Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
April 27, 2025
April 27, 2025 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

News & Features



COURTESY OF CALVIN SMITH, JR.
CSO Chair Chase McAdams announced three weeks ago that SGA would not be accepting applications for new student groups. SLI has also been working with CSO to conduct audits on student groups.

Are SGA and SLI supporting student groups?

Three weeks ago, the Student Government Association (SGA) informed students that it would not be accepting new student organization applications this semester. The announcement also mentioned that SGA’s Committee on Student Organizations (CSO) would be working with the Office of Student Leadership and Involvement (SLI) to examine student groups’ practices, missions, funding and other criteria. 


COURTESY OF RYAN AGHAMOHAMMADI
Halpin published a book on the Brotherhood of Liberty’s fight for civil rights.

History professor talks black reconstruction in Baltimore at Red Emma’s

Dennis Halpin, the director of undergraduate studies for Virginia Tech’s history department, spoke about his new book A Brotherhood of Liberty: Black Reconstruction And Its Legacies in Baltimore, 1865-1920 at Red Emma’s Bookstore Coffeehouse on Thursday, Oct. 3. Joining him was Reverend Alvin Hathaway, Sr., the current minister of the historic Union Baptist Church in central Baltimore.


Students unwind and relax at Hoptoberfest

Hoptoberfest, a week-long event organized by the student organization of the same name, occurs this year from Sept. 30 until Oct. 4. The annual event is intended to celebrate the start of autumn and relieve some of the stress that students may be feeling on campus. 


Voter suppression panel draws U.S. Representative

Students, faculty and speakers gathered to listen to U.S. Representative John Peter Spyros Sarbanes (MD-3), watch the film Rigged: The Voter Suppression Playbook and interact with panelists afterwards at Hodson Hall on Oct. 2. The event revolved around allegations of voter suppression in the United States that have accelerated since the 2008 election.


SAIS faculty discuss Great Power politics in panel

Faculty members of the School of American Studies (SAIS) came to speak on the Homewood Campus on Wednesday. Robert Work, a ‘93 SAIS alum and the former deputy secretary of defense, and Richard Fontaine, a ‘02 SAIS alum and the CEO of the Center for New American Security, gave a panel about the future of war and America’s relationships with China and Russia. 


How will SNF Agora reach Baltimore community?

Two weeks ago, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Agora Institute unveiled plans for the construction of a building to house the Institute. The planned construction start date is fall 2020, with estimated completion by summer 2022. 


COURTESY OF SARAH Y. KIM
Students reacted to the University’s new plans to build a hotel where the Blackstone is currently located.

Hopkins will convert Blackstone into hotel next year

The University announced plans to build a hotel on the current site of the Blackstone apartments on Wednesday. The hotel will be called The Study at Johns Hopkins, and be operated by Study Hotels, a brand that runs luxury hotels on or near three other East Coast university campuses.


EDA INCEKARA/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
SGA welcomes new Senior Class Senator and Freshman Class Council.

SGA holds third meeting, talks SAC and town hall

The Student Government Association (SGA) held their third meeting of the semester this Tuesday. Members discussed both a bill intended to clarify guidelines for SGA’s funding board, the Student Activities Commission (SAC), as well as the concept of an undergraduate town hall.


NEHA SANGANA/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Refuel Our Future hosted its inaugural DivestFest on the Beach this Friday to celebrate wins within the fossil fuel divestment movement.

First DivestFest brings together local activists

Refuel Our Future, an environmental activist group on campus, hosted its inaugural DivestFest on the Beach this Friday. Organizers called on the University to fully divest from its holdings in fossil fuels, which Refuel Our Future has prioritized as their primary goal. The event featured local climate groups, food, games and music and coincided with the final day of the nationwide “Week for Future and Climate Justice” movement.


COURTESY OF STEPHANIE LEE
For months, students called for the University to end its contracts with ICE.

University explains the end of contracts with ICE

The Hopkins School of Medicine confirmed on Sept. 18 that it would be ending its controversial training contract with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This contract was held through the Center for Law Enforcement Medicine. However, at the time, some students questioned the accuracy and implications of this announcement.





EDA INCEKARA/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
SGA welcomes new Senior Class Senator and Freshman Class Council.

New SGA representatives discuss future initiatives

The Committee on Student Elections announced the results of the Student Government Association (SGA) Senior Class Senator Special Election and Freshman Class Council elections on Thursday, Sept. 26. According to SGA Executive President Aspen Williams, the Freshman Class Council elections saw a record number of candidates.


COURTESY OF KAREN WANG
Anne Applebaum compared nationalist movements in Europe to those in America.

Pulitzer-winning historian examines rise of populism

Washington Post columnist and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Anne Applebaum presented a talk titled “International Nationalism: The European Far-Right and the American Alt-Right” on Wednesday. The lecture was part of the Program in International Studies’ Aronson Center Speaker Series and focused on the history and evolution of far-right movements. 


Neha Sangana/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Watts discussed moves to engage women in the fight against gun violence.

MSE brings gun control activist to Homewood

The Milton S. Eisenhower (MSE) Symposium hosted Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America (Moms Demand Action), as the first speaker in their Butterfly Effect series on Wednesday, Sept. 25. 


 COURTESY OF YI WU
The USMCA trade agreement will likely replace the NAFTA agreement.

North American scholars discuss trade agreements

Francisco González and Christopher Sands gave a lecture on the Homewood Campus focused on the history and present state of the trade agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada. González is an associate professor of International Political Economy and Latin American Politics, and Sands is a senior research professor and director of the Center for Canadian Studies, both at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). The event was sponsored by the University’s International Studies Program. 


COURTESY OF CLAIRE GOUDREAU
SCAC hopes that the new student center will be a place all students can make use of.

Is student input shaping design of student center?

Last spring, University President Ronald J. Daniels announced plans to construct a student center in the Mattin Center’s current location. Although many students were hopeful that such a building would encourage students to prioritize non-academic aspects of their lives, others expressed concerns regarding the loss of Mattin, which serves as a home for the visual and performing arts on campus and hosts the Swirnow Theater. 


Psych prof discusses social media and politics

Molly Crockett, an assistant professor of psychology at Yale University, spoke about her ongoing research surrounding the role social media plays in people’s experiences with moral outrage. The event was hosted on Monday by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Agora Institute, an academic and public forum that seeks to strengthen democracy through informed discourse and civic engagement.


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