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December 17, 2025 December 17, 2025 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

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FILE PHOTO University announces student advisory committee to participate in planning the return to campus. 

University announces formation of student advisory committee

By RYAN AGHAMOHAMMADI | May 13, 2020

Vice Provost for Student Affairs Alanna Shanahan and Associate Vice Provost for Education Janet Schreck announced the formation of a student advisory committee in an email to the student body on May 12. The committee will be tasked with providing feedback on University plans and brainstorming ideas as to what the process of reopening campus might look like amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. University President Ronald J. Daniels suspended in-person classes on March 10.

GAGE SKIDMORE/CC BY-SA 2.0 U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has faced criticism for her recently released final guidelines.

How will changes to Title IX regulations impact Hopkins?

By MICHELLE LIMPE and LEELA GEBO | May 10, 2020

The Department of Education issued changes to Title IX regulations on May 6. The new regulations will impact how universities investigate and handle sexual harassment and assault cases. The Office for Civil Rights reviewed more than 120,000 public comments and surveys to finalize the revised law, called “The Final Rule.”  

FILE PHOTO Students still in University housing will either have to move out by May 15 or pay a nightly rate to stay in Homewood Aparments.

University asks students to move out, offers Homewood stay for $40 per night

By CHRIS H. PARK | May 9, 2020

Earlier this semester, Vice Provost for Student Affairs Alanna Shanahan emailed all students, instructing them to vacate University housing by March 15 due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Exceptions were granted to students “who [could not] return home due to international travel restrictions, financial hardship or other extraordinary circumstances.”

Nest Network aims to help students find internships amid COVID-19.

Nest Network places Hopkins students in summer internships with Baltimore businesses

By LEELA GEBO | May 7, 2020

Nest Network, an initiative run by students from the JHU American Marketing Association (JHU AMA), is working with Hopkins and community partners to match students with internships for the summer. Nest Strategies, the marketing branch of JHU AMA, created Nest Network to address the growing concern over the cancellation of students’ summer internships due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

PUBLIC DOMAIN / edited by David Hilden Paul McHugh, former chief of psychiatry at Hopkins Hospital, believes that being transgender is a mental disorder.

Trans postdoc claims psychiatrists were biased against him

By RUDY MALCOM | May 5, 2020

“It was one of the first graduations Ron Daniels was at. I got to shake his hand. Underneath the cap and gown, I was wearing a dress. At another graduation, I was wearing a shirt and tie. It felt full circle. At Hopkins, I had gotten a bachelor’s degree and a PhD — and a new body and soul. Everything was possible here, but on the flip side, when I followed someone else’s advice blindly, it almost killed me.” 

COURTESY OF RUDY MALCOM According to many RAs, RDs need to be better held accountable.

RAs report mistreatment under Residential Life

By KATY WILNER | May 3, 2020

The RA manual now states that RAs are unable to speak directly to media outlets without permission from their supervisors. This year, seven RAs broke this rule to inform The News-Letter of ongoing systematic issues within Residential Life. Some students’ identities will remain anonymous.

COURTESY OF SARU SARU discussed changes to Title IX proposed by the Department of Education.

SARU hosts discussion about proposed changes to Title IX

By MANAVI MONGIA | May 3, 2020

The Sexual Assault Resource Unit (SARU) held a virtual event titled “Change in IX” on Thursday, April 30 over Zoom. The workshop explored the Department of Education’s (DOE’s) proposed changes to Title IX, as well as the current state of the law amid the pandemic.

Incoming SGA Executive Board prepares for budget cuts

By CHRIS H. PARK | May 3, 2020

Incoming Student Government Association (SGA) Executive Treasurer Addy Perlman announced in an email to student leaders that student groups should expect cuts in their annual Student Activities Commission (SAC) fundings. The announcement was made in light of the University-wide austerity measures and was further discussed at the final weekly SGA meeting. 

FILE PHOTO Amid COVID-19, graduate students are calling on Hopkins for greater resources.

Graduate students demand University support during pandemic

By RYAN AGHAMOHAMMADI and LEELA GEBO | May 2, 2020

Amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, graduate students have come together to ask the University for support. In an email written by the Graduate Representative Organization (GRO), Graduate Student Association (GSA), the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Student Assembly (JHSPH SA), and Teachers and Researchers United (TRU), graduate students voiced their expectations for the University. 

Hopkins plans a virtual Alumni Weekend

By ANANTA SRIVASTAVA | May 2, 2020

Hopkins Alumni Association announced that Homewood’s Alumni Weekend will be held online this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The virtual Alumni Weekend will consist of various events from Thursday, May 14 through Sunday, May 17. 

FILE PHOTO Student groups may face budget cuts for the 2020-21 academic year.

SGA makes future plans for student groups

By JACKIE RITTENHOUSE | April 30, 2020

The Student Government Association (SGA) discussed changes to funding for student groups at its last weekly meeting of the semester on April 28. Executive Treasurer Eric Armstrong announced that due to University-wide austerity measures, SGA’s operating budget will likely decrease for the next school year.

FILE PHOTO Students can request a one-time grant or loan of up to $2,000 through SIS to purchase a computer.

Life Design Lab webinar addresses cancelled summer internships

By ELIZABETH RAPHAEL | April 29, 2020

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted the summer plans of many rising seniors, who typically take this summer to gain valuable professional experience before entering the job market full time. While this means a shift to remote work for some, it may result in the cancellation of internships altogether for others. Last Friday the Life Design Lab (LDL) held a webinar for juniors who are reshuffling plans and finding new ways to stay productive this summer.

 FILE PHOTO The student group Advocates for Reproductive and Sexual Health was recently approved. 

Students launch Planned Parenthood-affiliated group

By CHRIS H. PARK | April 28, 2020

Earlier this month, sophomore Melanie Alfonzo founded Advocates for Reproductive and Sexual Health (ARSH). ARSH aims to foster greater reproductive advocacy and sexual health education at Hopkins and in Baltimore. In an interview with The News-Letter, Alfonzo cited her work with Planned Parenthood as the inspiration for launching the group.

COURTESY OF NATALIE WU OMA's second Digital Diversity Day highlighted the importance of Critical Race Theories during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OMA hosts virtual event on Asian Critical Race Theory

By NATALIE WU | April 28, 2020

In its second Digital Diversity Days, The Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) hosted an event, titled “What Does Critical Race Theory Have to Do With Asian Pacific Americans?” on Thursday, April 23. The event, which was broadcasted via Zoom, featured Robert Chang, executive director of the Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality.

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