No politician, party or policy can save or condemn us. In the wake of election results that may put many of Ithaca College’s community members at risk, we need a reminder that our civic duty does not end or begin with Election Day.

I write this note of gratitude in memory of Professor George Schuler (1935–2024) who passed away on September 7. I suspect his former colleagues and students have plenty of stories to share about his warm humanity, open-mindedness and caring nature, and this is mine.

Independent bookstores are the heart of any community, and in Ithaca, Buffalo Street Books  proudly fulfills that role for locals, students and visitors alike. As an Ithaca College alumni who has made their home in Ithaca, Buffalo Street Books has been a shining beacon of what it means for a local organization to serve its community above all. That’s why, in a time of crisis for the store, it is imperative that the college’s community stand behind this iconic Ithaca institution. 

Following escalations in Gaza in the past year, significant media attention has been paid to the ongoing conflict and its expansion throughout the Middle East. Commentators sympathetic to both Palestinian and Israeli experiences have raised charges of bias against mainstream Western publications.

Ithaca College students respond to the 2024 presidential election. The students were interviewed before and after the results of the presidential election were announced. These responses were selected through brief, impromptu interviews with campus community members. They are not representative of the entire Ithaca College community, and have been edited for clarity and length.

The first time I came out, it was online. I was scrolling through comments on a Youtube video when I stumbled across one that mentioned being gay. Without much thought, I replied, “me too.” It was the first time I engaged with other LGBTQ+ people online, but it was far from the last. 

Many Ithacans have been left with uncertain housing futures after the collective loss of government funding for local transitional housing initiatives — the Village and Sunflower House — and the imminent closure of St. John’s Community Center. The Village House is a program run by The Village at Ithaca, which is an educational organization that serves young people. Sunflower House provides transitional housing for formerly incarcerated men. 

Ithaca College was supposed to be the love letter the little mixed girl never got when she was growing up, when she was too hard on herself, tired of hiding who she was, and desperately wanted to find her fit in a world that never seemed to truly have a place for her. And in some ways, that was the case, but not in the way I expected. I believed the MLK Scholarship program was a start. This was the first time I truly felt seen as someone worthy of membership in the BIPOC community. A person who learned to advocate for herself and others struggling to find their voice. And yet, something was missing. 

College campuses are often known to be dirty. Mold is only one of the various health concerns that can arise in college residential living. In a 2023 investigative report, The Nation reported that over 180 cases of mold in college dorms have been reported since 2023. This fall, at least two of the reports of mold made by Ithaca College students were attended to by the Office of Environmental Health and Safety.