Teachers and Researchers United (TRU), the University’s unofficial graduate student union, held a rally on Dec. 11 to demand that Hopkins improve its treatment of graduate students.
Emergence Baltimore, a non-profit that promotes local stores, is working to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19 shutdowns on Baltimore’s small businesses. The News-Letter sat down with Emergence Baltimore’s President Kevin Carter and Social Media Lead Ali Rachidi to hear about its programs.
University leaders held a virtual town hall on Dec. 11 to discuss the recent discovery that University founder and namesake Johns Hopkins owned enslaved Black people. The event was moderated by Chief Diversity Officer Katrina Caldwell.
In an interview with The News-Letter on Wednesday, University President Ronald J. Daniels discussed progress on the University’s Roadmap on Diversity and Inclusion, the future of the private police force, plans for the spring and safety measures being implemented in anticipation of resuming in-person activities.
The Student Government Association (SGA) hosted its final meeting of the semester on Tuesday, Dec. 8. At the meeting, members discussed spring tuition, standardizing SGA committee and council meetings, a special forum on Greek Life and a pen pal initiative.
The myth of Johns Hopkins, the University’s namesake and founder, has been proudly retold countless times on campus tours, convocations and around Baltimore: He was a lifelong abolitionist whose father, an avowed Quaker, freed the family’s enslaved people in 1807.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott announced new restrictions to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the city earlier today. Both indoor and outdoor dining will be prohibited. Outdoor gatherings in public and private facilities will be limited to 25 people, while all indoor gatherings will be capped at 10 people.
Peabody Student Affairs hosted members of George Floyd’s family — including his uncle Selwyn Jones and aunt Angela Harrelson — on Dec. 3 to discuss his death, police brutality and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. The event was moderated by Nyle Fort, a youth pastor and Master of Divinity candidate at Princeton Theological Seminary.
University President Ronald J. Daniels will be teaching a three-credit political science course in the spring semester titled “The University in Democracy.” The course will examine the role of universities — including Hopkins — in promoting civic engagement within their communities. As of publication, the course has four open seats.
Student Leadership and Involvement (SLI) hosted a webinar for registered student organizations (RSO) on Friday, Dec. 4. The event outlined procedures that the University plans to implement regarding in-person gatherings for student clubs in the spring semester.
Last month, University President Ronald J. Daniels announced that Eliot Cohen will step down as the ninth dean of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at the conclusion of his two-year term on June 30.
Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen highlighted possible changes to the American political system at an event hosted by the College Democrats at Hopkins (HopDems) on Wednesday, Dec. 2.
Global China Connection (GCC) held a seminar discussing the ongoing U.S.-China technology competition on Dec. 1. The seminar featured Nathaniel Ahrens, a fellow at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) Foreign Policy Institute, Terry Thompson, a cybersecurity expert and SAIS lecturer, and Rui Ma, the host of the Tech Buzz China podcast. The event was moderated by Robert Barbera, an Economics professor at Hopkins.
The Student Government Association (SGA) held its weekly meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 1, where the senators proposed changes to Student Activities Commission (SAC) Funding Policies and discussed changes to its meetings’ public input periods.
The Second Commission on Undergraduate Education (CUE2) released its final report on Nov. 20. The report made a wide array of recommendations to improve the undergraduate experience at Hopkins, including replacing the distribution requirements to obtain a degree. CUE2 was formed in 2017 to promote interdisciplinary learning and mental health on campus.
IDEAL, a nonpartisan, student-run political organization, held a virtual panel on the role of grassroots organizations in the 2020 elections on Nov. 19. The webinar featured Monica Trejo, Arizona state director for Care in Action, and Melissa Walker, director of Giving Circles.
In response to the rising number of COVID-19 cases across the state and an increase of cases within the Hopkins community, University leaders reaffirmed on Nov. 19 that, as of now, in-person, on-campus activities will resume in the spring. Online options for students and faculty will still be available for those unable to return to campus.
The Japanese American Student Association (JASA) held its first-ever speaker event on Thursday, Nov. 19. The event, titled “Ethnic Citizenship Regimes and Co-Ethnic Immigration in Japan and Korea,” featured Erin Aeran Chung, a Political Science professor at Hopkins. Chung is the Charles D. Miller chair in East Asian Politics and author of the recently published book Immigrant Incorporation in East Asian Democracies.
The Advocates for Reproductive and Sexual Health (ARSH) hosted an event titled “What’s Next? Reproductive and Sexual Justice After the U.S. 2020 Presidential Election” on Saturday, Nov. 21 in partnership with Planned Parenthood’s Peer Education Program.
