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In 1889, the University’s very first yearbook began with a small message: “The class of ‘89 is about to leave the college halls and go forth into the world. Each and every member takes in his hand a copy of The Debutante and his diploma.” Over a century later, our seniors will no longer be able to share the same sentiment.
In the back right corner of Shriver Hall’s grand entrance stands a bust of Isaiah Bowman, the University’s fifth president who presided over the school from 1935 to 1948. He was a Harvard graduate, a renowned geographer, a traveler, a close advisor to both Franklin D. Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, and, importantly, an outspoken anti-Semite. He was once quoted as saying, “Jews don’t come to Hopkins to make the world better or anything like that. They come for two things: to make money and to marry a non-Jewish woman.” Thus the recent outrage over the school’s memorialization of this man is understandable.
The upcoming Homewood Leadership Weekend was envisioned as a platform for empowering student leaders and their organizations to succeed. Sessions on leadership styles, event planning, finance management and administrative organization are intended to impart useful, practical skills for success. The planned sessions overlook one key element of leadership: role modeling.
Over the course of my two years at Hopkins I’ve mostly heard people complain about Baltimore. It’s too small, too dangerous, too boring. I’ve yet to hear anyone say that they actually like the city. No one’s told me about a cool neighborhood they visited or a delicious Thai restaurant they’ve found. No one’s said to me, “You have to visit the Walters Museum,” or “You can’t leave without eating at The Bun Shop.”
This week, University President Ronald J. Daniels and Provost Robert C. Lieberman announced a University-wide Task Force on Mental Health and Wellbeing, the culmination of many months of work by the administration and SGA. I am, quite frankly, thrilled by the University’s commitment to ameliorating the issue of mental health here on campus and eagerly look forward to working with them on this important task.
We all want good food on our campus. The Dining Meeting this past Monday reflects how staff and students alike are committed to the Hopkins dining experience. But other than give feedback at the Dining Meeting, what else can students do to improve their Dining encounters? Attention must be paid to how our interactions to obtain food are not just transactional but relational. Is it really the case that staff members are “mean” and “rude” as some believe? Are the bagels really worth “killing with fire” as suggested by a previous review by this newspaper? Here are a few thoughts from my observations at Crepe Studio (located in CharMar):
In the early 1950s, a former Korean War tank commando had a dream. His name was Walter Criddle, but his friends knew him as “the Fat Flying Squirrel” because he was apparently a spirited dancer despite his weight. As a recovering alcoholic, Criddle built himself a happy life as the owner of a successful Baltimore tire store. After a few stable years, Criddle began to look past his dream of owning a Corvette as the endemic alcoholism of his community began to weigh upon him. Walter Criddle wanted to do something about it. He wanted to start a halfway house and, with the help of a motorcycle-riding, chain smoking, spitfire of a preacher named Harry Shelley, succeeded in the venture. This is a highly condensed origin story of the Tuerk House, which was my favorite non-profit organization I worked with last summer. This group is still in operation as a halfway house for any kind of Baltimore addict and does beautiful work in our city.
This week, the University announced its decision to create a task force of professors, students and staff to investigate the state of student mental health and to create recommendations for measures to improve health and well-being.
With the mainstream media dominated by a boisterous primary season for the upcoming presidential election, it can be easy to forget the political climate in the University’s own backyard. The Baltimore mayoral election is impending, with the Democratic primary occurring on April 26. Although most students are unable to vote in this race given their lack of permanent, legal residency, it is still important for students to remain informed about the political world they inhabit for four years.
Deadpool is an important film not just because it is a neoclassical example of American entertainment at its finest, but because it broke the record for highest grossing movie ever released in the month of February — and it was R-rated. Trust me this movie is a game-changer. Here’s why:
Earlier this week, a number of campus groups held a panel called Confronting Islamophobia: A Discussion of Islamophobia in America. The panel was hosted jointly by the Hopkins Muslim Association, College Republicans, Sikh Student Association and the Office of Multicultural Affairs, with the purpose of discussing Islamophobia and its impact on and relation to college students, including students’ use of social media.
As humans one thing that we universally excel at is making excuses. Why didn’t I join that club? Well it was because I was busy doing homework (a.k.a I was too scared to go to something where I don’t know anybody). Why didn’t I ask that question in class? Oh I figured it out on my own (a.k.a I was too scared that I would look stupid in front of everybody).
What happens when you and your significant other are like old people:
It’s Jan. 2, everyone in the room is jet lagged, and, of course, London’s classic rain soaked everyone on the way to the conference. The administrators of the abroad program wait for us to grab our cups of coffee, ignoring the tea like the Americans we are, and pick through the assortment of cookies, or rather, biscuits before taking out seats.
I wish I could say I have no time for reality television. I wish I were so busy with work and studying that I simply do not have time to watch shows that are the antithesis of intellectual curiosity. Unfortunately, every week I religiously watch, and feel like I’m actively participating in, the cultural phenomenon that is The Bachelor. Why do I like watching The Bachelor so much? More importantly, why do I have opinions about what happens on The Bachelor? These are questions I ask myself in the effort to prove that yes, I realize it is an inherently absurd show and yes, I am embarrassed that I am so invested in it.
The spring semester has just begun, and some of you are feeling the pressure. I don’t mean the pressure of classes, I mean the pressure to fit in at Hopkins, to be happy, to make friends. Is this the second, third or fourth semester you’ve tried to convince yourself that this semester will be better than those previous? Do you find that, despite joining numerous clubs, you still feel as though you and Hopkins just don’t mesh?
As winter brings dropping temperatures to Baltimore and Homewood, students are raising concerns regarding their on-campus housing experiences. Issues range from insufficient hot water to poor insulation around the dorm windows, which are often directly next to students’ beds. Intermittent or occasional maintenance issues are bound to occur in any building, but the frequency and severity of the issues that occur inside the dorms — such as room temperatures dropping below 50 degrees Fahrenheit at night — should justify spending the necessary money to complete large-scale repairs.
The office of Student Leadership and Involvement (SLI) moved this spring’s activities fair from the Rec Center to the Breezeway and lengthened the event to a full week. The new format, called Student Involvement Week, lasted from Feb. 1-5 and included tabling at the Breezeway and a Student Organization Showcase on Wednesday. Each category of student groups — Advocacy and Awareness, Performing Arts, etc. — was assigned a day to set up tables at the Breezeway and attract students passing by.
During this hellish never-ending abyss of what-the-f**k-ery that is this election season, my social media accounts have been flooded with posts decrying Donald Trump and his racist fascist rhetoric. Which, don’t get me wrong, is not a bad thing. Denouncing fascism, Islamophobia, racism, misogyny, etc. is a good thing in my book. Unfortunately I have not seen that same indignation aimed at the systems and policies that mirror some of Trump’s rhetoric and affect millions of people, specifically immigration.
Do you remember when the ground was covered in a fluffy blanket of snow? The time when all you could see was white while the sounds of giggles and laughter rang throughout our campus? Over the weekend, Hopkins students braved the cold and made (or at least attempted to make) snowmen; Students spent hours sliding down the Beach and making fun of that random kid who was still wearing cargo shorts. Those of us who were less courageous chose to curl up on the couch with a delightful cup of hot chocolate. Four days later, things were back to normal and students are once again heading to class at 9 a.m. with cups of coffee in hand. The snow was but a fond memory of laziness.
