Moore's appointment has faced backlash from the Hopkins community. Students have demonstrated, circulated petitions and emailed the institute's director, Hahrie Han, to call for the immediate revocation of his fellowship. As University administration remains unresponsive to criticism, The News-Letter wishes to echo the concerns of the student body. Johnnie Moore's appointment as a Visiting Fellow and the SNF Agora's refusal to engage with student concerns are antithetical to the democratic values that the institution purports to uphold.

The GHF, which closed in December 2025, was under scrutiny from the international community due to its lack of transparency about its funding sources and its close association with the Israeli government. Prior to the start of the GHF's operations in late May 2025, aid distribution sites in Gaza were run by the United Nations (U.N.). However, these U.N.-backed sites faced allegations from the Israeli government that Hamas was diverting large amounts of its aid, ultimately resulting in its replacement by the GHF. According to the U.N., over 859 people were killed near GHF distribution sites as of August 2025. Over the course of its operations, food distributions were managed by private, anonymous entities and were located in areas that required recipients to travel long distances to reach, rendering them vulnerable to gunfire and attack.

As the leader of a foundation that has faced widespread condemnation from humanitarian organizations, Moore does not uphold the mission of SNF Agora or the University as a whole. As chairman of the GHF, he is directly associated with the deaths of hundreds of civilians. These accusations raise important questions about his commitment to impartiality in the distribution of humanitarian aid and, thus, his commitment to democratic values.

SNF Agora has also demonstrated a limited adherence to its own commitment to civic engagement by ignoring student concerns. While administrators repeatedly emphasized their commitment to dialogue, they declined to answer substantive questions that students raised about Moore's appointment as a Visiting Fellow.

While Han attended a Student Government Association (SGA) meeting on Nov. 11 to discuss concerns about the matter, she refused to comment on the specifics of Moore's appointment. During the meeting, she explained that she hadn't responded to over 50 student emails advocating against Moore's presence on campus, as they had gotten lost in her spam folder. Furthermore, in an interview with The News-Letter, junior Eli Lesher shared that he emailed Han six times in mid-November to schedule a meeting. According to Lesher, after he elaborated on his concerns and raised a question during the SGA session, however, Han canceled the meeting and did not respond to further emails.

The institute's lack of response to criticism subverts its commitment to civic engagement. For an administrator tasked with facilitating dialogue, allowing dozens of emails from concerned students to slip through the cracks suggests a deeper issue of neglect and irresponsibility and institutional carelessness, all of which undermine SNF Agora's commitment to dialogue. These incidents also raise larger questions about the institute's openness to constructive criticism. It currently does not provide a reliable avenue through which the student body can raise concerns about its operations. Implementing a student advisory board, which used to exist before the pandemic, as Han mentioned in the SGA meeting,would be a significant step in addressing this problem.

A fellowship appointment at Hopkins carries significant institutional weight. SNF Agora fellows are not only endorsed as voices that are aligned with the institute's mission, they also represent the University publicly. Due to this visibility and legitimacy attributed to Visiting Fellows, appointments to the fellowship demand clear, substantive criteria. Without ethical standards, the fellowship risks becoming detached from the values that it is meant to uphold.

Political involvement alone should not disqualify someone from the fellowship. As students have emphasized, political affiliations do not delegitimize a candidate, but rather the ethics of their actions. Moore's humanitarian crimes are not in accordance with SNF Agora's commitment to democracy, both because they violate a core ethical standard and because they demonstrate a clear lack of neutrality in aid distribution, which is contradictory to values of democracy.

The absence of ethical standards has real consequences. Without clear expectations for fellows, students are left without a framework to understand or challenge appointments that appear to contradict the institute's mission. Establishing transparent, mission-aligned criteria would not only strengthen the legitimacy of fellowship appointments but also reaffirm SNF Agora's stated commitment to dialogue, accountability and civic engagement.

One example of molecular computing is known as DNA computing, which uses DNA to perform calculations in lieu of electronics. In some instances, computing with DNA is more effective than traditional electronics because it is a form of parallel computing, in which many calculations (chemical reactions) are simultaneously carried out. Since being first demonstrated in 1994, DNA computing, and more broadly, the biochemical computing field, has expanded rapidly.

Though the field of molecular computing is still relatively nascent, it has garnered much interest from researchers in biology, chemistry and computer science. In 2024, Hopkins hosted a global conference on DNA computing and molecular programming, which drew in hundreds of scientists from around the world.

Rebecca Schulman is a professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Hopkins who is currently working on developing new materials that both contain and process information. Her interest in the field began during her undergraduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she studied computer science. After working in Silicon Valley for a couple of years on natural language processing, she decided to move into the bioengineering field and worked on building information-processing materials in her graduate school and postdoctoral research.

"In grad school, I studied this process called algorithmic self-assembly, which sounds kind of esoteric," Schulman said in an interview with The News-Letter. "The basic idea was that in biochemistry, often times there's a competition between multiple molecules to interact with a growing structure. If there's something about those molecules that leads you to choose one over the other, that could be viewed as a form of information processing."

Specifically, Schulman focused on studying this process in DNA, which helped expand the applications of DNA computing technology.

"I worked on weaving DNA into little bricks that could crystallize into sheets and studied how information was transferred as these sheets formed," Schulman recalled. "And I showed that you could grow sheets that would contain some kind of code, like a binary number, and it could copy that code as a crystal grew. We were also able to do computing, where these sheets could not just copy a number, but count."

Though Schulman worked on limited use cases of DNA algorithmic self-assembly in graduate school, she believed that this technology was not just limited to simple operations. This idea has led to her current research, which focuses on expanding this molecular computing concept to create biologically relevant materials. Namely, Schulman's group is working on building molecules and materials that can make decisions, sense their environments, perform actions and talk to each other to be able to solve problems.

Schulman highlighted the potential applications of the technology medical in cancer cell detection, drug delivery, and tissue and organ growth.

"Theoretically, we could harness this simple idea to make biological materials… that could look at a couple of molecules and decide whether a particular cell is a cancer cell," Schulman stated. "This would be better than what we can do now. A little bit of logic that molecules could possess could be really useful for us as a technology."

Last November, Schulman won a National Science Foundation (NSF) Trailblazer Engineering Impact Award for a proposal seeking to harness molecular computing to more efficiently grow organs in vitro. The organ of choice that Schulman decided on was the kidney, the organ with the highest transplant demand worldwide. In the United States, over 80% of patients on the waitlist for a lifesaving organ transplantation need a kidney. However, less than 20% of people waiting for a kidney receive one each year.

"The goal of this proposal was to pick a really big challenge that was also a national need, and try to propose an unusual way to get around roadblocks in the field," Schulman said. "The problem of growing organs or tissues in the lab is a long-standing challenge. Our vision was that molecular programming would allow us to much more carefully create the cues that cells see as they grow in utero."

The materials that Schulman seeks to create would be able to secrete biological materials at specific time points in the protocol, mimicking the developmental signals that organs experience during their formations.

"We've been working on transcribing RNA in a specific location, controlling how it spreads, and then using that precise spread to control where other molecules, like drugs, are released," Schulman stated. "The other thing we wanted to think about was how to figure out how to release cues in a way that adapts to a growing tissue. We've been working on trying to build molecular processes that transcribe RNA in response to proteins made by a tissue, which would allow us to control release in this way.… We're hoping to provide the tools for complex organoid engineering to happen."

Bowen's group recently wrapped up a study exploring the psychological differences between long-distance and close-distance relationships. One aspect he examined was the misconception that long-distance relationships are automatically doomed and are not as happy as compared to close-distance relationships. However, Bowen found out that relationships did lose intimacy and satisfaction after a transition from long-distance into close-distance, even though the idea of being close-distance was desirable for most long-distance partners.

Bowen began to investigate the psychological mechanisms behind these seemingly contradictory observations. He ended up converging on a phenomenon called "psychological distance," where people tended to treat long-distance relationships in more abstract terms, while close-distance relationships were thought to be more concrete.

"If you're far away, you can get on Zoom or FaceTime with them and talk, but it's not the same as having the physical contact and true co-presence," Bowen said. "So we're interested in understanding the long distance itself as a psychological feature of these relationships, and seeing if that helps explain this two-pronged idea that you can manage a long-distance relationship pretty successfully at a distance, but when you shift to proximity, that introduces new challenges."

The ideas Bowen studies fall under the general concept of relationship cognition, which are the mental processes that individuals use to think about and maintain their relationships. Ultimately, he seeks to find shared psychological explanations that account for the relative success of long-distance relationships and the challenges that arise when transitioning to close-distance relationships.

As Valentine's Day is one of the most popular holidays dedicated to celebrating romantic relationships, social psychologists have conducted a significant amount of research on the effects of and attitudes towards Valentine's Day.

"People have done some interesting things in terms of understanding how consequential experiences on Valentine's Day are to different partners," Bowen explained. "There are some partners who put a lot of stake into the day, and if it goes well, it really strengthens the relationship, at least in the short term. And for the same people putting a lot of stake in it, if it goes poorly or doesn't meet their expectations, it can bepretty harmful in the short run."

Gift giving, a central activity of Valentine's Day, has also been the subject of extensive research by psychologists.

"Receiving gifts seems on the surface like it would be the more preferable experience for some, but for other partners, the gift-giving is what's really invigorating for them," Bowen said. "Part of the explanation for that is the idea that knowing what the partner will like - giving them a gift - is a reflection that you understand and value them."

Bowen emphasized the importance of keeping up with the ever-dynamic landscape of relationships, with social media being a growing and relevant space and tool for research regarding attraction. There are three traditional categories for studying online processes. The first is called translational, which takes an analog tool like a survey, and makes it digital. The second is called phenomenological methods, which takes a phenomenon that has transformed drastically online, an example being cyberbullying. The third category, which social media can be used for, is labelled as novel methods. Bowen described using the features of Instagram as a method to examine momentary experiences of attraction.

"You could present people with photos at a lab. You could ask them to respond really quickly to certain stimuli. You could ask them to express their opinions and try and get at that information rapidly, almost like a snap judgment. But swiping behavior in the context of Tinder and certain other dating apps is already a data source that's capturing this brevity of exposure. It's offering clues based on what's presented in those images, in terms of what is driving people's choices to swipe one way or the other. Taking the design of such tools and recognizing different data produced outside of people's conscious awareness offer compelling insights," Bowen said.

Bowen listed a few characteristics present in Instagram that help create conditions to examine attraction, such as whether a person is following the participant, whether the participant is following the person, both or neither. With these alterations, an image of the Instagram profile can be created, and the participant's reaction to these conditions can be measured.

Lastly, Bowen offered his overarching thoughts about the nature of human relationships.

"The thing that I often come back to is how the breadth and the flexibility of our psychology as human beings is largely where it has been for hundreds and hundreds of years… Grounding in that can be helpful. Even if we are expressing ourselves in new spaces and in new ways [like social media], those fundamental components are still there, as part of the nature of being a person. I think it sometimes can just be helpful to remind ourselves of that, [which is] very simple but also endlessly dynamic. Both from the perspective of studying it and living it, I think that's a nice thing to anchor into."

To watch...

Saffron Hallett: Eternity (2025), directed by David Freyne

Do you know where you would like to spend eternity? Imagine if you had the chance to pick your paradise after death. What would it look like, and who would you want to spend it with?

These are the questions that Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) must grapple with as she finds herself at the Junction, a place between the living world and the afterlife. On the one hand, she could spend her eternity with her first husband, Luke (Callum Turner), who died during a war and has waited for her here for 67 years. On the other hand, she could spend eternity with her second husband Larry (Miles Teller), with whom she has been married to for 65 years and has children with. She only has one week to decide, and whichever eternity she chooses, she will be forced to stay in forever.

Watch as Larry and Luke fight for their wife with the help of their Afterlife Coordinators, Anna (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) and Ryan (John Early), respectively, in this surreal, '70s convention center-style atmosphere. Director David Freyne takes his audience on a heartwarming and emotional journey that lets us reflect on our lives and the relationships we make along the way. Who would you spend your eternity with?

Grace Oh: Be Melodramatic (2019), directed by Lee Byeong-heon and Kim Hye-young

Be Melodramatic is a meta love letter to Korean dramas, where the main characters include a drama writer, a marketing team leader of a drama production company and a documentary director. Distinguished by the witty and thoughtful dialogue, the writers and directors of Be Melodramatic are not afraid to make fun of the self-referenced genre's cliches or the characteristics of typical weekday Korean drama, even directly addressing the looming presence of product placement. Many shades of love are portrayed, such as the simmering, latent love present in the aftermath of a seven-year relationship, the steadiness of friendships that spill over from college to adult life and the grief that persists after the death of a partner.

The show's strength is plainly stated by one of the protagonists in Episode 5 as she prepares to convince higher-ups at a network company to pick up her drama, which works as the in-universe version of Be Melodramatic: It's character-driven, relying on the viewers' empathy and curiosity for the ensemble cast to get them to continue watching episode after episode. And when the writers and directors trust the audience to care for and love the characters as they do, gracing their minor characters with the same empathy their main counterparts get, how can the stories be anything short of romantic?

River Phan: The Beast (2023), directed by Bertrand Bonello

Incel ideology is a response to an identity conceived from an incongruence between oneself and one's desires within the libidinal economy, or rudimentarily, a state without sexual (or, sometimes, romantic) love. This ideology has been compounded and reified into vitriol and violence by Western postmodernity's specific tactics of alienation, such as work-driven isolation to maximize productivity and technological substitutes for human companionship or comfort. This imposition onto the individual is central to Bertrand Bonello's The Beast (2023). Based on the Henry James novella, The Beast in the Jungle, which tracks a fatalistic fear of impending doom materializing into inescapable loneliness, The Beast uses its non-linear, genre-crossing form to ask what happens to love in the aftermath of catastrophe.

Part period drama and part sci-fi dystopia, The Beast follows Gabrielle (Léa Seydoux) and Louis (George MacKay) through their past and present lives in 1910, 2014 and 2044. Its 2014 set piece could be categorized as a horror-thriller since Louis, in this iteration, is an incel stalking Gabrielle. Beyond its experimental structure through disjointed editing and uneven sound design, this section is dreadfully eerie because it conveys the crux of a certain type of solitude, one that creates incel culture and other reactionary mindsets: Maybe, love is not enough, and fear - of failure or the unknown or being known - is going to prevail in its place. The Beast offers no exhaustive solace, but its picture of love as a mild palliative is precisely and perversely human.

Shreya Tiwari: Jab We Met (2007), directed by Imtiaz Ali

I never quite connected fully with English-speaking rom-coms that have been released recently; I find that there's something missing when characters just say "I love you" instead of speaking in poetry the way a Bollywood actor confesses to his one true love mid-movie. But most Bollywood movies are over-the-top and soap-opera-esque - younger-me saw them as a caricature of love as opposed to the real thing. However, there's one movie which I've rewatched countless times, that has defined exactly how I see love.

Jab We Met is the story of Geet (Kareena Kapoor Khan), a vivacious, slightly immature girl who runs into heartbroken and burnt-out Aditya (Shahid Kapoor) on her train. A series of unfortunate events eventually leads to the two missing their train, and the two connect along a journey to her hometown of Bhatinda. The story becomes one where both characters heal each other - Geet's infectious joy and her self-confidence inspire Aditya, and later, he returns to help Geet find herself after heartbreak. It's not the basic "I can fix him" or "I can fix her" plot; it's two imperfect people learning from each other. There are so many scenes where their affection for one another shows up in glances and subtleties compared to other rom-coms, where I often feel like lovey-dovey scenes are shoved down my throat. The effect is heightened by the amazing songs that accompany these scenes, where lyricism shows the hundreds of details the two characters notice about each other as they fall in love.

It's rare that a romance movie leaves me without nausea. But a love like Geet and Aditya's, with its stupid silly moments and its commitment to constantly making each other better people, is enough to melt the heart of this "disillusioned-with-romance" viewer.

Steve Wang: In the Mood for Love (2000), directed by Wong Kar Wai

Tony Leung's Mr. Chen and Maggie Cheung's Mrs. Chan play characters that would, in any other movie, be relegated to the background - reduced into mere collateral of an unfortunate, melodramatic betrayal. There should be yelling and fighting and screaming in the drama, but instead of such an explicit, aggressive approach to love, the characters of In the Mood for Love choose to bury their feelings behind mountainous facades of role-playing and "platonic" silences.

Mr. Chen never pleads for Mrs. Chan to follow him - never seems to allow himself to ask for the world he wants to live in. The love that ties the two characters doesn't bring them together. It instead tears at their organs and splits the world into two halves: the half he is on and the half she is on. They didn't even ever really fall in love: Chen was never in love. He was always in love.

Just like the black pitch sitting in an empty hall in Queensland, Chen's heart seemed not to move at all, until suddenly, when nobody noticed, it fell right out of his chest and filled the gutters of the rainy alleyway outside his window.

Even though it's not the most upbeat movie to watch while snuggled up in your loved one's arms, it's still an incredibly important one to watch. Its poetic nature leaves so much room for self-exploration and personal interpretation that you will inevitably (re)discover some part of yourself when you watch it. The plot is purposefully muddy, so don't ChatGPT or Google the ending. Struggle with it, let it live with you and eventually, you will see yourself in the reflection.

Shuwen Zheng: 500 Days of Summer (2019), directed by Marc Webb

As Valentine's Day fast approaches, it is the perfect time to revisit some iconic romance films. Directed by Marc Webb, 500 Days of Summer (2009) is one such film that has slowly transitioned from cult classic to wide acceptance within the public consciousness. The film reverses the stereotypical "boy meets girl" tale to explore the realities of love. While Tom starts out as a naive romantic who believes in "true love" and Summer is much more cynical about the existence of such a concept, their united exploration of what love means for them pushes the film forward.

As the rise of social media has reset people's expectations and perceptions of love, often leading to commitment and attachment issues, many resonated with Tom's hopelessly romantic yet failed pursuit of Summer. However, those quick to assign blame for why the relationship didn't work are missing the bigger picture. At the end of the film, in an ironic reversal, Summer has taken Tom's stance of true love while Tom has given up on the notion of finding love. The switching of perspectives indicates there is nothing inherently wrong with either approach to love, and there is no one at blame. The ultimate solace that the audience should find in Tom's journey from first sight to heartbreak across these 500 days is that sometimes people are just not meant to be, and there is nothing to be sad about over that. People love different people differently at different stages of their life: There is no one or "correct" way to approach love.

To read...

Estelle Chen: So Many Constellations, by Paul Celan

Love, like all of my favorite things, makes strange what had been familiar. Naturally, Paul Celan - who twisted and turned, bent and molded German into strange new formations - wrote one of my favorite love poems, So Many Constellations. The poem rambles through paradox: The speaker and their lover both "knew" and "did not know," "were there, after all, and not there." Things are not in their proper place; it seems like they are in no place at all.

The translation by Michael Hamburger treats us to a spectacularly paradoxical promise: "at times when / only the void stood between us we got / all the way to each other." Love is a void; desire is lack (thank you, Lacan), but that is not all that they are. Between the poem's speaker and their lover is a special kind of emptiness: a lack that's unbearably full, a void that is also a bridge.

How are any of these paradoxes possible? Love's rationale is nonsensical: It flips everything on its head to ultimately transcend the mess it's made so that there's no longer a mess at all. Love does not negate rationality or proper places. Rather, it moves us beyond the distinction between rational and irrational, order and mess. Love brings us to the site of constant movement, a place that is no place, where it's possible to cross even - and especially - the most impossible voids.

Austin Moon: The Clod and the Pebble, by William Blake

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I was drawn toward William Blake's love poem The Clod and the Pebble. Structured in two parallel halves, the poem asks a question about the purpose of love and what it demands of us. Through the personified voices of the clod and the pebble, Blake presents two clashing visions: one selfless and open, the other self-preserving and binding in its relationships.

What makes the poem so powerful is how clearly these positions mirror one another. Flipped, the poem retains its meaning when read backward. Each side gives itself fully to the other in its own way. Blake does not tell us which vision is correct. Instead, he allows the reader to choose, or to recognize themselves shifting between the two. At different moments in my own life, I can see how I side more with the pebble, and at other times with the clod, however ridiculous it may sound.

The personification is just distinct enough to make each voice feel alive without turning the poem into an allegory that feels distant or abstract. Poetry allows us to stay present long enough for that recognition to matter. I believe that is what makes this poem, and poetry as a medium, worth returning to.

If you have a spare moment, take a second to breeze through Blake's poem in full and ask yourself, on this day of love and reflection: Are you the Clod or the Pebble?

To listen...

Riley Strait: "Maps," covered by Lola Kirke and Willow Avalon

When I first heard "Maps" on my Discover Weekly, I thought I was doing something. I thought, "They don't love you like I love you," in which I am the I, and the you is "Maps." I thought I was being underground, if only a little. A TikTok virgin, I had no idea the song I was listening to was only a cover by Lola Kirke and Willow Avalon, not the original by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The harder realization was that I was enjoying a song becoming popularized by an unflattering remix with, I'm sorry to say, a stupid dance.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Maps" is a good song, too. The lyrics live a new life, however, when sung by Lola Kirke and Willow Avalon. With the gentle yet aching plea of a country voice, Kirke breathes fresh urgency into the chorus's plea: "Wait, they don't love you like I love you." Backed by instrumentals that can't help but conjure crops of corn, sorghum, wheat or what-have-you, Kirke and Avalon's "Maps" is a sincere, bittersweet call to save a love going south - and to reclaim music from distasteful dance trends.

In an interview with The News-Letter, Kotov discussed his fencing career and his love for the sport in addition to his experience studying engineering. Prior to fencing at the University, Kotov was part of the Salt City Swords Fencing Club in Salt Lake City and the Phoenix Fencing Academy in Arizona. Kotov originally swam competitively, and stumbled upon fencing through his friend.

"I came into fencing by accident. I used to swim for a long time and got bored of that - it was a little too repetitive and too cold for me. [I] had a friend who did fencing and just tried it out one day with him... It was really cool, and I've stuck with it since then. [I've been fencing] nearing 10 years now," Kotov said.

Kotov highlighted the mental aspect of fencing as being continuously thrilling even after years of competing; during every bout, he has to adapt and strategize in new situations with a new opponent, engaging in mental games and trying different tactics to score points. In a nod to his major, Kotov compared the overall process to the concept of building.

"Every time you step up to the strip, it's a novel experience. You have to adapt to it. I think that's one of the things that makes [the sport] really cool," he said. "However long you've been doing it for, it never really gets boring, it's something new every time, you really have to think about it. Even once you've really mastered the physical aspects of it, there's so much more to it," Kotov explained. "As you participate more and more, you understand more of the mental games, the tactical side... [you] see how different actions play together."

In order to train on the mental aspect of the sport, which Kotov admitted to be more difficult in some ways than the physical aspect, he studies videos of higher level fencing. One example includes observing bouts at the Olympics. Another method of improvement Kotov credited was through participating in many tournaments.

"Even before Hopkins tournaments, [I went to tournaments] all the time: national events and did a couple of even international events. It's scary at first because these are big events, there's a lot of people, it's a lot of pressure. But after a while, you get used to that, you learn to think under pressure."

After fencing individually for years, Kotov welcomed the opportunity to attend team events with the Men's Fencing team. He spoke about enjoying the collegiate structure of shorter matches where he faced more opponents and the company and cheers of his teammates.

Outside of the fencing team, Kotov is the treasurer and founding member of Blue Jay Flight Club, a club for aviation enthusiasts. His motivation for forming the club was to create a community for people interested in the field of commercial aviation and the airline industry.

Kotov also discussed his experience studying mechanical engineering, a major that he described to be extremely structured but that still provides flexibility to students. He expressed his excitement for Senior Design, the major's capstone project that functions similarly to an apprenticeship by getting hands-on experience in the industry.

"It's a really exciting opportunity to put everything that you've learned over the three years to apply it to a real world project, working with a corporate, company sponsor or government sponsor," Kotov said.

After graduation, he plans to pursue his interest in the commercial aviation and airline industry while he continues fencing.

"Fencing is really a lifelong sport," Kotov said. "I do hope to keep fencing in some form or another past Hopkins."

This year, the formal was themed "Four Seasons," offering an exploration of various teas that represent each of the yearly changes. From hints of floral to woody notes, the formal was a unique peek into the delicacy of brewed beverages!

The ceremony primarily focused on Chinese tea - from jasmine to oolong - and took place at the George Peabody Library at the University's Peabody Institute campus in Mount Vernon. As expected, the venue itself was stunning and, combined with calming music, provided a peaceful environment to delight in the tasting. With old books lining the walls and a grand hallway that allowed for an old-timey feel, participants were transported back in time to feel like royalty.

During check-ins, the formal began with chrysanthemum tea and crab roe-flavored sunflower seeds. The tea was light and a pale yellow; its taste was flowery and subtly sweet. The sunflower seeds complemented the beverage warmly, offering a crunch to accompany the softness. Further, the drink left a refreshing, almost honey-like aftertaste that eased guests into the experience. While participants mingled and socialized, the organizers began to set up the tasting room.

Although I am a boba addict, I've had very little experience outside of the occasional Starbucks chai and Kung Fu Tea milk tea. Fortunately for me, each serving opened with an in-depth explanation from the group's brewer about the origin, description and traditions of the beverage.

Our brewer, Katalin Maji, was the prime example of expertise and passion. Poised and knowledgeable, Maji offered a thoughtful and engaging guide through each tasting. While my friends and I peppered our brewer with an endless number of questions, she was patient and kind, answering all of our questions while delivering fun facts about each kind of drink. Through this, even the most unique teas felt accessible and familiar.

Every drink was a loose-leaf tea, carefully prepared using traditional brewing methods. This attention to craft allowed for each tea's unique flavor profile to fully develop. Further, the level of detail given to each pour represented the care the Tea Club and its members deliver in their mission.

To begin, the spring season was represented with raw pu-erh. Summer then followed with green tea, autumn with oolong and finally winter with old white tea. My personal favorites were the dark teas. With citrusy and more bitter tastes, my tongue felt "spiked," and I adored the fruity aftertaste. These teas felt bold and comforting, perfect for the winter season that they were meant to represent.

During the intermission period of the Tea Formal, light snacks were offered as palate cleansers in addition to the drinks. The provided menu consisted of flower cores, mung bean pastries, rice cakes and green tea eggrolls. The green tea eggrolls were to die for, as they struck the perfect balance between savory and sweet.

The Tea Formal offered a rare opportunity to dress up, slow down and savor every sip during a busy semester.

To enjoy other sipping specials, find the Tea Club's events on its Instagram, with further information available through its Linktree. Additionally, the club has a comprehensive list of Baltimore restaurant recommendations for those interested in edibles aside from tea.

Mukherjee attributed the significance of his time completing medical school at Dartmouth to his burgeoning interest in the broader field of public health.

"While I was at Dartmouth, I was mentored by a former U.S. Surgeon General, which really instilled in me an interest in public health and in thinking about things that are a little atypical for someone who is a surgeon to be interested in, but it was cool to have his influence."

In 2007, Mukherjee was at the Hopkins School of Public Health as a Sommer Scholar - a scholarship meant for those with the potential to join a global network of leaders in the field. He developed a specific interest in neurosurgery after one of his family members developed a brain tumor and was bolstered by mentors such as Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojasa. This spurred a residency at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center amongst various other initiatives, including working as a fellow at the University of Pittsburgh.

Around seven years ago, Mukherjee was recruited by Hopkins as a faculty member, where he became involved with the Peace Education Program: a virtual course dedicated to improving participant wellness across domains, including inner strength, self awareness and clarity. He reflected on his involvement during the interview with The News-Letter.

"When it comes to the Peace Education Program, during the height of the pandemic, I think people felt really isolated and alone," he said. "In surgery at Hopkins, it's a relatively small group of people. And because of that, I thought it would be appropriate and nice... to try to do something to have people feel a bit more connected to each other."

As a free, online and thus widely accessible program with a proven track record, its success with students and staff at Hopkins encouraged Mukherjee to take it across Baltimore. Using grants, he implemented it in community centers, working with various projects which included bringing the program's benefits to recently incarcerated women.

A typical session with the Peace Education Program spans 10 weeks, with one hour each week. Within this hour, time is dedicated to short lectures, interviews and audio-visual elements sharing insights into the process and philosophy of finding peace. The remaining time is used to encourage self-reflection: for writing, journaling or, ultimately, to spend time to think and share.

"I think having that hour or 45 minutes, or whatever it is, every week, was a respite [for a lot of people] from all of the craziness that they have to go through in their day-to-day life... I would say for our team at Hopkins, and even for a lot of the community work, it's inadvertently sort of built a trust in unity amongst folks," he said.

Despite the program's current success, Mukherjee touched on the challenges he went through at the beginning. He recognized that relatively few surgeons initiate projects similar to the Peace Education Program, where services are provided to disadvantaged groups at no charge. He even recalled the first time he brought up the idea to his department, where it was met with skepticism, and described the importance of carrying humanistic beliefs as a surgeon.

"To be a neurosurgeon requires dedication, focus and precision, but in the moment that you're doing the surgery, it actually doesn't require a lot of humanism," he said. "The bit that is related to humanism is when there is a weight in the move that you make in a critical moment. Even though we don't think of surgeons as necessarily humanistic, it's a hidden part of the job. If you're not a human being first, you are not a good surgeon."

He then touched on the time constraints of taking up such an initiative as a surgeon, while making sure that the schedule would work for the target audience. Although it was difficult to find a time where he could bring people from different ages to the same place, he was able to succeed with several readjustments.

When asked about the what kept him going despite all the obstacles that came up along the way, Mukherjee mentioned the importance of positive feedback he received in the workshops, especially those that came from participants.

"There were many sweet people that said, 'I never thought of my life in that way. I had never thought that I had as much value as I do, that I matter as much as I do,'" he said. "It points [people] to [themselves] in how important it is to be centered, focused and get out as much as we can get out of every day, to feel peace within ourselves."

Mukherjee discussed the importance of having versatile mentors who take their expertise in science farther than research, especially for those who are interested in pursuing medicine.

"It's easy to figure out what kind of research someone does, but it's much harder to figure out who is involved in social justice or the humanities," he explained. "Ideally, if you can find a mentor or advisor you can emulate and actually connect with, that's the best way to figure out a path for yourself. If you develop a relationship like that, you can engage in meaningful work outside of the norm."

According to Mukherjee, this is an important step in reflecting and figuring out what one wants to do when striving to find meaning in life, and deciding whether the profession they're planning to seek is conducive to that. To him, this was helping people enjoy their life, which pushed him to find a universal way to bring people joy, a seemingly impossible task.

"I never figured out a way to bring people universal happiness. There are more than eight billion people; it's a little crazy," he said. "But I figured, if I could help people have a foundation of health and wellness, then they can pursue their joy and their happiness."

Therefore, it was no surprise when the original film transformed into a collective franchise. In 2022, the release of Avatar: The Way of Water reaffirmed the cultural relevance and cinematic ambition of the original story. Although the first two films had undeniable flaws, such as an overreliance on familiar tropes and a narrative reminiscent of a "White Messiah fable," they still succeeded in centering an effective anti-colonial message in a stunning world. Unfortunately, in 2025, Avatar: Fire and Ash has given me clarity into the consumerist agenda that undermines the series's foundational critique of exploitation.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is the third installment of the series and is a direct continuation of the previous film. The narrative revolves around former Marine Jake Sully, who is now fully embedded within the Na'vi society as a leader and symbol of resistance. After the violent displacement of his family into an unfamiliar culture and the escalating invasion of Pandora, Jake is forced to manage the long-term consequences of resistance.

On a technical level, Cameron seems to have extensive knowledge of what it takes for a movie to be a classic. From Titanic to The Terminator, Cameron has a particular talent for crafting stories that have timeless emotional resonance. Avatar: Fire and Ash delivers characters that are undoubtedly compelling. It is impossible to deny that audiences felt moved by character deaths and the subsequent hurdles they face, such as how Jake's Na'vi partner, Neytiri, struggles to accept their adopted human son, Spider, and cope with her crippling grief. The way the film handles these losses transforms painful moments into turning points that redefine the Sully family dichotomies amongst themselves and the world around them.

Furthermore, two key moments stand out in the film. The first is the suicide attempt of Jake's son, Lo'ak. As the audience watches his self-imposed isolation at the edge of the Metkayina clan's territory and his struggles with overwhelming guilt and anger, his pain becomes an expression of how war and colonization can fracture the strongest of bonds. Through Lo'ak, we see his sadness and feel the weight of his grief and the unyielding burden of expectations.

The second occurs when Jake faces his most difficult choice yet: whether to let Spider live as part of the Sully family or to kill him. This tense moment in the forest, with Neytiri recognizing the destructive nature of her hatred and Jake summoning the strength to lower his blade and accept Spider as his own, underscores the film's central themes of family and forgiveness.

Unfortunately, the characters of Quaritch (Jake's former mentor who is now in an Avatar body) and Varang (the leader of the Ash Na'vi Mangkwan clan) fell flat. Although Quaritch's slow transformation into Jake's foil - as he becomes accustomed to Na'vi culture by aligning himself with Varang - seems initially complex, his arc ultimately lacks depth and motivation. His choice to wander between the Na'vi and human worlds by supporting human expansion while partaking in Mangkwan clan cultural practices (such as donning battle paint) leaves him feeling passive or idle, like a plot device rather than an exploration of redemption or a compelling antagonist.

Avatar: Fire and Ash's central theme of faith is embodied in the Na'vi's connection to Eywa, the spiritual force that sustains life on Pandora. Eywa, as a concept of faith, is one of the aspects of the film that I genuinely loved. The idea of an interconnected spiritual presence adds a richness to the narrative. However, the film's commentary on religion as an allegorical construct is not always entirely accurate. Within the universe of Pandora, Eywa is a real being rather than a matter of blind faith. This certainty thus limits the exploration of doubt and moral struggle that comes with traditional religious commentaries.

Although the Avatar franchise continues to captivate with its immersive world-building, it would be less than honest to ignore the inherent hypocrisy that comes with the creation and continuation of overt advertisements that contrast with the central message of anti-colonial resistance and environmental preservation. As a Disney-owned property, Avatar exists within the machinery of a mega-corporation that profits from the commodification of the narratives that it claims to condemn. The film's marketing apparatus transforms its characters and cultures into consumable products, rendering the audience complicit in the system that the narrative frames as destructive.

For example, the series's extensive merchandising, like theme-park attractions and brand tie-ins, repackage struggles into entertainment commodities. Although I must admit that I do enjoy immersing myself in the world of Pandora, I can't help but have a slight distaste in my mouth for partaking in the kind of consumerism that the film critiques (which can be seen in the slaughter of the Tulkun for their biological resources).

This contradiction is especially unsettling given that the film has such a powerful depiction of exploitation within its fictional world. The Na'vi are subjected to oppression with their livelihoods dismantled by human industrialist production. However, they are also simultaneously presented to the audience in a manner that mirrors the dynamics of consumption that the story condemns. In a way, there is an uneasy sensation of dehumanizing resistance for the sake of a spectacle.

Still, to dismiss Avatar: Fire and Ash - and by extension the franchise as a whole - would be to overlook Cameron's artistic passion. Visually, the film remains stunning. Cameron's command of scale and environmental detail allows for Pandora to erupt in a world of its own. The environment breathes, and the graphics are absolutely exquisite, reminding viewers of how Avatar had become a cultural landmark in the first place.

ICE is the federal agency responsible for enforcing U.S. immigration laws, including detention, deportation and interior enforcement operations. In 2025, at least 32 people died in ICE custody - the highest number of ICE-related deaths in years - as detention populations and enforcement actions surged amid the Trump administration's expanded interior immigration operations.

In 2026, at least eight have passed in custody. Among these individuals, 37-year-old Minneapolis residents and US citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good have become focal points of national outrage and protest. These incidents have sparked nationwide demonstrations, including the coordinated "National Shutdown" protest.

One Hopkins student from Minnesota, using the alias Olivia, expressed deep concern over the escalation of ICE-related violence and the growing risks faced by protesters and immigrant communities in an email to The News-Letter.

"I personally never felt as exposed to it in real life, but I think what's going on right now is completely different. I know a lot of people personally, like my family friends and school friends at the University of Minnesota [who are] being affected by it," she wrote. "I think Minnesota often has peaceful protests, but I have been starting to see lots of friends going there and getting teargassed just for being there and voicing their opinions. It's scary that the people I personally know, like family and friends, are not completely safe even [though] they have a legal status here."

In the Baltimore area, community activists and immigrant rights groups have mobilized in response to both the national outrage and an increased local ICE presence, organizing protests aimed at protecting immigrant residents and calling on city officials to limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

The Baltimore protest against ICE lasted for several hours, with participants marching in frigid weather. Outside the Baltimore ICE field office at 31 Hopkins Plaza, protesters were seen shouting at police officers various chants, such as "Quit your job!"

Aside from the deaths of Pretti and Good, other incidents involving alleged misconduct and excessive use of force have further intensified public scrutiny. For instance, on Jan. 20, ICE had detained a 5-year-old boy, Liam Ramos, on his way home from school in Minnesota. After transporting the boy and his father to a Texas detention center, uproar erupted across the United States, prompting condemnation from advocacy groups alongside elected officials.

On Monday, Feb. 2, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced that Howard County had revoked a building permit for a private detention facility that was proposed in Elkridge. According to authorities, this permit was intended for use by ICE. After the initial announcement of construction, emergency legislation was issued to ban permits for privately owned detention centers.

Although county officials have listened to community concerns, the heightened visibility of ICE in the area has continued to affect residents' sense of safety, particularly among students and immigrant communities.

For instance, sophomore Nutnicha Go described a heightened sense of fear and uncertainty felt by students and residents in an email to The News-Letter.

"I think that having ICE around campus or even around the city of Baltimore has just put everyone on edge, because we never know how they would act. People are scared to walk the streets safely, especially with their constant presence just known, and having people disappearing from the streets is just terrifying," Go wrote.

Student organizations at Hopkins have also voiced opposition to ICE activity in Baltimore and expressed solidarity with immigrant communities. Some groups have released statements condemning federal immigration enforcement practices and urging both city and University leadership to take stronger action.

In an email to The News-Letter, the Johns Hopkins College Democrats reaffirmed their support for due process protections and criticized recent ICE raids as well as detention conditions in the city.

"In the wake of recent ICE raids and further threats to community safety, we at Johns Hopkins College Democrats are reaffirming our stance that all people deserve the right to due process under the law regardless of immigration status," they wrote. "We wholly condemn the inhumane conditions experienced by those held in the George H. Fallon ICE detention facility and the increasing number of violent ICE raids in the city of Baltimore."

Moreover, the group expressed support for state and local officials who have pushed back against expanded ICE activity and called on the University to take a more active role in protecting undocumented students.

"Our organization strongly supports Governor Wes Moore's resistance to cooperate with the federal administration's expansion of ICE and recent efforts made by Democratic lawmakers to enforce restrictions on ICE in Baltimore, such as the Maryland Senate's initial approval of SB0001, which would prevent law enforcement from wearing facial coverings while on duty," they wrote. "As students at Johns Hopkins, we urge University leadership to advocate for protections for undocumented individuals and provide safe reporting channels, accessible information on student rights, and further support to undocumented students on campus to preserve the safety of our community."

The aforementioned SB0001 is entitled "Public Safety - Law Enforcement Officers - Prohibition on Face Coverings." This bill aims to require the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission to develop a model policy that prohibits the use of a face covering in the performance of duty. ICE agents have notoriously worn facial coverings during enforcement operations, a practice that has been criticized for reducing accountability and increasing fear.

Hopkins students have echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing the personal and emotional toll of increased ICE activity on families and communities. In an email to The-News-Letter, sophomore Ember Gray shared her concerns about the impact of ICE's presence on vulnerable communities and her own family.

"I think their presence is incredibly harmful to the community; they fearmonger and intimidate vulnerable parts of the community. They're essentially bullies that have been given guns. It's had a big impact on my family," Gray wrote. "My sister is visibly a person of color and is often mistaken for being Mexican. I've had a lot of concern for her safety, especially as their presence is becoming more and more violent and prevalent. I shouldn't have to worry about her being kidnapped or shot by wannabe cops."

Further, Gray criticized ICE as an extension of federal policies that she believes undermine civil liberties and public safety.

"I think that ICE's role is very much a progression of the administration's aggressive divisiveness and hateful motivations, but that they go against not only the state's law enforcement and current ideals, but the Constitution and the ideals which this country was founded on," she wrote.

Gray's concerns reflect broader criticism from students and advocacy groups who argue that ICE's presence on or near college campuses creates fear among undocumented and international students. These concerns have prompted calls for clearer communication from the University and additional protections for affected members of the Hopkins community. In an email to The News-Letter, the University responded to student concerns and outlined its current stance on federal immigration enforcement.

"We understand and share the deep concern that members of our community have expressed regarding recent federal immigration actions and policies," a spokesperson wrote. "As we have throughout the past year, the university is closely monitoring changes in U.S. immigration and border policies, and we are sharing updates with our international community through the Office of International Services."

On Feb. 3, the Student Government Association proposed the SGA Resolution regarding ICE as a part of their nonlegislative business. In the resolution, SGA outlined its condemnation of recent immigrant enforcement actions, affirmed its commitment to due process and called on University leadership to reaffirm protections for undocumented and international students. In an email to The News-Letter, the SGA issued an official statement on their stance.

"Supporting the student experience in partnership with University Leadership is the SGA's highest priority, and we will carry this forward through thoughtful and intentional engagement with students," they wrote.

Despite administrative statements, some students expressed that the University's response to the presence of ICE did little to ease the fear felt across campus, particularly among international students. Several students have agreed that they were seeking clearer guidance and more concrete protections from the University's administration.

An anonymous student going by the pseudonym Peter echoed similar fears in an interview with The News-Letter, describing his growing sense of anxiety amid the increased presence of immigration enforcement.

"I think [that] the increased presence of ICE in cities like Baltimore leads to a sort of fear within our international community of students here [...] I don't know anyone personally who may have been personally affected by the presence of ICE, but just [the] idea that it could be you," he said. "[I] have that fear that it could be me getting shot just because I'm sitting here protesting in response to the government attacking its own citizens."

Moreover, Peter criticized what he described as a shift in ICE's mission away from public safety and toward political enforcement.

"I think [that] within this current administration, ICE's goal is to be more of a thug-like presence and to execute the political orders of the Commander in Chief rather than their initial intended purpose," he said. "Now, instead, we're just snatching people off the streets, and it's like the KGB. So I think it differs in that way and that this is more of a political organization, whereas the local and state law enforcement officials are working really more within the letter of the law."

For frequently asked questions on University immigration policy information, Hopkins affiliates can access the "Immigration Policy Information & Frequently Asked Questions" tab on the Office of International Services Website. Further, additional guidance on questions regarding public safety and the Johns Hopkins Police Department (JHPD) can be found on the "Guidance in Response to Questions about Federal Immigration Enforcement" section on the public safety website. Finally, shared updates regarding federal immigration actions are accessible under the "Recent Federal Immigration Actions" tab on the Office of International Services website.

Catherine Chan, Josh Eckstein, Honora Muratori and River Phan also contributed to the reporting of this article. The JHU College Republicans and Hopkins Justice Collective did not respond to requests for comment.

Letters Without Limits, founded by students at Hopkins and Brown University, connects volunteers with palliative care and hospice patients to co-create "Legacy Letters." These letters capture memories, values and lessons that patients wish to share, preserving stories that might otherwise be lost. By honoring these voices and preserving legacies, Letters Without Limits hopes to affirm the central role of humanism in medicine, reminding us that every patient is more than their illness and that their voices deserve to be heard. As you read these powerful Legacy Letters, we invite you to pause, reflect and recognize the beauty in every life.

Interviewer's Note

It was truly a pleasure talking to Mrs. Snowden. She was so open and honest in our conversations, and it really takes a lot of courage to be able to do that. She's been through a lot in her life, but that has not stopped her for a second from trying to be the most positive person she can and trying to share her love with others.

The Foundation: Family Values That Last Forever

My story begins with love, the kind of love that shapes everything that comes after. I was blessed to be raised by a loving mother and father who taught us the most important values of life. They showed us that God comes first, then family, and that we always had to look out for each other, no matter what was going on around us. They didn't just tell us these things. They lived them every single day.

My father came from a very poor background, but he showed us how we were his whole world. His work, he was a longshoreman loading and unloading ships, was how he took care of us and put us in a better situation than he had. That was his first priority. People might say we were poor in material things, but poor isn't about what you don't have. Poor is when you don't have values in life and don't know how to love other people. We had so much love in our family that we didn't even know if we were poor, because we had everything we needed. We had food, we had clothing and we had each other. That was all we needed.

Learning Through Loss and the Price of War

We were four children, three girls and one boy. My brother was eight years older than me, and after high school, he went to fight in the Vietnam War. When he came back, he was one of those ones. The war changed him. Eventually, the pain became too much for him, and he took his own life by jumping in front of a train. He was in his thirties, and I was in my twenties when we lost him.

This tragedy taught me something profound about the importance of family. We were raised knowing that we needed each other, that looking out for each other was the most important thing. Even in our grief, we all held each other up. That lesson has carried me through my biggest challenges since.

Finding Strength in Faith

I was brought up in church, but you don't really know God until you find Him for yourself. I found Him in my thirties, during one of the hardest times in my life. I was going through a divorce and really needed something to lean on, someone to trust. When I turned to God, He made things happen that I knew only came from Him and nobody else.

The most amazing example was my daughter's education. She's now a chemist at a university, teaching for 15 years. When she wanted to go to college, I wasn't making that kind of money to send her for four years. But God made a way. He kept opening doors for me that I never thought could open. He put the right people in the right places, and things just started happening. As a single mother trying to raise two kids by myself, I know it wasn't anything I did alone. He made a way for me to do it.

The Heart of Motherhood

Being a mother has been the most important role of my life, and now being a grandmother comes close second. My grandson was my world. He still is, though he's 23 now and a man. I wanted them to live in a better world, to see better things than what's going on now.

I think I accomplished something as a mother because God made a way for me where I couldn't make a way for myself. My children appreciate what I did for them. My oldest daughter makes sure I have everything I need, especially now during these challenging health years. That means everything to me.

Lessons

After high school, I worked as a data entry clerk for 14 years, but eventually got tired of sitting behind a desk. I became a licensed daycare provider in my home for a couple of years when my daughter needed me close. But the work that truly fulfilled me was being a caregiver for elderly people for over 20 years.

In that job, people showed me respect and accepted me almost like a family member. It was very fulfilling and rewarding work. I felt appreciated, and I learned something important: you can fall in love with people who aren't your family. Like my current caregiver, she came into my life last year and is like a daughter to me now. She has a good heart and is a sweet person. We met just last August, but I fell in love with her and her family, and I've learned a lot from her while she's learned from me.

Surviving the Hard Times

Five years ago, I developed spinal stenosis and had to have surgery on my back, three surgeries in one year. I needed both knees replaced again. I had my first knee replacements in my forties, and after 20 something years, they both went bad. The second time around, the right one didn't take as well, and combined with diabetes and other complications, it's been a long road.

But through all of this, my whole family has stood beside me. A lot of people say you'll find out who really loves you when you get sick. They might love you for a little while, but they're going to get tired of you after a while. But my family has always been there, making sure I had everything I needed those whole five years. That has meant the world to me, because I see a lot of people don't have that.

When I look at the news today, it breaks my heart. I hate how people treat each other. I just wish the world would become a better place. I know I don't have that much more time here, but I want to leave something better for my daughter and my grandson.

I've learned that anything is possible if you believe in it. There have been many times when things seemed impossible, but they happened anyway. That's what has brought me this far.

My Message to You

I've learned that family comes first, that love makes you rich no matter what your bank account says, and that God opens doors when we need them most.

Don't try to do everything alone. Trust in something bigger than yourself, whether that's God, family or the good in people. And when someone lets you down, don't hold it in. Find people you can talk to, find ways to release that pain, because it's too hurtful to carry alone.

Most importantly, love people. Show them the same respect and kindness you want to receive. The world needs more of that right now.

Take time to think about what really matters. It's not the material things. It's the love you give and receive, and the values you live by. That's what makes a life worth living.

With love, Audrey Snowden

Letters Without Limits is a student-led initiative founded at Johns Hopkins and Brown University that partners with palliative care and hospice patients to create "Legacy Letters," autobiographical narratives capturing memories, values and lessons patients wish to share. Their primary goal is to spread these stories so that every patient's voice is heard. Follow them on Instagram @letterswithoutlimits and read more Legacy Letters on their website.

The News-Letter: Tell us more about yourself. How did you get started in cooking or the restaurant world?

Flavia Carrasco: I came to the United States about ten years ago with the dream of building a better future for my family. Cooking has always been part of my life - it represents home, culture and love. After working several jobs during my first years here, I was finally able to open my first Peruvian restaurant in Baltimore, which I ran for five years. Although I had to close it due to challenging circumstances, that experience gave me strength, resilience and the motivation to start. When I discovered Monument Market, I immediately felt inspired by the community and the diversity of people who pass through every day. Being close to institutions like Hopkins and surrounded by workers, students and families made me realize this was the perfect place to restart with a new concept - one focused on approachable, homemade food that introduces Peruvian flavors to a broader American audience.

N-L: What does the name "Ta' Que Rico" mean?

FC: "Ta' Que Rico" comes from a popular Peruvian expression used when food tastes especially good. It reflects joy, satisfaction and that moment when a meal truly makes you smile.

N-L: How is running a stall in a market different from a traditional restaurant?

FC: Operating in a market is very dynamic and fast-paced. It requires efficiency, organization and flexibility. At the same time, it allows for a closer connection with customers. People are curious, ask questions and enjoy learning about the food, which creates a very personal and rewarding experience.

N-L: Have you ever changed the way you prepare your dishes?

FC: Yes. Over time, I've adapted some recipes to better fit the American palate while keeping the essence of Peruvian flavors. I've also focused more on oven-baked techniques to offer lighter and healthier options without losing flavor.

N-L: How would you define your cuisine or cooking philosophy?

FC: Our cooking philosophy is centered on homemade food prepared with love. We focus on simple, nourishing meals that blend Peruvian flavors with American influences, always prioritizing quality and care in every dish. The way food is prepared matters deeply to me. We prioritize oven-baked techniques and fresh ingredients, aiming to offer meals that feel comforting but also lighter and balanced.

N-L: Who is your typical customer?

FC: Our typical customers are people who live or work in Baltimore, including many professionals connected to Johns Hopkins - such as hospital staff, students and workers who are looking for comforting, homemade food during busy days. We truly enjoy serving this community and providing meals that feel nourishing, satisfying and made with care.

N-L: How has Ta' Que Rico evolved since opening, and what's next?

FC: Ta' Que Rico has evolved by listening to our customers and learning every day. We've adjusted our menu, improved our operations and grown more confident in our identity as a family-owned business rooted in the community. Our dream is to continue growing the brand and, one day, open a larger location in Baltimore. We hope to keep sharing our food, culture and flavors with even more people.

N-L: What part of this work brings you the most joy?

FC: What brings me the most joy is knowing that our food supports people through their day-especially those who work long, demanding hours, like healthcare workers. Being able to serve comforting, homemade meals that help people feel cared for is incredibly fulfilling.

N-L: What advice or lessons would you share about your journey?

FC: My advice is to never give up. Every challenge teaches you something. With perseverance, faith and hard work, it's always possible to rebuild and keep moving forward.

Willow Goode, the civic life specialist at the CSC, introduced the event.

"The books we choose are chosen with intention," she said. "Since Baltimore is our community and our home, we prioritize work that reflects the lived experiences of the people [in our community]."

Goode then directed the attention of the attendees to cards that were on each of the tables. Each card had a list of constructive dialogue principles. The principles included letting go of winning, getting curious, sharing stories, navigating conflict with purpose and finding what is shared. Goode asked that everyone abide by these principles throughout the discussion. Additionally, there was a member of CSC staff at each table to guide the discussions.

Jellema Stewart, the associate director of community engagement at the CSC, served as a guide at one of the tables. She read through the questions that each table was prompted to work through.

Did you know of Henrietta Lacks prior to coming to Hopkins?

Bella Rowe, a junior at Hopkins, said she read "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" when she was in 10th or 11th grade after she got the book as a Christmas gift.

Siyeon Joo, a freshman, also read the book in high school when she was living in a majority Black community in Louisiana while attending a majority white school. This experience informed and complicated her reading. Since coming to Hopkins, she admits that she is reminded of the book's stories about Hopkins as a medical institution whenever she goes to the medical campus.

Stewart was surprised that students had been exposed to Lacks' story so early in their lives. Stewart attended a liberal arts university in New York and lived in Buffalo afterward. There, she felt the racial segregation deeply; Buffalo is considered the sixth-most-segregated city in America. Stewart decided to move to Baltimore to raise her son. She explained that it was important to her that he grew up in a city where people had conversations about the city's general history and Black history.

The conversation transitioned to a discussion about Hopkins' new East Baltimore Bloomberg School of Public Health building. Participants discussed how the massive construction project is taking place surrounded by infrastructure that requires money and care.

Ashwarya Sharma, a graduate student at Hopkins, pointed out that Hopkins' medical campus sits in a predominantly Black community, as will the new public health building. Sharma talked about taking the bus from Charles Village to the medical campus and seeing members of the community yell expletives at Hopkins buildings. Members at the table emphasized the need for Hopkins students, faculty, staff and administrators to do community outreach that involves listening to community members' needs.

As a member of the Hopkins community, how did this book change or deepen your perspective on the institution's historical relationship with Baltimore?

When Stewart asked if students felt like they were part of the problem, each one said that they felt guilty. Kirsten Amematsro, a junior at Hopkins, explained that she felt pressure to make change as a student in Baltimore.

Joo, who is considering transferring to a different university, explained that she wishes she had understood the extent of the fraught relationship between Hopkins and the Baltimore community before she had committed to studying here. Although she recognizes the important effort that entities like the CSC are making, she wishes the university administration were bolder.

"I want them to do more," she said. "I want Ron Daniels in the streets."

One of Joo's biggest criticisms of Hopkins is that its students become educated without learning how to be socially conscious. This is particularly concerning to her when it comes to preparing future medical experts - people with jobs that involve practicing ethical research and patient care.

Amematsro commends her professors who talk about Hopkins history. However, she does not think that learning about this is enough to prevent Hopkins from making the mistakes it has made in the past. Amematsro brought up Hopkins' new AI building, its environmental consequences and the community outrage it has inspired.

"We're repeating history," she said. "The Baltimore community is so mad at us. This is the exact problem we've always had."

Stewart reminded the students to think about whom the new Hopkins establishments serve. Participants were especially interested in discussing the location of new Hopkins buildings as a method of acquiring a certain demographic of patients.

Stewart also encouraged students to be cognizant of how they feel when they travel through different communities because how they feel is likely similar to how neighborhood residents feel. When Stewart takes students to different Baltimore First sites, she asks them to look out the bus or car window as they travel. She believes there is a lot to be gained from simple exposure.

How do we see the legacy of Henrietta Lacks in the current dynamics between Hopkins and the Baltimore community?

Sharma explained that throughout her experience studying medicine, she has found that the medical community's knowledge often leads back to research using Lacks' cells. It pains her that the field of medicine could benefit so greatly from Lacks' body without giving anything back to her or her family.

Coming from California, Sharma also explained that Baltimore's complicated racial history is present everywhere.

"I can feel that segregation used to be a thing here," she said. "I've never felt a community that's as tumultuous as Baltimore before."

Joo spoke about the Legacy Project, an organization that allows volunteers to record the oral history of elders in a senior center. Joo recently learned that the senior center is in the building in which Henrietta Lacks grew up. Participating in this project is one way that Joo hopes to preserve the legacy of other community members.

Stewart emphasized her belief that understanding history matters for whatever field you're going to go into. She also stated that if you graduate as the same person as when you started college, you are going about your education wrong. She was hopeful about legacy preservation after seeing the student turnout at the Hop Talks event.

"The fact that you're here shows me it hasn't ended," she said.

What should retribution look like for Henrietta Lacks and her family?

Sharma recently learned about the Henrietta Lack building on Hopkins' east campus. Everyone at the table agreed that, although a symbolic effort is important, the building does not seem like an adequate gesture to offset past injustices.

The Legacy of Henrietta Lacks page on the Hopkins Medicine website, celebrating the new building, first states that "Johns Hopkins Hospital was one of only a few hospitals to treat poor African-Americans," claiming to be progressive for treating Black patients. Then, rather than admitting failure for their role in Henrietta Lacks' exploitation, Hopkins describes their role passively while emphasizing the impact of the use of Lacks' cells.

Stewart wondered if complete retribution will ever be possible. The table discussed the possibility of more visible symbols, like a statue. They also explored ideas like scholarships and policy initiatives that would promote diversity at Hopkins.

Amematsro discussed the possibility of emphasizing community engagement during orientation. She recalled learning about the "Black Butterfly" in Baltimore, a concept that describes the racial segregation along district lines. Amatero considered what it would look like to provide freshmen with action steps in addition to a historical overview. Stewart wondered if something as simple as a "common read," a book read by all the freshmen over the summer before orientation, could help educate and unify the student body.

The event concluded with an exit ticket that prompted attendees to reflect on the skills they used, the information they learned, and the questions they still have.

In an email to the News-Letter, the CSC offered a candid explanation for one of the purposes of this Hop Talks event. By discussing Henrietta Lacks, the CSC hopes to directly address the intersection of the consequences of the university's research with its accomplishments. What makes the university complicated is that these two factors are inseparable.

"JHU has accomplished groundbreaking medical innovation alongside significant harm, exclusion, and mistrust, particularly within the Baltimore communities," they explained. "The story of Henrietta Lacks is one example of how medical progress often came at the expense of marginalized individuals who were denied autonomy and recognition."

The News-Letter covered plans for the DSAI in October; however, advocacy among community members against its placement continued since construction began. Four residents from Remington and neighboring areas have shared concerns over the DSAI's blueprint, construction and environmental effects - all serving to hinder community trust in the University and in Baltimore City.

Blueprint

The DSAI will be located at the intersection of Wyman Park Drive and Remington Avenue. The DSAI will be part of the Whiting School of Engineering (WSE), and the University has affirmed that the building will be used for education and research. On the project's website, the University states that DSAI is not a data center and will require no more electricity than a typical academic building. The current dimensions of the building are 465,000 square feet, reduced from 690,000 square feet upon community negotiation with the removal of the underground parking lot. The largest building on Homewood campus is the Bloomberg Center for Physics and Astronomy at 238,000 square feet, with its large size attributed to telescopes and observatories.

The University has rationalized the building size by stating that existing buildings are too small for cross-disciplinary research teams, lacking long-span spaces for flexibility and mechanical systems required for comprehensive AI research; floor plans for the DSAI have been attached on a community meeting powerpoint.

Specifically, in an email to The News-Letter, a University spokesperson expanded on the use of the DSAI, stating that its intended use was designed for student and research spaces.

"The DSAI team is currently located in temporary space at Mt. Washington. Once complete, the two academic buildings currently under construction on the Homewood campus will provide a home for the new faculty as well as students and staff with purpose‑built laboratories, classrooms, and meeting spaces for teaching, research and collaboration." The University spokesperson continued, "Through shared seminars, adjacent labs, and common gathering spaces, the environment will naturally encourage researchers and students to learn from one another and spark new ideas."

The University compared itself to its peer universities with large research buildings, such as Princeton's School of Engineering and Applied Science (665,700 square feet), Northwestern's Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center (625,000 square feet) and Harvard's Science and Engineering Complex (544,000 square feet). Likewise to the University's reasons for the size of the DSAI, these complexes also boast enhanced opportunities to connect disciplines and works in one setting. In Baltimore, the University of Maryland, Baltimore's Health Sciences Research Facility III is 435,000 square feet. The locations of these large buildings are also close to the main institutional campus.

However, many residents shared dismay over the scope of the DSAI in proximity to Stony Run Park, the neighboring green space and the residential block in Remington. For example, Melissa Falen, retired professor and athletics coach from Notre Dame of Maryland University and Remington resident shared her perspective in an interview with The News-Letter.

"I was disappointed to hear [City Council President] Zeke Cohen after we all spoke, and then his summation was how Baltimore needs to be on the cutting edge of AI, which, okay, fine, but that's not what we were expressing concern about... It was that [the DSAI] doesn't belong in this neighborhood because it's an inappropriate size, and Hopkins has options... There was no explanation as to why [another location] wasn't chosen," Falen added.

Moreover, Falen attended 14 out of 15 community meetings with the University. Falen shared her experience with compromising on the DSAI's height, initially designed to be 120 feet high.

"When you live in a two story row home, [a building of that height] would make us feel like ants. We were going to have a vote, and they canceled that at the last minute. I think they didn't want to have a no vote, but I don't know. Through that process, I remember getting kind of flustered because [of] the way things were presented to us. It was definitely a marketing job. So it was like, 'Here's how beautiful this 120 foot high building is going to look, and if we can't do that, then we're going to do this,' [even though] ... it looked [worse] than the other," Falen stated.

The University has rationalized the location due to its proximity to WSE's facilities, underdevelopment relative to the rest of Homewood campus, space to handle research facilities and parking, and opportunity to improve connection and investment in Remington. In this presentation, the University also highlighted the location's ability to create accessibility for Remington residents in the broader Homewood campus and provide forest landscape to the building. Other considered locations included University Parkway, Dell House and the ROTC Building; however, these locations were hindered by size, prior use and city policies. Interviewed residents shared how they were not given a thorough analysis on how officials chose the DSAI's site relative to other places.

Hillary Gonzalez, founder of the Sacred Parks & Waterways nonprofit, an advocacy group for environmental concerns, also shared her perspective in an interview with The News-Letter. Specifically, Gonzalez referred back to the effects of the construction of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Agora Institute on Remington, where construction (including the cutting down of trees) increased the amount of impermeable-to-water surface. With heavy rain, the runoff of polluted water from construction sites easily returns into Stony Run Creek and flows into the Chesapeake Bay. Residents have already begun noticing this runoff since the beginning of the DSAI's construction.

"Almost every single time it rains now, we're already seeing major flooding events going down to Remington. You can see the water is flowing from the construction directly into Stony Creek," Gonzalez said. "So if we've already seen 14 major flooding events, all reported with Blue Water Baltimore and also with the Maryland Department of the Environment, how much worse is it going to be when they've gotten rid of the trees? ... That's what I want people to understand. It's not just the Remington trees. It's not just the Wyman Park Drive trees. It's the entire watershed of Stony Run."

In 2015, neighbors called Hopkins to control runoff near Remington; in response, the University planted elm tree saplings in shallow areas. However, these efforts largely failed and polluted runoff continues amid construction of SNF Agora and the DSAI. Residents have publicized these runoffs in newspaper articles and on Instagram.

Environmental Effects

During construction, the University will remove 66 trees (including 9 on Remington Avenue and 21 on Wyman Park Drive) and plant 262. The University publicized that it will upgrade city-owned infrastructure for free to increase the capacity of public stormwater management systems to reduce runoff, install 30 new streetlights and sidewalks, and plant over 300 trees (including 57 on city property along Remington Avenue, Wyman Park Drive and 31st Street). The cut-down trees on Remington Avenue were mature, more than 50 years old Red Oak trees; the replacements will be 25-feet tall, 10- to 15-year-old trees.

Ted Eccleston, a former public school teacher who now works from home, has lived in the neighborhood since 2020 and joined advocacy talks in 2023. In an interview with The News-Letter, Eccleston shared his thoughts about the University's promises to replace mature trees with new trees.

"I think the promises that they're making about planting new trees are hollow and lousy because no new tree, even a 15-year-old semi-mature tree, can replace a 50-year-old tree that's been growing its root system for decades, and every arborist knows that. And when I talked to the city's forestry department, they were telling me that they fought to protect those trees but that the building is so big that they're going to need three massive cranes [and] that ... they need a construction entrance. It seems like [the University's] concessions are just things that they can put out there to appease the public," Eccleston stated.

Studies have shown that older trees have expanded capacities for absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. While the University has employed ornithologist Susan Elbin to design bird-safe exteriors, they have not publicized intentions to employ arborists to monitor newly planted trees. The executive director of the Community Law Center, Amy Petkovsek, has stated that the University's promises lack the force of law.

Gonzalez added to Eccleston's concerns, stating that a lot of resources are required to bring a tree to maturity.

"It takes decades for new trees to establish themselves, and that doesn't matter if you're removing an older tree and you're putting in a new tree that's 20 years old. Root systems for trees take a very long time to establish. There's also the amount of resources that goes into ensuring that a tree that's planted reaches maturity and that the root systems actually develop." Gonzalez continued, "In order for a tree that's planted to offset its carbon emissions and be beneficial to the environment, ... it takes about 20 to 25 years, so the [50-year-old] trees that we had in the neighborhood ... were already giving back. "

Adding on to environmental concerns, residents also expressed concerns on the amount of energy and electricity used at the DSAI due to extensive computational resources. Many residents did not find out the exact power requirements until December 2025, as described by Eccleston. Publicly, the University has instead stated that the watts per square foot used will be similar to other research buildings on campus.

"We only found out at the last Board of Estimates meeting in December what the power requirements for this building are going to be. [The University said DSAI is] only 20 watts per square foot, but if you do the math, on an almost 500,000 square foot building, you get 10 megawatts, which is what a mid-sized data center would be using," Eccleston shared.

Falen also shared concerns on the effects of the DSAI's work on local utility bills in Remington; nationwide, data centers have already increased electricity bills in residential areas.

"I don't know how [the University is] going to generate the necessary power. I mean, it's an issue in the state in general from data centers... What kind of draw is that going to be on the grid? It's not like Hopkins is putting up solar panels to generate their own electricity," Falen commented.

There will be a new electrical substation on Hopkins property that will intend to do duct work (managing piping) on residential streets, but specific confirmations of watts of power for the whole project have not been disclosed despite questions.

Residents have also highlighted how construction will occur 20 feet from the edge of the forest conservation easement and 50 feet from Stony Run Park. While the University has stated that it will maintain sediment control over construction, a recent 2026 report released by environmental consultant company Steward Green showcased the poor health of Stony Run Park. 25% of the park has no native species, while 92% of all plots had invasive species. The forest also lacks a midstory layer, meaning that once the plants finish their current lifecycle, none will replace them. There are also erosion issues downstream Stony Creek, which frequently cause vegetation and trees to topple over. These issues have resulted from a lack of native species, severe storm events and the construction of roads, parking lots and rooftops.

Gonzalez has highlighted how the critical location requires nurturing of the park instead of potentially disruptive construction, noting the University's past neglect of caring for the park's environment.

"Baltimore Weed Warriors will come out occasionally, and they'll have big events in the park where they'll teach people [how to safely remove invasive plants], and there will be big cleanup efforts in the park on the community side. In the six years that I've been living here, I have never once seen any effort made towards getting rid of the invasives on the Hopkins side of the park," Gonzalez stated. "It has been really upsetting to feel - this park that you love so much and that you've been trying really hard to take care of by yourself, the institution that's supposed to be its actual stewards have actively been harming it."

Residents also emphasized the spiritual importance of Stony Run Park for their lives, with Gonzalez mentioning her love of bird-watching and Eccleston recalling a resident sharing the true meaning of a local greenspace in a community meeting on construction.

"We started crying because [the resident] said, '[Stony Run Park] is my refuge; this is my safe space. This is where I go when the chaos of the world, the chaos of where we are as a nation, is too much for me to bear, that I need to just go to that green space to heal.' And that's not fluff. That's genuine soul level healing... When that person got up and spoke and cried, all of us felt that emotion," Eccleston stated.

Eccleston himself described how he frequents the park with his four-year-old daughter, making the area a space to decompress and connect with others.

"I've been going to Stony Run for four years now, and it's been a place of comfort. It's been a place of play. I have a four year old daughter who likes to go down and splash around and throw rocks and look for birds. I meet people that are birding down there. I meet people walking their dogs. I've met somebody who is trying to build a mountain biking trail through the park that connects to other mountain biking trails in the northern part of the city, and it's a really beautiful green space that, frankly, is not really being taken care of by Hopkins on their side," Eccleston said. "I don't think they've done anything to contribute to the health of the park."

Eccleston continued to note how ongoing construction will negatively affect the park and the residents' experiences. He questioned why the building was chosen for this location despite community concerns.

"Of course, I don't want to see [DSAI in Wyman Park] because in the park, it's so beautiful, and nobody wants to hear cranes and jack hammers. But regardless, it just doesn't feel like the right place for the building. That's been my question all along, and we don't think we've gotten a really appropriate answer. Why [is] this building [here]?" Eccleston commented.

Construction

Construction begins at 7 a.m., Monday through Saturday. However, Falen stated that, at times, beeping from machines and trucks start as early as 4:30 a.m. Gonzalez shared her personal experiences working at home amid the noise.

"[For] those of us who have home offices, the construction noise is so loud... For me personally, I've had to increase my dog's anxiety pills because he is so stressed out by the construction noise," Gonzalez shared.

Beyond the effects of noise disruption, residents have also shared the loss of parking spots near their homes. According to the University, as promised to residents in the early stages of the DSAI planning, construction workers and subcontractors are required to park at Eastern High School. However, construction workers have taken many parking locations without permits - an observation attested by both Gonzalez and Falen.

"I hate to talk about parking when it seems so trivial, but, for example, on 31st Street, there are a lot of elderly people who really need to be able to park on their street, and as soon as anyone moves their car. If they go have to go to work in the morning, construction crew members are taking their spots. And [a separate parking lot for construction workers] was something promised to us. Day one, we saw them," Gonzalez stated. "I took photos of 21 vehicles on one side of 31st Street. None of them had Area 7 parking permits."

Falen added, "Hopkins has its own police force, and not once did they ever send one of their officers here to just tell the workers they shouldn't park here. But the night that [Gonzalez] organized a little vigil for the neighbors to say goodbye to the trees, ... [where there were] no more than 15 or 20 neighbors, there were six police cars."

Falen also shared how residents were made aware of a tow-away zone beginning Jan. 8, 2026 to Dec. 29, 2028 in their usual parking spots three days prior. While residents received parking passes in the South Garage and other places on San Martin Drive, the spots are 2-3 blocks away from their homes.

"It's not great when you're bringing home heavy stuff and groceries to go two and a half blocks. But beyond that, like, why didn't you bring that up ahead of time?" Falen mentioned.

Dylan Maddox, a real-estate agent and Remington resident since 2001, also shared her experiences with parking loss, arguing that the University has not taken account of the broader consequences of expansion on Remington.

"Every single thing that Hopkins has done has inconvenienced a resident because they didn't look at the larger picture. Because the community at large is not a part of their big picture. Their big picture is how they grow their institution and how they bring more money to the institution, right?" Maddox continued, "So ultimately, to come home at any point in my day and not have a place to park my car, and to have to walk a great distance to just come home to my house for a break, that is a big inconvenience when you're doing it every single day."

Maddox also shared how she has seen increased amounts of waste from the construction pouring into residential areas, including bottles of urine, lottery tickets and other forms of trash. Maddox, as well as Gonzalez, corroborated on cameras near the site, which peer into residents' homes as well.

"And having cameras pointed directly into a neighbor's house. All those things -they're uncomfortable. It's like a George Orwell dystopian universe where we feel like we're not comfortable living in our own homes."

Falen also shared concerns on the length of the construction's project, remembering how SNF Agora's construction went beyond the time publicized. Both Falen and Maddox expressed worries on property value diminishing over time due to the construction's proximity, thereby leaving them with limited options on distancing themselves from the work. Maddox emphasized that the University's actions have portrayed the institution as a poor neighbor.

"So ultimately, I can't say that I'm surprised by any of the actions. I think it becomes overwhelmingly unfortunate when it, you know, affects your day to day life. Of course, we've had the Agora building construction over the past ... eight years? ... It feels like being under constant, disruptive activity from an institution ... [that is] not neighborly," Maddox said.

Institutional/City Trust

The University has framed the DSAI as an opportunity not just for Hopkins, but for the wider Baltimore area. Estimates in January 2026 reveal that the DSAI project will create 4,490 jobs during the construction phases, with the entire project generating $505 million in net economic impact in Baltimore and $800 million across Maryland. Upon inquiry, a University spokesperson informed The News-Letter that this number was determined by a third-party expert using an "industry standard approach."

However, in September, Gonzalez mentioned how a Hopkins representative first promised 11,000 jobs from the DSAI's implementation. In December, Hopkins representatives changed this number, announcing 4,500 new jobs solely in construction. Gonzalez recalled how Lee Coyle, the senior director of Planning and Architecture at Hopkins, shared that construction workers staying in Baltimore City would make the city more prosperous; however, Gonzalez disagrees with this sentiment and the University's wider promises of economic development.

"Most of the license plates that we see on our block for the construction crew - Virginia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York - they're not sticking around. They're taking a job, and then they're moving on to the next one." Gonzalez added, "When the building - if the building - is finally completed, it's only going to employ 80 full-time faculty members. I don't see how this is an economic boom for the city at all. It does not positively impact Baltimore's working class... It's going to be a good project for Hopkins, but it's not a good project for Baltimore City."

On the University's end of communication, it has launched a website, featuring biweekly updates on construction for the project, and it has announced intentions to minimize impacts on Hopkins neighbors. The University has met with the community at least 15 times over the past two years, incorporating public feedback into the plan.

"Johns Hopkins is committed to being a good neighbor and responsive to the community for the duration of this project. Throughout the design phase of the project, the university met with the community more than 15 times and made meaningful changes to incorporate feedback from neighbors, as detailed on our project website. This website also provides updates to the campus community and neighbors, and our team has met and will continue to meet with neighborhood groups and leaders to answer questions and address concerns," a Hopkins spokesperson wrote. "We've set up an online portal for neighbors to submit questions or raise issues, and our team responds quickly and works with the city to make sure that we are meeting our commitments."

However, many residents have reported more disparities between the University's word and its actions since the DSAI's inception. For example, Eccleston explained the changing narrative around cutting down Remington trees, diminishing residents' trust in the institution.

"I think that the University likes to think that [community meetings are] what community engagement looks like, but the community feels like they've been surprised. At every turn, they've been told something and then something else happened." Eccleston added, "[Regarding] the public trees that were cut down on Remington Avenue, the first public meeting was Hopkins saying… 'We'll do the best we can to protect the public trees.' After a year, it changed [to], 'We're not gonna be able to protect those trees, but we'll do the best we can to limit the damage.' ... They become less open and transparent, and I've become less trusting of anything that they say."

Falen corroborated this point, adding to a list of promises not kept by the University administration.

"Coyle said that [the University] is not going to take down the oak trees in the city, but he said some of the roots could be damaged, and that he couldn't promise that they wouldn't be lost. They also told us, at one point, the construction entrance would be far away from our residential street, [but] both of those things were not true at the end of the day, which is disturbing," Falen said.

Recently, on Jan. 7, according to Eccleston, construction workers also cut down the trees on Remington Avenue without publicizing the permit at least five days prior to removal, as required by Baltimore City law.

"I'm still trying through a Public Information Act request to find out what permit they were given to cut those trees down, but they didn't notify the public five days before. City forestry has told me that they approved [the cutting down of trees on Remington Avenue]. I just don't know where it is written," Eccleston stated.

In terms of compromising on location and size, Maddox explained how the University's agreements aligned mostly with its own vision, instead of being altered through community engagement. For example, as stated by Eccleston and Gonzalez as well, residents have complained about how the building still covers the same above-ground area in the exact same location, despite community outrage.

"I think [the University] thinks of compromise as like [they are] compromising what [they] want in order to do something else because the neighborhood didn't give [them] what [they] wanted... [for] them to move forward. So I don't think the compromise is to the neighborhood. I think the compromise is to the internal workings of Hopkins," Maddox argued. "I think it's a strategic and a tactical use of words in order to minimize really what has been going on... Ultimately, they're using [their compromises] as a mask to cover up the reasons of why we are upset."

Residents also report a low understanding of the projects to occur at the DSAI, and more importantly, the DSAI's funding and sponsoring sources. Currently, an estimate of the cost of DSAI and its source of funding has not been publicized, despite public pressure. To The News-Letter, a University spokesperson provided an example of AI research intended to occur at the DSAI.

"Our faculty pursue research on the broader impacts of AI and train systems to behave and support human well-being without disrupting critical societal structures. For example, the research of Gillian K. Hadfield, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of AI Alignment and Governance, includes the responsible development and governance of AI tools. The Institute also hosts various events and convenings to bring together stakeholders from academia, health, and government around these issues," a University spokesperson wrote.

Eccleston highlighted that the University's vague devotion to public health and broad AI issues, amid resident advocacy against the building's construction, heightened his suspicion.

Falen also questioned the University's commitment to its neighbors, highlighting past instances with University expansion in East Baltimore.

"[The DSAI construction] does make you wonder if Hopkins wouldn't just like to get this block because it's just our row of houses between [its campus] and the park. They pushed [a lot of families out] as an institution around the hospital, so it makes you suspicious," Falen expressed.

At the Dec. 17 Board of Estimates meeting, residents shared with The News-Letter that there was a memorandum of understanding regarding the cutting down of elm trees on Wyman Park Drive. 18 Baltimore City officials voted for the memorandum, while residents wrote 65 letters of disapproval and presented a petition against construction with more than 2,000 signatures.

"Nobody wrote any letters of support for the project, except for the lawyers representing Hopkins. Nobody spoke positively about this project, except for the Hopkins representatives. And then they showed the slides that they had already approved [the memorandum], I thought, 'This is how city government works. Before the meeting happens, before the public testimony, before the letters are read, the PowerPoint was built with the slide that stated approval,'" Eccleston stated.

Gonzalez shared how these letters focused less on AI and more about the damages resulting from construction, as seen in SNF Agora Institute's construction.

The Board of Estimates meeting also approved a developer's agreement that will give the University rights to build in the public right-of-way. This agreement was voted by Cohen, Comptroller Bill Henry, Public Works Director Matthew Garbark and City Solicitor Ebony Thompson. Mayor Brandon Scott abstained, while Councilwoman Odette Ramos advocated against the agreement and the larger DSAI project. Residents have largely attributed Ramos as their only voice in city government.

Notably, supporters of the agreement - Cohen and Scott - received donations from Hopkins officers and attorneys two weeks after the Board of Estimates meeting. Cohen received $766 from Jennifer Mielke (Director of Baltimore City Government & Community Affairs) and Maria Tildon (Vice President of State and Local Affairs) and Scott received $1,500 from Tildon, $1,500 from Kevin Sowers (President of Johns Hopkins Health System), $500 from Camille Johnston (Vice President of Communications) and $500 from Mielke. Maddox expressed concerns about the role of funding influential city officials regarding the DSAI project.

"The city gives them leeway because there's so much money in everyone's pocket coming from them that the taxpayers and the citizens and the residents of these specific areas don't have any say... And the second we question it, and we don't just go along with it, it becomes like this strangely abusive, manipulative relationship, where [the University] tries to make [residents] believe one thing when they're going to be doing another. It's just so bizarre, and it really makes you spiral," Maddox said.

Future Steps

Residents will continue their advocacy against the DSAI's construction near Remington. Currently, the Sacred Parks & Waterways organization is set to host a town hall meeting on Thursday, Feb. 12, 7-9 PM at the Greenmount School to further discuss current experiences and future steps. The meeting is open to all individuals. While construction continues, residents, like Eccleston, push for more transparency and respect from officials.

"There's a lot going on all over in this city, nationally and globally... This issue sort of feels like… it's just a building. It's small, and no one's getting hurt... But I want our city to work for people. I want public officials to be public officials, not politicians. I want institutions to respect the community in a genuine way. And if we don't do that, then what do we have?" Eccleston reflected.

The provost serves as the University's chief academic officer, responsible for working with senior leadership to advance the institution's research and academic missions. Since his appointment in 2023, Jayawardhana focused on the Ten for One framework, which included strengthening the sense of community on campus, enhancing equity and inclusion, creating a hub for data science and artificial intelligence, translating research to policy ideas, and supporting local partnerships in Baltimore. The provost's office is also responsible for publicizing the University's progress with these initiatives through annual reports.

Specifically, Jayawardhana has also strengthened the connections between academic departments and the Applied Physics Laboratory, expanded the Bloomberg Distinguished Professorships program by creating more interdisciplinary research clusters and launching the Provost's Fellows for Public Engagement, a program designed to prepare six to eight faculty members annually to discuss their work through mediums such as social media and public lectures. At Caltech, Jayawardhana intends to advance the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (responsible for constricting and operating robotic spacecraft for Mars expeditions), improve student experiences and build connections with the neighboring town of Pasadena.

Daniels and the Board of Trustees will make the final appointment for the new provost position. According to a University spokesperson in an email to The News-Letter, administration is directing its focus toward a smooth transition, and plans for recruitment will be shared at a later date. The spokesperson also shared goals for the transition and search for a permanent position, highlighting that the ongoing hiring freeze will not hinder the appointment.

"When a leadership transition occurs, it is standard practice for the president, in connection with the board of trustees, to appoint an interim to ensure continuity in leadership and operations until a permanent candidate is appointed. The appointment of a provost is a significant leadership decision that is made independently of any temporary administrative constraints, including a pause on certain types of hiring," the spokesperson wrote.

Rutkow holds her bachelor's degree from Yale University, an MPH and Ph.D. from the Bloomberg School of Public Health and a JD from New York University School of Law. At Hopkins, Rutkow has served as the director of the Center for Law and the Public's Health at the School of Public Health, the president for strategic initiatives (2019-21), vice provost for interdisciplinary initiatives (2022-23) and executive vice provost since 2024.

In his announcement, Daniels highlighted Rutkow's multidiscipline expertise in shaping her focus towards the national health landscape during her time as executive vice provost, including the development of the Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center - one of the TIME Top 100 Inventions of 2020 - and navigating federal funding cuts for research. Rutkow has also worked towards supporting the Johns Hopkins University Council and the Tenure Advisory Committee (both designed to expand tenure to more faculty) and launching the Bloomberg Center in Washington D.C., the School of Government and Policy and the Hopkins Semester D.C. program. A University spokesperson expanded on Rutkow's qualifications and goals in an email to The News-Letter.

"As interim provost, Lainie Rutkow will work closely with the president, deans, and senior university leaders to advance Johns Hopkins' core academic priorities," they wrote. "Lainie's deep experience in interdisciplinary work, public health, academic operations, and federal policy equips her well to provide steady, capable leadership and sustain our academic momentum during this important period."

#VanguardSTEM was founded by Jedidah Isler, who was the first African American woman to receive a PhD in astrophysics at Yale. Noting the lack of acknowledgement of African American, Indigenous and Latina women in STEM, Isler wanted to create an online space where these women in STEM could come together, resulting in the #VSCommunity. In an interview with The News-Letter, Harriot explained this struggle.

"As Black, Indigenous, Latina women in STEM, oftentimes you're the only one in your department, or the only one at your institution, but there are many of us spread across institutions throughout the US."

Harriot joined #VanguardSTEM as a social media coordinator at the end of her undergraduate degree. Having been diagnosed with a rare blood clotting disorder as a teenager, Harriot experienced first-hand the lack of representation of diverse ethnicities in research, since all the studies conducted about her disorder only included white men as participants.

"And as a 15-year-old Black girl, it was immediately apparent to me that there wasn't very much I could gain from that," she said.

In contributing to #VanguardSTEM and conducting tissue engineering research to model disease progression, Harriot is battling both sides of this issue. #VanguardSTEM's many programs are centered around addressing three primary problems rooted in this underrepresentation: the lack of access to education, the absence of community for African American, Indigenous, and Latina women in STEM, and the minimal recognition given to these scientists, despite their notable contributions. These disparities are reflected in the NSF's published statistics, showing that, despite making up around 30% of the US population, less than 10% of doctoral degrees have been earned by Black, Indigenous, and Latina women in the past 10 years.

To ensure their programs are truly impactful, Harriot and the #VanguardSTEM team listen to student voices of marginalized communities. Their team includes graduate students, who keep them informed about the current needs of students developing their careers. This input has resulted in programs such as Hot Science Summer, which provides funding for the #VSCommunity to pursue research projects. One such research project was led by Egondu Umeobi, who had a goal of investigating mining-caused water and soil contamination. With #VanguardSTEM's support, she has been able to raise awareness of the negative impacts of mining through her publications, allowing her to focus on land remediation efforts.

Similarly, their Wikimedia Fellowship Program advocates for #VSCommunity scientists, giving post-baccalaureate students the opportunity to interview women of color in STEM, write about their research and help develop assessments to quantify the impact of #VanguardSTEM's Decolonized Mentoring framework. This framework prioritizes collaboration, diverse perspectives and acknowledgement of political influences in the field of research.

Harriot mentioned the "What does a scientist look like?" experiment and argued that the researchers that appear in media are not representative of minorities.

"When you're reading an article in NPR, the Associated Press, and they're talking to a scientist, who are they talking to? And is it representative of these groups, as well as are they being acknowledged as experts?" Harriot described.

Various sources provide funding for these initiatives, including National Geographic, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Wikimedia Knowledge Equity Fund and direct donations. Still, funding remains a challenge. Harriot also explains that there are additional difficulties in running #VanguardSTEM.

"Every single person on the #VanguardSTEM team is a full-time scientist. So we all do this in addition to our daily obligations. And we do this work as volunteers," she pointed out.

To ensure a healthy work-life balance, Harriot and the #VanguardSTEM team maintain open communication and patience when deadlines interfere with one another, prioritizing the quality of their projects over quantity. This healthy work ethic has preserved passion throughout #VanguardSTEM projects, preventing burnout. Reiterating the importance of passion, Harriot advises students to pursue community service projects that speak to them.

"Find the one that resonates with you the most and the one that you feel that you can contribute your skills to in the most meaningful way," she recommended. "You never know what amazing opportunities will arise because of that."

The demonstrations, which began in December 2025, have escalated into one of the largest expressions of civil resistance in three years since the murder of Mahsa Amini, who was brutally beaten by morality police for allegedely breaking the compulsory veiling laws. The Islamic Republic has responded to peaceful protests with violence, mass detentions and sweeping internet shutdowns designed to silence protesters and block the regime's abuses from global scrutiny.

I believe it is critical to clearly distinguish the Iranian people from the Iranian regime. I unequivocally condemn the use of force against citizens exercising their fundamental rights, including freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. As someone fortunate enough to be able to use my voice, I believe that all of us who possess free speech have a responsibility to speak up when Iranian citizens cannot.

I recently spoke with a relative in Iran who, after weeks without internet access, described the situation on the streets. "They don't spare people anymore," he said. "If your hand comes out of your pocket, they used to beat you. Now, they just shoot. People can't even chant slogans from their homes anymore. They shoot anyone they hear."

Millions of Iranians have made it clear that they are willing to, unfortunately, die for their freedom and they're just begging for a lifeline right now, calling for the world to hear their cries. As free individuals in the U.S., we have a responsibility to stand with the people of Iran by raising awareness, supporting access to uncensored information and holding human rights violators accountable.

If there is anything I ask you to take away from this, it is the recognition of the responsibility we hold to urge U.S. politicians to support the Iranian people. Encourage and spread awareness for the policymakers to continue advancing measures that expand digital freedom, protect human rights, and amplify the voices of the Iranian people risking their safety for a liberated and democratic future.

The time for a decision is now. Not next month, not after more studies, not when conditions are perfect, but now. On that decision hangs not only Iran's fate but also the moral credibility of the entire international order we claim to defend. We can support the Iranian people's efforts to remove the mullahs, or we can watch another opportunity for freedom slip away while we hesitate. I urge each of you to get involved with the social activism scene locally supporting Iranian efforts for change. This can be as simple as reposting an Instagram thread or participating in a demonstration in Washington, D.C.

You do not have to be experts in Iranian politics to support it. Get involved with organizing teach-ins, attending solidarity protests, calling congressional offices, supporting Iranian student groups and using your platforms to share verified information about what is happening. These actions may feel small, but they matter because you hold freedoms that protesters inside Iran do not: the ability to speak publicly, assemble safely and pressure institutions without fear of arrest.

Ariana Goli is a freshman from Boston, Mass. majoring in Biomedical Engineering.

Nothing short of a heartbreak

The hot favorite Aryna Sabalenka solidified her dominance, dropping zero sets going into the final. Yet, when the lights shone the brightest, tension could not be met as she fell 4-6 in the third set despite leading 3-0 against fifth-seeded Elena Rybakina earlier in the set. This marks Rybakina's second Grand Slam title since the 2022 Wimbledon final, and more notably, an avenging turnaround from her loss in the 2023 Australian Open against Sabalenka. Rybakina's run this January was not an easy one, taking out the No. 2-ranked Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals. The 26-year-old Rybakina also calmly stepped up to the occasion against Jessica Pegula, who had eliminated the Women's 2025 Australian Open Winner, Madison Keys. Additionally, American player Amanda Anisimova, who was the only player to overcome all four women's Grand Slam champions in her 2025 breakout season, saw herself out in a quarter-final exit against Pegula.

This tournament result will serve as a mental test for Sabalenka, who faces her second consecutive loss in AO's finals and moves to an 50% win rate in the eight Grand Slam finals she has played.

Sabalenka, a dominant hard-court player who won both the 2023 and 2024 Australian Opens, will remain as the top WTA-ranked player and will try to maintain her position.

Marathons under the Melbourne sun

On the men's side, #1 Carlos Alcaraz's seventh Grand Slam win made history for the greatest number of wins before the age of 23 and the youngest to sweep the career Grand Slam. This marks his first grand slam since splitting with his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Novak Djokovic entered the AO on the trek for the 25th Grand Slam, on his way to breaking the tie with Margaret Court for the most number of Grand Slams. The remarkable 38-year-old legend competed toe-to-toe with the #2 player and last year's AO winner, Jannik Sinner, in a contest over four hours. This matchup was particularly a change of course, considering the past three grand slam matchups have built on the "Sincaraz" rivalry as the top two dominant forces of the tour. Even with Djokovic's loss to Alcaraz in the final, Djokovic has now moved up to the #3.

Carlos Alcaraz weathered a gritty matchup against Alexander Zverev, whose powerful serves were a problem even for the #1 player. The match drew controversy, however, when a disgruntled Zverev argued against the time stoppage prompted by a medical timeout, claiming muscle cramping could only be treated in normal break times, to which Alcaraz explained it as needing attention from a physiotherapist for right adductor discomfort.

This controversy over timing was reflected by the arena roof closure during the Jannik Sinner vs. Eliot Spizzirri third-round matchup, where Sinner took advantage of the heat rule to recover from cramping and powered his way back from a deficit. On the other side of the net, Spizzirri stood strong, having trained in Texas heat in even more severe environments. The eight-minute delay at a pivotal break point that could have put him up 3-1, combined with an additional 10-minute cooling break before the fourth set, leaves plenty of questions about how the match's momentum might have shifted. Spizzirri's AO performance contributed to his rise of 14 places in the rankings, reaching a career-best world #71. Reflecting on the experience, he admitted, "to kind of feel out my game and go toe-to-toe with him, yeah, it felt good."

Rising stars

One notable match shoutout comes from the young Learner Tien, who dismantled former top-ranked Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-0 and 6-3. Though his impressive run came to a stop in the quarter final, opponent Zverev applauded Tien's playmaking level and gave a shout-out to Tien's coach, Michael Chang, a hall of famer. Tien follows in Chang's footsteps as the youngest American man to reach the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam event since 2002. Dedicated time on the court and continuous exposure will prove his seat among the best players, and a climb in ranks is looking bright for the up-and-coming *learner.*

Also, shoutout to amateur Jordan Smith, who fought his way to glory against tour professionals in AO's one-point slam, leaving the arena one million Australian dollars richer, with an additional $50,000 for his local tennis club.

Call for action

Young American superstar Coco Gauff had a shocking quarter-final loss to Elina Svitolina, in less than one hour of play. In frustration, Gauff smashed her racket when leaving the court. This scene was captured and posted, raising questions about the extent to which players' privacy and potential mental health should be protected. This also connects to the question of which measures should be enforced regarding what can be broadcast to the public. Following the release of the viral video, Gauff was backed by fellow top WTA players, including Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula. As much as tournament organizations and venues value off-court camera footage to increase audience engagement with 'behind the scenes,' these actions detract from private moments of vulnerability or emotion and restrict the time and space often needed after tough matches.

Another emerging point of discussion is whether wearable fitness technology designed to provide detailed health assessments should be allowed. Hesitancy arises from security and ownership concerns about personal biometric data, as well as from its strategic use as a competitive advantage. Supporters say that the data in high-intensity matches would aid real-time analysis preventing potential injuries or giving insight into how players could best recover, especially when their bodies are under duress from long travel commitments and extreme weather conditions.

Concluding note

An intense month of high-intensity matchups and buzzing competition... and it's only the beginning. As the tours slowly transition into the clay season for early spring, all eyes are set on the French Open.