Guest Columns

Guest Column by student leaders Michael Krone and Kevin Myers | A letter to student groups on club recruitment

There are many organizations on campus that could have completely open membership if they changed their mindsets.

Guest Column by student leaders Michael Krone and Kevin Myers | A letter to new students on club recruitment

With numerous exclusive clubs on campus, the majority of applicants are rejected from their desired organization.

Guest Column by Celeste Marcus | Penn says, 'Make money, not history'

If some of us graduate with a commitment to humanistic values and a respect for other cultures, it is despite Penn’s ethos, not because of it.

Guest Column by President Amy Gutmann | Better bonds, stronger community

It’s good to have you back and to welcome you to another exciting year at Penn!

Guest Column by Samantha Stein | Won't you be my (good) neighbor?

It is our responsibility to help mitigate the cycle of poverty in West Philadelphia by being invested community members.

Guest Column by CAPS Deputy Executive Director Meeta Kumar

Please remember that reaching out to CAPS — for yourself or a friend — is a sign of strength!

Guest Column by Leila Ashtaryeh | Elon Musk: uniquely driven entrepreneur or just another Wharton grad?

Like many Penn students, Musk is hyper-competitive and accustomed to winning. When faced with a loss, we tend to impulsively take matters into our own hands in an attempt to recover, just as Musk did with his most recent Twitter escapade. 

Guest Column by Araya Baker | Reflecting on Penn and the AIDS epidemic

They remember the way in which the epidemic coincided with the emergence of gayborhoods in cities like New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, leading the media to perpetuate the misconception that HIV/AIDS was a “gay disease.” They remember friends who spent months and years hospitalized, without a single visit from relatives who abandoned them. They remember checking the obituary section of local and national newspapers quite regularly.

Guest Column by Jamie Gobreski | My #MeToo moment during Fling

I’m angry that I don’t get to feel safe walking down my own campus, that, in that moment, I had to worry if I would get home safely.

Guest Column by Kenan Saleh | Professors, stop requiring expensive course materials

Professors frequently require the purchase of expensive textbooks and online course materials for students taking their class. This is a financial burden that disproportionately affects low-income students and significantly disadvantages those who are not able to afford them.

Guest Column by Ajjit Narayanan | Israeli apartheid: real, brutal, and deadly

As a state, Israel is open to the same critical lens as other nations, and as residents of the United States, the Israeli military’s largest financial supporter, we have a unique obligation to scrutinize its unjust policies. 

Guest Column by Carl-Emmanuel Fulghieri | In defiance of ‘dialogue’: responding to Ariela Stein’s pro-Israel column

Ariela Stein’s column last week displays less an earnest desire to understand than a show of power, demanding parameters of discourse when her side already dominates effective speech.

Guest Statement by Jessica Lim | Open letter to the Class of 2019 on why I'm running for president

I am running for President because I’ve decided it is time that women get recognized for the work we’re doing. I’ve decided it is time that all of Class Board’s efforts, and the organizations we’ve partnered with, are acknowledged.

Guest Column by Ariela Stein | Penn Students for Justice in Palestine touts myth of apartheid during Passover

This event does not promote the mutual respect needed to have a productive conversation on achieving peace in the region. 

Guest Statement by Robert J. Klopf III | Robert for UA President and Community

I am Robert John Klopf III and I am running for President of Undergraduate Assembly not because I care about the UA, but because I love Penn.

Guest Statement by Michael Krone and Jordan Andrews | For a better Penn: Michael and Jordan for UA

We want you to elect us as your Undergraduate Assembly President and Vice President because we are the most passionate and most qualified candidates, and we will work hard for a better Penn.

Guest Column by Rabbi Josh Bolton | 10 Passover lessons for Jews and non-Jews alike

The Pesach story is essential to an understanding of Jewish history and destiny, but some of its lessons would seem to be significant for anyone living through this frantic, globalized, postmodern moment.

Guest Column by Brown U. prof Glenn Loury | Reflections on my interview with Amy Wax

I believe that Dean Ruger's actions against Amy Wax at Penn Law — responding to public pressure no less — were reprehensible, and deserve to be condemned.

Letter from outgoing CAPS Director Bill Alexander | Look ahead to where you want to be

Rather than contribute to the volumes of verbiage that already take up so much space, and having listened to you for so many years, I thought I would just tell a story.  

Guest Column by Celeste Marcus | Netwerk it — a world without inwardness

Pressure to prove that we are a profitable connection, that we may be useful to know, is ubiquitous. We commodify ourselves, our friends, even our families.