Why Sundial Rejects Anonymous Submissions
Taking ownership of one’s ideas is a critical prerequisite for a healthy campus culture
Dear Reader,
Since our first edition, Sundial has received countless requests to respond to politically controversial articles with anonymous letters to the editor. Each time, we declined. As a result, many have inquired why Sundial maintains such a strict submission policy.
The answer is simple: As a free speech publication, anonymity sets a regressive precedent that hinders the open exchange of ideas.
Offering anonymity gives writers an opt-out to be only half-committed, where they can present ideas but not take ownership of them. While we may be sympathetic to extenuating circumstances, allowing anonymity could prompt our writers to slip into ideological entrenchment. One exception would open the floodgates of doubt. We do this because Sundial seeks to build a journalistic ecosystem where writers are confident that they can stand behind what they write with the support of this publication.
Each time they feel unsure or cognizant of potential pushback, the lure of anonymity could draw them in. Permitting anonymity would create a discourse that is dominated by self-isolated ideas bumping into other self-isolated ideas. And, even more insidiously, the reduction of people into ideas without ownership.
In case it is not obvious, as Columbia students, we are not merely ideas floating in space. We are people attached to ideas. What we write reflects not only our intellect, but our character. Our goal, then, is not only to help our writers become better thinkers but also more responsible community members. When anonymity is permitted, the result is people not taking responsibility for publishing opinions they do not wish to be associated with.
In their most recent edition, the Columbia Federalist ran a piece titled, “Columbia Sundial to Open Applications to Irish and Italian Students.” The punchline, we presume, is that Sundial—a publication led by a gay Jew and two women of color—is not representative of the values of diversity. Shrug. What we found to be most comical, however, is that the writer(s) did not have the courage to attach their name(s) to their work. And so, they hide behind the “Federalist Staff.”
We believe that anonymity breeds radicalism. The Harvard Salient, Harvard’s embattled conservative publication, recently made it to the headlines of the New York Times after publishing an article advocating anti-immigrant stances with Nazi rhetoric. One of their recent pieces, written under the pseudonym “CORNELIA,” argued that the “university ought to revisit the wisdom of separate education” for men and women. We can’t help but associate their pro-anonymity policy with their willingness to indulge in any and all radical ideas.
For these reasons, in this and all past editions of Sundial, our writers proudly attach their names to their work. In particular, this issue features a series of deeply researched articles on University student groups, including a Sundial exclusive investigation into Columbia’s controversial (and now derecognized) Falun Dafa chapter, a historical deep-dive into the now-defunct “Orgo Night” tradition, and a humorous yet insightful account of the students who smoke cigarettes outside Butler Library.
As with any Sundial edition, the articles you read in this issue will not conform to any singular tone or subject matter. Our writers’ public personas, as expressed through their writing, are in alignment with their private ones among friends and loved ones. We find this kind of vulnerability increasingly rare, and all the more worth preserving.
Knowing the real person—someone we may share dining halls and classrooms with—behind the headline helps all of us assume the best of each other. That is the key to producing a campus culture that can productively disagree while being respectful.
As always, if there is anything in these pages you wish to respond to, our inbox is open at columbia.sundial@gmail.com. We hope we have encouraged all of our readers—and all of those who may submit to Sundial—to speak freely.
For the staff,
Alex Nagin, Editor-in-Chief
Imaan Chaudhry, Deputy Editor
Mr. Nagin is a senior in the Dual BA program with Trinity College Dublin studying political science and Russian. He is the editor-in-chief of Sundial.
Ms. Chaudhry is a senior at Columbia College studying history. She is a deputy editor for Sundial.