through listening to others speak. Without further ado, here’s a list of popular foreign films to watch during quarantine season.

It was a decade of many firsts for the Columbia women’s tennis program. Led by head coach and former Lion Ilene Weintraub, CC ’02, the Light Blue notched its first-ever winning Ivy League season, claimed its first Ancient Eight title, won ECACs four times, and earned its highest ranking in program history.

Jay-Z was met with a standing ovation upon entering The Forum on Columbia’s Manhattanville campus. While Beyoncé—yes, you read that right—slipped inconspicuously into her seat in the audience, Jay-Z sat down to speak on topics ranging from his musical influences to prison reform to his controversial partnership with the National Football League to his historic role in the landscape of hip-hop.

I spent this weekend in the last hurrah portion of my graduate school applications, and had to write a “commitment to diversity” statement. Because of this and the fact that I’m not going home or visiting my family for Thanksgiving this year, I’ve been trying to write about who I am in that sense.