Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
April 25, 2024

Opinion

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.

We can all learn from South Korea’s 4B movement

By ISABELLA MADRUGA | 13 minutes ago

Bihon, bichulsan, biyeonae, bisekseu: no marriage, childbirth, romance or sex with men. It is so simple and nonviolent that one may wonder why this wasn’t a popular movement earlier. Women no longer need to deal with abuse or the fear of it when breaking up with men if they never get into a relationship in the first place. They no longer feel the need to have children or have sex due to societal and male pressure once they decenter men in their lives. 

SOLENFEYISSA / PIXABAY LICENSE  Swaminathan argues that the bill in Congress aimed at regulating TikTok does not fully address the national security concerns associated with technology. 

Congress should pass the TikTok bill, but the problems are more pervasive

By ANEESH SWAMINATHAN | Yesterday

TikTok is a clear national security threat. With over 170 million American users, TikTok’s Chinese ownership and ability to collect, store and possibly even share data raises serious national security concerns. Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan bill calling for TikTok to divest from its Chinese ownership or face a ban in the U.S. While the bill should be passed, it is an incomprehensive step in the right direction; TikTok is only a part of more pervasive problems in our media landscape and culture.

ICON0 COM / PEXELS LICENSE Wang argues that annotating while reading has many benefits for the reader’s comprehension and critical thinking. 

Why you should annotate your books

By ERIC WANG | 2 days ago

One of the most daunting burdens faced by Hopkins students is the grueling task of reading an endless flow of papers, articles and documents. It is an arduous task that is ignored by some and reluctantly performed by others. But there is a way to easily harvest the valuable knowledge within these texts through the concept of active reading.

Baltimore is not your playpen, Hopkins: Watch where you expand

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | 5 days ago

You might think that you’ve left Hopkins territory by walking a few blocks away from campus, but as the navy signage follows you, one thing is clear: The Hopkins bubble extends much farther than initially meets the eye. Recently, The News-Letter’s News & Features team launched an investigation into the University’s land and real estate holdings, both around Charles Village as well as the wider Baltimore area. After assessing its holdings, our Editorial Board is left with questions regarding the University’s intentions and its relationship with the Baltimore community. 

ARANTZA GARCIA /  DESIGN AND LAYOUT EDITOR The Editorial Board argues that Hopkins must do more to support women on campus. 

Hopkins must uplift women, not just graduate them

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | April 11, 2024

This past Alumni Weekend, members of the first full class of female undergraduates were welcomed back to Hopkins to commemorate 50 years since their graduation. Since then, we’ve come a long way on making progress toward gender equity in academics, athletics and campus culture.

GAGE SKIDMORE / CC-BY-SA 2.0  Mahto argues that Romney will offer students a perspective on politics that they may otherwise disregard.

Mitt Romney is an acceptable commencement speaker

By NEIL MAHTO | April 10, 2024

In the days since Mitt Romney was announced as the University’s 2024 commencement speaker, students on campus have expressed their disapproval of the University’s choice of such a polarizing political figure. Are not all political figures polarizing, though? As a leftist, I couldn’t disagree more with Romney’s politics. Yet, Romney is not a bad person. Romney is simply a man who holds different political opinions to myself and other left-leaning college students. I believe Romney should speak at the commencement, and his polarizing presence could even be valuable to our community.

BRYANCALABRO / CC BY-SA 3.0 Min argues that parental consent laws for minors to access contraception and abortion infringe on minors' bodily autonomy. 

We should always be able to choose — especially for our own bodies

By AYDEN MIN | April 8, 2024

Minors are restricted from receiving contraceptives, abortions and other types of reproductive health care from their primary physicians without parental consent in many states. Yet, 44% of women who use birth control pills (BCP) are girls aged 15 to 19, outnumbering women aged 35 and over. Anyone seeking medical care has the right to receive the medication they want for their personal medical conditions. Minors seeking contraceptives should not be excluded from this medication and their access should be legally protected.

DIGITS.CO.UK IMAGES / CC BY 2.0

Toto, we’re not in Miami anymore. We’re in misery.

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | March 28, 2024

If you spent your break checking Canvas from the beaches of Cancún or frantically writing papers from airport terminals, you are not the only one. Contrary to what the name might suggest, spring break doesn’t always feel like a break. Our academic responsibilities seldom pause for our vacations with friends or trips back home.

MOHAMED_HASSAN / PIXABAY LICENSE The Editorial Board argues that the University should make efforts to reduce the cost of required academic resources for all students. 

Here’s some debt with your degree: College is too damn expensive

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | March 14, 2024

Hopkins is not insulated from the trend of rising college tuition and student debt. In the past decade, the cost of attendance at Hopkins, including tuition and living costs, has increased 10% more than the average increase at other U.S. colleges. Although the University states that it is committed to making every attempt possible to prevent students from taking on loans, many still graduate with substantial debt. The average debt among Hopkins undergraduates who have federal loans is $12,750. For the 6% of graduating seniors who borrow from private lenders, the average loan is an astounding $52,734.

MARTIN VOREL / CC 4.0 Mahto argues that the value of the humanities is under-emphasized at universities in comparison with STEM. 

The humanities are being neglected in American universities

By NEIL MAHTO | March 14, 2024

The notion that the humanities are inherently less valuable than STEM has pushed students away from studying societally important subjects. While a sizable number of students continue to study the humanities, the number of humanities degrees awarded drops every year, dropping nearly 25% from 2012 to 2020. This decline of the humanities could deeply hurt academia and society as a whole.

COTTONBRO STUDIO / PEXELS LICENSE Madruga highlights that the TikTok trend of cycling through aesthetics has contributed to over-consumption and fast-fashion. 

You’re not a “mob wife” or a “clean girl” — you’re a victim of capitalism

By ISABELLA MADRUGA | March 12, 2024

Another day, another TikTok trend. Yesterday it was the “clean girl” aesthetic, and today it’s “mob wife.” What do these things have in common? They’re both ploys to get impressionable young girls to buy into a new trend. This makes these girls a cog in the capitalist machine — it makes rich influencers richer, rather than giving girls the space to carve out their own lifestyle and sense of fashion.

Our 2024–2025 SGA Exec. Board endorsements: An election for the indecisive

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | March 9, 2024

If you haven’t noticed yet from the many posters around campus or the flurry of social media activity, it is officially time to elect our student government representatives for the next year. The Student Government Association (SGA) elections are set for March 11 and 12, and positions range from class senators to the Executive Board. Yet, we’re disappointed to see a relative lack of interest in the Executive Board positions. 

SUZY HAZELWOOD / PEXELS LICENSE Min argues that modern literature is preoccupied with trends that minimize the value that can be gained from reading substantial books — like the classics.  

How social media has “fast fashion-ized” the publishing industry

By AYDEN MIN | March 9, 2024

There are reasons why we’ve all read the classics in high school that seem to get annually recycled in English curriculums nationwide. Timeless themes of human compassion and conflict, dynamic character development and carefully crafted motifs remain a source of inspiration and recurring analysis for readers. Yet, these key components vital to what we call truly “classic” literature are dwindling in the modern publishing industry, where rising consumerism and mass production are leading to the imminent decline of the creation of future classics. 

JOE RAVI / CC BY-SA 3.0 Koldas argues that Colorado and other states cannot remove Trump from the ballot due to the potential electoral issues and disparities between states that it may cause. 

Colorado can’t (and shouldn’t) remove Trump from their ballot

By BUSE KOLDAS | March 4, 2024

When Colorado and Maine made the decision to remove former President Donald Trump from their ballots back in December 2023, and based their decision on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, I was surprised to see concrete action taken on disqualifying him from the elections. I thought responses to Trump’s presidential candidacy wouldn’t go further than complaining and criticizing his past actions.

ET LAMBORGHINI / CC BY-SA 3.0 The Charm City Circulator is a free transit system that primarily runs through the “White L” of Baltimore.

Charm City needs to circulate more

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | February 22, 2024

If you’ve ever traveled from Homewood Campus to Fells Point, you’ll know how hard it can be to get to certain parts of Baltimore without shelling out money for an Uber. The Blue Jay Shuttle only offers rides within a limited radius, making it difficult to get to neighborhoods in East, West and South Baltimore. But, there’s an alternative to calling a shuttle or an Uber — Baltimore has a public transportation system. Why don’t we use it more often?

LECROITG / CC0 1.0 Mahto argues that standardized tests are a useful tool for college admissions, specifically for underserved students.

Dartmouth removes test-optional policy: The SAT helps, not hurts underserved students

By NEIL MAHTO | February 22, 2024

The SAT is one of the most contentious aspects of college admissions. It has drawn scrutiny from many on the left for discriminating by race and socioeconomic status, propelling already privileged students to advantages in admission to top colleges in the U.S. Many elite universities have made their pandemic-era test-optional policy permanent, like Columbia University, or gone test-blind entirely, like the University of California system. 

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