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.
In April I assumed the role of Public Editor at The News-Letter. What is that? How does one edit the public? I had similar questions.
Congratulations – we’ve made it through another year of college during a pandemic. This is no small feat, and being a student as the world tries to keep it together is an emotional rollercoaster.
A few weeks ago, Amazon and Hopkins revealed the JHU + Amazon Initiative for Interactive AI (AI2AI), a research-based collaboration to further advance artificial intelligence (AI) research in areas such as machine learning, computer vision and speech processing.
It finally feels like spring is here: The weather is warm, the end of classes is near and students are getting ready for Spring Fair. While there is much to celebrate, we also acknowledge that Hopkins has seen an uptick in COVID-19 cases following spring break and the emergence of a highly contagious Omicron subvariant.
Three years ago, The News-Letter conducted an internal review of our staff’s demographics to determine the extent of our representation of the student body. We came away with mixed results and a firm resolve to do better moving forward.
Amid last year’s virtual classes, the 2021 Student Government Association (SGA) election showed a 66% decrease in voter turnout compared to the year prior. While this is understandable given that we were virtual, only 20.3% of students — compared to last year’s 12% — participated in the recent SGA election even now that we’re back on campus.
In response to “Students claim discrimination led to their dismissal from School of Education Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program” published March 10, 2022:
Once again, all but one position of the Student Government Association (SGA) Executive Board elections are uncontested. In past years, we’ve noted that those appointed in uncontested elections often lack accountability and encouragement to undertake new initiatives. Some of last year’s uncontested candidates are running in this year’s elections.
As a result of the war and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine sparked by the Russian Federation’s military invasion of the country, over two million citizens have been displaced and tens of thousands of Ukranians are facing a lack of food, water and electricity.
It’s now March, which means it’s been just about two years since the COVID-19 pandemic permanently impacted our lives. Around this time in 2020, students were sent home from campus without a clue about when we’d ever return as fear, lockdowns and uncertainty swept across the country.
Hopkins recently released the results of its Early Decision II cycle to the high school seniors who eagerly applied. We want to extend our warmest congratulations to our new Blue Jays, the Class of 2026!
Last Friday, Blue Jays walked out of their morning classes to a 60-degree day, ready to relax and recharge in the sunshine. Alas, the weather was short-lived: Dreams of lounging on the Beach all weekend quickly came to an end as another round of snow brought us back to reality.
On Jan. 26, industry legend Neil Young requested the removal of his music from Spotify, a private company, due to its complicity in allowing misinformation about COVID-19 to spread on the streaming platform. Digital platforms, like Spotify, present a perfect landscape for the spread misinformation, due to their relatively discrete algorithms and immense volume of participating voices.
Students have long criticized the University’s Office of Institutional Equity (OIE). Tasked with fostering an environment free from harassment and discrimination, OIE should be a useful and effective resource for the Hopkins community. Instead, it is underfunded, understaffed and unproductive.
While the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act looks to improve infrastructure in the U.S., the U.S. currently receives a C- grade on this matter from the American Society of Civil Engineers and is often ranked poorly compared to other nations.The fact that this rings especially true for transit does not come as a surprise when one looks back at how public transportation has long suffered disinvestment in U.S. history.
February is Black History Month — as students, we should take this time to celebrate the achievements and heritage of Black people at Hopkins and beyond. As residents of Baltimore, we can support local Black-owned businesses and learn about Black history and culture in the city.
Hopkins hasn’t experienced a “normal” semester since fall 2019, and we return this spring with an all-too-familiar sense of uncertainty. Once again, we spent a break sorting through seemingly contradictory messaging from administrators which often brought more confusion than peace of mind. For example, although masking and testing requirements have been increased, Hodson 110 and Gilman 50 are packed with students returning for spring classes.
Housing Operations announced that regular guest and open-access policies would be suspended for residential students on Jan. 15. While this change is temporary at present, expiring after Feb. 6, it marks a stark departure from the University’s previous endeavors to protect students from COVID-19 while maintaining some form of social life.
Let’s be frank — Hopkins has yet to commit to the radical environmental action necessary to combat climate change, air pollution and toxicity. This lack of action directly contributes to the disproportionate harm that Black and low-income populations in Baltimore experience.
“Biology is too mainstream.” This is a sentiment I often hear from many students, especially those on the premedical track. Oftentimes, it seems that some students will choose an entirely different major to differentiate themselves, even if they are not as interested in that subject.
