What Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation vote means for the U.S. Supreme Court

In 1993, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was confirmed by a vote of 96 to three in the U.S. Senate. After the unprecedented nature of Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation, we can safely say that such a bipartisan equilibrium will never again exist with respect to the Supreme Court. 

Opposing Viewpoints: The problem with paying college athletes

As college football and basketball make more money for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and universities, more people think the athletes playing in these sports should be compensated. While this seems like a nice, logical and fair idea, the execution could send everyone involved down a rabbit hole that they may never be able to fully climb out of.

Opposing Viewpoints: College athletes should be paid

In college football, University of Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa — the Heisman Trophy frontrunner who has his eyes set on delivering the school its second straight national championship — won’t make anything. No contract, commercials, shoe deals. Nada. The same goes for Duke University’s Zion Williamson, a generational basketball talent whose talents will fill Cameron Indoor Stadium night after night this upcoming season. You won’t see them starring in shoe commercials, jerseys with their names being sold on store racks or their names and likenesses being used in video games.

Community must be at the core of a Hopkins police force

After University officials failed to pass legislation that would have enabled them to create a private police force last semester, they announced that they would spend the next several months gathering student and community input to revise the bill. 

Elitism, not racism, is the real problem in admissions

When I was applying to college, my dad told me 山外有山,天外有天 which translates to “there will always be a taller mountain, there is always something higher than the sky.” In other words, there’s always something better out there.

To fight climate change, hold our institutions accountable

The recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) makes it excruciatingly clear that it’s time for us to fully recognize the existential threat of climate change — a danger of our own making, maintained through our neglect to take effective action.

Hopkins housing system fosters loneliness

I agree: We should continue badgering the administration for the construction of a new student center. But while we’re at it, let’s also address the University’s isolation-inducing housing system. 

Letter to the Editor 10/11/2018

If the values of “diversity” and “community engagement” are to be more than mere slogans — and if Hopkins is serious about its expressed commitment to equality — ending its contracts with ICE is non-negotiable. 

The University must stand behind indigenous students

The celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day on campus makes us hope that Hopkins is becoming a more diverse and inclusive university. But we can’t expect indigenous students to carry that burden alone. We have to remember that the University must also take action. 

Students, please vote. You too, STEM majors.

When I was 17, I set up an ironing board on the side of Market Street in downtown San Francisco. I wore a brand new shirt with straight-out-of-the-box creases, which read: “Ask me to help you register to vote.” Panicked about the possible re-election of George W. Bush (remember him?), I had convinced four friends to spend the day with me trying to register distracted shoppers.

Brett Kavanaugh has won. All Americans have lost.

Yes, this is a piece by a college student lamenting the state of politics in this country. I’m not going to waste space here talking about what happened. We’re in America. Pretty much all Americans who’ve logged onto Facebook or seen a news headline know the facts, or, at least some version of the truth. Those in charge of our country these days seem to be always arguing about what actually happened in any given situation.

Hopkins must fight a climate change crisis

OIE statistics are out. Now what do we do about campus sexual misconduct?

The mire of data related to sexual misconduct in the OIE report leaves us with many questions. Numbers are informative, but what can we do with these statistics? What can we do to address the problems they illustrate? 

Opposing Viewpoints: It's your duty to vote in Maryland

Baltimore is a college town, with nine universities in the city limits attracting around 55,000 students. Many of these students, particularly those at Hopkins, are reluctant to make a home in the city. They are wary of exploring its neighborhoods, rarely patronize the city’s cafes, steer clear of getting involved in local political issues and are generally comfortable living in the Hopkins bubble for four years.

Opposing Viewpoints: This year, vote in your battleground homestates

As November approaches, the call to vote is heard louder and louder. There is no question as to whether you should vote, but the decision of where to register to vote may not be as clear.  If you are from Maryland, the choice has been made for you. However, those of us who hail from other states have to decide between having a voice in the places where we reside for most of the year and the places that built us.

To my fellow Asian and Asian-American students: we must stand and fight

If you think you’re safe under the Trump administration, think again.  Financial Times reported on Tuesday that earlier this year, immigration adviser Stephen Miller suggested to U.S. President Donald Trump that the government stop issuing visas to students with Chinese citizenship.

How do we ensure student voices are heard on campus security issues?

If this committee is given agency and information, it can be a good first step for the University in its efforts to solicit student feedback about campus security. We hope that it is a substantial body with real power and not simply a hollow gesture. It is up to the University to ensure that happens. 

What we can learn from the Kavanaugh hearings

Recently, three women have accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault. We’ve been watching his appointment hearings with anticipation.