The Ear

Reporter Alexander Miles, CC ’29, takes a walk through Morningside Heights with community advocate Dan McSweeney, SIPA ’07, to explore the neighborhood’s changing commercial landscape. Credits • Edited by Namya Manghnani, Melina Nath, and Eesha Ramanathan • Engineered by Alexander Miles • Music by Alexander Miles • Illustration by Sally Li Weitzner Follow us on Instagram @ColumbiaSpec and check ou...

The Adam J. Elkhadem Foundation was founded in memory of Adam Elkhadem, CC ’18. Reporters Melina Nath and Ian Romero spoke to friends and family about Elkhadem’s life, the foundation, and the collective effort to finish his sophomore comic book, “Gluck,” in his honor. ​​Credits • Edited by Eesha Ramanathan, Taylor Graham, and Namya Maghnani • Engineered by Melina Nath • Original Music by Melina Na...

On Columbia’s and Barnard’s campuses, what clothes you wear make up more than just an outfit—they become a language. In this episode of Pod-Tone 292, reporter Sharanya Maulik explores how students navigate professional fashion while balancing cultural identity, industry expectations, and pressures tied to gender and race. Featuring conversations with students across disciplines and Anne Higonnet,...

The School of General Studies doesn’t provide full financial aid, has no dedicated housing for its student body, and recently received a $30 million investment from the University. In this episode of The Ear, Alexander Miles dives into the relationship between General Studies and the rest of the University, raising questions about financial transparency and equality. ​​ Credits • Edited by Melina...

On this episode of A Look at the Lions, Spectator sits down with twin sister sophomore forwards Kate and Ashley Kim, who make up one of three sister duos on the Columbia field hockey team this season. From pushing one another through training to sharing tips in Korean at practice, the Kim sisters have used their sisterly bond to bring each other to new heights on the pitch. ​​ Credits • Edited by...

In this edition of Pod-Tone 292 , audio reporter Shanthi Ashok explores the influential career, life, and legacy of University Professor Emeritus Jagdish Bhagwati. Through interviews with Bhagwati’s former peers, students, and colleagues, this episode dives deeper into his character and impact. ​​Credits • Edited by Eesha Ramanathan and Melina Nath  • Produced by Shanthi Ashok  • Illustration by S...

As the search for Columbia’s 21st president continues without student representation, four members of Spectator’s editorial board sit for a discussion of what they’re looking for in Columbia’s next chief executive. Moderator Achilles Frangos, Spectator’s editorial page editor, leads a roundtable discussion in search of the ideal candidate. The Spectator editorial board is independent of Spectator’...

In this edition of The Ear, reporter Shanthi Ashok explores the nuances and repercussions of Columbia’s concession to President Donald Trump’s administration through interviews with three Columbia professors.  ​​Credits • Edited by Nicole Sandrik-Arzadi, Melina Nath, and Luisa Sukkar • Produced by Shanthi Ashok  • Illustration by Sally Li Weitzner  Follow us on Instagram @SpectatorPodcasts and che...

Many Columbia and New York City musicians find solace, joy, and support through Postcrypt Coffeehouse, an intimate musical venue in the basement of St. Paul’s Chapel. Listen as these musicians and organizers of this space share how they found this community and what its future holds as campus restrictions continue. ​​Credits • Edited by Melina Nath and Luisa Sukkar • Produced by Namya Manghnani an...

Welcome to “The Keepers: Who Holds Our History?”—an episode of The Ear exploring the critical and often overlooked role that archivists play in shaping historical memory. In this episode, reporters Ellie Carver-Horner and Shay Stulman interview Olivia Newsome, Barnard’s records coordination and processing archivist and coordinator at the Lesbian Herstory Archives. Join us as we delve into the ethi...

On March 5, pro-Palestinian protestors occupied the Milstein Center for Teaching and Learning at Barnard, condemning the reported expulsion of three students. Over the span of five hours, Barnard’s campus transformed from a place where students were speeding to class to the site of an active bomb threat, with nine protesters at a sit-in arrested by NYPD. Join reporters Luisa Sukkar, Melina Nath, a...

Humans and dogs have an undoubtedly strong connection. However, how well do humans really know their canine counterparts? In this episode of The Ear, Melina Nath explores the work of Barnard’s Dog Cognition Lab, the first lab of its kind in the country, to answer questions about how dogs truly see the world. Credits ​ Edited by Sophia Cordoba, Lara-Nour Walton ​ Produced by Melina Nath with assist...

After 12 days of occupying South Lawn, pro-Palestinian protesters escalated their operations by occupying a building on April 30. Tune in to listen to reporters Lara-Nour Walton and Sophia Cordoba chronicle Hamilton Hall’s historic transformation to Hind’s Hall and the violent police crackdown that followed. ​​ Credits • Edited by Sophia Cordoba • Produced by Sophia Cordoba • Music by Eva-Scholz-C...

On April 17, over 100 Columbia students erected an encampment labeled the “Liberated Zone” to demand complete University divestment from Israel. They remained for 33 hours until University President Minouche Shafik authorized the New York Police Department to sweep the encampment, resulting in their arrests. Join reporters Lara-Nour Walton and Sophia Cordoba in living the sounds of the first “Gaza...

Founded in 1930, Riverside Church in the City of New York strives to be interdenominational, interracial, and international.  While many in the Columbia community have seen Riverside Church, few are aware of its rich history—hosting the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. and Mandela. In this episode of The Ear , Sophia Cordoba unpacks the history behind Riverside’s prominence in the struggle for raci...

The idea of neurodiversity intentionally moves away from a “correct” method of thinking, so how might this present itself at Columbia, where students are selected based on “intellectual” capabilities? Students who are neurodivergent are a diverse population that should not be generalized. A shift from preconceived standards of how academic and social settings “should” be approached might allow pop...

In this archival episode of The Ear , reporter Alicia Theologides Rodriguez commemorates the 50th anniversary of a controversial Columbia study that explored whether chimps possess the cognitive capacity to learn sign language. While the Nim project ultimately failed to prove its hypothesis, it revealed much more about the ethical precarity of anthropomorphizing animals in experimental settings. B...

In this episode of The Ear, reporter Shay Stulman explores the link between Columbia and the opium trade. She explores the profound impact this historical association has had on shaping esteemed American institutions. How do we reckon with the violent histories of philanthropic families? How did the opium trade shape prestigious American institutions? Tune into this episode to reflect on the impli...

Columbia boasts a student body that is known for being politically engaged. How did the institution earn the label? And does it still deserve the title today? In this episode of The Ear, reporters Nicole Sandrik-Arzadi and Lara-Nour Walton explore these questions and more. ​​ Credits: • Edited by Sophia Cordoba, Claire Schnatterbeck • Produced by Claire Schnatterbeck • Music by Murat Gulcelik • Il...

In this episode of The Ear, Ellie Carver-Horner and Charlotte Fay explore the complicated history of the atomic bomb, a controversial scientific creation that began at Columbia University in the basement of Pupin Hall. What role did Columbia play in the intricacies of nuclear discovery? How did those making these discoveries justify their role in mass destruction, and how does Columbia reckon with...

With over 150 countries represented at Columbia, it is no surprise that the University must meet a vast array of language needs. For children of immigrants, learning their native language can mean a greater cultural connection. In this episode, reporter Sophia Cordoba speaks with professors and students alike to understand what it means to live and learn as a heritage speaker. ​​ Credits: • Edited...

Welcome back to The Ear, Spectator’s podcast dedicated to documenting, excavating, and investigating Columbia’s past and present. In this episode, Claire Burke and Claire Schnatterbeck investigate what makes a rural student. How do Columbia and Barnard define “rural”? Does the quintessential “rural student” actually exist? Schnatterbeck and Burke use their own rural backgrounds as a starting point...

In this episode of The Ear, Ellie Carver-Horner discusses the extensive archive of Indigenous audio recordings housed in the Columbia University Center for Ethnomusicology and the efforts the University is making to repatriate them. What is audio repatriation, and what does it look like to return something that isn’t physically tangible? Who owns these recordings, and why does their existence matt...

Twenty years after the death of Edward W. Said, a Columbia professor, renowned intellectual, and outspoken advocate of Palestine,reporter Lily Glaser seeks to understand his life, legacy, and impact on campus. In this episode of The Ear, Glaser  rifles  through his personal papers, speaking with former students, listening to exiled authors, and attending lectures. ​​Credits: • Script edited by Cla...

In this episode of The Ear, reporter Alicia Theologides Rodriguez speaks with Columbia students from many backgrounds to better understand how fear impacts the way that they navigate New York. This episode explores the underlying reasons for different students’ fears in an attempt to understand why there are discrepancies between the fears of students and New York Crime trends. ​​Credits: • Script...