This year, for the very first time, Skidmore’s Student Government Association will begin providing financial compensation to some of its members. Nine students that occupy the highest ranking and most time consuming positions in SGA will each receive a total of $1,500 in compensation for this academic year.
Read moreA Sign of Our Times
The Moon, with Earth in the distance. Image courtesy of NASA.
Amidst global fanfare, the Artemis II capsule containing its crew of four touched down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10. The mission launched on April 1, and spent the next week-and-a-half circling the Earth, launching to the Moon, doing a go-around and returning home.
Read moreUnited Nations Reaffirm Women's Rights as Universal Human Rights
Women Heads of State and Government on stage, together with the President of the General Assembly and his predecessor, for a meeting on the sidelines of UNGA77, part of the newly established Platform of Women Leaders. Image courtesy of United Nations.
Recently, the United Nations voted to reaffirm a resolution supporting global women’s rights, a decision that was prompted by severe global backlash against gender equality, as reported by UN reports in 2025 and 2026. It passed with 37 countries in favor, 1 against, and 6 abstentions. These Agreed Conclusions strengthen access to justice for all women and girls, protect against violence and abuse, advocate equality, and prevent future violations.
Read moreTransparency and Accessibility: Inside Skidmore's 2026 Election Season
SGA Presidential candidates on the podium in the Wyckoff Center. Image courtesy of Shayla Gerkin ‘29.
Speech Night, held on April 1st, drew students, faculty, and administrators to the Wyckoff Center to hear proposed platforms and goals, encouraged by candidates’ posters and Instagram campaigns. This year’s candidates for SGA President, Soraya Gordon ‘29 and Dylan Kostbar ‘28 have run similar campaigns, both promising greater transparency from SGA, stronger student engagement, and improved accessibility on campus.
Read moreReading Between the Lines: HR 7661 Seeks to Ban LGBTQIA+ Books
LGBTQIA+ Books banned in 2025. Photo courtesy of Pen America.
Children across the United States are being barred from reading books—not by their parents or teachers, but by their state governments. In January alone, Katy Independent School District banned over 140 LGBTQIA+ books from school libraries. Language around book bans has been intentionally ambiguous, but PEN America defines the process in clear terms as “...any action taken against a book based on its content and as a result of parent or community challenges, administrative decisions, or in response to direct or threatened action by governmental officials, that leads to a book being either completely removed from availability to students, or where access to a book is restricted or diminished.”
Read moreDebate, Protest, and Pluralism: Gil Hoffman's Visit to Skidmore
Guest speaker Gil Hoffman at the Gannett Auditorium podium, amidst the foreground of student protestors’ signs.
On Wednesday, February 25th, Skidmore College’s Office of the President, together with the Dean of Faculty and Students’ offices, hosted a talk entitled “Honest Reporting: A conversation with Gil Hoffman: Social Media, AI, Israel, and the Middle East.”
Read moreOn “Unions for All,” Can Skidmore Meet the Moment?
On October 18th, 2025, during Parents Weekend, the RA Union protested outside Burgess Cafe for a CBA (collective bargaining agreement) with Skidmore College, of which they have been in the process of bargaining for the past three years. They are demanding a clear and consistent contract, compensation for their training hours, and the ability to choose whether or not they pay for an unlimited meal plan.
Read moreYour Guide to this Year's Saratoga Elections
Voting tables at The Saratoga Springs DPW election in February. Image courtesy of CBS 6 Albany.
Every year, on a Tuesday in November, millions of Americans across the country exercise their civic duty and vote. This year’s election in Saratoga Springs is slated to be particularly contentious, with many vital policies on the ballot, including the recent shutdown of the CDTA Route 452 bus line, which offers direct service to Skidmore campus.
Read moreMamdani Dodges Endorsement of Governor Kathy Hochul
Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliwa, and Zohran Mamdani (from left to right) during the NYC Mayoral Debate on October 16. Image courtesy of MSN.
On Sunday, September 14, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul endorsed mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani for the 2025 New York City race. Mamdani announced his candidacy for the mayoral election in October of 2024 and has since had an extremely successful campaign, primarily focusing on making the city more affordable.
Read moreThe First Phase of a Truce
Palestinians celebrate the news of a potential peace deal in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Thursday. Image courtesy of AFP via Getty Images.
On October 8th, 2025, Israel and Hamas negotiators met in Egypt and agreed to the first phase of a ceasefire agreement. This monumental task was achieved not through direct discussion between parties, but through intermediaries from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, as well as American businessman and son-in-law of President Trump, Jared Kushner, and the United States’ Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff.
Read moreTrey Reed's Death in Question
On Monday, September 15, as the new school year began on campus at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi, the body of 21-year-old student Demartravion “Trey” Reed was found hanging from a tree near the campus pickleball courts.
Read moreDoes Tylenol Cause Autism?
President Trump making an announcement about the link between autism and Tylenol. From left to right: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President Donald J. Trump, and Dr. Mehmet Oz. Image courtesy of Local Syracuse.
On September 22nd, US President Donald Trump made an announcement regarding the “Autism Epidemic,” a name to suggest that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has increased in the American population in recent years. Trump advised doctors to not prescribe the pain reliever Tylenol, formally known as acetaminophen, to pregnant women.
Read moreGetting to Know the Fall SGA Candidates
It’s election season. Not a national election, or even a local Saratoga election: it’s time for SGA elections, so let’s learn more about the candidates so you can make an educated choice when you cast your vote tonight.
Read moreThe YIMBY Movement: What Is It?
The San Francisco skyline. Image courtesy of Marti Bug Catcher / Shutterstock.
In Marvin Gaye’s 1971 song Mercy, Mercy, Me (The Ecology), Gaye sings, “What about this overcrowded land, how much more abuse from man can she stand?” Gaye was tapping into a flourishing environmental movement of the ‘70s. This is where the “Yes In My Backyard” (YIMBY) has come in, a pro-housing movement that encourages new housing, urban development, and opposes density limits.
Read moreSkidmore Eliminates SILP and Expands Traditional Language Offerings
Outside a World Languages and Literatures Department office. Image courtesy of Alex Read ‘25.
On March 26, 2025, Skidmore College's World Languages and Literatures Department announced during a Zoom meeting its decision to eliminate the Self-Instructed Language Program (SILP) from the course catalog. SILP allowed students to study a language independently while meeting with an instructor for two hours per week.
Read moreA Conversation with SGA President-Elect Samantha Majiedt
SGA President-Elect Samantha Majiedt’s (‘27) campaign poster. Image courtesy of Samantha Majiedt ‘27/
After an exciting election season, The Skidmore News was excited to sit down with the college’s next SGA President, Samantha Majiedt, to ask how she felt about her victory and her plans for the upcoming semester.
Read moreThe Department of Education: What's Happening?
Image courtesy of educationnext.org.
Over the past few months, the Department of Education has experienced many changes, some of which are causing concern for families, educators, and students across the United States. Among other responsibilities, the DOE is most known for ensuring rights to an equitable education, supporting schools, and providing grants and loans for higher education.
Read moreProven Experience vs. New Perspectives: The SGA Presidential Debate
The SGA Presidential Debate in Gannett Auditorium. Image courtesy of Caleb Taran ‘25
Perhaps the most anticipated race of the season is for SGA President, as current President Josh Maxwell ‘26 runs against Vice President for Institutional Diversity, Samantha Majiedt ‘27. Although there have been debates for this position in previous years, none in recent memory has stirred this much excitement—or showcased two very different candidates.
Read moreThe Road to Fair Contracts: Supporting Non-Tenure Track Faculty
Case walkway on a rainy March afternoon. Image courtesy of Caleb Taran ‘25.
On Tuesday, February 25, negotiating representatives from the Skidmore College Administration and the Skidmore non-tenure track (NTT) faculty Union reached a tentative Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for fair contracts. Voting on the CBA will occur on March 17-18, and the agreement will pass if the Union reaches a majority vote.
Read moreLarge-Scale ICE Raids Target Sanctuary Cities Across the Country
An immigration raid in Castalia, Ohio, in June 2018. Image courtesy John Minchillo of Associated Press.
In the months running up to the election, Donald Trump ran on an unyielding immigration agenda that advocated for mass deportations, the militarization of the southern border, and the revocation of birthright citizenship. Two weeks into the new administration, President Trump is attempting to keep his promise of sanctioning mass deportations.
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