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.
To some of us, voting for student government may seem unimportant. But the stakes are higher than we think. Our engagement on campus translates into engagement in the broader world.
The humanities at Hopkins are undervalued. It’s as simple as that. I know it, you know it and University President Ronald J. Daniels knows it.
About two years ago, former San Francisco 49ers player Colin Kaepernick sparked controversy when he knelt during the national anthem to protest systemic racism in the U.S.
Over the past three years, I’ve gotten to learn more about Hopkins than I would have liked. Our renowned medical research carries the shadow of exploiting test subjects with cases like the nonconsensual removal of Henrietta Lacks’ cells or the Kennedy Krieger lead paint experiments. Our school’s commitment to research-based solutions is discarded as it pursues a private police force which researchers and community members alike have rejected.
When I learned that there was a movie called Crazy Rich Asians hitting theaters, I decided that I was going to love it. I didn’t really know or care what it was about. All I knew was that it was an American movie with a predominantly Asian cast, and that was all it took to get me on board.
Baltimoreans have called for a black arts and entertainment district to be designated in the city for years. Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, a local grassroots think tank, formally applied to recognize a historic part of Pennsylvania Avenue in Upton as such a district this year. After a kick-off event in the area this weekend, the creation of a black arts district has never seemed more achievable.
After falling to number 11 last year, Hopkins has reclaimed its number ten spot in the 2019 U.S. News & World Report National University Rankings. Being a top ten school is something our University holds in high regard, publishing it proudly on The Hub and delivering the news to every student’s inbox. It is even listed as the fourth goal in University President Ronald J. Daniels’ Ten by Twenty plan.
This past Labor Day, tens of thousands of workers employed at Amazon fulfillment centers appreciated one of their few days of rest. It was doubtlessly a needed reprieve from working conditions so strict that Amazon fired a worker for seven minutes of unproductivity, forced employees to walk over 15 miles a day and caused one employee to state that [Amazon] kills you mentally and physically.
Most of us at Hopkins are privileged in not having to think about disability accommodations, or even think about the challenges our peers with disabilities face. As the University moves forward with its initiatives, it’s time we change that. If we’re to successfully undo ableism at Hopkins, staying ignorant and passive is not an option.
That smoking jeopardizes everyone’s health has been well-known for decades. In fact, Hopkins faculty have produced much of the research detailing smoking’s deleterious effects. Ironically, it is the University’s smoking policies that lag behind those of its peer institutions.
If you’re a graduate student receiving health insurance through the University, congratulations are in order. The 2018-2019 plan which took effect on Aug. 15 is a big improvement over its woefully unaffordable predecessors, reducing the costs of care and expanding coverage to vision and dental. Turns out that our eyes and teeth are part of our bodies after all.
In response to “On their own” published on April 26:
The Board of Trustees defended their decision to wait until last Thursday to revoke Bill Cosby’s honorary degree by claiming to respect due process.
On April 7, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) conducted a chemical attack on the Syrian town of Douma, killing at least 40 Syrian men, women and children.
This Sunday at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Michelle Wolf’s comedy routine delivered an unflinching roast to many of the people in attendance.
Last Thursday, following decades of accusations from over 50 survivors of sexual assault and years of courtroom battles, a Pennsylvania jury finally found Bill Cosby guilty on three counts of felony aggravated indecent assault, which include sexually assaulting a woman he had drugged in 2004.
Eight months ago, I wrote an article from the perspective of a senior who still had eight months left at this school and at this newspaper. I don’t anymore. It’s time to say goodbye.
I am a low-income student, which means my parent makes less than $30,000 a year. This doesn’t mean I lived in squalor, but I certainly wouldn’t be able to afford the $70,000 price tag of Hopkins without a significant amount of financial aid.
In Response to “We should speak out against US military support of Israel” published in the April 19th edition of The News-Letter.
The irony of being politically active in college is that once you get the hang of it, it’s time to graduate. I now know how to access the archives and notes of the Board of Trustees, how to navigate the Hydra head of bureaucracy that swallows student discontent, who is most effective to scream at and when, etc.
