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Donald Trump is going to be president again. In our endorsement a couple weeks ago, we endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, but now we must all come to terms with the looming Trump administration.
Following Donald J. Trump’s victory in the 2024 United States presidential election, my Instagram timeline was nothing but celebrations or protests of his historic triumph. As I clicked through the stories and doomscrolled through my explore page, the content in front of me ranged from reposts praising Trump to statements voicing concerns with his presidency.
Have we been here before? In the aftermath of the 2024 presidential election, even the shock, fear, anger, and fatigue has taken on a horror-like, deja vu quality. It’s the same queasiness we felt after the 2016 presidential election, after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 and reversed affirmative action in 2023, and every time we open our social media to see images of the latest harrowing example of colonial violence.
Sharp angles. Bare sides. Flat features. Only lines.
Last Saturday, the best pollster in the country, Ann Selzer, showed Kamala Harris ahead by the three points in deep-red Iowa, a state Donald Trump beat Joe Biden by eight points. Selzer is one of the two best pollsters (along with The New York Times/Siena College) according to polling guru Nate Silver.
In response to “The News-Letter’s 2024 Presidential Endorsement” published October 10, 2024:
October is National Arts and Humanities Month, and perhaps it is ironic that in a month designed to celebrate music, literature and philosophy, we are reflecting on just how neglected these pursuits are on college campuses like Hopkins.
Over the past four years, nearly 8.7 million migrants have illegally crossed the southern border. This statistic excludes 2.1 million from all other encounters nationwide and an estimated 1.8 million “gotaways” who evaded encounters by law enforcement and are somewhere in our country illegally. Since 2021, several Trump-era border enforcement policies keeping migration at a sustainable and processable level have been repealed, resulting in a projected 274% increase in encounters from the last administration and the highest ever recorded in U.S. history.
Currently, Hopkins offers 52 majors and 50 minors in areas ranging from archaeology and math to accounting and music, respectively. 52 choices provide a wide assortment of options and perhaps allow a Blue Jay more academic flexibility than smaller institutions. Yet the traditional structure of rigid majors and minors does not provide the flexibility that is now demanded in the academic and professional worlds. In the cut-throat world we live in, a bachelor's degree from an elite school at the top of a resume no longer packs the same punch it used to and it becomes necessary to focus on a specific skill set for a technical career.
Several weeks ago, the Editorial Board wrote that “admittedly, Hopkins may not have much school spirit” to begin a piece about the campus’ collective pride over a rise in Hopkins’ national ranking. While there is no quantitative data to reveal our lack of school spirit, it appears to be a word-of-mouth consensus that few disagree with. I believe this is one of many indicators that Hopkins would greatly benefit from a Division 1 athletics program for all varsity sports. As of now, Hopkins has been granted a rare exception by the NCAA to have one Division 1 sport: lacrosse.
There are 26 days until the election, and the facts point toward one truth: Former President Donald Trump is unfit for any public office. Trump’s policies will disadvantage many and threaten the fabric of American democracy. He has openly violated democratic norms, trafficked in abhorrent rhetoric that incites hate, and cozied up to dictators and enemies of American security.
Perhaps nothing has periled the Democratic Party more than the electoral college: despite winning the popular vote only once this decade (out of five presidential elections), Republicans have held the presidency half of the time. Democrats always argue that true democracy would elect a leader based on a raw popular vote. The truth is, both parties are primarily interested in whichever system keeps them in power. As a voter in New Mexico, however, I primarily am interested in which system gives New Mexico its proper voice.
Admittedly, Hopkins may not have much school spirit, but there is one time of the year where we all rally: the release of the U.S. News & World Report College Rankings. This year, Hopkins rose from ninth in last year’s rankings to sixth — its highest position yet. The top 10 schools have remained virtually static compared to last year, with the major changes being Brown University falling out of the top ten and the University of Pennsylvania dropping from sixth to 10th.
“Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
As we begin a new academic year, many departments on campus face uncertainty about the future of their graduate programs. It’s a surprising development for Johns Hopkins, created nearly 150 years ago as a university dedicated to graduate training.
The News-Letter is proud to be financially independent from the University — a tradition started by alumni of the paper that we have maintained for decades. This means that the paper does not receive funding from the University which enables us to serve as an unbiased and trusted organization when reporting on matters affecting the Hopkins community. As we begin the new school year, we want to provide readers with a greater understanding of our sources of funding and the importance of maintaining our independence.
The climate crisis is real. We see evidence of this in increased storm severity, more intense wildfires and inundated shorelines. As with all problems, humans naturally search for a root cause for these continuing disasters. It can be difficult to reconcile that we — the humans searching for answers to this crisis — are responsible for the global climate crisis. Greed, short-sighted mitigation strategies and stubborn opposition to change are among the top reasons why mankind have thus far failed to adequately address the urgency of climate disasters.
In an email to the Hopkins community on May 10, President Ronald J. Daniels wrote that, “The time for protest and disruption that violates our rules and norms must end. The encampment must be dismantled. In its stead, we must return to respectful dialogue on difficult issues that is the work of the university.”
Editor’s Note, 2024: This op-ed was written in early May and was delayed in publication.
Editor’s Note, 2024: This article was sent to The News-Letter for publication as an op-ed and completed the editing process prior to being posted elsewhere.