Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
September 3, 2025 September 3, 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.

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

American sex education is a public health problem

By MIN-SEO KIM | October 19, 2022

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

By EMILIA GONZALEZ | October 12, 2022

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

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | October 6, 2022

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

By SAMHI BOPPANA | October 1, 2022

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

By JULIA ZACHARSKI | September 27, 2022

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.

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | September 22, 2022

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

By ALEXANDRIA RICHTER | September 21, 2022

“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

By RITWIK RAJ | September 18, 2022

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.

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | September 15, 2022

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

By MARY KATE MCCORMICK | September 12, 2022

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. 

It’s time to be real, Hopkins. COVID is still here.

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | September 8, 2022

Every new school year brings change: different professors, different classmates, maybe even a different go-to order at Brody Cafe. But some of the recent changes on campus have us scratching our heads, wondering how and why the University has decided to alter key policies.

EVA RINALDI/CC BY 2.0 Kye criticizes Swift’s inconsistent political activism.

The problem with Taylor Swift’s political activism

By MADELYN KYE | September 5, 2022

Taylor Swift’s place in the political sphere is complicated, to say the least. Early in her career, she stayed silent about politics. Swift has said that she acted this way for two main reasons: she believed that country music was hostile towards artists who spoke out politically, as was the case with the Dixie Chicks, and she did not feel educated enough to make political statements with the ability to influence millions of people. 

Oh, the places we’ll go: Looking forward to fall 2022

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD | September 1, 2022

This fall marks the University’s first fully in-person semester in three years. Along with this change comes the revival of classic college traditions and the process of adjusting to a repopulated campus. It’s both an exciting and scary time for all of us, even the ones who have been at Hopkins for a few years now.

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