Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
September 29, 2022

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.

THE PUBLIC EDITOR: COVID-19 interrupted print production. When the paper returns, what changes?

By JACOB TOOK | April 25, 2020

Editors gathered on the Wednesday before spring break to put together a final print issue before The News-Letter shifted temporarily to online publication. Hopkins had announced the suspension of in-person activities through mid-April the night before due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), but editors were uncertain when they would be able to return to the Gatehouse, the home of the newspaper’s production.

College presidents must donate more to COVID-19 relief

By ANNA GORDON | April 25, 2020

Universities around the country are struggling with the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Yet, some college presidents and deans will continue to earn million dollar salaries even as they lay off struggling employees, and Hopkins is no exception.

COURTESY OF RUDY MALCOM On Earth Day 1995, student groups Pugwash and SEA placed a time capsule outside MSE. 

After COVID-19, we must rethink how we fight climate change

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | April 23, 2020

Twenty-five years ago, Hopkins students buried a time capsule outside of the Milton S. Eisenhower Library to be opened on Earth Day 2020. In 1995, a student involved with the project hoped that those opening the vessel would reflect on how much progress had been made since 1970 and be inspired for the next 25 years of environmental action. 

PUBLIC DOMAIN Media outlets have sought to hold Trump accountable for his response to COVID-19.

Opposing Viewpoints: How the media serves us in our time of need

By ALANNA MARGULIES | April 23, 2020

When President Trump gives his daily press briefings with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Taskforce, my family is usually in the kitchen making dinner. Each day, we begrudgingly turn on my mom’s iPad, wait with dread for Trump to come to the podium and wonder if today will bring a reasonable message from Dr. Fauci, the President lambasting a reporter or another round of full-blown campaigning and propaganda.

PUBLIC DOMAIN Media outlets have sought to hold Trump accountable for his response to COVID-19.

Opposing Viewpoints: How the media contributes to misinformation in crisis

By SHIZHENG TIE | April 23, 2020

With the increasing severity of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, people are absorbed in a constant state of fear, anxiety and stress. This crisis is novel, intense and deadly, and little is known about the virus or treatment methods. Aided by the internet and a primal fear of the unknown, rumors spread even faster than the virus can.

Why we endorsed Joe Biden

By SYLVANA SCHAFFER and RYAN EBRAHIMY | April 21, 2020

This election season, the College Democrats at Hopkins made a conscious decision to not endorse any of the presidential candidates prior to having a nominee. With such a divisive primary season — and an even more divided board — we hoped to afford students the opportunity to come to their own political decisions. 

TIM EVANSON/CC BY-SA 2.0 Wadsten urges the U.S. to transition to mail-in voting during the pandemic.

Mail-in voting is necessary during the pandemic

By LAURA WADSTEN | April 20, 2020

Since mid-March, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly altered life for people around the U.S. and the world. These major disruptions have led to changes in the U.S. election calendar and process. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has pushed their convention back until the week of August 17, and 16 states have postponed their primaries out of public health concern. 

THE PUBLIC EDITOR: "There's something more important"

By JACOB TOOK | April 17, 2020

When the current editors of The News-Letter went through election interviews last April, nobody asked them how they would adapt their roles to a global pandemic. A year ago, no one imagined life as we know it changing so drastically. 

GAGE SKIDMORE/CC BY-SA 2.0 Santoro urges Biden to support progressive policies during his presidential campaign.

Dear Joe Biden, earn my vote

By LAIS SANTORO | April 16, 2020

Dear Joe,  Congratulations! You did it. Bernie is out, and you must be overjoyed to be in the position you’re in. The path to victory is clearer than ever, and it’ll be you and Trump (most likely) in November. Great. 

In quarantine, doing less is doing more

By CHINAT YU | April 14, 2020

You’re sitting in front of your screen staring at YouTube. It is 3 a.m. on a Wednesday morning, a school day, or so you used to think. The images on the screen start to merge into a blur, and you cannot help but wonder how long it has been since quarantine started. Two weeks? Three weeks? You can’t be sure.

Political pragmatism no longer makes sense

By XANDI EGGINTON | April 14, 2020

Senator Bernie Sanders suspended his campaign for presidency on Wednesday, April 8, just under a week ago. Although the news seemed like it was bound to come eventually, the senator’s announcement still felt both sudden and monumental.

FILE PHOTO Chanda suggests that Hopkins change aspects of its academic culture to reduce student anxiety.

How Hopkins should help reduce academic anxiety

By VEDA CHANDA | April 10, 2020

With the current coronavirus shutdown, ongoing development initiatives of our Hopkins community have been considerably challenged. Despite these hardships, it is important that we don’t forget the vibrant campus we once enjoyed and the progress that still needs to be made to build an even stronger community at Hopkins. 

PUBLIC DOMAIN Polkampally feels that India’s lockdown is well-intentioned, but will cause millions to suffer.

The negative effects of India's necessary lockdown

By SRINIDHI POLKAMPALLY | April 9, 2020

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sanctioned a 21-day lockdown on March 24. He told the nation’s citizens that as a preventive measure to slow the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), they were not to leave their homes. The true brevity of the lockdown is difficult to quantify.

SENIOR AIRMAN CHRISTOPHER GROSS/PUBLIC DOMAIN Malcom argues that homophobia, not science, has governed laws around queer men donating blood.

As COVID-19 reduces blood supply, we must put science over homophobia

By RUDY MALCOM | April 9, 2020

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has decimated the nation’s blood supply. Amid the closures of schools, churches and other organizations, thousands of blood drives nationwide are being canceled at an unprecedented rate. In addition, social distancing guidelines and shelter-in-place orders have kept people away from blood donation centers. Yet individuals battling life-threatening conditions still depend on a stable blood supply. 

PUBLIC DOMAIN Lynch warns that we must not grant leaders such as Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte too much power.

Governments shouldn't misuse COVID-19 responses for authoritarian purposes

By ERIC LYNCH | April 8, 2020

In the age of widespread internet usage, many Americans debate whether they should forfeit their privacy in the name of public safety and counterterrorism. But in the newfound period of the coronavirus (COVID-19) quarantine, Americans are struggling with the question of how much freedom they should forfeit in the name of public health.

KIT/CC by SA-2.0 Covington argues that the senior class suffers from mandatory S/U, and urges Hopkins to change their policy.

Mandatory S/U grading is unfair to senior class

By BRIAN COVINGTON | April 2, 2020

Hopkins announced that all spring semester classes must be graded as Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory (S/U) on March 27. I’ve been hurt by the mandatory S/U policy. So have many-to-most other seniors. I would like the policy to include an exception for students graduating in May.

Editor's Picks
News-Letter Special Editions