Sundial Turns One
Reflections on our magazine's growth and reputation on campus
Dear Reader,
On March 31, Sundial obtained a video shared internally to the Federalist’s (Columbia’s satire publication) community-wide Slack channel. In the video, a student films herself holding a large stack of Federalist copies with former Interim University President Katrina Armstrong’s face on the cover and dropping them on top of copies of Sundial’s March issue. “And who said Armstrong is useless :),” the student wrote, referring to the utility of Armstrong’s image in hiding our magazine from public exposure.
While this was obviously a joke, I see much of the same phenomenon while walking around campus: Copies of our magazine are intentionally buried in the trenches of campus newsstands in an attempt to stifle the voices and ideas of our writers. On occasion, they have been tossed in the trash bin. The reality of ongoing close-mindedness from fellow students—many of whom do not actually read the full extent of our work—is at the very core of why we do what we do at Sundial.
As the new editor-in-chief of this publication and a registered Democrat, I want to address the elephant in the room. What does Sundial actually stand for? Is Sundial a conservative publication?
Here’s the simple answer: No. Sundial is a non-partisan, heterodox magazine that publishes moderate and conservative opinions in addition to traditionally liberal ones. Our table of contents makes this abundantly obvious—in this issue you’ll find a scathing critique of Mahmoud Khalil’s detention a few pages away from an impassioned takedown of Columbia’s DEI policies. If you agree with everything published in Sundial, we’re doing something wrong.
Our staff of nearly 50 students, including liberals, moderates, and conservatives, are deeply alarmed by the self-censorship and groupthink that has become pervasive at Columbia. Above all else, it is our mission to create a journalistic space on campus where nuance, debate, and disagreement are welcome and encouraged—not condemned. We strive to reflect, not neglect, the ideological diversity of Columbia’s student body.
Last semester was my first at Columbia as a student in the Trinity College Dublin dual degree program. I found a home at Sundial because, simply put, I was bored being surrounded by people who had the same beliefs as me. Now, almost a full academic year in, I can say confidently that I have grown immensely both as a thinker and writer because of this open-minded and fiercely intelligent staff of writers and editors. You won’t meet anyone else like them at Columbia.
In this issue, “Trump’s War on Columbia,” our writers offer bold perspectives on the president’s federal offensive on higher education. This issue of Sundial demonstrates what our team does best: Weighing in thoughtfully on complex issues, not with trite tautologies or political agendas, but principled argumentation.
And in spite of Sundial’s values remaining the same and as strong as ever, one thing has changed about our magazine: On the cover of our print edition and on our website, you will notice that our tagline is no longer the “Monthly Magazine of News and Commentary.”
Sundial is, without a single doubt in my mind, “The Independent Voice of Columbia University.” We do not endorse political candidates. We do not have an ideological agenda. Our mission, plain and simple, is to get you thinking. If this mission resonates with you, I invite you to submit a letter to the editor in response to any of the pieces in this issue. Now on our first birthday as a publication, our work has never been more important. I hope you’ll join us.
For the staff,
Alex Nagin
Mr. Nagin is a junior in the Trinity College Dublin Dual BA program studying political science. He is the editor-in-chief of Sundial.
At Sundial, we are dedicated to open discourse, diversity of thought, and breaking down echo chambers through journalism. But we can’t do it alone. As an independent publication, we rely on the support of readers like you. Will you consider making a gift to Sundial to support free speech at Columbia?