Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
April 18, 2024

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.



PUBLIC EDITOR: The merits and pitfalls of returning to print

If you’re reading this, you probably already know The News-Letter is back in print! For many Hopkins students, this is the first time they are seen a physical edition of their school’s newspaper. It’s also the first time many of The News-Letter’s staff have produced a newspaper or seen their work in ink, myself included. 


COURTESY OF MOLLY GREEN
With the recent crimes near campus, we encourage everyone to take advantage of the University’s safety resources. 

In light of recent crimes around campus, prioritize safety.

Over the past few weeks, the Hopkins community has received multiple emergency alerts about crimes occurring around Baltimore campuses, including two abductions or attempted abductions near the Homewood Campus. The University responded to this uptick in serious violent crimes in a message to affiliates on Oct. 29. 


MICHAEL STOKES / CC BY 2.0
Heng claims that President Joe Biden should remain Democrats’ top pick for the 2024 presidential election. 

Biden is Democrats’ best bet for the 2024 election

With midterms quickly approaching, we are reminded once again of the impending 2024 election. President Joe Biden still hasn’t formally decided whether he will be running for a second term. This raises the million-dollar question: should he run again? 




Voter apathy is spooky. Go to the polls.

As midterm elections near, it seems that many young voters have become disillusioned with the political sphere. For many of us, it’s been a while since we were our 18-year-old selves, all registered and geared up to vote.


Kim reflects on the inadequate sex education in U.S. schools.

American sex education is a public health problem

High school should be preparing students for the next exciting and challenging phase of their lives, which is attending university. At the very least, students should be taught important information before they are thrust into a new and hectic environment, where they don’t often have time to learn basic life skills other than via trial and error.  It wasn’t until one of my public health classes at Hopkins that I realized just how much our high schools fail us in that regard.




JINA LIM / CARTOONS EDITOR
Gonzalez argues that incoming freshmen shouldn’t begin college in long-distance relationships, while Basu discusses their merits.

Opposing viewpoints: Don’t go the distance

Everyone experiences a culture shock when they go off to college. For some people it's the weather, for others it's the new city’s slang. For me, it was finding out how many college students are in long-distance relationships. 


SHOURYA ARASHANAPALLI / DESIGN STAFF

In SGA, we (wish we could) trust

According to its constitution, the Student Government Association (SGA) was founded upon “the importance of strengthening student unity, representing student interests and providing a forum for the exchange of ideas.” Unfortunately, we’re not sure these lofty ideals are being met. 


SOLEN FEYISSA / CC BY 2.0
Boppana worries TikTok is pushing users’ political views to the extreme ends of the spectrum.

TikTok is bad for political discourse and furthers polarization

Social media is increasingly influencing political discourse, and TikTok is no exception, becoming home to political content for its 1 billion monthly users. However TikTok’s structure, algorithm and moderation are inherently hostile to productive political discussions and instead encourage extremism.



NIAID / CC-BY-2.0
Zacharski raises concerns about the University’s current approach to the monkeypox virus.

The University should do more to prevent monkeypox

Last month, many students began what was their first day of the “normal” college experience: attending classes in 400-person lecture halls, grabbing food with large groups of friends and walking around campus unmasked. The months of wondering “Will this ever end?” seemed to be over as the first fully in-person semester since the fall of 2019 commenced. 


SHOURYA ARASHANAPALLI / DESIGN STAFF

The grind should stop sometimes. Go on a Brody detox.

Welcome to Week Four of the semester — classes are underway, midterms are right around the corner and life just got a whole lot busier.  While high grades are a top priority for any student, especially here at Hopkins, we also want to emphasize the importance of maintaining your mental health and well-being.


Richter details the unjustified belittlement of nurses.

“Just a nurse”: The devaluation of the nursing profession is undeserved

“I am just a nurse.”  These are the words my professors had me swear by oath to never speak during my first day of nursing school. I have never uttered these words because I have never believed them. I’ve always respected the nursing profession and, in general, disagree entirely with devaluing a much-needed component of a functioning society. 


FILE PHOTO
Raj questions the University’s decision to relax COVID mitigation policies.

Hopkins COVID-19 policies aren’t doing enough

Over the past couple of years, Hopkins has been at the forefront of tracking COVID-19 cases and disseminating accurate information about the virus to the public. Now that in-person classes are back, it can be tempting to believe the pandemic has ended. Unfortunately that is not the case.


Don’t get cocky, Blue Jays. Rank is just a number.

The recently released 2022-2023 U.S. News & World Report college rankings place Hopkins at seventh among national universities — a jump from last year’s ninth. The annual rankings always spark conversation around campus. Over the last decade, Hopkins has gradually climbed to the top 10 and is continuing to rise through the ranks.


McCormick argues that Tate’s recent virality reflects a much longer history of misogyny on the internet.

Andrew Tate's 15 minutes of fame are a classic portrait of modern online misogyny

I hardly need to introduce Andrew Tate. The controversy surrounding his name is difficult to miss. The 35-year-old former kickboxer, who gained notoriety through streaming and social media platforms, is known for saying atrocious things such as “I’m not a f**king rapist, but I like the idea of just being able to do what I want” while explaining why he moved to Romania and that women must “bear some responsibility” for being sexually assaulted. 


Podcast
Multimedia
Alumni Weekend 2024
Leisure Interactive Food Map
The News-Letter Print Locations
News-Letter Special Editions