By Rocky R ūb and Iris Eisenman Illustration by Derin Ogutcu During a polycule outing in Gowanus, BK, the following messages were recorded while Bweditors (Blue & White Editors) confronted Feditors (Columbia Federalist Editors) about a recent claim  in the latter “publication” that the former Magazine is BROKE (bye). The truth is, allegations like this started three years ago when an-ex EIC accidentally used the company card instead of her parent’s, draining (almost) our enti

By Marvin Cho Tethered on marble steps firm under a city gathered by the Bard’s song and choral wail to tears and awe moved the City enamoured. And on the distant stage swooning bacchants sing winesongs, then at their leisure yield to koaxing Frogs or a lover’s heartburn or to acts of grace on a Trojan field. There I sat cross-legged and with critic’s eye grasped at intentions, and on that happy day I was with you. But impelled by a god’s whisper or by a chance curse I am sw

By Kate Sibery I stacked my books on the sill but every time there was wind  they fell over and every time it rained they got wet. So I moved the books to the floor but they got stepped on  instead of read. I bought a bookshelf  but couldn’t put it together I swallowed the screws which went down easy  like cough drops or pennies coppery and cold.  I left the freezer open for a day or two to see how it would smell which was bad but not as bad as the smell of paint after I deci

Natalie Buttner , Editor-in-Chief: Train Dreams  (2025). WNYC Studios, “La Brega.” The Atlantic Games, “Bracket City.” Duda Kovarsky Rotta , Managing Editor: T.S. Eliot, “Little Gidding V.”   Adrianne Lenker, “Sadness As A Gift.” Carlos Drummond de Andrade, “A Flor e a Nausea.” Nnema Épée-Bounya , Deputy Editor: Jamiroquai, “Morning Glory.” Daft Punk, “Veridius Quo.” When Harry Met Sally , (1989).  Lucy Mason , Publisher: The Periodicals and Microformes Reading Room. Hannah L

Barnard English goes “global.” By Iris Eisenman Illustration by Nini Vilac Not too long ago, Professor Atefeh Akbari could be found in the labyrinthine recesses of the LeFrak offices. Now, I had the pleasure of speaking with Akbari in her cozy office on the fourth floor of Barnard Hall, with plenty of natural light flooding the room. The change of environment is a reflection of her career’s progress at Barnard. Akbari is arguably the face of the English department’s recent ef

On limits, math, and hockey.   By Schuyler Daffey Illustration by Audrey Wang Milena Harned CC ’26 reminisces fondly over skating in front of Heads of State. At the Ice Hutch, CU Hockey’s former home rink,   Milena would drill in front of a dignified audience of cardboard cutouts, among them Rachel Green, Chewbacca, and Michael Jordan. The team has since moved to a different rink, but Milena will never forget “seeing Obama watch me skate in his inhumanly large cutout form.” M

Columbia University is the largest territory in NYC, and the Columbia University Tenants Union is fighting to keep it in check.  By Jeremiah Barron Illustration by Nini Vilac In 1987, journalists Ted Robbins and Jack Newfield published  a ranking of the city’s most abusive landlords in The Village Voice ; Columbia University won the title of the single worst landlord in the entire city. The largest private property owner in the city was, in their words, “a wolf in sheepskin c

The Beginnings of Ntozake Shange and her Literary Elsewheres. By Nnema Épée-Bounya Illustration by Iris Pope On the fourth floor of Milstein Library, in box nine, folder three of the Ntozake Shange Papers sits a stapled, slightly stained, magazine. Tucked between the manilla folders of Barnard’s Archives, its cover is a loose sketch of a nude Black woman—her arms delicately wrapped around her body, her hip popped to the side, her featureless face turned toward the reader. To

Why everyone should take Acting 1 before graduating. By Julian Rodriguez Illustration by Julie Shi It was 9 a.m., and I was lying on the floor of the Glicker-Milstein Theatre with my shoes off. Soon, Professor David Skeist would walk in, wearing a fuzzy Care Bear bucket hat, a lavender tank top, and a very loose pair of green linen pants, appearing a little frazzled. Professor Skeist is a Brooklyn-based actor, director, and adjunct professor at Barnard. Kooky and extravagant,

Four steps on how to be Chinese. By Willow Bradford Illustration by Lilah Chen The elevator is broken and my room is four flights up. Among many white canvases, a flimsy red and gold piece of paper is hastily taped across the elevator buttons on the ground floor of Sulzberger. An outstretched index finger reaches, through papers upon papers, to press up and down buttons, regardless of the cuts and scratches in between. Despite being covered by a poster for a Columbia business

Musings on another transition of power . By Chris Brown Illustration by Ellie Hodges On July 1, Jennifer Mnookin will start her term as the 21st President of Columbia University. On the list of presidents, her name will follow after President Minouche Shafik, who resigned nearly two years ago. The presidencies of Katrina Armstrong and Claire Shipman will become footnotes. For students, Mnookin will be the fifth president in four years. In October of 2024, I wrote The Presiden

A Look into Student Film at Columbia. By Liam Curedale Illustration by Em Bennett In September, Kallen Fenster, CC ’28, a fresh-faced Columbia sophomore walked onto campus. This past summer, he’d realized that he wanted to pursue a career in entertainment law. He loved film, and he loved law—as much as anyone can. So, Kallen started looking around. Barnumbia has no shortage of student-run film production groups. Studio 292, Girls Who Film, The 1 Train is Delayed, CLIP, and ot

A visit to the re-opened Studio Museum in Harlem.  By Aliyyah Hamid Illustration by Julie Shi A fluorescent light sculpture forms the following couplet: “Me/We.” The “We” sits below “Me,” as if reflecting it. The original poet was none other than Muhammad Ali, who was asked to “give us a poem!” during a speech at the Harvard commencement in 1975. Give us a Poem  is the title of the neon light sculpture by Glenn Ligon that sits yards above its audience, mounted in the lobby of

One Man’s Search for Fauna in the Most Unlikely of Places. By David Kramer Illustrations by Em Bennett Every day, thousands of cars drive down Broadway, the average 1 train carries 7,000 passengers between dawn and dusk, and tens of thousands of pedestrians hurry across Manhattan. It’s a busy, noisy city.   But in the basement of a pet store on Broadway, a tortoise sleeps. His name is George, he’s 28 years old, and he thinks you should feed him strawberries. George leads an a

On today’s agenda: An attempted bribery scandal, Response to ICE and Glass House Rocks, and a coming out party. By Rocky Rūb Well, well, well. It has officially happened. CCSC has become so afraid of The Blue and White ’s attentive readership and astute observations of political malpractice that they have resorted to arse-kissery and bribery. Of course, council members have always been keen to praise my good looks and striking wit—something they’ve been doing since before I s

On love as a constant. Introductions are for small talk; let me write about the weather.  This winter, New York City has been coated in the deepest snow that the class of 2026 has seen in their four winters at Columbia. Though at first the white layer seemed as permanent as a blank page, it didn’t lie idle for long. Snowmen sprang out of benches. Snow angels appeared on the lawns. Municipal dump trucks donned plows and struggled through graying streets.  During the first big

Or why I will never find love on reality TV. By Evan Rossi  Illustration by Isabelle Oh I recently applied to be cast on the next season of Love Island USA . Ever since I saw the genuine, everlasting look of love in the eyes of Season 7’s Amaya and Bryan upon winning the show (and $100,000), I knew I would do whatever it takes to become America’s next sweetheart. Eighty-seven questions later—including, “What is the most difficult thing you have ever been through?”—I submitted

Applying Self-Disclosure to Columbia’s Couples By Jack Bradner Illustration by Selin Ho In 1997, psychologists Arthur Aron et al. published  their seminal study, “The Experimental Generation of Interpersonal Closeness: A Procedure and Some Preliminary Findings.” To investigate how self-disclosure affects relationship-building, Aron et al. devised a set of 36 questions to probe closeness between unacquainted participants. Two of the participants in Aron’s study were married  s

Unhardening the heart . By Althea Downing-Sherer Illustration by Iris Pope This Valentine’s Day, as some of us face the perils of online dating or despair over unrequited crushes, Achsah Guibbory urges us to reframe love: not as conquest, but as devotion.  Achsah Guibbory is a professor of 17th-century English literature at Barnard College, specializing in John Milton and John Donne. She has published multiple books, including Returning to John Donne; Christian Identity, Jews

By Hannah Lui Illustration by Selin Ho Turtle-necked at the Kawai where he learned to waltz&rag. And compose and doodle and dance but I only hear Scott Joplin’s Maple Leaf tortured from the copper  When I think of him here At the piano I am looking at his post-op face on my phone. Not as bad as I expected Mom says  When he left two days ago       the last time I saw the face she bore,  his&this hits me now  Now,  Fog bruising purple, his nose is not the same Thick hanging hea