Features

Bloquejar-ho Tot / Blocchiamo Tutto / Let’s Block Everything

Lessons from Barcelona’s movement for Palestine, and how the Global Sumud Flotilla built power By Caroline Nieto and Talia Reiss Illustration by Ellie Lin This piece was published in collaboration with The College Hill Independent , a Providence-based publication run by Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design students. On the evening of October 1, 2025, Arnau Rot was drinking tea at a bar in Barcelona. He was gearing up for an early morning and a long day of prote

Caroline Nieto and Talia Reiss

The City’s Worst Landlord

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

Jeremiah Barron

The Mecca of Harlem

The Maysles Documentary Center keeps the spark of Harlem’s art film scene alive. By Caroline Nieto Illustration by Selin Ho I ran to the M60+ to hitch a ride to the intersection at 125th street and Malcolm X Boulevard–a locale that was once called “the Mecca of Harlem,” an artistic hub that spawned from the fallout of the Harlem Renaissance. The intersection got its name from the inception of performance spaces there during the latter half of the twentieth century, with the A

Caroline Nieto

Picketing the Political Line

On students who are workers, workers who are students, and the recent Unfair Labor Practice complaints against the SWC. By Duda Kovarsky Rotta and Gabriela McBride Illustration by Derin Ogutcu Columbia is the birthplace of student employees at private universities being recognized as workers. In 2016, the National Labor Relations Board’s “ Columbia Decision ” granted graduate researchers, teaching assistants, and resident advisors the full breadth of rights that any other wo

Duda Kovarsky Rotta and Gabriela McBride

Melting the Ice/Derritiendo el Hielo

A look into WKCR’s archives and towards 89.9 FM’s anti-carceral potential. By Cecilia Zuniga Illustration by Em Bennett Tip-toed on a jail cell toilet, Jose Hernandez Velasquez stood feet above the ground in search of 89.9 FM’s signal. His hands, grasping a battery-powered radio, reached towards the window. Two minutes before 9 p.m., he struck the perfect angle, and WKCR’s broadcast began to play. Velasquez didn’t dare to move. For an hour, he remained outstretched in the sa

Cecilia Zuniga

The Gnomes Are Taking Over New York City

And they’re playing marches for the conquer’d and slain souls . By Abby Owens Illustration by Selin Ho A group of five or six 20-somethings stand before the crowd, swinging their arms in ape-like motion, hopping from one foot to the other like sumo wrestlers with no opponent but themselves. They begin violently do-si-do0-ing. Some members of the audience don’t know what the hell to make of it. One girl disentangles herself from another. Her face has gone red and she’s flaring

Abby Owens

The Surveillance Groundwork

How post 9/11 immigration policy made way for today’s surveilling of international student s. By Sayuri Govender Illustration by Em Bennet Detentions of students for political dissent, the GOP’s encroachment into our classrooms, and an increase in ICE checkpoints around the city have created a fog of fear and suppression within and around our shut gates. The past few semesters at Columbia have been marked by pervasive government intervention that has censored and attacked o

Sayuri Govender

“We Truly Appreciate Your Flexibility”

Breaking down Columbia’s housing shuffle . By Erica Lee Illustration by Jacqueline Subkhanberdina On the evening of June 30, nearly 160 School of General Studies students opened their inboxes to a puzzling email from Columbia Residential: their residence halls were “no longer available” for the coming school year, with no explanation given. Across the city and the world, Fairholm and Nuss leaseholders were texting and calling frantically. Every student living in 503 W. 121

Erica Lee

Where There Once Was a Desk

Behind the scenes of Barnard’s mass staff layoffs. By Natalie Buttner Illustration by Derin Ogutcu The Barnard Class of 2029 arrived on a sunlit day at the end of August. RA’s paraded carts filled to the brim with clothes, books, and dorm furniture down the sidewalk. Guests donned bright wristbands as orientation leaders cheered them onto campus. Laura Rosenbury even graced the gates, making a swift pass through crowds of student workers and staff as they facilitated an emo

Natalie Buttner

A Walk Through Morningside

Dispelling fear down the hill. By Cecilia Zuniga Illustration by Selin Ho Golden flecks of sunlight danced over Carmen’s smooth gray hair, streaming through the green canopy above us. We found ourselves sharing a bench as a low-hung 7 p.m. sun settled over Morningside Park. Her hands, reminding me of my own grandmother’s, were laced and resting gently across her stomach. With a pink children’s bike parked at her side, she kept a watchful eye over her granddaughter playing i

Cecilia Zuniga

An Evening With Naomi Smalls

CCSC’s Drag Bingo 2025: Hosted by Naomi Smalls; and the importance of queer spaces. By Rocky Rūb Illustration by Em Bennet A drag queen defines the scene. Her authenticity and audacity is contagious. She lip-syncs to a number by Lady Gaga or Diana Ross and I become less conscious of my vocal fry every time she jerks her wig or hits the floor. I was 18 when I entered my first gay bar, the (in)famous Playhouse in the West Village. It was before they adopted a TSA-grade ID sc

Rocky Rūb