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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.

LAURA BITTNER via FLICKR

Covered grades are a double-edged sword

By SAMMY BHATIA | March 31, 2016

Collectively, I probably put in no more than 30 to 40 hours of real work over the course of first semester. In comparison, I drank 30 to 40 alcoholic beverages per week. I blew through my allowance for the semester well before Thanksgiving — mostly in Uber charges, Subway sandwiches and cash withdrawals — as my hobbies grew increasingly illicit. By Christmas, I forgot what it felt like to put pen to paper. My brain had spent the past three months marinating in its own sloth, ripened with “experiences,” as I would call them, instead of with knowledge. At one point, my extended group of friends started to joke about who could achieve the lowest GPA while still passing all their courses. And let me tell you, I came close to winning that competition.

The fallacy of Clinton as the “pro-choice” candidate

By EMELINE ARMITAGE | March 31, 2016

Although this is the first election in which I’m eligible to vote, I think I can say with confidence that this election has spawned the most memes. My Twitter and Facebook are flooded with Trump’s hair, the bird that landed on Sanders’ podium and Ted Cruz, a.k.a. the Zodiac Killer. A new species of meme has also landed on my social media: the Hillary Clinton the Feminist (TM) meme. Mainstream feminist accounts and publications share images of Clinton with captions such as “YAS QUEEN” and “SLAY QUEEN HILL.” (The appropriation of black slang is a different but important conversation.)

Apple should have just broken open that iPhone

By IAN GUSTAFSON | March 31, 2016

When the news media first started to report heavily on the standoff between the FBI and Apple over unlocking the San Bernardino shooter’s phone, my first impulse was to think, “Why the hell wouldn’t Apple unlock this scumbag’s phone for a pressing terrorism investigation?” Now, after the government announced on Tuesday that an unnamed third party showed them a back door into the iPhone and they dropped their lawsuit against Apple, my original thought was vindicated — but with a host of new questions to answer.

Keep the Blue Jay statue expressive and guideline-free

March 31, 2016

Earlier this week, a message was painted on the Blue Jay statue outside of the FFC that said, “End Israeli apartheid.” The message has caused substantial controversy and has forced University officials to consider creating guidelines for painting the statue. The Editorial Board firmly believes that the creation and implementation of such guidelines is unnecessary and defeats the original purpose of the statue itself.

Building a better Career Center

By SAMHITA ILANGO | March 24, 2016

The Career Center recently announced the appointment of Anne Garner as the new director, to start in May. Staff changes inevitably lead to differences in operation, the Editorial Board hopes that with this new leadership comes some much-needed improvements to the Career Center.

Manage your expectations for the best HelWell experience

March 24, 2016

The Student Health and Wellness Center, the University clinic located on 31st Street, is often the recipient of criticism from the student body, and it seems like everyone has a friend with a horror story about HelWell. Although the center is flawed, it does serve its stated purpose. HelWell would greatly benefit from a few changes, but it does not deserve the harsh reputation it has garnered.

Common spaces in Hopkins housing need to be reimagined

By TOMMY KOH | March 24, 2016

As the freshman class spent Spring Break worrying about what options their housing time slot would permit them, the question of which building is preferable seemed to be at the top of everyone’s mind. The answer is a foregone conclusion for some. Many swear by the newness of the now five-years-old Charles Commons. Some will fight tooth and nail for an apartment unit that allows them to forego a meal plan. Yet others are already assured of their accommodation, having selected the healthy living, substance-free community of Rogers House. As seems to be convention, McCoy remains forgotten, unloved and feared.

MEGAN DONNELLY/For THE NEWS-LETTER

Students: Your vote counts in more ways than one

By GILLIAN LELCHUK | March 24, 2016

It feels like no one believes their vote actually counts. If someone lives in a blue state and votes red, the candidate they want to win doesn’t have a chance, and if someone lives in a blue state and votes blue, why should it matter if they join the hoards of people all voting for the same candidate?

KEITH ALLISON VIA FLIKR/CC-BY-SA 2.0

From Adam LaRoche, a lesson on balance

By Jahan Mirchandani | March 24, 2016

For many Americans, “take your child to work day” is an annual occurrence where children accompany their parents to their job. Typically the glamour of this annual day wears off once these children become teenagers, and teachers do not want their students missing an entire day’s worth of classes. The thought of having children roaming the workplace several times a month seems unimaginable, given that it would distract not only their parents, but co-workers as well.

Moments and milestones in the history of women at Hopkins

March 10, 2016

“Imagine yourself a woman, walking into a classroom and being addressed as ‘Gentleman.’ Imagine yourself walking into the gym and being told that you need a male escort in order to use the ping-pong tables… This was the Johns Hopkins University in 1970 and 1971,” Cynthia Young said in her 1974 Hopkins commencement speech.

Michael Garnett via FLICKR/CC-BY-Sa 2.0

In case of Trump, Canada offers you political safety

By SABRINA WANG | March 10, 2016

On Tuesday, Donald Trump barrelled through the primaries once again, winning Michigan and Mississippi. Not that I’m surprised this time around; after winning Super Tuesday with landslide victories, it appears that the sky has turned green for the businessman.

Center for American Progress Fund via FLICKR/ CC-BY-SA 2.0

Hillary’s checkered past is concerning

By HAYLEY DOTT | March 10, 2016

Before the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 9, Madeline Albright and Gloria Steinem, pioneering, feminist dynamos of the 1960s, had some choice words for young female voters. At a rally for Hillary Clinton in the state on Feb. 7, Albright took to the podium to address undecided backers, saying, “We can tell our story of how we climbed the ladder, and a lot of younger women think it’s done. It’s not done. There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other.” To which, Clinton laughed.

Student publications are valuable outlets of expression

March 10, 2016

The Hopkins Dialectic is a new journal founded by sophomore Karl Johnson that will discuss the intersection of Christianity with modern issues and subject such as philosophy, science and literature. The journal expects to publish its first issue in April and until then has been working with The Triple Helix to hold discussions on similar topics that students will write about in the journal.

Ines hegedus-Garcia via FLICKR/CC-By-Sa 2.0

Spring break is a time for discovery and exploration

By TOMMY KOH | March 10, 2016

Pausing is important. Pausing allows us to be present, to take stock of how far we’ve come, where we are and where we need to go. The act of pressing pause seems almost necessary when the business and tiredness of daily life is recognized. To many, the upcoming Spring Break represents just that. An opportunity to pause, to rest, to take stock.

MEGAN DONNELLY/FOR THE NEWS-LETTER

Donald Trump’s anti-Muslim fascism is not entertainment

By EMELINE ARMITAGE | March 3, 2016

Ahh... 2016. We are truly living in the future I imagined when I was a little girl. Hoverboards, smart watches, Nutella, those fancy automatic soda machines they have in fast food restaurants now: The future is everything I pictured with one large exception — I did not anticipate that a fascist, racist, misogynistic orange fluffy potato would probably be one of the two major political party’s candidates.

R.I.P Yearbook: 1889–2015

March 3, 2016

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.

Learning from our controversial past

March 3, 2016

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.

Everyone deserves to have a role model

By TOMMY KOH | March 3, 2016

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.

What to do in the many neighborhoods of Baltimore

By SARAH STOCKMAN | March 3, 2016

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.”

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