Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
July 1, 2025
July 1, 2025 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

News & Features



Hopkins hosts annual B’more Proud summit

Hopkins hosted the annual B’more Proud LGBTQIA Leadership Summit this past Saturday in the Glass Pavilion. Several hundred people attended the conference, which was themed “Breaking Boundaries: The Intersection of our Identities.” Those who came for the event included both students and visitors from the surrounding area. The event featured two keynote speakers, Julia Serano and Zach Wahls, who spoke about their personal experiences combating prejudice. 


Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton criticizes Obama on security

Former United States Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton spoke to members of the Hopkins community in Shriver Hall on March 13 as a part of this spring’s Foreign Affairs Symposium (FAS) speakers series. Bolton, who represented the U.S. at the U.N. from 2005 to 2006, spent the majority of his speech denouncing President Obama’s foreign policy platform and criticizing the president for not placing national security at the top of his priority list.



Voice for Choice members attend D.C. rally

Student members of Voice for Choice (VFC) traveled to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday to join thousands of activists from all over the country as they protested the Hobby Lobby contraception case before the Supreme Court this week. The group attended the rally with Planned Parenthood, whose Towson office assisted the group in organizing their trip.


CEO of YouTube named commencement speaker

On Tuesday, the University named YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki as this year’s commencement speaker. Wojcicki has been named among Fortune’s “50 Most Powerful Women in Business,” Forbes’ “100 Most Powerful Women,” and Vanity Fair’s 50 “leading innovators [that] shake the foundations of their industries,” according to an article by The Hub. Prior to becoming CEO at YouTube, she served as senior vice president of advertising and commerce at Google after joining the company as its first marketing manager in 1999.


Sophomore formal draws mixed reviews

The first ever Sophomore Formal was held on March 13 at the National Aquarium at the Inner Harbor. The Student Government Association (SGA) provided transportation to and from the venue along with catered finger foods and a DJ.







Med. School professor offers class to freshmen

Associate Professor of Medicine, Molecular Biology and Genetics and Director of the JHMI Microarray Core Facility Forrest Spencer is teaching a class at Homewood this semester as a part of the Gateway Sciences Initiative. The class, which is specifically designed for freshmen, is titled “Genetics, Genomics, and Evolution.” This is the second year the class has been offered.


Arts and Sciences dean speaks at humanities event

On March 13, the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences held an event celebrating the humanities in Gilman Hall. Several alumni attended the first-of-its-kind event, which included student performances, presentations from professors and an opening address from Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Katherine Newman titled “Creativity and Reflection: The Arts and Humanities as a Calling.”


Hopkins Hillel travels to Vienna on break

Nine undergraduate students spent this past spring break traveling through Austria on a trip entitled, “Celebrate Jewish Life in Vienna: Past, Present and Future,” which was sponsored by the Hopkins Hillel. From March 13 to 23, the students explored Jewish life past and present throughout the city, learning about the impacts of the Holocaust as well as what life is like for Jews in Austria today.



Student group hosts first women’s summit

Five Hopkins-affiliated female leaders spoke about their experiences as students and in the workplace at the inaugural Summit for Emerging Women Leaders held on Saturday in Charles Commons. The event was organized by the Women’s Initiative for Social Equity (WISE).


SAE bans pledging after deaths, injuries

The national Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity announced on Friday that it was banning pledging for new members. The policy change will affect all SAE chapters, including the chapter at Hopkins. The decision was prompted by a recent spate of deaths linked to hazing and alcohol consumption at SAE chapters across the nation.


Students react to Crimean conflict

Hopkins students reacted this week to the occupation of the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine by Russian armed forces. Russia seized the region after Ukraine’s Russian-backed president fled the country following a violent crackdown on protesters demanding closer relations with the European Union. With the region now split between a Ukrainian-speaking west tilted towards Europe and a Russian-speaking east, the U.S. fears Moscow is trying reassert influence over parts of the former Soviet Union.


Students skeptical of shifts in IS program

Sydney Van Morgan has been recruited as the full-time faculty director of the International Studies Program, taking over the responsibilities of Julia Galan, current associate director of the International Studies Program. Morgan will begin in this role on July 1, following a move from Cornell University’s Institute for European Studies.


News-Letter Magazine