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Opinion Columns

10/01/10 4:34am

Sir Lance-a-Lot | Punishment can be reefer madness

Penn's marijuana policy seems to attempt to help rather than punish students. Still, Penn’s policy isn’t as lenient as it could be.
10/01/10 4:19am

Penn Name | Think before drinking water

Philadelphia’s drinking water may not be as clean as people think, and stricter regulations should be put into effect.
09/30/10 3:34am

Scientifically Blonde | Reality television is going mental

Initially, I was super critical of reality shows about mental illness. But I realized that these shows are actually helping address a serious problem in our society: the “taboo” of mental illness.
09/30/10 3:31am

Smart Alec | A queer application question

Despite Penn’s recent success in LGBT recruiting, the University should not go the next step and include a sexual-orientation question on its Common App supplement.
09/29/10 4:23am

Ad-Libs | The hidden pros of 9 a.m. classes

Students should try taking more classes out of their personal time zones — it may end up being better than expected.
09/29/10 4:17am

Amanda Please | The credit students deserve

Taking AP and IB courses should not only be a stepping stone for students to get into Penn, but also a stepping stone for them to take a more advanced course load.
09/28/10 2:45am

Berry Nice | Weary of the McYoga Special

Yoga has transformed from a spiritual practice to a kickboxing alternative in order to cater to eager Americans. I worry that the trend could lead to bad karma for yoga in its purest form.
09/28/10 2:41am

Ryu's Clues | 'Interdisciplinary' is just a word

Despite the various ways Penn advertises interdisciplinary education through structured programs, courses of study don’t need to be labeled as such to provide multiple perspectives on a certain theme.
09/27/10 2:51am

The Sooner, The Better | Penn should be political

Well, whether the University likes it or not, it is inherently political. Despite distaste for appearing partisan, Penn’s administration does not — and should not — excuse itself from the political process.
09/27/10 2:48am

Cosmopoli-Tanvi | Stop short-changing Indonesia

The whole world has been taking notice of Indonesia lately. Some rapid hiring could easily position Penn as the American hub for a region of greater and greater global importance.
09/24/10 2:57am

Hassall-Free Fridays | Need for a more ferocious Quaker

I object to Penn's mascot because he embodies pacifism and silliness and fails to represent any kind of fighting spirit.
09/24/10 2:47am

Penn Name | Time off for all faiths

In a school that prides itself on being diverse and accepting, I feel that not granting the whole student body time off for major religious holidays — such as Good Friday, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha — could be problematic.
09/23/10 4:09am

Truth Be Told | Lessons learned from dead bodies

Now that I've dissected my first cadaver, I realize that anatomy is a crash course in treading a fine line between embracing and restraining your own humanity.
09/23/10 3:43am

Smart Alec | Change the drinking culture

At Penn, it seems no party is complete without someone “blacking out” because of binge drinking. Yet our binge-drinking culture is not a foregone conclusion — it can, and should, change.
09/22/10 4:12am

Ad-Libs | In defense of Du Bois College House

Du Bois offers a unique living experience other houses cannot rival, and the benefits of living there outweigh the drawbacks.
09/22/10 4:06am

Say Anything | No freshman girls allowed

There is a rule that states that freshman women are not allowed to attend any fall semester sorority events involving alcohol. I hate this rule.
09/21/10 3:46am

Southern Comfort | Narrowing the service gap

Nestled in the Penn bubble, we know a lot about the strategic hopscotch that starts wars, but we know less and less about the college-aged kids we send to fight them.
09/21/10 3:41am

Berry Nice | Hold the meat, sometimes

“Weekday vegetarianism,” which involves choosing to forgo meat some of the time, is a movement that everyone can understand regardless of their views on animal rights.
09/20/10 3:51am

Wiki-Pedia | Multiple degrees, multiple difficulties

There are a select few students who seem so sure of what they want to do that they need two degrees to do it. But their tightly packed semesters and prohibitive requirements leave little room for anything else.
09/20/10 3:46am

The Sooner, The Better | (Not) rocking the suburbs

In the 2010 midterm elections, treating every Pennsylvania voter equally is a strategic mistake. For Penn’s Democratic students, time should be spent not in West Philly, but just outside the city limits.

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