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 moreGetting to Know the Fall SGA Candidates
Mamdani Is In The Lead. Does He Know What This Means?
Candidate for NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a press conference. Image courtesy of Brendan McDermid // Reuters
Something unusual is developing in New York City: a tense dynamic between Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo, the two leading candidates competing for mayoral office. And despite Donald Trump’s efforts to sway voters towards Cuomo, Mamdani has continued to eclipse Cuomo in nearly every poll, with Emerson College’s most recent findings placing Mamdani in the lead by 29 points.
Read moreThe Tang Celebrates 25 Years of Art
Image courtesy of Isabel Steuerman ‘28
This past Friday, the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Gallery (or simply “The Tang,” as it is known to students) opened its doors to the Skidmore community to celebrate its 25th anniversary. The museum, named after Class of ‘61 alumna Frances Young Tang, was designed by the architect Antoine Predock and first opened in 2000.
Read moreHonor their Coverage
On August 25th, multiple Israeli strikes hit Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis. This resulted in the deaths of at least 20 people, 5 of whom were journalists who have worked with Reuters, the Associated Press, Al Jazeera, and more.
Read moreMadeline Island: A Hidden Gem
A town sign for La Pointe on Madeline Island, Wisconsin. Image courtesy of La Pointe Vacation Rentals.
When I tell people that my summer plans consist of me spending two months in Wisconsin, I’m usually met with looks of confusion. The resounding question seems, simply, to be “Why would you choose to be in Wisconsin?” This leads into my spiel about Madeline Island, one of the 22 Apostle Islands on Lake Superior.
Read more$80,000 for What? Why It's Time to Take Ownership of Our Education
The college entrance during the summer. Image courtesy of Skidmore College.
It’s 8:28 a.m. on course registration day. You’ve got your Student System page open, fingers ready, and the WiFi barely hanging on. It’s frustrating. We’ve all been there. But what if, instead of asking what’s wrong with Skidmore, we started asking what more could we be doing as students?
Read moreGuantanamo Bay and CECOT: A Conversation with Michael E. Mone Jr. '90
Flags fly in front of Camp Justice in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba, on April 18, 2019. Image courtesy of AP News.
On April 24th, I had the pleasure of speaking with Skidmore alum Michael E. Mone Jr., who received a bachelor’s degree in Government from Skidmore in 1990 before receiving his Juris Doctor from Boston College. I discussed the similarities between Guantanamo Bay and CECOT prisons, as well as the rhetoric of the administrations that use them, with Mr. Mone.
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 more"She Gets the Job Done:" Chappell Roan Takes the Pop World By Storm
Chappell Roan. Image courtesy of Rolling Stone.
Chappell Roan is the name on everyone’s lips in 2025. She’s known for her upbeat indie pop songs like “Pink Pony Club” and “Hot to Go!” as well as her slower, more introspective sapphic hits, such as “Casual” and “Good Luck, Babe!” But although she is seen positively by her fanbase, she faces controversy due to her media presence.
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 moreAdelaide (2025) Review: The thin facade of “Family Values”
Sam Kasmin and Darren Aronofsky’s latest film has made controversial waves in the film industry. Beginning with a poorly shot, cheaply lit, and all-too familiar sequence reminiscent of an 80s risqué independent film, this meditation on privacy, surveillance, and the ultimate meaninglessness of conservative values has been criticized for its shameless exhibitionism and perverted sense of self-humor…but isn’t that the point?
Read moreJazz Education As A White Boys' Club
Part of the Arthur Zankel Music Center’s main lobby. Image courtesy of Caleb Taran ‘25.
Skidmore College is a predominantly white institution (PWI); this much has always been clear to the student body. We strive to be inclusive, diverse, and knowledgeable about our privilege, yet still have a ways to go, particularly within the music department. The Skidmore jazz faculty consists of undeniably educated and talented white men, but are they aware of the weight this holds?
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 moreAI Can’t Do This Anymore: The Dangers of Artificial Intelligence in Academia
Image courtesy of eSpark Learning.
AI is a constant presence in today’s technology-driven society. I have Grammarly installed on my MacBook, and I’ve seen the AI Preview at the top of my search pages. There are many facets of my life where AI’s impact can be felt. However, AI should not be used (or at least not heavily relied upon) in academia, especially at the college level.
Read moreEmilia Pérez vs the Internet
Actress Karla Sofía Gascón, pictured posing at the Cannes Film Festival in which Emilia Pérez won Jury Prize and Best Actress Award. Image courtesy of Stephane Cardinale-Corbis / Getty Images.
Oscars season has officially begun. This year's prizewinner seems to be Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez with 13 nominations. A few months ago, these nominations wouldn’t have raised any eyebrows. But to many who watched the film afterward, the Academy seemed to be behind on the conversation surrounding it.
Read moreA Complete Unknown: New Bob Dylan Fans, New Jackets, and New Sunglasses
Timothée Chalamet plays Bob Dylan in James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown. Image courtesy of CNN Entertainment.
A 19-year-old boy drops out of college and travels from St. Louis County, Minnesota, to New York City with a guitar and a case of harmonicas. That same night, he has his first gig at Cafe Wha?---a club described as “a subterranean cavern, liquorless, and ill-lit.” Dylan is called the “voice of a generation,” and he goes on to change the future of folk music.
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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