Opinion Columns
Bridget Yu | Just because you’re sad, does not mean you’re depressed
Mislabeling depression as mere sadness will only prevent or delay treatment of a serious mental illness that should be addressed and treated as such.
Alexa Rybicki | Penn students should make use of Pottruck
Just like you set aside time to eat, study, and see your friends, make exercise part of your routine. You will feel happier and healthier.
Ilyse Reisman | The Critical Writing Seminar needs to be looked at under critical review
Until the writing seminar curriculum changes, students will continue to feel that it is a waste of their time and money.
Bridget Yu | Here’s a quick list of Penn's most helpful resources
While Google searches and Wikipedia pages do have their benefits, Penn students know their campus and surrounding area best.
Ilyse Reisman | Take student-faculty ratios and class size statistics with a grain of salt
If you really want to get an accurate assessment of how big the classes are at any school, ask someone who is taking classes you are considering taking, or studying something that you may be interested in.
Alexa Rybicki | Penn students should dress for success
Dress well and notice the difference in both how you feel and how the people around you view you, speak to you, and respect you.
Maeve Masterson | Climate change is not a countdown to an apocalypse
While we fantasize about what the end of the world will look like, the true apocalypse has already hit home and is terrorizing hundreds of communities living on the frontlines.
Alex Silberzweig | Penn needs to be more cognizant of the opioid crisis
Just because we attend a world-class university does not mean that we are shielded from the horrors of the opioid crisis.
James Morrison | Amy Wax is part of the Penn community. She should start acting like it.
Amy Wax's views serve as a reflection of the character of Penn, both as an institution and a community. By taking a position at Penn, Wax has joined a community of students and scholars, that, although diverse in thought and culture, have agreed to abide by a set of guiding principles.
Bridget Yu | Take advantage of the support groups that CAPS has to offer
The best advice I have received has been from people who don’t just sympathize with me, but empathize with me. Though I had never considered joining a support group before, I am tremendously grateful for the sincere support of my fellow returning students and the empathic discussions that we’ve shared.
Ilyse Reisman | The limit on the number of interview rounds for clubs needs to be enforced
There are still clubs that have more than two rounds of interviews and require resumes, but they get away with it because students at Penn are often wired to work as hard as they can to reach their goals, even if it is not good for their mental health.
James Morrison | Joe Biden needs to earn his salary
If Biden is to return to campus at any time during these next few months, he should return fully prepared to put his talents to use for the good of the Penn community, or else the University should pay him a salary that more accurately reflects his contributions to this institution.
Alex Silberzweig | Penn students would benefit from reading for fun
We need to incorporate the act of reading into our daily routine. Even reading one or two full-length articles from a fairly reputable newspaper or reading a chapter of a book can make a difference.
Maeve Masterson | Penn faculty's 'Climate Risk Solutions' mobilizes wisdom for change
Within the Penn community, this summer effort intends to inspire richer discussion and learning among students and scholars across campus, as well as introduce researchers around campus to each others’ efforts.
James Morrison | Penn needs to make it easier for students to explore its four schools
By lowering the barriers that divide students across the undergraduate schools, the University could create a more united student body that is better able to both collaborate with itself and foster a sense of unity at this school that is sorely lacking.
Alex Silberzweig | Khan Academy highlights deficiencies in conventional teaching methods
The extent to which high school, college, and graduate students depend on Khan Academy tells us how lackluster some of their more conventional resources tend to be.
Bridget Yu | There’s nothing wrong with prioritizing our mental health
Let’s take the first step toward ending the stigma around mental health by prioritizing ourselves and our health.
Alexa Rybicki | Take advantage of Penn’s global seminars
Penn makes it possible for students to have the opportunity to travel abroad without missing out on an entire semester at Penn.
Maeve Masterson | Oil refinery explosion reveals long-standing environmental injustice
Despite being just a few miles away, the thick smoke that continues to billow from the PES refinery poses a prescient and necessary reminder to most Penn students that the harmful effects of the nation’s highly emissive oil industry are real and ominously close to home.