Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
November 22, 2024

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.

Azbounce4kids/cc by-sa 3.0 On Monday, RAB held an event with bouncy castles on the beach for RAB Week.

The campus programming model needs improvement

By TOMMY KOH | April 6, 2017

Three of my classmates walked into class 15 minutes late this Monday. The cause of their atypical delay was a “too fun to resist” bouncy castle that was on the beach. While 15 minutes of instructional time was lost, one could potentially argue that the memory of missing class to jump on a bouncy castle will probably stick around longer than the content covered in the same time. This is in no way condoning skipping class, but surely many can agree that there’s something special in these small moments.

Editorial: New Horizons can deliver the change that SGA needs

April 6, 2017

Student government at Hopkins needs to change. The Editorial Board has unfortunately seen the Student Government Association (SGA) stagnate, and students have undoubtedly lost respect for this critical institution. But because SGA is the only official representative of students, it must regain their respect.

GAGE SKIDMORE/CC BY-SA 2.0

Working class voters didn’t choose Trump

By EMELINE ARMITAGE | April 6, 2017

Since the election, there have been numerous articles trying to get to the bottom of the motivation of Trump voters. Are Trump voters the result of racism and xenophobia, economic anxiety or a mixture of both (spoiler: According to exit polls, the answer is racism)? And, depending on your answer to the question, how best can liberals and leftists reach out to them?

Hopkins misses the mark with diversity training

By ALLISON JIANG | March 30, 2017

When I arrived on campus for freshman orientation in August, I was apprehensive. College was like nothing I was prepared for, it was a whole new space in which I needed to reestablish myself. But I quickly grew comfortable and was pleasantly surprised at all the social issues that the University seemed to take responsibility for.

FotoosVanRobin/CC BY-SA 2.0 Eat your brownies, but don’t pretend that binging on chocolate equates to self-care.

Be cautious of using the phrase “self-care”

By GILLIAN LELCHUK | March 30, 2017

In the age of fragile liberal snowflakes, there’s a phrase that I see thrown around quite a bit: “Practice self-care.” Now don’t get me wrong, it is incredibly important to take care of yourself, but we need to examine what we actually mean when we say something like that. If eating a pint of ice cream instead of watching the news is your idea of “self-care,” aren’t you buying into the idea of being a fragile snowflake?

Editorial: Rescind the new student group branding policy

March 30, 2017

The Editorial Board strongly condemns Student Leadership and Involvement (SLI) and Homewood Student Affair’s new branding policy for student groups. Kirsten Fricke, the SLI’s director, notified student group leaders of the policy on Thursday March 16, right before Spring Break.

Editorial: Why we should all buy local

March 30, 2017

The University’s Hopkins Local initiative, a program that commits Hopkins to supporting local and minority-owned businesses, was introduced in September 2015. A new progress report released March 9 details future plans to expand the program and reiterate the University’s mission.

Keith Weller/public domain Remember that every hamburger you eat was once a cow. Giving up meat can reduce your carbon footprint.

Giving up meat can help reduce your carbon footprint

By KIM KOON | March 30, 2017

From the halls of our dorms to the walls of our bathrooms, we are constantly reminded to turn off the lights, to take shorter showers or to drink out of reusable water bottles. In light of Earth Day coming up in a few weeks, it’s important to remember why someone took the time out of their day to cut out a bunch of tiny signs and post them around campus.

Editorial: Why Hopkins students should care about Remington gentrification

March 16, 2017

Remington, the neighborhood just south of the Homewood Campus, was originally inhabited by Baltimore’s working class families. In recent years, however, the area has seen a spike in housing prices and experienced an influx of single, white Baltimoreans in part due to its proximity to Hopkins.

Editorial: Former convicts deserve equal access to higher education

March 16, 2017

For those with criminal records, seeking access to higher education can often seem pointless. The obligation to report any past convictions on college and graduate school applications has discouraged former prisoners who want to better themselves through education.

Beachfront Solutions/ CC BY-SA 2.0 Many students spend their spring breaks in Mexico without knowing the consequences.

Spring break in Mexico is problematic and political

By GILLIAN LELCHUK | March 16, 2017

Spring break is finally upon us, and for me, that means three things: Procrastination will rise to an all-time high, visits to the dog park will become essential and my newsfeed will be full of pictures of friends visiting places like Cabo and Puerto Rico.

Take time to listen, but don’t wait too long to take action

By TOMMY KOH | March 16, 2017

Change is the only constant. In student administration, this premise can certainly be applied broadly. Indeed, many who facilitate conversations about student leadership and involvement often preach the importance of adaptability, to be creative to avoid being stagnant, to innovate to achieve greater things, to experiment as a way toward new beginnings.

Obama (Obamacare)/CC BY-SA 4.0 Obamacare has been heavily criticized for its individual mandate.

New health care law is worse than Obamacare

By NICK EAGLE | March 16, 2017

Since the day the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, became law in 2010, the Republican Party has successfully attacked it to the point that the Repeal and Replace movement has appealed to many Americans.

OFFICIAL LEWEB PHOTOS/CC BY 2.0 Milo Yiannopoulos is a controversial far-right writer who has sparked protests.

Liberals fundamentally misunderstand protests and leftism

By EMELINE ARMITAGE | March 9, 2017

The free speech debate is raging on campuses. Again. This time the think pieces stem from two events: the widely publicized canceled Milo Yiannopoulos event at UC Berkeley and conservative Charles Murray’s speech at Middlebury that was thrown into chaos by protesters.

Micha Józefaciuk/CC BY-SA 3.0 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Emperor Erdogan of Turkey must be stopped

March 9, 2017

In many respects, Kemalism’s death warrant was signed by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on July 20, 2016. Following an abortive coup d’état, the Turkish president predicated a state of emergency. In other words, it was a constitutional suspension of the Turkish constitution on the destabilized sociopolitical atmosphere of the country, prompting a widespread culling of dissent within Turkish society.

We need to fight the culture of college apathy

By ALEX SILBERZWEIG | March 9, 2017

When some students hear the word “college,” they perk up and think about the fascinating classes they are taking, the lifelong friends they are making and the exciting freedoms that come with living away from home. Others might cringe and recoil upon hearing this word.

Letter to the Editor: March 9

March 9, 2017

In response to the article “Henrietta Lacks’ estate to sue Hopkins Hospital” published on March 2:

Editorial: Hopkins deserves a better sexual assault module

March 9, 2017

The University sent out an email to current juniors and seniors on Feb 28 requiring them to complete a mandatory online training course that addresses sexual assault, as well as alcohol and drug use. Freshmen and sophomores had previously completed the module, called Think About It, as part of their Orientation.

Editorial: Professors should adapt curriculum to the Trump era

March 2, 2017

In response to Donald Trump’s election, many professors at Hopkins have altered their course curricula to address the president’s rhetoric and policies. Some, like Wayne Biddle’s Writing Seminars course “Nonfiction in the Post-Factual Era,” were created this semester specifically to confront the aftermath of Trump’s win.

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