Opinion Columns
Andy Yoon | International students should take classes synchronously
With the exception of those with financial or health-related problems, there is in fact a case for international students to opt into synchronous instruction.
Alex Eapen | Penn has an accountability problem
The concerns of students must be met with transparent, decisive, and actionable responses from faculty and administration.
Jessica Gooding | Black women can’t protect their children
We must hear the alarmingly disproportionate cries of Black mothers. We must stop engaging with the disturbing ideas surrounding the strength of Black women as a waiver for their pain.
Bruce Shen | A better way of reckoning with statues
Some activists have called for toppling all controversial statues, which they believe would set the stage for achieving racial equity. But I think a blanket removal is profoundly misleading for two reasons.
Varun Saraswathula | What Kamala Harris’s vice presidential election means to me
We have a lot of work to do as a nation to create a more equitable and just society. However, it’s also important to consider how wondrous it is that someone like Kamala Harris can be in office.
Surayya Walters | Support the Biden-Harris Administration
While I didn’t have a favorite candidate, we now have an executive team with great potential. I’ve begun to trust that together they’ll possess the strength to lead our nation in the right direction.
Emily Chang | Why Penn’s return to campus is the right decision
As students celebrate this good news and begin planning for the upcoming semester, we can only hope that another “Revision” email doesn’t appear in our inboxes.
Lexi Boccuzzi | Divided American liberalism
Outside the isolation of coastal cities and college campuses, America isn’t embracing leftism.
Matthew Liu | Even after Biden’s win, We can still have a huge impact on this country's direction
With both Senate elections in Georgia undecided and going to a runoff, there are two distinct directions this country could go and there is still so much more you can do to impact the trajectory we take these next four years.
Caroline Magdolen | Firehoses of falsehood and fruitless quests for fact
Disinformation isn’t going away anytime soon, and there aren’t any clear, unbiased solutions to it. But we can cope with it better if we stop expecting certainty from our news, and strive to identify probable truths, as opposed to an absolute, undeniable one.
Surayya Walters | Hold Top Companies Accountable for Their Discrimination
I’m working hard to find a company that does more than talk about inclusivity, equity, and fairness, but one that actually manifests those ideals in their actions.
Alex Eapen | This Spring, put Philly first
It’s important to realize that while the coronavirus is not a life-threatening disease for most Penn students, the same cannot be said for many permanent residents of West Philadelphia.
Andy Yoon | The electoral college is no reason not to vote
When a system like the Electoral College has flaws, the long-term approach should be to seek recourse and change its structural underpinnings. In the short term, however, abandoning a still-active system does a disservice to everyone else.
Urooba Abid | We Must Do More than Vote
Change never happens on Election Day. It happens in the intermediary moments — in the days, weeks, and years between elections.
Lexi Boccuzzi | Idealism has no place in politics
If we as Penn students want to act as a force of change in this country, the youth vote cannot afford to be one of idealism.
Jessica Gooding | Biden’s right, we need to stop stigmatizing addiction
Former Vice President Biden openly stated how proud he was for his son for overcoming a drug addiction. The elder Biden is right to be proud of his son Hunter’s triumph — we all should take note of his transparency and decency.
Agatha Advincula | Religion doesn't excuse indifference
Forrest Church, a prominent theologian and Unitarian Universalist wrote, “We are not human because we think. We are human because we care.” So let’s start acting like it.
Varun Saraswathula | Policy is more important than politics
You may find that discussing the Affordable Care Act in objective, clinical terms without references to politics or party will spark a refreshing and fruitful debate.
Isabella Glassman | Why a woman couldn’t say “Will you shut up, man”
Women have made great strides in the last century, but what is done on paper does not always correlate to an equal change in American attitudes.