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The random roommate policy Hopkins has instituted for the Class of 2026 is important to promote a more inclusive student body and encourage connections between peers with diverse backgrounds and interests.
Living with a person you’ve never met is bound to be difficult regardless of who you are. Hopkins shouldn’t make the adjustment to University life more stressful than it needs to be, particularly for queer students and students of color.
As midterm elections near, it seems that many young voters have become disillusioned with the political sphere. For many of us, it’s been a while since we were our 18-year-old selves, all registered and geared up to vote.
High school should be preparing students for the next exciting and challenging phase of their lives, which is attending university. At the very least, students should be taught important information before they are thrust into a new and hectic environment, where they don’t often have time to learn basic life skills other than via trial and error. It wasn’t until one of my public health classes at Hopkins that I realized just how much our high schools fail us in that regard.
If you’re reading this, you’re probably aware of the exciting news that The News-Letter is back in print.
Long-distance relationships are hard. We can’t touch or be physically affectionate with our partners. We can’t spend time doing what couples typically do, like snuggling over a movie or enjoying a meal together. Our limitations are a constant reminder of what we cannot have.
Everyone experiences a culture shock when they go off to college. For some people it's the weather, for others it's the new city’s slang. For me, it was finding out how many college students are in long-distance relationships.
According to its constitution, the Student Government Association (SGA) was founded upon “the importance of strengthening student unity, representing student interests and providing a forum for the exchange of ideas.” Unfortunately, we’re not sure these lofty ideals are being met.
Social media is increasingly influencing political discourse, and TikTok is no exception, becoming home to political content for its 1 billion monthly users. However TikTok’s structure, algorithm and moderation are inherently hostile to productive political discussions and instead encourage extremism.
In the most recent step toward the implementation of a private police force, Hopkins Public Safety hosted a town hall at Shriver Hall last Thursday. The event was quickly interrupted by protesters, which included Hopkins students and Baltimore community members.
Last month, many students began what was their first day of the “normal” college experience: attending classes in 400-person lecture halls, grabbing food with large groups of friends and walking around campus unmasked. The months of wondering “Will this ever end?” seemed to be over as the first fully in-person semester since the fall of 2019 commenced.
Welcome to Week Four of the semester — classes are underway, midterms are right around the corner and life just got a whole lot busier. While high grades are a top priority for any student, especially here at Hopkins, we also want to emphasize the importance of maintaining your mental health and well-being.
“I am just a nurse.” These are the words my professors had me swear by oath to never speak during my first day of nursing school. I have never uttered these words because I have never believed them. I’ve always respected the nursing profession and, in general, disagree entirely with devaluing a much-needed component of a functioning society.
Over the past couple of years, Hopkins has been at the forefront of tracking COVID-19 cases and disseminating accurate information about the virus to the public. Now that in-person classes are back, it can be tempting to believe the pandemic has ended. Unfortunately that is not the case.
The recently released 2022-2023 U.S. News & World Report college rankings place Hopkins at seventh among national universities — a jump from last year’s ninth. The annual rankings always spark conversation around campus. Over the last decade, Hopkins has gradually climbed to the top 10 and is continuing to rise through the ranks.
I hardly need to introduce Andrew Tate. The controversy surrounding his name is difficult to miss. The 35-year-old former kickboxer, who gained notoriety through streaming and social media platforms, is known for saying atrocious things such as “I’m not a f**king rapist, but I like the idea of just being able to do what I want” while explaining why he moved to Romania and that women must “bear some responsibility” for being sexually assaulted.
Every new school year brings change: different professors, different classmates, maybe even a different go-to order at Brody Cafe. But some of the recent changes on campus have us scratching our heads, wondering how and why the University has decided to alter key policies.
Taylor Swift’s place in the political sphere is complicated, to say the least. Early in her career, she stayed silent about politics. Swift has said that she acted this way for two main reasons: she believed that country music was hostile towards artists who spoke out politically, as was the case with the Dixie Chicks, and she did not feel educated enough to make political statements with the ability to influence millions of people.
This fall marks the University’s first fully in-person semester in three years. Along with this change comes the revival of classic college traditions and the process of adjusting to a repopulated campus. It’s both an exciting and scary time for all of us, even the ones who have been at Hopkins for a few years now.
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.
