The Ear

In 2024, over 150 graduate workers taught in Columbia’s Core Curriculum. In 2025, that number dropped to zero. The Ear investigates how a contract fight led to the sudden disappearance of teaching jobs.

​​Credits

• Edited by Eesha Ramanathan

• Engineered by Eesha Ramanathan

• Original Music by Matthew Lucia and Eva Scholz-Carlson

• Illustration by Daniel Nitu

Follow us on Instagram @ColumbiaSpec and check out our other episodes!

In this episode of Pod-Tone 292, reporter Sharanya Maulik speaks with students in the Columbia–Juilliard exchange about balancing Columbia academics with elite conservatory training. Through conversations about ambition, pressure, and future plans, students reveal what it means to build a life across two demanding worlds.

​​Credits

• Edited by Melina Nath, Namya Manghnani, and Eesha Ramanathan

• Engineered by Sharanya Maulik

• Music composed by Johannes Bach (performed by Miles Levine and Jessica Wu) and César Franck (performed by Liyu Chen, Steven Cui, and Sarah Zhang)

• Illustration by Annis Choi

Follow us on Instagram @ColumbiaSpec and check out our other episodes!

Over a year has passed since Columbia confirmed a major data breach of students’, employees’, and applicants’ personal data. In this roundtable, moderator Su Ertekin-Taner, a deputy editorial page editor, is joined by three other members of Spectator’s editorial board to discuss the stakes of the breach and the future of cybersecurity at Columbia and other higher education institutions.

The Spectator editorial board is independent of Spectator’s news coverage and coverage by other Opinion columnists and writers. Spectator’s corporate board, including the editor in chief and managing editor, are not members of the editorial board.

Credits

• Edited by Su Ertekin-Taner and Eesha Ramanathan

• Produced by Su Ertekin-Taner and Eesha Ramanathan

• Sound Engineering by Shanthi Ashok

• Original music by Matthew Lucia and Eva Scholz-Carlson

• Illustration by Saumya Chaudhry

Follow us on Instagram @ColumbiaSpec and check out our other episodes!

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 out our other episodes!

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 Nath 

• Illustration by Zoe Villalobos

Follow us on Instagram @ColumbiaSpec and check out our other episodes!

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 Barbara Novak professor of art history, this episode unpacks the archives, influence, and complexity behind looking “professional” at an Ivy League institution.

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 Nath and Namya Manghnani

• Engineered by Eesha Ramanathan

• Original Music by Matthew Lucia

• Music from Solid Ground by Roie Shpigler

• Illustration by Zoe Villalobos

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 Melina Nath, Eesha Ramanathan

• Produced by Emily Michaelsen

• Music by Matthew Lucia

• Illustration by Mila Petolani

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 Saumya Chaudhry

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’s news coverage and coverage by other Opinion columnists and writers. Spectator’s corporate board, including the editor in chief and managing editor, are not members of the editorial board.

​​Credits

• Edited by Luisa Sukkar

• Sound Engineering by Eesha Ramanathan

• Original music by

• Illustration by Ramona Delyser

Follow us on Instagram @SpectatorPodcasts and check out our other episodes!