Opinion Columns
Oscar A. Rudenstam | Reconsidering religion in society
We are free to believe what we want, the reasoning goes, and since religion is a personal matter, it is not to be an object of criticism. This is true, but only partially.
The Vision | No one is safe
One of the ideas most integral to America’s conception of itself is the idea of meritocracy. It’s a seductive one, aligning well with what we’d like to believe about our nation and ourselves.
Dani Blum | Embracing the Penn bubble
We’ve all heard the urges to get into Center City more, to escape Penn’s boundaries and take advantage of the tourist destination at our fingertips. I love Philadelphia and have made some of my fondest memories this year exploring downtown, but I’m so attached to the environment we create on campus.
Alec Ward | Throw the bums out
The report makes clear that the mostly-white city government systematically and intentionally used the police and courts to extract money from the mostly-black population. It was not simply that the government’s composition did not reflect that of the electorate, the government was acting directly against the majority’s interests.
Ravi Jain | The social lives of transfer students
Going to a different school for one year hasn’t made me more mature or more experienced than my peers who spent their first year at Penn. From what I have experienced, colleges are more similar than they are different.
The Vision | (Racist) Words with friends
Unless you have been living under a rock or cabana during spring break, you have probably heard about the Sigma Alpha Epsilon scandal that unfolded last week.
Katiera Sordjan | Think like a woman
We are familiar with the challengeable, but still prevalent stereotypes about gender. This is just the way things are, we are taught, with “biology” being thrown around as a casual and vague explanation.
Jason Tangson | Go to sleep honey
As youth, we also often forget that we are mortal. This is good, because it affords us the confidence to aspire for whatever we dream of without the stuttering stultification of self-doubt.
Dani Blum | Popping the pressure
Change doesn’t have to come with an official label. It doesn’t need University funding or a DP article to appear valid. Efforts we make on a small scale are just as legitimate. If we want to change Penn — to really alter the things we all dislike about the University — then we need to start at the individual level.
Alec Ward | The best policy
I’m not a lawyer, a doctor or a trauma expert, but in researching my last two columns, I think I’ve encountered most of the issues and concerns which arise around sexual assault on campus. Accordingly I’d like to propose, based on what I’ve learned, what a sane, fair and compassionate sexual assault response policy might look like.
The Vision | Mental health in black communities
This year’s Black Solidarity Conference upheld a specific mantra: “The Ties that Bind: Unique in Our Blackness, One in Our Struggle.” For three days and three nights, students from colleges across the country joined together to uplift each other.
Oscar A. Rudenstam | Why we need both theory and practice in education
The liberal arts system popular in the United States is different in the sense that it gives students the ability to explore, combine and connect subjects in a variety of ways, a freedom which has a value often overlooked.
Sophia Wushanley | Real change is uncomfortable
People who believe that it constitutes a real harm to be exposed to an opinion they find bigoted will never feel safe in the sort of conversation that needs to be had the most: one that actually engages with the opposition.
Dani Blum | Caught in the craze
As much as I remind myself that this summer won’t define my career, it’s hard to escape the group mentality that permeates out of Huntsman — which was why I was so impressed when my roommate came home one day and announced she wasn’t looking for internships.
Ravi Jain | Emoji and the Evolution of Language
Emoji have recently appeared in the media due to their purported lack of diversity. A recent “Saturday Night Live” segment drew attention to the controversy when comedian Sasheer Zamata joked that she had to use the emoji for a new moon as none of the faces resembled her.
Alec Ward | Call the cops
Penn should use this failure as grounds upon which to seek an injunction against the enforcement of these regulations, which mandate a system which is both deeply flawed in theory and in practice has an abominably bad record at delivering justice for students.
Jason Tangson | Exhortation for exploration
Instead of intuition, our choices are tempered and tampered by our fear of not succeeding. These metrics of success rarely arise from our own organic origins, and instead come from being enveloped in Penn’s homogenous zones, which are aroused only by the touch of traditional success.
Dani Blum | Inviting Quaker pride
The University should work on promoting its Early Decision policies to lower-income communities. Penn should work with organizations like QuestBridge, which works with high-achieving, low-income students, and others that help underserved groups through the college admissions process.
Toe the Line: College Republicans | Keystone XL
Oil will be an integral part of the United States economy for decades to come. In 2013, US oil consumption increased by 400,000 barrels per day and the trend in 2014 followed suit.