The Ear

Welcome back to The Ear, The Eye’s podcast dedicated to documenting, detailing, and excavating Columbia’s history! In this mini-episode of The Ear, reporter Luke Cregan remembers the Grove. Before the construction of Mudd, Pupin, Uris, and the Northwest Corner Building, there was an open space at the north end of campus. A statue of the god Pan relaxed in this idyllic atmosphere; students played g...

Welcome back to The Ear, The Eye’s podcast dedicated to documenting, detailing, and excavating Columbia’s history! Urban light pollution has never stopped Columbia students from looking at the stars. Reporter Amy Rupert revisits a total solar eclipse nearly a century ago that dominated campus. She finds that even though eclipses are exceptionally moving events, interest in astronomy on campus is c...

Welcome back to The Ear, The Eye’s podcast dedicated to documenting, detailing, and excavating Columbia’s history! This week’s episode is the second in a two-part series about the historical role of chaplains at Columbia. Grace Holleman follows Bill Starr’s continuing legacy at Columbia, which spanned nearly all of the second half of the 20th century. During his tenure, Starr provided meeting spac...

This week’s episode is the first in a two-part series about the historical role of chaplains at Columbia. Reporter AJ McDougall investigates the legacies of John D. Cannon and Bill Starr, Episcopal priests who shaped organizing efforts in the ’60s and ’70s. She explores their impact on Columbia student groups, including the Student Homophile League (the first LGBTQ college student group in the Uni...

Whenever you walk to your class in Pupin Hall, you’re strolling on top of nuclear history. Yet unlike the other institution famously involved in the Manhattan Project, the University of Chicago, Columbia has made little effort to commemorate its role in the creation of nuclear power, even destroying the main artifact of atomic research from the 1940s. In this week’s episode of The Ear, reporter Ar...

In this week’s episode of The Ear, reporter Jesse Chase-Lubitz travels back to the beginning of Columbia’s history—the alma mater of our alma mater: King’s College. Is King’s College a part of Columbia’s history or just a distant ancestor that we have incorporated in our narrative? Music Credits: Revolutionary War Music - Simon Broucke; No Cheating - Thomas VanOosting; Sailor’s Lament - Jashon Sha...

If you’ve ever wondered why Columbia’s sundial can’t tell time, then you’re in the right place. Reporter Kara Schechtman traces the story of the campus landmark, uncovering its hidden history. MUSIC CREDITS: Theme Song - Coleman Hughes; Prism Tone - Podington Bear, Free Music Archive; Columbia Revolt, Parts I and II: Newsreel, Archive.org; Curious Process - Podington Bear, Free Music Archive; The...