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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.

Showing up to the open forum is half the battle

By EMELINE ARMITAGE | February 12, 2015

The Hopkins administration has proven to its students, both old and new, that it is inept at handing sexual assault situations. Therefore, it is essential that students hold the administration responsible and demand transparency and answers. There have been major improvements; the administration notified the campus swiftly after a sexual assault was reported in November. However, it still has not earned the trust of its students, and students must continue to demand better from the administration. Unfortunately, the low attendance at a recent Q&A panel on sexual assault shows a potential disappointing lack of interest from students.

Campus Kitchen efforts are praiseworthy

February 12, 2015

The Editorial Board commends the Hopkins Campus Kitchen organization for all the work its members have done to fight food insecurity in Baltimore. In years past, Campus Kitchen has worked to bring leftover Meals in a Minute to local citizens in need. However, with the arrival of Bon Appétit, Campus Kitchen faced new challenges as it tried to develop a plan with the new management similar to the one they previously had with Aramark. Recently, Campus Kitchen’s food resources director has negotiated with Bon Appétit management and the two parties have finally reached an agreement that will put leftover Meals in a Minute in the hands of the hungry instead of the compost bin.

Selma event is a welcomed focus on diversity

February 12, 2015

In partnership with the Black Student Union and the Student Government Association,  Hopkins sponsored a free screening of Ava duVernay’s critically acclaimed civil rights film Selma on Wednesday at the Charles Theatre. The screening was followed by a panel discussion with a question and answer session. The panel, led by Provost Robert Lieberman, included prominent civil rights scholars: Taylor Branch, a 2014 Hopkins honorary degree recipient and the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning trilogy on the civil rights movement, America in the King Years, and Nathan Connolly, the director of the University’s Program on Racism, Immigration and Citizenship and an assistant professor of history at Hopkins, whose work focuses on the connection between property rights and civil rights.

Domestic terrorism in the U.S. should be treated seriously

By SARAH STOCKMAN | February 5, 2015

Over this past break I visited a friend of mine in London. While there, we took the Chunnel to Paris for the day, which happened to be a week after the shooting at Charlie Hebdo. Paris that day was a very different city from the Paris I remembered visiting the year before: Stores were closed, the streets weren’t very busy, sirens wailed and police officers carrying large guns patrolled the sidewalks. I was surprised by the somber mood. Yes, there had been a terrorist attack, but only 12 people had died. In my mind, it didn’t register as being that grave.

Marshawn Lynch's press conference was real art

By EMELINE ARMITAGE | February 5, 2015

I have only ever cared about football enough to be able to chat about it in the checkout line, to make a quip about my hometown Browns’ existential suckery and Johnny Manziel’s antics — the Ravens got so close, they’ll get ‘em next year, thank you, have a nice day. But my interest in football skyrocketed when I viewed a video containing the possibly most public piece of performance art since Pussy Riot pussy-rioted in Russia.

Marshawn Lynch's press conference was real art

By EMELINE ARMITAGE | February 5, 2015

I have only ever cared about football enough to be able to chat about it in the checkout line, to make a quip about my hometown Browns’ existential suckery and Johnny Manziel’s antics — the Ravens got so close, they’ll get ‘em next year, thank you, have a nice day. But my interest in football skyrocketed when I viewed a video containing the possibly most public piece of performance art since Pussy Riot pussy-rioted in Russia.

International adoption offers true options

By CARISSA ZUKOWSKI | February 5, 2015

Upon arriving to a doctor’s office, as a new patient, I am typically asked to fill out a thick stack of papers held together by a sterile clipboard. The papers ask for my basic information, such as my name, address, age, etc. But almost immediately, I begin to hesitate as I fill out the forms. The paper asks me, “With which race do you identify?” and “What ethnicity do you consider yourself?” I do not know how to answer these questions honestly. Part of it may be because I am a twenty-year-old in a society that forces me to question who I am everyday, but a larger part of it is because I am adopted. I was adopted from South Korea as an infant and came to my family in America at the age of five months.

Open party ban should be lifted

February 5, 2015

With spring recruitment currently underway for Hopkins sororities and fraternities, it is time to reevaluate the progress that campus Greek life has experienced since its previous struggles with safety at parties. In November, the Inter-Fraternity Council (IFC) met to address a sexual assault that occurred at a fraternity-sponsored event. Although those involved in the incident had no affiliation with the University or its Greek life, the IFC, in consultation with University administrators, responded by unanimously voting to ban all open parties until the end of the fall semester.

Remodeling Cooperstown: tainted players in a tainted league

By ALEX YAHANDA | January 29, 2015

This article, I know, may be outdated by now. But I recently saw in the news that Alex Rodriguez had hired Barry Bonds to become his personal hitting coach as he rejoins the New York Yankees. The irony of this partnership did not escape me. Rodriguez, who had to sit out last season as a result of his extensive history of performance enhancing drug (PED) use, is partnering with Bonds, the unofficial face of baseball’s PED era, to help him make a clean return to the game. This news also gave me a convenient reason to revisit the baseball Hall of Fame elections that occurred a few weeks ago.

The pervasive pitfalls of being a white moderate

By EMELINE ARMITAGE | January 29, 2015

In his powerful and articulate “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” (1963), Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, “I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: ‘I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action.’" Although the struggle for civil rights never ended, it has received mainstream news coverage, both nationally and locally, in recent months due to the murders of black men and women such as Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice and Tanisha Anderson.

Crooked Wood: Good morning Baltimore

By NIKA SABASTEANSKI | January 29, 2015

Apparently New York City, my hometown, is “over” in the way 12-year-old girls signified the end of Uggs and leggings. First off, I reject this premise entirely. New York City is a complex organism that exists in various permutations for its multitude of residents and visitors. The observation, or rather pronouncement, is grounded in some reality. A significant part of New York is only available to masters of the universe. Every new plot of land that has a warehouse with any potential at all is consumed within minutes by developers and weeks later becomes a concert venue or luxury apartment. I have heard arguments that beyond its outlandish real estate prices, the city is too polished and too safe — the proverbial grit is gone. I grant you that New York has changed dramatically, and we’re not just mourning the dive bars and hole-in-the-wall eateries.

New approach needed to secure campus

January 29, 2015

A recent uptick in armed robberies has caught the University’s attention, not just because of their heightened frequency, but because they seem to be getting closer and closer to campus. Given that the University preaches student safety above just about all else, the Editorial Board believes extensive measures need to be taken in order to restore safety and comfort to student lives.

New major is unnecessary, redundant

January 29, 2015

Hopkins has launched a new major this semester called “Medicine, Science, and the Humanities.” In a press release, Beverly Wendland, the interim dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, described the major as a way to close the gap between science and the humanities. Using the phrase “interdisciplinary,” she asserts that Hopkins is the perfect institution to link science and the humanities together and that today in higher education, students should be educated in both instead of having to choose one or the other.

For safety of all, BIT must be mandatory

December 4, 2014

In the fall of 2013, the University instituted an interactive, student-facilitated program called Bystander Intervention Training (BIT) designed to teach students, staff and faculty about sexual assault, abusive relationships and rape culture and to give them tools to prevent gender violence on campus. The general consensus on campus is that BIT is a well-put together program and that it is extremely informative, and the Editorial Board agrees with the immense value that this program holds.

Aging entails much more than you think

By SHAUN VERMA | December 4, 2014

Most people know all too well the experience of old age and caring for the elderly — it’s something that transcends all cultures and generations. I’ve had the opportunity to analyze the last cycle of life through sociological and ethical lenses during my courses this semester. As a child who is privileged enough to have all his grandparents alive, I am lucky enough to say I have not personally experienced the death of a loved one. However, aging as a concept is not solely about “slowly dying” but unfortunately involves a tremendous amount of sickness. With grandparents who have gone through and are currently going through their share of caretaking, I know just how relatable these concepts and experiences are to others. The last cycle of life is tied to many different illnesses like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer and loss of hearing or vision — thus making it a ubiquitous experience in our society.

Sexist children's book draws justifiable rage

By CARISSA ZUKOWSKI | December 4, 2014

Earlier this fall, a children’s book that was originally released four years ago stood in the spotlight as many readers criticized its sexist portrayal of women in a professional environment. Barbie: I Can Be A Computer Engineer is an installment in the I Can Be series starring none other than Barbie herself. This sounds like the type of book that would empower young girls to engage with science and technology and encourage them that anything is possible through hard work. Instead we see that Barbie is only able to be a computer engineer if her male friends are there to fix all of her mistakes.

Sexist children's book draws justifiable rage

By CARISSA ZUKOWSKI | December 4, 2014

Earlier this fall, a children’s book that was originally released four years ago stood in the spotlight as many readers criticized its sexist portrayal of women in a professional environment. Barbie: I Can Be A Computer Engineer is an installment in the I Can Be series starring none other than Barbie herself. This sounds like the type of book that would empower young girls to engage with science and technology and encourage them that anything is possible through hard work. Instead we see that Barbie is only able to be a computer engineer if her male friends are there to fix all of her mistakes.

Hopkins theater needs space for existing talent to grow

By Christy Lee | December 4, 2014

For a school so famous for its academics, Hopkins has a surprising amount of theater talent among its student body. There is a show (sometimes more) performed practically every weekend, with groups performing original works from improvisation comedy to theater classics. The theater scene truly does cater to all sorts of thespian palates. And yet, Hopkins theater leaves a lot to be desired.

America needs real political discourse

By WILL MARCUS | December 4, 2014

Our grandparents got their news from the radio, our parents got their news from TV stations and we get our news from BuzzFeed (which is actually a somewhat respectable news source). While this may be a huge oversimplification of how different generations stayed informed, there are some profound changes coming to the political landscape of this country.

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