Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
September 15, 2025 September 15, 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.

Editorial: International Studies must better support its students

December 1, 2016

Though International Studies (IS) is one of the most popular majors at Hopkins with 332 enrolled students, it has frequently come under scrutiny. In response, the IS program released an internal review this month in which both faculty and select students assessed the current state of affairs and outlined ways in which the program can improve. The internal review was held just before the Homewood Academic Council, composed of non-IS Hopkins faculty and faculty from other universities, conducted an external review.

RICHARD POTTS/CC BY 2.0 It is important to change the way we think about rape culture.

Facebook comments exemplify and perpetuate rape culture

By GILLIAN LELCHUK | December 1, 2016

After the election, a lot of us were rattled. My echo chamber of a Facebook feed reflected my feelings of hopelessness, fear and anger. Growing up in California and attending a so-called “liberal” university, most of my friends align themselves on the left side of the aisle, but there are a few who don’t share the same feelings as me about our new President-elect.

Liberals’ response to the election is problematic

By EMELINE ARMITAGE | December 1, 2016

In March, I wrote an article about how I was disappointed in how liberals were treating Trump as a joke rather than a serious threat. And yet, up until the night of the election, I also did not believe that Trump would win. I had ideas in my head of what a Clinton presidency would look like, how to protest her various hawkish policies, ready to get angry at people lauding her as a feminist idol. And yet, here we are, egg dripping down my face.

COURTESY OF EXPLORE THE CORE! CENTRAL BALTIMORE The new stickers on the JHMI buses advertise the Homewood Community Partners Initiative’s campaign to invest in Baltimore.

Students should explore Baltimore more

By TOMMY KOH | December 1, 2016

If you are a frequent commuter on the JHMI shuttle between Homewood and the Medical Campus, you may have noticed in recent weeks that several of the buses running the route have a rather unique livery.

KAREEM OSMAN/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Since Trump's victory, activism has exploded on campus. Corey Payne is pictured at center with megaphone.

After last week, we need to keep fighting against injustice

By COREY PAYNE | November 23, 2016

Last week’s election shook our campus, and rightfully so. Many of us have questions about the future. Many of us are scared. Many of us are hurt. We cannot deny that much has happened in the succeeding week, and it has been difficult to make sense of all of it.

The Democratic elites are not to blame

By JUSTIN THOMAS | November 17, 2016

Like many of my peers last Tuesday night, I sat on my couch, eyes glued on the television, ready to experience the election of the first female president. How could Hillary Clinton not win?

Editorial: Second diversity roadmap demonstrates real progress

November 10, 2016

University President Ronald J. Daniels released a new version the the Roadmap on Diversity and Inclusion to the Hopkins community on Friday, Nov. 4. Updating an earlier draft created last February, the revised document responds to student and faculty feedback and to the demands presented by the Black Student Union (BSU) last November.

Editorial: Supporting the protesters at Standing Rock

November 10, 2016

Construction of the 1,170-mile Dakota Access Pipeline was officially approved by the U.S. federal government in Aug. 2016. Talks about the $3.7 billion project actually began back in 2014, but it remained outside of mainstream media coverage until recent weeks. It escalated particularly following the arrest of actress Shailene Woodley during an Oct. 10 protest at the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Reservation in North Dakota.

Stay politically active after the election

By MIA BERMAN | November 10, 2016

I originally intended for this op-ed to have a much more positive perspective on the outcome of the election and what we could all do going forward. Given the results of the election, I am no longer nearly as optimistic as I was before about the state of our nation. However, I realize that this does not change the importance of the message of my original op-ed. If anything, for those of us that were devastated by Tuesday night, I believe this message is more important than ever before.

ANOTHERAEOLIST/CC BY-SA 4.0 On Nov. 17, Sen. Bernie Sanders will speak at a joint MSE-FAS event in Shriver Hall.

Sanders event ticketing was poorly planned and timed

By GILLIAN LELCHUK | November 10, 2016

Bernie Sanders is coming to Hopkins on Nov. 17 as part of both MSE’s and FAS’s speaker series. Sanders is the most prominent speaker the symposiums have brought to campus in recent years, and in anticipation of a large crowd and an intense security situation, the University required the groups to dole out free tickets to the event.

Editorial: Vote for Hillary Clinton

November 3, 2016

The News-Letter officially endorses Hillary Clinton for President of the United States. We believe Clinton’s vast experience and sane policies make her a qualified candidate for President. Our endorsement stems from the belief that Clinton’s strengths make her not merely a better option than Donald Trump, but a strong candidate for the office in her own right.

Editorial: Guns don’t belong on campus

November 3, 2016

Professor Daniel Webster of the Bloomberg School of Public Health and University President Ronald J. Daniels published on Oct. 21 an op-ed in The Washington Post speaking out against the recently enacted Campus Carry law in Texas. The legislation allows licensed individuals to carry open and concealed firearms on the campus of any public university in the state. Texas is the eighth state to pass this type of legislation.

The JHU Republicans show cowardice

By EMELINE ARMITAGE | November 3, 2016

On Sept. 26, the JHU College Republicans (JCR) announced their official endorsement of Donald Trump for president of the United States. On Oct. 19, the JCR posted a statement on their Facebook page explaining why they chose to endorse Trump. Bizarrely, in their statement, the JCR wrote “we... do not encourage people to vote for Donald Trump in this upcoming election,” yet they still stand by their endorsement, prompting the question: What the point of an endorsement is if not to encourage people to vote for a preferred candidate? Yet their most hypocritical and cowardly action is refusing to talk to The News-Letter or any press about their endorsement.

DIGIDREAMGRAFIX/CC BY-SA 3.0 How could you not embrace the Christmas spirit after seeing this little guy’s smile?

Stop resisting the early onset of the Christmas spirit

By GILLIAN LELCHUK | November 3, 2016

The first of November hit us this week, and that means a lot more than you’d initially expect. It means Halloween is over, and so are all the spoopy memes. It means we’re in the final stretch of the semester (yikes). It means Starbucks started selling its Christmas drinks.

RENAN KATAYAMA/CC BY-SA 2.0 Naomi Campbell built her career on modeling, not Instagram.

Instagram models harm young girls’ self-esteem

By RENEE ROBINSON | November 3, 2016

If you scroll down your Instagram feed, what will you see? Besides maybe the few random cute puppy accounts that you follow, your feed will be littered with pictures of a group of girls with impeccable makeup, bright lighting and (if you look closely enough) most likely one foot propped higher than the other to make it look like there’s a space between their thighs. In other words, the classic look of the Instagram model, also known as the “baddie” makeup look.

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