Hopkins affiliates, including former students, held a protest on the Beach to call on the University to protect the rights of disabled students on May 4. Protesters described their experiences with discrimination and exclusion at Hopkins and outlined their demands for the administration.
Undergraduate students will be required to test twice a week and masking will now be required in libraries and study areas, including Brody Learning Commons, given its increased use during finals week. Guests helping students move out of residence halls will also be required to wear masks.
The University held its 51st Annual Spring Fair on the weekend of April 28 – May 1, marking the first in-person Spring Fair since 2019. This was the second Spring Fair planned by the University’s Office of Leadership Engagement and Experiential Development (LEED). University administrators took over planning last year in the wake of the Spring Fair Planning Committee’s misconduct allegations.
Representatives of Hopkins Democrats and Hopkins Republicans reflected on political engagement and transparency on campus in interviews with The News-Letter. The College Democrats and the College Republicans held a debate on April 14. The debate, which was open to the public, was not recorded for viewing after the event.
As a part of its April Awareness Speaker series, the Diverse Sexuality and Gender Alliance hosted a talk by Jules Gill-Peterson on April 25. Her talk, titled “History and Harm: The Unfinished Trans Story of Johns Hopkins Hospital,” explored the University’s historic relation to trans and intersex communities and how this legacy continues today.
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Agora Institute hosted scholar Yascha Mounk to discuss his new book, The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure, on April 26. His talk was followed by an audience Q&A session, moderated by sophomore SNF Student Engagement Board Member Frank Meng.
The Critical Diaspora Studies (CDS) initiative was created to diversify the undergraduate student experience at Hopkins through the creation of a new interdisciplinary academic space. The initiative hopes that it will connect existing centers of study at the University to build a major and minor.
Baltimore police investigated a threat in McCoy Hall on April 26. Residents and students were advised to avoid 34th Street between St. Paul Street and N. Charles Street as police investigated a “suspicious package” in the building.
The Foreign Affairs Symposium (FAS) hosted Georges C. Benjamin, Executive Director of the American Public Health Association (APHA), to discuss his work on April 19.
In an email sent to the Hopkins community on April 22, the University extended the safety protocols reinstated after spring break, which include required masking in dining facilities and residence halls and twice-weekly testing. Previously the protocols were set to end after April 22.
The Student Government Association (SGA) held its weekly meeting on April 19 to discuss its Rules Bill for the upcoming academic year. This was the first meeting of the 2022–23 SGA administration.
The College Democrats of Maryland hosted a gubernatorial debate between candidates Jon Baron and Ashwani Jain on April 15. They outlined their plans for implementing educational, environmental, infrastructural and safety policies.
The Foreign Affairs Symposium (FAS) hosted Cassie Flynn on April 13 to discuss the difficulties involved in combatting climate change. The event was the penultimate installment of the “Shattered Reality: Reimagining the Future” speaker series.
The current Student Government Association (SGA) administration held its last general body meeting of the school year on April 12. The members discussed amendments to SGA’s constitution, which include potentially restructuring SGA for the 2023 –2024 academic year. Among other matters, senators also passed bills to distribute tote bags at the Farmer’s Market and order cords and stoles for graduating members of SGA.
For the second year in a row, the First-Generation, Limited-Income (FLI) Network will cover the cost of graduation regalia, which includes a cap and a gown, for first-generation and/or limited-income students graduating in May. The network will also provide students with a stole, designed by FLI student leaders, at the FLI Graduation Celebration.
Students and candidates have voiced complaints about the campaign cycle timeline and voter turnout data reporting for this year’s Student Government Association (SGA) Executive Board and class council elections. The Committee on Student Elections (CSE) is responsible for organizing elections and reporting results.
On April 8, the University announced Meek Mill as the headliner for this year’s Spring Fair concert, which will take place on April 30 in the Ralph S. O’Connor Recreation Center. The event capacity is 1,800 and tickets are currently sold out.
The senior class council held the senior Met Gala on April 2 in commemoration of their upcoming graduation. Seniors were able to choose between two types of tickets, photo and general admission, and could purchase one ticket for their attendance.
The Student Government Association (SGA) held its weekly meeting on April 5 in order to discuss a committee reorganization bill, the senior class Met Gala, renaming of buildings and programs named after Woodrow Wilson, an election day survey, SGA’s sponsorship of the Hopkins Student Organization for Programming’s (HOP) Picnic Day and the Sophomore Class Paint Night.
TEDxJHU held its Spring Main Event, titled “Amplified,” on April 2. The event hosted speakers from the Baltimore area, including activist Legacy Forte, neuroscientist David Linden, artist Hannah Brancato, author D. Watkins and educator Melanie Shimano. Hopkins hip-hop dance group SLAM performed, and the student-produced short film The People of Baltimore was presented during intermission.
