Katiera Sordjan | The new Stockholm syndrome

By Katiera Sordjan · Nov. 19, 2014

Fraternity pledges are stripped of their belongings and clothing and forced to parade around. New student leaders are verbally belittled before assuming their positions.  Members of a club are dragged out of bed in the middle of the night, doused with alcohol  comma and pressured to drink.

Jonathan Iwry | Life cycle of parasitus academicum

By Jonathan Iwry · Nov. 18, 2014

Jonathan Iwry is a 2014 College graduate from Potomac, Md. His email address is jon.iwry@gmail.com.

Jeremiah Keenan | Public practice of private faith

By Jeremiah Keenan · Nov. 18, 2014

Across the country, similarly misguided school authorities have ordered the removal of nominally religious images and quotations (such as an educational poster featuring the five pillars of Islam or a Ronald Reagan quote that mentioned God) and banned or bullied religious clubs.

The Vision | Stop asking for permission

By Nikki Hardison and The Vision · Nov. 18, 2014

There are plenty of people walking around with fancy positions who haven’t accomplished much. And then there are those without any formal recognitions who will always be remembered for the impact that they have had.

Dani Blum | Sit down or stand out

By Dani Blum · Nov. 17, 2014

I understand where my friend is coming from. Part of my selfish, pre-frosh fantasies about Penn was making something more of myself, of standing out somehow in the massive crowd. I didn’t know how that would manifest or what I would do to achieve that, but I wanted to be different. I think we all did.

Guest column by Dia Sotiropoulou | The blue-and-red-eyed monster

By Dia Sotiropoulou · Nov. 17, 2014

As I’ve scrolled through my Facebook news feed recently, I’ve stumbled every so often on emphatic promotional blurbs urging me to “beat Harvard.” With a “like” to the Daily Pennsylvanian’s Facebook page, apparently, I can stick it to those sneering Cambridgeites and help overtake the popularity of their altogether-too-revered Crimson.

Hannah Rosenfeld | Almost there

By hannah rosenfeld · Nov. 17, 2014

Hannah Rosenfeld is a College sophomore from Tokyo.

Sam Sherman | In the doghouse

By Sam Sherman · Nov. 16, 2014

Sam Sherman is a College junior from Marblehead, Mass. His email address is samsherman6@gmail.com.

Shawn Kelley | Get up, stand up

By Shawn Kelley · Nov. 16, 2014

A feeling of too many problems to be able to affect change has begun to permeate the activism community. Too many problems and too little time. How is a student supposed to spend time contending for a cause, while also keeping up with school work?

Jonathan Iwry | Reclaiming Zionism

By Jonathan Iwry · Nov. 16, 2014

I should be able to identify as a Zionist without being called a fascist. I should also be able to criticize particular policies by the Israeli government without being anti-Zionism. As the debate stands, it’s all or nothing. It’s inaccurate and unfair to those of us who are looking for a middle ground. To put it simply, it’s unreasonable.

The Vision | Nappy hair and blue eyes

By The Vision , Tahir Bell and Ian Jeong · Nov. 12, 2014

This pervasive notion that black people have to change their bodies is ingrained in our society and makes it difficult to recognize how external forces have been internalized. Whether this self-loathing comes in the form of using makeup or chemicals to brighten skin tones or using heat or treatments to straighten hair, the goal has been to meet a standard of beauty that elevates one group of people and simultaneously demeans another.

Katiera Sordjan | Don't be colorblind

By Katiera Sordjan · Nov. 12, 2014

People who say they are colorblind miss the point of cultural acceptance. Yes, you should not make assumptions about me or treat me unkindly because of the color of my skin. But you should also not strip me of the rich backgrounds that have shaped my life and made me who I am today.

Anneka DeCaro | The ratio

By Anneka DeCaro · Nov. 12, 2014

Anneka DeCaro is a College freshman. Her email address is annekaxiv@gmail.com.

Dani Blum | Unsmooth SAILing

By Dani Blum · Nov. 11, 2014

For me, that’s the most troubling part of flipped classrooms — the idea that, with all the great faculty Penn has, they don’t spend time teaching. A freshman in an active learning Math 103 course told me that she is required to watch online lectures. Once she is actually in class, her professor puts her into groups and gives them worksheets.

Yessenia Gutierrez | Adopting a new point of view

By Yessenia Gutierrez · Nov. 11, 2014

I hope that I will love my child the instant I know they are mine — as my parents felt with me. I will love an adopted child with the same deep, irrational and unconditional love my parents have given me. Just like my parents, I will then begin the lifelong process of getting to know who they really are, and loving them not just as my child, but as their own person.

Guest column by Elizabeth Oppong and Mikie Sakanaka | It's your student government

By Elizabeth Oppong and Mikie Sakanaka · Nov. 11, 2014

When it comes to student government, Penn does not have a participation problem. Participation with Penn Student Government has undoubtedly improved over the past few years, from higher voter turnout to increased student participation in various appointed committees. Penn does, however, have an ownership problem.

Nick Moncy | The future

By nick moncy and Nick_Moncy · Nov. 11, 2014

Nick Moncy is a College junior from North Miami, Fla. His email address is nickmon@sas.upenn.edu.