Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
October 1, 2026
October 1, 2026 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

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.



DICK THOMAS JOHNSON/CC BY 2.0
Margulies encourages students to take pride in their accomplishments as Bong does in his.

To improve student life, look to film director Bong Joon-ho

This past Sunday, the Oscars honored a historically excellent year of movies and recognized a group of artists at least somewhat more diverse than award shows of recent memory. From Tom Hanks announcing the opening of the Academy Museum, to the many award-winners who sobbed out their “thank you”s, to an emotional “In Memoriam” section, the show was truly a celebration of the passion for storytelling and dedication to their craft exhibited by the filmmaking community. 


COURTESY OF LAÍS SANTORO
Santoro and members of Real Food Hopkins volunteer at Real Food Farm in Baltimore.

All students must participate in meaningful local service

Before I start this article, I just want to say that I love Hopkins. I love the campus, I love the diversity, I love meeting new people every day, I love the Chocolate Chunk shakes with soy milk from Brody Café. However, there are some problems with our service culture that I think need to change quite a bit.




THE WHITE HOUSE/PUBLIC DOMAIN
Shua mentions Senator Graham’s dramatic turnaround towards President Trump as a sign to leave the GOP.

Why I decided to leave the Republican party

This has been a long time coming. I wasn’t expecting to change my political party now. I was waiting for a good, strong moment: a few weeks before my state’s primary, perhaps. But I was updating my driver’s license, and the question flashed across the screen: Do you want to register with a political party?


Letter to the Editor 1/30/2020

On behalf of the Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore City (BLLC), I write to address my concerns related to an article that was published in The Johns Hopkins News-Letter (“Panelists talk impact of lack of liquor regulations on black communities”) on November 21, 2019.  


Spring Fair is months behind on planning. What happens next?

Though the semester is just beginning, clubs and student organizations are already deep in planning for their big events of the spring, from the Barnstormers’ annual musical to Homecoming Weekend. It’s impossible not to be reminded of upcoming events – any walk around campus or a scroll through social media features flyers and notifications. 







THE PUBLIC EDITOR: Who appeared in The News-Letter this fall?

When I started recording data on the number of different types of perspectives represented in The News-Letter, I wanted to give editors a benchmark to measure the scope of each week. That’s not to say they should always strive to increase these numbers — at some point, the paper will reach critical mass and just be too full. Instead, I hope it can offer a new way to track coverage from one week to the next.



COURTESY OF CLAIRE GOUDREAU

Opposing Viewpoints: There are benefits to SGA's club policy updates

If you’re reading this article, there is a very good chance that you’re actively involved in one or more of the 350 student groups that receive Hopkins funding. That means that you’re likely already familiar with the controversial reforms the University has recently taken in this area.



Letter to the Editor

The recent article in The News-Letter (“What obstacles do Hopkins international students face?”) highlighted the difficulties faced by international undergraduate students. We wish to bring additional attention to the burdens faced by international graduate students. 


Hopkins must take a stand against its nuclear weapons production

After years of protests from students, the University continues to invest in fossil fuel companies. It has an exclusivity contract with PepsiCo, a company that uses suppliers who violate child labor laws, going against ethical and sustainable business practices. Most recently, the University was slow to end contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the government agency that is responsible for separating families at the U.S.-Mexico border.


THE PUBLIC EDITOR: On print deadlines, making time for sources and sketching the elephant

A firm press deadline can feel like the end-all be-all for News-Letter reporters in the run-up to Wednesday night. The news editors wrap up their section and head home sometime early Thursday morning while the Editors-in-Chief send the pages off to print. If they’re lucky, the news team will have time to breathe over the weekend until Wednesday starts to loom again.


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