Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
June 15, 2025
June 15, 2025 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

Magazine



COURTESY OF JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY SHERIDAN LIBRARIES
Students carry signs and banners at an anti-Vietnam War rally on Homewood Campus.

Anti-Vietnam War protests at Hopkins

More than 200 students and demonstrators surrounded Homewood House (now known as Homewood Museum) in protest of military recruiting on campus on April 17, 1970. The protest occurred following the events on April 16, where 40 activists blocked the entrance to Levering Hall to protest the U.S. Marine Corps recruiters inside.


COURTESY OF RUDY MALCOM
Refuel Our Future has led the call for the University’s divestment from fossil fuel companies.

The push for greener universities

Divestment has been a demand leveraged by student activists to fight several social issues, including apartheid in South Africa and the unethical practices of tobacco manufacturers. For a little over a decade, student activists have found a new cause around which to mobilize and demand divestment: climate change.


COURTESY OF TRU-UE
Founded in 2014, TRU-UE seeks to improve working conditions for graduate students.

An overview of graduate student activism at Hopkins

Affiliated with United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE), the University’s graduate student union Teachers and Researchers United (TRU-UE) officially won recognition through a union representation election facilitated by the National Labor Relations Board in January 2023.


COURTESY OF JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY SHERIDAN LIBRARIES
Student activism at Hopkins has a long and storied past.

The history of student activism at Hopkins and nationwide

At the very core of society’s progress, activism has always been integral to sparking change. From macroscopic protests advocating for women’s rights to smaller movements concerning local issues, the freedom to assemble is ingrained in the very founding of the United States.


COURTESY OF ELLON MUSQUE
Elon Musk has made several demands to the University in order to be the 2023 commencement speaker.

BREAKING: University announces Elon Musk as 2023 commencement speaker

APRIL FOOLS’: This article was published as part of The News-Letter’s annual April Fools’ Day edition, an attempt at adding some humor to a newspaper that is normally very serious in its reporting. In a recent broadcast email, Hopkins announced that this year’s commencement speaker for the Class of 2023 would be American business magnate Elon Musk. The announcement was later confirmed in a cryptic tweet from Musk himself.


COURTESY OF MR. WISE-OWL
Mr. Wise-Owl was recently elected into the position of the Hopkins PETA chapter President.

Hopkins PETA chapter officially announces a barn owl as next year’s president

As a shocking demonstration of animal rights, the Hopkins People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) chapter has officially named their current mascot, Wise-Owl, as next year’s chapter president. Wise-Owl officially joined the chapter as a representative of the North American barn owl population throughout PETA’s protests last fall. 


COURTESY OF GABRIELLE GASLIGHTÉ
A team of undergraduate researchers found the majority of students to misspell the University’s name.

Vast majority of students believe there to be a hidden "s" in John Hopkins University

APRIL FOOL’S: This article was published as part of The News-Letter’s annual April Fool’s edition, an attempt at adding some humor to a newspaper that is normally very serious about its reporting.   Undergraduate researchers at the John Hopkins Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences conducted a SONA study last week and found that a vast majority of undergraduate students believe there to be a hidden “s” in the University’s name.


COURTESY OF BETTY BUTTERFACE
SGA discusses the recruitment of more attractive students, limits on spring break Cancun posts, and choices for spring fair performers.

SGA proposes the recruitment of more attractive students

APRIL FOOL’S: This article was published as part of The News-Letter’s annual April Fool’s edition, an attempt at adding some humor to a newspaper that is normally very serious about its reporting.  The Student Government Association (SGA) held its weekly general body meeting on March 28 to discuss a proposal to recruit more attractive students, an executive order to limit spring break Cancun Instagram posts and choices for more relevant spring fair performers.


COURTESY OF JIM BROZE
The University announced physical education classes to be required for all first-year engineering students starting next fall.

BREAKING: University announces physical education requirement for first-year engineers

APRIL FOOLS’: This article was published as part of The News-Letter’s annual April Fools’ edition, an attempt at adding some humor to a newspaper that is normally very serious about its reporting. In a shocking turn of events, the University announced yesterday that all first-year engineering students will be required to take physical education classes starting in fall 2023. That's right, folks — engineers will now be required to work on their physical fitness in addition to their technical skills. 



COURTESY OF SOPHIA PARK
Park discusses her experiences trying to glow up and the overwhelming pressures to change oneself.

The dark side to glowing up

Lately I have found myself in an unhealthy relationship with TikTok. It starts when I am about to fall asleep. All I can do is scroll and scroll, an endless pursuit that inevitably ends in sore eyes and lowered self-esteem. My For You page seems to know me a little too well and is littered with “hot it-girl energy” videos.


COURTESY OF JUDY JEONG
Harar provides advice on how to decorate and maintain a home that feels like your own.

Making your living space feel like home

As a core experience of college life, decorating your dorm room for the first time is both new and exciting. However, while many of us look forward to it, planning your room can also be daunting.  Although having a cute, aesthetic room is a priority for some, the most important thing is having a space you feel comfortable in — a space to call home. To ease some of the anxiety you may be having or to simply help your room “glow up,”  here are a few tips on making your dorm (or apartment) feel like home. 



COURTESY OF ASHLEY KIM
Liu offers tips on starting and staying committed to journaling.

Tips to kickstart or revitalize your journal

I've been journaling for over a decade now. My first journal was a shoddy thing I glued together from construction paper, notebook paper and cardboard back in fourth grade. I was big on crafts back then. 


COURTESY OF SOPHIA PARK
Savani discusses the importance of daily mindfulness.

Making space for yourself

Taking time for yourself is highly recommended to integrate into your daily routine. These moments help us process our thoughts, emotions and surroundings, allowing our brain to take on the needed break from stress. Whether you spend one hour or 15 minutes, this time will help you recharge, reflect and prevent future burnout. 


COURTESY OF ELLIE ROSE MATTOON
Mattoon recommends five books that have inspired and empowered her.

Five books hot girls working on themselves read

Grab your tote bags and head down to Bird in Hand for an iced oat chai, because it’s time to sit down for some reading. No, not the desert-dry PDF scan your professor uploaded to Canvas. And no, the #fitspo Instagram captions that make you feel horrible about yourself don’t count either. When is the last time you sat down to a book that felt like it fed your soul? A book that inspired you to be the best version of yourself? While I myself do not read as much as I would like to, here is a roundup of some of the books that have made me feel like an empowered main character by the time I was done with them. 


COURTESY OF SOPHIA PARK
Song shares tips on developing a healthy sleep schedule in college.

The importance of getting a good night's sleep

Everyone has heard the same old advice about getting eight hours of sleep every night. Parents say it. Teachers say it. Thousands of YouTubers say it. But as college students, we find that school and life naturally get in the way, whether it’s a few midterms, a big essay or a friend's birthday. Some of us celebrate getting even six hours of sleep, but getting a consistent seven to eight hours of sleep provides more benefits than you would think. 


COURTESY OF SOPHIA PARK
Veloso encourages others to be their own biggest supporters.

Self-confidence: stan yourself

After years of seeing these phrases online, I started saying these things to myself about myself. At first, it just made me laugh. I am the kind of person who has an internal monologue at all times, so if I made scrambled eggs correctly, I would say something like “maybe I’m a domestic goddess” in my head. If I got a physics problem right, I would (silently) claim that I had invented physics. This sort of self-dialogue went unnoticed for a while, but I really began to understand its effect when I studied for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) this past summer.


COURTESY OF SOPHIA PARK
Gonzales discusses why movies and other entertainment heavily focus on physical transformations. 

Why are we obsessed with makeovers?

A makeover doesn’t give you success. You earn that on your own. A person’s character, their inner beauty, will always receive the most praise at the end of the day. Inner beauty overpowers the makeover your older sister gave you the same way that inner ugliness will ruin a glow up.


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