Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
July 12, 2025 July 12, 2025 | 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.

Orientation should last beyond “O-Week”

By SAMUEL FARRAR | September 14, 2017

When our parents went to college, orientation rarely lasted more than a day. It was just a time to register for classes and buy books. Parents attended simply to provide their wallets. There were no social mixers. There was no set interaction between students. There were no community building events. There were no formal talks explaining how to transition into college life. Unless you were going to parties, you sat alone in your room for days.

Why does being No. 11 matter to us anyway?

By JACQUI NEBER | September 14, 2017

This Monday, the U.S. News & World Report released their 2018 Best Colleges rankings. Hopkins had been No. 10 in the nation, but we’ve dropped to an 11th-place tie with Dartmouth and Northwestern. This is the biggest news in the Facebook meme group since... Well, the page didn’t exist when we first made it into the top 10.

Editorial: Defend our DREAMers

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | September 7, 2017

U.S. President Donald Trump moved Tuesday to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy. This program, enacted by former U.S. President Barack Obama, protects the children of undocumented immigrants from deportation.

Public domain Armitage argues that news media whitewashed the violence that occurred in Charlottesville.

Our news media perpetuates systemic violence

By EMELINE ARMITAGE | September 7, 2017

It is difficult to truly grasp the pathologically violent nature of our country when it is so overwhelming and present. There is violence all around us. We are an exceptional country, but not for the reasons we were taught in grade school.

Who holds RAs accountable for their jobs?

By TOMMY KOH | September 7, 2017

Just as you do not get to choose your parents, you do not get to choose your residential advisor at Hopkins. Residential system pairings here can seem even more random than “random” roommates because of so many variables in the equation, such as floor layouts and RA assignments: Which residents live on which floors, and who of all the possible RAs is tasked with supporting the floor community? As a recent RA, I want to express concerns about the uncertainties in this process.

COURTESY OF TWITTER The Office of Sustainability is currently leading the charge to reduce waste production.

Hopkins must make campus sustainability a priority

By NANCY WANG | September 7, 2017

While I do want to talk about how we can improve environmental programming on campus, I don’t have any issues with the Office of Sustainability, the Homewood Recycling Office or anyone involved in organizing orientation events. These events help make a difference on campus. Having beef itself is also unsustainable because the resources used and methane released are some of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.

Editorial: HCPI marks a step in the right direction

May 4, 2017

Hoping to improve the neighborhoods surrounding Homewood campus, the University commissioned the Homewood Community Partners Initiative (HCPI) in 2012. The plan seeks to reconcile the University’s interests with those of the local community. Through HCPI, Hopkins has committed $10 million over the span of five years to the Central Baltimore Partnership (CBP), a group of 91 organizations dedicated to helping the 10 neighborhoods located just south of campus.

Editorial: Enforce our current smoking policy

May 4, 2017

For the past three weeks, the Student Government Association (SGA) has debated lending its support to a campus-wide smoking ban. The potential resolution has reignited debate on campus, pitching some smokers and civil liberties advocates against public health campaigners and anti-tobacco activists.

Accurate rape statistics ensure credible arguments

By WILLIAM BRYDEN | May 4, 2017

On April 20, The News-Letter ran a piece titled “Sexual assault at college: Confronting the rapists in our lives.” Although it is perfectly understandable where the author, a female senior undergraduate student studying International Studies, is coming from, there is a lack of some key points that provide the necessary context to fully comprehend the issue that King, the writer, brought forth.

Anti-Zionism is damaging to Arab-Israeli relations

By HOWARD SENIOR | May 4, 2017

A recent diplomatic spat between the German foreign ministry and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has once again thrust the Arab-Israeli conflict back into international prominence. Tensions between Israel and foreign governments and organizations seeking to ingratiate themselves with ostensibly “progressive” groups intent on, above all, the heavy-handed elimination of Zionism through brute-force methods (see: Boycott, Divest, Sanction) have soared over recent years.

Why we should never forget Freddie Gray

April 27, 2017

Freddie Gray, a 25 year old black man, died two years ago on April 19, 2015 after sustaining a severe spinal cord injury while in the custody of the Baltimore Police Department (BPD). According to the state medical examiner’s office, he sustained the fatal injury during a “rough ride” in a BPD van that was transporting him from the scene of his arrest to the Western District police station. His death, one week after the arrest, sparked both peaceful and violent protests, garnering national attention.

JHU-A/Public domain Gilman Hall is the main building for the humanities, and it shouldn’t be a joke.

STEM and humanities majors need to respect each other

By JACQUI NEBER | April 27, 2017

In 2016 I tweeted: “concept: people at this fricken school actually respect each others’ majors,” and I hope to reiterate that argument more eloquently now. I’m a Writing Seminars major. You might hear that and think it’s pretty cool. I do, too. I love writing, with all its struggles. However, the reaction I get too often is one of almost-pity, disinterest and mild laughter.

Coming out publicly is a step towards equality

By GILLIAN LELCHUK | April 27, 2017

Two weeks ago, in The News-Letter’s Identity Issue of the magazine, I published an article entitled “Finding the courage to come out in the social media era.” Since then, I have received some incredible responses from friends, family, strangers and estranged Facebook friends.

U.S. Air Force photo/Public domain The Applied Physics Lab at Hopkins has developed new drone technology for the U.S.

Drone research at Hopkins is worrying

By EMELINE ARMITAGE | April 27, 2017

The American war machine has been ratcheting up since the election of Trump. Missiles attacking a Syrian government air base, the “mother of all bombs” in Afghanistan and the expansion of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) on the Korean Peninsula. Underneath all these recent developments is the ever-present buzz of drones, flying under the radar.

Editorial: The University should divest from fossil fuels

April 20, 2017

A group of student activists, Refuel Our Future, has been pressuring Hopkins for six years to remove its investments in fossil fuels from the University’s endowment. In response to Refuel’s recent formal proposal to the Public Interest Investment Advisory Committee (PIIAC), the Office of the Provost hosted the JHU Forum on Divestment from Fossil Fuels on Monday.

Iracaz/Public domain The administration was too controlling of Bernie Sanders’ visit to Shriver Hall.

The Hopkins administration must back off

By THEODORE KUPFER | April 20, 2017

Ever take a campus tour? Even if you haven’t, you know what it’s like: your friends walking backwards, cutting quickly through Brody while ignoring the palpable malaise, telling you how many student-run groups there are — more than 400! It turns out that 20 hours per week on B-level isn’t too attractive to 11th graders, but the chance to lead monthly canoeing trips or work on the largest student-run fair in the country might be.

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