The opinions presented below are solely the views of the author and do not represent the views of The News-Letter. If you are a member of the Hopkins community looking to submit a piece or a letter to the editor, please email opinions@jhunewsletter.com.
This fall, The News-Letter conducted a community survey to better understand who makes up our readership. In total, 43 students shared their identities, academic backgrounds and experiences.
On Jan. 16, the PIIAC rejected a proposal from the Hopkins Justice Collective to divest from weapons and surveillance companies implicated in atrocities in Gaza. The decision came during one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent history, as over 90% of over 2 million Palestinians faced bombardment, starvation and displacement.
The restriction of generative AI in classrooms is appropriate to maintain academic integrity and intellectual honesty and should remain in place even as technology intertwines further with day-to-day life. However, artificial intelligence as a supplement to learning is inevitable yet detrimental to the learning mind.
AI is efficient, but journalism, as time-sensitive as it may be, requires more than just efficiency. When tackling sensitive topics, nuanced interviews and care for our subject matter are required to produce a sincere publication. The News-Letter will not sacrifice ethical reporting for efficiency, no matter how alluring the prospect may be.
Not a month passes in which I don’t wish Hopkins offered a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry.
The News-Letter functions not only as a record of campus activities, a place to play Hopkins-themed crosswords or share a nervous breakdown experience from finals week; it is also one of the few avenues through which Hopkins speaks to and about its community. Asking what makes a good newspaper inevitably raises larger questions about what makes for a thriving public conversation.
The sophomore housing selection process operates as a lottery. You cross your fingers for a good time slot to log into the portal first and claim your preferred residence hall. My top pick was a single room in a double suite in Scott-Bates Commons — where I am currently writing this article.
How many of us have felt overwhelmed by undergraduate and graduate school today? I think we all have experienced the stress of being students. Universities have become a stressful atmosphere where students struggle to maintain their well-being while completing multiple tasks.
April 29 marked a year since the beginning of the Palestine Solidarity Encampment at Hopkins. The aim of the encampment was to spotlight the ongoing genocide in Gaza and demand that the University divest from and boycott companies and universities supporting genocide.
French economist Frédéric Bastiat's "Broken Window Fallacy" mocks the economic logic (or lack thereof) behind President Donald Trump's sweeping tariff policies. The theory behind Trump’s unprecedented tariffs across the board on all industries from certain countries is that they will increase manufacturing job numbers. As a whole, however, tariffs ultimately hurt American consumers.
Hopkins has long had an issue with student life. Some on forums like Reddit have said, “Why does it feel like everyone hates it here at Hopkins?” while others have noticed the complain culture present at the school. Hopkins is one of the most academically prestigious schools in the country, but it often lags behind its peers in student life.
Hopkins researchers are facing critical cuts to their funding, impeding life-saving work. International students are getting their F-1 visas revoked “without reason or warning.” The U.S. government is handing out increasingly unreasonable demands to universities that target the core academic mission of higher education.
How will Hopkins respond to the Trump administration’s assaults on our country’s laws, Constitution, and universities? So far, our administration has largely avoided the question. The time for silence, however, has run out.
My dad grew up in communist Cuba under Fidel Castro. During the Cuban Revolution, the people thought Castro would bring about positive change for society, but the opposite quickly became true. I notice parallels between Cubans choosing Castro and Americans choosing a demagogue who has instead enacted an authoritarian takeover of institutions.
With the destructive effects of climate change and numerous efforts by the current administration to hinder the work of the parks, such as by freezing funding and mass layoffs, I strongly believe that national parks are now in danger.
On March 26, 2024, Rümeysa Öztürk, a PhD student at Tufts University, co-authored an opinion editorial in The Tufts Daily. Almost exactly one year later, she was arrested near campus by plainclothes immigration officers, detained and sent nearly 1,500 miles away to a facility in Louisiana, where she is still being held. There are no charges filed against her.
Our international community is very important to Hopkins, and we are committed to supporting them as we support all our students, faculty and staff. We share the serious concerns arising from recent changes in federal immigration policies and enforcement activities and understand the anxiety these changes instill in our community members and their families, here and abroad.
We are Hopkins alumni who call on the University to step up and protect the most vulnerable members of our community. We are endorsing all activities that help protect international students, faculty, and staff during ICE raids.
The Student Government Association (SGA) elections are set for April 8, with the entire executive board, class senators, class programming councils and the Hopkins Organization for Programming President up for election.
Ultimately, the Board of Trustees is out of touch with Hopkins students and operates with little to no transparency of how it is using its power. As the Board transitions to new leadership, it must take steps to increase its transparency and restore confidence. It is unacceptable for any group, much less one as influential as the Board of Trustees, to wield their power shrouded in secrecy.
