In January, the University’s Inheritance Baltimore project received a $4.4 million grant from the Just Futures Initiative of the Mellon Foundation. The initiative was created to tackle social equity issues in light of the racial injustice protests that took place in 2020.
Following a rise in xenophobia against Asian Americans at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a recent string of high-profile attacks in the past few months that raised greater awareness of violence against the Asian American community.
Due to this semester’s hybrid model, students are able to take classes either remotely or in-person. While many undergraduates chose to return to campus, those who did not have faced many challenges. Students living away from the East Coast, for example, have had to tackle two disparate time zones on top of the difficulties of online learning.
The Foreign Affairs Symposium (FAS) hosted Amy Goodman on March 4 to discuss her ongoing work as an investigative journalist and host of Democracy Now!, an independent news program focused on social activism, critiquing corporate influence and analyzing American foreign policy.
The University’s limit on undergraduate outdoor gatherings was increased from five to 10 people on March 4. Indoor gatherings are still limited to a maximum of five people.
The Judiciary Committee of the Maryland House of Delegates held a session on Feb. 23 to discuss House Bill 336 (HB0336) and House Bill 1284 (HB1284). Both bills, if passed, will repeal past laws related to the establishment and maintenance of the Johns Hopkins Police Department (JHPD). HB0336 would also prohibit all private universities in Maryland from establishing their own police forces.
The Hopkins Black Student Union (BSU) and the Black Student Athlete Association hosted a panel discussion on Feb. 26 about students’ role in transformative justice both on and off campus.
This semester, University housing reopened for freshmen and sophomores for the first time since students were sent home at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Throughout the hybrid spring semester, Hopkins has established isolation and quarantine housing for students who test positive for COVID-19 or come into close contact with someone who tested positive. There are currently 343 rooms reserved for this purpose at AMR III, the McCoy Hall, the Inn at the Colonnade and an additional Hopkins-owned property.
The Student Government Association (SGA) unanimously passed a contact tracing resolution and discussed University programming for the hybrid semester during its weekly meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 23.
The Foreign Affairs Symposium (FAS) hosted Radhya Al-Mutawakel on Feb. 24 to discuss her ongoing work against the Yemeni Crisis. Al-Mutawakel was the first speaker of the 2021 FAS, themed “Where Do We Go From Here?” The event was moderated by FAS Co-President Ryan Ebrahimy and FAS Co-Director Margaret Hanson.
For years, students have called on the University to improve mental health resources at Hopkins. In light of the pandemic, for some, it has been a year of renewed struggles. For others, the pandemic has created entirely new mental health issues.
The Student Government Association (SGA) discussed the Committee to Establish Principles on Naming’s ongoing efforts to rename Hopkins buildings, scholarships and programs tied to racism or inequality at its weekly meeting on Feb. 16.
“The main message from me to the students is: You’re in a community that cares for each other. I hope everybody is conscious of the community. This is only one year where you have to be in your home all the time.”
The spring semester is a small step closer to the pre-pandemic college experience as a select number of courses have become in-person and limited on-campus activities resume.
This month, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) targeted Hopkins as its Speech Code of the Month. FIRE is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting university students’ free speech rights on campus. Every month, the organization selects a specific policy that it believes violates the First Amendment and encourages the respective university to make reforms.
“It’s definitely a nice Valentine’s gift because I’m used to rejection on Valentine's Day,” said Jackson Morris, who was recently admitted to the Class of 2025.
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Agora Institute hosted a student forum titled “Closing the Civilian-Military Divide” on Feb. 10. During the event, panelists discussed misconceptions about the U.S. military with Hopkins students.
The Student Government Association (SGA) discussed financial aid with Assistant Vice Provost for Financial Aid Tom McDermott at its weekly meeting on Feb 9.
The Foreign Affairs Symposium (FAS) announced today that the theme of its 2021 symposium will be “Where Do We Go From Here?” The lineup features activist Angela Davis, Yemeni human rights defender Radhya Al-Mutawakel, Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman, rapper Noname and experts on the Uyghur Crisis.
