Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
November 22, 2025 November 22, 2025 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

Voices

Hopkins is a diverse university where an incredible mix of cultures, academic interests and personalities coexist and thrive. Here is the section where you can publish your unique thoughts, ideas and perspectives on life at Hopkins and beyond.

Fresh album releases to satisfy new tune needs

By ALEX HUROWITZ | April 11, 2013

The smell of spring in the air not only means that the plants will start to bloom and I will get allergies — it also that there are more albums to look forward to. If you have not already, you should check out the recently released Wakin on a Pretty Daze by Kurt Vile, Overgrown by James Blake or Shaking the Habitual by The Knife. Though we already have these albums to enjoy, here are some more albums we can look forward to in the coming months:

Movie marathon ideas to cure the Brody blues

By ALEY VILLARREAL | April 11, 2013

As the end of the semester draws to a close (I know I shouldn’t even mention it) it’s important not to drive yourself crazy with 24/7 studying. Please, leave Brody every once in a while. The chairs are comfy, sure, but they aren’t beds. The one thing that really winds me down from a hard week’s work is a good ole’ fashioned movie marathon.

Learning how to love your luscious locks

By AMANDA GARCIA | April 11, 2013

Growing up in my household meant being repeatedly reminded to dress up. My mother had my older sister a whole nine nine years before I came along, and she was desperately hoping for another shot at having a girly girl. My sister was the tomboy rocking the Tims and polos, and the only time my mom won out was when she forced her to wear a dress once a week … in middle school. After that, it was a lost cause. Of course, nowadays it’s a completely different story. The newly christened 29-year-old rocks Louis and high heels anytime she isn’t rocking her court officer uniform.

The Voice is fun and refreshingly drama-less

By Elizabeth Sherwood | April 11, 2013

I have to be honest; I did not watch the first three seasons of the U.S. version of The Voice on NBC. I was, however, always drawn to the idea of the show.  For those of you who do not watch it, the contestants come on stage and sing to the backs of the four judges. The point is that each judge hears the voice of the contestant without being distracted by looks or demeanor, which in itself is a very noble concept.  As Shakira said, “There is no prejudice involved. And that is very refreshing.”

How to cure your incessant comedy improv craving

By JENN DIAMOND | April 4, 2013

It’s Friday night. You are home, sitting on your couch (or your bed, or the floor or your super sweet bean bag chair or, fine, maybe you are just standing). Your eyes are glazed over, as if two tiny blankets have tucked in your pupils for a long night’s rest. It has been months since you have smiled. Your ab muscles have grown weak and flabby from going long periods without laughing. A dust bunny floats across the floor in front of you, and you wonder if your life is meaningless.

Sans honey mustard, Potbelly’s turns the hungry masses into ... well, potbellies

By Alex Barbera , GEORGINA RUPP and GEORGINA RUPP and ALEXANDRA BARBERA | April 4, 2013

Although Potbelly has already been getting sufficient attention with its opening week, we thought we’d head into the new sandwich shop on St. Paul’s to check out the food behind the balloons. Staff, wearing tie dye shirts and smiles, welcomed us into the swarming crowds of customers and guided us to the long line. We joined the herd and looked up at the menu — which includes originals, skinnies, salads, soup/chili, desserts and extras. Since committing ourselves to this article, we have tried: (drum roll please) A Wreck, roast beef, Italian, Mediterranean, T-K-Y and a mushroom melt. We’ve tried the broccoli cheddar and southwestern chicken soup. And also the chocolate chocolate milkshake and sugar cookie. Needless to say, we were pretty determined to get the full Potbelly experience.

Ms. Frizzle’s felony and other 90s anomalies

By KERYCE CHELSI HENRY | April 4, 2013

It’s no secret that those of us born in the 90s are some of the luckiest people around. We got to experience the greatest trends in fashion, music and, most definitely, television. In retrospect, however, there were tons of ambiguities in the cartoons and sitcoms that we hold so dear to our hearts. Here are ten questions from the shows of our childhoods that may never be answered:

Florida Gulf Coast #REPPIN

By SOPHIA GAUTHIER | March 28, 2013

So I was feeling kinda baller and decided to enter an SGA March Madness Bracket. I felt slightly less baller when the first round of tallies went up on Facebook, but mind you, I don’t actually follow basketball, as much as I enjoy it.

Fresh perspective on the complaining culture

By CARISSA RATANAPHANYARAT | March 28, 2013

Welcome to #Hopkinstudentproblems, the column where the common complaints, sufferings, and troubles attributed to Hopkins Hell, or, The Dark Side, will be voiced by the awesome, all-knowing Carissa Ratanaphanyarat, judged from her perspective, and then published to join the myriad of other wretched Hopkins complaints harmonizing in the Brody Learning Commons 24/7. No, this is not Hopkins Problem Students Anonymous, nor are you reading a bi-monthly rant session by Debbie Downers that managed to take over advertising space in The News-Letter. Rather, as a Writing Seminars major — which, according to a recent BME grad, automatically earns me hipster status at Hopkins — my job is to complain about mainstream Hopkins complaints without acting like a mainstream Hopkins student. So, here is my “bang” as I start off by appropriately complaining in a column named #Hopkinstudentproblems.

Disclosure makes a novel yet nostalgic sound

By ALEX HUROWITZ | March 28, 2013

Disclosure is a electronic music duo from the United Kingdom consisting of brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence. The siblings grew up in Surrey, a county just southwest of London. They released their first single, “Offline Dexterity,” back in 2010, when Guy was 18 and Howard was only 15 years old. Considering that most of their immediate family had done music professionally at some point of their lives, it makes sense that the siblings started young. The single was followed up by an EP, Carnival, which was released in July 2011. Their next single, “Tenderly/Flow,” was released in January 2012 and picked up the bulk of their national radio support. In June, Disclosure released their second EP, The Face, to critical acclaim. Their remix of Jessie Ware’s “Running” was very popular during the summer of 2012 and was even included on the annual edition on Annie Mac Presents, an electronic music show on BBC.

Unexpected culture shock in the Dominican Republic

By Elizabeth Sherwood | March 28, 2013

Despite the cold weather, I am still on that Spring Break flow, so to speak. This past week I was lucky enough to go on a trip to the Dominican Republic with my family.  I flew in and out of Santo Domingo. I have to admit that I was completely disappointed in myself with my preparation for the trip. I had not read any literature about the culture, so everything was a shock to me.  People drive super fast and do not always adhere to traffic laws.  The types of living conditions I saw made me so upset that I do not even want to describe them here.  The place where I stayed was on the southeast portion of the island, which did not have as many tourists as I thought it would. Were they there but just did not go out and explore? The tourists that I did see, however, were mostly European.   People were from all over and spoke many languages. It made communicating difficult almost all the time. Somehow, however, the tourists blended well with the locals and although no one seemed to notice or care that the population in that small section of the island was so diverse, I though it was great.

My food-filled break in the Big Apple

By AMANDA GARCIA | March 28, 2013

Spring break has taken on a whole new meaning. It used to be seen as that one week where everyone would travel to a hot climate and show off their spring-ready bodies in next to nothing. Now, as I scroll down my newsfeed on Facebook, all I see are photographs from unconventional Spring Break destinations, spanning from cold Canada to just-as-cold Michigan.

13.5% Wine Bar makes a mean chocolate tart; shies from large portions

By Alex Barbera , GEORGINA RUPP and GEORGINA RUPP and ALEXANDRA BARBERA | March 14, 2013

When in the midst of Hopkins’s midterms, we firmly believe that one great meal off campus is as essential to your survival as the copious large black coffees that we swear by on campus. So, we elected to treat ourselves to 13.5% Wine Bar in Hampden. 13.5%. Not 13.1%! THIS IS NOT A HALF MARATHON! Although running one before your meal might help you work up a healthy appetite. (Kidding! Be forewarned: the portions are small.) By the end of the night we even heard our neighbors calling it “13.wine percent!”

AskMani: On Burnout

By ASKMANI | March 14, 2013

Dear AskMani, Is it too late to get some good deals for spring break? Sincerely, Frugal On Flights

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