Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
May 7, 2025
May 7, 2025 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

News & Features



COURTESY OF CLAIRE GOUDREAU
SCAC hopes that the new student center will be a place all students can make use of.

Is student input shaping design of student center?

Last spring, University President Ronald J. Daniels announced plans to construct a student center in the Mattin Center’s current location. Although many students were hopeful that such a building would encourage students to prioritize non-academic aspects of their lives, others expressed concerns regarding the loss of Mattin, which serves as a home for the visual and performing arts on campus and hosts the Swirnow Theater. 


Psych prof discusses social media and politics

Molly Crockett, an assistant professor of psychology at Yale University, spoke about her ongoing research surrounding the role social media plays in people’s experiences with moral outrage. The event was hosted on Monday by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Agora Institute, an academic and public forum that seeks to strengthen democracy through informed discourse and civic engagement.



EDA INCEKARA/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
AJR Russell-Wood founded the Program in Latin American Studies.

How did Latin American studies at Hopkins start?

The Portuguese Program’s Fall 2019 Speaker Series hosted its first lecture, “Professor AJR Russell-Wood and the Study of History,” on Monday in Hodson Hall. Dr. Franklin Knight, who taught at the University for more than 45 years, gave a talk about the life and work of his colleague, AJR Russell-Wood.





COURTESY OF SIGMA CHI
Student groups, like fraternity Sigma Chi, volunteered in Baltimore.

Students participate in President’s Day of Service

The Center for Social Concern (CSC) organized the 11th annual President’s Day of Service (PDOS) last Saturday. The CSC serves as the University’s hub of civic engagement and service for all Hopkins students, housing over 50 student organizations that offer a wide variety of opportunities, ranging from tutoring children to volunteering with local nonprofits.



COURTESY OF CHRIS H. PARK
Hopkins students walked out of classrooms and took to the streets last Friday to demonstrate their support for green energy and divestment. 

Hopkins community rallies for sustainability

Climate activists around the world took part in a mass strike on Friday. Refuel Our Future, an environmental activist group on campus, led about 20 Hopkins students to the climate strike in D.C. Speakers protested government inaction and demanded justice for communities of color impacted by pollution, leading thousands of demonstrators from John Marshall Park to the west lawn of the United States Capitol.


Panel covers the future of concentration camps

The Program in Racism, Immigration and Citizenship held the first event of its fall speaker series, titled “American Concentration Camps: A Teach-in,” at Levering Great Hall on Friday. The event’s panel featured five speakers who offered insight into migrant detention and its effects, both at the U.S.-Mexico border and throughout the world.



COURTESY OF STEPHANIE LEE
For months, students called for the University to end its contracts with ICE.

University will not renew its contracts with ICE

Hopkins Medicine Senior Director of Public Relations and Corporate Communications Kim Hoppe announced in an email to The News-Letter on Wednesday that the University would not be renewing its contracts with the U.S. Department of Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE). 


Urban anthropologist presents book about mill workers in Mumbai

On Tuesday, Professor Maura Finkelstein of Muhlenberg College presented her recently published book, an ethnographic study of the workers operating the last privately owned commercial textile mill in Mumbai, India, as part of the Department of Anthropology’s fall colloquium series.


EDA INCEKARA/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

The Life Design Lab is intended to change how students think about their career options.

New Life Design Lab hopes to change career culture

The Life Design Lab, previously the Homewood Career Center, is now focusing on allowing students to identify their strong areas of interests and inspiration and experimenting with them to advance their career. This marks a departure from the previous center, which was primarily based around career planning and the job search. 


EDA INCEKARA/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Prof. Lawrence Brown explained how to conduct ethical humanities research in Baltimore.

Morgan State University professor discusses Baltimore-Hopkins relationship

Morgan State University School of Community Health and Policy Associate Professor Lawrence Brown gave a lecture on working in communities as an embedded researcher on Tuesday, Sept. 17. The lecture, which took place in Clark Hall, was part of the Engaged Humanities Speaker series. Brown emphasized the importance of integrating oneself into the community being researched in order to understand the injustices it has experienced.


EDA INCEKARA/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Students fear that new budget cuts will impede future arts programming.

Performing arts groups report budgetary cuts

Many performing arts groups on campus are reporting significant budget cuts this year from the Student Activities Commission (SAC), which is the funding board of the Student Government Association (SGA). 


COURTESY OF CHRISTINA SIA
Hopkins Republicans feel ostracized based on political beliefs on campus.

What are students doing to promote civic engagement?

As it draws closer, the 2020 presidential election has become an increasingly prevalent topic of discussion on campus, with many student groups hosting election-related events. Students shared the various ways they try to engage with both the upcoming election and politics at large.  



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