Culture

Not Vanilla: Quizzes that tell you things about yourself

Hey reader! As you may already be aware, I’ve recently been trying to find a new way to procrastinate and discovered the hallmark internet location for wasting time — Buzzfeed quizzes. I’m not dishing out my opinion on Buzzfeed as a company, but I must admit that their quizzes are delightfully useless. There are different […]

Struggles of Melissa Villaseñor: Exclusive interview

“I loved how we were all cracking up at the same thing — that connection is my favorite thing about being a comedian.” Read More

Live from Rochester, it’s Saturday Night!

Three comedians brought the spirit of stand-up to Strong Auditorium, spitting straight humor about true things that happened to them. Read More

Year of the Pig: Chinese New Year Cook Off

Despite nationwide class cancellations due to the frigid weather, UR students are still going strong. As February opens a new chapter, the Chinese New Year festival approaches with warmth and festivity. In Mandarin, Chinese New Year is called “Chun Jie,” an important festival where families reunite and spend time together. Despite the vivid cultural differences […]

Not Vanilla: Jewelry City

Reader, recently I’ve been delving back into my collection of jewelry. There are few feelings as exciting as donning the perfect pair of statement earrings or a bold necklace. Since I’m not a certified “baller” (I don’t have oodles of spending money), I’ve become somewhat savvy at finding good jewelry at an affordable price, whether […]

Step teams face off in 16th annual show

Xclusive Step Team, clad in leather jackets and black berets, played boisterous hosts to UR’s “Stomping Through Dimensions” local middle-and-high-school step competition in a packed Strong auditorium on Saturday afternoon. The self-proclaimed “best, most powerful, and only step team on campus,” as one member of Xclusive put it, asserted “attitude, arms, power, and precision,” while […]

The amazing Spider-Verse: A review

Spider-Man is one of the most complex, nuanced, and effective characters in comics. I’m a pretty serious Marvel fan, and (along with Iron Man) Spidey is probably the figure who has, since his creation in “Amazing Fantasy #15” back in 1962, best expressed the key characteristic that makes Marvel heroes work — they’re humans. No […]

Impressive. . . Most Impressive: Rochester Philharmonic and ‘The Empire Strikes Back’

Reflect on the first time you saw “Star Wars.” The hum of a lightsaber, the epic laser battles, the intricate ships, and different planets each with their unique cultures — and most importantly, the swell of the strings and brass as they serenade you. Think of the wonder, magic, and excitement that comes alongside those […]

A radical education: University activism exhibit in Rush Rhees

The exhibit moves through the activism from 1962 to 1973 and displays the general trend of students’ and faculty powerful voice during this radical decade. Read More

Not Vanilla: The dark side of our media

Hello, reader! I spent my winter break delving into new series. I started the anime “Death Note” and completed HBO’s “Sharp Objects.” Both shows are known for their particularly dark content and some nights, they significantly affected my mood. I haven’t finished “Death Note” yet, but the premise is that an exceptionally conniving teenage boy […]