Opinion Columns
Group Think | What is the biggest issue facing Penn?
The fall semester is just about to end and a lot has happened that has left lasting impressions and changes on this campus.
Isabella Simonetti | We can fix Penn's toxic culture more than the administration ever could
Our neglect to take responsibility for our contribution to the toxic parts of Penn is what allows it to persist.
Alex Silberzweig | Big donations have little significance for Penn students
The drive to create some sort of legacy, though often expressed in unusual ways, stems from a common desire to remember and be remembered.
Jessica Li | Four years of college will never be enough
Especially at Penn, we’re trying our hardest to cram as much as we possibly can in the four years we’re here, or at least we’re trying to make something of ourselves.
James Lee | Believing in Penn as an ideal
You should not and do not need to believe that Penn is perfect. You should not love it unconditionally. You only need to love it enough to believe that it is worth saving.
Amy Chan | You can’t ghost everyone
You cannot always repress and ignore grievances you have with certain people. Nor can you avoid becoming close to those same people in the first place.
Lucy Hu | It‘s unconstitutional to prefer white over Asian students
Penn, it might be time to stop saying you love helping minorities, when you actually subdue them once they start to threaten your white domination.
Isabella Simonetti | Why we shouldn’t give up on Penn
Our objective should be to reach a space where we can acknowledge the pertinent issues on campus while also leading healthy, full lives.
Spencer Swanson | Why Penn graduate students are missing out in Trump’s 'great' tax cuts
If passed, these changes would undermine higher education and would have a negative multi-generational impact on the United States.
Cameron Dichter | Penn’s grading system needs major reform
Other universities have reformed their grading systems. It’s time for Penn to do the same.
Sara Merican | Becoming citizens of Philadelphia
The city can widen our horizons, teach us lessons and help us develop a healthier view on life, society and our goals.
Shilpa Saravanan | Reading more doesn’t necessarily make you more intellectual
More books aren’t better, and reading isn’t necessarily better than not reading — so let’s stop acting like that’s the case.
Alex Silberzweig | Penn Dining really is "simple robbery"
Though our food is an integral part of our college experience, the costs of eating should not tie us down and hinder us more than our tuition, housing, and work already do.
Jacquelyn Sussman | It’s time to talk about lowering the national debt
We need to save our middle-aged selves from paying for the mistakes of today.
Carlos Arias Vivas | Service animals should be welcomed on this campus
We should not automatically assume that just because an owner doesn’t have any physical impairments, a service dog has no use.
Isabella Simonetti | There's no such thing as a "dream school"
Whether one is applying early to Penn or any other college, it is important to recognize and try to avoid the false idealization of particular universities.
Jessica Li | Be thankful post-Thanksgiving break
Our inherent gratitude for our lives and the people in them should extend beyond a day and should carry into our day-to-day, even if we have to consciously remind ourselves to do so.
Isabella Simonetti | People everywhere; just not mine
Being a freshman at Penn is tough. But being a queer freshman at Penn has made my adjustment to college way more difficult than it should be.
Spencer Swanson | Penn's inclusion in the Paradise Papers is shameful
After the recent revelations of the Paradise Papers, it is obvious that Penn hasn’t been entirely practicing what it preaches.