Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
November 23, 2025 November 23, 2025 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

Opinion

The opinions presented below are solely the views of the author and do not represent the views of The News-Letter. If you are a member of the Hopkins community looking to submit a piece or a letter to the editor, please email opinions@jhunewsletter.com.

Can activists and the University reach a middle ground on the private police force?

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | April 11, 2019

Since the University first announced its intent to create a private police force in March 2018, the Editorial Board has opposed the initiative. Now the bill – called the Community Safety and Strengthening Act – has passed in the Maryland General Assembly, and we maintain our opposition. We are disappointed that this bill is moving forward and we have the same concerns about a Hopkins police force that we have already expressed over the past year: a continuation of corrupt policing in Baltimore, potential racial profiling of students, the threat of armed guards on campus and further division between the Hopkins and Baltimore communities.

FILE PHOTO Parekh urges alumni to respect current students regardless of their political views.

Before attacking us, alumni should stop and hear us out

By DIVA PAREKH | April 11, 2019

Last year, on a Friday afternoon during Alumni Weekend, I was crying on a couch in the Gatehouse (The News-Letter office). I had just gotten off of a very upsetting phone call, and the Gatehouse was a safe space for me. It was somewhere I could cry and overcome whatever was going in my life. 

In defense of creating a Hopkins police force

By BENJAMIN LEACH | April 11, 2019

Nearly a week has passed, and the student sit-in at Garland Hall continues. Occasionally the protestors will walk out with their megaphone as students head to class, chanting, among other things, “No Justice, No Peace! No Private Police!” This past Friday, I encountered the group as they came to Levering Kitchens, hoping to garner support in their condemnation of the University.

We must keep organizing for demilitarization

By COREY PAYNE and PETER WECK | April 4, 2019

The Maryland State General Assembly has passed a law allowing Hopkins to form its own armed private police force. This marks the first time that a private corporation in Maryland will have its own police department, authorized to use force and make arrests. 

Becoming a more representative student newspaper

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | April 4, 2019

Each week, our editorial board takes time to look at the issues facing Baltimore and the Hopkins community and share our stance on the ones we find most pressing. This week, we’re looking inwards to examine how The News-Letter can be a more representative newspaper. 

EDA INCEKARA/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Adamson says that the University did not take concerns about Hopkins police seriously.

How tone policing legitimizes injustice (and private police)

By TYLER ADAMSON | April 4, 2019

I am a graduate student; I am an elected student representative of the Bloomberg School of Public Health; and I am a member of the Student Advisory Committee for Security (SACS). I came to Baltimore for Hopkins, but this city and the people here have grown on me. I joined SACS because I believed that the administration had the best interests of both the Hopkins and Baltimore communities in mind, that they wanted what was best for everyone. 

Ensuring that our university is accessible to low-income applicants

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | March 28, 2019

Earlier this month, federal prosecutors charged dozens of wealthy parents for bribing or cheating their children’s ways into universities across the nation. Three days after the news of this college admissions scandal — now known as Operation Varsity Blues — broke, Hopkins welcomed 2,309 new applicants to its Class of 2023 at an acceptance rate of 7.7 percent, the lowest rate in the last few years. 

Saying goodbye to Swirnow, my second home

By SOPHIA LIPKIN | March 28, 2019

I first stepped into Swirnow Theater on Aug. 25, 2018, the day after I arrived at Hopkins. I hardly knew it then, but that space was to become my second home at a school that seems to care very little for the arts. 

COURTESY OF JESSE WU Wu was forced to shut down his food pop-up Jade after opening it in his dorm room.

University should do more to foster entrepreneurship

By JESSE WU | March 28, 2019

Student entrepreneurship is a key aspect of what makes a college experience special. Beyond the classes and specialized knowledge for the typical college grad careers, entrepreneurship allows us to pursue hobbies and interests that aren’t necessarily related to our studies and have commercial potential.

Our SGA executive election endorsements

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | March 14, 2019

This past year, the Student Government Association (SGA) has had both triumphs and tribulations. SGA members have campaigned for years for a student center, and this month they realized that goal when the University announced that one will be built by 2024. SGA also hosted its inaugural Mental Health Summit to address the lack of mental health resources on campus. Beginning in the fall, around 2,000 undergraduates responded to an SGA-led referendum on campus issues. These are some of SGA’s successes from the past year.

STEPHEN MCCARTHY / CC BY 2.0 Noting the rise of Asian politicians like Andrew Yang, Fang hopes Asian-Americans will play a greater role in shaping U.S. politics.

Making political action a Subtle Asian Trait

By ALAN FANG | March 14, 2019

Subtle Asian Traits might be the biggest social media phenomenon you’ve never heard of. When a joke Facebook group started by a few Chinese-Australian high schoolers exploded to 1.2 million members within a few months, some people were bound to be left behind.

LORIE SHAULL / CC BY-SA 2.0 Wu believes the House should take stronger action against Representative Ilhan Omar.

House anti-hate resolution fails the Jewish community

By JERRY WU | March 14, 2019

Last Thursday, the House of Representatives passed House Resolution 183 (H.R. 183), the “anti-hate” resolution condemning discrimination toward a wide variety of “traditionally persecuted peoples,” by an overwhelming majority of 407-23. 

Our hopes for a student center

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | March 7, 2019

Having unparalleled access to research opportunities is not the only unique part of attending Hopkins. We also have several campus traditions like watching fireworks at Lighting of the Quads each December and celebrating the arrival of warm weather at Spring Fair, the largest student-run festival in the country. These things set Hopkins apart from other schools and make our time here memorable. Yet, since as long as we have known, another unique thing comes to mind about Hopkins: our lack of an official student center. We may have dedicated “student union” spaces in Levering Hall or the LaB, but unlike many other colleges and universities, we don’t have a singular building packed with social spaces and resources. 

MARYBEL LE PAPE / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Peoples argues that Hollywood needs more multiracial lead roles played by multiracial actors.

Asians are becoming more visible. What about biracials?

By MEAGAN PEOPLES | March 7, 2019

This past year we’ve seen something that’s rarely seen in Hollywood: roles for Asian Americans (well, at least East Asian Americans). Movies like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and Crazy Rich Asians have both featured Asian actors in both leading and supporting roles and made important steps in increasing Asian representation in Hollywood.

The fight for a student center is not over

By SAM MOLLIN | March 7, 2019

As someone who has been working on the student center initiative for over a year, I was disappointed by the way the announcement on Tuesday night was handled. While the University celebrated and announced that they had finally nailed down a donor, filling the Beach with food trucks and seesaws to win a large crowd for their thank you video, the lack of communication about what the student center entailed left students with pressing and important questions. 

This year's Oscars, and why the stories we tell and celebrate matter

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | February 28, 2019

Some people might dismiss the importance of the Oscars, criticizing the Academy members for not only being predominantly white, but also superficial and elitist —  for nominating films touted by critics and professionals rather than those that everyday people know and love. But despite the faults we may find in the Oscars, they still matter. The awards influence our own opinions on which films are worth seeing, on the films and filmmakers that we choose to support. They determine who we look up to and which stories are deemed culturally significant to our society at the time. 

FILE PHOTO The University is offering more specialized mental health resources this semester to help Black students dealing with hardships during the pandemic.

Students, stop perpetuating our toxic culture of overwork

By SARAH CRUM | February 28, 2019

Sapere aude!” Immanuel Kant screams at me from his essay on enlightenment. “Have the courage to think for yourself.”  I look up from my desk on D-Level and feel the bones in my neck crack. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the sun, so I’m pretty sure you can use the fluorescent lights to see through my skin and into my vital organs. 

Why Hopkins should keep its contracts with ICE

By TIM SHADE and ADAM O | February 28, 2019

When we think of the impacts of U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, the imagery is impossible to ignore. Who could forget the sound of children crying for their parents while U.S. government officials laugh or the sight of barbed wire strung along fences just feet from citizens’ private homes? Almost universally, these images stir passion and anger. 

WHOISJOHNGALT / CC BY-SA 4.0 Opponents of affirmative action argue that it discriminates against Asian-Americans.

How affirmative action has benefitted Asian-Americans

By CINDY CHO | February 23, 2019

When I first heard of the square-off between Students for Fair Admissions against Harvard, I instantly sent the CNN article announcing the court case to my high-schooler of a cousin saying that even though I couldn’t do it, he at least had a “wayyyy” better chance now. Outwardly, I would flaunt my disapproval at Edward Blum plastering an Asian face on his conservative anti-affirmative action program. Deep down, however, I thought that if Blum’s case made it to the Supreme Court, my fellow Asians would likely get better chances at the Ivy League.

Sexual assault, hazing, death: Is this the cost of brotherhood?

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | February 21, 2019

It’s February, which means that many fraternities and sororities at Hopkins and at other colleges nationwide have just recruited their newest pledge class. To those new recruits, we extend our congratulations. Many students find a sense of community and lifelong friendships in the Greek organization to which they belong. But to those of you who’ve joined fraternities, we’d also like to express our concerns. 

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