While teaching at Caltech, renowned physicist Richard Feynman (rejected from Columbia College due to strict Jewish student quotas) led his undergraduate students in a thought experiment: If a cataclysm destroyed all scientific knowledge, and only one sentence could be passed along from all of humanity to a new generation of creatures, scrawled on a scrap of paper left drifting in the wind, “what statement would contain the most information in the fewest words”? It is an inte

Over 1,000 patients were sexually assaulted by a Columbia OB/GYN. Who benefits from forgetting about it? By Iris Eisenman Illustration by Iris Pope Every fall, the language of renewal and progress floats around campus as a new class of students enters the Columbia community. The lull of summer brings a possibility of the past school year’s advocacy grinding to a halt. This loss of momentum combined with fresh faces in the administration is a perfect storm for long-fought issu

By Shnayjaah Valentine Jeanty hospitals are a scam, according to daddy, ‘cause dying here is cheaper than asking for help, but his blood pressure might lower if i apply to med school. he doesn’t believe in daughters either. his faith is haiti’s, a constitution, no person is worthy of being a Haitian who is not a good father, a good son, a good husband, and especially a good soldier. especially, meaning: the fight comes before the family. meaning: good only exists i

By Duda Kovarsky Rotta and Nnema Épée-Bounya Illustration by Ines Alto Affirmative I am not ashamed to admit that I came into this World Cup not knowing much about the sport. I could maybe pick Messi and Ronaldo out of a lineup on the third try, but other than that, I was in completely unknown territory. Terms like ‘offsides,’ ‘handball’ (isn’t that a different sport?) and ‘high press’ were tirelessly explained to me by my worldly friends who generously let me accompany them

On imperial feminism, transnational solidarity, and inter-generational inheritance. By Elika Khosravani Illustration by Iris Pope I was sitting cross-legged on the Persian rug in my grandparents' guest bedroom in Toronto—a city affectionately nicknamed “Tehranto” for its large Iranian community—when I met with Manijeh Moradian over Zoom. The soft wool brushed against my bare ankles as I absentmindedly recalled childhood memories; tracing the rug’s woven hunters down the woodl

How to be naked among other people in the sauna. By Selma White-Pascual Illustration by Jacqueline Subkhanberdina Red curtains swing open, and I see a long wooden bench, lit by soft yellow lights. A dense fog smothers the stage and unfurls toward the audience. A breath: Ahhhhhhhh. Then, a recorded chorus of grunts, gasps, and groans begins. Two women enter from either side of the stage, wearing only towels and nude shorts. Their feet drag along the floor, their movements stic

Reflecting on Raising Cane’s first-year-anniversary in Morningside Heights. By Jack Bradner Illustration by Iris Pope Last September, Raising Cane’s stationed their fifth New York City location at 2850 Broadway, only a handful of blocks from the University. Like the roughly 1,000 other Raising Cane’s locations scattered across the globe, Columbia’s Cane’s is a place where disco balls always glitter, and your order’s called practically before you pay. Despite the restaurant’s

The Truth of the X-Files Fan Edit. By Magda Lena Griffel Illustration by Isabelle Oh Tessa LaFlamme was 14 when she made her first X-Files fan edit. If you beg her, she’ll show it to you. “It's violently bad,” she’ll preface. “I had a hip hop class where we learned a combination from the Backstreet Boys, and I thought, ‘this song’s great, how can I edit to it?’” The video is 30 seconds long, in 1:1 ratio, chaotic, and bouncy. There are way too many special effects, and the mu

Ethics in Columbia’s AI Minor By Isabelle Oh Illustration by Isabelle Oh Many of my classes have been transitioning away from essays, projects, and take-home tests, opting instead for the infamous blue-book final-exam format, handwritten notes in black pen, all in an effort to curb the use of artificial intelligence in class. But I see the technology used, regardless of our professors’ wishes, all over campus. In addition to the online shopping or spectacular fails at spee

Kevin O’Connor, Despair Fest, and the Columbia of years past By Neda Ravandi Illustration by Iris Pope In the darkest recesses of the Columbia University Digital Archives, beyond famed fine art collections and architectural vignettes illustrating a newly constructed Butler Library, there lies something even more Columbian: “Kevin M. O’Connor Student Life Collection, 1988-2022 [Bulk 1988-1992].” The lengthy name does little to inform what fills up pages and pages of “fliers, p

Lessons in Repair from the Comechingones Mountains. By Sepp Zammuto Illustration by Nini Vilac Every time the hostel’s wheelbarrow gets used, it looks worse. It must be a century old. The bed’s surface is a crusty desert interspersed with tiny oases of blue paint that once, in its glory days, covered everything in a shiny ocean. The rear frame is so warped that the left handle rests an arm’s length below the right. The flat tire, along with the corrosion of the axle bracket,

On Tony Foster and the beauty of crooked lines By Lilah Chen Illustration by Lilah Chen I discovered The Foster Museum in seventh grade. Tucked in an alleyway on the outskirts of Palo Alto, the tiny museum exclusively displays watercolor paintings by British plein air artist Tony Foster. My favorite way to envision Foster is in full scuba-diving garb; face-to-face with a thriving coral reef, sketching the underwater ecosystem with his special colored pencils on waterproof pap

Barnard College introduces the first undergraduate American Sign Language class at Columbia. By Willow Bradford Illustration by Ines Alto Class began the moment my professor’s hands raised. She greeted us with a touch of her palm to her chin and then a pat of her hand to the air, her other hand folded beneath—good afternoon in American Sign Language. Ten pairs of hands rose unevenly to mimic her, palms finding chins at slightly the wrong angle. She picked up the pad of paper

Media we think you would enjoy — but likely not as much as The Blue and White Magazine Natalie Buttner, Editor-in-Chief: Milo J, La Vida Era Más Corta. Paul Simon, Graceland. Joan Silber, “Evolution.” Tomato and Tuna Salad. Duda Kovarsky Rotta, Managing Editor: Eliza Griswold, “Tigers.” Ney Matogrosso, “Homem com H.” Johnny Cash, “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Janna Levin, “Whales Don't Want to Go to Mars.” Nnema Épée-Bounya, Deputy Editor: Abraham Verghese, The Covenant of

BOARD NATALIE BUTTNER, BC ’27, Editor-in-Chief DUDA KOVARSKY ROTTA, CC ’28, Managing Editor NNEMA ÉPÉE-BOUNYA, BC ’28, Deputy Editor LUCY SPENCER MASON, CC ’27, Publisher INES ALTO, CC ’28, Illustrations Editor IRIS POPE, CC ’28, Illustrations Editor JEREMIAH BARRON, CC ’28, Layout Editor AUDREY WANG, CC ’29, Web Editor ELIKA KHOSRAVANI, BC ’27, Literary Editor LUCIA DEC-PRAT, CC ’27, Crossword Editor HANNAH LUI, CC ’28, Crossword Editor Senior Editors JACK BRADNER, CC

Nike Techs vs Quarter-Zips By Julian Rodriguez Illustration by Justin Chen Hanging in every Columbia student’s closet is their class sweatshirt, gifted to them by the Student Council. In recent memory, these have always been simple crew necks. However, in a March CCSC meeting, the Class of ’29 representatives announced that they would wear a new garment: the quarter-zip. This decision was made because a survey of the then-freshmen class revealed that an overwhelming majority

Michael Onwutalu — Houston, TX Illustration by Ines Alto I had been listening to a lot of Kelsey Lu in anticipation of their newest album, So Help Me God. Specifically, I had been hooked on the singer’s debut album, Blood, the music capturing a pre-Covid naïveté that I’ve grown fond of. “Due West,” the album’s 2018 lead single, is so 2019, and what was I doing then? I was completing the transition to high school, binging Game of Thrones, tuning in weekly to Euphoria, and prac

It’s a great summer to be in the city of New York. Specifically, it is a great summer for sports. Lifelong fans and recent converts alike held their breath (bit their nails, clenched their rectums) as they watched the Knicks take the lead in the fourth quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Championship, bringing the national title to NYC for the first time in over half a century. And while the blue-and-orange ticker tape was being swept from the streets, the city turned its attention

By Althea Downing-Sherer After Adrienne Rich I Chest burning Ascension from the riverbed The rain all at once Water makes curtains over the hips of scaffolding shielded by translucent sheets hinting at modesty The rain all at once the biblical comparison the voice saying that’s what I’ve been waiting for the sky to look like II They would test the tornado sirens mid-week until reality exceeded anticipation Tree limbs collapsed all at once Nature was more

Illustration by Vanessa Zhou April 27, 2026 Dear Snails of the Hudson Valley, I have two of your brethren living in a small pot in my small room, about 100 miles from their home. I would feel compelled to return them to your railroad siding, but they are enjoying a higher quality of life in my spider plant. Why, might you ask, did I kidnap your compatriots? It is a long, treacherous story of heartbreak, exhaustion, and human perseverance. Last fall, my dorm was bare; the drab