Nearing the end of his first year as director of Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL), Calvin Smith has already made several changes to Hopkins Greek culture, from altering recruitment procedures to supporting the University’s new party registration policy. In an email interview with The News-Letter, he reflected on his performance this year, the current state of Greek life at Hopkins and his hopes for the future.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued the University an “Official Warning” for allegedly violating the Animal Welfare Act for its treatment of primate test subjects. The USDA had originally reported a detailed description of Hopkins’ repeated violations of animal care in October 2015, attempting to enforce animal rights regulations in research laboratories.
Eugene Kontorovich, a professor of law specializing in international law from Northwestern University, had a conversation with School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) professor and former UN official Ruth Wedgwood on Wednesday. They discussed the merits and faults of using a framework of international law to analyze Israel’s position in the world. The event was hosted by the Israel on Campus Coalition, Hopkins Hillel, StandWithUs and the Department of International Studies.
The Taiwanese Student Association (TASA) hosted “A Ramen-tic Night” in celebration of traditional Taiwanese cuisine on Saturday in Charles Commons. The free event featured chicken and vegetarian ramen, Taiwanese tea eggs and Chinese sausage as well as a raffle to win two tickets to TASA’s Night Market event in late April. The ramen was served with fish balls, tofu, eggs, bean sprouts, carrots and corn.
The New Voices Act (Senate Bill 764) passed the Maryland Senate with amendments in a 36-10 vote on March 18 and has been moved to the House Ways and Means Committee. This new bill proposes extending rights of freedom of the press to high school and college student media.
The Student Government Association (SGA) discussed a bill for funding Foreign Affairs Symposium (FAS) seats at its weekly meeting on Tuesday in Charles Commons. Executive Treasurer Matthew Bee sponsored the bill, which proposed an allocation of $500 in support and sponsorship of SGA events in return for eight reserved seats at each event for SGA representatives.
TEDxJHU hosted a series of Technology Entertainment and Design (TED) talks titled “Instructions Not Included” Saturday in Mudd. Seven speakers attracted an audience of faculty, students and members of the Baltimore community and was live-streamed on JHU’s Ustream channel.
In response to high-profile cases around the country that have brought police misconduct into the spotlight, including the Freddie Gray case in Baltimore, police departments have made efforts to improve relations with local communities and combat the growing mistrust in police.
The Student Government Association (SGA) passed a bill requesting the approval and funding for the first annual Celebrity Kickball Tournament, introduced by Junior Class Senator Liam Haviv, at its weekly meeting on Tuesday. It also appointed a new sophomore class senator on Wednesday to fill a vacancy.
At least 31 people died and 300 were wounded in explosions that struck two Brussels locations on Tuesday. The Zaventem Airport and Maelbeek metro station experienced explosions at the hands of four terrorists, two of whom were confirmed to be brothers and Belgian nationals. On Wednesday Brussels authorities determined that 24-year-old Najim Laachraoui, who had been linked to the November 2015 Paris attacks, was the second airport suicide bomber. The identity of the third airport bomber is unknown. Daesh claimed responsibility for the attacks in a statement released via the Amaq News Agency, a group that’s been linked to the militant extremists, according to NPR. The attacks forced Brussels into lockdown until about 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
On Friday, 2,539 out of 25,188 applicants were admitted to the Hopkins Class of 2020.
The Office for Multicultural Affairs (OMA) hosted Angelica Ross, an African American transgender activist and businesswoman, on Monday. The talk, which was originally scheduled as a part of the Ethical Challenges of a Diverse Society speaker series for Black History Month was rescheduled due to snow. Ross, who is also an actor and author, spoke about her own life as a trans woman as well as the creative design firm which she founded, TransTech social enterprises, and her role in the TV series Her Story.
The first annual Startup Nation Technology Fair, a technology and innovation trade show that provides college students with the opportunity to explore new startup technology, took place on Wednesday evening in Gilman Hall. Participants could meet innovators behind the latest designs and network for internship placement at these startup companies.
The University announced that Spike Lee, a writer, director, producer and entrepreneur, will be the 2016 commencement speaker on May 18 at the Royal Farms Arena.
The Career Center has gone through a thorough restructuring of both staff and services in the past year. The center has been shifting its model to focus more on career academies than career counseling.
The sophomore housing selection process was revamped and moved online this year. The Housing Office introduced this new method in order to reduce competition and improve ease of use. The Class of 2019 was divided about the success of the new process with many students expressed frustrations about miscommunication from the Housing Office.
The University’s Student Health and Wellness Center (HelWell or SHWC) often has a bad reputation, with stories floating around of misdiagnosis, ineffectual remedies and excessive prescription of antibiotics.
The Foreign Affairs Symposium (FAS) hosted The Future of Policing in America: A Moderated Panel, during which the speakers discussed measures that could be taken to improve policing policy in the United States.
The University announced Thursday that it will expand its Baltimore Scholars program to offer full-ride scholarships to Baltimore City public high school students.
Ezra Klein, journalist and editor-in-chief of the news site Vox, spoke at Shriver Hall on Wednesday as part of the Foreign Affairs Symposium (FAS). Klein is also a noted political and economic columnist and has worked for the Washington Post, Bloomberg and various MSNBC programs.
